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Images of Santa Claus excite children across the globe each holiday season. Some such images appear on television, in stores or in the front yards of homes decked out for the holidays, while others are elicited through songs like “Up on the Housetop.” Hollywood legend Gene Autry’s mid-20th century version of “Up on the Housetop” might be the most widely recognized version of the song, but the tune actually dates back to 1864, making it the second oldest secular Christmas song (“Jingle Bells” was written in 1857).

By all accounts, Forney is a place of true community. Anytime there is a need among the citizens, the men, women, and children band together to make sure that need is met. Oftentimes, the response to a need is so great and overwhelming that the donations far exceed the need! When Mike and Amanda Lewis were delivering food to a local resident during the COVID-19 pandemic, they became aware of some much-needed repairs for her home. What began as a plan to make some simple plumbing fixes quickly became a much more in-depth list. The Lewises, through the assistance of Forney Community Ministries, gathered local volunteers to contribute their time, energy, and materials to check needs off of the list.

St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church is hosting the CCD Mobile Community Pantry again this Saturday, December 5. This mobile food pantry will be held in the St. Martin parking lot at the corner of Interstate 20 and FM 1641 from 9:30 A.M. to 11:00 A.M.

The Mesquite City Council unanimously approved a zoning change to planned development-commercial to provide for a new industrial park featuring two state of the art facilities developed by Huntington Industrial Partners, totaling more than 356,000 square feet on more than 22 acres of land located on Military Parkway, east of I-635.

Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) is the latest local government entity to achieve specific transparency goals through the Comptroller’s Transparency Stars program. NTMWD received a star in the area of Traditional Finances, which recognizes entities for their outstanding efforts in making their spending and revenue information available.

On November 7, FHS and NFHS swimmers went to Dallas to compete against one of their top competitive regional opponents, Woodrow Wilson High School. Three school records were broken that day. Andrew Gilbert broke the 200 Freestyle record for FHS with a time of 1:52:72. Andrew also broke the FHS record for the 100 Freestyle with a time of 49:88. Michael Gilbert broke the FHS 100 breast record with a time of 1:04:37.

There have been so very many wonderful people who have chosen Forney to be their hometown. One of the most memorable was Mrs. Dorris Hamblen. If you had the opportunity to meet her, you came away knowing you had met a very fine lady whose personal ethos was manifested in really caring about the community she lived in. There are many examples of her actions that helped uplift the face that Forney presented to the world. If you have ever wondered about the story behind the Statue of Liberty and the flag display, Mrs. Hamblen had a major hand in it. Ever wonder about how Forney could have gotten a real authentic caboose set beside the train tracks in downtown? Mrs. Hamblen did some serious talking and convinced the Union Pacific railroad to bring a caboose with its own tracks and set it up in Downtown Forney. Miss Dorris was a force to be reckoned with in her own right. And if she was still around, she would be very proud of how the Forney Community has rallied around the students in Forney ISD in supporting all of the nonprofit groups that help make the lives of the children in Forney, Texas so much more.

Thursday, November 19, 2020 (Almost Midnight)—I think I will check Thursday night football scores before I recline for some serious Law and Order and/or The Hallmark Channel television viewing. “Oh, no! Let me check another source. This can’t be right!”

Your employer-sponsored retirement plan is a valuable asset. But sometimes things happen that can affect the status of your plan. So, for example, if you work for a hospital that changes ownership, and you have been participating in a 403(b), 457(b) or 401(k) retirement plan, what should you do with it now? Basically, you have four options:

With a title such as the one accompanying this week’s column, you are probably scratching your head and wondering what ole Luke has up his sleeve this week! Well, let’s begin by backtracking a quarter century to a hot June day at Lake Ray Hubbard where I was first introduced to my first ‘mechanical’ fishing lure. I had heard of this mechanical shad invented by a gentleman named Frank Pearce. I was elated when Frank contacted me and asked if I would like to meet him at Lake Ray Hubbard to catch some largemouth bass on his new mechanical top water shad baits.

November marks the beginning of a winter tradition in Texas for anglers of all ages across the state as the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department begins stocking thousands of rainbow trout November 25. The easy to catch rainbow trout are delicious table fare and can be found on many restaurant menus.

Although holiday celebrations look a little different this year, Texas State Parks and the Texas Historical Commission State Historic Sites are hosting more than 50 events across the state to help bring in some holiday cheer. 32 Texas State Parks and six State Historic Sites are presenting Christmas themed scavenger hunts, self-guided walks and virtual events.

Fireman Isaac Stevens, 2018 graduate of Forney High School, was recently name Sailor of the week on the USS Monterey. Sailor Stevens was recognized for his positive and resilient attitude while using his technical expertise to make ready the Monterey for her upcoming mission.