Diboll has another new place to eat lunch…ARLIS’. Open on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 10:30 until 3 PM located next to LaLa Patel’s Diboll Food Mart, across 59 from Commercial Bank. Arlis and his wife Nelda have been thinking about this for a few years and decided it was time since he retired January 1^st from the family business of building pallets. His sons, Jeremy and Justin, will keep the business going. Arlis is famous for his rib eye sandwiches which will be served every day and other items on the menu include BBQ sandwiches, Baked potatoes and Wings on Wednesday.

The Hummingbirds are here scouting for places to spend the next few months. Jerry Goins saw some scouts and came in to buy a new hummingbird feeder and nectar. It’s time to put the feeders out to attract them to your yard. Andrea just happened to get in some beautiful new feeders in different colors. We also have fresh bedding plants and everyone is getting excited about starting their gardens. Billy Wayne and Alma Breazeale came in for seeds and plants but Alma said she prefers sitting in her recliner and watching the birds. Melvin Linton, Sr., Buddy Shipp and E. W. Scarborough all plant gardens on a larger scale so hopefully we that don’t will have a place to buy fresh peas. We have lots of customers in Polk County that have been faithful through the years to buy our bulk seeds; Pee Wee Purvis is one of them. Shopping with us from Chester in Tyler County was Willie and Lois Thompson who are anxious to get their garden planted.

Ginger Capps came in to buy a Circle E Candle and Peggy Burt purchased a hummingbird feeder and a tiny terrarium for a friend’s birthday. Sherri Paresa came in for Colorado pinto beans. Aaron Smith’s mom, Belinda Smith, stopped by to pick up a copy of Farm & Home magazine. During spring break Dora Trekall took time to pick up rabbit feed for Blair’s show rabbits.

Vic Bass came in carrying a beautiful chocolate cake covered in white icing and saying it was from the “Bass” kitchen leading us to believe he had something to do with baking the cake. The truth is he met Margie Bass in the parking lot who asked him to take the cake inside. It just so happens that both of them are named “Bass”. Isn’t there a commandment for preachers that says “Do not deceive”?

On March 18th, family and friends celebrated with Minnie Jones at the H. G.

Temple School Cafeteria celebrating her birthday and retirement. Ms. Jones has retired after 35 years at Oncor.  The celebration was hosted by her children, Faye Jones, Prentise Jones and Marcus Jones.  All in attendance enjoyed Catfish and all the trimmings.

Minnie Jones was also recognized in Lufkin for her many years of service to Texas Power & Light Company. John Powers said he was working there in 1982 when she applied for a job and became the first black employee. He told her later he knew her dad, Marcellos Jones when they both lived in Diboll’s logging camp at Fastrill. John said she was hired as a cashier and later worked at the front desk before being transferred to the distribution center when ONCOR purchased TP&L. Mr. Powers said, “Minnie was an excellent employee that got things done.” Others attending her retirement party, along with friends and family, included the Mayor of Burke, John T. Jones and the Mayor of Lufkin, Bob Brown and his wife Toni. Fellow employees that grew up in Diboll included Sandra (Havard) Bailey, Richard Martinez and Larry Jansen.

I did some research at the History Center and learned that Minnie graduated from DHS in 1967 and remembered some of her teachers; Mr. Greer, Mrs. Schinke, Mr. Douglas, Mr. Ramsey and Mrs. Massey and she said, “They always will leave a lasting impression on my mind and on my heart”. Before transferring to Diboll high school, Minnie was a student at H. G. Temple school where she played basketball from the 7^th grade through the 11^th, “In the 5 years she played they won 66 straight games.” From her oral history with interviewer, Patsy Colbert, Minnie recalled working at the Pine Bough at 16 when the line on Sunday was out the door and down the street. She also talked about babysitting for Don and Dewana Wier in their new home in South Meadows, “They gave me a ’66 Mustang convertible to drive back and forth to work.” She recalled “Pop and Sis Rich never missed a basketball game at H.G. Temple. They were there on the front row to give us support.”

