Posted by Crakalakin (anonymous) on October 29, 2009 at 6:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I swear, is there nothing that building the recreation complex won't do? Evidently, there is no problem so large it can't be solved by building a rec complex. It will turn Natchez into a utopia!

Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on October 29, 2009 at 7:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Its become obvious that if we build the recreation complex then we can tear down the Children's Jail on Pearl Street. The poor folks living in St. Joseph, Meadville, and Liberty must be overrun with young hoodlums since they have far less recreation resources than we do.

:)

Posted by grungebob (anonymous) on October 29, 2009 at 8:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Will it be visible from the space station, too?

Posted by Yeahuhuh (anonymous) on October 29, 2009 at 8:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Will it have an "adult" section, too, or do we want to pretend that we do everything for the kids???

Posted by sobeit (anonymous) on October 29, 2009 at 8:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)

If a complex is built, the children who have always participated in sports will continue to do so. The one who have always participated in thugging will continue to do so. If the thugs wanted to be in sports they would already be there.

Posted by mrmojorisin (anonymous) on October 29, 2009 at 8:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Man, I remember the Canteen.......slow dancing in the dark and Mr Floyd, ha!

Why don't we have something like that now? Do kids these days still like to dance? Or do they just let the Sims characters dance for them? Our junior high kids, and I have one, complain they have nothing to do...what would it cost to run a place like that, or at least have a dance for three hours on Friday nights?

One of the kids could be the DJ...for free. All we'd have to buy, or get donated, would be the turntable and some speakers, and a venue. Local bands would play for the experience. I remember the now famous, Grammy winning, music producer, Glenn Ballard, started at the canteen with his bandmates Stratton Bull and Douog Singletary...what were ya'll called.... the Renegades? We could have a small concession stand, let the kids run it. All we'd need then are a few parents taking turns at being Mr Floyd.

Maybe it could be part of the new recreation complex..........

--mojo

Posted by LOVESNATCHEZ (anonymous) on October 29, 2009 at 8:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)

YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT "SOBEIT"....These people just don't get it. Do they really believe the THUGS will become nice children because of a recreation complex? GIVE ME A BREAK. I'M SICK OF HEARING ABOUT IT.

Posted by DeanWormer (anonymous) on October 29, 2009 at 11:49 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I grew up around Duncan Park and fondly remember the "Canteen". Mr. Floyd had a sound system that was on rollers and it had a GREAT sound, and the pool tables weren't coin operated. Don't play ping pong with Mr. Floyd, he would wax your butt. It was a place where local bands would perform. I remember one night, it was the "Battle of the Bands". On one side were "The Minute Men" and on the other side was "The Shougs".(spl.) One side would play 2 or 3 songs, then the other band would crank up. It was a blast. Guys like Alan Fuqua, Harry Basheri, Alan Edmonds, Charles Jackson, Leslie Whitt, Carl Sandidge, Glen Ballard. In the old days ,Natchez had some very talented bands. I can't recall the name but Stephen Perkins, Fred Callon, Dan Powers ,Stewart Seargent had a fantastic band. A lot of Otis Redding. Had a great horn section. But the very best band from Natchez had to be My Generation. What a band. Leslie Whitt-organ...Charles Jackson-Drums...Carl Sandidge-Guitar...Some Gunther guy from Ferriday, I think Alan Edmonds played bass. No one could touch them in their hay day. Oh well enough reminiscing.

Posted by mommy3 (anonymous) on October 29, 2009 at 3:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)

My dad Roger Spring used to play with them also!

Posted by eagleX2 (anonymous) on October 29, 2009 at 5:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Mojo, it was Glen Ballard, Stratton Bull, John Haile, and Doug Singletary that had the band known as "The Rogues".

Posted by winnlady (anonymous) on October 29, 2009 at 8:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)

People can "nay-say" all they want to, this town needs something else besides the grand old homes, much as I love them. If Natchez keeps voting down ideas for the younger folks, this town will never be any more than it is right now. You don't have to look very far to see towns our size and even smaller with more vision.

