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18 Character Counts Dana Skelton and the power of the arts 24 Health & Wellness Forney emergency room fills a care gap 22 Cook’s Corner Joyce Salisbury’s bread pudding Made In Kaufman County: What we make here, and why manufacturing is still important to the area’s economy. Three growing facilities are drawing crowds for some off road fun on two wheels or four Down and Dirty Fall 2013 Vol.3 Issue 3 PRSRT STD TERRELL, TEXAS U.S.POSTAGE P A I D PERMIT NO. 8 Local Postal Customer ***********ECRWSSEDDM***

Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

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Page 1: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

18 Character CountsDana Skelton and the power of the arts 24 Health & Wellness

Forney emergency room fills a care gap22 Cook’s CornerJoyce Salisbury’s bread pudding

Made InKaufman County:What we make here, andwhy manufacturing isstill important to thearea’s economy.

Three growing facilities

are drawing crowds for

some o� road fun on

two wheels or four

Downand Dirty

Fall 2013 Vol.3 Issue 3

PRSRT STDTERRELL, TEXAS

U.S.POSTAGEP A I D

PERMIT NO. 8

LocalPostal Customer

***********ECRWSSEDDM***

Page 2: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

2 KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013

a slice of Life

PUBLISHERMike Elswick

EDITORTodd Jorgenson

CONTRIBUTORSPaul Bottoni, Don Johnson, Gary E. Lindsley

COVER & LAYOUTDon Johnson

ADVERTISINGStephanie Elswick, Sales Director; Beth Brown;

[email protected]

150 Ninth Street, Terrell, TX 75160972-563-6476

Kaufman County Life assumes no responsibility for the content of articles or advertisements, in that the views expressed therein may not reflect the views of the publisher, employees or contributors. This publication and all of its contents are copyrighted.

Fall is nearly upon us and I think most readers will agree we’re ready for cooler tem-peratures, the excitement of fall sports and school being back in session.

This issue of Kaufman County Life is helping rev up the change of seasons with a feature story on motor sports by Editor Todd Jorgenson. A variety of area residents and visitors are drawn to the roar of horsepower, the spinning of wheels and mud flying in the air. In Todd’s article you’ll find out what the attraction is.

We think you just might be amazed by some of the revelations in contributor Don Johnson’s article and related photos of things made in Kaufman County. While many residents may know the area as a hub of distribution center activity, there is also plenty of manufacturing going on.

Among the local firms with a customer reach that spans the nation and reaches around the globe is Terrell’ s CATCO. With a very familiar face at the helm in the form of Terrell Mayor Hal Richards, the firm’s catalytic heaters are a mainstay in the growing natural gas production field. Don also looks at other firms with products made in Kaufman County that just might surprise you.

Within the Kaufman city limits on the downtown square is the restored P.G. Bacon Building which can take visitors a step back in time. The Kaufman Heritage Society took the initiative to invest in the past so future generations can have an up-close-and-personal look at the way business was conducted long before the computer age was thought of.

Dana Skelton is a man of many talents. Stints as a professional musician, educator, band director and municipal judge are among the paying positions the Terrell resident has held. Writer Paul Bottoni provides readers with an overview of Skelton’s multi-faceted life, including his current duties as facility manager at the Terrell ISD Performing Arts Center. Skelton is also an ardent volunteer with E! Terrell, a role that fits nicely with his background.

Speaking of E! Terrell, the all-volunteer organization is kicking off its 11th season of bringing the region some of the best in entertainment options from across the nation and around the world. E! Terrell organizer Sarah Kegerreis says one reason season tickets are so reasonably priced is because of the many volunteer hours residents put in to make the series so successful.

If you’re at the Flights of Our Fathers Fly-In on Sept. 21, at Terrell Municipal Airport and smell the aroma of barbecue, it could be coming from the smoking pit of Terrell’s own Larry Newberry. Writer Gary Lindsley shares Newberry’s story of learning the ropes of smoking that has taken him on an adventure to the top tiers of state and national cook-offs.

While Newberry competes and caters his smoked meats, Joyce Salisbury of Poetry is strictly an amateur cook - but one whose kitchen keeps family and friends clamoring for more. She shares her love of cooking and even a favorite recipe in this edition of

Kaufman County Life.- Mike Elswick, Publisher

Page 3: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013 3

331 cole street dallas texas 75207Emily Ekern 214.550.1153

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Page 4: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

4 KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013

Live Entertainment Food & Specialty Vendors Silent Auction Health Fair Auto Show Auto Swap

Hillcrest History Walk CLAW 5K Fun Run

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Page 5: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013 5

6 Made Right Here Kaufman County

manufacturing operations provide a backbone for the area’s economy, and make a few things you may not expect

24 State of Emergency We visit the new Lake Pointe emergency room facility in Forney.

28 Relocating History Kaufman’s Bacon Lumber Building became a landmark over the last century. Now it has a new location and purpose.

Fall 2013

RegularFeatures

10 Down and Dirty Growing facilities are turning Kaufman County into an off road competition hotspot.

18 Character Counts Terrell’s Dana Skelton makes volunteering a full time job in retirement.

20 Scene & Heard

22 Wine & Dine

26 Health & Wellness

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6 KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013

moulded plastic fencing and components • remanufactured industrial generators • custom cardboard packaging • stainless steel sinks and fixtures • flameless heat-ers for gas drilling • insulated foam panels • industrial cranes • electric transmission towers • store shelving • metal fabrication • aloe-based health products and cosmetics • wire display racks • engineered metal build-ings • promotional products • jewelry • food color and flavoring • waterproof coatings • metal decking • liquid oxygen,nitrogen and argon • metal and glass building com-ponents • road sign supports • architec-tural identity products • recycled cardboard

Page 7: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE WINTER 2011 7

As if we needed reminding, the very public decline to bank-ruptcy of a major U.S. city like Detroit gives us enough regular national headlines to see that the manufacturing sector of the economy is still in trouble. It is a case study in how a region’s reli-ance on the fortunes of one industry can be a risky bet.

It also serves to show just how much large manufacturers bring to a local economy.

In Kaufman County, and Terrell in particular, manufacturing is a major source of both jobs and tax revenue.

But outside of the economic development community, not many people seem to know what we make locally.

Products made in Kaufman County are pri-marily used by other businesses, but chances are good that within the last week you have used, held or in some way benefitted from something made locally.

The packaging for some of your favorite prod-ucts may come from Abox Inc. in Kaufman, and you may buy those products off of a store shelf made by Madix in Terrell.

Electricity generated by West Texas wind farms travel to the grid via towers constructed at Kaufman’s Falcon Steel.

Your favorite drink or dessert could be fla-vored by Vantone Creative Flavors in Terrell, which you may have while on vacation in a Las Vegas hotel wrapped with waterproofing from Carlile Coatings just down the street.

