Friona Teacher Recognized - 1st Grade Teacher Chelsea Born (back row, second from left) was honored as the "Teacher of the Year" by the Amarillo Wranglers Hockey Club and SERVPRO of Amarillo. The award was in recognition of a hardworking teacher who has gone above and beyond in the past year! Representatives from both organizations, along with Wrangler mascot "Rough", served her first grade class lunch last Thursday. On Saturday, Chelsea was introduced at the SERVPRO Teacher Appreciation Night ceremony before the Wrangler's hockey game. See more photos on page 9.
Chamber Banquet is Tuesday
Tyleen Caffrey will host the 67th Annual Friona Chamber of Commerce & Ag Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, March 7th at the Friona Community Center. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and a steak dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. Cub Scout Troop #56 will present the colors and Madison Tyler will perform the National Anthem.
Entertainment for this year's event will be provided by Eduardo Guaderrama. He recently graduated from West Texas A&M University with a degree in music education and provided entertainment at the 2022 Miss Friona Pageant. Special guest Carolyn Wiseman will perform "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" which she sang in the talent portion of the Maize Queen's Contest she won in 1972.
The main event for the evening will be the awarding of the Man, Woman, Citizen, Employee, Teacher, Student, and Business of the Year awards. Miss Friona 2022 Kitzy Welch and Little Miss 2022 Arribelle Hernandez will assist with the presentation of the awards. The night will be capped off with the Silent and a Live Auction conducted by Tim Vessels.
Cargill of Friona is providing the steaks, Lowe's Market is cutting the steaks, and Xcel Energy is cooking the steaks. Also, Junior High & FFA students will serve the meal, FCCLA students will wrap the potatoes for baking, and the Floral Design students are constructing the centerpieces for the tables.
Individual tickets are $30 each. Gold table sponsorships are available for $600 and include seating for 8. Call the Chamber office at 806-250-3491 for tickets or more information. The Frionaopoly board game will be available for purchase and tickets for the 30 in 30 gun raffle to be held during the month of April will also be available.
Show up Hungry - St. Teresa of Jesus Church will host its annual Mexican Dinner on Sunday, March 5 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the parish hall. The meal consists of two enchiladas, one taco, beans, rice, salad, dessert, chips & salsa, with tea and coffee. Donations are $14.00 for adults and $7.00 for children under 10. Take-out available. See you there.
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Future looks Dry - The U.S. seasonal drought outlook over the next few months, shows small improvements in drought are expected in East Texas along with drought persistence and expansion in the rest of the state. By the end of May, the National Weather Service expects most of Texas to be back in drought. Currently, Parmer County is listed as being in a severe and extreme drought.
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March 3rd is Dress in Blue Day - This special day encourages everyone to learn about the causes of colon cancer and raise awareness by wearing blue. Much like the pink ribbon represents those lost to breast cancer, a blue star honors the memory of those lost to colon cancer. In the United States, colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in both men and women. The lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is about 1 in 23 for men and 1 in 26 for women.
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Interested in donating to Snack Pak 4 Kids? - There are two ways to donate to Snack Pak 4 Kids - Friona: (1) Donate online. If you want the money to go towards Friona schools, please specify that on the online form. Link to donate online: https://sp4k.org/donate/ (2) Mail a check. Make check out to Snack Pak 4 Kids. If you want your donation to go to the Friona program, please specify that in the note/memo line of your check. Mail check to SP4K, 701 Park Place Ave., Amarillo, TX, 79101.
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Time 2 Laugh - (1) Where does the sheep get his hair cut? The baa baa shop! (2) Why are ghosts such bad liars? Because they are easy to see through. Source: https://www.rd.com/list/short-jokes.
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National Days
March 2 - Read Across America Day
March 3 - Dress in Blue Day
March 4 - Pound Cake Day
March 5 - Multiple Personality Day
March 6 - Dentist's Day
March 7 - Cereal Day
March 8 - Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day
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Spring is fast approaching, and the City has many projects that are kicking off in the next few months. One of the administrative improvements coming to City Hall in April is the ability to pay your water bill online through our website or by phone. This is a 21st century upgrade that the city administration has looked forward to implementing since the pandemic.
City officials met with TxDOT in mid-February to discuss traffic control and projects in the City. One project that has come out of that meeting is the possibility of adding a stop light at the intersection of 5th Street and Highway 60. Over the next few weeks, the City will be conducting a traffic survey and a speed survey to gather data for TxDOT. The City hopes to reduce the inbound speed of traffic into town.
The housing development project west of Prairie Acres has broken ground. The first set of houses (three) is scheduled for the early fall of 2023. In other construction news, seal coating will begin in the late spring. Also, the Building Standards Commission met in February to discuss seven properties that are in need of attention. The City Council will review their recommendations at the April meeting.
The three city council incumbents for this year's election are unopposed therefore canceling the City's election. Those returning to the Friona City Council for another two-year term are Mayor Pro Tem Alan Monroe, Council Member Bruce Fleming and Council Member Esmeralda Mills.
The City is soliciting bids for the bathroom renovation project at the community center and for a daycare service project. Both projects have a submission deadline of Friday, March 3, 2023. For more information, please visit Friona City Hall or go to www.cityoffriona.com/bidsrfps.
I invite everyone out to the Chamber of Commerce Banquet on Tuesday, March 7th. Emma Rector and the Chamber Board have worked day and night over the past few months to prepare for this year's event, themed "There's No Place Like Home." Tickets are available at the chamber office.