Kicker 102.5 » Small Town Tour

Animal Care Made Simple at Oubre Animal Clinic in Wake Village

Jathan Fink — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 11:00:43 +0000

Anyone who has an ornery pooch, a narcissistic feline or a cheerful canary can get their beloved family pet the great care it deserves at Oubre Animal Clinic in Wake Village. Client Rebecca Blanton says via Facebook that the clinic provides “awesome customer service” and has a “friendly and caring staff.” Much more than just [...]

Max Donuts in Wake Village Offers Everything from Eggrolls to Hot Wings

Jathan Fink — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 11:00:17 +0000

In the sleepy bedroom community of Wake Village, a little diner with a huge menu dishes up some of the tastiest meals in town. Max Sa moved to the Texarkana area a year and a half ago from Austin with his wife and three children in tow. Upon his arrival, he opened Max Donuts which [...]

Don't Ask About the Ghosts at Jefferson's Excelsior House Hotel

Jathan Fink — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 11:00:44 +0000

Excelsior House is the oldest hotel in East Texas according to the National Register of Historic Places. Since it opened in the 1850s, it has welcomed some of history’s biggest names through its doors: Ulysses S. Grant, Oscar Wilde, Rutherford B. Hayes and Lady Bird Johnson. They all checked in. But does every guest who visits ultimately check out?

Is the Jefferson Hotel Really Haunted?

Jathan Fink — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 11:00:43 +0000

Before I even visited Jefferson, I heard strange reports about what some call the most haunted town in Texas. Many of the ghost stories I heard, however, originate at one of the town’s oldest structures, the Jefferson Hotel. Built in 1851, the Jefferson Hotel was originally a cotton warehouse back in the time when steamboats [...]

Nash Elementary School Creates a Culture of Reading

Jathan Fink — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 11:00:59 +0000

Most parents and teachers realize that readers are taught rather than born. It isn’t often that you’ll see a child pick up a book on his own when there are so many other activities that he could be doing. That’s why the faculty at Nash Elementary is doing something to change the way students view books.

Enjoy a Night Out at Nash City Hall

Jathan Fink — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 11:00:46 +0000

For more than a decade, the community of Nash, Texas has come together once a year to socialize, laugh, and learn the importance of safety. Next month on Tuesday, Oct. 2, city officials will partner with the National Association of Town Watch (NATW) to present this year’s National Night Out. The event will run between [...]

The Neighborhood Gathers at Sue's Diner in Nash, Texas

Jathan Fink — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 11:00:29 +0000

Laughter fills the air and mingles with the mouth-watering scents from old-fashioned, homestyle cooking at Sue’s Diner. From the moment I open the door to this charming little diner on North Kings Highway, it isn’t the country charm that catches my attention but the cheerful voices that reverberate across the tile floor. Sue’s is one [...]

Fouke Group Creates Memorials for the Boys

Jathan Fink — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 11:00:59 +0000

Citizens for a Better Community (CBC) is working to make Fouke a better place to live. But they also want to reinforce the community’s patriotic pride as they remember the boys lost in war. Kenneth Jenkins fought in the army during Operation Desert Storm. Killed during the Gulf War, he is one of many Fouke [...]

Children Showcase Their 'Best Friends' at the Miller County Fair Dog Show in Fouke, Ark.

Jathan Fink — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 11:00:42 +0000

Every child needs a best friend, and oftentimes they find it in the family pooch. Tuesday night, children brought their canine companions to the Miller County Fair Dog Show in Fouke, Ark. to show off their prized canines. “This isn’t the Westminster Dog Show by any means,” said one of the event organizers. “But the [...]

Ann Fowler Helps Restore Fouke to Its Former Glory

Jathan Fink — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 11:00:34 +0000

Fouke native Ann Fowler is a woman with plans. She may have just turned 80, but she doesn’t appear to be slowing down one bit. Anyone who meets Ann Fowler is immediately aware of her vitality. Her silver mane is well coiffed, her smile ready and charming, her eyes friendly and yet full of fire. [...]

