L to r: Francine Plunket (president), Rayna Wooten (ancestor-Henry Christian Hart), Carol Burket (ancestor – Joseph Burell), and Andrea Christman (registrar).
The Daughters of the Republic Alsatian Pioneers held their meeting Saturday, August 29th. Two new members were introduced and installed to the chapter. Our members enjoyed the presentation of a video of our 4th of July 250th celebration float and 1st place awarded for that float. We also enjoyed the wonderful bakery items served by several members. Other items were reviewed to keep everyone up to date on our chapters committee’s and officer’s duties.
Old coaches and old refs discussing the “good old days”. Every Wednesday at 11 at the I-10 Diner these men get together for lunch, Richard Adams, Jim Zimmerman, Jim Blackburn, Ron Glazener, David Dunbar, Lewis Stroud, Herb Moore, and Barry Morris. If you have any coaching or referring strategies you need solved, let Lewis know and they will “chew on it”.
By Kayleen Holder Editor Labeling your address on your mailbox is critically important. In life-threatening emergencies, police, fire trucks, and ambulances waste precious minutes searching for unmarked homes. Clear numbers let crews find you fast. “The street number and your name is not needed on the mail box,” said Russell Johnson of Natalia Volunteer Fire Department. “People really need to make sure their address is posted along the road in big, reflective letters…Sometimes it is so cluttered with the address and street name on the same mail box and they are such small letters.” According to 911Ready, letters should be at least 3 inches tall to be clearly visible. Devine Fire Departments Batallion Chief Beau Powers echoes that concern. “Lack of either numerics on mailboxes or painted curbside can cause delays in response…Having your street number labeled can ensure a fast response from Fire or EMS.” Bigfoot Lieutenant Denise Woody also commented on the matter. “We always tell people if we can’t find you, we can’t help you,” Woody said. “Please put big numbers that can be seen day and night on a fence or post or something that’s near the road on the same side of the road as the address, not across the street on a mailbox.” “Houses that are…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $42 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!
Seven students received their high school diplomas Monday night, August 17 from Devine ISD through the Devine Learning Academy. DLA is a program designed to support young students that weren’t able to complete high school due to missing a few credits, serving as a chance to finish. Opening the ceremony were the graduates as they made their entrance, proceeded by the national anthem, pledge of allegiance from Mr. Tristan Canales, and a prayer and speech from Miss Jozelyn Costilla. Jodi Dziernowski, DAEP principal, spoke at the ceremony, commending the resilience and drive of the graduating class. “Every student here has a story−a story of challenges, of setbacks, of days that felt too heavy…and yet you showed up anyway. You kept going,” Dziernowski said. She reminded the graduates of the long journey they still have ahead of them. More importantly though, Mrs. Dziernowski spoke to the confidence that all seven of these individuals deserve to walk out with, knowing they are capable of doing hard things. As they step into the next chapter of their lives, each will pursue their own career paths. Some of the paths these individuals plan on taking are going to school for wound care, culinary arts, joining the marines, working construction and working at Mil Veranos Vineyard. Mrs. Nancy Pepper, respective members of the Devine ISD school board and Superintendent Dr. Todd Grandjean – “I certify that the Summer of 2026 graduating students of Devine Learning Academy has met the graduation requirements as mandated in board policy and the state of Texas to participate in this commencement ceremony.” Graduated with their high school diplomas were: TRISTAN CANALES – son of David Canales and Sherilyn Fuentes Quail Energy JOZELYNN REY COSTILLA – daughter of Jessica Contreas and the late Quentin Rodriguez JOEL ESPITIA – son of Socorro Bentancourt and Andres Espitia RUSSELL DUANE ORBAN – son of Roger Orban and Andrea Caldwell ISABELLA MICHELLE RAMOS SILVA – daughter of Mr. Quirino Ramos and Michelle Silva MATTHEW RIOJAS – son of Stephanie LaFond and Jason Riojas and grandson of Scott and Chris LaFond and Brian and Diane Casper LUCAS SHANE RODRIGUEZ – son of Brenda Espinoza and the late Luciano
The 1976 Devine High School Class will be celebrating its 50th year at Homecoming this fall on October 16th and 17th 2026. The Devine Ex- Student / Teacher Association (DExSTA) will be honoring the 50th year class. The weekend will start with the High School Homecoming football game. The Honor class will have special seating and will be recognized on the track at half time. The Class will then meet at Chayitos Mexican Restaurant for dinner and fellowship. Saturday will be the DExSTA Homecoming meeting. The Class of 1976 will have designated seating and be recognized. There will be a Class of 76 Display as well as a Memory Board and memorabilia. The Class of 1976 was the Bi-Centennial Class known as the Spirit of 76. We are blessed to celebrate our 50th class reunion with the 250th anniversary of our constitution. Saturday evening the Class will meet at Triple C Restaurant for dinner and slide show and door prizes while we share memories and enjoy reconnecting with classmates. Information can be directed to Cynthia Whitaker Sultenfuss 830-879-4504, Karen Howard Muennink 830- 426-1637, Julie Hope 210-215-5322 or Cindy Magnus Taylor 830-426-9113 Also information is posted on facebook at Devine Class of 1976 and Friends.
