January/February 2019 County Line Magazine

BEST OF THE UPPER EAST SIDE OF TEXAS

county line JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

TWO FAMILIES ONE HEART ARTS. CULTURE. MUSIC. THEATRE. BALLET. FOOD. BOOKS. SPACE

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Mardi Gras lives in every heart and soul in Shreveport-Bossier. Whether you’re catching beads at a family-friendly parade or digging into a king cake with your crew, good times are waiting around every corner in Northwest Louisiana. Visit the website to plan your Mardi Gras getaway today.

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www.ShreveportMardiGras.com JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 3

CONTENTS 18

FEATURES

8 Two Families — One Heart One man’s selfless act gives life to others.

By P.A. Geddie

18 Best of the Upper East Side of Texas

This years winners in the annual round up of good places to eat, play, and enjoy the region.

DEPARTMENTS 5 Editor’s Note & Letters

44

THIS TIME OF YEAR

24 Ellen DeGeneres, Elvis impersonator Travis Powell, Freezin’ for a Reason, and National Wear Red Day

CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT 26 Love Lock Wall in Waxahachie 27 Event Picks 28 Five Ways to Beat the Winter Blues 29 Deep Space in Nacogdoches 30 Coolest Hardware Store on the Planet

THE ARTS 32 Terrell Mural, Texas Medal of the Arts Awards, Arts Events

STAGE

29

36

34 Greenville Theatre Works 35 Stage Events 36 Beckanne Sisk Returns to Longview

LITERARY 38 Author to Speak to Pulpwood Queens

40

MUSIC 40

42 43

Searching for Peace Town: Concert and Photo Exhibition in honor of the late Jimmy LaFave Grammy Nominees Music Picks

HOME & GARDEN 44 Old Buses Make Rolling Tiny Homes 46 Cade Republic Designs In a Holistic Way

Cover: Andie Kay Joyner (left) and Reagan Dominy.

Photo by Beverly Burchett

SEE WEBSITE EXTRAS! www.CountyLineMagazine.com 4 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

county line Since 2000

MAGAZINE

Serving those living & playing in the Upper East Side of Texas

PUBLISHER & MANAGING EDITOR P.A. Geddie COPY EDITORS Steve Freeman Tracy Torma

CONTRIBUTORS April Canik Terry Mathews Makayla Mahurin Krista Leard Beverly Burchett Tom Geddie Casey Liles Justine Meccio

Digital Publications & Graphic Design Assistant Krista Leard

ADVERTISING pa.geddie@countylinemagazine.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS info@countylinemagazine.com County Line Magazine is published every other month, 6 times a year. Subscription costs: $15 per year. 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 2019 County Line all rights reserved. Material may not be reproduced without written permission. Opinions expressed in articles or advertising 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. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement we deem incompatible with our mission.

EDITOR’S NOTE Dear Readers, We’re starting the new year with a full heart. I hope you enjoy the article about the two families coping with loss and new life and how this brought them together. It really drives home the importance of organ donation. As Steven Dominy said, when you pass away you don’t need them anymore — why wouldn’t you want to help somebody else out. He saved four lives with his thoughtful decision to sign up as a donor. Get to know one of them here in this story.

For more love visit the love lock wall in Waxahachie and check out more ways to show people you care in This Time of Year.

We’ve also got our annual Best of the Upper East Side of Texas. It’s clear our region is growing beautifully with more choices for good food and fun and really talented people. Many enjoy using this list to try out the winners throughout the year — I’ve started mine.

Besides all the great places to discover in the Best article, check out quite a

I’ve only recently found out about your magazine. I’m a local East Texas writer/ author/poet/lyricist/spoken word and recording artist. I am sending you some poetry possibilities for your magazine.

James Kenneth Blaylock Tyler (I’d) like to thank you for publishing such a great magazine for our area of Texas. I truly enjoy every read.

For over 20 years,

Please feel free to send us your comments.

For over 20 years,

Texans for the Arts

Texans for the Arts

has consistently worked to:has

consistently worked to:

Protect Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) arts funding

Protect Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) arts funding

Increase funding for the Texas Commission on the Arts

The Official Arts Advocacy Texans for the Arts is at the forefront of empowering artists, arts leaders, committed supporters, and citizen activists like Organization for Texas you! Together we can amplify our powerful voices to increase both public and private resources to build strong, dynamic,

Texans for the iscommunities at the forefront of empowering artists, and Arts creative all across Texas. arts leaders, committed supporters, and citizen activists like you! Together we can amplify our powerful voices to increase both public and private resources to build strong, dynamic, and creative communities all across Texas.

CHECK OUT COUNTY LINE DIGITAL PUBLICATIONS www.CountyLineMagazine.com

One of the must-see things you’ll find here in this issue is the tribute to the late Jimmy LaFave in Winnsboro. Albert & Gage honor him in concert and then LaFave’s photography is on display for a few weeks at the Winnsboro Center for the Arts — really moving photographs he took during the last years of his life.

The exhibition started in Austin and traveled to Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa before coming to Winnsboro.

There are so many treasures to find here and I hope you enjoy the journey.

Let us know what interesting things and people you come across in 2019 ­— we’d love to hear from you.

May peace and love fill your hearts all the days of the new year.

P.A. Geddie

LETTERS

Lindsey Peterson Quitman

The Official Arts Advocacy Organization for Texas

few other stories on things to do. From professional ballet and theatre to interesting book clubs and the coolest hardware store on the planet, there’s no shortage of fun even during the cold of winter as you’ll see with Krista Leard’s “Five Ways to Beat the Winter Blues.”

Expand the conversation about the vital role the arts Increase funding for play in our schools and communities

the Texas Commission on the Arts

role the arts County Line Magazine Support tax 608, policies and other measures that help TX 75754 P.O. Box Ben Wheeler, artists and arts organizations email: info@countylinemagazine.com Advocate for increased funding for the National

andExpand the conversation about the vital Support tax policies other measures that help artists and arts organizations play in our schools and communities Advocate for increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts and for federal policies that support artists and arts organizations.

Endowment for the Arts and for federal policies that support artists and arts organizations.

Find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Go to LETTERS on www.countylinemagazine.com.

Flower of Hope here’s to new birth, I utter, while lifting high a translucently clear water filled receptacle, since I’m not really one for drinking down any type of flavorful, nor stirringly strange, spirits instead, I’ll pretend I’m on a popular Tv show chugging glass after glass of warm apple juice but nevertheless, I’m still proud of the fact that even though wickedness is thoroughly eroding there’s a budding flower of hope reaching towards the horizon’s absolute brilliance...

James Kenneth Blaylock

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 5

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Richard Strauss’ tone poem in a special chamber version by László Varga

EXPLORE WOOD MeetingCOUNTY the locals has never been so memorable

Sunday, February 3, 2019, 3:00 pm Tickets: $20, $10 for MVM Members, $5 for college students w/ valid ID. Students are admitted free.

Mount Vernon Music Hall 402 Leftwich St. at Yates Mount Vernon, Texas (903) 563-3780 www.MountVernonMusic.org

www.woodcountytx.com “Beyond the Lure of Big Fish”

www.woodcountytx.com Wood County Tourism

HENDERSON HAPPENINGS

Henderson Civic Theatre Casino Night Gala December 31, 2018, 8 pm Rusk County Youth Expo Center Henderson Civic Theatre Productions 2019 “To Kill a Mockingbird” February 22, 23 & 24 March 1, 2, & 3 Fri & Sat 7:30 p.m., Sun 2:30 p.m.

“The Christians” May 3, 4 & 5; 10, 11, & 12

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23rd

4:00 till 7:30 PM 100 East Main St. • Downtown Henderson Tx

Gumbo Cook-Off

Gumbo Tasting For $10 per person Children under 12 Free Admission with Parent’s

122 E. Main St. 903- 657-2968 www.hendersoncivictheatre.org

Beer and Wine Garden Zydeco Band Live Music

City of Henderson Department of Tourism • 903.392.8232 • www.visithendersontx.com JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 7

Two Families — One Heart One Man’s Selfless Act: A Gift of Life That’s Keeping the Beat

By P.A. Geddie Steven Dominy saved Andie Kay Joyner’s life.

James Steven Dominy was born September 29, 1975, the only son of Sharon and James L. Dominy.

“We were married six years before we had Steven,” Sharon says. “We wondered if we were ever going to have children then he came here full of excitement and holding his head up. He was such a delight.”

Sister Stacy came along in December 1976, and the family settled in to smalltown life in Kirbyville, Texas.

“It was like having twins,” Sharon remembers. “They were inseparable. They aggravated each other and she’d squeal and he’d tattle. Normal brother and sister stuff. They looked out for each other too.”

Nineteen months to the day after Steven’s birth, in another small town 200 miles north, Andrea Kay Joyner was born in Edgewood, Texas, April 29, 1977. She claims four parents, her mother Glenda and stepfather Kelles Miller, and dad Roger and stepmom Janet Joyner. Her brother Chad helped welcome her to the world and sister Jessica came along a few years later.

Steven and Andie Kay had similar childhoods — small town Texas life where everybody knows everybody. They were both surrounded with lots of family and went through school with kids that became life-long friends. Both families spent vacations at the beach.

Andie Kay loved Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, and George Jones — she wanted to be a singer and by the age of 10 she was performing regularly on stages across Northeast Texas. In between weekend music gigs, she enjoyed school and her senior year she was voted Edgewood High School’s Football Sweetheart and took her walk across the field one Friday night with her dad.

At Kirbyville High School, Steven played 8 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

football, baseball, and basketball. He liked to go fishing and hunting and spend time with his friends.

“We thought he might be a lawyer someday,” Sharon says, “cause he could put his plan out and no matter how we disagreed with him he’d convince us — he was quite the persuader.”

Steven didn’t want to be a lawyer — instead he went to work with a coveted position at BNSF Railway like his father.

He met Dolly Acree right out of high school. They dated several years and then got married and brought three children into the world: Tyson Cruz in 1999, Reagan Preslee in 2001, and Ramsey Alexandra in 2005.

He was a devoted father to his children from the start.

“He was a good dad,” Dolly says. “He loved holding them and didn’t want to put them down when they were babies. He changed as many diapers as I did and gave them baths. He did everything.”

As the kids got a little older he was very involved with their soccer, little league, and cheer games and loved having big birthday parties and going all out for holidays. He was very emotional, Dolly says, noting he teared up before the curtain even opened one time at one of the kids’ school Christmas programs.

“Things got to him,” she said. “He’d get teary eyed.”

Andie Kay took a less traditional path after high school. Instead of marrying and starting a family as many of her friends did, she focused on her music, often with her best friend Heather Starcher Stalling. They had beautiful harmonies and over the years started writing songs together as they played with talented bands like Rusty Weir, Jim Lauderdale, Tommy Alverson, Eleven Hundred Springs, Mark David Manders, and Max Stalling to name a few.

Living her dream brought her much joy but she began having nagging health

issues she couldn’t ignore in 1998 and sought medical attention. She was misdiagnosed for five years. By the end of a particularly hard 2003 she finally got the right diagnosis — hemochromatosis.

Hemochromatosis is a blood disorder that causes a build up of too much iron in the body which can lead to serious health issues including death. She was told she’d need to have phlebotomies (blood drawn) to remove iron from her system about every two weeks and then eventually she could slow that down to a few times a year to keep healthy.

Because of her condition she could not have children — she has a special relationship with her niece Faith, born in 2002.

By the time Andie Kay was in her late twenties she and Heather formed their own band, blacktopGYPSY. They had their first gig February 9, 2006, at Poor David’s Pub in Dallas, and also released their first album that year.

While Andie Kay battled minor setbacks with her iron disorder, she was happy as her band took off and she spent the next 10 years performing in and around Texas.

During these years in Kirbyville, Steven was enjoying being a dad more than anything and working for the railroad.

He spent time with his buddies — the “Five” they called themselves — who often went fishing and hunting together and went to nearby lakes.

Things weren’t perfect for either Steven or Andie Kay during this decade but they each had a deep love of family and reasons to be grateful every single day.

Then in March 2016, Andie Kay was on her way home from a multi-city tour through Atlanta; Birmingham, Alabama; and Shreveport when she collapsed, completely exhausted and with pain in her chest and stomach.

She was in and out of the hospital for several months and in June got the news that she had irreversible heart damage caused by hemochromatosis. Doctors told her she had less than a year to live without a heart transplant.

“I can’t believe my heart is damaged this much and I never had any warning,” she said when she heard the news.

OPPOSITE TOP TO BOTTOM: Steven Dominy; Steven, Dolly and their children Tyson, Reagan, and Ramsey; Steven with his father James, mother Sharon, and sister Stacy. RIGHT TOP TO BOTTOM: Andie Kay Joyner; Andie Kay with her dad Roger; and with her mother Glenda and stepdad Kelles Miller at Graceland. Courtesy photos

By early August, she was in critical condition at UT Southwestern Hospital and on a donor’s list for a heart and possibly a liver transplant as well.

While Andie Kay was having the worst year of her life, Steven spent the summer of 2016 with good quality time with his mother Sharon, sister Stacy and her kids, and Dolly and their children.

“We went to the beach,” Sharon said, noting all five grandchildren were there, then all about teenagers. “We had a wonderful time.”

Dolly said she has good memories of those months too.

“We had a good summer,” she recalls.

“We went to the lake a lot. He liked to go where the water was. He was a really good grill cook — better than restaurants — so he cooked for us a lot.”

One of Dolly’s best memories of that summer was one night when they were home alone together.

“The kids were at church camp,” she says, “so we decided to move the table in the living room and dance. We played a game of who could find the better song on our phones.”

Steven won, she said.

“He picked ‘Slow Dancing, Swayin’ To the Music,’” and they did just that. “For the rest of the summer he would play that song and we’d dance. Silly stuff. It’s hard to hear it now,” she says.

Friday, September 2, 2016, was a typical night for the family at the local high school football game.

“We went to the game, then stayed up late talking about Tyson’s senior year and hanging out with the kids,” Dolly recalls.

The next morning, Saturday, September 3, 2016, Steven headed out for the day to go fishing with his friends. About 9 p.m. that evening, he was in a onecar accident on a country road near continued page 10

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ONE HEART continued from page 9 Call Junction in Jasper County. He was taken to Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont, Texas, with a head injury.

He never regained consciousness, his mother said, but they had hope for several hours that he might make it. In the end, damage to the brain was too severe and they let him go Sunday, September 4.

Sister Stacy was a nurse and had even worked at the Beaumont hospital at one time. She recognized a man hanging around since they’d been there with Steven — he was from Southwest Transplant Alliance. She didn’t know at first that he’d be talking with them but once Steven passed he let the family know that Steven had signed up to be an organ donor.

“His personality has always been exciting and he never meets a stranger,” Sharon says, “but I liked hearing so many talk about how his smile made everybody happy. He was full of life.

He didn’t like drama. He wanted everybody to get along and be happy. He had a big influence on people.”

