Civics 101 workshop, TPWM events among this week's community news

Fourth Civics 101 workshop set for Saturday, Nov. 7 at Downtown Library

The fourth, and last Civics 101 Workshop of this year, will be held by the League of Women Voters of Amarillo on Saturday, Nov. 4 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at the Downtown Library. The series has been presented in various libraries around the City of Amarillo for the past two months.

The series’ goal is to provide voters with the basic information and confidence they need to vote at the city, county, and state level. “We are especially targeting those new to Amarillo, newly enfranchised refugees and those who have been reluctant to vote because they think they do not know enough about government,” Michelle Hoggatt, Co-President of the League said. “I learned things I did not know, she added, so it is a good refresher.”

“Voting participation is low in Texas and local elections have even lower voter turnout,” Claudia Stravato,1st VP, and one of the creators of the workshop said. “Texas is at the bottom of the list of states with voter turnout ranging from 48th to 50th.” “Local voter turnout is around 10%,” she added.

The workshop is divided into city, special districts, county, state, and election information. There is a break with refreshments, prizes and helpful handouts. There is no charge, and pre-registration is not required. The public is invited.

The Power Point Civics 101 program modules will be made available to civic clubs upon request. For example, the module on city government takes about 20 minutes as do the other modules, Katie Paul, the presenter said. Contact the League Office at 806-337-2148.

Speaker, movie screenings and more at Texas Panhandle War Memorial in November

Texas Panhandle War Memorial has several events coming up this month, starting with its Monthly Speaker Series on Nov. 4 at 1:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Army veteran Jason Allen will be sharing about his experience guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

The center is also screening a new film titled "War to End All Wars," at 4 p.m. Nov. 4, 2 p.m. Nov. 5, 6 p.m. Nov. 10, 2 p.m. Nov. 12, and 6 p.m. Nov. 17 and 18. $5 tickets will be available at the door or for puchase online.

Sabaton’s “History Rocks” museum initiative kicks off with more than 100 museums from 27 territories confirming their participation in the worldwide premiere of “The War To End All Wars – The Movie” this November. Unveiled on June 12 of this year, “History Rocks” is a result of the band's urge to help museums around the world. The mission of this charitable initiative is to amplify the visibility of museums worldwide and to encourage a fresh, untapped audience of metalheads and history enthusiasts to contribute to their local museums. The project also aims to place World War I and its significance to mankind in the spotlight.

Band manager and bassist, Pär Sundström comments: “Reaching over 100 museums is an important milestone. We wanted to create something that makes our fans visit and help their local museums, and I’m beyond happy to see that it’s working. We’re grateful to anyone who suggested a museum to us by using our “Suggest a museum” form on our movie’s website. The form is now closed following thousands of suggestions, but museums are still urged to contact us if they wish to participate. It means a lot to us to see how many involved have been enthusiastic, both fans and museums.”

The global premiere of the band's new animated film, “The War To End All Wars – The Movie” will take place between Nov. 4 and 19, in the two weeks surrounding the 105th anniversary of Armistice Day. For more information, visit https://movie.sabaton.net/ .

Then on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, the memorial will host its annual outdoor ceremony, starting at 11 a.m. The event includes the traditional posting of the colors, pledge of allegiance, prayer, flyover, recognition of Gold Star Families, remarks from a featured speaker, salute to the services, and more. It is free and open to the public.

To learn more, visit https://www.texaspanhandlewarmemorial.com/ or call (806) 350-8387.

Soup's On at Civic Center on Oct. 30

The Soup's On fundraiser, benefitting the Guyon Saunders Resource Center and Transformation Park, will be held Monday, Oct. 30 in the Amarillo Civic Center Heritage Ballroom. Doors open at 11 a.m. for the silent auction, with the luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Soup’s On will offer a guest speaker, soup by five Amarillo celebrity chefs and hand painted pottery bowls signed by homeless clients for each guest (provided by Brush with Art). Additionally, there will be a silent auction. The Guyon Saunders Resource Center, located at 200 S. Tyler, is a low-barrier day shelter for homeless residents of Amarillo that has been in operation since 1998. Transformation Park, when completed, will provide an outdoor safe-space night shelter and community cabins for those transitioning into permanent housing.

For more information, contact Cari Good at (806) 341-1646 or via email at cari@guyonsaunders.com.

Last chance for Maxwell's Pumpkin Farm this season, pumpkin special

Maxwell’s Pumpkin Farm is excited to announce that it has once again partnered with the High Plains Food Bank to help fight hunger across the region this Holiday Season.

“This is our last weekend of the Fall Season and we wanted to give everyone an opportunity to come out and give back to our wonderful community,” explains Maxwell’s Pumpkin Farm owner Larry Borger in a news release. “So, just like last year, we are going to sell the rest of our pumpkins for only $1 each and give half of all the proceeds to the High Plains Food Bank.”

Every pumpkin of every size and every variety will be just $1 on Sunday, Oct. 29, with no limits on how many can be purchased. However, admission is required.

“Come out, pick as many pumpkins as you like, pay only $1 each for them, and help some of our neighbors this holiday season,” says Borger. “Every dollar donated will provide 14 meals this Thanksgiving for residents throughout our region struggling with food insecurity.”

