42 is the “National Game of Texas” and Popular in Hopkins County
The popular domino game of 42 originated in the Lone Star State in 1887, and 130 years later, it’s thriving popularity has spread worldwide. Hopkins County, Texas is home to several tournaments. One of these is the George Dorner Memorial 42 Tournament, held since 2014 at the Sulphur Bluff Methodist Church on the second Saturday in July.
Dorner was an active member there and a contributing part of his home community, serving in the Masonic Lodge for 50 years, in Eastern Star for 27 years, on the school board and as a charter member of the volunteer fire department, and as owner/operator of the Sulphur Bluff “Dorner Store” for 28 years. He delighted in the students who attended Sulphur Bluff school and saw many of them grow to success as adults. His family felt that a 42 tournament was a fitting memorial for him.
This year, 18 teams entered the Memorial Tournament. Winners (pictured below) by team: First Place David Caldwell and Jim Potts; Second Place Travis and Patsy Patridge; Third Place Ronny Martin and Joey Martin. Each of the winners received a custom metal trophy or plaque custom created by the Sulphur Bluff FFA Department.
Proceeds from the tourney are used to purchase Bibles to be given to graduating Sulphur Bluff students during the class Baccalaureate Service.
First Place Jim Potts/David Caldwell with Patricia Dorner
Second Place Travis and Patsy Patridge
Third Place Joey Martin and Ronny Martin
A History of 42:
FORTY-TWO (DOMINO GAME). The inauspicious beginning of the domino game 42 occurred in 1887 in the tiny Texas school community of Trapp Spring (now a part of Garner), located in Parker County about forty-five miles west of Fort Worth. Two Trapp Spring boys, William Thomas, age twelve, and Walter Earl, age fourteen, really liked to play cards but were forbidden to do so by the cultural mores of the time. They turned to dominoes, which was not deemed to be sinful. The two boys devised and fine-tuned the rules for a new card game with dominoes called 42. It is a bidding game, with trumps, where two teams of two players each face off against each other in an attempt to win the most points. A standard twenty-eight piece (double-six) domino set is used. The game’s name comes from the fact that forty-two points are available each hand. The first team to accumulate 250 points wins the game.
Thomas and Earl introduced the game to their families, and they taught it to their small community. Thomas delivered fruit from his father’s orchard to nearby Mineral Wells, and he also taught those townspeople to play 42. Later the Thomases and Earls moved to Fannin County in Northeast Texas, again introducing 42 to the locals. The game quickly spread throughout the state, and by 1940 folks were learning and playing 42 in every corner of Texas. Participants heralded 42 as a fun game that promoted good, clean fellowship. During World War II Texas military men even took the game overseas and taught it to their fellow countrymen.
The game of 42 quickly wove itself into the fabric of Texas communities and families and was passed down orally from generation to generation. Only in the 1990s were the rules, strategy, and history of the game finally published in book form, with Winning 42: Strategy & Lore of the National Game of Texas. The book also contains a chapter on famous Texans from all walks of life who grew up playing 42.
More than 120 years later, the game is still quite popular in Texas, where it’s played in homes, churches, and clubs, as well as at impromptu neighborly get-togethers. Weekend 42 tournaments, many associated with local festivals, are held in communities throughout the state during the year. Hallettsville hosts an annual state championship, and the Texas Senior Games crowns 42 champions each year. Enthusiasts have also established websites where players of 42 from all over the state or the world can compete against each other anytime, twenty-four hours a day. The game is still being passed on to the future generations of Texans. On June 17, 2011 the game of 42 was designated the official State Domino Game of Texas.
DeLeon Leaves Lady Cats for Lady Tigers
Lady Cats Soccer Coach Jesus DeLeon has resigned to become the new head coach of the Texas High Lady Tigers. Coach DeLeon submitted a letter of resignation to Athletic Director Greg Owens last Monday, July 3. By the end of the week, Coach DeLeon was notified that his resignation had been accepted by the Sulphur Springs School District.
Coach DeLeon indicated he had been seeking another job to help his wife in her job search. She recently lost a position at a Sulphur Springs company and has some job prospects in Texarkana. Coach DeLeon will be replacing one of his friends in the coaching profession, Dustin Holly. Coach Holly is leaving Texas High for a head coaching job at Wichita Falls Rider. Coach DeLeon and Coach Holly coached against each other years ago in Wichita Falls.
Coach DeLeon was Lady Cats Soccer Coach for eight years making the playoffs all but one season. The Lady Cats greatest success under Coach DeLeon occurred during the 2016 season. The Lady Cats advanced to the third round of the playoffs with victories over Whitehouse in bi-districtand Waxahachie in area. The Lady Cats lost out in a close third round match to Mansfield Legacy. Before coaching at Sulphur Springs, Coach DeLeon had coaching stops at Houston , Corsicana, Wichita Falls and Round Rock.
soccer ball net
Senior Ice Cream Freeze Off: July 13th
Below is all of the YUMMY flavors of Ice Cream that you will be able to sample on Thursday, July 13th at 2:00 at the Senior Citizens Center.
