Jim Ned Chamber of Commerce Spring Banquet

The Homeplace of Tuscola again hosts the annual Spring JNChamber of Commerce Banquet.

Beautiful surroundings welcome a large group to enjoy the evening and celebrate the
recipients of this year's awards.
Impromptu musical entertainment and friendly mingling begin the night.
Fred Glover, president to the Chamber, along with Genny Abercrombie and Grace Broyles
do a wonderful job in presenting the plaques to the great 2010 award winners.
Col. Ehrie from the Abilene Industrial Foundation is the keynote speaker for the evening.
Then all the awards are presented.
Each school has a representative...
The Business of the year...
and our two yearly scholarship recipients....
It was a perfect night for great friends and fellowship in our
wonderful Jim Ned valley community.







..... as we say good night, we all know,
a good time was had by all!

Cookies and Santa... a perfect Match!

Santa arrived at the Buffalo Gap Gym last night!

and yes,

you'll see in the following video the proof positive that Santa advocates and supports

the Buffalo Gap Volunteer Fire Department!

Before his arrival, contestants dropped off their entries for the

cookie contest.

"decorate a cookie with the meaning of Christmas"

Many were more than willing to test the edibility of the entrants
All the cookies won... but one took the grand prize offered by
the Buffalo Gap Community and Business Association
(soon to be the newest members of the JNVCC... WELCOME)
Little brothers can be the chef's most avid supporters as is testimony below!
Thank you judges for doing the hard job of deciding!

Santa may need a bigger lap for such sweet little ladies!

This is the winning entry... the 2nd grade baker says this about her cookie

"Christmas is about Jesus, and I put a cross on one side and a star of David on the other,

That is CHRISTMAS to me"

and now for a look at the unique and

personally Jim Ned Valley Santa

Entrance....

May your HOLYdays be blessed with the PEACE of the SEASON,

brought only by the REASON for the SEASON..

JOY to all!

You might be from the Jim Ned Valley if Santa arrives in the Volunteer Fire Department Vehicle!

Only in our little Jim Ned Valley???

or maybe not???

You might know you are from the wonderful little towns of the Jim Ned Valley

IF

Santa arrives for the holidays riding on the NEW Buffalo Gap Volunteer Fire Dept vehicle!

THANKS Y'ALL!!!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

May we all know that this is a season of HOPE, JOY and PEACE!

Veterans Day at BG elementary ... stunning tribute.........(no camera!!)

How is it that when I REALLY need a camera, my battery is drained?

(maybe it's because the moment could NOT be captured)

Today I sat silenced by the innocent tribute of children for military veterans who laid their lives on the line for the freedom that these children and the rest of us enjoy every day.

"Mrs. Ansley.. what are all those things on your chest for?"

"These are medals for things I did in the service."

"Did you really protect the President of the United States Ms. Ansley?"

"well, yes... I did that for 2 of our Presidents.
"how about this one? and this one... and this one???"

Little fingers touched the bronze and silver with sincere appreciation for the service they each one represented and the one wearing them explained in humble yet heart felt confidence in a job well done.

... and we thought she was just good at making our kids finish their lunch and play fairly on the playground.... Little did we know.....

I don't think our young ones are in danger on her watch, do you?

You might have thought the chairs were red leather or purple velvet the way all the people in the room held these men and women in such respected eyes filled with thankful tears.

On the screen between the American and Texas flags was a screen filled with the word "AMERICA"... and the children sang......God bless America... land of the free, home of the brave.
Sometimes we get a chance to see those words with our eyes as we hear them with our ears. This was one of those times.
weathered faces, white hair and those eyes... those eyes...those eyes...
These honored ones felt the TRUTH in the tribute of these looking for nothing more than the
gift of giving!


... then,
at the end...
a silver trumpet held in the hands of one competent enough to attend this moment..
TAPS rang out above the silence
yet, another tribute to the ones who would not be attending this day... the ones who paid the ultimate price for what we have available simply by being born in this wonderful country.
PRICELESS! our freedom


And the children said it over and over....
LIBERTY
and
JUSTICE
for ALL!!!!


and lest we forget..... notice the sign that casually hung in the gymnasium this day.... quite fitting I'd say as it hung over those who truly do...."go the extra mile"...
and the sign reads:
"TODAY I WENT THE EXTRA MILE"

yes you did Veterans.......thank you!!!
sincerely, thank you!!

Jim Ned Indians are 4-0 in district play!!! way to go!

The night began in full costume with the Buffalo Gap Elementary kids singing and signing the National Anthem!

Happy faces began the evening that anticipated the 4th win of a surprising Jim Ned team.
Cowboys were welcome at this Indian campground! As long as they were cheering for the
Tepee Team's win!

Clearly Red was the color for this October 31st event!

Let the games begin... GrapeCreek... beware!!!

The Indians are on the warpath looking for another scalp on their victory list!

Done....
31 to 30... JIM NED IS 4 wins... 0 losses............ WAY TO GO INDIANS!

New Season...New lunch boxes, Fall is coming soon!

Signs of the new seasons here in the Jim Ned Valley are all around us... From the golden sunrises over our entire community... A new schedule for our little kindergartners... and new lunchboxes are a must for the upper grades.
Classrooms welcome the children back with the walls predicting all sorts of new learning experiences.
... Here in our Jim Ned Valley community, after meet the teacher night...

after... adopt an Indian night...

after the first day of school....

then,

it's grandparents day.... and we get to accompany our little ones into the cafeteria to enjoy meeting friends and eating bar-b-que on a bun....lots of pickles of course!

and.......one of the best things about this time of year

(besides the West Texas Fair and Rodeo... with funnel cakes and smoked turkey legs!!)

is the landscape.

We have the live oaks who, along with our native and pervasive cedars retain their dark green garments though the Fall and into Winter...

But then there are the signs of Fall's approach......the "grandfather's beard"

(at least that's what we've always called it)

makes it's presence known in wonderful waves of billowy white seeds. The native morning glories are all over our roadsides, and the fields are being plowed and planted as this time of year will always bring us rain.

Today, however, we are expecting more than rain.... we are praying for the folks on our coast. Hurricane Ike is in the gulf and about to make landfall. Thanks for the rain, but protect our Texas neighbors!