News

Thank you Lord for the rain! It did not reach everyone, but it did help some of us and it was wonderful to see clouds in the sky. We know that the rain will come, and we wait patiently and pray. 

The Chamber Banquet was held on Tuesday at The Silos on 77. The venue looked great and the evening was a celebration of so many wonderful people in our community. We are very blessed to have such warm and caring people. Celebrating the 100 years as a Chamber is just the beginning! We will continue to tell the story of Giddings, Lee County, and the many struggles and triumphs over the past 100 years as we go forward during the next year. 100 years is quite a milestone to celebrate! Check out our Facebook page for award winners and crowd shots. We love our members and all of our sponsors who make the event so special. Thank you to everyone who was able to come out for the evening. 

My fondest memory of the Chamber Banquet was when Jerry Clower was here. The Sons of Herman Hall was packed with people and everyone had a great time. Looking forward to retelling some of those stories. You may even have some really good stories to tell. 

On another note, we have experienced a strange phenomenon in our email lists. It seems that we do not really have a choice when google mail or gmail updates our landing page. When it happens we experience some loss of emails. We only send one per week unless something critical that needs to be shared is sent to us. We apologize for any disruption in communication. 

There are several things happening this weekend in our community. Tonight is Rotary Club Fun Night at the American Legion Hall. Always fun and the food is great! Tomorrow will be another great fundraiser with good food and great auction items and fun stuff to do. And, our favorite Lost Cause Band will be playing for our listening entertainment. Fun for the whole family.

Finally, continue to pray for rain... looking forward to having grass again. The brown straw is just not pretty. We hope you all have a great weekend! Stay safe!

All of our events and activities are heating up! Outdoor temps are over 100* so it's time to find fun indoor activities.

Coming up next weekend we have the first Christmas in July Sip and Shop and we have a full house with vendors from all over. There will be music, children's area, cold beverages, and food. We are also collecting school supplies for the Back to School Drive. Start your Christmas shopping early and take advantage of the nice indoor venue. We have crafters, Scentsy, Lipsense, Harley's Texas Seasoning, and so much more. There will be demonstrations by Janie's Hair and Paparazzi Jewelry. You don't want to miss this opportunity to get a jump on your holiday shopping.

On August 9th the Giddings Chamber will host their Centennial Celebration and Community Awards Banquet! We are honoring many people from the community including the Outstanding Citizens of the Year, Lifetime Achievement Award and the Humanitarian Award. Join us for an evening of fellowship at The Venue on Main.

EVENTS

Sip & Shop: Christmas in July - July 30, 9am-3pm
Arts and crafts show at the Silos on 77

Chamber Banquet - Aug 9 at 6pm, Venue on Main

Denim & Diamonds - Aug 27, 5:30pm at the Silos

Free Concert-Black Cat Choir

- Sep 2 at 6pm at Giddings Railroad Depot

We are seeing the Saharan Desert this week. It is hard to understand that the wind can carry anything that far, but believe me when I say that you can see the dust in the air. It is everywhere.

We have a few things happening this weekend... The Juneteenth Block Party will be held on Saturday, June 18th at the corner of Houston Street and Burleson at Noon! Come out for a fun, family friendly event.

On Sunday, Giddings Downtown Restaurant will be open for Father's Day from 10:30 AM until 2:00 PM. Lots of Southern cooked food and Rib Eye Steaks!

We are very excited to give you an update on the Grimes Street Music Festival. There will be food vendors, Italian Ice, and lots more. Lee County Texas Veterans Association will have a booth too! We are excited to have such a large area for the community to come enjoy. The shade trees will be a favorite for everyone. There is plenty of parking and everyone is encouraged to bring their coolers.

The Lee County Fair was a huge success, we got some much needed rain and we have a holiday weekend!

We want to express our thanks to the community for coming back to the Lee County Fair in such a huge way. We broke records in so many areas. It was fun(hot), we saw lots of our friends and neighbors, and we are excited about next year.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Uvalde, Texas. Our hearts are broken for each and everyone in Uvalde. We lift them up in our prayers.