Posted by gemccull (Gary McCullars) on October 29, 2009 at 9:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)

VISION

Well. it seems we are spending a lot of money on previous visions that have not worked.

If someone, some elected body, etc would just say, we are resetting priorities and some programs are going away, the recreation idea could be a winner or might be a winner.

Vision is about the NEW but it is also about abandoning pass failures.

Posted by pronat (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 5:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Great idea mojo, hope you are involved in getting this rec complex going. If not, be sure and attend some forums the committee will have and bring up your ideas. Maybe even have a canteen for the middle aged and older so they can sit around and talk about mr. floyd instead of blogging him.
But this is just a VISION, maybe Gary can come to the forums and put some input in on how to make it work. Maybe then OGD, crak and grunge will smile for the first time in their life and get a differant outlook on their community.

Posted by OldGrandDad (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 7:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)

pronat, You're not reading my posts very clearly. I'll be more than happy to loan you my reading glasses. I happen to be smiling most all of the time that I'm posting.

:)

Ya see?

And yes, maybe I have different outlook on the community than your own. But I would call mine "progressive" for lack of a better term. I'm not sure about your own, but I'm glad to listen.

The Recreation Complex has my vote, by the way.

:)

Posted by Crakalakin (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 8:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)

"pronat-
Maybe then OGD, crak and grunge will smile for the first time in their life and get a differant outlook on their community."

Oh, I don't just smile, I laugh every time I read one of these information free, emotional pleas for the city to bring back people's youth.

It's not a matter of "smiling", it is a matter of fiscal responsibility and , well, reality. "Smiling" at the notion of a rec complex will not get us the money to pay for it. It will not guarantee success in any way. It is just a show of emotion. That is what is funny about this debate. Logic cannot win the day so the pro-rec folks appeal to emotion, the anti-logic. The same thing that got an unqualified community organizer elected president. A willing dismissal of logic and fact in favor of emotional platitudes.

Posted by mrmojorisin (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 8:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Eagle, you have a better memory than me for sure.....that's tight, John did play with them..... knew the name started with an R, good call... ..Doug has a picture of them playing at the canteen...maybe he'll see this and post it somewhere...

DeanWormer-- "The Rude Awakening Show Band" ... Do you remember when Stephen would do James Brown, fall down on his knees begging, "please, please, please, baby please don't go" and Kendall Golden would go drape his cape aroound him, help him up and start walking off the stage...just about to the curtains, Stephen would break away, run back to the mike stand, and fall down again screaming, "I - I - I - I love you Sooooooo, baby please Don't Go!" Boy-o-boy, those are some good memories...and some great friends..hahaha!

Garage Band Days-----------

--mojo

Posted by DUCKHUNTER (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 10:18 a.m. (Suggest removal)

SEEMS LIKE MONEY WELL SPENT WOULD BE FOR A NEW MOVIE/THEATER COMPLEX, SOMETHING THAT WOULD DRAW PEOPLE FROM MILES AWAY!

JUST MY THOUGHTS.

Posted by DUCKHUNTER (anonymous) on October 30, 2009 at 10:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)

ALL THE TIME, NOT JUST SEASONALLY.

Posted by EnKiKur (Marty Ellerbe) on October 31, 2009 at 8:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I'm not convinced this has anything to do with concern for kids. Their is nothing really exciting and fun for local kids or visiting kids to do when they come to town.

If the city will make a place for it, my compay will supply a fleet of the little electric cars kids like to drive around in and very low cost rental bicycles for older kids. They need a safe, fun place to ride them though.

The adults have paved trails for the golf carts. How come the kids don't?

Posted by mrmojorisin (anonymous) on October 31, 2009 at 8:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Shoot, Duckhunter---If I'm gonna spend a couple of hundred dollars, I'd rather eat at the Castle, or go to dinner at Monmouth...I can wait for the movie to come out on HBO where I can watch it without having to listen to people talk through the whole thing, sit in a sticky chair, and I can stop it, and go to the kitchen for snacks.