Stacy agrees, “His precious smile and beaming personality were like none other. His love for his kids was indescribable and unmatched. He did anything and everything for them. He was always trying to be better for them.”

The family said in his obituary “his last gift was the ‘gift of life’ through the selfless act of organ donation. With this final act of generosity he enables others to live.”

“That’s just Steven’s personality,” she says, “to be a doer and a helper. It was not surprising whatsoever.”

On what would have been Steven’s 41st birthday, September 29, Stacy received a letter from Southwest Transplant Alliance where she learned that four people were saved by Steven’s organs. A male in his 40s received his right kidney while a female in her 20s received his left kidney. His lungs were transplanted into a male in his 50s, and a 39-year-old woman received his liver and heart.

Steven’s funeral took place September 11 and the family still takes comfort in all the nice things said that day.

They would learn in time that the woman who had his heart was Andie Kay Joyner.

“Even though I’d been through the process with patients’ families in the past, this was hard to get my brain around what was about to happen,” Stacy remembers. But she wasn’t surprised Steven had done this.

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On August 25, 2016, Andie Kay took a turn for the worse and doctors put a catheter in her neck and moved her to the Intensive Care Unit. They also notified Southwest Transplant Alliance of her condition and she was elevated to “1A” status, taking her to the top of the list for a heart and liver. On Saturday, September 3, her organs started shutting down and the surgeons said she was within hours of death. Sunday, September 4, they hooked her up to an Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) machine that took over pumping her blood to give her severely damaged organs a rest and the family held on to hope that a donor would be found in time.

The next day they were advised a match was found for both organs.

Around noon Tuesday, September 6, Andie Kay underwent an 18-hour surgery to replace her damaged organs, becoming UT Southwestern’s first heart and liver transplant, joining the ranks of only four other Texas medical centers to perform the complicated surgery.

Her body seemed to accept the new organs right away and she began her long road to recovery. She started thinking about her donor “hero” almost immediately.

“Tubes and lines coming out of my body and I’m lying there curious about who this is inside of me that’s keeping me alive,” she said.

The next couple of months, Andie Kay has routine doctor visits, heart biopsies, takes medication, goes to physical and occupational therapy, and has roundthe-clock assistance from family and friends.

On November 6 friends held a benefit concert and auction for her at Moore’s Store in Ben Wheeler, a stage she’d played often with her band blacktopGYPSY. This was the second “Make AK OK — Keeping the Beat” fundraiser held for her, the first at Love and War in Plano August 24. At both fundraisers her enormous music family and many others showed up to raise much-needed funds to help with mounting medical bills. Guests in Ben Wheeler were moved to tears when Andie Kay herself appeared in public for the first time that night just two short months since her surgery, singing “I Saw the Light” with her fellow musicians.

“It was the first time in a long time that I got to hear live music and see so many friends and family,” Andie Kay wrote in her journal. “That’s what keeps me going. It was very healing.”

Andie Kay began to journal about her donor as soon as she was able to hold a pen. About three months after the surgery she wrote, “I still think about my organ donor every day. I think about their loved ones every day. I think about how hard it must be for them at this time, especially. This is the first holiday season they will spend without them.

Please send them your prayers and please be a donor. My donor gave me the greatest gift I have ever received. I’ll be allowed to reach out to the family in eight and a half months. I hope they want to meet me, because I can’t wait to give them the biggest hug.”

Andie Kay says the last two years have been challenging.

“The first year was all about healing, getting my body and voice back in shape and resting, being quarantined a little bit,” she says. “Cardiac rehab was an important piece in getting my strength back. That was my incentive for me to wake up every morning — eat healthy and go to the gym so I could feel better.

I spent a lot of time reflecting on what happened. It’s still hard to process.”

By year two she’s starting to feel more like herself.

“The second year I’m feeling stronger and ready to help others, contacting my donor family, singing, living a better life,” she says. “I feel different, very protective of this life. I don’t get all worked up about little things. I get to perform about twice a month. It’s not like it was before, but my health is top priority and singing and playing is a great healer.”

“What am I going to say to them,” she says. “There’s no playbook for this. I found out he had kids and was young when he died. And here I am walking and talking and having fun getting back to singing. So I’m a little intimidated here. I’m doing great and they have to go the rest of their life without a father.”

Andie Kay’s family and best friends are making this journey with her — those who have been at her bedside and helped her walk through every step of the way — who are just as grateful as she to meet the donor’s family.

Life for the Dominy family has been understandably difficult these last two years without their father, son, brother, and friend Steven. The Kirbyville community has wrapped their arms around them and school activities and vacations help them keep putting one foot in front of the other. Sharon’s taken on a part-time job with a florist, Stacy’s working on her master’s degree and keeping up with her kids and Dolly and Steven’s children are wrapped up in pageants, sports, pep rallies, band, and typical lives of teenagers.

It did not take long at all for the Dominy girls and Andie Kay to bond like they knew each other a long time — lot’s of hugs, flowers, gifts, and thoughtful conversations.

Through the Southwest Transplant Alliance the Dominy family learned about a year ago that Andie Kay received Steven’s heart and liver and Andie Kay’s family learned about Steven. Andie Kay was very protective of the Dominy family, not wanting to enter into their lives until they were ready. So she waited, growing ever more grateful, and wishing nothing more than to meet the family of her “hero.”

Ramsey smiles big with sparkling eyes as she says, “I haven’t heard that heartbeat in two years.”

She and Stacy first connected through letters through the transplant alliance.

Stacy gave her contact information to Steven’s son Tyson, now 19, and when 17-year-old Reagan found out about Andie Kay she didn’t waste any time. She called her up and they talked for about three hours that first time.

Dolly, Reagan, and Ramsey, now 13, set a date to meet the woman who has their dad’s heart at a Mexican restaurant in Nacogdoches at the end of October.

“She’s a piece that’s been missing for two years,” Reagan says. “Her personality is neat — so bubbly and energetic.

She fits with us. This is not a casual acquaintance. She’s family now.”

Andie Kay gave the girls a purple stethoscope and they each listened to their dad’s heart beating.

The girls present Andie Kay with a large photo of their dad and mother. And they lay his worn bible on the table to bring them all comfort as they said it did for him.

Andie Kay also brought them “Make AK OK — Keeping the Beat” T-shirts from the two fundraisers that helped her with medical expenses.

The families visit for several hours. Lots of stories about Steven that brought laughter and tears.

Andie Kay says this was one of the greatest days of her life.

“I’ve been ready for a long time. It’s an odd connection I feel with them. I need it — I need to know who saved my life. Who was this person? I felt an instant love.”

“Our heart is so full,” she says. “There are no words perfect enough to describe this perfect day. I have been dreaming of this moment for two years and it was better than I’ve ever imagined. Unfortunately, due to hemochromatosis and now, because of my transplant, my dream of having kids of my own won’t ever happen. Fortunately, I have been blessed with a beautiful niece, and now,

On the drive over, Andie Kay is anxious.

continued page 12

Andie Kay was ready to meet them.

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ONE HEART continued from page 11 I get three beautiful bonus children. My hero gave me life, basically cured me of my blood disorder, and he keeps giving me wonderful gifts. I’m forever grateful to this beautiful man.”

Photos by P.A. Geddie

At one point in the day Reagan said she had something important to ask Andie Kay and voices at the long table quieted eager to hear.

It seems Reagan’s “Senior Night” was coming up in a couple of weeks in Kirbyville and the students are escorted across the football field by their parents. Reagan wanted to know if Andie Kay would fill in for her father.

Andie Kay accepted immediately, even thought she’d have to make a 400-mile round trip after a music performance the night before.

“Their father walks with me every day,” Andie Kay says. “I’d do anything for them.”

So on November 9 Andie Kay and her family make the trip to Kirbyville for this very important game night at the local high school.

But first, there are two important people she needs to see — Steven’s mother Sharon and sister Stacy — so they meet before the game.

Lot’s of hugs and tears, then Sharon and Stacy take turns listing to the heartbeat.

“Boy was it pounding away so strong,” Stacy says. “Talk about chill bumps. His big, loving heart is still here with us and is beating away with Andie Kay. We’re blessed to now have her as part of our family.”

Sharon was just as affected.

“It was very emotional,” she says. “It was a little strange to think your child’s heart is still beating — he’s gone but his spirit lives on and his heart lives on in somebody else and they’re taking care of him.”

Andie Kay asks Sharon if she should call her Mrs. Dominy.

Sharon says, “You can call me Sharon, or MiMi, or anything as long as it’s nice.”

“I’ll just call you Mom,” Andie Kay says with another tender hug.

Sharon said she didn’t know how she 12 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

Photos by Casey Liles

was going to react before they met but she somewhat feels like she’s meeting her child and it felt natural.

“Because she is, in a way, my child. It was just easy. I know her. She really is like a daughter, an extension of our family.

It’s all wonderful. So good to know her.

Her eye color is the same as Steven’s.”

Sharon says she loves Andie Kay’s music and plays a recent song release for all her friends and she hopes to see her live on stage before too long.

Stacy has plans for that too. Her nursing classes take her to Tyler quite often and she hopes she and Andie Kay can meet there soon.

“Meeting her finally was amazing for me,” Stacy says, although bittersweet.

“We’re having this meeting because he’s not here is what’s hard. But you get happiness and joy from knowing this precious woman was on her death bed literally and is now walking and talking and healthy and happy and able to be here.

I’m so grateful she’s okay. We love her.”

Like Sharon, Stacy says she listens to Andie Kay’s music in the car often and shares it with others.

OPPOSITE TOP TO BOTTOM: Thirteen-yearold Ramsey Dominy listens to her father’s heart; Reagan, Andie Kay, and Ramsey bonded quickly; Dolly, Reagan, and Ramsey Dominy say they’ll keep in touch with Andie Kay and her family that came to Nacogdoches for a first meeting. ABOVE Andie Kay finally gets to give hugs to her donor’s sister Stacy (left) and his mother Sharon (right) two years after her transplant surgery.

“She’s got a beautiful voice. She sounds like an angel. She has an angel with her and maybe that’s coming out in her voice — that’s what I like to imagine.”

Seeing the softness and lovingness about Andie Kay, Stacy wonders how much of her brother is really with her.

about Elvis and Reagan’s middle name is Preslee, inspired by him.

Andie Kay also gets to meet Steven’s son Tyson while in Kirbyville, who was a little slower to come around, his mother says.

“Steven was very loving and had the biggest heart for his family and friends.

I like to think some of that is coming through to her. It’s gotta be.”

“He gets his emotions from Steven,” Dolly says. “He thought he wouldn’t be able to control his sadness. But after he talked with her a few minutes he was okay. Once you meet Andie you love her. He loves her as much as we all do.”

Meeting Andie Kay helps her feel closer to Steven, Stacy says.

Leaving the high school the families head over to the football stadium.

“He’s given us this relationship with her and it does make us feel better. Nothing will ever take his place or change his leaving us but knowing it’s not in vain, that he still continues to do good and help people — it gives us that feeling that he’s still with us.”

As Andie Kay and Reagan take their place on the field, Andie Kay is wearing Steven’s Kirbyville High School football letterman jacket. Over the loud speaker system an announcer gets the crowds attention to tell them about Reagan’s guest. “Tonight she has a very special escort — her dad’s heart and liver recipient, Andie Kay Joyner. Ladies and gentlemen, her dad’s heart is with her tonight.”

Some of Steven’s close friends, the “Five,” were there to meet Andie Kay too.

With Steven gone, they asked Andie Kay to be the honorary “fifth” of their group.

The friends’ names are Roger, Chad, Andy, and Bryan, interestingly names Andie Kay is all too familiar with since they each belong to a member of her own family or close relationship.

Beyond the similar friends’ names, the coincidences in the two families’ lives are not lost on any of them. The kids’ maternal grandmother’s name is Andrea. Sharon is also the name of Andie Kay’s close aunt. Andie Kay is crazy

Reagan is beaming as they walk across the field arm in arm and says the experience felt as natural as it could be. Later, standing with little sister Ramsey and Andie Kay, she tells a reporter that Andie Kay’s now part of the family. “She’s not getting away from us.”

That’s okay with Andie Kay, she says, “I’m here for them always.”

Andie Kay is very grateful for the opportunity to walk with Reagan and to meet Sharon, Stacy, Tyson, and more family and friends on her trip to Kirbyville. continued page 14

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 13

Photo by Casey Liles

ONE HEART continued from page 13 “It was an honor to walk my hero’s daughter down the field on her ‘Senior Night.’ Meeting my donor’s closest family and friends, they couldn’t have been more welcoming or loving. I got to know him a little better through these wonderful people and feel even closer to him than I did already.”

They all plan to stay in touch and in fact already do through social media and even snail mail. Andie Kay sings about “her angel” when she’s performing. The Dominys and Andie Kay’s family plan to see each other in person as much as they can.

Dolly could not be more thrilled about this developing relationship with the kids.

ABOVE: Ramsey and Reagan Dominy, Andie Kay Joyner, and Sharon and Stacy Dominy spend time together before the Friday night football game.

RIGHT TOP CLOCKWISE: Andie Kay with her donor’s son Tyson, and with his daughter Reagan walking the field together for Senior Night — Reagon wanted her father’s heart with her as well as Andie Kay as a new member of her family.

Andie Kay is wearing Steven’s letterman jacket.

“Sleepy” was a nickname from his football team.

“Andie fills so many different roles for them,” she says. “They see her as part of their dad, but also like family. She texts them congrats and good luck, she sent a goody box for Halloween, she wears many hats for them. They really needed her. She’d be at all their stuff like he was if she lived closer. She helped them emotionally. I think Steven would be so pleased.”

Not only has Andie Kay found new love with the Dominy family but for the first time in about 10 years she has a serious boyfriend. “He just may be the one,” she says.

“This life is getting a little bit sweeter and I am so blessed to still be here to experience it all.”

❧ Andie Kay is still here because Steven Dominy chose to say “yes” to being a donor. It was important to him.

It took Sharon a while after her son’s death to recall a conversation she had with Steven about the topic just a short time before he died. She said he told her about talking with Reagan about signing up as an organ donor when

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she went to get her driver’s license that summer.

“He told her she should be a donor and they talked about it,” Sharon recalls.

At 15, Reagan wanted to know why that was important to him and why she should sign up to donate her organs when her time comes to leave this earth.

Sharon said Steven told them both, “If you’re going to go and they can help somebody else, why wouldn’t you?”

“That’s what he said — ‘why wouldn’t you take care of somebody else.’”

Meeting Andie Kay and seeing first hand why her dad was so right, Reagan says her driver’s license proudly shows a little red heart in the corner.

According to Donate Life America, currently 125,000 men, women, and children await lifesaving organ transplants. Even the largest football stadium in the United States could not fit the number of patients on the national transplant waiting list. Another person is added to the list every 10 minutes. To join the Donate Life Texas Registry go to www.donatelifetexas. org. To learn more about the process of organ donation, visit Southwest Transplant Alliance at www.organ.org.

