Connecting Kaufman Fall 2022

BEE-HAPPY DAY PROGRAM

what all the buzz is about

By Amy Fowler Herald Publisher

In what is an autumn tradition for many families in the Kaufman area, local elementary, daycare and homeschool children will begin to take field trips to the First United Methodist Church Pumpkin Patch for loads of fun. The field trips include story time, snacks, photos, science lessons and games.

For children who don’t visit the patch during a school trip, there also are after-school and weekend hours for families to attend, or little ones might want to visit more than once!

Pumpkins are available for sale, as well as a unique opportunity to take a picture in front of a mural painted by noted regional artist Greg Doster.

Anyone visiting the patch is welcome to purchase pumpkins to take home. The visit to the historic Houston Street church also is an opportunity to view historic homes in the area in advance of the annual trick-ortreating and festivities for Halloween on Oct. 31.

For more information about the Pumpkin Patch and church worship and ministries, contact the First United Methodist office at (972) 9322838.

The First United Methodist Church Pumpkin Patch will be open Oct. 15-31. From Monday through Friday, the event is open from 11 a.m. until dark. Weekend hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

The church is located at 208 S. Houston St. in Kaufman.

Fresh Market vendors welcome all to enjoy the season’s treats, gifts and more

Herald Staff Report

The Fresh Market on Grove Street is back open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with more than 25 vendors, food trucks and a balloon artist. The Fresh Market is open the second and fourth Saturdays this fall.

This season’s dates are Oct. 22, Nov. 12, Nov. 26 and Dec. 10.

A special event, Market Under the Stars, with activities for children and a special visit from Santa, will take place on Dec. 20 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The downtown merchants will be open for shopping and will have special visits from the Sugarplum Fairy, Grinch characters and other surprise characters around the square. A movie will be shown at the Heritage Park and a train will be taking children on rides throughout the evening.

Some of the farm and ranch vendors are:

Vrzalik Farms, Pimlico Ranch, Big Oaks Little Farm, Deeply Rooted Farm, Bee King’s Co., Lone Star Farm and Texas Belles Beef.

Specialty foods and baked goods are sold by Earlie Mae Pickles, Big Tex Salsa and More, Thread of Grace Apothecary and Farmacy, Willis Touch, Shulammite Girl Shed, Effie’s Cottage, Sweet Sips by Sweet Sibs, Farm Fresh Fancies and God’s Sweet Gifts.

Handcrafted works for sale include Willis Touch Leather Works, Aprons by Abigail, Mom of 4, T-shirts and More, Papa Billy’s Metal Art, Sassy Wreaths, Joyful Pouring, Resourceful Mama, Debbie’s Stained Glass, Crafts by Carolyn and Jamar Leather.

If it’s autumn, it’s time for pumpkins at First United Methodist Church

What’s All the Buzz About Bee-Happy?

By Mollie Kasper, Special Contributor

On a recent Friday afternoon, a raucous group of friends hangs out in a small storefront on the Kaufman square. They are celebrating September birthdays with cake, laughter and games. “Bingo!” yells one. The card is checked, and the happy participant claims his prize: a box of colored pens. New art supplies are among his favorite things.

So is Coming to Bee-Happy Day Program. Bee-Happy Day Program is a newlyestablished day program for adults with developmental delays in Kaufman, including people with autism, Down syndrome and intellectual disabilities.

The all-volunteer staff designs activities to improve the social, living, and vocational skills of their clients. Bee-Happy operates on a sliding scale; participants pay according to their ability.

Inspiration and Beginning

Bee-Happy is the brainchild, or perhaps more accurately, the heartchild, of Shelley Brookins, a former homeschool mom of six who now devotes her days to the project and describes it as a “God venture.” She got the idea for the center three years ago when she met Richie, a 36 year old man with special needs. Homebound, Richie needed a ride to church and Brookins and her husband were happy to oblige. As they got to know him, Richie began to confide in them. He told Brookins that he wished he could go to day hab, because the only place he could go was church.

Brookins researched local day programs and discovered that Richie was already on the list for a financial waiver program, but that he still had eight years before he would make it to the top. Brookins was shocked. “Eight years?” she asked. After more investigation, she discovered that it was not unusual for individuals to have to wait fifteen to twenty years for financial support for a day program and very few programs existed in Kaufman County. Children with special needs are aided by the public school system, but once they turn twenty-one, they are no longer eligible for services through the school district. Brookins had discovered the huge, yawning chasm that exists between the school system and adult care for individuals with special needs in Kaufman County.

