One of the pleasures of writing this column is that I meet a lot of people at the meetings in our county and consequently make good friends too.
This week, the Community and Children's Impact Center held a surprise birthday party at Shepherd Sanctuary on Schraderville Road. Teddy Elliot is now 30 years old. Teddy works at the Impact Center. Brenda Myers and her Board members and friends kept the secret of the Big Party from Teddy who was given a Spiderman-themed gathering with two cakes to make the evening perfect.
Peach, who owns the event venue along with Connie, has decorated the center in an amazing collection of lights, chandeliers and beautiful art. They describe it as a rustic retreat, workshop and event venue. Campgrounds and a pond, individual cabins and doggie daycare are all part of the service.
To know more go to their website or Facebook or call (281) 705-2581.
•Coldspring Library held its annual Edith Clark's Princess Tea Party last Saturday. Two sessions gave many more little princesses a chance to shine. This event was a big success and was enjoyed by all.
Congratulations to the staff and helpers who worked hard to make this so. Marsha Brown is President of the Coldspring Library Board and told me that Dolly Parton's Imagination Library has donated nearly 3,000 books to children aged from 0 to 5 years since the program began.
Both Coldspring and Shepherd libraries partner in this program. Ask your library director for details. Both libraries welcome volunteers; to know more call Coldspring (936) 653-3104 or Shepherd (936) 628-3515.
•Coldspring Garden Club will have an outing to Conroe Greenhouses on Friday, March 6. Although they once were located in Conroe, their address now is 111 Vick Spring Road in New Waverly. You may carpool if you wish, meet at 8 a.m. at the Coldspring Community Center. Please RSVP by Thursday to let them know; otherwise, meet the group there at 9 a.m.
There will be many interesting items to purchase there if you wish and lunch together afterwards is also on the agenda if you would like to continue the outing. The Garden Club will be the sponsors of the Fish Friday on March 20 at the SJC Senior Center.
•Recently I mentioned Margaret Williams as one of the founding members of the Inspired Hope Outreach Church. This group hosted some residents of Woodland Park Nursing and Rehab Home in Shepherd. There was a very large photo of her when she was Grand Queen of Heroines of Jericho.
I asked her about this organization and found it was related to the Masonic Order, as is the Order of the Eastern Star. Margaret was Texas Grand Queen of the Youth Palace of Heroines of Jericho. There is a Chapter in Point Blank and Eastern Star has a Chapter in Shepherd, though this is an adult group.
Margaret Williams was born in Texas in Greenville, north of Dallas. She went to Prairie View to study and met her future husband there. Lee Williams was a coach and teacher in Coldspring while Margaret taught in Shepherd. She says she taught for 50 years.
I know that many of her students, now parents and grandparents, come up to her when they see her to say hello. She is a great supporter of Friends of Hopewell, the Coldspring organization which promotes the history of the African American culture in our area. Margaret recently was elected as alderwoman of Shepherd City Council. She loves to help our community in any way she can.
You may remember the photo of the two of us at the Murder Mystery Dinner last year, hosted by Coldspring Library as a fundraiser. Like I commented at the beginning of this column, I meet many wonderful people in our community and Margaret Williams is one of them.
•Do not forget to become a vendor at the Shepherd Community Market. Forms are available at Shepherd Library or online at the website. We will open on March 28 from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. There will be music.
Any small home business is welcome to be a part of this endeavor. Crafts, artwork, baking goods, leather and jewelry items, etc., are all welcome. Call me at the Chamber number if you need more information.
•Coldspring Chamber has the Best of San Jacinto competition ongoing. You can go online to vote for your favorite business, person, organization. Tickets are available at the office.
Contact the Shepherd Chamber of Commerce at (210) 995-7420 or the Coldspring Chamber at (936) 653-2184.
Yvonne Cones is president of the Shepherd Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Coldspring Chamber of Commerce.
