ETC Magazine Summer 2023

Etcetera

LAIRD INSURANCE CELEBRATES 100 YEARS serving the Kilgore Community

KILGORE BULLDOGS AGAINST DRUGS PROGRAM gives back to students & community

REEL FUN

Local filmmakers turn Kilgore into movie set

If there’s a theme for this issue of Etcetera, perhaps we’ll say it’s about our community accomplishing things together.

Laird Insurance was founded 100 years ago, and in the decades they’ve operated in Kilgore, the company has staunchly supported its community, through both volunteering time and donations. The Laird name, of course, has been prominent in Kilgore’s history. The business was recognized in 2016 as the Business of Year by the Kilgore Chamber of Commerce.

“We have been very fortunate because the Laird name carries a lot of trust in the insurance world,” Harvey McClendon told reporter Jessica Harker.

Similarly, a group of local filmmakers are working with the Kilgore community to film and produce a new movie set against the backdrop of historic Kilgore landmarks, Lucas Strough reports.

The film itself is set in present-day Kilgore and one scene features Mitch Moehring, local instrument maker and proprietor of Mitch Moehring Strings on Rusk Street, taking on an acting role in front of the Texan.

“As far as actors and all the people that are a part of this, it’s a lot of community members, a lot of volunteers. Yesterday we

Etcetera

Summer 2023

Vol. 6 | Issue 3

PUBLISHER

Alexander Gould • agould@mrobertsmedia.com

EDITOR

Meredith Shamburger • mshamburger@kilgorenewsherald.com

ADVERTISING SALES

Linda K. Ballard • lballard@kilgorenewsherald.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Kimberley Bailey

CONTACT US

(903) 984-2593 • news1@kilgorenewsherald.com

had fire trucks and ambulances and it was so cool to see the city and the police department and the fire marshal support this,” Moehring said, adding the first responders were called away to an emergency in the middle of filming, but the crew had prepared for this ahead of time and got the shots they needed.

One of the more… unexpected community partnerships is between the tweens and teens of Kilgore Middle School and Kilgore High School, the Kilgore Police Department and a number of Kilgore businesses. The program, Kilgore Bulldogs Against Drugs, seeks to keep kids away from drugs and focused on their success in life.

KBAD is a voluntary program where participating students are subject to mandatory random drug testing throughout the year in exchange to be eligible for various incentives at local businesses in the local area, as well as being able to take part in fun events such as bowling and movie nights.

“Most of our community in Kilgore, if you tell them it is a drug prevention program, they’re like I’m on board and what can I do to help you,” said Kilgore School Resource Officer Patricia Davis told reporter Nicholas Osborn.

I think the combination of all these things shows what kind of place Kilgore can be when it puts its community to work. As a group, we can effect the kind of change that makes the world a better place to live, and it’s interesting to see how people accomplish that. I think you’ll agree, and I hope you enjoy this issue.

MEREDITH SHAMBURGER, Editor

ON THE COVER

In late July, filming took place at several historic Kilgore landmarks and included a cast and crew of local actors, camera operators, sound technicians and makeup artists. The film itself is set in present-day Kilgore

PHOTO BY LUCAS STROUGH

To make a great film, you need a great set — and downtown Kilgore serves as the backdrop for a locally-produced short film currently in production.

In late July, filming took place at several historic Kilgore landmarks and included a cast and crew of local actors, camera operators, sound technicians and makeup artists. The week-long shoot was led by Chip Hale, local filmmaker and founder of Reel East Texas Film Festival and filmmaker Mikaela Supulski, who are the minds behind local film production company Overton Films.

The film itself is set in present-day Kilgore and one scene features Mitch Moehring, local instrument maker and proprietor of Mitch Moehring Strings on Rusk Street, taking on an acting role in front of the Texan.

“It’s so cool!” Moehring said of the opportunity to film scenes in and around local landmarks.

“I’ve spent weeks worth of time in the Old Post Office and the Texan, helping rebuild it and all that. It’s been great spending time in the Texan with all the lights and the whole setup. I've been here hundreds of times, but it’s different.”

A few scenes were made possible with some help from local first responders — Kilgore Police Department, Kilgore Fire Department and Kilgore Rescue helped temporarily close off a section of Kilgore Street in front of the Texan for filming and some officers and vehicles, their flashing lights in action, appeared in scenes.

