A Starkville girl scout is helping a member of her community

Paige Shelton chose to help clean up a portion of Charles "Lala" Evans land for her community project for her Civil Award.

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – A Starkville girl scout is helping a member of her community. Paige Shelton chose to help clean up a portion of Charles “Lala” Evans land for her community project for her Civil Award.

Most know “Lala” Evans in Starkville as the town’s first Black mail carrier. However, he’s also known for this area in his yard dubbed “Lala Land.”

It’s full of umbrellas, tables, and chairs, an aboveground pool, and his own museum. In recent years, “Lala Land” had fallen into disrepair and local Girl Scout Paige Shelton wanted to do something about it.

“One day we were passing by and we saw it was looking kind of broken down so we came out here and fixed it up and made it look better,” said Starkville Girl Scout Paige Shelton.

Lala’s home has been a fixture in the local community for decades.

Beginning in the 1980s through the early 2000s, his home, and backyard were the venue for special celebrations – like the annual graduation party to celebrate with seniors and their families.

“She had to choose a project to help her community and Mr. Lala has given his land to multiple groups and people to come and have a safe place to fellowship,” said Starville Girl Scout Troop leader Mary Hogan.

Recent storms have left behind damage to the property and it has become harder for Lala – at age 90 – to maintain the space on his own, Paige wanted to fix it up for him. Lala’s has meant so much to the local community that she and her family wanted to give back.

“I hope it helps him by he not having to come out here often and have to do work on it and that he can have people come out here and have fun and fellowship,” Shelton said.

Since many of Lala’s umbrellas did not survive the storms,  donations are welcome to replace the ones he lost.