I take my daughter, 12, to that crummy mall cinema we have now, it costs me $17.50 to get in the door, another $25 at the concession stand for two gigantic "small" soft drinks, two gigantic "small" popcorns, and a t-niny box of Goobers. My feet stick and unstick as I walk down the aisle trying to find a seat that doesn't have a big stain in the middle of it, and then, unlike HBO, I have to sit through 20 minutes of TV commercials!!

---naw...I'll just watch at home.

--mojo

Posted by EnKiKur (Marty Ellerbe) on October 31, 2009 at 9 a.m. (Suggest removal)

mojo, ask your daughter what she and her friends would consider a fun activity, something related to wheeled sports. I bet there is a way to provide it at a cost less than a trip to the movies.

Posted by EnKiKur (Marty Ellerbe) on October 31, 2009 at 9:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Here is an idea. Put a small cafe at each end of Duncan Park, with a wireless hotspot in each one. Put more parking at the entrance to the park and close the rest of the street to all but golf carts and bicycles. Put a skateboard park at the far end of Duncan Park by the cafe on that end. Let the kids run the cafes, or "dayclubs". They could hang out in the park on the weekends, get on the internet with their laptops, ride the golf carts, skateboard, dring italian sodas and eat ice cream and burgers, play tennis, whack golf balls on the driving range.

The ones who want to learn about business could operate the dayclubs and the others could have fun being customers- sort of like the cafe scene that used to exist in France for the young people.

Posted by Krogers (anonymous) on October 31, 2009 at 10:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)

awww, such sweet sentiments.... I share your feelings about the ole Canteen..ahh teenage romance!!..... why did it ever shut down?...

you guys are getting soft, huh???

mojo- I definitely agree with you about the mall cinema- YUK!! haven't been there in years, due to the gnappy seats, the loud customers, the high cost of concessions,....... it's just a BAD experience, and a waste of money - no way to have a pleasant experience there.....

I'd rather drive to BR and spend the same $$ on a really NICE theatre....

Posted by EnKiKur (Marty Ellerbe) on October 31, 2009 at 11:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Good idea Krogers. If the city built those dayclubs they could put big screen tv's in them and the kids could watch the movies they want to watch.

Posted by mrmojorisin (anonymous) on October 31, 2009 at 1:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Marty, those are great ideas...sell it, brother..........

When we built the swimming complex in Ohio, we started to do the skateboard park, but the liability insurance was unbelievable, so instead of all the tunnels, and dips and jumps, we put in a large flat cement area designated for skaters. In the winter, we'd flood it for ice skating.

--mojo

Posted by EnKiKur (Marty Ellerbe) on October 31, 2009 at 5:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)

You know, it kills me. That land was donated to the children of Natchez and it has been taken over by the adults for their golf and tennis "because it produces revenue". I'm gonna hold my tongue for about two more months and then I am going to let it all out.

Posted by EnKiKur (Marty Ellerbe) on October 31, 2009 at 9:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Really, the city should do this. There could be a techno dance club on one end of the park and a hip-hop on the other. The kids could drive small golf carts or electric beach cars back and forth. and visiting kids would have a blast.

Here is what I am talking about : http://www.beachscooter.com/index.html

I know Kiko down there and he gets so close to dealer cost you'll double your order. If the city set this up I'd take my 24' car hauler down there and load it up, if the city paid for the gas. Block off the street, and the kids could even ride the scooters, and I could explain to the city how to operate it as a non profit business.

Posted by EnKiKur (Marty Ellerbe) on October 31, 2009 at 10:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Actually, the city could run it for profit as well. Good profit. Kids could buy time in the cars and scooters for cash at 2x daily cost of ownership to the city, or they could buy time with credit hours issued for community service work.