Homecoming Planners Invite Involvement

Pep Rally at a previous Homecoming.

This year’s RHS/RCHS Homecoming will be the weekend of October 4-5, and preparing for the Schedule of Events is underway.

The next planning meeting will be at 6:30pm on July 8 at the Roscoe Community Center, and all those interested in helping out are invited.

We are currently working on updating the address data base. If you have a new address or know someone who has moved, please let us know.

If you would like to work on your classmates’ addresses, please contact us, and we will email or mail you a list.

For more information, contact Teresa McFaul-Watson at 325-280-1960 or teresa@lawbros.com or Connie McIntire-Baize at 325-338-1287 or cubaize@yahoo.com.

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MIKE RYAN BAND AT LUMBERYARD SATURDAY NIGHT

Mike Ryan

What better way to spend the second official day of summer than to be outside that evening at the Lumberyard dancing and taking in some great music? This week the featured act is Mike Ryan and his band. Ryan is a singer/songwriter who grew up in San Antonio and sharpened his skills in the Metroplex, particularly at Billy Bob’s, where he has appeared on numerous occasions.

He released his first full-length album, Night Comes Falling in 2012, and since then has produced three more—Bad Reputation in 2014, Mill & Music City in 2016, and Blink You’ll Miss It in 2017. He typically writes or co-writes all his songs as well as singing them.

Notable singles of his include “New Hometown,” “Dancing All Around It,” “Wasting No More Whiskey,” “Damn Good Goodbye,” "When I Drink Beer," and “Red Eye Flight.”

For reservations and more information, contact the Lumberyard at 325-766-2457.

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ROSCOE IN YEARS GONE BY: THE OLD DOWNTOWN PARK

From the Sweetwater Sunday Reporter, August 30, 1932.

ROSCOE PLANS FOR CITY PARK

Lions To Take Lead in Proposal; To Come Up at Meeting Thursday

ROSCOE.—A proposal to take the lead in establishing a city park for Roscoe will be taken up by the Lions Club here Thursday, following a week in which public sentiment on the project has been sounded by members of the organization.

According to Lion President W. E. Forrester, the park would be a co-operative movement with the Boys Scouts, churches, and school to join the Lions in building it. Each of these groups would be asked to donate at least one tree, and keep it alive.

Later on a wading pool, playground equipment, and other features might be added but the main item now is getting the recreation center started, Forrester has pointed out.

A half block close to the business district is being considered as a possible site for the park.
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Boys in the old City Park where the bank is today. Photo is from the mid-1940s and the view is to the west.

Editor’s note: This park was built shortly thereafter with some slight alterations from those initially planned. It was located on the corner of Cypress and Second Streets, where the Roscoe State Bank, drive-up window, and parking lot are today. In its northeast corner was the old city water tower, erected in 1911, and next to it, the city barn. Next to Second Street for a while a croquet ground was across the street from the Young Hospital, and there was a large lawn with two large cedar trees near the center of the park, along with a flagpole just to its west that regularly flew the American flag. The wading pool mentioned above was never built, but a small fish pond built of rock that held large goldfish faced Cypress Street and the Roscoe Times office across the street on its west side.

In the early 1950s, a small circular swimming pool next to the city barn was added by the Boys Club. It had metal walls and a concrete base, and, when full, had water about two feet deep. Swimming there was free of charge, and several boys learned to swim in that little pool.

The swimming pool in the foreground and the Boys Club Hall in 1957.

In the summer, the regular Monday evening Boys Club meetings were held in the park, games were played pitting patrols of several boys each against one another, and bean feeds, ice cream feeds, and watermelon feeds were held there. The Boys Club Hall was located next to the park in the back of the same building that still houses the City Hall.

During the week, children played games in the park with boys’ pass-touch games being especially popular there in the fall. There were also bales of hay stacked against the City Barn with a large target attached. Boys who had made their own bows used it to practice their archery skills.

Early in the fall, the high school carnival was annually held there, and there were many booths set up and run by various town and school organizations and clubs. There were cake walks, dart throws at wall-mounted balloons for prizes, and baseball throws at a target which, when hit, would cause a football coach, preacher, or some other prominent local adult to fall into a cold tub of water.

Every Friday afternoon in the 1950s, the weekly Trades Day drawing was held there, and the park filled with people hoping to win the weekly prizes of $10, $15, and $25 in Trades Day script, good for purchases in participating town businesses, which included almost all the ones in town.

A popular meeting place during the 1930s, ‘40s, and '50s, the park lasted until it was replaced in 1962 by the Roscoe State Bank and parking lot, which are still there today.

