News

Spring has sprung in Canton and is evident from the  globular hydrangeas and germinating geraniums at Lil Mary’s Farmers Market.

Passing by Lil Mary’s, motorists on Highway 19 are treated to the vivid colors of geraniums, or the pink and blue globes of hydrangeas, the multicolored hanging baskets or the full, fluffy green ferns.

Located next to the intersection of Highways 19 and 64, Lil Mary’s Farmers Market has been a cornerstone of downtown Canton for 10 years. The establishment is owned by Mary Harrelson and her husband, Allen Harrelson.

The outdoor shop sells plants of all varieties and on special days, soft serve ice cream is available. Soft-serve ice cream is served up by Mary’s granddaughter, McKayla who is 15. The soft-serve peach or strawberry homemade ice cream sells for $2 or $3 a cup.

The Canton Lions Club will celebrate their 85^th Anniversary at 5:30 p.m. Saturday March 25.  They will also be observing the Centennial Anniversary of Lions Clubs International.

The event will take place at Manna Food Bank and Grace Bible Fellowship Church at 17897 FM 1255. Baker’s Rib will be catering the event.

Registration at the door is $35 per person. The Canton community is welcome to attend the event to help support Manna, event officials said.

The Canton Police Department responded to numerous calls throughout last week, but Walmart was the star attraction in the theft show. Fortunately, due to the efforts of Canton Police Department officers and Walmart’s loss prevention associates, approximately all the stolen merchandise was recovered. From a suspect fleeing the scene to a woman stuffing her large purse full of pies, briskets and makeup, Walmart has seen a full circus come about during the past couple of days.

Highland Baptist Church will hold a spring revival at 7 p.m. nightly, Monday, March 27 - Thursday, March 30. 

Pastor Robert Brown and congregation are excited to announce that Brother Andy Russell, from Ecru, Miss. will preach from the Word of God each night.

“Come join us as we sing, worship, and fellowship together,” said Pastor Brown.

Highland Baptist Church is located north of Canton off FM 859 on CR 3204.

Margaret Weatherall

1936-2017

Funeral services for Margaret Ann Weatherall, 80, Canton, were held Tuesday, March 21, 2017, at Hilliard Funeral Home with the Rev. Billy D. Johnson officiating and the Rev. Joe Turner and Rev. Dan Tarno assisting.

Burial was in Haven of Memories Cemetery. Mrs. Weatherall passed away on March 18, 2017 in Canton.

She was born Sept. 14, 1936, in the Tundra Community to the late Andrew Jackson Rowan and Bonnie Olivia McClellen Rowan.

Need a passport, but can’t make it to the post office during normal office hours? To ensure U.S. citizens are prepared to travel abroad this summer, the U.S. Postal Service will be hosting a passport fair at the Canton Post Office, from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 25, 2017. Customers will be accommodated on a first-come, first-serviced basis.

To obtain a passport applicants need to:

Canton Healthcare will present an inaugural Health Fair and Carter Blood Drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Friday, March 24.

“There will be food, fun, door prizes and entertainment all for a great cause.  Free blood pressure and blood sugar checks will be provided.  Also, there will be education on dental hygiene, nutrition education, financial planning and more,” said event organizers.

A few of the vendors providing services are Sensible Dentistry, Geriatric Solutions, American Home Care, Always Accurate Hospice, Cornerstone Hospice, Hospice Plus, more and more added daily.

Canton Healthcare is located at 1661 S. Buffalo, Canton. 

For more information call 903-567-4135. 

What a wonderful time we had last year. After many years of generous donations and fundraisers, we were finally able to put the Kneeling Soldier on his pedestal in the Memorial Plaza. The Veterans Day Program to show the statue off was fantastic. And I know it made everyone proud to see another nice Veterans Memorial in Van Zandt County.

This year, the Veterans Memorial group has a lot of events planned and are in process to be completed. We will be having programs for Memorial Day, Labor Day, a Balloon release, Golf Tournament, Veterans Day and Turkey Shoot, just to mention a few.

Joe Marlin Gilmer, 59, of Canton, was recently sentenced to 30 years in prison for the aggravated assault of Charles “Lindy” Lawler, 89.

Gilmer’s conviction and sentence stemmed from an assault that occurred on March 16, 2015, when the Canton Police Department responded to Lawler’s home around noon and found that Lawler had been struck in the back of the head with a 1” x 4” board.

The Canton Economic Development Corporation met Feb. 28 and heard from Executive Director Julie Seymore who provided several updates and reports to the board. Seymore kicked off the meeting by announcing that a part-time job position was budgeted for and would be available with CEDC approval.  

Seymore said the position had been budgeted by the CEDC for $14,000 but the actual cost if limited to 1,000 hours maximum would be $11,000.

“The need is still there and can afford it and the extra person is needed to reduce the workload of Austin Melton, who runs the Canton Visitors Bureau,” said Seymore.

Seymore stated that the part-time help would be used for city and First Monday marketing (with a focus on social media,) operating a welcome desk at the Visitor’s Center and assist with business development and recruitment efforts.