From pews to pastures, meet the other Jack Daniels
Life in LA Today
His father either had a great sense of humor or a knack for coming up with names. He called the acreage he farmed along the Red River in Lafayette County Miracle Farms, inspired by one of his favorite sayings: “God grants the miracle — we do the work.” But why did Mr. Daniels name his son Jack? “I have a lot of fun with the name,” Jack Daniels told me. “Apparently my dad had a pretty good sense of humor.” In the latest episode of my podcast, I sat down with Jack to talk about the story behind Miracle Farms — its roots, its name, and the faith that still shapes the work that...
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Stories from the man behind the chair
Life in LA Today
Today on Life in LA, I sat down with a man who’s been part of Magnolia’s story for nearly six decades. Don Higdon began barbering on the square back in 1966, when a shop might have just one pair of electric clippers that all three barbers shared. Since then, he’s seen every hairstyle imaginable come and go — from the flat top and the GI cut to the mullet and beyond — and he’s had a front-row seat to the conversations, laughter, and life stories that passed through his chair. But there’s a lot more to Don than just a good haircut. In our conversation, I learned about the...
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Cruisin' for a worthy cause
Life in LA Today
Today’s episode takes us to a special community event in Magnolia, Arkansas — the annual Cruisin’ Against Bruisin’ car show, hosted at Immanuel Baptist Church. More than just a gathering of classic cars and enthusiasts, this event raises funds for Compassion’s Foundation, an organization dedicated to offering empowering services, including emergency shelter and support for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. It’s an important cause, and the car show brings together people who care deeply about both the cars and the community. The show is...
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This country store lives on!
Life in LA Today
Philip Story grew up his formative years in the small community of Macedonia, some seven miles south of Magnolia at the intersection of Arkansas Hwys. 19 and 160. He grew up walking up the road to one of the two Franks' grocery stores that served the community. Nearly everything was sold there, including ice cold Coca Colas and those lemon flavored Jackson cookies that were sold out of the big glass jar. Today, Philip is the co-owner not only of his own country store but the one remaining Franks store building as well. In December of 2022, the ribbon was cut on Keith's Grocery...
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Meet the mayor of West Lamartine!
Life in LA Today
When it rains in these parts, I often open the Facebook page of a guy that I know is going to post the amount of rainfall he received in West Lamartine. When I heard him called the Mayor of West Lamartine, I was intrigued. But when he repaired my mother's favorite clock, I knew I had to get a microphone on him and learn more about Larry Polk. Larry and his wife Jean live just about a mile off U.S. 371 in Lamartine. As befitting a "public servant" in the role of mayor, Larry's Facebook profile and background picture both feature a highway sign bearing the name of his community. Larry...
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Archeologist explores lives of early LA residents
Life in LA Today
Long before those of us who speak our particular version of English inhabited what is now Lower Arkansas, early man inhabited the countryside. Dr. Carl Drexler is research archeologist for the Arkansas Archeological Survey stationed at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia. He is intimately familiar with all periods of cultural development in this region and recently expanded upon them at a talk at the Columbia County Library. Dr. Drexler was born three years before the release of the first movie featuring the exploits of Dr. Henry Walton Jones, Jr. and admits he did not see the...
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Eyewitness encourages all to see eclipse
Life in LA Today
Take it from John Harden: the solar eclipse coming up April 8 is an awe-inspiring event with spiritual impact that you don't want to miss. As a father who took his family to see the last, John has first-hand experience. Back in 2017 they drove from Magnolia to Lebanon, Tennessee to witness the eclipse. "You've got to get into the region of 100 per cent totality," John told me. "I drove eight hours to see it the last time, that's probably the extent I would have done it in 2017 but knowing what I know now, I would have driven two days for it. It is that much of a must see. It's incredible."...
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Hearing from 'The Voice' of LA
Life in LA Today
It’s hard to believe a full decade has passed since the quintessential voice of Lower Arkansas announced not only his retirement but also his departure from Magnolia for eastern Tennessee. After more than 60 years with Magnolia Radio—KVMA and KFMV as they were known—Ken Sibley turned off the mic, hung up the headphones and left the studio. He and Carol moved to Collierville, TN, where three of their five grandchildren lived, of course with their parents. Ken had held nearly every leadership position imaginable in church, city and county, in addition to his work in radio. He’s a...
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Making the (economics) message clear!
Life in LA Today
As a young man, David Rankin had never given any thought to becoming a college professor, let alone an administrator of higher education. His mother had moved back to Arkansas from Tennessee--first to Hot Springs, then to Junction City--after his father had died in World War II and he had just begun college. After a stint at factory work, he decided he preferred higher education and was attending Louisiana Tech University. "David, have you ever thought about being a college professor," asked E. Carl Jones, professor where David was then currently enrolled. "It never crossed my mind the first...
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Adapting to the pace of life in L.A.
Life in LA Today
For Dr. Mimo Lemdja and her family, adapting to life in L.A. has been a breeze--a warm, summer breeze that is. Originally from Cameroun in Central Africa, she moved to Canada where she completed high school, then moved to Minnesota. She finds the climate in South Arkansas much preferable to either of those locations! Her medical studies took her from Minnesota to New York where she met her future husband. She and Mathias Groghue, have three children. David, Kelly and Matt attend Magnolia Public Schools and together the family has made South Arkansas their home. Mathias is...
info_outlineOne of the surprising things about life in Lower Arkansas is that you never know what a surprising "back story" the person your talking to may have. A retired real estate guy may have been the drummer for one of the hottest pop groups in the region. The children's librarian may have lived everywhere from Pickles Gap to Idaho but is freshly returned from Poland. Or the kid who pushes your groceries to your car may shoot a mean shotgun. That is, he may be perfectly capable of shooting 500 clay pigeons, two at a time from 27 yards, and never lose his cool!
That's Landon Chandler for you, and he is my youngest guest yet on Life in L.A. Landon has just completed 11th grade where he shot with the Magnolia High School Trap team. Listen to my podcast and he'll tell you approximately how many trophies he has garnered from state meets. Or the secret to his success as a trap shooter.
You learn something from everyone you talk to, even a high school student. I would imagine your nerves could be a problem when you're shooting 100 traps and you're nearing yet another perfect shoot. How does he keep from getting nervous? He has a secret that will work for just about everyone in a tense situation.
Landon isn't sure what the future holds, but he knows he starts 12th grade this fall. He's working at Brookshires to put a little money back for college. He plans to attend Louisiana Tech, and although he lives in L.A., he has strong ties to that "other" LA just across the Arkansas line. Both his parents attended LA Tech, and he recently visited the campus.
While there, he sat on a bench put in place as a memorial to his grandmother. He found the bricks with family names on the walkway of fame. Two grandparents and an aunt also studied there, so family tradition is strong. He plans to study engineering when he gets there.
Take a listen to today's podcast and you'll learn a thing or two. Then say hello to Magnolia's sharp shooter the next time you pick up groceries!