Category: Lake Conroe Area News

Willis ISD, after failing twice since 2022 to convince voters to support bonds for a new stadium and aquatic center, will put both issues on the ballot a third time in November as part of a $115.4 million bond package. 
The stadium would replace the nearly 50-year-old Yates Stadium and is part of a proposed $68.8 million athletic complex. The aquatic center is projected to cost $19.6 million. The district also will ask voters again to approve a bond proposition, which failed in May, to build a new $27 million student activity center. 
In May, voters partially approved the district’s $218.1 million bond package, securing funds to expand Willis High School and build a new transportation center. 
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“As we have worked on long-term planning for Willis ISD, we wholeheartedly believe the facilities proposed through this referendum will provide students with the opportunities they need to excel in academics and extracurricular activities,” said Kimberly James, who was named superintendent in April after the former left the district for another.
Former Superintendent Tim Harkrider, who is now serving in a leadership role in College Station ISD, previously highlighted the need for the new facilities after voters approved a only a portion of the district’s 2022 bond package. At that time, the bond for the stadium was priced at $62.6 million and the aquatic center was priced at $19.4 million. 
“We still do not have a natatorium, a place for our swimming and diving team to practice, and that will not change, that is not something we can recreate,” Harkrider told The Courier in May 2022. “Same thing as far as space at Yates Stadium during our football season. Space will be limited.”
What’s in the $115.4 million bond package?
On top of including funds for a stadium and aquatic center, district leaders also hope to build a new student activity center at Willis High, which includes additional classrooms and offices, a set of girls’ and boys’ locker rooms, a weight room, a multipurpose indoor field to alleviate concerns about athletes practicing in harsh temperatures, according to a news release by the district. 
Proposition B includes the new athletic complex and stadium with a community room, which would be built on 62 acres off FM 830 and Texas 75 — across from Willis High. The stadium would be built to accommodate growth, with 8,500 seats, a competition-length track and field, home and visitor press box, concessions and a fieldhouse, the release states. The community room would provide a place to hold meetings, end-of-year banquets and other events. 
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Proposition C is for the aquatic center, which would include a 50-meter swimming pool with an additional dive well. The pool would would include two bulkheads to accommodate UIL events. The facility would also accommodate for 800 people, additional classrooms, locker rooms and a weight room. 
If all propositions are approved, there is a potential tax increase of 1 cent to the interest and sinking rate, which is used to pay off debt for district facilities.
Board hopes presidential election will drive turnout
Last spring, the district received results of a demographic study that projected that it would add more than 10,000 students by 2033 — doubling the current enrollment, which is roughly 9,000. 
“Willis ISD is obviously experiencing significant growth in infrastructure and homes,” board president Kyle Hoegemeyer said in a written statement.
“Along with that growth we see evolving needs in our students, families and staff. The projects proposed in this bond election are a reflection of what our board, administration and long-range planning committee members have identified as needs that focus on improving the overall academic experience for students in Willis ISD.”
Hoegemeyer said the propositions failed in May due to low voter turnout. With a presidential election in November, Hoegemeyer said during a board meeting in August that he expects a much higher turnout than in May. 
District officials did not immediately respond to questions on next steps should the November bond package fail, or if only a portion is approved by voters.

The summer is moving quickly but not the heat!
Before we move into the Labor Day weekend, please consider supporting Family Promise of Montgomery County at their Annual “Rise Up” Luncheon Thursday, August 29 at 11:00am at Lone Star College, Maverick Center to celebrate families that have graduated from their 90-Day program to independence and to raise funds to assist their mission of helping homeless families with children to become self-sufficient and stable. Get tickets and information at www.FamilyPromiseofMC.org.
The last First Thursday Concert of the season is Thursday, Sept 5 with a tribute to the 80’s/90’s country music with Shotgun Road. This is a free concert starting at 7:00pm. Bring your lawn chairs and any food or beverages inside Heritage Place Park but leave the glass bottles outside the gates. Thank you to the City of Conroe for hosting this event every year. 
Our community theatres start their new 2024-2025 season on Friday, September 6. The Crighton Theatre will premiere “The Play That Goes Wrong” and over at the Owen Theatre “Rock of Ages” will take the stage. Both shows will be for three weeks through Sunday, September 22. 
