Paris Life - April 2022

April 2022 $4.95

Stars OF PARIS

THE 100 CLUB

RRV QUILT GUILD LENDS A HELPING HAND

2 Paris Life

PARIS PARIS CARDIOLOGY CARDIOLOGY CENTER CENTER CATH LAB

Khalid Shafiq MD., P.A., F.A.C.C., F.S.C.A.I. Khalid Shafiq MD., P.A., F.A.C.C., F.S.C.A.I. Listening to your heart ... Listening to you. Listening to your heart ... Listening to you.

Venous Insufficiency or P.A.D? ( Peripheral Arterial Disease)

Are you suffering from it?

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Do you want to prevent amputation?

Please come for a recommendation to Paris Cardiology Center the Clinic of Dr. Khalid Shafiq M.D which provides State of the art screening modalities for venous insufficiency including venous ultra sound and for P.A.D including Peripheral C.T angiogram .

Dr. Khalid Shafiq M.D. also offers latest Venous ablation for venous insufficiency and Angioplasty, Atherectomy, and stenting for PAD at Paris Cardiology Center Cath Lab.

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Paris Life 3

EDITOR’S letter

H

On the Cover DJ Pierce Photo submitted by DJ Pierce

Paris Life STAFF PUBLISHER CLAY CARSNER EDITOR KLARK BYRD DESIGN HOLLY NOWELL MEGAN PEDERSEN ADVERTISING CLAY CARSNER ADAM CAWTHON HOLLY NOWELL COMPOSITION MEGAN PEDERSEN HOLLY NOWELL

ello, Paris Life readers. We’ll kick this month’s note off on a sad note. By the time this magazine is in your hands, I will be gone from The Paris News and Paris Life. I stepped into the role of the newspaper’s managing editor in July 2018, and I took over as magazine editor in October of that year.

We’ve produced some pretty good editions together, haven’t we? Although each edition was crafted with love and care, I do have a few favorites. My top five favorites — following the rock star December 2018 cover featuring Tony Clark as Santa Claus — include the August 2019 cover featuring Gene Stallings; the May 2019 cover featuring cystic fibrosis survivor Melissa Rodgers; the August 2020 cover featuring Angie Lee and her tattoos; the July 2020 cover featuring De’Aris Williams fishing; and the December 2021 cover featuring then Chisum High School student LJ McAlphin.

Of course, the subjects of each cover were accompanied by awesome features inside.

My work as editor for this magazine wouldn’t have been possible without the awesome team members I’ve had the pleasure of working with. They include Holly Nowell and Megan Pedersen in the composing department — they are responsible for putting all the content together into a beautiful presentation. Other contributors through the years included Lora Broadus as the main photographer and feature writers Jennifer Cullum, Devon Childers and Krystle Byrd. Paris News writers over the years also have contributed. Each contributed more than just their skills; they also helped develop the story ideas.

As I step aside for the next team to take over, I look back over the past couple years with deep pride in this magazine and the teams that made it possible. I hope to see that work continue for years to come.

STORYOF SANTA I’ll go ahead and get out of the Gift Guide: Stocking way of this month’s edition. Enjoy our Stuffers features on some Stars of Paris.

Farewell, December 2018 $4.95

Tony Clark brings Santa to life in Paris

THE

Spirit OF

Christmas

Holiday in Paris • Toys for Tots • Salvation Army • Video Game Guide • Vaughn Boot and Saddle Shop

theparisnews.com A publication of The Paris News 5050 SE Loop 286 Paris, TX 75460 Copyright 2022

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Paris Life 5

contents

40

20 22

16 EDITOR'S LETTER CONTRIBUTORS

4

WISE WORDS

32

by Shannon McGuire TESTIMONIAL 42

HEALTH

STARS OF PARIS 12 10

Local events you don't want to miss

LIFESTYLE

IN EVERY ISSUE

FEATURES

8

UPCOMING EVENTS

28

by Ayesha Shafiq

DJ PIERCE 13

ENTERTAINMENT

CAS HALEY 16 DUANE ALLEN 18

CHECKPOINT

GENE WATSON 20

28

by Klark Byrd

Stories by Sally Boswell & Mary Madewell Photos submitted RED RIVER VALLEY QUILT GUILD TO BLANKET 100 CLUB OF LAMAR COUNTY Story by Paris News Staff

34

DEJA VIEW

22

38

by Toni Clem

FOOD + DRINK 40

Ken Brown,

A not-so-calssic Creme Brulee

Mattress Factory Outlet

Recipe & photo by TasteFood

6 Paris Life

BALLARD INSURANCE AGENCY 1465 N.E. 20TH • PARIS, TX 75460 PHONE: (903) 785-0467 • FAX: (903) 785-0470

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903.785.6491 Monday-Friday 8:00 - 5:00 Saturday 10:00 - 12:00 1289 Clarksville St. - Paris, TX 75460

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Paris Life 7

CONTRIBUTORS

KRYSTLE BYRD Krystle Byrd is a happily married mother of three –– Charlie, Annalise and Willow –– who resides in Paris with her husband, Klark Byrd. She has always had a love of reading, which has fed into her love of writing. She also enjoys photography, especially in the fall, which is her favorite season.

TONI CLEM Toni Clem has written the Deja View column since 1984. She has been married 51 years to Paris attorney A.W. “Plug” Clem of the Moore Law Firm, and has two grown sons, Chivas and Bachman.

She had a Public Relations/Marketing firm, T.Clem & Associates, from 1986 to 2016. She is a graduate of the University of Texas/Austin, where she started graduate school. She continued that at Texas A&M Commerce, where she was a graduate instructor in political science. When she and Plug moved to Paris in 1969, her first job was ‘Society Editor’ for The Paris News. She left that to be press secretary for Jim Farris’ congressional campaign. She is an active member of the Northeast Texas community.