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WEATHER REPORT: WARMER, DRIER DAYS

Lightning from yesterday's storm. (Photo by Eden Baker)

Although temperatures were still slightly below average, they were still warmer than the week before. And, although we did get a little more rain, for most people it wasn’t enough to cause any great problems, and for the past few days farmers have been putting in extra hours to get their cotton planted before the crop insurance deadline of June 20. 

In most cases, they have been or will be successful in making the deadline, but there was enough rainfall northwest of town early yesterday morning to keep tractors temporarily out of the field (reports of up to .9” around Pyron), so not everyone may make it. Most places got less than that, however. Here in town, Kenny Landfried reported .2" and west of town and elsewhere reports were around that or maybe .3".

In general, the ground is drier than it was this time last week following the warm, sunny days. Two days, Friday and Saturday, had highs of over ninety degrees, 91°F on Friday and 97° on Saturday. The latter was the hottest day in 2019 so far, but that will probably change today if the temperature reaches the predicted high of 98° and almost certainly tomorrow as the high should top out at around 104°. The weekend will also be much warmer with a high on Saturday of about 93° and on Sunday with 95°. Lows will also be warmer with minimums in the low to mid-seventies.

Drying out is also likely to continue with southwest winds today, tomorrow, and Friday and chances of more precipitation dropping to 20% until Monday when they rise to 30%.

The longest day of the year and the first official day of summer will be this Friday, June 21. Sunrise will be at 6:35am and sunset not until 8:52pm.

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† DONALD ALLEE MENN

Funeral services for Judge Donald Allee Menn, 83, were held at 2:00pm, Saturday, June 15, at Trinity Baptist Church in Sweetwater with Rev. Matt McGowen and Richard Acuna officiating. Burial followed in the Roscoe Cemetery with arrangements directed by Cate-Spencer & Trent Funeral Home. He passed away on Wednesday, June 12.

He was born in Yorktown on April 22, l936, and grew up in Runge. He was a lifelong Baptist and a member of Trinity Baptist Church, Sweetwater. He graduated in 1959 from Texas A&I, now Texas A&M at Kingsville, with a BS degree in agriculture. After graduation, he joined the Texas Army National Guard and served six months at Fort Ord, California. The remainder of his enlistment was with the Sweetwater National Guard.

In February of 1960, Donald moved to Sweetwater where he worked for Soil Conservation Service. He married his sweetheart, Joan Smith, October 2, 1960. They moved to Roscoe where he began farming and working with the RS&P Railway. Donald was an active member of Nolan County Farm Bureau. He served as county president and voting delegate to state and national conventions. He and his dad held a unique distinction in Farm Bureau history as the only father and son to serve as current terms as county presidents.

In 1972, the Menns returned to Sweetwater. His continued interest in government led him to be elected Nolan County Judge. During his term he helped implement the County Court-at-Law, upgrading the county's civil defense and emergency disaster plan. His proudest accomplishment was to bring about the building of North 70 by-pass east of the city. Many of his friends and acquaintances still know him as Judge Menn.

In 1989, Donald and Joan moved to Cuero. Donald worked for the Boil Weevil Eradication program out of Victoria. He was also engaged in ranching with his parents and brother. In 2011, they retired and returned to Sweetwater. Donald loved the land and continued to oversee his farming operations. He was an avid sports fan and could play a great game of dominos. He enjoyed his "office" time with friends at Whataburger and McDonalds.

Judge Menn is survived by his wife, Joan, of the home; son, Woodrow and wife, Julie, of Austin; daughter, Sherry Boiles and husband Donnie, of Sweetwater; and son, Jeff of Sweetwater; his grandchildren, Brian Boiles and wife Jamie of Bryan; Brice Boiles of Dallas; Kasey Menn of Bryan; Brent Boiles of Arvada, Colorado, Andrew Menn of Golden, Colorado; great grandson, Brady Boiles of Bryan; sisters, Dorothy Ballenger and husband Glen of Roscoe, Patricia Cooper of Buffalo; brother, Harvey Menn and wife Janie, of Runge; sister-in-law, Cyrella Bartlett and husband Russell, of Justin; and brother-in-law, Clifford Jones of New Braunfels.

Donald was preceded in death by his parents, Lewis Woodrow and Evangeline Menn; his in-laws, Woodrow and Lena Mae Smith; great-grandson, Dossie Menn, and sister-in-law, Betty Jones.

Pallbearers were Brian, Brice, and Brent Boiles, Andrew Menn, Lance Larson, Clifford Jones, Russell Bartlett, Tim Kerby, Bobby McGlothlin, and Dal Snyder. Honorary pallbearers will be Gene Lowery of Houston, Raymond Smith of Lake Kiowa and Chester Wallace of Cuero.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: Hospice of the Big Country, 4601 Hartford, Abilene, Texas 79605 or Texas Oncology, 1957 Antilley Rd., Abilene, Texas 79606.

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