High points from El Camino Real

Folks along El Camino Real are beginning to worry about what July and August are going to feel like when it is already hitting a hundred degrees in early June. It looks like we are in for another hot, dry Texas summer, but I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
Things cool off again in another five or six months and then we’ll be wondering when its going to warm up. I’m not going to overwhelm you with news this week, but I ought to be able to pull up six bits worth.
Albert Ray Wilson Jr. passed away in Garland, Tx on May 26. He was 70 years old. Albert Ray was the son of Albert Wilson and Dorothy (Gordy) Wilson. I haven’t seen Albert Ray in a good many years. I was friends with his brother that passed away several years ago, Jim Hill Wilson. His dad Albert Wilson was a constable here in Alto. Please keep his family in your prayers as they mourn his passing.
The Old Palestine Baptist Church will be celebrating their 174th homecoming on June 10 starting at 10:30 a.m. The church is located off Highway 21 East at 290 CR 2610. That is behind the Old Palestine Cemetery if you were wondering.
The church was founded in 1844, a year before Texas joined the United States. I would say that their church has a history worth bragging about. The speaker for this year’s homecoming celebration is Mark Best with a special presentation by Bro. Leo Lytle of Leo Lytle Ministries. There will be lots of special music, fellowship, and of course a covered dish lunch to top it all off. A big congratulations to the members of the Old Palestine Baptist Church on their 174 years of faithful service to their faith.
The Mt. Hope Cemetery homecoming and barbecue was held on Saturday in Wells. The cemetery barbecue always turns out a big crowd and is a great place to rekindle old friendships while remembering those who aren’t with us anymore.
The turnout was light this year for the Lynches Chapel Cemetery homecoming, but sometimes that is just the way it goes. When people stop stressing the importance of going to homecomings to honor those who have passed on and visit with family you only see at these homecomings the crowds begin to dwindle. Hopefully next year everyone that couldn’t make it this year will be back.
Marcia Hassell was honored with a plaque on Sunday morning at A Frank Smith United Methodist Church for her service as Temporary Interim Choir Director. In June of 1968 she agreed to lead the choir until they could find a suitable replacement. Fifty years later she is still serving as the Best Temporary Interim Choir Director the church could find. We can‘t sing enough praises about this sweet lady.
Congratulations to Marcia on her fifty years as temporary choir director. There is talk in the church about trying her out for a few more years and then putting her on permanent.
Cherokee County Extension Agent Jennifer Pearman will be teaching classes at the Stella Hill Memorial Library for the next few weeks. “A Fresh Start to a Healthier You” program will feature recipes for success in the kitchen, confidence to cook healthy meals for your family, handy kitchen tools, practical cooking and shopping tips. The program will be on June 7, 14, and the 28 from 6-8 p.m. Jennifer does a great job and if you have any questions about this program call her at (903) 683-5416.
The Tomato Fest is coming up in Jacksonville and I don’t know when I’ve had a sorrier crop of tomatoes. Most of the ones I’ve grown this year aren’t much bigger than a golf ball. The nights stayed cold for too long and then we went straight into hot weather with no rain, and that is a bad combination for farming.
I planted my peas twice and have just about given up on them. I would feel pretty bad about the way things are turning out, but everybody I’ve talked to is having the same problems. If every thing went according to plan there wouldn’t be enough freezers in Texas to store all we could grow. I’ll just have to try and do better next year.
I guess that is just about all the news that I have worth telling this week. If you have something that people need to know about just give me a call. I’ll see ya next week!
And remember, The public, more often than not will forgive mistakes, but it will not forgive trying to wiggle and weasel out of one.-Lewis Grizzard