SHANNON MCGUIRE Shannon McGuire is a graduate of Roxton ISD, after which he played collegiate basketball for four years and graduated from both Grayson County College and Wayland Baptist University.

He also graduated from Dallas Bible Theological Institute. He has been employed for the last 22 years at Collin County Juvenile Probation Department serving as the Court/Legal Liaison for Juvenile Detention and Probation in the 417th District Court Collin County, Texas. He has been pastoring for 11 years and currently serves as Senior Pastor at Paris New Generation Church, 1513 Lamar Ave. in Paris. He is married with two children.

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AYESHA SHAFIQ Ayesha Shafiq lives in Paris with her husband, Dr. Khalid Shafiq, who owns Paris Cardiology Center. She has three kids, Sayekm, Layla and Maya.

Ayesha has been writing a heath column for Paris Life magazine for the past few years.

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ELEGANT. OPULENT. CHIC. Send us your feedback. We want to know what you think. parislife@theparisnews.com

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Paris Life 9

l a c Lo Events April 9 Wine Fest

@ Downtown Paris, 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Wineries, local restaurants, and great boutique partners are ready to host you for this 10th annual event. Entertainment for the evening, and a chance to purchase your favorite wines from the Wine Makers across the state. For tickets & more information visit www.pariswinefest.com.

April 9

Paris Steak Wars 2022

@ South Main Iron, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Paris Steak Wars 2nd steak cook-off in Paris, Texas benefitting The Boys & Girls Club Of Paris, Texas. Up to 40 teams will compete for the Steak Title Championship during this event. Enjoy live music, food, drinks & fun!

April 12, 13, 14 Junior Livestock Show @ Paris Fairgrounds

April 27

6th Annual Walk of Hope

@ Downtown Paris, 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Join us to raise awareness for victims of crime in Lamar County.

Free hot dog lunch! Lunch starts at 11:30am Downtown Paris on the Plaza. Brief ceremony to honor crime victims starts at noon at Culbertson Fountain. Walk of Hope around downtown area starts after the brief ceremony. For more information call 903-737-2458 or 903-737-4346.

April 30

Grand Fondo 50

@ NETT Trail celebration ride 50 miles on the NETT from Roxton to Clarksville. Register at downtownptx.com.

April 30

Girls Night Out

@ Love Civic Center, 5:30 p.m.

Brought to you by the Rotary Club of Paris United. Play BINGO for your chance to win a designer purse.

10 Paris Life

you don't want to miss

Paris Life 11

FEATURE

Stars

P H O T O PROVIDED BY CAS HALEY

OF PARIS

P H O T O PROVIDED BY DJ PIERCE

12 Paris Life

PHOTO FROM THE PARIS NEWS FILE PHOTOS

PHOTO FROM OAKRIDGEBOYS.COM

PIERCE-ING SUCCESS: Parisian blazing a trail in drag

By Sally Boswell

O

f all the stars to have come out of Paris, Texas, the most glamorous, undeniably, is D.J. Pierce.

“I do feel like a star, now that you ask,” said Pierce, via phone. “Right up until my mama tells me we are out of toilet paper and I have to go to Walmart to get more.”

The 1999 graduate of Paris High School attended St. John Baptist Church and graduated with honors from Southern Methodist University in 2003, after some time spent in Spain on a study program. He worked on Capitol Hill in D.C., then in public relations for TGI Friday, all while dancing backup in videos and at pageants and working as a Micheal Jackson impersonator. In 2007, he decided to try his hand at Hollywood.

In 2009, a chance to choreograph a male review at a charity event, at which one of the dancers failed to show up, led him to create “Shangela Laquifa Wadley.”

Pierce soon began performing in drag at comedy shows. He won the first ever California Entertainer of the Year Award in 2010, advanced to the national level, placing second, and was cast in the second season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” He was eliminated after the first episode, but also began to be cast, in and out of drag, in a number of TV shows and appeared as himself on the reality show, “Toddlers & Tiaras,” coaching his goddaughter, a Paris student and young pageant contestant.

Shangela — and Pierce — quickly became a sought-after entertainer, appearing in more broadcast TV shows and films, hosting charity events and appearing in songs, videos and live shows with recording artists like Lady GaGa, Ariane Grande and Miley Cyrus. He also maintained a full schedule of gigs on major cruise line ships as well as touring comedy clubs and other venues.

In 2014, while sidelined with a broken leg, he founded Say What Entertainment, a management company focusing in LGBTQ+ entertainers.

After his leg healed, he was busier than ever, appearing on reality TV shows as well as scripted shows, touring in and out of the country, writing and recording his own music, appearing in a web series, and headlining a review in Las Vegas. His company was featured in Forbes.com.

PH OT O CRE D IT: M AT T W U L F F / VO G U E . C O M

Paris Life 13

In 2018, Lady Gaga again called, and Pierce was cast in the superstar’s remake of “A Star is Born.” That gig got Pierce an appearance in 2019 at the film’s premiere and a seat at that year’s SAG Awards and the Oscar Awards. He was the first drag entertainer to ever walk the Oscars red carpet in drag and received much media coverage.

In 2019, he was named to Time magazine’s 100 Next list, highlighting people the publication believes are “shaping the future” of their fields; performed or hosted at GLAAD Awards events in Los Angeles and New York City, performing for the likes of Madonna and Beyonce; and he has been recognized by a number of LGBTQ+ organizations and publications.

In early 2020, Pierce was cast as one of three hosts of “We’re Here!,” a reality show on HBO, which was halted when Hollywood went into Covid quarantine.

The show finished its first season using the Internet and was nominated for an Emmy Award as an Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program. The show restarted as restrictions eased and has been recently resigned for its third season.

Pierce spent much of the lockdown at his grandmother’s home in Paris. Unable to attend the Emmys, Shangela was featured in Vogue.com, dressed to the nines on her own red carpet in her grandmother’s driveway.

