ALL AROUND LUFKIN
Janice Ann Rowe

Bennie and Ellen Hollis went to Monmouth Plantation in Natchez, Mississippi for their 45th wedding anniversary and had a wonderful time. The house was beautiful, and their suite was fabulous. They ran into Cathy Todd and Len Medford and their high school group that were also staying at Monmouth. What a surprise. It proves that you better watch how you behave because you might see someone from Lufkin. They went by the Natchez Cemetery looking for Greg Isles' "Turning Angel" and think that they found it. The 5-course dinner at Monmouth Plantation on Saturday night was delicious. On the way home, they stopped at the Landing Restaurant in Natchitoches and enjoyed their food.

Len Arnett Medford, Cathy Culwell Todd, Linda Anderson Claybar, Melinda Metteauer Maspero and Jan Book Smith met for their annual February get together in Natchez, Mississippi. They had lunch and toured Longwood, the unfinished antebellum mansion, with Davilynn Bennett Furlow who owns the Natchez Coffee Company in Natchez. She and her husband live in the Stewart House, a Victorian home.

Mark your calendar for your children to attend the First Christian Church Easter Eggstranvaganzsa on Saturday, March 22 on the lawn of the church. The hunt starts at 10 a.m. and will be for different age groups. The finish will be at 12 noon. There will be three egg hunts with over 3,000 candy filled eggs, a puppet show, balloons, games and prizes, popcorn and coke, and it is free to the entire family. All you need to bring is a basket for the eggs. Contact Emily Grimes, Sheila Skelton or Kathy Barnes for more information or the church at 634-8341.

The SPJST Lodge is sponsoring dance lessons every Tuesday in February from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Lodge.

Bobbie Friday will be teaching two-step, Polka, waltz, line dance, cotton eyed joe and maybe more. The cost is $6 per person per lesson or $20. per person for all four lessons. For more information call 632-2849 or 637-1674.

The 1st Street Arts Center will have a reception from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on February 14 for the Shades of Red Exhibition. There will be a live opera performed by

Julia Ray. The exhibit will be open until May 3. The Heart Institute is a proud sponsor for the arts in Lufkin.

Ernest and I have been down with the virus, and Oscar Di l - lahunty went to the grocery story for us to get Ernest some Blue Bell ice cream. He also brought some of his soup. Bill Royle brought us medicine. Talk about medicine??? I do not think of myself as old but!!! The Zyrtec pills were so hard to open that I had to take the scissors to the bubble wrapped pill. I wonder how much more it takes to put pills in packages that way than in a bottle without a child proof cap for "old folks". Mary Byrd brought us some of her home made potato salad.

Mark and Callie Hicks and their daughter Caroline Kate Hicks born October 3 have a contract on the

C. W. Evans home on Southwood Drive. I found out about Caroline from grand parents

Steve and Nancy Hicks. The other grand parents are Debbie and Paul Clifton. Great grand parents are Joan and Wayne Johnson, Mary Read and Royce Read. Mark and Callie like remodeling older homes, and this one is going to be a great one that is spacious with many bedrooms. Mark described Caroline as blonde hair and blue eyes just like her mom and dad. Mickey Bowser with American Real Estate is their realtor.

Kathy Barnes, bride elect of Dwyane Dunn, was honored with a Bridal Coffee at the home of Martha Carswell on February 9. Other hostesses were: Donna Anderson, Cile Braden, Clarkie Brown, Tony Brown, Marlene Glover, Bebe Hubbard, Enid Hunter, Marian Kinney, Sharon McClure, Nelda Morrison, Mary Needham, Geneva Newsom, Tina Peavy, Joan Poplin, Connie Porter, Carol Riggs, Tammy Ripley, Pat Ritchey, Belinda Teer and Edna Watson. There will be a Wedding Shower for Kathy and Dwyane on March 2 at the First Christian Church hosted by the Friendship Group. Their wedding date is April 19.

Beverly Slaughter sent the newsletter telling that the Survivor Celebration Dinner before the Relay for Life would be April 17 at the First Baptist Church Family Life Center. The Relay for Life will be May 2 and 3 at the Lufkin Middle School.

