Can you believe that this week is the start of summer (officially), and the longest daylight hours of the year will be on June 20? I looked this up since I always thought it was on June 21, but we have summer equinox this week on Friday.
A Juneteenth celebration will take place on Saturday starting at 9 a.m. outside the Courthouse. The Emancipation Proclamation will be read, speeches will be heard from elected officials and Friends of Hopewell who sponsor the event. A parade follows and then at 11 a.m. there will be food, fellowship and fun at Hopewell Center.
The Republican Club of our county had their meeting last Tuesday with guest speakers District Attorney Todd Dillon, Tammy Farkas, Head of SAAFE House with Chloe Baker, and Josh Pauley who founded ‘Run Home First’. He started the organization for abused boys by introducing them to sport. The topic was how each organization was tackling the problems of child abuse and domestic violence. The large gathering was given a lot of information and asked questions.
On the same night SJC Democratic Party had their monthly meeting at The Family Restaurant in Shepherd. Barbara Justice had the pleasant task of giving 3 scholarships of $500 each to graduating students. Barbara was representing the Polk/San Jacinto County NAACP.
Future plans for fund raising and the ‘No Kings’ protest, to be held on Saturday, were also on the agenda. About 85 people gathered at the courthouse for a peaceful demonstration and the weather helped make the occasion pleasant with sunny weather and a light breeze.
Fish Friday is June 20 at SJC Senior Center. Last week The Red Hat Ladies met at the Senior Center for the Father’s Day Lunch. This was a beautiful meal, tables were decorated and we ate ribs, beans and potato salad with delicious cake to follow. Music was provided by DJ Ken and Gregg Cones. You can buy tickets for the Bingo Night on Friday, July 18 at 6 p.m. The Bingo Night is hosted by the Coldspring VFD, so come join them for fun, prizes and community support. Admission is $25.
Coldspring VFD also hosted a dinner with ladies from the SJC Women’s League Board. The meal was beautifully served spaghetti with meat sauce, salad and strawberry shortcake with cream. It was delicious! The members of the Women’s League talked about their organization, and how many were also involved in other community events.
Linda Deeter talked about ‘Quilts for Kids,’ and showed some of these she had in her car. First Responders in our county have these free quilts for the occasion when a child is in crisis. Injured or abused, in hospital or in an accident, quilts are a great source of comfort for a child. The Fire Dept. hosts different groups in our community on a regular basis.
Vendors for July 5 Shepherd Independence Day may pick up a form at Shepherd Library, online at the web site or by calling me.
Shepherd Chamber of Commerce-210-995-7420. Coldspring Chamber of Commerce- 936-653-2184.
Yvonne Cones is president of the Shepherd Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Coldspring Chamber of Commerce.
