Hot Air Balloons Lift Off Friday Night; Will Again Saturday Evening
Approximately 30 Hot Air Balloons are taking part in the Hopkins County Dairy Festival. Friday night the pilots and crews took advantage of the good conditions to take to the air. They plan to do so again Saturday following the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce Ice Cream Freeze-off. The Freeze-off begins at 5:30 p.m. on the back lawn of Shannon Oaks Church. Balloons will lift following and the glow will begin as the sun sets.
Included on the passenger list of selected balloons were the Dairy Festival Queen contestants. Community volunteers assisted in preparing the envelopes for inflation. According to Carolyn McKinney, President of the Dairy Festival Board, there is a need for crew members Saturday evening to assist in preparing the balloons for flight.
Pilots for the balloons have varied backgrounds but the love of flight awakened their interest in hot air balloon flight.
Late Evening Thunderstorm Causes Some Tree Damage in Hopkins County
A huge oak tree, estimated to be over 100 years old, was uprooted by brief high winds and heavy rain on the evening of June 7, 2018 at a home off CR 1163 in the south part of Hopkins County. The storm first affected the western side of Hopkins County with dark clouds, lightning and brief downpours, then tracked along the southeastern part of the county. After it passed through the Brashear to Miller Grove areas, it caused this great tree to fall in the Bonanza community, just steps from the home’s front door.
The homeowner is Helen Barker, and her late husband was Tommy Barker, a former Ag agent for Hopkins County who succeeded agent Gordon Ford in 1972. Helen stated that as the skies grew dark, she went to look out the front door at the storm. Limbs were moving in the wind, but as she watched, it seemed as if she saw the great tree begin to rock and sway. Immediately, fearing that it would fall on the house, she retreated to another part of the house. When she returned to the front door again, she saw that the tree had just gently settled down along the driveway, clear her house, with the huge root ball exposed. The root ball appeared about 20 feet tall with it’s roots snapped off at the ground. Helen estimates that the tree trunk might have been 16 feet in diameter, and she does not know the tree’s exact age. Although glad that no one was hurt and no property damage done, she will miss the big old oak because it was like part of the family, and the reason they built their home in that spot 18 years ago.
The same thunderstorm’s passage brought reports of much-needed rain in the southeastern sections of the county, with one inch at Rocky Ridge, 1 and 3/10 inch south of Greenpond, and a half-inch of rain at Sandfield, south of Como.
Cross Taken in Weaver Cemetery Vandalism Recovered from Franklin County Pond by Inmate Volunteers
Friday morning at a pond in the Purley area in Franklin County, two Hopkins County inmates, Joseph Icenhour and Jesse Graham (in picture above), went into the water and retrieved a cross that had been cast aside there by Canyon Ray Davis, 17, of Saltillo, and Johnny Bench, 18, of Saltillo (both pictured below).
Davis and Bench threw the cross, taken from the Weaver Cemetery during vandalism, into the pond when they learned that they were subjects of the Hopkins County Sheriff’s office investigation of the incident.
Hopkins County Sheriff Lewis Tatum said his Criminal Investigators received leads from members of the community that have also been working vigilantly trying to solve the destruction of the Weaver Cemetery. Davis and Johnny Bench were arrested for Tampering with Evidence and Davis was also arrested for Criminal Mischief. Davis additional charge relates to damage done to a church building in the Pine Forest/ Pickton, area and damage to mail boxes. Charges for destruction of the grave markers will be pending after meeting with the District Attorney’s office.
Experience Texas’ Best Taste at 17th Annual Texas State Championship Ice Cream Freeze-Off On Saturday June 9
Lezley Brown, CEO of the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce and Director of the Texas State Championship Ice Cream Freeze-off and the World Champion Hopkins County Stew Cook-Off
Lezley Brown is VERY EXCITED about the response and numbers of entries in this year’s Chamber of Commerce Ice Cream Freeze-off. During the KSST Morning Show interview on Friday June 8, just one day before the contest, she revealed that her office is expecting several more entries to come in, putting the total way over 50 competitors. And although the contest is called a competition and the contenders are called “cooks”, there’s no cooking during the contest, and the competition is definitely the sweetest and friendliest imaginable. So, who wouldn’t want a State Championship title to go on the wall?
There’s still time to enter your best homemade ice cream recipe in a category. It can be Classic (vanilla or chocolate), or it can be in Fruit (any ice cream using fruit), or it can fall into the Novelty category (basically everything else) In age groups, there’s Big Dips (for ages 12 and up), Little Dips (under age 12) and Super Scoops (open to previous champions only). This year’s First-Timer’s category, for first-time contestants only , is the largest it has ever been! That’s encouraging to Lezley, who loves the fact that Hopkins County takes such pride in it’s food contests, and that the Freeze-Off is for everyone and every age, involving kids to adults, and newcomers to veteran ice cream-makers.
