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Etcetera October 2021

Kilgore’s people, places — and the rest

KILGORE IS UNEXPECTED hub for all things Geek

KILGORE OKTOBERFEST

highlights bevy of fall activities

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FROM THE EDITOR

Answering a question we've had for a while BY MEREDITH SHAMBURGER mshamburger@kilgorenewsherald.com

f you’ll look inside this issue of Etcetera, we try to answer a question that has kept us wondering for a while: Why does Kilgore seem to be a hub for all things comics, sci-fi and fantasy? Logic would have you believe that it should be Longview or Tyler, but we’ve got Geekend and we’ve now got two stores catering to what we’ll affectionately call “Geek Life.” It’s great! Both RC Comics’ Geektopia and Dragon’s Nest serve our community well, providing opportunities for community gathering and making friends. It’s also nice that Kilgoreites don’t have to drive out of town to get their geek fix. Still… why Kilgore? Rick Custor, owner of Geektopia, told reporter Stella Wieser he thinks it’s a natural progression from the original Geekend event. “I think it gave those types of people a place to meet other geeks that they had something in common with,” he said. “They could talk about the latest movies or the latest books or the latest whatever, and word kinda got out, and it's 'Hey, we can meet people here; we can find somebody that we can be friends with.' I think it just kind of grew from there." Stevan Beets, owner of Dragon’s Nest, told Stella it’s because all things geek are becoming more mainstream. “Everybody is embracing the geek culture, and it's like, it's the new norm," he said. I’d have to agree with both men. Comic books coming to life on the big screen, the popularity of The Big Bang Theory TV show, people more eager to showcase their hobbies: It’s all contributing, and Kilgore put itself on the map as a place to do so. The city is trying to do a similar thing with its Oktoberfest event, coming up on the 16th. I had some fun photographing members of the polka band that will be playing that day, specifically City Manager Josh Selleck and Mitch Moehring. We attempted to get the whole band involved, but former News Herald Editor James Draper hates having his picture taken, and then there was the whole thing about getting four guys in one place at the same time. Also Josh was the only one to remember to bring his lederhosen, so a group picture was out of the question. Still: This is your reminder to head downtown for Oktoberfest. It should be a great time, and at the very least you can drink some good beer, eat some good food and listen to some good polka music. For our next issue of Etcetera, we’re focusing on holiday 4 Etcetera | October 2021

cooking and I have a request: Will you send me your family holiday recipes and stories? We’d love to feature them in the magazine. I, for one, will share my great-grandmother Ma Shamburger’s chocolate pie recipe. It’s been a staple at every holiday function we Shamburgers have had for my entire life, and even for a lackluster baker such as myself, it’s a fairly easy recipe. But I know you all have recipes of your own, so please share them with us!

An outtake of our cover story photoshoot, featuring City Manager Josh Selleck. (Courtesy of Meredith Shamburger)

Etcetera October 2021 Vol. 4 | Issue 5

PUBLISHER

Alexander Gould • agould@mrobertsmedia.com

EDITOR

Meredith Shamburger • news1@kilgorenewsherald.com

ADVERTISING SALES

Linda K. Ballard • lballard@kilgorenewsherald.com

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kimberley Bailey

(903) 984-2593 • news1@kilgorenewsherald.com All contents of the magazine are copyright © M. Roberts Media, LLC. No portion of this issue may be reproduced in any manner without prior written consent of the publisher. The publisher and editors are not responsible for any changes in event dates after the deadline. Etcetera is published by M. Roberts Media.

CONTENTS October 2021

6 6

OUT & ABOUT

St. Luke's pumpkin patch

OUT & ABOUT

Kilgore Lion's Club Halloween carnival

COVER STORY

Kilgore Oktoberfest highlights bevy of fall activities

FEATURE STORY

Kilgore's hub for comics, sci-fi and fantasy fans

14 BOOKS

East Texas native to release a young adult dark fantasy

15 GARDENING

Composting kitchen scraps

PET TALK

Tips for feline medication administration

HOUR GLASS

Rangerettes drill team makes a splash at their first performance

SEE & BE SEEN Kilgore High School homecoming and parade plus more!

