Hopkins County Native to Return
With Book Signing, Saturday

 

by: Bobby McDonald

 

He now calls himself "The Pistol Packin' Preacher," but some will remember him as the 1968 graduate of Sulphur Springs High School and former resident of the Reilly Springs area of Hopkins County. He's Joe Bailey, and is returning on Saturday with a new book of poetry, that he'll be promoting at a book signing held on Saturday night, in conjunction with Enola Gay's Reilly Springs Jamboree. Bailey, who now lives in Trout, Louisiana, will have his book available beginning at 7:00 p.m., in the Reilly Springs Community Center, on Saturday night.

"It's a book of poetry for country folks and cowboys," states Bailey, about Backwoods Ramblings, his new book. "I've lived a lifetime from the Texas Prairies to the Louisiana hills and swamps, to the Rocky Mountain West, and those places are reflected in the poems I've decided to share with people in this book!"

Titles of the poems include: "Fast Cars and Back Roads," "Buzzard Baptist," "All Stirred Up," and "Meet You On The High Ground," to just name a few.

Bailey was born in Sulphur Springs in 1950, and returned as a teenager, in 1967, where he was a graduate of SSHS, in 1968. He attended ETSU from 1968-70 and was in the ministry from 1978-2005, when he retired. Now, in retirement, he is devoting time to writing poetry, which he indicates reflects his life experiences.

 

 

 

 

"Some of the poems are humor, based on every day life," continues Bailey. "Some are about ranch life, cowboys, and outdoor activities, while others are political satire and relate of the patriotism of country dwellers."

"About the best way I can describe some of them, as they are the life lessons of an aging man, who has experienced life from the simple 1950's, until today," states Bailey. "There is something for everyone!"

Bailey also relates that he's planning to make a movie from another book he has written and he invites everyone that is interested to meet him at the Main Street Theater, on Saturday, October 16th, at 1:00 p.m., to audition for parts. "The book is one entitled, A Good Man's Decision, and reflects the ideals of what it would be like if the government decided to 'disarm' citizens of their firearms," expresses Bailey. "Most of us don't think it can happen in America, but it can, and the book deals with what it would be like, if we were all asked to 'turn in our guns' and be disarmed!"

Bailey can be contacted by e-mail at Pistolero1050@yahoo.com or by calling (318)992-0251 or (318)312-2345.

He'll be signing books on Saturday night and if you are interested in appearing in the movie, be sure and attend the auditions on Saturday afternoon.

 

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