Frazier's words uplifting, Boxing star shines at Shelby event

By Ben Kossman
The Cleveland Current

On Friday evening, motivational speaker Marvis Frazier, son of boxing legend Joe Frazier, spoke to a group of Shelby residents and soon-to-be Broad Street High School graduates. Frazier spoke about the problems the country faces today and what the community, as a whole, can do to overcome these challenges. He did his best to motivate the crowd to reach for better things and try to get their community of Shelby headed back in the right direction. The event was a part of the Shelby homecoming festivities that lasted throughout the weekend, including the Broad Street High School graduation yesterday.

Frazier had a professional career record of 19 wins, eight of which came by knockout. He also was a top-ranked amateur prospect, winning the 1979 Golden Gloves Heavyweight Championship, as well as the 1980 AAU Heavyweight Boxing Championship. During his professional career, he defeated the likes of Mitch Green, future champion Tim Witherspoon, and Bonecrusher Smith. He continued to be successful on the professional level, but his career, like many in the merciless sport of professional boxing, came to an early end. His first loss came at the hands of Champion Larry Holmes by knockout in the first round.

His next loss came at the hands of 19-year-old Mike Tyson who also KO'd Frazier in the first round in 30 seconds, the future champion's fastest knockout of his career. Frazier didn't let either loss stop him from being successful and parlayed his career in boxing into a more meaningful one as an ordained preacher who would volunteer for the Prison Fellowship Ministries. He is also a motivational speaker, taking the lessons he's learned from his time in the ring and teaching the people he spoke to how to be successful in spite of difficult odds and embarrassing defeat.

The homecoming festivities were done in large part with the help of the Mississippi Center for Education Innovation, a non-profit organization that is aimed to helping Shelby become a prosperous Delta town. Former Mayor Robert Gray also has played an integral part and was honored with a street named after him.

International Affair, Bolivar County firefighters create partnership

By Michael Simmons
The Cleveland Current Managing Editor

The Flying Eagles Motorcycle Club was founded in Cleveland in 1975. The founding members are Leroy Washington, Larry Carter, Leymon Lee, Bo Sias and Robert Johnson. "We were all friends who rode together, so it just came together for us. We do all sorts of riding, from dirt racing to street riding," said Johnson.

The club currently has 45 members and is in the habit of helping those in need. They recently donated $500 to the Community Action Rainbow Emergency Shelter in Cleveland. "We have also been associated with the Burn Center here for about 20 years, and put on an annual show for them," Johnson said.

Other businesses having received contributions from the Flying Eagles include the C1 Head Start Center and an elderly care facility. The club also has chapters in cities like St. Louis, Jackson, Itta Bena and Greenwood, Tenn., and Athens, Ga., just to name a few. This network lets us coordinate our involvement with many communities who are in need of help. If they need funds, we try to provide it. We earn money by putting on riding exhibitions and races, as well as entertainment. Our price for admission to any of our events has been $3 per person since 1975. Every penny is put back into whatever need it was raised for. We want to invest in our community.

Garden club. How does your garden grow?

By Catherine Lavender
The Cleveland Current

The Cleveland Garden Club at their weekly luncheon discuss future Bolivar County beautifications. They share a clubhouse on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Maple Street with the Cleveland Woman¹s Club, which is being looked at for future restorations.

Beautifying Bolivar County with green thumbs By catherine lavender The Cleveland Current

Take a look at the nicely trimmed shrubbery, or the bright flowers that make Cleveland beautiful. Maybe take a trip to Dahomey National Wildlife Refuge and see the well-kept trails and butterfly garden. Even the Crosstie Walk Clock Tower downtown.

Most don¹t realize that the Cleveland Garden Club is responsible for much of the beauty of Cleveland. "We do so many things behind the scenes and we don¹t get recognized," said Bobbie Parker, new president of the Garden Club. Although they go without much recognition, the public approval isn¹t their reason for service. The group genuinely cares about the beauty of this small town and uses their efforts to make it a better, cleaner, and more attractive place to live.

Into the wild
A look into Ray Chacon's hunting adventures, Sometimes the most difficult hunts lead to the best rewards

By Charlie Capps III
The Cleveland Current

Ray Chacon is a practiced hunter who has a m'lange of trophies and pictures in his office reflecting his hunting adventures across North America. Under the careful scrutiny of the mounts above, Chacon keeps a grin on his face as he speaks of his hunts.

In September 2007, Chacon headed to Valdez, Alaska, for a multiple hunt of Coastal Black Bear and mountain goats. He and his guide left Valdez early in the morning on an ocean-going vessel out into the Valdez Narrows that eventually leads to Prince William Sounds. The Chugach Mountains, which surround Valdez on both sides of the Narrows, jut straight up and surround the area. The Chugach National Forest was their destination and that's where the salmon are on their last leg of their run. Chacon said, Salmon are a key protein source which the bear need before they go into hibernation and that's the perfect place to find Black Bear.

After a two-hour ride across the Narrows the duo begin checking streams flowing downward into the ocean. They boarded an aluminum skiff for the ride upstream. Chacon said, The first thing I saw as I scoped the mountain was a very large mountain goat. I took note of his location and kept looking. Later, we saw a few bears but none were good enough to kill.

Tabb Farms
A rewarding farm life keeps father and son looking to the future

By Charlie Capps III
The Cleveland Current

Billy Tabb grew up on a typical small farm in the hills of Webster County in Walthall, where his family has been for three generations. His parents, Lon and Eva Nell, had a country store in Walthall and his father was also the chancery clerk.

Tabb said, What really peaked my desire to farm was an event that took place when I was 10 years old. A cattle truck drove up in front of my dad's store. It had 10 registered Angus brood cows, 10 calves and a registered Angus bull. We had just enough pasture to take care of these animals. The driver came in and told his father he had some cattle to deliver to him.

Tabb had a generous uncle in Hinds County who had a big farming operation. He had been at a sale that day and decided to buy the cattle for his father.