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City
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SHILOH
LUTHERAN RETREAT CENTER
By
Maryann Miller
“The
vision of Camp Shiloh is to be recognized as a quality camp and retreat
center serving Christian families and organizations from the area and
beyond. The camp will fully utilize its resources and personnel to
develop gospel-based programs that strengthen the faith and touch the
hearts of all involved.”
2004
Winnsboro’s Sesquicentennial
Sunday,
March 14th, Tinney Chapel United Methodist Church held a ceremonial
groundbreaking for their new 8,000 sq. ft. Christian Family
Life & Education Center. |
Realistically, there is no imminent danger of losing our right to vote, but recent trends show that some people wouldn't miss it if it were taken away. That is especially true when it comes to a response to local elections. A twenty to thirty percent turnout is considered outstanding in today's atmosphere of voter apathy. What a shame. Is that an honorable response to the great sacrifices made to establish and ensure our right to choose our leadership?
Article by: Maryann Miller
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The
planning committee for Winnsboro's Sesquicentennial celebration which
launches October 25, 2003 sponsored a Media Day on the grounds of the
historic Oaklea Mansion on October 25. Members of the press, which included
television, radio and print, received information about the year-long
celebration and some of the history of Winnsboro.
Mayor Carolyn Jones opened the event with a brief statement about the various people who have been part of the planning for the sesquicentennial since 1997 and the effort everyone has made, especially in the last year, to pull ideas and resources together to make it all happen. "We want to celebrate the birthday of our city in a very special way and the local citizens and organizations have worked extremely hard..."
Sesquicentennial Funding: Where does it come from?
The
Sesquicentennial Planning Team and other volunteers have been diligently
working to make the 150th Birthday Party for Winnsboro very special. The
clubs and organizations of the city have come forth with plans to incorporate
already existing events with the celebration. These annual events are
self-supporting and do not use taxpayer money.
It is only natural that questions arise about funding for city-implemented events. So far, no major expense has occurred and there are no plans for any major expenses. However, money from the 4B Economic Development Sales Tax has been approved to pay for banners to replace the existing banners. The original banners were bought with 4B Economic Development Sales Tax monies. The new banners are being chosen very carefully and with longevity in mind...
As
a result of efforts by the Main Street Committee, Trails Country Center
For The Arts, and the Merchants Association, Winnsboro will host Market
Days the second Saturday of every month. This will be held downtown and
participating business will be open later than usual and offer specials
and sales.
"This is the first time we've all worked together on something," said Shirley Watters, who owns McCrary's Hardware store with her husband, Robert. "And it's a big step forward for the city. We need cooperation among all the businesses and organizations in town to help Winnsboro prosper..."
On
August 8th the Main Street Committee hosted a reception at the Ivy Garden
for business owners to learn about the upcoming street and sidewalk construction
that will take place along Main and Market streets over the next year.
The theme was 'construction' and there were appropriate signs, tools,
and hardhats used as decorations, creating an atmosphere of fun in the
midst of the serious business.
According to Denise Miranda, the Main Street Manager, this project is part of the long-range plan to "get Main Street into top physical shape, making it safe and attractive..."
Support
the Main Street Program
The
Main Street Program continues its efforts to help with the revitalization
of downtown Winnsboro, and the organization needs assistance from the
business and citizens of town. They have an operating budget of approximately
$48,000 and receive $33,300 from The Winnsboro Economic Development Corporation
(WEDC). "We have to make up the difference," Denise Miranda
said. "And we have to come to the community to ask for donations."
According to Denise, who is the Main Street Program director, the city has to continue to move forward now that it has the official Main Street designation from the Texas Historical Commission...
Numerous
people and organizations are hard at work with plans for the Winnsboro
Birthday Bash in 2004. "We're using events that are already scheduled,"
Mayor Carolyn Jones said, "and putting a Sesquicentennial spin on
them."
The kick-off for the year-long celebration of Winnsboro history and heritage will take place in October of this year, with details still in the planning stages. The Chamber of Commerce has already agreed to make the theme for this year's Christmas parade "Christmas Past," tying into the historical concept...