ON THE COVER

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Mitch Moehring plays his miniature trumpet outside of the Texan Theater. Moehring and his polka band are set to bring the Oktoberfest spirit to Kilgore this fall on Oct. 16 in downtown Kilgore. Photo by Meredith Shamburger

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OUT & ABOUT

The Gourd Life

St. Luke’s pumpkin patch is a Kilgore tradition BY LUCAS STROUGH lstrough@kilgorenewsherald.com

all brings changing colors and, in Kilgore, at St. Luke’s United Methodist church, there’s always a bright display of orange this time of year. St. Luke’s Pumpkin Patch returns this year with all its familiar events and activities. There’s been a couple of changes, but the fall fun remains the same. A downtown fall staple for more than 20 years, the Pumpkin Patch will still be held at St. Luke’s — but it has moved to the Activity Lot at the corner of Knowles Street and North Street, across from Kilgore City Park. The church opted to move the location of the patch this year due to the long-term Main Street improvement project begun by the city in May, as the project may have some effects on traffic in the area. The patch will open this year Thursday, Sept 30, and will run right through the fall season until its conclusion Sunday, Oct. 31. The patch will be open from 12 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. PUMPKIN PATCH EVENTS Sept. 29: Pumpkins are unloaded at 5 p.m. Sept. 30: Pumpkin Patch Opening Day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. 6 Etcetera | October 2021

NEWS HERALD FILE PHOTOS For more than 20 years, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church has brought joy to the community with its pumpkin patch, also allowing the church to raise funds for missions and other things.

Oct. 5: Party in the Patch from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Oct. 20: Pumpkin Carving Contest from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 23: Movie in the Patch from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Oct. 27: Trunk or Treat from 6 to 7 p.m. Oct. 30: Pumpkin Run 5K at 8 a.m. The patch offers pumpkins for sale, from tiny to gigantic gourds. As always, the patch will be available for folks to take photos among the rows of fall-themed decorations, which this year includes a vintage pickup truck. Activities at the patch will also include a maze. 2021 marks the third annual Pumpkin Run/Walk 5K, which kicks off from the Pumpkin Patch and makes a course through downtown before returning to the church. The race proceeds will be used by St. Luke's UMC Youth group to engage in mission activities. For more information on St. Luke’s events, visit www. stlukeskilgore.org and follow the patch on Facebook at PumpkinPatchStLukes and on Instagram @stlukespumpkinpatch for photos and updates.

OUT & ABOUT

T Kilgore Lions Club continues long-running Halloween Carnival BY LINDA K. Ballard lballard@kilgorenewsherald.com

he Kilgore Lions Club Halloween Carnival started in 1948 and is the longest-running family event in Kilgore, according to Randy Renshaw, club treasurer and past president. “At one time the carnival was so large it was held at the R.E. St. John football stadium’s parking lot and across the street at the little league baseball park,” he said. “Martin Street was closed off. Everything was wired and set up in one day. It was removed and packed away by the next day. There were 15 booths plus rides. As a kid, I never could figure out how it could disappear so quickly. That was before I realized the amount of volunteers and members it took to put it together.” In the early 90s, the house used for storage was torched and organizers had to rebuild all of the booths. The booths were originally made from 1x4s and were rebuilt out of metal. In 1995, the carnival moved to the present location of the club building at 307 N. Rusk St. in Kilgore. COVID decreased the carnival in size again last year, but it was still held. This year, the carnival will include the most popular Ham and Turkey Bingo, the cake walk, food and drink booths, and the prize raffle. The carnival starts at 6 p.m. on Oct. 30. Raffle tickets remain the same at $5 each or five for $20. COURTESY PHOTO

903-985-7633 October 2021 | Etcetera 7

COVER STORY

PHOTO BY MICHAEL CAVAZOS Becky and Erik Epp attend Oktoberfest on Saturday in Kilgore, where people ate, shopped, drank and danced the day away in celebration of the traditional German beer festival.

