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August 28 - September 1
Rated PG. Ends at 9:00pm
Coming Soon:
End of Oak Street
Practical Magic
Closed Wed. & Thurs.
Box office opens 7pm
Admission:
Adults $8, Children $7
Senior Citizens (Mondays) $6
936-598-3864
Around Town
Thank you, East Texas Communities Foundation!
August 26, 2026 - The Shelby County Children’s Advocacy Center is incredibly grateful to the East Texas Communities Foundation for a generous grant from the John Reagan Harris Community Fund.
This support helps us continue providing critical services to children and families in our community at no cost to them. We are thankful for partners who believe in the importance of protecting children, supporting families, and helping children heal.
Thank you for investing in the work of the Shelby County Children’s Advocacy Center and in the children of East Texas!
For more information about the CAC please visit our website at shelbycountycac.com
PawHei Say standing in front of a computer screen showing the 50th ETPF logo.
August 26, 2026 - The 2026 East Texas Poultry Festival tee shirts are now available for purchase at the following locations: Farmers State Bank Main Branch, The City of Center offices, White Cottage Mercantile and The Shelby County Chamber of Commerce. Regular sizes available – adult small to 3XL and youth small to youth XLarge; Toddler sizes 2T-5T.
Thank you to Center First Pentecostal Church, this year’s tee shirt Sponsor.
Thank you to Ms. Paw Hei Say, a Senior at Center High School and Mr. Ramirez, CHS Graphic Design Class Teacher for designing the logo.
The 50th Annual East Texas Poultry Festival, presented by Farmers State Bank, begins with the Opening Ceremonies, sponsored by Focused Care of Center at 10am on Thursday, October 1st and runs through Saturday, October 3rd on the Center downtown square. Gold Sponsors for the Festival are: Badders Law Firm, The City of Center, Pilgrims Pride, and Tyson Foods.
For additional information, please call 936.598.3682, email info@shelbycountychamber.com or visit www.shelbycountychamber.com.
August 24, 2026 - This year’s chicks have hatched and are well on their way to compete in the Poultry Festival, as students around the county have received their clutches of fuzzy fowl and are now working hard to produce the top specimen.
Chicks were distributed on Friday, August 21, 2026, to students from schools around Shelby County to begin growing so they can compete during the 50th Annual East Texas Poultry Festival on September 30, 2026.
Students starting in 3rd grade all the way to 12th participate in this enriching experience, and have the opportunity to learn a lot along the way about the poultry industry.
If everything goes to plan, at the end of their chicken growing experience, they may receive scholarship funds at auction for all of their hard work.
August 24, 2026 - The Rio Theatre proudly celebrated its 100th Anniversary just recently, marking a century of entertainment, memories and hometown tradition. Since opening its doors in 1926, the theater has welcomed countless guests, becoming much more that a place to watch films. It has served as a gathering place where first dates, family outings, celebration and lifelong memories have been made.
In honor of this significant milestone, we ask the community to share photographs and memories from years gone by. These special memories will be compiled into a book that will be presented to Mike and Nita.
Please send your special memories of the Rio to the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, in person or email to info@shelbycountychamber.com by September 30th.
August 20, 2026 - Yesterday, one of Texas’ oldest continuously operating movie theaters celebrated 100 years – The Rio Theatre.
A century of stories, laughter and unforgettable moments have been shared at The Rio since opening its doors in 1926. The Rio has served as the heart of our community, welcoming generations of families, friends and visitors through its doors. From the first movie shown, “Don Q., The Son of Zorro” to the block busters of today, The Rio has remained a treasured gathering place where memories have been made for 100 years.
In an age when many historic neighborhood theaters have closed, The Rio has continued to thrive, thanks to Mike and Nita, who work tirelessly to preserve this piece of history. The Rio continues to thrive thanks to the community and loyal patrons who support our local treasure. Its longevity is a testament to the enduring value of small town traditions and the importance of preserving historic landmarks.
A celebration will be scheduled at a later date.
August 18, 1016 - Local agencies gathered to participate in a school safety meeting at the active Shelby County courthouse on Monday, August 17, 2026.
Sheriff Gerald Corbell and Chief Deputy Mike Hanson led the meeting and spoke with those present about incident preparation and equipment maintained by some agencies and schools.
There was some after action review of a recent school response that resulted in an evacuation, and that developed into further discussion of improvements, as well as, designated evacuation locations.
The meeting also covered medical response, including where the closest medical facilities are to each school, and potential plans of action.
Different communication options were also discussed, and Chief Hanson imparted to everyone at the meeting that the communications system for the county is down to one tower currently.
Sheriff Corbell asked fire departments present to encourage other departments to have representatives present at future meetings so that everyone can be on the same page.