A Family Tradition Continues at DeLaughter's Grocery in Redwater

Jathan Fink — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 11:00:52 +0000

When Kyle DeLaughter was a little boy, he never dreamed that he’d one day take over his parents’ grocery stores. But now the charming bachelor is one of Redwater’s most beloved business owners. Steve and Vicki DeLaughter opened DeLaughter’s Grocery in Redwater in 1977. They ran the store, and a second location in Maud, Texas [...]

From Baseball Cards to Chamber Pots, Attic Treasures in Redwater Has It All

Jathan Fink — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 11:00:48 +0000

Everyone seems to collect lots of stuff over the years, and sometimes those things manage to get stored in attics, garages and other available spaces. But not everybody turns all those forgotten items into a business. “We are fascinated by other people’s junk,” says Mike Chiles, co-owner of Attic Treasures, a new indoor flea market [...]

Nettles Nest Provides a Sweet Retreat in Redwater

Jathan Fink — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 11:00:18 +0000

When a veterinarian technician got divorced last year, she wondered how she’d support herself. Then she realized she was sitting on the perfect piece of real estate to make an old dream come true. Gwen Whelchel has worked for Wisdom Animal Clinic for 19 years, but she has lived in Redwater most of her life. [...]

Eating Is Easy at the Redwater Diner

Jathan Fink — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 11:00:04 +0000

In a town with just over a thousand residents, dining options will never be plentiful. But if there’s a place that serves up delicious eats and home baked treats, one can be the perfect number. For the residents of Redwater, Texas, Lisa Thedford’s Redwater Diner fills the bill. With three dining rooms, an eclectic menu [...]

'The Kitchenette' Adds a Homemaker's Touch to an Atlanta Tradition

Jathan Fink — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 11:00:22 +0000

What happens when one woman’s dreams unite with a decades old tradition? In Atlanta, Texas, a new brand of hardware store is born. Since Roy Price opened his hardware store in 1946, Price True Value Hardware has supplied Atlanta with all kinds of items, from tools to tackle and many things in between. “The store [...]

Savor Downtown Atlanta's Newest Culinary Sensation at Luigi's Italian Cafe

Jathan Fink — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 11:00:08 +0000

Without a doubt, food brings people together. Locally owned eateries are the center of activity in Atlanta’s historic downtown district, and Luigi’s Italian Café is quickly becoming the destination of choice. “It’s a fine establishment, and the community really likes it,” David Graham, executive director of the Atlanta City Development Corporation, told me. So I [...]

Discover East Texas Wine Country Just Minutes From Downtown Atlanta

Jathan Fink — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 11:00:19 +0000

Almost since the beginning of time, wine has been closely linked with mankind’s history. Whether bound in myth to Bacchus in Rome, used by the church in communion, or simply poured during celebrations of life like weddings or anniversaries, many of us enjoy a smooth glass of wine time and again. But now you don’t [...]

Who Is the Most (In)Famous Family in Texas?

Jathan Fink — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 11:00:34 +0000

As we’ve visited various communities on our small town tour, we’ve introduced you to some of the founding fathers who first settled the region. Cities and towns have been named after many of them, and yet these people have been largely unknown to many despite the fact that their family members’ histories are interwoven through the fabric of our nation like thread on a loom. But our next family needs no introduction. They’re known the world over because of their wealth, power, and dysfunction.

Volunteer Firefighters Brave the Fire in Parker, Texas

Jathan Fink — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 11:00:15 +0000

The ranch is eerily quiet and horridly hot, even if it is after midnight on an August night. Suddenly the silence is shattered by the sounds of nervous livestock, fighting to get free from the restraints of the barn walls. Looking out the window, your heart stops as flames leap in the distance, gaining momentum as they spread across the dry grasslands you live on. With so much at stake, who are you going to call?

Dalby Springs Residents Say 'We're Still Here'

Jathan Fink — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 11:00:49 +0000

The Small Town Tour doesn’t just cover the up-and-coming or thriving communities within the Ark-La-Tex. Sometimes we get a chance to introduce you to the towns that used to exist. When I began researching communities this week, I came across a town called Dalby Springs, located on the far western side of Bowie County, Texas. [...]