Day: April 15, 2026

Let’s call 📞 this one : Our fourth Son, three neat young ladies, and Carlie Beamer… Another night at Cavalier Park with my main Man 👨 sitting next to me !

Today is Day 8/100 for Lin to be gone for her next medical treatment, and when we talk later tonight, I will have to inform her that we now have a fourth Son !

Kevin Burress is one very special human being, and there’s no way that anything else takes the lead story tonight.

Most everyone loves and cares about their own children. It’s part of being a parent, but Burress is different in that he not only cares about his kiddos, he cares about your kiddos and the ones down the block.

It’s as genuine as the day is long, and the folks around him feel the warmth in his disposition. Shoot, I would work for free if it meant hanging out with Mr B. Scratch that, being that I already do.

Tonight, Kevin and I set up shop at Cavalier Park with one goal – duplicate the atmosphere that we have every time the Varsity Lady Cavaliers play a home game. The fact that we simply could not find a better 1-2 punch is because we are as close to being identical in thought as two people can be.

Pride in our work, respect for the National Anthem, and the Military 🪖 ➕️ the goal is to create fun for all levels of Lady Cavaliers without being disrespectful to the opponent we are playing. I wasn’t surprised that Kevin had his daughter reach out to her teammates so he could create personal walk-up music for them.

The funny part about that was our Ladies were not used to having that bonus, so they did the normal rush into the batters box. Enter the older Burress daughter, Angel 😇, who happily went down to the dugout with the suggestion for them to slow 🐌 down just a bit.

Our Foul Ball contest winner is holding his take ! Cole Moser had ticket 🎟 #5

Back to Burress and the connection to the fourth Son. For years now, I have publicly referred to Velvet Leonard as our third daughter because I find myself wanting to be protective of her because she, too, leads with her heart on a daily basis. Folks like us have to watch out for one another whenever we can. If I can add a third daughter, then Lin should be okay with a fourth Son, right ?

She has spent enough time around Mr B to appreciate the fact that Kevin’s heart ❤️ is as big as Kris Richardson’s level of confidence. Who am I kidding on that one? Both Richardson and I skipped class the day they taught modesty.

Let’s circle 🔵 back to the friendly ribbing of Carlie Beamer in the lead. I’m just keeping a neat Kiddo honest there.

The takeaway from the other three is this, one is called Angel 😇, one likes being compared to her mother 👩 and the third one confirmed what I have typed many times before – Brooke Webb has a look in her eyes 👀 that says ” I know something you don’t “. This young lady is truly smart. I’m not sure if she is Laiken Burnett smart but pretty smart, just the same.

Tomorrow night 🌙 I get to hang out with Kevin again, and we celebrate 🥳 the smartness of Miss Webb, and then we will host The Fort at 5pm.

Tonight, we did our very best to show our love ❤️ for this dynamic duo !

Carroll County Middle School 🏫 Softball has arrived at 4:35, and the long bus ride over has been survived ! Here until we are finished up…. Big Night 🌙

Carroll County Middle School has arrived, and we expect to see Galax pull in shortly

It would appear that 15 young Lady Cavaliers grabbed their gear and headed in.

Mid – 80’s and not a cloud in the sky so it should prove to be a great day to play

4 :46 Bus 🚌 #2 has arrived ! Counting players and coaches, looks like maybe 12 and 2
Mr Bunn is here to be the umpire !
Coach Nick in action 🎬

First Pitch – 80°, 6:03

Galax MS 000 323

CCMS.       100 34

Before heading down to Cavalier Park for our hosting of the Middle School Softball team, let’s take a look at why it’s so important to the future!

6:00 will be the first pitch for the game, and the goal is to provide the young ladies with an experience that will have them dreaming of the day they can return to take their turn as the next version of our Lady Cavaliers.

Look back at the Back 2 Back State Championships won by Carroll County and its easy enough to point back to the fact that those Lady Cavaliers were playing ball together for five or six years prior to becoming freshman at the school.

Another great example of how it works is the front row seat that I had to the juggernaut of Riverheads High School football program. By the time a boy reached the third grade, he had already  envisioned putting on the shoulder pads at the big school.

Tonight, Kevin Burress and I will do our best to leave an impression on the team coached by Nick Cushman and Deana Burcham. Rick Nester has already stayed back last night to prep the field and moved the Varsity practice up so clear the facility in time.

We understand just how vital the job that both coaches do is for the Lady Cavaliers’ future and the amount of pride they both take in their work. Hopefully tonight, both of them will enjoy their moments in the Sun 🌞 ( and hopefully the moon 🌙) as well.

Both basketball 🏀 and volleyball 🏐 have come over to The Hill this year, but this one is different. Those provided a bigger Gym to play in , this one has all the bells 🔔 and whistles .

A fence, electronic scoreboard, a tree 🌳 line, bleachers, rest rooms, and electricity. Tonight, there will be a foul ball contest, lights, and two fellas trying hard to create a memory that will have them working hard to return one day !

Special music 🎶 and a packed house 🏠 will go a long way to accomplishing our goals !See you soon !!!

It’s was tough to break the news at the morning staff meeting about this year’s OneofUs.Care banquet, but while they didn’t have much to say, they’re still here ! #Dedicated

For the past four years, we have set aside both the time and the financial resources to host a banquet. We gathered 100+ folks to dinner 🍽 and celebrated the achievements of a number of people who made a significant contribution to our beliefs.

Years three and four, we added a gold watch ⌚️ ceremony in which we purchased the tackiest gold watch available online and presented 🎁 it to someone who was retiring. Athletic Director Darrin Mathews the first time, and Dr. Burnette last year.

While there is no extra $5,000.00 lying around to hold a fifth one, we still have enough of a thought process that we still have five people that need to be applauded.

Gold Watch – Allen Worrell and David Broyles. I’m not sure if the dynamic duo will have to have joint custody of one gaudy watch or if he can rustle up a pair of them. We need to pay homage for the years and years that Allen and his Plucky Sidekick served the residents of Carroll County ! Both young men played a role in our efforts here, and we shared a laugh or two along the way.

Person of the Year( Jon Culp Award) – Principal Chuck Thompson gets the nod here ! Maybe we can invite Mr Thompson out to The Crooked Oak early one morning for breakfast with Coach Rick Nester and I. The daily burden that this man operates under is cause enough to celebrate his career achievements.

We have a pair of folks who will fall under the lifetime achievement awards.

In the definition of lifetime, in this case, it involves the past five years in specific. The Jay Neal Lifetime Achievement Award.

Both Ron Cochran at Omega Office 🏬 and Supply & my wife, Linda Carter.

Maybe a slice of pizza 🍕 from Pizza Perfect will make the presentation easy enough, being Ron will only have to walk next door 🚪.

David Broyles , Allen Worrell, Linda Carter, Ron Cochran, and Principal Chuck Thompson are the honorees for the fifth and final banquet.

The next step is to order the crystal 🔮 and the watch(s).

Five people who made a difference !!!!!