La Grange’s Hermes Wins Moulton Chamber Award

A Hallettsville native who today calls La Grange home, a popular polka band performer, the president of a club that’s dedicated to things most folks have never heard of before and a manager at the Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center got named the 2023 Moulton Chamber Appreciation Award winner Sunday, March 3, when the group gathered at the Geier-Merrem American Legion Hall in Moulton for its 74th annual event.

Thankfully, every one of those descriptions just so happen to describe one guy, and what a guy he has become in what’s nearing two-and-a-half decades since he made his first appearances at the annual Moulton Jamboree.

Mark Hermes accepted his award Sunday before a packed Legion hall of admirers gathered for the annual Moulton Chamber banquet, which he attended alongside his wife Ashley and their two children, Wyatt and Lara.

A Hallettsville native who attended the Sacred Heart Catholic School, Hermes and his family make their home in La Grange today where he serves as manager of the Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center. In his time off, you tend to find him on the road as a member of the popular polka band, The Czechaholics, playing picnics and fairgrounds across South Texas, or you might find him out tinkering with one of his latest restoration projects as president of the South Texas Wheel Spinners and Crank Twisters Antique Farm Equipment Club.

One thing’s certain, however. He was nowhere near that cool back in 1997 when he attended his first Jamboree antique tractor and engine show as a spectator, out behind the old KC Hall in Moulton (a private hall today, better known as the Moulton Oaks).

Little did he suspect then, at just 20 years of age, that in just two short years he might become president of the local antique tractor club, or that 23 years later it would be a title he still held, planning events like the Tractor ride through Moulton each Jamboree in July, or that he’d be heading up events like the annual Tug-ATractor, a mind-over-machinery type sport that has become one of the local highlights of the Jamboree each year.

“The tractor events are an integral part of our summer festival as they add entertainment, nostalgia and fun, attracting people from all over,” Chamber president Anna Bartos said. “The Chamber executive board appreciates the work of everyone in the club, especially the dedication, passion, and persistence of our honored guests. We are so happy to have him join us here tonight.”

Since 1998 the chamber has recognized individuals in the community who go above and beyond in service for the Chamber with the Chamber Appreciation Award. This service could be at one event, multiple events, or over the course of the whole year. The efforts are voluntary and selfless.

“Our honoree tonight has actually volunteered countless hours for the Chamber over the last 23 years, and while some years were easier than others, we cannot deny what a wonderful asset his work has been for us and our Jamboree,” Bartos said.