Polk County’s

sistant), Mr. Hartman (a clerk), and the Narrator.

Auditions for “The Gift of the Magi” will be held at the OLT on Wednesday, Oct. 11, 4-7 p.m.

This production also has a special venue for two performances. The Dec. 8 and 9 weekend shows will be held at The Ouachitas at 7 p.m. where you can also enjoy the restaurant’s ambience, dinner, and beverages. On Sunday, Dec. 10, there will be a traditional show on the OLT stage at 2:30 p.m.

The second Christmas show will be “The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge” directed by Brad Storey. According to the director, this full-length comedy will delight audiences with a portrayal of the famous Scrooge character seen in a “different light.” The script is full of laughter, good fun, and a Christmas message that will warm your heart as much as the original Dicken’s classic tale always has done.

The performance schedule will run differently than our usual dual weekends, and instead will run five straight days, Thursday, Dec. 14 through Monday, Dec. 18. All performances will be at 7:30 p.m. except for the Sunday matinee at 2:30 p.m. Storey is looking for at least eight adults to fill roles for this show, with a possibility that some characters may fill multiple roles.

Auditions for the “The Trial of Ebenezer Scrooge” will be held at the OLT on Thursday, Oct. 12, from 3:30–5:30 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 14, 9 a.m. until noon.

Check the website at oltmena. com, or the Facebook and Instagram pages @oltmena for up-todate information.

Submitted by Kathy Hagler

The Battle of Musgrove Mill took place on Aug. 18, 1780, near Cross Anchor, South Carolina. During the course of the battle, 200 hundred Patriot militiamen defeated a combined force of approximately 300 Loyalist militiamen and 200 provincial regulars.

By the summer of 1780, the backcountry fighting of South Carolina tended to be especially brutal and retaliatory. And few of the men from either side had ever seen Great Britain.

On the evening of Aug. 18, two hundred mounted Patriots prepared to raid a Loyalist camp at Musgrove Mill. The mill controlled the local grain supply and guarded a ford of the Enoree River. The Patriots, under the joint command of Colonels Isaac Shelby, James Williams and Elijah Clarke, anticipated surprising a garrison of an almost equal number of Loyalists. However, a local farmer informed them that the Loyalists had been reinforced by approximately 100 militia and 200 hundred provincial regulars on their way to join British Maj. Patrick Ferguson.

With their position compromised by an enemy patrol and horses too tired to go on, the Patriots had to stand and fight, despite the nearly 3-1 odds against them. They quickly formed a semicircular breastwork of brush and fallen timber about 300 yards long at the top of a ridge across the road leading down to Musgrove Mill.

Using guerrilla tactics, a band of about 20 men led by Capt. Shadrach Inman crossed the Enoree River and engaged the enemy. Pretending confusion, they retreated back toward the line of ambush until the Loyalists were nearly on the Patriot line. When the Loyalists spotted the Patriots, they fired too soon. The Patriots held their fire until the Loyalists got within range of their muskets.

Patriot musket fire operated “with devastating effect,” but the Loyalists were well trained. They nearly overwhelmed the Patriot right flank with a bayonet charge. (Frontiersmen had no bayonets.)

Shelby ordered his reserve of “Overmountain Men” to support him. They rushed into battle shrieking Indian war cries, causing the Loyalists to waver. When a number of their officers went down, they broke. However, Inman, who had a key role in the Patriot strategy, was killed on the battlefield.

Patriots ran from their positions “yelling, shooting, and slashing on every hand.” The battle lasted approximately one hour, with 63 Loyalists being killed, an unknown number wounded and 70 taken prisoner. The Patriots lost four dead and 12 wounded.

continued from page 1

— to promote this year’s FPW cam paign, “Cook ing safety starts with you. Pay atten tion to fire pre vention™.” The campaign works to educate every one about simple but important ac tions they can take when cooking to keep themselves and those around them safe.

According to NFPA, cooking is the leading cause of home fires and home fire injuries in the United States. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of cooking fires and deaths.

