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NOTEBOOK

MONDAY

TEX-ARK AUBUBON SOCIETY will meet 7 p.m. Sept. 13 at Texarkana College, biology 114. Featured speaker will be Kaitlyn thomason, eighth grade student at North Heights Junior High in Texarkana. she will talk about her experiences with the Arkansas Audubon Society Halbert Econology Camp at Camp Clearfork. Audubon usually meets the first Monday of the month, but due to Labor Day, the September meeting will be held the second Monday. Any teacher wanting to nominate an 11 or 12 year old to go to camp next summer should contact Don Kyle, president, at 870-774-9985 or at rondokyle@windstream.net.

BETHLEHEM MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH IN MARIETTA will have its annual revival 7 p.m. nightly Monday through Wednesday, Sept. 13-15. Guest evangelist will be the Rev. David Keener of Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church in Linden.For more info call the church at 903-835-6911.

TUESDAY

ATLANTA HIGH SCHOOL PICTURES will be taken 7:45 to 11 a.m. Sept. 14 for grades 9-11 and 7:30 to 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15, for seniors. For more info call the school at 903-796-4411.

CASS COUNTY RETIRED SCHOOL EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION will have its first meeting of the year 11:30 a.m. Sept. 14 at El Inca in Linden. The meeting will be directed under the leadership of the newly elected president, Kay Temple Stephens. Rep. Stephen Frost will be guest speaker. All members are encouraged to attend.

CASS COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY will meet 6:30 p.m. Sept. 14 at Horne Enterprises, at the intersection of Texas highways 43 and 77 in Atlanta. Guest speaker will be Mike McCrary from DeKalb. He has become an avid researcher into the early settlement development and history of Northeast Texas, with special emphasis on the counties bordering the Red River to Sulphur River. He will speak on “Early Steamboat Navigation of the Upper Red River and Sulphur River and its importance to Cass County.” Students, teachers, guests and members are invited. For more info call 903-796-0427.

WEDNESDAY

KILDARE GARDEN GROUP meets 1 p.m. on the third Wednesday of every month at Kildare Community Center under the leadership of Shirley Mitchell, president. Meetings include gardening tips, hands-on programs, and tours of home gardens and nurseries.

THURSDAY

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. COMMUNITY PARADE CLUB meets on a quarterly basis, with the next scheduled meeting at 7 p.m. Sept. 9 in the fellowship hall of New Light Missionary Baptist Church in Linden. All memberships are $20 per year. The next event is “The Red Fall Ball.” For more info call 903-756-8062.

BORDER LOWS LOCAL CHAPTER OF “LONERS ON WHEELS” will have their monthly campout Sept. 9-12 at Alley Creek Campground on Lake of the Pines. All singles are invited to attend. For more info call Ruth at 903-678-3714.

HUFFINES BAPTIST CHURCH will host the “One Man Quartet” Terry Hall 6 p.m. Sept. 16. Sandwiches and extras will be served following the performance. Everyone is invited. For more info call 903-796-9946.

SAVE OUR NATIONS MINISTRY will give away 50 food boxes for those in need who qualify between 4 to 6 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month at The Secret Place Retreat Center. Bring a form of ID for each person in residence. The center is located south of Atlanta on Hwy 59. For more info call 903-799-6368.

FRIDAY

CASS COUNTY COWBOY CHURCH will feature a performance by southern gospel’s bass soloist and “one-man quartet,” Terry G. Hall, 7 p.m. Sept. 10. The church is located at 7701 U.S. Highway 59 in Atlanta. For more info call 903-799-SPUR.

BETTS HALL will feature a country music dance with a live performance by Country Boys Plus band from 7 to 10 p.m. Sept. 10. Cost is $5 and free for children under age 12. Betts Hall is located on Farm-to-Market 2791 in Queen City. For more info call 903-796-6046.

CROSS CREEK COWBOY CHURCH will have “Cowboy Church Rendezvous” Friday through Sunday, Sept. 24-26 with several activities each day. Everyone is invited to set up camp and stay for the whole weekend or just come and go. The church is located at 5575 Texas Hwy. 77 in Atlanta. For more info call 903-720-9610.