Photo by Beverly Burchett

Courtesy Photo

Photo by Beverly Burchett JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 15

WINNSBORO CULTURAL ARTS DISTRICT

ANNIE MAE’S COFFEE SHOP & CAFE

LIEFIE LI VINE

108 W. Elm St. - (903) 347-6510

302 N. Main St. - (903) 347-1111

COPPER LEAF DAY SPA

WinnsboroCulturalDistrict.com

209 N. Main St. - (903) 342-7772

Texas Certified Cultural Arts District

Neptune’s Car Miguel Antonio January 6

DIRECTIONAL WELLNESS

213 N. Main St. - (903) 342-7772

GALLERY GIFT SHOP

January 19

LA CONCHITA

205 N. Walnut St. - (903) 347-1213

THE BOWERY

200 Market St. - (903) 342-0686

Dining, Music, Arts, & Entertainment

Barrel House Bar & Grill

STAR DRAGONFLY HERBS

204 Market St. - (903) 347-1282

Albert & Gage

300 N. Main St., Suite C - (903) 588-4313

100 East Cedar Street • 903-588-0465

200 MARKET STREET • 903-342-0686 16 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

903-342-3666

DINE. SHOP. STAY. ARTS. ENTERTAINMENT.

Ashley’s Flowers & Soda Shop

306 E. Coke Rd.. - (903) 342-0607

r June 25 Garrett Owen February 9

BELLA STELLA WINERY

John Fullbright

879 CR 4440 - (903) 975-0020

CLARA IDA FRANCES

219 N. Main St. - (903) 342-6137

HEROES COMICS AND GAMES

111 E. Elm St. - (903) 342-2055

March 9

BONNIE’S LUNCH BOX

THEE HUBBELL HOUSE

210 N. Main St. - (903) 347-6075

307 W. Elm St. - (800) 227-0639

FARMERS MARKET Nov-Mar

COUNTRYBOYS BBQ & SWEETS

winnsborolocallygrown.net - (903) 629-7079

414 W. Broadway - (903) 347-6512

Rich in history. Steeped in country. First in class.

FINDERS KEEPERS ANTIQUES CULTURE CLUB, GALLERY OF ARTISTS

304 N. Main St. - (903) 347-1271

Logos represent donors or supporters and are utilized by permission only.

107 E. Elm St.

www.WINNSBOROCENTERFORTHE ARTS.COM JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 17

Best of the Upper East Side of Texas County Line Magazine celebrates its 15th year of conducting the annual Best of the Upper East Side of Texas readers survey. More than 3,500 nominations were received with an expanding list of gems in this growing region featuring delicious food, wonderful attractions, beautiful backdrops, one-of-a-kind shops, exciting entertainment, and many talented individuals. New this year were numerous nominations for food trucks, one of a handful of growing trends in the region with award-winning cuisine readily available in downtown areas and an increase in marina kitchens. Sounds like a good time.

Some of the categories’ winners are divided by size of the town, 50,000 and under and 50,000 and over. The winners represent a great selection of what visitors and residents alike enjoy in the Upper East Side of Texas.

Best Barbecue

Cowburners BBQ & Taproom. Mineola.

With mouth-watering, flavorful, fall-off-thebone barbecue, Cowburners offers brisket, turkey, sausage and “rib candy” by the pound; half and full rack ribs; Yankee, Diablo, and Texan sandwiches; and sides including the Gut Bomb baked potato, pork rind nachos, fries, okra, and more. They also have numerous draught beers and a kid-friendly menu.

109 N Johnson St. 903.638.8668 Honorable Mentions: Judge Hunt’s BBQ & Catering, Quitman; Texas Bar-B-Que Corral, Mount Vernon; Big Smith’s BBQ, Sulphur Springs; and Slaughter’s BBQ Oasis, Sulphur Springs Hall of Fame: Stanley’s Famous Pit Bar-B-Q, Tyler

Best Breakfast

The Forge Bar & Grill. Ben Wheeler. The Forge is located in a renovated blacksmith shop in historic downtown Ben Wheeler and serves brunch from 8-11 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday and until 3 p.m. on Sunday. Try their Eggs Florentine, Migas, Breakfast Pizza or The Hippy, a three-egg omelet with mozzarella, cheddar, and ricotta cheese, spinach, mushrooms, sauteed onion, red bell and poblano peppers. They also serve great Bloody Marys, mimosas, coffee, and more. 1610 FM 279. 903.833.5970. theforgebenwheeler.com Honorable Mention: The Cake Lady Bakery Cafe, Mount Vernon

Best Brew Under 50k

Backstory Brewery. Sulphur Springs. This brewery specializes in bringing a wide variety of house-made beers to the table like A Slice of Sunshine, Minivan Meltdown, Strawberry Creme Pie, Notta Hazy IPA, Strong Bock, Belgian Style BOSS, Hefty Lefty, and many more. 211 Magnolia. (903) 438-2337. Backstorybrewery.com

Over 50k

True Vine Brewing Company. Tyler. They live up to their motto of “great craft beer, and even greater craft community.” True Vine is open six days a week and they have live music every Friday and Saturday. Some of their popular brews include Mermaids & Unicorns, a mythical blonde; Rose City IPA, double dry-hopped IPA; Round Table, an amber pub ale; and Daddy’s Juice Box, a double IPA. Their food partner, Sola Bread, serves salads, pretzels, and wood-fired pizzas and food trucks are on site at times. They are kid and pet friendly with a nice park area for both to run and play. 453 Earl Campbell Parkway. (903) 600-0124. truevinebrewing.com

Best Catfish

Catfish Plantation. Waxahachie. A gem of a restaurant, the converted haunted Victorian home invites diners to enjoy fresh deepfried, Cajun-battered catfish, best paired with homestyle fried okra and coleslaw, and the menu also includes juicy grilled steaks, shrimp, tilapia, and more. 814 Water Street.

972.937.9468. catfishplantation.com Honorable Mentions: Seth’s Lake Fork Creek, Quitman and The Marina at Lake Cypress Springs, Mount Vernon

Best Cheesecake

Bryan’s Cheesecakes. Mineola. Bryan Mendez has mastered the art of cheesecakes and shares his decadent desserts with guests from all over; among his most popular are the Black and White Chocolate, Specialty 24 Karat, and Salted Caramel Apple Pie. 119 W Broad St. 903.881.0420. bryanscheesecakes.com

Best Chicken Fried Steak

Tracks Restaurant. Sherman. Tracks Restaurant brings classic Southern dishes to Sherman since 1988, and their most popular menu item is their chicken fried steak.

It is hand battered and deep-fried to crisp perfection and sided with the diner’s choice

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of baked or mashed potatoes, fries, onion rings, or a veggie. They also have a hefty menu of burgers, sandwiches, and Tex-Mex. 109 North Woods Street. (903) 870-2034. tracksrestaurant.com.

Honorable Mention: Buttermilks, Canton; Tony B’s Texas Kitchen, Quitman; Southern Fried Chef, Mineola

Best Coffee Under 50k

Standpipe Coffee House. Lufkin. Start the morning off with an artsy, freshly brewed specialty coffee, such as The Standpipe, Criminal (Creme Brulee), Snowy Lodge, or the Black Spot, best paired with one of their delicious handcrafted pastries. 123 S 1st St, Ste A. (936) 632-7473 Honorable Mentions: Book Club Café, Rockwall; Watermelon Mills, Mount Vernon; and Speakeasy, Quitman.

Over 50k

Kool Beanz. Tyler. Kool Beanz never fails to impress guests with smooth lattes and cappuccinos, complete with various flavors, vanilla, caramel, and mocha, as well as sugarfree options. They also serve breakfast and lunch items, like sandwiches, wraps, and pastries and recently added Pittsburg Hot Links. 11613 Highway 69 North, (903) 8819505

Best Dog-Friendly Place Under 50k

The Marina at Lake Cypress Springs. Mount Vernon. Not only is this restaurant a great stop for family and friends, but guests can also bring their furry friends for a night on the docks, and a wholesome meal, of either hand-rolled pizzas, angus burgers, signature sandwiches, and other savory entrees. 4445 N FM 2723. (903) 860-2198. themarinalcs.com

Over 50k

The Shacks Dining & Dog Park. The Colony.

Six small restaurant spaces, surrounding one large open patio, around one acre of dog park, guests can’t go wrong with a visit to the Shacks. Dining choices include Japanese cuisine at Ten Ramen, Cajun-style seafood at The Tackle Box, burgers and craft sandwiches with Dirty Burger Bar, Tex-Mex at OMG Tacos, and to finish it all off, a large variety of taps and packaged beers at Grrrowler’s. And don’t forget to take the pooch on an adventure in the dog park. 5800 Wind-

haven Parkway, (972) 347-0128 shacksaustinranch.com

Best Hamburger Under 50k

Big Mouth Burger Company. Emory. This burger joint brings quality food and quality service to the public with their juicy certified Angus burgers, signature bread, and savory baked buns. They also pride themselves in their gourmet salads and homemade potato chips. 124 N Planters St. (903) 473-3904

Over 50k

The One and Only Burgers and Fries. McKinney. At One and Only Burgers and Fries, the owners — Gabriel and Chrys Pineda — live by two ideas, “Keep it simple and always strive to be the best we can be.” Here, guests can chow down on simple, delicious, customizable burgers, fresh hand-cut fries, and top it all of with a classic shake. They also serve hotdogs, specialty sandwiches, and draft beers or wine. 1330 N McDonald St. (469) 678-5002. oneandonlyburgersandfries.com Honorable Mentions: County Seat Cafe, Linden; and The Liberty Bell, Nacogdoches Hall of Fame: Dairy Palace, Canton

Best Malt Shop

Ashley’s Flowers & Soda Shop. Winnsboro.

Take a step back into the past and become a kid again with a classic shake or malt at Ashley’s Soda Shop. Made with Blue Bell ice cream, they also serve sundaes, ice cream cones — single and double scoop —or some old-fashioned candy like salt water taffy, lollipops, candy buttons or cigarettes, or assorted boxes of candy. 306 East Coke Road. (903) 342-0607. winnsborofloralbyashley.com

Best Pie

Ain’t Just Pie. Greenville. Here, it really “ain’t just pie.” Shannon Arnold Foltz has turned it into an art. Her old fashioned, handmade and freshly baked pies are unique from generations of family recipes, and come in all sorts of flavors, including the classic Pecan, Pumpkin, Cherry, Apple, and Blueberry, as well as a breakfast quiche. 2205 Lee St. (903) 455-4314. aintjustpie.net

Best Pizza Under 50k

Nardello’s. Mount Pleasant. Nardello’s brings a whole new meaning to wood-fired pizza, with menu items like Summer Fling with Efurd’s peaches, Italian ham, Nardello peppers, fresh basil, and topped with a threecheese blend; Straight Up, with tomato sauce,

mozzarella, and a three-cheese blend; or the Millennial, with roasted garlic cream sauce, baby spinach, roasted mushrooms, Gruyere, ricotta, and garlic oil. They also serve delicious and unique appetizers, salads, sandwiches, and rich desserts. 103 North Madison Ave. (903) 380-6200. jimmynardellos.com

ing destination. 4445 N FM 2723. (903) 8602198. themarinalcs.com

Over 50K

Villa Montez. Tyler. This family-owned restaurant serves fine Latin cuisine, with a local source to grass-fed cattle and an herb garden on this renovated mansion on a hill.

Their menu is comprised of original family recipes fused and created by their mother.

They serve a series of appetizers, chicken dishes, pastas, seafood, soups, quesadillas, steak, pork, enchilada dinners, burritos, and chimichangas. 3324 Old Henderson Highway.

(903) 592-9696. www.villamontez.com

Pietro’s. Longview. Pietro’s brings the true, authentic flavor of Italian pizza to the Upper East Side of Texas, with gourmet pizzas like Chicken Alfredo, with season chicken breast, basil, mozzarella, and garlic alfredo sauce; Hawaiian Luau, topped with juicy pineapple and baked ham, covered in mozzarella; Meat lovers, dressed in Canadian bacon, smoked ham, hamburger meat, sausage, and pepperoni; and finally, the Brooklyn Deli, with baked ham, sausage, salami, and green olives. 2418 Gilmer Road. (903) 295-7900. www.pietros.net

Best Produce

Winnsboro Farmers’ Market. The Winnsboro Farmer’ Market is a charming event that takes place in the downtown arts district of Winnsboro every Saturday April through October. They feature locally-grown produce, artisan breads, honey, handmade soaps, organic and grass-fed meats, jellies, jams, and much more. The backdrop of the arts district and live music creates a festive atmosphere and makes for a fulfilling time.

They also have an online market where people can order produce throughout the year and pick up in downtown Winnsboro once a week. (903) 629-7079, www.winnsborofarmersmarket.com

Best Restaurant Under 50k

The Marina at Lake Cypress Springs. Mount Vernon. The Marina hosts a large and varied menu. Among these interesting foods, some of the more eye-catching items include Fried Jalapeño Bottle Caps; fresh and savory Grilled Atlantic Salmon; their signature homemade chicken salad sandwich; the famous Raspberry Chipotle Brie Burger; or the build-your-own hand-rolled pizzas. Besides good food, the ambience is inviting for people of all ages. There’s a full bar and guests can enjoy indoor or outdoor dining.

They have live music on a regular basis and the outdoor seating holds a view of the lake, a kids’ play area, and beach volleyball and other regularly scheduled activities. Pets welcome. The serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner and are open Thursday through Sunday.

Nearby lodging on Lake Cypress Springs can make for a nice weekend getaway at this din-

Honorable Mentions: The Chophouse on Bankhead, Mount Vernon and The Barrel House, Winnsboro

Over 50k

Honorable Longview

Mention:

Lil

Thai

House,

Best Salad

Panera Bread. Greenville. This restaurant chain offers guests wholesome food and fresh ingredients to create good salads. On the menu are a few specials including Ancient Grain & Arugula Salad with Chicken, Southwest Chile Lime Ranch Salad with Chicken, Fuji Apple Salad with Chicken, or the Modern Greek Salad with Quinoa. 3208 Interstate Highway 30. (903) 458-7509. www. panerabread.com

Best Sandwich

Plain & Fancy Sandwich Shoppe. Sulphur Springs. This little eatery lives up to its name, serving guests with a simple menu of delicious sandwiches for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Some of their more popular menu items include the Chicken Salad sandwich, made with all white chicken, diced with grapes, pecans and celery, and mixed together with mayo; the Pimiento Cheese, Swiss, American and cheddar cheeses with chopped pecans, and mixed with mayo; traditional meat sandwiches with ham, turkey, roast beef, tuna, or a BLT; the Club, with ham, turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayo on three slices of toasted wheat; or the Hoagie, ham, turkey, cheese, lettuce, tomato and ranch dressing on a hoagie bun.

