WEDNESDAY VOLUME XXIX NUMBER 48 Section 1 8 pages
December 4, 2024 Home of the ‘Lone Star Flag’ and Frances Whatley
Montgomery County’s Only Locally Owned Newspaper
Established 1995
Montgomery County News
Montgomery, Texas 77356
50 Weekly PBOX Magnolia, TX 77353
Texas News from the Lake Weekly Gas Prices Average gasoline prices in Texas have fallen 7.6 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.52/g today, according to GasBuddy's survey of 13,114 stations in Texas. Prices in Texas are 6.0 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand 19.5 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has risen 1.1 cents in the last week and stands at $3.514 per gallon. According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Texas was priced at $2.02/g yesterday while the most expensive was $3.41/g, a difference of $1.39/g. The lowest price in the state yesterday was $2.02/g while the highest was $3.41/g, a difference of $1.39/g. The national average price of gasoline has fallen 0.6 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.00/g today. The national average is down 7.7 cents per gallon from a month ago and stands 23.2 cents per gallon lower than a year ago, according to GasBuddy data compiled from more than 11 million weekly price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country. Historical gasoline prices in Texas and the national average going back ten years: December 2, 2023: $2.71/g (U.S. Average: $3.23/g) December 2, 2022: $2.74/g (U.S. Average: $3.39/g) December 2, 2021: $2.93/g (U.S. Average: $3.38/g) December 2, 2020: $1.83/g (U.S. Average: $2.17/g) December 2, 2019: $2.23/g (U.S. Average: $2.60/g) December 2, 2018: $2.15/g (U.S. Average: $2.43/g) December 2, 2017: $2.25/g (U.S. Average: $2.47/g) December 2, 2016: $1.94/g (U.S. Average: $2.17/g) December 2, 2015: $1.83/g (U.S. Average: $2.03/g) December 2, 2014: $2.52/g (U.S. Average: $2.75/g) Neighboring areas and their current gas prices: Midland Odessa- $2.45/g, down 8.4 cents per gallon from last week's $2.53/g. San Antonio- $2.48/g, down 17.6 cents per gallon from last week's $2.65/g. Austin- $2.50/g, down 13.7 cents per gallon from last week's $2.64/g. “Millions took to the road for Thanksgiving, and while some regions, like the Great Lakes, saw gas prices rise just in time for travel, most of the nation saw prices hold mostly stable or decline slightly as the national average remains near the lowest level we've seen since 2021," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. "The weeks ahead should feature slight drops in gas prices in most areas, with over 100,000 stations now offering a gallon for $2.99 or less, which should stick around through the holiday shopping season. While the potential impacts from tariffs are something to watch, they would have no effect until late January, if implemented at all. For this week, all eyes will be on the previously delayed OPEC+ meeting on Thursday. If they begin to restore oil production, oil prices could soften to the mid$60s." SOURCE GasBuddy
Index Community........2, 3, 5, 7, 8 Commentary...................2, 3, 4 Church Directory..............5 Legals.................................6 Business Directory.............8
PRE-SRT POSTAGE PD #80 MONTG. TX
Creek Settlement:
Christmas in Historic Montgomery December 14
Market The Ironic Death of a Pennsylvania Dutchman PlaceTheandHoliday Arts & Crafts
By Kameron Searle The earliest AngloAmerican settlement in what is today Montgomery County was the Lake Creek Settlement. Several colonists and settlers from the Lake Creek Settlement f o u g h t i n t h e Te x a s Revolution in 1835 and 1836. These soldiers who f o u g h t f o r Te x a s ’ independence from Mexico included Jacob H. Shepperd, Matthew C a r t w r i g h t , Wi l l i a m Cartwright, John Marshall Wade, Thomas Chatham, Evin Corner, James J. Foster, Raleigh Rogers, Jacob Shannon, and A. U. Springer. During the last decade, another Texian soldier from the Lake Creek Settlement was discovered - John Bricker. Most of the Lake Creek Settlement men who fought in the Revolution were Southerners, but Bricker was from the North. John Bricker was born in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, in 1791. He was trained as a millwright, and he arrived i n A u s t i n ’s C o l o n y sometime before July 1827. For the colony to
grow, the colonists and settlers at San Felipe de Austin desperately needed a grist mill and a sawmill. Bricker built these mills for James Cummins seven miles north of the town of San Felipe on Palmetto Creek, later known as Mill Creek. Some sources indicate that these mills may have been the first mills in Texas operated by waterpower. It is also important to note that Bricker built a public brick oven at San Felipe. At the San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site in San Felipe, Texas, the Te x a s H i s t o r i c a l Commission has reconstructed a portion of the original town. Villa de Austin is a permanent outdoor exhibit that includes several reconstructed log cabins, a hotel, a newspaper office, a schoolhouse, and a courthouse as they would have appeared when San Felipe was the colonial capital of Texas. A replica of John Bricker's historic brick oven has also been reconstructed as part of the Villa de Austin exhibit. As we have seen in previous articles, Lake
34th Annual Cookie Wa l k & 4 7 t h A n n u a l Candlelight Home Tour December 14 9am - 5pm
MISD's Blue Santa Photo: Marker placed to the memory of John Bricker by his kinsmen at San Felipe, Texas in 1935 Creek Settlement settler, W. W. Shepperd, was responsible for many Montgomery County “firsts.” He officiated the first marriage and established the first trading post and the first post office. Shepperd was
Montgomery ISD's Blue Santa (and his elf) are coming to MISD elementary car rider lines starting this week! Bring change and any cash donations to fill the boot & hat, benefitting MISD families the department has adopted this holiday season!
