News

SMITHVILLE – Smithville’s Fourth of July celebration includes live music, food, fireworks and fun. Riverbend Park festivities begin at noon. Booths will be open from noon to 9 p.m. Fireworks begin at 9 p.m.

BASTROP – Horton Foote’s moving play, Trip to Bountiful, tells the story of Carrie Watts, an elderly woman, who longs to escape the cramped Houston apartment where she lives with her protective son, Ludie, and her authoritarian daughter-inlaw, Jessie Mae. The play begins at 7:30 p.m. at 711 Spring St. in Bastrop.

BASTROP – By popular demand, LPAC’s resident instructor Tobin Bortner is offering an Intermediate Level drawing workshop over three days for teens at the Lost Pines Art Center in Bastrop. The workshop is from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Dig deeper into the techniques and applications to step up your drawing skills. Some basic knowledge in drawing is required. Ages 13 and older are welcome. All supplies are provided for class.

Elgin’s 54th annual celebration of community and camaraderie continues to grow, with residents and visitors gathering at Memorial Park this past weekend for three full days of events, vendors and familiar. This year’s rendition of Elgin’s homecoming fair and festival, organized by the Chamber of Commerce, brought a bit more to the greenery than years prior. With a Wizard of Oz flair, Western Days included a yellow brick road fashion show, great Oz golf tournament and Toto’s dance, concluding with the grand parade and vendor market.

America’s birthday, July 4, is next week, which means the schedule for the crew at the Elgin Courier will change. Deadlines have been moved back a few days so that Courier staff members can celebrate the holiday with their families.

Two adult males sustained gunshot wounds at the 600 block of Alley A, as the result of an aggravated assault around 5:45 p.m. on June 20.

Elgin’s Parks and Recreation Center’s new toy for youth creatives

Molly Alexander received the highest honor for public architecture from Austin’s chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the Alan Taniguchi Award.

Alfred Robert Streit served in the 915th Field Artillery Battalion that came ashore on Utah Beach, Normandy, in June 1944. They were called the “Tough Hombres Combat Team” and they fought in five campaigns in 318 days between Normandy and Czechoslovakia.

Two more soldiers from the Elgin area took part in the Normandy landing. They were from Post Oak Island and their names were Virgil Ray Gage and Alfred Streit. Streit will be featured in the article next week.

BASTROP – Bastrop County Sheriff’s Department deputies found themselves in a high-speed chase Monday evening, ending with a wreckage and drawn firearms.