Polk County News - Breakout

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NEW ROOF GOING UP - Contractor Patrick Swilley and members of his crew are shown putting the new roof on the Jonas Davis Log Cabin in Heritage Park. Having been taken over by resurrection fern to the point of deterioration, work has been underway for several months to repair and refurbish the cabin. Photo by Emily Banks Wooten 

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From Enterprise Staff

The Polk County Office of Emergency Management is hosting a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine clinic from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. today at the Dunbar Gym located at 1103 Dunbar Ave. in Livingston.

Booster immunization with the Moderna vaccine will be available for individuals 18 and older. Walk-ins are welcome without an appointment. Follow the posted signage regarding parking at the location.

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By Emily Banks Wooten
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Polk County’s new recycling center has been open two days a week on a trial basis for several weeks now and will continue to for the foreseeable future. Located at 10311 Hwy. 146 in Livingston, the center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursdays and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

“To our recyclers, we want to thank you so much for your interest in recycling and say that we appreciate your support and contributions,” Kari Miller said. Miller, assistant to Polk County Judge Sydney Murphy, also serves as the county’s liaison to the Polk County Recycling & Beautification group.

“Based on some of the recent drop-offs, we want to provide some more information about the particulars of this center. Polk County Recycling & Beautification doesn’t have the capacity to recycle all types of materials, so we want to let you know what we can, and can’t, take and hope you will help us by spreading the word to your friends and neighbors,” Miller said.

Items the center can accept include:

#1 Plastics. These include beverage bottles (rinsed and without lids) and various other clear food containers. You know it’s a #1 if it has a triangle stamped in the plastic with a “1” inside it.

#2 Plastics. These are thicker containers, like milk jugs and detergent bottles (rinsed and without lids). You know it’s a #2 if it has a triangle stamped in the plastic with a “2” inside it.

Corrugated Cardboard (clean and dry)

Aluminum Cans (empty)

Mixed Paper (envelopes, magazines, newspapers, colored paper, paper-back books, etc.) Paper should be sorted separately from all other materials.

“Any plastics that don’t have a triangle, like bags and other filmy plastics, or plastics that have a triangle with numbers 3-7 in them cannot be recycled at our facility. We don’t have buyers for those materials, so they have to be thrown away. Unfortunately, we also cannot take food or drink cartons or greasy pizza boxes,” Miller said.

“All materials should be pre-sorted so they can be put in the appropriate bins. This will help reduce the strain on PCRB staff and volunteers and ensure the operation is successful. It is also important that the materials be relatively clean to help keep the center clean and ensure the materials fetch the best possible price in the market,” Miller said.

“We sincerely appreciate our first wave of donors and look forward to visiting next time you come see us. Together, we can make our community and county a more beautiful place,” Miller said.

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From Enterprise Staff

A youth theater production of “A Charlie Brown Christmas” will be presented in the sanctuary of the First United Methodist Church of Livingston at 6:30 p.m. Friday with a matinee performance at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

The production is being put on by the Performing Arts Society of East Texas (P.A.S.E.T.), a ministry of FUMC Livingston.

A special “invited dress rehearsal” preview performance will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday for anyone unable to attend the other performances. Please note that to attend the “invited dress rehearsal” an RSVP is required by calling the director at 936-327-7100, ext. 118.

While this and other projects have been in the planning stages for some time, previous attempts to launch P.A.S.E.T—FUMC’s newest ministry and outreach project—were delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. As such, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” will serve as the much-anticipated inaugural event in what the church hopes will be an ongoing effort to bring quality, live entertainment to Polk County and the surrounding area by way of theatrical productions and other events that promote Christian values through uplifting and edifying programming that ministers to audience members of all ages and backgrounds.

The production is directed and produced by FUMC’s Director of Music & Performing Arts Jonathan N. Kupper with sets and costumes by former FUMC children’s director Sally Frasier and Polk County Memorial Museum Curator and longtime theater technician Betsy Deiterman.

The show stars young actor-performers from around the Polk County area including Dean Culp in the title role as well as principle roles played by: Jami, Mikayla and Evelyn Grimes, Austin and Addison Poe, Zoe Benningfield, Aubrey Hall and Landon and Austin Cruise among several other talented, young performers.

“A Charlie Brown Christmas” is a general admission production with no ticket price. Instead, donations will be accepted and encouraged at the performances of the show with all proceeds going to support the music and performing arts ministry of Livingston FUMC.