Bowie welcomes the fall season this weekend with one of its largest events the Chicken and Bread Days Heritage Festival on Oct. 5.
Hosted by Bowie Community Development, this festival celebrates the unique history of Bowie that developed out of a train track tent city. Young men from the burgeoning community would take bread or biscuits, along with fried chicken, and sell it to train passengers when the trains would stop in Bowie. Many of these chicken and bread boys went on to be prominent business people including Amon Carter.
Chicken and Bread Days celebrates its 29th year of filling the community with fun activities, music and food.
While the festival begins on Saturday, the fun starts the night before with the Harvest Sip & Stroll With Me on Oct. 4. There are 20 locations hosting Sip & Stroll stops throughout downtown Bowie from 5-8 p.m.
It is just $15 for a Sip & Stroll armband which includes a commemorative souvenir glass. Previous strollers are encouraged to bring their past Sip glass as present supplies are limited. All proceeds go to the beautification projects for City of Bowie Community Development.

The Saint Jo City Council approved its 2024-25 budget at its last meeting with few changes to expenses, and a decrease in the 2024 tax rate.
City Secretary Debbie Dennis said there was little change in the budget with no additional staff or equipment purchases. There also was no employee pay increase this year.
In general fund revenues the city is projecting $705,475, which is slightly lower than the 2023-24 budget of $798,229, which included $115,000 in COVID reserve funds which is $20,000 this year. The council approves a general fund budget, water and sewer utility budget and a fire budget.

Read the full story in the mid-week Bowie News.

By BARBARA GREEN
[email protected]
It was a brief 15-minute meeting for the Bowie City Council this week as the 2024 tax rate was finalized along with budget amendments for fiscal 2023-24.
The 2024 tax rate will remain at the same level as the past three years at .5430 cents per $100 in property value. Councilors gave approval for the second reading of the rate ordinance.
Budget amendment
The only new item of business was a series of line items budget amendments for both revenue and expenditures that went over the budget. These will be adjusted in preparation for the outside auditor’s review this fall.
In the utility fund revenues surpassed the budget projections by $332,000. Interest rates continue to provide a boost going $160,000 above budget.

Read the full story in the weekend Bowie News.