The sports venue or hotel you visit may be covered in glass and steel from Oldcastle Building Envelope.

You may spend time at a favorite restaurant

in a building framed with Nucor Steel from Terrell eating food prepared on commercial kitchen fixtures from Advance Tabco in Kaufman.

The number and variety of products made within the county is as impressive as the economic activity that is brought by the companies who locate here.

Left: Two acres of skylights over the atrium of the Gaylord Texan resort are just one of the notably large projects handled by Oldcastle Building Envelope in Terrell.Above: Thelma Pitt works with a large computer controlled metal punch at CatCo, a pro-ducer of flameless heating equipment for petroleum drilling applications.Top: Russell Wallace holds a heater component he just constructed by hand at CatCo.

Despite what you may have heard, not all manufacturing companies have sent theiroperations overseas. So what are we making in the area’s industrial parks? And what is

the jobs outlook for these companies as technology replaces laborers?

By Don Johnson

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8 KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2012

“Off the top of my head, I would say that more than one third of the Kaufman County economy is based on jobs in manufacturing, and more than half of the overall economy is related when you look at salaries and prop-erty value,” said Terrell Economic Development Cor-poration president Danny Booth. “You have to under-stand that it is much more than what the company is on the tax roll for. I don’t have a total payroll number, but it is staggering. That money is then taken and used within the economy to improve property and buy from other businesses. You also have a lot of manufacturing retirees who are no longer employed, but still add to the economy from their time in manufacturing.”

If you think of the economy as a circular model with money moving around between producers and con-sumers, manufacturing serves as a big money magnet bringing dollars back to the area where the businesses are located.

Attracting “Primary Jobs”“The whole reason you want manufacturing in your

community is what we call primary jobs,” said Kaufman Chamber of Commerce president Anne Glasscock. “A primary job is one where money comes from out-side the community to pay those people, and then the money is spent within the community. That is what you want.”

And since every community in the country wants to bring in these primary jobs, competition can be fierce.

“It is very competitive, sometimes over-the-top competitive, for manufacturing jobs,” Booth said. “We have a pretty aggressive business retention program, especially for companies that want to expand. It is im-portant that we not only try to attract new companies, but also take care of the ones that are here. Our challenge in the coming years is to try to create a business-friendly environment, because these guys get recruited monthly, if not weekly, by our competitors in other cities.”

Within Kaufman County itself, drawing businesses has become somewhat of a team effort, with communication and cooperation among the various city, county and economic development entities.

“The EDC professionals in Kaufman County have an agreement not to bid against each other or try to pull a company from one city to another,” Glasscock said. “What is good for one city in the county is good for everyone else. The Leadership Kaufman County group meets quarterly to bring some of that together, to help make sure that city and county incentives match up. Then other groups meet often and keep open lines of communication.”

Location Location LocationBringing large manufacturing businesses to the area is about

more than tax incentives. According to Booth, in order for a loca-tion to make sense for company executives, several determining factors have to fall into place.

“Location to customers, transportation for your inbound ma-terials, the availability of a good workforce and quality of life for your employees play a role in that decision,” he said. “One benefit we have, as real estate and housing come back, is that we will still be one of the fastest growing counties in North Texas. A lot of

people here commute to Dallas, but if you bring jobs closer, you can eliminate some of those commutes. We have a huge trained workforce that works in the Metroplex, so our challenge is to bring in companies that can help people work closer to home.”

Close to HomeTerrell Mayor Hal Richards sees the benefits of local manu-

facturing hit very close to home. Richards also owns CatCo, a Terrell-based maker of heating equipment for the petroleum industry.

“Just a personal observation, but what I see is that these com-panies give people a chance to live near where they work, with good jobs and opportunities to advance, but without spending 20 percent of their waking hours in a car going somewhere else,” he said. “We have always had access to a good workforce, and even if they drive from somewhere further east, they don’t have to go into Dallas.”

And for the majority of the population who never spend time in the industrial parks where these companies are located, there may be some misperceptions about how manufacturing works.

“Companies that do this have expensive facilities, create a lot of tax value and generally run higher profit margin businesses than retail or distribution,” Richards said. “From the way people talked, you get the impression that five, 10 or 15 years from now all of the jobs will be people sitting at a console or a computer,

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KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE WINTER 2011 9

and everything will be made by robots or overseas. That just isn’t true. Twenty years from now, companies will still need people who can drive a forklift and use a pair of pliers.”

Local manufacturers may suffer from another perception problem as well; the idea that local businesses are somehow less advanced than their compeitors.

“People see the local manufacturer as sitting over an open fire with a canoe paddle mixing up a product, but your com-petitor out of state they imagine with a giant stainless steel plant and gleaming walls,” said Vantone Creative Flavors owner Da-vid Hinds. “That isn’t unique to Terrell, this was even the case when we were located in Dallas. There is a perception that local is somehow less.”

Workforce is the KeyFor everyone involved, the future of manufacturing both lo-

cally and nationally revolves around having prepared workers willing to do the jobs. A major push in public schools, funded by additional state funding, has seen an increase in career and technical education programs (CTE). Recent major investments in Forney and Terrell school districts has put facilities in place for CTE programs, including significant investments by local manufac-turing companies.

“Manufacturers have a sharper interest than most companies in career and tech education,” Richards said. “Technology is re-ally advancing, and that really leads to two opportunities. The first is being able to operate the machinery. We are five years into our first set of computer-controlled machines here, and the people we train tell me that it is much like the computers they use at home. You need people with those skills, but you also need people with skills to maintain and repair this type of machinery. If you have the machines, you have to have someone who can fix them, and that isn’t always on the computer. That may be a me-chanical, electrical or hydraulic problem. Companies are looking for these types of people and don’t know where to find them.”

Generating employees that have both an old-fashioned me-chanic’s sensibilities and good grip on advanced technology may hold the most sway for keeping local manufacturing jobs in the area for generations to come.

“Most people in the industry realize that this is going to be a big need, not only the sophisticated digital part but also the me-chanical part,” Richards said. “That is where we will have a critical shortage, and where I see the biggest opportunity.”

In trying to attract businesses, showcasing the education up-grades is becoming more im-portant as well.

“The career and technol-ogy center is key,” Booth said. “We have to be able to pro-duce a quality workforce for these companies to stay. The incentive is that once a com-pany locates in a community and get their core workforce in place, why would you want to move it?”

It may seem silly to have to say it, but even with the vari-ety of technical training avail-

able to today’s students, plain old work ethic and interpersonal skills may be the key to that prosperous manufacturing career.

“If you ask anyone in this business the number one thing they need, they will tell you that they need someone who can get to work every day on time,” Richards said. “When we are running, it is important because you have things lined out for who is doing what, and if one person isn’t there, it puts a monkey wrench in the whole thing.”

How a globalized economy plays out of the the next few de-cades will certainly affect how business is done close to home. For the manufacturing community, it may come down to wheth-er consumers make an effort to choose domestically produced goods.