“Year after year, cooking remains the leading cause of home fires by far, accounting for half (49%) of all U.S. home fires,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of outreach and advocacy at NFPA. “These numbers tell us that there is still much work to do when it comes to better educating the public about ways to stay safe when cooking.”

The Mena and Polk County Fire Departments encourages all residents to embrace the 2023 Fire Prevention Week theme, “Cooking safety start with you,” Mena Fire Chief Steve Egger said. “A cooking fire can grow quickly. I have seen many homes damaged

LITTLE ROCK, AR – The Arkansas Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Division and the Arkansas Rural and Volunteer Firefighters Association (ARVFA) will host the 2023 Rural Fire Show on Saturday, Oct. 7. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Conway Expo and Event Center.

with door prizes.

Departments offers these key safety tips to help reduce the risk of a cooking fire.

1. Watch what you heat. Always keep a close eye on what you are cooking. Set a timer to remind you that you are cooking.

2. Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove. Always keep a lid nearby when cooking. If a small grease fire starts, slide the lid over the pan and turn off the burner.

3. Have a “kid- and pet-free zone” of at least 3 feet (1 meter) around the stove or grill and anywhere else hot food or drink is prepared or carried.

To schedule FPW programs in Mena, please contact the Mena Fire Department at 479-3941234. For more general information about Fire Prevention Week and cooking safety, visit www.fpw.org. For fire safety fun for kids, visit sparky.org.

The Rural Fire Show is a free event held in appreciation for Arkansas firefighters and their families to honor the service and protection they provide throughout the state. The event will include training opportunities, equipment demonstrations, resources and information, networking opportunities, and a catered lunch

“We have more than 850 rural fire departments that partner with the Forestry Division when we fight wildland fires,” said State Forester Kyle Cunningham. “We are proud to host this annual event with ARVFA to show our appreciation for those firefighters and their families.”

All firefighters are welcome to participate. Interested individuals can RSVP by emailing Lisa Clark at lisa.k.clark@agriculture. arkansas.gov. Learn more about the Forestry Division’s Rural Fire Protection Program at agriculture.arkansas.gov/forestry/rural-fire-protection-program/.

By Patrick Massey

BROKEN BOW, Okla. — A woman was struck and killed by a landing airplane at approximately 2:30 p.m. while at an airport in neighboring McCurtain County, Oklahoma on Friday.

Samantha Hayes, 27, of Idabel, Oklahoma, was struck and killed by the wing of an approaching 1972 Beechcraft A36 Bonanza at Broken Bow Municipal Airport on Friday. Hayes, an employee of Broken Bow’s parks department, was mowing a field adjacent to the runway when she was struck by the aircraft.

The pilot, 70-year-old James Baxter, was preparing to land on the runway at Broken Bow Airport when he noticed Hayes on her mower in the field.

Baxter attempted to pull up to get the wing over Hayes but failed to do so, fatally striking her in the head with the wing of the plane, according to the

Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

Authorities say that Hayes was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident due to head injuries.

On Facebook, Hayes was remembered as a loving friend and devoted single mother to her three children.

No further information has been revealed about Baxter and no charges have been filed against him.

“We’re investigating whether any charges could filed against the pilot,” OHP spokesperson Sarah Stewart said Monday, “Did the pilot do anything wrong or was this just unavoidable?”

Stewart said other questions about the episode remained under investigation, including whether the woman was wearing reflective clothing and if she even saw the airplane.

Stewart said the Federal Aviation Administration was investigating any potential regulatory violations regarding the pilot and the aircraft.

The annual nut sale fundraiser has started at the Rich Mountain Conservation District.

There is a variety of nuts to choose from such as pecan halves and pieces, praline pecans, white chocolate pecans, amaretto pecans, dark chocolate pecans, milk chocolate pecans, honey pecans, chocolate peanuts, chocolate almonds, cashews, and walnuts. Orders will be taken until Oct. 20 and nuts are scheduled to be received mid-November.

Proceeds from the nut sales go towards the Rich Mountain Conservation District annual schol-

arship that is awarded to Polk County students who will be going into an agriculture or conservation related field in college. Please help to support this worthy cause by purchasing some of these items. By doing so you are supporting our local youth with the opportunity to continue their agricultural education.

