Don't miss the 2008 Minden Historic Residential District Christmas

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Minden’s Historic Residential District has big plans for holidays!
The Minden Historic Residential District Association announces their holiday plans. “Saturday December 13th, 2008 will be our way of saying Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to Minden and the surrounding area.” announced association President Schelley Brown. “This year we are giving back to our community by not charging for our home tour. With the cost of everything escalating we felt that giving something back to our community was the fitting thing to do. We are also adding a home decorating and lighting contest for our home owners. Judging will be done the day of our home tour by three guest judges from other cities and winners announced at 6 p.m. at the close of the tour. We will be giving three wonderful prizes; 1st prize is $200 plus a one night stay at the McKay House B & B in Jefferson, Texas. 2nd prize is $100 and B & B stay, 3rd place prize is B & B stay! We hope that everyone in the district gets out and does some wonderful holiday lighting and decorating. We want the district to be a shinning example of holiday spirit for our visitors during this holiday season. We hope that this contest takes off so that in the future we will be included on the “Holiday Trail of Lights”. Minden’s historic homes are so beautiful and especially so during this time of year. Lighting trails draw huge numbers of visitors into an area and create big economic boost to everyone especially gas stations, restaurants and retail merchants. Everyone is looking for a way to entertain their family during this time of year.”
During the past two years the association has given back to the community with two historic markers that were placed in Academy Park. The association also has purchased more Christmas lights for the park, sponsored a large museum exhibit in the Dorcheat Historical Museum that tells their history and now Minden HRD has a wonderful new web site http://www.mindenhrd.com/ that tells about Minden’s historic homes, history and past citizens.
Melissa Slaid, owner of the Fitzgerald House has generously volunteered her home for the December 13th holiday event. This historic home located at 304 McDonald Street next door to Academy Park will be bustling with activity from 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. Visitors will tour one of Minden's oldest homes and hear its history from a "Ghost of Christmas Past." Take a step back in time with carolers on the streets, the taste of warm cider and cookies plus the magic of seeing Minden's historic homes in all their holiday finery. Have your photo taken in a vintage one horse open sleigh by Jackie Lewis of Main Street Photography. Join us at 5 p.m. for a group sing-along of old fashioned holiday favorites! Don't miss the holiday gifts on the veranda, to make your holiday unique. For more information visit http://www.mindenhrd.com/ and http://www.mindenhrd.blogspot.com/ or call Schelley Brown 423-0192.