Recently, Pierce became the first person to ever appear in drag as a guest on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. He also serves on the board of the Meadows School of the Arts at his alma mater SMU. Today, Pierce and Shangela are as busy as ever. “We’re Here!” is back in production and this glamorous pair of “stars” is back on the road, bouncing from Hollywood to Paris, Texas, to film, TV and live show locations across the country.

“I am so proud of being from Texas, and I love staying connected to my hometown and my family,” Pierce said. “I know some great Texans. I was raised by them, taught by them and given wings to fly by people who loved and believed in me.

What Governor (Greg) Abbott and some lawmakers are doing to attack trans youth and their parents does not represent what I know and love about my state. It does not help us move toward greater equality.”

PH OT O P R O VI DE D B Y DJ P I E R C E

PH OTO P R O VI DE D B Y DJ P I E R C E

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PH OT O B Y G R E G E NDR I E S / HB O

PH OT O B Y C O NNI E C HO R NU K / HB O

PH OT O CRE D IT : M A T T W U L F F / V OGU E .COM

PH OT O B Y J O HNNI E I NG R AM / HB O

PH OT O B Y J AK E S G I L E S NE T T E R / HB O

PH OT O PROV ID E D BY D J PIE RCE

PH OT O B Y J AK E S G I L E S NE T T E R / HB O

Paris Life 15

Hopeful Haley:

Musician’s rising star fueled by family, talent, connections

T

By Sally Boswell

he son of musicians, Paris native Cas Haley has been performing since he was 12 years old.

“For the last six months, I’ve been focused on getting my recording studio finished,” said the Lamar County resident and property owner. “I’m doing it all by myself, so it has kept me really busy. I’ll be recording my next album in my own studio.”

The singer-songwriter-recording artist had been a wellknown local entertainer for more than a decade, playing gigs around the area with several bands including the well-regarded group Woodbelly, when he burst on the national scene as a contestant on TV’s “America’s Got Talent” in 2007. As the runner-up finalist, he was signed to a contract with the organizers of the show and released his first album.

Haley grew up loving classic reggae-pop, and after all

16 Paris Life

the national exposure, he returned to his roots and signed with Easy Star Records, recording the music he loved and sharing stages with the artists he loved, like UB40, Mike Love and Trevor Hall. He also developed connections to Mailboat Records, Jimmy Buffett’s label, but his desire to stay true to his own musical inspirations and to better control his own career have led him to aim toward releasing his music independently, under his own label, Big Hope Records.

For years he has toured across the country and around the world, making music with other reggae-loving artists and has released six albums, including his latest, “All the Right People.” In 2013, he was nominated as best reggae rock entertainer for the 32nd annual International Reggae and World Music Awards.

A skiing accident in 2014 threatened his ability to sing, but hard work and good medicine had him back in the studio the next year. When his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018, he left off touring to stay home with her through her treatment and eventual recovery.

In 2020, he was back in the national limelight when he was chosen the winner of Lincoln Motor Co.’s national “Chart Your Own Course” songwriting competition. He was featured in the company’s national commercials, and filmed a short documentary on the project — which involved traveling to Austin and New Orleans and meeting Lincoln spokesperson Matthew McConaughey and musicians like Jon Cleary and Ruthie Foster — and culminated in a recording session of his song, “Every Road I’m On” at the world-famous Capitol Records studios. It also got him his first invitation to the Grammy Awards.

Haley said he is soon headed back on tour with several months of shows planned along the East Coast states and into Missouri, then back to Texas. As always, his family — wife and kids — will accompany him.

Haley stays connected with fans and fellow artists on social media, posting short videos called “Coffee with Cas” and releasing singles from his latest album digitally.

“I have learned from working with other recording industry companies that I can be more in control of the music I put out if I do it myself,” he said. “I still have contracts with publishers and recording houses, but with my Big Hope Records, I can handle the accounting and the transparency and the real time analytics of the business without the 3- to 6-month lag when you are dealing with others. I still plan to tour and perform and record, but I plan to do it working with my friends and fellow artists and have fun doing it.”

When not on the road, Haley is involved with local organizations, lending his talents to a variety of fundraising efforts and staging concerts during the holidays.

“And I still have the farm, raising the pigs and selling the piglets in between, to keep me busy.”

P H OTOS PROV I D ED B Y CA S H A LE Y

Paris Life 17

DUANE "ACE" ALLEN: Member of The Oak Ridge Boys

By Mary Madewell

PH OT O F RO M O AK R I DG E B O Y S . C O M

W

hen The Oak Ridge Boys lead singer Duane “Ace” Allen left Lamar County in 1966 to join the U.S. Army like his brothers, he had no idea he would become part of a group that has become a household name, entertaining audiences with their upbeat harmony for more than 50 years.

Turned down by the Army because of a health issue, Allen received a phone call from the then gospel group the same day and borrowed money for a car to get to Nashville. The rest is history as Allen has guided the group with his business acumen as president and unofficial overseer of the group’s successful business model that keeps the group on the road today for about 150 performances each year.

As he has done in the past, Allen will bring The Oaks back to town in October for a fundraiser at Drakes Party Barn near Powderly, this time to raise money for the Red River Valley Veterans Memorial.

“I am looking forward to singing in the Paris area again,” Allen said. “This time it will be outside under the stars where we can have a big crowd. We want to leave a lot of money for the veterans memorial.”

No other local, nationally known musician has contributed to his hometown more than Allen as the Oaks have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Boys & Girls Club of the Red River Valley. And Lamar 18 Paris Life

County has honored its hometown hero with numerous awards and recognitions just as The Oak Ridge Boys have been honored at the national level.

Born in Taylortown in southeastern Lamar County, Allen grew up on the family’s farm on Sandy Creek near a bridge on CR 16590 that now bears his name, an honor Lamar County Commissioners bestowed him in 2014, the same year he was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame. He attended Cunningham schools, then Paris Junior College and received a degree in classical music from East Texas State University, now Texas A&MCommerce.

