HIGH POINTS FROM EL CAMINO REAL
CHRIS DAVIS elcaminoreal@consolidated.net
The sun finally popped out over El Camino Real on Sunday and lifted spirits all up and down our stretch of the Old Spanish Trail. The rain was great and it sure was nice to see the rivers raging on both sides of the county. A good flushing out every once in a while makes the fishing better and cleans up all the old dead trees and limbs to some extent. Well, it moves the limbs and trees around some even if it doesn't clean them up. You didn't spend your four bits for a river lesson, so I best get to telling you the news before I wind up washed down the river.

Many of us lost a good friend last week with the passing of Butch Reid. Butch worked for Cherokee County Precinct #2 for many years. He was laid to rest on Sunday after a long battle with a muscular disease. Friends and relatives made up a standing room only crowd at Hilltop Baptist Church on Sunday afternoon for his funeral. Butch was someone that was always quick with a joke or comeback that made you laugh when you were around him. He loved to fish and hunt and there was always a good story to tell on the tip of his tongue. He left us many good memories to enjoy and for that we are thankful. Please keep his mother and father, Mary and Shots Reid, and his wife and son, Sharon and Charley Reid in your prayers as they mourn his passing.

Winners of the Bluebonnet Reading Contest are Elizabeth West (first place), Sydney Howell (second place) and Kelsey Chometa (third place).

The UIL medals are in for our State Champion Alto Yellowjacket football team. On Thursday, January 25 at 6 p.m. there will be an awards ceremony and autograph signing at the Alto High School Cafetorium. That is tomorrow night for those of you who get your paper on Wednesday. Let's come out and thank our boys for the great job they did this year. If you have something you want signed, bring it with you to the ceremony. The medals are nice, but I'm ready to see those championship rings. They won't be here until spring. Alto has some great kids and some great fans, so I'm expecting a big crowd on Thursday night. I just hope none of our players are plagued by cramps on Thursday night, writer's cramp that is.

The Annual Bluebonnet Book Party was held on Friday, Jan. 19 at the Alto School Library. The Bluebonnet program involves all students in grades three through six. Each year the Texas Library Association names 20 books to the Texas Bluebonnet list. The students in schools that participate in this program are required to read and take a test on 5 of the 20 books. At the party the students vote on their favorite book. After the votes are counted, they are sent in to the Texas Library association, where they are combined with votes from students all over the state of Texas. Last year over 250,000 votes were cast from Texas school children. The book with the most votes is named the Texas Bluebonnet Book of the Year. The students in Alto participate in this program every year. The first student to read and pass the tests on all 20 books is the winner of the Bluebonnet prize for the Alto school. This year the winner is 5th grader Elizabeth West, with 2nd place going to 6th grader Sydney Howell, and 3rd place goes to 5th grader

Kelsey Chometa. The children selected the book, Good Dog as their favorite this year. Reading is such an important part of our children's education and special activities like the Bluebonnet party help to encourage our youngsters to read.

The most excitement we had in Alto this weekend was the water leak at the red light. The city boys had the back hoe out digging a big hole right by the red light next to the Corner Market. Alto Police Officer Tracy Bjornson was still directing traffic at 9 p.m. when I drove by. What a way to spend a Sunday evening! We might have a bump for a while until they get that thing fixed, so be careful if you're coming up to the red light from the east on SH 21. When you have a town as old as ours, you have to expect a few leaks in the water system. A big thanks to our city crew for getting that job tended to when they would rather be home watching the championship football games.

I've covered just about all the news that needs telling for now. Maybe some good excitement will come down El Camino Real this week. If something big happens around your place, don't forget to let yours truly in on it. Remember, Evaluate yourself by your own standards, not someone else's.