Archer County News (Archer City, Tex.), No. 49, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 7, 2000 Page: 8 of 8
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Page Eight - The Archer County News - Thursday, December 7,2000
minnKiiiiirriTrrrmimiirriTiTiiviixiiniiiiiiiiKi^
\Th ere's no place City / j
Texas Agricultural Extension Service News
The Texas ANM Umvrrsiiv Svslein
by Gary Beesinger, guest columnist
Well, I hope the column last week
on the Archer Community Founda-
tion helped you to understand that
organization a little better and gave
you some ideas on how it can provide
a way for you to shape Archer City,
Windthorst, Holliday, Scotland or
Megargel into that special place that
you want it to be.
I have to tell you though, Shelley
almost made me cut the column into
two parts, which I really didn't want
to do. It was so long, it almost wouldn't
fit into the paper, but we somehow
made it. I just felt that the column
had to be read as a whole and that it
was important to do so. The whole
time, I kept thinking of Clark Kent
turning into Superman while I could
hear the words, ‘truth, justice and the
American way.' playing loudly in my
brain. I have no idea why, but it did.
Someday, those voices I hear are
going to get me in big trouble. At
least I haven't started talking back to
them yet.
oooooooooooooooooooo
For the last few weeks, I have been
wanting to share a special poem with
you that was written by Mindy
Huffman, a student at Archer City
High School. The poem won first
place in a contest and reflects a whole
lot about what I've been trying to say
in this column. I think you will agree
that it is a great poem and Mindy has
allowed me to share it with you here.
‘ARCHER CITY, MY HOME'
To call Archer City my home,
No matter where I go,
my heart will not roam.
The school, the Courthouse, the parks,
the streets—happy faces I'll always
meet.
This is a town like no other,
It brings to mind, thoughts of my
fathers, sisters, and mothers.
Friends, classmates, and the golden
rule I was taught.
The Royal Theater, the bookstores,
where history abounds.
Drive through the square, they can
be found.
Old Homes, new homes, familiar
places...look all around...friendly
Texas faces.
Oil barons, cattlemen, ranchers are
occupations.
Drug store, Dairy Queen andfdling
stations.
Larry McMurtry—pulitzer prize win-
ner. Stop at Harvest House Cafe for
dinner.
Archer City is my home, I know my
heart will never roam. One flashing
red light stands alone.
I love this town,...and always will—
Archer City...up on the hill.
A beautiful poem if I say so myself,
from a beautiful young lady. Mindy
also has some great acting talent and
was very good in her part for the play,
Our Town. Thank you Mindy for shar-
ing your talents with us and helping us
to again realize that "there's no place
like Archer City."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I want to take this opportunity to
break away from the usual news and
talk and spend a little time on a subject
that has been very special to me. Al-
though it has little bearing on the eco-
nomic impact of the city or county, it
may very well help to put Archer City
on the map someday in the near future
and yet, it has even had a small role in
doing that already.
Since last December, I have had
numerous people ask me if I really
was that crazy and did I really do the
things described in "the book." "The
book" I happen to be referring to is my
best friend, Jim Black's first novel,
There's a River Down In Texas, which
details the lives of Jim, myself and our
friend, Charles Luig as we grew up in
Archer City as 13 year old boys, full of
life. Jim has masterfully woven many
of our true-life adventures into a fic-
tional tale that will cause you to laugh,
cry and overwhelm you with feelings
of love and other emotions that are
hard to put into words...the feelings
that cause us to want to sit and watch
a setting sun, or to watch birds fly
majestically above us as if they have
a secret to share and daring us to
come fly with them or the feelings we
have as we watch a beautiful snow
falling on a windless day or the warm
feeling you can get as you sit in the
dark and watch a fireplace burning
on a cold winter night. It is a book
that relates to young and old, male or
female. I have had as many young
people as senior citizens tell me that
it was one of the best books they had
ever read. Everyone relates to this
book because of it's timeless and uni-
versal themes...friendship, love and
loss. And who hasn't been affected by
all three of these at some point in their
life?