SATURDAY

REBECCA’S PANTRY will have a fish fry fundraiser from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Sept. 11 in the family life center of West Side Baptist Church in Atlanta. Regular dinners will be $8 and large dinners $10. The church is located at 712 W. Main St. Proceeds will benefit Rebecca’s Pantry. Donations will also be appreciated. For more info call 903-796-5553.

SAINT PAUL CME CHURCH will have its “Soul’s of Faith Fourth Anniversary” 6 p.m. Sept. 11. The church is located at 412 Johns St. in Atlanta.

DESCENDENTS OF WESLEY AND LOU BELLE CHAMBLEE will gather for a family reunion 11 a.m. Sept. 11 at the Queen City VFW. Bring a covered dish and catch up with everyone. Let children, grandchildren and out-of-town cousins and others know.  For more info call 903-796-5943. 

HUNTER EDUCATION CLASS is set for 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 11 and 12, at Horne Enterprises, located at the intersection of Texas highways 43 and 77 in Atlanta. Classes will also be held Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 2 and 3, Nov. 13 and 14 and Dec. 11 and 12. Online courses are also offered. Anyone born on or after Sept. 2, 1971, must go through this course to obtain a Texas hunting license. Cost is $25 per person. For more info or to register call instructor Chuck Wise, at 903-826-8576 or 903-799-7668.

ESTELLE AND WALTER JACKSON UPCHURCH FAMILY REUNION will be held 6 p.m. Sept. 18 at Catfish King in Atlanta. All family and friends are invited to attend.

FAITH TABERNACLE IN ATLANTA will hold “Prayer Conference 2010 beginning 9 a.m. Sept. 25 with a morning fellowship breakfast followed by praise and worship and intercessory prayer at 10 a.m. Guest speaker will be evangelist Carol Harrison of Dallas. Conference host is evangelist Marie Peters. The conference is free to the public. For more info call 903-691-9399.

ATLANTA AREA FARMERS MARKET, sponsored by the Atlanta Area Chamber of Commerce, opens 5:30 a.m. until all is sold every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday behind Atlanta City Hall off Louise Street. Opens 5:30 a.m.

THE TEXAS GYPSIES DINNER THEATER will be Oct. 2 with an evening of pop, swing and jazz from the ‘30s and ‘40s. Doors open at 5:45 p.m. and dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m.

CASS COUNTY COWBOY CHURCH will have “Youth Ranch Horse Competition” beginning 9 .am. Oct. 2. There will be a reining class, trail class, pasture sorting and breakaway pasture roping. Prizes will include halters or headstalls and ribbons. The church is located at 7701 U.S. Highway 59 in Atlanta.

TEXAS BOATER EDUCATION CERTIFICATION COURSE will be held from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Oct. 30 at Horne Enterprises, at the intersection of Texas Highways 43 and 77 in Atlanta. The course is seven hours and the cost is $13. For more info call Chuck at 903-799-7668 or 903-826-8576.

SUNDAY

CASS COUNTY COWBOY CHURCH will host an “Extreme Trail Practice” event each Sunday evening at 7. Trail obstacles will be set up to assist riders to teach their horses to adjust to various circumstances encountered while riding. There will also be an open arena for anyone who wants to ride or work with their horses. Everyone is invited. The church is located on Highway 59 South in Atlanta.

SPRINGDALE BAPTIST CHURCH will celebrate its homecoming 10:30 a.m. Sept. 12.  A covered dish luncheon will be served at noon. When registering, there will be an opportunity to give a donation for the upkeep of the cemetery. The church is located on Farm-to-Market Road 2327 north of Queen City. Everyone is invited.

NEW HOPE BAPTIST CHURCH OF BLOOMBURG will celebrate “Homecoming Sunday” on Sept. 12. Services will begin at 10:50 a.m. followed by potluck lunch in the fellowship hall. Singing will follow lunch and will feature some of the best talent in the area. Bring favorite dish and share in this time of fellowship and remembrance.

