The Carmine Chamber of Commerce Christmas Fest will be held on Dec. 6 from 10 a.m.

Jase Douglas Evans celebrated his first birthday with his parents, Ryan and Kelly Evans, along with his grandparents, Donna and Robert Evans. Even with COVID-19 restrictions, the little guy enjoyed his first birthday celebration and really loved his birthday present, a little John Deere ride on tractor. He is definitely a tractor boy and took to riding it immediately with his John Deere cap on.

The Winchester Area Civic Association has determined that the Community Christmas Party will not be held this December because of COVID-19. However, WACA will sponsor a Christmas Outdoor Decorating Contest for the Winchester area. First, second and third place prizes will be awarded. If you are interested in participating in the outdoor decorating please let Richard Schafer, Chairman, know by Dec. 15 by emailing richardbarbschafer@gmail.com. Judging will be conducted on Dec. 19.

Giddings Times & News • The Giddings Volunteer Fire Department was paged out to an early morning house fire that claimed the lives of a local couple on Nov. 23 at 1:45 a.m.

New directional signage has been installed across the City of La Grange along Highway 71 Business and Highway 77 indicating important places and landmarks throughout the community. The project was funded by the La Grange Economic Development Corporation to encourage tourism and promote economic growth by assisting visitors and new community members navigate around town.

I just want to start this off with saying that I hope y’all had a fantastic Thanksgiving and to give y’all the light at the end of the tunnel with 2020 coming to an end in just 30 days. With the end of the year coming around I thought I would go through the back logs and find a few questions that couldn’t fill out an entire article by themselves.

Marquis Who’s Who, the world’s premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Fayette County native Rodney C. Koenig, Esq., with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Mr. Koenig celebrates many years’ experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his field. As in all Marquis Who’s Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

At a meeting last Wednesday, Fayette County Commissioners roughed out a plan to declare the old La Grange First Baptist Church as a district court auxiliary branch location. The designation will allow District Judge Jeff Steinhauser to hold jury trials at the former church sanctuary.

Fayette County Commissioners decided to hold off on issuing a burn ban at their meeting last Wednesday. Commissioners surveyed area fire chiefs a few days before the meeting, and some of the chiefs recommended a burn ban.

This Thursday, Dec. 3. from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. the 13th annual wassail tasting and Christmas extravaganza Schmeckenfest 2020 will be hosted on the Fayette County Courthouse Square and will be adapted to meet social distancing and safety standards. There will be different wassails to sample from over 20 local participating businesses and organizations, paperless voting for your favorite wassail by app, delicious holiday treats for sale, and giveaways.