Celebrating 126 Years of Serving the communities of Devine, Natalia, Lytle, Bigfoot, and Moore in Medina, Frio, and Atascosa Counties
Category: Health & Lifestyles
Birth Announcements, Engagement Announcements, Feature stories and photos about local residents in Devine, Natalia, Lytle, Bigfoot/Moore areas. Also special features on the latest research and healthcare trends.
By Catherine Richard After years years of planning and construction, the Wolf Hawk Precision shooting range and gun shop opened its doors to the public this past Saturday, September 7. The owner, William Bennett, a sixth generation Texan, has built the impressive complex on a 55 acre stretch of land within the Bennett family ranch. Coming from multiple generations of hunters, Bennett wanted the facilities to serve the needs of casual gun owners, new hunters, and professionals alike. Inside the gun store there are a variety of firearms lining the walls, from CZs to Rugers, along with shelves of ammo and suppressor components. The store is equipped to create customized suppressors, which can be assembled, stamped, and processed in the store. The shooting range, meanwhile, provides an opportunity for gun owners to train with their firearms. There are two areas, the rifle range and the pistol pit. Close to the range, there is a ground level area for those who want to improve their marksmanship or sight in their rifles. It is overlooked by elevated platforms, which more advanced marksmen can qualify to practice on.
If you are a nature lover, a bird watcher, a landscape designer, conservationist or just enjoy seeing things grow, there is a position open just waiting for you to claim it. To be qualified, you must be able to see beauty and colors, smell fragrance, enjoy clean air, or touching the earth, flowers and plants and the taste of clean water. You must be in the age range of 16 to 106 and have some experience in walking barefoot in the grass or picnicking in the park. Or maybe you have hiked in the woods and stopped to smell the roses. Beginners will find their wages are a few aching muscles and the pay-off will be a rise in spirits and a joyful heart. If you enjoy the experience, you may advance to the title of chairman of a project or an officer in the garden club. Benefits include the security of social friendships with garden club members everywhere. The benefit of retirement is a wheelbarrow full of happy memories, a perennial remembrance of worthwhile accomplishments, the pleasure of learning from other gardeners and, perhaps, a beautiful garden that is all your own creation.
Sign up… deadline Aug. 23 for first dibs at fall festival
The Devine Chamber of Commerce will host its annual 2024 Fall Cactus Festival on the first Saturday of November as usual, set for November 2 in downtown Devine with a festival, street dance and carnival. Sign up as a vendor August 23 is the deadline for locals to get first dibs on vendor spots….This year preference will be given to chamber members to keep with the local first theme who sign up to be a vendor first. Then it will be opened to outside vendors. Only 3 of every kind of vendor will be allowed to provide a nice variety of vendors. The Devine Market Association has accepted the job of organizing the vendors and taking care of that part of the festival for the chamber. An August 23 deadline has been set for chamber members to apply to get dibs on a vendor spot. Chamber members will be given priority then local and then open to others. To give as much opportunity as possible to local people first. Think, Shop, Dine Devine! Charley Richardt, DMA Market Coordinator is handing the vendors for the chamber with the help of Steve Smith. Charley can be reached at 210.790.2212 or by email at charley.katona@gmail.com Feel free to text with questions about vendors. The link to sign up is https://forms.gle/r3JW89SRLwsCb1C9A Carnival The carnival will be in town Thursday through Saturday as usual.
Hastings is investigating interventions aimed at increasing the the number of years lived before the body develops a chronic disease that has a debilitating effect.
By Paul Schattenberg Waylon Hastings ’15, Ph.D., has returned to his alma mater as an assistant professor in Texas A&M’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Nutrition with a mission to develop efficient methods to measure individual differences in aging. Hastings, who began Aug. 1, earned undergraduate degrees in biochemistry, genetics and mathematics, as well as a master’s degree in educational administration from Texas A&M University. He also holds a dual-title doctorate in biobehavioral health and bioethics from Pennsylvania State University. Prior to returning to Texas A&M, Hasting was a postdoctoral scientist in the Behavioral Neurodevelopmental Genetics Laboratory at Tulane University School of Medicine and council adviser for Bayer Healthcare LLC. “We’re excited Dr. Hastings is returning to Texas A&M,” said David Threadgill, Ph.D., head of the Department of Nutrition. “He brings a wealth of knowledge from his graduate and postdoctoral training, especially regarding his focus on cancer and aging, including the impact of nutrition on the rate of aging. This represents an important new dimension in research for the department.”