“As far as actors and all the people that are a part of this, it’s a lot of community members, a lot of volunteers. Yesterday we had fire trucks and ambulances and it was so cool to see the city and the police department and the fire marshal support this,” Moehring said, adding the first responders were called away to an emergency in the middle of filming, but the crew had prepared for this ahead of time and got the shots they needed.

The project, described as an independent short film, is helping to build a thriving film culture in Kilgore in two ways: by featuring local actors in familiar locations working alongside a local crew and also by teaching the next generation of filmmakers some valuable tools and techniques to create projects of their own.

Moehring noted three of the five people helping to stage and record the scene in which he appeared were students.

“They’re here with the Reel East Texas Summer Intensive. This is week two for them. Last week, these students were here and wrote and made their own twominute short films. This week, they get the opportunity

CONTIUNED ON PAGE 9

to get some real-world filmmaking experience but also they’ll be able to get a true film credit. I see it as an educational opportunity,” he said of the film project.

“To supplement the education, we do have quite a few professionals on set. Everybody has a role and each day they switch out so they can get all those experiences. They get so much out of working with someone that does that for a career.”

The intensive film camp was guided by Overton Films, and students were able to use pro-quality cameras, microphones and more for their film projects.

Shooting the scenes is only one part of the overall film production process and much work remains to be done before the film can have its premiere — editing, sound mixing and effects. The final product will be the real deal, ready to be screened and submitted to film festivals, and each participant will have an industry credit under their belt. The public will get a chance to see the finished product, with a premiere screening planned for this year’s upcoming Reel East Texas Film Festival, set for Nov. 9-12.

For local filmmakers and film fans, it could be the start of something big.

“I think Kilgore is a great place for film,” Moehring said.

“We’d love to see more films being filmed here.”

MUSICBY

BY JESSICA HARKER |

It was 1923 when Roy H. Laird originally began Laird Insurance Company, which is now celebrating its 100th business anniversary serving the Kilgore community.

Current owners Harvey McClendon and Bobby Beane purchased the company in 1993, celebrating their 30 years with the business alongside the 100 year anniversary.

“I obviously wasn’t here then,” McClendon said, joking, “But that reputation has really served us well.”

McClendon explained that the business, though it has been around for 100 years, has had only a handful of owners. McClendon and Beane purchased the company from its previous owners, who after about 40 years of business sold it to the pair, who themselves had originally purchased the business from Laird himself.

Beane said that the company has been very fortunate, operating as an independent insurance agency with a strong community reputation tied to the Laird name.

“That allows us to do business with who we want, which insurance companies we want to contract with, and to run the business how we want to,” Beane said.

The company began by contracting with one insurance company, and now offers contracts with around 20 companies, continuing to grow and expand over the decades.

The owners added that in addition to the traditional home, car and other personal types of insurance, the company also offers insurance to the oil and gas industry and insurance to a number of local businesses.

“We have been very fortunate because the Laird name carries a lot of trust in the insurance world,” McClendon said, explaining that with that trust comes the best possible rates for the agency, and therefore its clients.

He added that the company also boasts a very experienced and competent staff of around 10 people, with a strong mixture of new hires and long time employees to ensure the best possible service for its clients.

The business was even recognized in 2016 as the Business of Year by the local Chamber of Commerce.

“We really have been blessed with an amazing staff,” Beane said, “That makes doing what we do so much easier.”

The pair said that they plan to stick around for a while and run the business, but when the time does come to retire, they plan to ensure the company stays in good hands.

“When we do decide to sell, it’s important to us to ensure we bring someone in who is going to continue the reputation that the Laird Insurance Agency has been able to provide over the years,” McClendon said.

Harvey McClendon and Bobby Beane, purchased Laird Insurance in 1993 and have continued the company's decades-long tradition of serving Kilgore. The company is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

Notonlywas Roy .Laird thesecondMayor of Kilgore, he foundedLaird Insurancein 1923. nd severalyearslater,on ebruary27, 1931, Roy .Laird, en Laird, and .Malcolm Crim,foundedthe KilgoreChamber of Commerce. Each paid $400 to have the KilgoreChamber of CommerceIncorporated with the tateof e as.

Kilgore Bulldogs Against Drugs program

GIVES BACK

& to students community

BY NICHOLAS OSBORN nosborn@marshallnewsmessenger.com

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL CAVAZOS

BACK community

The Kilgore Police Department and Kilgore ISD have teamed up with the Kilgore Bulldogs Against Drugs initiative to incentivize students against drug use with the help of local businesses in the area.

