What’s Happening in Cherokee County

The Cherokeean Herald welcomes announcements for publication in our weekly edition. Please submit calendar information by noon Friday for publication in the following Wednesday’s edition of our paper. Send information to [email protected].

THROUGH OCT. 30

The Cherokee County Master Gardeners will host their annual Scarecrow Trail, Oct. 23-30, at Ruth Nichols Arboretum, 1015 SE Loop 456 in Jacksonville, through Saturday, Oct. 30. The opening day of the event also features the Master Gardeners’ Fall Plant Sale. The trail is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Admission is $1 or one canned good per person, in support of HOPE – Jacksonville.

THROUGH NOV. 8

Rusk Lions Club will host a drawing for a Mossberg 88 shotgun and a Ruger LCP 380, with tickets on sale through Nov. 8, the day of the drawing. Tickets are $5 each or five for $20, must be 21 or older to purchase. Tickets also are available from any Lions Club member.

OCT. 27

The Greater Rusk Area Garden Club will meet at the Rusk library at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 27. Anyone interested in gardening and nature is welcome to attend.

OCT. 28

Registration will be held from 1-4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 28, for cancer survivors interested in participating in Relay for Life. Registration sites include Jacksonville’s Chick Fil A restaurant or at the AgriLife Ex-tension Office in the county annex building in Rusk. For more information, contact Event Lead Amy Walley, 903-683-5416 or Kim Herman, American Cancer Society staff, 936-755-3031.

OCT. 29

Residents at Country Place Senior Living will host a Halloween event, from 3:30-5:50 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29, at 2120 E. Rusk St. in Jacksonville (behind Family First Urgent Care).

Rusk will host its annual Scare on the Square, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29, on the courthouse square downtown. Businesses there – and throughout the city – will be passing out candy, including All Aboard Nutrition (from 3-5 p.m. at 595 N. Main), while the local library will have Halloween shows in the meeting room.

OCT. 29-31

Rusk KOA Holiday will host a “Spooktacular Halloween Weekend” at the campgrounds, Oct. 29-31, with a plethora of activities planned for visitors, such as a pumpkin toss and hay ride. For guests at the 745 FM 343 E campgrounds in Rusk, a Haunted Forest will be set up each evening and campsite trick-or-treating and movie night are planned.

OCT. 30

Primitive Fire – History in Action will be held from 10:30-11:45 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 30 at Mission Tejas State Park. The park is located on Texas Highway 21 outside Grapeland. While the program is free, park admission is $3 for visitors ages 13 and older.

Alto EDC is planning an exciting evening from 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, with “Tricks & Treats,” and a night of fun. Earlier in the day, AEDC will host a Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center blood drive from 3-6 p.m. at 123 San Antonio St.

The City of Reklaw will host its second annual Trunk or Treat event, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, at 140 W. Main St. (intersection of U.S. Highway 84 and Texas 204).

Texas State Railroad will offer the Pumpkin Patch Express Oct. 30, in Rusk. The event includes a 40-minute round trip train ride, along with a pumpkin patch, games, hay rides, prizes and other activities. Reservations can be made at TexasStateRailroad.net or call 855-632-7729 to learn more.

OCT. 31

Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 1515 S. Loop 256 in Palestine, will celebrate Reformation Sunday on Oct. 31, beginning with 9 a.m. Sunday School, followed by Divine Service of Holy Communion at 10:15 a.m.

Peoples Church of Jacksonville will host a Trunk or Treat event from 3-5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31, at 14089 U.S. Highway 79 E in Jacksonville. Chick-Fil-Al will be present, with a special treat for visitors, while supplies last.

A “Folloween Jesus Drive-Thru” begins at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31, in the Kingdom Christian Center parking lot, 411 S. Bolton St. in Jacksonville.

Central Baptist Church will host a Trunk or Treat event, along with games, entertainment and candy, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31 at 1909 E. Rusk St. in Jacksonville. The congregation also is collecting non-perishable food items for HOPE of Jacksonville. Questions about the food drive can be directed to 903-586-2215.

Wells Manor Apartments will host a Trunk or Treat event from 6-8 p.m., Halloween night. The apartment complex is located at Wright Patman Drive and Manor Loop.

