A Christmas “Feast of Favorites” Onstage December 2,3 By Northeast Texas Choral Society
It’s hard to believe, admits Carol Ruth Allen, Director of the Northeast Texas Choral Society, but “her baby” is 20 years old in 2017. Shortly after getting settled in Sulphur Springs, the classically-trained choral teacher’s dream for community chorale began to morph into an idea which she prayerfully nurtured It then became a concept which her husband, family and friends embraced as well. In 1997, Carol’s concept of the community choir became flesh and blood when 100 local singers joined during the first round of auditions. Over the years, the NETCS Board of Directors has consistently lent talent of every description to the success of the project. Today the Choral Society is a solid reality for everyone in and around the Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County community who enjoys choral performance with two concerts per year.
The public is invited to celebrate and enjoy the “Feast of Favorites” Christmas Concert in two performances … Saturday December 2 at 7 pm and Sunday December 3 at 2 pm…. on the stage of the SSHS Auditorium of the Civic Center in Sulphur Springs. Tickets are $12 per adult and tickets for children age 12 and under are $5, available from Choral Society singers and at local banks. Children are encouraged to come so that they may be exposed to this type of musical art. A season ticket option is offered this year as well, at $20. Find out more and purchase tickets for the concert at netchoral.org
Carol’s belief in personal and community enrichment through this form of art and culture is deeply rooted. Here is an excerpt from the website. “Attending a live performance of any kind is a unique experience in and of itself. When you visit a NETCS concert, your gift is hearing rich, quality choral arrangements presented by 100 voices in an artistically designed manner that allows for an exchange with the audience. This interaction of performance and reception gives life to music in a way no recording can. Expect to lose your breath with the melody. Prepare to connect with the music. Watch for surprises! Following concert, we often hear from first-time audience members, ‘I’ll never miss another show.’ We think you will agree.”
New singers are always being sought. Watch for the next round of auditions in 2018 as the Spring show is planned. Auditions and rehearsals are held at First United Methodist Church, 301 Church Street in Sulphur Springs, Texas.
Director Carol Ruth Allen with board members Kacey Batterton and Carol Ann O’Dell
Death of Inmate Under Investigation
On the morning of Tuesday, November 14, 2017, a Hopkins County Jailer delivering breakfast to an inmate found the inmate breathing but unresponsive, according to Hopkins County Sheriff Lewis Tatum. Melvin Williams, 60, was transported to CHRISTUS Mother Francis Sulphur Springs who sent him to Tyler. At the Tyler hospital, Williams died.
Sheriff Tatum said he does not know the cause of death or why the local hospital forwarded Williams to Tyler. He awaits the final reports from the autopsy and inquest in Tyler. Texas Rangers are investigating the death, which is normal procedure for the death of an inmate in the local jail.
Williams was described by the Sheriff as a nice guy that had turned himself in for a 10-day commitment for Delivery of Marijuana. Williams had been in and out of the Hopkins County jail over the past 40 years beginning with his first charge for Transport Alcohol in a Dry Area.
Dinner Bell Sponsored by Knights of Columbus
This week’s Dinner Bell was an early celebration of Thanksgiving, complete with turkey and dressing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, green beans, yeast rolls, honeycrisp salad, and pumpkin pie, as a well as a sugar-free pumpkin fluff. The meal was sponsored and served by volunteers from the Knights of Columbus. The Dinner Bell Ministry would like to extend their thanks to all of the Community Partners from throughout the year, as well as the FUMC and the friends who join them for each meal. If you or your business would like to take part in Dinner Bell, call FUMC at (903) 885-2185.