ENON FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH invites everyone to its public groundbreaking ceremony 7 p.m. Sept. 12. The ceremony will be held at 510 Howe St. in Atlanta, the site of the new church. For more info contact Dorothy H. Banks at 903-796-3600, Kleesta Hunter at 903-796-1298, Patricia Collins at 903-796-8324 or Gloria Phillips at 903-799-5459.

FYI

ATLANTA PUBLIC LIBRARY’S NIMBLE THIMBLE QUILT CLUB will host a free beginner’s quilt class at the library Sept. 14-Nov. 16 from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. on Tuesdays in the Jesse Miles Brooks Conference Room. Students must pre-register to attend and seats will be limited to 12. Registration forms are now available. Registration will end 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7. A supply list will be available upon registration. For more info call the library at 903-796-2112.

Articles in the Notebook are guaranteed to run only two to three times prior to the announced event. Deadline is 2 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays.

Features

Around & About

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Randy Hanner will be missed by his hometown

By BRENDA BEDGOOD BROWN

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"I guess what I done and what I been accused of covers everything, you put ‘em both together. But there’s almost always a loophole around any law, or a way around most any occasion you get into. In fact, I think sometimes of the tights I been in and the alibis that I have had to come forth with, and I always do better when I’m completely surprised and don’t have an answer at all and need to tell a big lie. It comes to me better than if I have time to plan it ahead. It won’t work planned ahead – the question won’t fit the lie – so you end up having to save your lies till the question arises."

 

Wyatt Moore of Caddo Lake,

from the book "Every Sun That Rises"

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Fortunately – or unfortunately, as the case may be – I’m a terrible liar so I try to tell the truth all the time because I’m getting too dang old to remember anything but the truth!

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I guess just about everyone who ever knew Randy Hanner was saddened to hear of his death on Tuesday. The Hanner family has taken care of so many of us during our own times of grief – for more years than most of us have been alive. I know I’m just shy of 50 and Randy has been there for my family and friends during every single death we have ever had here in Atlanta. His obituary says he worked in the funeral industry for 51 years. Hanner’s has been in business 79-plus years, and Randy was a large part of the heart and soul of this Atlanta institution.

Hanner Funeral Service’s new community resource center, which has been in the works for several months, will be named in Randy’s honor, a fitting tribute to a kind and generous man – a man who has always been there for this community in so many ways. The grand opening and dedication of The Randy Hanner Community Resource Center for Grief & Preventive Care will be held Thursday, Sept. 16. The Journal will publish additional details about the dedication very soon.

Randy and my dad, Calvin Bedgood, were proud members of the AHS Class of ’55. This is one class that enjoys being together and, I know for a fact, dearly loves one another. My dad and Randy were born about three weeks apart and probably lived less than three blocks apart during all of their growing-up years. As the years went by, it seemed the Class of ’55 had more frequent reunions, which Daddy and Randy loved to plan together.

Donna Gail, Mike, Julia and family, my thoughts and love are with you as you lay Randy to rest on Saturday. Know that an entire community grieves with you for your loss.

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My heart also goes out to the family of Leon Blakey, who died Sunday. His granddaughter Melinda Morris Manning, who preceded him in death, was a dear friend when we were growing up.

Melinda’s mom, Jo Linda Craig wrote a tribute to her dad during Father’s Day and I had to laugh when she mentioned Leon paid for plenty of Melinda and her friends’ chicken salad sandwiches at Walker Drug. I’m pretty sure I was one of Melinda’s frequent "guests" at Walker’s and Jo Linda noted her dad never complained or said a word about Melinda using his charge account there!

Oh, we had some wonderful times growing up in Atlanta because of the folks who raised us, including Leon Blakey!

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On a lighter note, don’t forget to come downtown on Sunday evening to support our merchants and our cheerleaders. The Chamber of Commerce’s Midnight Madness and Cheer-Off event is from 8 p.m. until midnight.

The best cheerleading squad will win a $300 cash prize for their school – but you must come show your support if you want your school to win!