“Terrell has grown, but nationally, we are in a horrible decline in manufacturing.,” Booth said. “If we, as a country, don’t start buying products made in America, we will be a total service-related economy, and those jobs pay less.”

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•••

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10 KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013

As it turns out, many adults enjoy getting down and dirty just as much as their kids, only with bigger and more expensive toys.

Whether it’s motorcycles or all-terrain vehicles or oversized trucks, competitive facilities catering to off-road enthusiasts are growing like never before, and Kaufman County is certainly no exception.

With two mud bogs, two motocross tracks, and many acres of trails off the beaten path, the area is a haven for gearheads and adrenaline junkies alike.

But are off-road activities reflective of a new sport that is gain-ing momentum, or one that is just shifting into a more organized and competitive form? Jeffrey Johnston, general manager of MAG Powersports in Forney, believes it’s the latter.

“I don’t know if you’re seeing more of it, but you’re seeing transitions,” Johnston said. “It’s more of an awareness by the con-sumer. People are constantly moving out this way, and they want to engage in those recreational activities. They want access to that.”

Johnston said that while motocross and mud bogs might be more organized, it’s 4-wheelers and larger side-by-side ATVs that are generating the most interest.

“Multiple people can operate the vehicle, so it makes it popu-

lar for families,” Johnston said.

Crow’s Mud BogForney resident Don Ellison spent more than two decades as

a promoter, announcer and radio host in the drag racing world before shifting his attention to mud bogs in 2011 because of the growth potential, both in terms of drivers and spectators.

The following year, Ellison organized his first race in his fa-ther’s field near Canton. The purse was about $10,000, which was enormous at the time.

“It just took off from there,” he said. “They were racing in a hay field for $40. We’re trying to change the sport.”

In June, Ellison used prize money to lure drivers from through-out the country to run their mud trucks at Crow’s Mud Bog, lo-cated at 10761 Farm-to-Market Road 429 in the eastern portion of the county.

On an average night, the mud bog attracts about 500 specta-tors and features more than 40 trucks running in various classes, trying to get through the pit in the fastest time possible. Each driver typically gets two passes through the pit to establish a time.

The track features a mud pit for trucks and four-wheelers, and a sand drag track where trucks can race side-by-side. Far from a

Good Clean Fun

Two motocross tracks. Two mud bogs. Miles of privately-owned tracks and trails.Kaufman County may have what it takes to become a hotbed of fun in the dirt,

and the people to make it happen.

By Todd Jorgenson

Page 11: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013 11

simple muddy field, the track has video timing displays, an on-site concession stand and restrooms, as well as an enthu-siastic announcer to call the action.

“The mud is where it’s at,” said Brian Pool of Kaufman. “It’s a barrel of fun and a big adrenaline rush. It’s addicting.”

The mud bog is the brainchild of Terry Crow, a longtime drag racer who came up with the idea after his family visited a similar venue in 2011.

About a week later, he had dug a pit on his 130-acre property in Kaufman County and had notified his Facebook friends of his idea.

That first Saturday, about 250 people and 15 trucks showed up with nothing more than a few days of word-of-mouth advertising, validating Crow’s idea that such an idea had merit. During one weekend in March 2012, the venue hosted almost 2,000 fans and 57 trucks.

Drivers and spectators alike cover a wide spectrum of ages and backgrounds. Some participants aren’t old enough to have a driver’s license — at least not outside the mud bog.

“We were looking for something for the whole family to get into and have a little bit of fun,” Crow said. “We started out with a hole in the ground and one little concession stand, and then it just kept growing. People have just fallen in love with it.”

As the crowds continued to increase, so did the need for additional safety measures. Prior to this season, Crow’s Mud Bog improved its lighting and fencing, and moved its mud pit so it would be adjacent to the sand track.

“We’re trying to make it as safe as possible, because we have a lot of families and kids out here, and we have to keep it safe,” said Nancy Crow, Terry’s wife. “Our main concern is those kids.”

Also for its third year, the mud bog is not as deep, in another attempt to promote safety without compromising excitement for fans and drivers.

“We’re going so fast now that a lot of things had to hap-pen to ensure the safety of the spectators and the drivers,” Ellison said. “They’ve got a first-class facility there now.”

Kaufman County Mud BogOnly a few miles away, Kaufman County Mud Bog, located at 3451

County Road 120 near the Hiram community, has also experienced steady growth since opening three years ago.

Track owner Tommy Jackson said the idea to dig a mud bog from a cow pasture and hay meadow on his 130-acre property came from an off-road hobby he shared with his friends.

“It started one weekend when we all decided to get together and play in the mud,” Jackson said. “It’s just been growing ever since.”

The first event in 2010 attracted about 10 trucks, Jackson said. These days KCMB draws anywhere from 40 to 70 trucks in 11 dif-ferent classes during its regular races on the second Saturday of each month, March through November.

The facility currently has one pit, about 200 feet long with mud 2-3 feet deep, with plans to open a second one this fall. It also has a 3-acre open area that Jackson allows spectators to run ATVs or trucks just for fun.

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Left: Competitors line up to await their call to the start-ing line at Crow’s Mud Bog.Right: A competitor makes a run through the sand drag strip at Crow’s Mud Bog. The sand track allows side-by-side racing before driv-ers tackle the deep mud.Below: Wade Shepherd of Combine finds a groove during a Wednesday prac-tice session at Underground MX in Kemp.

Page 12: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

12 KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013

“We get a wide variety of trucks,” Jackson said, noting par-ticipants mudding in everything from street-legal models to those beefed up with nitrous oxide, and everything in between.

“Most of the pits these days are more shallow, but we like it deep,” he said. “It’s more about if you’ll get through the pit instead of how fast you can get through it.”

During the winter months, Jackson and his family operate spe-cial off-road and mud truck events at various indoor arenas, in-cluding in Mesquite.

“We race all year long,” he said. “It’s just a matter of racing outdoors or indoors.”

Wade Rowell of Wylie is a regular competitor at both mud bogs in the area, and said the combination of speed and power is part of what keeps him involved, since the prize money never comes close to the cost associated with operating a mud truck.

“It’s a full-time hobby. You meet a lot of good friends out here,” Rowell said. “Whether you win or you lose, you always want to go back and see what you can do to make your truck faster.”

Jackson agrees that mud racing is a sport driven more by pas-sion than profit.

“Some people do it for the money, but they’re never going to break even,” Jackson said. “Most guys do it just to have a good time.”

Nancy Crow said the concept of mud bogging was already popular in other states before Texas became a hotbed. She con-siders it a natural geographic expansion of the sport.

“It’s been around for a long time,” she said. “There’s more people getting involved in racing, and it’s becoming more popular.”

Jackson said he would like the sport of mud racing to continue developing to the point of securing sponsors and larger purses for competitors. But he doesn’t want it to lose its charm as a cheap, family-friendly destination at the same time.

