Karnes Co. TX - NEWS - November 2003 This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Kimm Antell Copyright. All rights reserved. http://files.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ---------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2003 Victoria Advocate Online (http://victoriaadvocate.com) Karnes City ................35 Skidmore-Tynan .........0 November 1, 2003 KARNES CITY - The Karnes City Badgers clinched the Division I playoff berth in District 31-2A as Jeff Butler scored twice in a 35-0 victory over the Skidmore-Tynan Bobcats. The Badgers remained unbeaten at 8-0 and 4-0 in district. The Bobcats fell to 6-3 and 2-2. The Badgers scored in every quarter as Cody Hale put Karnes City in front 7-0 with 2:48 to play in the first on a 22-yard run. Butler, who had 161 yards on 12 carries, put the game out of reach with the next two scores. Butler first came with 10:57 left in the second on a 14-yard run. He found the end zone again with 8:08 left in the third when he snagged a 19-yard pass from Hale. Hale then hit Collin Sellers on a 23-yard scoring strike with 7:18 to play, and Clay Weston ran 12 yards for the final score with 3:10 to play. David Wozniak added all five extra points. Weston finished with 121 yards on nine carries. Hale also helped spark the Badgers' defense with two interceptions and a fumble recovery. ---------------------------------------------------------- November 8, 2003 Charlotte ....................56 Runge .........................14 RUNGE - Bubba Castillo rushed 13 times for 217 yards and two TDs, and caught three balls for 79 yards and another score to help Charlotte blow past the Runge Yellowjackets 56-14 in a District 30-1A game. In all, the Trojans (5-5, 2-3) gained 323 yards on the ground and 185 through the air. Trojans' quarterback John Harvey completed 8-of-13 for 185 yards and four TDs. He also had three runs for 19 yards. Runge (4-6, 1-4) was down 49-6 at the end of the third quarter, managing to score on a 53-yard touchdown run by Jaime Garza late in the second quarter. Garza led the team with 29 rushes and 92 yards. Garza also threw five balls for 20 yards, but threw three interceptions. Charlotte, despite the scoring flurry - which, at one point, included a run of 35 unanswered points - was penalized 10 times for 63 yards. Runge, on the other hand, was penalized six times for 32 yards and had six turnovers, including three fumbles. Kenedy .......................48 Bloomington ...............0 KENEDY - Scoring 21 first quarter points, the Kenedy Lions avoided a winless season with a 48-0 thumping of the Bloomington Bobcats. The victory left the Lions at 1-9, 1-4 in District 31-2A, while the Bobcats finished the season at 0-10, 0-5 in district. Jason Baldera, who rushed for 95 yards on six carries, got the biggest chunk of yardage at the 10:18 mark of the first quarter when he broke free on an 80-yard scamper. He then added the first of six extra points. Mikey Espinoza added a 5-yard TD run and Adam Cano hauled in a 70-yard pass from Jason Tam giving the Lions a 21-0 first quarter advantage. Baldera added a 3-yard run in the second quarter and Espinoza bulled in from 1-yard out in the third for a 34-0 lead. Tam connected with Baldera on a 30-yard score in the fourth quarter, and Jaime Ramos rambled 80 yards on his lone carry to finish the scoring. The Lions rolled up 426 yards of offense, including 337 yards rushing against the Bobcats. Sammy Riojas paced the attack with 101 yards on nine carries. Lewis Lumpkins paced the Bobcats with 44 yards on12 carries. ---------------------------------------------------------- November 23, 2003 LOUISE POPPLEWELL Victoria Advocate KARNES CITY - Karnes County, with its high plateaus and San Antonio River valleys was home to many through thousands of years, but didn't become a county until 1854. It is these last 150 years that folks will be concentrating on when their year-long sesquicentennial celebration kicks off in February. Some 30 events are planned, topped off by four special celebrations. New ideas are popping up every day, said Bonnie Alonzo, publicity chairman of the Karnes County Sesquicentennial Association. One thing that folks might be thinking about is a repeat of the required dress code used during the county's 100th birthday in May 1954. Everyone was mandated to dress in period clothing and men were required to sport some type of facial hair. Not complying led to some severe consequences, like jail time. So just in case, fellows should put away the shaving paraphernalia and ladies, get those sewing machines humming. Hoping to draw tourists from all over Texas and maybe a lot farther, Alonzo says that while February may seem a long way off, volunteers are needed now for any number of tasks. And everyone from toddlers on up should polish up their brightest smiles and be ready with handshakes to offer warm welcomes to visitors. Association members are looking for personal stories that give insight into early life in the county. Anyone with a story to tell is welcome to contribute and old-timey photos are considered a plus. In addition to Karnes City, the county seat, events are scheduled for the towns of Kenedy, Runge, Falls City and the historical communities of Panna Maria and Helena. The history began long ago when various Indian tribes and later Spanish settlers inhabited the area, but it didn't become Karnes County until