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Several people saw me downtown at the Homecoming Parade last Thursday (9-14-2017) and asked me about getting photos of their favorite homecoming candidate.. I couldn't possibly identify all of the girls in the parade, so I have decided to post them ALL on this venue.
The parade started out in bright sunshine with temperatures in the upper 80's.. Momma and I had an ulterior motive for attending the parade that I will tell you about as we get closer to it...
The parade began the usual way...
Lt. Mike Eppler of the Denison Police Department led the way with the World Famous Denison Stingerettes right behind him...
If you look at their boots you will notice they are in perfect step with each other...and they were followed by the Touch of Gold Marching Band..
..and right behind the band came the Flag Corp.. That brings us back to the reason for Momma and me being at the parade. We have a special interest in the Flag Corp this year..
All of the girls looked good,...BUT see that little blond at the end of the line...
That is my granddaughter... and Blondie was named to the Flag Corp in her first year in high school. She is only 14 years old and we are extremely proud of her. I hope I don't need to tell anyone that I was a crack-shot in the Army and I am still heavily armed should someone get any ideas...
Now to the Homecoming Candidates and dignitaries...
That's all of the candidates...but I thought kudos should go out to the Hope Concrete Company for this truck in the parade...It was painted up in the Yellow Jacket colors and was a real hit with the crowd....
And to bring up the rear of the parade was the Denison Yellow Jacket Football Team... The next night they would host the #8 team in the state of Texas...and send them home to Abilene nursing a 24-23 loss... Good job Jackets !!
That completed the Homecoming Parade... Hope you can find a photo of your sweetheart or football hero... Have a good season Jackets !!
I have posted similar stories in the past, but with Hurricane Harvey pounding the Texas coastline I thought it presented a good occasion to relive my past.
I drove for Wal-Mart Transportation from 1997 until 2010 when I was forced to retire with back problems. It was a job I really enjoyed since everyday was different and challenging....especially during emergencies.
I was part of the fleet to assist when Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ike played havoc with the Gulf Coast...
During times of extreme emergencies FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) knows they can depend on Wal-Mart to provide relief to stricken areas. This photo was taken just days ago as supplies were transported to South Texas in anticipation of Hurricane Harvey's arrival.
They all seem to merge after the years, but after Ike or Rita FEMA had the Wal-Mart Fleet trucks assemble at Reliant Stadium in Houston to be dispatched to areas of concern. Each truck had a state trooper or sheriff's car assigned to it, and we were escorted with red lights flashing all the way to our destination.
There were other trucks also called in to deal with the huge problem of supplying communities that had survived the ordeal and now were without essential services of electricity and water. Johnson and Johnson, Ozarka, Campbells Soups, and many other companies came through with sizable donations to the effort. The Department of Transportation told us drivers to forget about log books and we were exempt from the limited number of hours we could drive. This was a life and death situation and one many of us would never forget.
My first load was a trailer filled with water (Ozarka) and I took it to the small town of Splendora, Texas just north of Houston. The community didn't even have a Wal-Mart Store and a crowd of a few hundred people were at the city hall looking for assistance. They broke out in cheers when they saw the Wal-Mart truck coming. I honked my air-horn to get even more attention. While police cruisers went up and down local streets to inform people that fresh water was available at city hall, a group of individuals tried to unload the water right from the trailer. Luckily for us, one local businessman had a bobcat to help with the unloading process.
Members of the local football team and FFA chapter put a case of water in the trunk of each car that passed by the city hall. Other trailers had Huggies diapers (J&J) for those with infants in the family.
My second load went to Morgan City, Louisiana and as I made my way to that store I passed small boats and yachts stuck in treetops some 30-35 feet up in the air. New Orleans and Morgan City are both some 10-15 feet below sea level and really took it tough when the levees were unable to hold back Lake Pontchartrain on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other. The Wal-Mart store was flooded but store employees were outside and ready to lend a hand in unloading the trailer and giving out supplies...
