News

Last week was the week of Happy's

We were happy to see the official beginning of summer, we wished all the graduates K-12 many moments of happiness and success, and we wished our very own Ricky Jorgensen, Giddings City Manager, very much happiness as he enters his RETIREMENT! He has been here for nine years and all he talks about are his grandchildren or golf, so now he will be forever able to spend time with his grandchildren and maybe play a little golf. Blessings for he and Bernadette in their new life!

You might have heard about the upcoming Grimes Street Music Fest and Giddings Sesquicentennial Celebration that will be held on July 4th weekend. You are invited to come celebrate with us starting on Friday evening with a street dance and ending Sunday with the Giddings Volunteer Fire Department Annual Fireworks Extravaganza! 

We are so excited to share the information with you and hope you will let us know about anything you or your organization is planning that weekend. We will add it to our ever growing Calendar of Events on the Visit Giddings webpage. You will get to see your favorite home town musicians on Friday night with the Lost Cause Band(Spencer Schneider aka New City Manager) and Texas Unlimited Band. This is a throwback to the good old days when we brought our lawn chairs and picnic baskets down to the Courthouse Square for evening entertainment. There is plenty of room, we will have vendors with food, drinks, stuff for kids, and adults. We are looking for fun stuff for July 2-4th. 

Bring your favorite dancing partner, or find one on Friday at the Street Dance. We are dressing up for July 4th and hope you will too!

The rain is turning everything green, in a good way! We are so excited about the green grass in the yards, the beautiful flowers blooming, and the promise of lots of vegetables in the gardens. 

Did you hear the big C5 Transport Plane that flew over the Lee County Veterans Honor Park Dedication on Saturday morning? It was huge and loud and amazing. I have videos on my facebook page of the two passes it made while speeches were being made. The attendance at the event was much larger than was expected but very welcome! The Honor Park is the culmination of many volunteer hours, many volunteer contributions, and many patriotic thoughts and memories. Tears flowed as visitors walked by the completed walls and touched the names of people they love. There is no way to describe how nice it was to see and hug so many of our friends and neighbors!

Take time to go by and visit the Honor Park. You will be glad you did!

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It is hard to believe but we are only six weeks away from the July 4th holiday weekend. We have a lot of fun things for you to see and do that weekend. Our plan is to publish a calendar of events that will include everything fun to do from Friday evening at the Courthouse Lawn with the Grimes Street Music Fest, until Sunday when the Giddings Volunteer Fire Department presents the annual Fireworks Display.

You will want to make plans to attend all of these events and maybe even a few more. 

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We are also already working on a plan for Christmas this year. Our plan is to create a Christmas Committee to help plan and execute events and activities. Everyone loves food, shopping, and seeing Christmas lights and decorations, so that is the first order of business. Let's Light It UP! 

We are also looking to replace the Christmas Angels that hang from the street lights throughout town. Our Christmas Angels have lived a good life and need to retire. We will be discussing what is next for Giddings and their Street Light decor! Come to our meeting, make suggestions, volunteer to participate...  Our community is ready!

April showers bring May flowers…

As you drive around out in the county you will see lots of water running into the stock tanks and ditches, We are thankful for all the wonderful, life giving rain. We will see the flowers bloom, grass grow, and mosquitoes become a nuisance again, yet we are thankful. We are so happy to have rain in the spring so that later in the summer our yards will be okay. It is a blessing.

We are also blessed to be able to have the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 6th on the Lee County Courthouse Square. Bring your lawn chair and come, be part of the Ministerial Alliance’s prayer service. Everyone is welcome to come pray together for our city, county, state, and country. It will be awesome!

In other news around town, you may have seen something going on around the Wolf’s Grocery Store. Lots of people have great memories of Wolf’s Grocery Store and many were sad when they closed. This week the site was being used for filming.

The City of Giddings received the Film Friendly designation in January of 2008. We became the second city to receive this designation after Smithville, Texas. Over the years there have been many films here in Giddings. Our office has been working with location scouts for this most recent project for about three years. It takes time to find the right location and then to make it all happen. The Texas Film Commission in the Office of the Governor’s Economic Development and Tourism Division has attracted $1.66 billion in local spending and created more than 157,000 production jobs across the state from 2007 to 2020.

Last year we were very excited to be able to work with The Chef’s Table on their barbeque story featuring Tootsie Tomanetz. It is always a thrill to see the finished product!