She told Richie she was very sorry, but he had eight years to go. But “God kept putting it on my heart,” Brookins says. Now that her eyes had been opened to the need, she felt called to address it. She talked with her husband about starting a day program and the couple decided to pray about it together. Before long, both she and her husband felt led to proceed with founding a center. Brookins found herself jumping headlong into the gap.

Afraid to speak out about her dream, Brookins kept her vision under wraps for a while. She quietly reached out to a friend who owns a similar facility in Greenville and asked her for advice and training. The friend agreed, and Brookins worked with her for several months to learn the details of operating this kind of facility.

Eventually, she was led to speak her vision aloud, which she did at a Wednesday night prayer meeting. She asked for the congregation’s support in prayer. “And from that day,” Brookins recalls, “It went on fire.” She began creating a business plan and speaking at local clubs, calling attention to the long wait lists. When a friend reminded Brookins

of the need to put God first, she realized that before she developed a business plan, she needed a prayer strategy. So she switched gears and developed that first. With the prayer strategy in place, she turned to fundraising. TVEC awarded them a $2,000 grant. In addition, A dessert social and a golf tournament brought in almost $20,000. “Off a vision!” Brookins exclaims, punctuating her words with taps on the table. “We didn’t even physically have this building and that is God!”

But $20,000 wasn’t enough to purchase a building, so the Brookinses investigated rental options. Finding no appropriate space, they invested their own money in the venture, to purchase the storefront in downtown Kaufman, which they rent to Bee-Happy. Eventually, they hope for BeeHappy to purchase the storefront outright.

A Bee-Happy Day

The center is open from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The days are packed with activities to improve social and emotional skills: yoga, music therapy, gardening, art, personal goal setting, board games, and exercise, just to name a few. Every Friday, they host a cooking class. In addition to the on-site activities, the group goes on field trips to destinations such as bowling alleys, the Kaufman Library, and Jake E’s Riding Ranch.

One recent activity was the Busy Bee Theater and Concessions. They all watched “Minions” together, and clients were given faux money to purchase candy and popcorn from a concession stand manned by another client. They learned how to pay for things and make change. Two participants even considered the occasion a date. They gained an understanding of the skills involved in asking someone out, and the social expectations once the date has been accepted.

Three-Pronged Approach

Since she recognizes that a day program might not be right for everyone, Brookins has developed a trio of services to aid her clients. In addition to the day program, she has started an adult Special Olympics team, a first for Kaufman County. She describes their first time at the competition, laughing that there were other counties there with, “Three or four beautiful tents, and the fans, and coolers… and we’re over there with our tiny little tent! But we had a great time.”

A third option is Celebrate Ability Respite Evening (C.A.R.E.), similar in concept to a Mother’s Day Out program. Once a quarter, caregivers can drop clients off at Kaufman Assembly, where she and her team provide fun and games while caregivers get a night off.

Future Plans

Brookins expects the center to grow quickly. There are fifteen clients currently on the roll, and with the resources available now, she can only service twenty. She estimates that there are over 100 individuals needing support in Kaufman County, so she may soon have her own waiting list. With the growth she expects, she knows they will quickly outgrow the downtown space and need to move to another building, but she already has an exciting vision for the current location. She hopes to open a storefront for the Busy Bees to run as a business, providing vocational training in budgeting and salesmanship, as well as a way to empower them and allow them to earn their own money. In addition to the internal changes, Brookins would like to partner with Still Waters, a local pregnancy and parental support group, to host a parent support group for parents of children with special needs. Finally, she has been contacted about hosting social gatherings for school-age children, and although she doesn’t have the resources for this activity yet, it’s on her radar.

How to Help

Noting that “God is calling us to provide,” Brookins explains that there are three primary ways people can support their efforts: financial support, volunteering, and prayer.

Bee-Happy is 100% volunteer and donor supported; the 501c3 charity receives no federal or state funding. In addition to financial support from donors, the center has received a vast array of in-kinds donations, such as a refrigerator, a cornhole set, a cooler for their Special Olympics team, and even a piano, but there are always needs. A dessert social and silent auction is scheduled for November 5th from 6:00-9:00 pm at the First Assembly of God church in Kaufman. Patrons can purchase a single ticket for $5.00 or a table of six for $25.00.