Kilgore Oktoberfest highlights bevy of fall activities

FROM STAFF REPORTS

ilgore is once again bringing a bit of Bavaria to East Texas, planning their annual Oktoberfest for Oct. 16. The family-friendly event takes place from 1 to 9 p.m. in downtown Kilgore and will feature authentic

German food, music, drinks and other family activities. Come down wearing your Drindl or Lederhosen and enter the best dressed competition. 8 Etcetera | October 2021

PHOTO BY LES HASSELL Commerative beer steins for the first Avalon Faire Renaissance Festival Oktoberfest are shown Oct. 1, 2016, in Kilgore.

PHOTO BY LES HASSELL Jenny Santana of Longview serves a customer a beer at the Avalon Faire Renaissance Festival Oktoberfest on Oct. 1, 2016, in Kilgore.

AVALON FAIRE OKTOBERFEST Avalon Faire is also bringing back their Oktoberfest this year. Bring the family out to the faire grounds, 1076 FM 1252 in Kilgore on Friday, Oct. 1 from 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 2 from noon to 9 p.m. for German and Hungarian treats, including brats, smokes sausages, chicken schnitzel, German potato salad, roasted pork, red cabbage, sauerkraut and strudel; German and domestic beer; vendors; games; and more. Live Music will include The Kid Icarus Project, a four-piece Americana band from East Texas from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday; Lee Mathis and The Brutally Handsome, an outlaw country band

from East Texas, from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday; and The Kim Donnette Band, which performs blues, rock and groove music, from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $10 a day or $15 for a two-day pass. Kids 12 and under get in for free. All beer must be served in an official stein, which is $15 (first drink free). Purchase tickets at avalonfaire.com. OTHER FALL EVENTS Other upcoming events include the Historic Downtown Kilgore Trick-or-Treat, set for Saturday, Oct. 30 from 1 to 3 p.m. Trick or Treat in Historic Downtown Kilgore has been sponsored by area businesses, organizations and individuals since 1986. Come downtown as thousands of pieces of candy are handed out by community organizations and downtown merchants along East Main Street and Rusk Street. For those over the age of 21: Britt Davis will host a Spooktacular Halloween Wine Pairing on Saturday, Oct. 30 at the Old School Kilgore, formerly known as the Elder School. Dress in your best costume and celebrate perfectly-paired wines with butternut squash soup, grilled fowl and more. Seating is limited, and tickets are $50.

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FEATURE STORY

We’re GEEK-ING Out! Kilgore is unexpected hub for comics, sci-fi, fantasy fans

BY STELLA WIESER | swieser@panolawatchman.com PHOTOS BY MICHAEL CAVAZOS

n recent years, the City of Kilgore has become sort of a hub for all things 'geeky' — comics, sci-fi, fantasy and fun.

Two local stores, RC Comics' Geektopia and the Dragon's Nest, lean into this to create places for people to gather to enjoy and express their interest in these things. Rick Custor, owner of Geektopia, began an annual event in Kilgore called Geekend eight years ago. "I think that kind of woke people up and got some people's attention a little bit eight years ago," Custor said. "So I'd like to take a little bit of credit for bringing it to people's attention and getting people excited about it, so I think that may have had something to do with it. I started out just trying to give people — a lot of geeks feel isolated and they don't have that much in common with just everybody, and I think it gave those types of people a place to meet other geeks that they had something in common with. They could talk about the latest movies or the latest books or the latest whatever, and word kinda got out, and 10 Etcetera | October 2021

it's 'Hey, we can meet people here; we can find somebody that we can be friends with.' I think it just kind of grew from there." Custor said you'd be surprised how many geeks are in Kilgore. "I've had people tell me 'well there's no geeks in Kilgore,' but there are," he said. "You don't see them as much. There's people that are into that kind of thing that you'd never suspect are into that kind of thing. It really appeals to all ages, not just kids or even teenagers. I have all ages of customers that come in, and like I said I have books, I have non-geeky books. I've got history books and that kind of thing too. I try to appeal to as many different demographics in the entertainment field that I can. Everybody likes to be entertained. Everybody has something that they geek out about." Stevan Beets, owner of the Dragon's Nest, said something similar. "I say it's bigger than most people would think because back in the day it wasn't cool, now it is. So everybody is embracing the geek culture, and it's like, it's the new norm," he said. "It's not the