After
a year and a half of serving as secretary/administrator "slash gopher"
for the Chamber of Commerce, Karen Sparks is resigning to take another
job. She will be working at Retirement Consulting Group as a receptionist
and bookkeeper. "I went to college for accounting," she said.
"So numbers are my forte, and I'm looking forward to a job where
I can utilize those skills."
Karen has done a wonderful job for the Chamber and members let her know how much they appreciated her at a farewell luncheon on Thursday, July 24...
The
corner of Franklin and Broadway has been the home of George Lemmon Jr.,
Attorney at Law for some time, and recently the old building was demolished.
Long-time residents of Winnsboro will remember the building as the home
of a grocery store and service station that was built by Horace Martin
around 1938. Several other businesses operated out of the space before
it housed the law office and title company...
Set
in the beautiful Piney Woods of East Texas, City Park in Winnsboro has
recently upgraded the electrical hookups for camping to 50 amps to accommodate
campers who don't like to leave their televisions and computers at home.
Less than a mile from downtown and set on gently rolling acreage with
lots of trees, the park has 21 concrete pads, 15 of which have sewer connections
as well as water and electricity...
On
Monday, April 7th representatives from area churches gathered at the Ivy
Garden to discuss plans for an Easter drama to be presented during Winnsboro's
sesquicentennial celebration in 2004. "What a wonderful opportunity
this is for us to showcase what we believe and why," Sherrie Hansen
of His Way Ministry said to the crowd of about 35. "I was so excited
when the Sesquicentennial Committee approached us to see if we were interested."
PHW
Continues to Upgrade Facilities
Presbyterian Hospital, under the leardership of Dan Noteware, continues to upgrade its facilities making it a continuing asset to the Winnsboro area. Recent changes in air conditioning equipment will make the system more efficient and reliable, saving a significant amount in operating costs...
The
building at 200 Market Street, which was owned for many years by members
of the Will Gorman family, has an interesting and exciting history. It
was designed and built by Will Gorman, circa 1900, from heart pine and
sand brick that was manufactured at the brickyard west of town. In addition
to this building, Gorman, a local gin operator and owner of the Winnsboro
Brick Company constructed several other fashionable early 20th Century
brick structures in town...
Spring
is busting out all over Winnsboro, and the 15th annual Spring Trails festival
is swiftly approaching. Now is the time to mark your calendar for May
3rd and 4th and plan to join in the festivities. As always, plenty of
activities are planned for adults and children...
Exercise Your Civic Duty - VOTE!
This
page offers the dates and times of the upcoming City Council and School
Board Elections. This page also features unique candidate profiles written
by the candidates themselves...
FBC
Youth Help Clean Up Main Street
The members of the youth group helped beautify Main Street on Saturday, March 22nd, for the First Lady's Visit and Tour of Downtown the following Monday. The youth spent the entire afternoon washing windows and sweeping the sidewalks downtown...
Winnsboro
is dedicated as a 2003 Texas Main Street City
March 24, 2003 was a stellar day for Winnsboro. Not only were we graced with a gorgeous spring day, Texas First Lady Anita Perry visited us to officially dedicate Winnsboro as a Main Street City.
The festivities started at the Trails Country Center For The Arts where the First Lady arrived for photos with representatives of city government, community and business organizations, and civic and arts groups. Then the crowd moved over to the Depot for the ceremony...
A
Big Night for the Chamber of Commerce
"Helping Winnsboro Develop and Prosper" was the theme for this year's Chamber of Commerce banquet held Saturday, February 22nd at the City Auditorium.
A barbecue dinner of brisket and chicken with beans, potato salad, a drink and dessert was served to the more than 200 people in attendance...
Texas First Lady to Tour 2003 Main Street Cities
Texas
First Lady Anita Perry will join Texas Historical Commision (THC) members
and staff for the Texas Main Street Program's 2003 First Lady Tour. The
tour celebrates the designation of the 2003 Official Texas Main Street
Cities, in Luling, Llano and Van Horn on March 20 and Clarksville and
Winnsboro on March 24.
"Growing up in a small town, I know the vital role downtown plays in a community," said Perry. "Being a Main Street City means citizens recognize that downtown still is the heart and soul of a town."
