SUNDAY March 8, 2020
Dive on in to this issue with interesting things you might not know about the Upper East Side of Texas. Be sure to check out the new content and enjoy the archives on our new website !
One of the preservations in Emory Heritage Park is the Point Cotton Gin scales building, dated from the 1920s. Read more about the park HERE. Photo by Ine Burke
FEATURES
In late March and early April, the flowering pink and white dogwood trees in East Texas rank among the state’s most beautiful attractions, and now they’re also home to the forest’s tiniest creatures, the fairies.
LIFESTYLE & ENTERTAINMENT
On September 24, 1964, The Munsters TV show aired their first episode. The show depicted the home life of a family of funny "monsters." Although no more episodes were made after 1966, the family that lives at 1313 Mockingbird Lane in the fictional suburb of Mockingbird Heights in California is still entertaining fans in reruns. For those that want a more interactive view of the "Munsters" they might consider checking out Munster Mansion in Waxahachie.
DESTINATION COUNTY LINE
The sixth annual motorized barstool races take place beginning at 2:45 p.m. March 14 in downtown Ben Wheeler during the town’s Saint P’s 279 Street Party. Participants race their motorized barstools down a small strip of Highway 279. Each barstool is built offsite by the rider following the rules provided by The Barstool Riders Association. The racers are competing for first prize cups, but more importantly, the notoriety and bragging rights of winning this renowned competition. While the barstool races are the main attraction, the rest of day is filled with festivities for the whole family all within the downtown area.
THIS TIME OF YEAR
Boogie Woogie Man
David Alexander Elam was born on March 10, 1938, and grew up in Marshall, Texas. He is known as Dave Alexander and also by his stage name Omar Shariff. He became a legendary Boogie Woogie and blues performer who recorded five albums and performed in the U.S. and abroad. On Martin Luther King Day in 2011, the NPR Radio program "All Things Considered" broadcast a segment about Marshall, Texas, as the birthplace of the Boogie Woogie style of piano playing. The broadcast described how Dr. John Tennison, a Boogie Woogie musicologist in San Antonio, shared his knowledge of the history of Boogie Woogie with the citizens of Marshall and located Alexander in Sacramento. Alexander relocated back to his hometown of Marshall in 2010 and some fans of the music style began promoting Marshall as a city instrumental in development of Boogie Woogie, hosting concerts frequently to this day. Until his death January 8, 2012 in Marshall, Alexander was the most beloved performer at the events. The video above is his welcome home concert in June of 2010 which highlights his enormous talent.
ARTS & CULTURE
The Hit Men are five musicians who recorded and/or toured with the artists whose hits they play — including the biggest names in rock history from Paul McCartney and Elton John, to Frankie Valli, Foreigner, The Who, Toto, Carole King, Cat Stevens, Jim Croce, The Rascals and more. They appear on some 85 albums, many of them gold and platinum. They are the actual artists heard in concert and on the original versions of classic rock’s most important songs. The supergroup at 7:30 p.m. March 14 at the Greenville Municipal Auditorium.
SPECKLED CROW
Covering the Arts Across the Upper East Side of Texas
Gallery Main Street in Tyler is showcasing works by Caldwell Arts Academy students from March 5 through April 7 at the gallery’s new location inside Plaza Tower, located at 110 N. College Avenue.
 
FOOD & DRINKS
Tucked into a tiny historic building off the downtown courthouse square in Emory, Texas, is Stefanos Greek Kouzina & Pastry Shop. This authentic cafe pulls out all the stops to give guests a little piece of Greece right in the middle of the Upper East Side of Texas
FEAST TEXAS
Sitting in Oxbow Bakery on a Friday afternoon, guests see a steady stream of customers continues pouring in the front door looking for just the right flavor of heavenly pie. Nestled along Caddo Creek in Old Town Palestine — a charming district located about two blocks west of the Anderson County courthouse — the Oxbow was built in the 1900s as an old mule barn. In 2009 it was transformed into Oxbow and today it’s operated by a mother-and-son team -- Becky and David Wolfe.
EVENT PICKS
FEATURED ATTRACTION
The official railroad of Texas offers daily excursions.
"The best way to predict the future is to create it."
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Feel free to send story ideas, poems, letters, and beautiful photography from the region to editor@countylinemagazine.com. Let us know what you enjoy most about this area.
HOW TO REACH US
County Line Magazine
PO Box 608
Ben Wheeler, TX 75754
Office: (903) 963-1101
Text: (903) 312-9556
info@countylinemagazine.com
www.countylinemagazine.com