Birds are back, street repairs, scholarships and one hot sauce

By Darla Buckhannon

Happy birthday to Al Friga, Kristin Bailey, Priscilla Hornbuckle, Dolly Kluesner, Phyllis Richbourg, Lee McDaniel, Nancy Reece, Mary Duncan, Brenda Shields, James Blevins, Arlene Harrell, James McDonaldd, Steve Rose, David Bollinger, Roger Reisenbichler, Nikki Chambers, Margaret E. Rhodes, Jacob McIntosh, Caleb McIntosh, Barb Simpson, Barbara Simpson, Amanda Clark, Jamie Eaker, Barbara Sanderson, Della Harville, Gene Ing, Ray Wagoner, Mark Devenport, Kerrie Swain, Rachel Treadway and Macy Burger.

Happy anniversary to Bob and Alice Uhrhan, Tom and Nancy Brown, Jack and Barbara Simpson and Terry and Pat Glenzy.

Bird lovers

It has been an exciting week for bird lovers! The hummingbirds are here, the bluebirds are here and now we have rose breasted grosbeaks and Baltimore and Orchard Orioles!

Thank you

A big shout out to the city for repairing the corner of Fifth and Wright Streets. We also thank Council--person Ron Davis for being steadfast in getting the job done right. The blacktop had eroded creating a hazard for any driver cutting the corner short. Many of us remember the house that faces Fifth as Ruth Ward's home where she raised her son Ralph and daughter Nadine. We also thank city workers for their patch work on Second and around town. A work in progress is replacing blacktop with concrete on the third block of Gray.

HB Rice tells us that Cecil Harris was in town recently. The CHS alum lives in northern Illinois but likes to visit Chaffee from time to time. He would love to hear from some of his old pals. You can get his telephone number from HB.

Scholarships awarded

The CHS Alumni Association has awarded scholarships to Austin Owens and Emily Kindle. Austin is the son of Gary and Bobbie Owens. Both awardees are 2018 CHS graduates.

The Alumni Association made a significant donation to the school toward the purchase of emergency security devices in the event of an intrusion. The school is in the process of selecting a system.

Tom Davenport tells us that Ronnie Eichhorn has been added to the Alumni board of directors following the retirement of Bobbie Mantel Arnold. Bobbie has served on the board for many years and will continue to help in all ways possible. Tom adds that she is one of the greatest resources an organization could ever hope to have and the association has been blessed to have had her these many years and knowing she will continue to contribute is an awesome comfort. We all thank Bonnie for all she has does for Chaffee. Remember to save the date of Sept. 29 for this year's CHS Alumni Banquet.

Great hot sauce

Richard and I had to come to Missouri to discover the hot sauce Texas Pete. Quite taken with it when we ate at Sandy's Place at the airport, we couldn't find a grocery store that stocked it. After checking around, we decided to check out the remodeled Food Giant in Cape. Not only did they have Texas Pete, the friendly cashier told us they sell a lot of it.

The background on Texas Pete is very interesting. Not only is it not a product of Texas, it was developed and is manufactured by the TW Garner Food Company in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The hot sauce was introduced in 1929 by Sam Garner, operator of the Dixie Pig barbecue stand there. Customers wanted a hotter sauce so the Garners concocted one with cayenne peppers. A marketing person suggested they name the sauce "Mexican Joe" but Thad Garner's father, Sam, said the name should be American. Since Texas is known for its spicy foods it was combined with the name Pete, the nickname of Thad's brother Harold.

Doc Finney

The mentioning of Doc Finney's hill brought back some memories of the man himself. Jae Hopkins said he is pretty certain Dr. W.O. Finney saved his life. When Jae was two years old, he developed pneumonia. His mother was teaching at Canalou so she brought him to Chaffee so he could recuperate at his grandmother's house at 322 Parker. He was there for a very long time and according to Jae's mother, Dr. Finney came by every day to make sure he was continuing to recover. Dr. Finney was a dedicated doctor and we are certain lots of Chaffee people have special stories to share.

Remember to tell those special people in your life you love them -- those three words mean so much.

Email you news and comments to me at darbuck2@airmail.net or leave a message at (573) 887-6430 or (214) 207-7839.