Oakland News 6/18/26
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Disc golf returned this past week to Cossar State Park as the Park officially reopened following Winter Storm Fern’s rampage. New Park Manager Brandon Sims, far right, was on hand to welcome the golfers.
Father’s Day is here! According to Wikipedia, Father’s Day was first celebrated in the United States on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, Washington. In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation and in 1972 President Richard Nixon signed a Congressional Resolution creating a permanent national holiday.
My dad died in 1980 at the age of 55 but his influence lives on in the lives of my siblings and me. We, in turn, have influenced our children, and now, they are doing the same with theirs. This is legacy. It is important. What you are teaching in word and deed lives beyond you. My youngest son is celebrating his first Father’s Day, so this year it feels very special.
Research suggests that humor and shared laughter may help strengthen father-child bonds, increasing attachment and social bonding. In the spirit of strengthening bonds, here are some of the best Dad jokes from a random internet search plus some from a research project conducted by Paul Silvia, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
• Dad, I’m hungry. Hi, hungry. I’m Dad.
• Never trust an atom. They make up everything.
• Why did the scarecrow win an award? Because he was outstanding in his field.
• Why did the math book look so sad? Because it had too many problems.
• What do you call cheese that isn’t yours? Nacho cheese!
Studies show that there is both physical and emotional response to humor reducing stress, anxiety and depression, and improving psychological well-being.
I would suggest that the amazing artwork of Kosciusko native Marie Hull will make you smile, if not laugh, in reaction to her joyful work. Years ago, Mother and her sister, Carolyn, who lived in Kosciusko, stopped by Ms. Hull’s house and got a personal tour. Mother was astonished by the fact that every surface was covered in items that Ms. Hull had collected and many of them had been painted with her signature dots, even the fence post in the front yard. Susan Marquez in the Magnolia Tribune reported that the L.V. Hull Legacy Center is now opening in Hull’s former home in Kosciusko as a museum for the public. Ms. Hull died in 2008. She bought her 900-sq. ft. house in 1974 with money she made cleaning houses. Kosciusko is a short daytrip and there are some cute restaurants on the square plus the most wonderful gift shops at Sullivan’s Drug Store and the Attala County Coop. There’s more, but that will get you started!
Oakland celebrates Juneteenth on June 20 from 4-9 p.m. at the James Riley Swearengen Walking Track and Park. We’ve been told for numerous years now that Oakland has the BEST Juneteenth Celebration in the area. Juneteenth was not something I was aware of growing up so I had to learn about it as an adult. A summary from a Roads Scholar blog says that Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, and informed enslaved people that they were free—more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued. Juneteenth has been celebrated in Black communities for more than 150 years as a powerful reminder of freedom, perseverance and hope.
The holiday has always emphasized both celebration and education. Traditional observances include parades, music, family gatherings, storytelling, and readings about emancipation, all intended to preserve history and strengthen community bonds. Juneteenth serves as both a joyful celebration of freedom and an opportunity for all of us to reflect on justice, equity and understanding.
We have great news that Cossar State Park is alive and kicking AND open! Terry Jones, President of Friends of Cossar, reported that disc golfers are also back and this past week had their first league round since January. The courses look good, he said, but there is still work to be done. Penny Simpson Rosenberg reports that the women’s disc golf league, also known as Tuesday Therapy, is restarting play at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays. “If you’d like to learn come on out, if you know how to play come join us,” she said. The Park is also accepting reservations and campers are returning!
I created the Cossar State Park Friends page on Facebook years and years ago when my brother Rich was still Park Manager there. It was so exciting as we watched day by day and week by week the number of followers grow from five to 250 to 500! Now, the page has nearly 2,000 followers! I am so thankful to those who have continued to keep the page alive.
We are already hearing of so many people interested in attending our Montessori Pre-School informational meeting at 6 pm, Tues., July 7, at the Oakland Chamber Building, 304 Holly Street, Oakland. Leading the discussion will be Brooke Fly Spears, a highly respected Montessori educator and trainer with more than 15 years of classroom experience.
Oakland will celebrate America’s250 with a July 3rd Happy Birthday America Party at the James Riley Swearengen Walking Track and Park from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Bring a chair!
I’m no artist, but I am going to come up with something to enter in the Oakland Friends of the Library “My America” art contest. I may use some of Ms. Hull’s dots. The contest runs June 1-September 1. Art should be no larger than poster size and there are categories for Youth-Adult with prizes in each category. The art should reflect what America feels like to you. Drop your submissions off at the Oakland Library on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday.
Let me know if you have news to include. Contact me via email at [email protected] or text or leave a message at 601-853-3942.
