Submitted by Jennifer Dollins:
The Coupland Civic Organization will hold its official annual meeting on Monday, January 27, in the Coupland Fire Station. President Barbara Piper will report on activities during the past year, and new board members will be elected.
Also, Courtney Ging will report on her trip to London where she marched in the New Year’s Day parade.
Refreshments will be served at 6:30 p.m., and the program will begin at 7.
Submitted by Barbara Piper:
Lots of activity has been occurring in and on the grounds of the Civic Organization’s property. We awarded a contract to Robert Haines Construction for the first big phase of the caboose renovation. The cleanout work was done, and the construction work has been ongoing and is looking great! The weather has played a big part in getting this specific phase completed, first lots of (welcomed) rain and then lots of sub-freezing temperatures. Another coat of paint is to be applied and new plywood doors will be done for the north and sound entrances of the caboose. It was simply amazing to both Jack and me when we discovered that the frame of the original door on the south side was still intact. We discovered this when we were clearing and cleaning the interior before the demolition process. The door can be made sound and copied for the north end as well. The cedar sides (milled in Austin) fit very tight and should be sound for many, many years. We will retain a lot of the wood removed from the interior for later use. The crew worked really intensely to be sure we could preserve some of the good, old wood.
Painter Bryan Sonnet stops for a picture on December 11. He said the first coat of paint was mostly finished. He noted that the prep work was the hardest part. He expects to complete work this week if the weather holds.
The civic organization is looking forward to an exciting new year. We will elect two new members to our board in January. You, the public, elect board members, and we encourage any who might be interested in running for the board to contact any current board member, or simply respond to this posting on our website. Since Coupland has incorporated, the CCO really serves much like a chamber of commerce. We always look forward to promoting and sponsoring local events as well as participating in fund raising events that improve our grounds and facilities for the community.
Last but not least, the Board would like to wish each and everyone a very Merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year. We appreciate your support and look forward to 2014!
No, that’s not a space alien building a machine to conquer the earth. As you can see in the image below, it’s actually Rosie Haines working with some of the material extracted from the old caboose.
Dustin Haines was working inside the old caboose. This phase of the renovation includes three sides of the old Rock Island Caboose. This was my first glimpse into the caboose. I told Dustin it looked better than I thought it would. He said that it was only because the west wall was gone and that it had been in pretty bad shape.
The Coupland Civic Organization owns the caboose. It is parked outside the Coupland Depot and Museum. Funds raised at the Choo-Choo Fest a few months ago made this possible.
On October 23, the Coupland Civic Organization and the Taylor Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the CCO joining the Chamber as a non-profit organization. The Chamber provides its members services such as publicizing their events.
Thomas Martinez, president of the Chamber, and Barbara Piper, CCO president, made brief remarks to the group. Barbara actually cut the wide green ribbon with a pair of giant scissors. Several other representatives of the Chamber attended, as well as some CCO board members and other community members.
The Coupland Civic Organization (CCO) celebrated ribbon-cutting ceremonies with the Greater Taylor Chamber of Commerce this week. Participating were (front row, from left) Cole Kennedy, Caitlin Kennedy, Susan Schmidt, CCO President Barbara Piper, Brenda Witbrodt, Janie Czimskey, Susan Garry, Becky Sutton, and Sandra Wernli. Also in attendance were Jack Piper, Cole Barton, Buz Garry, Susan H. Garry, Don Wernli, Mike Schneider, and Marianne Schneider. Representing the chamber were Chamber President Thomas Martinez, Tim Tebeau, and ambassadors Joe Burgess, Pat O’Brien, and board members Isabella Tebeau (Eulenfeld Interiors) and Nancci Maloney.
Submitted by Jennifer Dollins:
The Coupland Civic Organization will host its annual Halloween party on Thursday, October 31, 6:30 p.m., at the Depot. The party will be “Trunk or Treat”–cars will be parked around the Depot, with their trunks open and decorated, with candy inside. The children will “trick or treat” going from trunk to trunk to gather up their candy, plus there will be refreshments in the Depot.
The Coupland Civic Organization met on Monday, September 30, in the Fire Station. Refreshments and visiting began at 6:30 PM. Hospitality Chair Dottie Hahn provided the delicious cake. Before the main program, Lena Ging announced a bake sale to benefit the Coupland Volunteer Fire Department. If the bake sale raises $500, the Coupland Sons of Hermann will match it, making $1,000 for the Fire Department. The sale will be in the Fire Hall on Saturday, October 19, beginning at 8 AM.
The program was presented by Tanya Suchomel, who was accompanied by her son Wesley and his wife Ashley. First, the 25 attendees filled out a Toxin Checklist, checking on the top sheet what types of cleaners and toiletries they used. Later on in the evening, they lifted up the top sheet to see the second sheet that showed what dangerous chemicals are in the products that were checked. Tanya also passed out a sheet showing known toxins in some name-brand everyday products.
Tanya showed a video, “Toxic Brew,” that discussed toxic chemicals that are in common household cleaning products and detergents. Then, she discussed how toxic chemicals had affected her family. She said that when her youngest son Wes was 11, he started having back aches and then other health problems. Through the next few years, the family took him to different doctors, but, Tanya said, “No doctor could answer what’s causing it.”
Then in 2005, Tanya saw the “Toxic Brew” video. She said, “It set me on a search. Wes was literally wasting away. He was hypersensitive to chemicals. I reached out to try to find alternatives. Vinegar and baking soda go only so far. I found a company that’s been green since 1985.”
Tanya didn’t mention the company name during her talk, but afterwards, some attendees asked her about it and the company is Melaleuca, The Wellness Company. She does not sell their products, but can help others to acquire them. She found that the non-toxic products that are sold in our area are too expensive. She said, “I had to make it affordable.”
She commented, “I was able to detox our home, and in two weeks he was feeling better.” Many of the products that she got rid of contain volatile organic compounds that can affect a person through the skin, breathing, and ingestion. She also said, “I got rid of all the plastic in the kitchen, including Tupperware.” She warned not to use plastic containers or plastic wrap in the microwave; she advises to cover the food with paper towels instead.
Tanya recounted how Wes started quickly growing in height and putting on weight after her change from toxic chemicals, and attendees were able to visit with Wes, now a healthy 25-year-old.