Wood
County Voters Say 'NO' to Groundwater District
On Saturday, February 1st citizens in Wood Country exercised their right
to choose by going to the polls to vote on the proposal to form a groundwater
conservation district in the county. Here are the results of that election...
To
mark the first anniversary of the Winnsboro Main Street Program, the Advisory
Board hosted a reception at the Ivy Garden Tea Room on January 30th from
four to six P.M. A number of business owners and other interested individuals
gathered that afternoon to celebrate the accomplishments of the program
and to publicly say 'thanks' to Denise Miranda for a successful first
year as manager.
"Actually, it's not so much about me," Denise said. "It's really an opportunity to inform the community about what the Main Street Program does. We want people to know about us and what our goals are for the city."
New
Leadership In Chamber of Commerce
At last week's Chamber meeting, new officers and board members were installed. Mike Clark, manager of Brookshire's Food Store is the president; vice-president is Tony Grosso, who owns T&M Meat Market and Get-Some Paintball. Jim Plumlee, interim president of Winnsboro Economic Development Corporation will serve as treasurer, and Karen Sparks continues in her role as Administrative Secretary...
Winnsboro received its first snow of the year on Sunday, January 12th. It has been a long time since this area has gotten a significant amount of snow.
Snow and Sleet filled the ground all over town, but was gone without a trace the following morning. Luckily, the precipitation did not freeze on the roads overnight, allowing drivers to travel safely to work the next morning...
The
City Council meeting on January 14 at 6:30 has several important subjects
on the agenda, with perhaps the most important being the proposal by Texas
Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to close Main Street from Carnegie
to Coke road for the street-widening project. Their request is to close
the entire stretch for an indefinite period of time, raising a number
of concerns...
RV
Outlet Upgrades in City Park Underway
Clients at Johnston Unit with the help of Bill Acker of the City of Winnsboro and Robert Watters of R.H. McCrary Co. are upgrading the electrical outlets for the RV sites at City Park.
Crossroads
Brings Together Groups For Ethanol Plant Feasibility Study
Crossroads,
the five-county economic and tourism development organization, has launched
an initiative that could result in a significant new plant being built
within the region. On November 21, Crossroads hosted a conference at which
a group of area farmers, merchants and economic development officials
were introduced to Grant Development Services of Austin, Texas...
Capturing
the spirit of every childhood fantasy 'Toyland' was the theme of the annual
Christmas Parade and Tree-Lighting Ceremony in Winnsboro, Monday, December
2nd.
The festivities, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce,began with caroling
at 5:30 pm. Then the parade came down Main Street at 6:00pm and the official
tree-lighting took place at 7:00pm. Holiday wishes were expressed by Mayor
Caroline Jones and City Manager Ronny Knight, then Stormi Parker, Young
Miss Lake Fork, had the honor of turning the lights on, and the crowd
was entertained by Chelsey Gibson, who sang a selection of Christmas songs...
Grand
Old House Burns
Winnsboro
lost a venerable old house on Thursday November 21 when fire broke out
at 308 Carnegie. The home of Gerry Dopson, the house had just been remodeled
and put on the market, and is certainly a devastating loss.
Gary Short, a member of the volunteer fire department for Winnsboro, said
that the initial call came close to 3:30 in the afternoon. Fourteen volunteers,
most from Winnsboro, fought the blaze for five hours, but were unable
to save much of the structure. "We were hindered some in the back,"
Gary said. "Because the ceilings in those rooms were made with heavy
timbers. We couldn't break through the way we normally do with rafters
and sheetrock. It took a lot of extra time to cut through with chain saws."
The crowd may have been small at the City Auditorium, but the news was substantive. About fifty people gathered on Monday evening, November 18th at 6:00pm for this third Town Hall Meeting. First on the agenda was a bowl of "Aggie-Creole" gumbo cooked by Larry Sparks and served by his wife LeAnne. Getting a bowl of this infamous dish was quite a treat and provided people an opportunity to visit before the other business commenced...
Citizen
Unlawfully Charged to Request Public Information
The following documents were supplied to WinnsboroToday.com by Mr. Frank Hobin and are printed with his permission. They are printed without editing in order to inform the citizenry about it's right to public information from governmental bodies.
