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SILKWOOD: 40 YEARS LATER ORCHID LADY OF THE SCREEN NURTURING HEALING LOVE CADDO MOUNDS LATTE ART

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CONTENTS FEATURES

county line Since 2000

8

8 Womack Widens Thread

MAGAZINE

of Soulful Country Music

PUBLISHER & MANAGING EDITOR P.A. Geddie

Lee Ann Womack is touring the states and just released her first CD, “The Way I’m Livin.”

By Tom Geddie

12 Remembering Karen Silkwood

25

November 13 marks the 40th anniversary of the suspicious death of this Longview native and nuclear safety whistle blower.

PR & Marketing Leah Lynch Madison Payne CONTRIBUTORS Tom Geddie

By Madison Payne

Jess LeBeau

16 The Little Drummer Tip Boy

Patti Light

Jeff Dalrymple makes the tips for popular Ahead drumsticks in his shop in a country field near Ben Wheeler.

Alia Pappas Jules Scroggin

By P.A. Geddie

Madison Payne

DEPARTMENTS 5

Edward H. Garcia

Editor’s Note. Letters.

SALES P.A. Geddie

ACROSS THE COUNTY LINE

6 Pounds Airport Runway, UT-Tyler, Texas State Railroad, Tyler Christmas Parade, GoBus Service, Tyler in Award Finals

THIS TIME OF YEAR

10 Thomas Jefferson Rusk, Johnny Mathis, Famous Aviators, The Champagne Lady

CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT

18 Caddo Mounds Reopens, Peanut Butter Festival, Edgewood Festival, Nine Flags Holiday Festival

THE ARTS

20 East Texas Pottery Business, Cass County Art Event

ON STAGE

22 Jefferson Opera House, Playwright Competition, Jingle Bells, Batman Smells

FILM

24 Holiday Classic Movie Takes

By Jules Scroggin and Jess LeBeau

25 Orchid Lady of the Screen

By P.A. Geddie

MUSIC

26 Trace Adkins Christmas Show, The Time Jumpers, Threadgill Series, New Concert Venue

32

COPY EDITOR Terry Britt GRAPHIC DESIGN & PRODUCTION Jette Stephens

LITERARY SCENE

28 Review by P.A. Geddie: A Mother’s Journey of Hope and Forgiveness

By Scarlett Lewis with Natasha Stoynoff Mystery Novel set in Tyler, New Western Novel, Local Author Publishes Fourth Novel

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29 Poetry & Prose

PLAY

30 Ice and Snow in East Texas, Scenic Fall Foliage Trail

County Line Magazine is published once a month, 12 months a year. It is available free of charge in the Northeast Texas area in select businesses, limited to one copy per reader. Subscription costs: $18 per year in Texas, and $22 per year outside Texas.

Bulk rate postage paid at Ben Wheeler, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to County Line Magazine, P.O. Box 608, Ben Wheeler, TX 75754. Contents COPYRIGHT 2014 County Line all rights reserved. Material may not be reproduced without written permission. Opinions expressed in articles appearing in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. Mailing address: P.O. Box 608, Ben Wheeler, TX 75754 Phone: 903.963.8306. E-mail: info@countylinemagazine.com Website: www.countylinemagazine.com. Free listings are entered on a space available basis. Advertising space may be purchased by calling 903.963.8306.

STAY

32 The Inns of Edom

FOOD & DRINK

34 The Grand Piano Bar and Supper Club, Eilenberger Bakery 35 Moore’s Store 36 Community Thanksgiving Meal 38 Latte Art is Hot in the Upper East Side of Texas By Alia Pappas 39 Coffee Terminology, Upper East Side Coffee Shops

SHOP

40 Clara Ida Frances

LIVING ROOM

26

42 Candlelight Tour of Homes, Christmas in a Small Town, Nine Flags Christmas Tour, Mineola Tour of Homes

20

44 Your Presence is Cordially Requested By Madison Payne 45 Pets Fur People, Keep Tyler Beautiful 46 They Won’t Know What to do With Some Things By Edward H. Garcia

Welcome to this warm and fuzzy time of year in the Upper East Side of Texas. The beautiful fall foliage keeps us cruising the backroads through the end of November as we give thanks for all that we have.

December brings parades, home tours, relaxing getaways, festive stage performances, and creative hot latte to roll us in to the season of giving.

In this issue read about so many talented people with roots in our region — legends Thomas Jefferson Rusk, Johnny Mathis, Bessie Coleman, Wiley Post, Alice Lon, and Corinne Griffith.

Learn about Lee Ann Womack’s new CD and how East Texas runs through her talented veins.

Visit with our own “Little Drummer Boy,” Jeff Dalrymple, and find out why famous bands like Bon Jovi, Fleetwood Mac, and

Metallica, are grateful for the work he does in his country shop.

In this issue hear from the children of famous nuclear plant whistleblower Karen Silkwood 40 years after her suspicious death. Still uncertain about what happened, they have come to forgive her for abandoning them all those years ago.

Forgiveness could not come any harder you would think than from the parents of children murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, just two years ago. Yet, one of them has and talks about her journey in a book called “Nurturing Healing Love,” which I’ve reviewed in this issue.

In this exceptional time of year, let’s put down our cell phones and choose real experiences with each other, while we have the opportunities.

P.A. Geddie Publisher & Managing Editor

LETTERS Thank you for highlighting “art guitars” in the September/October 2014 issue of County Line. It was enjoyable to share the process of reviving broken guitars into collectible art through color and pattern, repurposed finds, and a smattering of poetry. Always a fan of County Line.

Judy Gottesman Edom Art, music, food, events, and more!

This is a great magazine featuring everything you need to know about entertainment and culture in the Upper East Side of Texas. That’s got a great ring to it — Upper East Side swanky!

“Great calendar in County Line Magazine’s Sep/Oct issue. I put several things on my calendar including Wine in the Pines in Mt. Vernon, Keb Mo coming to Longview, Edom Festival of the Arts to name just a few.”.

Pamela Bombyk Tyler Really enjoy the articles and features.

Keep it up!

Eddie Hueston Callender Lake

Let us hear from you.

Please feel free to send us your comments.

County Line Magazine P.O. Box 608, Ben Wheeler, TX 75754 email: info@countylinemagazine.com Find us on Facebook and Twitter.

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4 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

Serving the Upper East Side of Texas

Dear Readers,

The Diner Tyler

FEEL GOOD: Making a Difference

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EDITOR’S NOTE

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ACROSS THE COUNTY LINE the private aviation sector. Having reliable aviation infrastructure is very important for our city and the region.”

UT-Tyler Sees Fall Enrollment Increase

The University of Texas at Tyler announces a seven percent enrollment increase for Fall 2014. The preliminary enrollment is 8,114, President Rodney H. Mabry recently announced.

Last year, the total headcount was 7,534 on the 12th class day, which is the fall census date.

Kristi Thomas won a Best in Show ribbon in the recently held Texas Forest Trail Region Photo for this photo taken at Lake O’ the Pines. See more of the stunning photos at www.txforesttrailcontest.com.

Photo by Kristi Thomas/Courtesy of TFTR

Pounds Airport Runway Reconstruction Work Nears

The Tyler City Council authorized Tyler Pounds Regional Airport to accept a new FAA Grant totaling more than $9.6 million. The major portion of this grant is used to begin reconstruction of the airport’s longest runway, portions of which date back to World War II. In the planning and design phase for the past five years city officials enacted a proactive plan to enhance the runway.

“Runway 4/22 is one of our main runways for the commercial air carriers and higher performance aircraft in Tyler,” airport manager Davis Dickson said. “This rehabilitation project is crucial for the future growth of the airport. Once the reconstruction is complete, the runway pavement will be rated to handle larger aircraft plus have a precision approach for landings during inclement weather.”

Airport staff submitted the application for the FAA grant and once received, the airport plans to award the construction contracts to initiate Phase 1 of the Runway 4/22 rehabilitation project.

“Tyler Pounds Regional Airport posted a 14.9 percent increase in passenger boardings for 2013 and the growth trend continues in 2014,” Dickson said. “Not only are we seeing growth in commercial aviation activity, we also see similar growth in

ty. While excited about our growth, we’re not inclined to put a number on where the university could go. Whether 10,000, 12,000, 14,000 or 24,000, our promise is that, whatever size, we will always be known as the university that teaches well and makes absolutely sure its students succeed on our campus and in the workplace,” Mabry added.

Texas State Railroad Names New GM, Roadmaster

Students understand they can get a flagship-level education without the hassle of going to much larger, expensive universities in large urban areas, he added.

The increase in enrollment is attributed to increases in retention of current students, as well as new transfers, graduate and international students.

“In addition, we are finding new markets to address the declining student applicant population that is coming from the end of the increase that came from the baby boom generation,” said Sarah Bowdin, assistant vice president for enrollment management. “The new markets are receptive to our quality-at-affordable-price message, so they are coming to UT Tyler. We’ve seen increases in transfer and graduate students. We’ve also put a greater emphasis on online courses that responds to how some students want their education now.”

The university recruits in Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and Austin as well as the East Texas area.

Outstanding academic programs and notable faculty are still among UT Tyler’s most attractive features.

“We still believe that top-rated faculty, a we-care-that-you-succeed culture, mixed with the best facilities and beautiful campus, are what make a very special universi-

6 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

Butler brings more than 23 years of experience in the tourist railroad industry.

“I’ve been with the Texas State Railroad for just over a year and I am looking forward to continuing our growth and working with the surrounding communities,” Butler said. “I see the Texas State Railroad as a great asset to the state of Texas and my staff and I are committed to the railroad’s preservation for the enjoyment and education of current and future generations.”

Iowa Pacific also promoted employee Nathan Roberts to the position of roadmaster. Roberts worked for the Texas State Railroad for six years in the Maintenance of Way department. He trained under longtime roadmaster Curtis Merchant, who retired last year after 37 years at the TSRR.

“We are truly excited about the significant increases in enrollment we are experiencing, last year and this year, especially against the backdrop of flat or decreasing enrollment at other institutions in East Texas,” Mabry said. “Our increases show that students believe they get a high-quality education here at a good price. UT Tyler’s ‘value proposition’ is very high.”

Steven Butler takes the reins of the Texas State Railroad as its new general manager after serving as interim general manager since June 2014.

Butler brings more than 23 years of experience in the tourist railroad industry. Courtesy Photo

Iowa Pacific Holdings LLC recently named Steven Butler as general manager of The Texas State Railroad. The move comes after he was named interim general manager in June.

Butler worked in the capacity of chief mechanical officer with the railroad for a little more than a year. He held several positions with IPH during the last six years, focusing on maintaining various steam locomotives on the company’s other railroads.

ETCOG also accepted telephone and online public comments throughout the public hearing process. Results from the public hearing process were shared in presentations to the ETCOG Executive Committee, EasTexConnects transportation committee, and the Rural Planning Organization comprised of regional county judges and transportation representatives. Resulting from the public comments, the proposed fare increase was mitigated to apply the base fare to local service areas rather than just within a county. The local service areas more accurately reflect customer travel patterns.

Also, the maximum one-way fare was set at $10.

there he wore numerous hats, including general manager, master mechanic, public relations, marketing, special events and media relations.

“Nathan has been a good employee. He has learned and grown over the years and I am confident he is ready to take on this new responsibility and leadership role,” Butler said. “Maintenance of Way is an extremely important department because they make sure the track is in good working condition for the trains to run over.

They maintain it, rebuild it when necessary and keep it clear of fallen trees and other debris.”

Tyler Christmas Parade Accepting Applications

The Tyler Christmas Parade rolls along the streets of downtown Tyler at 6 p.m.

December 4. Additionally, the 29th annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony takes place on the T.B. Butler Fountain Plaza immediately following the parade.

Due to the disbandment of the Tyler Jaycees earlier this summer, the Tyler Police Department and Tyler Fire Department have stepped up to plan and manage the annual Christmas Parade.

Before coming to the Texas State Railroad, Butler was chief mechanical officer for the San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad.

Prior to that, he ran his own contracting business doing restoration work on steam locomotives and other historic railroad equipment.

Parade floats follow the same route used in previous years, moving southward on Broadway Avenue from Bow Street, turning west on Ferguson Street, south on College Avenue and east on Erwin Street before returning north on Spring Avenue.

In addition, he ran his family’s railroad, the Kettle Moraine Railway in North Lake, Wisconsin, for seven years. While

An application packet for those who wish to participate in the parade is available at the Tyler Police website at www.TylerPo-

Better Business Bureau (BBB) Serving Central East Texas received the Outstanding BBB Award in Communications from the Council of Better Business Bureaus at the 44th International Assembly of BBBs, held in New Orleans. Representing the chapter in receiving the award are Mechele Mills, left, and Kaylen Burgess. Courtesy Photo

lice.com. All applications are due by November 7.

All entries must be consistent with the city’s overall parade theme of Christmas, the holidays, or winter. Entries must not be commercial or political in nature. The parade will be limited to 100 entries total.

GoBus Service Riders See Fare Increase

The East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG) Executive Committee recently approved an increase in GoBus fares, which took effect on October 1, 2014.

The committee considered the report on staff results from a two-month public hearing process and noted the former rate of $2 per trip within a county and $5 per trip across counties had not been increased since 1997, when the average price of a gallon of gas was $1.25.

The approved fare increases included the following: $4 within local service area, $8 within an adjacent local service area, a $10 maximum one-way fare, and $1 for each additional stop, with up to two permitted.

ETCOG publicized and held 14 public hearings throughout the region to give the public opportunity to comment on the proposed fare increase. The hearings were held at the Workforce Solutions East Texas center in each of the 14 counties served by ETCOG and had approximately 25 attendees region wide.

While an agreement between the Area Agency on Aging of East Texas and GoBus has permitted all seniors age 60 and over to ride free, funding constraints have forced the AAA and GoBus to enter into a new agreement for senior trips.

Effective October 1 the Area Agency on Aging of East Texas can only pay for trips to medical appointments, dialysis and senior centers for seniors who have qualified for AAA assistance.

Seniors making a trip not covered by AAA or who have not qualified for AAA assistance must pay regular GoBus fares. Those wanting to see if they qualify for AAA assistance should call GoBus at 800.590.3371.

Aside from fares, the total funding for GoBus comes from state and federal sources, with the exception of local contracts with the Area Agency on Aging of East Texas and Kilgore College for direct services and the City of Marshall to assist with funding its flex route system.

