Category: Howe News Bulletin

Johnny Burnett, Assistant Head Coach at Hendrix College in Arkansas made a trip down to see Howe’s Tanner Hartsfield about playing football for them. A visit was scheduled with the college and the Hartsfield family. Knowing that other local players such as Levi Jones of Van Alstyne will also be going to Hendrix made the decision much easier.

“There’s no words to describe the excitement that I’m having,” said Hartsfield. “My dream was to play college football. I never really thought about how much work I was putting in.”

Hartsfield’s father John, who was a standout football player for Anna says that it was only in the last three years that he thought his son might play college football.

“About three years ago I saw the work ethic and the maturity and the muscles start to come in play.” said John Hartsfield and echoed by Tanner’s stepmother Shanna Hartsfield.

Tanner’s mother Leslie Modesitt had the same sentiments, “He’s always had a drive from a young age. Pee wee football or no matter what age – he’s gone out there and played his hardest no matter what.

The common theme that everyone talks about when it comes to Hartsfield is his work ethic. Howe Head Football Coach Zack Hudson raved about his ability to outwork other people.

“His intensity that he plays with is just one of those things you can’t replace and you can’t teach. He’s a little undersized for what he does, but he’s one of those kids that come off the field and you feel the effects of him. That’s what makes him valuable. There’s no one that we play that doesn’t respect number 70.” said Hudson.

Hudson said that Hendrix is going to get a player that’s not going to stop.

“The more you look at college athletes and even pro athletes, some of those undersized guys end up playing and playing for a long time because their motor doesn’t stop and their love for the game doesn’t stop and that’s the kind of kid they’re going to get.”

Hartsfield, still only 17 years old is expected to still put on weight and eventually be a bigger kid.

“They’re going to get a diamond in the rough, that’s for sure,” said Hudson.

The Howe Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting the City Howe’s 31st Annual Founders Day this Saturday. The event is now a late afternoon and evening gathering, starting at 2 pm and ending at 8 pm. Bent Creek Band is starting at 4 pm which features Howe local Brent Hollensed on lead vocals. All throughout the day, there will be food and games for kids and games for adults such as domino and horseshoe tourney. But the big contest is the annual Riding Lawnmower Race that will take place at 6:45 pm in a drag race format on Haning Street in downtown. Currently, there have been 45 vendor spaces reserved including food vendors such as Everything Ice Cream and Chill Out Shaved Ice.

The newest edition to Founders Day will be the Interurban Kid Train sponsored by Marla Butler of Fairway Independent Mortgage. The train will run a round trip route on the old 1940s Interurban route from the First Baptist Church breezeway to O’Connel Street. This year, the Howe High School Colorguard and Winterguard will perform in the 3 pm hour on Haning Street stretching from Abby’s Restaurant to Gabriela’s Mexican Cocina.

 

Schedule of events:

Friday, May 5 6:30 pm – Howe Hall of Honor Banquet and Awards Banquet at Howe Development Alliance/Howe Chamber Office. Saturday, May 6 8 am – noon – Keep Howe Beautiful’s Community Garage Sale at Memorial Park.

Friday, May 5, 6:30 pm – Howe Hall of Honor Banquet and Awards Banquet at Howe Development Alliance/Howe Chamber Office. Saturday,

May 6, 8 am – noon – Keep Howe Beautiful’s Community Garage Sale at Memorial Park.

9 am – Howe Youth Softball Kickball Tournament

9 am – Classic cars arrive for Car Show on Davis Street sponsored by the Howe Fire Department.

2 pm – Founders Day Festival Begins with vendors on the streets in downtown. Car show judging begins. 2:15 pm – Horseshoe Tournament begins next to FBC Howe Youth Building Howe Lions Club Domino tournament begins in the chamber office. 3 pm – 3:30 pm – Howe High School Winterguard perform on Haning Street. 4 pm – Bent Creek Band begins playing on the stage at the west end of downtown. 5:30 pm – Prelims for

2:15 pm – Horseshoe Tournament begins next to FBC Howe Youth Building Howe Lions Club Domino tournament begins in the chamber office. 3 pm – 3:30 pm – Howe High School Winterguard perform on Haning Street. 4 pm – Bent Creek Band begins playing on the stage at the west end of downtown. 5:30 pm – Prelims for

3 pm – 3:30 pm – Howe High School Winterguard perform on Haning Street. 4 pm – Bent Creek Band begins playing on the stage at the west end of downtown. 5:30 pm – Prelims for

4 pm – Bent Creek Band begins playing on the stage at the west end of downtown. 5:30 pm – Prelims for

5:30 pm – Prelims for Lawnmowing Race

6:45 pm – Finals for Lawnmowing Race, Introduction of winners of Kickball tournament, winners of horseshoe tournament, winners of domino tournament.

