Etcetera Magazine February 2022

Etcetera Spring 2022

Kilgore’s people, places — and the rest

COVER STORY

Cat’s Fancy

Smitten rules the roost at McMillan Memorial Library in Overton

HOLY ROLLERS Kids discover love for hockey, no ice required, at Kilgore Skateland

FAMILY AFFAIR Downtown D’lites celebrates 10th anniversary as community hub

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FROM THE EDITOR

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BY MEREDITH SHAMBURGER mshamburger@kilgorenewsherald.com

t was sometime last year when I first saw the McMillan Memorial Library’s posts about Smitten. I immediately saved a note in my brain that some way, some how we’d do a story about him, because how many library cats do you see in your everyday life?

But it wasn’t until I pitched the story at a staff meeting where I learned that a lot of the News Herald staff loves cats. Like a lot. We spent the next 20 minutes of the meeting talking about Smitten and also the City of Hallsville’s City Kitty – another cat I had learned about who lives at Hallsville City Hall and was delighting everyone who stopped by the drivethru payment window.

But Smitten’s story turned out to be amazing, once we sent Reporter Stella Wieser to talk to the good folks over at the Overton library. They say cats choose their owners, and this was clearly the case. Smitten was determined to be a library cat, and his presence was a sorely needed tonic during 2020’s worst spots.

"With patrons not being able to come in back then — we all

love so much to see people. We've got patrons who come in on a regular basis, and when we don't get to see them it's disheartening I guess," Branch Manager Jenn Freeman told Stella. "So we were all really sad when we were closed because we weren't getting our normal interaction with people; kids weren't able to come in, and he really helped brighten everybody's spirits, and it was really — he was kind of our saving grace during that time."

Now for the hard part: photographing our cover star. Turns out Smitten is a little partial to women and teens, not men. But our photographer Les Hassell, with Freeman’s help, managed to get some truly wonderful portraits of Smitten in his bow-tied glory.

Now what to do with all these extra photos we had no space for within these pages? Maybe we should make a calendar.

Elsewhere in this issue, you’ll learn about one of Kilgore’s newest outdoor attractions, a mountain bike trail put together by volunteers, and Downtown D’Lites, one of downtown Kilgore’s anchor restaurants from Lucas Strough. Our newest reporter, Carter Mize, spent some time down at the Kilgore Skateland to showcase how kids are finding a passion for roller hockey.

Our plans for 2022 are simple: To bring you great stories. If you know of a story we should be covering, please don’t hesitate to let us know about it.

Smitten the Kitten and Waban, a foster kitten from Rusk County Pets Alive were so photogenic that we had to add some more photos in the magazine!

Etcetera Spring 2022 Vol. 5 | Issue 1

PUBLISHER

Alexander Gould • agould@mrobertsmedia.com

EDITOR

Meredith Shamburger • news1@kilgorenewsherald.com

ADVERTISING SALES

Linda K. Ballard • lballard@kilgorenewsherald.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Katie Case

CONTACT US

(903) 984-2593 • news1@kilgorenewsherald.com All contents of the magazine are copyright © M. Roberts Media, LLC. No portion of this issue may be reproduced in any manner without prior written consent of the publisher. The publisher and editors are not responsible for any changes in event dates after the deadline. Etcetera is published by M. Roberts Media.

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CONTENTS Spring 2022

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6

COVER STORY

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FEATURE STORY

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FEATURE STORY

15

FEATURE STORY

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Cat's Fancy: Smitten rules the roost at McMillan Memorial Library in Overton Trail Riders: Bighead Creek Mountain BikeTrail kicks off KilgoreTrails Project Family Affair: Downtown D’lites celebrates 10th anniversary as community hub Holy Rollers: Kids discover love for hockey, no ice required, at Kilgore Skateland

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BOOKS

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HOUR GLASS

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News Herald columnist featured in humor anthology News Herald reported ‘City of Dead’ after London school explosion

SEE & BE SEEN Kilgore Christmas Parade Kilgore Rangerettes Christmas Show

ON THE COVER Smitten the Kitten hangs out at the McMillan Memorial Library in Overton.

Photo by Les Hassell

Spring 2022 | Etcetera

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COVER STORY

Cat’s Fancy

Smitten rules the roost at McMillan Memorial Library in Overton.

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BY STELLA WIESER | swieser@panolawatchman.com PHOTOS BY LES HASSELL

t was April 2020 when he joined the library team, McMillan's branch manager Jenn Freeman said. They were closed to the public due to COVID, but were still doing curbside service and virtual story times.

