This is the latest installment of our new antiques column, which continues a tale started in the Jan. 6 issue So there I was on the phone, talking with a total stranger about the most important collector quality doorknob known to man – or woman.

Fayette County 4-H members competed in the Kendall County Livestock Judging Contest on Friday, Jan. 9.

The 5th annual Texas Blacksmithing Exposition & the Hume L. Baker Texas Antique Gas Engine Reunion events will be held on January 24, 2026, at the Texas Czech Heritage & Cultural Center’s Czech Village grounds in La Grange. The grounds open at 9 a.m. on Saturday and the event begins at 10 a.m.

Arts for Rural Texas kicks off a new year of gallery exhibitions with Stephen Henry’s solo show: Paintings, Prints, and Peculiar Pieces. An opening reception will be held Saturday, January 17 from 4 - 6 p.m. at the ARTS Ross Gallery on Fayetteville’s town square.

All A Honor Roll 3rd Grade Balderas, Consuelo Barbosa, Evalyn Brade, Allyson Brugger, Ruth Caceres Anaya, Cesar Castaneda, Malaya Denham, Hunter Dipple, Myer Duran, Eli Fillman, Emmeline Gutierrez, Abigail Hernandez, Wyatt Hull, Dawson Kadlecek, Stevi Kulhanek, Milam Leer, Karter Lemus, Ruthie Lopez, Mateo Luna, Elian Martinez, Xander Mings, Tucker Nino Fuentes, Daleyza Otto, Charli Rios, Melissa Ulrich, Walker Womack, Teddy Zaruba, Jordy 4th Grade Adamcik, Boone’ Galindo, Jose Gue, Yihe Hajovsky, Frank Hernandez, Sophia Iraheta, Adam Le Vinh Tien Lloyd, Lauren Maldonado, Samuel Martinez, Leonardo Mcaleer, Tallula McCullough, Reagan Mikulin, Holly Oates, Addison Ponce Moreno, William Smidovec, Krugher Thompson, Desiray Walker, Kolby Zuniga, Stephanie 5th Grade Alley, Addison Anaya Narabjo, Evelyn Biles, Julia Brugger, Lillian Collins, David Crowely, Charlotte Estrada, Christopher Faldyn, Hailey Gommert, Aubrey Green, Clayton Hayes, Austin Hayes, Cameron Hepner, Aden Hrbacek, Coral Jenkins, Zionna Kerr, Olivia Klesel, Mckinley Lehmann, John Lehmann, Kash Lopez, Gabriela Maldonado, Kami McKee, Sutton Merlos, Evelyn Pittman, Harper Roberts, River Schmidt, Eleanor Scott, Lauryn Truex, Kolt Velazquez Castillo, Cassandra Vollbaum, Finley York, Devyn Zarosky, Mckenna 6th Grade Aguilar Soto, Hannah Arnold, Annabel Brown, Jaylee Eichler, Abbigale Elston, Kylie Fritsch, Trip Gutierrez, Audelia Harrison, Amya Lloyd, Philip Meneses, Sofia Pietsch, Lily Rhodes, Amari Ulrich, Everett A/B Honor Roll 3rd Grade Aguilar Soto, Antonio Bryant, Easton Campos, Aliyah Chavis, Kenneth Corona Ibarra, Sebastian Cruz, Javier Davis, Ayden Denham, Tucker Garcia, Marisol Grim, Jayce Gunter, Emberly Hearitige, Emma Heimann, Dallas Kallus, Isaiah LaFerney, Koraline Lincke, Nathan Long, Juleeanne Martinez, Hector McKenzie, Mariyah Merlos, Evan Owens, Ezekiel Perkins, Ja’Bria Peschel, Bennett Rhodes, Wade Rosales, Brayden Sandoval, Jose Sauceda, Logan Schnell, Sophie Schramm, Kortlynd Simmons, Garrison Simmons, Jackson Smith, Ragan Sneed, Kalyn Sotelo Venancio, Sophia Soto, Emily Sprouse, Paisley Storm, Logan Torres Arellano, Jose Truex, Emmett Vasek, Quinn Veitch, Roman Villanueva Fuentes, Stella Walter, Suri Wostarek, Brooklyn York, Micah 4th Grade Alley, Savannah