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This Day in Texas History- Col. William Barret Travis Pens Famous Letter from the Alamo

By
Aaron Ferguson
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On this day 183 years ago (1836), William Barret Travis, commanding the Texans under attack in the Alamo, wrote his famous letter addressed “To the People of Texas and All Americans in the World.” In the letter, he pledged that he would “never surrender or retreat” and swore “Victory or Death.” The predominant message, however, was an entreaty for help: “I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch.” Travis knew that his men, besieged by Mexican forces under Martín Perfecto de Cos, could not hold out long without reinforcements. Inspired by his letter, more troops did make their way to San Antonio, but too few and too late to avert disaster. Travis was among the first to die in the battle of the Alamo, on March 6.

Commandancy of the Alamo –

Bejar, Fby. 24th 1836 –

“To The People of Texas & all Americans in the World –

Fellow citizens & compatriots –

I am beseiged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna – I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man – The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, or otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken – I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls – I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch – the enemy is receiving enforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country – Victory or Death.

William Barret Travis

Lt. Col. cmdt

P.S. The Lord is on our side – When the enemy appeared in sight we had not three bushels of corn – We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels & got into the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves –

Travis

A Comprehensive Cyberbullying Guide for Parents

By
Aaron Ferguson
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As technology develops and becomes more easily available and intuitive for young adults and children, it becomes increasingly vital for us as adults to ensure that our children are learning how to be responsible stewards of their newfound technological abilities.

Sofia Park with safenetexperts.com spends time volunteering to help protect children via online courses and guides for parents, and has shared with us a comprehensive guide to recognizing, understanding, and preventing cyberbullying:

https://www.wizcase.com/blog/a-comprehensive-cyberbullying-guide-for-parents/

We’re happy to help boost her cause by sharing what we can and help get the word out! If you have any questions or are interested in having a discussion with Sofia, you can reach out to her at sofia.park@safenetexperts.com.

Letter from the (New) Editor

By
Aaron Ferguson
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Good afternoon, TFCL!

Firstly, I wanted to thank you all for sticking with us as we find our niche within the community and grow into something you all come to love and appreciate. We are all incredibly excited for the future of TFCL, and hope that you all enjoy the new, fun content which we expect to be rolling out here in the coming weeks.

What’s New:

Well me, for starters! My name is Aaron Ferguson; As of about a month ago, I am the new editor for TFCL. I grew up in Rowlett (Dallas county) and found my home out here in ETX while attending school at Stephen F. Austin to pursue a B.A. in Political Science and performed with the SFA drumline. Go Jacks!

PURPLE AND WHITE FOR LIFE!

I’ve had a bit of a fun and interesting journey leading me here to Lufkin and TFCL, though to say it wasn’t also an unpredictable and tumultuous one would be a bold-faced lie. In just the one year since I graduated (December 2018), I became a licensed insurance agent in North Texas (immediately knew it wasn’t for me); wrote for a professional sports blog in Dallas which afforded me opportunities to meet some of my idols in the DFW sports scene; briefly interned in athletic communications at the University of New Mexico; nearly lost a few fingers working in a sheet metal plant in Dallas, and got to drive delivery trucks deep off-grid in the Rockies in some questionable places:

Maybe more than a little questionable…

I was worn down, stretched thin, and clearly in need of finding new direction- And ironically enough, I found it in the one place I believed I needed to get away from in order to find these very things. My marriage to TFCL could not have been timed more perfectly.

My calling has always been in writing and content development; Despite all of the interests and jobs I have pursued over the years, the written word has always been something that I have prided myself on and something which has always maintained my deepest respect. When the opportunity to work for TFCL presented itself here in Lufkin, I knew it was the perfect place to plant my flag.

So, I packed my things (again) and set off once again for Nacogdoches.  

Aside from a new job opportunity, I believe it is a deep-seated love and appreciation for the culture and way of life out here that brought me back as well. Having available to me the opportunity to incorporate that into a new career path has renewed my sense of purpose and direction in ways I have yearned for many years. I am very happy so far with our work and hope we can propel TFCL onward and upward!

Besides me;

We have incorporated a new look to our site (check it out) and are playing with it every day to see how things work in terms of functionality and style. TFCL is molding me into a man of many hats; and as I learn more about the development side of things and networking in our area to expand our reach to new readers/viewers, we will evolve and grow into a brand synonymous with the culture and lifestyle of the Texas Forest Country, and one which locals will want to make a part of their daily life.