8 pm – Bent Creek Band closes the Founders Day Festival.

Leaders of Howe from days gone by (and one who is still leading the charge) will be enshrined into the Howe Hall of Honor on Friday night in Downtown Howe. Four members which consist of two living and two deceased will join the 15 previously selected members. This years inductees Jean Norman, Donal Gilstrap, J.J. Chisum, and Bob Walker will join Jabez Haning, W.P. Thompson, A.M. Ferguson, Mame Roberts, Charles R. Thompson, Arthur Boyle, Tony Brinkley, L.B. Kirby, Norma Wallace, Ray Bledsoe, Carrie Waller, Elmer Schenk, Norman Dickey, Jimmy Bearden, and Steve Simmons.

The chamber received 181 responses in the online voting which also included nominations for the category of Business of the Year, New Business of the Year, Norma J. Wallace Citizen of the Year, and Volunteer Organization of the Year. The winners of those categories will be announced at the Third Annual Howe Hall of Honor & Awards Banquet on May 5 at 6:30 pm.

Jean Norman has been nominated now twice for the Hall of Honor. She will go down in Howe history in much of the same regards as Mame Roberts – a truly iconic figure among all of Howe’s finest ladies. Her fingerprints of leadership are seen throughout the community from Ponderosa to Farmington. She was instrumental in forming the Howe Public Library and eventually the Howe Community Library. Her leadership helped breathe life into the former Howe First Christian Church, not once but twice. Norman was a key member in the foundation and the formation of the Howe Historical Society in the 1980s and 90s and renovated the church previously to house a museum. Serving most recently as president of the Save the Church organization, the group has raised enough money to transform one of Howe’s oldest buildings into a beautiful wedding venue. The longtime school teacher has also been a longtime member and church leader at the First Baptist Church of Howe. She was named the 1992 Norma J. Wallace Citizen of the Year and 25 years later was nominated once again for the award. Donal Gilstrap,

Donal Gilstrap, a first-time nominee, was most known for his position as Howe High School principal during three different decades. While also serving as elementary and middle school principal, it was his gentle, yet stern approach to leadership that won his respect among students and peers. Gilstrap grew up picking cotton in the 1940’s and was not able to go to school until all of the cotton was picked, which was usually around November. His mother had a sixth-grade education and his dad received no education at all, but he was a hard oil field worker. That strength was a family trait as Gilstrap used his strength in football to earn himself a college degree at Hardin-Simmons. Post college, he spent four years in the Army including a free vacation to Korea. While stationed at Lawton, Oklahoma, he met the love of his life Barbara whom he married in 1959. Together, they had two children, Catherine and Patrick. He was recruited to Howe by six school board members who drove to Lubbock to recruit him.

James Chisum was nominated for the second straight year, was perhaps the most loved man in Howe from the time he opened Chisum’s One Stop Grocery Store in July of 1957. He was called the “One-Man- Chamber of Commerce” as he helped give information to anyone that asked. Mr. Chisum often ran open tickets for families knowing well he would never get paid. His response was always that he couldn’t stand to see anyone not have food on their table. Mr. Chisum was the Norma J. Wallace Citizen of the Year in 1985.

 

 

Bob Walker, first time nominee, most known for operating the Howe Enterprise. He put out a weekly publication for 421 consecutive weeks from 1966 to 1974. He was instrumental in reforming the Howe Chamber of Commerce in 1972 and served as the chairman of the Howe Centennial Committee which was a week long festival and celebration of the city and its fine history. He was elected as the Howe Chamber of Commerce President in the 1970s which saw the volunteer organization run at its full peak of operation at that time. Mr. Walker also served on the Planning and Zoning Commission of Howe. After selling the Howe Enterprise, he went on to own and operate Allied Office Supply in Downtown Howe for a number of years until his retirement in 1989.

