By Courtney Freeman
If you missed the festival this weekend you missed a wonderful time in Robeline. The festival kicked off with kids’ night Friday. The Christian band 4 Days Late provided music while kids enjoyed hot dogs and a hayride provided by the Village. There was also a good selection of game, craft and inflatable play vendors to keep everyone occupied.
The parade Saturday was so much fun. With close to 50 entries there was plenty of candy and goodies to go around. The society is grateful to all that participated and attended. And we’re already looking forward to next year.
For the parade Saturday, Fire District #7 was chosen as our Grand Marshall. After the summer we had across the state of Louisiana everyone should appreciate our firefighters. But more so the men of District #7, which is a volunteer district. These men that show up at possibly some of the worst or most frightening times of our lives do so out of the goodness of their heart and love for their fellow man. There is no compensation when they rise from their beds, leave their job or their own responsibilities when they hear the siren and rarely is there enough recognition. But thankfully they don’t show up to be recognized. District #7 handled not only what fires we had in district but sent engines, tankers and men to help when there were fires in other Natchitoches Parish Districts and to help with the horrible fires in Sabine Parish as many other districts did they were volunteers or not. We’re so happy to have such caring people looking out for the people of our community.
During the festival the fire district had a booth set up to help register new volunteers. But more volunteers are welcome and I’m sure all volunteer fire districts would agree, not just District #7. A way to think about being a volunteer is, I would want someone to show up for me, right?
The raffle for the medical expenses of Kristie Davis will continue until the end of the month. Tickets can still be purchased at Hello Dolly. The artist Miranda Garlington had a booth at the festival to showcase her artwork on Saturday.
The Robeline High Alumni Dinner was a huge success with over 70 participants. The Class of 1973 was the class of honor. Celebrating graduating 50 years ago they also had a class float in the parade. Thersea Gibson lead the festivities and Jim Freeman provided sound. Jim also spoke and sang for the attendees, as did Velton Jordan. The Apostolic Truth Tabernacle choral also lead everyone in singing “The Goodness of God.” The alumni enjoyed door prizes provided by Glenn Water, Truman Weeks, Tonya Marr and the Robeline Little League.
The festival has always had a special place in my heart. It was a fun time when I was a child and where my husband and I got into plenty of hijinks over the years. It meant so much to us, the festival is where he proposed to me. I know the pandemic killed a lot of community events and really the sense of community for many. But being at the festival this weekend reminded me of festivals gone by. We have plenty of areas to improve but I was so happy to see our community come together and have a wonderful time. I look forward to seeing what the future holds.