The Kilgore Bulldogs Against Drugs (KBAD) program that has been implemented in Kilgore ISD schools provides students with education and incentives to stay away from harmful substances, including drugs, tobacco and alcohol. KBAD is a voluntary program where participating students are subject to mandatory random drug testing throughout the year in exchange to be eligible for various incentives at local businesses in the local area, as well as being able to take part in fun events such as bowling and movie nights.

“Most of our community in Kilgore, if you tell them it is a drug prevention program, they’re like I’m on board and what can I do to help you,” said Kilgore School Resource Officer Patricia Davis.

The program was conceptualized in 2017 and approved in 2018, inspired by previous drug prevention programs in the area such as Kilgore Youth Stand Superior Eliminating Drugs (KYSSED). The KBAD program is available for students in grades 6-12, and has consistently held as many as 345 student members from Middle School to High School, representing an estimated 10 percent of active students eligible to enter.

Once a student has agreed to the bylaws of the program to become a member of KBAD, along with getting parental signatures of approval, they are issued a card confirming their membership. If a student who is a member of KBAD fails a randomly-given drug test, they are offered an opportunity to enter a counseling program to work with a counselor on a path towards reentering the program after a 90-day probation period. Since the program’s implementation, KBAD has only had one student not return to the program.

“We know that everybody’s entitled to a second chance,” said Davis.

“One of the most important parts is building a relationship between the police and the kids,” said Davis.

Local businesses who have joined the incentive program are provided with a QR code for student members to scan and learn more about which incentives are available. The full list of participating businesses in the Kilgore community are:

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• DRAGON'S NEST: 10 percent off any food or regular priced merchandise

• BUMPER TO BUMPER: 10 percent off purchase

• TAYLORMADE DENTAL & IMPLANT CENTER, LLC: Free fluoride treatment with cleaning

• FREE ACCESS to the City Of Kilgore Pool

• KILGORE MERCANTILE: 20 percent off any food item

• EDGAR'S BIG TACO: $1 street tacos

• SONIC: 99 cent large drink

• WHATABURGER: 15 percent off meal

• PANDA EXPRESS: 10 percent off meal

• JOHNNY OZARK’S: 25 percent off meal

• THE BACK PORCH: 10 percent off meal

• KILGORE SKATELAND: $2 off admission

• MAZZIOS: Free drinks with two buffets

• CHARLIE’S SNO-BALLS: Buy one, get one free

• FOUR STAR CINEMA (KILGORE): $1.50 off tickets

• LITTLE CEASAR’S: Free bread and sauce with purchase of pizza

“They work with us and they treat us really good,” said Davis regarding the program's partnerships with local businesses. “We try to use our sponsors to give back as well. So, we do things like an annual movie at the theater.”

The KBAD program is supported by a $10,000 grant acquired in partnership with the Texas Youth Action Network. The drug prevention program has worked with industry partners such as the Pineywoods Substance Abuse, Community Healthcore and the Department of Family and Protective Services, as well as alongside other drug prevention programs including the tobacco enforcement program.

The Kilgore Bulldogs Against Drugs program is currently accepting new members for the upcoming 2023-24 academic school year. If you are a student or the parent of a student interested in joining, you can contact a School Resource Officer to learn more.

“It is a battle,” said Davis. “But we can’t say that we have not gone out and done the best to advocate for our community and help keep our kids safe.”

TOMATO Troubles

BY MELINDA MYERS | Special to Etcetera

Extreme heat, drought, torrential rains and hungry critters may be wreaking havoc on your garden. After weeding, watering, and waiting, you may be finding less, diseased or misshapen tomatoes. Don’t give up. Make a few adjustments in garden maintenance to boost the current and future tomato harvests.

Blossom end rot is a common problem on the first set of fruit. It’s due to a calcium deficiency often caused by fluctuations in soil moisture frequently seen on the first set of fruit and those grown in containers.

Always water thoroughly to encourage a deep robust root system. Adjust your watering as needed and mulch the soil to help keep it consistently moist. Have your soil tested before adding any calcium fertilizer. Further reduce the risk of blossom end rot by avoiding root damage when staking and cultivating your garden. Eliminating some of the roots limits the plant’s ability to absorb water and nutrients. Avoid overfertilization and don’t use ammonium-based nitrogen fertilizers on tomatoes.

