Chamber membership drive begins, some Sweethearts background and Mark Hopkins' history

While strolling, I wondered whatever happened to Andrew Zupka.

Happy birthday to Brenda Bryant, Chris Siebert, Wade Cannon, Butch Baker, Rocky Rainey Jr., Missy Ikerman, Belindia Breedlove, Mary Stovall, JD Tollison, Trevor Duncan, Ruth Ann Hailey, Joy Kinder, Sharon Maben, Becky Glastetter, Mike Dragoni, Eddie Wagoner, Susie Pobst, Robert Penrose, Woodrow Proctor, Jerry Woolsey Jr., Linda Glastetter, Joanne Brucker, Kenneth Plunk, Estella Sharp, Jimmy Dooley, Cindy Teegarden and Gary Sadler.

Happy anniversary to Laddie and Annette Bridwell.

February is Children's Dental Health Month, Black History Month, Creative Romance Month and American Heart Month. Remember to wear red on Fridays to bring awareness to heart disease in women.

The grills and smokers are fired up for today's big game -- Super Bowl 50! It is a fun day and a fun week! Tomorrow is Chinese New Year (Year of the Monkey) and Tuesday is Mardi Gras.

Backyard bird watch

Get your pencil, paper and binoculars ready for next weekend's Great Backyard Bird Count. This event Feb. 12 through 15 engages bird-watchers to identify and report the birds they see any place on one or all four days. You can register at birdcount.org. Bob Burnett says he saw three male bluebirds recently and, in Dallas, we are seeing goldfinches in their winter plumage. Let us know what new beaks appear on your feeders.

Chamber campaign begins

The chamber of commerce has launched its 2016 membership drive. Annual dues for individuals are $15, and for businesses, $35 and up, depending on sales volume. The chamber meets at noon for lunch the second Wednesday of every month. Prospective members are invited to this Wednesday's meeting at the senior center. You can find out what the chamber does and how you can help. They are active in many community projects, such as Residence of the Month, German Days, the Christmas parade and Christmas street decorations.

Some Sweetheart history

You have a week to make those plans for your sweeties on Valentine's Day next Sunday. Be sure to pick up a box of Sweethearts candies. Based in Revere, Massachusetts, manufacturer Necco (New England Confectionary Company) is the oldest continuously operating candy company in the U.S. It started in 1847, when candymaker Oliver Chase invented the first candy machine. In the 1860s, the candies were a candy shell with a paper note inside, much like a fortune cookie. In 1866, Chase's brother, Daniel, decided to print messages directly onto the candies, which were in the shape of baseballs, horseshoes, watches and hearts. In the early 1900s, the company focused on short messages that would fit on miniature hearts, dubbing them Sweethearts. The messages have changed over the years, but classic flavors such as wintergreen, banana and cherry are back. Most of us remember "Be Mine," "Kiss Me," "Only You," "Love Me" and "So Fine."

Introducing Mark Hopkins

Many of you read Mark Hopkins' column in this paper, and following are some things you might not know about this Chaffee native. His mother, Mrs. Mary Hopkins, taught many of us English at Chaffee High. Mark's column is published across 29 states in 452 newspapers. Dr. Hopkins is past president of four colleges, covering two decades and four states. The former history teacher has written several books, one of which is "Journey to Gettysburg," and its forthcoming sequel, "Winchester." His books are available at Amazon.com. Even today, Mark says he can still visualize his mother with her red pencil correcting his work. Those of us who were members of the First Baptist Church remember Mrs. Hopkins' lovely voice. We also remember Mark singing in a quartet with Tommy Gibbons, John Montgomery and Gerald Dame. Here is a tidbit of early First Baptist Church history I learned from Mark. Around 1915 or so, his grandfather, Joe Lankford, and some of the deacons bought a church in Caney Creek and moved it on a horse-drawn flatbed wagon to 3rd and Parker. A few years later, the church was replaced. Oscar T. Honey bought the old church building and moved it to his backyard on Elliott, where it served as a garage into the 1960s. Mark and his wife, Ruth, live in Anderson, South Carolina.

Final thoughts

Remember to tell those special people in your life that you love them -- those three words mean so very much.

Our sincere condolences go out to the families and many friends of William "Glen" Crites and Bobby Kelso. Please email your news and comments to darbuck2@airmail.net or leave a message at (573) 887-6430 or (214) 207-7839.

And then ...

Then there was the end of football season.