Shelby County Today

October 1, 2016 (More Photos - Album1, Album2) - The Center High School Cafetorium was filled without an empty chair available to view the coronation ceremony of the East Texas Poultry Festival Queen's Scholarship Pageant as the 2015 Queen Kamaryn Smith placed the crown on the new 2016 Queen, Madelynn Hutchins. 

With Chris Watlington serving as the master of ceremonies, candidates were escorted onto the stage and introduced to the audience while they demonstrated their stage presence. The children's court then join the queen candidates on stage and were interviewed by Watlington concerning their experiences during the Poultry Festival pre-events especially having the opportunity to ride in the Doo-Dah Parade.

Special guests attending the Scholarship Pageant were past queens who Watlington introduced and welcomed to the stage to discuss their experiences with past pageants. Past Queens attending were 2014 Queen Zoey Stuever, 2013 Queen Makayla Perry, 2010 Queen Sarah Harkness, 2009 Queen Megan Hart, 2008 Queen Madison Jones (The first 'Junior' queen, pageant contestants had to be in their junior year of high school,) 2008 Queen Audra Wilburn Richburg (The last 'Senior' queen,) 1999 Queen Dr. Carmen Mackey, and 1984 Queen Shana Brittain.

The final walk of honor was made by Queen Kamaryn Smith with her escort Austin Craig by her side before awards were given and the top candidates were announced.

The top three candidates were Madelynn Hutchins, Rylee Morris, and Emma Locke. The interview question asked of them by Watlington was 'What does success mean to you?'

Miss Hutchins referenced her experience with FFA and setting goals, "In my life, success means to me setting a goal and taking steps to get there and one day achieving that goal. And that is the best feeling ever, that sweet success that other people may not realize but that you on the inside know you worked really hard to get there."

Miss Locke responded, "Success to me is not only personal gain but accomplishing a goal that not only helps yourself but everyone around you and that your family and friends and everyone else can be proud of. To be successful doesn't necessarily mean that you win but that you accomplish the goal that you set yourself to do. I feel that success is important in our life because without goals we would never have a set mountain to reach so to speak."

Miss Morris' answer to the question was, "Success to me would have to be achieving your goals whether that would be being a good example which is my goal, I try throughout everything that I do to be a good example and show that hard work pays off and or whether that be going to college which is also one of my goals. Going to college and eventually going to medical school and becoming a surgeon. Also, I believe that success could also mean being a mother. I think that was one of my personal goals, being a mother and raising a good family to hold values that are true to me."

First runner-up was announced to be Rylee Morris and second runner-up was Emma Locke.

Additional awards given were:

Doo-Dah Parade
Sweepstakes Award - Madelynn Hutchins
Presidential Award - Lexi Moody 
Mayor's Award - Jessye Massey
Honorable Mention - Alexia Baldwin

Miss Congeniality - Lexi Moody

Committee Award - Elizabeth Chavez

Essay
Winner - Emma Locke
1st Runner-up - Rylee Morris
2nd Runner-up - Madelynn Hutchins 

Most Photogenic
Winner - Emma Locke
1st Runner-up - Lexi Moody
2nd Runner-up - Madelynn Hutchins and Katelyn Jackson

Social Skills
Winner - Emma Locke
1st Runner-up - Rylee Morris
2nd Runner-up - Madelynn Hutchins

Grade Point Average
Winner - Katelyn Jackson
1st Runner-up - Rylee Morris
2nd Runner-up - Emma Locke

Community/School Participation
Winner - Katelyn Jackson
1st Runner-up - Rylee Morris
2nd Runner-up - Madison Kirby and Madelynn Hutchins

Interview
Winner - Madelynn Hutchins
1st Runner-up - Karley Broadway
2nd Runner-up - Rylee Morris

Stage Presence
Winner - Madelynn Hutchins
1st Runner-up - Rylee Morris
2nd Runner-up - Karley Broadway and Emma Locke

Grand Duke - Cale Hall, Kaden LaRock and Austin Craig

Related article - 2016 East Texas Poultry Festival Queen's Scholarship Pageant

September 28, 2016 (More Photos) - East Texas Poultry Festival celebrates all things chicken and what better way to enjoy than a Chicken Cooking Contest on the Historic Courthouse grounds. Shelby Savings Bank swept the People's Choice Awards taking home the Best Tasting Dish and the Best Dressed Dish. Natalie Oswalt, the master of ceremonies, thanked everyone for coming and introduced the representatives from Tyson Foods, Platinum Sponsor for the event, who were Amber Dodds, Brandon Davis, and Mike Mason. 

Youth Division
Brandon Davis with Tyson Foods presented the awards for the Youth Division.
1st place - Zeke Richey (Asian Chicken Wings)
2nd place - Kadence Polley (Chicken and Dumplings)
3rd place - Carly Gray (Cheese Chicken Taco Breadstick Dippers)

Teenage Division
Amber Dodds with Tyson Foods presented the awards for the Teenage Division.
1st place - Brianna Aldaco and Kelli Plunket (Chicken Bacon Alfredo French Bread Pizza)
2nd place - Ashley Roberts and Destiny McKinney (Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Chicken Poppers)
3rd place - Jonathan Ariza, Kissel Arcibar and Skyler Ferguson (BBQ Chicken Bacon Pineapple Kabobs)
Honorable Mention - Prisilla Ramos and Yessenia Chavez (Buffalo Chicken Bites)

Adult Division
Mike Mason with Tyson Foods presented the awards for the Adult Division.
1st place - Shelby Savings Bank (Buffalo Wings)
2nd place - Farmers State Bank (Farmers State Bank Chicken)
3rd place - Maxie Chumley (Chicken Spaghetti)

Oswalt commented after members of the audience were having a friendly exchange of words saying "I think we kind of have a battle of the banks going on here, if I'm not mistaken, Shelby Savings won it year before last, Farmers won it last year, and Shelby Savings won it again this year. So, we'll see what happens next year."