Rick Custer, owner of RC Comics' Geektopia

bad thing anymore to be a geek. So it's like everybody thinks it's cool. It's actually in style." Although both stores appeal to those interested in geek culture, they're both unique. "I sell pop culture items, comics, records, books," said Custor of Geektopia. "Kind of like a mini Hastings or Half Priced Books sort of, that kind of thing, and entertainment type stuff, we have collectables and toys and a little bit of everything, as long as it's cool. We try to sell cool stuff... We have events pretty often in the store. We have guest vendors come out sometimes and sit out outside. We have what we call model mania, where we build models for a couple hours on Saturday. We have guest authors come in once in a while and anything we think might be fun. We do some kids crafting days every so often, and whatever we can think of that might be fun really." The Dragon's Nest is more centered around games. They sell a lot of different board games and roleplay games like Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder, as well as card games like Magic the Gathering, Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh, in addition to 3D printing commissions of miniatures for games. "There's a need for something here in Kilgore for something like this for people to be able to come up here and get games, play games, sit down, have snacks with friends, play games," Beets said. "I have private rooms for private rental for people Continued on page 12

KILGORE.EDU (903) 983-8209 October 2021 | Etcetera 11

Stevan Beets, owner of Dragon's Nest

From page 11 to come in and play privately... it's mostly people gathering and getting to play games together. We actually do Magic tournaments on Sundays. So we do what we call Commander. Commander is a form in Magic that we do. The last Sunday I had 16 people in the tournament, and it's been growing ever since." The Dragon's Nest has only been open since July, but they've been getting a lot of business. "I've been getting a lot of good stuff, a lot of good feedback," Beets said. "People (are) just excited about the shop, that something's here for them to come do and play and stuff now. I've gotten so many 'Thanks for opening this shop' when they come in here, so it's been kind of fun, seeing the excitement of all the people that come in, they're just so happy to see something like this here... We're actually already looking at expanding some. I've got a contractor coming to open some more room for us, because we have a storeroom and a little kitchenette that I'm going to knock out and make into more floor space because we're already running out of room for people and floor space for retail." The rental room at the Dragon's Nest is quite popular. It can be rented out for two hour blocks, $15 for two hours, $25 for four hours and $30 for six hours. For just $10 more, you can rent out the popcorn machine for all you can eat popcorn. "My room on the weekends is getting rented out quite often for people coming into play. They don't all play Dungeons & 12 Etcetera | October 2021

Dragons, but that's the most popular one, but there are some other people that come in that play other types of RPGs that just like to rent the room because it is really cool in here," Beets said. "It's got a custom game table. I've got custom artwork done on the walls. I've got cool stuff, if you could see in the pictures there, as far as like, the dragon room. We went all out with this room, and it's back here in the back of the shop, so you're away from the crowd or anything, so you just come in here and rent the room and you have your own game in private."

IF YOU GO GEEKTOPIA 207 E. Main St. in Kilgore Open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

THE DRAGON'S NEST 413 E. Lantrip St. in Kilgore Open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sundays from 2 to 10 p.m.