"I was the only one that was opening that morning, and I was in our children's' area, and there had been a really bad storm that came through the night before, and it was just this awful 'rarhrhr' noise," she said. "It sounded like a hurt adult cat. And I thought 'what is that?' So I walked around to the patio and looked out, and it was this teeny tiny little kitten at the back of the patio."

Freeman waited an hour or so for the kitten's mother to show up, and then she propped the door open and set out some tuna when the mother didn't show.

"I'd just sit there and talk to him," she said. "The more I talked, the less he yowled, and I noticed the phone would ring, so I'd get up and come over here and answer the phone, and I'd talk to the 6 Etcetera | Spring 2022

patron and do whatever, and he would start getting louder again, and I'd go back to the door, and I'd sit there and talk to him, and he got quiet."

Eventually, the kitten came inside and took off running toward the library's young adult room.

"I thought 'oh no, there's a cat in the library, what am I gonna do now?' So I finally caught him. He tried to hide in between the tops of the books and the bottom of the next shelf up, and his fat rear end got stuck, and so it was just these little back legs that were sticking out from the books," Freeman said. "So I was able to snatch him up, and he has been with us ever since."

The original plan had been for somebody to adopt him. Freeman took the kitten home with her the first night and her aunt was planning to take him, but then her uncle had to have cataract surgery.

"It was probably three weeks before, and at that point I was like 'no ma'am I'm sorry. He's mine now,' and the staff was like

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1. Smitten the Kitten roams the McMillan Memorial Library. 2. Smitten the Kitten gets lots of playtime at the library. 3. Assistant Branch manager Jasmin Owens offers Smitten the Kitten and Waban, a foster kitten from Rusk County Pets Alive, a treat at the McMillan Memorial Library in Overton. 4. Smitten the Kitten found his foreverhome with the McMillan Memorial Library. 5. Rusk County Library Sytem director Jenn Freeman plays with Smitten the Kitten.

6. Waban, a foster kitten from Rusk County Pets Alive, plays in the stacks at the McMillan Memorial Library.

'we need to keep him; we need to keep him. Can't we keep him?'

And I said 'well I think we will.' The plan was for him to actually live here, but we've got motion sensors, and we've had to confine him to kind of a small space, so I was like 'y'know what, forget it, he'll just come home with me on nights and weekends.' So he travels a lot; he's a traveling cat. But it's been a lot of fun having him here.

We post a lot about him on Facebook. He's part of our advertising team now, I'm not kidding. He takes such great pictures; he's so photogenic."

The library staff took a little while to pick a name for their feline staff member.

"We couldn't decide on a name, and actually I think Carmen was the one who said 'he just looks like a Smitten to me,' and we all liked it, and at the time because he was so sweet as a kitten, we were all very smitten with him," Freeman said. "As he's gotten older he's gotten a little cranky, but we were all so smitten with him... When we first started posting stuff it was Smitten the kitten, just cause it rhymed, it was nice and catchy, and so now it's 'not so kitten.'"

Smitten brought a lot of cheer to the lonely library staff when they were closed to the public.

"With patrons not being able to come in back then — we all love so much to see people. We've got patrons who come in on a regular basis, and when we don't get to see them it's disheartening I guess," Freeman said. "So we were all really sad when we were closed because we weren't getting our normal interaction with people; kids weren't able to come in, and he really helped brighten everybody's spirits, and it was really — he was kind of our saving grace during that time."

Smitten is popular with the library patrons too, and he often gets visitors.

"We actually have patrons, who when they have items and they don't actually need to check anything out, they'll literally come in and say hi, like, 'is Smitten here today?' 'Oh yeah, he is.' So they'll come back and say hi or give him a treat or something else, and

then they're like ‘OK, I don't need anything today, I'll see y'all next week. I just wanted to come say hi to Smitten.'"

Smitten has a big personality. Freeman says if he could talk, Smitten “would be really snarky.”

“He has such an attitude, but it's still a lot of fun to have him around, and it's just been — going back to people coming in just to see him has been a lot of fun, and it's been really nice to add to him to all of our marketing and our advertising and things like that," Freeman said. "It's just a nice, fun little extra element. People love seeing his pictures. We did have a spike in our Facebook following after we got him."

Smitten has been the source of a lot of laughs, especially during Christmas time.

"I think Christmas is his favorite time of year because there are all those trees. If you walk around and look, the tree skirts are all going to be askew because he loves to tunnel and get up under things, and he loves it," Freeman said. "Last year my mom came and helped us decorate, and she was in the children's room working on the tree, and he took off running, and ran and jumped on her back and used her as a springboard to jump into the tree.

It was awesome."

