Every year Lytle holds its Annual Christmas Lighting and Santa’s Hayride. The festivities begin at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 14th at the Lytle Community Center. Santa arrives at the Community Center to turn on the lights at the Community Center and Main Street. After the lighting, Santa accompanies the children and their guardians on his hayride. The 2024 Annual Christmas Lighting and Santa’s Hayride will start loading trailers at 5:30 p.m. at the Community Center, 19031 Priest Blvd., Lytle, Tx. Admission is $1.00 or one canned good. For information call 830-709-3692. Please also join us at the Shops of Lytle at 15126 Main Street where we will have Santa’s Workshop with events for the kids to include an Ornament Workshop, the North Pole Post Office and Gingerbread Bakery. The event is brought to you by the City of Lytle, Lytle Chamber of Commerce, Pena Family, Patriot Automotive, Lytle VFW Post 12041 and HEB Plus.
November 13- Lytle Public Library will host a story time for ages 2-5 at 10:30 a.m. 18- Regular Lytle ISD Board of Trustees meeting at 6 p.m. 18- Regular Devine ISD Board of Trustees meeting at 6:30 p.m. 18- Natalia City Council meeting at 7 p.m. 19- Devine Driscoll Public Library will host a story time for ages 9 months to 6 years at 10:30 a.m. 19- Trunk or Treat with the Devine Police Department at Walmart from 6-8 p.m. 19-Medina Watershed stakeholder meeting in Castroville 1-3 pm at Braden Keller Center. 19- Regular Devine City Council Meeting at 6 p.m. 19- La Coste City Council meeting at 7 p.m. 20- Lytle Public Library will host a story time for ages 2-5 at 10:30 a.m. 21- Crochet group meets at the Lytle Public Library from 5-7 p.m. 23- This year Devine’s VFW is sponsoring its first-ever Christmas Market on November 23rd from 12 noon to 8 pm at 211 College Avenue, Devine. 23-24- Spartan race at Sandy Oaks Ranch. 25- Lytle City Council Meeting at 6:30 p.m. 25- Regular Natalia ISD Board of Trustees meeting at 7 p.m. 27- Lytle Public Library will host a story time for ages 2-5 at 10:30 a.m. 28- Thanksgiving Holiday 29-Salvation Army Kettle Drive kicks off. Volunteers needed. See article for more info. If you want to add an event to this calendar, please email devinereporter@devinenews.com or call (830) 665- 2211 and leave a message for Catherine.
By Catherine Richard Over 5,500 are expected to compete in the Spartan races on Nov. 23 and 24 at Sandy Oaks Ranch in Devine, with the majority coming in for the Saturday race. Spartan is a national organization which creates competitive, physically challenging events. They are best known for their obstacle course races. People are expected to arrive from all over the state and even from different countries for the first Spartan race to take place in Devine. At Sandy Oaks Ranch there will be three different competitions, spanning roughly 200 acres of land. The Sprint is a 5K with 20 obstacles, including monkey bars, mud pits and climbing walls. The Super is a 10K with 25 obstacles of greater intensity, including rope climbing and more demanding climbing walls. For these races, groups of 250 will compete at a time. There will also be a set of children’s races, which take into account the child’s age and physical abilities. This category has 1km races for ages 4-6, 1.5km races for ages 7-9 and 3km races for ages 9-14. There is also a special 1km race for kids with physical or mental challenges. Children must be accompanied by their parents and have constant adult supervision.
For the past 72 years, the Devine Ex-Students/Teachers Association (DExSTA) has honored ex-students and teachers who attended school or taught in Devine over the years, from “way back when” to the newly graduated class of 2024! This November 8th & 9th will be the 72nd Homecoming of the Association and you are invited to attend this special celebration. It all starts on Friday night, Nov.8, at Warhorse Stadium as the Devine Warhorses take on Memorial HS in the annual Homecoming football game. Come early to sign in at the DExSTA table and sit with your school friends before the 7:00pm kick-off! At halftime, the ex-students of the Honor Class of 1974 will be on the track to be introduced and recognized for their 50th Class Reunion. Be sure to hoot and holler with them to show that you are glad they are there to celebrate! On Saturday, Nov. 8th, Homecoming festivities continue at the Devine VFW hall (Old Green alamo) starting at 1:00pm! This is again a special gathering for all Devine alumni to visit and catch up on old friendships and spend time with former classmates; and refreshments will be served. Also, at this event the 50th Reunion Class of 1974 will be honored again and will give a class presentation. This is always a treat, not just for the honor class, but for all of us in attendance. If you were in school with the class of ’74, this is a great opportunity to come and see the big group of them and reminisce about your school days back in the 70s!