Fortunately, it is safe to eat the firm red portion of the affected tomato. Since this is a physiological disorder, not a disease or insect problem you can cut off the black portion and toss it into the compost pile.

Cracked fruit is also common in the garden. Fluctuating temperatures, moisture stress and improper fertilization result in irregular development of the fruit that results in cracking. You can’t change the weather, but you can reduce the risk of this problem with thorough, less frequent watering to encourage deep roots. And just like blossom end rot, mulch the soil to keep it evenly moist and be sure to avoid root damage.

Several fungal diseases, such as early and late blight, septoria leaf spot, and anthracnose, can cause spots on the leaves and fruit of tomatoes. Minimize the problem by rotating your plantings whenever possible. Move your tomatoes to an area of the garden where unrelated crops, such as beans, lettuce or onions, had been growing the previous season.

Mulching the soil also helps keep soil-borne fungal spores off the plant. Water early in the day and if possible, apply the water directly to the soil with a soaker hose, drip irrigation or a watering wand to reduce the risk of disease.

Properly space and stake or tower your tomato plants to promote healthier growth and reduce the risk of disease. Remove any volunteer tomatoes that sprout and crowd out the current season’s planting.

Remove weeds as they appear. Many serve as hosts for insect pests and diseases and compete with tomato plants for water and nutrients. Removing them before they flower and set seed eliminates hundreds of weeds you would need to pull next year.

Always clean up and dispose of disease-infected plant material in the fall. Cultural practices and growing the most disease-resistant varieties available are often enough to keep these diseases under control.

If you choose to use a fungicide, select one labeled for food crops and apply it at the first sign of the disease. Repeat applications are usually needed. Be sure to read and follow all label directions carefully whether using organic, natural, or synthetic fungicides.

Enjoy this year’s harvest and continue to make any needed changes now and in the future to boost your gardening success. And as a gardener, you know there is always next year.

Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including the recently released Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition, and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” instant video and DVD series and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio program.

Blossom end rot on tomatoes is due to a calcium deficiency often caused by fluctuations in soil moisture.

The value of HEARTWORM PREVENTION

To understand the importance of preventing heartworm disease, pet owners should first understand how heartworms grow and are detected.

Heartworms are spread by mosquitoes that have bitten a heartworm-infected animal and picked up microfilariae, which develop into infective larvae in the third stage of its life cycle. The mosquito can then bite other animals and deposit the third-stage larvae, quietly infecting unsuspecting animals with heartworms.

After a pet is infected, the heartworms spend six to seven months developing into mature adult worms at which point they produce detectable levels of antigen — a protein that is primarily from adult female worms — and microfilaria — or baby worms. Testing positive for heartworms is dependent on whether antigen or microfilaria are present.

Since heartworms cannot be detected until months after infection, Dr. Meriam Saleh, a clinical assistant professor in veterinary pathobiology at the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, emphasizes that pets should have no gaps in their heartworm prevention plan to avoid infection entirely.

“Even if a puppy was infected when they were one day old, veterinarians are not going to be able to detect antigen or microfilaria until the worms are at least 6 months old and have developed enough,” Saleh explained. “If veterinarians don’t know if a pet is infected until six or seven months after infection, they can’t design an intervention or treatment program beforehand. It is better to just prevent the disease.”

Prevention starts by ensuring your pet is on a preventative plan for heartworms.

“The best preventative measure is to make sure pets are on a monthly or year-round heartworm prevention,” Saleh said. “If you are still concerned about a pet being bitten by a mosquito, owners can also use insect repellent made for pets or window screens, if they have windows open, to prevent mosquitoes from getting into the house.”

Nevertheless, Saleh stresses that repellent and window screens are ways to add a layer of protection and should not replace heartworm preventive medications.

If a pet is not on heartworm preventives, owners should look out for signs of heartworms — such as coughing, lack of appetite and weight loss — and, most importantly, have their veterinarian test their pet for heartworms as soon as possible.

“Heartworms have the ability to live in an animal and ideally cause only a little bit of harm so that they can reproduce,” Saleh said. “But if left untreated, heartworms will accumulate and cause multisystemic heartworm disease — meaning multiple organs, such as the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys, are affected — eventually leading to a pet’s death.”

Saleh explained that testing a pet for heartworms is also required before a pet can go on heartworm preventatives.

If a dog tests positive for heartworms, then they can be treated with a set of injections given by a veterinarian called adulticide; however, it is a long journey before a dog fully recovers.