For more information, contact ETCOG’s Director of Transportation John O. Hedrick at 903.218.6490 or John.Hedrick@ etcog.org.

Downtown Tyler in Finals of Three Award Categories

The Fair Plaza Garage, Tyler’s African American Heritage Trail, and Regions Bank are all finalists of the 2014 Texas Downtown Association (TDA) President’s Awards Program.

Winners are announced November 6 at the President’s Awards Luncheon held in conjunction with the 2014 Texas Downtown Development and Revitalization Conference in Granbury.

To learn more, visit www.TexasDowntown.org.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 7

Womack Widens Thread of Soulful Country Music That’s because she had a set of rules — modern country music is based on those rules — she had to follow.

“The label can’t get too country or they can’t get it played, and then they couldn’t sell it,” she said several years ago. “So I have to follow a certain formula. I can’t get too far outside the boundaries. I don’t pick the singles for airplay. The label does. They usually don’t pick the more traditional stuff. I love the real traditional stuff that I grew up listening to in East Texas.”

Six years between album releases and a new label, Sugar Hill, have changed that for the quiet superstar who some people consider to be a “female George Strait” for the respect her work gets.

“There’s always been this cloud of commercialism,” she said recently, “labels saying here’s what we need, shoving songs at me by people who were having a lot of success at the time. Now I’m really having a good time thinking about nothing but the music.”

Lee Ann Womack is touring the states and just released her first CD, “The Way I’m Livin’” in six years with a new label that lets her think about nothing but the music. Photo by John Scarpati

By Tom Geddie Lee Ann Womack is back. Not with a vengeance but with what may be her best collection of songs ever. The Jacksonville native took six years to make and finally release an album it seems like she always wanted to make: The Way I’m Livin’.

The dozen songs on the new album are special to Womack, even after years of hits including “I Hope You Dance,” “Never Again, Again,” “The Fool,” “A Little Past Little Rock,” “Does My Ring Burn Your Finger,” and “I’ll Think of a Reason Later.” Her first single — “Never Again, Again” — hit the music-buying public so hard, she said, that “that’s when I knew I was going to be able to accomplish what I wanted to: to make a

good living playing the kind of music I like to play.”

Even with two Grammy awards, five Academy of Country Music awards, five Country Music Association awards, and four gold records, it took a while to make exactly the album with that music on it, exactly the way she wanted to record it.

She began working on the album six years ago with recording company executive Luke Lewis; it survived through labels mergers and commercial temptations and, finally, the contract with Sugar Hill. She began with one noted producer, Tony Brown, and finished with another noted producer, her husband Frank Liddell who has won three Academy of Country Music album-of-the-year awards for his work with Miranda Lambert.

“Luke was very generous, allowing us to do this. He let Frank and I create the record I’d always wanted. We got to do things differently, to not think about anything except what’s best for the songs and the feelings inside them.”

“I live to sing great songs that tear holes in life, just show living for what it is,” Womack said in a recent, long phone conversation. “I would say it’s real, that the subject matter is real life, and it does sort of mine the depths of the soul.”

First, always, is Womack’s perfect country voice. A close second is her choice of songs. On the new, mostly traditional album, the words we get come from Chris Knight, Mindy Smith, Buddy Miller, Mando Saenz, Hayes Carll, Neil Young, Bruce Robison, Adam Wright, Mindy Smith, and Roger Miller.

Womack once said her classic sound is “probably not as authentic as even I would like to be.”

Womack’s delivery and the basically stripped down production by the Houston-born Liddell, who she’d never be-

8 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

fore done a full album with, put the emphasis on the stories.

like they just open their mouths and something real comes out.

sons and piano lessons. Their friends who play music are over here.

Womack shares the words in slow, contemplative songs, in a sort of Southern gospel, and somehow hopeful, some blues-oriented country, and a lot of real country weepers. On the often comic Roger Miller’s obscure, disturbing “Tomorrow Night in Baltimore” which begins “Her head rolls back and forth / Against the billows of her long black shiny hair / As she contemplates the ecstasy / Of some other love that now she wished was there” while a man basically stalks her.

“It is very, very important for me to take chances on different songs that really appeal to me,” she said. “I have to do that. Otherwise, I might as well go sell real estate or do something totally, totally different.”

“So even if it seems I’ve been out of music for six years, really I’ve been more into it than I was before. Part of the fabric around here is that we try to teach them to focus on the music and not on the other stuff that goes on around the business.”

She is pleased that “these songs were written to be performed, not pitched,” which sets a high bar for honoring them.

“Every songwriter wrote intending to sing them, to tell these stories, show these postcards, and you can feel the way they built the characters. Bringing that to the music was just so incredible for everyone on the sessions.”

The writers tell us: “I wish I could fly with you just like the angels do”…“I will one day hold hands with my eternal family”… “chances are I took the wrong turn every time I had a turn to take, and I guess I broke my own heart every time I had a heart to break” . . . the devil “smiled, reached into his coat, he gave me a bottle full of something sweet, said I’ll fill it up every time we meet” … “now a million lovers couldn’t set me free, he haunts me”…“I am a far cry, you are a whisper”…“go tell my baby that I am happy and that I’m never coming home, make up some reason I had to leave him, the only true love I’ve ever known” …“Sunday morning singin’, chicken gettin’ fried, I missed it all by sleepin’ in and I feel no light inside” and more.

Choosing songs for the new album was a pleasure for Womack, who many people forget that she spent the better part of a decade paying her dues as a contract songwriter in Nashville, placing her own songs with Bill Anderson, Ricky Skaggs, and others.

“I look for songs that move me in some way, music that can make you happy or can put you in touch with a more melancholy part of your personality or make you want to dance or sit down to have a drink,” she said. “I love singers who don’t sound like they’ve thought about what they are going to do, but it sounds

Womack understands the comparison to fellow Texan Strait, who she’s toured with, and feels a strong, traditional connection to a third Texan, George Jones, as she grew up in Jacksonville.

“That’s where I really learned to sing, on Jones’ records, trying to sing like him. East Texas has that soul that sorta fits with a western type of country music and also a lot of that soulful thing that goes on in Louisiana that kinda floated over into East Texas. I think George Strait and I learned from a lot of the same people: Jones, Merle Haggard, that sort of thing.

“There’s something in the water or the dirt in East Texas that all of these artists — and I hope I’m one of them — help create this thread of soulful country music.”

She spent much of her childhood sitting on the living room floor playing her dad Aubrey’s old records and at the radio station where he worked when he wasn’t being a high school principal.

“I can remember picking out my favorite records and bringing them to him and he would play them for me. Sometimes he’d let me talk on the microphone.

The whole thing made me fascinated with the microphone and having people hear me.”

In August, Womack finished recording some bonus tracks in her living room that take her further away from today’s version of country music; these new recordings will be available through different outlets to be determined. They include Jones’ “A Cup of Loneliness” from the 1950s, “Satisfied Mind,” and “a Lightnin’ Hopkins song and some Lefty Frizzell, of course.

In the meantime, she surrounds herself with music, even at home in Nashville with Liddell and daughters Anna Lise, 15, and Aubrie, 23.

“We constantly have writers and pickers over for jam sessions. Our two daughters are running back and forth to guitar les-

Womack is also free to indulge — if that’s the word for a passion – in books.

Right now, she’s re-reading The Hot Zone, a book about the Ebola virus when it first hit about 20 years ago. Before that, she read J.K. Rowling’s mystery The Cuckoo Calling and she just started The House That Country Music Built which tells the story of Star Day Recordings in Houston, the studio and record label in Houston where George Jones recorded all of his first records.

“I usually have several books going at once,” she said.

Life is good, it seems, for a traditional country music star unconstrained by commercial demands. So is The Way I’m Livin’.

VISIT

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Come Stay & Play.

We Aim to Please!

903.887.1087 www.gunbarrelcity.net www.gunbarrelcityfestivals.net

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 9

THIS TIME OF YEAR NOVEMBER 2, 2014

GATHER HERE WITH GRATEFUL HEARTS

Good Tidings

DECEMBER 21, 2014

Cheers to the Champagne Lady smile, beauty, talent, and petticoats to a national audience that loved her.

NOVEMBER AVIATION MONTH

WINTER SOLSTICE

REMEMBERING

Amidst the floating bubbles on stage, Lon performed soft, rhythmic tunes that had many smitten with her style.

She was known for wearing particularly full skirts with colorful petticoats designed by her mother, Lois Wyche, as she told TV Guide. She gave instructions in the article on how viewers might make their own petticoats.

OUR FAMOUS AVIATORS

shortest day and longest night of the year

Daylight savings time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday DECEMBER 5, 1803

THOMAS JEFFERSON RUSK

Born December 5, 1803, Thomas Jefferson Rusk became a leader in the formation of the state of Texas. Statues and dedications for him stand proudly around Nacogdoches. He was a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, Secretary of War for the Republic of Texas, Brigadier General of the Army and hero at San Jacinto, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the republic of Texas, United States Senator, a soldier, a jurist, and a statesman.

One of the plaques states, “Bold, intrepid and daring in battle, he was yet more honored for wise forbearance, sound judgment, and fine character.

He helped form Texas and set an example for men and women to follow — then, now and in the future. He gave of himself.”

By P.A. Geddie

Bessie Coleman Atlanta, Texas

First licensed African-American pilot in the world 01.26.1892 — 04.30.1926

She also toured throughout Texas performing with the Interstate Theater in Dallas and in 1945 she was a runner up in the Miss Texas beauty pageant.

But it is a gig she got in 1953 where her singing talents began to woo the world. She won an audition to become bandleader Lawrence Welk’s “Champagne Lady,” the name he gave to his female vocalists. He had a local TV program at that time but just two years later, ABC debuted the Lawrence Welk Show July 2, 1955, taking Lon’s Texas

Sadly, ill and grief-stricken after losing his wife, he was just 54 years old when he killed himself in July 1857. He is buried in Oak Grove Cemetery in Nacogdoches. Photo by P.A. Geddie DECEMBER 2014

JOHNNY MATHIS No Christmas is complete without the gentle voice of Gilmer native Johnny Mathis. His holiday albums are available from his online store at johnnymathis. com/store or from Amazon. He is currently touring steadily across the country and has a few scheduled performances in Texas next year.

Grand Saline, Texas

Gilmer pays tribute to this native son at the Historic Upshur Museum. Contact the museum at 903.843.5483 for more information.

11.22.1898 — 08.15.1935

10 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

Alice Lon was born November 23, 1926, in Cooper, Delta County, between Paris and Sulphur Springs. Through the guidance of her musical parents, she began singing when she was six and by the time she was 10 she was a regular on the radio. After high school she attended Kilgore Junior College and became one of the original Kilgore Rangerettes.

Wiley Post First pilot to fly solo around the world

READ FULL ARTICLES

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Her popularity was why Welk received quite a backlash when he abruptly fired her in 1959. Rumors flowed about the reasons, the main one being from his side that she showed too much leg in one of her gowns and possibly propped her feet up on his desk, which offended him. She was quoted as saying she wanted more money and to do tunes she preferred over the ones he selected for her.

Maybe she got tired of him referring to her as his “little lady.”

Faced with much fan protest, reports are that Welk tried to hire her back but to no avail. Although they eventually reconciled personally, they never worked together professionally again.

Alice resettled back in Dallas. She had three sons with her first husband Bob Waterman and remarried in 1962 to George Bowlings. She ran a dress shop for a while.

Alice Lon died at just 54 years old after a long battle with scleroderma, a skin cancer. She is buried in Rosewood Park Cemetery in Longview.

Hear and see the talented Alice Lon on numerous YouTube videos.

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Indulge YOU DESERVE IT

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HOLIDAY SUBSCRIPTION SPECIAL BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE NO LIMITS $18/PER YEAR FOR TWO USE PROMO CODE TREAT SUBMIT ORDER ON WEBSITE OR MAIL TO P.O. BOX 608 BEN WHEELER, TX 75754 EXPIRES 12.31.14

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NOV/DEC 2014 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 11

D AY S O F

HOLIDAY TEA ROOM & MARKET

DECEMBER 9–12 Longview Museum of Fine Arts 215 E. Tyler St. • Longview, Texas

Tea Room

Remembering Karen Silkwood

By Madison Payne November 13 marks the 40th anniversary of the suspicious death of Longview native and nuclear safety whistleblower Karen Silkwood.

Portrayed by Meryl Streep in a 1983 award-winning motion picture, Silkwood gained national attention after voicing concerns of health and safety issues at the Kerr-McGee nuclear facility in Crescent, Oklahoma. Supposedly unrelated to the Silkwood scandal, the plant shut down two years after her death.

This year in April, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation that now owns Kerr-McGee agreed on a settlement of $5.15 billion, the largest pollution cleanup settlement in history, to clean up their toxic waste pollution at sites all over the country.

Two percent of that settlement is to go to the Crescent plant, where soil and groundwater are polluted with uranium.

Silkwood was the first to draw national attention on the health violations by Kerr-McGee. She became the first KerrMcGee female employee to hold a position on the Oil, Chemical, and Atomic Workers’ Union’s negotiating team.

While her fight for labor rights had a positive impact on society, her family life suffered a different outcome.

After discovering her husband William Meadows was having an affair with a close friend in 1972, Silkwood made her exit to Oklahoma City, leaving three

young children behind. Kristi, Michael, and Dawn were ages 5, 3, and 18 months at the time.

Dawn Lipsey, who is now 44 years old and has three children of her own, says that it is difficult to separate her mother’s achievements from the impact that she had on her as a daughter.

“I get what she did, I really do, but as a daughter and as a mother I can’t get past it,” Lipsey said. “She certainly deserves to be in the history books, absolutely. It is just hard to understand how you walk away from your children.”

Silkwood’s son Michael Meadows, who is now 45 and a father himself, also notes that a child cannot get past the negatives of growing up without a mother.

“Who can put an estimate on the number of negatives that occur over the lifetime of a child forced to grow up and then grow old, without the comfort of a mother’s love, embrace, advice,” Meadows said.

Meadows who resides in Missouri, along with Lipsey and their sister Kristi who both live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, acknowledge that the publicity that spurred from their mother’s death was not a welcomed or pleasant experience.

“For the most part, any fame or notoriety that could have been achieved by associating ourselves with our mother’s name, we have avoided like the plague,” Meadows said. “In fact, in 40 years we

12 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

have only allowed the media access into our lives (the siblings) once, and that was at the 25th anniversary of mom’s death by People magazine and Biography on the History Channel.”

