Official site of Tribune News serving Tomball, Magnolia and Waller

Goblins and witches, pixies and superheroes enjoyed playing games, sampling treats and visiting with all types of animals on October 27 at the W.G. Jones State Forest on FM 1488 near Magnolia and The Woodlands. The site was the scene of the Friends of Texas Wildlife (FTWL) "Owl-O-Ween" fundraiser, which had more than 2,000 visitors. Not only did visitors come in costume, but several of the volunteers dressed as their favorite forest creature in honor of the occasion.

Highlights of the event included an hourly raffle, bungee-bounce jump, free photos with a larger-than-life raccoon, and a chance to hold snakes that were only too happy to stay wrapped around a warm wrist on the cool autumn afternoon. The Houston Zoo brought a real owl to the event - it was injured and not able to be returned to the wild, so it has a permanent home at the zoo. The owl is a perfect example of what FTWL is working for.

The FTWL is Montgomery County's only wild animal rehabilitation organization, and it depends entirely on donations and volunteers to help thousands of orphaned and injured animals every year.  The organization conducts fundraisers such as this one to operate its Magnolia wildlife care facility and to teach community residents about the perils that wild animals face trying to survive in an increasingly urban environment.

Founded by Janette Winkleman in 1993, FTWL utilizes trained volunteer "rehabbers" to care for animals in their homes or at the FTWL Intake Center on Highland Boulevard in Magnolia. Rehabilitation includes feeding, often around-the-clock in the case of very young animals, veterinary care and training the animals how to obtain food for themselves. The goal is to release them into "safe" wild areas.

Often animals that appear to be abandoned are actually not left behind, and a caring parent is close by. Concerned citizens can do more harm than good by picking up wild animals and attempting to take care of them. Knowing what to do when encountering a wild animal that appears injured or orphaned is the best way for citizens to combat the devastation of wildlife.

"This was the best-attended event our organization has had. We are pleased that so many families in Magnolia and The Woodlands turned out for our fundraiser," said Winkleman, who is the president of FTWL.  "It's important to educate young people about how they can co-exist with the wildlife in our community, and events like this provide knowledge they will carry with them into adulthood"

Several vendors provided games and crafts for sale. The Texas A&M Forest Service offered families a close-up view of some forest animals, and 911 Wildlife, a humane wildlife management organization, provided free photos with Rocky, the giant raccoon.

Besides raising much-needed funds, Friends of Texas Wildlife recruited new volunteers to help with animal care, fundraisers and activities. Their next event is called "The Enchanted Forest" and will be an educational hayride for all ages Dec. 1. It will again be held at the W.G. Jones State Forest.

FTWL's trained rehabbers have received permits from either Texas Parks and Wildlife or U.S. Fish and Wildlife. Rehabbers often begin training with someone who is already permitted and then take the training classes themselves. People who are interested in volunteering or donating should visit the website: www.ftwl.org.

Six years ago Magnolia residents Valerie Cranford and her sister Kathleen Hammers, started a small equestrian drill team because they loved to ride and wanted others to have the chance to enjoy their horses. Dubbed the Lone Star Cowgirls, the team originally consisted of four members. Cranford choreographed routines for the riders and their mounts, while Hammers designed and sewed their western-style outfits.

Today, the Lone Star Cowgirls number 12 members and their flashy paint horses are well-known to local rodeo fans. They perform at shows, rodeos and parades all over Texas, and are invited to participate in many more outside the state. 

"We try to keep the events to about 20 per year," said Cranford. "We just can't get to more than that easily, and travel gets too expensive."

Costs are important to the team, as they have a tradition of raising money for worthy causes. This year they raised money to support the Homes for Our Troops endeavor, which recently provided a veteran Marine with a home in Pinehurst.

The team performed at the area Cowboys Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA) finals Oct. 12 and 13 in Angleton. Oct. 21 and 22 they put on a show at the Antique Auto Club of America (AACA) Glidden Tour in Brenham. Originally developed at the start of the 20th century by the American Automobile Association, the Glidden Tour road rallies promoted auto acceptance and auto-friendly legislation. The Glidden Tour was reborn in 1948 as a rally for antique cars.