September 28, 2016 - The PWPS held their regular monthly meeting Saturday, September 17, 2017, with a monthly challenge  of "Sunrise/Sunset".  Challenge winners are as follows:

September 2016 Challenge Winners 
Theme: Sunrise/Sunset

The Piney Woods Photographic Society is meant for camera enthusiasts of all skills and interests. Our goal is to help you become a better photographer and give you a place to meet others who share your passion for photography. We try to create programs and activities with information and instruction for all skill levels in an environment of support and cooperation.

Visitors are welcome to attend our meetings with or without a member.

The next regular meeting will be the 3rd Saturday in October 15, 2016, at the First United Methodist Church on Porter St. in Center, TX.  for more information contact club secretary Billie Jones, 936-591-2426. The workshop will be "Long Exposure Shooting" with a Challenge of "Vintage/Heirloom".  Anyone interested in learning about night shots, moons, stars, etc. are invited to sit in.  

The PWPS invites everyone to come by the ETPF Photography Exhibit (October 6,7 & 8, 2016) held in the Vision Source Office building and vote for "People's Choice".  The Judges have voted and now it's the public's turn.  Everyone is invited to stop by to browse local people photos, some are even for sale.  

September 26, 2016 - Meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 21, members and guests of the Timpson Area Genealogical and Heritage Society heard fascinating details of the life of Arthur F. Horton, longtime Timpson civic and church leader. From hilarious high school pranks to riveting accounts of combat in the jungles of New Guinea during WWII, the recollections of Barry J. Horton and Sheila Horton Barrett, his son and granddaughter respectively, provided wonderful details of Arthur Horton's life.

Born in Panola County in 1917, Mr. Horton's family moved to Timpson when he was a child and he lived here the rest of his life. In high school, Arthur was a star athelete, winning acclaim in both football and track. He medaled in the hurdles at the State Track meet after he and Coach York hitchhiked to Austin and later played college football at Ole Miss and Kilgore College. As Barry related, not all was studies and sports. He revealed an occasion when THS faculty member Mr. Zannie Crump enlisted the help of students in beautifying the campus by planting flowers. Much to Mr. Crump's displeasure, when the prepared flower beds sprang up, they contained not only flowers but corn, okra, and peas and Arthur, tagged as a primary culprit, was charged, among others, with removing the offending vegetables.   

Timpson was one of the smallest towns in Texas to have a National Guard Armory and Arthur joined the Guard in 1938. It was federalized in 1940 in preparation for war and 1942 found Arthur Horton stationed at the Presidio in San Francisco. He was now married to Irene Bailey Horton and she went to visit him there. He was to meet her train at the station but, unfamiliar with the city, she got off in Oakland, across the bay from the station where Arthur was waiting. Realizing she had made a mistake but unable to contact Arthur, Irene approached two Military Policemen in her usual direct manner and said “You men are just going to have to help me!”  The M.Ps obliged, contacted the Presidio, Sgt. Horton was located, and he came to collect her in a jeep. 

Arthur shipped out of Brooklyn for New Guinea in 1944 as a first seargeant in the infantry. The Japanese were entrenched on New Ginuea and Moratai and the fighting there was brutal. Barry told that the Allies had broken the Japanese supply lines and the Japanese troops could receive no food. On one occasion as Arthur's company cook was preparing a meal which included bacon, he turned around to find a starving Japanese soldier standing behind him in the field kitchen. The cook sent the Japanese soldier to the Great Beyond still hungry. Like many soldiers, however, Arthur was usually reluctant to talk of his war experiences.

Returning to Timpson after the war, Horton continued to be active in the local National Guard Armory and worked at a variety of occupations, including running a drug store, building trailers at Trailmobile in Longview, and looking after the 88 acre farm he and Irene had bought during the war. He entered the insurance business with Edmond Hebert in the mid 1960s and opened his own insurance agency in 1967. Throughout these years, Arthur was a leader in his church and his town. He was ordained a deaon of the First Baptist Church in 1948 and was a life-long Mason. He served as secretary of the Lake Timpson board for 27 years and in the American Legion for 50 years. He was a charter member of the Timpson Lions Club and a former president of the Chamber of Commerce. He served as Mayor and was elected Outstanding Citizen in 1968. He retired in 1983. 

Many of those present at the TAGHS meeting shared memories of Arthur Horton as well as his wife, Irene, a long-time and well-loved Timpson teacher. All agreed with Sheilla Horton Barrett that Arthur Horton is a fine example of The Greatest Generation.

TAGHS meets at 2PM on the third Wednesday of each month in the Meeting Room of the Timpson Public Library, located on the corner of Austin and Bremond streets. The public is invited.