Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Bluff City

The year 1998 is now history. I hope you accomplished all that you had intended to do and that you had a prosperous year. This is the time to make new year's resolutions that we will probably discard by February 1. We had a traditional black-eyed peas at our house on New Year's Day to insure good luck this year.

Our community struggled along as usual in 1998. We are all older and wiser, having learned from our experiences. Some of these experiences were not so welcome. We were pounded with a hail storm last January that caused damage to several roofs. The Church of Christ, which meets in the old Bluff City School building, had to replace its roof and the inside ceiling due to leaks. New lighting was installed, so we are better off now than before the storm.

We lost several from this area last year. Elsie Moore Beaver, a long-time resident of Bluff City, passed away February 24; Nellie Mae Kirk, who once lived in the community, passed away March 3; Herbert Knight passed away on May 4; Brodie Knight passed away August 21; and Bill Knight passed away December 13. Novice Norman, who once lived here, passed away December 23. Every time one passes on, a void is created in our lives and is especially noticed in a small community like ours.

A highlight of the year was the selection of the James Nelson family as the Nevada County Farm Family of the Year. They have a nice chicken and cattle farm in the suburbs of Bluff City.

Adam McKelvy was visiting his grandmother, Vernell Loe, after Christmas doing some last minute deer hunting. He told me he was hunting for a deer with a mussel-loader. I told him I had never seen a deer carrying a gun before.

The folks down at the International Paper Company nursery are busy lifting pine seedlings for planting this winter. Tree planting was delayed this season due to the mild fall weather. We have two nursery operations in this area. The IP nursery is located about one mile east of Ebenezer Cemetery and the Arkansas Forestry Commission operates a tree improvement complex on Highway 299. Timber is important to our economy and we should all be thankful for it.

Bill Sellers continues to improve after his surgery and was able to be in church Sunday.

Laverne Green reports that her sister, Lillie Mae Odell, is home now and improving after recent surgery in the Hope hospital. Lillie Mae and Obie once lived in the old Gooseankle community not far from Bluff City.

Linda Carman mentioned that her sister, Bonita Stinnett, was in Rome, Italy. Bonita's husband, Terry, was sent there on a company business trip and Bonita was able to go along. Linda asked her what she would do while Terry was in meetings, and Bonita said she guessed she would do what the Romans did.

Linda visited Kay Nelson Sunday afternoon to help her with some pruning work that she wanted done. Or was it interior decorating?

Milton Barlow from Mississippi was home visiting his mother, Doris Barlow, last Sunday. Also visiting were here two daughters, Judy Goss of Camden and Susie Crow of Texarkana, and some of her grandchildren.

Our thought this week is from Thomas Edison: "When you get down in the mouth remember Jonah. He came out all right."