Spaghetti Dinner on Sept. 22 Benefits Winchester 4-H Club

The Winchester Area Civic Association will be preparing the spaghetti dinner to benefit the Winchester 4-H Club on Sunday, Sept. 22 beginning at 11 a.m. The benefit is a “free will” donation, and you may either eat in or drive thru. You can email Barb Schafer at richardbarbschafer@gmail. com as to items needed for the fundraiser.

BBQ Cookoff 

The BBQ Cookoff is scheduled for Oct. 11-12 in Winchester. Get your teams registered for this fun event. The cookoff will not be utilizing the land behind Shorty’s Bar this year but has planned for other locations, in Winchester, to set up your teams and pits. Categories for this year’s cookoff will be meats, brisket, pork spareribs (no baby backs), and chicken; jackpot open; jackpot beans (pinto beans), and bloody marys. Entry for meat category is $150. Entries for beans and bloody marys is $20 each. For more information contact Jake Franke at (979) 966-7416 or Trish Herzog at (979) 6391517. Make checks payable to Shorty’s Bar. All proceeds will go to Meals on Wheels Rural Capital Area to help feed older adults. Come on out and support this very important cause.

Benefit for Dana Srubar An evening to benefit Dana Srubar in her battle against Metastatic Carcinoma is being held on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Shorty’s Bar in Winchester. Pulled pork sandwiches and sausage wraps will be available for purchase at 5 p.m. A live auction will start and 6 p.m. followed with music by Jeff Kimey at 8 p.m. Dana is the daughter of Joyce Herzog of Winchester. For more information contact Trish Herzog at (979) 639-1517 or Nikki Gooch at (979) 966-8144.

Scarecrow Fun Run 

The run is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 26 with an 8:30 a.m. start time. Start planning to participate in the fall fun run with the whole family. Scarecrows will be along the route, and you can come dressed in a scarecrow costume and compete in the “Best” scarecrow costume contest. All proceeds from the Run/Walk will benefit the Winchester Area Civic Association’s Scholarship Fund. If you are interested in sponsoring the event or would like to participate, please contact Michele Weth at sweetcity@ aol.com or Karen Derr at karencderr@gmail.com.

Faith Lutheran’s Oktoberfest Faith Lutheran High School’s annual Oktoberfest will be Saturday, Oct. 28. New this year will be The Battle of the Vines, in addition to The Battle of the Brew - both are home brew competitions, so start planning your brews now. Returning will be the traditional German meal, domino tournament, cornhole tournament, music, kids’ games, fellowship, and lots of fun!

Financial Peace University Saint Michael’s Lutheran Church in Winchester will be offering Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University during the months of September and October. Financial Peace University is a comprehensive financial education program designed to help individuals and families create a plan for getting out of debt, managing their money, and building wealth. This nine-week course will be held every Wednesday in September and October at Saint Michael’s Park. A meal will be served at 6 p.m. and the class itself will run from 6:30-8 p.m. The cost for the course is $79 but anyone who has previously taken the class can participate again for free. If you would like to sign up, please contact Pastor Nate Hill at pastor@stmichaelswinchester. org or at (979) 9668036. Community Service Award The Winchester Area Civic Association is announcing a new award to be presented to an individual, group, organization, or business who has made a significant contribution in furthering the WACA work of community service. Nominees are to be residents of the greater Winchester area or if a business, their business area must include Winchester. Only current members of WACA may make a nomination through a written resume of the nominee’s contribution. Applications must be submitted by Nov. 1 to the current WACA secretary. The award will be presented at the annual WACA Christmas party. More information will be forthcoming in future columns.

Round Table Book Club The Round Table Book Club will not meet in July or August and has set the September meeting for Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. The selection for reading is “The Berry Pickers” by Amanda Peters. Please mark your calendars.

75th Anniversary Calendar In celebration of the75th anniversary of Winchester Community Center & Winchester Civic Association the association is working on a historic calendar to sell for 2025. Funds will be used for building maintenance/painting or scholarships. The association is looking for historic Winchester area pictures, buildings, people, family, or events. If you have any pictures that you might like included, please call Michele Weth at (281) 435-9245. Your pictures will be scanned and returned to you.

Winchester Quilt Block Trail Drive out to Winchester, pick up a map at Murphy’s or Zilss Hall, and enjoy viewing the 65 quilt blocks displayed in our area on the Quilt Block Trail. The trail is self-driven, available at your convenience, and is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon viewing quilt blocks on fences, gates, barns, and houses that can be seen from the road. Winchester Barn Board Quilt Trail maps may be picked up at the Texas Quilt Museum, Casino Hall, the Wendish Museum, quilt stores, and other businesses in Giddings, Smithville, and La Grange.

Recycling Trailer 

The Winchester Recycling trailer is located on the side of Zilss Hall on Memorial Hall Street. Please place your recycling in the appropriate bins. We would appreciate it if you made sure that you close the bins so that any trash will remain in the bins and not blow out.

Zilss Community Hall 

Anyone wishing to rent Zilss Hall should contact (512) 434-0292. The hall is inexpensive and air conditioned. The hall is now available for rentals.

The Little Free Library The library is on the covered patio at Hall and is always open and has a variety of authors. Space is limited, so please, if you donate a book(s) look through the current selection and take as many as you leave. Also on the patio, there is a bulletin board available to post event notices.

Birthdays 

Wishing happy birthdays to Bryn Hatton and Texas Short-Sept. 3; Brittni Adams and Nicholas Puerta-4; Kelly Franke-5; Casey Fajkus-7; Amanda Hankemeier, P. J. Pierce; and Arturo Maldonado -9.

Anniversaries 

Anniversary congratulations are sent out to Karen and Robert Derr-Sept. 4; Mindy and Greg Fryer-6; and Diana and Greg Roeber-8 First United Methodist The Winchester First United Methodist Church has service on the first and third Sunday of the month at 9 a.m. Richard Johnson is the interim pastor.

Shiloh Baptist Church 

The Shiloh Baptist Church is located on FM 153 at North Raymond Road. For more information, please contact Rev. Paul Whitmill at (512) 6291428. St. Michael’s Lutheran The weekly worship service takes place at 9 a.m. on Sunday morning in the sanctuary. Following the worship service, you may gather in the Education Building for Bible Study and Sunday School beginning at 10:15 a.m. The Reverend Nate Hill is the pastor. You are welcome to visit.

In Our Prayers 

Kourtney Burton, Sam Gibbs, Bea Kilian, Ramona Lopez, Travis Miertschin, Colton Montgomery, Dana Srubar, Layne Schramm, and Sharon Teinert.

Remembering Our Shut-Ins Charlene Franke, Evelyn Kasper, Lillian Pietsch, Thelma Kieschnick, Audrey Koenning, Marie, and Raymond Schulz.

Calendar of Events 

Sept. 10-Young at Heart meets at 2 p.m. at Zilss Hall.

Sept. 10-Winchester Area Volunteer Fire Department meeting at 7 p.m. at the Fire Station.

Sept. 17- Round Table Book Club meets at 7 p.m. at the fire station.

Sept. 22-WACA/Winchester 4-H Fundraiser beginning at 11 p.m. at Zilss Hall.

Sept. 24-Young at Heartmeets at 2 p.m. at Zilss Hall.

Sept. 24-Winchester Area Volunteer Fire Department meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Fire Station.

Have News? 

If anyone has news to share with readers of the Winchester News column, contact Rhoda Gersch at (512) 2370842 or email rmgersch@yahoo. com.