Another way to assist is to volunteer. Bee-Happy currently has five all-day volunteers, but can always use

more. Volunteers can work any amount of hours that fit their schedule. A background check is required prior to working, but all training (including CPR) is provided by the center.

Finally, Brookins asks anyone who prays to support their efforts in prayer. See the sidebar for Brookins’ prayer strategy.

The benefits of this program are obvious to Brookins, even after just one month. “They help each other, they accent each other, they thrive,” she says with passion. “There’s so much potential in them. We just have to tap into it. We have got to give them a chance… We have to introduce them into the community and make everyone aware that they can talk to our amazing adults with intellectual disabilities. They are functional. You just have to be a little patient sometimes.”

Bee-Happy is well on the way to making that happen.

Contact Information

Phone: 972-645-4449 Email: info@beehappydayhab.org Facebook: @BeeHappyDayHab Website: www.beehappydayhab.org

Prayer Strategy

• God provide Bee-Happy with avenues of funding that glorify your name and your will in this venture.

• God let this venture be a blessing to many developmentally disabled adults and their families. Bring those who need this program to Bee-Happy.

• God provide loving staff members who seek to love others as you love others. They need to be willing to share their day loving, teaching, and working with our Busy Bees.

Daily Living Skills Teamwork Skills

Exercise Programs Gardening

Social & Emotional Skills Personal Goal Setting

Arts & Crafts Field Trips

In 1909, Frank Bedrick, an immigrant from Czechoslovakia, purchased 100 acres of blackland prairie between Kaufman and Talty. The property was originally part of the Kuykendall land grant established in 1847. He and his wife immediately began the work of establishing a farm: building a house, erecting barns, clearing the prairie and planting cotton, milo, and corn. His granddaughter, Roseanne Morrow, owns the property today and is dedicated to preserving its history and telling the story of her family’s stewardship of the land.

Early Days

The small community of Czech immigrants surrounding the Bedrick farm became known as Lone Star, and boasted an elementary school, which offered first through sixth grades, and a dance hall where community gatherings were held. Morrow remembers walking to the Lone Star school during fair weather, and riding in her father’s Model A when the roads were too muddy for foot travel.

The Bedricks planted a large garden and raised animals including horses, cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys. The used materials from the land, including rugged cedar and tough bois d’arc posts, to build shelters for the animals, a hay barn, and fences, much of which is still standing over 100 years later. In 1947, Bedrick’s son, Joe, with his wife Rose, tore down the original home and built a new one on the same spot, reus ing much of the original lumber. Morrow recalls living in the garage while the house was under construction. In the new home, the family used coal-oil lamps, a wood-burning stove, and a battery-operated radio. There was no electricity in the house until the Rural Electrification Agency brought power to the area in the early 1950s. It was not until Morrow was in high school that her parents got a phone, a party line shared with multiple families.

Water was supplied by a spring-fed well and two cisterns.

Lone Star Farm Preserves History

By Mollie Kasper, Special Contributor

One cistern was used for drinking and bathing water, the other for washing clothes and watering horses. Anne Bedrick scrubbed the family’s clothes on a rubboard which is still on the property. The well was used for cold storage of milk and watermelons.

In the beginning, most of the farm work was done by hand. The Bedricks, cultivated about 50 acres of the property. He originally baled hay with horses, but eventually sold them and bought a Farmall B tractor. The family picked cotton by hand, using sacks made by Morrow’s mother from ducking. During mid-morning and mid-afternoon breaks, the family snacked on kolache. They had a dairy cow and made their own bread and butter. Their home-canned vegetables were stored in the cellar, still in use today as a storm shelter.

Frank Bedrick built a bridge over Big Brushy Creek so they could plant corn on the other side. The bridge is now gone, and the riverbed has deepened over time. Much of the land on the other side of the creek is reverting to forest.

Still a Working Farm

After Morrow’s father passed away, she and her sister inher ited the property. Morrow bought her sister’s half and today operates the farm as a cattle ranch. She currently owns eleven cows, one bull, and two small calves, as well as six weaned calves and one steer ready for market. Most of her cattle is Angus or Angus/Hereford mix. They feed their cows naturally, and do not use hormones or antibiotics.