Paris Junior College honored Allen in 2018 by naming the stage at the Ray Karrer Theater for him, and in 1985 when he was named a Distinguished Alumnus. Texas A&M also honored him with its distinguished graduate award, and in 2017 his college fraternity presented him its highest award, the International Delta Tau Delta Alumni Achievement Award.

“All the things I learned at this college later on were the most important things I could ever learn in any higher place of learning,” Allen said in 2018 about Paris Junior College. “This place gave me the foundation to do what I have been able to

PH OT O F ROM T H E P AR I S NE W S F I L E P HO T O S

do with The Oak Ridge Boys… run a business that has run successfully for 52 and a half years. It’s allowed me to be here with three of the greatest partners I could have in my life. (Joe Bonsall, Richard Sterban and William Lee Golden.)”

Allen and The Oak Ridge Boys joined the Grand Ole Opry in 2011, and in 2015 were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The group has garnered 12 gold, three platinum and one double-platinum album, plus a double-platinum single and enjoyed more than a dozen national number one singles and 30-plus Top Ten hits. In addition, The Oaks have five Grammy Awards, nine GMA Dove Awards and two American Music Awards to their credit. Their string of hits includes the Country-Pop charttopper “Elvira,” as well as “Bobbie Sue,” “Thank God For Kids,” “American Made,” “I Guess It Never Hurts To Hurt Sometimes,” “Fancy Free” and many others.

The original group, The Oak Ridge Quartet, has been around since the early 1940s performing country and gospel music music in nearby Oak Ridge where the atomic bomb was being developed.

PH OT O F ROM OA KRID GE BOYS .COM

Paris Life 19

GENE WATSON:

Remains a favorite of original style country music fans

By Mary Madewell

B

orn in Palestine but calling Lamar County home, country music star Gene Watson, who has appeared at the Red River Valley Fair for decades, mostly at the request of his childhood friend and fair director, the late Rita Jaynes Hayes, remains a favorite of original style country music fans.

Watson celebrates 60 years in the music business this year, having recorded his first single, the self-penned “If It’s That Easy” in 1962. His latest appearance at the 2019 fair, before Covid-19 put a damper on his performances, brought the largest crowd ever on a Thursday night to hear him and local favorite Wade White perform.

“It’s always great to come home,” Watson said before the show. “Ever since I left Paris many years ago, my fans here have been so loyal to me. It’s good to come back to have a reunion; it’s a change of pace.”

The City of Paris named Gene Watson Boulevard, the main street that runs through the Lamar County Fairgrounds, for him in 2012, on a day proclaimed by both the state of Texas and the city as Gene Watson Day. In 2020, he was in-

20 Paris Life

ducted into Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. It’s uncertain if he will return for a future fair date.

“I’m totally overwhelmed by this huge honor,” Watson said at the time of the street naming. “Having a street named after me is not something as a young kid that I could even dream about. Paris is the kind of hometown I wish every child could grow up in.”

Known throughout the country music world as the singer’s singer, he has to his credit 75 charted titles, 23 top 10 hits and six No. 1 records. Watson, with a triple-octave range and a smooth voice, still sings in the same key as he did 40 years ago and continues to nail the octave jumping last note on his most requested song, “Farewell Party.” He appears in venues across the country and can often be seen on RFD television’s Larry’s Country Diner and other classic country shows.

Beginning in the 1970s, Watson enjoyed success with a strong of hits to include “Love in the Hot Afternoon,” “Where Love Begins,” “Paper Rosie,” “Should I Come Home or Should I go Crazy,” “Nothing Sure Looked Good on You,” “Paper Rosie,” “Cowboys Don’t Get Luck All The Time,” Fourteen Carat Mind” and others. He continues to record today and has several albums to his credit.

Watson’s biography on his website carries the reader through his life, raised with six brothers and sisters, all musically talented and from a family he describes as poor, working in the fields and following harvests.

“I can remember singing before I can remember talking,” Watson says in the biography. “Even when I was a kid, if I heard a song twice, I knew it. But I never planned to be an entertainer. I knew I could sing, but that wasn’t out of the ordinary. My whole family could.

“I was a poor boy, but I wouldn’t take nothing for my raising-as far as my teachings, the way my mother raised me, the way my dad worked and everything. We were a happy family. No one else around us had anything more so we didn’t know we were poor.”

Watson attended elementary school at Central School in Sumner, where he got his start entertaining in a school performance in which he sang “How Much is That Doggy in the Window,” according to an article in 2008 by former The Paris News reporter Bill Hankins. Later, he quit high school and went to work at William Brothers Wrecking, tearing down old cars.

It was not long after that he married Mattie Louise Bivens when he was 17 and she was 15. He worked in the fields around Paris and at Flips Garage, where he learned body work before the couple moved to Houston where Watson worked full-time and began singing professionally on the side.

He and Mattie still live in Houston, where he restores cars as a hobby. u

PH OT OS F ROM T HE P AR I S NE W S F I L E P HO T O S

Paris Life 21

FEATURE

Red River Valley Quilt Guild to blanket 100 Club of Lamar County

By Paris News Staff

R

etired Paris Police chief Bob Hundley has taken the reins of The 100 Club of Lamar County, a volunteer membership organization. Its mission is to provide support in the amount of $10,000 immediately to the family of any first responder in Lamar County, paid or volunteer, “killed in the line of duty.”

The 100 Club began in 1953 in Houston, and it provides financial support to the dependents of law enforcement officers and firefighters who are killed or seriously injured in the line of duty in 32 counties surrounding Houston.

“When we heard about this organization, we decided we could do the same thing here in Lamar County,” Hundley said in June 2021 when he was brought on board.” We currently have active members who pay yearly dues of $100, including a number of corporate and charitable foundations

who have donated to this registered nonprofit group. We are not spending any money, and that is a good thing.”

