Blytheville Men’s Group gives back

The Blytheville Men’s Group started out 12 years ago with a few guys who grew up friends in Blytheville and wanted to get together and see each other.

The group met and went on a fishing trip for a few days. As their other friends heard about this more wanted to go on this trip to see everyone.

Each year in June more and more wanted to go and this year was the 12th Annual Blytheville Men’s Trip which had 26 participants.

Blytheville Men’s Group member Kevin Snow (left) gives new Blytheville High School football coach Greg Ruffin a check for the program from the group.

“In some years, we have had as many as 38 to go on this trip that lasts 3-4 days,” Blytheville Men’s Group member Kevin Snow said. “Mostly guys that grew up in the Blytheville area, it has grown to include friends of theirs not from the Blytheville area and our Facebook page is currently at 135 members.”

About six years ago, the group decided that it wanted to start giving back to Blytheville High School and the community. The following year, the group started having fundraisers and having an auction at the trip to raise money for Blytheville High School Athletics each year.

The group has participated in the Blytheville Gumbo contest the past three years and has won all three years.

Members of the group come from all over to the trip each year – Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, Texas and Arizona just to get to see everyone and spend some time together.

“We even give an award to the person who travels the farthest to come to the trip,” Snow said. “People we talk to find it incredible that we are able to do this every year and that so many of us make the long trip to see each other. This trip has evolved into a golf, bowling and fishing tournaments over three days. The biggest and most popular is the fishing tournament which has 3-man teams competing against each other to see who can catch the most trout in one day. This year, 6 teams combined to catch over 65 lbs. of trout during the tournament.”

Members who grew up in Blytheville and knew each other enjoy the opportunity to get together and visit each year.

“Most members don’t get the chance to come to the trip but enjoy seeing all the pictures posted on our Facebook page showing everyone and the events,” Snow said. “Unfortunately, we have lost members over the years that were not able to come. However, in 2018 we lost a very active member who came each year. The week following the trip in 2018, John Ed Goodman feel seriously ill and passed away the next week. John Ed was a great friend to all, and everyone loved being around him. John Ed was a standout football player at Blytheville High School who went on to play for the U of A Razorbacks. After football, John Ed went into the education field (both of his parents were in education) as a coach and then on to be a principal as he valued that everyone should get an education.”

The John Ed Goodman Memorial Scholarship was set up through the Blytheville Scholarship Foundation and the Blytheville Men’s Group helps fund this scholarship each year to a graduating senior at Blytheville High School who wants to further their education.

“Blytheville was a special place to for us to grow up and have these lifelong friends from all the way back in the early 70’s through 2000’s with several father and sons going on these trips,” Snow said. “We are proud to be from Blytheville and to continue to support Blytheville High School. When we get together, we hug, laugh and have great times. As John Ed always would say - ‘It’s All Good!’”