Feb. 4, 1854, when the Texas Legislature approved a petition from settlers who asked that a new county be formed from Bexar, Gonzales, DeWitt, Goliad and San Patricio counties. The first of four sesquicentennial celebrations will take place in Helena, with a birthday bash tentatively set for Feb. 7. Activities planned include a taco breakfast, entertainment, a huge birthday cake and a lot more. Helpers are welcome and may contact Dorothy Wood at 830-780-3210. Helena, the first county seat, is considered a quiet little ghost town by some. Founded in 1852, the town was considered the most important stagecoach stop between San Antonio and Goliad. In the 1870s, Helena was a booming frontier town, but within a decade all that would change with the death of a prominent rancher's son. According to historians, the rancher vowed to kill the town that killed his son. He managed to divert the railroad from Helena to Karnes City, and thus sealed the fate of Helena. Helena's rock courthouse, built in 1873, is one of a handful of 19th-century Texas courthouses still in use today. It houses the Karnes County Museum. By 1893, voters had chosen Karnes City as the county seat and records were taken by force from Helena. They were moved in the night under the cover of darkness. Karnes City was founded in the late 1890s and named after a Texas Ranger hero, Henry Wax Karnes. On April 28, the second sesquicentennial celebration will get under way with a historical pageant in the Karnes City High School auditorium. The pageant is described as a multi-media production with live narration. Chairman A.C. Alonzo said it is a big undertaking, and anyone interested in helping should contact him at 830-583-0128. On May 1, the action moves to Kenedy for the official sesquicentennial parade. The parade is planned so that each community uses a theme to represent "a slice of history specific to that area," said Chairman Mary Alice May. For more information, contact her at 830-583-2468. The festivities will continue May 1-2 with the Sesqui Fest, featuring ethnic foods, entertainment including storytelling, dancing and singing, and a lot more. Kenedy, once part of a Royal Spanish Grant that was the site of Texas' first ranch, was first called Kenedy Junction because it was a major stop on the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad. The name was changed to Kenedy when a new town site was chosen. With a reputation for gunfighting, Kenedy earned the unsavory title of "Six Shooter Junction." A few years later, hot mineral water was discovered and the Hot Wells Hotel and Bath House was built, and flourished for many years. Kenedy is now known as the "Horned Lizard Capital of the World," a distinction that is duly noted each year during Labor Day festivities. Founded in 1886, Falls City calls itself "a quiet place in time." The name comes from natural waterfalls flowing into the San Antonio River. Incorporated in 1946, the town served as a hub for farmers and ranchers of the area. The discovery of oil, and later uranium, benefited the town's growth for a number of years. However, fear that uranium was polluting the town's water and soil eventually led to the shutdown of the mining operation. Many historic sites entice the visitor to Falls City. They include Pollok's Market, a fourth-generation family operation that produces 14,000 pounds of sausage weekly. Another is Falls City Milling Co., still operated by descendants of a founding family, and one of only a few non-computerized mills in the nation. Falls City will play host to a spring social and Santa Rosa Children's Trail Ride in March, a Labor Day picnic and a turkey dinner in November. A Fourth of July celebration and countywide Halloween bash will be centered around the 1900-era bandstand in Runge City Park. The town is near the site where the old Ox-Cart Road from Indianola to San Antonio crossed the Ojo de Agua Creek, which translates to 'eye of water.' This is the spot where travelers, including an untold number of immigrants, found a resting place with plenty of water, wood for fires and grass for livestock. In December, the historical community of tiny Panna Maria will be the site of its own 150th birthday celebration. Seeking political freedom and a better way of life, about 100 families left Poland and sailed nine weeks before they arrived in Galveston. There they rented carts and traveled to the junction of the San Antonio River and Cibolo Creek, where they established Panna Maria, the first Polish settlement in the U.S. There, under a huge oak tree, the emigrants made their first homes in holes while they went about the business of building houses and establishing the community. In 1855, the immigrants built the first church near that oak tree, which still stands today. After lightning damaged the original church, a new church was built in 1878 on the site and continues as a place of worship today. The year-long celebration will end Dec. 24 with services at Panna Maria's Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. The community's visitor center is housed in the 129-year-old Pliancy Store. Other events planned for the year include Bluebonnet Days and the Santa Rosa Children's Cook Off in April, a Classic Car Cruise on May 1, a 9-11 memorial service and the Lonesome Dove Fest in September. Louise Popplewell is a reporter for the Advocate. Contact her at 361-552-2803 or by e-mail at lpopple@txcr.net.