HIGH POINTS FROM EL CAMINO REAL
CHRIS DAVIS
Life usually slows down considerably along El Camino Real in January, but for some reason this year January has been just as busy as all the rest of the months. It seems like I've got so many irons in the fire, that I don't know which one to grab first. I'll grab the one with your four bits' worth of news and get that whipped out before I start on the bigger jobs.

Our town lost a real character this week with the passing of Jimmy McGaughey. The number of people who attended his graveside service was testament to the many friends he had. He had a quick wit and could say the funniest stuff with a straight face. He was a man who loved the outdoors and spent most of his free time enjoying some kind of hunting or fishing. He had plenty of that after he retired from teaching. Next hunting season at the Coon Pond Hunting Club won't be the same without visits with Jimmy at the front gate. Please keep his sister Gay, brother Dickey and the rest of his family and friends in your prayers.

We were saddened by the sudden passing of David Milton early Sunday morning in the Weeping Mary Community. David was a nice young man in his early 20s. His mother Bernice Milton and all the rest of his family and friends will need our prayers while they mourn the loss of this young life.

Frances and Don Henley celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Jan. 18. They enjoyed their anniversary with a nice dinner with the family. Frances half-raised me during my teenage years, and now she works with our children's choir at church teaching my little clone Creager how to sing. Poor Frances is never going to get rid of us. Fifty years is a long time and this is beginning to make me feel old. Congratulations to the Henleys on their fiftieth wedding anniversary.

Cheroke Extension Education Association (aka Home Demonstration Club) is part of the Texas Extension Education Association, an organization focusing on family values, education, leadership skills and service to the community. In Cherokee County, members conduct community service activities such as donating handmade lap quilts to nursing homes, donating toys to sick children and donating food to limited resource families. The association offers college scholarships to 4H members. The clubs meet once a month and share life skills such as cooking and sewing I stop by every chance I get and join in the eating after they've done the cooking. These fine folks need your help for a big meeting in a few months. This spring, the Cherokee Extension Education Association will host the District 5 Texas Extension Education Association meeting in Alto. About 150 ladies from around the region will attend. Each person will receive a goody bag filled with promotional items from different businesses and organizations throughout Cherokee County. If your business or organization would like to donate pens, pencils, notepads or some other promotional item, it would be appreciated. If you would like to make a financial donation please make your check payable to: Cherokee Extension Education Association. Club members will pick up donated items. If you have any questions about the event, please call Louraiseal McDonald (903) 683-5416 or Hallene Thomson (936) 858-2182.

The Annual Bluebonnet Book Party was held Jan 18 at the Alto School Library. The Bluebonnet program involves all students in third through sixth grades. 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 five of the 20 books. At the party the students vote on their favorite book out of the 20. After the votes are counted, they are sent in to the Texas Library Association, where they are combined with votes from students all over Texas. Last year more than 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. This year Charlotte Henley from the Ellen Trout Zoo in Lufkin, brought animals and information to entertain and educate the students. 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 sixth grader Elizabeth West. This is the fourth year in a row that Elizabeth has won the award. Staceson Myles, also a sixth grader, won second place, reading all 20 books. The children selected the book, "Down Girl and Sit, On the Road" as their favorite this year. Reading is an important part of our children's education and the Bluebonnet party encourages youngsters to read.

Alto Ag teacher John Griffith was at the Fort Worth Livestock Show with the kids showing animals over the weekend. My son Grant is rebuilding an International Harvester tractor for the Agriculture Mechanics Show. He had the tractor ready to crank and we decided we needed to enlist the help of an expert in working on old tractors, Carlton Jones. He looked at the tractor and headed to his old truck, rummaged in the tool box and came back with a can of starter fluid with the spray nozzle missing. He managed to make the can spray, but the starter fluid soaked his gloves and ran down the side of the tractor. When the tractor finally fired, it lit Carlton's hands and the side of the tractor. We got Carlton beat out before any damage was done.

Chase Holcombe is restoring another International Harvester tractor that should be ready to crank this week, so if we can get some painting done we ought to be ready for the big ag shows in a few weeks.

I guess I've told just about all the news worth telling. We've got a new exercise place in the old Medical Clinic, and both our cafes are opening under new management. If anybody finds out anything on opening dates, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me know. I'll see ya next week!

And remember, Adolescence and snow are the only problems that disappear if you ignore them long enough. elcaminoreal@consolidated.net