Former Teacher Now Retired in LG Turns Author With Kids Book
Local author Carolyn Skonberg released her debut children’s book, “Itty Bitty Bugs.” Skonberg describes the book as a “journey into a schoolhouse where beetles, butterflies, crickets, and grasshoppers are the students-and the first day of school is pure chaos (the good kind). Funny, heartwarming, and secretly educational, ‘Itty Bitty Bugs’ is perfect for young readers who love funny stories and bugs.
Holiday Home & Lodging Tour Showcases Historic Gems
The Fayetteville Holiday Home and Lodging Tour will be held from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. Tickets are $20 and will be on sale at the hotel starting at 10 a.m. and at locations starting at 11 a.m. The following locations are on tour this year: The Grand Fayette Hotel, formerly the Country Place Hotel owned and operated by Clovis and Mary Ann Heimsath, was originally known as the Zapp Building, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The structure was built in 1900 by builders Stidham and Kurtz in the Romanesque Revival style for local merchant Hugo Zapp to replace a wooden building at the site which burned down. Zapp had bought a shop at this prominent location at the northwest corner of the town square in 1876. The hotel was purchased, remodeled and renamed the Grand Fayette Hotel in 2017. Houstonians Bryan and Beth Chaplin purchased it in April 2025 and have undertaken yet another transformative renovation. Beth’s grandfather and great grandfather, Edward and Thomas Hruska, served as Justices of Fayetteville, and Edward served as Mayor. Driven by local roots and a modern vision of country hospitality, their project not only includes restoration, but responsible preservation, while staying true to the history of the property.