After all, it’s a combination of repeat customers and a stream of first-timers that has allowed the crowds at KCMB to almost

double each year.“We try to get parents to bring their kids,” Jackson said. “We

never imagined when we started out that it was going to grow like this.”

Underground MXRandy Poulter is one of the foremost names in motocross

track construction, but until he purchased Underground MX Park in 2011, he never had a track to call his own.

Poulter is the owner of Illinois-based Extreme Dirt Inc., which has been responsible for some of top track designs throughout the country during the past decade.

That includes Underground MX, located on 75 acres at 7353 Farm-to-Market Road 3396 south of Kemp, which he built as a private training track for professional rider Kyle Regal prior to purchasing it and opening it up to the public.

“I wanted to build a place I could call my own and stay home with my family,” said Poulter, who raced professionally for five years. “I’ve built tracks and been racing since I was 7. It’s a pas-sion.”

The main track includes a 1.2-mile sandy course with a variety of jumps and turns, plus a 42-rider starting gate for races. There’s an adjacent stadium-style track and a night track with bleachers.

The facility also includes full-service restrooms and laundry fa-cilities, as well as 23 RV sites with electrical hook-ups. Poulter plans to open a parts store in the near future that will sell equip-ment and accessories, and could eventually include a mechanic for racers’ bikes.

Poulter said it has gradually gained popularity among moto-cross enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels, including competitive riders looking to train for weekend competitions.

“We’re getting a name for ourselves,” he said. “We’re geared toward the better rider.”

That reputation is reflected in the number of high-level races the park has attracted. It hosts about six events per year, includ-

Photograph by Don Johnson

Father and son duo Billy and Austin Lynch talk through their practice laps with friend Tyler Johnson at Underground MX in Kemp. The group drove to the track from Waco.

Page 13: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013 13

Get a mammogramlike your life depends on it.

14th Annual Celebrating Women Luncheon

When: October 23, 2013

Where: Hilton Anatole Hotel, Dallas

Call 1.800.4BAYLOR

www.baylorhealth.com/celebratingwomen

Underwriting Chair - Christie Carter Underwriting Chair - Susan McSherry Chair - Debbie Oates

Wardrobe gene rous l y p rov ided by TOOTS IES.

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Page 14: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

14 KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013

ing a major ATV race in October in memory of Caleb Moore, a Krum native who died in January as a result of injuries sustained in a snowmobile crash during a Winter X Games competition in Aspen, Colo.

Poulter said that although Un-derground is suitable for profes-sional races and features tight turns and towering jumps, it was built primarily for safety and lon-gevity in order to minimize injuries.

“When it comes time for events, there’s no track better in Texas,” he said.

The number of riders varies seasonally based on the day of the week, but has reached more than 100 in a day. Poulter also said the facility is versatile, with the ability to host water sports in a pond behind the main track. It also wel-comes 4-wheelers and other ATVs on certain days.

The Pit MXPassion for motocross also fueled the growth of The Pit MX,

located at 18420 County Road 243 north of Terrell.The 200-acre facility is the brainchild of Paul Evans, who in

2006 cleared debris out of a quarry behind his family business,

Terrell Sand and Recycling. What started as a few trails for Evans and his buddies was opened to the public three years later.

The land currently houses a 1.8-mile main track of intermedi-ate difficulty, with banked turns and flat, table-top jumps. It also has a smaller peewee track for beginners, a separate course for smaller bikes, and more than 5 miles of enduro and cross country practice trails.

“It’s been a work in progress,” said Evans, who has been riding as a hobby since he was a child. “I’d like to do more. I want to make it bigger and better.”

The facility is open five days each week (Saturday through Wednesday) for open riding and

occasionally hosts races and special events, such as an annual event for the Texas Cross Country Racing Association. It also is open for weekend campers and picnickers, and to 4-wheelers.

Evans said he and one other employee water the track each weekend as necessary, and has received plenty of positive feed-back from riders, who come from as far away as Tyler, Waco and Weatherford.

“They’re really nice guys,” Evans said. “A lot of families come

Wade Rowell starts his highly modified truck in the pit area at Crow’s Mud Bog

Photograph by Don Johnson

Page 15: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013 15

out. It’s a good atmosphere.”Many of his customers are regulars, with an age range of about

7 to 72. Evans said it also is popular among parents and their children, even with the risk of injury that comes with the territory.

“It’s not a question of if you’re going to hurt yourself,” he said. “It’s just part of the game. When you ride fast, you crash hard.”

Yet for participants, that danger also is part of the allure.“I do it just for fun. It gets your mind off things,” said Robert

Mennel of Kaufman. “It gives you adrenaline when you’re out here trying to clear these jumps.”

Poulter said motocross riders have a level of camaraderie that makes the sport unique.

“We’re probably the tightest family. Everybody knows each other and helps each other,” Poulter said. “We’re a small com-munity. I don’t think our sport has come anywhere close to main-stream yet.”

Evans attributes the increase in the popularity of the sport in part to the X Games and more television exposure on various cable networks. He has felt that growth steadily at The Pit.

“Playing in the dirt has sort of taken over,” Evans said. “Every weekend we get new people. It’s definitely been going up every year.”

About five years ago, motocross almost died out during the height of the economic downturn. Now the potential for future growth is limitless, according to Poulter, especially in his new back-yard.

“Our area needs it,” Poulter said. “I came to Texas because the long-term is going to be huge.”

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Page 16: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

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Page 17: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

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Page 18: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

18 KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013

Terrell’s Dana SkeltonCHARACTER COUNTS

Terrell’s Dana Skelton has no problem staying busy in retirement with prominent roles in several organiza-tions including the E! Ter-rell Entertainment Series, the Terrell ISD Excellence Foundation, and working for the community as a munici-pal judge.

Arts and entertainment have been part of Dana Skelton’s life since he was a child in Mississippi, where he was exposed to the joys of music and theatrical performances at a young age.

Skelton grew up in Clarksdale, Miss., a town just south of Memphis, Tenn., in the Mississippi delta.

“It’s a town a lot like Terrell,” Skelton said.His father was a journalist who worked as a reporter and edi-

tor at several newspapers in Mississippi.“Part of his job was to cover musical acts or Broadway shows

that would come through Memphis,” Skelton said. “A lot of times I would tag along with him — I was about 10 or 12 years old at the time — and I was able to see a lot of original Broadway casts in the ’50s and ’60s.”

Clarksdale also had a community concert series similar to E! Terrell, which gave Skelton a sense of how such a series could influence young people.

“It opened my eyes a whole lot more to what was going on in

the world,” Skelton said. “It really enriched my life, especially be-ing a kid from Mississippi.”

In 1982, Skelton moved to Terrell from Mississippi, where he taught music for 13 years.

