Rated PG. Movie ends 9:20pm

Closed Wednesdays, Thursdays
Box office opens at 7:00pm. Showtime at 7:30pm.
Admission is $8 for adults and $7 for children.
Senior Citizen's Night
Mondays - $6 Admission

Around Town

Click any story headline to open the article and share it using social media: Facebook, Twitter.


Pictured are (from left): Kevin Martin, Larry Hume, Derrick Roberts, and Sean Martin.

November 1, 2025 - VFW Post 8904 members handed out Buddy Poppies in front of Walmart on November 1, 2025.

As VFW’s official memorial flower, the Poppy represents the blood shed by American service members and reiterates that the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Auxiliary will never forget their sacrifices.

Donations to help continue their community service work in Shelby County, and to meet the unexpected needs of our Shelby County Veterans ensuring they receive the support they deserve, can be mailed directly to PO Box 53, Center, TX 75935.


Pictured are (from left) Mary Roberts, Dylan Roberts, Larry Hume, Ike Reeves, and Richard Lundy.

October 29, 2025 - Shelby County Outreach Ministries need canned food donations as well as monetary donations due to the Government Shutdown. Our organization received a call from the Food Stamp Department wanting us to be aware that as of right now no one will be receiving food stamps for the month of November.

Shelby County Outreach has been serving up to 500 families monthly prior to this new situation. We are asking for businesses, church families, organizations, anyone that can help to please do so.

Shelby County Outreach Ministries is located at 930 Shelbyville Street, or mailing address is P.O. Box 1029, Center, Texas 75935. For more information, please contact us at 936-598-4990.

Related Link: 2025 Federal Government Shutdown (Texas HHS)

Editor's note: Data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) shows Shelby County, Texas in 2022 had a total of 4,370 individuals receiving SNAP Benefits. Additional data for Shelby County shows in 2023 the percentage of population below the poverty level (5-year estimate) is 23.5% with an estimated 4,321 people of all ages in poverty.

October 28, 2025 - Scrap Happy Quilters Meeting will be Saturday, November 1, 2025 at 9am at the James-Antioch Community Center. Project for the day will be making wheelchair caddies.

Be sure and contact one of our members for tickets to win a quilt. This year you will have 5 chances. Tickets are $2 each or 6 for $10. The proceeds will go to the upkeep of the community center and funds to purchase batting for the quilts we make and donate. The rest of the supplies for the quilts come from the members own supplies. Thank you for your support. Tickets can be purchased at Shear Perfection Beauty Salon on Tenaha Highway, or contact Margaret Smith on Facebook, Carolyn Charlie Chandler on facebook, or on the Scrap Happy Quilters Center, Texas facebook page.

October 28, 2025 - (Photo Album) - Timpson Area Chamber of Commerce, local churches, businesses and citizens came together Sunday, October 26, 2025, to offer their children a good time, candy, hotdogs, popcorn and activities on the downtown plaza in Timpson. 

The event had a good turnout and community involvement from everyone.

October 28, 2025 - Community beautification is a major goal of the Center Garden Club. Recently, several members gathered to decorate the planter urns on the downtown square for fall.  The club wishes to thank the City of Center for its support with this project.

The ladies working on the project are (from left) Lavonne Wood, Vicky Warren (standing), Janette Wittmann (seated), Cherry Jones, Carolyn Bounds, Pam Sykes (chairman), and Jennifer Whittlesey.

October 28, 2025 - The Shelby County Aggie Moms want to give a huge Thank You to everyone who purchased raffle tickets and supported our Aggie students! Your generosity helps us continue providing scholarships to Shelby County students attending Texas A&M University.

The drawing was held at our monthly meeting on October 27, 2025. We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 raffle:

  • Howdy Package: Amanda Freeman
  • Gig ‘Em Package: Rebecca Oliver
  • Reveille Package: Cody Lackey
  • Whoop Package: Andy Gardner

A very special thank you goes out to our amazing donors - your kindness and generosity make all of this possible. We are so grateful for your continued support of our Aggies!

Thanks and Gig ‘Em!