Chamber Manager Beverly Johnson says there will be street vendors and fun activities for the kids, including a bounce house, while the adults shop for all the bargains participating merchants are offering.

Beverly says there will also be a "Cass County Has Talent Show" and the winner will walk away with $100. For more details, singers, dancers, musicians and magicians should call the chamber at 903-796-3296 or call Randy Smith at 903-796-8820.

Sponsors for Moonlight Madness include Atlanta Memorial Hospital Gift Shop, Benita’s Atlanta Floral, JoJo’s Cakes & Confections, Laura’s Used Book Store, Merle Norman and Terrell Brothers Furniture and Appliances.

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Atlanta Lions are out getting sponsorships for their upcoming golf tournament, set for Saturday, Sept. 11, at Indian Hills Country Club. This is a big fundraiser for the Lions Club, which uses the money for scholarships and to help other worthwhile groups, including local Boy Scouts and athletic groups, among others.

The cost is $200 per team of four for the scramble, which tees off at 8:30 a.m. For that small price and the opportunity to play golf, the players also have a chance to win prizes and eat good barbecue. What more could a golfer ask for?

Hole sponsorships are $100 each and can be gotten by calling Jeff Peace at 903-796-7948. Contests include longest drive, closest-to-the-pin contest and a hole-in-one contest on a selected hole that will pay $500 to the lucky winner.

Teams can register by calling Indian Hills at 796-4146.

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Over in Linden, folks will be welcomed to the fourth annual Cass County Cowboy Gathering at the Cass County Rodeo Grounds on Saturday, Sept. 11. The event includes children’s activities, vendors, food and fun, beginning at 9 a.m.

Cass County Sun Editor Angela Guillory writes that a variety of activities are scheduled throughout the day. Team roping begins at 10 a.m.; a kids’ "Stick Horse Rodeo" begins at 5 p.m.; and the children’s "Mutton Bustin’" kicks off at 6, with the sign-up for this even beginning at 5:30. A belt buckle will be awarded to the top mutton buster.

The "Working Ranch Rodeo" will get underway at 7:30 p.m. with "wild cow milking," branding, sorting and mugging. A children’s "Critter Scramble," with two division for kids ages 5 and under and 10 and under, will take place during the Working Ranch Rodeo.

Tickets for adults are $8; children ages 6 to 12 are $4; and children five and under are free. Parking is free. There are plenty of bleachers for sitting but lawn chairs are welcomed.

This event benefits the Cass County Championship Rodeo Association Building Fund and college scholarships.

For more information and directions visit the website at www.casscountychampionshiprodeo.com, or call 903-756-7556.

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Come out and support as many local events as you can because without support, they won’t keep happening. I hate it when people say there’s nothing to do around here – and then when something happens, they don’t go! Don’t be one of those people! You only live once, so make it count!

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Later this month the Atlanta Area Chamber of Commerce will host its Hoot-N-Holler Barbecue Cook-Off. Look for details in the Journal real soon.

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I got a great letter to the editor this week, but it wasn’t signed and I can’t run it if you’re not willing to put your name on it. It’s Journal policy. Actually, it’s the policy of every good newspaper I know.

I welcome letters to the editor, even and especially if they are critical of my newspaper (this one was not). The Journal and The Sun are hometown newspapers and, as such, we welcome hometown opinions!

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In case you missed it, the 2009-2010 Atlanta High School yearbooks are available for pick-up or purchase at AHS. Yearbook advisor Susan Grieg says they look great and she’s proud of her students’ hard work.

Yearbooks are yours for the asking plus $55 during school hours Mondays through Fridays at the AHS office.

For details email Susan at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call Atlanta High School at 903-796-4411.

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Many thanks to Sheryl James, who sent me a page and a half of birthdays and anniversaries in the mail! Sheryl included herself and her husband, her kids, her grandkids and her great-grandkids and that’s exactly what I’d like to get from everyone!

I enjoyed her added notes, as well, including the fact that her son and daughter-in-law. Paul and Lori James, will celebrate their first anniversary in December. Another son and daughter-in-law, Jared and Stacie Harris, have a new addition to the family due in October and "when ‘he’ gets here, I’ll be sure to let you know,’" Sheryl wrote.

