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Once
a week, I sit on my couch at home and read the weekly newspapers sent to me by
the folks who are kind enough to carry this column.
By the time I’m through,
I have learned a lot more about East Texas
than I knew last week.
Here are some examples: The
only woman to have a Masonic emblem carved on her tombstone was buried in tiny
McMadden Cemetery in Newton County in 1873. She was Mary Jane McMahon Kimmey,
who was accepted as a Mason around 1850 because she supposedly overheard some
of the Masonic secrets during a meeting. The story insinuated that Mary Jane,
if she had not become a Mason, would have been done away with.The
28th annual Lovefest was held in February at the Houston County town of Lovelady.
Now, there’s a festival name that could make some non-East Texans wonder what
goes on at a “Lovefest.” But, I can assure them it’s pretty much like other festivals
with a parade, the crowning of a Lovefest queen, a fun run and walk, a baby contest,
a dance, and lots of food booths. Each
week in the White Oak Independent, the local fire department reports on its activities
in a column called “The White Oak Fire Log.” This is a good example of what writers
call a double-entendre.
In the Jefferson Jimplecute,
Vic Parker reported on some oddball headlines such as these: Enraged cow injures
farmer with ax. Drunk drivers paid $1,000 in 1984. War dims hope for peace. Something
went wrong in jet crash, experts say. Death causes loneliness, feeling of isolation.
British left waffles on Falkland Islands. In
the Jasper News-Boy, a story reported
that “Invasive Aliens leave mark on Sandy Creek.” Just when I was about to start
worry about aliens from outer space, a closer reading referred to green plant
species unknown to some foresters. In
the Buffalo Press, Sheriff Ralph
Billings reported that wild turkeys have become a local nuisance by pecking on
windows. “Sounds like these wild turkeys have been taking a few nips from a bottle
labeled Wild Turkey,” he noted.
Bob
Bowman's East Texas
September 19, 2010Column.
A weekly column syndicated in 109 East Texas newspapers |
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