Thanksgiving Food Pantry

8th graders help prepare boxes for the Marvell Food Pantry, which serves 200 local residents.

Interview with Carlous: Main Street Festival and 5K plus Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

What did you do at the 5K?
We had to be at Main Street in Marvell by 7am. There were about 20 people who showed up to run a 5K [Marvell’s first 5K run!]. The 5K route was from Main Street, down the corner around the doctors, office, pharmacy, all over town. We held up signs to direct the people that were running.

Everyone was tall, sweaty and listening to mp3 players. There was one man who was running and giving everyone high fives, and he nearly knocked me over giving me a high five.

At the finish line we gave them water and Gatorade because a lot of folks were dehydrated. Mr. Neuwirth got second place in the 5K.

What is the Marvell Main Street Festival?
A lot of folks set up on Main Street on Saturday morning to barbeque, face paint... You can get bbq chicken, baby back ribs, spare ribs, koolaid pickles (I still wanna try them koolaid flavored pickles, or hot koolaid flavored pickles). Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to eat anything because I was working so hard on the bake sale.

All kinds of people were at the festival, white, black, everybody. People had a lot of fun talking, eating, enjoying Marvell.

What was the bake sale like?
It was pretty good. We sold a lot of baked goods. I made a loaf cake for the bake sale.

Carlous’s Loaf Cake Recipe
Grandma says I can’t release that recipe, just like the recipe for bbq sauce, can’t release that neither.

….

Carlous's Sweet Potatoe Pie Recipe
First you need some sweet potatoes, about 20 at the most, boil ‘em until they’re mushy or the skin on them starts to wrinkle up.

Then take a strainer and strain the potatoes; strain. Be careful coz you might wanna cover your arms. Make sure your strainer is in the sink first, carefully pour the sweet potatoes into the strainer and let the water drain off of ‘em.

Then you have to get all of your ingredients – sugar, nutmeg, eggs, butter, and lil corn syrup. First thing you do is grind the nutmeg. While you’re grinding the nutmeg, take four sticks of butter and melt ‘em on medium heat in a big pot on the stove. Then peel and mash the potatoes until all the particles are broken down. I’ve seen my grandma do this and I know the recipe.

Since the butter has melted at this point, take the butter and pore it onto the potatoes. Just to get a little bit more sweetness, add a tablespoon of nutmeg and a cup of sugar - a cup and a half if you like it real sweet.

Once that’s all incorporated you add your eggs – 3 eggs. So now you have all your ingredients incorporated in it, stir it up for at least 3 minutes. So, when all that’s done, you got it mixed up. Then you take at least a 9 inch pie crust and you pour a little bit of fillin at time into each pie crust. A big batch like this, it makes at least four to five pies. Bake it for 10 to 15 minutes at 450 until crust is golden brown. Eat it for dessert.









Ms. G and students sell baked goods at the Marvell Main Street Festival!

Interview with 'Meka

Name: Jameka
Hometown: Poplar Grove, AR
Age: 13

What is Marvell like?
In Marvell the land is very flat. Most of the land is used for growing and harvesting crops like corn, beans, rice, potatoes, and greens. A lot of people around Marvell work on farms. My dad is self-employed - he’s a carpenter - and my mom does in home service for elderly people.

What is there to do in Marvell?
On the weekends, I talk on the phone, go on facebook or hang out with friends. I go to church on Sunday and hang out with my family. On Sundays, we usually eat chicken, macaroni and a lot of pies. My favorite kind of pie is apple. I help my mom make chocolate cakes for birthdays, holidays, etc.

A lot of teenagers hang out at the court, which is a park with a basketball court and playground area. We go to play basketball or watch other people play, and hang out with friends. People walk around.

Otherwise there is EZ Mart, Coastal, Dollar General and JJ Grocery. My favorite is Coastal because they serve good fried chicken, but you can also get pizza and hamburgers there. You can get chips, snacks, or any kind of junk food there too. It is also a gas station and there are always a lot of people in Coastal (which has several names: Fast Break, gas station, Marty Mart).


What do you think New York will be like?
I think New York will be full of people, bumping into each other trying to get through. There will be bright lights and tall buildings. I want to see the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and go shopping. I also heard there is good pizza in New York.

Where else have you traveled?
I’ve been to Dallas and Michigan before, and places around the Delta. My favorite place that I’ve traveled so far was Dallas because there are a lot of things to do there, like go to the park and go shopping.

What do you want to do when you grow up?
When I grow up I want to be a nurse, a hairdresser or a psychiatrist. I want to live in either California or Texas.