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903-987-2516 413 E. Lantrip | Kilgore, Tx. 75662 www.dragonlootz.com | Nat20@dragonlootz.com Owner: Stevan Beets (Game Room Rental Available) October 2021 | Etcetera 13

BOOKS

East Texas native

to release YA dark fantasy romance BY STELLA WIESER | swieser@panolawatchman.com

ast Texas native Kate Pentecost is releasing her second book Oct. 19, and it's a book she's dreamed of writing since she was a child. Pentecost wrote the first version of the story, titled "That Dark Infinity," when she was 12. "I spent a long time trying to perfect this story," she said. "This one is the one that taught me how to write a book. So I worked on this one all through college and through grad school, trying to get it to be sort of perfect. Well, trying to get it to be what I wanted it to be. So it's really an important book to me because it grew up with me. So for that reason, I'm really glad that it was published, because a lot of authors' first books are not published. They’re seen as like practice or that kind of thing." The book, targeted at young adult audiences, is about an immortal mercenary called the Ankou who is cursed to die and resurrect every day. "As the years go by and he doesn't age and can't die, he gets pretty depressed; he is looking for a way to die permanently," Pentecost said. "So he and Flora, a handmaiden of a princess of a nation that has been sacked, are on their way to the Temple of Fates, where one of them can achieve their deepest wish. So Flora, it would be to have her country, her people back, and for the Ankou, it would be to finally have his curse broken." Pentecost grew up in Deadwood and graduated from Carthage High School in 2006 before attending Panola College and moving away in 2008. Her mother taught at Carthage ISD for many years, and her grandmother used to work at Panola College when it was founded. Pentecost currently lives in Houston. She was inspired to start writing by her mother and her English teachers at Carthage ISD growing up. "She (Pentecost's mother) was a first grade teacher who did a lot with reading and literacy, so whenever I would come to her classroom, whenever I would walk to her classroom after school, I would just sit down in her little reading section and I would just read," she said. "I would read all the picture books that she had, and so I'd go to the library with all the paintings on the walls, like

14 Etcetera | October 2021

'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' and 'Jack and the Beanstalk' and stuff, and it was just the world that I grew up in. I decided from a very, very young age that I specifically wanted to write children's books." Pentecost released her first book, "Elysium Girls," last year in April. It's a young adult historical fantasy novel set in Dust Bowl Oklahoma. "I released the first book during the pandemic, so sales were kind of affected by the fact that I wasn't able to do in person events and stuff like that, so this one I really don't know what to expect because I haven't ever released a book under normal conditions, and I don't know that I will debut this book under normal conditions," she said. "In Houston I have an event scheduled for Oct. 30 at the Blue Willow Bookshop, and then I have another one scheduled; I'm going to be in Washington, D.C. and I'm doing to go to the Imaginarium Book Festival, and I have a lot of Zoom events. The book, published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, will be available to purchase anywhere you can buy books.

COURTESY PHOTO East Texas native Kate Pentecost will release her second novel in October. The story, “That Dark Infinity,” follows an immortal mercenary who is cursed to die and resurrect every day.

GARDENING

Put kitchen scraps and landscape trimmings to work in the garden BY MELINDA MYERS | Special to Etcetera

onvert landscape and garden trimmings into valuable compost. Incorporate this soil amendment into garden soil to improve drainage in clay soil and increase water-holding ability in fast draining sandy soils. It also promotes healthy plant growth more resistant to insect and disease problems and keeps plant-based kitchen scraps and garden waste out of landfills. Composting is as simple as placing disease- and insect-free plant debris into a pile and letting it rot. Don’t add meat, dairy, or fat that attracts rodents or weeds that have gone to seed, invasive plants or perennial weeds that can survive the compost process and end up back in the garden. You can enclose the pile in a bin to keep the process neat, tidy and out of sight. Some gardeners prefer tumbler composters for added ease when it comes to loading, unloading and turning the pile. Dual bin tumblers allow you to stockpile the raw materials in one bin while actively composting in the other. Always check with your municipality first. Some have restrictions on the type of bins that are acceptable while others may offer them at a discount. Start your pile in an accessible space hidden by nearby plantings, fences or decorative bins. Turn the pile frequently, moving the more decomposed materials in the center to the outside and less decomposed to the center. Speed things up by mixing nitrogen and carbon rich plant debris, topping with soil or compost, and adding a bit of fertilizer. Including equal parts of nitrogen rich (green) materials like herbicide-free grass clippings, fruit wastes, vegetable clippings and manure with carbon rich (brown) cornstalks, evergreen needles, straw and fall leaves will speed the process. But don’t let this recipe prevent you from composting. All plant waste will eventually decompose as weather, insects and micro-organisms digest the materials over time. Start with an 8- to 10-inch layer of garden trimmings. Cover with an inch of soil or compost and sprinkle with fertilizer to help speed things along. Repeat until the pile is at least three feet tall