Noting that he has little to no memory of his mother, Meadows says there is one thing that he thinks would be of surprise to people that follow her story.

“Mom wasn’t an activist of any kind. She wasn’t anti-nuke or anything like that. In fact, she loved all things science related,” Meadows said. “I believe she did what she did not because she was antinuclear energy, but because she knew the way things were being handled and the danger her coworkers were being exposed to, among other things, was wrong. Plain and simple.”

Silkwood ultimately testified to the Atomic Energy Commission on those safety hazards. Her voice was heard and sparked the interest of many, including David Burnham of the New York Times.

In agreement to reveal her findings on the safety of her workplace to Burnham, Silkwood left a union meeting at the Hub Café in Crescent to meet the reporter and union official Steve Wodka in Oklahoma City.

Silkwood never joined the two. Her body was found in her 1974 Honda Civic, which struck a culvert. Officials deemed the situation as a one-car accident as a result of falling asleep at the wheel and many disagree with that determination.

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Reports indicate that there was a dent in the rear bumper of Silkwood’s vehicle that showed metal and rubber fragments, indicating that another car rammed into it. Silkwood’s documents she was taking to Burnham were missing from the vehicle, which stirs strong speculation.

$1,500, her father sued. The ultimate result was $1.6 million for the children, minus $1 million in legal fees.

“Having only the information that I have read over the years to draw from, I personally believe that mom’s death was a murder,” Meadows said. “It is my opinion that whoever forced her off the road was trying to scare her, or even trying to convince her to surrender the documents she was carrying, and then the worst possible outcome that could have occurred, just happened.”

People Magazine quotes Meadows on the $160,000 he received, stating the he “felt it was dirty money, and I spent it as fast as I could.”

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Silkwood rests in the Danville Cemetery in Kilgore, with members of both her mother and father’s side of the family.

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While officials consider this case closed, there are still efforts to find the truth in Silkwood’s untimely death.

Author of “The Killing of Karen Silkwood,” Richard Rashke, and Meadows are tracking down any information that still exists.

“He (Rashke) has recently re-released his book as an e-book online as well as filing for a Freedom of Information Act request with the FBI to release any and all information or files relating to the case on behalf of me and my sisters,” Meadows said. “Richard, like myself, has just too many unanswered questions and would love to know why after 40 years the Bureau still feels like the information needs to be kept a secret.”

After Silkwood’s death, her father asked Kerr-McGee for $5,000 as a result of her radiation contaminated household goods. With the counteroffering of

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Lipsey and her sister used their part of the money to pay for college, Lipsey states that some of the money even went into her children’s college funds.

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Lipsey, who says she is told that she looks and acts just like her mother, says that now that she is older she is looking at the positives. She says that she absolutely loves her life and wouldn’t change a thing. In a recent post on the Karen Silkwood Facebook page, Lipsey posted a note that expresses her shift in perspective on the situation: “All my life I have been angry at my mother. I never felt, no matter what or who told me, that she loved me. As I get older, I have let go of those feelings. As a mother myself, I now know that you do whatever it takes to make sure your children are safe and secure. I believe that if she could have kept us she would have.

I want to apologize to my mother. I want to apologize to my mother’s family. And most of all to my dear sister and brother.

They have always been by my side. Even when they did not feel the same way as I did. The three of us have looked out for one another from day one. I love you both always.”

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 15

Keeping Time with Little Drummer Tip Boy

By P.A. Geddie Performing for thousands of people at a live concert, when Motley Crew drummer Tommy Lee hits his snare drum and the tip of his drumstick breaks off causing a scar or even a hole through the instrument, somebody gets a call to build a better drumstick tip.

High school & GED graduates

earn an average of

$8,000 more

For Lee — and countless others like Mick Fleetwood, Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, Def Leapard’s Rick Allen, and Bon Jovi’s Tico Torres — the call ultimately ends up in a big barn in the middle of the country near Ben Wheeler, Texas.

Marching to his own drum, Jeff Dalrymple uses the dying art of building his own tools — rather than relying on computerized manufacturing — to create durable, effective drumstick tips in a variety of shapes and sizes to fit different playing styles.

Dalrymple is the exclusive manufacturer of tips for Ahead drumsticks, a popular brand preferred by drummers all over the world for their comfort, ease of use, sound, and shock absorbency.

Initially starting with small quantities of two sizes of tips in 2003 for the company, the orders increased significantly over the years.

“The quantities kept increasing and different styles of tips were added and we now manufacture close to 200,000 tips a year,” Dalrymple said.

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per year than non-graduates.

Jeff Dalrymple makes the tips for popular Ahead drumsticks in his shop in a country field near Ben Wheler. Photos by P.A. Geddie

Starting with 10-foot lengths of plastic (nylon and delrin), Dalrymple puts five of those at a time in his machines. He uses tools to remove material to create the desired profile, drill and thread the top, and cut them off to finish the end radius.

“We complete a tip every 3.6 seconds,” he said.

After the tips come off the drilling machine, he washes them with soap and water and then puts them in a lingerie bag and places them in a clothes dryer. He has a dryer in his shop but says it’s more convenient to use the one in the home he shares with his wife Mary.

“I try to keep the process simple,” he said.

“We’ve gotten used to the noise – we just close the laundry room door.”

In their leisure time the Dalrymples often check out the drummers on TV or at live concerts to see if they are using his tips and quite often they are.

“I have seen the drummer for Eric Clapton and Paul McCartney and many others use these sticks (and his tips),” Dalrymple said. “It’s fun to watch and see a little piece of myself up there.”

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The drumsticks and tips are in music stores all over the world. Within the region that includes music stores in Paris, Texarkana, Longview, Tyler, Lufkin, and Nacogdoches.

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Besides drumstick tips, Dalrymple makes numerous other obscure items in his country shop that are just as vital to others as stick tips are to drummers. A few of them include fasteners for military aircraft, cabinet knob pieces, special screws for computers, and nuts for joint replacement devices for animals.

Whether building an important piece for an animal or airplane, or outstanding drumstick tips, Dalrymple doesn’t miss a beat in doing his part to keep the world in tune.

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 17



CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT

Check out the eMAGAZINE www.countylinemagazine.com for extended event listings.

Caddo Mounds Reopens Center on Historic Site

Edgewood Festival Returns November 8 The 38th annual Edgewood Heritage Festival returns to the

grounds of the Heritage Park outdoor museum from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. November 8. The park encompasses more than 21 authentically restored and furnished structures representing rural life in East Texas in 1900. tants go head-to-head to see who can eat the most sandwiches in 10 minutes.

The winner receives $100 cash and a tshirt.

Caddo Mounds State Historic Site, one of the Texas Historical Commission’s (THC) 20 historic sites, underwent much-needed enhancement projects during this past year at its location in Alto between Rusk and Nacogdoches in Cherokee County.

The visitors center expanded to double its exhibit space, all new immersive exhibits are installed, and a classroom and additional administrative work space are provided as well.

Caddo Mounds State Historic Site protects and interprets a unique Texas and Caddo legacy—the remains of a large village and ceremonial center built by the ancestors of today’s Caddo people. It was established 1,200 years ago on the prairie overlooking the Neches River. The historic El Camino Real de los Tejas runs adjacent to the site.

The site was the southwestern-most ceremonial center for the great Mound Builder culture. Today, three earthen mounds still rise from the lush landscape at this location where visitors

discover the everyday life and history of this ancient cvilization.

The Caddo selected this site for a permanent settlement about A.D. 800. They established a village and ceremonial center, and dominated life in the region for about 500 years.

It flourished until the 13th century when the site was abandoned. The Caddo groups continued to live through the 1830s in their traditional East Texas homeland in teh Neches and Angelina River valleys, but by the early 1840s, all groups moved to the Brazos River area to remove themselves from the Anglo-American repressive measures and colonization efforts. The remained there until the U.S. government placed them on the Brazos Indian Reservation in 1855, and thin in 1859 the Caddo (about 1,050 people) were removed to the Washita River in Indian Territory, now western Oklahoma.

To learn more, visit www.visitcaddomounds.com.

Grand Saline Hosts Peanut Butter Festival

est peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which weighed in at 1,342 pounds.

During National Peanut Butter Lovers Month, on Saturday, November 8, the Grand Saline Main Street Program presents the fifth annual Great American Peanut Butter Festival in downtown Grand Saline.

This year, festival officials invite everyone attending to take part in the “Big Bite,” an attempt at setting a record for the most people taking bites of peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches at the same time. “Everyone at the festival will be given a free peanut butter and jelly sandwich and at 2 p.m. we’ll all take a bite of our sandwiches at the same time to set the first world record for the most

At the festival’s inaugural event in 2010, the organization and Nutty’s Peanut Butter set the world record for the larg-

18 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

people eating a PB&J simultaneously,” said Grand Saline Main Street Board Chairman Keith Parsons. “It should be tons of fun and delicious as well.”

This unique festival features vendors, food, games, amusements and live entertainment.

The festival also features the Nutty’s Peanut Butter-and-Jelly Sandwich Eating Contest, beginning at noon at the Nutty’s Peanut Butter Stage. Contes-

Entrants for the contest can deliver their entry forms at Nutty’s Peanut Butter in Grand Saline or fax the entry form to 877.688.8977.

Admission to the festival is free, but festival organizers ask that each person bring a jar of any brand of peanut butter to donate to the East Texas Food Bank.

“The festival is a great way to kick off the holiday giving season,” Parsons said.

“Lots of families need help around the holidays and peanut butter is a wonderful staple for any pantry. Every year we ask festival goers to bring a jar of any brand of peanut butter to fill the pantries of East Texans as part of the Feeding America campaign.”

Sponsors for the event include the East Texas Food Bank, Brookshire’s Grocery Company, Sonic Drive-Ins, 89.5 KVNE, Grand Saline Main Street and Nutty’s Gourmet Peanut Butter. A festival schedule is at www.greatamericanpeanutbutterfestival.com.

Texas music, arts and crafts, and classic car, tractor, and quilt shows headline the events, along with food and live entertainment. Children enjoy the festival’s rides in the carnival area, and sliding and bouncing in the giant inflatable slides and bounce houses. The festival also offers pony, train, and wagon rides in and around the park. Edgewoodheritagefestval.com. Pho-

to by Ine Burke

The festival pays homage to the rich and spirited history of the oldest town in Texas. That history includes three attempts to establish a Republic of Texas in addition to the six flags that represent Texas so nine flags are celebrated for flying over Nacogdoches.

Holiday in the Pines kicks off the festival November 21 and 22 at the Nacogdoches Civic Center. Families join in on the Old Fashioned Christmas at Millard’s Crossing Historic Village December 5. On December 6, catch a glimpse into Christmas’ past during the Tour of Museums, cheer on the 5K Jingle Bell Run, and top off the evening with a lighted parade and fireworks. The festival closes with the Tour of Homes on December 13.

For more information on the Nine Flags Festival visit www.visitnacogdoches.org.

EVENT PICKS Every Thursday

Cruise Night. Athens. Classic cars, street

rods, rat rods, project cars and trucks, new cars, motorcycles and more. Free. Downtown Athens, 219 S. Palestine Street. (903)-675-8616.

October 30 – November 2, November 27 – 30, January 1 - 4

First Monday Trades Days. Canton. The oldest and largest flea market in the world. The ultimate shopping experience. Wander 300 acres of antiques, arts and crafts, and handmade articles. Free. First Monday Trades Days Grounds. 877-462-7467. visitcantontx.com.

November 9-14

East Texas Pipe Organ Festival. Kilgore.

Tours, food, concerts, and more. easttexaspipeorganfestival.com.

November 15 - 16

Winnsboro Wild West Days 2014. Winnsboro. Features an action-packed weekend with RGA-sanctioned Old West reenactment competitions along with historical portrayals, shootouts, historic reenactments, vendors, food and more. This event is free to the public and is hosted by The Legends of Crossroads. 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Free to the public. Jack Cross Pavilion in Winnsboro’s City Park.

900 Wheeler Drive. 903.347.1263. www.thelegendsofcrossroads.com.

Nacogdoches Readies for Nine Flags Holiday Festival

The 18th Annual Nine Flags Festival takes place November 21 through December 13 in Nacogcoches.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 19

THE ARTS

ART EVENTS

Northeast Texas Pottery Business Expands into Dallas and Houston Galleries

Through November 30 Contemporary Texas: Selections from the Permanent Collection Exhibit. Tyler. Tyler Museum of Art. 1300 South Mahon. 903-5951001. www.tylermuseum.org.

November 3 - 21 Young Arkansas Artists Exhibition. Texarkana. In 1961, the Arkansas Arts Center hosted the first statewide Young Arkansas Artists Exhibition to ensure learning, inspiration, and creative expression. This annual young artists exhibition showcases artwork from students in kindergarten through 12th grade and arts organizations across the state.

Texarkana Regional Arts Center. 321 W. 4th St. www.trahc.org.

November 6 – January 15 Mid-Southern Watercolorists. Texarkana.

The mission of the Mid-Southern Watercolorists is to elevate the stature of watercolor and educate the public to the significance of watercolor as an important, creative, permanent painting medium. This traveling exhibition includes selections from the 44th annual exhibition at the Historical Arkansas Museum in Little Rock. Texarkana Regional Arts Center. 321 W. 4th St. www.trahc.org.

November 8 Artwork by Daphne and Gary Hatcher of Pine Mills Pottery near Mineola is now available for sale and on exhibit in galleries in Dallas and Houston.

Courtesy photo.

East Texans have treasured Mineola’s Pine Mills Pottery for many years and now others in the Lone Star State have the opportunity to witness their work.

Pine Mills Pottery’s art takes the form of dinnerware, garden pots, home décor and is now available for purchase in Dallas.

Showcasing and selling Asian-inspired, contemporary and antique items, The Lotus Shop at the Crow Collection of Asian Art located in the downtown Dallas Arts District has acquired a collection from Pine Mills Pottery.

From one metroplex to another, Pine Mills Pottery is on exhibit at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft’s “CraftTexas 2014.” The exhibit features 49 works by 44 Texas artists and includes everything from sculpture, jewelry, and textiles.

For over 30 years, Pine Mills Pottery

provides wood-fired stoneware, both thrown and constructed from slabs by artists Daphne and Gary Hatcher.

Located at 5155 FM 49, Pine Mills Pottery is open year-round and items are available for sale directly out of the studio. It is best to call ahead before visiting the studio at 903.857.2271. For more information on Pine Mills Pottery visit www.pinemills.com. To check exhibit location, dates, and times visit www.crafthouston.org.