Skelton was both a teacher and a professional musician — he was a trumpet player, and performed with the Mississippi, New Orleans and Mobile, Ala. symphony orchestras.

“I got to play with some pretty high-profile people — Ella Fitzgerald, Vikki Carr, Anita Bryant, Mikhail Baryshnikov and even James Brown, the hardest working man in show business,” Skel-ton said. “I was a freelance musician. I taught band during the day and played at night for whoever came through Jackson.”

He uprooted to Terrell to become the THS band director, a position he held until 2000.

Before he retired from the district in 2010, Skelton also served as the district’s special projects manager and fine arts director.

With a two careers worth of performing and teaching now

Retirement takes on a whole new meaning for a man whohas already spent a career in education and the performing arts.

By Paul Bottoni

Photograph by Paul Bottoni

Page 19: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013 19

somewhat behind him, Skelton can often be found haunting the entries to the Terrell ISD Performing Arts Center during perfor-mances, surveying the hall and taking in a bit of the show before carrying on with his duties as the facility’s manager.

Not one to be inactive in retirement, he has been working to ensure future generations receive the same opportunities that led to his life in the arts.

“The most disappointing thing that teachers have to deal with is to look up and see a kid who was bright and a good student, and then they’re 35 years old and flipping burgers somewhere, and they didn’t reach the potential you saw in them,” Skelton said. “If you can widen their horizons, if you can provide them with op-portunities — whether it’s through outreach programs or career and technical education programs — hopefully they can find their niche. They’ve got to find where they fit in and what they want to do with their lives to find fulfillment.”

That mindset is why Skelton has focused much of his time and efforts toward promoting arts and CTE programs in TISD.

From his desk near the PAC box office Skelton manages the PAC operations, acts as a liaison between the district and the TISD Excellence Foundation and serves on the board of the E! Terrell Entertainment Series.

Excellence Foundation: an investment in educationSince its inception in 2008, the foundation as awarded more

than $287,000 in grants to teachers and students for an array of opportunities, including trips to NASA space camp, education conferences and programs for teachers, musical instruments and classroom technology to enhance learning experiences.

Skelton said the foundation has recently focused on working with the district’s CTE program.

“I think a stronger CTE program is something that’s been needed here for a long time, and while we’re still on the launch pad, we’ve definitely made strides by constructing the CTE build-ing and adding a CTE director, Peggy Bridges,” Skelton said.

Skelton helps E! Terrell make an impactWhen E! Terrell was founded in 2003, organizers made stu-

dent outreach programming a high priority with the idea of pro-moting fine arts to a younger generation — something near and dear to Skelton’s heart.

Among the artists to visit the city as part of the 2013-14 sea-son of E! Terrell will be the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and a theater show featuring scenes from various Broadway musicals, both of which will conduct student outreach programs as well as individual sessions with the Terrell High School band and theater departments.

THS band director Tom Kuhn said the music department has participated in two similar sessions in the past, and the students saw the benefits.

“Those opportunities gave our kids the chance to see what it takes to become a really good musician,” he said. “Sometimes it’s a reality check for them because while they think they’re do-ing well, to get to the next level it takes an incredible amount of work.

“We’ve seen a lot more participation in different auditions, in particular solo and ensemble,” Kuhn said.

Continued on page 27

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Page 20: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

20 KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013

SCENE &

HEARD

E! Terrell is a force to be reckoned with in the regional performing arts world.

E! Terrell for the past 10 years has an-nually brought a wide spectrum of top professional entertainment troupes to the stage of the Terrell ISD Performing Arts Center. As an example, the 2013-14 E! Terrell Series Season kicks off in September with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and concludes next April with an Evening with Hal Linden. In between there are four other shows.

With more than 60 volunteers per-forming an estimated 1,800 hours of work for no monetary payment, the small army of E! Terrell workers have made a positive impact on the area’s quality of life, according to Sarah Kegerreis. She is one of those long time volunteers who says the organization would not exist without that core of donated time and talent.

“We wouldn’t exist and couldn’t do what we’ve been able to do without our volunteers,” she said. In addition to allowing E! Terrell to bring top entertainers from around the world to the city, relying on all those volunteer hours allows ticket prices to remain low. “The whole idea is to make our shows affordable,”

Kegerreis said. Dana Skelton, another longtime E!

Terrell volunteer, says while attendance varies some between shows, on average about 1,300 people attend. The types of duties performed by volunteers vary from taking tickets and serving as ushers to ironing costumes for performers, he said.

“Data entry is a huge job that requires lots of hours,” Skelton said. “We’re very fortunate to have the ‘two Bettys’ – Bet-ty Maier and Betty Rhodes – who really help us out with those duties.”

The age of volunteers runs from stu-dents to retired residents who appreci-

ate what E! Terrell brings to the area’s quality of life. Terrell High School theater tech students run the lights and sound for the shows gaining valuable experience in working with professional entertainers they could not get anywhere else locally, Skelton said.

The 2013-14 season marks the organization’s 11th season. While E! Terrell has gained momentum each year, Kegerreis said the highly successful entertainment series started as a dream.

“It was really just a group of friends and neighbors who band-ed together,” she said. “That first year was really a leap of faith.”

But the response that first year was encouraging.“It was obvious from the start this community was hungry for

something like E! Terrell,” Kegerreis said. Part of the allure has been the wide variety of genres the organization brings.

From classical to jazz and country, the musical offerings have indeed been varied.

“We want to bring a broad stroke of cultural outreach to students and the public,” she said. “We strive to expose the com-munity to different types of entertainment – we think of it as a quality of life issue.”

Based on the public buy in, E! Terrell has been highly successful in reaching its goals and spreading the passions of its organizers.

Special Advertising Section

Volunteers drive the E! Terrell Entertainment Series’ dual missionof providing the highest value in entertainment programs

and arts education for area students

By Mike Elswick

The Big Show

Left: E! Terrell volunteers prepare tickets for the 2013-14 concert season for subscribers.Above: The Nelson twins, Gunnar and Matthew, entertain the E! Terrell audience in March, 2013. The brothers’ show, A tribute to their father Ricky Nelson, was a big hit last season.

Page 21: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013 21

SCENE &

HEARD

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Page 22: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

22 KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013

WINE & DINE

Joyce’s Bread Pudding12 slices crumbled bread (crust included)1-1/2 to 2 cups milk, pour over bread and soak6 eggs, beaten3 cups sugar1 tablespoon vanilla¼ teaspoon salt1 stick butterCinnamonSpray a 9-by-13-inch oven-proof dish with non-

stick cooking spray. Place bread in dish. Mix next four ingredients and pour over bread in pan. Dot one-stick of butter pats or margarine on top, then sprinkle all with cinnamon to taste. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Stir mixture and bake 30 minutes more.

This recipe was submitted by Joyce Salisbury and published in the church cookbook of Terrell’s St. John the Apostle Catholic Church.

