Today’s paper will be the last issue with the Best of 75941 entry form. This is the second year that the Diboll Business Association and The Diboll Free Press has sponsored this interesting event. Look for the entry form in the Diboll Free Press, cut it out and fill in the blanks; it’s that simple! Some of the categories include Best teacher(s); pastor; day care worker; city employee; elected official; waitperson; teller; hair stylist; insurance agent; store clerk; food(s); and others. The deadline to submit is February 2^nd. Mail or drop your entry form by The Diboll Free Press, 101 Weber, Diboll. Remember, it’s all about folks in Diboll. The winners will be recognized at a reception on Thursday, February 12 at the TLL Temple Memorial Library, the best library in town!

Remember also to patronize our local businesses. Members of the Diboll Business Association pay dues and work hard to encourage you to shop locally.

Last week I was out driving during one cold very rainy day when to my surprise the wind shield wiper on the passenger side of my car suddenly detached itself from the blade and disappeared. After the shock and realizing how thankful I was that it was not on the driver’s side, I decided to drive straight to Diboll Motors and get Mike Shivers to help me.  Arriving at his shop I realized my inspection sticker would expire the last day of the month. While Mike took care of my car I went inside and visited with his wife Rhonda, daughter and son-in-law, Kim and David Mettlen. Rhonda has a new business in their home in Burke, Southern Pines Boutique, which she promotes on Face Book. She has very fashionable outfits for sale in her home and on FB. Her shop is open to the public on Saturdays from 10AM until 3PM.  Rhonda and Kim were explaining to me the benefit and simplicity of marketing using FB when Mike came in and said my car was ready. It all happened so quickly while getting a FB tutorial. Diboll Motors is a member of the Diboll Business Association so please remember them and shop locally. Oh yes, don’t forget to LIKE and SHARE Southern Pines Boutique on Face Book and while you are on FB, please do the same for Pouland Real Estate.

I twisted Trey Wilkerson’s arm for the following information about their 10^th wedding anniversary. Trey and Michele Wilkerson returned this week from celebrating their 10th anniversary with a cruise on the Carnival Triumph.  This was their first cruise, and so the whole experience was new to them.  Trey especially enjoyed the fact that he could eat as much as he wanted, and set out to make sure he got his money back just in food. The five day cruise from Galveston called on the ports of Cozumel and Progreso, Mexico.  While in Cozumel, the Wilkersons visited a Mayan Living History exhibit, and also took a tour that showed how tequila is made.  In Progreso, they visited the Dzibilchaltun Mayan ruins, and dipped their feet in the sinkhole that the Mayan nobility used for rituals.  At both ports, Trey and Michele enjoyed shopping and visiting with the local people.  They brought back nearly a full suitcase loaded with souvenirs for their children, Annabeth and Ryan.  And, of course, Trey found some local food to try, including seasoned chicken wrapped in banana leaves and baked, then served with corn tortillas.  On the ship, they were impressed with the elaborate shows performed every night. Being the musician that he is, Trey was especially impressed by the quality of the musicians that played to accompany the musical productions. All in all, it was great anniversary trip.

Trey is president of the Diboll ISD and it was by chance that the Diboll Dazzlers Drill team was on this same cruise to perform. Trey and Michele rearranged their dinner time one night to take in the Dazzlers’ performance. Despite the ship going through some rough waters, the girls did a great job and really represented Diboll well.

Fran McGilvra’s two sons came in to be with her during a recent procedure on her back. Neil, from Claremont, California and Chris, from Phoenix, Arizona. They stayed with her during the recovery. At home, Chris did most of the cooking and Neil entertained them with his sense of humor (check him out on Face book). Since they grew up in Diboll, they always enjoy coming back home. Both graduated from DHS and were involved in sports. Chris, being the golfer and Neil, a basketball player for his dad, John McGilvra, deceased. Fran has recovered real well and is back at the Round Table here at Pouland’s as regular coffee drinker.

Valentine’s Day conveniently falls on a Saturday this year making it convenient for you guys to treat your valentine to a special banquet on February 14^th sponsored by DHS Project Graduation. You are invited to join in an evening of “Dining Delight by Candlelight”. Each table will be set and themed “One of a kind”. Come ready to be dazzled and enjoy an evening of great food and entertainment. Dine in or Carry out, $25.00 for one or $40 for a couple. Your choice of Rib Eye or Chicken Breast and go home with a tantalizing dessert from the Dessert Auction at 8 PM. The banquet will be held in the fellowship building of Diboll First Baptist church located at 208 Devereaux. The time is 6:30 and to make reservations, please contact Lacy Chandler at 676-3236 or Andrea Swor at 829-4040.