Donations are being accepted for the Fall Indoor Yard Sale to be hosted at the Lytle Community Center on Saturday, September 7 from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. All proceeds will benefit Lytle Animal Allies and City of Lytle Animal Care and Control. Getting your home ready for the holidays? Don’t know where to take your unwanted items? The City of Lytle Animal Care and Control will accept your donated items, Monday- Friday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. at their facility at 17971 FM 2790 South, Lytle, Texas 78052. Please no electronics, computers, monitors or shoes.
The annual festival will be held at St John Bosco Catholic Church located at 502 5th Street, Natalia on Labor Day September 1. There are several fundraisers leading up to the big event. There will be lots of bands. See page 2 for more details on the big event.
DRAWING TICKETS: Text Beatrice Morales at 210-482-9595 for tickets. September 1st is the Grand drawing. So don’t delay, get your tickets TODAY, $5 each. Father Antony will draw the $500 winning ticket on Sunday, August 11th after 11 a.m. mass. The winning ticket and all the tickets will be put back into the raffle barrel for another chance to win $3k, $2k, & $1k and other prizes on September 1st. This drawing will be announced at the Labor Day Festival extravaganza. Fun FOAM FINISH and Zumba 5K Run or Walk: This is a fun event for the whole family. 1.7 miles through the City of Natalia; check-in is at 6:30 a.m. Kids Run starts at 7:45 a.m. There will be activities for the kids during the race. Race starts at 8 a.m. for the runners, followed by the walkers. When everybody returns they will have a Zumba session and end the day with a Fun Foam Finish.
We are excited to announce all the kids who participated in this year’s Summer Reading Challenge. Participants were required to record 300 minutes of reading time per log. A total of 368 reading logs were turned in by 92 total participants. All the logs turned in equaled a total of 1,886 hours of reading over the past 8 weeks! Participants earned tickets for a chance to win one of the 25 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 49 book reviews (min 30 words) were submitted. The Reading Challenge is divided into 3 levels with medals being given for each level completed. The following are the participants and the number of logs and hours turned in: Gold Medal Winners (19) – each of these participants turned in the maximum number of logs for a total of 40 hrs of reading and earned all three medals: Sophia Clavey, Gabriel Cubriel, Avery Cummings, Araceli Gallosa, Destiny Gulley, Trinity Gulley, Matias Mendoza, Nathaly Mendoza, Caydence Negrete, Landon Nel, Oakley Nel, Gaby Paramo, Noah Paramo, Madison Purchis, Shavelle Rosalez, Liv Silva, James Solomon, Joshua Solomon, and Madison Wolff.
Esme Eads Silver Medal Winners (15) – each of these participants turned in 5 or more logs and earned two medals: 7 logs – 35 hrs : Kaytie Klein, Maddison Sollock, Lacey Steubing 6 logs – 30 hrs : Anthony F – 6 logs – 30 hr, Jessica Johnson 5 logs – 25 hrs: Carter Clayton, Miguel Cubriel, Madison Garcia, Nevaeh Gloria, Naomi Gomez, Khaleesi Hernandez, Diana Olvera, Jasmine Olvera, Sybil Saldana, Jon Solomon Bronze Medal Winners (26) – each of these participants turned in 3 or more logs and earned one medal: 4 logs – 20 hrs: Esme Eads, Kyleigh Freeman, Kayson Klein, Ana Mendoza, Jacob Ramirez, Kris Ramirez, Mya Ramirez, Jay Solomon, Kara Steubing, Olivia Velasquez, Mckala Wolff. 3 logs – 15 hrs: Jensen Bennett, Ben Freeman, Jaxon Freeman, Jesse Gallosa, June Gallosa, Marissa Garcia, Miranda Garcia, Evie McElwee, Bella Olvera, Jason Solomon, Sam Steubing, Kaylynn Townsley, Robert Townsley, Maricela Velasquez, Sophie Velasquez. The following participants turned in at least one reading log or/and book review: Anthony Alaniz, Caleb Alexander, Elena Alexander, Elaine Atkinson, Naomi Atkinson, Elena Barrera, Baylee Boehme, Brayden Boehme, Rebekah Boehme, Maggie Cuellar, Reed Glass, Rhett Glass, Tiffani Gregory, Vivian Gregory, Addison Guzman, Liberty Hayden, Xander Nava, Ariel Ottinger, Diesel Ottinger, Elena Ottinger, Collier Paige, Kamden Paige, Alliana Perez, Keegan Quiroga, Raelyn Rengalado, Liam Rodriguez, Sebastian Salazar, Grayson Sollock, Royce Trujillo, Camilla Trujillo, Aylin Urias, Bradley Zachry. The staff of the Driscoll Public Library wishes to congratulate all participants on a job well done! Thursday, August 1st the Friends of the Driscoll Public Library hosted an ice cream social for all of the participants in Summer Reading Challenge. Everyone got two scopes of ice cream and the choice of toppings and sprinkles. There were ice pops for everyone courtesy of Devine Police Department. Medals and prizes from the drawing were also presented. Special thanks the Lions Club of Devine for sponsoring our medals this year.