I thought it was interesting in Minnie’s oral history when she said, “I was chosen as the Rodeo Duchess back in ’66. And Mr. Namon Calhoun – he loved horses and he had a horse called Midnight and that was my horse. After school every evening I would meet him at the H. G. Temple School and he would teach me how to ride Midnight. The first night, well my mom and my dad went to Mrs. Crafts. Mrs. Craft had beautiful clothes, and I can remember my mom buying me a light blue satin pants with a white satin shirt. And we rode in – all the queens rode in and the next day. Mr. Namon Calhoun came and he said, “They said that your daughter is overdressing, she needs to tone it down some.” Minnie Jones was one of six children of Marcellos and Vera Jones. She graduated from Prairie View A&M majoring in Elementary Education and minored in Art. She taught school in Houston several years before moving back to Diboll and going to work at TP&L; the rest is history! Congratulations!

Our thanks to Sue Johnson who visited LuLu’s Bakery & Café in San Antonio and brought us one of their world famous THREE pound Cinnamon Roll. It is something to behold!  She also wanted to remind everyone about the Burke Chapter of the Eastern Star Fund Raiser that will be April 7 at the lodge in Burke from 8 AM until sold out. The menu will be Pulled Pork sandwich with chips and dessert for $7. I will remind you again next week but in the meantime call Sue Johnson for more information. 676-7467

Mark your calendars for Tuesday evening, April 11 and plan to eat at the Whataburger near Walmart between 5 – 8PM. During that particular time Whataburger will donate 25% of all sales to the Diboll Lumberjack Band which will use the money to help fund their trip to Disney World. Please be sure to tell them you are there to support the band.

This weekend, April 1^st, is the time for the $5,000 Steak Dinner sponsored by the Angelina County Go Texan Committee. The time is 6PM and the place is Shelton’s on FM 2108 (Airport Road) near FM 58. Call Randall Taylor, 936-634-4134, for tickets which are $100 per couple for an evening of fun and great food. Only 200 tickets will be sold. Remember, someone will leave that night with $5,000 more than when they arrived. Proceeds benefit the scholarship fund which will go to students in Angelina County.

Enjoy the season and come see us…’round the table.

Congratulations to Duran Electric for begin recognized as Business of the Month by The Diboll Business Association. Omar and Blanca Duran is the owner. Omar grew up in Diboll and graduated from DHS in 1997. His parents are Arturo and Linda Duran. Duran Electric has been in business for 7 years and specializes in residential and commercial electrical work. Omar and Linda have three children: Omar, Jr., age 3; Valarie, age 9 and Crystal, age 13.

The Diboll Business Association had its monthly meeting in the hospitality room of the Diboll Inn compliments of owners, Rick and Linda Patel. They and their children are very active in the community. Their 11^th grade daughter, Krishna, is in band and is a tennis player; her little brother, Dhwani, is in the 4^th grade.

A big congratulations to one of our customers, Hallie Hawkins, whose parents are Brent and Jeannie Hawkins. Brent is a former DISD superintendent but presently serves in that position at Livingston ISD. All three daughters, Hallie, Gracie and Hannah attend school there and are involved in many activities. Hallie, the youngest daughter, is a member of the Livingston Junior FFA and raised a Hampshire barrow she named “MFL”, Mister Fat Legs. She exhibited him at the Houston Livestock Show and someone must have liked his fat legs because he was Grand Champion of Hampshire class. Gracie and Hannah also raised barrows but have not yet been in the ring. They are known as the “Hawkins Sistas” and we wish them all luck!

During spring break Lewis and Shirley Ivey traveled to Hot Springs, AR with their daughter Brandy Soto, granddaughter Katylen, grandson Bill and his friend, Emily from Newton. It was a trip down memory lane for them back to the time they lived there for about 7 years. The group rented a nice condo on Lake Hamilton where Shirley enjoyed relaxing and visiting with friends from that area. Brandy enjoyed going with her dad to show the kids where they lived, went to school and the little church that Lewis and his son Brad helped build that is now a mega church. They attended services there and that afternoon drove to the largest lake in Arkansas, Lake Ouchita. Lewis showed them an empty field where he once worked at Weyerhauser. Another day was spent downtown visiting the Alligator Farm, Arlington Hotel, Wax and Gambling Museums filled with Al Compone stories and tested the hot water in natural mineral springs. They enjoyed a “Duck tour” on Lake Hamilton where Lewis showed the kids many former fishing holes.  Before leaving Hot Springs, they visited the Sat bottom Girls Cupcake Bakery where Brandy bought a cupcake and brought all the way home to her husband William who had to stay here and work.

