TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2021
Texas’ Largest and Best Semi-Weekly Newspaper
La Grange, Texas 78945
Volume 100, Number 1
Czhilispiel Carnival Worker Found Dead in Flatonia
INSIDE
By ANDY BEHLEN
The Fayette County Record
A carnival worker from the Flatonia Czhilispiel was found dead hanging from a rope in a tree Monday morning, Oct. 25. The carnival was packing up to leave town Monday morning when Flatonia police received a report that one of the workers had hanged himself.
Flatonia Police Chief Lee Dick said other carnival workers reported that they went looking for him around 8:30 a.m. on Monday morning after the man failed to show up for work. The carnival workers’ camp was located near Robert’s Steakhouse in the woods north of Interstate 10 and east of Hwy. 95. “They went looking for him
and found him in the woods near the site where he was camping, a little bit away from the main group,” Dick said. Dick said the body was sent to the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office to confirm the manner of death. Officials have not released the man’s name pending family notification.
The La Grange football team beat Giddings Friday to clinch a playoff berth. See Page A10
BBQ Pork Steak
The Colorado Valley Independent Cattlemen’s Association (CVICA) fundraiser is being held on Thursday, Nov. 4 at the KC Hall located at 190 S. Brown Street. The meal consists of barbecue pork steak with buttered noodles, pinto beans and coleslaw. Drive-thru plates to go will be served from 4:30 until 6:30 p.m. Plates are $12. Proceeds will go towards awarding scholarships to graduating students in Fayette, Lee and Colorado counties. Call the KC Hall to reserve your plates (979) 968-5117.
Turkey & Dressing
A turkey and dressing to-go sponsored by SPJST Lodge No. 1 will be held Thursday, Nov. 4 at the SPJST Hall, located at 507 East Main St. in Fayetteville, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The cost is $12 a ticket with advance tickets only. Tickets available at Fayetteville Bank, Fayetteville Store, West Side, Orsak’s Cafe and Peter’s BBQ, or call (979) 966-3515. There’s more For the Record on Page A2
WEATHER WATCH Low 62 52 43 38
Burn Ban Is Lifted
INSIDE TODAY Religion........................ Page A6 Obituaries.................... Page A8 Sports.......................... Page A9 Classifieds............Page A12-13 Public Notices........... Page A13
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a female who was assaulted during the event. Dick said the investigation was ongoing and declined to comment further. Dick said police also intervened in an altercation that took place between a group of young people. He said no one was seriously injured, and no one wished to press charges.
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Hermann Sons Life
Rutersville Hermann Sons Life will have their regular monthly meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. The lodge will furnish chili and members are asked to bring a side or dessert.
The man was from the Pacific island nation of Micronesia and he was not a U.S. citizen. Dick said the man was in his mid- to late-20s. Dick said officials were having trouble contacting the man’s family overseas. In other news related to the Flatonia Czhilispiel, Dick said police received a report about
As We Begin Our 100th Year, Some Exciting News
Playoff Bound!
This Week’s Forecast High Tuesday: 81 Partly cloudy Wednesday: 78 70% chance of rain Thursday: 60 60% chance of rain Friday: 63 Partly cloudy
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Firefighters battled strong winds last week in a fire near Fayetteville that took three days to put out. Photo by Andy Behlen
Stubborn Fire Takes Three Days to Finally Extinguish By ANDY BEHLEN
The Fayette County Record
Fayetteville firefighters battled a stubborn fire three days in a row at a farm on Baron Rd. last week. It started after a hot clutch on a tractor ignited some hay inside a barn Tuesday night, Oct. 26. The initial call came in at 10:30 p.m. that day. Fayetteville Volunteer Fire Department responded along with Sheriff’s Deputies Dustin Kieschnick and Seth Nagel. The fire destroyed the tractor and damaged the barn. It also started several hay bales on fire. A neighbor helped save many bales by removing them from the barn with his tractor.
Strong winds on Wednesday rekindled the smouldering hay. Firefighters returned that day. They broke some bales apart and thought they had it put out after dumping thousands of gallons of water on the hay. The fire rekindled again on Thursday afternoon after another round of strong wind. That time, Fayetteville firefighters called for assistance from the Round Top-Warrenton and La Grange volunteer fire departments. The Pct. 2 Road and Bridge Department also provided some heavy equipment to spread out the burning hay. They finally got it under control around 4:30 p.m.
