News

DAINGERFIELD – Residents
showed up in force
on April 22 in support of
one of their newest, youngest
members, as a benefit for
Kimber Parr was held at the
fire station.
Kimber Harlynn Parr is
the newborn daughter of
Daingerfield Police Sergeant
Corey Parr and his
wife, Charlene. Kimber was
diagnosed prior to her birth
with Bi-lateral Cleft of the
Lip and Cleft Palate. She
was born April 4, which
was several weeks prior to
her actual due date. Kimber
had to be fitted with a special
device to help her breath
and eat, and her parents had
to undergo training prior to
bringing her home.
Along with the special
orthodontic device, Kimber
also requires special bottles
due to her condition, and
will have to undergo a series
of surgeries. Her first surgery
will be at approximately
three months of age.

HUGHES SPRINGS – There will be no shortage
of activities over the weekend, as Hughes Springs will
once again host their Annual Wildflower Trails Festival.
Activities will be at various locations downtown, but
will center around Spring Park April 27-29.
From carnival rides and games to booths, foods and
parades, there will be something for everyone.
Entertainment will again be a large part of WFT.
Aside from the live entertainment on the Spring Park
Stage on Friday and Saturday, festival goers will also
have the Hughes Springs Parade, which will take place
at 10 a.m. on Saturday. There will also be a street dance
on Saturday at 8 p.m. featuring WTW.
For those festival goers seeking a more comical variety
of entertainment, the Community Theatre of East
Texas will offer encore performances of their production,
“Southern Fried Funeral,” which will be a 7:30 on

GILMER --The East Texas
Affiliate of Mothers Against
Drunk Driving hosted a
Death Notification training
on Wednesday, April 19 at the
Gilmer Civic Center for law enforcement,
clergy and first responders.
The training provided 43
participants, including deputies
from Morris County, with best
practices on delivering a death
notification of a loved one.
The training detailed the
emotional hazards of crisis
work, the needs of the newly
bereaved and survivor reactions
following a sudden death.
Lauren Rowe, the National
Senior Director of Victim Services
with Mother’s Against
Drunk Driving, conducted
the training which provided
TCOLE hours for law enforcement.
The training was provided
at no cost to the participants
through the generous support
of the following sponsors:
First National Bank of Gilmer,

DAINGERFIELD -- The Steel Country Bee is pleased to introduce Eva Wilbanks as their new advertising sales representative, according to The Steel Country Bee Publisher Dannie Oliveaux.

"We are excited for Eva joining our staff in Daingerfield," said Oliveaux. "I believe she will be an asset to The Steel County Bee and her knowledge of the area is helpful."

Wilbanks is experienced in organizing and planning events, as was exhibited in July 2016, when she organized a "Back the Blue" event for local law enforcement.

"In four days, I organized efforts to gather water and Gatorade, as well as organizing the community in a show of appreciation for our surrounding police officers," said Wilbanks. "It turned out to be very successful."

With being fluent in both English and Spanish, Wilbanks offers a bilingual aspect to The Bee.

"Wilbanks offers an arm into the Hispanic community, and will be a great asset in selling ads," said Editor Toni Walker.

ORE CITY – An Ore City native is going from the big screen to the small screen.

Actor Montana Jordan, who co-starred with Josh Brolin in "Legacy of a White Tail Deer Hunter," was recently cast in a spinoff to the popular television series, "Big Bang Theory."

According to media reports, the proposed series focus on Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon during his childhood in East Texas, a fact confirmed by Jordan’s mother, Kelli Smith.

According to Smith, Jordan is set to play Sheldon’s older brother, George.

The sitcom will reportedly follow young Sheldon during his childhood, and will feature the voice of actor Jim Parsons, who plays Dr. Sheldon Cooper on the established show.

According to Smith, Jordan’s manager, Angie Edgar, submitted a taped audition upon hearing of the spinoff. That submission led to a call for a live audition, which led to the East Texas native playing the role of an East Texas native.

DAINGERFIELD – The Daingerfield Business
and Professional Women’s Club will hold their annual
“Dust to Diamond Spring Style Show and Dinner” on
Thursday, March 23, at The Next Level Church, 165
Highway 259 South.
Tickets are $15 each and can be purchased from
any DBPW member. Dinner will be served at 6:30
p.m. and the show begins at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6
p.m. for early shopping.
Proceeds from the event go towards a DBPW scholarship
for a graduating senior girl.
The tradition started in 1983 and in 1996, the club
began presenting two recipients with a scholarship
each year.

HUGHES SPRINGS -- “Dewey Frye is dead and the rest of his family is left to pick up the pieces -- that is if they don’t kill each other first.” So begins the description of The Community Theatre of East Texas’ new play, “Southern Fried Funeral” to open Friday, March 24. According to Playscripts. com, “Not only does matriarch Dorothy have to contend with sudden widowhood, but she’s also faced with church-committee harpy Ozella Meeks sticking her nose in the family business, Dewey’s snake-inthe- grass brother making a grab for her house, and two grown daughters reliving their childhood rivalry. Funerals bring out the worst, the best, and the funniest in people, and the Fryes are no exception. A big-hearted comedy about family -- Southern-style.”

DAINGERFIELD – The City Council officially cancelled the May 6 General election during their March 13 regular meeting. With three council positions up for election, the city only had three candidates file -- Bob Thorne, Mike Carter, and Duane Grissett. Since none of the seats were contested, the council voted to approve the cancellation of the general election. The three candidates were declared to be elected. The city will hold the Local Option Election, where voters will determine whether or not liquor sales for off-premise consumption will be allowed inside the city limits. The council also appointed election judges, workers, and pay for the Local Option Election. City Secretary Heidi Edmondson said once again the city’s election will be held in conjunction with the school board election, and that Election Day voting will take place at the J.D. Parrish Administration building, and will utilize the same judges and officials the school has already elected.

HUGHES SPRINGS – Prom night is a dream for every girl in school and a local high school student is doing her best to make it easier for girls to enjoy their fairytale evening. Sierra Blankenship, a senior at Hughes Springs High School, knows what it is like to not be able to get the things she needs. “My mom is a single mom and we have had times were we didn’t have a lot. There have been times were we needed a helping hand,” said Blankenship. She said as a child, she participated in pageants and knew what it was like to be dependent on others for dresses. It was through her experiences that she decided to begin Cinderella’s Closet, which offers prom dresses to girls who may not be able to afford them any other way. During her sophomore year, Blankenship made a post on Facebook, asking if anyone had old prom dresses to donate to those less fortunate. “After one post, I went to school and we had about 20 dresses at the office,” said Blankenship.

DAINGERFIELD – The Chamber of Commerce is looking for community input into the revitalization of the Daingerfield Days Fall Festival. A community meeting to discuss the future of Daingerfield Days is set for 5:30 p.m. March 30 at the Daingerfield Fire Station. All Daingerfield citizens are invited to come to the meeting. After drops in attendance the previous years, the chamber is looking for input from the community on ways to revitalize this event. “We are reaching out for input from the people on how to make the event more attractive,” said Chamber President Rocky Thomasson. “We need people to come together and work towards making it better.” Thomasson acknowledged that a carnival is difficult to secure for the event, due to prices.