The Devine First Baptist Church sanctuary has been gutted by the Baptist men in preparation for a remodel.
“Equipping all generations to impact lives for Christ. ” For the past 144 years, more than seven generations, the First Baptist Church of Devine has been serving the citizens of Devine and the surrounding area by preaching the Word, caring for its members and caring for the community. By leading in projects like Mission Devine, food distribution, establishing new missions, sponsoring new churches in other communities, sending out missionaries across the nation and world, sending youth to camps and hosting Vacation Bible School, FBC Devine has strived to show and share the love of God. We have been doing this for the last 144 years, and are looking forward to the next 144. Just as the rest of Texas is experiencing dynamic growth as the rest of the nation realizes the advantages of being a Texan, Devine is also growing as more homes and housing developments are being built every day as more people are discovering the advantages of living in a small town where people know and love each other. Our present sanctuary, the one that many of you grew up in, was built in 1952, right after the end of World War II. Structurally it is very sound, but many of the building codes for wiring, plumbing, fire safety, handicapped accessibility, etc. that we all expect in our public places today did not exist back then. In 1952, air conditioning was very new, being mostly evaporative cooling, and modern insulation was just being invented. The air conditioning ductwork for the sanctuary has long since rusted and rotted away until we are basically cooling the attic before we get any cool air down into the congregation. This along with inadequate…LOGIN TO CONTINUE READING at www.devinenewsmembers.com. You will get instant access to our full E-edition, and begin getting the newspaper delivered to your home next week for $36 a year in Medina County. Support important local city, county, and school news like this!
As has happened for the last 144 years, the famed St. Louis Day Celebration will again open the gates to visitors from all over the state. Dubbed years ago, by the Texas Tourist Agency as “The Homecoming for the State of Texas,” the giant festival will again serve tons of barbecued beef, Alsatian style sausage, and food, drink, music, games and fun all day long for friends who make the trip each year to historic Castroville. According to the Visitors Center guest book, the last few years have attracted visitors from more than 100 Texas towns and cities, 17 different states, and 14 countries. In only its 15th year on the shady Koenig Park grounds is one of fastest growing and most popular attractions: The St. Louis Day Biergarten. According to Frankie Kempf, Asst. Publicity Director, the Biergarten idea was born, appropriately enough, by a couple of parishioners sitting around a “kegerator” reminiscing about the fond memories of St. Louis Days gone by. The idea was presented to the general chairmen to have a Saturday evening biergarten party who then decided to give it a try, and now it hosts a huge crowd of visitors on Saturday evening the night before the actual celebration. So on August 22 at 6:30 p.m., the Super Saturday Biergarten Party will serve ice cold draught beer, wine, other refreshments and food, and live music for those who will make a weekend out of St. Louis Day. The Boardwalk games will be open for children Saturday night and the adults can enjoy the large Silent Auction, St. Louis Downs and the famous washer pitch and cornhole tournaments. Succulent all beef hot dogs, known as Sarge’s St. Louie Red Hots, pulled pork sandwiches and piping hot nachos will be served for guests as well. Also back by popular demand will be the giant pizza served by Dirt Road Cookers. As in previous years, the gala will be held under nature’s tent beneath the shady canopy of the park where party-goers will be able to spread out and do what is supposed to happen at a homecoming—visit with old friends and make new ones. Plenty of seating is available for those who wish to get off their feet, and it is not unusual to see guests bring their own lawn chairs and relax the night away to good music, ice cold beer and great conversation. According to Biergarten entertainment chairman, Duane Garza, the Saturday night