Thanks, Sheryl. The Journal looks forward to getting a full baby announcement at that time, as well. They are always free in the Journal, and that includes a photo of the babies! We love hometown news!

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Happy birthday this week to the following hometown celebrants:

Sunday, Sept. 5 – Becky Cerliano and Tammy Dodd

Monday, Sept. 6 – Nicholas Bergt, Jason Beasley and Susan Smith McMillan

Tuesday, Sept. 7 – Jerry Donley Jr.

Wednesday, Sept. 8 – Kaycee Neville

Thursday, Sept. 9 – Stacey Alexander, Donna Moulton and Kim Roberson

Friday, Sept. 10 – Rick Riley Jr.

Saturday, Sept. 11 – Jaci Griggs

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If you’re celebrating your anniversary this week, we can’t possibly congratulate you and say nice things because you didn’t send me the information! Drop those dates by the Journal office or email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 

Around & About

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East Texas is a great place to call home

By BRENDA BEDGOOD BROWN

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“Everything I have is wore out, broke down, falling over, or rotting off. I wouldn’t have anything new. Even if I did, I wouldn’t show it to you.”

Wyatt Moore of Caddo Lake,

from the book “Every Sun that Rises”

+++

I mentioned Wyatt Moore in my column last week and the book a friend recently gave me is still in my office so I thumb through it every now and then just to lift my spirits. Moore, who was 91-plus when he died in 1993, was an East Texas treasure and a Caddo Lake character not soon to be forgotten!

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Cora Morris dropped by earlier this week to say she found a copy of “Every Sun That Rises” online and couldn’t wait to get it and read it. You will love it, Cora! I told Randy Cox about it a few weeks ago during a Lions Club meeting and he has also purchased a copy online. If they are like me, they won’t be able to loan it out!

I have a severe mental disorder when it comes to owning certain books. My other all-time favorite is “Love Is A Wild Assault,” by Elithe Hamilton Kirkland. It’s a historical novel based on fact and set at…Caddo Lake! This book changed my entire life when I read it during the summer after I graduated from high school. Seriously. I didn’t know much at all about Caddo Lake’s colorful history until I read this book.

A few years later, I took a job as editor of The Wimberley View, primarily because I found out Elithe Hamilton Kirkland lived there! I always found it hard to believe this little lady with a beehive hairdo wrote that book! She was so sweet to me when I gushed about how her novel changed my life. She probably thought I was crazy but I truly believe we shortchange our children when we don’t teach them local history at a young age.

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Have I ever mentioned I love and adore Caddo Lake? Oh yeah, I guess I have – and I’m pretty sure I will do so again. (That’s a promise and a warning!) I was just thinking I am so blessed to have someplace so wonderful and so beautiful so close to my home and my heart. Several of my Gregg County friends’ children are convinced it’s called “Brenda’s Lake” and I have never attempted to correct them.

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I’m grateful to live in East Texas for many reasons. Whenever I visit Dallas, I look around when I’m on the freeways and think: There are more people on this road right now than there are people who live in Atlanta! When I was younger, all I could think about was getting outta here but I never did go to a big city. I just couldn’t do the traffic and I couldn’t even pretend!

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Speaking of, the Wall Street Journal published a story on Tuesday about a 60-mile traffic jam outside of Beijing that could be snarled for…get this…weeks! Seems they are building a new roadway from the capital city to Tibet/Inner Mongolia and it appears their highway department planners didn’t really think things through before beginning the work.

WSJ reporter Shai Oster says vehicles are inching along at the rapid pace of approximately one-third of a mile per day! Highway department officials don’t expect the problem to “ease up” until Sept. 17. “Ease up” doesn’t sound too promising to me.

Anyway, hundreds of police officers have been dispatched to keep law and order and nearby villagers are selling instant noodles to those poor people who are stuck in line. Oster writes, “Truck drivers, when they weren't complaining about the vendors overcharging for the food, kept busy playing card games. Their trucks, for the most part, are basic, blue-colored vehicles with no features added to help pamper drivers through long hauls.”