and wide. Moisten the pile to a consistency of a damp sponge. Turn the pile as time allows or frequently for faster results. Move the more decomposed materials from the center to the outside of the pile. It’s a great work out and speeds up the decomposition. The more effort you put into composting, the sooner you will have rich organic matter for your garden. But even casual composters end up with a wonderful amendment for the garden. Compost is ready when it is brown and crumbly. Mix finished compost into potting mixes for containers, work it into garden beds or spread a one-inch layer over the soil surface of perennial gardens every other year. Start putting your landscape trimmings in a heap and watch the magic happen. Melinda Myers is the author of over 20 gardening books, including The Midwest Gardener’s Handbook and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything” DVD series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio program.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MELINDA MYERS, LLC Composting can be as simple as collecting disease- and insect-free plant debris, placing it in a pile and letting it rot.

October 2021 | Etcetera 15

PET TALK

Tips for feline medication administration Getting a cat to take its medicine can be difficult. A Texas A&M expert offers tips on how to do it correctly.

Special to Etcetera

s many cat owners know, trying to coax a reluctant feline into anything they don’t want to do can be an extremely difficult task. However, in some cases, such as the administration of medication, owners need to place their cat’s health above their desires to ensure the pet’s well-being. Dr. Lori Teller, an associate professor in the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, says that owners should recruit an extra set of hands to give a reluctant cat their medication. “Ideally, there will be two people involved — one person to gently restrain the cat and the other to administer the medicine,” Teller said. “If you are alone (or even if someone is restraining the cat), you can snugly wrap the cat in a towel or blanket, so that only the head is sticking out. It also helps to have the cat in your lap with the head facing away from you.” After properly restraining your cat, the administration method may depend on whether the prescribed medication is liquid or in a pill format. “Liquid medicines can either be trickled or squirted into the back of a cat’s cheek pouch,” Teller said. “Try to avoid squirting the medicine directly in the back of the throat as cats are more likely to aspirate a liquid medication than a tablet or capsule.” Although putting the liquid dose in a cat’s food bowl may seem to be a clever workaround, your cat won’t receive the correct dose if they don’t finish their food. This may also make the cat’s food taste bad, in which case they may stop eating and be without their required medication and essential nutrition, putting its health in greater danger. Therefore, it's important that cat owners administer liquid medication directly into their cat’s mouth. “To administer a pill, hold the pill between the first finger and thumb of your dominant hand. With your non-dominant hand, grasp the cat’s head at the cheeks. Be careful not to squish the whiskers,” Teller said. “Point the cat’s nose toward the ceiling. The jaw will drop open slightly. Use the third or fourth finger of your dominant hand to gently pull down the jaw, and then quickly drop the pill into the back of your cat’s throat and poke it down with your index finger.” 16 Etcetera | October 2021

When administering pills to a cat, Teller says owners can also purchase a device called a pill popper. These devices look like long syringes that the pill can be placed inside of and used to deposit the medication without the owner needing to stick their fingers in the cat’s mouth and risk being bitten. Owners can use this device by loading the pill popper with the pill and placing the device in the back of the cat’s throat and nudging the pill down. “Cat bites can be very serious,” Teller said. “If your cat does bite you while trying to administer medication, please seek the advice of a human health care professional.” After depositing the liquid medication or pill in the cat’s throat through either method, hold the cat’s mouth closed and gently stroke its throat and/or blow in its nose until the medicine is swallowed. Owners should follow the pill with a small amount of water so that it doesn’t get caught in the cat’s esophagus. The most stubborn cats may react by spitting out the medication or vomiting immediately after it is administered. “If the cat just spits out a tiny amount, you probably don’t need to worry about it, but it would be good to ask your veterinarian,” she said. “If it spits outs all of the medicine or immediately regurgitates it up, then you may need to repeat the dose. Definitely speak to your veterinarian about this.” After successfully medicating their pet, owners should show their furry friend a little love to make the experience more positive.