The San Antonio Food Bank sent 22 pallets of food non-perishable goods the were distributed in Devine Monday, August 5th.
The monthly San Antonio Food Bank distribution by Devine VFW Post 3966 had a record distribution on August 5, 2024. San Antonio Food Bank notified the Post last week that they had an additional 10 pallets of non-perishable goods for distribution. The 22 pallets of food and non-perishables arrived in a full semi-trailer truck. With nearly twice as many pallets to unload, the distribution started later than usual at about 9:30 am. With 37 volunteers helping, the record distribution was still completed by 11:20. One hundred and sixty-six (166) families were served.
Devine Depot – March 1909 – visiting Rev. F.M. McConnell of Longview leaving Devine by train after conducting a revival at the First Baptist Church
HOMETOWN HISTORY: Devine, Texas 1909
By Nancy Ehlinger Saathoff – Devine Historical Committee In the early 1900s, train travel on the railroad was a big deal in Devine! The Devine Depot was the “get-on and get-off” point for people visiting or leaving; and often times a group of family, friends, or business people would wait at the depot for them to arrive or take them to the depot and give them a “send-off” when they left. In early 1909, what the train brought to Devine was Reverand F.M. McConnell for a Revival for the Baptist Church! Being a Christian community, visiting ministers were welcomed enthusiastically throughout our town! Rev. McConnell, assisted by evangelist singer H.L. Spark, were very busy during the several weeks that they were in Devine! They led revival prayer meetings in the mornings and the evenings, going from house to house, and in various parts of the town in the afternoon! Yes, they were very, very busy!
March 1909 Baptism at Coker Tank near Devine
Although there is not a lot of information about the Revival itself, it must have been a huge success because it resulted in a large number of people, young and old, being baptized in the local *Coker Tank (stocktank/pond). It was reported that 1000 to 1500 people, regardless of religious affiliation, attended and witnessed the baptism of 47 people! Thirteen others were baptized at a later date. Some of the last names of the people included Redus, Fullerton, Long, Evans, Williams, Slater, Goslin, and more. *Coker Tank was located on the Coker Farm “north” of Devine, which in 1909 was probably somewhere along what is now Coker Ave. That special day in March of 1909 was memorialized in history by a photographer, Mr. Martin, who photographed the group at the baptism. (photo shown). Rev. McConnell (photo shown) had left a few weeks earlier than the baptism, but his work was done in Devine, and it was left to the leaders of the church to tend to the new members of their flock! So, it was back to the depot for Reverand McConnell’s “send-off” back to Longview! It is fortunate that Mr. Martin also photographed that day, when Rev. McConnell, who had come in by train, left Devine by train; but not before making his mark on the hearts of sixty newly baptized people in Devine, Texas.
The community gathered to celebrate the life of first responder Michael Russel Walker, retired Fire Chief 8120 of Devine, Texas who passed away at the age of 65. Emergency first responders from all over South Texas came to pay their last respects on Saturday, July 27 as he was laid to rest from Primrose Funeral Chapel. Michael served his community as a firefighter for over 45 years, and worked on pipelines for almost 50 years. Before coming to Devine, he’d served for 25 years and retired as Fire Chief at Fairchild VFD in Needville, TX. He dutifully served as Fire Chief here in Devine before retiring in March of 2021. During Chief Walker’s time in Devine the DVFD updated the building, and even began the first responder medical response organization. He loved doing what he did and taking care of his family and community and protecting them. As a volunteer, he drove the first responder unit home and was usually the first one on most scenes. Michael also knew his way around the grill. Grilling was his passion, and it showed. He was the head cook of Firewalker Cookers Competition BBQ Cook-Off Team for 5 years. His other passions in life was the love for his family, his beloved wife Carla and selflessly helping people. His time in the service was a living testament to his care and compassion towards his community. Michael was a true hero and volunteer.
