Business Breakfast

How did the crops do this year? Learn the answer, and much more, at the Dec. 2 Business Breakfast sponsored by the Wharton Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture and the Wharton Economic Development Corp.

Corrie Bowen, our Agricultural Extension Agent with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, will be the guest speaker to tell us what's going on in farming and ranching today in Wharton County. 

The Business Breakfast will be from 8:30 to 9:30 am Thursday, Dec. 2, in the meeting room at 9ers Grill, 112 W. Boling Highway. It's dutch treat.

The market value of Wharton County agricultural production topped$208,500,000, according to 2017 numbers, with more than 535,000 acres in production. You'll get current and better. numbers when Corrie speaks. But suffice to say that the sun goes around agriculture in Wharton County. We would not be here otherwise. Period.

In other stuff, mark your calendar for Snow on the Square, Friday, Dec. 17. We will have snow, lots of it, with face painting, caroling, a DJ, food trucks, and, of course, Santa.

Then on Thursday, Feb, 1, it's the chamber's Business Breakfast at the Wharton Civic Center, 1924 N. Fulton. The topic will be "active shooter," a topic all too current, and important, across our nation. The presenter will be Lt. Ben Guanajuato of the Wharton Civic Center. Tickets will go on sale soon.

I'll have a lot more people to thank in the coming weeks.

"Players win games, but teams win championships."

Shop Small

Saturday, Nov. 27, is Small Business Saturday. That means try Wharton first, before you go shop somewhere else. Simple.

Lots have been written about Small Business Saturday, an annual event, always the Saturday after Thanksgiving. So I will give you my take: It's nothing more than the Golden Rule. Seven reasons:

1. Your place of employment naturally wants customers.

2. You want customers or clients because they ensure that you keep gainfully employed.

3. Those customers or clients feel the same way. They need customers and clients, too.

4. Yes, it is good business practices to spend money with those who spend money with you.

5. But it also makes you feel good. That's important.

6.You gotta give to receive. Giving it a bigger personal high.

7. Some may think business is ruthless. However, others may think that it works better with kindness, empathy, or respect.

In my pre-dinosaur days, when I was newspapering, someone told me that the world is divided into "us" and "them". But the "us" is the important one

Around here, I suggest that all of Wharton, and I mean all of Wharton, is "us." End of story.

"Players win games, but teams win championships."

More thanks

A big shout out to Cindy and Paul Webb for sponsoring last month's Party Under the Bridge. The event would not exist without them, so we owe the a big debt of gratitude. Paul originally brought the idea to us to hold such an event. After Marilyn Sebesta, about single handedly, saved our bridge from destruction.

Another shout out, for the same event, goes to Stephanie Konvicka and Hesed House for being a great neighbor and a great help during the event. With a myriad of services and programs, Stephanie and Hesed House is a great neighbor to all of Wharton, so "thank you" for being gracious and helpful.

We also are very grateful to the folks at the city of Wharton  and the Wharton Police Department for supporting the Party Under the Bridge. And we very much appreciate the committee for this event: Amy Casper, Paula Favors, Barbie Fortenberry, Amanda Gonzales, Anthony Arcidiacono, Ben Guanajuato, Brandi Jimenez, and Kristi Kocian. Ben is a one-man army.

And we so very much appreciate Linda King, chamber administrative assistant, who keeps the whole thing going. And another "thank you" goes to Nedra Johnson of the Simply Devine Event Center for tables and chairs!

I am sure I missed someone, so thank you, too, as this is a team sport.

And now for something completely different. We are still taking entries for the Nov. 23 Christmas Holiday Parade. The deadline is Nov. 18.

Dec. 2 will be the next Business Breakfast, with extension agent Corrie Bowen as the speaker. And Dec. 17 will be the annual Snow on the Square. And soon, we will put tickets on sale for the next Lunch and Learn, which will be Feb. 1, with Lt. Ben Guanajuato of the Wharton Police Department presenting a program on "active shooter".

Thank you, Wharton. "Players win games, but teams win championships."

A Halloween Story

My bride, Sandra purchased 555 pieces of candy for Halloween. Business was brisk. Kids started coming well before sunset. The candy was gone not too long after dark.  

There is nothing haphazard about her preparations: she carefully assembles the candy in a series of Really Big Bowls, stations two folding chairs near the edge of the driveway, and she sets up two battery-powered lanterns so everyone can see. And the kids start coming. And coming. And coming.

 

Sandra shares regular reports with her team of girlfriends by text message every step of the way. 

I occasionally occupied my designated chair. (I was often inside the house doing Very Important Things which I cannot remember.) But when I was on duty, I noticed how polite and joyous the kids were. And their delight reflected in their moms and dads. 

 

One little girl thought Sandy’s lollipop was better than hers. The little girl attempted an exchange — a partially consumed lollipop exchanged for new one of perceived superior quality.

 

Sandra, who was having the time of her life, made sure the child ended up with both.

 

And I also noticed something that seemed new: Very few of the kids said “trick or treat!” 

This wasn’t the first time I have noticed stuff that isn’t being done anymore. Often, I suspect, things like this occur over time — someone doesn’t do it, another person isn’t doing, and it replicates itself until no one does it even a thousand miles away.

 

I am thankful that at least most people still stop at red lights.

 

Stuff like this is referred to as “change.” I am 64 years old. And I have seen a lot of it. 

 

Anyway, when I was a kid, we loved saying “Trick or Treat!”

 

Full disclosure: I stole a handful of gummy bears before all the candy was gone.

 

“Players win games, but teams win championships.”