Trinity County News - Breakout

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The weather this weekend was awful. However, even with the rain, it did not damper activities for the Trinity County Veterans. I attended the VFW Veteran’s Appreciation Banquet at the VFW Hall on Caroline Street, and it was lovely.

The tables were decorated with red and blue tablecloths, and patriotic centerpieces aligned each table with adorning flatware. The beef stroganoff was to die for, and the dessert table blessed us with pecan praline cake and a cherry dunk cake with pecans.

The door prizes were generous, and everyone took home a wonderful two hours of fun, food, and frivolity. Thank you, Marilyn Barnes and friend who literally got off a boat earlier, to host this celebration. By the time you read this the last celebration for the Veterans was at River Pointe of Trinity Rehabilitation Center on Monday.

I talked to my “old” friend who said the Wall of Honor generated more than $25,000 from a fundraiser on Oct. 28. What a fabulous job this community does for the Trinity County veterans.

•Unfortunately, the Haley Burk Memorial Foundation Chili Cook-off was aborted due to the rain In the Trinity Community Center. Watch for their next event coming up in March, a baseball tournament for Trinity 2024 senior scholarships.

•Nov. 21 is the Friends and Family Dinner at First Methodist Church of Trinity, 131 N. Elm St., from 4-7 p.m. Games. music, and food is the agenda for the evening, and donations are welcome. For more information call (936) 594-3826.

•In the next few weeks, I will be spreading the news about the 25th annual Trinity Peninsula Chamber of Commerce Christmas Show, and if you have not signed up to participate in the show or parade, it is not too late. Generous donations are being offered for the parade winners, and gift certificate drawings are up to (8) for $50 each. First place winners for the six parade categories will receive $250 each. Categories are cars, trucks, emergency vehicles, walkers, students, ATVs, and motorcycles.

Applications for the Trinity Peninsula Chamber of Commerce Christmas Show have been sent, but if you did not get one (mailed to vendors from last year) and you want to participate in the show, please call or text me at (936) 537-8171. You may also email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Parade Chairman is Matt Budsize at (936) 661-4172.

The venue for the Christmas Show this year is at the Trinity Community Center. The show starts at 10 a.m. and ends with a tree lighting ceremony at 7 p.m. Awards for the best parade entrants and contestants will be announced then, along with gifts cards given for the citizens of Trinity to enjoy shopping from local businesses.

Entertainment starts at noon with the Trinity Lions Club Choir singing on stage at the Pavilion in the park. After this performance the Trinity Barbershop Quartet will sing and third is the Trinity Pentecostal Tabernacle Church Choir at 1 p.m. Our favorite local singers are Kelly Hartsfield and Keren DeBose at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. respectively.

Liberty Christian Center’s dancers will follow the singers and the Sam Houston State University Jazz Ensemble will perform a concert at 4 p.m.

The Children’s Corner is open from noon until 6 p.m. and a visit from Santa will take place in the Annex Room of the Trinity Center Exhibit Hall from 2 until 4 p.m. S’mores for the children will start out by the children’s play area at 4 and end at 6 p.m.

The Parade starts at 6 p.m. from North Robb Street and proceeds south to the Trinity Community Center and disperses at the old Alco Parking lot. The Tree lighting Ceremony starts at 7 p.m. at the Pavilion at the Trinity Community Center Park with awards and prizes announced at 7:30 p.m.

Participation in the Christmas Show has been phenomenal. In addition to the vendors, entertainment, and games, the parade will have lots of entrants. The theme for the Parade is Winter Wonderland — 151 Years in the Park. Please contact Matt and Jennifer Budsize for the parade entry details and application at (936) 594-0621.

River Pointe of Trinity is sponsoring the Santa Claus float again this year, and their theme is the Polar Express. Higginbotham Brothers is presenting the children’s story, Trinity Crime Stoppers is presenting “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas,” Trinity Brookshire Brothers is doing “Charlie Brown’s Christmas,” and the Trinity High School Band and TISD Bus will be in the lineup with their performances along the way. Please Join and support the Trinity Christmas at the Crossroads Show and Parade this year.

•Another event on planned on Dec. 2 is the VFW Eddie and Maxie Dinner and Dance starting at noon and ending at 4 p.m. The band is Al White and the Chaparral. Also on Dec. 9, the VFW is hosting a Holiday Hoedown from 7-11 p.m.

The DJ is Trubeats Entertainment. The cost is $10 for students, $15 for adults, and $10 for couples. There will be an Ugly Sweater Contest and Kisses under the Mistletoe for entertainment. For more information, contact Marilyn Barnes at (281) 782-8309.

•These are the events for the first two weeks in December:

•Nov. 20-24 is TISD Winter Break.

•Thanksgiving Day is Nov. 23.

•Dec. 1 is Little Miss Snowflake Contest.

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Special to theNews-Standard

TRINITY — MidCoast Health System is excited to expand its services to Trinity, and in the past year we have been going through necessary renovations and upgrades to the incredible facility provided by the Trinity Memorial Hospital District.