This year all former Band Members will also be recognized and honored! So many of you were in the Colt and Warhorse Bands and marched in parades, at halftime at football games, and performed at contests and concerts during your years at DHS and DMS/DJHS. Those special memories can be relived with your bandmates, and at our Band Memory table, which will include lots of pictures, instruments, and even band uniforms! Another special thing at the Saturday event will be the annual display of hundreds of pictures and posters of students, teachers, classrooms, etc., from the over 100 years of school in Devine. This is the once-a-year time that these are displayed for everyone to see, so please come by to enjoy things from the DExSTA archives. You are also welcome to bring any pictures, class posters, old school newspapers, uniforms, yearbooks or school memorabilia to display too. OK, now that you are interested, where can you get more information?? If you are already a member, fliers were mailed to you, but if you are not, just come by the DExSTA table at the game on Friday night or to the Saturday event and we can help you out! You can also check out the Devine Ex-Students/Teachers Association Facebook page and the Devine News for more information or contact DExSTA at 210-289-6205 (Pres. Nancy Saathoff)! WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU @ DEVINE HOMECOMING 2024!
By Catherine Richard Cris Vieyra, Marine Corps Sergeant and veteran of the Vietnam War will be speaking at the Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans ceremony on November 11 at 10 a.m., at the Natalia Veterans Memorial. The goal of the event is to “welcome home the veterans who never got the recognition they deserved,” said Ruby Vera, a Natalia Alderman and one of the main organizers of the event. “I want the small community veterans to come together,” Vieyra said. Vieyra pointed out that many veterans return from their service and feel estranged from the people they once knew and the place they once called home, not speaking about their service or seeking support. This is especially pronounced for Vietnam Veterans, who were in many cases ostracized upon their return from service by anti-war protesters. “I never told anyone I was a Vietnam Veteran,” Vieyra said. Vieyra had joined the Marine Corps on August 2, 1964, mere months after graduating from his high school in San Antonio. “No draft, no war, strictly volunteered,” Vieyra said.
The military was offering four years of school for four years of service. Wanting to go to college but lacking the funds, it seemed like a good deal for Vieyra. Because of this, Vieyra, a private first class at the time, did not expect much when he departed with 30,000 other marines from Camp Pendleton on Sept. 2, 1966 on a ship for what was supposedly a training exercise. It came as a surprise, then, when on the second day at sea, he and the other marines were told by their captain that they were being deployed to Vietnam. Sure enough, weeks later, Vieyra landed with the second wave of Marines on the beaches of Chu Lai, which was only 30 miles away from the Ho Chi Minh trail, one of the supply lines for the Viet Cong fighters. “It’s a different world,” Vieyra said. The first wave of U.S. troops had come through already and had secured the area. The job of the second wave was to hold it. Part of Vieyra ended up working with the Navy Seabees, guarding them as they cleared out the dense jungles to prevent ambushes from the guerrilla fighters. “Their job was to move the jungle back. And they did,” Vierya said. “My job was to ride with this guy on the bulldozer and make sure he doesn’t get shot by a sniper.” “All you are doing is looking,” Vieyra said. “You better hope you are not the Marine who fails to do his job.” With the placement of their base next to the Ho Chi Minh trail, one of his unit’s jobs was to cut the supply line which was bringing resources from north to south. Eventually, in the November of 1967, Vieyra’s deployment came to an end. He was sent home with around 270 Marines, back to Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, a base which is no longer open. It was at this point that he was faced with the realities of the anti-war sentiments that were raging in America. As they stepped off the plane, the Marines were greeted by protesters. “They were screaming ‘go home, baby-killers, we don’t want you here,’” Vieyra said.
