Dickie Colburn: Fishing See Page 5B Cooking With Katherine See Page 8A
Hometown Football See Page 1B
County Record The Community Newspaper of Orange, Texas
Vol. 51 No. 32
Week of Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Mount Zion celebrates 140th Anniversary still far from free. Poorly educated, if educated at all and often cheated out of wages or working for less than pennies an hour the idea of building a church would have been a
daunting one at best. Still, that October, William Ruben, Peter Minor and Simon Jones formulated plans for a site selection and then contracted with Robert Russell. He along
with four others, William Bill Edwards, John Williams, Boyud Scott and Arthur Robinson joined in the endeavor. These seven men are said to have, untiringly, solicited
funds as well as supplies. However, the ultimate acquisition to complete the building came through donations of lumber MOUNT ZION PAGE 2A
Ivy League Garden Club Hosts Orchid Presentation
Mount Zion Baptist Church, the first African-American church in Orange, is celebrating it’s 140th Anniversary.
Darla Daigle
For The Record
In 1871, six blocks from the “hangin’ tree” on Front Street and twenty-two years before the first plank of the W.H. Stark House was hewn, on a little tree covered lot on the corner of 3rd and Cherry Street, construction began on the first African-American
church for the city of Orange. In October of that year, a handful of black citizens came together with an idea. That idea became reality and Mount Zion Baptist Church was born. It was five years after Texas had finally received the emancipation proclamation that officially freed the slaves. The newly declared citizens were
Citrus time again in Orange
John Heard, of Little Cypress, picks oranges from his citrus orchard in his backyard. RECORD PHOTO: Nicole Gibbs
Nicole Gibbs
For The Record
It’s that time of year again. Citrus time. John Heard has been growing his own citrus since 1985 and even what has been labeled as the worst summer many Orange County resi-
Inside The Record • SHERLOCK BREAUX Page..................... 4A • Obituaries Page......................7A •Dicky Colburn Fishing..................5B • Kaz’s Forecast Joe Kazmar...........4B • CHURCH NEWS Page......................9B •CLASSIFIED ADS Page....................10B
dents have ever known hasn’t stopped him. While the Satsumas have been affected by the heat, Heard will still have Washington Navel Oranges and Red Ruby Grapefruit to sell at the Orange County Farmer’s Market in the parking lot of Big Lots. “I’ve got a watering system,” Heard said. “Artificial watering isn’t as good as mother nature. The lack of moisture and the heat has dried [the Satsumas] out. They don’t have any juice in them.” Heard explained that he’s gotten a few good Satsumas, but they are few and far between. “You can’t tell if it’s bad until you peel it,” he said. “I can’t take the chance of selling some fruit that’s going to turn out bad.” It has been said that oranges and grapefruit grown in Orange County, Texas are the best tasting fruit around and will beat out any of the citrus sold at the local grocery stories. “One thing that I can contribute that to is that I can pick my fruit on Friday and [the buyers] can eat it on Saturday,” Heard said. “I can leave that fruit on the tree until it is absolutely mature, then it’s picked and you can eat within CITRUS TIME PAGE 3A
The Ivy League Garden Club orchid presentation was hosted by Kyle Hood. Co-hostesses for the meeting were Joyce Broussard and Mary Jean Prather. “Three orchids you can’t kill” was presented by Jennifer Buckner of Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center. Pictured left to right are Mary Jean Prather, president and Jennifer Buckner.
Eagles aid shelter for homeless vets Mike Louviere For The Record
In each community that supports an Eagles Aerie, or lodge, heavily involved in supporting both Eagles programs and local citizens in need. The Eagles statement, “People Helping People” was very evident in Orange this past Saturday when the local Eagles sponsored a fundraiser for the City of Refuge, the shelter for homeless veterans. Eagles Aerie 2523 of Orange is probably the most efficient fund raising group in the area. The members are quick to volunteer to help any worthwhile effort and have a great deal experience in planning and conducting benefits. Because of the quality and integrity of the Eagles group their benefit fundraisers are always well attended and there is no shortage of locals who donate to the auctions that are held along with the meals served. This Saturday’s event was no exception. There were four bands slated to perform, nearly 100 items to be auctioned, a freezer package of meat from Danny’s Grocery was donated for a drawing.
The Eagle Riders are just some of the members of the local Eagles Aerie that donate their time and efforts to help area organizations. RECORD PHOTO: Mike Louviere
J.B.’s Barbecue donated six smoked turkeys for auction. There was a 50/50 raffle and of course the Eagles famous Barbecue plates. Three Legged Dawg kicked off the music for the day. When they took their first break, Eagles member Johnny
Gill became the “volunteered” auctioneer and things began to get serious. Gill persuaded the crowd to open their pocket books and spend for the cause. As people came in to eat, listen to the music, bid on the auction, and just visit one thing stood out– there were
people helping people. The auction items sold for good prices, with smoked turkeys selling for as much as $50, the buckets for the drawings on the meat packages and 50/50 filled up. Barbecue plates sold EAGLES PAGE 2A