September Storytime at the Sulphur Springs Public Library
Sulphur Springs Public Library announces our new Storytime beginning September 4 in the Storytime room at the library on the first and third Fridays of every month through May at 10:30am
The Very Ready Reading Program for preschoolers and their parent/caregiver uses books, music and activities to encourage the lifelong benefits of early literacy for your child.
Ten Powerful Reasons to share books with 2 and 3 year olds
- Opportunity for a parent and child to spend time together and bond in a positive way.
- Developing a love of books and a positive attitude toward reading occurs naturally when parents demonstrate a love of books and reading.
- Nurtures a love for reading and books.
- Teaches how to handle books.
- Offers rich language experiences and larger vocabularies.
- Introduces fine arts through a variety of media and styles used in illustrations and storytelling through art.
- Stimulates brain development and increases attention span.
- Sharing picture books provides opportunities to participate verbally through repetition of words and phrases.
- Increases vocabulary. Books contain unfamiliar or rare words that are not often heard in everyday speech.
- A child’s success in learning to read is linked to his or her early literary experiences with books.
Research has repeatedly shown how important parent-and-child interactions are in the development of early literacy skills. Sharing books and language with children is critical in preparing them for reading success. The 7 Days-7 Ways philosophy recommends seven activities that can be shared with children on a daily basis: Share Books, Words, Rhymes, Songs, Stories, Writing and Playtime.
At birth, a baby can have 100 billion brain cells, but only a small number of these cells are connected. Brain connections are established when a child has repeated sensory experiences like seeing, hearing, tasting, touching and smelling. These actually come naturally when interacting with a child. The great part of this program is the three most important things a baby’s brain development needs from the parent is as easy as ABC: give your baby Attention, Bonding and Communication!
Please call the library at 903-885-4926 if you have any questions.
September 2015 Schedule of Activities at Cooper Lake State Park
Can you believe it? The month of September is at the door! August has been a busy month here at Cooper Lake State Park in spite of the “dog days of summer”. Surprisingly, the nights over the past few weeks have been just perfect for getting outside and exploring nature. With September comes the Labor Day weekend and the end of summer camping trip. If you haven’t already made your reservations for a campsite it may be too late. The majority of our campsites have already been reserved but don’t give up! You never know if someone will change their plans and open a spot for you.
One item of interest in the month of September will be the Harvest Moon, the full moon closest to the Autumnal Equinox, which takes place on September 27th and 28th. Not only will the Moon be in its full phase it will also be a “Super” Moon. Not only that but it will be a Super “Super” Moon. A Super Moon is a full moon that appears larger than the normal moon. That is the result of the moon’s orbit coming close to earth making it appear larger but it is really just closer to us. And the reason it will be a Super “Super” Moon is that it will be at its closest to earth than any other time this year. Not long after it reaches its closest point the moon will begin to enter an eclipse and will appear to be reddish in color or “Blood Moon”.
Our programs will be slowing down a bit over September because of some special programs taking place here as well as at other parks around the area. We will still be having the Dutch Oven cooking program on the second Saturday and would love to have some of you Dutch Oven cooks come out and cook with me. That will be at 9:30 a.m. on September 12th at the South Sulphur Unit.
Some of you may have come out to hike just to find that Coyote Run Trail was partially closed because of need for a bridge repair. That has been completed and Coyote Run is now entirely open and available for hiking or biking traffic. Get outside and enjoy the great outdoors and there is no better place to do that than at Cooper Lake State Park! We look forward to seeing you! Catch up with us on Facebook for events and happenings at Cooper Lake State Park!
LIFE IS BETTER OUTSIDE!
Jim Beach
Park Police Officer/Park Interpreter
Cooper Lake State Park/South Sulphur Unit
Police Impersonator Hits Area Cities
Sulphur Springs Police Chief Jay Sanders has issued an alert for local businesses, especially those located along the interstate. A series of robberies similar to one that took place in Sulphur Springs June 21 occurred last night in near-by cities along I-30. It happened again Saturday night in the city. At 6 p.m. Saturday Evening at the Day’s Inn. Over the weekend, the same type of robbery took place at the T A Travel Center in Rockwall and in motels in Greenville, Mount Vernon, and Mount Pleasant. Late Monday, the local police department released a picture of the possible suspect. The picture was provided by a surveillance camera at one of the crime scenes.