Agencies and officials present included the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department; Allison Harbison, Shelby County Judge; Luciana Barr, Emergency Management Coordinator; Texas Department of Public Safety; Texas Game Warden; Center Police Department; Deep East Texas Council of Governments; Excelsior ISD; resource officers with Center ISD, Shelbyville ISD, Joaquin ISD, Timpson ISD; Shelby Emergency Department; West Shelby County Volunteer Fire Department (VFD); Shelbyville VFD; and Huxley VFD.
PawHei Say standing in front of a computer screen showing the 50th ETPF logo.
August 17, 2026 - Congratulations to PawHei Say, a Senior at Center High School, for designing the 50th anniversary logo for the East Texas Poultry Festival. Say is a graphic design student of Mr. Ramirez who guided the students to research font styles and more from 1977 to help with designing the logo.
PawHei Say said when creating her design she took 'fall' as her inspiration for the colors in the logo.
Deborah Chadwick, President of the Shelby County Chamber of Commerce, made a special presentation to Say of a goody bag that included a check, a festival T-shirt, and button featuring her artwork.
Poultry Festival History: Below is a June 23, 1977 news article announcing the festival in The Alto Herald, Alto, Texas.
Center Schedules Poultry Festival
Center, Texas - The first annual East Texas Poultry Festival, all day gospel singing talent contest and all night gospel singing will be held in Center on Saturday, July 23 [1977].
Although there will be lots of delicious East Texas barbecued and fried chicken to eat, this first annual event will consist mostly of entertainment! The all day gospel singing talent contest on the Center courthouse square will have a $300 cash prize and a recording session in Nashville, Tenn. awarded to the winner. There will be five other cash prizes.
In addition to the all day activities on the square, the East Texas Poultry Festival will include an all night singing in the new Roughrider Football Stadium, featuring the Singing Christians, Governor Jimmy Davis and the Jimmy Davis Singers, James Blackwood and the Blackwood Brothers, Wendy Bagwell and the Sunlighters. Eddie Crook Singers, and the Glad Tidings Trio, Larry Warren of the Battle of Songs fame will be the master of ceremonies.
There is a possibility that the Four Mints a group that started their singing career in East Texas and later performed throughout the United States, and who have been retired from the entertainment business for many years, may regroup for this event.
At this date, already some thirty entries have been received for the talent contest. These will include quartets, trios, duets and soloists entered from throughout the Southwest and Southeast competing for a total of $1000 in prize money.
"Come enjoy a great day in Center. Bring your lawn chairs for the all night singing if you desire. Breakfast will be served all night in the football stadium and the best chicken you've ever eaten will be served all day in downtown Center," said Jack Bell, chairman of the East Texas Poultry Festival.
August 15, 2026 - The “Power of Giving as One” was on full display as 50 Women Impact presented a $10,900 check to Paradise Villa, recipient of the group’s 2026 third-quarter grant. The grant is an example of what can happen when women from across Shelby County join together with a shared purpose. Four times each year, members of 50 Women Impact combine their individual donations to make one significant gift to a deserving non-profit.
Since the group was established, its members have contributed more than $365,000 to non-profit organizations throughout Shelby County, providing much-needed support for programs that enrich lives and strengthen communities. “Every grant represents more than a dollar amount, “said a spokesperson for the group. “It represents the generosity of women who believe that by giving together, they can make a significant difference right here at home.”
Shelby County non-profit organizations are invited to apply for future grants during each funding cycle. Eligible applicants must be recognized 501( c ) 3 non-profit organizations in Shelby County. With each quarterly grant, 50 Women Impact (now with 109 members) continues to demonstrate that a community grows stronger when its members invest in one another. Congratulations to Paradise Villa on being selected as this quarter’s grant recipient and to the women of 50 Women Impact for continuing to make a meaningful difference in Shelby County!
August 13, 2026 - The University of Texas at Tyler will recognize summer 2026 degree candidates during Summer 2026 Commencement on August 15 at 9am in the UT Tyler Herrington Patriot Center and two Shelby County students are graduating from UT Tyler's School of Nursing.
Joaquin's Mariel Luna is graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree.
Timpson's Marsha Pohorelsky is graduating with a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree.
August 11, 2026 - Shelby County Outreach Ministries is grateful to everyone who supported our Bad Boy Lawnmower Raffle. Your generosity makes a real difference in our community! We are so grateful for the support, and we couldn't have done it without the amazing local sponsors who stepped up to help us out.
A special thank you goes to:
- The Lily Farm
- 1st Methodist Church of Center
- Shelby Savings Bank
- BNSF Railway
- Brookshire Bros.
- 1st Methodist Church of Shelbyville
We also want to extend our gratitude to American Outdoor Power in Timpson for their work and support with this fundraiser!
It’s local partners like these that keep our community going strong. We also want to thank everyone who bought a ticket. Your support means the world to us and will go a long way toward feeding the hungry and assisting the needy in Shelby County.
Thanks for being such a great community!
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