The West News (West, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 1, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 4, 2001 Page: 1 of 8
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500
The oldest business in West - established in 1889,
Volume 111, No. 1 - One Section
Thursday, January 4,2001
West, Texas
News Digest
West ISD school board meeting
The West Independent School District board of trustees have
scheduled their next meeting for 6:30 p.m. Jan. 10 in the school
district's administration building. The meetings are open to
the public.
Czech Heritage group to meet Jan. 7
The McLennan-Hill Chapter of the Czech Heritage Society has
scheduled a meeting for 2 p.m. this Sunday in the West
Community Center. The program is to be presented by Ray-
mond (Popeye) Snokhous on the bell presentation in the Czech
Republic. Members and guests are invited to attend.
West Band Boosters plan Jan. 9 meeting
The West Band Boosters have scheduled a meeting for 7 p.m.
Jan. 9 in the West High School Band Hall. A barbecue chicken
fund-raiser is to be discussed and all boosters and band
parents are invited to attend. Those planning to attend are
asked to enter from the rear entrance at the new high school
facility.
Athletic boosters schedule meeting
The West Athletic Booster Club has scheduled a meeting for 7
p.m. Jan. 8 at West High School.
Christmas tree recycling in West
Area residents wishing to discard their Christmas trees this
year may bring them to the city's wood chipping machine area
located next to the wastewater treatment plant. The city plans
to use the tree chips for its landscaping projects during the
year. They are also accepting leaves, without the bags, at this
site which is open from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Friday and from 9-11
a m. Saturday. By bringing the trees to the wood chipping
facility, less are discarded to take up unnecessary space in
landfills. There is no charge for discarding the trees or leaves
at the composting site.
County Livestock Show in January
The McLennan County Junior Livestock Show and Youth Fair
is scheduled for Jan. 15-19 at the Heart O' Texas Fairgrounds
in Waco. Local businesses and individuals will have the oppor-
tunity to contribute to the education of McLennan County
Agricultural students by participating in the "Sale of Champi-
ons" at 7 p.m. Jan. 19 in the General Exhibits Building at the
fairgrounds. Anyone interested in participating in the sale
may register at the sale or contact Mackie Bounds at 848-5830.
Deacon Johnson to give first sermon
Brother James Johnson is scheduled to deliver his first sermon
at 6 p.m. this Sunday in the Bold Springs Baptist Church in
West. The public is invited to attend.
Mothers' Day Out Program openings
The First Baptist Church in West has a few openings for their
Mother's Day Out Program. The program on Tuesdays and
Thursdays is for children ages one to five with information and
applications for enrollment to be picked up at the church on
Monday - Friday between 8 a.m. - 1 p.m. For additional
information, contact Gayle Gardner at 826-5435 or the church
at 826-5165.
Athletic Club fund-raiser planned
The West Athletic Booster Club is planning to sell barbecue
ribs and whole briskets this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The
barbecue is to be cooked by Dennis Kolar, David Vernon, Dale
Sembera and Cody Dragoo and is on sale for $13 for a rack of
ribs and $25 per brisket. Orders can be placed with Dennis
Kolar at 826-3715 and Tina Kolar at 826-4226. The orders will
be available for pick up at Dameron's City Service Station from
6-9 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. -6 p.m. Saturday or from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Sunday.
Penelope Ag Boosters plan supper
The Penelope Ag Boosters will have their annual chili-stew
lunch for this Sunday at the Penelope Catholic Church Hall.
The meal begins at 11:30 a.m. and will continue until every-
thing is sold. The all-you-can-eat meal is priced at $5 and stew
and chili is also to be sold by the pound. They will soon be
starting a raffle which is to be given away at the meal. Anyone
wishing to purchase a raffle ticket is asked to contact any
Penelope Ag Booster Club member. All proceeds are to benefit
the Penelope youth participants at the Hill County Fair.
Ag Boosters schedule raffle
The West Area Ag Boosters are currently selling raffle tickets
to give away a 16 ft. utility trailer, $500 travel gift certificate
from Sandy's Getaway Travel, 10 ft. by 5 ft. utility trailer and
a $200 gift certificate. Winners are to be announced on April
19. For ticket information, call 826-4685, 826-4209 or 826-
3296. The Ag Boosters appreciate everyone's support.
BJ.G. Conference set for Jan. 16-17
The annual Blacklands Income Growth 2001 Conference and
Mid-Tex Farm and Ranch Show are set for Jan 16 and 17 at the
Waco Convention Center. The farm and ranch show will
feature 45,000 square feet of exhibits with the B.I.G. luncheon
set for Jan. 16. Registration will begin at the door at 8 a.m. each
day.
f*
After Prom Party group plans meeting
The West After Prom Party group has scheduled a meeting for
5:30 p.m. Jan. 9 in the West High School Lecture Hall.