The unknown individual is described as a black male 30-40 years old, between 5-feet 9-inches and 5-feet 10-inches tall, weighing, 200-240 pounds, wearing a dark colored shirt, tan pants, a black cap that has the word police. His accessories included a badge, a radio on his belt with what looks like a gun. He used a different auto in each city.
On June 21 of this year, the Sulphur Springs Police Department was alerted to a man flashing a badge, claimed to be a peace officer, and took money and belongings from several people as part of what he said was a criminal investigation. That incident happened at a Shannon Road veterinary clinic. When officers arrived, the man was gone.
Illustrator Heather Karstens to Speak at Silver Leos Writers Guild
Silver Leos Writers Guild will host its September meeting on Wednesday, September 9th, from 1-4:30 p.m. September’s guest speaker will be Heather Karstens, a Sulphur Springs artist and illustrator. Her topic will be “The Art of Illustrating Children’s Literature” in which she will illumine how an author finds an illustrator, the costs involved, and how the collaborative team works. A Q&A session will follow her presentation.
Karstens has been drawing since elementary school when she won a “Keep California Green” contest competing against students from a three-state area plus British Columbia, no small feat for a third grader. Later, Karstens studied art at BYU under an art scholarship; however, she credits her high school art teacher, Arlan Welch, with teaching her passion as an artist and as the one person who inspired her the most.
Karstens’s diverse art experience spans over 45 years and covers a multitude of art areas. She has worked as a graphics artist, a paste-up artist, a cartoon cell painter, art director for a T-shirt painting business, as well as a sign painter for ten years. Karstens has painted and sold over 300 portraits and currently teaches private art lessons from the studio in her home. She paints in all mediums and is currently working on an oil painting from a photo of the ruins of the Greek city Pergamum in Southwest Turkey. She enjoys painting sights she and her husband have seen while traveling together.
Silver Leos member Sharon Feldt, also a Sulphur Springs resident, is a retired kindergarten teacher and a children’s picture book author. Feldt released her first children’s picture book late last fall, The Stable, an engaging story of the Nativity as told from the animals’ perspective. The book was well received among Silver Leos members and other fans.
Feldt has recently created a new character who will be featured in a series of stories. The character is a resourceful, clever, and energetic nine year-old girl named Sarah O’Shea who has a head full of wild and crazy red hair that has a mind of its own. Feldt needed a new illustrator since Abbott Press, the original publisher of The Stable, is no longer handling children’s books.
As serendipity would have it, Kartstens and Feldt met by way of Feldt’s hairdresser last February. They discussed Feldt’s second book over lunch, and Karstens submitted several sketches of her ideas about how the story should be illustrated. Feldt was immediately enamored, and the two have been collaborating ever since. The first book in Feldt’s and Karstens’s new series, The Scary Hair of Sarah O’Shea , will be released in the next several weeks through Life Rich Publishing. The newest installment of Sarah’s adventures, Sarah O’Shea and the Wacky Faucet, is still in process. Hang on to your hats; the collaborative team of Feldt and Karstens have unleashed the adventures of the soon-to-be-a-favorite, Sarah O’Shea!
Silver Leos Writers Guild is a chapter of TAMU-C Alumni Association. Annual dues are $20. Refreshments will be served from 1:00 to 1:30. Peer critiques of member submissions will begin at 1:30 and will be followed by the guest speaker. The Guild meets on the second Wednesday of each month in the Alumni Center at TAMU-Commerce on the west side of the campus. Those interested in honing their craft of writing, whether novices, professionals, or anywhere in between, are welcome. For more information, please call Bobbie Purdy at 903-886-6120 or Vivian Freeman at 903-886-8953, or you may email them at [email protected] or [email protected]. Please see also http://silverleos.net.
by Jan Helton
Water Now OK in Mt Vernon
Due to low system pressure as a result of low water levels, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) required Mount Vernon water system, the City of Mount Vernon/800001, to notify customers of the need to boil their water prior to consumption Saturday, August 29. The order has now been removed following a testing that assured the proper standards for the public water service.
