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Enola Gay Mathews
Sulphur Springs received a thumbs up from the Texas Highway 67 VW Road Trip 2024, whose members lunched downtown on March 10. Club president Gary Anderty son wrote, “All of us on the Road Trip want to say thank you for hosting our first stop. We had more VWs join us in Royse City, and then more in Alvarado.
'At Dinosaur Valley State Park, a Park Ranger gave the park's history and how the prints got there originally. For our night of camping in Brownwood, the city's Fabis Park was the best camp spot as we 'circled the 'Wagens,' with 17 VWs in a huge circle! In Ballinger, we visited the famous Duck Pond, with about 50 ducks of all breeds there. The city of Presidio, our final destination, had a police escort for us around the town, and the local American Legion Post hosted a buffet and live music. The finish was quite bittersweet for all of us. With this, our first-ever attempt at such an event and with such an overwhelmingly positive experience, we are already looking ahead to our next event in 2025. Texas is truly diverse! All of us on the Road Trip hope that our little merry band of VWs helped put smiles on faces as well as bring positive recognition to your town.”
At the invitation of Judy Gilreath, I visited the Lena Day Garden Club, held in the parlor of the First United Methodist Church. About 20 ladies were present, and many were already friends of mine. President Charlotte Henderson introduced the guest speaker, Barbara Stewart, whose presentation was on the upcoming Total Eclipse, using information within the current Down Home East Texas magazine, a News-Telegram publication, available in racks around town. The program was entertaining and educational, and the hospitality was wonderful.
Check out the Down Home with Enola Gay podcasts posted during March. They are all about local women making local history. Find the podcast twice-weekly at ssnewstelegram. com, free to hear without a newspaper subscription.
The Hopkins Counand Museum and Heritage Park plans a special Eclipse weekend. The Park will be open on Saturday, April 6, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., and on Sunday, April 7, from 1 to 4 p.m. Hosts in period clothing will greet visitors and most of the buildings will be open. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children. On Monday, April 8, the Park’s buildings will not be open, but the grounds, concession stand, and restrooms will be open from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. You are invited to bring your lawn chairs and watch the eclipse. Park on the Historical Society lot at 416 N. Jackson Street.
The Sulphur Springs Downtown Business Alliance plans to arrange parking space on the Total Eclipse weekend for downtown merchants who are DBA members. For membership information, contact Marlene DeYong at 903-243-0233 or Ethan Sabo at ethan@hausofsabo. com.
There’s so much more eclipse-related information to pass along that I’m out of space here. To submit, please reach me at enola@ssnewstelegram.com.