DIBOLL, ANGELINA COUNTY AND BEYOND

Former Dibollians Boots and Howard Hutto are TV celebrities. They have moved from Cedar Creek Lake to Highland Springs Retirement Community in Dallas. From more than 300 residents they were chosen to do a TV commercial for the HS community. Their daughter, Rita Howard, lives about one mile from them and went over to help them get ready for the filming. Rita said she wasn't needed. The film crew picked them up, escorted them to the photo shoot and took them to makeup where they sat at a dressing table with lights. Rita said "they really did a good job on Dad's head, the girl kept following him and touching him up, which he loved. They thoroughly enjoyed their day as a celebrity". The Huttos will also be featured in marketing brochures, HS TV network, local TV and also HS monthly newspaper.

Received an email from Lois Cooper, former editor of the Free Press. She and Jackie moved back to Marlin where she is working for another newspaper. They are friends with former Dibollian Travis Allen. Travis had recently passed through town and promised to stop and visit with the Coopers next time.

Diboll was well represented at the Temple Theater when Angelina College presented the A.C. Singers in Showtime 2008. DHS graduate Jeremy Powell was one of eight talented students who fantastically performed 20 musical and dance numbers. Other performers included Hallie Collier, Joshua Griffin and Ericia Rains from Huntington; Sarah Jackson and Bryan Harkness from Lufkin; Ester McClure from Nacogdoches and Erin Nelson from Buffalo. Special guest performers were Bethani Blake, Maribel Garcia-Castillo, Daniel Perry and John Slack.

It was truly amazing that such a few performers could learn so many different dance and vocal numbers. The audience was very responsive, especially when Jeremy sang Midnight Cry. His proud parents, Arthur and Judy Powell, were there to support him and were pleased that Jeremy received the coveted Charles Stephens Scholarship Award. Cindy and Don Blake were there to support their daughter, Bethani Blake, who is studying to be a pharmacy technician. Richard, Sarah and Scott Wallace were there to support Hallie Collier. Burlon Wilkerson teaches at AC; he and Jan enjoyed the performance. J. R. and I carried our granddaughter Cheyenne and her friend, Ashley Coleman.

Cheyenne eagerly accepted Joshua Griffin's offer to dance in the aisle with him during one of the musical numbers. Kudos to everyone that had a part in this production!

Congratulations to Jan Wilkerson recently being elected president of the Texas PTSA. Jan will be doing extensive traveling and will represent Diboll as well as the entire state of Texas.

The Scarborough reunion was held at the C.H. Shepherd Scout House on Saturday. Skeeter Scarborough supplied us with members of the family that attended: His dad and mother, D. L. and Dorothy, were present after Dorothy being in the hospital recently. Bug's brother, Dewey and Betty Scarborough, came from Kerrville. Skeeter, his wife Inez; his son Machel and Patricia from Tyler; his daughter Tammy Hathorn and sons, Braden and Dalton, also came from Tyler. Earlene Grimes, Van and Fay Scarborough, E.W. Scarborough, Moy D. and Louise Scarborough with grandson Regon and twin great-grandsons Lesix and Lovi. Others included: Pete and Joy Weeks, Kelly Rowland and daughter Tess; Dovie Standley and Lynn and Jaunice Barrett. Good, good food including collard greens, cornbread and banana pudding.

Earl and Joyce Carr have returned from San Antonio where they helped with a garage sale for their daughter, Cathy Isham, who has committed to raise $3,000 for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's "Team in Training" program. She's not exactly an athlete but she's determined to: swim one mile; ride a bike for 26 miles, then run for 6.2 miles. You can donate to this worthy cause by going to her website "She's Gone Crazy" at www.active.com/donate/tntswbx/ CathyIsham (a secure site).

Barbara Clark was beaming as she told about her grandson, Joe Collin Clark, winning a saddle for Nine and Under Breakaway Roping at the Pineywoods Youth Rodeo Association in Marshall. His dad, Joe Don Clark, was also mighty proud.

Emma Lee Smith brought a snowy winter picture of a buffalo herd in the backyard of her niece, Delores (Forque) Wigren, in Darrington, Wash. Delores attended Diboll schools in the 50s. Her brother, Lamar, now lives in Arizona.

John McGilvra spent four days in Houston's Methodist hospital with pneumonia. Fran had previously been sick for several days and missed about seven days of school between she and

John both being sick. Fran never

misses school but thankfully they are both back to feeling normal again.

Beautiful three-week-old Natalie Ray Thompson made her debut to the feed store with her mom, Sarah. Her very first outing was to the Angelina Youth Fair to watch her sister Kaitlyn show chickens and to watch Hannah show her pig. Natalie's parents are Nathaniel "Porkchop" and Sarah

Conner) Thompson. Her paternal grandparents are Garland and Rhonda Thompson of Diboll . Maternal grandparents are Bill and Belinda Conner of Apple Springs. Great grandparents are Bill and Mary Thompson of Diboll; Ruth Lee and Robert Conner, both of Apple Springs.

It was good to see Adrian Russell when he drove himself to the RT for a cup of coffee and to visit with everyone. He enjoyed visiting with good friend Phil De- LaFosse from Corrigan. Leslie Stubblefield came in to buy seed potatoes and reported that her son Jacob used his grandmother Sue Chandler's dinner roll recipe to win First Place in Yeast Bread at the Angelina County Youth Fair. Murray Brothers Logging paid $450 for the rolls. Jacob's teacher at Diboll is Pat Parten who is also a Diboll graduate.

Blue Bell ice cream will make a donation to the 4-H program for each purchase of their new flavor, Blue Bell 4-H Centennial Cupcake ice cream. Give it a try and support a good program. Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 5, for Angelina County 4-H Bingo Bash at the Lottie and Arthur Temple Civic Center. They always have good prizes.

We received a nice note from Carol Chalfant to remind all our readers about the Angelina County Master Gardeners annual plant sale, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, March 29, at the Angelina County Farmers Market. A few of the plants that will be offered: annuals, perennials, herbs, tropicals, heirlooms, roses and many more! This is one of their biggest fund raisers to provide programs and projects for the community. For gardening or landscaping information, visit the Master Gardeners' website: go-lufkin.com/mastergardeners

A big thank you to Mary (Telford) Sheffield from Port Neches, a loyal reader of the Free Press, for the kind note she sent me about writing again. Take care and come see us…round the table.