A refill switch on water tower malfunctioned. Water tower did not refill overnight causing problems. Local restaurants serving bottled water and canned drinks.
Meal-a-Day for Week of August 31st
Football Friday Night Destination: Bearcat Stadium
Plan to attend the Friday September 4th Football game between our Sulphur Springs Wildcats and the Sherman Bearcats. It all goes down at Bearcat stadium. Game starts at 7:30 PM.
Google Map Directions to Bearcat Stadium
Variety of Continuing Ed Classes Offered at PJC-Sulphur Springs
A variety of classes are available in September from the Paris Junior College-Sulphur Springs Center continuing education department.
All of the classes will meet at the PJC-Sulphur Springs Center located at 1202 West Houston Street. To register, or to get more information, call 903-885-1232 or visit www.parisjc.edu/ce.
The Child Development Associate (CDA) credential is awarded to individuals that have completed 120 hours of classroom training as set forth by the Council for Professional Recognition. The class meets Tuesdays, Sept. 1-Jan.26, from 6 to 9 p.m.
A Microsoft Excel Level 1 course will be offered on Fridays, Sept. 4-11, from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Learn the basics of creating a worksheet; working with formulas and functions; formatting a worksheet; working with charts, and analyzing data using formulas.
A Microsoft Office class will be held from 1 to 4:30 p.m. on Fridays, Sept. 4-11. Learn the basics of Microsoft Office integration. Learn how to integrate Microsoft Word, Excel and Access.
A Nurse Aide class will be offered from 5 to 9 p.m., Sept. 8-Oct. 1, with the clinical meeting Oct. 5-15 from 5 to 10 p.m., both class and clinical meet Mondays through Thursdays. The course offers preparation for entry level nursing assistants.
The Initial Basic Life Support for Health Care Providers class on lifesaving skills for respiratory and cardiac emergencies will meet from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 18. The American Heart Association certifies the class.
Barker Announces Candidacy for Commissioner Precinct 1 Republican Nominee
Today Mickey Barker proudly announces his candidacy in the Republican Primary Election for the position of Commissioner of Precinct 1 in Hopkins County. Mickey has had the privilege of being active in various civic, business and community affairs in Hopkins County in the 38 years he has called this county home. After a successful thirty-six year construction management career with Verizon, now is the time to give back to the citizens of Hopkins County that have provided him so many wonderful opportunities.During his time working with Verizon, Mickey was responsible for all construction projects in the East and North East Texas area which included seventy-eight telephone exchanges.
Building productive relationships with city, county and state officials was a necessity when completing communications and infrastructure projects within and across multiple jurisdictions throughout the region.Mickey and his wife, Susie Connally Barker, have lived on County Road 1107 for thirteen years and are the owners of Flowerland Florist and Gifts in downtown Sulphur Springs. Mickey and Susie have been married for twenty-nine years and together they have raised two sons; Daniel Gene DeWitt (deceased) and Bradley Barker who now resides in Dallas with their beautiful granddaughter. Civic involvement has been a highlight of Mickey’s life in Hopkins County as he formally served as President of the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce, member of the Sulphur Springs Planning and Zoning Board, member of Sulphur Springs Crime Stoppers Board, member of the Hopkins County Civic Center Rodeo Committee, member of the United Way Board of Hopkins County and a member of Kiwanis Club. Mickey is a 1993 graduate of Leadership Sulphur Springs and he currently serves on the Brashear Water Supply Corporation Board.“I believe my extensive construction management experience, ongoing civic involvement and true-to-my-roots conservative values will be a great asset to Hopkins County and the citizens of Precinct 1. We are very blessed to live in an area with an abundance of natural resources. Hopkins County will continue to experience growth and it is the responsibility of all of us citizens to ensure that growth is welcomed in a community-oriented and fiscally responsible way in order to preserve our history, our culture and our future.” ”Let’s all work together for a better Hopkins County”
