COUNTY LIFE
Unique hobby full of surprises for Bowie man
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
When Tom Cate picked up his first brick from an old downtown building site the “King. B” brick just caught his eye. He thought it was unique so he took it home. Six years later he has nearly 400 bricks in an unusual collection that decorates his back yard.
Folks around Bowie may be familiar with Cate and his frisky brown and white dog Ginger as they make lengthy daily walks throughout the downtown.
“When I saw the King. B six years ago I thought it may be fun to see how many different bricks I could find. I’d heard of Palmer, Farris, Acme, but there are so many as I found in the research. That’s when it started for me. I looked down allies, at old buildings that were torn down, visited small towns and I began finding more. I got excited by the different ones,” explains Cate.
The collector came to Bowie in 2004 and remodeled a home on the southside of town. He retired from Coca Cola Bottling Company in Dallas after 35 years of servicing the equipment. While he had been living in Ennis, a divorce as he retired led him to explore other possibilities.
He moved to Van Alystyne and was doing some remodeling jobs when his niece in Chico asked him to come help her for a few months at her trophy shop. He worked during the week and went home on the weekend. He ended up staying four years also helping her and her husband out when she was diagnosed with a serious illness.
“I liked it up here and enjoyed riding my motorcycle. It all happened for a reason and came to together that I was able to help them. I liked Bowie and found this house that reminded me of where I grew up. It has a large corner lot and a shop in the back. I remodeled and have been here ever since,” explains Cate.
Read the full feature in your weekend Bowie News.
Get an early start celebrating mom by enjoying the Mom’s Night Out Sip & Stroll With Me downtown Bowie, Texas from 5 to 8 p.m. on May 2 with a chance to win a free gift basket full of goodies at each participating location.
Weather permitting, the Stark family will provide horse-drawn carriage rides on the beautiful historic brick streets for guests.
Join us for another fun downtown “mini-open house” event starting at 5 p.m. along with the added fun of pop-up vendors.
Read about all the participating merchants for this week’s Sip & Stroll With Me in the May 1 Bowie News.
Get ready, Bowie the Free Comic Book Day Mini-Con is back and bigger than ever for its second annual event on May 3 at the Bowie Public Library.
Running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this annual celebration of comics, pop culture, and creativity is a can’t-miss event for fans of all ages.
This year’s Mini-Con will feature an exciting lineup of vendors, artists and authors, along with a bounce house, video game tournament and costume contest. Attendees can enjoy free comic books while exploring a variety of geeky goods, delicious food/drinks and more.
Whether you’re a superhero fan or just looking for a fun community event for all ages or to take the family out to, there’s a little something for everyone.
Don’t forget your costume, join us for a day of fun, fandom and free comics. Follow Bowie Texas Freakz & Geekz on social media or join the discord at BTXFG.Carrd.co.
Members of the Stoneburg Volunteer Fire Department will serve up its annual fish fry from 5 to 7 p.m. on May 3 at the Bowie Community Center, 413 Pelham Street.
Dinner includes fish with all the trimmings, served for donations only.
There will be a prize drawing for a Pitboss Savannah Pellet Grill and a custom built ARIS Rifle 5.56 NATO. Tickets are $10. To buy tickets call Bill Prater at 841-0263, Chad Long at 531-2711 or Chad Gerlach at 531-0726.
Donations may be sent to Stoneburg VFD, c/o Chad Gerlach, 9954 FM 1816, Bowie, TX 76230.
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