Cass County Art Event Slated For November HeART of Cass County is a county-wide art event taking place in three cities in the county. A traveling art exhibit is on display for three consecutive weekends in November.

HeART of Cass County is scheduled to debut in Hughes Springs before travel-

20 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

ing to Linden and ultimately coming to a close in Atlanta.

Each town hosts a separate juried art show lasting three days each. This means every artist who enters a work (or works) in HeART of Cass County has three times the chances to win prize money. One entry fee gets the artist registered for all three shows.

Deadline for entries for the Hughes Springs show is November 3, with that show taking place November 7-9. The Linden entry deadline is November 9 and that show takes place November 14-16. Finally, the Atlanta show is November 17 for the final exhibition November 21-23.

Entry forms are available at heartofcasscounty.weebly.com. For more information, contact the Atlanta Area Chamber of Commerce at 903.796.3296 or email Miranda.johnson@atlantatexas.org.

Reception for Lyrical fine art exhibit. Tyler.

Join us to celebrate the grand opening of Gallery Main Street’s Lyrical fine art exhibit.

The event will feature music, refreshments and an opportunity to meet the artists. 5:30 8 p.m. Free.Gallery Main Street. 110 W Erwin.

903.593.6905. www.cityoftyler.org.

November 8 – 9 Fine Art Market. Winnsboro. A special “Art of Taste” tent features educational seminars on cheeses, wines and cigars and another, “Our Town First” shares information on Winnsboro attractions, shops, restaurants, and other community services as well as features local talent, singers and songwriters that set the mood with live jazz and classical music. Local growers of organic meats and foods from the farmer’s market are also on hand. This year the art market introduces their first annual “Holiday Turkey Cook-Off” with prizes going to the Best Turkey and Best Looking Holiday Attire. Other activities during the art market include an author’s showcase and art exhibit at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts, a silent auction, a wine and cheese extravaganza, live music, local wineries tastings, and more. Downtown Winnsboro, 100 E. Broadway St. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 21



ON STAGE

Check out www.countylinemagazine.com for extended STAGE news and event listings.

the North Pole. Unaware that he is actually human, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity and help New York remember the true spirit of Christmas. This modern day Christmas classic is sure to make everyone embrace their inner elf. Based on the beloved 2003 New Line Cinema hit, ELF features songs

by Tony Award-nominees Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin (The Wedding Singer), with a book by Tony Award-winners Thomas Meehan (Annie, The Producers, Hairspray) and Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone).

7 p.m. $45-60. The Belcher Center. 2100 S. Mobberly Avenue. 903 233 3080. www.belchercenter. com/index.html.

Jefferson Opera House Announces 26th Season Jefferson’s Opera House Theatre Players prepare for their next performances during their 26th season. A comedy takes place in November, the popular Chocolate Sunday event in February 2015, another comedy in March, the Art Fair & More fundraiser in April and the annual Broadway-style musical comedy in July. Titles and audition times are forthcoming for all productions.

Supporters of the Jefferson Opera House Theatre Players may purchase individual and family memberships. Various levels of sponsor memberships are available as well. The group is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and continues to exist on donations, grants, ticket sales, and in-kind donations each year.

Honorariums, memorials and scholarship gifts are also encouraged and accepted all during the season and such gifts are acknowledged in any programs produced in connection with current and future seasons.

through adult, if all criteria are met.

The deadline for play submission is November 14. The winning plays are performed by experienced voice actors through staged readings on January 24, 2015.

To download a playwright contest packet, for contest details, or information about ArtsView’s PATHS (Performing Arts Theatre School), please visit www. artsviewchildrenstheatre.com.

Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells

For more information see the website at www.JeffersonOperaHouseTheatrePlayers.com, email at JeffersonTheatre@ aol.com, or call 903.665.2310.

ArtsView Announces Playwright Competition Continuing its 10th year anniversary celebration, ArtsView Children’s Theatre announces the 2014 Playwright Contest.

Each year the organization asks for original works from entrants, ages kindergarten to adult. This year’s theme is “Extraordinary Tales of Ordinary People.” Area authors, schools, teachers, and home school communities are encouraged to participate.

Based on the best-selling book series by Barbara Park, favorite storybook firstgrader Junie B. Jones brings her adventurous antics to Texarkana’s Perot Theatre November 15.

Join Junie B. as she attempts to have the perfect holiday party, despite drawing Tattletale May’s name for her Secret Santa gift.

Sandi Taylor, one of the founders of ArtsView, stated, “This is the best thing we do every year.”

Located at 221 Main St., Junie B. jingles all the way to the stage at 2 p.m. General admission tickets are $12. Visit www. trahc.org for more information or call 903.792.4992.

This year’s contest is sponsored by Sigco, LLC.

STAGE EVENT PICKS

Plays may have a maximum of six characters, including narrators. At least one winning play is awarded in each of five different age categories, kindergarten

November 6

Sister Act. Tyler. 7:30 p.m. Cowan Center, 3900 University Blvd. 903.566.7424. www.cowancenter.org.

22 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

November 8

VeggieTales: Live. Longview. 6 p.m. $20-35, $15 for 14 and under. Sing along with some of your favorite silly songs of all time, including: “Hairbrush” “Love My Lips” and “The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything.” And the Veggies will teach you some new songs, too, like “Show You Love” from the brand-new DVD, Beauty and the Beet. This rollicking musical review of VeggieTales’ greatest hits is sure to delight families as our Veggie friends learn to consider each other’s feelings and wishes, and how to be a good friend at all times. The Belcher Center, 2100 S. Mobberly Avenue. 903-233-3080. www.belchercenter.com.

November 10

Imago Theatre’s Frogz. Crockett. Performer’s aided by a menagerie of ingenious masks, outrageous costumes, and original music conjure a carnival of the absurd. Frogz unfolds in a series of vignettes featuring waddling penguins, slithering lizards, hopping frogs, and other fanciful creatures. The company has performed Frogz in two runs on Broadway, at venues around the world, and on national television. “Theater like this opens the eyes to the possibilities of exploration in the vast realm of imagination” writes a New York Times reviewer. Humans are, by nature, mimics. Imago transforms imitation into an art form through whimsical examination, observation, and embodiment through movement. 7:30 – 9:30 p.m. Tickets start at $22. Crockett Civic Center. 1100 Edmiston Dr. 936.544.4276. www.imagotheatre. com. www.pwfaa.org.

November 14 – 16

Smoke on the Mountain. Edom. F ​eatures gospel and bluegrass music as well as testimonies of faith by the Sanders Family, who are visiting rural Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church.

Last performed by ECT in 2003, “Smoke” is a favorite with audiences throughout the country. Featured are Lloyd Smith as Mervin Oglethorp, the pastor of the host church; Eddie Pirtle as Burl Sanders and Jamie Shults as Vera Sanders, the parents of the family. Family members include daughter June, played by Vickie Tindall; and twins Dennis and Denise Sanders, played by Linda

Parker-Rollins and Mary Ann Garrett. Mac Walling portrays Burl’s brother, Stanley. Ann Lewis and Jennifer Wood are Miss Maud and Miss Myrtle, members of the church. Leta Lantrip is Miss Leta, the church pianist and musical cousins are played by Jim Faulkner, John Crow and Loren Lykens. Edom Civic Theatre. 735 CR 470. 903.469.3277.

November 20 - 23 Into the Woods. Corsicana. The music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book

by James Lapine humorously combine a number of classic fairy tales into one overarching narrative. Call for show times and pricing. Warehouse Living Arts Center. 119 W. 6th Ave. 903.872.5421. info@warehouselivingartscenter.com.

November 24 ELF: The Broadway Musical. Longview. ELF is the hilarious tale of Buddy, a young orphan child who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported back to

December 10 – 14

Southern Comforts. Corsicana. A beautiful exploration of the intimate workings of relationships. In a sprawling New Jersey Victorian, a taciturn Yankee widower and a vivacious grandmother from Tennessee find what they least expected - a second chance at love. Their funny, awkward and enchanting romance is filled with sweet surprise and unpredictable tribulation. Call for show times and pricing. Warehouse Living Arts Center, 119 W. 6th Ave. 903.872.5421.info@warehouselivingartscenter.com.

An innovative gallery that will “pop-up” for one weekend, featuring local and regional artists. The artists will be at the gallery daily as docents to their art.

Open Friday, Dec. 12 (6 - 8 p.m.)

Saturday, Dec. 13 (10 a.m. - 4 p.m.)

Sunday, Dec. 14 (10 a.m. - 4 p.m.)

903-723-3014

www.palestinemainstreet.org • Like us on Facebook

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 23

 FILM

Orchid Lady of the Screen fired. She is hired back, however, when her publisher thinks a competitor wants her as their columnist. She must choose between Sloan or Jones, the soldier she has fallen in love with. Directed by Peter Godfrey, this will put you in the mood for a snowy weekend in the country.

Miracle on 34th Street

Although there have been four remakes of the film, Miracle on 34th Street (and a Broadway musical version) the classic film, produced in 1946 and directed by George Seaton, is the most loved.

Holiday Classic Movie Takes

By Jules Scroggin and Jess LeBeau

Holiday Inn

The holiday season is almost here and we have some great movies that will put you in the mood to reminisce about time with the family, trimming the tree and shopping for presents as well as traditional holiday songs.

Holiday Inn encompasses not only the Thanksgiving Day and Christmas holidays but all the holidays throughout the year.

Jim Hardy (Bing Crosby) and Ted Hanover (Fred Astaire) are two nightclub entertainers; one sings the other dances. No one can sing “White Christmas” like Bing Crosby.

Fred Astaire is incomparable as he dances in powdered wig and does the minuet with Marjorie Reynolds to celebrate Washington’s Birthday. Linda Mason (Reynolds) is a salesgirl who wants to break into show business and thinks her chance is at the Holiday Inn. Both men vie for her attention and so romantic complications ensue.

One offers her the quiet life in the country the other the glamour of showbiz. Which does she choose? The movie will leave you guessing until the end.

Fred Astaire’s girlfriend in the movie, Lila Dixon, a dancer, (Virginia Dale) follows him to Holiday Inn but he is already in pursuit of Linda (Reynolds).

While the movie has the feeling of being filmed entirely on a Hollywood soundstage as many movies of that era did, the inn has the warmth of Bing Crosby sitting by a fire with his thanksgiving dinner served by housekeeper Mamie (character actress Louise Beavers) while snow softly falls outside. Fred Astaire’s urbane charm works well with Crosby’s down-to-earth persona.

Marjorie Reynolds is lovely and sings and dances well enough to keep pace with both men. Irving Berlin’s songs such as “Happy Holiday,” “Easter Parade” and “Be Careful, It’s My Heart,” are timeless and make this a movie for the holidays. Directed by Mark Sandrich, this is a classic.

Christmas in Connecticut

Barbara Stanwyck is a career woman (one that she played in many of her movies) Elizabeth Lane. She is a columnist that writes about cooking with the help of Felix Bassenak (S.Z Sakal), a friend who really can cook. In reality, she knows nothing about cooking or homemaking. When she goes to an opulently appointed Connecticut farm, owned by her friend John Sloan (Reginald Gardiner) to get away for a weekend, her publisher Alexander Yardley, played by Sydney Greenstreet decides to pay her a visit to sample firsthand her renowned cooking. She suddenly finds herself in a predicament in that she must pose as a married woman with a child who can cook first-rate meals and decorate and sew as well. To add to the confusion, Jefferson Jones (Dennis Morgan) arrives as a recovering soldier whose nurse arranges for him to spend the holiday at what he thinks is her farm. A romance develops which is complicated by her deciding to marry Sloan to make her more credible to her publisher who thinks she is married.

She must choose between her successful career or marriage and a home with the soldier she has fallen in love with. She uses the neighbor’s baby to appear that she has a child. When Greenstreet sees the baby taken by his real mother he thinks the baby is being kidnapped and calls the police.

Stanwyck has to reveal the truth and she is

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Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) portrays the most convincing Santa Claus and he is still who I picture whenever I think of jolly old St. Nicholas. Susan (a young and darling Natalie Wood) whose mother, Doris Walker is Macy’s Day Parade event director (played by Maureen O’Hara) who hires Santa — is not so convinced that Kringle is the real thing. Little Susan is a skeptic through and through as her mother has taught her that there is no such thing as Santa Claus.

Fred Gailey (John Payne) who is Doris’s neighbor and an attorney takes Susan to see Santa, a.k.a. Kris Kringle and she begins to think he might really be Santa. Concerned that Kris really thinks he is Santa but who is suffering from delusions and might be harmful, Doris decides to fire him. But, he passes a psychological evaluation by the store’s doctor. Later, he is brought before New York Supreme Court Judge Henry X. Harper (Gene Lockhart) to establish his mental health. Kris is defended by Doris’ good-looking attorney/neighbor (and love interest), Fred Gailey, who presents the judge with childrens’ letters to Santa Claus (delivered to Macy’s Kris Kringle).

The post office as an extension of the federal government has acknowledged Kris as Santa, and this is good enough for Judge Harper who dismisses the case.

Little Susan has asked Santa for a special Christmas present and she thinks he won’t deliver. She repeats half-heartedly, “I believe, I believe, I believe.” Does her wish come true? Is her faith in Santa justified?

Miracle on 34th Street, is the quintessential Christmas holiday movie that rekindles the belief perhaps all of us had in Santa Claus, Sinter Klaas, St. Nicholas, or Kriss Kringle.

Do you believe?

By P.A. Geddie Corinne Mae Griffith was born November 21, 1894, in Texarkana, to Ambolina Ghio and John Lewis Griffith. She became a popular star of the silent movies beginning in 1916. At the height of her popularity, she was known as the “Orchid Lady of the Screen,” and was widely considered the most beautiful woman in the era of silent films.

“Black Oxen” in 1924 was one of her most popular films. In 1925 she made the film “DeClasse” in which a young extra named Clark Gable appeared.

Griffith received an Academy Award nomination for her work in “The Divine Lady” which released in 1929. She appeared in more than 60 features during her movie career and was listed as executive producer on 11 of them.

The tabloid magazines of the day were kind to her: “... she is innocence personified... no one would be apt to tell a risque story in front of Corinne Griffith... furthermore, she is reserved. In a land where last names are forgotten overnight, she is still ‘Miss Griffith.’”

When sound on film began creating “talkies” in the late 1920s, that somewhat ended Corinne Griffth’s film career as she couldn’t sing, or even talk very well.