Hundley said the 100 Club of Lamar County is different from other 100 Clubs in the state in that it includes not only paid law enforcement and firefighters, but paid EMS personnel, volunteer EMS responders, volunteer firefighters, correctional and court officers and emergency dispatch personnel.

“We have a lot larger umbrella of people we want to serve in this community,” he said. “Paid and volunteer, we have more than 650 first responders here, people who risk their lives to serve their community.”

Hundley said the families of paid law enforcement and fire department personnel have resources, insurance and other state and federal funding, available to them if they lose a loved one on the job. Volunteers do not.

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“Even if they are on the job, the problem is it can take six months to a year for that money for the family to kick in,” he added. “First responders are like everybody else, they live paycheck to paycheck, and when that paycheck stops, the electricity bill still keeps coming, groceries have to be bought, rent still has to be paid. The families they leave behind need help right away.”

A part of the 100 Club efforts are going to provide insurance policies for the scores of volunteer firefighters in the county.

“We found a private insurance provider that helps cover people that volunteer in their community,” Hundley said. “It’s not a major expense, and the 100 Club is paying for it.”

After the pandemic lockdown, the organization was forced to cancel its major fundraising event, the Paris Can-Can Follies, a two-night event involving local citizens volunteering their time and talent to entertain paying audiences with a show comprised of silly costumes and makeup and lip-synching to everybody’s favorite songs.

Performance at the 2019 Can Can Follies

“The Follies are wonderful for raising funds,” said Hundley, who has himself worn a tutu and taken to the stage for the show. “They’re fun. It’s a blast. Everybody’s having fun, and there's more fun backstage than there is out front. We had two Follies before the lockdowns, and we raised more than $10,000 one year and about $14,000 the other.”

Hundley said the 100 Club will continue to rely on its members’ annual dues and on donations from community supporters and sponsors to continue its efforts.

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Paris Life 23

“We still have a healthy presence online with our Facebook page and our website,” Hundley said.

The Red River Valley Quilt Guild will be lending its weight to the 100 Club of Lamar County’s mission this year with its second “Eiffel in Love with Quilts” quilt show May 13-14 at Love Civic Center in Paris. Like the 100 Club’s plans, last year’s show and 2020’s show were scrapped because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Our first show in 2019 was a resounding success,” guild spokesperson Shelly Deupree said in February. “We tried to do a show in 2020 and 2021, but Covid had other plans for us. Vendors were encouraging at that first show, saying we did such a good job that you would have thought we’ve been doing it for years.”

In 2019, the show drew an attendance of 1,300, helping the guild raise more than $2,000 for local charities.

This year, proceeds from the raffle of three guild-made quilts will benefit the 100 Club of Lamar County, which supports the families of fallen first responders. Ticket sales are expected to begin soon, Deupree said.

“We are very proud of the fact that we are one of the few quilt shows that actually wants to give back to their community, something our guild does on a regular basis,” Deupree said.

For information, email parisquiltshow1@ gmail.com or check out the website at parisquiltshow.com. u

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100 Club dues are $100 a year for individuals, and $150 for businesses. $1,000 nets the donor a lifetime membership; it can be paid off in quarterly payments of $250 over one year. Lifetime corporate or lifetime business membership is $1,500.

For more information on joining the 100 Club or making a donation: • call 903-737-4123 • visit https://www.facebook.com/the100cluboflamarcounty • visit http://the100clublamarcounty.org • email info@the100clublamarcounty.org

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Paris Life 25

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Paris Life 27

CHECKPOINT GOTTA CATCH THE 9TH GENERATION POKÉMON!

I

t’s been a good couple of years for Pokémon lovers. Besides near-constant updates to the mobile augmented reality game Pokémon GO, Nintendo has released a steady stream of Pokémon games, including Pokémon Sword and Shield in November 2019, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX in March 2020, New Pokémon Snap in April 2021, and Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl in July 2021.

Now developer Game Freak has announced a brand new entry in the long-running franchise: Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

The Nintendo Switch-exclusive games are scheduled for a late 2022 release, although no specific date has been announced. Pre-orders for the ninth generation Pokémon game are live, and each title will set you back $59.99.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, in addition to introducing new Pokémon, will push the series in a new direction — open world exploration.

The Pokémon series has always been about exploration, but it was a very guided experience. But since our first outing in the Pokémon world, open world games have become the norm — think Spider-Man, Grand Theft Auto, Elden Ring and more — so it’s a natural evolution for the Pokémon series to take.

28 Paris Life

“Various towns blend seamlessly into the wilderness with no borders. You’ll be able to see the Pokémon of this region in the skies, in the seas, in the forests, on the streets — all over! You’ll be able to experience the true joy of the Pokémon series — battling against wild Pokémon in order to catch them — now in an openworld game that players of any age can enjoy,” Game Freak says on the games’ website.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will bring players to a new setting, one based on Spain, while hopefully restoring traditional franchise play — namely that catching wild Pokémon will require that you battle them. The game’s description seems to hint at this, which would take a step back from the style seen in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, where players could simply toss a Pokéball and catch a Pokémon without the battle. As someone who’s enjoyed Pokémon games since the 1996 release of Pokémon Blue on the GameBoy, I certainly hope we see a return to traditional play.

By Klark Byrd

Pokémon Scarlet/Pokémon Violet Release Date: Late 2022 Developer: Game Freak Platforms: Nintendo Switch Cost: $59.99

Getting the most attention from Game Freak’s announcement are the starter Pokémon: Sprigatito, Fuecoco and Quaxly.

SPRIGATITO

A cat grass type Pokémon with the Overgrow ability.

It is — in my humble opinion — the cutest of the three (I love cats), and it’s described as “capricious” and “attention-seeking.”

FUECOCO

A bipedal baby crocodile fire type Pokémon with the Blaze ability.

It’s described as a “laid back” creature “that does things at its own pace.”

QUAXLY

(as you might have guessed from the name) looks like a duck but with blue Elvis-type hair and blue feet. It has the Torrent ability and is described as “earnest and tidy.”