Kathy Sample enjoyed having 6-year-old grandson Jaxon and 2-year-old granddaughter, Linley during spring break. They are the children of Amanda and Blake Yarborough who live in Nederland. It was a busy four days while they were here and included visits to the museum, zoo, McDonalds and a successful fishing venture.

Owners of Los Jarritos, Carlos and Julie Galvan, took some time off from the busy restaurant to spend with their two children; 13-year-old Edward and 11-year-old Alexis. Also having fun with them was Julie’s nephew from Center, 13-year-old Brandon. They visited with Julie’s sister, Nancy, and helped her plant potatoes. Later, they attended a movie, had ice cream and shopped at an estate sale. Another day was spent enjoying a cool swim in the family pool.

Chuck Mann bought plants hoping the cool weather is gone. He said his pecan trees weren’t budding (a sign when to plant) but his neighbors’ trees were. He also bought a fishing license just in case he had time to fish. Richard and Elke Brashear from Corrigan came in for garden seed. Thomas Lowther was showing the video of the 10 baby goats he has at his house.

Brooke Colwell came in with her precious 21-month-old daughter, Gentrie. They were on their way to her sister’s house where her 4-year-old son, Lewin had spent the night with his Aunt Hope and cousins: 6-year-old Kendall; 5-year-old Peyton and 19-month-old Gavin. They had plans to build a raised garden bed.

The Angelina County Go Texan Committee is having another $5,000 Steak Dinner on April 1 6PM at Shelton’s Place. Tickets are $100 per couple and includes a steak dinner with all the trimmings and a chance to win $5,000. VIP table packages are also available but only 200 tickets will be sold. All the proceeds will benefit the scholarship fund for Angelina County students. For tickets or more information, call Randall Taylor 936-634-4134.

Ariana “Ari” Garza, the beautiful daughter of David and LaDonna Garza of Diboll is competing for the title of Miss Cinco de Mayo 2017. Ari is a senior at DHS. You can see her on the volleyball court and also in the courtroom for Mock Trial. She is definitely a leader, strong athlete and Christian young lady. Ari plans to attend the University of Houston and major in Speech Pathology. She is asking people to become a community partner for Team Ari and support her. Look for Team Ari on Facebook her website, www.teamarigarza.com, email, te*********@***il.com, call 635-4468 or 936-229-1762.

Ariana and her “Team Ari” is having a Baked Potato Sale, Friday, March 24, 10:30 – 1:30. Potatoes are Plain with add-ons or BBQ and include a dessert and water. You can pick up at the Lumberjack field house. By the time you read your Free Press it may too late to “preorder” so for more information call LaDonna Garza 936-635-4468 or email lg****@*******sd.org

Pouland’s has beautiful bedding plants that are locally grown. Don’t forget we also have gift items, tiny terrariums, fairies, birdseed and all the usual stuff you find in a feed store. So, come see us…’round the table!

Did you know that Tuesday, March 14 was the 30^th annual Pi Day in honor of the never ending number 3.14159…… a number that contains pretty much every combination of digits imaginable? I was not aware of this special day until visiting with Nancy and Bob Hallett in the store. They came in for bales of alfalfa hay and asked suggestions for a good place to eat. When “pizza” was mentioned, they were delighted and seemed excited about a circle of food. About that time I noticed his and her tee-shirts both were about Pi and that’s how I learned that March 14 is “Pi Day”. Bob pointed to his shirt that stated Pi Day is also Albert Einstein’s birthday. I read later that Pi Day caters exclusively to mathematical geniuses who love puns and baked goods. Now I know why this day does not interest me except maybe for a piece of pie.   At the near closing of Pi Day, Tina Jowell came in and remembered she needed to bake a skillet blackberry pie for the evening meal to celebrate the special day.

Folks move to Diboll while others move out. Jessica and Doug Dunn moved last weekend from their home in South Meadows to Round Rock which is closer to her brother, Josh, his wife and special niece, Heather. Jessica moved to Diboll with her family and parents, Bill and Debbie Tipton in 1991. Jessica’s husband Doug has been a tug boat captain for eight years working out of Channelview. Jessica was voted #1 Hair Dresser in the recent Best of 75941 and is leaving behind a lot of sad customers.