Sound did not embrace her in the same way the silent films had. Her last Hollywood film released in 1930. After appearing in an English film in 1932, she retired.

She appeared in one final film, “Paradise Alley,” the Hugo Haas potboiler.

It wasn’t long, though, before it was clear that the silent film star beauty also had brains. She went on to be a successful writer and amassed a fortune as an astute businesswoman, primarily in real estate.

Griffith published more than a dozen books including two best sellers. One was Papa’s Delicate Condition which was made into a movie starring Jackie Gleason in 1963. The story centers around the Griffith family in turn-of-the-century small-town Texas, and six-year-old “Corrie” that adores her eccentric, over-thetop father. Not amused by his shenanigans, his wife takes the kids and goes to her father’s house in Texarkana. Papa buys a circus and they all go to Texarkana and win back his family.

Perhaps the strangest thing about Griffith in her real life story is a period beginning in 1966 when she claimed she was not Corinne Griffith but the actress’ younger (20 years) sister who had taken her place upon the famous sister’s “death.” She was married for a few days to her fourth husband, Broadway actor Danny Scholl, who was 27 years younger, before filling for an anullment. She even testified in court, that she was her own sister. Contradictions by fellow actors that had known her since the twenties did not shake her story.

Even as late as 1974 an editor of Photoplay Magazine said Griffith was still claiming that she was her own younger sister.

This part of her life inspired the Tom Tryon novel “Fedora” that was later filmed by Billy Wilder and released in 1979, coincidentally, the year of her death.

Her other marriages were to actor Webster Campbell (1920-23), producer Walter Morosco (1924-34) and to the owner of the Washington Redskins football team George Preston Marshall (1936-58).

Some of Griffith’s family are buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery in Texarkana including her grandparents Anthony and Augusta Ghio who have a great story of their own that takes place in Jefferson and then in Texarkana.

Corinne Griffith made her grand exit July 13, 1979, in Santa Monica, California.

One of the richest women in America at the time, she left an estate of $150 million.

Check out this slide show with music on Corinne Griffith and there are also several clips from her movies on YouTube. youtube.com/ watch?v=iwujLttHBQk

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MUSIC NOTES

MUSIC Every Tuesday

Pickin’ and Grinnin’. Edom. 6 - 8 p.m. Free.

The Shed Cafe, 8337 FM 279. 903-852-7791. www.theshedcafe.com.

The Time Jumpers Set To Perform in Greenville

Anchored by the legendary Vince Gill and a slew of Nashville’s greatest singers and songwriters, The Time Jumpers bring their combination of tight arrangements, soulful songs, brilliant soloists, and an irresistibly swinging rhythm section to the Greenville Municipal Auditorium.

Every Wednesday

Boogie Woogie Wednesday. Marshall. Live music. 7 - 9 p.m. Free admission. OS2 Pub. 105 E. Houston. 903-938-8966. www.facebook. com/birthplaceofboogiewoogie.

Every Thursday – Saturday

Live Singer/Songwriters. Ben Wheeler. The Forge. Hwy 279. 903.833.5970. www.benwheelertx.com.

The Time Jumpers perform at 7:30 p.m. November 1. Ticket prices are $30$50. Pre-sale tickets are purchased online at www.ShowtimeAtTheGMA.com using promo code BOBWILLS.

Every Thursday – Friday.

Live Music. Tyler. Stanley’s Famous Pit BarB-Que. 525 S. Beckham Ave. 903.593.0311. www.stanleysfamous.com.

The Time Jumpers were established in Nashville in 1998 by an assemblage of high-dollar studio musicians who wanted to spend some spare time hanging out and jamming playing jazz, swing, country and pop with their sonically gifted buddies.

Every Friday – Saturday

After big stars like Bonnie Raitt, Jimmy Buffet, Reba McEntire, Norah Jones, Robert Plant and Kelly Clark started popping in, the posse released its own Grammy-nominated recordings and, to the delight of fans, unleashed that collective, Music City talent onstage.

Every Saturday

The Time Jumpers are performing as part of the Bob Wills Fiddle Festival and Contest, Greenville’s inaugural threeday fiddle festival and contest named for the King of Western Swing. The Bob Wills Fiddle Festival and Contest takes place at several locations in historic downtown Greenville from October 31-November 2. For more information about the Bob Wills Fiddle Festival and Contest, visit www.BobWillsFiddleFest. com.

For more information, contact the GMA at 903.457.2994.

Threadgill Series Christmas Concert Set In Greenville

The Kenneth Threadgill Concert Series concludes its 2014 season with Michael Martin Murphey’s “Cowboy Christmas” concert on December 2 at the Greenville Municipal Auditorium.

The series — named for Greenville native and Austin legend Kenneth Threadgill — is presented in downtown

Live Bands. Ben Wheeler. Moore’s Store. Hwy. 279. 903.833.5100. www.benwheelertx.com.

Live Jazz. Pittsburg. Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards, 658 County Road 1334. 903.855.1769. www.lospinosranchvineyards.com.

Adkins Stars In Christmas Show December 5 Country music star Trace Adkins brings The Christmas Show 2014 to the Greenville Municipal Auditorium at 8 p.m. December 5. This family-friendly theatrical production features historical and humorous narration and songs from “The King’s Gift,” Adkins’ album of Celtic carols. These Christmas classics are performed by Adkins and his 12-piece “Sarepta Symphony.” Adkins’ trademark baritone voice has powered countless songs to the top of the charts and sold more than 10 million albums. The Grammy-nominated member of the Grand Ole Opry is a TV personality, actor, author and spokesman for the Wounded Warrior Program and American Red Cross, for whom he raised more than$1,500,000 as the winner of NBC’s “All-Star Celebrity Apprentice.” For more information, call 903.457.2994 and visit showtimeattheGMA.com.

Greenville at the historic Municipal Auditorium.

Tickets for Michael Martin Murphey’s “Cowboy Christmas” are available online through the auditorium’s website, www.ShowtimeAtTheGMA.com or by calling 877.435.9849 or 903.457.2994.

The venue is on 500 acres of land just east of Lake Tyler, and north of Troup.

The first concert in April takes place to raise money for the Shriner’s Hospital in Shreveport. Concert organizers expect about 30 acts to perform during a three-day weekend.

Proceeds from the Threadgill series benefit Friends of Main Street, a nonprofit organization supporting downtown Greenville.

The venue also has room for more than 250 vendors and room for people to camp out the whole weekend either in tents or motorhomes.

New Open Concert Venue Opens In April

Texas Woodstock, an open-air concert venue that holds from 50,000 to 100,000 people, opens on April 17, 2015, according to executive producer and owner Ron Tyler.

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Other concerts on the schedule in 2015 include RockFest 2015 on May 29-31, Texas BluGrass Festival on July 3-5, Texas Blues Fest on August 21-23, DooWAPP Saturday (1950s and 1960s rock ‘n’ roll) on September 12 and the Texas Country Fan Fair on November 6-8.

Acoustic Music on the Streets. Mineola. Johnson St. Gazebo. 1.800.MINEOLA. www.mineola. com.

Bluesman Craig Wallace. Ben Wheeler.

3 - 6 p.m. Free. The Forge, FM 279. 903-8335970. www.benwheelertx.com.

October 31 – November 2

Bob Wills Fiddle Fest and Contest. Greenville. A celebration of the legacy of Western swing legend Bob Wills takes place with a fiddle contest in Greenville, aimed at showcasing a stage full of accomplished fiddlers of all ages. Downtown Greenville. Greenvillechamber.com.

November 1

The Time Jumpers at GMA. Greenville.

The Time Jumpers, featuring Vince Gill, Dawn Sears, Kenny Sears, and Ranger Doug Green, take the stage at the GMA. 7:30 p.m. $30-50. Greenville Municipal Auditorium, 2821 Washington St. http://www.showtimeatthegma. com.

Belcher Center, 2100 S. Mobberly,. 3:00 p.m. 903233-3080. www.belchercenter.com.

November 8

Suzy Bogguss. Tyler. . 8 p.m. $22 online; $25 at the door. $175 for VIP box. Liberty Tyler, 103 E. Erwin. 903-595-7274. www.libertyyler. com.

November 14

Michael Johnathon. Winnsboro. Michael Johnathon is a folksinger, songwriter, concert performer, author who created and hosts the worldwide broadcast of the Wood Songs Old-Time Radio Hour with a radio audience with over a million listeners each week on 500 public radio stations, PBS-TV coast-to-coast plus American Forces Radio Network in 173 nations. He also created the world's first multi-camera weekly music series broadcast on the internet. Michael is also a playwright ... his play Walden: The Ballad of Thoreau has over 8,000 registered performances in 42 countries and is translated into four languages. www.michaeljohhnathon.com. 7:30 pm. The Bowery Stage at Winnsboro Center for the Arts, 200 Market Street, (across from the depot). 903-342-0686. www. winnsborocenterforthearts.com.

Jason Coleman - The Piano Magic of Floyd Cramer. Marshall. Jason brings his grandfather’s signature piano style to a lineup of some of the most recognized songs of all time. 7:30 p.m. $15. Marshall Convention Center, 2501 E. End Blvd S (Hwy 59). 903-9354484. www.marshallartscouncil.org.

November 15

Smash Mouth at The Belcher. Longview.

Celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year with a new national tour, Smash Mouth has long since established itself as the ultimate true-to-life California party-band with a funloving vibe. A quick listen to their music and you realize the multi-platinum Smash Mouth is a 60s influenced garage band with a keen pop sensibility that maintains a timeless quality, a style they have created and that is all their own. 7:30 p.m. $40 - $70. Belcher Center, 2100 S. Mobberly Avenue,. www.belchercenter.com/index.html.

Texarkana Symphony Orchestra Pops I – Passport to the Movies. Texarkana. 7:30 p.m. $40, $32, $20$32, $20. The Perot Theater.

321 W. 4th Street. 903.792.4992. www.trahc. org.

Adler & Hearne - Live, Acoustic Music Concert. Edom. Adler and Hearne blend their voices and instruments in a spirited signature sound that reflects the duos second-nature connection through song. The two met in Nashville while on solo musical journeys. Years later their paths merged in Texas, where they formed the duo Adler and Hearne, along with their indie label Spring Hollow Records. 7:30 p.m. $12 advance / $15 door. The Old Firehouse in Edom, 8241 FM 279, Downtown Edom. 903.852.2781. www.theoldfirehouse.net.

November 2

November 20

Keb Mo. Longview. 7:30 p.m. Belcher Center, 2100 S. Mobberly. 903-233-3080. belchercenter. com.

Russell Moore & IIIrd Tyme Out. Longview.

Dallas Symphony at GMA. Greenville. Kar-

ina Canellakis, newly appointed Assistant Conductor of the Dallas Symphony, leads delightful selections that shows off the Dallas Symphony’s lighter side. 7:30 p.m. Greenville Municipal Auditorium. 2821 Washington St. www.showtimeatthegma.com.

November 22 Elvis Tribute Concert. Gilmer. Edwards is an international multi-award champion Elvis tribute artist who has performed on hit television shows such as NBC’s “Next Best Thing” and “The Young and the Restless.” He has also played with some of Elvis’ original band members such as D.J. Fontana, Elvis’ drummer; and his backup group the Jordanaires.

Recently, Edwards became the first and only Elvis tribute artist to perform on the estate of Graceland. Gilmer Civic Center, 1925 N. Wood St,. $30.

November 30 Steven Curtis Chapman & Brandon Heath.

Longview. Celebrated multi-award winner Steven Curtis Chapman will usher in the 2014 holiday season with fans on JOY: The Christmas Tour. The tour will feature fivetime Grammy nominee Brandon Heath and special guest singer/songwriter Jillian Edwards. The Belcher Center. 2100 S. Mobberly Avenue. belchercenter.com/index.html.

December 2 Cowboy Christmas. Greenville. Join Michael Martin Murphey in a traditional Cowboy Christmas Ball at Greenville Municipal Auditorium. Murphey’s Cowboy Christmas is a reenactment of a party that was originally held at the Star Hotel in Anson in 1885. Greenville Municipal Auditorium. 2821 Washington St. www.greenville-texas.com.

December 5 Trace Adkins, The Christmas Show. Greenville. Country musician Trace Adkins performs at Greenville Municipal Auditorium with a Christmas special sure to bring holiday cheer. 8 p.m. $44-225. Greenville Municipal Auditorium. 2821 Washington St. http:// www.showtimeatthegma.com.

December 13 Lake County Symphonic Band. Mineola. 2 p.m. Select Theater Mineola.

Dana Cooper - Live, Original Acoustic Music Concert. Edom. Out of the heartland of America, stomping grounds of Truman and Twain, troubadour Dana Cooper dedicated himself to a life of music over 40 years ago.

This song poet engages and inspires audiences around the world with his quick wit, insightful stories and commanding presence. 7:30 p.m. $12 advance / $15 door.

The Old Firehouse in Edom. 8241 FM 279.

903.852.2781. www.theoldfirehouse.net.

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BOOKMARKS

crew and prepares for the hard winter to come. items with “his” name on them and cards and letters and packaged them up and sent them to the family. Still, mostly, we all felt so helpless.

So maybe that’s one reason why this mother’s story of hope and inspiration brings us some peace — to know that she’s healing and to hear the miracles of the short but influential life of Jesse Lewis.

The title of the book comes from a message Lewis noticed just days after her little boy’s death. He had scrawled his six-year-old version of “Nurturing Healing Love” on their kitchen chalkboard.

It brought great comfort to the family and set a course for an organization she started called Jesse Lewis Choose Love Foundation.

Nurturing Healing Love A Mother’s Journey of Hope and Forgiveness

By Scarlett Lewis with Natasha Stoynoff Hay House ISBN 978-1-4019-4425-0 Reviewed by P.A. Geddie

I do not recall the last time a book held my interest so closely that I couldn’t put it down until I finished it — that’s what happened with this one.

Nurturing Healing Love is written by one of the parents of the children gunned down December 14, 2012, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. One of those children was six-year-old Jesse Lewis.

Reports of his heroism that horrific day state that he helped guide the other kids safely out of the room when the shooter stalled for a moment.

“They listened to him and ran for their lives,” Scarlett Lewis says. “Nine first graders made it to safety as the gunman took aim at Jesse.”

It was a day that shocked the world and I like so many others wanted to help comfort these families and this town. I called a funeral home in Newtown for information on one little boy whose name was Benjamin Wheeler and got the address of the church that was accepting mail for him -- people from our Texas town of Ben Wheeler gathered

Although she says many days she cannot choose anything but grief, she always comes back to love and to hope.