He gets himself into trouble too. Freeman recalled one storytime when, all of a sudden, they heard meowing while Carmen was reading and she was filming.

"I opened the closet door and he just came walking out like 'hey guys, what's going on?' He snuck in before story time, and then I shut the door and locked him up in there and I had no clue he was in there, and he came out and he went over and actually said hi to about two or three of the kids and they reached out and pet him,” Freeman said.

Smitten can be a little shy sometimes, especially around men, Freeman said.

"It's very strange, we'll hear the doorbells and all of a sudden he takes off running, and we're like 'how do you even know?'

Cause he'll be back here, and it'll be one of our maintenance Spring 2022 | Etcetera

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guys or the exterminator, and for whatever reason, all three of those guys are the nicest guys, and they're all cat people and they want to pet and love on him, and he's like 'nope.' But yeah, he has some patrons that he hears them and he'll run up to the front and wanna say hi,” Freeman said. “It's kind of a small list for those though."

Smitten seems to have an affinity for teenagers. This summer during a teen art program, he decided to come investigate a group of 20 teens in the program room.

"He comes sneaking around and he looks, and it was all of a sudden like 'these are my people, they're my age' because we swear he acts like a little teenager," Freeman said. "So he took off running into the room and jumped in the chair and was just sitting there looking at one of the tables, and they all turned and were like 'there's a cat in here,' 'Oh yeah, that's Smitten the library cat.' 'What?' And he stayed in that room with them for two hours just having a blast with these kids, running around with these teenagers. We drug some of his toys in there, and if they were in between they would play and he had a great time. So he tends to like teenagers a little bit more."

Smitten has a cat tree set up inside Freeman's office so he can see out of the windows.

"So when we have school groups in, we usually put him up in Smitten the Kitten hangs out on Rusk County Library Sytem director Jenn Freeman's desk at the McMillan Memorial Library in Overton.

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there,” she said. “He gets really interested in them, and he likes that because he can interact and see them and he doesn't have to worry about them trying to touch him because he gets a little overstimulated easily," she said. "We've got some pictures too where this summer we had a camp and he was sitting up at the front desk on top of the printer watching everybody like 'I see you guys.'"

To meet Smitten or check out a book, visit the McMillan Memorial Library at 401 S. Commerce St. in Overton. They're open Monday through Friday. Monday-Wednesday and Fridays they're open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursdays they are open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

FEATURE STORY

Trail Riders

Bighead Creek Mountain Bike Trail kicks off Kilgore Trails Project

BY LUCAS STROUGH | lstrough@kilgorenewsherald.com PHOTOS BY LUCAS STROUGH

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n just the last few years, it’s gotten much easier to run, walk and ride right here in Kilgore.

Creekside Trail, a 2.58-mile path ideal for walking, jogging and biking, was completed in October 2020.

The day marking its completion also highlighted the official opening of the Bighead Creek Mountain Bike Trail just on the other side of Dudley Road from the Creekside Trail parking lot and trailhead.

According to City Manager Josh Selleck, a mountain biker himself who says the construction of the trail answered a growing local demand, the new bike track is being as well-received as the first phase of the Kilgore Trails Project.

“The response has been great. The trail gets ridden yearround and has dozens of riders on it each day. With each new feature that we add, we see riders flock to Kilgore to check out the improvements and try their hand at learning a new skill. The inaugural Creekside Sprint Race was held in May and drew over 50 riders and 150 spectators from as far as Dallas. Plans for this year's race are coming together and will be announced soon,”

Selleck said.

As the biking trail is an amenity designed for community use and community enjoyment, its roots are found in the ideas of Kilgoreites who wanted to enjoy a favorite outdoor activity close to home.

“The idea for the trail came from several Kilgore residents who were avid mountain bikers who were tired of driving to Longview and Tyler to ride their trails,” Selleck said.

“Previously, there was an attempt to build a bike trail on city property near the intersection of the loop and 349 but it was never completed. This project was spearheaded by a core group of volunteers who have put thousands of hours into clearing, building and maintaining the four-mile long trail and the numerous manmade features on it.”

The core team of volunteers, Selleck said, is made up of five adults and two kids. However, he added, the list of volunteers who have helped with the project is in excess of 50 individuals from both Kilgore and Longview.

“The success of this project is a result of the proximity and Spring 2022 | Etcetera

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1,3. The "whale tail," completed at the end of 2021, allows riders to catch air and build speed, adding excitement and a dynamic ride experience to the Bighead Creek Mountain Bike Trail. 2. Riders navigate the trail at Bighead Creek Mountain Bike Trail's inaugural Creekside Trail Race. (Courtesy Image from Bighead Creek MTB Trail Facebook.) 4. Bumps and dips allow riders to build up momentum and speed as they navigate advanced trail features, such as the "whale tail," which was completed near the end of 2021.

shared amenities such as access, parking and restrooms with the walking trail as well as support from our sponsors: Leath Pest Control, East Texas Lumber and Global Graphics.”