Donors: 4G Contractors; Alex Shelton Photography; Anglin Restaurant Development; Bink’s Quick Stop; BRK Meats; Brookshire Brothers - Center; Center Health and Harmony; Center Motor Company & Center ATV; COR Boutique; Cornerstone Construction; Dazzle Me Pink & Blue; Diamond B Cafe; Fox Hills Ranch; Haven Nail Spa; High Roller; Hughes Florist; J. Ken Muckleroy, Attorney at Law, P.C.; Jason & Shelley Locke; Joe’s Car Spa; Johnson Produce; Jon Schillings; Jucy’s Hamburgers; Lasting Impressions; Linked and Charmed; Living Texas Realty Group; Lola Farms; Mathews Realty; McAdams Propane; Melanie & Brad Hughes; Mettauer Law Firm; Mooney’s Emporium; NEXGEN Energy; Payne & Payne Home N’ Suchlike; Ratley’s Wild Game Processing; Ray Jones Chevrolet; Roddy’s Heartbeat; Sabine State Bank; Self Defense America; Shelby Savings Bank; Shelby Veterinary Associates; Snell Photography; T&C Management, LLC; Trails End Grocery & RV; Team 3 Rentals; The Little Fox Marketplace; West Bros. Saddlery; and White Cottage Mercantile.


Everyone in attendance for the grand opening of the new Joaquin Volunteer Fire Department Central Station participated in the "Push-in" ceremony.

October 27, 2025 - The Joaquin Volunteer Fire Department (JVFD) proudly held the grand opening and open house of its new Central Station at 10am, October 25, located on 10777 Highway 84, next to the U.S. Post Office. The milestone event marked a significant moment in the department’s history, celebrating decades of service, community partnership, and growth.

The ceremony began with Fire Chief Jeremy Boyett welcoming guests and recognizing the department’s leadership past and present. Chief Boyett honored former Chief Travis Rodgers, the department’s first fire chief, as well as past Chief Steve Cockrell, an active member, and the surviving family members of the late Chiefs Elmer Mathews, Mike Wood, and Perry Pugh. Mrs. Donna Pugh, wife of the late Chief Pugh, was among those in attendance.


Pictured are family of Mike Woods (from left): Carsen McFarland (granddaughter), Jennifer Whittlesey (daughter), Mary Grace Whittlesey (granddaughter), Lavonne Wood (wife) and Joaquin Volunteer Fire Chief Jeremy Boyett.

Brother Joe Walker of Logansport Missionary Baptist Church led the invocation and a special blessing for the new station. Assistant Chief Stephen Ewing followed by sharing the rich history of the Joaquin Volunteer Fire Department with attendees.

Chief Boyett then presented a commemorative plaque to the Public Safety Corporation, whose support made the new facility possible. Members of the committee recognized include President Rusty Wilson, Vice President Rodney Dean, Phil Worsham, Vance Jordan, and the late Jay Dee Cockrell. A heartfelt thanks was also extended to Cornerstone Construction and owner Jeff Dean for their integral role in constructing the new station.


Pictured are family of Elmer Mathews (from left): Joaquin Volunteer Fire Chief Jeremy Boyett, Rodney Mathews (son), Denise Mathews (daughter-in-law), and Amber Mathews  (granddaughter) holding Cooper Deshotel (great-grandson).

In keeping with firefighting tradition, the ceremony concluded with a “push-in” event, where JVFD members and community guests joined together to roll Engine 1 into the new station, symbolizing the official beginning of operations at the facility. Guests were invited to sign the station’s guest book and enjoy refreshments, including a commemorative cake. The department also hosted a hamburger plate fundraiser, adding to the festive community spirit.

As the late Chief Mike Wood often said, “A good time was had by all.” The Joaquin Volunteer Fire Department extends sincere gratitude to the citizens, partners, and organizations whose continued support makes their mission possible.


Pictured are (from left): Donna Pugh (wife of Perry Pugh) and Joaquin Volunteer Fire Chief Jeremy Boyett.

“We’re proud of our history, grateful for our community, and excited for the future,” said Chief Boyett. “This new station will help us serve Joaquin and the surrounding area for generations to come.”


Pictured are family of Jay Dee Cockrell (from left): Kade Cockrell (son), Jodi Cockrell (daughter), Selisha Cockrell (wife), and Joaquin Volunteer Fire Chief Jeremy Boyett.


