Our 2008 Celebration has come and gone, remember it is the second weekend of August each year. If you would like to leave comments,questions, or concerns about this years celebration feel free to at our contact us page or email me at jeff@silvertonevents.org. All comments will be posted on this page. Keep comments brief and any comments containing profanity will be deleted. If you wish to have your name posted under your comment please specify otherwise it will be left off.
08-22-08
2008 Homecoming Ceremony
The gathering for the Silverton Homecoming Program held during the Briscoe County Celebration on Saturday was filled with laughter and entertainment. Over 190 plus graduates and others filled the Silverton School Auditorium for the occasion. The Silverton High School Cheerleaders greeted and registered all guests. Emcee Dennis Tomlin started the program in returning with his football jersey after graduating in 1964. The Invocation was provided by John Francis and Boy Scout Troop 262 presented the American and Texas flags and led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Graduate Hosts for this year’s event were Doc and Sharon Simpson, Doug and Elaine Forbes, Calvin and Carolyn Shelton and Emmitt and Sandy Tomlin. Superintendent Jerry Birdsong welcomed the crowd while Jimmy Burson entertained with a few cowboy songs. It was then that the 2008 Homecoming Queen was announced.
Just after the Chicago Black Sox scandal and Poncho Villa’s attack on Juarez, and only a couple of days away from Prohibition, she was born, along with her twin sister, on Thursday, October 23, 1919, in the house of her grandfather, J.L. Francis. One of eight children, she attended school at Lakeview Grade School that was located where Rex Holt presently resides. After the seventh grade, she transferred to Silverton Schools. During her time at Silverton High, the school sent her sewing hand work along with that of her sister’s (Ruth Francis West) and Opal Chappell’s (Grabbe) to Austin to be judged for state accreditation. Her work was deemed excellent and the Silverton Home Economic Department was then duly recognized by the state of Texas. She graduated from Silverton High School the same month that Joe Louis knocked out Max Schmeling in 1938.
Just three weeks before the start of World War II, on Saturday, August 11, 1939, she married Milton Frizzell of Lockney. From that union of sixty-three years, three children were born; Jerry, Carolyn, and Lynn, all of Silverton. She has been a career homemaker her entire married life. She has 10 grandchildren, 29 great grandchildren and 3 great-great grandchildren. All of her children graduated from Silverton High along with six of her grandchildren. Two of her great grandchildren presently attend Silverton schools. She and her husband were avid supporters of the Silverton Owls and Lady Owls, attending ball games for more than forty years. She was a caretaker for her husband when he became ill and loves making quilts for her family for births, graduations and weddings. The 2008 Silverton Homecoming Queen is Margaret Frizzell. She received a summer bouquet of flowers for this honor.
The recognition of Silverton High Graduating Classes was announced and the winner of the bell was the Class of 1958. The oldest graduate attending the ceremony was Lallie Patton, Class of 1932. The graduate traveling the farthest to attend was Gene Clemmer, of Napa, CA. Briscoe County Judge and graduate of the Class of 1965, Wayne Nance, read the list of the thirty-nine deceased graduates, dating from 2006 to 2008. The High School Cheerleaders led the group in the Alma Mater. The Future of Silverton Fund Committee served refreshments of tea and cookies for all in attendance in the School Cafeteria after the ceremony. This year’s hosts would like to thank the Future of Silverton Fund Committee and the Cheerleaders and all that helped to make this Homecoming successful. See you in 2010!
08-18-08
I think that the rodeo poster should have stated "Daily" on the all access pass thing for those who can't understand, but more importantly as for the price of the rodeo I thought it was fine. If you didn't stay for the dance you have to remember
that it is a donation and alot of that proceed goes back into the community. I know that they gave to
EMS, 4-H, Stock Show, Tri-County Meals, Silverton Little League, Scholarships, and who knows what else.
So, for me having a great entertainment for one night of the year. It was great. Maybe more people should
plan better through the year and not give their child every candy bar and coke that they beg for and save
their $20 bills for a one time special event for them.
I think Ken Wood and his committee have worked really hard and for them to give back to our community
like they do, they should be congratulated on a job well done.
08-15-08
I think the Briscoe County Celebration was wonderful. I don't object to the price of the rodeo or dance, I think they are very much worth $10 each. My only objection was having to pay for both whether you wanted to go to both or not. Not all rodeo watchers are dancers and vice-a-versa.
I think the Rodeo Committee and everyone involved in the celebration do a good job - keep up the good work.
08-13-08
I'm getting the general feel of this weekends rodeo was just as disappointing for out-of-towners as it was for us home-towners !
Who can really afford to go and support our home town events at that price ! It would cost our family $80.00 for two hours of O.K. entertainment , neither my husband or myself make $40.00 an hour and not too many other people in this little town make that much either ! What happen to the good old days when every one looked forward to the county celebration and was all able to afford it ? I guess if we start saving now for next year's celebration we won't have to choose between a family vacation and the rodeo !!!
08-12-08
I wish I could post a comment about the rodeo. However, I could not afford to take my kids this year due to the cost! I thought the Briscoe Rodeo Assn. had a good thing going, but after this weekend I am afraid that all efforts put into turning this event around just blew up in their faces.
08-12-08
I got your email address of the web for comments regarding this past weekends Briscoe County Celebration. First, I want to say that Saturday’s Celebration at the Court House was great. We are not from Silverton, but my grandmother has lived there for years as well as my mother graduated from Silverton High School. The great grandkids had a blast. My mother and grandmother went to the program at 2pm at the High School and commented on how good it was.
However, I am disappointed with the Rodeo and Dance situation. Attached you will see the flyer that I looked up last week before coming to Silverton for the weekend. Where it is marked ticket price, it says “all access pass” and then gives price. No where on there does it say that it was going to cost that each night. I even called Ken a couple of days before coming to Silverton, because my daughter wanted to bring a friend so she could make sure she had enough money. At no time did Ken even mention that it $20 was for one night of rodeo and dance. Each of the girls had $20 and got into the Rodeo on Friday night. I was not able to attend Friday night. It was a shock when I reached the gates on Saturday evening to find out that I would now have to fork over $60 for the three of us to get into the Rodeo. I would have turned around and left if I hadn’t already promised the girls that they could go that night.
I think that it is ridiculous in the amount that it cost to get in to the rodeo. I spent $100 just at the Rodeo, not including what I spent for lunch and things while at the Court House. You can also imagine my surprise when I got home and read the Lubbock newspaper to see that Post has their Rodeo this past weekend as well, especially when the price to get into their rodeo was $5.00 and then $5.00 for the dance. If I had known that before coming to Silverton, we would have left on Saturday afternoon and gone to Post to watch their Rodeo.
I know you have no control over that as Ken was in charge of all that. However, I am very disappointed after this weekend. We will continue to come to Silverton to visit my grandmother and when next years events roll around, we will probably do the parade and lunch again, but will not be attending the Rodeo or Dance. The flyer needs to be more clear on the price of things.