The transportation fleet was not the only group of heroes in action after the storm. I passed this scene many times as I made my way to various stores with supplies. The power/electrical guys were trying their best to restore power to the area. Some families were without electricity for weeks after all three hurricanes that I worked. It was not unusual to spot trucks from as far away as Missouri, Tennessee, and Iowa that came down to assist with the gigantic problem. The Red Cross was also everywhere making sure all of the workers and drivers had food to keep them going.
Sack lunches included a sandwich, apple or orange, candy bar, and a bag of chips. Doesn't sound like much now, but at the time it sure hit the spot with a cup of hot coffee.
I was also dispatched to a Wal-Mart store in Chalmette, Louisiana, but when I arrived the store was completely gone... Nothing but a concrete slab was left as the giant wall of water took the store away. Store employees showed up to assist with handing out blankets and water to survivors of the storm.
I was privileged to be among the helpers of three hurricanes, so I know the current members of the Wal-Mart Fleet are already doing what is necessary to assist South Texas as Hurricane Harvey slowly makes his way out of the state. Drive safe drivers.. others are depending on your arrival with the essentials of life. God Bless you all...
2017 Denison Football Season
Sept 1- Trinity Christian of Addison 24 Denison 28 (1-0)
Sept 7- Denison 21 Frisco 10 (2-0)
Sept 15- # 8 Abilene Wylie 23 Denison 24 (3-0)
Sept 21- Denison 57 Frisco Heritage 65 (3-1)
Sept 29- Wichita Falls 21 Denison 55 (4-1) (1-0) *
Oct 6- O P E N D A T E (no game)
Oct 13- Denison 41 Wichita Falls Rider 38 O.T. (5-1) (2-0) *
Oct 20- Denton 14 Denison 35 (6-1) (3-0) *
Oct 27- Denison 56 Little Elm Braswell 0 (7-1) (4-0) *
Nov 3- #3 Denton Ryan 56 Denison 16 (7-2) (4-1) *
Nov 10- Denison 49 Sherman 24 (8-2) (5-1) * (Battle of the Axe)
*= District 5 AAAAA Games
Nov 17- Bi-District Playoff Game
Denison 35 Saginaw Boswell 39 (Season Final)
Pre-Season Games
August 3rd Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio
Arizona Cardinals 18 Dallas Cowboys 20
August 12th
Dallas Cowboys 10 Los Angeles Rams 13
August 19th
Indianapolis Colts 19 Dallas Cowboys 24
August 26th
Oakland Raiders 20 Dallas Cowboys 24
August 31st
Dallas Cowboys/Houston Texans CANCELLED
Due to Hurricane Harvey & Flooding
Regular Season Games
Sept 10th
New York Giants 3 Dallas Cowboys 19 (1-0)
Sept 17th
Dallas Cowboys 17 Denver Broncos 42 (1-1)
Sept 25th
Dallas Cowboys 28 Arizona Cardinals 17 (2-1)
October 1st
Los Angeles Rams 35 Dallas Cowboys 30 (2-2)
October 8th
Green Bay Packers 35 Dallas Cowboys 31 (2-3)
October 15th
Bye Week// No Game this week
October 22nd
Dallas Cowboys 40 San Francisco 49'ers 10 (3-3)
October 29th
Dallas Cowboys 33 Washington Redskins 19 (4-3)
November 5th
Kansas City Chiefs 17 Dallas Cowboys 28 (5-3)
November 12th
Dallas Cowboys 7 Atlanta Falcons 27 (5-4)
November 19th
Philadelphia Eagles 37 Dallas Cowboys 9 (5-5)
November 23rd
San Diego Chargers 28 Dallas Cowboys 6 (5-6)
November 30th
Washington Redskins 14 Dallas Cowboys 38 (6-6)
December 10th
Dallas Cowboys 30 New York Giants 10 (7-6)
December 17th
Dallas Cowboys 20 Oakland Raiders 17 (8-6)
December 24th
Seattle Seahawks 21 Dallas Cowboys 12 (8-7)
December 31st
Dallas Cowboys 6 Philadelphia Eagles 0 (9-7)