While the Bighead Creek mountain bike trail answers a need for cyclists and mountain bikers in the area, it’s really a boon for the entire community, according to Selleck.

“We have heard from local mountain bikers for several years about the desire to have trails locally. But it's not just bikers that use the trail. We frequently find runners, walkers and even families, with photographers in tow, enjoying the incredible scenery and remoteness of the trail.”

Planning, designing and constructing the bike trail was a lengthy process with its beginnings in the creation of Creekside Trail, the first phase of the Kilgore Trails Project. From there, it took more specialized planning and design to create and then connect the Bighead Creek trail to Creekside Trail.

“At the beginning, it simply took the blessing of the city council and tools and labor from a small core group of volunteers,” Selleck said.

“Then, other community members started to get involved. A Facebook page was created to alert volunteers about dates and times of work days and sponsors started to offer money or in-kind donations.”

While Creekside Trail is designed for strolling, jogging and 10 Etcetera | Spring 2022

dog-walking, the mountain bike trail required more specialized features ideal for adventurous mountain-bikers, including “berms, drops, skinnies and jumps.”

“Each of these features were built to allow riders to progress their riding skills over time, and even the most advanced features have bypass lines that allow riders of all skill levels to enjoy the trail,” he said. “Berms” are banked portions of the trail that allow riders to manage a turn with greater traction and control.

“Skinnies” are narrow portions of the trail typically made of wood which require focus and balance to navigate.

Completion of the main trail has made way for construction of more advanced features such as the see-saw, the wall ride and the “whale tail,” which opened just in time for Christmas this year.

Plans for further additions to the trail are now in the works, and construction is anticipated to begin soon.

“Additionally, the city council has approved the construction of a pump-track (a special bike track with berms and rolling bumps allowing riders to build momentum with a minimum of pedaling) on land located between the Dudley Road Trailhead and the dog park,” Selleck said. “The pump-track will actually include two separate tracks — one for riders of all abilities and ages and another with much more advanced features for older riders and to allow riders to progress in their skill level. Much of this work will begin this spring with a series of volunteer build days.”

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FEATURE STORY

Family Affair

Downtown D’lites celebrates 10th anniversary as community hub

BY LUCAS STROUGH | lstrough@kilgorenewsherald.com PHOTOS BY LUCAS STROUGH

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owntown D’lites, a well-loved purveyor of handmade salads, sandwiches and more, has a long history in downtown Kilgore. That history is much deeper than the food they serve that is so well-loved

by Kilgoreites.

The restaurant celebrated 10 years in business on Feb. 1.

“Oh my, it is with grateful hearts that we look back and realize we have been there this long.” Owner Debbie VanDoren said.

“When we first had the idea to buy D'Lites from our friends back in 2011, that idea must have come from God, because owning a restaurant was nothing we had any experience in whatsoever!

I have always loved making food and loved people, so the two loves have combined into our D'Lites experience well.”

The restaurant first opened as Downtown D’Lites Frozen Yogurt Bar and Café and was first opened by Larie Hurton and her father, Gary Beasley.

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At the site, the former location of Nanny Goats Café, the new owners enlisted the help of family members as the restaurant grew, adding a lunch menu and eventually a made-to-order selection of salads, wraps and more.

Just a year into its existence, the co-owners opted to spend more time with their family and put the building up for sale. Debbie’s husband Alan suggested they buy it and start a new venture.

“When Alan and I first bought D'Lites from the Beasley/Hurton families, we had no specific plans on how long we would do this… and we still do not… our plan is simply to keep running D'Lites as long as we feel that is where God wants us to be. And thus we are grateful that He still has us here in downtown Kilgore,” Debbie said.

The downtown Kilgore of 2022 is not the same as it was 10 years ago. Many downtown merchants have come and gone,

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1. Customers can enjoy Downtown D'lites' many offerings inside or at several sidewalk tables outside. The cafe's staff, including owner Debbie VanDoren, 3, work to bring delicious and satisfying meals to patrons.

and some businesses have passed to new owners. Some of the historic, decades-old buildings have undergone renovations, from a new coat of paint to refacing work. Many of the downtown improvements have come about as the result of collaboration between downtown business and city government.

“The businesses on our immediate block have changed faces quite a number of times over the years. There have been some wonderful neighbors to get to know that have contributed in many ways to the downtown atmosphere,” Debbie said.

