As an alumni of WMHS, I found this article in the Rebel Dispatch very interesting. Thought those fans of Duck Dynasty might enjoy reading it, as well. HAVE YOU MET THEM? There’s a lot more happening in West Monroe than you might think! As the years have passed many changes have occurred in your home town. In this issue we hope to bring you up to date on some of the special features that make your home town an attractive place to visit. The most recent news is the phenomenal success of the Phil Robertson family and their Duck Dynasty television show which airs on Wednesday nights on A & E. The Commander warehouse, located on the corner of Thomas Road and King’s Lane, is one of the major sites for filming of the popular show. Willie Robertson graduated from West Monroe High School in 1990 and Alan Robertson graduated with the Class of 1982. Willie played basketball for the Rebels. The two younger Robertson’s attended the new West Ouachita High School since Phil and Miss Kay live in the southwestern part of the parish. Willie Robertson is the CEO and resident prankster of Duck Commander. With a degree in business from LSU, he took the company from a living room operation on the river to a premiere destination for all things outdoors. Before there was Duck Dynasty he had built a very successful company with his own series of hunting videos and another show on the Outdoor Channel. He says he honed his skills as a young boy by selling freshly caught fish at the market with his mother. He was always trying to negotiate the best price. A few weeks ago Willie and Alan joined the rest of us “ole Rebels” at the Rebel Lunch Bunch held weekly at the Warren Drive Johnny’s Pizza. Fame and fortune have not changed their appetites for Johnny’s Pizza nor their fondness of familiar faces. (See photo of Floyce Norwood Jackson and Willie Robertson at Johnny’s.) These celebrities move about the Twin Cities like other folks even though tourists clamor for their autographs or rush to capture snapshots. Young Robertson boys (Willie, Jep, Jace) The Robertson family attends White’s Ferry Road Church of Christ where Alan preached for 20 years until recently joining the family business. Many area folks have known the television stars for most of their lives. The celebrities are super nice to their fans. They remain very humble people who are proud of their roots. According to the A & E publicists, they are the most popular family in America. The billboards along I-20 are like magnets for luring tourists off I-20 to visit the warehouse where the famous Duck Commander calls are produced. The souvenir shop sells a lot more than duck calls and you should expect to wait in line to buy those t- shirts, cups, caps, posters, etc. The Robertson boys expect to sell a million duck calls this year – mostly to folks who will never go duck hunting. Uncle Silas (Si) in his military uniform is a handsome soldier. He has been married to Christine for 40 years. She makes him 2 gallons of sweet tea every morning. Obviously, he was beardless as a young man. Si and his wife just bought themselves a brand new double wide and they located it near the river in the southwestern part of Ouachita Parish. Patriarch of the Robertson family is Phil, pictured with his wife who is known affectionately as “Miss Kay.” The couple still lives in the double wide home as viewed by fans on Duck Dynasty. Friday night we were dining at Sports City Grill when two young men from Melbourne, Australia came over to our table. You guessed it! They were visiting the United States for a couple of weeks and their first stop was West Monroe, Louisiana where they hoped to meet the Robertson family. As luck would have it – they recounted how they met Silas Robertson and Jep Robertson on their trek to the warehouse . . . they even got to talk with them. They proudly showed us the photos taken on their cell phones. Duck hunting is a tremendous sport in Melbourne and the Duck Dynasty show on A & E had captured their interests. The highlight of their vacation was a trip to West Monroe, Louisiana to see the Robertsons. Of course, Leon Miletello was happy to have the guys from Down Under as his customers and to hear their incredible stories of hunting in Australia. The evening concluded with an invitation extended to Leon for a visit to Melbourne to enjoy some serious duck hunting. With emails exchanged the young men left in great spirits. (By the way, Leon Miletello owns the Sports Grill located up the street from Rebel Stadium on North 7th where the menu includes a saucer-sized hamburgers, steaks, Cajun fare and seafood.) Miletello is a successful businessman and a staunch supporter of West Monroe High School and Rebel Sports. All of the Robertson boys still live in West Monroe not too far from their mother’s home cooking. The popularity of recipes from Miss Kay’s kitchen has spawned the publication of her soon to be released cookbook. Tempting spreads of home cooked dishes like those set before the Robertson family at the conclusion of each episode will soon be available at the family restaurant opening in West Monroe on Constitution Drive. Located just off I-20, the Robertson’s restaurant is bound to attract more tourists to our town.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Oct 2013 18:46:26 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015