“This is not a story about a massacre,” she said. “It is a story about how we can face, endure, and survive the seemingly impossible, and find courage when we think we have none.

“It’s about choosing love instead of anger, fear, or hatred, and standing our ground, like Jesse did.”

Learn more about the foundation at jesselewischooselove.org.

Mystery Novel by Charles H. Hays is set in Tyler A big city on the east or west coast, or maybe Chicago or even Atlanta – that’s where a mystery novel traditionally takes place. But local author Charles H. Hayes selected Tyler as the setting for a fast-paced yarn about a mysterious briefcase containing a deadly secret.

The protagonist of “The Briefcase,” Mike Kidd, is not a detective; in fact, he has no vocation. He takes a job from time to time to augment the modest, but steady, income the single oil well on his inherited farm provides, but he has no career. He was just as unfocused in college, taking classes that intrigued him so that he is well educated but has no degree.

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His pleasant but unaspiring life is upset when his best friend dies and bequeaths a growing business to him. Along with the business, he inherits unexpected danger and a mystery concerning just what the business produces.

His friend also left him a briefcase with instructions to burn it without opening it. Mike soon finds himself in danger because a shadowy group is convinced Mike knows the briefcase’s secret and is willing to kill to get it.

Enlisting a most unlikely group of allies, Mike must piece together clues in order to reconstruct the information the briefcase held. The more they learn, the greater the threat becomes.

“The Briefcase” is published by Moonshine Cove Publishing (moonshinecovepublishing.com). Charles H. Hayes is also the author of “The Gray and the Blue” and “Civil War Limericks,” both published by Pelican Publishing Company.

Author Marlow Publishes New Western Novel

Herb Marlow’s latest novel, “The Wind of Change,” was released recently by SBP Publishers.

Texas cattle rancher Harmon Early moves a mixed herd of cattle from his home in Palo Pinto County, Texas, to the rich grasslands of southwestern Idaho in the 1870s. There he makes friends with Layne and Dottie Murrow and their son Johnny, and leases their land to use until he can build his own ranch buildings.

There are three other large ranchers in the area, and two of them, John Spooner and Milton Longway, try to run Early off, but with no success. Harmon Early is a Confederate veteran of the Civil War who claims that he ran enough as a soldier, and he doesn’t intend to run again.

In the meantime, Harm meets a lovely Georgia girl, Tina McWilliams, a guest of the Murrow’s, and the two are drawn to each other immediately. As the romance blossoms, Harm takes care of the cattle business, running his large

Finally, Harm asks Tina to marry him, and she accepts. The future in Idaho for the Texas cowboy and the Georgia peach is set to last forever.

The book is available in paperback and e-book formats at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com.

Also, Writer’s Exchange Publishing named Marlow its Author of the Month for October 2014. An interview with Marlow, written by Sandy Cummins, is posted at www.writers-exchange.com/ blog/archives/203.

Local Author Publishes Fourth Novel In Series

Local author Tom Geddie recently published “The Other Magician in the Desert,” the fourth novel in his Rattlers and Magicians series about players on the men’s and women’s basketball teams at the fictional Terlingua Tech University in the Texas Big Bend.

The novel continues the story of best friends forever Magan Marshall and Jonnie Meadows — elite athletes, students, and young women— as they begin to grow up far away from home.

The first novel in the series, “Rattlers: Love & Courtship in the Desert,” focused on the men’s team led, in part, by a naïve freshman named Virgil Qualls.

The second, “Jolene’s Sad & Glorious Drift to Fame,” tells the story of one of the characters featured in the first, a young woman named Jolene Dante who fled her home at age 12 to avoid abuse and then began to find a focus for her life in Terlingua.

The third novel, “The Magician in the Desert,” and the fourth, “The Other Magician in the Desert,” introduce Magan and Jonnie, their teammates, and some of the people around them as they help lead the women’s team to success. Geddie is about halfway through writing the series’ fifth novel, “The Magicians Enter the Labyrinth,” and a book of short stories, “Eulogies for the Living,” about some of the characters in the novels.

The Ben Wheeler resident’s earlier publications include six books of free verse poetry, four novels, four collections of short fiction, two memoirs (“Reasons of

My Own: Life after a Death Wish” and “Love and Masks and Ghosts”), and a book of music criticism, “What Texas Music Really Is.” Geddie is also organizer of the third annual Ben Wheeler Book Fair, bringing 26 Texas authors to the old Elwood Schoolhouse in downtown Ben Wheeler November 29.

Retired as a journalist and business communication consultant, Geddie still writes occasionally for County Line Magazine in the Upper East Side of Texas and for Dallas-based Buddy Magazine.

For more information email tomgeddiemuses@gmail.com or call 903.963.3788.

EVENTS Every First Sunday

Texas Writers Network. Tyler. Informal gathering of writers and aspiring writers for mutual support, critique, and networking. 2 – 4 p.m. Free. Taylor Auditorium, Tyler Public Library, 201 S College Avenue. 903-593-7323. www.tylerlibrary.com.

Every Third Friday

Poetry Reading. Winnsboro. Local poets. 6 p.m. Free. Winnsboro Emporium, 316 N. Main.

903.342.6140. www.winnsboroemporium.com.

November 22

The Phantom Killer by James Presley.

Texarkana. Texarkana Public Library hosts an author signing and reception for James Presley. Noon – 2 p.m. Free. Texarkana Public Library. 600 W. 3rd St. David Nelson Meeting Room. 903-794-2149. http:// txark.ent.sirsi.net

November 29

Ben Wheeler Book Fair. Ben Wheeler.

The third annual Ben Wheeler Book Fair features 25-30 Texas authors. Works span genres including children’s books, Christian fiction, fantasy, literary fiction, historical fiction, horror, humor, mystery, poetry, romance and young adult fiction. Nonfiction authors include biography, children’s advocacy, memoir, music and culture, photography and self help. Authors are screened to ensure quality and vistors have the opportunity for one-on-one time with the authors. The book fair is from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in the restored Elwood Schoolhouse, 5475 FM 858 in downtown Ben Wheeler, sharing space with the Ben Wheeler Children’s Library. 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Old Elwood Schoolhouse. 5475 FM 858.

903.963.3788. www.facebook.com/pages/BenWheeler-Book-Fair.

POETRY & PROSE You Left

You left me here This was my fear ‘Cause no one else is near Now I’m all alone Still waiting for you to text my phone But before you left You committed theft Because you stole my heart.

Tatum Carney 7th grade, Cushing

A Winter Day

Gray heavy clouds hang like wet blankets from the sky.

Bare naked tree branches now dressed in white coats of snow.

Quiet muffled silvery silence beckons like a deserted library.

I stick out my tongue to catch falling snow flakes of winter.

Words spoken in hushed voices so as not to disturb the solitude.

Life’s frosty breath hangs in the air frozen in time.

Crunch, crunch, crunch is the only sound as I walk thru white stillness.

Safely surrounded by white nothingness, I feel protected and at peace.

Kathy Dodd Brownsboro

Patterns of Love

As you lie sleeping in my arms, Lace curtains filter early morning light, Casting leafy patterns onto your golden skin.

The Invisible Painter of light Softly illuminates your brow, Caresses your cheek, Brushes phantom kisses on your mouth And burnishes your countenance in a radiant glow.

I etch your image in my mind; Like a lovely fern imprinted in rock Every line, Each vein, Your shape, your form: The subtle tracery of design.

And a million years from now Archaeologists will find Pressed into the center of my being The essence of you, my love, Captured forever for all time.

Virginia R. Rosemond Tyler

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Enjoy Ice and Snow in the Upper East Side of Texas While ice skating rinks and snow hills don’t naturally occur often in the Upper East Side of Texas, that doesn’t stop many towns from getting creative with winter fun. From November 14 to January 4, celebrate the season with skates on Mount.

Vernon’s artificial surface ice skating rink at Meadow Park Baptist Church. Admission is $5 and includes skates rental. Explore visitmtvernontx.com.

Known as the “Granddaddy of Texas Lighting Festivals,” The Wonderland of Lights Festival in Marshall attracts guests with millions of lights on homes and businesses. From November 28 to December 31 festival goers enjoy music and entertainment, as well as ice skating in the outdoor Samsung Ice Skating Rink. For more information go to visitmarshalltexas.org.

December 5 and 6, Longview’s Christmas at the Courthouse features two snow hills, arts and crafts vendors, and Santa. Hosted by the Gregg County Sheriff’s Department, admission to the event is free. For more information visit co.gregg.tx.us.

The Mount Kilgore Snow Hill Festival takes place December 12 and 13 with a giant hill of snow for tubing, vendors, games, rides and lots of family fun. Visit KilgoreChamber.com for more info.

Also on December 12 and 13, Tyler’s Holiday in the Park and Bazaar takes place at Bergfeld Park. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. a snow hill and snow play area is open to the public. More than 50 food and gift vendors are on-hand to make for an enjoyable and entertaining experience. Visit tylerparksandrec.com for event information.

EVENTS

www.mtpleasanttx.com NOV Nov deck the Halls 15/16 christmas Shopping experience 14/15

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November 15

ASET & CESSE Star Party. Tyler. The Center for Earth and Space Science Education is sponsoring indoor planetarium shows and members of the Astronomical Society of East Texas will have a telescope on hand for actual celestial viewing. 5 – 10 p.m. Free. Center for Earth and Space Science Education. 1327 S. Baxter Ave. 903.510.2312. www.tjc.edu/cesse.

Take a Self-Guided Tour on Athens’ Scenic Fall Foliage Trail Cool, crisp temperatures of the fall season arrive in Athens and with that comes an onset of autumn color. Each autumn in Athens the picturesque landscape transforms to vibrant colors throughout the East Texas woodlands.

The 55-mile self-guided driving trail begins and ends at the Athens Partnership Center, located at 201 W. Corsicana Street, where visitors can pick up additional information about Athens before heading out on the tour.

The City of Athens Department of Tourism offers a scenic driving trail for visitors to view the colorful foliage of East Texas this season.

The scenic driving trail includes several points of interest such as the New York, Texas Zipline located atop the highest point in Henderson County; the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, where visitors can walk the interpretive wetland trail and learn about the hatchery; the East Texas Arboretum & Botanical Society and Tara Vineyard and Winery, the oldest winery in Henderson County.

“Henderson County has breathtaking scenic highways and byways that are identified on the easy-to-follow interactive map,” said Sherri Skeeters, tourism coordinator for the City of Athens Department of Tourism.

Athens borders the Texas Forest Trail and Texas Lakes Trail regions. Visitors find beautiful autumn color displays of the deciduous trees including oaks, maples, sweet gums and sumacs.

Autumn color is expected mid to late November but it is recommended to call ahead. For more information or to request a free visitor’s guide call 1-888-294-2847 or visit AthensTX.org to download the interactive map.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 31

STAY

The Inns of Edom Offer Room to Breathe

By P.A. Geddie Travelers from near and far “follow the star” formed by the five streets that connect at the heart of downtown Edom. There they find several shops with beautiful hand-made pottery, jewelry, woodwork, photography, guitar art and more created by resident artists, as well as good grub at the award-winning Shed Cafe.

For those wanting to stick around to soak up a bit more of the Edom magic — in town or country — a quick drive brings visitors to five rustic and shabby chic retreat centers with exquisite views.

Trinity Pines Retreat & Conference Center is just a few miles down FM 279 towards Tyler with four guest houses and a log cabin lodge. The grounds include a walking track, swimming pool,

lots of porches and resting areas, and there’s an indoor tennis court. Explore at trinitypinesedom.com.

Continuing east on 279, find Mariposa Cabin nestled in the woods just past the beautiful Blue Moon Gardens. The hand-crafted one-bedroom cottage is ideal for some peace and quiet and short hikes on 80 acres of nature’s best.

Explore Mariposa at vrbo.com/354940.

Also east of Edom is Wood Haven Cabins Retreat with numerous facilities for getaways and gatherings. The structures are hand built from cedar trees harvested from the surrounding land and they have wood floors and porches, and overlook a private lake. Explore atwoodhavencabins.com.

Northeast of Edom is Dragonhead Retreat that is situated atop a 675-foot hill

providing amazing views of the countryside. Guests may choose from The Lodge at the end of a ridge with a spectacular view or the Cedar Cabin nestled in the woods at the foot of the hill. Explore at dragonheadretreat.com.

South of Edom is The Farm House featuring a main lodge and corn cribs, plus game and entertainment rooms, a hot tub perched atop a wooden tower with great views, a bath house, ponds, and an over-the-water deck with fireplace, grill, and picnic tables. Explore farmhouseretreat.com.

There’s always room at the inns of Edom.

PHOTOS: l-r: One of the cabins at Dragonhead Retreat; the Butterfly House at Trinity Pines; the Bunk House at Wood Haven; Mariposa Cabin; and a romantic bathhouse at The Farm House.

Photo Courtesy: Kelly Patterson 32 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 33



FOOD & DRINK Jazz Up Your Evening at The Grand

tatoes. It is served with three dipping sauces tableside including a delicious Parmesan peppercorn sauce. Warning, the soy sauce can over salt the beef.

Finish the dinner with a dessert fondue with either bananas foster or cappuccino chocolate with sweet cakes and fresh fruit to savor. The pretzels from the car snack mix with the chocolate is recommended as well — it’s a sweet and salty dream.

Be sure to avoid the “fondue coma” to enjoy the music — this is a piano bar.

The main piano man is Danny Burgess through the week and he caters to the

The Grand Piano Bar and Supper Club 5524 Old Jacksonville Hwy Tyler, Texas 75703 903-266-9118 www.thegrandpianobar.com

music from the 40’s-70’s on the beautiful piano sitting center stage at the supper club. On weekends are other acts including the servers from time to time that may hop up to the mic to croon out some Harry Connick or Dean Martin.

The Grand is a club with attitude and respect at the same time — a dress code is printed on the door. No flip flops, shorts or jeans — come dressed for dinner.

Weeknight reservations may not be needed, but call ahed Friday and Saturday. The Grand is not a chain. It preps to order and is an experience rather than a quick, inexpensive bite to eat.

Create History at Eilenberger Bakery

The bar is fully stocked and serves cold and prefect martinis and artisan sangrias. Seated at draped tables, guests are greeted by pleasant staff while trying to decide what to eat from the menu.