She credits some of the improvements to City of Kilgore employees who led a push to revitalize and renovate Kilgore’s historic downtown area.

“We have also seen quite a number of Main Street Managers, again, who have contributed in various ways to Kilgore's downtown experience,” Debbie said. “I was reminded in particular the other day, of Sonya Waters, one of our Main Street Managers, when a couple ladies came in to eat that were just passing through Kilgore on a road trip and mentioned that they found us by following Kilgore's ‘wayfinding signs’ to downtown Kilgore, and I remember Sonya working with the city to make that happen.”

The wayfinding signs, which point the way to various notable sites and districts in Kilgore, went up in September 2020. It was a boon during an otherwise unpredictable year for Kilgore merchants, as the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way many did business. Some restaurants began offering pickup orders and curbside services and others changed hours and worked to stay open.

“Every business owner and manager, and many more caring people, have made their mark on our downtown district. We

currently are quite excited to have had the same neighbors for quite some time, who are supportive and encouraging and fun comrades in downtown Kilgore,” Debbie said.

For years, Downtown D’lites has been a family affair. When they first opened, it was just Debbie and husband Alan along with some of their kids. Since opening, six of the eight VanDoren children have worked at the restaurant on a regular basis, in addition to friends of the family and from church. Alan heads up accounting, maintenance and construction projects while Debbie can be seen front-of-house during the lunch rush or whipping up something new in the kitchen.

These days, Debbie is the only VanDoren family member working at D’Lites on a daily basis, but local children and grandchildren work as needed.

Running a restaurant for a decade will, like any business or venture, have its ups and downs, but the VanDorens feel the experience has been as good for them as it has been for their customers, many of whom find a shared community at the establishment.

“I have so many treasured memories from over these years that point to the same source — our beloved customers/friends and our supportive family,” Debbie said.

“Several years ago, there were three different groups of people who often found themselves at D'Lites for lunch close to the same time, and so they often would sit together for lunch.

One day Keith walked in with his friend Gary, and noticed the others already seated, and he called out, ‘Oh look, we're all home for lunch today!’ That warmed my heart...it's exactly the way I hope people feel — at home at D'Lites.”

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Many of her best experiences at the restaurant come from family.

“Very recently our 4-year-old granddaughter was in for lunch with her mom. Sophie was watching while she ate lunch, and apparently noticed my interactions with people as they ordered lunch, and as I greeted many of them by name. She asked her mama, ‘Are all these people in here Gramma's friends?!’ Yes, Sophie, that's what I like to call our customers — our friends.”

Stroll into the restaurant on any given day during a busy hour, and you’ll see smiling faces, at the booths, at the outside dining area and behind the counter. Many of the people working and serving are family or longtime friends, and the same goes for the customers.

“People that come to D'Lites usually will see me at the register ready to take orders,” Debbie said.

“And they will see our delightful (pun intended!) team of young people that prepare food and serve customers. But what they may miss seeing unless they happen to come at the right time, are our family members who are also an important part of D'Lites. It's family that dreams with me, puts dreams into action, designs t-shirts, plans menu layout, creates flyers and coupons, plans special events, gives hiring suggestions, taste tests new recipes and encourages me on the discouraging days. It is family, specifically my wonderful hubby Alan, who handles all the bookwork, payroll, taxes, repairs and remodel jobs. It's family that runs to the store to buy the veggies I forgot to pick up, or fills in

when we have a last minute staffing need, or runs a delivery that we couldn't fit in ourselves. It's the family, both local in Kilgore and also in states across the country, that give feedback to new ideas and valuable insights.”

Above all, the D’lites family knows their true drive and inspiration comes from a higher source.

“What has been most helpful to keeping our little cafe going for these 10 years is God Himself,” Debbie said.

“As a staff, we make it our aim to pray together before beginning each lunch hour, asking God to give us strength, wisdom, keenness of mind, the ability to prepare good food, joy in our journey, and the ability to carry out our work in a way that honors God. To be able to talk to God, and ask His help in all aspects of the business is something I am deeply grateful for.”

It has been an ever-changing experience at the restaurant. As the years have passed, they have adapted to new opportunities, unexpected working and business conditions in 2020 and beyond; all while keeping their focus on God and family to continue delivering freshly-made favorites locals tell their friends about.

“God has used word-of-mouth from great customers, Facebook and Instagram opportunities, our friends at KNH, and many businesses, schools, and faithful customers to keep Downtown D'Lites going strong in downtown Kilgore. We look forward to all He has in store in the years to come. Thanks for 10 great years!”

