Holidays

Juneteenth -- June 19th -- is the anniversary of the official ending of slavery in the United States.  It was on that date in 1865 that Union Army General Gordon Granger landed in Galveston, and proclaimed the Emancipation Proclamation that abolished slavery and freed the slaves in the 10 Confederate states.

Most of America might look forward to Memorial Day because it gives us a three-day break from our hectic work lives and an excuse to grill great gobs of red meat over an open pit, but it’s intentions are much nobler.

Galveston has a new attraction that's definitely designed to draw tourists of all ages to the Island City. It's a $60 million dollar Pleasure Pier on Seawall Boulevard, built by developer and hospitality king Tilman Fertitta.

With the long Memorial Day weekend just days away, and with thousands of people heading for the great outdoors, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is busy promoting safe, responsible and sober boating on the state's rivers and lakes.

Habitat for Humanity of Polk County (HHPC) has almost finished building its second home in Corrigan, and HHPC leaders are inviting east Texas area women to help finish the house this Friday, just in time for Mothers' Day.

Today, March 2nd, is Texas Independence Day. The 176th anniversary of the day in 1836, when a group of Anglo colonists gathered at a place they named Washington on the Brazos and agreed it was time for the area called "Tejas" to declare its independence from Mexico. Today's Lufkin Daily News has an editorial that sums up the meaning and importance of this day as well any we've ever read.

Did you know that President Taft was the first president to toss the ceremonial first pitch before a Major League Baseball game? He did in in 1910 on Opening Day at Griffith Stadium before a Washington Senators game. Since Taft, every president has followed suit taking the mound at some point during his presidency. Franklin Roosevelt holds the record for the most times a president got the honor, h

The king cake is a traditional Mardi Gras food. It is usually a ring-shaped pastry, sometimes filled with cheese or jelly and sprinkled with the colors of Mardi Gras. It began as an Epiphany treat, celebrating the arrival of the Three Wise Men to the stable where Jesus was born. Oh, and it’s delicious.