Karena Poke of Houston will be one of the exhibitors at this weekend’s Mother Earth News Fair at the Bell County Expo Center. Click the link below for a complete guide:

YOUR GUIDE TO THE MOTHER EARTH NEWS FAIR

By DAVID STONE, Our Town Temple

Texans love living the “simple life,” whether it’s raising chickens, tending a garden or using herbs to stay healthy.

That’s why Mother Earth News Magazine is bringing its flagship event back to Bell County for the sixth year.

“We’re thrilled to be back at the Bell County Expo Center because Temple and Belton have such a thirst for advice and information, whether it’s building a chicken coop, brewing beer at home or growing vegetables,” said Andrew Perkins, event director.

The Mother Earth News Fair is the nation’s largest and longest-running sustainable lifestyle event, and the Texas edition is happening today and Sunday at The Expo.

The Fair runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on today and will shut down an hour earlier on Sunday.

“Fairgoers can attend more than 100 workshops,” Perkins said. “These  include food preparation and preservation, small-scale and backyard livestock production, organic gardening, natural health, renewable energy, homesteading and other self-sufficiency-related topics.”

“Local and national experts will lead the sessions,” he said.

In addition, the Fair will host children’s activities, heritage-breed livestock, country skills, vendor demonstrations, a 6,000 square-foot book store and hundreds of exhibitors. 

After becoming a Master Gardener through Texas A&M AgriLife Extension in 2014, Karena Poke founded Lettuce Live, a wellness movement focused on inspiring families, empowering communities and equipping corporations with the resources, tools, and partnerships to grow fresh foods while developing healthy communities.

“The Lettuce Live team designs and builds customized edible gardens with teachers, community leaders, corporations and aspiring gardeners to provide families with more access to fresh fruits and vegetables,” Karena said.

“I’ll be in Belton this weekend for the fair,” she said. “I’ll be demonstrating how gardens can build and grow communities.”

Here’s some more happenings for today:

• Comedy Showcase at Corky’s Wine Bar. Open at 7 p.m., show starts at 8. See ad below.

• Tour Temple is launching its winter Beer & Wine Trail route. We will now offer more variety, which includes a Beer & Wine Trail, a Wine & Beer Trail, and a Wine-only Trail tour. Each weekend (Fri-Sat-Sun) our specially equipped shuttle bus takes the group from our downtown location and transports you to three destinations. Stops include BJs Tasting Room, 3 Texans Winery, Fire Base Brewing, Dancing Bee Winery, Bold Republic Brewing Company and Axis Winery. Plan for a 1-hour stop at each location as the venue staff hosts you and offers a variety of their favorite beers and wines in one flight per person, price is all-inclusive. After an hour on site, we load back up on the bus to transport you to your next location. Leave the driving to us. Arrive 15-minutes early and we will return you back to downtown Temple at 10pm. $49 per person, price is all-inclusive. Kids and dogs are welcome. 4-8 p.m.

• Marcus Lindsey at Bo's Barn. Marcus is a Texas country singer/songwriter currently based out the DFW area. 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. $10

• Third anniversary celebration at 3 Texans Winery! We will be celebrating open to close. Food truck and live music throughout the day! Feel free to bring your own lawn chairs as well! Noon to 7 p.m.

• Lady in the Men's Room live at Barrow Brewing. 7 p.m.

• Jazz Daddies live at Fire Street Pizza in Belton, 6 p.m.

• Texas Red Game Show Night at Fire Base Brewing. Free to play. Chances at drinks and other prizes.7:30 p.m. Lupita's Tacos from 2 to 10 p.m.

• Kiddo Cards. Temple Police officers will issue free ID cards to children ages 2-15. The card contains a current photo of the child, name, address, date of birth, eye color, hair color, height, weight, thumbprint and the child’s emergency contact information.Parents or guardians must be present the day of the event to fill out the child’s information and receive the ID. This is also an opportunity for parents to update their child’s current ID card. Additionally, the Temple Police Department is also inviting local businesses to host a Kiddo Card event. These events are free for businesses to host. For more information, contact Office Cody Close at (254) 298-5911. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• Wade Ralston at Treno’s Pizzeria & Taproom. 6-8 p.m.

• Tour Tuscany Cooking Class at Over the Plate, 1118 S. 29th in Temple. Take a culinary journey through Italy. You’ll try your skills making a delicious menu that includes hand-rolled Linguini. Start with anti-pasta and end with a delicious light dessert! (Ages 12-17 with paying adult). Water and aprons provided. Please feel free to bring a nice bottle of wine (or beer) to enjoy! Menu: Pork Tenderloin with pecorino and walnut crust, Grilled and marinated vegetables with pesto and mozzarella, Handmade linguine with pesto, Berry Topped Panna Cotta with chocolate shavings. Class is $79 Per Person. 5-7:30 p.m.

