Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive |
Rotary hears Band plans firsthandEvangeline WilliamsPublished Wednesday, September 3, 2008 in the Gurdon Times Allen Wimberly, director of the Gurdon High School Band, updated Rotary Club members last night on the bands performance plans this season. He was introduced by Rotary Club president-elect Doug Quillin, who opened the weekly meeting in absence of club president Billy Tarpley. The older I get, the better I feel, especially about the good things that are happening at the high school, Wimberly said. Benchmark scroes are up, and there is good camaraderie at the high school. Everyone gets along great. He said he and assistant band director Bruce Burson decided they would take a chance this year and not worry too much about judges, but to focus more on entertaining the Gurdon crowd. Wimberly said the theme for the band is GHS On Track, Bringing the Light to Gurdon. He said teh songs the band will perform this season will be for every culture and age group. He applauded Burson for spearheading these pieces and bringing them together, and said he feels the bands performances will be some of the best. WImberly said he and Burdon work very well together. Were the Dynamic Duo. He said there are 10 percussionists, four will be on the field and six on the sidelines, dressed in train wear, and the drum major will be in a conductors uniform. In talking about why he cannot be a member of the Rotary Club, Wimberly said he is trying to help kids stay in band. Becamse some wanted to be in choir, there are cheerleaders and football players, he wants to give them all a chance. He praised principals Leonard Gills and Libby White for working the schedules so that children who want to be in the band can be. He also praised superintendent Bobby Smithson and the school board for increasing the bands budget. He said 45 students are in the band 28 eighth and ninth graders and 27 in beginner band. Recruiting is good, he said. He asked all Gurdon fans to visit the concession stands during this football season. They will be serving up some good food, it doesnt get any better. He said the boosters have been working hard and thanked them for their support. They are raising money for the band trip, he said. The band is planning to travel next year to Branson, Mo., where it will perform onstage. Wimberly said he and the band boosters are glad to give the kids the opportunity to go out of town. Anyone up for a 'Spot' of folk art?By Wendy LedbetterPublished Wednesday, October 29, 2008 in the Nevada County Picayune The Nevada County Depot Museum held the El Spotro Extravaganza in conjunction with the October Trade Days and Fall Festival, and the event will continue through the end of November. The artist on display is Virgil Spot Daniel, who is renowned for his folk art. Daniels career began as an adult after a lifetime of other endeavors. He cites his lack of training, saying that he spent about 15 minutes in an art museum in Chicago one time, and became interested in the art after seeing the demand for folk art. Thats when I found out you could sell a painting of a watermelon for $200 in New Orleans, Daniel said. I knew I was in the wrong business. Hes been featured in many galleries and a book on the top folk artists. Daniel, who will be 88 in December, said that even after all that notice, it feels good to be hailed in his home town. Daniel has been all over the country and to several foreign countries, thanks to his service in the military during war time. If it hadnt been for the war, Id have never left Prescott, he said. He said his plan was to join the Merchant Marines because thats where the money was. Im walking down the street and I see a Navy sign, he said. He said he was signed on and told to come back in a few days. I had $15 in my pocket, he said. I said Im ready to go right now. His time in boot camp wasnt all bad. He cited the fact that he had liberty every other night and that a girls college was directly across the street. Added to that was the fact that the young men in uniform were treated well. Everybody was my friend, he said. I never had it so good. There were also some good moments during his time in the war, including one time in the Philippines. Were anchored out in the bay and Im on the back of the boat fishing, he recalled. The typical greeting at the time was, Where are you from? When Daniel was asked that question about a boarding military man, Daniel said he was from Arkansas. The man responded that there was a man among them who was also from Arkansas, from a little town called Prescott. The Arkansan was Howard Graham and he was among some 700 boarding that day. He said the two talked about Prescott until the men and equipment were dropped on another beach to launch a new battle. He was in combat for 18 months, served in the Philippines and New Guinea as an electrician, and returned to the states as an electrical inspector. He said he was so anxious to return home that he went to extreme effort to get home. On Christmas Day, Im laying up in the bunk and they call my name, he recalled. He was instructed to dress in his dress blues and was sent by plane to San Francisco. Once there, he was basically on his own, but ran into Paul Haynie, father of local resident Labe Haynie. Daniel said Haynie was working in the area and asked for leave to go home to Prescott. He told his boss he wanted to come home to see his mama, Daniel recalled. I caught a ride with him. I hitchhiked all the way from the Philippines to Prescott, Ark. After the war, Daniel had a moving business and he has a word of advice for those critical of Prescott. I can have you moved to Dallas by tomorrow morning. Daniel said he gets his inspiration for his art from many things and that he has no favorite. He uses an array of paints and surfaces, ranging from lawn chairs to barn boards and everything else he can imagine or come across. He has many creations and claims to have no favorite. If someone paints eight or 10, they might have a favorite, he said. Ive sone so many I cant have a favorite. Asked if he would do anything differently, Daniel said hes enjoyed every endeavor. Ive lived in the best times, he said. And (the local exhibit) feels great. Here are the stories in the Wednesday, October 29, 2008 edition of Nevada County Picayune
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