Life is pretty good in East Texas, don’t you think?

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Talking about highway departments makes me think of a road trip my cousin Rosemary and I took a few years ago to New Orleans (my beloved yet beleaguered city, filled with history and ties to Caddo Lake!). I was an insurance adjuster/investigator then and I worked Texas and Louisiana claims. Car wrecks were my bread and butter and I worked a whole lot of them throughout the northern half of our sister state. All I can say is, “God bless the Texas Highway Department!”

I told Rosemary before we departed the beautiful Lone Star State to keep track of the intersections we encountered. I’m convinced Louisiana has some of the craziest intersections in America because no two are ever the same. I always say, “Every day is a new day at the Louisiana Highway Department” and by the time we returned home, Rosemary couldn’t help but agree!

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I got so tickled Thursday morning when I checked www.facebook.com. Lee Ellen Benjamin wrote: “I don’t want to brag, but I can still fit into the earrings I wore in high school.” Too funny, Lee Ellen!

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Speaking of Thursday, I do believe I could see the beginnings of fall that morning. I don’t know the exact temperature but it was much cooler than it has been for what seems like years. Goodbye, August – Hello, September!

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Jeff McCombs in Shreveport – if you called the Journal to tell me you made Big Pines Lodge Cole Slaw, call me back. I didn’t have a written message but I keep thinking someone said you called so call me when you get a chance.

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Bennie Moore, of O’Farrell Country Vineyards fame, was the guest speaker at Thursday’s Rotary meeting. Bennie and his wife Judy have a “U Pick-M” muscadine ranch out at O’Farrell and he reports the pickin’ is good. In fact, folks are already coming from near and far to pick muscadines, of which Bennie reports several hundred pounds have already been sold for $1 per pound. Last year they sold 3,300 pounds of the native American grapes, if that’s any gauge.

The Moores’ place includes the site of the long-ago O’Farrell Post Office, which Bennie says was in operation between 1886 and 1905. The post office building also included a general store and a doctor’s office. (It’s gone now.) He actually remembers Mr. Tom Tate, who was the last postmaster for the community. The barn you see when you go pick ‘em was built from lumber salvaged from the old two-room O'Farrell School house. (How cool is that? I wish someone would build me a house like that!)

Anyway, the Moores have 14 varieties of muscadines – Sweet Jenny, Rosa, Darlene, Ison, Black Fry, Cowart, Black Beauty, Carlos, Bronze Fry, Supreme, Noble, Hunt, Nesbit and Sugargate. You can pick to your heart’s content Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 15, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Bennie brought samples and I can report they are absolutely delicious and much sweeter than the muscadines we find growing wild around these parts.

For more information, visit www.ofarrellvineyard.com; email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; or call 903-846-2054. The vineyard is located at 7152 FM 995, Atlanta.

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Belated happy birthday wishes to Bennie Moore, who turned 68 on Thursday, Aug. 26. He “postponed” his birthday to be Dr. Terry Foster’s guest speaker at Rotary. When Terry said that in his introduction, the female Rotarians perked up because we are certainly wondering how we can “postpone” birthdays!

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One more little aside on Bennie Moore. He took his father, Benjamin Franklin “B.F.” Moore, to renew his driver’s license last week. Mr. Moore will turn 94 on his birthday next month and he will be 100 when he gets his driver’s license renewed the next time! Bennie reports that when they began planting their grapevines four years ago, his father dug every hole for every single plant – all 210 of them!

+++

Debbie Wilcox Bergt emailed some birthday and anniversary information to me and said some nice things about the Journal. Thanks, Debbie – I was having a really bad press day on Tuesday and your note made me feel so much better!

Happy birthday and many happy returns to Debbie’s husband Peter, who celebrated another year on Saturday, Aug. 28. Peter, I hope you made a big wish that will come true when you blew out your candles!