Moving into Diboll from Cedar Park Texas is Joe and Mickey Crabtree who bought a new home in Deer Trace. Mickey will keep the home fires burning while Joe continues to work toward retirement in July. They looked for and near for the right place to retire and found it here in Diboll. They are excited about the move and love the area and the friendly people here.

Howard and Susan Wickenden made their first visit to The Everything Store during spring break. They moved to the area about three years ago from Houston because they love East Texas and the friendly people here. Actually, Howard is still working with a gas pipeline company in Houston and comes home on the weekends. Susan is a retired teacher that previously taught in the Pasadena ISD when our present DISD superintendent, Vicki Thomas, was there also. Susan told us we are very fortunate to have Mrs. Thomas in the Diboll district. We agreed wholeheartedly. Susan is a substitute teacher at the Diboll Intermediate and Elementary school. She couldn’t believe the beautiful building and said the children and the staff in this district are very respectful. She loves teaching here.

Gary and Cathy Martz are enjoying two of their grandchildren during spring break. Gary and his 6-year-old (I think 6) granddaughter, Allison, stopped by the store for her to play while Gary visited at the roundtable. They had already been to the golf course that morning and fishing the day before. Allison’s parents are Kevin and Lindsey Martz who live in Ft. Worth. Her dad and little 3-year-old sister Taylor were home with Cathy and two dogs, Sophie and Haley. Allison was excited about playing with “Maggie”, Gary’s 7-week old Black Lab and told me all about the Flower Picking contest they had on Sunday.

Mark and Ann Hafernick enjoyed having their 1-year-old grandson, Cooper Johnston, stay in their home a few days. His parents are Lauren and Dr. Judd Johnston from South Lake, Texas. Lauren continues to work as an event planner for Sky Ranch while Judd works at his veterinary clinic in Colleyville.

Last month the Pilot Club of Diboll prepared supper for 28 people. It was an appreciation dinner for Diboll Police and volunteer firemen. Mayor John McClain and City Manager, Gerry Boren, were also present. Mike Gibson, husband of Pilot Club member Dianne, cooked spaghetti for all. The other Pilot Club members brought drinks, salad and desserts. Pilot Club members there helping were: Geneva Ard, Sue Baker, Betty Capps, Vivian Holt and husband Ken, Barbara Nash, Dianne Gibson, Billie Lamb, Camillia Robison and Fran Rodriquez. The Pilot Club has had this dinner for several years and appreciates the First Methodist Church allowing them to use their facility.

Jean (Greer) McCollum was in Diboll visiting with her mom, Bettye Greer. They stopped at the store and spent the rest of the beautiful day touring Azalea Trails and riding through the countryside in and around Nacogdoches. They enjoyed visiting with James and Becky Greer over a meal at Posados. Jean returned to their new home in Naples, Florida on Monday. She and Mike have enjoyed having lots of friends from the north come visit them in Florida during the winter months.

Before spring break Trey Linton took time off from his busy schedule to read several books to the Diboll students in Mrs. Handy’s classroom. Trey’s 5-year-old daughter, Kynleigh, is in her room. His younger four-year-old daughter, Lacey, attends day care.

Madelyn Markus, a young customer of ours from Central, was in buying feed for her project for the youth fair. She had reserve champion last year and working toward having the grand champion this year. She’s a senior and plans to attend Angelina College and SFA and after earning an art degree plans to become a flight attendant.

Folks around here enjoyed the spring-like weather. Jay Wyatt was in buying fertilizer for his yard. Phil Hall bought a new Stihl trimmer. Michael Dorman bought caladium bulbs. Gary Gores bought local honey. Harold Maxwell bought pinto beans. Barbara Lovelady bought a fishing license as well as Travis Parish. Bo Smith bought a beautiful set of midnight blue wind chimes that we are now selling.

The wind chimes we have in stock can be engraved and given as a memorial gift or other special occasions. We also have tiny ornate fairies and other miniature decorations to capture the imaginations of children and adults. Thomas Anderson with his creative welding talents made us a metal tree complete with leaves for us to hang the tiny terrariums we now have for sale. They make great gifts and no two are alike. We invite you to stop by, look around and have a cup of coffee.

Come see us…’round the table.