The following Saturday, February 21^st is another fun event to be held at the Lottie and Arthur Temple Civic Center. Beginning at 6PM will be the Fourth Annual Black Tie Bingo benefitting the Boys and Girls Club of Diboll. “Heart to Heart Vegas Style” is the theme with an evening filled with good food, live and silent auctions, games and of course, bingo. For more information call the Boys & Girls Club office at 936-560-6844 or locally, Patsy Colbert at 829-3543. “Black Tie” describes the upscale event not a requirement to attend. Just learned there will be a $20 discount on individual tickets that are sold before February 5^th. Make that telephone call and save $20. It’ll be a fun evening.

Stay warm and dry and come see us when you can…at the roundtable.

“An improvement program made Diboll’s school system one of the best equipped in East Texas.” This was a quote from the Houston Chronicle in June of 1968 referring to a fence around the school that a new teacher, Wilber Pate, asked for in the early 40’s. The fence was needed to keep out the kids—the four-legged variety. “Sometimes the goats would wander right up to the classroom windows and chew away the shrubbery during class. It was a standing joke that Diboll’s goats were the best-educated in the county.” Now, when you see the name W. F. Pate on the gymnasium at the middle school, you youngsters in Diboll will know it was named after a young man that later became superintendent and had a vision for Diboll schools.

Barley Lenderman shared the following article from The Diboll Free Press in September, 1961. A Diboll garbage collector killed a would-be prowler here with a stick last Friday morning. The man, Arvyle Williams, beat the invader to death with a long stick. Williams spotted the culprit as he approached the front porch of the Paul M. Durham home to collect for the month’s garbage removal (Southern Pine Lumber took care of collecting the garbage before the days of city conveniences) He said the would-be intruder looked as if he might try to crawl through a front window of the Durham home. Williams summoned the maid, who provided the stick which Williams used to do the killing. The intruder: A 16” coral snake which had crawled onto the front porch in Diboll’s newest residential section, the Pinedale Addition.

Now, more current news.

Beulah Grocery & Café is now open for business at the intersection of FM 58 and FM 1818. The new owners are Hollie (Lyles) and Jerry Clark and her parents, Theresa and Roy Lee Lyles. This corner has always been a gathering place for the folks who live in the community of Beulah and a convenient place to meet and visit with friends and neighbors. The store and café will be open from 6AM – 9PM Monday – Saturday. The grocery store will be open on Sunday from 8AM – 8PM but the café will be closed. The menu includes breakfast, lunch specials from 11AM – 2PM, and they will also serve hamburgers, steak finger baskets, chicken tenders, chipped beef, homemade pies and more. Weekend specials include Rib eye Steaks on Friday nights and Fried Catfish on Saturday nights. The Lyles’ daughter, Stephanie, along with Rhonda Patton and Donna Conner will also be lending a helping hand with this venture. Don’t forget this is also a grocery store with necessary food items and a deli with meats and cheese. The gas pumps have been rebuilt and gas should be available in the very near future. Maybe we will see you there! The telephone number is 829-0240 or ask for a menu at beulahgrocerycafe@yahoo.com

It was good to see and visit with Trey Ingram when he came in the store with his dad, Dr. Woody. Trey had been hunting in Beeville and came to Diboll to check on his mom, Mary, who is recovering from a recent hip replacement. Mary and Woody were loading one of their Christmas trees that was going into storage when it fell apart and caused her to fall. On this day, Trey had been helping his dad “take down” more Christmas under Mary’s directions but as we all know, guys just can’t seem to get it packed away as well. Trey and his wife, Clis, live in Oklahoma with their three children: 14-year-old Ella; 11-year-old Wood and 9-year-old Nate. Trey was returning home in time to attend a basketball tournament. Trey is humble and very modest but I managed to find out that he is CEO and very actively involved in Legend Energy Services, a company with a fleet of large equipment and crews that clean and prepare oil and gas wells for production.

