Flags are a reminder

WATCHING OVER DECORDOVA/ACTON

Event intended to preserve and show appreciation for Texas history

A lifelong resident of North Central Texas, Larry Barclay is a TCU alum and joyfully retired from law enforcement. He and his wife Karen have resided in DCBE since 2015, along with their two exquisite mixed-breed dogs. They enjoy golf, boating, travel and all the goodness than accompanies life in the Hood.

If you drove through Acton this week, you no doubt noticed dozens of beautiful Texas Flags along the highway by the cemetery. Who put them there and why, I asked? I did a little digging around and this is what I found.

The flags, officially known as the Texas Heroes Flag Display, were put in place by the Texas Heroes Foundation, as a remembrance of the Alamo and celebration of the battle of San Jacinto (perhaps the defining battle in the Texas war for independence) in honor of Texas heroes there. Each flag is tagged with the name of a Tejano-Texas who fought for Texas freedom from Mexico.

The Texas Hero Foundation is a volunteer organization founded several years ago by folks from Hood County. The Foundation works to “raise funds used to educate people of all ages about the history of Texas in order to preserve its accuracy and to encourage appreciation for its richness.”

And how do they do this, you may ask.

STUDENT HISTORY FAIR

Each spring, the foundation hosts a Student History Fair for students in grades 3-12. The foundation selects a theme (this year is Communication in Texas History Prior to 1900) and kids are invited to explore the topic in one of five ways; an exhibit, a research paper, creative writing paper, performance or artwork. Each year, around $5,000 in awards and scholarship are made available. Graduating seniors are also eligible to receive a $500 scholarship.

STROLL THRU TEXAS HISTORY

The Foundation’s signature event is the Stroll Thru Texas History.  It’s on May 14 and 15, from 10 a.m.-4 .m. at the Acton Cemetery on Fall Creek Highway.

The stroll is a journey to 1800s Texas where you can meet heroes such as Travis, Crockett, Houston (not our publisher) Bowie, Seguin and more through character reenactments.  Many of the re-enactors are descendants of the heroes they depict! Errol Flannery (Foundation President) is a four-times great-grandson of Davy and Elizabeth Crockett.

There will be black powder cannon, Native American, frontiersmen/frontierswomen, rancher and soldier demonstrations and interactive presentations. You can also shop vendors, visit food trucks and enjoy period music. You can also enter a raffle and win cool prizes.

But wait – there’s more! Starting at 4 p.m. both afternoons, visitors can enjoy some toe-tapping tunes. The talent line-up is quite impressive. If you enjoy a good yodel (and who doesn’t?), Kristyn Harris is a must-see. Kristyn is four-time International Western Music Association Entertainer of the Year. You may have heard her yodel her way onto American Idol in 2018. Pretty hot stuff!

Ridge Roberts, of Granbury, will rosin-up his bow and make sweet fiddle music both days. At the age of 17, Ridge is reigning National Fiddle Champion, Grand Masters Champion and Bob Wills Fiddle Festival Champion.  Rumor is, Ridge might add a little singing to his show this year. I hope he does!

Well-known Granbury-Live performers Mike and Alecia Echols (“the Princess and Blue-Eyed Fiddler”) will take the stage Friday. The Vanderveer Brothers String Band will play old-time and traditional Celtic tunes on Saturday. Old West Stories and songs will be performed by Martin and Murphy. And last, but not least, the Singing Mayor – Nin Hulett – will take the stage Friday.

I suspect every state takes some pride in their past and celebrates their culture. I’m pretty sure no state takes it as far as we do in Texas.

Anyway, come on out to the Acton Cemetery on May 14 and 15.  And thank you Heroes Foundation for putting this event on and helping educate our beautiful people.

For more information go to texasheroesfoundation.org or check them out on Facebook.