Coming up, the team will participate in the Professional Armed Forces Rodeo Association (PAFRA) rodeo finals in Midland Nov. 23 through 25 and in both the Tomball and Magnolia holiday parades.

"We are especially proud of our participation with PAFRA," said Cranford. "We always strive to support our military members and their families, and PAFRA is an organization dedicated to rodeo participants connected to the United States military.  Some PAFRA contestants are actively stationed on military bases overseas and still make it to the finals rodeo almost every year."

The Lone Star Cowgirls have been performing at PAFRA for several years.

The team practices at the Montgomery County/Magnolia Community Horse Club Arena every Sunday evening that they are not putting on a performance.

The Lone Star Cowgirls drill team is open to new members. A rider must be a good horsewoman, live in the area, own a paint horse and be at least 16 years of age. To obtain more information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The Society of Samaritan (SOS) of Magnolia has a 25-year history of helping needy residents within the Magnolia area by supplying food, emergency financial needs, clothing and household items. Lynette Gibbons, who previously headed the special projects ministry of S.O.S., is now heading up a sister organization, Intercept Ministries.

The new non-profit organization will support family events, such as back-to-school clothing and supply drives, Christmas toys and Easter baskets. Also, Intercept Ministries will expand giving programs to include residents in the tri-county area where Waller, Grimes and Montgomery counties meet.

"This area is really not served by any other organization and there is so much need - many people have not yet recovered from last year's fires. We are so pleased to be able benefit these families," said Gibbons. "Last year we helped 567 families, and we hope to aid more this year."

Both organizations, S.O.S. and Intercept Ministries, plan to work closely together to increase the capacity to assist families and elderly residents. They are staffed entirely by volunteers and are planning two holiday events that people should sign up for soon -- a Thanksgiving meal and a Christmas boxed meal and toys. The Thanksgiving meal will be held on Thanksgiving Day at the West Montgomery County Community Development Center.

SOS will continue to fill the needs of the residents of the Magnolia Independent School District through the food pantry, emergency financial needs and clothing and household items through the Little Twig location. 

Sign up for the Thanksgiving meal at the West Montgomery County Community Development Center, 31355 Friendship Blvd., Magnolia 77355, Mondays from October 22 through November 12, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Those wishing to register for the Christmas events should sign up on Mondays from October 22 through December 10, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., also at the West Montgomery County Community Development Center. Pick up and delivery details will be determined at sign up.

Volunteers are welcomed by both organizations. To volunteer or donate to S.O.S., call 281-259-8452. To help with Intercept Ministries, or to donate toys, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . In addition to volunteers, Intercept Ministries is also seeking a building for storage of donated items, office supplies and sponsors.

A group of 25 committed Magnolia West High School Interact members, led by club president Dakota (Cody) Stormer, have began an initiative to help the Magnolia Independent School District (MISD) become more eco-friendly, by raising the awareness of students and teachers to conserve energy and reduce their carbon footprints.

This past August, Interact club members joined forces with National Honor Society members to work for a week at MISD’s J.L. Lyon Elementary. Their mission? To get the “go green” message across. They helped teachers create bulletin boards with conservation messages, moved furniture and placed stickers encouraging energy and waste conservation on lights, computers and even paper towel dispensers.

J. L. Lyon fifth grade science and social studies teacher Julie Sustala thought the work the students did was a “life saver for us teachers. They all worked enthusiastically and they did a great job.”

Connie Melton, fifth grade reading and language arts teacher at J.L. Lyon, was also appreciative of the help the students provided.

“They provided my room with a warm, cozy feel – it has never looked better,” she said. “Dakota was a student of mine here before and I saw the spark of leadership in him. I’m not surprised he has become such a good organizer.”

The Magnolia West Interact club plans a similar effort at Williams Elementary Sept. 29, with the students again donating their time and hard work. Stormer explained that projects like this are part of Interact’s environmental stewardship project for the national student organization Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA).