Fran (Miranda) Rodriquez and her husband, Louis, came in the store to use a gift certificate given to him as a Christmas present. Louis recently retired after working 10 years as assistant auditor for Angelina County. He and Fran retired to Diboll in 2003 after working in Jersey Village (NW Houston) for 12 years where he was Financial Manager and Tax Assessor-Collector for the City of Jersey Village. Louis didn’t waste any time starting his retirement as he is taking the Master Gardeners course at the County Extension office through the end of March. Be sure to watch for the date of the Master Gardeners’ annual plant sale in April. It’s a good way to get started with spring gardening.

In visiting with longtime friend, Nita (Ramsey) Hurley, I learned congratulations are in order for her granddaughter, Sydney Hurley, who has signed a Letter of Intent to play softball at Northeast Texas Community College. I went to Nita’s Facebook and saw where Sydney posted a picture of her signing the letter of intent with her brother, Kevin, sitting beside her. Because her sister Reagan wasn’t present for the picture, Sydney had drawn a “stick figure” of Reagan sitting on her other side because she said, “My brother and sister mean the absolute world to me”. Sydney also won First Place at a recent Powerlifting Meet. Congratulations, Sydney two times!!

Reagan Hurley couldn’t be present for the picture of Sydney signing her Letter of Intent because she is in Greece studying abroad for one semester. Reagan is a student at Incarnate Word in San Antonio and qualified for this opportunity to study and have an enlightening experiencing. Reagan is sending lots of photos and was glad to see a McDonald’s that had an English menu beside the Greek one. She will be away for four months taking basic classes and visiting wonderful sites of the country.  Remember her in your prayers.

We have some exciting events approaching: Project Graduation’s annual Valentine’s Dinner will be February 14^th at 6:30 in the fellowship building at Diboll First Baptist Church. Good food, entertainment and a dessert auction. Treat your Valentine to a nice evening for $40 per couple. Pretty decorations, good food, fun, fellowship and a good cause!

February 21^st at 6PM in our Temple Civic Center will be the Fourth Annual Black Tie Bingo benefitting the Boys and Girls Club of Diboll. “Heart to Heart Vegas Style” is the theme with an evening filled with good food, live and silent auctions, games and of course, bingo. For more information call the Boys & Girls Club office at 936-560-6844 or locally, Patsy Colbert at 829-3543. “Black Tie” describes the upscale event not a requirement to attend. Just learned there will be a $20 discount on individual tickets that are sold before February 5^th. Make that telephone call and save $20. It’ll be a fun evening.

On December 29^th Ruth Mullins celebrated one of those milestone birthdays that end in zero although she certainly doesn’t look it or act it! Her daughter and favorite son-in-law, Diane and Bob Pennington invited her to eat at one of their favorite places, Los Jarritos. When Ruth walked in she was pleasantly surprised to hear “Happy Birthday Mam Maw” from 4-year-old great-granddaughter, Tinley Mullins and her 11-year-old brother, Tanner. They are the children of Josh and Kaylan Mullins who were also present along with Mary Mullins, Greg’s wife. Ruth was handed a huge gift bag filled with lots of tissue paper. At the very bottom was an envelope with tickets to see Neil Diamond’s last tour when he comes to Houston in May. That will be Ruth’s fourth and final time to see one of her favorite entertainers. Earlier in December Bob and Diane had given Ruth tickets for them to see Celtic Thunder in February, another of Ruth’s favorites. Earlier that day Ruth received a call from her son Ted and his family in Jeffersonton, Virginia with more “happy birthdays” from three granddaughters. It was a good day and the next day Peggy Burt, one of Ruth’s close friends treated her to another favorite place to eat, Tokyo’s.

Lena Coody celebrated her 80^th birthday and was treated to a very nice reception at Diboll First Baptist Church where she has served as a children’s teacher and church hostess for many, many years. In addition to family and members of the church, a couple of Lena’s DHS classmates attended: Shirley (Whitworth) Terrell and Frank Cavanaugh with his wife, Elizabeth.

