Archives April 2024

by “Stretch” DeTrooth

Golf is a popular sport among Valleyans. Unfortunately, there is only one course in The Valley, so most people have to travel outside The Valley to play. The growth and buzz in The Valley is obviously being noticed by people outside The Valley and outside Mississippi. Famous real estate developer, politician, and celebrity Ronald Krump has decided to capitalize on the economic growth in The Valley and build a golf club.

Krump’s organization is well known for having beautiful golf courses across the globe. The Valley recently came on their radar, and they decided to build a course here after doing their due diligence. They chose some prime property along the Strong River between Strong River Bend and Valley City to build their course. The reasonable land prices along with the low cost of labor were important factors in their decision; the natural beauty of the Strong River Valley didn’t hurt as well.

I was able to visit with Krump via Zoom during one of his court recesses, and he was excited about his new project in The Valley. Krump said, “The Strong River Valley is a great place, a great place. I’ve been seeing the economic development and growth in the The Valley, and I wanted to be a part of it. Also, the people of The Valley are great people, great people, and I can’t wait to bring this first class course to The Valley. It’s going to be a great course, great course.”

The Valley National Golf Club will immediately be one of the top public golf courses in Mississippi, it will be one of the top courses in the South. The renowned golf course architect, Dom Fazio and his firm Fazio Golf Design, is designing the course. It will have a very nice and spacious clubhouse with a restaurant and several large meeting rooms. The space can rented for weddings, events, and gatherings. The restaurant, which will be called Cypress Grille, will be a first class restaurant that serves steaks, seafood, catfish, and fine wines.

The golf club will have a few things that really set it apart. It will have a few water hazards that also serve as catfish ponds. The Cypress Grille will be a “farm to table” restaurant; they’ll serve fresh catfish from their ponds. Also, the Strong River will come into play on holes #1 and #18. Golfers will have to tee off over the river on #1, and approach shots on #18 will have to be hit over the river. There will be a very nice large bridge over the river that is a larger version of the famous Swilcan Bridge on #18 at the Old Course at St. Andrews. Golfers will use this bridge to cross the river on holes #1 and #18.

Krump said, “I can’t wait to try some fried catfish from our ponds. I can’t wait! We wanted to really feature the Strong River with our course layout, and we did that. It’s a beautiful river, beautiful river. I can’t wait to play on the course, and I can’t wait to open it for the great people of The Valley.”

The facility will be a big deal for The Valley. It should attract people from around the state and the South. The club is set to open in late June. The SRVO will keep you updated.

by Ima Phibber

Spring is finally here! Valleyans have been hard at work recently planting their gardens for the summer. According to a recent online survey, more people than ever are planting gardens to help save money on their grocery bills. Food inflation has hit Americans and Valley residents very hard over the past few years, and it seems like there is no end in sight.

A few Strong River Bend (SRB) residents recently decided to create a community garden for SRB residents to help cut down on food costs. Johnny Greanthum is heading up the project, and the garden will be called the SRB Community Garden. Greanthum is a retired teacher, and he has a passion for gardening. Greanthum said, “People are struggling economically right now. Grocery prices have gone through the roof. I wanted to come up with a way to help people, and I think this community garden is going to help a lot of people in the community.”

The first hurdle that Greanthum had was finding a spot for the garden. Thankfully, the town of SRB is allowing their town park to be used. SRB is allowing Greanthum and his crew to cultivate one acre on a vacant area in the town park. Also, seeds and gardening equipment were donated by Strong River Bend Feed & Seed.

Greanthum is very excited about the garden, but he wants everyone to know there are a few rules.

• You must be a SRB resident to get food.
• You don’t work, you don’t eat. (It’s in the Bible)
• Take only what you need.

Greanthum said, “We had to create a few rules, because people are crazy these days. You give them an inch, and they’ll take a mile. We will have a volunteer at the garden from 7:00 am- 7:00 pm each day to help residents. Also, we will have a work log for everyone to log their work in the garden. Remember, you don’t work, you don’t eat! We will also have cameras monitoring the garden 24/7. We hope SRB residents will make this a family affair to teach their kids about the value of hard work and gardening. Plus, it’ll help people save money on their grocery bills. We’ll plant a variety of vegetables including squash, cucumbers, okra, and more. It should be a win-win for everyone.”

Most people in SRB are excited about the community garden, but a couple SRB residents I talked with are not happy about it. One resident said, “I’m not in favor of this. It’s too much like communism to me. Are they gonna want us to live in communes next? Plus, people don’t want to work these days. I bet the vegetables just rot before they’re picked.”

Another SRB resident said, “I was excited to learn about this, but I’m not so enthused now. I understand they’re using genetically modified seeds to grow the crops. Plus, I hear they’re not going to use organic fertilizer. Nope, sorry! Can’t do it!”

