Waldeck Church Picnic Sunday

The Waldeck annual picnic and meal will be held this Sunday, May 21 at Waldeck Lutheran Church. There will be a barbecue pork steak meal served from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 per plate and a drawing will also be held with the price at $20 per ticket or 3 for $50. Tickets are available at the Martin Luther Lutheran Church office in and Carmine State Bank.

Decoration/Memorial Service Carmine Cemetery Decoration/ Memorial Service is this Sunday, May 21 at 2 p.m. in the pavilion at the cemetery.

La Bahia Cemetery Decoration service is May 28 at 2 p.m. at the cemetery.

Pastor Tinker is charge of both services.

RT-C School News

RT-C baseball team defeated High Island 17-7 and advanced to the Regional Quarterfinals where they beat Leakey last week 11-0 and now advance to play Fayetteville.

Round Top-Carmine ISD has announced the top students in the senior class of 2023.

Valedictorian is Kannyn Goehring, son of Blake and Christie Goehring. He plans to attend Texas A&M University in College Station this fall and major in Kinesiology.

Salutatorian is Jacob Polasek, son of Dana and the late Michael Polasek. He plans to attend Texas State Technical College in Waco and major in plumbing.

Honor graduates are Somerlin Coil, Rylee Handy, Leonardo Monticello-Navarrete, Sophie Rauch, Hunter Schobel, Rylan Stork, and Charlee Wessels.

Teacher Appreciation Day was May 2.

Bingo for Seniors

Bingo for Seniors (60 and older plus guests) will be held this Sunday, May 21 from 2-4 p.m. at the Ledbetter Community Center. It is on the third Sunday this month due to Mother’s Day on the second Sunday. Cost is $5 per card, which covers 10 plus games and prizes. Chips, snacks, and drinks are available for a freewill donation. This is a nonprofit community event for entertainment.

Carmine EDC

The Carmine EDC is sponsoring a Memorial Day Ceremony at the Carmine City Park on Monday, May 29 from 9-10 a.m. The roster of our deceased veterans will be read. Light refreshments will be served following the playing of Taps. You may want to bring a lawn chair.

For any veteran with Carmine connection, buried in Fayette or Washington Counties, to be added to the roster, call (979) 278-3070.

Carmine Hall Fundraiser The Cedar Creek Schuetzen Verein, also known as the Carmine Hall, will be conducting a monthly gun and gift card drawing on the third Tuesday of each month from September 2023 through August 2024. Three tickets will be drawn each month: two for guns and one for a $500 gift card. They are working to raise some funds for maintenance and future major renovation of the historic dance hall. Tickets are $100 each and only 500 tickets will be sold. Winning tickets each month will be placed back in for future drawings. You must be 18 or older to win a long gun and 21 or older to win a pistol. All winners must be in compliance with Federal Firearms Regulations. In the event all tickets are not sold, Carmine Hall reserves the right to return all monies collected. For tickets and information on guns, call (512) 431-8871 or (979) 542-8312.

Carmine History, Part 2 Blacksmith Shops were in operation in the early 1900s. One was located on south Hauptstrasse north of the Carmine State Bank possibly owned by a Mr. Sampson. Another was owned by a Mr. Kristen, of which no other information is known at this time. Willie Oberrender’s Blacksmith Shop was located in a lean-to on the east side of the tall building at 125 Augsburg Ave. Hugo Ebner worked in his shop at 131 E. Thigpen from the 1910s until the 1960s. The last known Blacksmith Shop was owned by Nelson Krause from the mid 1940s until 1981. The shop was at the Carmine “Y” which is south of Carmine. He also worked on tractors.

The first Cotton Gin was opened about 1889 by Benjamin Thigpen, according to Tony Buban in “A History of Carmine.” Frank Eichler and Louie Peal began a gin operation soon after. It became Ponfick and L. Siebel in 1901. Then Lonnie Siebel was the proprietor and it was known as Siebel’s Gin. It was open until the 1960s. Emil Eichler’s gin was probably built in the 1910s and was dismantled in the 1960s. It was located on the west side of South Hauptstrasse.

The Carmine Cotton Oil Company was built about December 1913. Cotton seed was pressed for the oil.

A Funeral Home, known as an Undertaking Parlor, was owned by Henry Haberlein and William O. Neumann in the 1910s. The building still stands at 214 S. Hauptstrasse. They built caskets, and it was also a furniture store.

The first Newspaper published was the “Carmine Enterprise” in the 1890s. It was owned by a man named Mitchell and covered local, state, and national news. In 1900 Henry Menn and Albert Goerdel bought the paper and re-named it “Our New Century,” until approximately 1912. E. W. Hoppe managed a paper called the “Carmine Times” in 1913. Later Mr. Hoppe published a paper semi-monthly, but this was chiefly an advertising circular, though it did contain items of interest for the public. This paragraph is from “A History of Carmine.”

Watch for Part 3.

Carmine VFD

Carmine Volunteer Fire Department drill night is May 11 at 7 p.m. Volunteers and interested persons are always welcome to attend.

The Firemen’s Feast will be held the third Sunday in July with a drive-through fried chicken meal and a drawing.

Remember to place house numbers where they can easily be seen during the day and at night.

Carmine Heritage Committee The Carmine Heritage Committee will not meet in June. The next quarterly meeting will be September 6 in the museum at 10 a.m.

Meals on Wheels

Senior Citizens Meals on Wheels with Combined Community Action meet every Wednesday at Martin Luther Lutheran Church Mission and Ministry Building located at 250 Augsburg Ave., Carmine, TX 78932.

Come early to play dominoes and enjoy the camaraderie. Hours are 9-11:30 a.m.

Food usually arrives about 10 a.m. and is for pick-up only until 11:30 a.m. There are five meals in a box along with milk, dessert, and bread. Cost is a donation of $10, which makes it $2 per meal. It is for seniors age 60 and up.

To sign up, come by on any Wednesday morning to fill out the paperwork. For more information, call Marilyn Wagner at (979) 277-4134.

MLLC News

Saturday worship with Holy Communion is at 6 p.m.

Sunday School is Sunday at 9 a.m.

Sunday worship with Holy Communion, observing the Ascension Sunday is at 10 a.m. Praise The service will be on the mllccarmine. com website. The Rev. David Tinker is the pastor.

Carmine Cemetery Decoration Service is Sunday at 2 p.m.

Baccalaureate Service is Sunday at 5 p.m.

Recycle Trailer

The Recycling trailer is at the Carmine Hall on Thursdays from noon until 4 p.m.

The trailer is in Ledbetter from 8:30-11 a.m., also on Thursdays, behind the Ledbetter Fireman’s Hall.

Visitors Center

Carmine Chamber of Commerce Visitors’ Center at the restored Train Depot is open on the second and fourth Fridays and Saturdays of the month from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Birthdays

Birthday wishes are extended to Sierra Richard and Mary Zajicek-May 16; Emily Kelley-May 17; Christy Eilers Kelley-May 18; Brad Eilers- May 19; Whitney Hinze, Amanda Leppard, and Marlene Waak-May 20; and Jenell Jaster-May 22.

Have News?

If you have news for the Carmine column, email w5ten@industryinet.com.