Grain marketing meeting in Hillsboro
A corn and grain sorghum marketing meeting is planned for 7
p.m. Jan. 8 in the Hill County Courthouse Annex Meeting
Room in Hillsboro. Bryce Myrick, director of Agricultural
Marketing with the Texas Farm Bureau, is to be the featured
speaker and will assist Hill County farmers with developing a
marketing plan for 2001 corn and grain sorghum. This plan is
to involve pricing grain to protect farmers from traditionally
low market prices at harvest time. The discussion is to include
a futuristic look at grain markets and how to utilize the futures
market and futures options.
Council approves
trash collection
rate increase
The West City Council gave approval to a 3.5 percent rate
increase request for trash collection fees to city customers.
Waste Management, the company which has the garbage collec-
tion contract in the city, requested the increase which is effective
Jan. 16 and will be reflected on February bills. The rate hike will
increase the residential trash collection bills by 28 cents a month.
The council also gave the go ahead for the city to pursue the
possibility of purchasing .7 acres ofproperty from the Union Pacific
Railroad. The property is located between North Main and Pecan
Streets and would be used by the city for utility easement purposes.
City officials will now contact the railroad to see if there is interest
in selling the property.
Two sealed bids on the purchase of a new police car for the city
were opened during the meeting, however a decision was tabled
until further review of the bids. _
At this month's show...
West Trade Days
to incorporate
garage sale items
Old West Trade Days will hrve a different look next week as
organization officials are hoping for more community involvement
in this monthly event.
Trade Days are scheduled for Jan. 13 and 14 in the Lorch
Building in downtown West and Trade Days president Jimmy
Bennett said this month's show will include some format changes.
This month along with the usual arts and crafts booths, they have
planned a city-wide garage sale so area residents will be able to rent
booth spaces at a reduced rate and sell their garage sale items there.
"For this month only," Bennett said, "the spaces are $10 each and
people will be able to sell any items (including garage sale items) in
the booths. We are trying to fill the building and hope to get in as
many people as we can in it." Also there will be free admission for
those wishing to attend on either day.
"We want to encourage more community involvement," he ex-
plained while adding that the Trade Days group "wants to help
revitalize downtown. We want more local people involved in putting
it on or simply helping with suggestions. The more local people, the
better."
In addition to the normal arts and crafts booths at next weekend's
Trade Days, he hopes it will be a "big indoor flea market."
All proceeds from this month's event are earmarked to the West
Chamber of Commerce and Bennett said anyone interested in
renting a booth is asked to contact the chamber at 826-3188 or talk
to him at 826-7344.
Snow scenes... slaff pho,osby Larry Knapek
The snow did not quite make it here for Christmas, but it was still pretty as
from one to two inches fell in West late last Wednesday night and early
Thursday morning. The top picture shows a wintery scene in the northern
part of the city. In the bottom picture, sisters Chasity (left) and Madison Wolf
attempt to build a snowman Thursday morning in their yard.
July - December 2000 brings weather extremes
As area residents ushered in
another year on Monday, this
seemed like a good week to look
back at the last six months of
2000 and the local events that
made up the area news.
July
The month started out with
news of a tragedy as John Boyd
Trafton, age 73 of West, was
killed in a bicycle-automobile
accident in the city.
A benefit was conducted at
Coyote Bob's in West with pro-
ceeds going to help defray medi-
cal expenses incurred by 6-year-
old Taylor Pustejovsky, who was
being treated for rheumatoid
arthritis.
News came of Marvin
Fickling's 100th birthday cel-
ebration on June 29 in the First
United Methodist Church's re-
ception room in West. The long-
time West resident graduated
from West High School in 1917
and was a school teacher in both
the Abbott and West school sys-
tems until her retirement in
1970.
Champions were crowned in
the various city softball and base-
ball divisions during the month.
Kucera Insurance and West Gas
Service both won first place tro-
phies in the boys T-Ball divi-
sions. The Legal Eagles won the
girls T-Ball title with Garland
Brothers and West Fire Depart-
ment winning first place in the
Boys Senior Midget divisions.
Pizza House won the city title in
the Midget Girls division.
The West Furniture and Ap-
pliances team took first in the
Boys Freshman Division and
West Sales and Services won first
in the Freshman Girls Division.
Jupe Mills won first place in the
Junior Girls Division.
West High School teachers,
employees and volunteers began
moving items into the academic
wingat. the new West High School
facility.