Pictured are (from left): Rusty Wilson, Public Safety Corporation Board President; and Joaquin Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jeremy Boyett.


Pictured are (from left): Joaquin Volunteer Fire Chief Jeremy Boyett and former Chief Travis Rodgers.


Pictured are (from left): Joaquin Volunteer Fire Chief Jeremy Boyett and past Chief, and current member, Steve Cockrell.

October 27, 2025 - (Photos Courtesy Larry Hume) - VFW Post 8904 gathered at the Shelby County Veterans Memorial on Thursday, October 23, 2025 to remember those who lost their lives 42 years ago in Beirut, Lebanon due to the bombing of a Marine compound.

Zachery McCormick, Post Life Member, led the program, sharing that early on a Sunday morning when around 06:21 hours, on October 23, 1983, two truck bombs struck buildings in Beirut, Lebanon that housed American and French service members in a multi-national force in Lebanon.

They were performing peacekeeping operations during the Lebanese civil war. The attack killed 307 people, 241 of which were American military, 58 were French military, six were civilians plus the two attackers.

The first suicide bomb detonated a truck bomb at the building serving as a barracks for the 1st Battalion, Eighth Marines, Second Marine Division; killing 220 Marines, 18 sailors and three Army soldiers. This was the deadliest single day death toll for the United States Marine Corps since the battle of Iwo Jima in World War II and the deadliest single day death toll for the U.S. Armed Forces since the first day of the Tet offensive in the Vietnam War.

Another 128 were wounded in the blast and 13 others later died of their injuries. 

Minutes after the first bombing, a suicide bomber attacked a nine-story building where the French contingent was stationed, a few kilometers from the first.

In honor of those who died that day and the days that followed, a wreath was hung on the Shelby County Veterans Memorial by Dennis Menz, US Marine Corps veteran.

During the program, the following letter was shared, 

Remembrance Of Jim Wulf (Brother Of The Late Mike Wulf) Life Member, Lives In Napoleon, Ohio.

On October 23rd 1983 I was a 2nd class petty officer in the us. Navy. We were on a normal western pacific cruise which lasts six months. Suddenly our mission changed and we were sent up the Suez Canal and I remember seeing the pyramids and how amazing that was.

We really didn’t know what we were heading into. We ended up sitting a mile offshore and we began flying supplies into the marine compound. They told us we were a part of the multinational peacekeeping force but it didn’t look like peace to me, the bombing was going on day and night and the us was not a part of it.

I remember one day when a commander whom I had never seen before came into my machine shop and told us that we needed to make ejections pins for an Israeli aircraft to drop British bombs. I informed him that I did not have clearance to make those changes. He informed me the 6th fleet admiral said I did, so we made probably 20 of them. I asked the commander how will I know if they worked and he said when you see the plane go by and it doesn’t come back then you will know it didn’t work, that was a gut check.

We sat there off the coast for about a month and a half when they blew up the marine compound. I was on the USS Tarawa a helicopter carrier along with 2000 marines on board. The American ships moved over the horizon and opened up on Beirut. We stayed a few more days and then we headed back to San Diego.

We didn’t know how bad it was until we got home. I will never forget what happened there and still have dreams about it.


Pictured are (from left): CAC staff members Marlene Hernandez, Sarah Shires, Denise Merriman, ETCF Program Officer Dana Durman, and CAC staff member Juana Valdez

October 27, 2025 - The Shelby County Children’s Advocacy Center (SCCAC) recently received a grant in the amount of $10,000 from the John Harris Community Fund at East Texas Communities Foundation (ETCF).

These funds will cover a portion of the CAC’s daily operating expenses. We are grateful to ETCF for their continued support of our agency and their commitment to improving the lives of children and families in our community who have been impacted by abuse.


Pictured are (from left): Tammie Covington, Joel Covington, Nick Lebrun, and Johnny Covington.

October 26, 2025 - Covington Lumber and Construction Company held a customer appreciation day on Friday, October 24, 2025.

Customers were provided a barbecue chicken meal and enjoyed visiting with all in attendance.

A separate free barbecue sandwich was also available and donations were being accepted toward Nacogdoches Shriners Sharon Temple.

Door prizes were given out to lucky winners and visitors enjoyed meeting with Nick Lebrun, MLF Bass Pro Tour Angler.

Pages