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FEATURE STORY

Holy Rollers Kids discover love for hockey, no ice required, at Kilgore Skateland

BY CARTER MIZE | cmize@marshallnewsmessenger.com PHOTOS BY MICHAEL CAVAZOS

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ockey may seem like a foreign language to most East Texans, given that, for many, the only time they’ve seen a frozen lake was during a freak February storm.

Terry Houk doesn’t seem to care that the sport he coaches for Kilgore-area kids requires ice, because, as he’ll tell you, a pair of inline skates will do just fine. Dozens of kids and their parents have taken the bait after hearing Houk preach the gospel of roller hockey, which is a version of the game played on a typical roller rink. No ice needed.

Every Monday night, Houk acts like something of a shepherd for his flock of a few dozen skaters as he slowly floats on inlines across the Kilgore Skateland skating rink, barking out orders for

drills over a loudspeaker and a handheld mic.

The drills take Houk’s small army of kids, from around age 4 to the late teens, through speedy maneuvers around the fluorescentlit Skateland rink. Sometimes they form single-file lines that whip into figure eights, while transitioning back again and again between skating forward and backward. Other times they simply skate across the rink in pairs, practically drag racing with a friend to work on speed and endurance.

Houk treats each skater the same during drills, regardless of ability. He’s taught the fundamentals enough for them to remember, and they appear to have listened enough to execute his orders without much hesitation.

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It’s the kind of coaching kids respond to best: personable, gentle and knowledgeable — but just gruff enough to inspire some good hustle. When not directing action in the rink like a country traffic cop, Houk will hang close to the wall, fielding individual questions about techniques and rules to both newbies and the most competitive veterans.

Some kids seem to respond to him more than their own parents.

“Most of them know my background, that I’ve been skating my whole life,” Houk said. “They really don’t like the work, but they’re doing it. They see it’s paying off now.”

Houk’s personal skating journey began when he was 10 years old in Burkburnett, a rural community just south of the Oklahoma border near Wichita Falls. The town had one small skating rink in 1970 that Houk and his sister would frequent — but not for the reason you’d think.

“My sister took a Girl Scout class, and I got drug to class with her,” Houk said. “When the class was over, they had a figure skating club. I figured out if you learned to dance, you could dance with all the girls.”

And dance with girls he did — all the way to a few championships. Houk sported slimming tuxedos, colorful leotards and long blonde hair to perform couples figure skating routines at several national competitions in the 70s and 80s.

Roller figure skating saw a surge in popularity in the 70s. Much like ice figure skating, roller figure skating, or artistic roller skating, involves single competitors or teams of couples gracefully gliding across rink floors on wheels.

Houk transitioned into an inline speed skating and roller hockey athlete later on, then worked as a coach for several hockey teams in the following decades, leading a few squads to state and national-level competitions. “Coach Terry” seems to have a knack for recognizing talent and pulling kids into the world of roller skating. Some of his alumni and former cohort includes Olympians, university athletes and the current coach of Texas Tech’s ice hockey team.

In 1996, he moved to East Texas and considered buying a Gilmer skating rink, but a former coach led him to Kilgore’s Skateland, and Houk hasn’t left since. Banners and photos on the wall next to the Skateland entrance proclaim the storied seasons of roller hockey teams past. Not all of the awards are old, though.

Last year, Houk himself left a national roller speed skating relay competition with two silver medals.

The current line-up of young skaters playing hockey at Skateland is a diverse bunch, composed of kids from different races, classes, ages, genders and communities. Many of their stories, however, share at least one similarity. At some point, Houk met them and saw their potential, sometimes through a hockeyloving parent, a sibling or often at a skating rink birthday party.

“Terry was one of my skating role models,” Adrian Woods, who practices hockey with Houk, said. “He taught me the basics, and how to get better from there. Then I learned by myself, self16 Etcetera | Spring 2022

teaching and learning from my mistakes.”

At 15 years old, Woods is one of a handful of teenage faces at the practices that Houk has tapped to play with adults on Thursday nights, thanks to his athletic abilities and consistent striving. When playing with a younger crowd, Woods takes time to encourage other players from the sidelines while resting in between intense scrimmages.

The support he gives to other players is something Woods wanted for himself after a falling out with teammates on his former soccer team, before he began skating seriously.

Breaking from soccer gave Woods time to explore varieties of skating he’d never encountered before meeting Houk, like freestyle ice skating, which combines breakdancing-like moves with the dexterity of figure skating. Adrian and friends have visited local ice rinks to get a feel for the frozen side of hockey, although, for him, the trips have been less frequent since he lacks a driver’s license.