East Texas Selfie

Along with all of the brand-new bells and whistles we are rolling out, our biggest announcement is the introduction of our new video series titled East Texas Selfie! Josh, our on-screen personality, will be helping us highlight local businesses by going hands-on and learning the tools of their trade, help build local awareness in the community and tell the story of some of our local business leaders in our area. We are proud of our strong and ever-growing community and want to share that pride with anyone and everyone! East Texas Selfie is fun, informative, and going to be a great addition to TFCL. As we become more cohesive as a crew, we have many other exciting feature opportunities we hope to be introducing to our content stream as well and want to include the entire community in on it!

We always love to hear from our readers, truly- You all are the machine that aids us in continuing our upward ascent. If you are a business/organization in our 12-county coverage area which is interested in building a feature with our video crew, wish to contribute to TFCL or just want to say hello, info@texasforestcountryliving.com is where you can reach out to us. Hope to hear from all of you sometime!

Aaron Alexander Ferguson

Lauren Boulware to show her first meat goat at the Angelina County Fair!

By
Cary Sims
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Lauren Boulware is pictured with her wether goat ‘Astro’ that she’ll compete with at the Angelina County Fair on the left and the companion goat on the right. Photo courtesy of Cary Sims

Meet Lauren Boulware, her wether goat ‘Astro’ that she’ll compete with at the Angelina County Fair on the left, and the companion goat on the right. 

Lauren Boulware is a 15-year-old sophomore at Central High School where she is active in the FFA program and is getting ready to show her first meat goat project at the Angelina County Fair.

Lauren is the daughter of Brandon and Mamie Boulware. She is the oldest in her family with three younger siblings: Garrett, Geordon, and Addison.

For the past two years, Lauren has raised and competed in the market rabbit show, but says, “I wanted a project that I could really work with. One that I could get to know and work with longer that the few weeks it took to raise a pen of rabbits.”

Lauren is competing with a wether Boer goat named ‘Astro’.  A wether is a castrated goat, just the same as steer is a castrated bull.  The Boer goat breed is the most dominant meat goat breed here in the US.  Not to be confused with the term boar (an intact male hog), Boer goats are easily one of the most popular meat breeds in the world.

Lauren says her favorite part of raising a meat goat is “the way he recognizes me every time I go out to feed or work with him.” Her least favorite part? “I have to get up each morning at 5:30 to feed!”

There are two goats at the Boulware house: a market goat for competition and a companion goat. Goats are herd animals and do not do well alone. Before they got a companion goat, her wether would jump the fence and run to be with their family dogs.

The companion goat they chose is a female Nigerian Dwarf. She is smaller with black and white markings.

Lauren was also applied to be a Youth Ambassador at the County Fair. She turned in her application with numerous other youths in this competitive area and was selected to be an Agricultural Education Ambassador. In that role, Lauren will be helping with school tours and assisting in the Ag-tivity Center.  She said, “I wanted to get more involved and I’m looking forward to having fun and helping others.”

In addition to showing a goat, she will still compete with market rabbits. Just last Saturday, she entered six rabbits in the Fair. Lauren will take the best three to competition.

And she’s excited about her arts and craft entry. She’s building a succulent planter that uses tea cups, cut in half, mounted on a board on which she has made a mosaic.

Sponsored by JM Chevrolet Cadillac, the Market Goat division has 54 goats entered. With 54 entries, there will be 38 goats making it to the auction on Saturday night. 

Goats are admitted to the grounds on Wednesday, March 25.  They will be checked in and weighed to determine which weight class they will compete.

Goats at our county fair are judged solely on their carcass merit like every other market division.  In preparation to show, rules stipulate that all goats must be slick shorn from their hocks up.   

In preparing for the show, Lauren has been carefully feeding and exercising her wether.  She nearly had a wreck with her project last September when it broke its leg. “We don’t know how it happened, but we put the front leg in a splint for six weeks. We’d change the bandage and clean it up every week on Tuesdays after school. He’s doing just fine now.”

Judging of goats and other market animals focuses on the market readiness of the entry.  Judges will place a tremendous emphasis on two main areas: muscling and condition.  With meat goats the exhibitors will “brace” the goats so that the muscles flex, showing off more expression of muscle. 

When bracing, the exhibition will push backwards on the goat, causing it to push back against the exhibitor.  This can be tiresome after a while and one can truly tell which kids have been working with their goats at home, by the fact both exhibitor and animal look quite comfortable during this competition. 

