I have never liked parades - there I said it. I know they are a staple of small town, Midwest America and it is one of the aspects that make me a bit of an outsider around here; this town loves a good parade. I admit, I have avoided them, forgotten about them, gone out of town when they occurred, locked myself in my house, and done just about anything to stay away from the crowded streets filled with gaudy decorated vehicles and people walking by waving at strangers. I guess it is one of the Grinch-like, bah-humbug aspects of my personality, all the cheer and inconvenience of blocked roads just were not my thing! In all fairness, I blame my equally bah-humbug mother. She thought parades were boring so I never went to them and in turn inherited her disdain for watching people walk in straight lines in front of me. So naturally, I decided to participate in one.
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Nicole Emmons
nicolee@bolivarmonews.com
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12/8/23
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Dear Editor—
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12/1/23
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The Warming Center is a ministry associated with Polk County Cares (PCC), a nonprofit faith-based organization whose main focus is connecting people and empowering them to transform their lives through caring relationships.
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11/30/23
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Dad was a coon hunter and I was the boy who tagged along behind him.
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By Jim Hamilton
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11/30/23
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Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” did rather well for itself over Thanksgiving weekend, opening in the #2 position at the domestic box office behind the second weekend of the new “Hunger Games.” A debut at #2 behind a not-particularly-beloved returning champion may not sound impressive, but my prediction was that it wouldn’t even finish in the top three.
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By Bob Garver
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11/30/23
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More than 20 years ago, Tom gave me a gift certificate for an hour-long massage as an anniversary gift. I’d never had a professional massage before. (Women don’t count the one-handed massages men sometimes give while holding the remote with their other hand.)
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By Gwen Rockwood
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11/30/23
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The term “Black Friday” has a sordid past with a bit of a dark connotation. Though many believe it is the day for stores to turn their red ledgers to black, the first use of the term was in 1869 to describe the gold market crash of September. Jump ahead about 90 years and Black Friday was a term dubbed by the Philidelphia police to describe the absolute chaos in the streets on the day after Thanksgiving. As many people went to the annual Navy-Army football game, others made it their day for shopping excursions to kick off the holiday season. It was not a term to describe fun, savings, or festivities. It was a term to describe misery and frustration. As a child of the 80s and 90s, when Black Friday shopping was at its peak, the moniker may have still held its original meaning.
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Nicole Emmons
nicolee@bolivarmonews.com
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11/29/23
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The Story of a Girl from WWII Germany
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Nicole Emmons
nicolee@bolivarmonews.com
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11/24/23
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As I was driving toward Springfield last night, I realized I did not have my phone. That left me with quite a dilemma. It was alright to be shut off from the world for a while; no alerts for emails, no text message buzzes, and no phone calls interrupting my drive, were just fine with me. What I lamented was the lack of my beloved playlist blaring through my car stereo. There was no podcast or music designed just for my listening enjoyment. I had a choice to make: sit in silence (Heaven forbid) or go through the radio searching for a station that was actually playing music. I chose the latter and began my quest, hitting the ‘next’ button repeatedly. After hearing DJs waxing on for multiple stations, I finally stumbled upon some music.
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Nicole Emmons
nicolee@bolivarmonews.com
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11/22/23
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It’s late November and my mind begins to dwell on Thanksgiving dinner— not eating, but cooking.
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By Jim Hamilton
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11/22/23
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Fads are a way of life in society. Diet fads, exercise fads, clothing fads, linguistic fads, animal fads - all these fly-by-night things that come barging into our lives, inspired by some sense of “fear of missing out,” then just as quickly, they are gone again. I am not a person usually affected by the concept of FOMO, I am at an age where I dress to look nice AND be comfortable, I like what I like without a care if it is popular; this is just one of the perks of aging, I suppose.
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Nicole Emmons
nicolee@bolivarmonews.com
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11/22/23
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Sweet potatoes may be stars; cornbread dressing a contender. Dinner rolls are divine and green bean casserole a go-to. But Thanksgiving dinner isn’t complete without turkey.
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11/22/23
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