Goblins
and Ghosts and Witches
The annual
Halloween costume contest sponsored by Brookshire's was a huge success
despite the cold weather. Mike Clark, Store Manager, said the turnout
was less than other years, but plenty of children turned out to vie for
prizes with proud parents and grandparents shivering in the cold to cheer
them on...
Antique
Car Rally
Over a hundred old cars and trucks rumbled through Winnsboro for the annual
Autumn Trails Classic Car Show on October 26. Several hundred people lined
Main Street at 10:30am to enjoy the parade of vehicles, and what a parade
it was...
A variety of wagons, horses and riders brought a touch of the old west to Winnsboro October 18th through the 20th for the annual Autumn Trails Trail Ride. City Park was jammed for the first part of the weekend with campers, horse trailers, some blacksmith and tack setups, and a lot of enthusiastic horse people. Others camped in areas across Coke Road. According to Chief James Whittiker, there were between four and five hundred people who came for the event...
Winnsboro
is a Main Street City
On Tuesday, October 22nd, five new Texas Main Street Cities were announced by the Texas Historical Commission. These cities were: Clarksville, Llano, Luling, Van Horn, and Winnsboro...
It
was like tractor heaven at City Park when venerable old machines settled
in on October 12th for the Autumn Trails Antique Tractor Show. Farmers
waxed nostalgically about the time when these machines had been used on
a regular basis and collectors traded inside information about restoration
processes and anecdotes from past shows...
The
weather may not have cooperated on October 6th, making the day hot and
humid, but that didn't deter venders or potential customers. A continuous
crowd of people strolled the downtown streets checking the displays for
a good bargain or two. The selection of products offered was quite varied,
giving people a good opportunity to pick up hand-crafted items for gifts
or for a personal treat...
Barbecue
Cookoff
On
October 12th, a number of Western Chefs vied for recognition in the annual
contest sponsored by Autumn Trails. They probably wouldn't label themselves
as 'Chefs,' but there is quite an artistry to getting just the right flavor
and texture for good barbecue.
First place went to T&M Meat Market's Grub Getters, with the judges deciding that their offering was the tastiest and the juiciest. Second place went to Larry Sparks of Hardy's Auto Parts, and Mike Davis, with the Dallas Morning News, was awarded third place...
The
Coronation of Queen Autumn Trails XLIV
The
Coronation of Queen Autumn Trails XLIV was held Saturday, October 5th
at the HighSchool Auditorium. The Pageant's ten contestants included Kay
Gillis, Callie Gilbreath, Carli Boyce, Lindsay Cain, Jamie Kellar, Kristen
Swanner, Christine Noteware, Emily Stone, Kattie Alexander, and Autumn
Jones. "An Autumn Tribute" was the theme of this year's pageant,
and the stage's patriotic decorations included red, white, and blue lights
and an outline of a huge star surrounded by lights...
TCEQ CREATES LAKE COUNTRY GROUNDWATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT FOR WOOD COUNTY
"It's
a great day for Wood County," proclaimed Louis Pyle, President of
Save Our Springs of North East Texas (SOSONET). "The Texas Commission
on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), formerly known as the Texas Natural Resource
Conservation Commission (TNRCC), just formally created Lake Country Groundwater
Conservation District during their regularly scheduled meeting held in
Austin today. This district will provide Wood County with local control
over our 'treasure-trove' of groundwater resources versus allowing for
the possibility of future control out of Austin. And we all know local
control is definitely best for everyone in the county!"
The September 28th celebration of OIL FIELD DAYS, which harkens back to the time when this city was a boom town, included two special historical designations. A marker was dedicated in honor of the Union Pacific Depot that has been in Winnsboro since 1878. The original structure burned in 1907 and was rebuilt on the same site in 1908...
On
September 8, 2002, about 200 people gathered at the City Auditorium for
the 9-11 Memorial Service organized by area church leaders. The hour-long
ceremony began with the Presentation of Colors by the Royal Rangers of
Outpost 256 from the First Assembly of God church. That was followed by
prayer, music, a meditation, a video produced by Paul Beaty that showed
footage of the attacks on the Twin Towers, and recognition of the men
and women of this area who serve as firefighters, police officers, emergency
medical technicians, and military personnel.