Friday night will see the winners of the various chamber awards as well as the inductions. Business of the Year nominees are Abby’s Restaurant, the Howe Enterprise, and Stark Lane Farms. New Business of the Year nominees are Palio’s Pizza Cafe, Skinner Plumbing Supply, and Stark Lane Farms. Volunteer Organization of the Year nominees are Feed My Sheep, Howe Volunteer Fire Department, and Keep Howe Beautiful.  The Norma J. Wallace Citizen of the Year will go to either Jonathan Coleman, Jean Norman or Monte Walker.

The chamber will also be recognizing the oldest active businesses and organizations in Howe as well during the evening. Being recognized are the Post Office, the City of Howe, Howe ISD, FBC Howe, FUMC, Howe Church of Christ, Howe Police Department, Howe Fire Department, Howe Enterprise, Independent Bank, Remcor, Hugh’s TV, Baker Heating/Air, MagniFab, Southwest Auction, and the School Zone Academy. Tickets will be available at the door which

Tickets are $15 and will be available at the door. Catering the event is Mama Suzy’s Sweets & Eats.

The third annual event is the kickoff to the Founders Day Festival which takes place the following day, Saturday, May 6 from 2 pm – 8 pm with many activities in the downtown area.

The game of baseball always comes down to pitching and defense.  In the baseball version of the Silver Spike Monday night at Sherman’s Veterans Field, one team had great pitching and one team played subpar defense.  The result was a 5-0 win for Howe (17-8) and a matchup with Whitesboro (event) at Sherman in the first round of the playoffs.

A combination of six errors committed by Van Alstyne and a solid starting outing by Howe sophomore Mason Riggs and three shutdown innings in relief by senior Matt Griffin was truly the story of the game.  Riggs escaped a one-out bases loaded jam in the third inning by getting a strikeout and a fly out.  That was the only trouble Riggs ran into the entire game as he went four innings, allowing no runs on five hits, striking out four, and walking one.  Griffin’s numbers were equally impressive as he tossed three shutout innings, allowing one hit, and striking out five.

Howe took an early lead in the bottom of the first as Griffin drove in Brice Krantz on a line drive single to right.  Howe added two more runs in the third as Jaden Matthews came home from third on a wild pitch and Griffin reached on a shortstop error that allowed Krantz to score.

In the bottom of the fourth with two on, Krantz singled to left and the ball escaped the left fielder allowing both runners to score for a 5-0 Howe lead.

Click for Game Photos by Michelle Carney

After serving as interim director of the Grayson Crisis Center for the last six months, Shelli Shields was promoted to executive director by the center’s board of directors at a recent board meeting.

 

Shields, who lives in Pottsboro and is a 2002 graduate of Southeastern Oklahoma State University, has been with the Crisis Center since 2012. Her duties have included overseeing the agency’s advocacy and SART/SANE programs, community education, school/community-based primary prevention, batterers/anger managements groups, as well as assisting in the agencies fiscal growth and development. She has many years of experience responding to family violence and studying ways to create change within the movement.

 

Shields has “the passion, enthusiasm, and vision to lead this organization to success and to new and greater heights,” said Crisis Center Board President Asa Jessee. “Over the past six months as interim executive director and the past several years in various positions at the Crisis Center, she has excelled and has often exceeded expectations. The board believes Shelli’s abilities as a leader and the relationships she has fostered with the community, the board, and the staff will be a strong factor in the future success of the Crisis Center.”

 

The new executive director said she is humbled by the opportunity “to lead such an amazing team that continues to support survivors in a way that is second to none.”

 

She added: “I believe there is no limit to the impact our agency can make in our community with the support of our board members and local collaborative partners. I gladly accept the challenge and responsibility to meet the needs of victims and survivors of family violence while providing awareness, prevention, and education through the resources at the Grayson Crisis Center.”

 

The Crisis Center provides a safe haven and various services for adult and child victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. To find out more about the center, its mission or to make a donation, please go to www.graysoncrisiscenter.org.