You’ll Need This Number…903-885-0700…for the Annual KSST Radio/TV Auction for NE TX Symphony League
Beautiful quilts, designer decor for your home, exciting trips and dinners for two at local restaurants are among the almost 100 desirable items you can bid on starting at 5pm on Saturday November 18, 2017. There’s also original paintings, concert tickets at American Airlines Center, woodshop creations, pizza for a year, tennis lessons, a rustic pine display cabinet, floral and boutique items and more. The unique Radio/TV Auction is a fundraiser for the Northeast Texas Symphony League that got started 26 years ago at in the KSST and Channel 18 TV studios. Over the years, this auction has funded worthy Symphony League projects such as Children’s Concerts for elementary-age students, a local performance by the NE Texas Symphony and Dallas Opera for Sulphur Springs Middle Schoolers and the Independence Concert which is performed free for everyone during the Fourth of July season on Celebration Plaza. To present these concerts, professional musicians and conductor are hired to bring quality art, culture, education and entertainment to the community. Fundraisers like the Radio/TV Auction make this possible.
To participate in Saturday’s once-a-year auction, be listening to KSST 1230AM or watching Cable Channel 18 TV starting at 5pm on Saturday November 18. You can also catch it in a live stream on ksstradio.com or on Facebook. Be prepared to call by phone to bid on items as they are offered through the evening. The phone number is 903-885-0700. Winning bidders can pick up their items Friday night or on Saturday morning at the KSST studios on East Shannon Road in Sulphur Springs.
Symphony League President Maleta Reynolds and Vice President Sharla Campbell display one of the auction quilts up for bids, just one of over 75 auction items.
GoFundMe Campaign Benefits Lil’ 4’s
A GoFundMe Campaign, created by local author Collen Hoover, is nearing it’s second goal of over $35,000. To donate: https://www.gofundme.com/for-the-children-of-sulphur-springs
The campaign story, written by Ms. Hoover follows:
Thirty years ago, she was living under a bridge with her one-year-old daughter. She would line her daughter’s diapers with leaves to make them last longer.
Now, she is committing her entire life to making sure the children in her community are never in that position.
The building is 200 Fuller Street.
Residents of this community can see it from Oak Avenue, just yards from First Baptist Church and our beautiful downtown courthouse. It’s a building I’ve passed by countless times on my way to The Bookworm Box.
Until today, I had no idea the kind of humanity I would find behind the front door.
Letitia Conliffe has created what she calls a “safe haven” for our children. Lil’ 4’s is a location where kids can walk through the door after school and find a hot meal waiting for them, a computer room to do their homework, mentors to help them succeed in school and activities to keep them busy. Up to fifty children ranging in age from five to seventeen utilize the free services Letitia and her three volunteers provide.
“Some of these children have no lights or water at home,” Letitia said. “This is the only place they can find a hot meal if they want to eat.”
I had the honor of visiting this afternoon with Letitia and the two volunteers who help her run Lil 4’s, Sandra Cummings and Marva Alexander. It absolutely took my breath away to see what these three women are doing for the children in this community, while taking nothing for it in return.
When I asked Letitia who purchases the food for the children so that they may have meals every night in their makeshift dining room, she said, “I do.”
When I asked her who pays the $500 monthly rent on the building so that they can offer this safe haven to the children, she said, “I do.”
When I asked her who pays the electric bill, she said, “I do.”
But if you ask her how much money she has in her purse? “About fifty cents right now.”
Letitia and her two volunteers use their own gas in their own vehicles to transport these kids to and from school if they need rides. Letitia uses her own home to cook up Sunday dinners. And even on Saturday’s you’ll find about twelve kids running around her house because she can’t help but open her door to every child in need.
And the kids look at her like a mother. “Some of them want to be here so bad, they walk all the way from Helm Lane just to have a hot meal and someone to sit down and do their homework with them. Some of these kids have special needs. Most of them come from broken homes. They all have their own testimonies.”
Letitia moved to the Fuller St. building in February when she was granted 501c3 status from the IRS. Before that, she helped these kids with any means she had at Pacific Park. She receives no grants from the Government. The only way she pays for everything is from the sporadic donations from churches in the community or people who meet her and are moved by her story, like the manager of Saputo. He met Leticia and heard her story, then showed up with a donation the next day. Or our city manager, Marc Maxwell, who offers donations and even brought the children homemade cookies recently.
Walking through their building, I was surprised at how much they had, but even more surprised at how much they don’t have. They were boiling about 40 hot dogs on a portable skillet when I arrived because they don’t have a stove.