Well, I’ve pretty much already told
you in so many words that I really
was that crazy by doing the things
told in the book, and yes, we were all
pretty much like the book described
because I said it told the story of some
of our true life adventures (Thank the
good Lord he didn't tell them all or we
would really be in trouble). But I also
felt that you would like to know some
other facts and figures about this won-
derful little book that I think would
be an excellent gift for anyone,
whether or not they are familiar with
Archer City. Although it has some
minor cursing, in my opinion, River
has a universal appeal. Kind of like
the movie, "Stand By Me" did. I am
awed to have been a part of the book
but that is not what is important or
what the book is about. What is im-
portant is that it tells how we all have
to swim in ‘the river big'...sometimes
we float our way easily down the
river without a care in the world,
enjoying life and the scenery as we
peacefully drift by, or.. .we sometimes
have to fight with all our might as we
swim upstream and battle the strong
currents and difficulties of life. The
novel tells the stories of its characters
as they swim ‘the river big.'
I had known for a long time that Jim
had promised to write the book, but to
be truthful, I had just about given up
that he would ever do it. Even when
he told me a couple of years ago that
it was finally forthcoming, I secretly
thought to myself that I would be-
lieve it when I actually saw it. And
when Jim handed me my copy last
Christmas, I somehow felt over-
whelmed. As soon as he left, I started
reading. And about three hours later,
I had finished.
The next day, I read it again. For the
first month, I read parts of it nearly
every day. I have laughed...and
cried...and laughed...and cried...It is
something I will never forget and has
affected me forever. Every time I
read it, I experience one of those
feelings.
Jim originally wrote the story with
one purpose in mind-to give to his
Mom, his sister, Barbara and other
family members as well as his wife,
Lorrie and for me and Charles. It was
going to be typewritten in 3-ring bind-
ers before he did a little checking and
came up with the idea of ‘self-pub-
lishing.' Jim now makes each and
every copy himself totally on his home
computer and he glues the cover on
the manuscript and this completes the
project. Now that he has pretty much
perfected the process, it takes ap-
proximately one hour to make each
book.
As family members loaned out their
copies to friends and other family
members, it would in turn be loaned
out to other friends and more and
more, others began requesting their
own copy. From simple ‘word of
mouth' advertising, nearly 500 copies
have been sold, or given as gifts all
over the country.
I guess what is most impressive to
me is when Jim wrote to Larry
McMurtry, gave him a copy and asked
for any comments or helpful sugges-
tions if he had the time to do so.
Within a matter of days, Larry was
kind enough to write Jim back and
some of his comments are included
on the back cover, which he gra-
ciously permitted Jim to use. To wit,
I quote: "....an excellent first novel;
moving, crisply written. The charac-
ters are convincing and appealing..."
You may also be interested in the
fact that Jim is currently working on
two other books that will be con-
nected to River although they are not
pre-quels or sequels. Also of note is
that fact that Jim is currently working
on a play script that the artistic com-
mittee for Royal Theater Productions
has expressed an interest in produc-
ing for one of its seasons.
Many have asked Jim if he does
plan on having the book published.
Submissions are now being made and
‘rejection slips' have been received
and although he is disappointed, he is
not giving up due to the fact that one
of his favorite books, Zen and The Art
of Motorcycle Maintenance by Rob-
ert Pirsig was refused 172 times be-
fore being published and becoming a
bestseller.
You may be interested in knowing
how to obtain a copy since Christmas
is fast approaching. The book is now
available in Books-A-Million in Sikes
as well as Three Dog Books in Wichita
Falls (and on their web page,
www.threedogbooks.com). Locally,
in Archer City, that is, it is available at
The General Store and Lonesome
Dove Inn. Or you may order a person-
ally autographed copy directly from
Jim Blackat4809 Windsong, Wichita
Falls, Tx 76310 for $15.00.
by Kathryn Carnes, CEA-FCS
Christmas Safety Tips
Christmas Tree Safety
* A real tree should not lose green
needles when you tap it on the ground.
* For a real tree leave it outside until
ready to decorate.
* The stand should hold at least 1
gallon of water.
* A 6 foot tree will use 1 gallon of
water every two days.
* Check the water level every day.
* Use on approved lights and ne-
more than 3 strands linked together.
* Use miniature lights - which is
cool burning bulbs.
* Turn off the Christmas lights when
you sleep, or if you leave home.
* Never use candles even on artifi-
cial trees.
* Dispose of the tree properly after
Christmas - never burn a real tree in
the fireplace!
Home Safety
* Never use indoor extension cords
outside.