Muldoon Fire
On Wednesday around 5:10 a.m., the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office recieved a 911 call reporting a structure on fire on Holstein Rd. near S. Old Smithville Rd. in the Muldoon area. Muldoon Volunteer Fire Department responded along with deputies Herman Olvera and A.J. Gonzales. First responders found a garage and workshop fully engulfed when they arrived. Muldoon firefighters called for help from Flatonia Fire and Rescue. Fayette County EMS also responded with an ambulance. The fire was quickly extinguished. The cause of the fire was undetermined.
Community Theatre Closes Out 2021 With Moving Drama The Fayette County Community Theatre will end the 2021 season with a moving American classic by John Steinbeck. Of Mice and Men is a deeply felt play about loneliness, dreams, and different types of power. “This is a story written in 1937, that still has relevance today,” said director Susannah Mikulin. “It’s an important story to tell, and we are honored to bring it to our community.” Of Mice and Men is often praised as one of the most loved American stories, but it is also the subject of controversy for profanity and difficult racial themes. “Most people are familiar with the story, but we hope to show it in a new way, and to leave our audience thinking about it long after the final curtain call.” The cast of ten reunites some familiar FCCT faces, with
ith this issue The Fayette County Record begins its 100th year of continuous publication! Up there near the top of the page it’s official: Volume 100, Number 1. We’re publishing a special little retrospective looking back at our history in Section B today – including lots of photos and stories from our first 99 years. Meanwhile, here in Section A it’s business as usual, covering the most current news happening in Fayette County – as we’ve done more than 10,000 issues before. And as we embark our 100th year we’re not making any big changes to The Record as you know it – with one small exception. In small letters right under our masthead above we’ve added a small phrase that’s here to stay for a while: “Texas Largest and Best Semi-Weekly Newspaper” That ‘best’ part comes from the fact that earlier this year we were crowned by the Texas Press Association as the Sweepstakes winner as the best semi-weekly newspaper in the entire state. That “largest” part is a more recent development. Every October newspapers around the nation have to file permits detailing their circulation figures from the previous year. Last year we were the third largest semi-weekly newspaper in Texas, but according to the newest numbers from the Texas Press Association, we’ve now leap-frogged the two that were larger than us (The Williamson County Sun in Georgetown and the Hood County News in Granbury). We just got that news last week. Not a bad way to start our 100th year.
Texas Largest semi-weekly newspapers
(Average paid circulation per issue (print and e-edition) over the past year) 1. The Fayette County Record, La Grange 5,680 2. Williamson County Sun, Georgetown 5,653 3. The Highlander, Marble Falls 5,236 4. The Hood County News, Granbury 5,213
Fire Destroys Home
A house fire Saturday destroyed a home on Spur 458 in Carmine. The Carmine and Ledbetter volunteer fire departments responded. Photo courtesy of Craig Moreau
Tuesday is Election Day Here
Tuesday. Nov 2 is election day nationwide. There’s no contested races here in Fayette County, but eight state constitutional amendments are on the ballot (we examined those in the Oct. 26 edition.) Polls are open Tuesday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
LHS Band Royalty The actors in “Of Mice and Men” have been rehearsing long and hard at the Sanford Schmid amphitheater in La Grange.
Blake Harbers (Arsenic and Old Lace, Blithe Spirit) playing George, Kyle Hartmann (Dirty Works at the Crossroads, Sherlock Holmes) as Carlson, Brent Lowe (You Can’t Take It With
You, Arsenic and Old Lace) as Candy, Steve Wynne (You Can’t Take It With You) as The Boss, and Will Martin (Sherlock Holmes) as Slim. See Of Mice, Page A14
Subdivision Regs Causing Headaches By ANDY BEHLEN
The Fayette County Record
Fayette County doesn’t want neighbors in rural areas to share driveways. Officials say problems arise when neighbors can’t agree on maintaining their road. Those poorly-maintained private roads hamper first responders trying to get to fires or medical emergencies. The Commissioners Court
put a rule in place two decades ago to prohibit shared easements for future land divisions. But now they’re grappling with a new problem – “flag lots.” Prior to 2001, when land became subdivided, more and more property owners ended up sharing driveways. In some cases, new property owners came to see their driveway easement as a public road that should be main-
tained by the County, which can place political pressure on commissioners to take over the roads. State law, however, prevents the County in most cases from performing work that benefits individual property owners. The County adopted subdivision regulations in 2001. The rule requiring all parcels to have exclusive road access was See Subdivision, Page A14
La Grange High School held its Band Parents Night Festivities prior to Friday’s football game. Senior band members and their parents were announced to the crowd and Jose Ramirez, left, was crowned Band Beau and Rory Halpain, left, was crowned Band Sweetheart. Photo by Jeff Wick