The public can come out and see Lauren and the other meat goat exhibitors on Thursday, March 26 at the George H Henderson Expo Center. The competition will begin at 9 am that morning.

The Angelina County Fair starts on Tuesday, March 23 and wraps up on Saturday night, March 28 with the auction.

Lady Roadrunners Beat Jacksonville for Fourth Straight Win Thompson Nets 22 Points as AC Takes Control Early

By
Gary Stallard
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Angelina College’s Tai Porchia (30) pulls away from Jacksonville College defender Kimberly Lillie during Wednesday’s game. The Lady Roadrunners ran their winning streak to four games after taking down the Lady Jaguars 77-49 at Shands Gymnasium. (Gary Stallard/AC Athletics photo)

Angelina College’s Lady Roadrunners on Wednesday earned a little payback against Jacksonville College – the team that beat AC by a single bucket back in January.

The Lady ‘Runners exploded from the opening tip, racing out to leads of 14-0 and 17-2 on the way to a 77-49 win at Shands Gymnasium.

Britney Thompson scored 11 of her game-high 22 points in the first quarter, and the Lady Roadrunner defense held the Lady Jags to just 30 percent field goal shooting for the entire game.

AC’s Tai Porchia finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds for her third double-double in the past three games. Lovietta Walker added 12 points and Mycah McDonald 10 in pushing the Lady Roadrunners’ current winning streak to four straight games.

Jacksonville’s McKayla Black led the Jaguars with 11 points.

The Lady ‘Runner defense forced 20 Jacksonville turnovers, converting those into 29 points.

AC (16-10, 8-7) will travel to Paris College on Saturday. Game time is 2 p.m.

The e-mail address is gstallard@angelina.edu.

FRIDAY NIGHT BLUEGRASS CONCERT KICKS OFF BLUEBERRY FESTIVAL

By
Joshua Blackwell
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NACOGDOCHES, Texas — The Texas Blueberry Festival kicks off with the Blueberry Bluegrass Concert in the Park, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, June 12 at Festival Plaza in downtown Nacogdoches.

Rex Perry Autoplex is sponsoring Friday’s family-friendly bluegrass concert that will feature three well-known musical acts: The Purple Hulls, Hickory Hill and The Farm Hands.

The toe-tapping fun continues with Pickin’ on the Square from noon to 3 pm, Saturday, June 13, in the Commercial Bank of Texas lobby and the City Hall Meeting Room. Bluegrass musicians are encouraged to bring their instruments and jam with new friends in air-conditioned comfort.

THE ACTS

The Purple Hulls are identical twins Katy Lou and Penny Lea Clark. The Clark sisters were raised on a working family farm in Kilgore and they paid for college with money from the family’s purple hull harvest. After graduation, they moved to Nashville, where they began touring with various country artists and writing songs for Nashville’s largest publishing company, Sony Tree. The sisters returned home in 2012 to care for their terminally ill father and they stayed in East Texas after he passed away, helping their mother with the farm while continuing their music career. This will be the Purple Hulls’ fourth appearance at the Blueberry Bluegrass Concert.

Celebrating their 40th anniversary in September 2019, Hickory Hill has proven to be one of Texas’ most popular and enduring acoustic groups. The band continues to emphasize original material, seldom heard “gems” and songs adapted from other styles of music. Original and classic gospel songs are some of the band’s favorites.

With over 80 national awards and nominations, the Farm Hands are one of the most exciting and in-demand bluegrass bands in America. Touring over 150 dates each year, this talented foursome features veterans of the world famous Grand Ole Opry, Grammy award winners, hit songwriters, and celebrated instrumentalists.

The Farm Hands had a huge presence at the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America awards this year. They were named Gospel Group of the Year, and Tim Graves was presented

with a SPBGMA Grand Master award after winning the Dobro player of the year for the tenth time.

“I’m so excited about bringing the Farm Hands to Nacogdoches!” said Scott Waller, Blueberry Bluegrass Concert in the Park co –organizer. “In only six short years, we are bringing one of the top bands in the country to our concert!”

FOOD, PARKING AND MORE

The concert will also feature food vendors, including some local farmer’s market favorites selling homemade items, as well as barbecue, corn dogs, fried green tomato sandwiches, vegetarian options, soft drinks, blueberry lemonade and lots of water. Organizers encourage attendees to bring blankets and lawn chairs. The event is family-friendly, so please leave your coolers and alcohol at home. Pets on a leash are also welcome.