120 Main Street. (903) 885-9225. www.plainandfancyshoppe.com Honorable Mention: Pint and Barrel Drafthouse, Palestine; Moore’s Store, Ben Wheeler; Stanley’s Famous Pit Barbecue, Tyler Continued Page 20

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 19

BEST continued from page 19

Best Seafood Under 50k

Seth’s Lake Fork Creek. Quitman. The choices at Seth’s are not scarce, with a large menu and all kinds of seafood to choose from. The appetizers range from boudin, fish, jalapeno poppers, and more; to burgers, sandwiches, Poboys, salads, steaks, shrimp, catfish, alligator, and so much more. All made with authentic Cajun seasonings and fresh seafood.

1667 S State Highway 37. (903) 763-0320

Over 50k

Sea Breeze Fish Market & Grill. McKinney.

Sea Breeze invites guests for in-house dining or take out. A fresh fish market is open to the public and provides seafood from scallops and mussels, to seasonal halibut, tuna, swordfish, and more. The restaurant menu includes Sesame Crusted Yellowfin Tuna Nachos with Avocado Wasabi; Sweet Thai Chili and Lemon Zest; Fried Calamari; Sautéed Snow Crab Claws; Lobster Bisque; Sea Breeze Seafood Salad to name a few. They also serve sandwiches, like the New England Style Lobster Roll; House Smoked Salmon Club, and other items including Crawfish Etouffee; Lobster Mac n’ Cheese; Rainbow Trout; and Atlantic Salmon. 4017 Preston Rd #530. (972) 473-2722. www.seabreezefish.com

garlic mashed potatoes, or white rice. From their on-site vineyard come perfect wines to accompany any meal. 21508 Merlot Lane.

(903) 894-3300. www.kiepersol.com

Best Mexican Cuisine

Rio Lerma Mexican Restaurant. Forney.

Rio Lerma takes pride in serving quality authentic Mexican food. On their menu, they have Tex-Mex, fajitas, tacos, comida casera, seafood, and other house specialties. They also provide vegetarian options, pasta, burritos, and sandwiches. On Saturdays and Sundays, they offer a special brunch menu.

Some of their more popular items include enchiladas, Chile Relleno, or tamales. 124 E Hwy 80, Ste 100. (972) 552-2023. www.riolermaforney.com

Best Vegetarian Under 50k

Grand Oaks currently grows Tempranillo, Mourvedre, Syrah, Lenoir/ Black Spanish, Chenin Blanc, and Blanc du Bois, all of which derive from both Spanish and French heritages, as well as a few American hybrids.

2455 County Road 2724. (903) 569-2801. www. gowinerymineola.com Honorable Mentions: Los Pinos, Pittsburg; Green Goat Winery, Edom

Best Annual Event

Texas Shakespeare Festival. Kilgore. Every year thousands of people descend upon Kilgore to see revolving repertory performances of Shakespeare’s and other plays in the Van Cliburn Auditorium. The festival has received numerous awards and grants and brought quality entertainment to East Texas for more than 30 years. www.texasshakespeare.com

Auntie Pasta’s. Nacogdoches. Auntie Pasta’s offers guests a large variety of meatless dishes. A few of their bigger dishes include build-your-own-pasta; Stuffed Manicotti, pasta shells stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheese, and layered in marinara sauce and topped with more mozzarella cheese; Vinny’s Skinny Pasta; Eggplant Parmesan, served with spaghetti; or handmade gourmet vegetarian pizza, with tomato sauce, bell peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, black olives and onions, and topped with mozzarella. They also serve soups and salads, and desserts. 211 Old Tyler Road, (936) 569-2171, www.auntiepastas.com

Best Antique Store

Redneck Bar & Grill. Sulphur Springs. Settle down for a juicy steak, seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper and topped with garlic butter and cooked to the diner’s preference.

Steaks vary from sirloins, rib-eyes, New York strips, and hamburger steaks; sided with the guests’ choices of one of two sides, including Smashed Tators, Carrots, Pinto Beans, Mac & Cheese, Fried Squash, Fried Okra, Fried Corn on the Cob, broccoli, side salad, Baked Tator, or Baked Sweet Tator. They also serve appetizers, wings, sandwiches, seafood, a chicken menu, salads, and a kids’ menu. 400 Shannon Road. (903) 885-1600

Over 50k

Best Art Gallery

Hall of Fame: Four Winds Steakhouse, Wills Point; Five D Cattle Company, Avinger

Best Winery

Best Steak Under 50k

Over 50k Kiepersol. Tyler. Kiepersol prides themselves in utilizing their Texas fresh ingredients with a steak menu that includes filet mignon, ribeye, New York strip, and even Colorado lamb chops. All steaks are served with the diner’s choice of Lyonnaise potatoes, baked potato,

Lil Thai House. Longview. Thai food is a special culinary art, one that takes time and patience, and this restaurant does not stray from the traditional cuisine of the Thai culture. They respectfully provide vegan and vegetarian options in the form of Tofu substitutes and more. They happily serve guests with dishes of fried rice, stir fry entrees, noodles, soup, or curry. They also serve egg roll appetizers, and sides of veggies, brown and red jasmine rice, or white jasmine rice.

All of their dishes are carefully prepared with fresh ingredients. 212 N Fredonia St. (903)236-0155. www.lilthaihouse.com

Grand Oaks Vineyards & Winery. Mineola.

Grand Oaks takes their names from the original oak trees that still reside on the property. They host more than 1,800 hand-planted grapevines and are open to the public for tours and wine tastings. They serve a series of dry and semi-sweet red wines; off-dry and semi-sweet white wines; all made from the fresh grapes harvested on the property.

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Muzzy’s Alley Antique Shop. Greenville. This downtown shop is packed to the brim with a large variety of renovated furniture such as shelves, vanities, and dressers; household decorations including lamps, wall signs, or statues; glassware; quilts; hand-held games or slot-machines; typewriters; and even a few vintage vehicles, including early 20th century Chevy’s, a Nash, and a motorcycle. 2406 Lee St. (903) 455-3663 Honorable Mentions: Town Square Antiques, Sulphur Springs; Between Friends, Mineola

211 Art Gallery. Athens. The community gallery supports and embraces the educational and cultural benefits of fine art and uses this to bring in local artists and provide art exhibits and classes for the public and to spread and share the importance of art.

This brick-and-mortar gallery rests in the cozy downtown Athens. 211 N Palestine Street.

(903) 292-1746. www.artgallery211.net Honorable Mention: Webb Gallery, Waxahachie

Best Arts or Cultural Destination

Winnsboro Cultural District. The Texas Commission on the Arts selected the Winnsboro Cultural District as an official district of the state in 2009. The district has numerous offerings for visual and performing arts as well as culinary artistry. The district is anchored by the Winnsboro Center for the Arts which features ongoing art exhibits, a gift shop, and monthly musical and other performances

on The Bowery Stage. The Winnsboro Art & Wine Festival is held each year in November bringing local, state, and national artists. In 2018, Culture Club Art Gallery opened downtown featuring a collection of talented artists working in a variety of art mediums. www. winnsboroculturaldistrict.com

Best Attraction

The Gentle Zoo. Forney. This place has a petting zoo, playground, picnic area, indoor party room, train ride, giant maze, a giant jumping pillow, and more. The animals are conditioned to be handled and pet by children and adults alike. Many are rescues from shelters, private homes, and sanctuaries in Texas. They have llamas, an umbrella cockatoo, peacocks, Sulcato tortoise, emus, goats, kangaroo, unusual animals like the coatimundi and capybara, a Chincilla, a tegu, and a bearded dragon. 12600 FM 2932, (469) 834-2857, www.gentlezoo.com Honorable Mention: Galaxy Drive-In, Ennis

Best B&B

White Oak Manor. Jefferson. This bed and breakfast is conveniently located in the Historic District of Jefferson and is run by David and Tammy Doriot. In 2011, they purchased the White Oak Manor, and decided to keep the historic Jefferson feel throughout all of the rooms, decorated to match the Greek style that was popular in the time period when the manor was built. The rooms are packed with the essential amenities and they offer a gourmet breakfast, scenic gardens, and a front-row seat for all of the district happenings. 502 E Benners Street. (903) 6658185. www.bedandbreakfastjeffersontx.com Hall of Fame: Thee Hubbell House, Winnsboro

Best Bookstore/Book Club

Books and Crannies. Terrell. Located in an old movie theatre built in 1925, Books and Crannies still has the feel of a theatre but with lots of books and places to sit and read them. The sell used books, new books, and gift items. They also have a line of handmade soaps and skin-care products and have a small theatre in the back of the store where they show classic movies and where a troupe, The Vagabond Players, perform live theatrical presentations. 209 West Moore Avenue, (972)563-5481, www.bookscrannies.com

Best County Courthouse

Cass County. Linden. This courthouse was built in 1859 and has remained in operation since 1861 making it the only existing Antebellum courthouse in Texas and the old-

est courthouse in continuous operation. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. www.co.cass.tx.us Hall of Fame: Hopkins County, Sulphur Springs

Best Getaway

The Harbor Rockwall. From the stellar service and ambience of the Hilton Dallas/ Rockwall Lakefront hotel to the getaway feel of Lake Ray Hubbard’s sailing and sunsets, waterfront dining, garden paths, and beautiful water fountains, The Harbor is an exceptional nearby getaway. Restaurants like Gloria’s Latin Cuisine, Dodie’s Cajun Diner, and Campisi’s Italian are inviting, relaxing locations for delicious food and drinks near the water’s edge. The Harbor is under new management and promises new shopping experiences, and its Cinemark movie theater shows the latest releases. During the summer, The Harbor offers a concert series by the lake and picnics are encouraged anytime. The Hilton has a great relaxing lakefront pool area and its own share of lake views. 2059 Summer Lee Drive, (469) 428-7995 www.harborrockwall.com

Best Gift Shop

Kindred Soule Marketplace. Ennis. This shop supports local small businesses by selling their unique and artfully hand-made gifts. It doubles as an eatery with a warm and inviting atmosphere to keep guests coming back for more yummy goodies and heartwarming gifts. The shop sells items from jewelry and stationary sets to air fresheners, candles, lotions, bath and body care, clothing, things for the kiddies, and special holiday ornamentals. The Eatery serves tea, sweets, farm fresh honey, and other canned goods. 200 W Knox Street #100. (972) 8764202. www.kindredsoule.com Honorable Mentions: M.L. Edwards & Co., Mount Vernon

Best Golf Course

Crown Colony Country Club. Lufkin. Resting on 750 acres of rolling hills and surrounded by the historic tall pines of East Texas, golfers can play in luxury on the 18hole course. Established in 1979, the Crown Colony hosts a tennis court, villas, and a large banquet hall for special events and catering. The course is open to the public.

900 Crown Colony Drive. (936) 637-8811. www. crown-colony.com Hall of Fame: Links at Land’s End, Lake Fork

Best Home Décor

Dumpster Diva’s Design. McKinney. Visitors love that they can always find something new in this shop that designs, builds, and repurposes furniture and home décor. Beautiful workmanship, some with a farmhouse feel, 351 East Louisiana, (469) 450-6507, www. dumpster-diva-mimi.blogspot.com

Best Hotel

The Excelsior House Hotel. Jefferson. The Excelsior House has welcomed travelers to Jefferson since the 1850s including famous people like Ullysses S. Grant, Oscar Wilde, and Lady Bird Johnson. They boast about their Southern charm and elegant decor with rich rosewood, cherry, and mahogany furnishes and the outside is constructed with brick, timber, and lacy iron work. It has a ballroom, dining room, and beautifully manicured grounds, and is within walking distance to downtown Jefferson’s retail shops and entertainment venues. 211 West Austin Street, (903) 665-2513, www.theexcelsiorhouse.com

Best Improved Town

Quitman. Although Quitman is the county seat of Wood County, for many years there was not much going on in the downtown area and was often just a pass-through point between the thriving towns of Mineola and Winnsboro. Things have changed for the better in Sissy Spacek’s hometown with a revitalization program that started a couple of years ago.

Helping to create a downtown dining district already are Speakeasy Coffeehouse serving delicious coffees, lattes, espressos and more; Tony B’s Texas Kitchen with an extensive menu of scratch-made items including handpicked steaks and classic Southern sides and a full wine list and bar; and Your Appetites, a to-go style lunch restaurant and bakery that uses fresh, seasonal ingredients for their menu that includes chickpea salad, pimento cheese sandwiches, fried chicken sandwiches, baked salmon, and much more. The Shops at 107, a retail renovation, opened in December. New antique store, a music hall, distillery, and so much more coming soon to this rapidly growing tiny town. Not to be missed is the Quitman Arboretum & Botanical Garden with 23 acres of beautiful gardens, nature trails, the picturesque George Bridge, the historic Stinson House, and Governor Hogg Cabin. (903) 7632223, Quitman Texas Development Corporation

Best Improved Community Space

Edom Art Emporium. An unsightly old abandoned gas station sat amidst the artists in downtown Edom for more than 10 years Continued page 22

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BEST continued from page 21 before it was purchased last year by local entrepreneur James Wilhite. Built in the mid 1940s to early 1950s, the building has a small store, bay area, and upstairs apartment. Wilhite painted it “Caribbean Blue” and it didn’t take long for a group of artists to claim it as the Edom Art Emporium, while the apartment upstairs is leased. The emporium holds a collection of original and oneof-a-kind art, handmade soaps, and gifts.

8281 FM 279, (903) 714-7414

Best Live Music Venue

Banita Creek Hall. Nacogdoches. Banita Creek Hall is a dance hall and concert venue with performances by local, state, and nationally touring artists. Some recent performers include Deryl Dodd, Roger Creager, William Clark Green, and coming in February is Russel Dickerson and Carly Pearce.

401 West Main, (936) 715-0480, www.banitacreekhall.com Honorable Mentions: The Bowery Stage, Winnsboro Hall of Fame: Moore’s Store, Ben Wheeler

Over 50k

The Celt Irish Pub. McKinney. This place pairs up British pub food and beer and regular live music five days a week. Irish music sessions take place every Wednesday.

Americana Roots Music is heard here as well as Classic Rock and other genres. 100 North Tennessee Street, (972) 562-2929, www.theceltmckinney.com

Best Museum

Northeast Texas Rural Heritage Center.

Pittsburg Two museums in one including the Depot Museum and the Farmstead Museum.

The Depot houses an array of antiques and artifacts including a focus on the native Caddo Indians in an archeology exhibit. Also included is a firetruck, a steam engine, a wildlife diorama, and a small art gallery as well as the famous Ezekial Airship, a flying machine built in 1902. 204 West Marshall, (903) 9463243, www. Pitttsburgtexasmuseum.com

Northeast Texas Trail

Best Nature Walk

Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary. McKinney. Hike over 6.5 miles of self-guided or interpreted nature trails that wind through the diverse habitats of this 289acre wildlife sanctuary including tall grass prairie, bottomland hardwood and limestone escarpment, encountering many species of birds, insects, and animals. 1 Nature Place,

(972) 562-5566, www.heardmuseum.org

Best Park

Caddo Lake State Park. Karnack. Peacefully tucked away along the bayous of Caddo Lake, the park includes sites for camping tents, screened-in shelters, or historic cabins. The park provides shower facilities, hiking trails, fishing, and plenty of boating opportunities. Don’t forget the camera to capture breathtaking sights of the Spanish moss swaying in the breeze as it dangles from branches of Cypress trees. 245 Park Road 2. (903) 679-3351. www.tpwd.texas.gov

Over 50K

Klyde Warren Park. Dallas. This 5.2-acre public park is over the Woodall Rodgers Freeway with something for everyone all through the week every day from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. There’s a full-service restaurant in the park, a kids playground, food trucks, live music often, a butterfly garden, game carts and tables, and more. It is named for the son of East Texas-born Kelcy Warren. www. klydewarrenpark.org

Best RV Park

Bluebonnet Ridge RV Park & Cottages.