+++

Blowing out birthday candles this week are:

Sunday, Aug. 29 – Angela Young and Danny Young

Tuesday, Aug. 31 – Beth Price

Thursday, Sept. 2 – Ronnie Moore, Kadarion Robinson and Gus Schuhmann

Friday, Sept. 3 – Todd Lawrence

Saturday, Sept. 4 – Eric Conner, J.R. Riley and Cheryl Savage

Call me crazy, but I bet we have some folks who celebrated birthdays on Monday and Wednesday too, but they haven’t told me yet so they can’t be listed today. If you have September birthdays, send them to me ASAP! That goes for all of the other months too!

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Ditto for anniversaries. I only have one listing so far for September and their anniversary isn’t until Sept. 23! It’s not difficult. Just write the names and dates down on a piece of paper and drop them by the Journal office or mail them to the Citizens Journal, P.O. Box 1188, Atlanta, Texas 75551. Even easier, email your list to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 

Naughahyde chairs now works of art

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Ransom joins artists in ‘Chair-ity Bizarre’

By BRENDA BROWN

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It’s amazing what some folks can do with an old orange Naugahyde chair.

As a member of the Texarkana Regional Arts & Humanities Council board of directors, Atlanta’s Travis Ransom re-created a Naugahyde chair into a work of art as part of TRAHC’s upcoming "Chair-ity Bizarre" – a fundraiser that will benefit the "Arts on Main" program.

Ransom’s chair is one of more than 20 that were re-created into art and will be sold at auction on Thursday, Nov. 4.

The chairs are now on display at the Texarkana Regional Arts Center, located downtown at the corner of Fourth and Texas.

Ransom showed off his chair at a recent Atlanta Lions Club meeting. He explained the chairs were donated to TRAHC along with the Stewart Title building which has been remodeled to house the council’s "Arts on Main" classrooms.

Mary Starrett, administrative director for TRAHC, explained "Arts on Main" offers a wide variety of arts classes for both children and adults. Classes include everything from digital photography, calligraphy and drawing to "Congolese African Dance for Adults" and "The Art of Etiquette for Young Men."

Ransom, who works as the district office coordinator for State Sen. Kevin Eltife in Texarkana, said he used some of the old Army battle dress uniforms he wore when he served in Bosnia in 1999.

He explained had a professional embroider "Chairborne Ranger" onto the part of the uniform he used to cover the back of the chair, but otherwise he did all of the upholstery work himself.

Ransom joked with Lions that "Naugas are really hard to catch" but redoing the 1970s-era chairs will bring in needed money for the arts program.

All jokes aside, a listing on www.wikipedia.com states, "A marketing campaign of the 1960s and 1970s asserted humorously that Naugahyde was obtained from the skin of an animal called a ‘Nauga.’ The claim became an urban myth. The campaign emphasized that, unlike other animals, which must typically be slaughtered to obtain their hides, Naugas can shed their skin without harm to themselves."

Starrett said the chairs now on display in the lower level gallery at the Regional Arts Center are "amazing."

"One made a horse of it," she added.

TRAHC is the managing institute for the Perot Theater, the Texarkana Regional Arts Center, as well as for "Arts on Main."

Starrett said more information will be available in the future about the "Chair-ity Bizarre" auction.

For more about TRAHC and its programs, visit www.trahc.org.

 

Before you pull the trigger...

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Safety comes first in hunter education class

CHRISTY GREEN

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A Cass County game warden’s experiences with hunting accidents brought home the need for hunter education for students who attended the recent Texas Hunter Education class in Atlanta.

Game Warden Dan Hill expressed the importance of the course to all and thanked the parents who brought their youngsters to the class.

"The course has cut the accident rate more than two-thirds," said Hill.

The game warden explained he has worked many hunting accidents, and spoke of one particular fatal accident that could have been prevented with the knowledge of gun safety.

"An inexperienced hunter who was around 30 years old was riding around with his soon-to-be father-in-law checking feeders for quail," said Hill. "The father-in-law, who was driving, spotted some quail and told him to ease out of the back seat of the truck with his gun and shoot some for the grill that evening. The son-in-law went to exit the side door, not realizing his finger was on the trigger, and accidently fired the gun into the back of his father-in-law, killing him."