Parking will be available downtown. However, some downtown streets will be closed due to the Blueberry Festival, so concert-goers are urged to visit texasbluegrassfestival.org or www.facebook.com/bluegrassnac/ for parking instructions. Parking with free shuttle service to the concert venue will be available at First Baptist Church, 411 North St. Parking at the venue will be at the Nacogdoches City Garage location at 114 W. Cox St.

Organizers are grateful for the enthusiastic partners that make the concert possible, especially Rex Perry Autoplex, the City of Nacogdoches and the Nacogdoches Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The Texas Blueberry Festival presented by Tipton Ford continues Saturday with a full day of activities in downtown Nacogdoches, including a Blueberry pancake breakfast, competitions and more live entertainment. For more information, visit tbf.nacogdoches.org/ or call 936-560-5533.

Sneak Peak- Lady Roadrunners Peaking, Riding Win Streak into Home Game Against Jacksonville

By
Gary Stallard
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Photo Credit: Gary Stallard

Barely two weeks ago, Angelina College Lady Roadrunner head coach Byron Coleman was discussing his injury-ravaged team and its focus on simply maintaining its position the conference standings.

On Wednesday, Coleman was talking up his groups three-game winning streak – a spree that included two road wins and an upset of the No. 10 team in the nation. Considering the number of walking wounded on the roster, the Lady ‘Runners have managed to sneak up on some good teams as they push toward tournament play in March.

Coleman mentioned the way some of his players are beginning to do what they do best on the floor. Case in point: Sophomore Britney Thompson, who has struggled somewhat with long-distance shooting, knocked down eight three pointers in Saturday’s 88-65 win at Bossier Parish Community College. Thompson is but one of the players finding a groove as the regular season winds down to its conclusion.

“The situation with Britney is she just hasn’t shot well, so she hasn’t had that confidence all year,” Coleman said. “We’ve been encouraging her to shoot more instead of taking fewer shots, and she had a good game at Bossier Parish. We’re thrilled for her, and hopefully she can keep that going.”

Other players have shown early flashes of ability, but now seem able to showcase those skills on a more consistent basis. Tai Porchia scored 12 points and gathered eight rebounds in Saturday’s win, and Mycah McDonald has averaged 20.6 points per game over her last three games.

“Tai didn’t feel she played well the first time we played at Tyler, so I think she took it upon herself to improve and play harder,” Coleman said. “Probably the most consistent piece we have right now is Mycah. If she continues to score like that, she makes us even harder to beat with her speed and athleticism.”

Running the offense is unsung hero Simran Mayfield, whose numbers don’t reflect her impact from the point guard position. For a player with her hands on the ball for most of a game, Mayfield has been extremely efficient in limiting turnovers and making the most of each possession.

“Point guards sometimes get the glory, but Simran is handling the ball, and her assist-to-turnover ratio is good,” Coleman said. “She gets us into our sets, and having a leader like her at the point can’t help but make a team better.”

The Lady Roadrunners (15-10, 7-7) on Wednesday will host Jacksonville College, a team to which the Lady ‘Runners lost by a single bucket (62-60) on Jan. 24 in Jacksonville. AC held a 13-point lead at one point in that contest, but missed out on a win Coleman thought his team should have gotten.

“(Head coach) Savannah Carter does a great job with her team,” Coleman said. “You watch them on film, and you can’t help but be impressed with some of things they do. They play hard, so we’re really going to have to defend way better.

“I think our kids are looking for a little payback.”

Game time on Wednesday is 6:30 p.m. at Shands Gymnasium. Live streaming will be available at angelinaathletics.com.

            Admission to the game is free.

An American In Paris Comes to the Temple Theater!

By
Aaron Ferguson
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ROMANCE! ADVENTURE! GERSHWIN! WHO COULD ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE?!

LUFKIN, TEXAS- The Angelina Arts Alliance is proud to present the touring Broadway musical AN AMERICAN IN PARIS on March 7 at 7:30 pm at the Temple Theater.

In post war Paris, romance is in the air and youthful optimism reigns. Gershwin’s soaring melodies are matched by gravity-defying dance as the world rediscovers the power of love in this breathtaking production. Hoping to start a new life, World War II veteran Jerry Mulligan chooses newly-liberated Paris as the place to make a name for himself as a painter. But Jerry’s life becomes complicated when he meets Lise, a young Parisian shop girl with her own secret – and realizes he is not her only suitor. 