Terrell. Guests at Bluebonnet rave about its cleanliness, friendly staff, and nice relaxing atmosphere. Situated on 64 acres in a country setting, they offer an on-site camp store, swimming pool, hot tub, fitness room, children’s play area, a fishing lake, tennis and pickleball, basketball, a pavilion and gathering room, fenced pet area, and more. 16543 FM 429, (972) 524-9600, www.bluebonnetrv.com Hall of Fame: Mill Creek Ranch Resort, Canton

Best Shopping Experience

Downtown Sulphur Springs. The number of places to shop in downtown Sulphur Springs are too numerous to mention but suffice it to say visitors find antiques, clothing, wine, books, jewelry, paintings, candy, and so much more. There’s also a day spa and many dining choices all with a backdrop of the amazing courthouse park that has places to sit and enjoy the veterans plaza, a splash pad, beautiful landscaping, game tables, and the unique see-through bathrooms. This town calls this area the “Celebration District” and it’s easy to see why. www.sulphurspringstx.org

Best Sign

BigFoot Area. Jefferson. A number of signs in Jefferson note that guests should beware of BigFoot. After all, they are proclaimed the “BigFoot Capital of Texas.” There’s a large BigFoot statue at a trail entrance across from

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the City of Jefferson Convention and Visitors Center near “BigFoot Alley.” www.visitjeffersontexas.com

Best Slogan

“Life Is Sweeter Here.” Mount Pleasant.

The home of Sweet Shop USA, Mount Pleasant decided to capitalize on that connection, hence the sweet slogan. Sweet Shop USA is a family-owned chocolate manufacturer making more than 100 varieties of delicious candy that is sold to some 7,000 retailers nationwide, including gourmet, gift, coffee, floral, and specialty stores as well as major department stores. As if that weren’t enough reason, Mount Pleasant is also home of Laura’s Cheesecake which ships its famous delights all over the country as well. www.mtpleasanttx.com

Best Downtown Under 50k

Mineola. Mineola offers a variety of possibilities summed up by both its red-bricked streets and its advent from a town built around the railroad to a town serviced by Amtrak twice daily. Amid all those “comings and goings,” Mineola welcomes guests to enjoy live music at the gazebo, fried pies and fudge for sale, a farmers’ market (in season), the Select Theater movies and stage plays, and lots of family-friendly restaurants and shopping fun. Although small in size, there’s nothing confining about downtown Mineola. www.mineola.com Hall of Fame: Winnsboro

Over 50k

McKinney. It began 170 years ago as a center of commerce in the region and now downtown McKinney offers 42-plus square blocks of nonstop things to see and do. Among a fine assortment of preserved buildings are more than 100 unique shops and two dozen restaurants. Visitors find art galleries, antiques, gifts, home décor, apparel, furniture and more. A free electric shuttle simply called “Dash” makes getting around a breeze as well. The downtown also includes the Heard-Craig Center for the Arts for art lovers and the McKinney Performing Arts Center — actually housed in the Collin County Courthouse — for lovers of live theater and visiting acts like live music and more. www.downtownmckinney.com

Best Chef

Brandon Rodriguez. Mount Vernon. Everyone loves a chef who walks around … you know, comes out of the kitchen now and then to meet diners. Brandon Rodriguez ex-

cels either place to the delight of many. The chef at The Marina of Lake Cypress Springs can also often be found in festivals in nearby Mount Vernon, and also teaches culinary arts part-time at the Northeast Texas Community College. His dishes speak for themselves: Red Wine and Goat Cheese Burgers, Macaroni & Cheese with Cajun Andouille and even crowd-pleasing Peach Bellinis. 4445 FM 2723, (903) 860-2198, www.themarinalcs.com

tion. The musical was directed by Bob Hibbard and featured a talented group of knickered, bonneted and powder-wigged actors.

114 North Johnson Street, (903) 569-2300. www. lakecountryplayhouse.com

Hall of Fame: Frank Rumore, Four Winds Steakhouse; Jackson York, various locations.

Tyler Civic Theatre. In June, Tyler Civic Theatre entertained audiences with the foot-stomping musical story of country music great Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash.

Ring of Fire had it all: hit songs, drama, humor, romance and nostalgia. Directed by Helen Strotman, the stage hit starred Ray Carter as Johnny and Libby Davis as June.

400 Rose Park Drive, (903) 592-0561. www.tylercivictheatre.com

Best Artist

Maureen Killaby. Maureen Killaby truly does make art very accessible for everyone. Her compelling creations do that one way and her love of teaching art does it another. Killaby’s own work ranges from drawing birds to figurative work to landscapes to impressionist to studying the classic Russian and Spanish artists. Her studio is located in Lindale.

105 North Main Street, (903) 830-6694, www. maureenkillaby.com

Best Local Band

Lulu and the Black Sheep. Although constantly on the road around the nation, Longview’s Lulu and the Black Sheep still keeps the home fires burning in its fans’ estimation. With the duo’s unique honkytonk and alt-country sound and unreserved instrumentals, it’s clear to see how Lulu’s powerful and gritty voice and her husband Allen’s accompaniment create a faithful fan base. www.luluandtheblacksheep.com.

Honorable Mention: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Lindale Community Theater

Over 50k

Best Theatre Company

Community Players. Sulphur Springs. Community Players simply do theater right.

Operating out of the Main Street Theatre, Sulphur Springs, the company gets high

Honorable Mention: Community Theatre of East Texas, Hughes Springs.

Best Actor/Actress

Rodney Mize. Rodney Mize has won the public’s confidence for his stand-out role as the singing and dancing character of John Adams in the production of 1776 by Mineola’s Lake Country Playhouse. Mize reminded audiences through his winsome performance that, yes, “politics” can be fun to watch. 114 North Johnson Street, (903) 569-2300, www.lakecountryplayhouse.com

Enjoy Shopping, Dining & Entertainment in Historic Mineola, Texas in 2019!

BAKED POTATO FUNDRAISER JANUARY 25

Benefits Mineola Historical Museum

Best Local Singer/ Songwriter

Meredith Crawford. The tall redhead from Chandler, Texas, can belt out everything from country blues to Americana folk. She started singing at the age of 13, first at Tyler’s Green Acres Baptist Church, then she veered towards country music. She sang at a number of oprys: Gladewater Opry, Texarkana Opry, the Cotton Pickin’ Theater in Point, Mount Pleasant Jamboree, Johnnie High’s Country Music Revue in Arlington, and even as far away as the Texas Jamboree in Houston. Today she performs more roots rock and Texas soul. She writes her own songs and some of her covers are real crowd pleasers. www.meredithcrawfordmusic.com

praise, year in and year out. According to one fan: “Great local theater at a reasonable price, talented cast, and cozy atmosphere.

Highly recommend!” Equally impressive is the brave undertakings in 2018 like Vintage Hitchcock: A Radio Play and the tearful Women of Lockerbie. Additionally, the theater company welcomes the thespians of the future to get hands-on exposure to theater once or twice a year. 227 Main Street, 903-885-0107. www.communityplayersinc.com

FREE KIDS’ TROUT FISHING DAY FEBRUARY 9

Mineola Nature Preserve in partnership with Texas Parks and Wildlife www.mineolanaturepreserve.com/trout-fishing

MINEOLA AMTRAK WINE FEST, MARCH 30-31

MineolaMainStreet.com Tickets available through Eventbrite.com COMING SOON

MINEOLA NATURE PRESERVE 7a.m. until sunset

Main Street Farmers Market

MINEOLA HISTORICAL MUSEUM 114 Pacific St (Hwy. 69) Free. Open Thur, Fri, Sat 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

RAILROAD MUSEUM Restored 1906 Mineola Depot

Mini Train Rides at Iron Horse Square next to the Depot

9 a.m.- 5 p.m. 7 days a week. FREE

AMTRAK TEXAS EAGLE

Designated Daily Stop 1-800-669-8509

Best Play Under 50k

1776. Mineola. Last summer’s 1776 — the spirited retelling in music of the crucial beginnings of our nation’s history — garnered many votes as the region’s top stage produc-

1.800.MINEOLA • mineola.com

f

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

THIS TIME OF YEAR

Love is not only something you feel, it is something you do.

David Wilkerson

JANUARY 26, 1958 HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLEN

DeGeneres Got Her Comedic Start in the Upper East Side of Texas twined her Texas-born humor with genuine appreciation for the 66 classmates sitting in the audience that day.

By Makayla Mahurin and P.A. Geddie Once named the Funniest Person in America, Ellen DeGeneres says it was during her years living in Atlanta, Texas, that she realized she might be funny, and that inspiration took her well beyond her dreams.

“The class was less than 100 — 100 is not a lot of people. Our team was called The Rabbits, so you’d think we’d have more of us,” DeGeneres jokes. “Oh, they were scared of us,” she laughs. “We’ll nibble the grass so low, you’ll slip.”

Ellen Lee DeGeneres was born January 26, 1958, in Metairie, Louisiana. At age 16, her parents divorced, and she moved with her mother to the tiny rural Cass County community of Atlanta in the Upper East Side of Texas.

Degeneres told her audience of classmates that a lot of people don’t remember their past and some want to forget it and not look back.

It was a rough time for the family, but it is here where DeGeneres learned the power of comedy.

“My mother was going through some really hard times and I could see when she was really getting down, and I would start to make fun of her dancing,” she recalls in an interview with the New York Times. “Then she’d start to laugh and I’d make fun of her laughing. And she’d laugh so hard she’d start to cry, and then I’d make fun of that. So I would totally bring her from where I’d seen her start going into depression to all the way out of it. As a kid, I learned I could manipulate people that way.

That’s a really powerful thing.

“But also I saw I could make somebody happy. And my mother was someone whom I idolized. She’s my mother, yet I’m changing her.”

During her school years in Texas, DeGeneres was a reporter for the high school newspaper and on the varsity tennis team. By all accounts, and not surprisingly, she was fun and outgoing.

She enjoyed playing tennis and was “Outstanding Tennis Player” of 1975 among other awards she garnered during her high school years.

She graduated with the class of 1976, and after holding a wide variety of jobs

over the next few years, she turned to stand-up comedy, performing at small clubs and coffeehouses.

By the early 1980s she was touring nationally and was named the Funniest Person in America after winning a Showtime competition. This led to her first appearance on The Tonight Show in 1986.

Today, DeGeneres is enormously successful with her own Emmy-winning TV talk show still going strong since 2003; more than 70 awards for comedy, acting, and entertainment; earning a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; and hosting the Oscars in 2007 and 2014.

She has written several books, including The Funny Thing Is… and Home. She’s also an active animal advocate. In 2016, President Barack Obama bestowed to her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award.

In 2006, DeGeneres treated her Atlanta High School graduating classmates to a trip to see and be part of her very special 30th High School Reunion Show.

In her opening monologue she inter-

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“But I’m looking forward to hearing stories and listening to stuff and if it’s good, I’m glad, and if it’s bad, it’s not true,” she says, blue eyes glaring straight into the camera.

DeGeneres recalled memories of one Home Economics teacher, Mrs. Woods, “a little old lady who lived in Atlanta all her life.” DeGeneres says she was working on the hem of a tennis skirt one day, when Mrs. Woods looked over her shoulder and said, “Why that hem is as crooked as a cat’s tail.” Another time when she was cutting something with dull scissors, Mrs. Woods said, “Well those scissors couldn’t cut hot butter.”

DeGeneres can easily call up her old teacher’s southern accent when needed.

Some of her classmates still visit her show from time to time and DeGeneres continues to mention her days in Atlanta, Texas, sometimes poking fun of her plaid prom dress or other photos that pop up regularly from those years.

She ends each of her shows with a phrase that’s become synonymous with her, “Be kind to one another.” Perhaps she learned that in Atlanta, Texas, too.

See a clip of the 30th High School Reunion Show at https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=vA43zH3AReo

JANUARY 12 CELEBRATING ELVIS

Elvis Impersonator Brings Show to Gilmer leather-clad outfit like Elvis wore in the ‘68 comeback. Powell also wears the iconic Las Vegas-era white jumpsuit in the show and sings songs like “American Trilogy” and “If I Can Dream.”

Powell has won many Elvis tribute contests, including the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino’s “A Tribute to the King” competition in 2018 which put $25,000 in prize money in that jeweled jumpsuit pocket of his.

Powell’s love of Elvis started when he was four.

“I have a VHS tape of myself in my grandparent’s living room in a jumpsuit singing Elvis songs,” Powell says. “I just wanted to be Elvis. He was cool to me and had an amazing voice.”

Though the avid Elvis fan never got to meet his hero, Powell believes Elvis was a “great guy.”

“One of the things that doesn’t get mentioned much about Elvis is how he helped others,” Powell said. “He wrote a lot of checks to people and organizations. We all have our flaws, but deep down I think he was just a great guy who cared about people.”

Besides having a big heart, Powell said Elvis had “it.”

“He had charisma, what you’d call ‘it’, in the entertainment business,” Powell said. “He could walk on stage and just smile and people loved him. I wanted to be Elvis.”

Powell enjoys his work.

If Elvis Presley was still with us, he’d turn 84 years old January 8. Celebrating Elvis every day is impersonator Travis Powell.

The 35-year-old North Carolina native travels the nation as an Elvis impersonator. With his whiskey-smooth vocals and “Well, thank ya, thank ya very much” lines, many forget for a moment that he’s not the real deal.

Powell perform songs from Elvis’ 1968 comeback special and 1970s concert years at 7 p.m. January 12 at the Gilmer Civic Center. In the two-part act, Powell dons a svelte, playful black FEBRUARY 1

“I get to live the dream every day and go to work happy. I don’t know too many people in this world that enjoy everything about their job. I’m very blessed.”

Special guest at the Gilmer show is 15 year old rising Elvis tribute artist Moses Snow.

Both men are backed by tribute band Spinout and the Shake Rattle & Roll group dances and are back up singers.

VIP tickets cost $40 and reserved tickets are $30 or $20 in upper sections. To purchase tickets, (832) 312-0074 or visit www. etatravispowell.com.

FEBRUARY 2

Take a Freezin’ for a Reason Ride

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. People are encouraged to wear red on this day to raise awareness. To learn more about risks and heart protection visit the American Heart Association at www.heart.org.

