First Fall Newspaper Recap

Fall is the best part of the year if you ask me. Nice temperatures without the tempestuousness of Spring. Nice holidays, like Thanksgiving, but without the pressure of gifts. The slant of the sunlight, the smell of the air. Okay, okay, I'm getting carried away here.

No one would argue what miracles a little rain makes. This is a photo of the haygrazer just up the road from Hobbs school. It wasn't much of anything until two weeks ago. You can see how lush it is now.

Well, onto the highlights of the Rotan Advance/Roby Star Record for Thursday, September 21, 2006:

• Christopher M. Romo makes TX DPS Trooper
• Fisher County Hospital Board Minutes
• Tickets on sale for Oct. 12 & 14th Hog Fest 735-3175
• Funding for Fisher County Hospital District Awarded by USDA
• West Texas Fair Rodeo Results for FFA
• Cindy Ramirez Serves Remainder of Dani Day's Term on Roby School Board
• Amber Lashae Kelly and Bobby Jack Clark Exchange Vows
• Obituaries for Guadalupe Macias, Ruben Castillo and Esther Pearl Firestone
• Football, Volleyball and Track Photos for Roby and Rotan

Also, lots of public announcements this issue. The new issue is already out, I saw it on the stand in Thriftway today. For more information on the Hog Fest and the many activities surrounding it, check out the Fisher County Chamber of Commerce link in the right hand column. It sounds like the Pie & Cake Contest on Thursday, October 12th is going to be a big deal. The rules were published in the paper this week. People from other counties are invited to participate as well. Sounds like lots of fun!

Reward for Lost Brush Hog Wheel

There is a reward of $30 to anyone finding a brush hog wheel that was lost on FM 611 from the cemetery and onto FM 1614 last Thursday. Just contact me if you find it. Thanks!

Lance Theater Poster - Randolph Scott -Buy IT!

Hey, all, I saw this cool poster on ebay for sale, but there's only 8 hours left to buy it. It's out of my price range at $50, but I think it's worth it. It's a poster of Randolph Scott in the movie Carson City. It's located in Spur, so you won't have long to wait to get it. Be sure to check it out, being sold by 47lolo on ebay.

J.D. Wallace dies at age 88

This might seem like Sweetwater news, as that is where J.D. and his family have lived for as long as I can remember, but he has a connection to Hobbs, by proxy, as it is popular to say now. He was the son of Jack and Ola Wallace of Roscoe, and Ola's sister was Daisy Templeton of Hobbs.

My dad has told me many a story about J.D., his exploits in World War II, the opening of two theaters, the Joy in Roscoe and Midway in Sweetwater, and how he knew Tom "Pinkie" Roden, famous boot-legger and politician. Dad has a way of bringing people alive with his story-telling.

I went to the Sweetwater library today and dug up some ads for the Midway, which still stands on the west end of Broadway outside of Sweetwater. By the way, that library has a wonderful newspaper archive.

Dad told me that when the Joy was open in Roscoe, he always enjoyed visiting his aunt because that meant he got to see the movies for free. He said that they did a lot of publicity, hiring a dressed up cowboy for the western features and even some movie stars. That's why I was looking in the archives, to find some names, but I still have some searching to do.

Dad also tells me about going to the Lance in Rotan when he was a kid, and another theater, which I will guess was the Ritz. I had someone contact me that had taken a photo of the Lance 26 or so years ago. He was interested in knowing if the Lance was open again, since I reported that they were showing movies for the kids program this summer. I wish it was open, again, I can just see the marquee lit up and folks milling around waiting for the movie to start.

Anyway, now for an update on the Rotan Advance / Roby Star Record headlines for the past two weeks. Get ready for the Fisher County Boot Scoot & Wild Hog Fest to be held Oct. 12th & 14th. It sounds like a lot of fun!

September 14th issue:

• Fisher County Commissioners Court Minutes
• New McCaulley Baptist Preacher Randy Curtis Photo
• Local EMS Air Evac Training Photo
• Hogfest Gospel Night & Pie Contest Oct 12th
• Roby 4-H Meeting Minutes
• Rotan School Board Meeting Minutes
• Gamma Tau Photos and Article
• Roby School Board Meeting Minutes
• Roby City Council Meeting Minutes
• Lions & Yellowhammers Game Rundowns
• Fisher County Historical Commission Minutes
• Rotan & Roby Track Meet Photos

September 7th Issue:

• Sandy Underhill Retires from City
• Sammy Baugh's Number to be Retired
• Several Break-Ins reported in Rotan
• Burn Ban Lifted for Fisher County
• Fisher County Healthcare Dev. Corp. Meeting Minutes
• Rotan School Board Meeting Minutes
• Roby Students Participate in Cabbage Program, Photos
• Obituary for Billie Harris
• Rundown on Yellowhammer & Lions Games

Of course, there is much more information in the paper than what is here. Remember that if you want to subscribe to the Rotan Advance / Roby Star Record, just click on the newspaper link to the right for info. TTFN, as Tigger says!