* Unplug light sting before replac-
ing a bulb.
* When using candles in decorating
remember hot wax burns kids. And
extinguish candles prior to leaving or
going to bed.
* Dispose of fireplace ashes into a
metal container until cold.
Recipes to Prevent Holiday Pantry
Panic
Powdered Sugar
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tble. cornstarch
Place both ingredients in blender.'
Blend until fluffy, turning blender off
and on, as you don't want to overheat
the motor. Makes 2 3/4 cups.
Mock Sour Cream
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup buttermilk
4 tsp. lemon juice
Place all ingredients in blender and
blend until smooth. Yield 2 cups.
Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 cup instant non-fat milk solids
2/3 cup sugar
3 tble. melted butter
1/3 cup boiling water
Process in blender until smooth. Can
use it right away or store in refrigera-
tor for later use. Yeild approx. 1 can
sweetened condensed milk.
Ok, here's the deal. I couldn't get
any takers on the tickets to Our Town
or the Supper Club. But if someone is
brave enough to write me at my email
address (GaryBeesinger@aol.com) or
to the News and respond with a ques-
tion for me to answer in this article on
any item or subject we have covered,
I will give the winner of the drawing
a copy of Jim's book. Deadline is
December 19th.
Well, that's it for another week.
Hope you join me again next time. I
think I have some good news for you
from the field of entertainment.
Let's build it.....and they will come.
Peace and Joy to you and yours.
Now you don’t need
one of these to get your
Federal payment.
Now, even if you don’t qualify for a checking
or savings account, you can have your
Federal payment automatically deposited
to a low-cost, federally insured ETASM.
Can 1-888-382-3311 to
learn where you can open
an ETA. Or visit our Web Electronic Transfer Account
site atwww.eta-find.gov.
PUBLIC NOTICE
NOTICE AFFORDING
OPPORTUNITY FOR
PUBLIC HEARING
The Texas Department of Trans-
portation (TxDOT) proposes to con-
struct a 5-lane roadway with side-
walks and curbs on FM 2380 from
FM 369 to SH 79 in Archer and
Wichita Counties. An additional
8.581 acres of right-of-way will be
required. TxDOT will manage and
construct the project. Tentative let-
ting schedule for this project is July
2001.
Information about the State's relo-
cation assistance program, the ben-
efits and services for displacees and
information concerning the reloca-
tion assistance office as well as infor-
mation about the tentative schedule
for right-of-way acquisition can be
obtained from the TxDOT Wichita
Falls District Office located at 1601
Southwest Parkway, Wichita Falls,
Texas 76302-4906.
Maps showing the location of the
project, the environmental assessment
prepared for the project, and other in-
formation relative to the project are on
file and available for inspection at the
Texas Department of Transportation
at the address below. Any interested
citizen may request that a public hear-
ing be held covering the social, eco-
nomic, and environmental effect of the
project by delivering a written request
to: Mr. John A. Barton, P.E., Director
of Transportation, Planning and De-
velopment, 1601 Southwest Parkway,
Wichita Falls, Texas 76302-4906 on
or before December 22, 2000.
In the event that such a request is
received, a public hearing will be sched-
uled and adequate notice will be pub-
lished about the date and location of
the hearing. 47/ltc & 49/ltc
Well be there. ’ * ,
Whenever you need
us. we’re only a phohe
callaway.
You’re part ofbur'
family—we’ll be there,
for you.
Mill
GERMANIA FARM MUTUAL
INSURANCE ASSOCIATION
GERMANIA
INSURANCE COMPANY
WOLF INSURANCE
AGENCY *
Windthorst. TX • 423-0303
Sales Staff
• Mark Havens • Guinn White •
• Tom Cale • Perry Sansing •
• Mike Stumbaugh •
”We appreciate your business!”
1111
0-0-0 Sale
on all
Oldsmobiles
in stock.
m See dealer for details.
(940) 574-4521
(940) 322-6522 • 1-800-658-6804
CHEVROLET • PONTIAC • OLDSMOBILE
801 N. Center • P.0. Box i 164 • Archer City, Texas 76351
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Lewis, Shelley. Archer County News (Archer City, Tex.), No. 49, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 7, 2000, newspaper, December 7, 2000; Archer City, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth811213/m1/8/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Archer Public Library.