“Veterans Voices”, a Popular KSST Program
Local attorney Tommy Allison is the host of the weekly Veteran’s Voices program, heard live on KSST each Monday morning at 8:10 am. Listeners to ksstradio.com also catch the program streaming and find it to be entertaining and helpful.
Tommy Allison, host of KSST’s Veterans Voices program
According to Tommy, he spends part of each week researching sources of news of interest to Veterans. Sources include American Legion and VFW magazines, bulletins from military branches, clippings that listeners send to him and articles that he has notices in local publications. News topics during the program may include Veterans benefits, pending legislation, career opportunities in the branches of service and interesting military history. Listeners frequently contact Tommy regarding articles he has mentioned. When he gets inquiries from Texas Veterans, he refers these callers to the Bonham VA facility, the Regional VA offices in Waco, or Veterans Land Board in Austin, as well as attorneys and other professionals that help Veterans at no charge to them. Routinely, he refers callers to Hopkins County Veterans Service Officer Danny Davis as a good source of information and assistance.
Frequently, the Veterans Voices program will include updates on the Veterans Memorial located in downtown Sulphur Springs. The Memorial, which includes ___ walls with names of service members inscribed, an eternal flame, a water feature, a kiosk area, service flags, soldier statues, lighting and seating, is now five years old. It was dedicated on July 4, 2012, but is an ongoing memorial as names of servicemen and women can still be added to the walls. Tommy was on the committee that created the Memorial. A former Marine, he is also a charter member of the US Marine Corps League, a service organization that was founded in Sulphur Springs about seven years ago. When Tommy started the Veteran Voices radio program a few years ago, he found local businesses that were eager to support his efforts. Today, West Oaks Funeral Home, Northeast Texas Janitorial Supply and Circle E Western Store sponsor the program and extend continued support of the weekly Veterans program.
Aggravated Assault Charges Filed
When Hopkins County Deputies arrived at the location of a disturbance at a residence on State Highway 11E, they were told by the resident that Jonathan Ray Weems, 37, of Winnsboro had brandished a knife and stated he was going to kill them. The complainant also stated that Weems had vandalized the inside of their residence.
The arresting officer also noted that it was his belief Weems was under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of the arrest.
Weems is in Hopkins County Jail charged with three counts of Felony 2 Aggravated Assault Date/Family/House with a Weapon. He is being held on $50,000 bond for each count.
Stolen Firearm Found During Disturbance Call
Sulphur Springs Police responded to a disturbance in the 200 block of Locust Street Saturday evening around 8:30 p.m. There they found Meldrick Dewayne Roland, 26 of Sulphur Springs in close proximity to a Chevy 2500 Pickup. He admitted that he was the last person in the vehicle and the one who drove the pickup to the location. In the vehicle was a firearm laying in plain view with the window down. A check on the firearm showed it to be stolen.
Roland is in Hopkins County jail charged with Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, a Felony 3 and Theft of a Firearm, a State Jail Felony. He is being held on a total of $30,000 in bonds.
Felon in Possession of Firearm Arrest Made by Cumby Police
Sunday evening, Cumby Police stopped a 2002 Jeep Cherokee at the 113-mile marker for having a broken tail light . The smell of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle created the need for a probable cause search inside the vehicle. A stolen Ruger 9MM semi-automatic pistol was found underneath the back passenger seat.
The firearm had been stolen out of Sherman, Texas according to a records check. Also found in the vehicle were three unknown pills inside a clear plastic bag.
Xavious Amad Taylor, 21 of Dallas was arrest for Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, a Felony 3, and is in Hopkins County jail held on a $20,000 bond.
Wake Up With the Saturday Morning Market
Where can you go to find fresh produce, as well as tasty treats, and practical purchases? That’s right, the morning market! Located on Gilmer street between Alliance Bank and City National Bank and available every Saturday from 8:00a.m. to 2:00 p.m. . This hidden gem is one of the best things about Sulphur Springs. Friendly, local vendors look forward to visiting with customers and discussing the history behind their products. Ksst met with many of the local vendors who were happy to share their stories:
Ramie Phillips sells homemade specialty soaps with some help from her son Judd. Phillip’s’ soaps can be found at the CO-OP but she enjoys coming to the market because her favorite thing about the market is “the people!” Phillips began making soaps after her son was born, and she had a lot of downtime. She read a lot and started watching videos about soap making and eventually became interested in making soaps. She perfected her craft by hand milking her goats and using the “cool process method.” “With milk soaps you have to carefully add lye and try to keep them around 65 degrees while mixing everything, and make sure the milk doesn’t scorch!” After she has her base created she “pours it into a 5lb mold” before adding the aromatic scents and essential oils. Total prep time takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes, then it goes into the fridge for 4-5 days before it is set out to cure for 4-6 weeks. As with everything she does, Phillips puts the same love and care into her soaps as she does with her family. Her variety of soaps range from unscented oatmeal and honey, cocoa mint, and mint mocha.