EVENTS

National Day of Prayer
May 6, 12noon at the Courthouse

Ribbon Cutting at Busted Oak Cellars
May 6 at 5pm on Round Top Road

Lincoln VFD Crawfish Boil
May 7 at 5:30pm at Lincoln Community Hall

BBQ on Bun Fundraiser Drive thru
at the First United Methodist Church
May 11 from 11am-1pm

Welcome Back to the Community
May 11 at 5:30pm, St. Mark's Medical Center Campus

Job Fair at Giddings Library - Primoris
May 12

Job Fair at the Giddings Library
Texas Juvenile Justice Department
May 15

Dedication for Veterans Honor Park
May 15 at Veteran's Park 10am

Serbin Picnic
May 30

Grimes Street Music Fest - July 2nd
at the Courthouse Square

Giddings Sesquicentennial Celebration
July 2-July 4

Thankful for the rain and other blessings

This has been an interesting week so far! We have completed the first four months of 2021 and seen lots of progress. We are so happy to see all this beneficial rain and thrilled to see what has survived the "great freeze"!

You all have seen the beautiful roses all over town this spring and we may see more beautiful flowers after this lovely rain. 

We have a lot of great things happening in May and want you to have all the information today. This weekend is the Lexington Homecoming with Food, Arts & Crafts, Rodeo, Street Dance, BBQ Cookoff, Car Show, Parade, and more. The rain may cause some delays or changes, but it is always fun! 

Saturday is the City of Giddings Election for Council members. You can vote at City Hall from 7am to 7pm on Saturday, May 1st. 

Other exciting things going on in and around Giddings...

May 6 - National Day of Prayer on the Courthouse Lawn

May 6 - Ribbon Cutting at Busted Oak Cellars on Round Top Road at 5pm 

May 11 - First United Methodist Church BBQ on Bun Fundraiser drive thru from 11-1 

May 11 - Welcome Back to the Community - St. Mark's Medical Center Campus at 5:30pm

May 12 - Job Fair at Giddings Public Library - Primoris

May 15 - Job Fair at Giddings Public Library - Texas Juvenile Justice Department

May 15 - Lee County Veterans Honor Park Dedication Ceremony 

May 30 - Serbin Picnic

AND, don't forget that Mother's Day is May 9th! Do you need gift ideas??? I know several people in town who can help you with that...

God Bless all of our Mothers!

Talking about traffic seems to be a more and more regular occurrence. Lot's of days I don't even get on Hwy 290 or 77 because I can stay on the side streets to go to work and back. We can see the road from our office and recognize that the traffic is slowed down to a crawl as it passes by. We know that some of it is the fact that there are more people on the roads today than ever before. Compound the amount of drivers with the length of red lights, and green lights, and then add in intermittent trains running through town on average of 10-20 times per day. 

Sometimes there are more, and sometimes there are less, but you can be sure that if you are in a hurry or late, there will be a train. For those of us who travel to and from work on the side streets, the train is of no concern. But for the student late for school, or the employee late for work, or the person who is trying to reach the appointment on time, a train is just a nuisance. This too shall pass. It is a lesson in patience. 

Many of us are challenged in the patience department. I, for one, have learned to be patient after many years of being extremely impatient. I learned that it doesn't pay to get upset or to scream at the train. I learned to leave earlier... If I plan on being somewhere on time... haha! I have to leave early so that I can get there in time. I am courteous and do not arrive too early because that is rude, but I am on time for sure now. And I have a lot less stress. That is my goal for this week. Less Stress!

Reminder to you -

On April 30-May 1st is the Lexington Homecoming! Fun stuff to do all over Lee County.

We are loving all of our beautiful plants around the office from Altman. Thanks to Deb's Flowerbeds and Landscaping for keeping it looking pretty!

We look forward to rain this week!

Hope you had a wonderful, love filled weekend celebrating Easter! Thank you to all who post sweet photos on their social media pages. I love to look at them so much. 

I am also loving all the blooming flowers and trees, well except for the pollen that is turning my car yellow(red & yellow make orange). Not my favorite... That and the sneezing of seasonal allergies, which a bunch of us have this week. 

I did visit Round Top during their spring show this year, and I can honestly say that place is blowing up. We had a great visit with Kelli Sanford at the Round Top Chamber of Commerce, and with the wonderful folks over at Round Top Festival Hill. 

Went shopping one day, but didn't find anything that I couldn't live without. I am truly trying to downsize at my house, so no more gee gaws, or nik naks. My kids will thank me later. 