Barnett, Nora Bayless, Bowman Benavides Danica Bishop, Griffin Blanco, Lorelei Byrd, Zy’Airah Cano, Iker Carey, Maxwell Dittert, Brooks Gerdes, Teighlor Gonzalez, Jonathan Gonzalez, Leila Hayes, Waylon Herbrich, Everly Hernandez, Alexander Hernandez, Tyler Hernandez Saucedo, Gema Huette, Lilah Johnson, Berkley Jordy, Jackson Kallus, Gabriella Kindsvatter, Emma Kindsvatter, Lindsay Luna, Ericka McMullin, Makena Medina Liam Menefee, Colby Morin, Bailey Mouton, Lyllah Muniz Grimes, Niomi Murphy, Landry Neeley, Aryan Orona, Ismael Penland, Jacob Perales, Armani Pohl, Myles Pool, Blaze Ramirez, Aurora Rios, Leah Rodriguez, Esmeralda Roesler, Vivian Runnels, Sa’Nyiah Sawyer, David Scarborough, Opie Schneider, Kynsley Smith, Julie Soto, Dalary Supak, Jesse Tavarez, Raelen Thomison, Kinsley Tiemann, Andrew Torres, Lilia Turman, Gracelynn Ulrich, Kyle Villanueva, Miles Walla, Amelia Wright, Sidney Yanis, Josiah Zabriskie, Grayson 5th Grade Aldaco Marin, Angel Armstead, Eliana Ball, Caroline Barcenas-Galindo, Ketzally Barron, Mia Bayless, Graci Bowers, Kinsley Braun, Jessy Brown, Wynter Buscha, Kinley Cabrera, Daniel Cardenas, Maximus Corona Ibarra, Sophia Dixon, Harper Flores, Annaliyah Flores, Dailany Garcia, Adriana Garner, Maliyaah Greene, Jaxion Guajardo Sandoval,Juan Jose Handy, Jude Harrison, Davian Haynie, Levi Hearitige, Jaxo Hernandez, Isabella Hernandez, Nevaeh Hernandez Osornio, Carina Hopkins, Dawson Jasek, Ace Keegan, Kolton Kelley, Colton Lavelle, Mackenzie Lehmann, Caleb Martinez Ortiz, Natalia Maze, Hunter Mckenzie, Amari McKenzie, Erianna Mercer, Jayden Mock, Kevin Paden, Connor Patschke, Hunter Ponce Moreno, Diego Price, Rykur Ramirez, Nicolas Rios, Vanessa Salas, Christian Sarabia de Leon, Victor Sifuentes Montalvo, Jeremy Soto Christen, Amarie Stephens, Asher Stevens, Savannah Taylor, Rad Thomas, Pete Von Minden, Jensen Votaw, Michaela Wagner, Landon Wagnon, Walker Walter, Maddox Watkins, Kinsley Wick, Penn Williams, Julius Wolff, Emerli Womack, Bella Woodworth, Timothy Zaruba, Jacoby 6th Grade Barron, Dana Blanco, Arya Brown, Eli Burkey Karley Canada, Ally Chapa, Ariana Craft, D’Niyah Cruz, Miguel Daniels, Kye Dybala, Skyla Embesi, Grace Esquivel, Isaiah Faris, Remington Feedman, Ruby Friemel, Vyvynne Fryer, Grant Galindo, Analise Galindo, Isabella Gonzales, Chrisabella Gonzalez, Iliana Gooch, Ambri Gordon, Emma Grimes, Ila Hall, Berkley Handy, Taylor Hartley, Cooper Herbrich, Riley Hernandez, Bella Hernandez, Daniel Hernandez, Kenya Holladay, Corri Hutchins, Audrey Justus, Charlotte Kutchka, Kolbie La Ferney, Kady Landreth, Trystan Ledwik, Keegan Leer, Blakely Marulanda, Ariana Mcaleer, Eamon McBroom, Elsyse McCord, Shay McKenzie, Maliyah Moore, Kayla Morales, Andrea Murphy, Langley Norwood, Leila Oliva, Chloe Ortiz, Marissa Padilla Vasquez, Katherine Perez, Desi Pietsch, Audrey Plowman, Aubrie Price, Crew Rivas, Aya Rosas, Olivia Sanchez, Josselin Sanchez, Renteria Angel Schramm, Styne Sneed, Karlie Stott, Gage Supak, Colby Tarter, Wyatt Thomas, Jack Torres, Jayden Torres Arellano, Marco Tuck, Bella Tyson, Anabelle Urban, Joseph Vasquez, Ajpacaja Santos Villalobos, Layla Wallace, Sean Zingelmann, Scarlett.