Brandy or rum sauce1 stick butter or margarine1 cup sugar1 teaspoon rum or brandy flavoring½ pint or 1 cup creamWhile the bread pudding is in the oven, start the sauce by melting butter and

add remaining ingredients and stir thoroughly. Put sauce ontop of each serving and top off with a dollop of whipped cream or frozen whipped topping.

Cooking is defi-nitely a family affair for Joyce Salisbury of Poetry.

Not only did she grow up in a house-hold where food – and plenty of it – was prepared daily on the farm, but she and husband Rick of-ten can be found in the family’s kitchen, watching cooking shows on television and even heading off to cooking school while on vacation.

“My mother’s side of the family were all great cooks and I have wonderful memories of my mother and aunts in the kitchen,” Joyce says. “The kitchen was the main room where everything happened.”

Joyce says while her mother, famous for her biscuits, was in the kitchen from before daylight to after dark many days, she never remembers her mother using measuring cups or spoons.

“My dad loved a big breakfast and people were in and out of the kitchen all day, if someone showed up, my mother felt obli-gated to feed them, she cooked constantly,” Joyce says.

That tradition is carried on to a slightly lessor, but regular, de-gree nearly daily in her kitchen in her Poetry residence.

Then there are road trips she and Rick take where they seek

out new and different dishes to try. On a recent vacation to New Orleans, the couple both attended a session at the New Orleans School of Cooking where they learned the finer points of shrimp creole, corn crab chowder and pralines.

The Salisbury family loves what Joyce calls “comfort foods” and when it comes to desserts, the bread pudding recipe she has been preparing for years remains a hit. Her bread pudding is different from common reci-pes in that her crumbled bread is not patted down and she does not use raisins or pe-cans.

“The South is famous for bread pudding, but my fam-ily and friends think mine is the best,” Joyce says of rave reviews and requests for more she constantly receives. Her bread pudding is a favorite at family reunions and dinner parties with friends.

She also stirs the prepared bread pudding mixture thoroughly about halfway through the hour-long baking time. That gives the finished product a lighter, “less compacted cake-like” texture she likes.

While many bread pud-ding recipes call for the bread crumb mixture to be patted down in the baking dish, Joyce prefers her ver-sion to just have the bread crumbled and then stirred 30 minutes into being baked so it’s not like a cake.

cook’s cornerBy Mike Elswick

Joyce’s Tip

Page 23: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013 23

WINE & DINE

Nothing gets the salivary glands working full bore more than the aroma of barbecue — the smoke, spices and wood all ignite the senses. There is Kansas City, Memphis, Carolina, Southwest and even the Northeast style of barbecue with their different types of rubs and sauces.

When Terrell’s Larry Newberry took a shot at smoking meat in 2008 at the Terrell Heritage Jubilee, he never turned back. Smoking was in his blood, and he was hooked.

“Gregg Woods got me excited about it, and I placed 10th in brisket in the pit competition,” Newberry said. He also smoked ribs and chicken. “I felt great. I sort of knew how to barbecue.”

In barbecuing, the rub plays a key part, sometimes so much so that sauce is not needed. For Newberry’s first competition and the 10th place finish, he used different paprikas, cayenne pepper, garlic and other spices.

In 2009, he purchased a smoker and put it to work in nine competitions. At the Smoke On The Water competition at Lake Lavon he was named grand champion.

He took first in chicken, second in ribs and 10th in brisket.“I was stoked, real excited,” New-

berry said. “And that chicken, I will never forget. My skin had split on that chicken.”

He had made the fire too hot and the skin separated from the meat, but he came up with a solution. He took different spices and rubs and covered the chicken.

“It almost turned black, and I almost threw it in the lake,” Newberry said. “When they called [his number] for first place, I could not believe it. I was really stoked. I was as high as a kite.”

He said his wife, Julie — who also is a champion smoker — made up a roasted garlic butter that he places under the skin of chicken.

“I have done real well with that,” Newberry said.

It was also in 2009 when Newberry hooked up with a childhood friend and fellow smoker Dudley Davis. Unfortu-nately, Davis had cancer and succumbed to it that same year. “I learned a lot from him,” Newberry said.

In 2010, his wife almost tied for re-serve champion at the Terrell Heritage Jubilee.

It was also in 2010 that Newberry began to consider taking his passion for smoking and food to another level — a barbecue joint.

While he was still working at Dean’s Collision Repair Center in Rockwall, he began working on a financial plan to open his own restaurant.

In the meantime, he was invited to the big time — the Nation-al Championship Barbecue Cookoff —in Meridian in 2011where he beat renowned smoker Johnny Triggs, whom he refers to as the “Godfather of ribs.” Newberry took 11th in ribs and 12th in chicken.

On March 31, 2012, he opened the doors to Bootleg BBQ and Burgers off State Highway 276 in Royse City.

He made up his own recipe for rubs and sent them off to Bur-leson to be made in bulk.

Three days after getting started, on April 3, tornadoes struck the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including Royse City. Newberry hustled his daughter, Haley, and cook Fernando De LaRosa into the women’s

Terrell’s Larry Newberry’s year owning a Barbecue restaurant was aliteral whirlwind, but closing shop in Royse City hasn’t slowed his

love for cooking and competition.

By Gary E. Lindsley

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Continued on page 27

Page 24: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

24 KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013

Urgent care clinics have proliferated throughout the medical landscape in recent years, but after Terrell’s Renaissance Hospital was forced to close earlier this year, the northern part of Kaufman County has remained without a true emergency room nearby.

The new Lake Pointe Emergency Services facility in Forney aims to change that.

It is a full-service, 24-hour emergency department that isn’t physically attached to a hospital but operates within the network of Lake Pointe Medical Center in Rowlett.

“The addition of the Lake Pointe ER to our area is a definite quality-of-life enhancement that will help determine the need for a regional hospital,” said Forney Mayor Darren Rozell. “In the meantime, there is no doubt in my mind that this facility will help to save lives.”

Lake Pointe opened the unique freestanding model in Forney on April 1, three months after a similar facility opened in Wylie, in

part due to a dearth of emergency services in the area.“It’s not a glorified urgent care center,” said Jackie Cox, Lake

Pointe director of emergency services. “It really is an emergency department.”

Cox said the primary difference comes in the level and the quality of care. For example, the facility has a wide array of state-of-the-art technology and equipment. It has a fully functional lab and a helipad. And perhaps most importantly, its entire medi-cal staff consists of fully licensed emergency room doctors and nurses rather than nursing assistants and practitioners.

“It has the full backing of a full-service hospital,” said Bobby Montgomery, Lake Pointe director of marketing. “It has the full resources and support of that hospital.”

The Forney facility does not admit patients and is not designed for overnight stays. Rather, it is intended to stabilize and treat patients with time-sensitive conditions, and then transport them

A Stateof

A new fully-equipped emergency room in Forney hopesto serve a rapidly growing part of the county with lifesaving capabilities,

but what does that mean for close to 30,000 residents nearpotentially hazardous rail, interstate and industrial sites?