Morrow continues to work the land, mowing and discing the fields herself. She practices sustainable agriculture and refrains from using chemicals on the land. She also grows blackberries and cucumbers which she turns into homemade jams, jellies, and Czech pickles. These she sells alongside her baked goods at the Fresh Market in Kaufman.

Preservation

The Texas Department of Agriculture Family Land Heritage Program has honored the farm with a certificate recognizing their 100 years of continuous agricultural operation, which is displayed with pride in Morrow’s home.

Because she loves the farm’s history and wants to share it with others, Morrow is opening the property to visitors. Every

Saturday this October, families are invited to tour the farm, see the chickens and feed and pet the gentle cows. There are several spots for family photo opportunities with hay bales and mums. Kids enjoy jumping from hay bale to hay bale. Pa trons are encouraged to wander through some of the historic buildings, including the washhouse and the blacksmith shop where the Bedricks shoed their horses. The smooth anvils are available for visitors to touch as they imagine former days. Vintage farm equipment and artifacts are on display, includ ing a cotton scale and a plow. Guests can purchase baked goods, hot dogs and hamburgers, or even a pumpkin to take home.

Planning a Visit

Lone Star Farm’s pumpkin patch is open Saturdays in Octo ber from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. The farm is situated at 5621 Bedrick Lane, just off FM 2578. The entry fee is $5.00 per car. Pumpkins, baked goods, hot dogs, and hamburgers are available for purchase.

(469)644-7581

• lonestarfarm901@yahoo.com

Find Us On Facebook @Lone-Star-Farm

By Karel Holloway Special Contributor

grow

Learn how to grow the perfect tomato and make roses bloom, then share that knowledge with your neighbors.

The Kaufman County Master Gardeners Association begins a new training class in January. Participants will learn the fine points of practical horticulture and become a certified Master Gardener.

Master Gardeners then share their expertise with the community, helping them to figure out why the squash doesn’t produce or there’s a brown patch on the lawn. The Gardeners host educational programs throughout the county and provide speakers for organizational meetings.

In other words, the association is about all things growing.

“You do not have to be a gardener. We are looking for all levels of expertise from a beginner to those with considerable gardening experience,” Master Gardener President Billie Henderson says.

Master Gardeners is part of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension service. Instead of anecdotal growing advice on the Internet, Master Gardeners provide fact-based gardening information based on extensive research through Texas A&M.

Becoming a Master Gardener requires more than 30 hours of classroom training. Subjects range from basic botany to types of soil to growing fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Participants also learn about water use and planning irrigation systems. There’s a class on propagating plants – starting new plants from seeds and cuttings.

One session covers the university’s Earth Kind program which tests plants to see which ones grow best in our area.

“There’s a lot of camaraderie. You’re going to make a lot of new friends,” says Tommy Phillips, Kaufman County Extension agent.

The association is even more important now he says because of the growing county population. The newcomers want help getting the lawn and flower beds started.

Training classes begin Jan. 11 and continue through April 5. Each class is three hours and will meet at the extension office, 2471 N. State Hwy 34, Kaufman.

Each Master Gardener intern then completes 50 hours of volunteer work during the year to earn certification. Each year after that, 18 hours of volunteer work including six hours of continuing education is required.

There are a lot of volunteer opportunities that include getting your hands in the dirt at the demonstration garden at the Kaufman County Poor Farm, to answering questions at community events to helping at Master Gardener forums.

The program costs $245. Applications are available at the extension office and online at kcmga.org. Application deadline is Oct. 31 and interviews will be in November. Call 469-376-4520.

After finishing the program, you can turn to your neighbor and say, “I’m a Master Gardener.” No brag just fact. Karel Holloway is a Master Gardener.

Lather Up With Moon Lily Soaps

By Mollie Kasper, Special Contributor

Shavonne McLarty crafts a variety of handmade, coldprocess soaps in her home in Kaufman and customers rave about her products. They comment on how well the soaps lather, wash and rinse with no tacky residue. They also remark about the pleasing aromas and moisturizing qualities. She is so talented, it is hard to believe she has only been making soap for a few years.

Beginnings

About six years ago, after the birth of her younger son, McLarty began to feel the pressures of being a working mother. She had two sons and a job as a paralegal, but felt she had no personal identity and no outlet for her creativity. While casting about for something she could call her own, she took a soap-making class in Gun Barrel. From the first moment, she was hooked.