The licensing process to reopen a hospital is a multi-step, lengthy operation that involves many state and federal entities. While MidCoast does not have a date to formally announce the opening of the hospital, the administration is excited to share that the facility currently is awaiting an Architectural Review Inspection of the building and will receive the license shortly after.

MidCoast Medical Center-Trinity will host a 24/7 emergency room, CT and X-ray services, lab diagnostic services, and therapy. MidCoast Well Care Clinic-Trinity currently is open and able to offer primary care services to the members of the community.

MidCoast is grateful to be in an area with such welcoming residents and is looking forward to the opportunity to grow with the city. The support from The Trinity Memorial Hospital District, the local service vendors and contractors, the residents of the community, and elected government officials for allowing us the opportunity to provide healthcare to this deserving community is appreciated.

City of Trinity Mayor Billy Goodin said that the opening of the hospital will bring much-needed health care services to the community as well as creating jobs for our local economy.

“Having readily available healthcare is a huge step towards growth and will make us more attractive to individuals and businesses that may be looking to relocate to our area,” he said.

TMHD Board Member Cheryl Spearmen spoke on the positives of opening the hospital.

“Jobs will be created and people to fill those jobs will be needed,” she said. “The school district, city, and county will grow because of the hospital opening. Trinity and the surrounding areas will reap the rewards of the TMHD’s goal, ‘To provide quality health care to the members of our community.’”

TMHD Board Member Steve Hancock sees the need for a hospital in this community and thanks the residents of Trinity for their patience as we work through numerous challenges to bring health care back.

Randy Karnes, TMHD Board president, said, “The process to find a suitable partner to run the hospital and then to acquire the necessary license and accreditations to open have been a daunting task that was harder than we could have imagined.

“It is with great joy, satisfaction, and relief that we can finally state that the Trinity area will have a functioning ER and hospital to serve the community,” he said. “We ask the community to welcome and help support Mid Coast and their dedicated employees in the operation and future expansion of services.”

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Veterans enjoy a meal prepared by Groveton ISD to honor them for their service. Photo by Chris Edwards

By Chris Edwards
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GROVETON – In Texas, the unmistakable smell of burning cook wood and barbecue seasonings is about as commonplace as a car chase in a James Bond film.

Those smells, always the harbinger of something delicious to eat, filled the auditorium of Groveton ISD last Thursday as the school district hosted its annual Veterans Day luncheon.

The district has made the luncheon an annual tradition, and veterans, as well as their spouses, as well as active duty military personnel, law enforcement and firefighters, were invited to come and enjoy an incredible meal of brisket, ribs, sausage and traditional Texas barbecue sides. The Groveton High School FCCLA students served up the fare, as well as directed traffic.

Attendees had the choice of dining in or pulling up to a drive-thru service line, where students delivered the meals to diners on the go.

The event, which has taken place at Groveton since 2014, continued even through the pandemic in 2020, where the district adapted to pandemic guidelines and served meals curbside.

This year, attendees who came to eat in the auditorium, came and enjoyed their meals and the fellowship opportunity afforded by the event. There was no presentation or speaker, just food and fellowship, factors that, along with the scheduling, were intentional, according to Groveton ISD teacher and FCCLA sponsor Maria Plotts.

The focus was solely on good food, fellowship, and above all, honoring those who’ve served, because of other Veterans Day celebrations coming up, and also just to give the attendees a chance to enjoy a good meal and to catch up with friends.

The tradition began with GISD Superintendent Jim Dillard, who was then serving as an assistant principal, Plotts and the dedicated FCCLA students. For Groveton’s Veterans Day lunch, the community donates all of the funds required to put it on, according to Plotts.

The reach of the event is not limited to Trinity County or the Groveton community, but to all surrounding areas, Plotts said. Veterans were invited from neighboring counties, and judging by the large crowd in the auditorium, many of them did come out to be served by the FCCLA students and the GISD staff, a tradition that has offered a way of giving thanks to them for their service to country.

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Special to theNews-Standard

Mia Zuniga is again participating in the Miss United States Agriculture Pageant. Courtesy photoTRINITY — With just less than two weeks away from the Miss United States Agriculture Pageant, hosted in Temple, Mia Zuniga is gearing up to represent the county as your Trinity County Junior Miss.

This event isn’t your typical beauty pageant, but a scholarship-based program where young ladies across the state represent their county, advocating for agriculture throughout the year.

Mia is 11 years old, the oldest of her siblings, and is in the sixth grade. She was selected this fall to be the student advisor for her grade where she meets with the superintendent once a month to discuss all that is occurring in and around the school.

Mia has been involved with her local 4-H program for three consecutive years now and currently holds the secretary position. In 4-H, Mia participates in showing lambs, building shop projects, photography contests, and shooting club.

When she’s not chasing around her lambs, Mia participates in her youth group at church, cheers competitively, and spends time with her family and friends. Mia also currently reigns as the Junior Miss Trinity County Fair Queen where she contributes her time throughout the year helping local organizations.

This is her second year running at the spot for your Texas Junior Miss United States Agriculture with the hopes of making it to nationals.

For her platform this year, she wanted to bring out both sides of her heritage. She has been informing her peers just how much Texas trades with Mexico when it comes to produce and will have a presentation to represent all of the information she has learned.