Cool Beans Coffee owned and operated by Gary Simmons and Amanda Treadaway made its debut at the morning market. Usually the pair can be found at the Saturday evening markets. Cool Beans specializes in cold pressed specialty coffees, offering a variety of flavors and styles including sugar free and non-dairy options. Simmons said he “loves the community involvement.” The coffee stand’s best seller is the Caramel Frappuccino, and at night they also sell various flavored lemon-aids as well. “It’s just something fun for us to do and make a little money on the side.” Simmons explained when asked if Sulphur Springs would possibly have a new coffee shop. Being from Shreveport, Simmons shared the inspiration for their hobby. “There’s a coffee shop there that we love and they inspired us.” Simmons secret for their delicious coffee? Cold brewing their coffee. It cools 18-24 hours allowing the coffee to have less acidity and a smoother taste.
Christy Williams from Williams Produce was out and selling local vegetables from Hopkins county, and fruit from Pittsburgh, TX. She attends the morning market every Saturday. “I really enjoy meeting new people.” Williams said She enjoys meeting people and sharing quality produce with them. Her customers come from all over the area and even some from out of state. One customer came “all the way from Pennsylvania!” Her favorite thing to grow is her best seller – tomatoes. Williams shared the best way to prepare her green tomatoes, by “slicing them thin, and putting a little bit of olive oil and spices in a pan before baking them in the oven.” or if you slice them thinner and cook them a little longer you can make a tomato chip. “It’s almost like potato chips.” Williams enjoys helping run the family business with her mother and sister.
Julie Davis, Sharon Horton, and Marsha McRight were selling produce from the Hopkins County Sherriffs Department Trustee’s farm. They’ve been working at the morning markets “every Saturday morning for 8 weeks.” Horton’s favorite part of the market is interaction with the customers and the knowledge she has gained from working on the farm and growing the various vegetables. “We’ve learned a lot about growing our own vegetables and are bringing in money for the jail.” The Sherriffs Department is working hard to help the trustees become a self sufficient unit by growing and processing everything they need and takiing some of the burden off of the taxpayers.
Davis explained the process behind the farm. The male “trustees plow and plant the garden, while the women pick and harvest it.”
“We also have an honor system stand over across from the jail, where people can purchase excess vegetables grown from the garden.” Horton said. In addition to the 3 gardens where the trustees grow produce, they also have livestock such as chickens, hogs, and calves.
McRight said that she’d only just begun working in the gardens. “I have a new respect for farmers!” She stated and added how amazing it was to “start with a beautiful plant and it flowers and turns into something for food.”
“God has his hand on it.” Horton added gratefully, before telling KSST what to expect next. The trustees “will soon be growing a pumpkin patch for the fall!”
William Ragan was selling his raw and unfiltered honey. He’s been selling things at the market for 3-4 years. He described how he got his start in bee keeping . It was “completely random!” He was talking to a neighbor when a man walked up needing help with his bee boxes and Ragan jumped into beekeeping learning as he went. He encouraged others to get involved in Beekeeping and honey making. “You can do it by yourself, but expect a lot of hardships; it’s a lot of fun and you get to interact with an animal that is a lot smarter than you anticipate.” Ragan clearly has learned a lot in his 3 years of bee keeping as he is quick to share techniques, history and interesting trivia of his craft. What most people don’t know is how “incredibly complex” it is to create the honey. It all depends on ” the weather, what plants bloom, night temperatures, there’s an amazing ecosystem in Sulphur Springs where bees can propagate, creating unique honey that doesn’t taste like its from a grocery store.” Ragan said he had 107 bee boxes, that need constant maintenance “just like cattle” he added. Ragan is always willing to give educational tours of the bee boxes or provide honey if you miss him at the market. Contact him at (361)-332-1515.
Craig Robbins owner of “Wood N Tings” was out selling some home decor. He said his most popular items were the bird houses he creates out of palette wood and metal license plates or tin. He’s been attending the morning markets since May 20th. He specializes in re-purposing items into bird feeders or wine bottle holders, and hopes to eventually break into candle making. Moving here from Ohio in 2009, Robbins says he is inspired by things he sees when he is out and about and what he finds on “Pintrest”. “The reason I’m here, I’m retired and it gives me something to do and I get to meet new people.”