By Todd Jorgenson

Photographs by Don Johnson

Page 25: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013 25

to a hospital if necessary.“In those cases that are not too severe, patients can receive

care without having to be too far from home,” Rozell said. “In more severe cases, they can be stabilized and then transported to a Metroplex hospital.”

While the new facility will be a plus for the area, those charged with planning for major disaster incidents are still hoping for a full-scale hospital facility to serve the rapidly growing population around Forney and Terrell.

“Not having a full-blown hospital in the northern part of the county is a serious concern,” said Kaufman County emergency management coordinator Steve Howie. “This lets me know that I have additional resources in the county, but for our planning, because of what we are planning for, we t ake them to locations that can treat them fully, not treat and then transport.”

Howie noted that the new ER will be good for many types of injuries, but that residents should also be knowledgeable of the limitations of what is available.

“It is well and good for a lot of things, and the vast majority of emergency room visits are to go in, get stitches, get checked out and then out the door,” he said. “My concern is that, as only a pure emergency room, they don’t have the ability to immediately send someone to surgery, then once they come out of surgery put them into intensive care or a room and have the care neces-sary to keep them going.”

One common emergency that the Lake Pointe ER has concen-trated on is caring for stroke victims.

Within the 9,000-square-foot emergency department is a trauma room that also functions as a stroke center, including an in-teractive program that can connect doctors to a stroke-certified neurologist around the clock, since time and efficiency are critical when dealing with potential stroke victims.

“It’s really amazing to watch,” Cox said. “We’re racing against

the clock. People’s lives are being saved.”Also in the trauma room is a Level 1 infuser, which can inject

a liter of heated blood or other liquid into a patient in less than a minute.

The facility includes five smaller treatment rooms, with one tailored to pediatric patients and another to imminently expect-ant mothers. There’s also a decontamination room in case of chemical-related injuries, an isolation room, and a pair of triage rooms.

It has blood available on-site along with the ability to admin-ister respiratory therapy. Lake Pointe also is able to draw blood for police in suspected drunk-driving incidents, and is part of a network with other emergency rooms in the region to help in case of a widespread disaster.

The facility is connected to an imaging center owned by Lake Pointe and is adjacent to a medical office building.

“We’re trying to take a lot of hospital services straight to the community,” Montgomery said. “It’s like a one-stop shop for the patient.”

The main trauma room at Lake Pointe’s Forney facility boasts a wide ar-ray of technology and Emergency Room certi-fied staff.

On-site lab facilities and the adja-cent Lake Pointe Imaging Center help give the new Forney emer-gency department an edge over many urgent-care facilities.

Continued on page 27

Page 26: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

26 KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013

HEALTH &

WELLNESS

Special Advertising Section

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Dr. David Liao utilizes the latest techniques and technologies for the most effective and efficient treatment. For example, new injections can improve knee arthritis symptoms with-out cortisone. Minimally invasive surgery may result in less pain and quicker recovery. And new materials used in total joint replacement present the potential to extend the lifes-pan of the artificial joint.

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Page 27: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013 27

Forney Emergency Room | Continued from page 21

Within the first few months of operation, the staff has treated a variety of maladies ranging from sports injuries to lacerations to heart attacks. Its potential services range from treating snake bites to deliver-ing babies.

“We see a little bit of everything,” Cox said. “If it can be done in an emergency department, it can be done here.”

The facility may be patients’ only local option for quite a while.While the city of Terrell has looked for new operators for its hospital

facility, and a new Baylor hospital is on the drawing board, there is no firm timetable for a hospital to open.

“It would be hard to bring the [Terrell] facility up to current stan-dards, and that would be a considerable investment,” Howie said. “I have talked to people about the proposed Baylor facility, but probably only Baylor knows when that will really start.”

And i n his free time ...Since his retirement, Skelton also found another way to have a posi-

tive impact on students — serving as a judge in the Terrell Municipal Court, with which he had dealings as a TISD administrator.

“I’d have to take students to Judge Jerry Green’s court on occasion, and I just admired the way he handled the kids. He’d talk to them in such a way that they’d understand they’re capable of better things,” Skelton said. “There was punishment, but it always seemed to have a purpose. It wasn’t picking up trash on the side of the highway, but instead might be raking leaves for an elderly neighbor or helping Meals on Wheels.”

Skelton pondered seeking the associate municipal judge post once Green retired, and was appointed by the Terrell City Council to the position in 2012.

“I got involved because I was hoping to have the same kind of impact Judge Green had,” he said.

Skelton is quick to deflect credit or praise, but not from fear of dis-playing hubris. He attributes the success and steady growth of the ef-forts such as the Excellence Foundation and E! Terrell to the numerous volunteers that lend their time, money and energy.

From the foundation board members who raise money, review grant applications and help award grant checks, to the E! Terrell volunteers who make each show run like a well-oiled machine, Skelton said volun-teerism is in the fabric of the city.

“I really think Terrell is a unique community with so many people that are willing to give their time and energy to various causes,” Skelton said. “I admire all the people that volunteer for all these different places. Terrell has more caring people than any place I’ve ever seen, and I’m just pleased to be part of a town with so many giving people.”

Volunteer Dana Skelton | Continued from page 19

Larry Newberry | Continued from page 25

restroom and covered them with his own body and prayed after he received a warning about the tornado on his phone.

He said as others have said, it sounded like a freight train going through. Although his building was spared, homes nearby were flat-tened. He was without power and running water.

Newberry sent his daughter home, and as he was driving away, he thought, “Hey, there are going to be people who need food and bever-ages.”

He turned the truck around and returned to his restaurant, calling De LaRosa, whose family joined him.

He called in barbecue friends as well as others who brought supplies, lights and ice. Operation BBQ Relief sent at least seven teams to help as well.

Newberry fed about 400 people that first night. By April 7, he and his family, friends and fellow BBQers had served up more than 4,000 meals.

With such a tumultuous beginning, Newberry, Julie and Bootleg BBQ and Burgers developed a loyal following. They continued serving up smoked delights until April of this year, when an increase in rent led to the closing their smoking joint. “We held our own,” Newberry said.

While he started Bootleg BBQ in the midst of a tornado, he won the hearts of many people in the region because of his generosity and smoky barbecue. Just as he had a wild opening, Newberry said the last day was just as crazy. He was mobbed and eventually ran out of food.

What does he miss the most? “The satisfaction of seeing people smile and saying they like it,” he said.

Newberry, though, is not down for the count. He is competing again, and will be at the barbecue competition during the Fly-In 2013 in Terrell on Sept. 21. He also has his safe, in which he smoked his meats at the restaurant, and his BBQ cart, which has a smoker.