The food at The Grand is fine dining with a fun flare. From tenderloin and potatoes or chimichurri pork, The Grand Dinner Salad loaded with fresh veggies, and starters like stuffed peppers gorged with chicken, smoked Gouda and bacon are just a few to mention.

The Grand also has fondue includingswirling a cheese or an entree fondue set, but going all out there’s the three course fondue. The white wine and garlic cheese course with crisp apples, fresh mushroom and croutons is great but could improve with crostini instead.

Next, the beef and chicken entrée fondue simmers with a warm fragrant broth, filet, chicken, prefect broccoli and po-

Hours of operation are now extended to 11 a.m. to Midnight Sunday and Tuesday through Friday and from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. on Saturdays. The new hours offer more opportunities for guests to enjoy leisure time watching sports and dining on buffalo wings and their favorite beverages in two different areas of the restaurant while families continue to enjoy the main dining room.

The restaurant continues to serve it’s award-winning catfish dinners for lunch every Friday and on Thursday nights as well.

Moore’s Store is located in a renovated building with hardwood floors, tin-

Sharon Gilchrist (left) and her daughter and grandson, Summer and Reed Haltom, are often at their family-owned Moore’s Store these days cooking up something delicious and entertaining for their guests. Courtesy Photo

continued page 36

Best of the Upper East Side of Texas

Best Steaks and Best Restaurant YEAR AFTER YEAR

Moore’s Store Has New Ownership and New Menu Moore’s Store in historic downtown Ben Wheeler is now operating under new owners, mother and daughter team Summer Haltom and Sharon Gilchrist.

Reviewed by Patti Light This jewel of a venue and club on Old Jacksonville Highway is just down from Grande Ave. It is an elegant and charming eatery tailoring to jazz and oldies music lovers with sophisticated taste buds. The Grand just started opening for lunches, but mainly takes diners for supper.

greens, avocado, bacon, cucumber, red bell pepper, red onion, and cheddar and Feta cheese tossed in a Feta vinaigrette. New sandwiches include the Dancing Pig, Hat Doctor Special and Pulled Pork. There is an extensive dessert menu with items handmade by Lynn Dugger, from Guest House Bakery located in Scoots ‘n Scoops across the street from Moore’s Store in downtown Ben Wheeler.

Credited as the oldest bakery in the Lone Star State, Eilenberger Bakery in historic downtown Palestine remains a savory staple in the Upper East Side of Texas.

Serving residents and guests high-quality baked goods since 1898, the bakery also meets the delicious demands of Eilenberger fans worldwide with the use of their online store.

Many enjoy Eilenberger from around the globe, but it is the brick-and-mortar bake shop that provide guests with an unparalleled experience. The redolence of old-fashioned goods fills the cozy atmosphere encompassing shiny hardwood floors and trim that resemble the golden brown of their Texas pecan cakes.

The bakery specializes in sweet treats ranging from their world famous fruitcake to brownies and cookies baked and decorated by hand. Additional desserts include chocolates, bite-size cakes, chocolate covered cherries, and peanut butter pleasures. Over the years Eilenberger’s increased their offerings significantly to

34 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

complement many of their generationsold family recipes they still use today.

In addition to baked goods and desserts, the bakery offers a lunch menu. With the serving of soups, salads, and sandwiches on their homemade gourmet breads, the shop makes for a nice place to take a break from the holiday hustle.

For Eilenberger fans looking to avoid the shopping crowd altogether, the online shop serves as a portal for purchases and deliveries. Much of the online offerings include rush shipping fees due to the bakery’s need for assurance of freshness.

Some of the goods are considered pricey in comparison to large chain bakeries, but the bake shop prides themselves on offering tasty treats with a side of tradition and originality most chains don’t offer.

Located at 512 N. John St., Eilenberger Bakery is open Monday through Saturday. For more information on the bakery, call 903.729.0881 or visit www.eilenbergerbakery.com.

The two recently purchased the restaurant and private club featuring newly installed TVs in multiple areas for watching sports, increased hours, new entertainment and an updated menu that launched in October.

The new menu includes some additions as well as enhancing former dishes. Idaho Nacho’s are crispy fries topped with creamy queso, jalepenos, tomatoes, and bacon. Moore Than a Salad offers romaine lettuce, mixed

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www.dairypalace.com NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 35

FOOD & DRINK

from page 35

tiled ceilings, and wood-planked walls that gives guests the feel of its history.

Originally the building was a mercantile store opened by J.J. Moore in 1933.

After serving the community for almost 60 years, the store closed in 1992.

After much hard work and heartfelt conviction for the historical building that sat hauntingly empty for more than a decade, Moore’s Store was brought back to life by the Ben Wheeler Arts & Historical District Foundation in September 2009 as a restaurant and live music venue.

In an attempt to remain true to the building’s historical architecture, many of the original aesthetics of Moore’s was painstakingly retained and restored. But, a few new amenities were added, including a sound system and performance stage for patrons to enjoy live music while they dine.

A stunning wall-to-wall mural was added and runs across the back of the stage area showcasing a retrospective of days gone by in downtown Ben Wheeler.

Haltom said the restaurant will continue to serve up good food, good music and good times.

Regular entertainment continues at Moore’s Store with Ladies Night DJ Dancing on Fridays and live bands on Saturdays. Presently, newly-installed TVs show Wednesday night NFL football games and Saturday college football, and the sports watching opportunities expand with the fall football schedule.

For more information go to www.mooresstore.com or call 903.833.5100.

Edom Sets Community Thanksgiving Meal

The annual Edom Community Thanksgiving Meal takes place from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-7 p.m. November 24 at the Edom Community Center.

Organizers of the event are asking for additional assistance in planning the meal, including recruitment of people who can make desserts or who can serve at the dinner. There is no charge for the meal, but donations are gladly accepted. Home deliveries of a meal are arranged for those unable to come to

the Edom Community Center.

Anyone wishing to assist with the event should contact Barbara Crow at Bjbcrow2000@yahoo.com.

EVENTS November 7 – 8

Pine Cone & Mistletoe Market and Taste of the Holidays. Center. The William Carroll Crawford Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas is hosting this event with more than 40 vendor booths showcasing Christmas décor and holiday artisan gifts. The Shelby County Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors host the Taste of the Holidays, an eclectic culinary sampling and dining experience featuring Chamber member restaurants, caterers and florists. Each establishment serves sample tastes of a featured item from their business. Florists display centerpieces with a holiday theme. 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. $25 covers both events. John D. Windham Civic Center. 146 Express Blvd. 936598-3682. www.shelbycountychamber.com.

November 14 - 15

Boots, Brew, and Barbeque. Mount Vernon.

Features boot scootin’ Friday night and beer tasting and a barbeque competition on the plaza Saturday. 5 – 9 p.m. Free. Downtown Mount Vernon. 100 Main Street.. 903.573.3374. www.facebook.com/BootsBrewandBarbeque

Enjoy 10 wine tasting rooms, gourmet food samples, art, live music and more, set against the backdrop of historic Downtown Palestine. Tickets available at Palestine Visitor Center, Palestine Chamber of Commerce or Online at OuthouseTickets.com Tickets $40 in advance or $50 at the door

903-723-3014

www.palestinemainstreet.org • Like us on Facebook 36 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 37

Latte Art is Hot in the Upper East Side of Texas

by Alia Pappas

A steaming latte topped with fluffy foam sits on a coffee shop table. Floating atop the foam is the image of a heart, a latte art masterpiece of the barista’s own creation. Over the past few years, specialty coffee shops in the Upper East Side of Texas started serving more latte art, and the results are fit to showcase in galleries.

“I noticed latte art becoming popular around five years ago and loved it,” said Connor Walters, manager of Longview’s Bridge 281 Coffee Shop. “It looks gorgeous as part of the presentation. It literally is a small, custom art design in each drink. In a few years it will be the standard at specialty shops where it’s not already.”

Latte art is made by pouring milk that has been frothed with a steam wand on top of an espresso shot. Designs are created in the milk foam by using techniques known as “free-pouring” and “etching.” The most popular latte art designs created by baristas are rosettas, which is a shape that resembles a fern leaf, hearts and tulips. These shapes are usually created by free-pouring, which is done by making precise hand movements while pouring milk into the espresso. More detailed designs, such as the faces of famous musicians and cartoon characters, are created by etching, which uses small objects such as toothpicks or needles to move the foam into the desired shapes.

“Latte art starts with the shot and the milk,” said Jeremy Standifer, owner of The Life House coffee shop and eatery in Rockwall. “If your attention to detail

is not there at that level, you cannot perform the pouring techniques that make the art. After mastering extracting coffee, steaming and texturing milk, and finally learning to free-pour, it can take months to years to master the different designs.”

Successful latte art is dependent upon the quickness and care with which the drink is made. The espresso must be of the best quality and at the proper temperature. If the espresso is too hot, the foam and latte art melts into the drink.

If a detailed, etched design is created, the artwork is made quickly so the coffee is not be cold when it reaches the customer. Every step of the latte-making process is taken into consideration.

“You have to have fresh-roasted beans, the grind size just right, the espresso extracted properly, the milk textured perfectly and the way you pour the milk into the espresso performed with precision,” Walters said. “Latte art usually means that you have made the drink really well.”

While most chain coffee houses have switched to automatic machines that cannot be used to make latte art, local specialty coffee shops use high-quality manual machines to create artworks that reflect the unique personality of each shop. Latte art made in this way is found at Bridge 281, The Life House and many other independently owned coffee houses in Northeast Texas. According to Connor, Bridge 281 hopes to send a message with its carefullycrafted lattes.

“The reason we work to provide latte art is because we want the satisfaction

38 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

of knowing that something was made as best as it possibly could be,” Walters said. “Also, we want that attitude to inspire customers to approach what they do in the same way.”

The Life House hopes heir coffee shop brings Rockwall’s community together by brightening their customers’ days with specialized latte artworks. Standifer also hopes The Life House brings attention to Rockwall’s local businesses.

“We have what we call, ‘The Local,’” he said. “It is a honey-infused milk latte using local honey, local milk that we always use from Mill-King Creamery, and dusted with a proprietary topping. Our goal is to expose people to the awesome local food and artisans around us, all while making their experience one that connects them with each other and our community.”

Along with its many other positive affects, latte art is becoming a social media sensation. Walters and Standifer both agree that, more often than not, the latte art they serve is photographed by customers and posted to social media sites such as Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

“Everyone loves latte art,” Walters said.

“When we serve a drink with latte art, usually it gets its picture taken and shared with friends. People feel that they’ve gotten something amazing (because they have), and more often than not, it opens up a great conversation, and perhaps the start of a friendship.”

Standifer hopes that bonds are built at The Life House through bringing people together to enjoy lattes and products made by local artisans.

“We are constantly looking to grow and add different offerings,” he said. “We want to continue to expose our community to crazy-good coffee, breads, pastries, and eats all while bringing people together and building community.”

Free Pour Latte Art: Involves the pouring of milk straight from a jug into a cup of espresso. While the milk is flowing into the cup a combination of wrist and hand movements are used to bend and shape the way the milk flows into the coffee.

Walters plans to continue his efforts to build community at Bridge 281. A step that is in the works to further this community-building process is to extend Bridge 281’s hours, making the coffee shop available during the day as well as at night.

Latte: Espresso with steamed milk, 8 ounces or more total.

“We want to be more conducive to building relationships, pursuing the creative process, and hosting inspiring events,” he said. “If all that can happen over an incredibly made cup of coffee, we think that’s amazing.”

Latte Macchiato: A latte made by pouring the espresso in last, on top of the milk and foam.

Coffee Terminology

Certified Organic: Coffee is considered Certified Organic if the coffee is farmed with natural renewable resources, as well as water and soil conservation.

Dark Roast: Dark, almost black, with ample amounts of oil present on the surface.

Almost, or all origin characteristics are gone, the body is beginning to decrease, the flavor is thin, and usually tastes of the roast, including charcoal, bitter flavors, and very low acidity.

Direct Trade: When coffee roasters buy directly from farms rather than from brokers. Proponents say it increases coffee quality and gives farmers more power.

Espresso: Concentrated coffee made when hot water is forced at pressure through fine coffee grounds. Usually slightly less than 2 ounces total. Baristas prefer 8 to 10 bars of pressure and 15 to 25 grams of coffee.

Etching: is the practice of literally drawing on a coffee with a thin rod, such as a toothpick, in order to create images in the coffee.

Extraction: Drawing flavor from coffee grounds. Coffee can be underextracted and taste sour or overextracted and taste bitter.

Latte Art: The pattern formed by rhythmically pouring steamed milk into an espresso drink. Decorative and demonstrative; only properly steamed milk will hold a form.

Light Roast: No oil, usually cinnamon, or a little darker in color. Lighter body, more flavor of origin and acidity comes through.

Macchiato: A Macchiato is a single or double shot of espresso, marked with a bit of foam or frothed milk, usually with close to equal portions espresso and foam or frothed milk.

Medium Roast: Very little to no oil present. Milk chocolate in color, has added depth of body at the cost of some acidity, and possibly at the cost of some origin characteristics.

Microfoamed Milk: The end result of milk exposed to high-powered steam.

Organic: An organically-grown coffee must be certified by an international agency as having been grown without synthetic chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. Somewhat lower yields and the considerable cost of the certification process account for the higher prices demanded for many organic coffees.

Pull: Espresso shots are “pulled.” The term is a holdover from when machines were lever operated.

Roast: Unpalatable green beans are heated to create complex flavors that are extracted during brewing.

Fair Trade: A private program that certifies that farmers or coffee growers are paid a minimum price for coffee.

Roast Date: Most small-batch roasters print the roast date on bags of coffee.

The rule of thumb is that coffee should be used within two weeks, and some coffee bars won’t sell beans more than a week after they have been roasted.

Fragrance: The sensation of the gases released from ground coffee as they are inhaled through the nose. Ranges from sweetly floral to sweetly spicy.

Seasonal Coffee: Coffee beans ripen at different times of the year in different regions, and can appear in markets and coffee bars for limited times.

Single Origin: Coffee from a particular region, farm or area within a farm.

Steam Wand: The arm on an espresso machine that is used to heat and froth milk. Pressurized steam is released from the steam boiler through the steam wand, and through the nozzle on the end, and into the milk, which is frothed by the introduction of air made possible by the technique of the barista.