The game also features a male or female main character, and they differ between the Scarlet and Violet version by uniform color. Scarlet uniforms are reddish while Violet uniforms are purple.

Now with around 900 Pokémon in the Pokédex, it’s likely Game Freak will take the same road we saw with Pokémon Sword and Shield, that is limiting which Pokémon from previous generations will appear. This required some trainers to leave behind teams they’d built over decades of play, but like the Pokémon in the game, we’ll adapt. We’ll evolve. We’ll catch ’em all over again.

Paris Life 29

Game of the Month

Release Date: Feb. 25, 2022 Developer: FromSoftware Inc. Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS 5, Microsoft Windows Cost: $59.99

Fans of the Souls games — Demon’s Souls and the Dark Souls trilogy — will feel right at home with FromSoftware’s latest smash hit, Elden Ring.

Already this year’s highest rated game, players will find it all in this action role player: huge, over-the-top enemies to vanquish, an open world to explore, medieval themes and frustration. Lots of frustration.

High difficulty is baked into the gaming experience by director Hidetaka Miyazaki. In a recent interview with The New Yorker, Miyazaki said he feels “apologetic toward anyone who feels there’s just too much to overcome in my

30 Paris Life

games.” He added he wants “as many players as possible to experience the joy that comes from overcoming hardship.”

There is no shortage of hardship in Elden Ring, starting with the character designer. Everyone gets to make their own highly-detailed character, and some players have found themselves stuck there for hours agonizing over things they’re likely to forget about once they’re exploring a world built with the help of famed storyteller George R. R. Martin.

Elden Ring is set in the Lands Between realm between the destruction of the Elden Ring and the scattering of its shards, called the Great Runes. Players

will find a realm ruled by the demigod corrupted offspring of Queen Marika the Eternal, and each possesses a ring shard that gives them power. Players are one of the Tarnished, who were banished from the Lands Between long before the events of Elden Ring. Tarnished are cursed with immortality, always reincarnating from bonfire checkpoints.

So, word to the wise: Always find the nearest checkpoint. Always.

Because Elden Ring was designed to stand on its own separate from the Souls game, many reviewers have said the first few hours of the game appear to offer gentler times, but make no mistake: You

will die in this game. Many, many times. It takes only one miscalculation in parrying, one all-too-confident attack that misses or even a misstep to end your life in this game. Many of these deaths, both expected in combat and unexpected in exploration, have been chronicled on YouTube, TikTok and Twitch.

But with this difficulty comes a sense of accomplishment few other games deliver. Like the Souls game before it, Elden Ring will make you want to toss your controller in the trash bin. Don’t

give up, though — it is possible to win, and the more you battle, the more you’ll learn patterns. You’ll see moments to strike, moments to parry and you’ll put your hand/ eye coordination to the test.

In between big battles, take a moment to simply exist in the game. Take in the sights. The graphics are beautiful, even if the lands have lost their luster.

FromSoftware has delivered yet another beautifully twisted masterpiece that any gamer should be proud to add to their library. u

Paris Life 31

WISE WORDS Shannon McGuire has been pastoring for 11 years and currently serves as Senior Pastor at Paris New Generation Church.

T

There’s a helping hand for all today’s trouble

here is a very familiar gospel song that has been sung in African American churches for many generations. It has been encouragement for weary souls experiencing trials, tribulations or storms. The song is titled "Trouble in My Way." The songwriter wrote, "Trouble in my way, I have to cry sometimes, I lay awake at night but that's all right, because I know that Jesus will fix it after a while." The writer knows that "Jesus will fix it." What confidence!

There is a story in the Bible that comes from the book of Matthew, Chapter 14. It's very familiar.

If you've been in church for any length of time, you've probably heard about Jesus walking on the water, but that is not the part I want to focus on at this time. Let me back up and tell you what has just transpired earlier in the chapter. Jesus had just performed a miracle by feeding 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fishes. It was a great day! Jesus sent his disciples ahead across the lake while he wrapped some things up and spent some time alone in prayer.

In the meantime, the disciples were in the middle of the lake. It's late. The wind had picked up, and the ship was being tossed back and forth by the waves. Doesn't that sound like they are having trouble? On top of that, the disciples look out and see Jesus walking on the water, but they didn't know it was him. They thought it was a spirit — a ghost! Can you imagine? At this point, emotions had to be running high.

Well, actually in verse 26, it said they cried out in fear. Moving on to verse 27, it says Jesus reassures them by telling them to be of good cheer. He said, “It is I; be not afraid.” What relief they must have felt.

Doesn't this story sound like life, something you may have experienced or at the very least a bad day?

It would seem with what we are facing in the world today that we definitely are experiencing trouble. It's easy to become overwhelmed and afraid. You can't turn on the TV, read a newspaper, scroll through Facebook, or watch a TikTok video

clip without feeling trouble. For me personally, I'm being pulled in every direction with responsibilities from family, church and job. I wear many hats. I'm sure you can relate. Not to mention shortages in the supply chain and inflation. Who has filled up their gas tank lately?

Man, trouble! Marvin Gaye said it like this "Makes me wanna holler and throw up both my hands." You’re probably thinking, I hope he is turning this thing around. Where's the positive? Hold on, I'm going somewhere. I'm really trying to help someone.

If we go back to our story in Matthew, and, by the way, I'm about to land this thing. Jesus had just reassured the disciples, but Peter, who’s always impulsive, said, "Lord, if it's you, then let me come to you on the water." Jesus told him to come, so Peter stepped out of the boat and began to walk on the water to Jesus. Keep in mind the storm was still going on, but Peter believed he's got this and took off. Peter has Jesus in his sights, but then something happens. Peter becomes distracted as he sees the wind pick up. Even though he was in the presence of the one who flies on the wind, according to Psalm 18:10, Peter becomes afraid and begins to sink. He went down, being swallowed up and overwhelmed by his circumstances; by his trouble.

