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Around Town
What-A-Melon Festival Time! Opening Ceremonies at 5pm
July 11, 2019 (Schedule Flyer) - The 30th Annual What-A-Melon festival is rolling into downtown Center, Texas starting July 11th for 3 days of fun in the sun! The three days of festivities, July 11th, 12th, and 13th is looking for participants to join in and help make this the best What-A-Melon Festival ever. Platinum sponsors for the festival are Badders Law Firm, Farmers State Bank, Shelby Savings Bank, and Holiday Nursing Home.
Entry into the festival is $5 per button and admission buttons are good all three days of the festival. Children five and under get in free. Arm bands are available each night of the festival for rides and are $20. Arm band hours are Thursday 5:30pm to 10pm and Friday/Saturday 5:30pm to 10:30pm.
The What-A-Melon Festival's biggest attraction, the Largest Watermelon Contest, is Thursday evening and the winning melons will be on display for festival visitors to see and have photos made with this year's largest watermelons! The weigh-in will be July 11th at 5pm under the big tent immediately following opening ceremonies. Come see who will take home the big prize money!
The Pet Show will be held Friday, July 12th at 6pm. Sign up is at 5:30pm to enter your favorite pet. Be sure to wow the judges by adding a little watermelon style to your pet's stage presence.
Reed Barton, a singer/songwriter from Burleson, Texas will take to the stage Friday, July 12th at 8:30pm. Come out and enjoy a finger lickin' mix of classic country and classic rock music and welcome Barton to the East Texas What-A-Melon Festival!
The What-A-Melon Fun Run/5K will jumpstart Saturday's activities at 7am. Proceeds from the run will benefit the Shelby County Historical Society.
The fan favorites - Seed Spitting Contest and Speed Eating Contest is set for 3pm Saturday, July 13th under the big tent! Come out and demonstrate your watermelon seed spitting skills along with who can down their melon slice the fastest! It's the best way to beat the heat with delicious watermelon.
The What-A-Melon Pageant is Saturday evening from 5:30pm until 7:30pm.
The What-A-Melon Festival is hosted by the Center Rotary Club.
Proceeds raised from the What-A-Melon Festival by the Rotary Club of Center are donated back to various organizations in the community to help fight hunger, provide scholarships, support the youth, and more! Through the years the club has made pledges which have helped construct the John D. Windham Civic Center, the Center Baseball Park, and the Center Softball Park. This year the club has pledged to help with the Center Soccer Fields.
July 10, 2019 - RIO movie goers received a Christmas-in-July gift last Friday, July 5th.
Mike Adkison explained, "You know the story at Christmas about the church that gave the tickets to the kids to watch The Grinch? Well, they did it again last weekend and I wanted to let everyone know how much the families enjoyed the surprise and generosity of the church!"
The church, Old Salem Missionary Baptist, sent a message to the RIO Theatre on facebook Friday morning expressing they would like to donate some children's tickets to see Toy Story 4 since parents have a lot of extra expenses when the kids are out of school.
Mike's wife, Nita, was thrilled to be the bearer of good tidings during these hot July days as families came to the ticket booth. In all, she reported the church donated 85 tickets and made a lot of parents happy on Friday night! The Adkisons both said there were so many that were truly appreciative and expressed a desire to let the church know!
The Rio Theatre is proud to present this good news especially with all of the bad stories seen on the news everyday and wanted to shine a light on a good story! "Just to see the surprise on parents faces when they found out they didn't have to buy their children's tickets was amazing. It was like a really bright spot in their day after a busy work week! We didn't have enough tickets to last all night but it went a long way and made a lot of people happy!," express Nita.
Thank you to Old Salem Missionary Baptist Church from the Rio Family and all the families who benefitted.
The RIO Theatre will be closed during the What-A-Melon Festival and reopen July 19th.
Related article: Movie Goers Receive Early Christmas Gift Thanks to Local Church
July 10, 2019 - Shelby County Outreach Ministries will have a booth set up at the What-A-Melon Festival! We are selling raffle tickets for a 2019 Polaris Ranger 500. Tickets are $20 each or 6 for $100. The winner is responsible for tax, title, and transfer. We will draw the name of the winner on the last day of the 2019 Poultry Festival which is on October 5th. All proceeds will go to the Outreach and will be used to feed the hungry and assist the needy. Please come out and support our community.
Entry form deadline extended to Monday, July 8th!
July 5, 2019 (Registration Form) - Don't miss out on the 2019 What-A-Melon Festival Pageant! Boys ages 0-5 and girls ages 0-19 will wear their favorite summer or watermelon attire on the stage under the big tent Saturday, July 13th during the festival on the downtown square in Center.
Wiggins Farms will be giving 2 Cash Scholarships for $250 each to the highest scores in 0-5 and 6-19 years.
Age divisions are: Baby 0-11 months; Toddler 12-23 months; Tiny 2-3 years; Little 4-5 years; Petite 6-8 years; Pre-teen 9-12 years; Teen 13-15 years; Miss 16-19 years; and Mister boys 0-5 years.
The deadline for entry is Friday, July 5. The deadline will not be extended. The pageant is Saturday, July 13th with registration at 5pm and showtime at 5:30pm. Pageant will be held under the big tent on the downtown square during the What-A-Melon Festival.
All contestants will receive a rhinestone crown. This is a natural beauty pageant, so only age appropriate makeup.