Anderson, Hannah Marie Asher, Khyler James Banks, Lily Margaret Blanco, Lillyanna Boehm, Alyssa Anne Brawley, Kyndal Lynn Brock, Ryder Dean Castaneda Guel, Daisy Cernosek, Abby Claire Cowen, Lyla Rose Davis, Holden Alexander Delarosa, Anabella Leya Emmel, Makenna J Espinoza Gallegos, Sasha Finch, Tanner Lawrence Friemel, Gabriel Henry Garcia, Alex Javier Griffin, Adeline Kay Griffin, Harper Suzanne Gutierrez, Raylee Kate Hollek, Gabriella Elizabeth Huysman, Peyton Alexis Janca, Candyn Jay Kallus, Kenlie Josephine-Kinsey, Sarita Kay Laake, Laramie Lathe Lira, Carolina Pearl Lopez Sanchez, Ivan De Jesus McCullough, Paul Michael Melton, Julia Deanne Mitchell, Hannah Michelle Romero, Angel Tristan Sanders, Tytan James Stephens, Camille Rose Taylor, Gracie Ruth Taylor, Tristan Fox Teets, Arriana Marie Torres, Jazlyn Alexi Veitch, Briella Nadalye Yanis, Kayden Laine

W hat’s a better way to start the new year than with world championship barbecue? For Jason and Nicole Vasut and their Fayette County Go Texan team, that dream will soon be a reality. The opportunity comes after the team claimed the overall championship title at the Fayette County Sheriff’s Posse Go Texan BBQ Cookoff contest held in April, earning them the chance to represent Fayette County on barbecue’s biggest stage, the 2026 Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo World Championship BBQ Cookoff, set for February 26–28.

The “A Matter of Balance” (AMoB) series will be conducted starting Tuesday, Feb. 17. The AMoB is a series of eight 1½ hour sessions which will be conducted each Tuesday and Thursday from 3 - 4:30 p.m. through March 12 at the Randolph Recreational Center, Building B, 653 East Pearl Street in La Grange. This is a program which is a partnership of the Area Agency on Aging, Fayette County Committee on Aging, and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service of Fayette County.

The Sacred Heart Altar Society members met on Monday Jan. 5 in the Msgr. Harry Mazurkiewicz Parish Center. The meeting was opened with a prayer followed by the standard financial reports. Members were reminded that dues for the 2026 year are now due. Two thank you notes were read for remembrances received. Eighteen ladies attended the meeting.

The 2026 Chili Cook-Off is this Saturday beginning at 12 p.m. at the Round Top Rifle Hall. Be sure to wear your Red, White & Blue when you join the fun Over 30 teams are signed up to compete in this year’s exciting cook-off competition with prize money for the first place teams in the Traditional Division and Open Division. Black Cat Choir will delight the crowd with their amazing live music and there are lots of things planned for your little ones.