Here's where it gets good. Peter had a choice to make. He could have continued to sink, but instead he cried out in his despair saying, "Lord, save me." The Bible tells us in verse 31 that immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said unto him, "O thee of little faith, where didst thou doubt?” I don't think this is so much a reprimand, but rather a reminder to Peter to trust him and stop worrying, doubting.

Many give Peter a hard time, but he gets it right in the end. So, my question to you today is, what is your reaction to the trouble that you face or go through? Can you say in confidence that Jesus will fix it? I'm here to tell you that no matter what trouble you experience in these uncertain times, Jesus can handle it. 1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. u

Disclaimer: This article is the opinion of the writer only and does not reflect the position of Collin County Juvenile Probation Department or Paris New Generation Church.

32 Paris Life

FIND THE TEXAS Find the Texas hidden in the magazine that matches the one shown here and you could be the winner of a $50 gift certificate to one of our Paris Life Advertisers!

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Email us at cindy.mcgee@theparisnews.com or write to us at The Paris News, 5050 SE Loop 286, Paris, TX 75460 with your name and phone number & tell us where you found it!

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Paris Life 33

HEALTH

By Ayesha Shafiq, the director of Paris Cardiology Center

IS IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME RUINING YOUR DAY?

I

rritable Bowel Syndrome, commonly called IBS, is a type of functional gastrointestinal disorder.

This condition results because of issues with how your gut and brain work together. As a result of this miscommunication, IBS causes your digestive tract to become very sensitive by changing your bowel muscles to contract at a different frequency than normal people. The result is abdominal pain, diarrhea and constipation.

In people with IBS, the colon muscle tends to contract more often than is considered normal. These contractions cause cramps and pain.

Patients with IBS realize that certain elements can trigger symptoms. These triggers include certain foods, medications and emotional stress. Therefore, researchers suggest IBS can be due to the gut’s response to life’s stressors or patients may have excess bacteria in their GI tract contributing to such symptoms.

IBS often occurs in people as early as in their 20s until they are in their 40s. Moreover, women are twice as likely than men to suffer from symptoms of IBS. Women with IBS may also find that their IBS symptoms flare up during their periods.

You may be at higher risk of IBS if you have: • Family history of IBS. • Tension or anxiety.

• Food sensitivity.

• History of physical or sexual trauma.

• Digestive tract infection.

34 Paris Life/Health

While we don’t know what causes IBS, researchers believe a combination of factors can lead to IBS, such as problems with how your gastrointestinal muscles contract and move food through the gastrointestinal tract, extra-sensitive nerves in the gastrointestinal tract, and miscommunication between nerves in the brain and gut.

Symptoms of IBS include: • Pain in the abdominal area, usually in the lower half of the abdomen.

• Bloating.

• Bowel movements that are inconsistent in texture, i.e., hard at times or loose at other times.

• Constipation and diarrhea.

• Excess gas.

• Headache.

• Heartburn and indigestion.

• Needing to urinate frequently.

Consequently, there is no specific method that works for all suffering from IBS, but most people can find a specific treatment plan that works for them. Your health care provider will personalize your IBS treatment plan.

Many people find that with dietary, lifestyle and medical changes, their symptoms of IBS improve.

Dietary changes may include: • Increasing fiber intake and eating more fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts.

• Adding supplemental fiber to your diet.

• Drinking at least 8 glasses of water.

• Avoiding caffeine.

• Limiting cheese and milk products since lactose intolerance is a common denominator in people with IBS. Lifestyle changes can include: • Exercising frequently.

• Quitting smoking.

• Eating smaller meals and eating them more often.

• Noting the foods you eat so you can figure out which foods trigger IBS flare-ups. Common triggers are spicy foods, red peppers, green onions, red wine, wheat, cow’s milk and sugar in fruits, etc.

Medical changes can include: • Your provider may prescribe medicines if you have depression and anxiety along with significant abdominal pain.

• Certain medicines can help with diarrhea, constipation or abdominal pain.

• Probiotics may also be an option to improve your symptoms.

• Talk to your physician if your symptoms do not improve. You may need more tests to see if an underlying condition is causing the symptoms. u

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Paris Life 37

DEJA VIEW Toni Clem is a Paris resident and has been writing Deja View for more than 30 years.

G

“Nightmare Alley” — now there’s something worth writing about

uillermo del Toro’s 2021 film “Nightmare Alley” is based on William Lindsay Gresham’s 1946 novel by the same name, written at the height of the American noir period. However, del Toro’s is the second film made from that book.

Heartthrob Tyrone Power, tired of playing romantic roles, asked 20th Century Fox chief Darryl Zanuck to obtain the rights so he could play what was termed an “unsavory” character, an ambitious carnival huckster who was The Great Stanton in the 1947 version.

Like the 2021 film, it failed at the box office. No one wanted to see Tyrone Power play the bad guy.

It was only later that critics gave it the attention it deserved, and it is viewed today as a classic.

Del Toro’s film, too, scares people, with its carnival smoke and mirrors, unending rain and a threat of violence that evokes its film noir heritage.

And while it hasn’t been successful at the box office, it opened in 2021 to critical acclaim and has been nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture — though Del Toro, who won an Oscar in 2018 for

his “The Shape of Water,” didn’t receive a nomination, Cinematography, costume design and production design did. The Academy did miss recognizing one of Cate Blanchett’s best performances.

Stan Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) is seen at the beginning of the film and in flashbacks throughout setting fire to a ramshackle clapboard house on a hill, walking away with a small valise, boarding a bus and sleeping until its next stop, where a carnival beckons him through the rain. Stan watches some of the shows, makes himself helpful for a hot meal and a cot and ends up staying for a life-changing opportunity. Stan is a huckster, and there’s no better place to learn that trade than a carnival.