Lots of fun stuff coming up. Visit our Community Calendar to learn more. And the tickets for the rodeo are at the gate only. And yes, there is Muttin Bustin and a Calf Scramble this year for kids 4-7 years old, and less than 50 pounds.     

Watch for more details about the upcoming Giddings Sesquicentennial Celebration and Grimes Street Music Fest. We are looking for volunteers, committee chairmen, and some one to head up a parade for Saturday, July 3rd that will end up at the Courthouse. Call for more details.

EVENTS

Lee County Clean Up Day on April 10

Free Educational Program on
Type 2 Diabetes
April 8, 9, 15, 22, 23 from 11am-1pm
RVSP by April 12 noon. 979-542-2753

Rodeo Giddings is coming up on April 16-17th at the Lee County Rodeo Arena. This includes Muttin Bustin, Kenny Orts Band, Royalty Coronation, and Calf Scramble. The CPRA Team Roping sign up is Friday, April 16th. Rodeo Giddings is fun for the whole family! Tickets are $15 at the gate. Kids 7-12 years are $5. Kids 6 and  under are free.

BBQ on Bun at the Methodist Church
May 11 from 11am-1pm

Grimes Street Music Fest - July 2nd
around the Courthouse Square

Greetings

It is difficult to believe that April is on the horizon...

There are a couple of activities coming up in April that we want to remind you about.

Reminder - Good Friday in April 2nd. Concord Church is hosting a Fish Fry. See the attached flyer.

Lee County is hosting a Clean Up day on April 10th. 

Rodeo Giddings is coming up on April 16-17th at the Lee County Rodeo Arena. This includes Muttin Bustin, Kenny Orts Band, Royalty Coronation, and Calf Scramble. The CPRA Team Roping sign up is Friday, April 16th. Rodeo Giddings is fun for the whole family! Tickets are $15 at the gate. Kids 7-12 years are $5. Kids 6 and  under are free.

Important facts about Holy Week -
What are the 7 days of Holy Week?

• Palm Sunday (Passion Sunday)
• Holy Monday and Holy Tuesday.
• Holy Wednesday (Spy Wednesday)
• Maundy Thursday.
• Good Friday.
• Holy Saturday (Black Saturday)
• Easter Vigil.
• Easter Day.
  

Wendish Easter Eggs

We are so amazed at the beauty of the artistry demonstrated by the Wendish Easter Eggs. 

Have a wonderful week!

We want to tell you about our new member!

Carpenter's Carpentry - Owners, Mary and Richard Carpenter joined the Chamber today. They are a small mom & pop construction company located in Giddings. They are small and prefer to work on renovations and reconstruction in the older homes. They are excited about being in Giddings and look forward to becoming involved. 

Also, check out the photos from the old BUS STOP... Fischer Langham started renovating the old Kerrville Bus Station this week. They will use it as an office and workshop for Fischer Langham Construction. The original Sunset Garage is a large old place with much history. The property is going to be cleared of old buildings which will be recycled into useful materials on the project. Tim Langham and Brian Fischer said they are using local products, labor, and companies for the project. Notice the Goodson Voight Lumber Company logo on the side of the building where they closed in the garage door. Recycling the tin, wood, and other useful products will help keep some of the historic flavor in the building. 

It is great to see local business retention and expansion at work.

Let's  celebrate St. Patrick's Day at the WELL! Join us for our inaugural ladies event. Women Entrepreneurs in Leadership & Learning will give us a chance to fellowship with women owned businesses in our community. It is never too late to start a business, build a business, or promote your business! Join us from 5-7pm at the Eleanor's Cottage on Wednesday, March 17th. Bring a friend, business cards, or brochures to share. 

We have been watching the pecan, redbuds, roses, and other plants around our office. Everything is beginning to bud out and really green up! We are amazed at the rose bushes and the prolific growth we have seen. Our pansies, dusty miller, and some of the cactus surprisingly survived the freeze! We look forward to all the blooms bursting forth soon. 

We are excited that we will be having our first planning meeting for the Giddings 150th Birthday! Can't wait to see what ideas everyone will have for a celebration of Giddings being 150 years old.

To go one step further about all the blooms... we have some exciting news about Altman Plants. They are going to open their Outlet Store on Friday at 11am to the public. We will have their ribbon cutting on Friday morning at 10am to welcome their new expansion. Altman Plants is a great sponsor of the Chamber and we are so proud of all of their progress. They have grown so much in the past four years and the outlet store has been on their radar for a while. We are excited to be able to help them kick off the Spring Outlet Sale on Friday, March 19th at 11AM.

Have a great spring break...