“You don’t want to undergo adulticide heartworm treatment lightly because it is really hard on the animal and is expensive,” Saleh said. “Managing an infected animal until they’ve recovered is a long process because they also need to be monitored on cage rest and have an exercise restriction.”

On the other hand, there is no approved medicine for cats who have tested positive for heartworms, so prevention is especially necessary to protect cats.

“Cats typically don’t have adult heartworms producing microfilaria and while tests could detect microfilaria, cats often succumb to the disease beforehand,” Saleh said.

Because heartworm disease can be devastating, owners should keep their pets on preventative medicine so that there is no risk of heartworm disease if bitten by an infected mosquito. Doing so will put you at ease knowing that your furry friend is both protected and healthy.

Special to Etcetera

a years-long project for highway engineers INTERSTATE 20

BY MEREDITH SHAMBURGER | mshamburger@kilgorenewsherald.com

Long before it officially opened, Kilgore area officials knew the Interstate 20 project would be a gamechanger in the East Texas region. But from start to finish, the highway project took years and years.

Physical work on the project first started coming to fruition in 1959, when the first “stakes” marking the center line of the highway were placed. The News Herald reported on Jan. 20.

“Starting from the Smith County line, .8 mile south of the Joy Baptist Church, a crew of surveyors and rodmen starting hanging red flags from stakes and moving eastward.” Highway engineer Ralph Kutzer said that the work that day “is one of the initial steps in highway building.”:

He said lines would yet have to be run, that profiles must be made and that a schematic layout of the project must be submitted and approved by the State Highway Commission and U.S Bureau of Public Roads… Mr. Kutzer would not hazard a guess as to how soon development of the Interstate 20 project would reach “working stage.”

“There is an awful lot of preliminary work yet to be done,” he said.

The News Herald, in its Aug. 21, 1960 issue, called I-20 “the largest single project in the ever-changing highway picture of East Texas.”

“Interstate 20, one of a network of superhighways spanning the nation, is in various stages of completion and is the one project occupying most of the time of engineers in district and county offices of the Texas Highway Department in East Texas at present.”

Three large earth-moving machines from LeTourneau, each equipped with three self-loading hoppers, were used to level a hill on both sides of the Sabine River on the third section of Interstate 20 in Gregg County, the News Herald reported on July 25, 1965.

“The two-mile section being subcontracted by LeTourneau will require about 1,600,000 cubic yards of dirt to build the highway 25 feet high so the roadbed will be above any previous flood level recorded on the Sabine. The entire third section will take some 3,600,000 cubic yards to fill in the bottomland and level the hills to grade specifications.”

The “big moment” arrived Friday, March 11, 1966, as the News Herald reported “Go Sign Awaited For IH 20 Drivers”:

A great and long-awaited moment in Gregg County’s highway history was due to come to pass this afternoon with the opening of the first section of Interstate 20 near Kilgore.

With the official opening, drivers can take that wide, smooth route from State Highway 135 – only four miles north of Kilgore – all the way into Dallas without fear of being picked up.

Ralph Kutzer, Gregg County resident highway engineer, said that workmen were putting finishing touches to the superhighway this morning.

He said he expected crews to finish the touch-up work this afternoon, after which barricades will come down and Dallas-bound traffic will be routed on IH 20 west of SH 135.

If not this afternoon, it will be finished and open

Saturday morning, Mr. Kutzer said.

Interstate 20 has been open for several months between Dallas and US Highway 271 between Tyler and Gladewater. Extending the opened stretch to SH 135 will save Kilgore motorists about 10 miles of Dallasbound driving.

A distance marker on the new highway a few hundred feet west of SH 135 shows Dallas to be 116 miles and Fort Worth 148 miles.

Traveling east on IH 20, motorists will be routed off the interstate facility at the SH 135 interchange until the new highway is completed on to US 259 between Kilgore and Longview.

Construction is in various phases of completion on all other sections of IH 20 from SH 135 eastward to the Harrison County line.

The giant task of building the super-highway through the Sabine River bottoms between Kilgore and Longview is expected to make it one of the last sections finished in East Texas.

The official Interstate 20 opening took place June 29, 1966, with Texas Highway Commissioner J.H. Kultgen of Waco honored by local officials.

“He was presented a handsomely framed, illuminated parchment scroll by Charles Devall, highway chairman of the Chamber of Commerce. The scroll was signed by C-C President Winston Gardner and Mayor Foster T. Bean,” the News Herald reported.