featured entertainers this year will kick off with a great local favorite the Weston Ripps Band at 6:30 p.m. The Jeremy Richards Band, another great local favorite, will follow at 8:30 and dazzle the crowd with spectacular guitar and vocal talent until 11 p.m. Sunday, August 23, is the actual festival day when thousands of visitors will flock to “The Little Alsace of Texas.” Besides the amazing BBQ plate, the day will be jam-packed with entertainment at two different venues on the grounds including the Biergarten Stage and the ever-popular Riverside Stage. Featured talent and bands this year include Fire on the Mountain Cloggers, the Alsatian Dancers of Texas, the Alamo City Community Marching Band, mariachis, local favorites Julie Guinther & Michele Mangold, and up and coming new talent, Gavin Ripps, will wow the crowd with his talents for the first time. Taking the stage at 3:30 will be the ever-so-talented Jamie Lin Wilson followed by crowd pleaser Natalie Rose. In addition, there will be the popular games for young and old including the popular bingo pavilion. Our Plant Booth and Just Treasures will provide great deals for visitors who like to shop. The spacious air-conditioned hall will house one of the best and biggest silent auctions along with the Country Store featuring homemade and canned items. This year will mark the 28th year of the extremely popular St. Louis Downs “Horseracing Track,” where another lucky person will have his or her name added to the Futurity Champions Wall of Fame. If a lucky volunteer would like to cool off, the popular ice bucket challenge will provide that opportunity as well. And for the little ones, the kid’s Boardwalk promises a great time with brand new and improved games and barrel train ride! It’s a perfect time to make a weekend visit to historic Castroville and the St. Louis Day celebration August 22-23. For more information visit www.saintlouisday.com or like St. Louis Day on facebook.
We are excited to announce all readers who participated in this year’s Summer Reading Challenge. Participants were required to record 300 minutes (5 hours) of reading time per log. A total of 458 reading logs were turned in by 109 readers for a total of 2,290 hours of summer reading. This was a 40% increase over last year’s numbers. Participants earned tickets for a chance to win one of the 31 prizes we offered as incentives. For extra chances to win they could turn in up to 3 book reviews worth 1 ticket each. A total of 33 book reviews were submitted. Twenty-two (22) of our little people, birth to 4 yrs, turned a total of 64 reading cards and were able to choose prizes from our treasure chest. The Reading Challenge is divided into 3 levels with medals being given for the highest level completed. The following are the participants and the number of logs and hours turned in: Gold Medal Winners (24) – each of these participants turned in the maximum number of logs for a total of 40 hrs of reading: Sophia Clavey, Macy Gierisch, Naomi Gomez, Tiffani Gregory, Vivian Gregory, Khaleesi Hernandez, Isaiah Herrera, Jett Perez, Madison Purchis, Andreas Sanchez, Niyeli Sanchez, Brooke Shipman, Hunter Shipman, Tristan Shipman, Liv Silva, James Solomon, Jason Solomon, Joshua Solomon, Lacey Steubing, Kaylynn Townsley, Robert Townsley, Aniela Tyc, Peyten Whitaker and Deshaun Williams. Silver Medal Winners (20) – each of these participants turned in 5 or more logs: 7 logs – 35 hrs – Carter Clayton, Araceli Gallosa, Jesse Gallosa, and Jessica Johnson. 6 logs – 30 hrs – Kaleb Bockholt, MaKenna Lascano, Andrew Lawless, Lily Lawless, Joshua Lawless, Aubrey Phillips, Grayson Sollock, William Tracy, and Daniel Tyc. 5 logs – 25 hrs – Maggie Bockholt, Matthew DeLeon, Esme Eads, June Gallosa, Nathaly Mendoza , Abigail Phillips, and Rosie Tracy. Bronze Medal Winners (25) – each of these participants turned in 3 or more logs: 4 logs – 20 hrs – Elisia Herrera, Mathias Mendoza, Paisley Null, Diesel Ottinger, Elena Ottinger, Emma Roberson, Brent Smith, Fletcher Smith, Kenzie Smith, Rowan Sostarich, Laylani Udave, Ethan Weber, and Bradley Zachry. 