Hot and dry weather coupled
with two water wells going out of
commission had city officials
placing an indefinite ban on out-
side watering in West during the
month. Later in the month, city
officials eased the water ban to
allow outside watering on a lim-
ited basis.
West Trojan baseball players
Joey Kolar and Cody McCauley
were named to the Super Centex
squads. McCauley was also cho-
sen to the Texas Sports Writers
All State third team as Kolar
was an honorable mention selec-
tion.
Robert Croll, a 2000 West High
School grad, signed a letter of
intent to play baseball at St.
Edward's University in Austin.
The West ATDS Trucking, a
girls T-Ball team, won the Dis-
trict Tournament in Hubbard
and advanced to the state tour-
ney.
There were two more benefits
to aid various area residents. A
July 22 benefit at Tours Hall
was for 12-year-old Travis Otto
who has cerebral palsy. Proceeds
were to aid in his rehabilitation.
The following day, a benefit was
at Lone Star Hall in West for
Steve and Bernice Sawyer, who
lost their home in a June fire.
A Meals on Wheels program
was started in Gholson during
the month with a dedication and
ribbon cutting ceremony con-
ducted on July 21 in the Wesley
United Methodist Church there.
The Jerrel Bolton Chevrolet
baseball team from West won
the District 6 Sophomore Boys
tournament in Bosqueville and
advanced to the state tourney in
Killeen.
Lacey Sparks of Gholson, age
15 qualified for the 52nd Annual
National High School Finals
Rodeo in Springfield, Illinois. She
finished fourth in state in the
Pole Bending event, which quali-
fied her for the nationals.
Cheryl Kilgo,Gennifer Eskew,
Melissa Maler, Sam Symank and
Krystal Vanek, all of West, were
members of the Cen-Tex Babes
softball team which qualified for
the AFA and ASA national tour-
naments.
The month ended with West
residents George and Henrietta
Meurer being honored at Citi-
zens-of-the-Year by the West
Chamber of Commerce at the
chamber's July 20 banquet. Am-
ber Marak, a West High School
junior, was also crowned Miss
West that night. Others honored
were Nemecek Bros. Meat Mar-
ket, Business of the Year; Pam
Gerik, Student of the Year; and
Jack Crain, Educator of the Year.
Gholson residents gathered at
the foot of the 108-year-old iron,
truss bridge near the city to par-
ticipate in a Texas Historical
Marker dedication ceremony for
the structure. The bridge served
as a means to cross the Aquilla
Creek in the area since its con-
struction in 1892.
West Lady Trojan softball
players Krystal Vanek, Melissa
Maler, Amanda Horton, Cheryl
Kilgo, Gessica Eskew and
Gennifer Eskew were named to
various all state teams.
The West Community Grocery
Hi-Junior Boys team won the
state championship after beat-
ing the Killeen Yankees in the
state tournament finals.
The Sykora Family Ford
Freshmen Girls team advanced
to the state tournament in Ath-
ens following their second place
finish in the district tourney.
West T-Ball girls proved to be
the best in the state as the Legal
Eagles won the state title at Red
Oak while the ATDS Trucking
team took second place.
Jupe Mills, a JuniorGirls team
from West, won the state title as
they went on to an undefeated
21-0 season record. The West
girls beat Whitehouse 4-3 in the
title game.
August
Area war veterans were hon-
ored on Aug. 7 during Purple
Heart Day in the City.
The 54th running of the West
Championship Rodeo took place
on Aug. 10,11 and 12 with West
Longhorn Club Sweetheart
Courtney Parnell representing
the club at the rodeo. Approxi-
mately 3,500 spectators attended
the three-day event at the West
Fair and Rodeo Association
grounds.
West High School students
enjoyed their first class days in
the new high school facility lo-
cated on Jerry Mashek Drive.
The new school opened for classes
on Aug. 14.
A large number of area resi-
dents crowded in Lone Star Hall
in West on Aug. 20 as they joined
forces in making a benefit for
Connie Drews one of the largest
in recent memory. The benefit
sold 1,813 meal plates and there
were over 400 auction items sold.
Proceeds from the event were to
help defray medical expenses
incurred as Connie continued
chemotherapy treatment after
being diagnosed with cancer for
the second time in less that two
years.
The West ISD board of trust-
ees approved at their Aug. 17
meeting a tax rate of $1.50 per
$100 valuation, the same rate as
the previous year. They also gave
Please turn to page two for more
on the second half of 2000.
V
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Knapek, Larry. The West News (West, Tex.), Vol. 111, No. 1, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 4, 2001, newspaper, January 4, 2001; West, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth715729/m1/1/: accessed June 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting West Public Library.