Rusk, Alto to hold Homecoming events

A pair of local events -- a chili supper and a book signing -- are book ending area homecoming festivities in Rusk and Alto this year.

From 5-7 p.m., Friday, the Rusk High School Alumni Association will be serving up its annual homecoming chili supper at the Rusk High School Cafeteria, 495 Eagle Dr., prior to kick off of the 2019 RHS homecoming football game against the Palestine Wildcats. Kick off is 7:30 p.m., Friday, at the Jim Swink Field.
Dinner will be $7 a person and includes chili with all the trimmings, beverage and dessert.

“We always have a great time and the chili is always superb,” RHSAA President Judy Fay Garner said. “We welcome everyone to come out, get a wonderful dinner and show their support to the Rusk Eagles.”

RHSAA was founded February 2002. Members consist of former Rusk High School students. The Association memorializes former students and teachers who have passed with its Endowments program, featuring schol-arships made in memory of loved ones of the Lovelady, Sartain, Summers, Madden, Hassell and Hubbard fami-lies.

The Association is a 501c3 non-profit corporation and all donations are tax deductible. All funds collected by the group are used to benefit past, present and future RHS students.

According to the RHSAA by-laws, “the purposed of the RHSAA is to encourage fellowship of the ex-students and to promote the general welfare of the school, in-cluding but not limited to, the awarding of scholarships to qualified applicants who will use such funds to fur-ther their education at any accredited college, universi-ty or technical school of their choice.”

The Association gave 15 $1,000 scholarships to stu-dents graduating in the class of 2019.

Life memberships for ex-students are $100. Associate life memberships for spouses, friends and family of ex-students are $100. Memorials in honor of RHS alumni may also be made.

To become a member of the RHSAA, visit the Association’s website, rshaa.com for a membership application form.

After Alto ISD’s Mean Sting holds court under those Friday night lights for homecoming this weekend, the Stella Hill Memorial Library continues the festivities with a homecoming of one of its own ‘most valuable players.’

Library officials and volunteers are holding a book signing event for AHS graduate and published author Terra ‘Jeanie’ Blakemore, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 14, at the library. Refreshments will be served.

“We wanted to hold this event during homecoming weekend, since more people would be coming back to their hometown,” library volunteer JayAnna Davis said. “We’d love to see everyone come out, enjoy the library and say hello to one of our own.”

Blakemore will be signing copies of her second novel, titled The Pride Promise, published by Trinity Broadcasting Network. The tome was released worldwide on Aug. 20 and has already been listed on Amazon’s Bestsellers List for Contemporary Christian Fiction.

“Terra has been an avid reader all her life and was always known in school as ‘the girl with her face in a book,’” family friend Janie Daniels said with a laugh. “She’s not only an author, but a professor at TJC and a song writer. We couldn’t be more proud of her.”

Stella Hill Memorial Library is located at 200 San Antonio Road, in downtown Alto.