Congratulations to all our graduates!

We are excited to announce that the Grimes Street Music Fest is moving to Veterans Park! The area around our courthouse is off limits to events until late 2023. This called for our community to put on our thinking caps and come up with a plan. Our great city manager, Spencer Schneider, and TUB frontman, Tim Langham were instrumental in helping to secure Veterans Park for July 1st. This will kick off the long weekend of fun activities for the whole family. 

We hope you will come out and enjoy Veterans Park with us on the evening of July 1st. Bring you blankets, lawn chairs, cooler, and kids! We will have food vendors, community organizations, and Lee County Veterans Association on hand that night too. 

JOIN US FOR A WONDERFUL EVENING IN OUR COMMUNITY! Free admission.

The temperature outside is not quite as warm as I prefer, but if you stand in the warm sunlight just out of the wind you can enjoy being outdoors today. That wind tho...? 

We are looking forward to this wonderful weekend which is going to be beautiful! AND, for some people who have off on Monday, it will be a long holiday weekend. Go, be free... Take time to smell the coffee and roses. 

We are also counting down the days until the Lee County Junior Livestock Show, St. Patrick's Casino Night and of course SPRING BREAK!!!

Have a super great weekend and President's Day. Our office will be closed on Monday for the holiday.

Isn't this the best weather ever??? We stand on the front porch and soak up the sun because it is just so wonderful. 

Take time to go by all of our local shops to check out the many ways you can celebrate your Valentine... so many beautiful things that will say "I Love You"!

Early voting starts on Monday, February 14th.

It is with great pleasure that we announce the Merger of Siegeler Insurance Agency, Inc. of Giddings, and Wellmann Insurance Agency Inc. of Brenham. Congratulations to Michael Siegeler and his wonderful staff.

Coming up in March the Lee County Junior Livestock Show is happening March 1-5, at the Lee County Junior Livestock Show Barn. There are so many kids that work so hard to bring these animals to the show, or bake a cake, or do some kind of incredible art project. They are all so amazing. Go see what they are doing out there that week.

We are also very excited about our upcoming Casino Night on March 5th at The Venue on Main. The doors open at 5:30pm. It will be a great time with our friends from the community. Come find your Pot O'Gold.

A successful Customer Intake Specialist at Butler Contracting is the most important position in our company as you will be the first impression of our award-winning customer experience. If you love providing an exceptional customer experience then this position is for you. Our proven systems and processes will allow you to thrive in what you do best providing fantastic customer service. We have all of the tools, resources, and programs set up to be successful. We are seeking the right candidate to perform the role. If you are looking for an exciting way to help your community, what is stopping you from applying?

Qualifications:

-High School Diploma or equivalent

-Answer the phone each time we receive a call and call every customer back within 15 minutes of their initial call whenever possible.

-We pride ourselves on answering the phone and being responsive to our customers' needs.

-Excellent communication skills in customer service

-Make outbound phone calls to speak with customers to schedule consultations and collect project request information

-Display kindness and be open to providing scheduling accommodations to customers.

-Manage customer project requests, phone calls, email traffic, calendar activities, and voicemail and text messages.

-Detail-oriented with the ability to catch errors and can efficiently make corrections with little to no supervision

-Must work well independently and critically think to resolve issues quickly

-Ability to effectively time manage and use discretion to prioritize tasks as there will be times you may be over inundated with customer requests or tasks.

-Strong understanding of Google Docs, Google Sheets, email, using smartphone applications, and uploading and saving photos.

-Computer competency for data entry and reports as needed, and can quickly learn and effectively use our in-house CRM system and programs

-Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with customers and staff

-The Customer Intake Specialist will report to the Director of Operations

-In addition, this role will support the Director of Operations and General Manager with administrative duties

-A basic understanding of remodeling or the construction industry is desired and would be beneficial in this position

This position is Full-Time Monday-Friday with the understanding overtime may be required at times. We offer insurance and benefit options available after 60 days. Major Holidays are paid and an additional 5 days PTO within the 1st year of service. Veterans will receive an extra paid holiday on Veterans Day as a thank you for your service. If interested and you meet the qualifications listed above, please fill out the application below and resume. We look forward to hearing from you!

https://butler.contractors/careers/

It's cool in the morning and warm in the afternoon which gives us great hope that winter is not far off and a time of rest and rebuilding will come to us. 