Blogs, Blogs, and More Blogs

BLOGS, BLOGS and More BLOGS!
This story has been in July 2008 issue of Louisiana Road Trips Magazine and in the Winter 2008 issue of The Minute Magazine
Well it is official I am now a Blogger! No not a jogger a Blogger! I do wish it burned more calories; but like everything else that I do it requires sitting at the computer. My friend Jackie Lewis introduced me to this concept and at first I thought this will be something handy. Little did I know that it would turn into one Blog after another.
My first thought was since I am involved in putting on so many events in Minden that one for that would be good. I also wanted a place to share my past stories that I have written and post pictures to go with it. Some of you may not know what a Blog is. It is sort of like a web site but you can do it yourself and you can do it very quickly. You can have one up and going in about 5 minutes! There are lots of places to do one; I myself use the Google Blog spot. If you like scrap-booking; which I do you will love to Blog. It is just like an online scrapbook that you can share with your family and friends and the rest of the world if you so desire. They give you the steps to do it and you go from there. You can upload pictures and even video clips and music. It is really something and it is all FREE! That is the best part about it, the FREE part.
If you would like to start your own family Blog get busy you will find it very addictive. I don’t post things everyday but some people do as a therapeutic outlet. It is a lot of fun and also can be very useful. If you have a small business or any business they are great to update what is happening.
I now have 7 BLOGS! My fist one is the one you want to go to because from this one you can get to all the others one from the links that I have added. My main personal site is http://www.eventsinminden.blogspot.com/ . From here you can read 40-50 stories that I have written plus you can see video clips and pictures. From this site you will see my other passions.
I knew we needed something for the Dorcheat Historical Association & Museum as a way of getting the word out about our progress and what was happening at the museum. It was also a way to advertise the cookbooks and our up coming events that we have been trying to do monthly. You can visit this one directly at http://www.museuminminden.blogspot.com/ or just click on the link from my events in Minden Blog spot. We need all of you to become more involved in this museum. Remember it is a parish museum and if you are part of the parish that means it is your museum too!
The Minden Cemetery Blog is a favorite of mine, with a lot of the past Ghost Walk pictures and stories to go with it along with the Trench marker dedication and TV spots. Just click on the link from the main Blog above or you can go to http://www.mindencemetery.blogspot.com/ .
My next one of course was my Minden Cruisin’ For A Cure For St. Jude Car Show Blog. I also have a web site for that but with that it was on the current year. With the Blog it is past pictures and TV clips, plus the stories just go to http://www.mindencruisinforacure.blogspot.com/ or once again you can get to it from the first and main one.
The next one was the Minden Historic Residential District Association Blog. I am also proud to say that we now have an official web site that is under construction by Shaffer Design here in Minden is going to be wonderful when it is completed. I overwhelmed them at first with a disc of 70 plus folders of information and it is taking them some time to get it all ironed out but they are working on it. For the web site go to http://www.mindenhrd.com/ but remember it is under construction. For the Blog site and more information in general plus video and pictures go to http://www.mindenhrd.blogspot.com/ .
Then we come to my passion of the old car hobby. I did one for my car club the Ark-La-Tex Antique & Classic Car Association out of Shreveport. This club is one of the oldest clubs in the State and needed some recognition. You can visit this club Blog at http://www.aacca.blogspot.com/ . This one I am still adding information and will soon have stories of the members and their cars.
Now we come to a very important Blog that I did recently for my Daddy, Nolen Brown. Many of you don’t know it but my Daddy is a great song writer and has been most of his life. He has written thousands of songs and had many recorded by such greats as Roy Orbison, Bobby Bare, Mickey Gilley and others. Daddy also has a young girl name Carissa Amberly working with his song “Some Heroes Don’t Come Back”. This song has taken off and is played on the Bill Mack show on XM Radio. It has become an anthem of such for truck drivers, firemen, and our military. You can now listen to some of his songs and watch the video, on the Blog that I did for my Daddy at http://www.nolenbrown.blogspot.com/ and his web site http://www.nolenbrown.com/
I even did one for my wonderful friend and folk artist Cora Lou Robinson. Everyone loves Cora Lou’s work so now you can see it at the new blog site http://www.coralourobinson.blogspot.com/
Well as you can see I have become addicted to BLOGGING! Trust me you will too once you start. So until next time keep it between the ditches!

A Beautiful Day Of History

This is me and Jim McDaniel (Jim played J.Y. Webb)

The 5th annual Minden Cemetery Ghost Walk was a big success. “By 11:30 the line began to form for the first tour. This year as in years past we had plenty of out of town guest come to learn a little Webster parish history. We even had one person from Alaska take the tour and several from the Dallas area. We couldn’t have asked for better weather. In fact I think this was the best weather we have ever had since we started this 5 years ago.” stated Schelley Brown tour organizer.
The weather was perfect for a day of history as visitors strolled on their hour long tour. This year the tour included over 10 stops with famous authors, early lumber barons, the unknown soldiers that were injured in the Battle of Mansfield, business leaders and their wives from before the Civil War.
To see a civil war encampment that included a wagon, cannon, horses and mules along with a tent made the day seem like the hands of time had rolled backward over 150 years. All the stories were very informative and done with research by family members and historians to make this day as factual as possible. Many of the actors and actresses were actual decedents of the people they portrayed which made the day a special treat. Some of the stops had actual artifacts from the people that were portrayed that included actual pictures of where they lived and family portraits. Background sounds of bagpipes beckoned you from across the grounds as a lone piper played his lonesome songs.
The Minden Cemetery Association reported that around 200 people participated in this year’s tour. The annual tour took in over $1,600 that will help with upkeep of the property. The Minden Cemetery operates on donated funding for the upkeep of one of oldest Cemeteries in Webster Parish. “We are always in the need of funding. People don’t have any idea how expensive it is to keep up a cemetery as large as this one”, stated Ms. Brown an association board member. A DVD of the day will be available for $10. If you would like to learn more about the cemetery or donate to it’s funding and how you can help please contact Schelley Brown at 318-423-0192 or visit the web site at http://www.mindencemetery.blogspot.com/ pictures are posted on this site.