According to Hill, hunter education was not required at the time of this accident.

PEOPLE OF ALL AGES and genders from near and far, including from Arkansas, joined together at Horne Enterprises on Aug. 14-15 with one thing in common -- a love for hunting.

Instructor of Hunter Education Chuck Wise, who is retired Air Force and law enforcement officer, gave extensive lessons in gun safety, history and an introduction to hunter education, basic shooting and hunting skills, primitive hunting equipment in use today (black powder and archery); safety in the home, field, woods and water; ethics and responsible hunters; preparation, first aid and survival skills, which are all keys to being a responsible and safe hunter.

The Texas Hunter Education began as a voluntary program in 1972. "Mandatory" hunter education became law in 1988, requiring hunters born on or after Sept. 2, 1971, to pass the course.

Since that time, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has certified over 750,000 students.

Another special guest was Penny Wilkerson, regulatory wildlife biologist for TPW in Bowie, Cass and Morris counties, spoke to students about conservation, preservation and the proper management of wildlife.

During deer season, Wilkerson can be found at processing plants gathering data such as the weight of the animal and wear of its teeth to determine the age of a deer and the density of its habitat. She also gets antler measurements to make sure hunters are taking legal bucks.

Wilkerson stated the importance of hunting to maintain carrying capacity – the number of animals the habitat can support all year long.

"If people stopped hunting, the populations of a species would explode," said Wilkerson. "Losing our hunters would be losing our ability to manage wildlife populations."

Wise got everyone involved during the many hands-on activities. He had a table lined with common household items that can be used as tools for survival if the worst-case scenario ever happened, a hunter became lost in the field.

"I take these things with me every time I go hunting – because you just don’t ever know," Wise said.

NO ONE PLANS to be injured during a hunt, but James Murphy, a volunteer firefighters from New Boston who attended the class, gave a demonstration of how to make a splint using sticks and pieces of ripped material in case of a bone fracture.

The younger members of the class enjoyed the demonstration on hypothermia, which may occur in a boating accident in cold conditions. Wise had a bucket of ice water and students had to submerge an arm for 90 seconds to show just how quick the cold temperatures take effect on the body. Many of the volunteers said they couldn’t feel their arm afterward.

Some of the other hands-on activities included the different ways to safely carry a firearm with or without a hunting partner, and Wise used a "dummy deer" for the demonstration on how to approach an animal after a successful shot has been made.

Several videos shown taught how to be a respectful hunter, which shot "to take or not to take" in order to make a clean kill without leaving the animal wounded and making sure the shot taken doesn’t put other hunters, oneself, or other wildlife in danger.

After some 10 hours of required hunter education training, the class of 22 people successfully passed the test, which is comprised of 50 questions.

Anyone interested in taking the hunter education course should call Chuck Wise at 903-826-8576 or 903-799-7668.

Cost of the course is $25 and will be given at Horne Enterprises on Saturdays and Sundays, Sept. 11-12, Oct. 2-3, Nov. 13-14 and Dec. 11-12. Online courses are also available by visiting www.pro-tac.us. The hunter education certification is good for a lifetime and in any other state.

Wise also teaches courses in boater education, concealed handgun certification, security guard training, marksmanship (pistol, rifle and shotgun), home defense, self-defense, law enforcement and military.

to be injured during a hunt, but James Murphy, a volunteer firefighter from New Boston who was attending the class, gave a demonstration of how to make a splint using sticks and pieces of ripped material in case of a bone fracture. and genders from near and far, including from Arkansas, joined together at Horne Enterprises on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 14 and 15, with one thing in common, the love for hunting.
 

All colors and genders available

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Kitties await adoption at shelter

Several cats and kittens of all colors and genders are available for adoption at the Atlanta Animal Shelter, located at the Cass County Veterinary Clinic in Atlanta.

One of these cats, a loving Siamese, has two 6- to 8-week-old playful kittens with her.

Cass County Veterinary Clinic is located at the intersection of Texas highways 43 and 77.

These animals have a limited period of time to stay at the shelter.

 
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