Seeds were planted over the past couples weeks, so the garden should be coming along nicely in the coming weeks. Greanthum has created an interesting concept, and I’m anxious to see if this catches on elsewhere. SRB residents should contact Mr. Greanthum with any questions.

by “Stretch” DeTrooth

We introduced Blind Billy Ball (Triple B) and his seeing eye dog, Slugger, to Valleyans and the world last year around this time. You can read our original story HERE. Triple B and Slugger cut their teeth on calling rec league games, and they’ve done a great job. But, Triple B thought it was time for a new challenge. He has overcome challenges his whole life, and he’s always up for a new one.

Triple B said, “Slugger and I have had a great time calling rec league games. You have to start somewhere right? But, we want to move on to bigger and better things, and I thought it was time to take the next step to travel ball. I had a talk with Slugger, and he agreed with me. I understand that we’re going to have to prove ourselves all over again. We had a ton of doubters when we started calling rec league games, but we ended up being the best umpire in the league. I believe we can do the same with travel ball.”

Triple B and Slugger already have some doubters, and I talked with some at a recent travel ball tournament. One coach said, “I think Triple B and Slugger are going to be in for a rude awakening. It’s a big step up from rec league. The players are better, and the game is much faster. There’s also going to be a lot more pressure on them; all eyes are going to be on them. In the rec league, all the parents and kids love to see Triple B and especially Slugger. If he misses a call, no big deal because Slugger is so cute. It won’t be like that at travel ball tournaments. Are they ready? We’ll see.”

An umpire said, “I hope Triple B knows what he’s getting into. It’s like walking into a lion’s den game after game. These parents and coaches are ruthless, I mean ruthless! I only do this for the money; I don’t do it because I enjoy it. I’ve had to get on blood pressure meds since I started calling travel ball games.”

Triple B has big dreams, and he hopes travel ball is just the next step. “I’d eventually like to make it to the Big Leagues with Slugger. I know the deck is stacked against me, but that’s my dream and I’m gonna give it my all. Heck, I know that I’m better than Angel Hernandez right now. Maybe, I could loan Slugger to him for a fee”, said Ball.

It will be interesting to see how the next step goes for Triple B and Slugger. No one thought they could call games to begin with, and they’ve proved a lot of naysayers wrong. I think they have what it takes to take the next step to travel ball. The SRVO will keep you updated on Triple B and Slugger throughout the season.

by Emma Embellischer

Zyn nicotine pouches have become very popular over the past few years. You see a ton of people popping these pouches these days. Many people have given up dipping, vaping and smoking cigarettes in favor of the pouches. The pouches are much cleaner and appealing; you don’t have to worry about snuff in the corner of your mouth. Plus, you don’t have to worry about hiding your vape and discreetly blowing out smoke in public places. Many famous people including Tucker Carlson use the product. They even came on the radar of Congress recently; Senator Chuck Schumer spoke about curtailing Zyn advertising to minors. That sparked somewhat of a firestorm on Capitol Hill, and you had some lawmakers including Marjorie Taylor Greene throwing barbs back at Schumer talking about a “Zynsurrection.”

Social media is more popular than ever these days. Many people spend hours each day on social media apps like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and MySpace. Because of this, many companies pay people to push their products on social media, and these people are called influencers. Influencers push every product imaginable including Zyn pouches. Twin sisters from The Valley have gained notoriety recently for pushing Zyn pouches and becoming “Zynfluencers.”

Jacki and Ricki Ledbetter are twin sisters from Valley City. They are well known in and around The Valley. They’ve owned Ledbetter Sisters Construction for about 8 years, and they do small construction jobs in The Valley. They have had a small social media following for a while, and they mainly posted about work and construction. They are pretty, funny, and everybody loves their Southern accents. They vaped until 2022 when they discovered Zyn pouches. They both switched to Zyn pouches, and they started posting videos about Zyn.

Their fans, mostly men, loved the videos about Zyn. Their following began to grow exponentially, and they became what is known as Zynfluencers. They were able to quit their construction jobs, and be social media influencers full time. Zyn is just one of their clients; they also work for HeyDude, Wrangler and others.

Ricki said, “This all just kind of happened. We loved the product, and people loved our videos about them. Plus, most Zyn users are men, so it’s different to have two hot chicks promoting the product. Plus, I think it helps that we’re twins with a Southern accent. Daddy always told us that we’d be famous one day. He always wanted us to be country singers like Shania Twain or Faith Hill. But, he loved some Red Man tobacco, so I’m sure he’s smiling down on us from heaven.”

Jacki said, “Zynning sure beats construction. Some people, mostly women, look down on us for pushing Zyn, but we don’t care. I think it’s better for you than vaping. We gone keep Zynning to the bank baby! Also, if you have a product you need to push, hit us up!”

Health experts have warned about the harmful side effects of using Zyn pouches. But, health experts don’t know the long term side effects of Zyn yet. Many Zyn users say the negative side effects are much less than other nicotine products, but time will tell. Whatever we find out, I’m sure people will keep Zynning.