Trinity County News - Breakout

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By Tony Farkas
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GROVETON — The different departments of Trinity County recently discussed changes required for the new fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.

The changes were discussed at the regular County Commissioners Court meeting on June 27.

For most departments, increases were requested for postage and travel allowances/mileage, since the costs in both areas continue to rise.

A request for a new mower and computer for the museum was not left in the budget, but instead will be bought outright through the RFP process.

Also, Tax Assessor/Collector Nancy Shanafelt said she needs additional help and requested a part-time employee.

No approvals were given, as the budget will not be finalized until September.

In other business, the court:

•approved bids from Frost and Connors for road materials for the coming fiscal year;

•approved an agreement with DETCOG for new 911 PSAP services; and

•set a public hearing for July 25 to adopt a new road.

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Trinity County 4-H clubs received donations for various projects. Pictured are Barbara Chamberlin, RWTC President, presenting Melissa Randall, 4-H Adult Leaders President, and Stacye Tullos, Trinity County Extension Agent, with a check during their Adult Leader meeting.

Special to theNews-Standard

On Thursday, June 22, 2023, The Republican Women of Trinity County presented a monetary donation to the Trinity County 4-H Adult Leaders.

The funds will be dispersed as needed to the different Trinity County 4-H clubs and their projects.

The future is in the hands of our youth and that future looks good in Trinity County with the help of the 4-H clubs and their volunteers.

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Our Children’s Summer Reading Program has 30 children registered and your librarian expects more before the end of our program. Our program continues through July 28. There is still time to get your child registered.

Story time reading on June 13 was by Lisa Soto from the Kennedy Health and Rehab in Lufkin. She read three different of her favorite childhood books and then handed the children a stuffy toy of the story. There were 12 children and nine adults.

On June 15, Mrs. Rebecca Fleck came with her greeting card making materials and taught the children how to make Father’s Day Cards and cards for the Nursing Home residents. We had 17 children and 10 adults for the card-making class. On June 20, Mrs. Fleck came and brought her cameras and the children learned how to use and take of the cameras and how to take pictures.

We practiced taking inside pictures of a stuffed sloth animal, books and a friend. We then went outside to take photos of the courthouse, a leaf, a tree, the library, a car, a flower, a bug and then their choice of a subject. On Tuesday, the children will make their own photo albums with the pictures they took.

On June 22, the library had Ms. Sharon Crissey from World Book read to the children. She read True or False? Around the World. There were seven children and eight adults. They all had a great time interacting with the world globe and answering questions. The adults learned along with the children. We made paper airplanes to commemorate our travel around the world experience and that was so much fun and brought back some childhood memories for your librarian.

On Thursday, local author Janet Batchelor will read us one of her books. She now has four published books. They are “Al and the Owligator,” “Princess, Fred Frog and the Thing on the Log,” “‘Fraidy Fox” and “The Lonely Little Bulldog.” We look forward to her visits to our library.

The library will be closed for the July 4 holiday. Let’s all remember why we have this holiday.

•Texas Workforce Solutions representative will be here in the library on Monday, July 10, from 1 to 4 p.m. This is a service provided for anyone who needs help with employment opportunities.

•In regard to book donations, the library will not accept any books from individuals until after we move to the new location. Your librarian is in the process of boxing books getting ready for the move. We appreciate your understanding.

•Our New Building Fund balance is $5,358.93. We are still collecting pennies for our 1 Million Pennies Fund Drive. I get so excited every time someone brings me a baggie of pennies. It is the little things that add up. Thank you everyone.

•The library has received a few volumes of the “Journey to Jubilee, Groveton, Texas.” These books were donated to be used for a fund raiser and are for sale at the library. They will be for sale at $50 each. We have sold a few and still have some available.

•The library offers copy services and fax services and Notary Public services.

If you are aware of any person that is homebound and cannot get to the library but would like to have books to read, please call the library. We will work on a time for delivery and pickup of books if someone shows interest. This is your library. Please let me know how I can be of service to you.

Our hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 1 to 6 p.m. The library will be closed from Dec. 23 through Jan. 3, 2023.

Story time is at 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The library phone number is (936) 642-2483, and the location is in the rock building just east of the courthouse.

Cathy Czajkowski is director of the Groveton Public Library.

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Wow, what a week. If you don’t have a life of your own to live, then you certainly can live vicariously through the life of others. The demise of five wealthy adventurous men was a real tragedy for the world to see. We waited with bated breath hoping they would survive.