“We hope to add more MISD schools to our schedule throughout the school year,” said Stormer. “We want this project to help teachers educate students about their impact on the environment and make this a cleaner, greener year for our district.”

Interact “green” initiatives  include  recycling plastic bottles at Magnolia West, promoting water conservation and educating students about ways to reduce litter and pollution. 

The Rotary Club of Magnolia sponsors the Interact clubs at both Magnolia and Magnolia West High Schools.

 “Interact clubs are the high school version of Rotary – a service organization to help students give back to their communities,” Judy Bode, the club’s Rotary liaison, said. “It is exciting to watch these kids develop their own vision and leadership skills.”

Deborah Rose Miller, Rotary Club President agreed.

“We are so proud of what the Magnolia West Interact club has done,” she said. “It is truly helping to teach young people that life is not just about them but about helping others.” 

Besides being the Magnolia West Interact club founder and president, Stormer is also a board member of Keep Montgomery County Beautiful, so going green is something he is passionate about.

“We chose J.L. Lyon as the first school in our project, because I had heard that the school had been actively engaged in energy conservation in the past and thought they would welcome us,” Stormer said. “We believe this project will save the school thousands of dollars in electric bills.“ 

Magnolia West students wishing to join Interact or volunteer for the conservation project should contact Stormer at 832-533-0935 or faculty sponsor Connie Maddox at the high school. Any Magnolia or Magnolia West student is eligible to join Interact, and dues are about $15 per year.

The Magnolia Interact club’s conservation project is part of a national FCCLA competition. FCCLA comprises more than 200,000 members in approximately 6,500 chapters across the U.S. The organization focuses on helping students promote personal growth and leadership by addressing critical issues such as character development, creative thinking, interpersonal communications and career preparation. It encourages active student participation in community or family activities at local, state and national levels. For more information, visit www.fcclainc.org.

MAGNOLIA - The Magnolia City Council continued with its extraterrestrial jurisdiction (ETJ) expansion eastward, along FM 1488, at the Sept. 11 meeting. In Texas, the ETJ of a municipality includes specified unincorporated area that is adjacent to the city limits. Property owners can request to be part of the ETJ.

In the future, the City of Magnolia may choose to extend city limits and city services into the ETJ areas.

Unincorporated areas may be subject to annexation by a nearby city, which could be either Conroe or Magnolia. Currently, Magnolia has extended its ETJ areas five miles east of the city limits, which could add a beneficial tax base for the city in the future.

“We have one of the largest ETJs for a city of our size in the state of Texas,” said Deborah Rose Miller, Magnolia’s economic development coordinator.

In other business, the council appointed Anne Sundquist as the city representative to the Houston-Galveston Area Council’s general assembly, which meets in January. The Houston-Galveston Area Council is an association of 36 members from local governments in the 13-county Gulf Coast Planning Region of Texas. Its service area comprises 12,500 square miles and more than six million residents.

Following an executive session, the council terminated the Magnolia Waste Management contract for sewer treatment (sludge removal) services. The city will continue to use Magna-Flow for these services. Contracts with both services have co-existed and the council wanted to remove the redundancy.

Police Chief Domingo Ibarra announced the promotion of Officer Kyle Montgomery to the rank of Sergeant. He also had news about the cooperation of the MPD patrol division with other government entities.

“They are doing a great job working together. As an example, we recovered a stolen vehicle recently from the Brookshire Brothers parking lot, which was a great success,” said Ibarra.

A new Magnolia Police Trespass Agreement Program was announced by Ibarra. The program offers businesses and property owners the opportunity to allow Magnolia police the authorization to contact and question persons who may be unlawfully on private property (without prior authorization from the property owner). It is expected to reduce the instances of crime on private property.  

The Magnolia Community Foundation presented Magnolia City Manager Paul Mendes with a plaque honoring his volunteer service for the organization. Mendes has been instrumental in many of the accomplishments of the Foundation, and has donated his time to help ensure the success of community events, such as those at Unity Park and The Stroll.

Miller, who is also president of the Magnolia Community Foundation, explained the plaque was very appropriate.

“We wanted Paul to know his efforts are greatly appreciated,”