By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.–Paris City Mayor Carlton Gerrell was presented the Loyal Patriot Award, the highest honor that can be bestowed on a Henry Countian at Monday morning’s Henry County Tourism Authority meeting.
In presenting the honor, County Mayor John Penn Ridgeway thanked Gerrell for all he has done as Paris Mayor and in his years of public service. “He’s stepped up in every way,” Ridgeway said, “and I want to thank him for the support he’s showed for this board and the county as a whole over the years.”
Gerrell will be attending his last meeting as Mayor and City Commissioner at Thursday’s Paris Commission meeting and he said he has done a lot of reflecting in recent days. “I entered public service long ago and I’ve been thinking about the high times and the low times and I’ll miss the work we’ve done. I really didn’t want to be mayor for itself; I wanted to be mayor to serve on the industrial and tourism boards. Those are the areas I’ve been most concerned about.”
Ridgeway said Gerrell’s impact has been ‘immeasurable’.
Ridgeway also presented a plaque of appreciation for Paris Landing State Park Manager Zach Tinkle, who has been promoted to State Parks Area Manager. He has been the local parks superintendent since 2018.
Ridgeway said, “We’re sad to see you go. You’ve been a huge help to us.”
A separate article about Tinkle’s promotion will be published Tuesday.
At a busy meeting, the Tourism Authority approved three project requests:
–Phoenix BFL Super Tournament, $4,000, for tournament set for October 2023. Tara Wilson, Assistant Director of the Paris-Henry County Industrial Committee, said the Phoenix BFL group “provides a great event. We’ve had their tournaments before and they provide good information afterward. We don’t even have to ask them for it. We’ve had a good relationship with them for a few years now.”
The economic impact to Henry County from their upcoming tournament is predicted at $319,125.
–Church of the Living God “Save $2,000, March 2023. The Church has not held the session since 2019 due to COVID and the cost is the same as it was before. A total 130 people are expected to attend. It is open to the public.
–District 1 Marching Bands State Championship this weekend at HCHS, organized by the Henry County Marching Patriots’ Band Boosters. The group asked for $19,000, but the Tourism Authority appproved $2,000. The event will be held this Saturday and bands from all over West Tennessee will be in attendance, with 900 participants and 3,000 spectators expected.
Photo: County Mayor John Penn Ridgeway, left, and Paris Mayor Carlton Gerrell. Photo by Shannon McFarlin.