However, as a mother, why would you allow a young man to make this journey before he had yet experienced life’s normal adventures above the sea? This was my saddest thought about this tragedy.

Then my hopes were raised again thinking the world would be a better place if Vladimir Putin was deposed. This adventure was over quicker than my Sunday lunch. Again, this episode is not over yet, so I will have to stay tuned to everybody’s surmising until some truth finally comes out or we hear about more bloodshed.

I went for a “walkabout” Saturday morning and despite the heat, people were out and about, with activities abounding everywhere, but by two o’clock most events had closed shop and gone home.

The barbecue fundraiser for the El Salvador missionary group had cars at their location across from the Community Center. The downtown Christian Liberty Center Garage Sale was bustling, and the Martin Senior Center barbecue and Garage Sale fundraiser was happening on Walker Street as well.

•I do not know the success of these three fundraisers, but I do want to tell you about the success of the Trinity Lions Club’s 95th Anniversary Annual Banquet on Wednesday, June 21, at the Agavales Mexican Restaurant. It was awesome. The food was more than delicious, and the service was outstanding.

The newly elected District Governor 2S-1, Gerald Peterson, is from Onalaska, and he lamented the fact that his city did not have a facility like the Agavales restaurant to host venues like we did. The Agavales Restaurant’s new hosting room can seat 70 comfortably, has chairs and tables available to rent if you need them, and caters to your ever need.

The menu was fabulous, and we stuffed ourselves thoroughly. After lunch Dr. Garry Reece presented the membership awards to the attending members, and introduced the guest speaker, who imparted words of encouragement for Lionism.

The Lions Club International’s motto is “We Serve,” and every club’s mission is to serve the blind, as well as other eye-related challenges or diseases. Our membership dues are collected and donated to the Lions Club International Organization to purchase eyeglasses, provide leader dogs for the blind, sponsor corneal transplants, help with weather disasters, or other needs in the world, like hunger and diseases in third world countries.

The motto, We Serve, is the real crust of the goal for every Lion member to serve their community at home first. The last few years have been rough with the Covid-19 pandemic, but we are planning some new projects for 2023-2024.

Look for the Trinity Lions Club booth at the Trinity Community Fair this year. We will be recruiting and advertising to increase our membership to help with our community’s elderly shut in meals, our veterans, and to help with snacks for our financially challenged children. We support the fair with our booth participation, which in turn helps the Club earn scholarship money for Trinity ISD Seniors for 2023-2024.

•Speaking of the Trinity Community Fair Association, I do not know who or what the entertainment will be yet, but I do know the fair theme for this year is, “Country Pride, Community-Wide.” It is hard to believe this weekend is July 1. A lot of firework displays and activities to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday are planned for various locations around Trinity County.

The city of Trinity is having their fireworks display Saturday night on the old high school football field behind McDonalds drive through. The display will start on Stadium Street at dusk.

Shoreline RV Park and Marina on FM 356 is hosting activities, vendors, food, music, and fireworks with events starting at 10 Saturday morning and ending at dusk with the fireworks display at the marina.

On Tuesday, Groveton is having its Fourth of July event at the Y on Highway 94 East with fireworks at dusk also. They will have vendors, food, music, and much more, starting at 10 a.m.

I am sure there are more events planned at various subdivisions in Trinity County, but the only one I know about is my subdivision, which has had fireworks displayed every year for 20 years that I have lived here. Each year I watch a spectacular display from my back porch in the Westwood Shores Subdivision on FM 356.

The display takes place behind the Golf Club Pro Shop Driving range, and it is awesome. Along with family activities, they also have a parade of Golf Carts which are decorated to the nines. barbecue and music abound all day and ends at dusk with the fireworks display.

•I have one big announcement to make regarding the Martin Senior Service Center, starting July 1. The lunches served Monday through Friday will cost $6 per person. The cost of the meal includes meat, two sides, a green salad, dessert, and drink.

The primary contributor to the Martin Senior Service Center has completed its audit and realized we are qualified for more funding to help with the expansion of clients who receive meal deliveries daily at their home and the past two years of rising food costs. Thank you DETCOG.

•I am going to list the Vacation Bible School Schedules left for Trinity during the month of July and hope I do not miss anyone. I apologized in advance.

July 17-21, Liberty Christian Center, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

July 17-21, First Methodist Church of Trinity, 9 a.m. to noon

July 24-28, River of Life Church, 6 -8 p.m.

July 29, Prayer in the Park, Trinity Community Center, 10-2 p.m.

I will have some new events to report next week. See you around town.