Published: May 04, 2008 01:55 am            

Heritage Day recalls past, looks to future with new school

NECHES — Sunny weather and lots of festivities led to a good turnout Saturday for the 16th annual Neches Heritage Day.

In addition to the normal festivities — a parade, arts and crafts, music and entertainment — this year’s event was topped by a groundbreaking ceremony for the Neches Elementary School.

Neches ISD voters passed the $5.25 million bond proposal in May 2007.

“On behalf of the school board, administration, teachers and especially the students, we want to thank you for passing the bond to allow us to build a building for the kids that they deserve to have,” said NISD board president Garald Brown. “The patrons here are so good at supporting their school. We are ready to get started.”

During the ceremony, student Jim Riley Snider, 8, read a poem written by second-grade teacher Susan Sekula about the groundbreaking and new school.

NISD Superintendent Randy Snider presented shovels to school board members Garald Brown, vice president Van Brown, secretary Clydell Klein, Brent Carroll, Brent Hoffman, Luther Scott and Jack Wedgeworth, as well as former school board members who were serving when the bond passed, George Simmons Jr. and Lee Snider.

During the closing, Elementary Principal Kimberlyn Snider thanked the school board for supporting the children whenever called on — through their service on the board or personally with their time and donations.

“Not many schools have a board that is this caring. Neches is a really good place to work and has a great staff,” Snider said.

Former Elementary Principal Cara Cooke of Victoria made a special visit to Neches for the groundbreaking ceremony.

“There’s not a more deserving group of students to have a new school. I know they will respect it and continue to make the community proud,” Cooke said.

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To go along with the festival’s “Heroes & Patriots” theme, the Neches Heritage Day parade featured veterans as the grand marshals. Many local churches and organizations had floats in the parade, but it also featured classic cars from Cars of Palestine, fire trucks, and several on horses, four-wheelers and bicycles.

The parade began in the downtown Neches area and ended on the Neches Elementary School grounds where the festival continued.

Marvin Skeen Community Center won first place and $100 for its float featuring a “Tie A Yellow Ribbon Around an Old Oak Tree” theme. Second place went to the Yancey family ($50) and the Republican Women took third place ($25). Showmanship ribbons were presented to horse riders.

Following the parade, the opening ceremonies included recognition and certificates for veterans and those in military service.

“It was nice to honor the veterans for their service. You could see their eyes gleaming when we gave them the certificates,” Neches Heritage Day committee chairman Pat Grounds said.

Boy Scouts from Troop 424 provided the color guard for the opening ceremonies. Later in the day, Scouts David Gean, 12, Jacob Chapman, 11, and Jonathan Kimmel, 12, worked at a booth to raise money for summer camp.

“We’ve had a lot of fun today,” Gean said.

Neches resident Buddy Starling has attended the Neches Heritage Day just about every year.

“I like it because you see people you haven’t seen in years,” he said.

But for Tom and Abbie Hamby of Frankston, it was their first visit to the festival.

“We came to check it out. It’s really great to see all of the community supporting it,” Abbie Hamby said, as she and her husband sat under a covered tent listening to Jacksonville band Ponderosa play country music.

Jim and Barbara McLendon of Garland and friends Dave Rogers and Maryella Tate from Chandler came specifically to hear Ponderosa play.

“I believe Ponderosa is the best band in the country,” Jim McLendon said. “We’ve been following them to hear their music since 2001. We try to come down about every other weekend to hear them play at various venues such as senior citizens centers. We really enjoy them.”

McLendon said they were pleasantly surprised to find a covered tent, lawn chairs, refreshments and arts and crafts while they listened to the music at the festival.

“We expected to have to bring our own chairs and sit out in the hot sun all day, but we didn’t have to,” he said.

Overall, Grounds said she was happy for the good turnout for the annual event.

“We’ve had lots of fun, lots of food and lots of fellowship,” she said.

Other activities during the festival included a reenactment by local group Palestine Rangers, a demonstration by the Cherokee Cloggers, a petting zoo, moon bounce, face painting and a history display of Neches.

        

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