Freeze Your Fanny bike ride is scheduled for February 2 in Longview. This is a major fundraiser for East Texas Lightnin’, an organization to support athletes with intellectual and physical disabilities.

Bike routes include a 10 mile, 40 mile and 62 mile.

For details go to www. freezeyourfanny.com.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 25



CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT

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

Love Lock Wall Entices Couples to Waxahachie

By Krista Leard The Academy-award winning Places in the Heart, starring Sally Field, was filmed in historic Waxahachie in 1984. Movie directors are drawn to the areas scenery and to date more than 60 featurelength movies have filmed there.

Playing off their connection to Places in the Heart, in 2016, the town adopted the slogan “Waxahachie: A Place in Your Heart, Texas,” a move that landed them an award from Texas Downtown Association for Best Marketing Campaign and a People’s Choice Award.

“The tagline not only pays tribute to our film history, but also tugs at the heartstrings of [people] by showcasing current progress and illustrates a growing community that has retained its warmth and charm,” says Amy Borders,

Director of Communications and Marketing for City of Waxahachie.

With the “love” theme still in force, recently the city added a new attraction in the downtown area. They had a 100year old crumbling brick retaining wall that needed attention. Instead of tearing it down, they came up with a fun and aesthetically pleasing idea — make it into a “Love Lock Wall.”

The Waxahachie Love Lock Wall allows visitors to express their love for each other with a symbolic heart-shaped lock that they can purchase at the Ellis County Museum across the street, or they can bring their own. Many like to have them custom engraved.

“We wanted something to celebrate new love, and old love,” says Anita Brown, Director of Downtown Development.

Mayor Kevin Strength and his wife Jean were among the first to place their love locks on the wall last fall. Since then locks are slowly taking over the fences.

Visitors are encouraged to take pictures of their locks and use #HachieHeart on social media to share the love.

Using the space where the old brick wall stood, they reconstructed a concrete base and painted it terra cotta brown.

Above the base are four sections each 16-feet long of black metal fence where visitors hang their love locks.

More “Places in Your Heart, Texas” items are found across historic downtown Waxahachie including 10 fivefoot-tall fiberglass hearts. The hearts are each uniquely hand-painted and designed by local artists.

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“The hearts create a delightful photo backdrop, and even more social media opportunities for visitors,” says Borders.

& Space Science Education. (903) 510-2312, www.sciencecenter.tjc.edu

Trimmings. Mineola. Historical Museum.

(903) 569-6183, www.mineolachamber.org

January 1

First Day Hike: Birding the Lakeshore.

Tyler. Tyler State Park. (903)597-5338, www. tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/tyler

January 26

Visitors who get their locks from the Ellis County Museum can get them engraved by nearby All Sports Trophies or some couples buy the red hearts at the museum and take them to their own engravers, then return for a weekend getaway to place the locks on the fence and enjoy the sites and sounds of Waxahachie.

Go-Giver Gala. Longview. Maude Cobb Convention and Activity Complex. (903) 9879944, www.longviewtexas.gov

The Magical Mystique of Mardi Gras.

Grand Prairie. Krewe of Orleans. (214) 6133133, www.kreweoforleans.com

January 12

January 28-29

January 17-19

January 31

January 18-20

February 2

January 19

February 8-10

Some visitors even lock away letters, small gifts, or place something inside to commemorate a deceased loved one or other special person in their life.

The Love Lock Wall is a special space for love in the city that’s called, a “Place in Your Heart, Texas.”

The custom heart-shaped locks are sold for $10 at the museum located at 201 South College Street in historic downtown Waxahachie. The museum hours are 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday-Saturday.

Admission to the museum is free but donations are welcome. For more information on the museum call (972) 937-0681 and to plan a visit go to www. waxahachiecvb.com.

EVENTS

Jeanne Robertson. Texarkana. TRAHC & Regional Arts Center. (903) 792-8681, www. trahc.org Pulpwood Queens Girlfriend Weekend.

Jefferson. Jefferson Visitors and Tourism Convention Center. (903) 665-7520, www.pulpwoodqueen.com East Texas Boat & RV Show. Longview.

Maude Cobb Convention and Activity Complex.

(903) 237-4023. longviewchamber.com Rains County Eagle Fest. Emory. Rains High School. (903) 473-2465, www.emorytx.com Krewe of Sobek Parade. Shreveport. Fair Grounds Fields, Kreweofsobek.org Feast of Saint Voloc. Ennis. The Telico Gin, 948 Kirkpatrick Road. willowdenfoundation. com

January 20

Dates and times are subject to change. Always call ahead before planning a visit.

A King Celebration: The Power of Love.

Ennis. San Jacinto Auditorium. (972)8784748, visitennis.org

January 3-6, January 31-February 3

January 21

First Monday Trade Days. Canton. First Monday Trade Days. (903) 567-6556, www. firstmondaycanton.com

Every Third Monday

Third Monday Trade Days. McKinney. Third Monday Trade Days. (972) 562 5466, thirdmondaytradedays.com

Every Second Saturday

Hit the Bricks. Tyler. Downtown Tyler. (800) 235-5712, visittyler.com

Martin Luther King Jr. Banquet. Jefferson.

Jefferson Community Center. (903) 720-78237, www.jefferson-texas.com Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade.

Shreveport. Shreveport Municipal Auditorium, kreweofharambee.org

Life-Size Animatronic Dinosaurs.

McKinney. Heard Museum. (972) 562-5566, www.heardmuseum.org

December 31

New Years Eve Fur Ball. Tyler. Juls Events.

(903) 595-1160, www.spcaeasttx.com

January 19, February 16

Rock n Roll Saturday. Tyler. Center for Earth

Bingo Fundraiser for Van Zandt Arts & Cultural District Foundation. Ben Wheeler.

Moore’s Store. (903) 833-5100, www.

VanZandtACD.com Freeze Your Fanny. Longview. Johnston McQueen Elementary. (903) 753-3281, freezeyourfanny.com East Texas Home & Design Show.

Longview. Maude Cobb Convention and Activity Complex. (903) 758-6416. easttexasbuilders.org

February 17

Chocolate Sunday. Jefferson. Kitt’s Kornbread Sandwich & Pie Bar. (903) 6652310, www.jefferson-texas.com

February 23

Mardi Gras on Main Street, A Culinary Experience. Palestine. www.visitpalestine.com Mardi Gras Gumbo Cook-off. Henderson.

Downtown Heritage Square. (902) 657-6551, www.visithendersontx.com

March 1-3

Mardi Gras Upriver. Jefferson. Downtown.

(903) 665-2672, www.mardigrasuprivver.com See more events on www.countylinemagazine.com.

Mineola Historical Museum Taters &

❤

FEBRUARY 14-17

Through February 18

The Great Benjamins Circus. Palestine.

Civic Center. (903) 723-3014, www.visitpalestine.com

January 25

Every First Saturday

Star Party Saturday. Tyler. Center for Earth & Space Science Education. (903) 510-2312, www.sciencecenter.tjc.edu

Scottish Afternoon Tea. Emory. Scarbrough Haven. (214) 883-5075, www.scarbroughhaven.com

Love Is All Around Getaway Discover the small towns and surrounding countryside of Edom, Van, and Ben Wheeler, Texas, just one hour east of Dallas.

n a c o g❤ doches planetarium

VA N Z A N D T ARTS & CULTURAL DISTRICT

❤ www.VanZandtACD.com

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 27

Five Ways to Beat the Winter Blues

By Krista Leard In the Upper East Side of Texas there are plenty of places with activities to keep the dark days of winter fun for families and friends. There are the usual like movie theaters, game rooms, and bowling alleys — some with extra things to do like laser tag, virtual reality snowball fights, and jump zones. Here are a few other ideas sure to beat the winter blues.

1. Escape Rooms

Over the past few years Escape Rooms began appearing around the region, drawing in friends and families as they challenge themselves in a game of wits and intelligence in an attempt to escape the “trap.” Rooms are set up with a series of puzzles following along a storyline to truly immerse players into the game. Escape rooms are designed to encourage teamwork and test the skills of everyone in the room. Rooms come with different themes like pirates, detectives, schools, holidays and seasonal, fantasy, and more. Some get out, and some cannot (staff will help when that happens). This activity is best suited for teenagers and adults because of the challenging nature.

One Way Out. Tyler. (903) 352-6650.

TylerEscape.com Paradox Xscape Escape Rooms. Mineola.

(903) 830-3496. FB/ParadoxXscape Exit Theory, Longview. (903) 686-9054.

Exittheory.com North Texas Escape Rooms, McKinney.

(469) 712-6837. northtexasescaperooms.com Escapology Escape Rooms, Rockwall. (469) 769-1300. rockwallescaperooms.com

2. Indoor Trampoline Parks

When the children have excess energy that needs to be burned away, indoor trampoline parks save the day. These parks invite children and adults to test

their stamina and enjoy various types of trampolines. Long ones for tricks, short square ones for height, and even a smaller section for the toddlers so they don’t get hurt.

What’s even better, some of these trampoline parks even have designated areas for guests to pretend they are contestants of the television show, American Ninja Warrior. Consisting of multiple levels of difficulty, the arena trials test different parts of the contestant’s strengths, complete with a warped wall to run up. There are also small rooms for private parties, an arcade, and other exciting activities to do, such as rock walls or miniature indoor playgrounds. iJump Tyler Trampoline Park, Tyler. (903) 630-7090. Ijumptyler.com Urban Air Trampoline Park, Rockwall.

(469) 912-3117. Urbanairtrampolinepark.com Altitude Trampoline Park, Cedar Hill. (469) 272-5867. Altitudecedarhill.com Air U Trampoline Park, Longview. (903) 663-2478. Airu-longview.com Sky Zone Trampoline Park, Irving. (469) 499-3100. Skyzone.com

3. Indoor Water Parks

What’s better than enjoying a summer day in the middle of winter? Try an indoor waterpark. Despite the cold weather and gloomy skies, kids can still bust out the floaties and pool games for the indoor water parks that adults enjoy as well. Some of these parks reside in resorts but are open to the public. So, whether its a trip through the lazy river, or a few rides on various water slides, these parks host numerous activities inside for everyone to enjoy.

Waterpark at the Villages, Flint. (903) 5348400. Waterparkatthevillages.com Great Wolf Lodge, Grapevine. (800) 6939653. Greatwolf.com Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark, Grand Prairie. (972) 337-3131. Epicwatersgp.com

28 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

4. Rock Climbing Indoor rock climbing is another fun activity. The walls are constructed to simulate the real-life experience of climbing a cliffside, thesting the strength and agility of kids and adults alike. The trials of rock climbing exceed beyond just strength. It also requires planning, and provides an exciting new experience for visitors.

Summit Climbing, Yoga and Fitness, Carrollton, (972) 732-0307; Dallas, (972) 231-7625; Grapevine, (817) 421-3888; and Denton, (940) 808-1107. Summitgyms.com Canyons Rock Climbing, Frisco. (214) 8722992. Canyonsclimbinggym.com Dyno-Rock Indoor Climbing Center, Arlington. (817) 461-3966. Dynorock.com Tyler Rock Gym, Tyler. (903) 705-0074.

Tylerrockgym.com

5. Museums For many, especially the curious, museums are the perfect afternoon outing.

Museums are chock full of hands-on and interesting exhibits. In the Upper East Side of Texas, there are a multitude of museums including art, history, science, miniature career centers, airplanes, trains, and even quirky objects.

County Line has a huge selection of more museums to visit. Go to countylinemagazine.com to find them.

Northeast Texas Children’s Museum, Commerce. (903) 886-6055. Netxcm.com The Discovery Science Place, Tyler. (903) 533-8011. Discoveryscienceplace.org Play Street Museum, McKinney, Frisco, and Plano, (469) 362-8624; Allen, (972) 7373256; Irving, (972) 543-0911; and Dallas, (214) 414-2819. Playstreetmuseum.com/Dallas Search “museum” on www.countylinemagazine. com for a long list of fun and adventurous places for indoor fun.

Deep Space Is As Close as Nacogdoches

By Steve Freeman The lyrics “The stars at night are big and bright … the prairie sky is wide and high … deep in the heart of Texas” are ever more meaningful with the unveiling of the new planetarium at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA), Nacogdoches.

The 114-seat, 50-foot-high dome is part of the new Ed and Gwen Cole STEM Building and the Department of Physics, Engineering and Astronomy. It replaces a 32-foot-tall planetarium with older technology.

able tour guides so visitors can explore the wonders of the universe,” says Ed Michaels, planetarium director.

Besides augmenting its own students’ studies with the planetarium, the university offers public shows on Saturdays at 3, 4:30 and 7 p.m. Shows running through January 26 are Secrets of the

county line Upper East Side of Texas

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The new digital system can project the night sky of stars and planets as seen from anywhere on the Earth with digital precision. Full-dome shows use a combination of stunning visual effects, vivid colors, dramatic motion and powerful surround sound to immerse audiences on thrilling voyages of discovery.

“The SFA planetarium is like a simulated space ship staffed with knowledge-

Cardboard Rocket (children’s matinee), The Secrets of Gravity and Dark Universe.

Shows scheduled for February through March 9 are Secrets of Gravity and Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity.

Admission ranges from $3 to $6. For more information, visit www.planetarium.sfasu.edu.

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 29

Coolest Hardware Store on the Planet

Photo by P.A. Geddie

By Tracy Torma

Small town.

Awe-some spring! bloom watchers welcome

March 22 - April 7

81st annual dogwood trails celebration - scenic drives & special events each weekend

march 29-31

old time music and dulcimer festival concerts & workshops

april 27-28

1836 Chuckwagon Race at diamond b ranch

March - May

piney woods train excursions: texas state railroad scenic tours March 24: Dogwood brunch train May 26: Memorial Day Brunch Train

visitpalestine.com 800.659.3484 30 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

If you’re looking for paint, building supplies and power tools typically associated with a hardware store, Bralys Ace Hardware in Palestine can certainly meet your need. But if you want a unique shopping experience, this family-owned and operated business since 1932 offers so much more — from kitchen gadgets and gift items to lawn and garden supplies to high-end barbecue grills.

Bralys roots go back to the mid 1920s when W.J. Franklin operated a sawmill business in Neches, Texas. Franklin Lumber Company was established in Palestine in 1932. The family business changed its name to Braly Builders Supply in 1954.

Today, Bralys continues as a fourth-generation family business operated by Stephen Braly, the great-grandson of W.J. Franklin, and his wife, Vicki. The store moved its current location at 420 W. Palestine Avenue in 2013.

Just walking into Bralys is a unique shopping experience.

Located in the historical Rusk Elementary School building, the business was awarded Ace Hardware’s coolest store on the planet and the “Texas Treasure” awards. Traces of the old school abound, from the store’s wide variety of merchandise displayed in old classrooms to the old water fountain located down the long wood-floored hallway. Old lockers were repurposed as shelves and chalkboards cut up and repainted to serve as aisle signs for the store. Add the store’s unique mix of hardware staples to gifts items, it’s no wonder one online reviewer likened the store to “a Toys R Us for grownups.”