Newberry is also seeking another location for his epicurean smoked delights. Until then, people may still taste his pecan, cherry or hickory smoked meats because he is still catering.

For more information, call Newberry at 469-853-6954 or contact him via his Facebook page, Bootleg BBQ and Burgers.

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Page 28: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

28 KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013

Drivers entering Kaufman on West Grove Street see the nor-mal sights of a small Texas town — a convenience store on the left, a barbecue joint with a giant rooster’s head fixed on the roof, a local fitness center.

But along with the aging brick storefronts of the Kaufman courthouse square an aged structure comes into view. The 19th-century wooden building — which resembles a small train station office with greyish blue paint and white trim — is like a beacon surrounded by mortar and concrete, a symbol of days gone by.

It’s the dawn of a new era for the old P.G. Bacon Building, which came close to being lost to history.

The building is a recent addition to the square, on a lot which until only a few years ago was vacant and riddled with trash and debris. Now it anchors the Kaufman Heritage Garden, which adds fresh patches of grass and garden beds to the site.

Built in the 1890s, the Bacon Building was moved in March from its original spot on East Mulberry Street to its new home where it will serve as a welcome center and digital archives building.

The building was built to serve as the office for the Bacon Lum-ber Company since P.G. Bacon purchased the business in 1896. Years before, P.G. Bacon passed through Kaufman while working for a railroad company. When he returned to farm the land, his fondness for train stations inspired the design of his new office.

“It’s been a Kaufman icon ever since,” said Carolyn Long, presi-dent of the Kaufman Heritage Society. “It has certainly stood the test of time.”

To step inside the building is to step back in time — old ledgers

still fill the drawers; a large iron safe, rusted with age, remains fixed along the back wall; a wooden swinging door continues to separate the entryway and the room behind the counter.

According to P.G. Bacon’s granddaughter and former Kaufman mayor Paula Bacon, the door once caught the eye of the wife of hall of fame baseball player Dizzy Dean, who at the time owned property near Farm-To-Market Road 2727.

“She came in and spotted the gate, and said, ‘I’ll have that gate,’” Paula Bacon said. “My dad, who was nice as pie and like Andy of Mayberry, responded, ‘No ma’am, you won’t.’”

When the Bacon Lumber Company property was sold in 2012, the new owners did not want the historic building, and had plans to tear it down.

Not wanting to see the structure disappear in the name of progress, Paula Bacon approached both the heritage society and the Kaufman County Historical Commission to see if either entity could save the landmark.

Officials at the historical commission agreed the building de-served to be saved, but it didn’t fit in at the county’s poor farm, a preserved historical site where the county’s indigent residents once worked and lived.

Even with the $17,000 pricetag for moving the building, the heritage society claimed it and put efforts in motion for its pres-ervation.

As it turned out, the community was in need of a project to rally around after enduring an emotional roller coaster following the murders of Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLel-land, his wife, Cynthia, and his assistant district attorney, Mark Hasse.

“This little community, which had just gone through all kinds of

A New Place in HistoryHow the city of Kaufman pulled together to save

one of its most recognizable historic buildings.

By Paul Bottoni

Group, Safe: Paul Bottoni; M

oving Crew

, Loyd Cook; Building, D

on Johnson

Page 29: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013 29

adversity with the awful murders that happened, and whose mo-rale was in the dumps, banded together,” Long said. “This project perked everyone up to know this was going to be saved. Every-one started contributing in some way.”

After the fundraising and preparation were complete, moving the building took only about a week.. The structure had to be separated into two pieces, transported through downtown and rebuilt at its new home.

“It was like a circus,” Long said, “but before we knew it, we had it moved.”

Beyond the physical challenge of moving the building, the re-location required help from two families who owned the lots on which the Bacon Building now sits.

The families of Abe and Dylah Lichtenstein — who for years ran a haberdashery store on the site — and of D.G. Council al-lowed the site to be used by the heritage society.

Once moved, the building got a serious facelift. The Adams family of Kaufman stepped up to help finance the

renovations, which were handled by Wade Hebb. A new porch, wheelchair ramp and deck were added along with new coat of paint.

“Kaufman has quite a bit of history and I just don’t want it lost,”

said Nita Ann Adams-Hebb, Wade Hebb’s mother. “A lot is gone or covered up, but this will be here for quite awhile. I think this shows people who come to town that we care about our history. I hope this will become a gathering place for people as well as get people interested in the city’s history.”

The Bacon Building won’t be alone at the Heritage Garden — a community garden was also installed on the lots.

Ryan Parker and Hunter Lohse created a butterfly garden on the lots featuring water-wise, drought-resistant plants. The duo hopes the garden can provide educational opportunities as well as help beautify the city.

“We’re leaving it a better place than we found it, and that’s the whole idea,” Parker said.

For Bacon, the idea of the office building she grew up around now housing a digital archive of historical documents is special. She said her family, especially her father, G.A. Bacon Jr., who ran the lumber business for many years, would be happy to know the building has received such treatment.

“They say you can tell a lot about a bird by one feather,” Bacon said. “That’s what I find amazing about Kaufman — what built this country is what people did in this town and others like it.”

Opposite Page: Debra LaLumia, Phil Bacon, Paula Bacon and Sam LaLumia show off a portrait of the restored Bacon Building; the old safe remains in the building; building movers prepare the building for relocation. This page, the building interior in its earlier life and as it now sits just off the Kaufman square.

Page 30: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

30 KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013

Special Advertising Section

Rosewood Eclectic

BoutiqueLocated in historic downtown Terrell, the Rosewood Eclectic Boutique is a feast for the eyes with a large selection of unique bridal wear, formal and casual fashion, unique jewelry and more.A constantly rotating stock of fresh looks will keep you coming back, and you can follow along on Facebook to see what is new.

116 E. Moore Ave. in Terrell

972-754-3897

Yogurt in Motion

Kaufman’s Yogurt in Motion is now ready to serve you morn-ing, noon or night with much more than tasty desserts. A baked potato bar, soups and sandwiches make the lunch crowd happy, while a new coffee bar welcomes those in need of a pick-me-up.Custom espresso drinks like this Salted Caramel Chai Latte are sure to please. Even better, a “School Moms Happy Hour” discounts your drink after you drop off the kids.

211 W. Mulberry St. in Kaufman972-932-2900

The Shopping ListThis edition: a collection of items from our advertisers in Kaufman County’s historic downtown districts.

The Mulberry Peddler

The happy marriage of antique mall, dec-orator shop, decorative fabric store and knick-knack heaven, The Mulberry Peddler in Kaufman defies classification.New home accent pieces merge with a well-curated selection of furniture and architec-tural items with unique finds at every turn.

207 W. Mulberry St. in Kaufman972-932-4663

Page 31: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

KAUFMAN COUNTY LIFE FALL 2013 31

SPOTLIGHT on Homes

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2013

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Page 32: Kaufman County Life Fall 2013

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