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Ready to “shop ‘til you drop”? The 16th Annual El Camino Real Sale on the Trail is coming up the first Friday and Saturday in May, the 3rd and 4th. Shoppers can travel along 175 miles of the historic El Camino Real de los Tejas through the Caddo region which stretches from LA Hwy 6 in Natchitoches to TX Hwy 21 into Crockett, TX.

The Rodeo was in town this Friday and Saturday night and the crowd enjoyed watching bull riding, break away roping, steer dogging, mutton busting and much more! Always a crowd pleasing favorite, the Mutton Busting drew lots of youngsters to the chutes. Some of the tiny tots were snatched off the animals as soon as they cleared the chute, and others (scared to turn loose of the racing mutton) had to be chased down by the clowns to be rescued, and some experienced the spill!

lThe Big Bass Splash returns to Lake Toledo Bend on May 17-18-19, 2024. This 3 day event will feature $500,000 in Guaranteed Cash & Prizes. First Place overall will win a Grand Prize Package consisting of a 2024 Phoenix 721 Pro XP Bass Boat powered by Mercury and equipped with Minn Kota, Humminbird Electronics, Power Pole: a RAM Truck, PLUS $5,000 in Cash. A Total Prize Package worth over $100,000. 15 Place will be paid each hour of each tournament day beginning with the 7-8am hour and continuing through the 1-2pm hour for the 15 single heaviest bass weighed in for a total of $250, 950 just in Hourly Payouts!

You know that feeling of boredom behind the wheel. So bored that you just can’t help but pick up your phone. You look down at it, or read a text, right up to the moment your car is airborne at 70 miles per hour.

A surprise chill in the air didn’t seem to be a damper for the excitement surrounding the annual ‘Remembering Columbia’ NASA Museum Benefit Golf Tournament on Saturday, April 20. 48 players hit the links at the beautiful Cypress Bend Resort along the shores of Toledo Bend Reservoir in Many, Louisiana. The two-person scramble supports the educational initiatives of the Patricia Huffman Smith NASA Museum ‘Remembering Columbia,’ located in Hemphill. After completing 18 holes of challenging golf on a championship course, cash and prizes were awarded to the day’s top finishers and winners of individual contests. First place went to Mike Nugent and Ryan Mayard, who shot a 65, while second place went to Derrick Laborde and Morgan Newton, with a score of 67. Third place was awarded to Darold Gleason and Clay Henry, who earned a 68. Andrew Rausch walked away as the winner in the closest to the pin competition, while Dale Wilkerson claimed the longest drive. While none of the players selected for the $50 thousand hole-in-one competition took home the top prize, the contest certainly added to the excitement of the day. This 5th edition of the tournament was presented by Friends of the Patricia Huffman Smith NASA Museum ‘Remembering Columbia’ and was generously sponsored by the following businesses and individuals: BOM Bank; Southside Bank; High Roller Group, LLC; Backwoods Customs; Circle T Tax; Colonial Mortuary; Don Smith Construction; Farm Bureau Insurance; Hancock Furniture; Hemphill Meat Market; Holly Park Marina; Linebarger Attorneys at Law; Lonesome Pine Mercantile; Mark & Tom in the Morning; Martins Corner Realty; McAdams Propane; McGraw Signs; MT Nails; NAPA Hemphill; Pineywoods Vineyards; Shelby Savings Bank; SIATX Insurance; The LaFleur Family; Toledo Bend Express Realty; White Excavation; Worsham DDS. Planning for next year’s tournament is already underway. More information will be released in early 2025. The Patricia Huffman Smith NASA Museum 'Remembering Columbia' serves as a memorial to the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy and as an educational facility dedicated to creating science and technology-inspiring learning opportunities for children and adults. Learn more at www.NASAColumbiaMuseum.com.

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The Sabine County Chamber of Commerce held its monthly meeting on Tuesday, April 9th, and after opening prayer and pledge to the flag, approved minutes from previous meeting. New Chamber members welcomed were DCU Doches Credit Union, Ross Homes and Drafting LLC, and PT Procella Tire.

Sting Ray Anthony will present “Jukebox Rocks” with special guests, “Shake Rattle & Roll” at 7 p.m. May 11 at the El Potosino Concert Hall San Augustine. For reservations, call Steve Fountain at 832-312-0074 or email stevemdxelvis@gmail.com. Do you remember saddle shoes and poodle skirts? How about jukeboxes and cars with fins? Sting Ray Anthony does–although in the 1950s, he wasn’t even a gleam in his father’s eye yet. But for Trinidad-born, Canadaraised Anthony, it was love at first listen. His mother, as it happens, was a bit more modern than his father who favored the standard-bearers of the previous era, such as Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. She was into rock and roll.