The teacher pointed out the business opportunity in soapmaking, but McLarty wasn’t interested in that aspect. She just wanted to make soap, which she began giving away to friends and family. Soon, they were clamoring for more and offering to pay. At first, she only accepted donations to offset her costs. But as demand grew, she realized the business potential and began selling her products by word of mouth and at local festivals and craft fairs. “What I love about this is how it just grew organically,” McLarty notes.

She came up with several names for the company, mostly having to do with the moon. “I love the moon, and I’m just kind of guided by the moon, driven by the moon, and my favorite flower is the lily,” McLarty shares. But she couldn’t decide on the name, so she posted several options on Facebook and left it up to her friends to decide. Moon Lily Soaps was the clear winner.

One of the things that makes her products so special is McLarty’s insistence on high-quality, ethically-sourced ingredients. Her goat milk comes from a local dairy which specializes in high-fat milk. This improves the soap, because the fattier the milk, the more moisturizing the bars. Her base is all organic, food-grade ingredients, even the lye. She colors the soaps with micas (mineral powders) and the decorations are natural ingredients such as rose petals, oatmeal, and coffee beans. “You could eat some of the bars of soap. Don’t do it!” Shavonne laughs. “It’s gonna taste horrible. But you could!”

Soap-Making Process

Making a batch of soap (about eighteen bars) takes three and a half to four hours, but McLarty has streamlined the process so that she can make four batches in five hours.

Temperature plays a huge role in the soap-making process. When lye is mixed with liquid, it creates heat. Getting the goat milk too hot will scorch it, so she starts with frozen cubes of milk and sprinkles the lye over it a little at a time, “like seasoning.” She stirs this mixture and sets it aside to cool. Meanwhile, she gently melts and blends the palm, coconut, and olive oils. Next, she adds the milk/lye mixture to the oils, delicately balancing the heat from the lye and melting oils to prevent the milk from scorching. The two mixtures must be within ten degrees of each other when they are combined.

At this point, a process called saponification begins to occur, as the ingredients chemically change into soap.

The thickness of the liquid soap is known as its trace. Light trace is thin and watery. When the soap reaches thin trace, the maker can put a spoon in it, pick it up and see “little dots dripping off the spoon,” McLarty explains. Thick trace has the consistency of pudding. McLarty must work with the soap while it is in the thin trace stage. She works quickly to keep the soap from solidifying on her stick blender – what soap-makers call, “soap on a stick.” She adds colloidal oatmeal, which, combined with the goat milk, locks moisture into the bars. Finally she adds fragrance, essential oils and color, and begins to pour her soap into molds.

This is where her creativity really gets to shine. “I love getting a scent, and smelling it, and going, what colors do I see? What design do I see?” McLarty shares. She uses a variety of tools to create textures and designs in the soap. The possibilities are limited only by her imagination. One freshscented bar was inspired by the blue water at a barber shop. Bubble wrap pressed into the top makes a honeycomb design, different colors in the soap swirled with chopsticks create a feather effect, and a spoon repeatedly dipped into the cooling soap creates a wavelike pattern.

After pouring and designing, McLarty waits 12-48 hours before cutting the soap. Once cut, she arranges the bars on their sides to cure for at least six weeks. The minimum curing time is three weeks, but she explains that her bars last longer because she cures them for at least three extra weeks.

Future Plans

McLarty is excited about the interest in her soaps. Currently, she’s leaning into soap-making a little more heavily and seeing where it takes her. On May 31st, she left her job at one of the lawyers she works for to focus more on the soap business. She plans to continue her part-time work as a paralegal for another Kaufman lawyer for now, but envisions someday making the business a full-time, family affair if her sons decide they would like to take part in it.

Where To Find Moon Lily Soaps and Other Products

Besides the soaps, McLarty offers lotion bars, sugar scrubs, beard oil, nail oil, and soy candles at her booth at First Monday in Canton every month. She often has a booth at pop-up markets at the Forge in Ben Wheeler, where she enjoys the live music. She will attend the Kaufman Harvest festival on the square October 22nd and possibly Christmas on the Square and the Kaufman High School craft fair, schedule permitting. Her products are available at Verde Bellum Refillery in Kemp and Live Edge Concepts in Alvarado. They can also be found on her website.

www.moonlilysoaps.com • (903) 292-3509