September Sunday at 60 Degrees!

Three days into September and it is 60 degrees at 7:45 in the morning! Ya gotta love this weather. It sure is easy to fall into the ways of fall and easy to forget that it was one zillion degrees just last week.

The papers have really piled up this time. I've got three issues to lay on you. I'm going to start with the last one first.

Also, as the paper says, really watch for those rattlesnakes. Our dog Sue got bit last weekend, thankfully she has survived. The first day I couldn't look at her because I thought she would die, the second day we couldn't look at her because we would just laugh and laugh. She was quite the fat-face.

I also came upon a snake in the corn bin while feeding the neighbors horses. Scared the bazooka out of me. So please watch out!

On to the issues!

Rotan Advance / Roby Star Record for August 31, 2006:

• Neugebauer Coffee Notes & Photos
• Fisher County Boot Scoot & Hogg Fest Oct. 14th, 735-2562
• Rattlesnake Dangers
• Dove Season Rules (season started with a bang on Friday!)
• Peggy Caine Barnes Cutline and Photo for Benefit Concert
• Hospital Board Minutes
• WTC Nursing Graduation Photos
• Fisher County RV Club Report
• Trey Figueroa & Ashley Ramirez Marry
• Clay Cade Graduates A&M
• Terry Lee Cleveland Birth
• Rotan FFA Minutes
• Book Review of Just Between Us by Margaret Garland
• Major William Montgomery and Daughter Photo (very good pic)
• Obituaries for Marvin Laughlin and Sandra Jo (Barton) Holt
• Kathleen Williamson Graduates Duke
• Chick Carter & Jane Bennett Anniversary Invitation
• Rodeo Queen Photos
• Sammy Baugh Photos & Article
• Roby School Board Minutes
• Kids Flu Clinic Sept. 6th
• Rotan & Roby Football Scrimmage Reports

Rotan Advance / Roby Star Record August 24, 2006:

• Fisher County Chamber of commerce Minutes
• Rodeo Queen Photos
• First Day of School Photos
• Brazos Boys, Danny & Rhonda Cochran Concert
• Rotan City Council Minutes
• J. J. Griffith Reunion
• Van Os Visits Roby Cutline & Photo
• 62nd Fisher County Rodeo Results
• Obituary for Denis Truett Dooley
• Kasey King and Josh Lindsey Marry
• Julie Dawn Murdock Graduates Angelo State
• Roby City Council Minutes
• Rotan's Coach Lucas Reports on Yellowhammers
• A Large Two-Page Montage from the Rodeo & Fair

Rotan Advance / Roby Star Record for August 17, 2006:

• Newspaper's 100th Anniversary Edition
• John's Place Article (Eat There! It's Good!)
• Joe Heflin Campaign Photo and Op Ed
• Roby School Board Minutes
• Robin Belle Cave & John Stephen Dulaney Marry
• Dekan Lyon Birth
• Class of 1965 Reunion Photo
• Happy 90th Birthday Helen Thornburg (Good Photo)
• Allen Hull 80th Birthday Article & Photo
• Rotan Band Boosters Club Minutes
• Stetson Rasberry 7th in National High School Rodeo Finals
• Obituaries for Alline Terry & James L. Springer
• Fisher County Commissioners Court Minutes
• Terry Jane Branch & Jeremiah Clayton Morris Marry
• TBWEF Assessments Mailed Out
• Kenneth Davis, Roby's New Coach, Photo
• Rotan Track Article & Photos
• Rotan School Board Minutes
• Fisher County Rodeo Queen Contestant Photos
• Fisher County Historical Commission Meeting Minutes
• Time to Buy New Hunting & Fishing Licenses

Of course, these are only the title highlights. You know those meeting minutes are pretty interesting to read, and if you know what's going on around town, they can get downright nitty gritty.

I'm going to put another new link on the right side of this page. This one is for the Rotan Chamber of Commerce, where you can find even more information for the Boot Scoot & Hogg Fest and other Fisher County Events.

Whew! That was a lot to tell you. Oh, be sure to check out comments that people have written about past blog posts. Wes Hale has checked in with a good anecdote about Ricky and Andrew Williams. Adios!