This contest has very few rules, according to Lezley, although she offers a couple of tips. You have up until 5pm Saturday June 9 to enter. For those entering last-minute, there will be sign-up sheets at the contest site on the rear lawn of Shannon Oaks Church along I-30 on East Shannon Road in Sulphur Springs, Texas. There is no cost to enter your prepared ice cream! Just make sure it’s well frozen, then transport it to the contest site where you will be settled at a serving table under the trees. TIP 1: Servers, don’t forget your ice cream scoop! There will be lines of people ready for dips of your ice cream. They will already be getting in line by 5pm to purchase their bowl and spoon for just $3, all you can eat. The starting gun will be heard at 5:30, and that’s when ice cream lovers will rush to sample all the different flavors. TIP 2: Don’t get there late! Because, in a very short time, all the ice cream is gone! But do plan to stick around at beautiful Shannon Oaks for live music and a “tether and glow” event where the 30-plus hot air balloons will light their burners and at dark, will glow with all the amazingly beautiful colors of the balloons. There will be balloon flights by some of the pilots, weather permitting. It is truly a memory-making part of Dairy Festival.
Along with cash prizes that the Ice Cream contenders will win are custom wooden trophies created by Mr. Frank Sears, a Hopkins County woodworking artist, who also creates trophies for winners of the World-Champion Hopkins County Stew Contest each October.
Two Saltillo Men Charged in Weaver Cemetery Investigation
Hopkins County Sheriff Lewis Tatum said his Criminal Investigators received leads from members of the community that have also been working vigilantly trying to solve the destruction of the Weaver Cemetery. Canyon Ray Davis, 17, of Saltillo, and Johnny Bench, 18, of Saltillo, were arrested for Tampering with Evidence and Davis was also arrested for Criminal Mischief. Davis additional charge relates to damage done to a church building in the Pine Forest/ Pickton, area and damage to mail boxes.
Johnny Bench
After meeting with prosecutors there may be additional charges along with other arrests. The two were arrested and charged stemming from their throwing a cross, taken from the cemetery into a local pond. The cross was discarded after they learned authorities were looking for them.
Canyon Davis
Charges for destruction of the grave markers will be pending after meeting with the District Attorney’s office.
Tatum thanked the Weaver Coalition for their hard work, Chief Investigator Corley Weatherford, Investigator Dennis Findley, Investigator Wade Sheets, Saltillo ISD Police Chief Dustin Ray, and the county patrol division.
Tira News June 7, 2018
By Jan Vaughn
The regular quarterly Tira City Council meeting had to be postponed, due to several conflicting events among the members. It will be rescheduled for a later date.
Around 30 people gathered at the North Hopkins School Cafeteria on Sunday, June 3rd, for the Aiguier Cemetery Association Meeting. Everyone enjoyed sharing a covered-dish lunch, prior to conducting the cemetery business.
Tira Methodist Church members would like to express appreciation to Larry and Bobby White for donating and installing new carpet on the church porch. The Whites wanted to show their gratitude to the community for serving lunch and “being so nice” when Donna White Joslin passed away.
Mark Chapman, Tira Cemetery Board Vice President, is putting together a special program for the 80th annual Tira Homecoming, which will be held on Sunday, July 1st. The program and meeting will begin at 11:00 a.m. in the Tira Methodist Church, and then there will be a pot-luck lunch at the picnic tables on the grounds. Make plans to come and share memories.
Free breakfast and lunch is being served for kids 18 and under, at the North Hopkins School Cafeteria, on Monday through Thursday during the month of June. Breakfast is from 7:30 – 8:00 and lunch is from 11:30 – 12:00.
I always need and appreciate input from my friends to help keep me informed of news in our community. If you have any news pertaining to Tira residents, past or present, please contact me, Jan Vaughn, at 903-945-2190 or 903-438-6688 or [email protected].
AgriLife: Summer Picnics & Foodborne Illness
by Johanna Hicks
Summer Picnics & Foodborne Illness – Not a Good Combo!
Ahhh, summertime! Time for swimming, traveling, sleeping late, vacation, picnicking, summer camps, Vacation Bible School, and so much more. However, the extreme Texas summers can be brutal, especially when it comes to keeping picnic foods safe.