This week there is so much going on and you don't want to miss any of it! On Tuesday we have the Grand Opening of the Special Services Center located at the Giddings ISD Campus in front of the Administration Building. We will cut the ribbon at 4:15.

On Thursday evening we will welcome our authors and kick off the Texas Word Wrangler Book Festival with the annual Gala at the Giddings Public Library at 6pm. Tickets available at the Library. On Friday and Saturday head over to the Library to meet the authors, check out all the new books and update your library card!

Then on Sunday there are several things happening...

Sip & Shop Christmas Market starts at 10am.

Lee County First Responder Organization Fundraiser drive thru at the Lincoln Community Picnic Grounds at 11am.

Community Wide Thanksgiving Service at First Baptist Church of Giddings at 6pm. 

We are kicking off the shopping season and inviting everyone to shop local and support your local businesses during the Christmas Season. Our businesses look forward to seeing you and helping you find exactly the Christmas gift you have been searching for all year.

We were surprised to wake up to thunder and lightning last night with about 3 - 3.5 inches of rain at our house. I actually slept right through it... 

But we really did need the rain, and the ground absorbed it like a thirsty sponge. Happy days are here again. 

On a different note, the Round Top Antiques Show opens this weekend. It is a couple of weeks late this year which will give visitors a little cooler experience than in the past. We know it is Round Top weekend because it rained. HAHA! This weekend through October 30th the vendors, shoppers, and assorted tourists will descend upon the area for the semi-annual show. Be prepared for traffic, lines in the restaurants, and surprises around every corner. 

Thankfully we are always happy to welcome our veteran shoppers and newbies to our community. We take every chance to hand out a map and visitors guide. We also take time to tell the story of the Schubert Fletcher Home which was built in 1879. This old house has seen a lot... if only walls could talk. 

Finally, I want to alert you to the following information.

Have you started your Christmas shopping yet? You may already be too late.

We have ten weeks until Christmas…      Let me say that again, we have 10 Saturdays until Christmas!

How is it possible? The time has flown by and we are in the last quarter of this year. Which means if you haven’t started buying your Christmas gifts and decor, then you may be surprised by the many items that have been placed on back order. And, by looking at the shipping industry we may be in for a long wait. One thing that we can be proud of in Giddings is the many businesses who are here to help you fulfill all your Christmas dreams. From personal shoppers, to beautifully wrapped gifts, and even delivery in some cases our local retailers are prepared to help you get Christmas done on time.

This year will require some planning and executing to get the cards mailed in time, the Christmas tree up and decorated, and of course your favorite meals prepared so that you and your favorite people can be together.

Take time to create your list and look local first to help achieve a stress-free holiday experience.

LOOK LOCAL FIRST – 10 Saturdays until Christmas                       

Have a happy Thursday! Let us know when you are planning your Christmas Open House this year so we can add it to our growing calendar of events.

The weather has been amazingly awesome this week! Good hair days abound when the humidity takes a dive like it did this week. So many things to be thankful for like perfect weather, happy children, funny pets, and friends/family!

Take time to walk outside and enjoy this beautiful weather and watch the butterflies. They have really put on a colorful display this year. It is amazing that they are so fragile, yet strong enough to migrate all the way across the country. INCREDIBLE!

Speaking of great weather... this weekend kicks off what has been traditionally in September. Round Top and its hordes of people that come to shop, eat, see, and be seen has started. Get ready for everything to be full, crowded, and rocking. 

Fun times are coming this weekend with the Shane Hanchey Invitational Roping out at the Lee County Sheriff's Posse Arena.

Monday is Columbus Day and we will not be in the office. Call if you need us. 

Last, but not least is a reminder that on Tuesday the Lee County Veterans will have a drive thru luncheon at the American Legion Hall serving Chicken Spaghetti.