|
Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Thursday, May 27, 2004
Balmorhea set for 4th annual shrimp festival
By BRENDEN BRIGGS
Staff Writer
Balmorhea is set to hold its fourth annual Shrimp Festival this Saturday, and event organizers are excited about putting on an entertaining event for the public to enjoy.
The festival will include a shrimp cook-off, live music, carnival rides, food and arts and craft vendors, and wagon rides.
According to cook-off chairman Michael Peacock, the event will allow for dishes from around the world, just as long as they contain the tasty crustaceans. “We will probably see everything from simple dishes such as boiled shrimp to more complicated dishes such as shrimp gumbo and other Cajun favorites,” Peacock said.
The day is scheduled to begin around 8 a.m. on Saturday with the registration of the cook-off contestants, but Peacock added that the contest would still accept competitors “up until noon or so.”
“The shrimp cook pretty fast, and the judging is not until 3 p.m.,” Peacock said. “We will announce the results of the judging around 5 p.m.” Prizes this year include three cookers to give away to the top three places in the cook-off.
He said that music would be provided all day long, with a DJ in the morning, a band in the afternoon and Eddie Ray and the Bud Kings finishing off the day and playing through the street dance portion of the festival.
“All the music is free for all who want to attend,” Peacock said. “Right now we have 11 vendors signed up for Saturday,” included in that number will be the Permian Sea Shrimp Company who is the main sponsor for the event.
“Owners Burt Reed and Kelly Rowden will be on hand selling shrimp kabobs, shrimp wraps, and Creole cooking,” Peacock said.
TAKS shows P-B-T math, science weaknesses
Preliminary scores for Pecos-Barstow-Toyah TAKS testing are in and most results are comparable to the statewide scores, though math and science results were below average for several grades.
Math scores came 12 percent below average for seventh graders, and 23 percent below the statewide average for 10th grade students. Only 58 percent of seventh graders and 40 percent of 10th graders passed the math portion of the TAKS test.
Meanwhile, sixth grade students finished five points above the statewide TAKS average in math, with 82 percent of the students passing. Third, fourth, fifth, eighth ninth and 11th grade students all scored within two to six points of the state test average.
TAKS in science was only given in three grades. A total of 79 percent of P-B-T 11th grade students passed, but only 43 percent of 10th graders and 49 percent of fifth graders passed the test. Statewide, 85 percent of students in the 11th grade passed the test, while 64 percent of 10th graders and 69 percent of fifth graders passed.
Along with the sixth grade math students, the other tests where local students scored higher than the statewide average was in third grade reading, where 97 percent of the students passed compared to a statewide average of 95 percent; fourth grade writing, where 92 percent passed compared with 90 percent statewide, and 11th grade social studies, where 99 percent of Pecos High School students passed, compared with 97 percent across the state.
Other TAKS passing scores locally were: Third grade math, 89 percent;
Fourth grade reading, 78 percent and math 83 percent; Fifth grade reading 68 percent and math 76 percent; Sixth grade reading 78 percent; Seventh grade: reading 76 percent and writing 86 percent; Eighth grade reading 88 percent, math 61 percent and social sciences 81 percent; Ninth grade reading 82 percent and math 57 percent; 10th grade: ELA 65 percent and social studies 76 percent; 11th grade: ELA 81 percent, math 81 percent and science 79 percent.
Defensive driving class on Saturday
A Defensive Driving class will be held from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., this Saturday at the Texas-New Mexico meeting room, 1126 Stafford.
For pre-registration call 325-223-9149 and ask for Maria.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 432-445-5475, FAX 432-445-4321
e-mail news@pecos.net
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 2003 by Pecos Enterprise
|