Congratulations to Jean Mollard on the Texas Downtown Association First Place Award for our beautiful Redlands Hotel restoration. Thank you!

www.PalestineTexas.net

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 31

THE ARTS Artist Completes Mural for Terrell Wall

The 10th mural to adorn downtown Terrell, Texas, honors native son Frank Reaugh (1860-1945), who earned the distinction of being the dean of Texas artists. The painting on a building on North Adelaide Street is a version of Reaugh’s 1902 “The Approaching Herd,” but with a likeness of him busily

painting the Texas longhorn off to the side under a red umbrella. The mural artist is Charlie Bullock. The purpose of the mural project, led by the Terrell Downtown Association, is to increase awareness of the city’s proud history. Photo by Prouty Photography

Awards Include Longview’s McConaughey and Maxwell Longview natives Matthew McConaughey and Brandon Maxwell are among the honorees of this year’s Texas Medal of the Arts Awards. The full list is announced January 10. The awards take place in Austin February 26-27.

McConaughey is the best-known name of the bunch. He attended high school in Longview before migrating to the University of Texas. In Austin he started acting, appearing in Richard Linklater’s 1993 film “Dazed and Confused.”

Maxwell is a fashion designer to stars like Lady Gaga and First Ladies like Michelle Obama.

“I am grateful to be recognized by the Texas Cultural Trust with a Texas Medal of Arts Award. Having grown up in Longview, Texas; I am honored to receive an award from an organization whose focus is to advocate for equitable access to arts education for students across the state. I hope my work and the work that they do continue to make a

difference in the lives of young people everywhere,” said Brandon Maxwell, fashion designer and 2019 Texas Medal of Arts Awards recipient for Design.

The Texas Medal of Arts Awards were created by the Texas Cultural Trust.

“These honorees exemplify the rich tradition that we at the Texas Cultural Trust have built our organization on,” said Texas Cultural Trust Executive Director Heidi Marquez Smith. “We are thrilled

32 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

to recognize each of their powerful contributions at our tenth biennial event and look forward to seeing their work continue to shape the future of the arts in Texas and beyond,” she continued.

For more information on the Texas Medal of Arts Awards, please visit www.texasmedalofarts.org. For more information on the Texas Cultural Trust, please visit www.txculturaltrust.org or call 512.478.5289.

Art Show Scheduled at Athens Arboretum

Saturday

The Henderson County Art Club presents their 91st annual Fine Art Show & Sale on April 19-21 at the East Texas Arboretum in Athens. Visit www.HendersonCountyArt.org for details. Courtesy photo

ARTS EVENTS Dates and times are subject to change. Always call ahead before planning a visit.

Through January 12

Sixth Annual Men in the Arts. Winnsboro.

Winnsboro Center for the Arts. (903) 342-0686, www.winnsborocenterforthearts.com Allen Phillips: Liquid Soul. Texarkana.

TRAHC & Regional Arts Center. (903) 7928681, www.trahc.org

Through January 26

Charlie Cook: The Beauty We Love.

Texarkana. TRAHC & Regional Arts Center.

(903) 792-8681, www.trahc.org

Through March 17

Lagniappe: Works by Letitia Huckaby.

Tyler. Tyler Museum of Art. (903) 595-1001, www.tylermuseum.org

January 12

Artisan Show in the Courtyard. Jefferson.

Made in the Shade. (903) 665-8966, www.jefferson-texas.com

January 12 - April 20

All Creatures Great and Small Exhibition.

March 30, 2019

Athens. 211 Gallery. (903) 292-1746, www. artgallery211.net

10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Van City Park Van, Texas

January 18

50th Anniversary Gala. Longview. Longview Museum of Fine Arts. (903) 236-9739, www. longviewsymphony.org

❂

January 18- February 23

Searching for Peacetown. Winnsboro.

Winnsboro Center for the Arts. (903) 342-0686, www.winnsborocenterforthearts.com

Juried Art Show

January 24-March 19

Quentin Pace: Who Is You? Texarkana.

TRAHC & Regional Arts Center. (903) 7928681, www.trahc.org

Live Music

Strolling Dancers & Theatrics

January 25-26

Jefferson Quilt Show. Jefferson Institute.

(903) 665-2672, www.jeffersonquiltshow.com

February 21-23

Food Trucks

2019 Nacogdoches Film Festival.

Nacogdoches. The Fredonia Hotel & Convention Center. (936) 564-7351, www. nacogdochesfilmfestival.com

Wineries

March 9-30

Tweens and Teens. Athens. 211 Gallery.

(903) 292-1746, www.artgallery211.net

❂ VanZandtACD.com Sponsored by

afsp.org

Van Zandt Arts & Cultural District and City of Van

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 33

STAGE Greenville Thespians Announce Inaugural Season

Not content to let the kids in the community have all the fun, theater lovers in Greenville embark on their own stage pursuits with the creation of Greenville Theatre Works (GTW).

“Aside from Greenville Family Theater, there are no acting or theatrical outlets for adults to be part of, so we are starting one,“ says Kevin Banks, tourism manager for the venue Greenville Municipal Auditorium.

“We have held auditions for the first show and had 24 people audition for six parts. We are very excited about it and hope it is the start of a new arts organization here in Hunt County.”

GTW plans to produce three plays in its inaugural season: Steel Magnolias (January 11-13), The Odd Couple (April 26-28), and Noises Off (September 13-15).

The action is set in Truvy’s beauty salon in Chinquapin, Louisiana, where all the ladies who are “anybody” come to have their hair done. The outspoken, wisecracking Truvy dispenses shampoos and free advice to them, including the local social leader, M’Lynn, whose daughter, Shelby, is about to get married. In time, the hilarious repartee takes on new meaning, however, when Shelby’s untimely death proves that everybody needs amiable company in good times and bad.

34 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

All GTW productions will add to the entertainment options at the Greenville Municipal Auditorium (the GMA). The beloved venue built in 1939 has provided audiences with great entertainment for the region for 80 years.

For tickets and more information, visit www.GTWLive.com.

ABOVE: The cast of Greenville Theatre Works’ first stage production features (clockwise from bottom left) Margaret Smith (as the character Shelby), Angela Vaughn (as Truvy), Mary Rose-Duncan (as Clairee), Peyton Dickens (as Annelle) Brandy Wells (as M’Lynn) and Bonita Malone (as Ouiser). Photo by Terlingua Rose

STAGE

FOCUS ON PHOTOGRAPHY:

January 15

A JURIED EXHIBITION JANUARY 12 – FEBRUARY 16

Call of The Wild: Illustrated Edition.

Texarkana. TRAHC & Regional Arts Center.

(903) 792-8681, www.trahc.org

January 15-20

The Taming of the Shrew. Tyler. Tyler Civic Theatre Center. (903) 592-0561, www.tylercivictheatre.com

January 24

Something Rotten. Tyler. UT Tyler Cowan Center. (903) 566-7141, www.cowancenter.org

January 27

DELIVERANCE:

RESCUED AND SET FREE WORKS

BY BRETT DYER JANUARY 12 – MARCH 23

903.753.8103 LMFA.org 215 E. Tyler St. Longview, TX 75601

William Shakespeare’s-Twelfth Night.

Crockett. Crockett Civic Center. (936)5444276, www.pwfaa.org

February 4

The King and I. Tyler. UT Tyler Cowan Center. (903) 566-7141, www.cowancenter.org

February 8-17

On Golden Pond. Tyler. Tyler Civic Theatre Center. (903) 592-0561, www.tylercivictheatre.com

February 8-9

Shakespeare In Love. Paris. Plaza Theatre.

(903) 785-3958, www.paristexas.com

February 17

Russian National Ballet-Cinderella.

Crockett. Crockett Civic Center. (936)5444276, www.pwfaa.org

February 15-16

Shakespeare In Love. Paris. Plaza Theatre.

(903) 785-3958, www.paristexas.com

presents...

February 15-17 & 22-24

The Old People Are Revolting. Mineola.

Historic Select Theater. (903) 569-2087, www. visitmineola.com

February 19

Shen Yun. Longview. Belcher Center. (903) 233-3061, www.belchercenter.com/index.html

February 22- March 3

Mockingbird. Henderson. Henderson Civic Center. (903) 657-2968, www.hendersoncivictheatre.org

February 26

Los Vivicanos- Born to Dance. Tyler. UT Tyler Cowan Center. (903) 566-7141, www.cowancenter.org

February 26-March 3

TICKETS * 7 & $1t5ID n 46, $36, $2

Three One-Act Plays by Asian Authors.

Nacogdoches. W. M. Turner Auditorium.

(936) 564-7351, www.finearts.sfasu.edu

$

February 28- March 2

Barefoot in the Park. Athens. Henderson County Performing Arts Center. (903) 675-3908, www.hcpac.org

SEE MORE EVENTS

WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM

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in part by:

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TRAHC.ORG

903.792.4992

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 35

STAGE

Photos by Tom Geddie

Beckanne Sisk Returns to Longview for Show

Beckanne Sisk, pictured above and at right with her childhood ballet coach Pat George Mitchell, returns to her hometown of Longview to perform The Sleeping Beauty, March 1-3, at LeTourneau University’s Belcher Center presented by Longview Ballet Theatre and Ballet West II. Sisk began taking ballet classes from Mitchell when she was five years old. She’s had tremendous success and is one of Ballet West’s Principal dancers.

She dances the lead role of Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty while Chase O’Connell is the Prince. The show is appropriate for children and adults alike — a timeless story of a sleeping princess, a handsome prince, and the triumph of good over evil.

Tickets are $18 to $48. Visit www.longviewballettheatre.com to purchase.

Read more on Beckanne Sisk’s rise to fame in the ballet world in the County Line archives, www.countylinemagazine.com.

36 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

Jeanne Robertson TICKETS* $22 8 it& h Student ID $60, $48, $3*W

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Tyler Museum of Art 1300 South Mahon Avenue • Tyler, TX www.tylermuseum.org

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903.792.4992

EXPERIENCE LIFE IN THE 1930S OILFIELD

February 15

50 Years of Rock and Roll

T

Sponsored by Anna Lee & Sidney Allen

he East Texas Oil Museum houses

an authentic recreation of oil discovery and

production in the early 1930s in the largest oil

field in the United States.

We can’t wait to show you around!

For information about tour times and availability, please call (903) 983-8295

1301 S. Henderson Blvd, Kilgore, TX

March 23

Tony Orlando

Sponsored by Citizens National Bank and Marge & Tom Dome

March 29

American Girl Live

Sponsored by Lou Ann & Joe Bob Joyce

April 27

Jim Brickman Sponsored by ArtsView Children’s Theatre

LETOURNEAU UNIVERSITY BelcherCenter.com Longview, TX 903-233-3080

__________________________________________________________________

SEason Sponsor: KLTV Channel 7

Marquee Sponsors: Komatsu Carol and Richard Manley Transet Co.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 37

LITERARY

Author Scheduled to Speak to Pulpwood Queens

By April Canik Galveston-based historical fiction author Ann Weisgarber has several new entries to her “things I never thought I would do” file.

“First of all, I never thought I would write a book, much less three of them,” she admits, “and for sure I never thought I would be a tiara-wearing keynote speaker at a big conference of book lovers in East Texas.”

At the zany 19th Annual Pulpwood Queens Book Club Conference in Jefferson January 17-20, Weisgarber reminds readers of book club importance.

Since her own participation in a book “critique group” for more than 15 years is a critical factor to her success, she enjoys paying that forward.

“While it takes a great deal more time, I try to share something special in person with my readers – to the tune of some 250 book club visits in the last eight years,” she says.

Pulpwood club members and visiting authors that follow Ann’s expanding portfolio, await news of the filming status of her first book, The Personal History of Rachel DuPree, starring and directed by popular Hollywood actress Viola Davis.

“How the novel landed in Viola’s hands is a story in itself,” Weisgarber says.

This sociology professor-turned-author has learned that inspiration can come from weird and wonderful places. Oddly enough, several remote and random national parks have propelled Weisgarber from being an insatiably curious tourist to an internationally successful book author.

“A vacation at Badlands National Park in South Dakota inspired my first book,” she says, “and a visit to Utah’s remote Capitol Reef Park moved me to write my latest book, The Glovemaker, which is publishing in February.”

A lifelong voracious reader, she is always eyeing a stack of books awaiting her attention, a stack that doubles in size af-

Author Ann Weisgarber is one of several authors scheduled to speak at the annual Pulpwood Queens Book Club Conference in Jefferson January 17-20. Courtesy photo

ter hearing an array of authors at the Pulpwood Queens Girlfriend Weekend each January. She indulges in at least one poem a day and admits her all-time favorite book is Charlotte’s Web. “It has every element of storytelling – from crisis to loyalty to the power of the written word actually saving Wilbur’s life,” she says.

Coming in at second favorite is To Kill a Mockingbird.

In each of her books, she strives to stay true to her story and not modify it with anything trendy, even if that would increase sales.

“You won’t see any vampires in my books,” she says laughing.

Weisgarber first experienced literary success internationally. This surprise led to others, as she worked with German, French and Italian publishers.

Conversations with an array of translators is yet another item joining her

38 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

“things I never thought I would do” list.

“I would never have guessed that the phrase ‘it’s raining cats and dogs’ for example,” she says, “would be translated to, ‘like a cow pissing in the rain.’”

Drawn to the quirky and curious, Weisgarber lives in a remodeled historical Galveston home not far from where her main characters might have called home in her second book, The Promise.

While The Glovemaker is making its way to readers across the globe, she is already pondering why a Word Ware II German prison camp once existed in an area now known as Hearne, Texas. These historical musings often haunt her until a book idea is born. She is living proof of her philosophy that, “the best writers are storytellers who welcome little ideas and explore where they might lead.”

For more information on the Pulpwood Queens Girlfriend Weekend in Jefferson, visit www.thepulpwoodqueens.com.

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Searching for Peace Town

Concert and Photography Exhibition Honors the Late Jimmy LaFave

By Terry Mathews Wills Point native Jimmy LaFave (19552017) was not only an award-winning singer/songwriter, he was an accomplished photographer who chronicled his “fascination with America’s unique but disappearing landscape, roadside signs, buildings and the American history they express.”

LaFave, who died of cancer in 2017, was part of a close-knit group of Austin musicians who played and recorded together.

Included in that group are Christine Albert and Chris Gage.

Albert and Gage will honor their friend and colleague in concert at Winnsboro Center for the Arts (WCA) on Saturday, January 19.

LaFave once described Albert as a “wondrous singer with a beautiful focus and unrestrained grace.”

She had a prolific recording career as a solo artist before meeting Gage, including the acclaimed “Texafrance” series, a bilingual tribute to her European family roots.

Albert has also served for 10 years on the national Board of Trustees of the Recording Academy (known for the GRAMMY Awards®), eventually rising to the position of Chairman of the Board and currently serving as Chair Emeritus.