NOTEWORTHY Upper East Side of Texas COFFEE SHOPS Brady’s Coffee Shop - Tyler Standpipe Coffee House – Lufkin The Flying Grape & Bean Coffee Gift House – Gun Barrel City Paris Coffee Company – Paris Java Junkies Coffee Bar & Bakery – Terrell Cream & Coffee – Palestine Café Bhojana Java – Tyler Central Perks – Marshall R&R Bakery and Coffee Shop – Marshall The Texas Tea Room – Carthage Bride 281 Coffee House – Longview Art & Espresso – Winnsboro Kickerz! – Whitehouse, Tyler, Gresham The Foundry Coffee House – Tyler Downtown Coffee Lounge – Tyler Java Jacks Coffee House – Nacogdoches The Coffee Mill – Longview Barron’s Coffee – Longview The Arc – Longview GoodDay Coffee + Books – Kilgore Grounds for Justice Coffee Shop & Mercantile – Tyler Main Street Coffee House – Hallsville Scooters-Tyler Jacksonville Joe’s – Jacksonville Fat Guy’s Coffee – Paris Taste Buds Candy and Coffee Café – Mineola Henry’s House of Java – Mineola Brew Haha Coffee and Sandwich Shop – Mineola Coffee Love – Athens Hastings Hardback Café – Mt. Pleasant The Coffee Shop at Lake Cypress Springs – Scroggins Taylors Coffee Shop – Pittsburg

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 39

SHOP

New Shop in Winnsboro Wins Best Restoration in State Winnsboro’s Clara Ida Frances, Inc. is the finalist and winner of the Best Restoration category of the 2014 Texas Downtown Association (TDA) Presidents Awards Program. Since 1998, the program has recognized more than 150 projects, events and people that make a difference in Texas downtowns. The categories are divided based on populations of over and under 50,000 inhabitants.

The Best Restoration category recognizes excellence in restoration of interior or exterior of an existing building.

Rather than maintaining and preserving a building as it has evolved over time. The expressed goal of restoration is to make the building appear as it did at a particular — and most significant — time in its history.

Winners of other categories are announced November 6 at the Presidents

Awards Luncheon held in conjunction with the 2014 Texas Downtown Development and Revitalization Conference in Granbury. Judging for the awards took place recently in Austin. The distinguished jury panel included Angela Castilleja, Keep Texas Beautiful; Nancy Glover, City of Temple CVB; Dick Ryan, former TDA Board Member; and Kendra Wright, Saffire Events.

The Texas Downtown Association, established in 1985, is an independent, statewide nonprofit organization comprised of more than 430 members involved in downtown and commercial district revitalization projects. TDA provides resources to members through networking opportunities, marketing, education and advocacy to achieve community goals. To learn more, visit www.texasdowntown.org.

The building housing Clara Ida Frances

Discover the East Texas Oil Fields of the 1930s

WILHITE

now was originally constructed in 1901 by merchant and civic leader, R.E. Skeen. After incorporating another two story structure at the rear built by his brother in 1890 as a medical clinic and pharmacy, the Skeen building housed a general merchandise and clothing business from 1901-1984. From 1984-2011, it served as a drug store and pharmacy.

The current owners, Peter and Janice Schma, acquired the Skeen building and restored the structure to its’ orignal stature during this past year.

Named for Janice’s grandmother, the store is full of home accessories, clothing, gifts, coffees, and wine.

Shoppers can explore the store online at claraidafrances.com and even purchase there but to get the real experience in this historic building it’s well worth the trip to visit in person.

— P.A. Geddie

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“Our World Class Service is Second to None” 40 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 41

LIVING ROOM

‘Tis the Season for Home Tours

tour day tickets are $20. Tickets are available for purchase at the Terrell Chamber of Commerce at 1314 W. Moore Ave., Tanger Visitors Center at 301 Tanger Dr., and American National Bank at 102 W. Moore Ave. For home details and ticket information visit.sscofterrell.com.

Nine Flags Christmas Tour As part of the Nacogdoches Nine Flags Christmas Festival, the oldest town in Texas celebrates the season with a tour of homes December 13.

Sponsored by the Nacogdoches County Board of Realtors, take a tour of homes that are a testament to the rich history of the town from 1 to 5 p.m.

Tour historic homes in Jefferson in December during the 32nd Annual Candlelight Tour of Homes.

Courtesy Photo

The holiday season fills the air with laughter and light, while promoting community closeness with rich history and dapper decorations throughout the month of December. Here are a few holiday home tours to check out this year in the Upper East Side of Texas.

Candlelight Tour of Homes The 32nd Annual Candlelight Tour of Homes takes place in historic Jefferson with a tour of homes decorated to reflect the Victorian era theme.

This year, guests gather at the Candlelight Headquarters located at the Murphy Building on W. Austin St. to embark on their jolly journey. The sights and structures include Cumberland Presbyterian Church, the Enchanted Forest, Chamber of Commerce, Twin Oaks Plantation, Urquhart House, The Hale House and more.

Christmas in a Small Town

The 18th Annual Christmas in a Small Town in Historic Terrell kicks off from 2 to 8 p.m. December 6.

The Social Science Club of Terrell takes guests on a tour of five beautiful homes and a church sanctuary that are dressed for the holidays.

Four of the homes are representative of the many antique residences in this small railroad city founded by cotton merchants and bankers. All of the homes are in close proximity.

With all proceeds supporting local charities, advance tickets are $15 and

The Nine Flags Christmas Festival is a celebration of Texas culture and runs from November 21 to December 14.

Tickets are $15 with proceeds benefitting Friends of Historic Nacogdoches.

For more information on the Tour of Homes or the Nine Flags Christmas Festival visitnineflags.visitnacogdoches.org.

Mineola Tour of Homes Tour area homes decorated in holiday fashion from 1 to 4 p.m. December 6, before the Boot Scootin’ Christmas parade downtown at 5:30 p.m. Free carriage rides are available from 3 to 5 p.m.

For information on the Tour of Homes or other holiday festivities, visit mineolachamber.org.

Tours take place Thursday, December 4 and 11 from 3 to 7 p.m., Friday, December 5 and 12 from 5 to 9 p.m., and Saturday, December 12 and 13 from 5 to 9 p.m.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $2 for children 10 and under. They are available for purchase at the Murphy Building or call 903.665.7064 for more information and visitjeffersoncandlelight. com.

Saturday, December 6, tour historic homes during the 18th Annual Christmas in a Small Town in Historic Terrell. Courtesy Photo

42 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 43



FEEL GOOD

Pets Fur People Holds Annual Pet Pictures

Keep Tyler Beautiful Gets Donation From Lowe’s

Keep Tyler Beautiful (KTyB) announced that Lowe’s awarded a $5,000 grant to support their mission to engage in building and sustaining vibrant communities.

Your Presence is Cordially Requested

Live Music, Theater, Comedy and Movies!

Downtown Tyler • 103 E. Erwin • Tyler, Texas 75702 A depArtment of the City of tyler

Suzy Bogguss

The Lowe’s Community Partners grant provides funding for a community fruit and nut tree orchard. The orchard site is on the grounds of the Glass Recreation Center, 501 West 32nd Street, in Tyler.

Life-sustaining animal sanctuary Pets Fur People holds its annual Pet Pictures with Santa on Sunday, December 14 at their facility in Tyler.

From noon to 4 p.m. Santa is on hand to have his picture taken with pets for $20 for a 5 x 7 photo with proceeds benefiting the animal shelter.

This year, photography is courtesy of 3 Dogs and a Cat Photography.

By Madison Payne

When we lose someone dear, it is common to wish for just five more minutes with them. I am not a betting woman, but I have five bucks on the fact that if our wishes were granted we would not spend those precious minutes with our smartphones.

The holiday season was always my grandmother’s favorite time of year. Every time the season approaches, I often envision the holidays with my grandmother and me a year older. A lot of things happen in a year — exciting job ventures, embarrassing moments, new albums released, and new iPhones are the size of a small toddler.

With new technologies literally avail-

able at our fingertips, we must not lose sight of things that matter most and we have to be aware that opportunities to make memories are passing by our smartphone-glowing faces.

Smartphones bring fascinating technology into our lives, but we need to critically think about everything we are letting them take away.

Recently, findings of an anonymous restaurant manager went viral online after he viewed surveillance videos of his establishment and posted a much deserved rant on Craigslist. The restaurateur studied footage from 2004 and 2014 to determine the cause for a decrease in restaurant service speed. The result: smartphones.

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WWW.YAMAYOGA.INFO 903.567.0077 44 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

Almost an hour increase in food service time was simply due to cell phone preoccupation. This preoccupation included taking photos of food, texting, talking, and attempting to connect to WiFi. While I do sympathize with the manager and his frustrations, this rant revealed a much bigger message to me.

Food and face-to-face communication go together like turkey and stuffing, and one without the other in a given opportunity is just sad. Nowadays it seems like we are no longer appreciating our experiences and we are merely walking away from tables with full stomachs and carpal tunnel syndrome.

It is disheartening to think about the muted conversations, lost laughter, and missed memories, all because we have allowed ourselves to be taken over by technology. Technology is an awesome luxury, but it is nothing compared to the luxury of actually living life.

Grandmother’s pumpkin pie included, we need to appreciate the blessings we are served. If we keep hanging onto the notion that there are always new opportunities, one day we’ll be surprised as our last piece of pie is served.

Pets Fur People provides a temporary haven for animals, conducts spay/neuter programs to reduce dog and cat overpopulation, and teaches responsible pet guardianship.

The shelter is at 1823 County Road 386.

For additional information, visit petsfurpeople.org or call 903.597.2471

november 8 At 8 p.m.

APEX Presents

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof

november 13-15 At 7:30 p.m.

Texas Lecture Series:

Peter Roussel

This grant is one of more than 60 merit-based grants awarded nationally by Lowe’s to community-based affiliates of Keep America Beautiful (KAB) to support grassroots service projects ranging from building community gardens and planting trees to leading disaster restoration and recycling programs.

Volunteers from the community are scheduled to plant the orchard with the help of the parks department. Presentations and educational seminars show how homeowners can grow their own fruit and nut trees.

Lowe’s also provides support as a national sponsor of KAB’s flagship program, the Great American Cleanup, taking place in 20,000 communities from coast to coast.

This national program engages an average two million volunteers who take action to create positive change and lasting impact.

Committed to Helping Seniors Remain in Their Homes

november 17 At 7 p.m.

Little Hope Was Arson

november 23 At 2 p.m. & 6 p.m.

Card 53 Birthday Bash deCember 5 At 8 p.m.

Card 53’s 5th birthday!

Texas Shakespeare Festival presents

A Christmas Carol deCember 12 - 14

movies

“The Classics”

“A Nostalgic Christmas”

thursdAy, november 6

thursdAy, deCember 4

thursdAy, november 20

thursdAy, deCember 11

fridAy, november 28

thursdAy, deCember 18

Sound of Music The King and I

Meet Me in Saint Louis

A Christmas Story White Christmas

It’s A Wonderful Life

For ticket information go to LibertyTyler.com

for

WH IT ENING

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Serving our East Texas communities since 2001

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J. Brandon Allen, D.D.S Randy Bell, D.D.S. 903.675.3811 208 Crestway Street, Athens crestwayparkdental.com

This holiday season I challenge you to put down the iPads, leave your gadgets in the gift bag, and accept the greatest present of all — presence.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 45

They Won’t Know What to do With Some Things

By Edward H. Garcia On a window sill in my study is a small conch shell. It’s nice but not particularly colorful or beautiful. It’s a souvenir of last year’s trip to Ireland. I picked it up on the Bay of Dublin beach, about a block from the house where we stayed.

When I happen to notice it, I think of that trip--the sometimes-bitter cold, the wonderful hot soup which helped with the cold, the plays we saw, the train rides we took. Because of the cold, we took a lot of taxis, too. We had an Indian taxi driver, one from Africa, many native Irish. By far the hardest to understand were the Irish. The shell brings all that back and a tour of magical Newgrange and more.

But when the kids come, as they will someday, to clean out the house, organize a garage sale and try to make sense of whatever mess I’ve left, they will look at my nice shell, wonder for a moment

at most where it came from and what it meant to me, and then someone will toss it in a large black trash bag, ready to be transported to the dumpster.

The house is full of things like that, some of which puzzle even me when I run across them. There are old teaching notes and a stack of old grade sheets, a paperback book signed by George Peppard in an airport. He didn’t write the book, but it was what my friend had in his hands when he recognized George. The ink on the signature has worn away, but if you know to hold it up to the light, you can barely recognize George Peppard’s signature.

If it’s grandkids that are cleaning out the “estate,” they almost certainly will not know who George Peppard was and wouldn’t care anyway.

In my wife’s closet they’ll find the dress she wore when we got married and the coat she bought and shared with her

46 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

mother and the dress she wore when we adopted our youngest son. They’ll look at them as out of date but worthy of donation to Goodwill. They won’t know that she wouldn’t have parted with them.

Is it sad that these treasures and so many more won’t get a second thought and will be seen as the junk their parents or grandparents accumulated? I don’t think so. I could label things, but it still wouldn’t mean much to them. I could throw them out myself, but I want them around to help me hold on to my memories for as long as I can.

So I hereby invite and even encourage them to throw out anything they want to. They can put a match to the whole lot if that’s what they want to do. Their lives will be full of their own mysteriously special objects, and it will be up to their children to figure out what to do with those.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 • COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 47

Enjoy the Holiday in Mineola THANKSGIVING – JANUARY 3, 2015 Outdoor Holiday Display Mineola Historical Museum Santa Letters Drop Off

DECEMBER 1 Judging of the Main Street Window Lighting & Decorating Contest

DECEMBER 4 “Boot Scootin’ Christmas” 6 – 10 p.m.

Civic Center. 903.569.6115

DECEMBER 6 Mineola League of the Arts Bazaar 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.

200 W. Blair Tour of Homes 1 – 4 p.m.

Sponsored by Mineola Landmark Commission

Carriage Rides at the Gazebo 3 - 5 p.m. Free

Sponsored by the Merry Merchants of Mineola and Mineola Main Street

Merry Merchant’s Winter Whirl 4 – 5:30 p.m.

Open House Downtown

Boot Scootin’ Christmas Parade 5:30 p.m.

Tree Lighting after parade

Visit with Santa at the Gazebo

DECEMBER 13 1860 CR 2724, Mineola, Texas Phone: (903)569-6983, (800)646-3652 www.mineolanaturepreserve.com FOLLOW US!

Christmas Concert 2:00 p.m.

Lake County Symphonic Band

1.800.MINEOLA • www.mineola.com