Letitia sometimes washes these kids clothes at her house because they don’t have a washer and dryer at the facility. There are late notices coming in because Letitia is having to spread things so thin just to pay the $500 monthly rent and basic bills such as electricity and water. Not to mention everyday items that are needed like toilet paper, paper towels, plastic ware, food, clothing, etc.
Marva, a volunteer at the center, says it’s not only the children Letitia dedicates her life to. It’s everyone. Letitia heard Marva was going through a rough time and her electricity had been cut off. Letitia showed up at Marva’s door with food from her own fridge and money out of her own pocket to pay her light bill. When Marva was telling me about it, she got a little choked up, explaining how much she and the children appreciate Letitia. When the children are struggling, Leticia makes sure they don’t feel like they are struggling alone, or that the things they face are impossible.
“She makes a struggle look like a bump,” Marva says. “She always says, ‘We’re’ gonna get through it. It’s always, ‘we’ and never ‘you.’”
Letitia has done so much for the children; I couldn’t even fit it all in my notebook. She does it because she wants them to stay on the right path despite all the odds that are against them.
Sulphur Springs and the surrounding communities are full of giving, good-hearted people. It’s what Sulphur Springs is becoming known for. A community that comes together like no other to help their own.
I would love to see this community come together in a way that would take some of the stress off these women’s backs. I would love to see donations come through that will benefit these children not only in their everyday lives, but in their futures. There are many things this organization is in need of but a monetary donation is first and foremost what will help these kids the most. If you can give $5, that would buy a meal for many of the kids after school. If you can give $10, it could pay for the gas Letitia needs to make sure they get out of bed and go to school. If you are in a position to give more, please do. Every penny you donate will be utilized in the best way possible.
Letitia isn’t asking for a lot. In fact, she didn’t ask for anything. She just wants people to know that there are kids in this community who need a safe place and she is doing her best to provide that. And if you would like to help her provide them that haven, she does need the help. Whether that help comes in the form of volunteers or motivational speakers or monetary donations, she just wants to be able to continue to do what she’s been doing for years. She wants to help put a smile on a child’s face and give them the confidence to set a goal for their future.
If you might have an item to donate, call Letitia on her cell phone at 214-809-1908 or email her at [email protected]
I hope we can come together to help reach one or more of these goals and there is no better time to be reminded of that sense of community than before Thanksgiving.
Our hope is to raise $10,000 to help ease the stress of these three women who are paying for everything out of their own pockets. If we somehow surpass that goal, I’ve set steps to show what the facility is in need of.
Goal #2 – $35,000 to help purchase a van so that Letitia can provide more and better transportation to the kids who need it.
Goal #3 – $50,000 to help purchase the van and pay for the utilities, as well as provide the facility with repairs that are needed.
Goal #4 – $85,000 to purchase either the building they are in or the larger one down the street. This will eliminate the $500 rent payment and free up that money to feed the children and provide them with more school supplies and services.
Goal #5 – $100,000 This would be a dream come true and would be enough money to make major changes/additions in order to better the lives and futures of many children in Sulphur Springs.
Let’s do our best to try and smash one of these goals! For every $1,000 we raise during the first five goals I will meet it with a personal donation of $100.
Let’s show these children how much this community cares for them. And let’s help Letitia feel like the struggle of keeping these doors open to our kids is nothing more than a bump.