3 logs – 15 hrs – Jensen Bennett, Liam Bennett, Ivy Howard, Leah Ivie, Nick Kelley, Julian Martinez, Penny Null, Ryder Null, Jacob Ramirez, Mya Ramirez, Luke Roberson, and Sam Steubing. The following participants turned in at least one reading log and/or book review: Caleb Alexander, Elena Alexander, Lucas Alexander, Baylee Boehme, Brayden Boehme, Justin Bowdrick, Bodhi Carter, Ben Clarke, Quilliam Clausen, Paisley Clayton, Bea Danna, Lily Danna, Cecilia Dzierzanowski, Ryder Dzierzanowski, Sophia Franco, Axl Garcia, AJ Garcia, Austin Gonzalez, Brayden Guardiola, Raphael Hernandez, Jane Martinez, Kennedy Minor, Keegan Quiroga, Amias Samudio, Ari Samudio, Brea Samudio, Joshua Schroller II, Maddison Sollock, Jay Solomon, Jon Solomon, Kara Steubing, Ares Tarsikes, Serentiy Tasharski, Cara Teetsel, Emmie Teetsel, Hazlee Teetsel, Patrick Thompson, Vincent Tyc, Ronan Weber, Westley Zachry. The staff of the Driscoll Public Library wishes to congratulate all participants on a job well done! Thursday, July 30th the Friends of the Driscoll Public Library hosted an ice cream social for all of their participants in Summer Reading Challenge. Everyone got two scopes of ice cream and the choice of toppings and sprinkles provided by HEB Helping Here. Medals provided by the Friends of the Driscoll Public Library and prizes from this year’s reading challenge drawing were also presented.
DeShaun Williams
Peyten Whitaker-first year SRC-8 logs and winner of Pokemon prizes
Devine FCCLA sent 7 students to compete in STAR Events in Washington, D.C., in July. Pictured are Kayla Dzierzanowski, Cat Brown, Kamden Paige, Kelvey Cortez, Isabella Gonzales, McKailee Sorrell and Paige
National FCCLA STAR Event placings have been released for all those who did not place first through third at the leadership conference held in Washington, D.C., in July. Devine FCCLA had two teams still awaiting their final placings. Juniors Paige Barron and McKailee Sorrell left the conference with silver medals, meaning that they scored anywhere from 80-89 points on their judges’ rubric. Recently, Devine FCCLA was notified via email of discrepancies in the judging system. The following excerpt is from the email: While importing scores from our Judge Pro platform into the FCCLA Portal, we discovered that the Room Consultant scores were inadvertently omitted from the original upload. Once this was brought to our attention, we immediately corrected the issue by importing the missing scores into the portal. Although these updates did not change any student placements, they did affect some overall scores and, as a result, the medal level earned by some participants. Specifically, some students who originally received silver medals should have received gold medals. As a result, Barron and Sorrell will now receive gold medals! Overall, they placed 26th nationally in a very competitive Focus on Children, Level 3 category. The other team awaiting their final placing was Kelvey Cortez and Isabella Gonzales, who competed in Interpersonal Communications, Level 1. The girls participated in the Top 10 Finalists session on the last day of the conference. Finally, they know that they placed 8th overall in the nation! As previously reported, the two other teams who competed were Kamden Paige, who placed 1st in Leadership, Level 1; and Catherine Brown and Kayla Dzierzanowski, who placed third in Public Policy Advocate.
Friendship Art Club, which is based in Lytle and includes artists from several nearby communities and San Antonio, has issued a call for area artists to participate in the club’s Annual Art Show and Sale scheduled on Saturday, September 19, 2026 from 9am to 3pm at the Lytle Community Center. The show features artists and artisans in booths and in a competition, showcasing both club members and non-member guest artists. Artists may participate in a judged competition in painting, drawing, and photography as well as a new theme category “250 Years of Freedom.”An art judge will award ribbons in the competition, and the voting public will determine the special award “People’s Choice” the day of the show. Artists who wish to have a booth to exhibit their work and/or participate in the competition must submit an Artist’s Application by Friday, September 5. Booth spaces are assigned only on receipt of the application and booth fee. Since booth spaces for the indoor show are limited, artists are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Applications and more information are available by contacting Show Chair Jane Brown at 210-415-2546 or 210-701-1293 or by emailing Thefriendshipartclub@gmail.com.