Saturday, Sept 7 is Downtown Conroe’s First Saturday Stroll from 10:00am-2:00pm at the merchant shops with live music, sidewalk sales, restaurant and drink specials, and the Main Street Market Conroe at the Courthouse on Thompson Street. The North Houston Back to School Bash will take place at Heritage Place Park on this Saturday also. 
Down to the road at Lone Star Convention Center, stop by Saturday, Sept 7 through Sunday, Sept 8 for the 6th Annual Fall Montgomery County Home and Outdoor Living Show. Homeowners will be able to speak one-on-one with home improvement experts, primarily from the Montgomery County area, with the latest products and services on the market all under one roof. Special guest appearances by Tom Tynan of Home Show Radio, the Houston do-it-yourself expert for 36 years, and Skip Richter, gardening expert from KTRH GardenLine. 
The show will also have a special appearance by Dr. Lori Verderame, a Ph.D. antiques appraiser, and award-winning TV personality of Discovery Channel Auction Kings, The History Channel’s The Curse of Oak Island and Pawn Stars Do America, Netflix’s The King of Collectables, and FOX Business Network’s Strange Inheritance. Admission is FREE! This is a unique opportunity for attendees to take their treasured antiques to Dr. Lori for the Antiques Appraisal Comedy Show for two showings on Saturday, Sept 7 (11:00am and 2:00pm) for an on-the-spot appraisal of family heirlooms, garage sale finds, and quite possibly an unbelievably valuable item. Dr. Lori has shared her expertise with Business Insider, NBC TV’s Today Show, Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, NBC TV’s The Tonight Show, Inside Edition, People, and Lifetime Television. The hours are Saturday, Sept 7 from 10am-6:00pm, and Sunday, Sept 8, 11:00am-5:00pm. More information at www.TexwoodShows.com
Stay safe. Shop local. 
Margie Taylor may be reached at margie@taylorizedpr.com. 

Late in 1933, Mittie J. Campbell was buried in the Conroe Community Cemetery on 10th Avenue, the tragic victim of a car accident; she was just 58. 
Time and nature worked together to make everyone forget her. As the decades passed, the cemetery became overrun by thick vegetation; gravestones got knocked over and hidden – even the 2,000-pound stone that marked the plot of Mittie and her husband, Rev. Jessie Turner.
New generations of people drove by with no idea the dense patch of woods had once been the final resting place of over 350 men, women and children of Conroe.
In 2022, 89 years after Mittie was laid to rest, the magnificent Turner marker was restored to its original position by a team of volunteers in the Conroe Community Cemetery Research Project (CCCRP), a non-profit organization focused on restoring the cemetery, as well as locating and putting markers on every grave.
This past spring, 91 years after Mittie J. Campbell became a memory, the Conroe ISD School Board voted unanimously to name one of the district’s new elementary schools, scheduled to open in August 2025. Several prominent and praiseworthy individuals were considered, but the honor went to this woman who passed on so long ago.
Why Mittie?
During her abbreviated life, she quietly yet boldly broke barriers of race and sex, despite great personal challenges, becoming the first Black woman to serve as a principal in Conroe. 
Early in 1898 and just two months after giving birth to her first child; she was teaching fellow teachers in a convocation of the Texas Colored Teacher’s Institute, about Texas history. Years later, just three weeks after her husband died the new widow was she was called on to teach other educators about instilling students with morals and a year later she demonstrated how to teach decimals to the intermediate grades.   
In 1916, a year after her second marriage to Ebby Campbell, the manager of a wood yard, Mittie J. Campbell became the First Assistant in Conroe’s Black public school. The workload for Mittie and the other teachers was enormous: there were more Black students (459) than White (442), but there were 15 faculty overseeing the White students while there were only 5 faculty, including Mittie, for the Black students.
Mittie had her hands full there, functioning as the school’s only teacher of Grades 6, 7, and 8, all in Room 4. In that year there were 52 6th graders, 39 7th graders, and 52 8th graders – 143 students in the 12–14-year-old age group, but Mittie Campbell stalwartly filled the unenviable role, and her skills and excellent performance were being noted.