Sunday’s events include:

• Scooter Scavenger Hunt at Corkys Wine & Beer/Tour Temple. After grabbing a hunt sheet from the Corkys Wine and Beer staff, rent a scooter and solve the hunt! Once you are done with the hunt, come back into Corkys, grab a brew or glass of wine and see if you won the grand prize! Hunt time is from 2 to 5 p.m. and can be done anytime during that window. Scooters are to only be ridden by individuals 18+

• Ragland live at Barrow Brewing in Salado. 4 p.m.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

To include your events in What’s Happening, email information to OurTownTemple@gmail.com. Photos are welcome to for use in the publication as space permits!

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 19, 2022

Temple ISD board votes to send new bond referendum to May ballot

Our Town Temple

The Temple Independent School District board of trustees unanimously approved a $164.8 million bond referendum Friday that will be included in the May 2022 election.

Since Nov. 2, when Proposition A of the district’s 2021 bond package was two votes shy of passing, district officials have been gathering additional community feedback to determine next steps.

The proposed 2022 Bond package approved Friday reduced the overall cost of the previous package by more than $20 million and eliminated Proposition B which would have provided improvements to Wildcat stadium. 

The revised package also defers some facility improvement projects for a future bond.

The most significant projects that will be in the 2022 bond include preparations for growth that were part of the 2021 Demographic Study, as well as safety and security updates:

• Construction of a new elementary campus (Fine Arts Academy) in the southeast quadrant

• Expansion of instructional space at three campuses - Scott Elementary, Bonham Middle School and Temple High School

• Eliminating remaining portables at seven campuses

• Addition of security vestibules at three remaining campuses - Hector P. Garcia, Kennedy-Powell, and Raye-Allen

• Construction of a new auxiliary services building

 If approved in May, Temple ISD taxpayers will see an approximate $1.48 per month increase in property taxes for a home valued at $100,000. Residents who are 65 years of age and older would not be impacted if they have filed for and received a homestead exemption with the state of Texas.

“Our needs have not changed,” said Board President Dan Posey, “and we will continue to work with Temple voters to develop and pass a bond package that prioritizes those needs in a way that balances our community’s expectations for their school district.”

Voters can access information and resources about the bond at www.tisd.org/bond2022/.

Election Day for the Temple ISD Bond is May 7. Temple ISD serves more than 8500 students in pre-K through grade 12 at 15 campuses.

AROUND TOWN: GRAND OPENING

Shaili Vora of Huntington Learning Center, 9325 Tarver Road in Temple, prepares for Friday’s grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony. The tutoring center opened in December, and plans for a grand opening earlier this month was thwarted by the recent winter storm. For information about the business, call Shaili at (254) 598-4881. David Stone photo

OTT has a new reporter: You!

To make the publication better than ever — and even more different than our competitors — Our Town Temple is introducing new reader-inspired features.

• There’s a lot of good cooking going on in this part of the world, so let’s start In the Kitchen. This new segment will feature kitchen tips and recipes from great chefs and home cooks out there. In the Kitchen items submitted should include a short story about your topic, a photo and a recipe if that’s applicable. All readers are welcome to submit tips and recipes.

• Feel like taking a weekend excursion? Take along your notebook and share your experience in Day Tripper, a reader blog focusing on single-day getaways from the Temple area. Day Tripper submissions should include a story about the destination, interesting things to see and do along the way, and maybe a perfect spot for a lunch break.

• Here’s a fun topic: The Town Farmer. Do you raise herbs in a window sill? Chickens in your backyard? Veggies on your balcony? We need tips and inspiration for growing a green thumb. Remember, not all animals and plants are legal to raise inside the city limits.

• OTT loves hearing reader opinions about what’s going on in and around Temple, so here’s your chance. Talk to Me is the place to express your views about long traffic lights, ideas for development and just about anything else — with two exceptions. No politics and no verbal lashings of others.

The OTT staff has other ideas, and we will get to them in the near future. Also, if you have a grand idea for a new column or feature, let’s hear it! Send stories, ideas, photos and thoughts to OurTownTemple@gmail.com.

— David Stone, OTT publisher

Charter Oak closure starts Feb. 22

A portion of Charter Oak Drive — northeast of Kegley Road and Midway Drive — will close to through traffic for two weeks beginning Feb. 22 as part of a 24-inch waterline installation.

Detours will direct traffic around the closure.

Existing detours, which are also related to the Water Transmission Main project, will remain in place. Access will be maintained for residents and businesses.

Individuals with inquiries about the project should contact the city of Temple Engineering Department at (254) 298-5660.

Fire damages Windcrest Apartments

Our Town Temple

Temple Fire & Rescue responded to an apartment fire Friday at 1310 S. 23rd Street.

According to Fire Chief Mitch Randles, firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and flames coming from the second story of the Windcrest Apartments.

One person, a resident of the complex, was taken to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center with a non-fire related issue.

Heavy smoke and water damage was reported throughout the building with heavy fire damage to the second story.

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