COUNTY LIFE
Camera to canvas: 50 years in the visual arts celebrated by Nocona couple
By BARBARA GREEN
editor@bowienewsonline.com
Larry and Donna Lemons will mark 50 years in the visual arts with a special celebration from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on April 15 at their gallery in Nocona at 300 Clay.
One of the highlights of the day will be the unveiling of a coffee table book, “A Brush With Faith.” It reflects on a career of “picture taking” and the path he and the love of his life, Donna Rose took, as they built their lives together, with faith often directing those decisions.
Larry’s art career began when he picked up a camera during his second semester at Cooke County Junior College after high school graduation.
Through that lens, he and Donna would create a successful photography studio working for 27 years before he picked up a paintbrush to spark a new avenue of creativity for himself that included writing books and teaching art.
Larry, now 70 and Donna, 68, were high school sweethearts. He and his future wife lived only three streets away from each other when his family moved to Nocona when he was a fourth grader. He graduated two years ahead of her and they were engaged.
He worked at The Nocona News doing everything from deliveries to addressing papers. It was during his second semester at Cooke County Junior College a friend, Gene Brown, talked him into taking a basic photography course.
“I told him I had no interest in this and didn’t know anything about it, but it still sounded intriguing. I didn’t want to go in with no information so I bought a few photography magazines and read through them looking at the pretty pictures. I read about F-stops, focal planes and shutter speeds.
“At first I thought it sounded too complicated, but I also really liked the pictures. I ordered a Minolta camera from a New York camera shop. When I started messing with it the stuff I read began to make sense,” recalls Larry.
As the class progressed and he learned how the camera worked, Larry loved it. Taking black and white photos, then seeing them come to life after processing them in the dark room was fascinating for a young man searching for his future.
In recognition of National Adoption Awareness Month this November, Texas Community Counseling and the Heart Gallery of Northwest Texas are partnering to bring resources to Montague County families.
The two organizations will host an adoption, foster care and kinship care resource fair on Nov. 14 at the United Presbyterian Church of Montague County Fellowship Hall, located at 300 W. Nelson St. in Bowie.
The resource fair will run from 10 a.m. to noon, bringing together local agencies and service providers to answer questions and share information about support available within the county.
Read the full story in the Thursday Bowie News.
Members of the Montague County Historical Commission invite the community to join them on Nov. 14 for a Rolling Bus Tour.
This tour will cover the cemeteries in the south west corner of Montague County. You will have the opportunity to stroll through some of the cemeteries, others the bus will stop and Commission member Calvin Durham will tell the history of the cemetery.
The bus tour will meet at the Old Jail in Montague at 9 a.m. and return at approximately 3 p.m. The tour will include a sack lunch, a brochure of each cemetery visited and a book “This Soil will Grow Grapes” written by Melvin Fenoglio.
The cost of the tour is $20 for adults. There is no charge for children under 12. The commission members strive to preserve the history of the county and to share as much of it as possible with our citizens. You can RSVP by calling 940-841-2674 or 940-872-1007. Please leave a message with your name if there is no answer.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System at 1:20 p.m. on Nov. 17.
FEMA’s emergency alert system is a national public warning system made up of thousands of radio, TV, cable and satellite and wireline video providers. Through the EAS, the President can address the American people or share life-saving information with the public during a national emergency.
FEMA is required by law to conduct a nationwide test of the public alert and warning system at least once every three years. These tests allow FEMA to identify technical or operational issues before the system is needed during an actual emergency.
FEMA and the FCC are sharing the test date in advance because it is important the public understands what to expect on the day of the test.
At approximately 1:20 p.m. (Central time), on Nov. 17, all the electronics providers will interrupt normal programming to relay a test message.
This message will state: This is a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System, issued by the Federal Emergency management Agency, covering the United States from 1:20 to 1:50 p.m. This is only a test. No action is required by the public.”
When the test is concluded, normal programming will resume.
FEMA and the FCC are coordinating with stakeholders, including participating communications providers as well as federal, state, tribal and territorial agencies to prepare for and conduct the test.
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