She’s also the founder and CEO of Swan Songs, a non-profit that fulfills musical last wishes.

Gage, the Academy of Texas Music’s “Musician of the Year 2011” is no stranger to a tour bus, spending many years on the road with Red Willow Band, Roy Clark and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. He continues to play lead guitar on tour with Jerry Jeff Walker, in addition to his Albert and Gage shows.

The duo owns MoonHouse Studio in south Austin, where the “maestro” maintains a full schedule as an in-demand producer and musician, most recently co-producing Jerry Jeff Walker’s latest release “It’s About Time.”

Since teaming up in 1996 the couple has

released six Albert and Gage albums on their own MoonHouse Records label, as well as their solo projects and releases by other artists.

plus years, LaFave would often eschew the interstate freeways for the “blue highways” on the map that would take him through the true heart of America.

Along with Albert and Gage’s musical tribute, WCA will host an exhibit of LaFave’s photographs, which will be on display at the arts center from January 18 through February 23. “Jimmy LaFave: Searching for Peace Town” debuted at the Stephen L. Clark Gallery in Austin earlier this year, then was at the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, before coming to Winnsboro.

On his travels he would document the classic roadside signs and structures that caught his eye with his cameras, amassing a collection of striking and evocative photographs that paralleled the spirit of the songs he wrote and sang.

As he toured the country performing his critically-lauded music over the last 25-

40 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

According to Ashley Warren of Music Road Records, “It was Jimmy’s wish to at some time share these photographs with his fans as in many ways they represent his personal journey and musical history.

Unfortunately, Jimmy was not able to share his story through his photographs so as an honor to him and his fans the Jimmy LaFave Intellectual Property Trust has organized gallery showings across the United States.”

Photo by Todd V. Wolfson

Michael Granberry of The Dallas Morning News said of the exhibit, “What many may not know is that LaFave knew how to move people not only through his voice and guitar but also through the lens of his camera.

As a traveling troubadour, he crisscrossed America, and America is what he photographed, colorfully, splendidly, memorably, extolling the virtues of Woody Guthrie’s ‘This Land Is Your Land.’”

Tickets for the concert are $19 and $29 and are on sale at the center’s website, www.winnsborocenterforthearts.com or by calling 903-342-0686.

Folk singer Michael Fracasso, who has done tributes to Woody Guthrie, Mickey Newberry and Townes Van Zandt, will join Albert and Gage on stage for a few tunes.

Doors open at 7 p.m. Music begins at 7:30 p.m.

OPPOSITE: The late Jimmy LaFave was not only a remarkable singer-songwriter, but a talented photographer. ABOVE: LaFave friends Christine Albert and Chris Gage pay tribute to him in concert January 19 in Winnsboro. BELOW: “Freedom Church” is one of LaFave’s photographs featured in an exhibit from January 18 through February 23.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 41

MUSIC

See www.countylinemagazine.com for extensive music listings.

Upper East Side of Texas Women Are Nominees for Grammy Awards

MUSIC Dates and times are subject to change. Always call ahead before planning a visit.

January 1

High Strung Bluegrass. Paris. (903) 7853958, www.paristexas.com

January 4

Lee Mathis. Kilgore. Back Porch. (903) 9848141, www.thebackporchkilgore.com David Bowie Birthday Bash. Dallas.

Granada Theater. (214)-824-9933, www.granadatheater.com

January 5

Matt Coats Band. Tyler. XLN on 5th. (903) 535-7956

January 6

Miguel Antonio. Winnsboro. Winnsboro Center for the Arts. (903) 342-0686, www. winnsborocenterforthearts.com

January 10

Casey Martin. Kilgore. Back Porch. (903) 984-8141, www.thebackporchkilgore.com

January 11

American Aquarium. Terrell. Silver Saloon.

(972) 524-7111, www.silversaloonterrell.com Close To You: Music of the Carpenters.

Marshall. Marshall Convention Center. (903) 935-4484, www.marshallartscouncil.org Gladys Knight. Bossier City. Horseshoe Bossier City. (800) 895-0711, www.caesars.com/horseshoe-bossier-city The Kirbys. Pittsburg. Los Pinos Ranch Vineyards. (903) 855-1769, www.lospinosranchvineyards.com

Nominees for Grammy Awards this year include four talented women from the Upper East Side of Texas Maren Morris’ song “The Middle” is nominated for Record of the Year as well as Song of the Year. She’s also nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Dear Hate” featuring Vince Gill and for Best Country Song A Songwriter’s Award for “Dear Hate” co-written with Tom Douglas and David Hodges. She’s also up for Best Country Solo Performance for “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters.”

Kacey Musgraves also has a nomination for Best Country Solo Performance for “Butterflies” and her album Golden Hour is nominated for Album of the Year. Her

song “Space Cowboy” is also nominated for Best Country Song - A Songwriters Award with co-writers Luke Laird and Shane McAnally and she’s nominated for Best Country Album for Golden Hour as well.

Lee Ann Womack’s got two nominations for Best Americana Album for The Lonely, The Lonesome & The Gone, and Best American Roots Song - A Songwriters Award for “All The Trouble” cowritten with Waylon Payne and Adam Wright.

Kelly Clarkson’s Meaning of Life is nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album.

The 61st Grammy Awards show airs at 7 p.m. February 10 on CBS.

42 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

Tish Hinojosa. Dallas. Poor David’s Pub. (214) 565-1295, www.poordavidspub.com

January 12

Heather Nikole Harper. Pickton. Foster’s Place. (903) 866-0606, www.facebook.com/ Fosters-Place-Restaurant-Pub Herman’s Hermits w/Peter Noone. Mt. Pleasant. Whatley Center for Performing Arts.

(903) 434-8181, www.whatleycenter.com Kickin’ It. Yantis. Neon Moon Restaurant and Social Club. (512) 312-9350, www.sunnysweeney.com Monte Montgomery. Dallas. Granada Theater.

(214)-824-9933, www.granadatheater.com

January 18

Shinyribs. Tyler. Stanley’s Famous Pit BBQ. (903) 593-0311, www.stanleysfamous.com

January 19

Albert & Gage. Winnsboro. Winnsboro

Center for the Arts. (903) 342-0686, www. winnsborocenterforthearts.com Andy Gullahorn. Edom. The Old Firehouse.

(903) 852-2781, www.theoldfirehouse.net Charley Pride & Ronnie Milsap. Bossier City. Horseshoe Bossier City. (800) 895-0711, www.caesars.com/horseshoe-bossier-city John Crist. Longview. Belcher Center. (903) 233-3061, www.belchercenter.com

VISIT

Gun Barrel City ...a straight shot to Cedar Creek Lake

The Bluez Boyz. Tyler. XLN on 5th. (903) 535-7956

January 20

Chris Knight. Greenville. The Texan Theater.

(903) 259-6360, www.texantheatergreenville. com

January 22

Something Rotten. Lufkin. Angelina Arts Alliance. (936) 633-5234, www.angelinaarts. org

Come Stay & Play.

We Aim to Please!

January 25

Desperado Eagles Tribute, Fleetwood Mac Tribute. Dallas. Granada Theater. (214)-8249933, www.granadatheater.com

January 26

Jason Boland & The Stragglers.

Nacogdoches. Banita Creek Hill. www.banitacreekhall.com Heartbyrne: A Tribute To The Talking Heads. Dallas. Granada Theater. (214)-8249933, www.granadatheater.com Steve Simmons and Friends Concert. Tyler.

Liberty Hall Theatre. (903) 595-7274, www.libertytyler.com

January 26-27

Knon Annual Bluesfest. Dallas. Poor David’s Pub. (214) 565-1295, www.poordavidspub.com

January 29

The Drifters. Lufkin. The Pines Theater.

(936) 633-0349, www.thepines.visitlufkin.com

February 1

Jackie Evancho. Lufkin. Angelina Arts Alliance. (936) 633-5234, www.angelinaarts. org

February 2

Beyond The Pale. Edom. The Old Firehouse.

(903) 852-2781, www.theoldfirehouse.net Frank Foster. Nacogdoches. Banita Creek Hill. (936) 762-8000 www.banitacreekhall.com

,

Ruthie Foster. Tyler. Liberty Hall Theatre.

(903) 595-7274, www.libertytyler.com

February 3

Don Quixote. Mt. Vernon. Mount Vernon Music Hall. (903) 563-3780, www.mountvernonmusic.org

February 9

Kool & The Gang. Tyler. UT Tyler Cowan Center. (903) 566-7141, www.cowancenter.org

903.887.1087 February 11

www.gunbarrelcity.net www.gunbarrelcityfestivals.net Selah. Lufkin. The Pines Theater. (936) 633-

The Official Blues Brothers Revue. Mt. Pleasant. Whatley Center for Performing Arts.

(903) 434-8181, www.whatleycenter.com

0349, www.thepines.visitlufkin.com

February 15

595-7274, www.libertytyler.com

50 Years of Rock & Roll. Longview. Belcher Center. (903) 233-3061, www.belchercenter.com

Tracy Byrd. Tyler. Liberty Hall Theatre. (903)

February 22 Russell Dickerson and Carly Pearce.

February 19

Brick Street Blues Band. Kilgore. Back Porch.

(903) 984-8141, www.thebackporchkilgore.com

Nacogdoches. Banita Creek Hill. (936) 462-

February 21

February 23

A Tribute To ABBA. Dallas. Granada Theater. (214)-824-9933, www.granadatheater. com

8000, www.banitacreekhall.com

Tom Kimmel. Edom. The Old Firehouse.

(903) 852-12781, www.theoldfirehouse.net

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 43

Old Buses Are Converted to Rolling Tiny Homes

By Krista Leard “Home should be a vehicle for helping you live the life you want,” Kimberly Mok writes in The Modern House Bus: Mobile Tiny House Inspirations. In the book, she collects a series of stories from families, couples, and singles who are transforming old buses into homes.

For those who want to live on the road, renovating a bus is much less expensive than buying an RV and they can build what they want in their own time. They are more durable and built better for bumpy roads. These renovated buses are converted for comfort, durability, and mobility.

Among the house bus residents are Ryan Ayers and Justine Meccio. Their turquoise house bus is featured on the book’s cover. On the inside, many of its features have multiple purposes, such as the couch and the book shelves, which double as extra storage space.

During the two-year-long process of renovating their tiny home, the couple kept in mind extra measures to insure their items would be secure while traveling, installing bars across the bookshelves and lips around the rims of the counters.

Their kitchen table also can extend into a longer dining table, adding extra room for guests. Their kitchen hosts a mini fridge and camping oven, func-

tioning kitchen sink, and lots of storage that hold all of their kitchen utensils and boxed and canned goods. The bathroom is divided in half, the shower on one side and the toilet on the other.

many items in the home have multiple uses such as a couch converting into a bed, tables making into beds, storage in chairs -- owners get very creative about how to best use the space.

The bedroom is rather small, but bookshelves line the walls, and small spaces under the bed provide extra drawers, and crates for their pets to ride and sleep in safely when they are traveling or parked.

Bus homes also use less electricity, or can rely on solar power, and use less water gas than the average home so there’s good savings there. Most tiny house occupants recycle and productively manage their waste.

Solar panels and power chords were built into the bus and other hookups for when they come across campgrounds and trailer parks to temporarily stay. A large water container is hidden in the undercarriage that stores clean water and a small deck was built onto the roof for both storage and relaxing. The couple also created a small crane to help them maneuver heavy objects on and off of the deck during their travels like their canoe.

With little room for food storage much of their meals are made from fresh ingredients and they have few leftovers so they eat fresh every day.

In The Modern House Bus, Mok covers the issues of why people are even “going small.” Some featured in the book initially were not thrilled about the idea of living in a space that is barely bigger than 200-300 square feet. Some people, Mok says, rely on materialistic principles, which doesn’t work with tiny house living. They can’t go out and buy things on a whim.

Space must be managed efficiently and

44 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

Mok also covers the issues of mortgage costs, the collapse of the housing bubble, and more to do with financial independence. She presents to the readers an out-of-the-box solution for all of these problems: go small, or go home.

ABOVE: This renovated school bus is home to Ryan Ayers and Justine Meccio. There’s plenty of room for storage on top and wood step ladder to get up there. RIGHT: Top clockwise: Building so that everything has multipurposes like room for storage keeps the interior of the tiny home with plenty of space to move around. The kitchen has camping oven and sink and cabinets and shelves with edges so things don’t fall off during travel. The roof also serves as a deck for enjoying beautiful views wherever they travel. Also on top of the bus is a crane that helps them easily lift heavy objects up and down like their canoe. Photos by Justine Meccio

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • 45

HOME & GARDEN Cade Republic Designs In a Holistic Way

Vanessa Price, owner of Cade Republic Design Consulting & Studio in downtown Edom, returned to the Upper East Side of Texas recently after almost a year in Hawaii filming Aloha Builds for HGTV/DIY Network.

Home Edition, Home Free, American Diner Revival, Tiny House Nation, and Aloha Builds. She has a deep love of original art, quirky antiques, beautiful textures, and mixing old with new, and designs with a holistic approach.

“I feel so at home here,” Price says. “East Texas is where my family is from, and I spent many holidays and summers in these woods with my grandparents on Lake Palestine.”

“A harmonious blend of big city and small town life has given me the ability to relate to a wide range of people. I think this translates well to home design by caring, listening with laser-like attention to detail and loving warm spaces. I help people love their homes.”

Price also spent 14 years in Los Angeles and traveling across the country working as an art director and prop stylist for home renovation TV shows including five seasons with Extreme Makeover:

Price is pictured in the above photo which shows an office she designed for HGTV’s Haunted Renovations (Hallow-

46 • WWW.COUNTYLINEMAGAZINE.COM • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

een special) in a basement room renovation in a turn-of-the-century historic home in Lincoln, Illinois. She exposed the existing brick wall and hung an antique stainglass door she found for sale at a local church. She and her team completely overhauled the room adding tile flooring, ceiling tin, fireplace, custom built-in live edge shelving with wallpaper, lighting, artwork, furnishings, and a blue rug.

Her Edom shop is open Wednesday through Saturday. Call (818) 720-5835 and visit www.caderepublic.com for more information or to arrange for a design consultation. Courtesy photo

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One of the Coolest Small Towns in Texas Texas Highways

SHOP, DINE, PLAY & STAY Join us in the Wild Hog Capital of Texas for the Year of the Pig!

March, Barstool Races April, Easter Egg Hunts May, Crawfish Boil June, June Bug Fest July, 4th of July Celebration October, Fall Feral Hog Festival December, Santa Claus

Moore’s Store • The Forge • Harrison & Son Knifesmith Rusted Oak Woodworks & More • BE’s Records • Mr. B’s Antiques Glitz and Spurs Boutique • Vintage Cork 917 • Mona Lisa Portraits

“Ben Here Yet” Welcome Center

(903) 833-1060 www.BenWheelerTX.com

SOUVENIRS • ART INFORMATION