“Have one of your cat’s favorite treats ready and give it to your cat. Make sure it is something your cat really likes to use as a reward,” Teller said. “You can also rub your cat in its favorite spot — under the chin, behind the ears or at the base of the tail.” If you are unable to give oral medication to your cat, it is very important to let your veterinarian know so they can try to provide a more tolerated alternative, such as compounding the medication into a transdermal gel that can be applied to the ear or compounding the medication into a flavorful cube or liquid. Your veterinarian won’t be able to help if you don’t voice your concerns about medication administration, so it is important to speak up! Teller says owners may want to prepare for the possibility of giving medication prior to their cat becoming ill. This way, they won’t have to deal with the added stress of administration on top of having a sick pet. “The easiest way to give medications to a cat is to train the cat to accept medication before it actually needs it,” she said. “There are ways to train a cat to take pills without the owner ever having to restrain or touch the cat.”

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Pet Talk is a service of the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. Stories can be found on the Pet Talk website. Suggestions for future topics may be directed to editor@cvm.tamu.edu.

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HOUR GLASS

Rangerettes drill team

makes a splash at their first performance BY MEREDITH SHAMBURGER mshamburger@kilgorenewsherald.com

he Kilgore College Rangerettes are a longstanding tradition here, but if things had gone their way we would have called them something completely different.

“The Petty Corps, they wanted to call themselves. But the

Kilgore College Rangers, mighty men of the gridiron, turned thumbs down,” the Sept. 18, 1940 edition of the News Herald reported. “So co-eds in the new college drill unit will be known as Rangerettes. “You know how men are,” Miss Gussie Nell Davis, director of the new unit, sighed. “They usually have their way. But we really like being Rangerettes anyway.” The gridders agreed that the girls — all 53 of them — qualify 18 Etcetera | October 2021

as Petty Girls, all right, but since they are going to work with the Rangers at football games they’d better just call themselves Rangerettes. “We’re pretty proud of the girls,” one hairy-chested back-fielder declared. The Rangerettes will be presented for the first time Thursday night at the Rangers’ season opener with Daniel Baker College at Kilgore Athletic Stadium. L.N. Crim, always the good showman, has fallen into the spirit of the thing and with the assistance of the managers of his theaters, will give the girls a loud introduction. The stadium will go dark at the half and one of those Crim fireworks display will precede the appearance of the girls. They will first be in evidence in a blue and red tableau, while the fireworks are still in full force. Then the lights will come on and Kilgore will see its newest gridiron organization. The girls will be decked out as Petty Girls should when they go to a football game, and their costumes will be red, white, and blue.” The next News Herald’s “Here’s the Answer” column praised the Rangerettes’ introduction: “TIME WAS when East Texas football fans went to a game they gossiped among themselves at the half… But those days are gone forever if last night’s spectacular Rangerette show is any indication… Those who saw the show last night were high in their praise of Miss Gussie Nell Davis for training the girls in her physical education classes… The fireworks display was mindful of London (in a blackout), but we’d wager the Britons would willingly swap a pea-soup aftermath for the beauty the Rangerettes displayed when the light came on… Knox Lamb must have had a good time firing those sparkling bombs… Everyone hopes more of those colorful shows are in the offing… Capt. Judy is a military ‘hit.’”

B Kilgore Lions Club

H AL LOW EEN A C A R N I VA L G 307 N. Rusk St.