Foodborne bacteria can multiply quickly in hot temperatures. Rebecca Dittmar, a colleague of mine who serves as a Specialist in Food Protection Management with Texas A&M, has tips on how to keep a summer picnic safe. If you’re serving fresh fruits or vegetables, make sure to rinse them thoroughly before packing them and putting them in a cooler. Scrub vegetables with a clean brush and dry fruits and vegetables with a clean cloth towel or with paper towels. Always keep cold foods cold by putting them into a cooler with ice or frozen gel packs.
If you have meat, poultry or seafood that’s already frozen, you can put it in the cooler to ensure it stays cold longer. Try to keep coolers in the interior of your vehicle instead of the trunk, and take only however much food you plan to eat that day. Perishable foods such as hot dogs, burgers, poultry, deviled eggs and macaroni or potato salad also should be kept in a well-insulated cooler at 40 degrees or below. Keeping foods in separate coolers can help avoid cross-contamination. Raw meat, poultry or seafood should be tightly wrapped or stored in a sealed bag or container, and kept in a different cooler than other foods. Make sure these items are securely wrapped in such a way that their juices don’t get into and possibly contaminate prepared foods or foods that are to be eaten raw, such as carrot or celery sticks or fresh fruits.
Thawing meat on the counter overnight for the day’s picnicking isn’t safe. Instead it should be thawed in the refrigerator or cooked from its frozen state. We also recommend people don’t partially cook meat or poultry ahead of time, as that too can be risky. Partially cooking food ahead of time may allow bacteria to survive and multiply to the point where further cooking might not be able to kill them. The safest way to go is to cook meat and poultry to a safe internal temperature at the picnic site.
Having clean hands is vital to helping prevent foodborne illness, so take a jug of water, soap and paper towels if you are unsure whether running water will be available at the picnic destination. In a pinch, you can use an antibacterial hand sanitizer or disposable moist towelettes to clean your hands. Be sure to clean your hands before and after touching raw meat, poultry or seafood. Make sure food preparation surfaces, cutting boards, grilling utensils and serving platters are washed and sanitized prior to use. If you’ve placed raw meat or fish on a platter before grilling, don’t use that same plate to serve the cooked food unless it has first been cleaned with hot, soapy water.
Once the coolers are placed where needed, keep them closed as much as possible to keep the contents cooler for a longer period of time. Once it is served, cold food should not sit out for any longer than two hours, or just one hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees. And the saying, “When in doubt, throw it out,” applies here!
Poultry should be cooked to a 165 degree internal temperature. Hot dogs should be cooked to a 165 degree internal temperature as well, and hamburgers to 160 degrees. Beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops and roasts should be cooked to at least a 145 degree internal temperature. Cooked foods should be allowed to “rest” for three minutes before serving.
If you follow these food safety guidelines for a picnic, there’s a good chance you won’t be bothered by foodborne illness. A pleasant activity like a picnic should never have to end badly.
Twogether in Texas Marriage Education Workshop
I’ve already received inquiries about the next marriage education workshop and two couples are signed up. We have plenty of room for more! Here are the details:
- When: Saturday, August 25
- Where: Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office, Sulphur Springs
- Time: 8:30 a.m. to approximately 3:30 p.m.
- Lunch and refreshments will be provided
- Cost: Free, but both individuals must attend
Topics to be covered are: marriage expectations, communication, conflict resolution, money management, and goals & dreams. A nice benefit to attending the workshop (other than the fantastic information), is that engaged couples will receive a certificate to save $60 upon applying for a marriage license. To sign up, please call 903-885-3443 so adequate lunch and material preparations can be made.
Closing Thought
What man can imagine, he may one day achieve – Nancy Hale
Johanna Hicks
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Family & Consumer Sciences
1200-B W. Houston
P.O.Box 518
Sulphur springs, TX 75483
903-885-3443 – phone
903-439-4909 – Fax
[email protected]
Flood Advisory Until 8 p.m. Thursday for Southwestern Hopkins County and Rains County
A flood advisory for Southeastern Hunt, Southwestern Hopkins, and Rains County has been issued by the National Weather Service. Thunderstorms producing heavy rain and excessive runoff will cause small stream flooding. Low lying areas with poor drainage are most likely to experience flooding. Some low water crossings in the area may become impassable.
The advisory for flooding is in effect until 8 p.m.
Significant Weather Advisory: Strong Wind Possible, Heavy Rain in Western Hopkins County
A significant weather advisory issued by the National Weather Service until 6:15 p.m. Thursday for Western Hopkins County. A strong thunderstorm is being tracked by Doppler Radar between Cumby and Sulphur Springs, moving south at 15 mph. Wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible in this storm.
Heavy rainfall is also occurring with this storm and may lead to localized flooding.