The 2015 Broadway production of AN AMERICAN IN PARIS won 4 TONY Awards. This exquisite all new production is inspired by the Academy Award-winning film and features your favorite Gershwin songs including “I Got Rhythm,” “Liza,” “’S Wonderful,” “But Not for Me,” and “Stairway to Paradise.” Inspired by the Academy-Award winning 1951 film, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS features music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin and a book by Tony nominee and Pulitzer Prize finalist Craig Lucas.

The New York Times raves “AN AMERICAN IN PARIS is a triumph! Pure joy!” and the Wall Street Journal declares, “Once you’ve seen it, you’ll find it hard to settle for less ever again.” This beautiful, all-new production is produced by Big League Theatricals and is coming to Lufkin, Texas on March 7.

Tickets to AN AMERICAN IN PARIS are available at the Temple Theater Box Office. Call 936-633-5454 or buy online at www.angelinaarts.org.

The Angelina Arts Alliance is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to present a wide array of diverse, quality performing arts, along with educational and family performances which collectively enrich, engage and educate the community.

TEEN ‘CLICK IT OR TICKET’ CAMPAIGN TO VISIT LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL

By
Rhonda Oaks
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LUFKIN – Hudson High School will host the TxDOT Teen Click It Or Ticket safety campaign event Thursday, Feb. 20. The program is designed to help educate and reduce the number of crashes and fatalities involving teenagers who choose not to wear a seatbelt.

The event is scheduled from 9 – 11 am and will include an interactive experience that will urge teens to buckle up. A mangled truck will be on site showing a rollover crash where two teens survived because they were wearing a seatbelt.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 42 percent of teens killed in crashes in Texas in 2018 were not wearing a seatbelt. Teen drivers are involved in twice as many fatality crashes as adult drivers. Of the 264 teen drivers and passengers killed in vehicle crashes in Texas in 2018, 111 were unrestrained.

“For teens, getting a driver’s license is a rite of passage, but when they start driving, they aren’t thinking about how their lack of experience places them at greater risk of getting in a crash,” said TxDOT Executive Director James Bass. “Tragedy can strike in an instant which is why we hope all parents, teachers and other influencers are urging teens to buckle up each and every time no matter how short the trip maybe.”

The “Teen Click It or Ticket” campaign will reach out to Texas teens through TV, radio, digital advertising and social media. The TxDOT annual campaign visits different high schools each year. This year, it will feature interactive events at six Texas high schools, with a virtual reality game and an augmented reality experience to share the campaign’s safety message in a highly engaging manner.

Texas law requires drivers and all passengers to wear a seat belt. Unbuckled drivers and passengers — even those in the back seat — face fines and fees of up to $200. Seatbelts prevent drivers and passengers from getting ejected from a vehicle, which is almost always deadly. Wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of dying in a crash by 45%. That number jumps to 60% for pickup truck crashes.

Teen Click It Or Ticket is a key component of #EndTheStreakTX, a broader social media and word-of-mouth effort that encourages drivers to make safer choices while behind the wheel, like wearing a seat belt, driving the speed limit and never driving distracted or after drinking or doing drugs. Nov. 7, 2000 was the last deathless day on Texas roadways. #EndTheStreakTX asks all Texans to commit to driving safely to help end the streak of daily deaths on Texas roadways.

To learn more about “Teen Click It or Ticket,” visit https://www.txdot.gov/driver/kids-teens/teen-clickit.html.

Drug-Free All Star Whataburger Night

By
Joshua Blackwell
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Calling all hamburger enthusiasts! By purchasing from Whataburger on Loop 287 and Hwy 94 on Tuesday, February 25th, you can help support the Angelina County Drug-Free All Stars! The Drug-Free All Stars will host a fundraising night at the Whataburger on February 25th from 5pm until 8pm. The Drug-Free All Stars are a group of high school seniors throughout Angelina County that are hand selected to serve as role models for their community by living a tobacco, drug, and alcohol-free lifestyle. The fundraiser will include dine-in or drive-through orders. Please come out to Whataburger and help support our drug-free youth!

Since 1988, The Coalition has focused on eliminating the use of harmful substances by affecting public policy, laws, attitudes and behaviors, all in an effort to foster healthy life-long choices for the local community. For more information about the Drug-Free All Star program, contact Abby Baker at The Coalition at 936-634-9308.

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