An order form can be picked up at the conservation district office at 508 7th Street in Mena or you can call 479-437-6054 and request one to be mailed, faxed or emailed to you.

Submitted by Tammy L. Young

Polk County’s James K. Polk Chapter, National Society Daughters of

The Daughters of the American Revolution organization was founded in 1890 with the mission of promoting historic preservation, education and patriotism. These timeless, over-

The 2023-2024 Mena Middle School FBLA Officers were recently elected: President Paeyton Hostetler,co-vice presidents Madi Fowler and Jakob Hostetler, secretary Jaslynn Turner, treasurer Francesca Vacca, reporter Lily Kate Doughty.

(Picture courtesy of Mena Public Schools) the American Revolution organization distributed pocket guide copies of the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence to students at Acorn Public Schools in September. arching principles keep the DAR strong and vitally relevant in this ever-changing world.

The pocket guides are a valuable resource to enhance research for students learning about our nation’s founding documents and beliefs.

Acorn Schools would like to extend our appreciation to the Polk County DAR Chapter organization for providing the donation to our students and history classes!

10/10 - CRSD @ Mena

10/05 - CRSD vs. Nevada 10/09 - CRSD @ Waldron

Cross Country

10/10 - Mena @ Acorn

10/06 - Mena vs. Nashville Volleyball

10/05 - Mena @ Malvern 10/07 - Mena @ Paris Tournament Sr. Varsity

10/09 - Mena @ Ashdown

By Ethan Nahté

The commercial building at the Polk County Fairgrounds was decked out with a fall harvest theme, the smell of hot dogs, nachos and popcorn wafted through the air. Meanwhile, a very full house of boxers, families, coaches and boxing enthusiasts were loving the action of Mountain

By Ethan Nahté

Veterans, service members, active duty and family are invited to come to the Home Game Tailgate this Friday before the Mena Bearcats take on the Nashville Scrappers. The VA Mena merly Pilgrim’s Pride) and Arkansas Elks.

If tailgaters proceed to Friday night’s game, they might notice the student section wearing pink to “Pink Out!” October is National Breast

Cross Country 10/07 - UARM @ University of the Ozarks Invitational

10/08 - UARM @ Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College

Mayhem III on Saturday.

The event began at 3 p.m. and lasted five hours as 32 bouts of three rounds each were scheduled to battle it out in the squared circle. Boxers, male and female, 8-years-old to adult, came from all around Arkansas, Oklahoma, and eastern to central Texas.

CBOC (Community-Based Outpatient Clinic) will host a tailgate party at 4 p.m. on Oct. 6 at their location, 300 Morrow St., next door to the post office.

The event is sponsored by Polk County CVET (Community Veterans Engagement Team), Pilgrim’s (for-

Cancer Awareness Month. Students and some of the public will surely be wearing pink to show their support.

The No. 4 Bearcats and No. 5 Scrappers are both 0-1 in conference play. They should be relatively well-matched as the Bearcats are 3-2 overall and the Scrappers are 3-3.

Submitted by Mena Fire Chief Steve Egger

Joe Quinn, Emory Zakin and Dustin Stover recently completed the 40-hour Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) class. They went through the program at Dallas Love Field Airport. They said it was one of the best classes ever. That brings the Mena Fire Department up to 11 certified ARFF per- sonnel.

The FAA requires operators of Part 139 airports must provide aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) services during air carrier operations that require a Part 139 certificate. The guidance and resources below address ARFF training, ARFF vehicles, and other aviation fire and rescue requirements.

Staff members of Arkansas Tourism met at Queen Wilhelmina State Park last week to discuss planning efforts and initiatives for the coming year. At the meeting, 13 staff members were certified as Travel Consultants with U.S. Travel.

The group visited with Mena representatives including Mayor Seth Smith, Pasha Watson and Melanie Wade to learn more about the town’s tourism offerings and upcoming events, including preparations for the 2024 Great North American Eclipse.

For more information about Arkansas Tourism or to explore trip ideas and travel inspiration, visit www.arkansas.com/. (Submitted photo)