News

The Ben Wheeler Hog Festival was the place to be on Saturday, Oct. 24. The festival is growing each year and attracted a large number of attendees. One of the main attractions of the festival is the popular cookoff, where teams can enter their chili, beans, and feral hog meat in competition. The competitors served up festivalgoers throughout the day as live entertainment, free bounce houses and vendors rounded out the day. Photo by Britne Hammons

A lengthy legislative update from Region 7 was presented to the Van School Board during its regular monthly meeting Oct. 18.

Van Zandt County community members are invited to join the Heritage Park Museum representatives, local officials, and Historical Commission members in a celebration of historic preservation. A dedication of the replica of the 1850 VZC Courthouse - the first courthouse of the county - and the Poor Farm Calaboose ( a place for a poor stranger ) will be held at 10:30 a.m., Nov.

The Republican Women of Van Zandt County Membership Chairman Barbara Crow attended the recent Texas Federation of Republican Women’s state convention earlier in October held in Austin. Various elected officials spoke at the convention and business conducted for the federation included some changes to the by-laws and to the standing rules. There was an emphasis on increased training that will be available to the individual clubs and the election of new state officers. Barbara represented the local club of 60 members. The next meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., Monday, Nov. 8, 2021, at American National Bank. The program is district and session updates from Senator Bob Hall and State Representative Bryan Slaton.

A volunteer dive team out of Bend, Oregon, that helped locate the likely final resting place of Carey Mae Parker in February 2020 returned to the scene several weeks ago, finding remains that have since been sent for DNA testing. Parker, a Quinlan resident, was last seen in March 1991.

The VZC Sheriff’s Office released the following arrest report for Oct. 12-20.

Local 4-H members will be trick or treating for canned and non-perishable food items. 4-H members will be visiting local neighbors to collect food items to be donated to the local food bank. Members will be out in the neighborhoods starting Oct. 22-25th to pick up items.

Bright Star Baptist Church of Wills Point will host a Trunk-or-Treat on from 5 to 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 30, at the church located at 6833 Farm-to-Market 1395.