He’s a pretty face and Madame Zeena (Toni Collette), who has the clairvoyant act, makes him welcome. She lives with her husband, Pete (David Strathairn), an alcoholic who tries to stay sober enough to cue Zeena on the people in her audience who write down questions about illness, futures and those who’ve died. The couple use coded language to communicate. But when the cues fail, Zeena cold-

TSG Entertainment

reads the people. Pete has a little leather book that Stan would love to get his hand on. It contains all their secrets, but Pete warns Stan not to start believing he can speak to the dead.

Stan falls in love with Holly (Rooney Mara), who has an act of her own and is skeptical of his pleas to leave with him. But she does. Two years later, they surface in an upscale supper club in Buffalo, New York, where Stan has reinvented himself with a black tie psychic act. He is blindfolded, Holly provides cues. One night Stan is challenged by a psychologist, Dr. Lilith Ritter (Blanchett), who tries to expose him as a fraud. But he calls her bluff and cold-reads her, exposing the nickel-plated pistol she carries in her evening purse.

Stan can’t resist following up with Dr. Ritter, to find out why she did what she did. She offers him an opportunity to cash in big, and Stan doesn’t even pause to accept. She’ll provide information from her patient files, if he will lie on her couch and answer her questions. As he gets deeper and deeper into people’s lives, he forgets Pete’s advice about talking to the dead.

“Nightmare Alley” is long (150 minutes), dark and unnerving in parts. But I couldn’t resist such an exquisite combination of del Toro’s direction of a truly noir novel with such incredible talent. Too much talent to describe in this small space. Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Mary Steenburgen and Ron Perlman among them. But go for the production values, the squalor of the carnival contrasted by the gorgeously sleek Art Deco architecture and surfaces.

The film is screening on HBO. But it’s headed for wider release.

See you at the movies. u TSG Entertainment

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Paris Life 39

FOOD & DRINKS

40 Paris Life

A NOT-SO-CLASSIC CREME BRULEE

R

hubarb and rosemary are surprising bedfellows in this creme brulee.

Upright stalks of brilliantly hued rhubarb are always the first to arrive in the spring produce parade. Rhubarb's natural astringency may overwhelm at first bite, but with a little sugar and fruit, its tartness is successfully tamed. For this dessert, however, I chose not to rely on rhubarb's dependable sweet partner, the strawberry, because I did not want additional sweetness or liquid in the compote, which is spooned into the bottom of the custards.

I preferred a subtle background flavor that would tickle the tongue and ground the sweet creaminess of the custard. So, I added a sprig of rosemary -- yes, rosemary -- to the compote and the custard while they cooked, infusing them with a hint of lemon and pine. The result was subtle but notable, producing a creme brulee that is at once rich and creamy, sweet and tart, earthy and heavenly.

Ingredients: Compote: • 1 pound rhubarb, diced • 3/4 cup sugar • 1 (2-inch) rosemary sprig • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Instructions: 1. Combine the compote ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the rhubarb is soft, about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat, discard the rosemary sprig, and cool to room temperature.

2. Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

3. Arrange six (6-ounce) ramekins in a baking dish. Spoon some of the rhubarb compote into the ramekins, about 1/3 inch deep. (Refrigerate the remaining compote for another use.)

4. Heat the cream in a clean saucepan over medium heat until it just begins to boil. Remove from the heat and add the rosemary sprig. Let the cream steep for 5 minutes, then discard rosemary sprig. Stir in the vanilla.

5. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and the 1/2 cup sugar until light. Add the cream in a steady stream, whisking gently to incorporate.

Ladle the cream mixture over the rhubarb in the

Creme Brulee: • 2 cups heavy cream • 1 (2-inch) rosemary sprig • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract • 6 large egg yolks • 1/2 cup sugar plus extra for sprinkling • Finely grated lemon zest for garnish

ramekins. Pour boiling water into the baking dish halfway up the ramekins to make a bain marie, or water bath.

6. Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake until the custards are just set but still wobble a bit when gently jiggled, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool the custards in the water for 15 minutes. Remove the ramekins from the pan, place on a wire rack, and cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

7. Before serving, sprinkle each ramekin with 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar or enough to evenly cover. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and broil under an oven broiler until the tops are deep golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes, rotating the baking sheet for even cooking and carefully watching to prevent burning. If using a blowtorch, hold the flame 2 to 3 inches above the custard, slowly moving it back and forth until the sugar melts and turns deep golden brown.

8. Serve garnished with lemon zest.

Paris Life 41

TESTIMONIAL

Why do I advertise in Paris Life?

It's the best print advertising bang for the buck

I

have been in retail all my life. I started in my Dad's furniture store when I was a little kid. Advertising is something that I have been a part of since that time.

I have seen many different type of mediums used and I have used many different types. So I am always looking for something that is unique and especially if people respond to it.

The thing that attracts me to Paris Life, first of all, people respond to it. As an advertiser that alone is enough. So you ask yourself, "why do they respond to it"? It's all about Paris and Paris people. It is natural for people to be serious about people they know. It's simply human nature. It is a chance for people to show off their kids, plus we all like to see pictures of kids. Also if you attend a Paris function you might see your own picture and maybe a story about yourself. This is especially true if you do or participate in something special and unique. The Parisian of the Month section can be very interesting. You get to learn more about influencial people in our community. Also recipes for food and drink are presented in a colorful, fashionable way they makes us hungry or thirsty looking at them.

You combine all of the above with a colorful, professional presentation such as "Paris Life" and you realize I might be foolish to not advertise in the magazine. So Mattress Factory Outlet has committed to this medium because we think it's smart. After nearly 30 years in the business, I believe it is the best print advertising bang for the buck.

- Ken Brown Mattress Factory Outlet Owner

TO ADVERTISE IN Paris Life CONTACT REPRESENTATIVES AT

903-785-8744 theparisnews.com facebook.com/theparisnews facebook.com/ParisTXLife ADAM CAWTHON

42 Paris Life

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Paris Life 43