When the school’s male principal joined the Army, Mittie Campbell was promoted as the first female Black  of the under-resourced, over-populated school. At the end of the school year, the Conroe Courier stated that there was much doubt about putting a woman in charge but, they reported, “she has made good” and the school had “its best session.” 
At the end of 1918, a school building for Black students was completed and given the name, Mittie J. Campbell School, in honor of the woman who had worked tirelessly to educate Conroe’s youth, fellow teachers, and the community at large. There was still construction debt that the Black community was responsible to raise and Mittie Campbell was again praised for her leadership in fundraising efforts to pay the debt.
In 1927, the Conroe School Board decided that CISD schools needed to be renamed in honor of a Texas hero or a prominent Black person. 
Thus, white schools were renamed the Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin, and the Mittie J. Campbell School became the Booker T. Washington. Mittie J. Campbell was no longer the principal and the school no longer bore her name, but her dedication and drive to teach carried on through the last years of her life, as she and the whole nation drove headlong into the Great Depression.
During the remaining years of her life she taught gardening, cooking, canning, sewing, and other survival skills to hundreds of impoverished Black families across East Texas as the nation fell headlong into the Great Depression.
Her love for mankind and education is most poignantly described in her own words: it was her way of “reaching the unreached.”
It is fine to name schools after famous people who seem to have moved mountains, but equally important to the history of Conroe and the nation are the names of those, like Conroe educator Mittie J. Campbell, whose every effort to “reach the unreached” and produce “worthy citizens” has shaken up and helped form the community in which we live today.

After an eight-month renovation and delays from Hurricane Beryl, Southern Star Brewing Company will reopen Saturday under new ownership. 
The 16-year-old brewing company never stopped production of its beer, but its popular taproom has been closed since February for renovations. At noon Saturday, a new first-floor taproom and connected covered patio opens along with the brewery’s original taproom on the second floor. 
“It’s been a long time coming and people are getting excited about it,” said Maggie Patterson, assistant general manager for Southern Star. “Drinking a beer out of a can is fine, but on tap, it’s a different experience and doing it in the place that makes it and being able to tour where it’s made is a pretty cool experience.” 
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The history of Southern Star
Founded in 2008 in Conroe by brewmaster Dave Fougeron, the company was the first brewery in Texas to can craft beer. The first facility was on FM 3083 in Conroe. 
A custom-built facility opened in 2016 on 13 acres in north Conroe. In addition to the brewing and manufacturing of craft beer, the venue also featured outdoor and indoor gathering spaces. A variety of community events took place there as well. 
Earlier this year, the brewing company was bought by Walter and Susan Galdenzi who have a background in the hospitality industry. They come from outside Montgomery County but were previously patrons of Southern Star.
“They fell in love with it and wanted to do big things,” Patterson said. 
The original taproom closed in February and the building has been under renovation since. The brewery employs around 25 people. 
What’s new at the brewery
From the parking lot, visitors will first see a new covered patio and outdoor seating area attached to the front of the building. 
Inside the front door to the right is a new indoor taproom with a stage and a bar with 16 craft beers on tap. To the left of the front door is a separate room where Southern Star merchandise will be sold. 
The first-floor taproom and patio can accommodate up to 200 people. 
The original taproom on the second floor is still in play with 12 craft beers on tap. The space still has a similar look but is a tad shorter in length because some offices were added. Approximately 100 people can fit upstairs. 
Patterson sees the upstairs space as overflow seating for busy weekends and a potential spot for parties and private events. 
The renovations also added a kitchen to the first-floor taproom and chef Misael Mejia was brought on board. The kitchen will be open in a few weeks and serve items that pair well with beer but with a homemade, from-scratch twist from chef Mejia’s background of Italian cooking. 
Mejia has worked for fine dining restaurants and as a personal chef, and he was most recently cooking in South Carolina. 
The new brewmaster is Henryk Orlik, who trained in the brewing process in Germany. 
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What kind of beer does Southern Star brew?  
As for beer, favorites like Bombshell Blonde, Strawberry Blonde and Southern Brunch remain and new beers will continue to be added. 