Bobby London, a local favorite at the market, is the longest participants of the market, having participated for 7 years on the square. After learning to cook when she was 6, 70 years later, she “constantly is learning new ways to cook.” By running Midway Farms with her son, she says she “went back to her roots.” She loves taking orders, and even makes Dr. Pepper Jelly, which she created and perfected without a recipe. Customers return time and again to find her and her wonderful homemade wares!
The Morning Markets are a great place to purchase fresh vegetables, and items for your home. Grab something from the vendors to snack on for breakfast while you walk around an check out all the amazing booths.
Pacific Park Community Mission and Celebration Outreach
By Savannah Owens
Celebrating the 20th year of the Pacific Park Praise Night and Community Mission Celebration, Morning Chapel Baptist Church teamed up with Journey Baptist Church to create an event for the whole community with 3 on 3 basketball games, bounce houses, food and drinks, fun music, as well as kids splashing in the water park. Smiles were on everyone’s faces as they fellow-shipped and enjoyed the event. Not even a little rain could stop this party from continuing!
KSST caught up with Pastor H.B. Nash from Morning Chapel and Pastor Kyle Ray from Journey to talk about this event. This was the 1st year that Journey Baptist Church helped plan and host the event, but it was the 20th anniversary of hosting for Morning Chapel Baptist Church. “I think the community can come together under Christ; The gospel is the answer, not only for personal problems but globally.” Pastor Ray said.
Pastor Kyle Ray with his daughters Shelby and Ella
Pastor H.B. Nash
Pastor Nash said;”We [brought] in a motivational speaker and hope to provide a positive outlook with government relationships and citizens…We started this event back before the shootings to encourage and bring the community together” and that goal still continues to this day. The special motivational speaker is Fort Worth’s Mount Herman Baptist Church’s Pastor Aaron Ray.
Former Layman’s President, and member of Brothers Against Drugs, Corey Spigner, said the event was about “just trying to raise awareness against drugs and bring the community together.”
“I like to watch the clean fun the community has…We’re a unit, Journey Baptist Church and Morning Chapel [and its nice to see everything united together].” Pastor Nash said about his favorite part of the event.
Pastor Ray’s favorite part includes “seeing different ethnicities coming together under the gospel.” The Pastors “have been working together on racial reconciliation for 1 & 1/2 years” and this event was part of their success.
Pastor Nash said “We have businesses and individuals who have given to this event and a summer youth work program to help 30 children be mentored in the community.” Pastor Nash explained that the kids use the money they earn from the mentorship program to purchase school supplies and clothes for the next school year.
The community can get more involved by showing up and donating to help the Churches causes. “What we need is donations to help these kids in the summer. We had a grant from the DA’s office and changes in the system caused them to lose funding.” Morning Chapel members then sent out letters to the community looking for internships/mentorships for the students in the program. If you are interested in mentoring students, contact Clifton Nash with B.A.D. through Morning Chapel Baptist Church at (903)-885-4978.
Nylah Ellenn and Krystyana Waterhouse
Krystyana Waterhouse has been attending the Pacific Park Community Outreach and Celebration for 4-5 years. Her friend Nylah Ellenn attended last year, and again this year. Their favorite part of the event are the bounce houses.
Cayden Spigner and Zhakari Jackson
Cadyen Spigner and Zhakari Jackson said their favorite part of the event was the delicious food. There were hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, popcorn, snow-cones, and much more!
Coryn Young and Damia Dugan have attended the event since they were little. Coryn’s favorite part is”coming here, spending time with family and friends and learning about God.”
Wylie Martin, Marla Cofer, Nova Nolen, Kevin Little, Katherine Little, and Krista Caldwell
Wylie Martin, Marla Cofer, Nova Nolen, Krista Caldwell, Kevin Little, and Katherine Little were all enjoying the cool weather, and watching the kids enjoy the bounce houses. Krista Caldwell said “it was fun seeing all the kids playing together, and the teens playing basketball together, even when they don’t know each other they just click.”
Kevin little agreed saying he loved “the ability for the community to come together.”
Sadaidriene Hall (pictured in orange) and friends
Sadaidriene Hall has attended the event for two years, and his favorite part was the 3 on 3 basketball games.
KSST’s own Dollie Kelly was there serving burgers and hot dogs to hungry people. “This is the first year we’ve joined with the Journey Church and its been nice; we’ve enjoyed it…except for the rain..there’s been good fellowship, food and fun!”
Damia Dugan, Coryn Young, Shandis Young, and Rylee Godbolt
Shandis Young has attended “from the beginning”. Her favorite part is the singing on Praise night.
Rylee Godbolt age 6, said her favorite part was when she could play and eat her “red strawberry” flavored snow-cone.
Saturday was about fun, Sunday’s event is about worship. Don’t miss Praise Night on Sunday July 9th at 7:00 pm.