Ham and Turkey Bingo Saturday October 30

Cake Walk Saturday October 30

Food and Drink Booth Saturday October 30

Prize RaffLe “THE KILGORE COLLEGE RANGERETTES, fancy stepping, flashily dressed drill team, Wednesday presented Liggett N. Crim with a huge basket of flowers along “Appreciation Week” lines… the beautiful basket carried a card reading ‘To L.N. Crim—It is a pleasure to salute and pay tribute to you on the occasion of your twentieth year in the theatre business. We want to thank you for your assistance in our first stunt—The Rangerettes.’” reads the caption in this Sept. 26, 1940 photo in the News Herald.

1st Prize

$1,000 Cash

2nd Prize

50” VIZIO Smart TV or Equivalent

3rd Prize

BlackStone 36” Griddle/Grill

4th Prize

$200 Gift Card to Kilgore Merchant of Choice

5th Prize

$200 Gift Card to Jack Ryans Steak + Chop House

6th Prize

$200 Gift Card to the Tackle Box Restaurant

Drawing will be held at 9pm on October 30

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October 2021 | Etcetera 19

SEE & BE SEEN

Kilgore High School Homecoming and Parade PHOTOS BY DENNIS JACOBS & LUCAS STROUGH

Kilgore High School’s Abby Hattaway in the moment she was announced as KHS 2021 homecoming queen.

KHS band students march in the Homecoming Parade. National Honor Society Homecoming Duchess Tessa Audas waves to onlookers.

100 Years Young PHOTOS SPECIAL TO ETCETERA 100th Birthday celebration for Ray Bernard at Arabella Assisted Living.

20 Etcetera | October 2021

SEE & BE SEEN

Kilgore Eye Center Celebrates 45 PHOTOS BY LINDA K. BALLARD

Susan Moore and Courtney Loper prepare balloons for the surprise party.

Owner J.T. Roberts is pictured in search of missing staff and was definitely surprised by the celebration.

The bank’s president and CEO, Sammy York, told the large group of friends, family and co-workers about his experiences working with Plunk over the years.

Local banker Kenneth Plunk was applauded and celebrated for his 31 years of service at Citizens Bank of Kilgore. Plunk announced his retirement in August and was congratulated by family, friends and co-workers as he looks forward to retirement at 45 years in banking.

The Kilgore Eye Care Center celebrated its 45th anniversary in September.

Kennth Plunk's Retirement PHOTOS BY LUCAS STROUGH

Among other gifts for his retirement, Kenneth Plunk received a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol from Congressman Louie Gohmert.

October 2021 | Etcetera 21

SEE & BE SEEN

Renovating History PHOTOS BY LUCAS STROUGH

Renovations at the historic Texan Theater included a restored balcony area.

Pangur Band tunes up before their performance at the Texan Theater open house event.

Britt Davis, of Kilgore, helps guests choose a beverage at the Texan Theater Open House Aug. 6.

Vacation Bible School PHOTOS SPECIAL TO ETCETERA

Kilgore firefighters participated in all three days of Special Needs Vacation Bible School at First Christian Church.

22 Etcetera | October 2021

OCTOBER 16, 2021 | 1-9 PM

BEER | MUSIC | FOOD Kilgore’s premiere fall event welcomes you back with beer, music, food and plenty of chicken dancing.

KilgoreMainStreet.com

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FALL EVENING CLASSES IN LONGVIEW!

PRESORT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #8 KILGORE, TX Kilgore News Herald P.O. Box 1210 Kilgore, TX 75663

Kilgore College is excited to partner with UT Tyler to offer several evening courses during the Fall 2 Term to serve the Longview community.

CLASSES START OCTOBER 18, SO REGISTER NOW! Classes held at the Longview University Center 3201 N. Eastman Road

FALL 2 COURSES BEGINNING OCTOBER 18 Art History 1301 (6-8:50 p.m. on Mondays) Biology 2402 (5:30-7:50 p.m. on Mondays) English 1301 (6-8:50 p.m. on Wednesdays) Biology 2402 (5:30-7:50 p.m. on Wednesdays) Psychology 2314 (6-8:50 p.m. on Thursdays) FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER FOR THESE CLASSES, VISIT

KILGORE.EDU