Last year, Maxwell’s donated over $5,000 to the Food Bank following the popular pumpkin sale, but Larry has high hopes of breaking that record in 2023.

Maxwell’s Pumpkin Farm will welcome visitors this Sunday from 1 to 9 p.m.. The Farm, which provides 80 acres of country family fun, features 30+ attractions for people of all ages including the ever-popular pumpkin patch and giant maze. For more information, visit maxwellspumpkinfarm.com.

Acclaimed author takes center stage with WT Distinguished Lecture Series on ‘Wild New World’

CANYON — An award-winning author and historian will speak Nov. 2 at West Texas A&M University for the Center for the Study of the American West’s Garry L. Nall Lecture in Western Studies.

Dan Flores, the A. B. Hammond Professor Emeritus of Western History at the University of Montana, will speak about his latest book “Wild New World: The Epic Story of Animals & People in America” at 7 p.m. Nov. 2 in Legacy Hall in the Jack B. Kelley Student Center on WT’s Canyon campus.

“A primary theme of my most recent book, ‘Wild New World,’ is that the past does not remain in the past. However much we want to pretend history is irrelevant, the truth is that we live in the reality the past has created,” Flores said.

The event is free and open to the public.

“Wild New World,” which is Flores’ 11th book, recently won the 2023 Rachel Carson Environment Book Award, and Kirkus Reviews named “Wild New World” as one of the best nonfiction books of 2022. Previous best selling books by Flores include “Coyote America” and “American Serengeti.”

WT Soil Judging Team heading to nationals for second year

CANYON — For a second consecutive year, West Texas A&M University’s soil judging team has qualified for nationals. The WT team placed second in the Region IV Collegiate Soil Judging competition held Oct. 16 to 20 in Lubbock. WT outranked No. 3 Texas A&M University and just behind the winner, the University of Arkansas. The WT team also placed second in the team pit competition, where the team works together to characterize a soil pit.

The team will compete in nationals in April in Ames, Iowa. WT’s first trip to nationals took place in April. The team was formed in 2020.

“Soil judging is a challenging contest. Students are expected to develop soil and landscape characterizations at the level of a well-seasoned professional,” said Lauren Selph, plant, soil and environmental sciences instructor in the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences. “Our team chose to add additional practices to their weekly schedule this semester to further develop their technical skills and their dedication paid off in the contest. I am proud to coach this outstanding group of students.”

Students ranking in the Top 10 in individual results include Paden Markham, a senior plant, soil and environmental sciences major from Wheeler, who ranked fourth; Tessa Barrett, a senior agriculture education major from Plainview, who ranked fifth; Dayson Schacher, a junior plant, soil and environmental sciences major from Nazareth, who ranked sixth; Payton George, a senior agriculture education major from Azle, who ranked seventh; and Riley Siders, a junior plant, soil and environmental sciences major from Levelland, who ranked 10th.

Team members also include Alex Kuehler, a senior plant, soil and environmental sciences major from Groom; Cristian Camacho, a junior plant, soil and environmental sciences major from Booker; and Kassidy Langley, a junior agriculture education major from Hico.

Alternates are Christian Lockhart, a junior plant, soil and environmental sciences major from Memphis; Mia Key, a sophomore agriculture education major from Mansfield; Sanjuana “Bela” Juarez, a sophomore plant, soil and environmental sciences major from Plainview; and Tyler Schneider, a senior plant, soil and environmental sciences major from Cope, Colorado.

Selph is joined by Cade Bednarz, a graduate plant, soil and environmental sciences major student from Lubbock, on the coaching staff.

WT student to attend national leadership conference through USDA

CANYON — A first-generation West Texas A&M University student will attend a national student leadership conference in Chicago, thanks to help from the United States Department of Agriculture.

Juan Castaneda, a sophomore agricultural business and economics major from Amarillo, will attend the ¡Adelante! Leadership Institute at the 37th annual Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities’ conference, which will run Oct. 28 to 30 in Chicago.

Castaneda completed WT’s College Assistance Migrant Program, or CAMP, at the end of his freshman year and was named its 2022-23 Scholar of the Year.

USDA representatives attended CAMP’s 2023 orientation retreat in August to hear scholars’ stories of migrating within the agricultural work field. The officials also shared information about USDA programs and opportunities designed to support their academic success, including the new USDA HEP/CAMP Internship that launched nationally in 2022.

“They reached out and said they wanted to sponsor one of our students, and I thought Juan would meet their requirements and would benefit from attending because he’s interested in pursuing a job in agriculture,” said Fabiola Hernandez, CAMP director.

Castaneda said he expected the conference will be “an eye-opening opportunity for me.”

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me,” Castaneda said. “I’ll have the opportunity to meet so many students and professionals in this industry. I feel like I’ll be meeting new faces and building new connections every day.” Castaneda, a Randall High School graduate, grew up working construction and cattle jobs with his father, a seasonal worker.

The ¡Adelante Leadership Institute is a three-day career leadership and development networking symposium designed to build the career and leadership skills of undergraduate students, according to HACU. More than 500 students from the U.S. and Puerto Rico will attend presentations, workshops, luncheons, and a town hall meeting as well as meet with conference exhibitors and recruiters.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo area Our Town briefs for Oct. 29, 2023