Bombshell Hefeweizen was released earlier in the summer as was Bombshell Smash IPA. Patterson said for the first time, the brewery will feature a light lager. Buried Hatchet Stout was released earlier this year. 
Southern Star’s newest beer, released in early August, is Conspiracy Theory.  It’s a West Coast style IPA brewed with generous amounts of Simcoe and Amarillo hops. 
The annual Oktoberfest is also available now. The German style festbier is amber-hued with a full malt aroma and a thick, creamy, foamy froth.
What to know about Southern Star’s grand opening
Southern Star’s grand opening party is from noon to 11 p.m. Saturday at 3525 N. Frazier Street in Conroe. 
Admission is free and the first 15 guests get special Southern Star swag. The day will feature outdoor games, inflatables, shopping vendors, kids’ activities including a petting zoo, brewery tours, craft-brewed sodas and 12 craft beers on tap. There will be live music during the day and the group Dueling Pianos in the evening. 

Recent dry weather has contributed to many issues that most homeowners are experiencing right now.  Many factors contribute to putting lawns under undue stress. Ultimately drought, too much rain, improper fertilization or irrigation and maintenance practices can increase susceptibility.  This week would be a great time to discuss how to handle several issues that shown up and doing damage to lawns. The two insects that tend to create quite a stir in the heat of the summer and into the fall are chinch bugs and tropical sod webworms.  
The sod webworms are easy to spot for the most part. We have not heard of or have we seen infestations yet. However, it is always good to be on the lookout.   As you walk through your lawn or mow, look for small moths (white/tan color & ½- ¾“long) flying up and out of the turfgrass.  The moths lay their eggs in the grass which hatch every 7-10 days. The actual damage occurs from the larvae feeding on the leaf blades.  The area will appear as it had been recently cut.  Treatments should take place every 7-10 days to break the life cycle.  Use products that contain one of the following active ingredients and follow the label.  The product should contain carbaryl, bifenthrin or permethrin.  
Another more natural alternative is Bt (bacillus thuringiensis).  These products should be sprayed late in the afternoon so that the active ingredient is in good concentration when the worms feed during the night.  Make sure to read the label on whatever product you choose and apply as directed by the label.  Just keep an eye out for them just in case. It has been documented that they do not survive harsh winters.  So hopefully our winter flurry took care of them for this year.
Another sight you will see is small dead spots that flare up around the yard.  They dead patches will be irregular shapes and will appear almost overnight.  The damaged areas will be in the hottest and driest locations.  Next to the sidewalk or driveway or any location that is fully exposed to the sun.  To check for chinch bugs, mix 1-2 tablespoons of liquid dishwashing detergent in 1 gallon of water.  Pour the mixture over the marginally affected areas.  Marginal is an understatement.  It will be a clear divided line between dead and alive. Monitor for the bugs as they become irritated by the soapy mixture.  The chinch bugs will come up to the surface.  
Another option, if you do not want to do the soap trick, is to get down on your hands and knees and separate the grass blades in the areas adjacent to the dead spots.  The grass should still be green in the areas that you inspect and yet still be close to the dead spots. You will see movement of the chinch bugs and they scurry around.  Chinch bugs can be treated with carbaryl, bifenthrin or permethrin.  Just make sure to read the labels of the products and apply them according to the instructions.
If you would rather leave the identifying to us, you can bring some samples into our office.  In order to properly diagnose lawn issues, an adequate sample must be submitted.  Include a square of turf from the margin of the affected area so that both healthy and distressed turf is included. The sample should be at a minimum of 6 inches x 6 inches and have a layer of soil on the root system.  This will help us narrow down the problem and provide a good recommendation for treatment.
Turfgrass will still need the typical 1” per week watering through the summer. And with the recent heat and evaporation that is occurring, it is likely you may have to add an additional inch of water just to keep up.  Just remember that deeper watering with less frequency promotes deeper roots and increases drought tolerance. Once temperatures cool down and lawn growth starts to slow down, reducing irrigation will help save water and reduce your water bill.  
Don’t forget to send your garden questions to Plant Answers at 9020 Airport Rd., Conroe TX 77303 or e-mail: mpotter@ag.tamu.edu.