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Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country
of West Texas
Opinion
Tuesday, August 8, 2000
Squarely
Pegged
By Peggy McCracken
Pecos museum is a
good stop for tourist
Have you visited the West of the Pecos Museum lately?
One of the finest collections of Texana is located in the museum's little
shop. Among them are books about Texas, including Pecos, and books by Texas
authors, including Pecos' own Joe Gunn.
I even found a book of paintings by Otho Stubbs of Turkey. You remember
Turkey, the home of Bob Wills. It is 15 miles from Flomot. Otho Stubbs
paints beautiful landscapes, many depicting Indians as they probably looked
when they inhabited that area of the caprocks and beyond. I wanted the
book, but was too tight to pay $40 plus tax. Maybe later.
One thing I found in the gift shop was fish that I bought as gifts for
my vacation bible school workers. Our theme of Ocean Odyssey just called
out for a fish motif. And these were only 65 cents plus tax, of course.
The problem was that they were fortune-telling fish, which I didn't notice
until I got back to the church. Now fortune telling is a sin, as any good
Bible student knows, so the fish were not appropriate for church folks.
So I threw away the envelope explaining the meaning of the red transparent
fish's movements and put them in "churchy" envelopes.
You may have guessed, when I told each worker my fish tale, every one
wanted the instructions.
Back at the museum the next week, I found a lot more interesting items.
Pecos Bill pins. Cantaloupe stuff. Rodeo T-shirts. Bandanas. Even a stuffed
horny toad.
Horny toads being a protected species now that they are disappearing
from the desert, that stuffed replica was the only horny toad my St. Louis
granddaughter saw while she was here. She had a little trouble believing
that horny toads spit blood in your eye, and that you can hypnotize them
by turning them on their back, rubbing their stomach and drawing a circle
around them clockwise. When you draw the circle counter-clockwise, it breaks
the hypnotic spell and they kick those short legs, turn over and scamper
off.
I enjoyed the Joplin family exhibit and the new décor in the
east room. Curator Dorinda Millan and executive director Debbie Thomas
are doing a great job. They have a lot of help from volunteers, who are
always cheerful and full of information. I think they still have some paid
help, too, but I don't know who at the moment.
Pecos has little to offer tourists, and the museum is usually their
first stop. And maybe their last. I wonder if we will ever develop a tourism
attitude and create an atmosphere that will keep them here awhile. Stickers
on the cash register proclaiming a business as "Texas Friendly" don't quite
fill the bill.
Even if you've been through the museum several times, you may want to
go again just to see the changes. And to chat with the friendly volunteers.
I enjoy every visit.
Tourists might be intrigued by the cutout sign north of town on U.S.
Hwy. 285 that proclaims Pecos as the home of the world's first rodeo. Someone
who passed through here saw it and asked me to take a photo. It is in need
of repair and some mesquite trimming to make it attractive once again.
Have you noticed the "Ten Commandment" signs planted at every entrance
to Pecos? The bright yellow signs just jump out at you as you approach
town. They are a reminder that God watches over us and expects our devotion
in return.
Jesus said: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment.
And the second is like it: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law
and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matt: 22-37-40 NIV
EDITOR'S NOTE: Peggy McCracken is business manager and webmaster
for the Pecos Enterprise. Contact her at peg2@pecos.net.
Your View
Summer program give thanks to all helpers
Dear Editor:
The Pecos 2000 Summer League Basketball Team would like to thank a
number of individuals for their generosity for the youth in our community.
We would like to thank Hair by Connie, Herrera's Grocery, and the First
National Bank for their generous donations for our out-of-town trips.
We would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Ruvel Carrasco, Mr. Julio Torres
and Mr. Joe Ortega for their time transporting the team on our out-of-town
trips. Your help was greatly appreciated.
We would also like to thank Head Basketball Coach Tino Acosta, Principal
Danny Rodriguez, Principal Juanita Davila and the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD
for allowing us to use the basketball gyms for practice and games.
Your generosity and dedication to the 2000 Summer League Basketball
Program and the youth in our community is greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
JON COOK
VALDO HINOJOS
DAVID CHAVEZ
SAUL GARCIA
EDDIE CERVANTES
JASON CARRILLO
JOEY ORTEGA
RUVEL CARRASCO
FREDDIE TORRES
ISRA VARELA
ADRIAN TARIN
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Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Peggy McCracken, Webmaster
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
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