But there’s a deeper motivation keeping Woods tied to Skateland beyond a weekly chance to hone his skills. A fire partially destroyed his home, forcing Woods and his family to temporarily relocate to a motel in Kilgore. He can walk to Skateland now, and the frequent practices keep him occupied during a hard time.

When out and about in daily life, skating constantly occupies “the back of his mind.”

“My goal is to become the fastest skater on the ice and in the rink,” Woods said.

Even though Skateland has hosted standout talents throughout the last two decades, Houk’s project isn’t always about scouting the best of the best, or even about creating the greatest youth roller hockey team in the nation. The short term goal, for now, is to get enough players to form a robust team that Houk can take to a national competition, like those gracing the banners on Skateland walls.

“I'm just trying to get started again,” Houk said. “Twenty five years ago, we had full teams like two teams, in every age group, with eight players and goalies. Since COVID it hasn’t been working out at all.”

Each week, it seems like Skateland sees a few more newcomers at hockey practices, as friends convince friends to join in, and parents with passions for hockey nudge their kids in that direction.

The cost for equipment and training isn’t unlike that of other youth team sports, Houk said, with a full set of gear costing under $400, plus a monthly membership to the training sessions costing $25 a month, but Skateland can help provide some loaner equipment if needed. Kids can learn enough through Houk’s sessions to pick up the game in about two months, he said.

Success on the rink can then translate well into ice hockey, so participants can go even further with the sport if they so choose.

Like with most sports, though, the main goal is always to have fun.

“They don’t have to be the most awesome athletes,” Houk said. “The middle of the road kid that didn't really fit in anywhere else can pick this up, learn to skate and really be good at it.

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BOOKS

News Herald columnist featured in humor anthology

L

ocal writer and Kilgore News Herald columnist Jase Graves is featured in the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop book “Sisters! Bonded by Love and Laughter” that highlights humorous and heartwarming stories about sisters — and soul sisters.

With contributions from eight New York Times bestselling authors, such as Jenny Lawson and Kelly Corrigan, and Saturday Night Live favorites like Alan Zweibel and Laraine Newman, this book brings together dozens of powerful and hilarious stories of the special bond that sisters create in a lifetime. It’s the ultimate humorous guide on sisterhood.

“Like so much of my writing, the inspiration for my piece in Sisters! Bonded by Love and Laughter came from my life for the past 18 years as a father of three daughters,” Graves said.

“I’ve ironically never been a sister (or even had a sister), but being the father of sisters has given me lots of insight — and material. My three girls, each unique in her own way, have brought such tremendous hilarity and joy to my life that I’ve found it impossible not to write about them.”

Graves takes on the theme of sisters as he writes about the sisterhood he views from afar as a father of three teenage daughters. In his piece titled, “The Sisterhood of the Giggling Rants,” Graves discusses the fascinating elements of protection, laughter and love within a bond of sisterhood that he witnesses every day.

18 Etcetera | Spring 2022

The book began when Marcia Stewart, an editor from the Bay Area, and Teri Rizvi, director of the workshop, came up with the idea to launch a competition for writers with amusing stories about their sisters after the loss of Stewart’s own sister, Nickie.

Hundreds of writers around the world sent in stories for Nickie’s Prize for Humor Writing. The essays were judged by a panel of established humor writers and essayists, who selected the 21 winners spotlighted in the book.

“When the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop announced the Nickie’s Prize contest, I thought it would be a perfect outlet for some of my inspiration. It is truly an honor to have had one of my pieces chosen as a winner of Nickie’s Prize and to be included in the Sisters book,” Graves said.

Graves is a national-awardwinning humor writer from East Texas. His work has been featured in USA TODAY, the Detroit Free Press, the Florida Times-Union, Texas Escapes Magazine, Chicken Soup for the Soul, and many other publications.

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HOUR GLASS

News Herald reported tragic New London school explosion

BY MEREDITH SHAMBURGER mshamburger@kilgorenewsherald.com

T

he headlines in the News Herald were perhaps some of the most tragic immediately following the 1937 explosion at the New London School. A natural gas explosion killed hundreds and injured even more. It is considered one of the worst disasters in Texas history.

A Thursday, March 18, 1937 issue of the paper includes a banner headline across the front page: “Explosion Kills 500 Children, Wrecks Building, Burying Mutilated Bodies.”

“Horror gripped a mammoth crowd which rushed to the scene of the accident,” Alex Murphree wrote. “Mothers screamed when their children were discovered, their bodies torn and their limbs scattered amid the debris of the two-story building. Other mothers stood without hope while oil field wench trucks rushed to the scene, sought to tear the wreckage apart. More bodies were discovered each minute…"

Jewel S. Jones, a Kilgore insurance man, was reported as having seen the explosion while passing.