It was because of this pressure that Vieyra and other veterans felt compelled to conceal their military service and time in the Vietnam War. Vieyra decided to finish his four year enlistment and then retire. “The good Lord had blessed me with coming home,” Vieyra said. “I did not need to push my luck again.” After serving as an sergeant for a year at Camp Pendleton in California, Vieyra returned to San Antonio with his wife and son. Vieyra got a job as a construction worker, partly because the company did not require him to talk about his military record. After about six years in construction, he decided to apply for a job that could utilize his skill set from the Marine Corps. “I can run forever and shoot whatever I’m aiming at,” said Vieyra. “So I became a San Antonio police officer for the next 30 years.” It was not until 2009 that he began to look at his time in Vietnam differently. After his retirement from the SAPD, he and his wife went on a road trip to Mount Rushmore. While they were there, a ceremony was held to honor veterans. The announcer of the ceremony named the America’s different wars, and any veterans from that war would stand up. That is, until she asked veterans of the Vietnam War to stand up. Vieyra looked around him. No one stood up. The announcer repeated herself. Finally, one veteran stood up. Suddenly, dozens of others stood up along with him. The announcer asked them to come up to the stage and say their name and rank. “Some of them couldn’t even say their names, they were bawling.” This experience changed Vierya. “In 2009, my whole goal changed,” Vieyra said. “I was now a veteran who was proud to be a veteran.” After years of hiding his military history, he began to get involved with his local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Now, Vieyra has made it his mission to help other veterans, both young and old. “So many times, we fall through the cracks,” said Vieyra. “Some don’t get the help they need.” In 2012, the national Commemoration of Vietnam Veterans was authorized and launched by the president at that time, Barak Obama. The Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Ceremony aims to bridge the divide between the different service members and the communities they live in. With the past few ceremonies, this event has drawn in anywhere from 300-500 people from all over Medina County. Music will be provided by the Mustang Band. Streets will be closed at 9 a.m. and the ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. Veterans will be honored and relatives of veterans will be able to commemorate their loved ones. “The help we never got is the help we give now.”
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Dance & Golf in honor of three special DHS classmates Nov. 9 By Catherine Richard The Devine Golf Course will be holding its second annual Angels in the Fairway tournament and dance on November 9. Tournament registration will begin at 9 a.m. and the dance will begin at 7 p.m. The event is held in honor and loving memory of Dillon Burleson, Samantha Buvinghausen, and Jacob Sanchez, who were all members of the Devine High School Class of 2006. All proceeds of the event will go to the Angels in the Fairway Scholarship. The entry for the tournament is $100 a player, with cart, food, dance entry and green fee included. The first place prize $1,200, the second is $800 and the third is $400. The benefit dance will cost $10 per person, with music performed by Kris Gordon. To register, call the Devine Golf Course at 830-665-9943 or Ali at 210-508-6606.
The 63rd Annual Devine Fall Catcus Festival is set for next weekend October 31-November 2 in downtown Devine.
The Carnival will be here for three days, Thursday, Oct. 31, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 2. Over 100 vendors will be on display for your shopping pleasure as well as the usual Plant Sale, Art Exhibit, kids games and more.
The Parade will kick off at 10:00 AM Saturday morning at the intersection of Hwy 173 and FM 2200 (Medina Glass) as usual. Parade entries are due by this Friday to Morales Realty, as the lineup will be charted this weekend. Floats will line up in the middle school parking lot and wrap around to the high school . The construction company promises to have it ready for use.
Live entertainment from 11 am-midnight, will take place all day on two stages at the festival featuring a FREE dance that evening with Small Town Habit, Jeremy Richards, and the Solis Brothers as the headliners. A pep rally by DHS will take place from 12-1 pm earlier. Claude Morgan and friends will entertain from the second stage. (See ad for details)
Parade Grand Marshall is Lewis Stroud. Theme is Devine Pride. No outside food or drinks will be permitted. Bring Lawnchairs. The “INSIDE SCOOP” of the 2024 Devine Cactus Fall Festival is actually INSIDE the Community Center! The doors open after the parade, around 11am, for everyone to enjoy all the displays and activities until closing at 5:00pm. Check out these displays and sales going on inside the CC, next to the Library.
The INSIDE SCOOP….