Entry forms can be picked up at the Chamber of Commerce office, Shelby County Today office, or download here. For more information, contact Denetra Slaughter at 936.590.1072 or denetra329@gmail.com or call J.J. at 936.591.9334. Forms and entry fees can be mailed to P.O. Box 64, Center, Texas 75935 or dropped off at Shelby County Today office, 202 Field Street, Center, Texas 75935.
Local Lawyers Participate in Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights Ceremonial Reading (Videos)
July 5, 2019 - Shelby County criminal defense lawyers Lynda K. Russell, Jeff Adams and Deck Jones gathered at the front of the Historic Shelby County Courthouse July 3, 2019 to give a ceremonial reading of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.
This has been an annual event since 2016 and was organized by the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association across the state of Texas.
Before the speech began, the audience was entertained and participated in singing with Danny Paul Windham and Sally Windham as they performed "Battle Hymn of the Republic," "This Land is Your Land," and "God Bless America."
July 5, 2019 - Shelby County Outreach Ministries is hosting their annual Fan Drive. Texas heat can be fatal for elderly and those with health conditions. While a fan is a simple object, the impact of it can be crucial to the health and well-being of those suffering in the summer heat. Fans can be dropped off at Shelby County Outreach Ministries Offices.
For more information about receiving a fan, come by or call 598-4990 for the guidelines to receive one.
July 5, 2019 - The Joaquin Volunteer Fire Department has announced the winners of a fundraiser they recently held.
On Thursday July 4th, The Joaquin Volunteer Fire Department held a drawing for the winners of a multi-item raffle. The drawing was held on the Logansport River Front Stage prior to the Annual Rickey Warren Memorial Fireworks Show. The fundraiser was a huge success, thanks to the local businesses who donated prizes. The winners are as follows:
Ruger American Rifle chambered in 6.5 Grindel donated by Farmers State Bank, with a Vortex 4x12 scope donated by Joaquin Tire and Road Service: won by Rodney Dean.
Sig-Sauer P-365 handgun chambered in 9 MM, donated by American State Bank was won by Neal McFadden.
Keltec PMR-30 handgun chambered in .22 Magnum, donated by Shelby Savings Bank was won by Mike Sanders.
Remington 870 12-gauge pump action shotgun donated by RCS Saltwater/ Jim and Judy Strong was won by Derwin Howell.
$500 Visa card donated by Nuverra Environmental was won by Joe Scruggs.
4100 Watt Generator donated by Dean’s Hardware was won by Keith Jefferson.
30 quart Pelican Cooler donated by DNOW Supply was won by KC Carpenter.
Congratulations to all of the winners
July 3, 2019 - To honor over half a million Texans who served in Vietnam, a special Texas limited edition 'Vietnam War 50th Commemoration: A Time to Honor,' stories of Service, Duty, and Sacrifice is available to them, compliments of Governor Greg Abbott.
Shelby County Vietnam Veterans wishing to obtain a copy, may contact Sherry Riley at the Shelby County Veterans Service office to place an order. The phone number is (936) 598-6530.
You will need to provide name, zip code, email address, phone number, how you heard about the book, a VA claim number, and whether or not you are enrolled in VA healthcare.
There are a limited number of books in this first distribution; therefore, we must ensure Vietnam War Veterans are the only recipients. If funding is available, there might be a second distribution next year. We will provide only 1 book per verified Texas Vietnam War Veteran.
July 1, 2019 - The Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association has announced that the United States Declaration of Independence will be read aloud on the front steps of the county courthouses of Texas counties prior to July 4, 2019.
In Shelby County, the Declaration will be read by local criminal defense lawyers, Jeff Adams, Lynda K. Russell and Deck Jones. This will take place at the main entrance to the historic Shelby County Courthouse at 4pm, Wednesday, July 3, 2019. This year’s reading will also include a reading of the Bill of Rights.
This year, a special guest is expected to attend and lead the attendees in a couple of patriotic songs.
The Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association is proud to participate in protecting the rights of all persons in this country. Everyone is invited to come by and help celebrate the 243rd anniversary of our nation’s independence.
For more information, please contact Deck Jones at 936-598-5737.
July 2, 2019 -The Center Noon Lions Club installed new Officers for the 2019-2020 year during their annual banquet held June 27, 2019.
The 2019-2020 Officers for Center Noon Lions Club are President - Josh Jones (left photo); 1st VP - Alan Ricketson; 2nd VP - John Jenkins; Lion Tamer - Sammy Arnold; Tail Twister - Danny Paul Windham; Secretary - Roger Doyle; Treasurer - Jim Sawyer; 1 Year Directors - Clay Ihlo, Josh Hannah, John Howard, and Leroy Newman; 2 Year Directors - Brian Dean, Stephen Gamble, Dan O'Rear, Carl Smith; and Immediate Past President - Joey Lawson.
Appreciation and recognition was also given to Joey Lawson for his dedication to the club during the 2018-2019 term as president of the club.
Roger Doyle preformed the installation ceremony. He is a Center Noon Club Lions Club member and current secretary of the club. He was also installed as the District Governor for District S1 at the Lions Club 101st International Convention last July. District S1 consists of 49 Lions Clubs and covers Angelina, Cherokee, Hardin, Jasper, Jefferson, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Panola, Polk, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, Shelby, Trinity and Tyler counties.
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