“He said that the building seemed to fall apart from the 20 Etcetera | Spring 2022

papers .com All Right

explosion, which was apparently caused by leaking gas boilers, although the cause could not be definitely determined.”

A late bulletin provided details of the scene later in the night.

“Martial law was declared in New London Thursday night to expedite the search for the dead in the frightful New London School explosion Thursday afternoon. A company of the Texas National Guard was patrolling the highways and not permitting anyone to go near the school except doctors, nurses, newspaper men and relief workers.

“Radio warnings were issued asking persons who had no business at the school to keep away.

“Most of the injured from the Overton hospital and from the Baptist Church in Overton which was transformed into an emergency hospital, were being transferred to Tyler and Kilgore.

“Gov. James V. Allred got in touch with the sheriff’s department in Longview and asked that the National Guard be called out but the commandant of the National Guard had already taken that action.

“Hopes were still held that injured children, not yet dead,

might have been trapped in the ruins at one spot where the walls had not caved in. Wrecking crews were proceeding cautiously in order that the wall might be kept from collapsing and killing any live children that might be pinned under the debris.

“With plenty of relief workers standing by ready to go to work when others tired, peace officers said that no more helpers were needed. Powerful floodlights were being rushed from Beaumont to illuminate the wreckage and aid workers. Longview, Tyler, Kilgore and Henderson were rushing food and cigarettes to add to the comfort of the workers, many of whom were still hard at work late Thursday night and had been in the job since shortly after the catastrophe.”

The following issues of the News Herald detailed eyewitness accounts from students and school officials, as well as the ongoing search and rescue efforts and the grief of hundreds of local families as they sought to identify bodies at the scene, at hospitals and at the churches in Overton who had been taken over as temporary aid sites.

“Here were many pathetic scenes,” the News Herald reported on March 19, 1937. “A red-eyed father or a ghost-white mother would tip-toe through the bodies – 85 were counted there at one time and then moved out as fast as relatives claimed them – afraid of what he might find. Lifting sheets, the father would, at length, find that which he had hoped not to find. He would drop to his knees, and with hands over his face, cry out: ‘My God! my baby!’

There were many scenes like that….

“Late Thursday, Mayor John Timberlake and City Attorney Rutherford of Overton established a ‘cleaning house’ at the city hall. Its purpose was to collect the names of the dead and injured in all cities and hospitals in an effort to expedite identifications and to help parents locate their children.

“Until a late hour, Overton was alive with people and cars.

Along the street sat many persons in autos. It wasn’t infrequent that sobs were heard – sobs of people who didn’t know whether their loved ones were dead or alive or where they were.”

The March 21, 1937 paper described New London as “City of Dead.”

“A sinister quiet reigned up and down the streets of the small city,” Alex Murphree reported in his Sketch column. “There was no sound of children playing…

“The Kilgore News Herald joins every other newspaper, every person and every business firm in the world in extending sympathy to the bereaved who lost loved ones in the frightful New London School explosion. Without precedent and without justice, the calamity stands out in stark relief in comparison with all similar horrors. Because there is nothing to compare with the tragedy and horror of the occurrence, it is difficult to realize, impossible to conceive of the shocking toll taken by a natural phenomenon, some kind of explosive, in a single immeasurable instant.

“With pride, Sketch recalls the whole-heartedly, humanitarian way in which every man, woman or child in Kilgore volunteered his services to aid the victims and the grief-stricken.”

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Spring 2022 | Etcetera 21

SEE & BE SEEN

Kilgore Christmas Parade PHOTOS BY LUCAS STROUGH

Floats, trailers and even Jeeps were festooned with holiday decorations at Kilgore's Christmas

Championship drag racer Steve Torrence holds up one of the four street signs bearing his name at the Christmas parade. In honor of his many awards and achievements, Kilgore Street ceremonially renamed “Steve Torrence Way” for the month of December.

Rangerettes

HOLIDAY SHOW PHOTOS BY LUCAS STROUGH Sophomore Rangerette Ivy Adams performed a solo ballet performance in this year's Rangerette Christmas show.

The Rangerette Christmas Show began in 2011 and is now an annual tradition. It is a community event including the Kilgore High School Hi-Steppers, Kilgore area dance studios, guest performers and it features the world-famous Kilgore College Rangerettes. It is a Broadway style-show and a wonderful way to kick off the holiday season.

The Rangerettes were excited to return to their home performance venue for this year’s Christmas show at Dodson Auditorium on the Kilgore College campus.

22 Etcetera | Spring 2022