Vicki Allen

Born in Scotland. Married an amazing Texan. Got to God's country in 1978. Christian, conservative, wife,mom. My own boss!

[Vicki Allen @cakealakes]

@ScottPresler They can’t commit to lunch. Useless bunch.

[Vicki Allen @cakealakes]

@KennethRWebster Pearl and Opal.

[SmithvilleTexasNews @NewsSmithville]

The Smithville City Council took no action on appointing an interim city manager at a special meeting Tuesday, opting to open the position to applicants rather than name someone immediately.

Mayor Sharon Foerster will continue to run the day-to-day for the city.
https://t.co/ePy72hN1k5

[SmithvilleTexasNews @NewsSmithville]

If you've driven on Highway 95 here in Smithville, you've seen the cowboy painted on the old storage tank.

That's Joe Cole. He was born in 1900, but never really stepped into the 21st century.

He lived nine miles outside Smithville in a one-room log cabin that was built in 1840. Joe took it apart by hand, hauled it to his land, and rebuilt it board by board.

The cabin had no plumbing, and every morning he washed his face with water from a brass bucket on the porch.

His family gave him a TV when he turned 90.
He called it an idiot box.

When a nephew took him up in a small plane at 95, someone asked what he thought of flying. Joe said: "If I had a choice to go to California on that plane or that mule, I'd take the mule."

But Joe was more than a stubborn old cowboy. He was a keeper of things that were disappearing.

He made rawhide-bottomed chairs by hand, the pioneer way. He learned the skill from a man born into slavery. Joe made them until he was 95.

He was also a writer, publishing in True West magazine, and helped to publish a book of his mother's memories.

His whole life, Joe kept other folks' history alive.

People drove in from all over just to sit on his porch, because Joe could tell you what horse your great-grandfather rode and where your people were buried.

He died in 1999 with his hand on his favorite Colt. His family gave him the send-off he asked for: a covered wagon pulled by longhorns across his ranch.

As the wagon pulled his casket, the wagon tongue snapped clean off and Joe's son had to lasso it before pulling his father to his grave on horseback.

Joe’s daughter said it was Daddy's way of saying "Take me home, Zane."

Joe spent his life making sure other people weren't forgotten, so it's only fitting that we didn't forget him.

He's up there on that storage tank on Highway 95.

So next time you drive past and see that cowboy, now you’ll know that's Joe Cole, a Smithville storyteller.

Thank you to the Smithville Heritage Society for the research!

[Vicki Allen @cakealakes]

@NewsSmithville This is awesome!

[SmithvilleTexasNews @NewsSmithville]

SCOOP: The Prairie subdivision in Smithville has not been assessed City of Smithville taxes for four years, despite the property having been annexed into the city in 2021.

👉 City shows they gave annex to County.
👈 County shows the documents on their site.
🤔 BCAD doe not have it in their system.

Oh...and the deal presented to Council in 2021 that said it would only be city taxes reimbursed? The actual 380 said ALL taxes.

Get the details 👇
https://t.co/6LCd4RRYcy

[SmithvilleTexasNews @NewsSmithville]

Good morning Smithville! It’s 7:07 on Friday July 24, and welcome to your Smithville Minute.

In today’s episode we've got:
🙌 Thank you new subscribers!
♥️ Thanks to the haters…it’s been great for biz!
💰 What’s up with the taxes for SJ2?
👨‍⚖️ Council Member to interim city manager?
🎄 Christmas in July this weekend!
🚨 No blotter yet…check the newsletter
📰 Issue No. 72 tonight

Listen to all the details in the full episode on Spotify (no need for a premium subscription).

Let’s make it a great day AND a great weekend Smithville! 😎

[Vicki Allen @cakealakes]

@NewsSmithville Manny! My favorite guy!!

[SmithvilleTexasNews @NewsSmithville]

H.E. O'Rourke had attached safety valves dozens of times.

But Feb. 8, 1911 would be the last time.

Engine No. 327 was fresh out of the shop that day after being fully overhauled. O'Rourke climbed on the engine to attach the valve and…

BOOM

The boiler exploded, throwing the front of the engine 75 feet.
Half the firebox flew 400 yards and came down in an alley off Main.
The two engines parked beside 327 were torn apart.
The roundhouse caved in.

The explosion could be heard in Bastrop, 15 miles away.

They found O'Rourke 200 yards from where he'd been standing, one of ten men that died that day. The exact number of wounded was never established.

School children four blocks away were kept inside until the debris stopped falling.

Cleanup crews fanned out across a wide area collecting body parts scattered through the yards. More was retrieved from trees and rooftops for several days.

Business in town was suspended that day.

A special train came from La Grange carrying physicians. That evening another train left for Waco carrying the wounded to the company hospital.

The explosion made national news, with the New York Times and the Houston Post covering the tragic event.

Everyone who lived through that day is gone now. But Smithville has not forgotten.

A piece of twisted metal shaped by the blast sits in a memorial at Railroad Park, so those ten men will always be remembered.

[SmithvilleTexasNews @NewsSmithville]

Good morning Smithville! It’s 7:07 on Tuesday July 21, and welcome to your Smithville Minute.

