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_outlineDoes your language have a word that means "a piece of log bitten off the stump by a bear"? One of the L.A. Indian languages did! And when one of the early explorers to this area asked one of the Indians, "What's that?" he replied with this word, which then became the name for a body of flowing water! What stream or creek or bayou was it and what's that word? Our local historian knows and will share it in today's podcast.
While we may not have some of the colorful names that other areas in our state have (Booger Hollow, Toad Suck, Pickles Gap), we have our share of them! Where did Smackover or Lamartine ever come from? And why should the people of McNeil want to change their city name to "Ralph"? Wouldn't it be great to say that we live in the "Ralph-Waldo-Emerson Triangle" of Arkansas?
I sat down with Mike Gee, historian for the South Arkansas Heritage Museum and curator of his own Facebook page dedicated to local history and genealogy, and we had a fascinating discussion. It covered only some of the names that make life in L.A. so interesting. In fact, our discussion was SO fascinating that a half hour had gone by and we hadn't even gotten around to names of roads and streets. Burnt Bridge Road? We'll have to invite Mike to return to hear that fascinating story, which could make an episode all its own!
If you have place names around here that you're curious about, shoot us an email and we'll see what Mike and I can come up with. In the meantime, you know the routine! Click the play button and learn more about place names in South Arkansas.