Saltillo Varsity Girls Basketball Tournament Begins with Pool Play Thursday; 10 Teams Compete
POOL PLAY
Pool A: Pool B:
Bullard CHESS
Chisum Clarksville
North Lamar Paris
Rivercrest Quinlan Ford
Saltillo Winnsboro
Thursday-Nov. 16 Friday-Nov. 17
8:00 Rivercrest vs Bullard 8:00 North Lamar vs Saltillo
9:20 CHESS vs Paris 9:20 Clarksville vs Winnsboro
10:40 Saltillo vs Rivercrest 10:40 North Lamar vs Rivercrest
12:00 Bullard vs North Lamar 12:00 Winnsboro vs. Paris
1:20 Paris vs Clarksville 1:20 Chisum vs. Bullard
2:40 North Lamar vs Chisum 2:40 CHESS vs Clarksville
4:00 Clarksville vs Quinlan 4:00 Rivercrest vs Chisum
5:20 Winnsboro vs CHESS 5:20 Paris vs Quinlan
6:40 Chisum vs Saltillo 6:40 Bullard vs Saltillo
8:00 Quinlan vs Winnsboro 8:00 Quinlaln vs CHESS
Saltillo Girls Basketball; Photo From Previous Season
Free Thanksgiving Feast at Mitchell Chapel Thursday
Thursday, November 16,2017 at 11:00am until 1:00pm, The Mitchell Chapel COGIC Food Ministry invites the community to their first annual Thanksgiving Feast. Thanksgiving is next week and there are a lot of people in this community that don’t get to spend time with their families or get a good hot meal on Thanksgiving.
So The Mitchell Chapel COGIC Family wants to be blessing to the community.
MENU:
Chicken And Dressing
English Pea Salad
Home Made Macaroni And Cheese
Rolls Dessert Tea
“With A Little Extra As Well” So Please Bring A Friend, Family Members, Yourself Or Someone You Know That Could Use A Good Hot Meal. So Come On By Mitchell Chapel COGIC(402 South Jackson Street)… “We Are Here To Serve The Whole Man Spiritually And Physically”
Wildcats Win in Overtime; Lady Cats’ Defense Rules North Lamar
Wildcats Basketball 70, Rockwall Heath 65 (Overtime)
The Wildcats’ basketball team outscored Rockwall Heath 7-2 in overtime to take a 70-65 win at Rockwall Heath Tuesday night. The Wildcats trailed by double digits with just minutes to go in regulation before staging a big comeback using a ferocious press. Inside the last minute, the Wildcats trailed by two. Dedric Godbolt got a huge steal but missed a driving layup. Victor Iwuakor grabbed the rebound and his thundering dunk tied the score with about 28 seconds left. A late Hawks shot did not fall sending the game to overtime. Iwuakor hit a 15 foot jump shot early in overtime to give the Wildcats a two point lead. Godbolt hit a cold blooded three pointer to increase the lead in overtime to 5. A Hawk basket reduced the Wildcats lead to 3. The Hawks then fouled Michael Jefferson. Despite admitting to being nervous, Jefferson hit both free throws and the Wildcats led by 5 with just seconds left. The lead held up. To pull off the upset, the Wildcats had to overcome a barrage of Hawk’s three point baskets. They hit a total of 14. Using six threes, the Hawks led after one quarter 23-15. They went cold in the second quarter and the Wildcats took a half time lead of 32-31. With five more threes in the third quarter, Rockwall Heath went up 52-43 after three quarters. The Wildcats big comeback in the fourth quarter in which they outscored the Hawks 20-11 tied the score at 63-63. Then came the overtime heroics. Keaston Willis led the Wildcats with 26 points. Iwuakor chipped in 16 points and spearheaded the Wildcats defense despite playing with four fouls for most of the second half. Michael Jefferson added 15 points. Godbolt had 6 points. GG Ezedinma had 5 points. Xavier Cork had 2 points. The Wildcats are now 2-0 for the season. They have their home opener Monday at 7:30 p.m. as they host Lindale in Wildcats Gym.
Lady Cats Basketball 33, North Lamar 17
Lady Cats Basketball Coach Jeff Chapman stresses defense. He feels that even if your offense is struggling, a stifling defense will still give you a chance to win. A case in point was the Lady Cats 33-17 victory at North Lamar Tuesday night. The Lady Cats led 11-0 after the first quarter. They increased their lead to 17-4 at halftime. They led 26-12 after three quarters and outscored the Pantherettes, 7-5 in the fourth quarter to take the 33-17 win. The Lady Cats are now 2-0 for the season. The Lady Cats have their home opener Friday at 6:30 p.m. as they host Hugo, Oklahoma.