*YOUTH ART EXHIBIT – This 4th annual exhibit will have artwork from hundreds of school and day-care kids in Devine, with the theme “Small Town, Big Heart, Bright Future”! Come inside the Community Center to walk through the ‘Tunnel of Art’ & see the beautiful art banners along the walls! This is a real treat, so if you have children or grandchildren that go to school or day-care in Devine, you will not want to miss this exhibit!! (Doors close at 5pm) *TINY TOWN TEXAS MUSEUM EXHIBIT – Check out the wide variety of unique historical items, including an authentic Dinosaur Egg with an Xray of the baby dinosaur inside! This is a ‘Must-See’ display at the festival, so come inside to get a chance to see it for yourself! (TTTM also will have a very, very, old, historic automobile in the parade, so look for it at the beginning of the parade!) *HISTORICAL EXHIBIT – This year’s exhibit will include lots of pictures from the early days of Devine, including pictures of downtown Devine before the January 1905 fire, a downtown picture of College Ave. from the early 1920s, and old school pictures. Plus, the always popular pictures of the Devine Cactus Zoo from the 1950s are back again this year, including the picture of the 14 ft cacti-sculpture of “The Three Bears” The *DEVINE GARDEN CLUB will hold its annual Fall Plant Sale in the Community Center with lots of great plants to purchase. Members of the club will be there also to tell you about the care that is needed for the plants you get. Get a plant for beauty and learn something about it at the same time! The *FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY Book Sale will have books for all ages – paperbacks, hardback, audio books, and movies. They will have something for everyone! All proceeds benefit the Driscoll Public Library! There will also be *LOCAL AUTHORS with their books available for sale, so come meet these talented people and check out their books. Now you have the “INSIDE SCOOP” of INSIDE the Community Center this Saturday, Nov. 2nd from 11am-5pm at the Devine Cactus Fall Festival. So, come to downtown Devine to enjoy a nice day of fun at the festival – inside & out!
By Kayleen Holder Editor Mark your calendars, it’s gonna be a fun event! One local family is hosting a very special fund raiser for the Bigfoot Volunteer Fire Department this coming Saturday, Oct. 26 after seeing first-hand the amazing way these heroes help our community in times of crisis. The event will be an old-fashioned fall festival/haunted hay ride, with lots of games for the kids. Cash only! There will be lots of old-school kids games, as well as fishing and the haunted hayride. Kids will also get to see the big fire trucks. Bobby Thompson, of Bigfoot, shares a little about what inspired the family to host this event… “On July 4th, 2023, my family had our family reunion at my place in Bigfoot. Two teenagers were leaving my house about 10 pm that evening when a hog ran out in front of their vehicle. They swerved to miss the hog and over corrected, rolling their truck.”
“Both boys were ejected from the truck and landed in the ditch on separate sides of the road. Both were seriously injured,” Thompson said. “We called 9-1-1 and the Bigfoot Volunteer Fire Department arrived in a very short time. The Bigfoot Volunteer Fire Department was very professional and administered what I believe was life-saving medical attention to the boys.” “My family owes a great amount of gratitude to the Bigfoot Volunteer Fire Department,” Thompson adds. “They sacrifice personal family time to be volunteers and it is evident that these volunteers are 100% committed to our community. In a rural area, we are blessed to have these high-quality committed volunteers.” Also, if anyone is interested in volunteering for this one-day event they can contact me, Bobby Thompson, at 830-267-0059. We also want to invite anyone interested in joining the Bigfoot Volunteer Fire Department to reach out to the Fire Chief Mark Leach.
The 63rd Annual Devine Fall Cactus Festival is set for next weekend October 31-November 2 in downtown Devine. The Carnival will be here for three days, Thursday, Oct. 31, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 2. Over 100 vendors will be on display for your shopping pleasure as well as the usual Plant Sale, Art Exhibit, kids games and more. The Parade will kick off at 10:00 AM Saturday morning at the intersection of Hwy 173 and FM 2200 (Medina Glass) as usual.
PARADE
Parade entries are due by this Friday to Morales Realty, as the lineup will be charted this weekend. Floats will line up in the middle school parking lot and wrap around to the high school . The construction company promises to have it ready for use. Live entertainment from 11am-midnight, will take place all day on two stages at the festival featuring a FREE dance that evening with Small Town Habit, Jeremy Richards, and the Solis Brothers as the headliners. A pep rally by DHS will take place from 12-1 pm earlier. Claude Morgan and friends will entertain from the second stage. Parade Grand Marshall is Lewis Stroud. Theme is Devine Pride. No outside food or drinks will be permitted. Bring Lawn chairs.