the first postmaster, and he founded the town of Montgomery, the first town in what is today Montgomery County. In 1835, Bricker came to the This week, Blue Santa Lake Creek Settlement to will be at the following campuses: See Lake Creek, page 7 T h u r s d a y, D e c 5 Montgomery ES Friday, Dec 6- Lincoln ES
Twelve Ways of Christmas: The Ensemble Theatre's Journey to Christmases Heavy Trash Weekend Heart If you would like to make a private donation to MISD's Blue Santa, please e m a i l Rhonda.Pope@MISD.org.
by Ruben Borjas, Jr
If you have a few years on you, then the more likely you’ve experienced the different ways, not days, of Christmas, as the players at The Ensemble Theatre in MidtownHouston, will remind the audience; and several times at that. Chika Kaba M a ’ A t u n d e ’s u n i q u e concept in terms of a stage production, ‘The Twelve Ways of Christmas,’ runs through December 22nd. The musical reminds us of the different ways we live each and every one of our individual Christmases each year. Not every Christmas can be perfect. We can’t all get snow, nor that special gift we really want. So we’ve all in a way experienced one of the 12 mini-plays, or ways, of Christmas forwarded on stage in song, dance and dialogue. From celebrating or dealing with family, loss, being away from home, religion, loneliness, j e a l o u s y, f o o t b a l l o r
basketball games, financial implications, there are many ways in which we experience Christmas. It has been a long time since I’ve seen a Christmas p r o d u c t i o n , a c t u a l l y, almost a year; so it was time, and I wasn’t disappointed. The Ensemble Theatre lovingly tackles Christmas in the second show of their 2024-2025 Season themed ‘Season of Change,’ and invites you with their Jazz, R&B, and Gospel inspired Christmas songs to celebrate the ups and downs of the holiday, and makes you ponder, “Which Christmas Resonates with You?” Another odd but wonderful angle of the production is the enticing of the olfactory senses about us. I first noticed it with ‘Stew,’ when the smell of the sauteing meat wafted over the audience. This time it was a wonderful scent that is encountered at Christmas time. Peppermint. Which I detected on at least three
occasions, and I thought was a wonderful addition to add another sense other than sight and sound to the mix. I love the intimacy of the George Hawkins Theatre, where even in the back, you still feel that you can reach out and touch the actors on stage, and they are not shy about standing near the apron and belting out song after beautiful song.
With The Ensemble Th eater, I lo v e th e professionalism exhibited by the entire production staff, and they continue to improve, with the addition of a new sound system. I was on the first row, and my feet sometimes rested against the apron, and even that was beating along with See Christmas, page 7
THIS WEEKEND! The next Heavy Trash Weekend is December 7 & 8! All Historic Montgomery, TX residents within the city limits can bring heavy trash from 8 AM to 5 PM. Your City of Montgomery utility bill showing garbage service and your Texas Driver's License to show proof of residency will be needed. First come, first served! This opportunity ends when the dumpsters are full. DO NOT BRING: Tires Electronics Batteries Asbestos Harmful chemicals Flammable liquids Please see the City of Montgomery website for additional information at https://www.montgomeryt exas.gov/search/site/heav y%20trash Heavy Trash Weekend December 7 & 8 777 Clepper, Montgomery, TX across from Fernland Historical Park