Ken Christopher has scratched an event off his “bucket list”…attending the 2015 Annual Motorcycle Rally in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. It was the 75th anniversary of this gathering of Harley Davison bike owners; approximately 1.5 million people attended some of the weeklong event. Ken owns a 2015 Street Glide Special Harley and was part of the Nacogdoches group that traveled with Mike Greer who has made the trip numerous times and knows all the backroads and shortcuts in and around Sturgis. They are all members of “HOGS”, Harley Owners Group. Preparation for this trip began earlier when the group packed their tents, air mattresses, lamps, etc. into a foot locker and sent it via UPS to one of the many campgrounds outside of Sturgis.
A group of eight HOGS left Nacogdoches on July 24th with the wind blowing in their faces and enjoyed riding the highways through Chama, NM, Pagosa Springs, CO, Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park and over eleven mountain passes that were over 10,000 feet. They spent their nights in hotels on the trip to Sturgis After arriving in Sturgis, SD, the group found their foot lockers to camp out and took day trips with wonderful weather to see Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, the historic town of Deadwood, and several museums. In Denver, CO on the return home it began to rain and riding wasn’t nearly as pleasant but all made it home safely.
Ken had ties to Diboll through working as a geologist for Temple Inland. For 31 years he worked in the Minerals Division where Lowell Wood hired him. He retired in 2007. Since returning from the Sturgis event, Ken said to his wife Donna one Sunday morning, “Let’s go to church on the bike and ride to Palestine for lunch” They did and some few hundred miles later, he brought her home. Donna had also retired from teaching in the Nacogdoches ISD but is presently working for “I Teach” saving her money for a trip to New Zealand.
Tommy and Angie Fenley have made another memorable family vacation. Tom, Jr. and his two children Ryan, 12 and Samatha, age 10, flew from their home in Billings, Montana to East Texas and spent almost a month here. During that time they did a lot of fishing and attended baseball camps coached by Roy Esteves. Tommy and Angie loaded them in the car and spent another three weeks taking them back home. In Billings, the group picked up a camper and also another granddaughter, 22-year-old Christina, who flew from North Carolina where she attends nursing school. The family loaded up and enjoyed camping along the way. They enjoyed included Pikes Peak, water parks, amusement parks and an aquarium. Driving west toward Utah, they toured Capital Reef National Park, colorful Cedar Breaks National Park and the north rim of the majestic Grand Canyon. From there it was on to the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas where the younger ones loved swimming through a tunnel in a shark tank. It seems Angie is always the lucky one in the family and won tickets to the Lee Ann Womack show. Tommy. Sr. is a fan of hers so, he and his granddaughter, Samatha, attended the show.
The Fenley family arrived in Las Vegas and was checking into the hotel at the same time high winds were blowing the heavy doors open and causing water to come inside. Through large windows they could see deck chairs and umbrellas creating havoc outside. The weather finally calmed down but there was flooding in areas. The vacation ended in Las Vegas with Christina flying back to NC; the other family members flying to Billings, Montana and Tommy and Angie leaving for Diboll in 109 degree heat.
The “Lunch Bunch” gathered at The Airport Café on August 27th to celebrate Polly Leavell’s birthday. Sharing fun stories and latest news were Nita Hurley, JoAnn Rainwater, Ginger Capps, Sandra Pouland, Betty Hendrick, Kaye Fitzgerald, Polly and her sister LaVerne Ross. LaVerne had not eaten one the café’s famous burgers, so she drove from Silsbee to share the meal and do some shopping and visiting with Polly and family. The ladies met in the conference room so they would not disturb other diners (as if they cared!). While they were eating, other friends stopped by on their way to the diner. Fran McClain, Bessie Ferguson, Glenn Price, Bobby Lee, Don and Robbie Wier were among those. The café is always a good meeting place because of the tasty food and fun fellowship.
The sale of 2016 hunting and fishing licenses are picking up every week. Some that have purchased their licenses at Pouland’s are: Leroy Lazarine, Greg Ashabranner, Justin Abner, Lewis Ivey, Frank Farrow, Dewayne Stanford, Jr. Grandgeorge, Chuck Smith, Sherril Fears, Louie Sullivan, Larry Smith, Clyde Maxey, Barley Lenderman, Junious Weisinger, P. E. “Buddy” Shipp, Raymond Mason and Dr. Woody Ingram. Louie Sullivan will be hunting in a new 4-wheeler that was a surprise from his wife Rhonda. Mary Thompson got her fishing license and is looking forward to going fishing.
Angelina County 4-H will be hosting a 4-H Expo on Tuesday, September 22 at 6PM in the Angelina County Extension office. This is the time to get attend if you are interested in 4-H projects. For more information call 632-8239
The Diboll PTSA will be having a Baked Potato Sale this Friday, September 4, from 10:30 until 1:30 at the Housing Authority Community Room. Dine-in or Carry Out, the prices are $7.00 for a baked potato with the regular butter, sour cream, cheese, etc. and $8 to add BBQ or Taco Meat. These prices also include a dessert. Hurry to Pre-order by calling 635-4044 or 414-6955 because orders have to be placed by Thursday, Sept. 3. You can also email orders to janwpta@consolidated.net.
Be safe during the Labor Day holiday. Pouland’s will not labor on Labor Day so don’t come see us that day…’round the table.