NOV. 1-30

For the Love of Nutrition will host a month-long, inaugural Thanksgiving Food Drive, benefitting the Good Samaritan Food Pantry/Thrift Shop. Drop off your non-perishable food donation at 125 E. 6th St. in Rusk and receive a ticket for each item to a monthly drawing for $20 store credit.

NOV. 1

Bluebonnet 4-H Club will host a Nov. 1 queen’s contest drawing for custom processing for white tail deer from Dyess processing. Tickets are $4 or 5 for $20. To learn more, contact Amanda Hobson, 214-592-6801.

NOV. 2

Don’t miss the Dairyland Donkey Basketball match at the Alto High School gymnasium on Tuesday, Nov. 2! Chambers Smokehouse will serve a meal at 5:30 p.m., followed by the 6:30 p.m. game kick-off. In Round 1, the school’s ag team will take on band members, while in Round 2, it’s coaches and staff against student athletes! A championship game is slated with the two winning teams. Tickets are $8 ad-vance, $10 door, with preschoolers entering free of charge. For more information, contact the RHS Ag department, [email protected] or [email protected]

NOV. 6

The community of Earle’s Chapel will host its first Founder's Day festival, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6. The festival – which honors the settlers who created the community – also will feature barbecue, a barrel train, carnival games, a petting zoo and an appearance by the Earle's Chapel VFD fire truck.

A 5K event/10 ruck march benefitting the Military Veteran Peer Network and VFW Post 8924 will be held Saturday, Nov. 6, in Palestine. Hosted by the Palestine Chamber of Commerce, where events initiate, the run begins at 7:30 a.m., while the ruck march starts at 7 a.m. Vendor booths will be on site at the VFW hall. Registration fees are $30 virtual and early bird (before Oct. 9); $35 regular registration, $40 day of event. To register, please contact the Palestine Chamber of Commerce at 903-729-6066 or email [email protected]

This year’s Coats for Kids distribution will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, at The Clothes Closet and More, 314 S. Main St. in Jacksonville. The ministry is accepting new and gently used coats, with an expressed request for children’s sizes. They may be dropped off during regular business hours, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday at the Main Street site.

Texas Arbor Day and shaho tree planting will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, at Caddo Mounds State Historic Site outside Alto.

“Hunting Season/Pampering Season” free introduction to oils seminar will be held from 10-11 a.m. at Lake Striker Resort, 18560 CR 4256 S. in Reklaw. An additional 11 a.m. seminar on how to make your own sugar scrub is $5 per person. Sign-up deadline is Wednesday, Nov. 3; call 281-703-3739 to register.

Children’s Christmas Tree of Jacksonville will take applications for its 2021 Christmas program, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 6, at HOPE of Jacksonville, 595 N. Ragsdale St. The program ensures that all children get to celebrate a joyful Christmas

NOV. 8

Lone Star Legal aid will offer legal services to seniors ages 60 and over, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 8, at Rusk Public Library. An attorney and paralegal will be on site to answer questions. To set up an appointment, call 800-354-1889, ext. 1574, or show up at the library.

NOV. 11

A Veterans Day celebration is planned from noon-2 p.m. at 1051 N. Houston St. in Bullard. For more information, contact Kandy Flores, 903-590-6134.

NOV. 13

The Shacks on Main will host Reklaw Trade Day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 13, at 140 W. Main St. The event features 70+ booths filled with holiday decor, flea market finds, antiques, collectibles, refurbished and repurposed furniture, handmade crafts, woodwork, knives, jewelry, trailers of good ol' junk and various product distributors. Food trucks also will be on site.

The Cherokee Craft & Trade Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 13, at 707 College Ave. in Jacksonville.

Elijah’s Retreat, at 257 County Road 3110 in Jacksonville, will host a Fall Festival from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13. The event features food, fun and entertainment; no admission is charged, however, tickets will be sold for food and games, according to organizers. A raffle contest features a $1,000 first-place prize; additional prizes will be drawn for $500 and $250. Proceeds will benefit the retreat, which supports families facing autism. Tickets are $5 each or $20 for five, and can be found online at https://form.jotform.com/212647077712154?fbclid=IwAR1M4WEej7oA8c0mMPyaIj_RWThlbOlwyLcArwxiSlstISwYkTQgYkomWlU

Rusk Public Library will host a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, complete with a showing of the classic Peanuts holiday cartoon. Gather at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, in the library meeting room.