The Lufkin Panther Boys Soccer team will play The Woodlands on Friday, February 15 at Jase Majors Field here in Lufkin. The Woodlands are ranked high in the state. Polly Goodier is keeping me posted on the games.

I forgot to mention that we went last week to the Lufkin Panther JV basketball game to seetheJVDril at half time. The stands were full of JV parents watching them perform. Then at the Varsity game the Panther Pride Drill Team danced at half time. The last home game for the Panthers will be Friday, February 15 against Conroe.

Happy Birthday: J. P. Heath, Raymond Moore, Kyle King, Steve Moore, E'Lisa Hurst, George Clarke will be 98 on February 25, Isabelle Herde, Billie Smith, Carolyn Elmore, Stambaugh, Robert Holmes, Dois Rayburn, Lynn Torres, Ann Craig, Benna Dell Russell, Glenda Smiley, An Sweeny, Harold Newsom, Martha Bates, Susan Bryan.

Happy Anniversar y: Barb and Tom Flournoy, Bob and Doris Bowman, Mike and Cindy Taylor, Joe and Jeanette Davis, Boyd and Imogene Stewart, Joe and Sarah Rich, Harold and Geneva Newsom.

Mary Russell's last day with Temple-Inland Forest Products will be February 29. Cut backs this time included Mary. She is interviewing and you can contact her at 824-9888 or email: mrussell6192@yahoo.co m.

Bill Poplin spent several days in the hospital with oxygen problems. He is out of the hospital and went to eat with Joan Poplin and Martha and Ray Carswell at Pete's Place on Saturday night.

When I wrote about my granddaughter Hannah Herde being in Washington D. C. with the National Young Leaders Conference,

Mary Jean Maroney told me that her daughter

Melinda Maroney now Johnson had participated from Lufkin as the first person selected by the civics and government teachers to attend Washington D. C. too. Mr. Schmidt was her advisor and Melinda met the Senators and Congressmen and was on the floor of congress in the spring of 1969, which was her Senior Year. She wrote an article in the Free Press about being there and being selected as an outstanding student by her teachers.

Mary Jean Maroney attended Mack Carnes' auction and bought Pat Clark's Cadillac. Pat is Connie Thompson's mother who has moved into Magnolia Court, an assisted living facility in Nacogdoches. Mary Jean also bought a crib from Pat that had survived the 1900 flood in Galveston. She plans to use the crib for her great grand babies.

Virginia Winston was at the Auction with her great grandbaby Clara, daughter of Lacy and Clay Keath, and granddaughter of Debbie Winston and Dee Winston. Virginia says that Clara and her 2 and a half-year-old sister

Alexandria are the prettiest babies in the world!!!!

Beau Winston, son of Debbie Winston and Dee Winston, graduated from Loyola University of the South in Chicago and is practicing law in Chicago. Virginia says he loves the "dirty" city.

George and Martha Chandler hosted a 100 th birthday party for C. O. Chandler at the Chandler's home on Saturday. His birthday was February 12. Mr. Chandler had been superintendent in Orange and Victoria for 20 years and there is a school named for him in Victoria. The principal of the elementary school brought a proclamation that it was C. O. Chandler Day in Victoria. He brought a big card that the students had signed along with a video of the kids performing for him. We wish you more Happy Birthdays!!!!

Woodie Hicks asked us last week to watch the Super Bowl game at her house on herHDTV. Itmadea difference in watching the game.

Linda Huggins Mart in was one of the judges at the Miss Tyler County, Teen Miss and Junior Miss contests in Woodville over the weekend. She along with Angel San Juan formerly with KTRE TV and now in Beaumont were several of the judges of these young women. Linda said it reaffirms to her the good in these 13 and 14 year olds with ideas on politics and world affairs. There were 900 people in the audience. Linda loves doing these pageants and seeing how positive and savvy that these young women are when asked the questions from the judges.

Let me hear your news. Catch you around town. Janice Ann

Email: roweja@suddenlink. net.