Trinity County News - Breakout

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Unfortunately, we didn’t miss the January winter freeze-snow-no water phase. Several events had to be postponed and some were out and out cancelled. I will try to name a few that have been rescheduled that have appeared on Facebook.

The revisions I know to be happening, I will recite below, but first I want to report the passing of a special lady that I have known for 27 years, and she has been a force of nature in her love for her husband, children, grandchildren, and Trinity family.

Cheryl Rushing, my friend, expired on Friday night at 7 p.m. at the Trinity Rehabilitation Healthcare Center on Caroline Street.

Cheryl Rushing was a great lady and will be sorely missed by this community as well as her family. She was a fantastic cook and caterer and was a talented and artistic person. She was kind, sweet, forgiving, and had an infectious smile. I really liked her laugh.

She helped anyone that needed help, was faithful to her charities, and loved the Lord. Her services are on the Waller-Thornton website.

•Listed below are the date changes for events missed last week.

The Trinity Lions Club Meeting scheduled for Jan. 17 will now be held on Jan. 31 at noon at the Trinity Chamber Building. The program will be provided by the director of CASA from Huntsville. The public is invited.

The Trinity Historical Society meeting was postponed until April. If a meeting is needed before this time, the members will be notified of a specially called meeting. For more information, please call Diana Baker at (936) 581-1478.

I do not know if the special concert that was to be held at First Methodist Church last Thursday was cancelled or not, but I know I hated to miss it. They are an outstanding group of musicians. I will report next week If it was canceled or rescheduled.

•There are a lot of activities in February and March, so if I skip around forgive me. I will list the last of January events that I know for sure and try to stay in date order if I can.

First, The Trinity County Crime Stoppers Gala is the next major fundraiser to be held on Saturday at the Trinity Community Center. The 13th Annual Cowboy Mardi Gras invites the public to attend a ribeye steak dinner from 5-6:30 p.m. provided by Ray Goodrum and his chuckwagon staff and to BYOB and dance to the music of Kevin Carter and Friends from 8 p.m.-midnight.

The cost is $25 per person. Tickets are on sale now, and for more information, call Larry Grant at (936) 662-1502 or Rick Villarreal at (936) 577-4383. The doors open at 4:30 p.m. and the Silent Auction begins at 5 p.m. and ends when the Live Auction starts at 7 p.m. Auctioneer is Rick Villarreal.

•On Feb. 2, VFW Post 6899 on Caroline Street will hold a drawing for a portable generator before the Bingo session that starts that night at 7 p.m. Raffle tickets are on sale now. The raffle tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5. For more information, call Marilyn Barnes at (281) 782-8309.

On Feb. 3, the VFW will host an Eddie and Maxie Dance with Classic Country Music from noon until 4 p.m. The music is provided by the Bootleg Country Band, and the snack bar will be open at this time. For information call the post at (936) 594-9467.

•Last issue I announced about the Boys and Girls Club of Trinity were holding their annual Valentine Dinner and Dance at the Trinity Community Center this year, and the date is Feb. 9 with the doors opening at 5:30 p.m.

The cost of the gala is $50 each person. This includes a steak dinner, drinks, silent auction, cake auction, live auction, music and sweetheart pictures. The tables seat 8 people and cost $400. For more information, call David Lavassaur at (936) 594-0778.

•The catfish Lenten dinners will be held Feb. 16 and 23 and March 1, 8, 15 and 22 at Most Holy Trinty Catholic Church Fellowship Hall on Highway 19 North and are sponsored by the Knights of Columbus.

The cost is $12 for adults and $5 for children. The dinners support the THS Senior Scholarship program and other charities. You can dine in or take out dinners to go from 5-7 p.m.

•356 Volunteer Fire Department is hosting a barbecue and bingo fundraiser on March 3 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. They are located at 12427 FM 356. The cost is $14 for each person. In addition to the barbecue and bingo, there is a 50/50 raffle, and you can purchase more bingo cards at $1 each or 6 for $5. Donations are welcome.

•Feb. 12-15 is Communities in School week. Adrean Davis, the TMS advocate, is requesting help to celebrate this week. If you can donate prizes for raffles, food or other appreciation gifts, Adrean would be grateful for the support of her staff. They work diligently with at risk youth in Trinity every day in our middle school. For more information, call (936) 594-2421.

Also, Trinity Middle School Cheer tryouts are March 9. 2024. To provide your student with the necessary practice and instruction, they can attend a Cheer Clinic March 4-7. Cheer tryouts are for sixth- and seventh-graders at TMS.

Spring Break is March 11-14. 2024.

