This week we are headquartered in the county seat of Wayne County. We are in the Southeast Mississippi town of Waynesboro.
The people in Waynesboro and Wayne County realize how important education is to developing tomorrow’s leaders today. In the 2006-2007 school year, three of the elementary schools in the county rated a level 5 accreditation which is the highest possible score.
And the achievement doesn’t stop in the classroom. The Wayne County War Eagles won state championships in football in 2002, 2003 and 2006. Not to be outdone by the boys, the Lady War Eagles have been a MHSAA scholar athlete team since 2000 and they won the state basketball championship in the 2005-2006 season.
As you can see the students, coaches and educators are giving there all to reach their goals here in Wayne County. Much like the lady in our next story; who has taken on the lofty goal of saving unwanted foals.
When Stephanie Billingsley, a life-long horse owner from Madison, discovered the plight of unwanted nurse mare foals, she simply could not turn away from this tragedy. The problem is that the foals become the unnecessary results of some horse breeders using the foal’s mother as nothing more than an extra source of milk for their “more valuable” thoroughbred horses. As a consequence, the unwanted nurse mare foals are either euthanized or sold for slaughter.
Through the use of her website www.mississippihorses.org and her own personal efforts, Stephanie has already saved two dozen foals this year. At her own expense, she transported the foals back to Mississippi, brought them back into good health, and found adoptive homes for each one of them.
Amber Blueberry Farm in Waynesboro is the oldest blueberry farm in Wayne County. As a matter of fact; Wayne County is number one in the fresh production of blueberries in the entire state. They are also known for their ability to keep people warm. At one time the Sunbeam plant here in Waynesboro was the leading manufacturer of electric blankets and heating pads in the entire world.
The people here really do take pride in the quality of what they produce. Much like the man in our next story; who has taken a shine to the stars of Hollywood.
Darrell Cousin owns and operates The Shoe Shine Doctor in Tupelo. He learned the trade from his father and has been shining shoes for over thirty years. In the seventies he operated the shoe shine concession at NBC studios where he worked on the shoes of the stars.
Part of the Pat Harrison Waterway District, Maynor Creek Water Park is located six miles west of Waynesboro Fishing buffs cast for bream, catfish, crappie and Florida bass in the park's 450-acre lake. Come out in the spring or fall if you want to catch some of the beautiful colors from the changing trees.
Camping, boating, swimming, water skiing and picnicking are all part of the family fun you will find at Maynor Creek. It’s a great place to get out and experience the piney woods of southeast Mississippi. http://www.phwd.net/
And speaking of the piney woods; in our next story we go exploring this scenic and magnificent portion of our state.
There are no sharp borders to the area of Mississippi referred to as the Piney Woods. But as a geographical and as an ideological area, it has distinct characteristics. Walt Grayson explores some of those elements in his Piney Woods Reflections.
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