The Jacksonville Garden club will celebrate local veterans with a 1:30 p.m. ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 13, at the Patriotic Pathway Memorial at Buchner Park. Names will be listed of bricks purchased and in-stalled along the park’s sidewalk. All are welcome.

Holidaze 2021 fashion show & auction, benefiting the Good Samaritan Food Pantry of Rusk, will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, at the Rusk Civic Center, 555 Euclid St.

Nov. 15

Harvest of Hope Bingo, which benefits Relay for Life of Cherokee County’s efforts in battling cancer, will be held Monday, Nov. 15, at Singletary Memorial Library in Rusk. The $20 tickets includes 10 games, dauber and snacks. Limited tickets are available, with free admission for registered cancer survivors. For more information, contact Amy Walley, 903-683-5416.

The Troup Community Development Corporation will host its annual “Holiday in the Country” evening, from 5-9 p.m. Monday, Nov. 15, in downtown Troup. Stroll the downtown area and get into the Christmas spirit as local shops remain open to visitors.

NOV. 16

Rusk Public Library will host its sixth annual community Thanksgiving luncheon, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16, in the community meeting room. The lunch is free to the public, and everyone is encouraged to attend.

NOV. 27

Rusk’s Hometown Christmas Car & Bike Show Toy Run is slated from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 27, on the Courthouse Square. The event benefits the Dream Tree project and The Good Samaritan.

Jacksonville FFA will host a shootout jackpot, Saturday, Nov. 27, at the Tommy McDaniel Rusk County Youth Expo, at 3303 FM 13 in Henderson. The event is a 2-ring show open to entries of steers, heifers, swine, goats and lamb, with a fee of $60 per entry that covers both rings. To learn more, call 713-252-4657 or visit the Jacksonville FFA Jackpot Shows page.

DEC. 2

The Jacksonville Christmas parade begins at 6 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 2.

DEC. 4

Are you the best baker in the area? Bring your best baked item – and a copy of the recipe to your home-made goods – to the Rusk Public Library’s meeting room on Saturday, Dec. 4, to enter the inaugural Hol-iday Baking Championship. There is a $25 entry fee, with proceeds benefitting the Friends of the Library for purchase of new patio furniture.

A Dec. 4 “Christmas & Cuff” Golf Scramble hosted by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office at Chero-kee Ranch Golf Club in Jacksonville will raise funds for training safety equipment for the department. The 4-man scramble begins with 7 a.m. registration, followed by 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. For more in-formation, contact CCSO Captain Logan Smith, 903-747-5995.

DEC. 5

Come decorate cookies with Mrs. Claus and Santa’s Elves, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5, at Lake Striker Resort, 18560 CR 1256 in Reklaw. Registration begins Nov. 1 for the free event, call 281-703-3739 or 903-854-2404. Open to children ages 3 and older; the event is free, but attendees are asked to donate a new, unwrapped toy for the annual Toys for Tots campaign. Santa also will be in attendance, so bring your camera for photos!

DEC. 6

Lone Star Legal aid will offer legal services to seniors ages 60 and over, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 6, at Rusk Public Library. An attorney and paralegal will be on site to answer questions. To set up an appointment, call 800-354-1889, ext. 1574, or show up at the library.

DEC. 11

Cherokee County Stock Show and Exposition Inc. has teamed up Cherokee County’s Trail to Christ Cowboy Church for a Dec. 11 jackpot fundraiser, held immediately following a validation. Check in is from 9-11 a.m. Saturday morning, with the show starting at noon. Two rings, fee is $25 per entry. Cate-gories are for beef, market goat & lamb, swine. Proceeds benefit the CCJLS scholarship pro-gram. Contact Ward McCown for more information, 903-787-2244.

The Cherokee Craft & Trade Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 11, at 707 College Ave. in Jacksonville.