In today’s episode we've got:
🥵 Another scorcher today
🍣 Sushi night!
💧 Colorado River in action stage (10.5 ft)
🚂 Tales from Smithville: 1911 locomotive explosion

Get all the details (including where the city manager is) in the full episode on Spotify.

Let’s make it a great day Smithville! 😎

[SmithvilleTexasNews @NewsSmithville]

Good morning Smithville! It’s 7:07 on Monday July 20, and welcome to your Smithville Minute.

In today’s episode we've got:
🥵 Heat dome here…hot temps all week
📰 Issue No. 70
📩 Letter to Editor was most clicked
💦 Colorado River rising (action stage by Thurs)
📜 School Board meets tonight
🚨 You Probably Shouldn’t Do That

Get all the details in the full episode on Spotify.

Let’s make it a great day Smithville! 😎

[SmithvilleTexasNews @NewsSmithville]

What’s going on in Smithville this weekend?
🤿 Mayor in the dunk tank!
💦 Water Slide/Splash Pad
🤝 Chamber Mixer
🧘 Chair yoga
🩺 Care-A-Van Wellness event
🎤 Karaoke Night
🧑‍🎤 Open Mic Night
🌷 Plant Bingo
🥵 Peri/menopause conversations
🥕 Farmers Market
🎸 Live music!

Get all your details in this week’s Smithville Weekend Guide 👇
https://t.co/ITbFMJfGFw

[SmithvilleTexasNews @NewsSmithville]

Good morning Smithville! It’s 7:07 on Thursday July 16, and your Smithville Minute is on Spotify!

In today’s episode we've got:
🏀 New Tiger basketball head coach
🏛️ Special Council meeting tonight (5pm)
💸 Thrifty Thursday: utility bill savings

Listen to the full episode here 👇
https://t.co/XqPfFgNyR0

You can download Spotify for free, and you do not need to pay for a premium subscription to listen.

Let’s make it a great day Smithville! 😎

[SmithvilleTexasNews @NewsSmithville]

Good morning Smithville! It’s 7:07 on Monday July 13, and your Smithville Minute is on Spotify!

In today’s episode we've got:
🍔 Swayze’s Burger Bar opens!
📰 Issue No. 69
🛩️ Airport story up
🌳 Parks Board meeting today 4pm
🏛️ Council meeting tonight 6pm
🚨 You Probably Shouldn’t Do That

Listen to the full episode here 👇
https://t.co/CICdE5jeeX

You can download Spotify for free, and you do not need to pay for a premium subscription to listen.

Let’s make it a great day Smithville! 😎

[SmithvilleTexasNews @NewsSmithville]

Good morning Smithville, and welcome to your weekend 😎

Schedule of activities:
10a: Smithville Public Library: Gentle Yoga with Vicky

10a-7p: Faire la Nouba: Christopher Hobbs’ birthday party 🥳

2-4p: The Front Room: Live music by Muchacho Sanchez

2-5p: Frontier Cellars: Live music by Donovan Hand

7:30-9:30p: Smithville Brewing Company: Live music Nathan Colt Young Duo

9p-12:30a: The Birdsong Bar and Patio: Karaoke with Elijah Muñoz

Stay up to date on all your weekend activities in our Smithville Weekend Guide 👇
https://t.co/VcwU6I3OOa

[SmithvilleTexasNews @NewsSmithville]

Good morning Smithville! It’s 7:07 on Wednesday July 8, and your Smithville Minute is on Spotify!

In today’s episode we've got:
🥵 Hot again today
🚫 Splash pad closed (again?)
🛞 Free (used/worn) tires
🍷 Wine of the Week: McPherson Viognier

Listen to the full episode here 👇
https://t.co/tRyZ9Hw6Ed
You can download Spotify for free, and you do not need to pay for a premium subscription to listen.

Let’s make it a great day Smithville! 😎

[DocumentingLibs @HistorianUSA1]

🇺🇸 On this IndependenceDay, while America celebrates freedom, one of our own is fighting for his personal independence — the freedom to walk again.

Covington County, Mississippi Deputy Rodney was shot in the line of duty on June 8th. The bullet went through his back left shoulder, lodged under his right clavicle, and struck his spinal cord at C3-C4.

From his hospital bed at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, he looks straight into the camera and says it’s an incomplete tear, so he does believe he’ll walk again — although it will take a miracle.

He can’t feel from his chest down, but he’s already feeling sensation in his feet here and there. He’s choosing faith over fear, working as hard as he can every single day, and committing to daily updates to inspire others.

This young warrior (recently married) is trusting God through it all.

On the day we honor throwing off tyranny, let’s rally behind a hero throwing off paralysis.

Pray for his miracle. Share his story. Back the blue by lifting him up.

[Vicki Allen @cakealakes]

@ProfMJCleveland 😂😂

[Harman Singh Kapoor @kingkapoor72]

Released after 24 exhausting hours in custody following an illegal arrest, and straight back to work because my family still depends on me.

I will be taking legal action against the Metropolitan Police and Mayor of London over what I believe was unfair and continuous discriminatory treatment.

I don’t want GoFundMe or handouts. I want to earn it.

If you want to support me, come dine at the non-halal Indian restaurant Rangrez in Hammersmith. Support through community, not charity.

[Vicki Allen @cakealakes]

@KennethRWebster They disgust me. We are nothing to them.