Pulse THE POLK COUNTY
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November 22, 2023
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Chamber announces parade route change and Santa’s Outback Barn hours
INSIDE:
Submitted by Mena/Polk County Chamber of Commerce
Buck Fever Winner
Page 9
Small Business Saturday
Page 11
The new owners of the railway, Canadian Pacific, have turned down requests to stop train traffic during parade hours, causing all parade routes to be changed, including the annual Christmas Parade of Lights hosted by the Mena/Polk County Chamber of Commerce. “Although the Chamber was happy with the new route established two years ago, they have no choice but to adhere to the new policies of the railroad to ensure safety of parade participants and watchers,” Chamber Executive Director Melanie Wade stated. The new route will begin at The Crossing on North Mena Street, continue down Mena Street before turning right onto Sherwood Avenue, another right onto Seventh Street continuing to Port Arthur where the route will turn left and end at Santa’s Outback Barn (on Port Arthur across from First Baptist Church Parking lot). Parade participants will be able to exit the route by turning right onto Ninth Street and another right on Church Avenue.
The annual Parade of Lights will be held at 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1. This year’s theme is “Christmas Around the World.” Registration forms can be found at menapolkchamber.com or you can stop by the Chamber office, located at 524 Sherwood Ave., inside the Historic Train Depot. Registration deadline for the parade is Wednesday, Nov. 29. Registered participants will need to be lined up by 5 p.m. in The Crossing parking lot for pre-judging. Judged categories for the parade include Best in Show – first, second and third place; Best Theme Representation; Best Small Business Float (Business must have 10 employees or less); Best Church Float; Chamber Favorite (Must be a Chamber member. Board member’s floats are not eligible.); Best Car/Truck; Best Motorized Non-Car (Includes motorcycles, ATVs, gokarts, etc.); and Best Horse. Floats and groups will pay a $10 reg-
See PARADE continued on page 2
Olivieri is saving mares and foals from kill pens
By Ethan Nahté Part 2
Feeding The Hungry
Page 19
In part one of Dawn Olivieri’s story, the actor spoke a bit about her background and her love for animals, members of her family’s medical or veterinary expertise, as well as that of friend and
veterinarian Cameron Stoudt she uses with her horse rescue. We left off with Olivieri speaking about the actor’s and the writer’s strike that shut down film and TV production. The strike ended not long after this interview was conducted, but it was what kickstarted her mission to
rescue horses. “When it happened, I obviously wasn’t in any place to bring in more horses. The bills, especially from last year, were just so high because there was the drought,” Olivieri said, referring to the livestock she already owned.
See HORSES continued on page 5