We enjoyed visiting with former Dibollians between Christmas and New Year’s. Larry Porter and his wife Jan from Galveston and Linda Kay (Harrison) McDougal from Manhatten, Kansas. Linda’s parents were Charles “Chok” and Winona Harrison and Larry’s parents were Leroy and Willie Dell Porter who befriended many people when they lived in Diboll and operated the family-owned “Porter’s”, a full service gas station. The Porters moved to Texas City in the 50’s and after high school, Larry graduated from Texas A&M. Linda’s parents including her younger sister, Mary Gail who has passed away, moved to Durant, Oklahoma. Linda presently works as a House Director for a sorority at Kansas State and Larry and Jan enjoy being retired. They were on their way to Marshall to see the Christmas lights. JoNell Placker stopped by while they were here and enjoyed visiting with them as her parents, Avis and Jack Vaught, used to baby sit Larry and Linda Kay.

          Los Jarritos is a very popular Mexican restaurant in Diboll. The food is consistently good and there is usually someone there you know; sometimes celebrities, Brandon Belt for one. If you don’t recognize the name, Brandon is the young man from Hudson who is the first baseman for the San Francisco Giants. He was recently interviewed by The Journey magazine, “Every time I come home I have to eat Tex Mex and since I have been home I have probably been to Los Jarritos in Diboll 10 times.” So, look around when you are in Los Jarritos, you just might be able to get an autograph.

You might see a familiar face from Diboll at the new Berzerkerz Cajun Seafood located at The Shade Tree Food Vendor & Flea Market near Sherwin Williams on Timberland Dr. in Lufkin. The owner is Josh Stifle and his dad, Jeff and his brother Jacob are helping with the new eatery. Actually it isn’t new, just relocating from Mexia, Texas. The menu includes boiled shrimp and crab by the plate or by the pound and a variety of fried seafood including frog legs and gator. They are open Wednesday through Saturday 11AM until 9PM. For more information, call 635-1330.

On New Year’s Day to get away from the rain, John and Gloria Ogden took a day trip to Lake Charles, LA and enjoyed eating at Steamboat Bills at 1-10 and Lakeshore Dr. Gloria said, “We were tempted to try several new things: pistolettes, boudin, cabbage/tasso soup for appetizers and then shared a seafood platter of shrimp, gumbo, their wonderful rolls and sweet iced tea. It was all very delicious!” After lunch they went to the Margaret Place Historical District and saw all the beautiful old homes along Lakeshore Drive and other historical streets in the area. Most of the homes were built in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. They were all still decorated for Christmas and must be really pretty at night during the Christmas season. They decided not to take the horse drawn buggy tour. They also walked through the elaborate new Golden Nugget casino with its many restaurants and shops.

Some families were still having Christmas well into January such was the case with Gene and Francine Carter. On December 21^st the Carters along with granddaughter Niki Quillen and her three children; Amy, Chesney and Brylie left in one vehicle for Denver, Colorado. The next day in a second vehicle, the Carters’ daughter and family, Denise and Dale Childress with their daughter Dayla and granddaughter Delani left for Denver. Their Christmas destination was the home of the Carters’ granddaughter, Natalie and Todd Kirkland and their three dogs. They spent several days with people sleeping everywhere and enjoyed some of Francine’s good cooking and a great Christmas Day. Gene and Francine and all these family members left Colorado and were all at the Carters’ home on January 4^th for another Christmas that included Dianne Register, her daughter, Shanna, Clayton and their 8-month-old twins, Harper & Hallie. Dianne’s son, Klint and Nicole Register and daughter, Emmersyn. Drew and Leslie Childress and son, Carter. Niki and Will Quillin and children and Smokey and Joan Davidson. Please forgive me if I left someone out or put them in the wrong family; there were 21 people present that day.

February 14^th is the date to mark your calendar to treat your sweetheart to a Valentine’s Dinner, an annual event sponsored by DHS Project Graduation. The main course can be your choice of steak or chicken and entertainment will be provided along with a dessert auction. Feel free to call Andrea Swor 829-4040 for more information. It’s so hard for me to think that my granddaughter is a senior and will be graduating this year from DHS.

Friday, January 16^th, this same group is having a Baked Potato sale. Each potato will come with separated condiments and a choice of taco meat or chipped beef. The cost is $7 and that includes a dessert. The potatoes can be picked up between 11AM – 1PM at the back of Diboll Housing Authority. PRE ORDERS ONLY. Contact Velma Aguilar at 936-635-5532 or email vaguilar@dibollisd.org to place orders. The seniors of 2015 gratefully appreciate your support.

Please send me your news and come us…’round the table.