“Great things are not done by impulse,

but by a series of small things brought together.”

Vincent Van Gogh

Today kicks off National Travel and Tourism Week celebrating the industry’s critical role in powering economies, communities, and connections. Tourism touches and improves it all, allowing our small-town businesses to thrive. — P.A. Geddie

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Writing On the Wall

Bart Soutendijk designs wire art for individuals, corporations, hospitals, restaurants, entertainment venues, and hotels. Pictured is “Reaching Out.” Read more about him in this ARTICLE.

Mineola Black Spiders Played Ball in Texas and Midwest

A Texas Historical Marker was placed in Mineola on May 21, 2011, as a reminder of the determination of the African-American baseball team called the Mineola Black Spiders who played in the minor leagues in the 1920s and 1930s. In the late 1920s, nearly 30 men came together to form the barnstorming baseball team. They traveled the region and eventually the nation to play other all-Black teams. The team — also called the Texas Black Spiders sometimes — became well-known for their fast-paced Harlem Globetrotter style of baseball. The team’s owner, Vernon Klingman, moved the team to the Midwest to play ball in the early 1930s, hoping for more opportunities. The team changed names over the years and in the 1940s as World War II approached, the team was no more and some moved back to East Texas. READ MORE