•We do have advance notice that the Trinity Community Fair Association has finalized its 2024 Fair Days for this year. This year the fair and livestock show will be held Sept. 19-21.

After 8 years, Jolie Lane finished her tenure. We were so fortunately to have her as president, and the association will miss her expertise very much. Looking forward to the new year, crawfish bowl, and carnival rides in September.

See you at the Cowboy Mardi gras Saturday.

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STOCK PHOTO

Special to theNews-Standard

The East Texas Chapter of Blast & Cast Men’s Ministries hosted a youth hunt on private properties located in Trinity and Houston counties January 12-14, the second youth hunt in the 2023-2024 deer season.

Eight boys and their fathers attended, and many of the boys were able to experience their first deer hunt under the supervision of experienced chaperones.

Trinity County Game Warden Anthony King and Houston County Game Warden Eddie Lehr both volunteered for the event. The boys were able to take pictures with the wardens, and Warden Lehr helped ensure that the boys understood the rules and regulations for hunting white-tailed deer in East Texas.

King even made time to volunteer as a chaperone at the event and enjoyed a day in the blind with a lucky father and son.

The opening orientation, safety briefing and dinner was attended by 45 members of the local community, with area landowners and numerous volunteers on site to support the boys and their fathers.

The following morning was quite cold with temperatures in the mid-20s, and it seems the local deer preferred the warmth of their bedding areas. The hunting was slow in the cold weather, but the boys harvested three deer and a feral hog while learning about sustainable and ethical wildlife management practices.

As a special treat, participants were able to witness a public baptism. Kenneth Pichotta, a deer hunter in Trinity County who was present as a volunteer at the event, made a public profession of his faith in Jesus and was baptized in a stock tank at the ranch on Saturday afternoon. After the frigid morning temperatures, it was a very bold and extremely cold statement that the event participants will not soon forget. It was also a great reminder that while the kids benefit from the hunting opportunity, it is usually the fathers and the volunteers who get the most out of the evening devotions and fellowship offered through the ministry.

Special thanks go out to Dwight Pyle, Scott Williams, and Ben Jones for allowing the boys to hunt on their land, and to the many volunteers who helped put the event together.

Blast & Cast Men’s Ministries is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to pointing outdoorsmen to the cross. Follow them on Facebook to catch new weekend events, videos, outdoor devotions, and more. Applications for next year’s youth hunts will be available on their website, www.blastandcast.org, sometime next summer.

A duck decoy carving clinic, a clay shoot, and numerous fishing events will be open for registration soon. If you would like to get involved as a volunteer or a landowner, please e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.

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By Mollie LaSalle
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State Rep. Trent Ashby (R-Lufkin) stumps for the crowd at the Emporium. PHOTOS BY MOLLIE LA SALLE | TCBWOODVILLE – A political forum featuring several candidates for local and state offices was held Saturday, Jan. 20 at the Emporium Stage in downtown Woodville.

Candidates in attendance were: Paulette Carson, who is running for state representative district 9, Mike King, who is running for sheriff of Tyler County, Trent Ashby, incumbent candidate, state representative, district 9; Bryan Weatherford, incumbent sheriff of Tyler County; Kent Chambers, candidate for the ninth court of appeals and Casey Whitworth, incumbent candidate for constable, Pct. 2.

Neil Alderman was the keynote speaker for the event and welcomed everyone in attendance. The candidates drew numbers, and Carson was the first to speak. She introduced herself and explained why she is running for state representative district 9. She answered a few questions from the audience, and yielded the stage to King, who explained what he would do if he were elected sheriff.

Incumbent state representative Ashby was next up and reiterated what he has accomplished in his 13 months in office and asked the voters to give him another term to continue the work he began in Austin in 2022. Incumbent sheriff Bryan Weatherford spoke next and asked the voters to re-elect him so he can continue moving the county forward.

Chambers was next up. Chambers is a lawyer in private practice in Montgomery County and is running for a vacant spot on the ninth court of appeals. Whitworth was the last candidate to speak. He is running against challenger Donald Calhoon in the March Republican Primary for the constable position.

All of the candidates were well prepared, gave excellent speeches, and outlined why they want your vote. There were a few hard-hitting questions fielded by the audience, and everyone who turned out got a chance to talk with the candidates on a one-on-one basis, to get their views and what they want to accomplish if elected.

March 5 is primary day, so get out and vote for the candidate of your choice.

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The city of Trinity, with the assistance of the Trinity Beautification Committee, installed new welcome signs in December 2023 on both ends of Highway 19. The signs measure 6 feet by 13 feet wide, and were funded by the Trinity Economic Development Council.Courtesy photo