Community

The Sacred Heart Catholic Church brought a cheerful crowd to its annual Jamaica this past Saturday at Jones Pavilion. The Jamaica is Sacred Heart’s major fundraiser and always features an abundance of authentic Mexican and American food, as well as games and music. Attendees young, old, and somewhere in between enjoyed a variety of entertainment, from games and inflatables to prize raffles, music, food, and the company of family and friends. For $5 per bracelet, children played games and jumped on the inflatables, some of which offered the added enticement of water to slide and splash around in. Food is always the top draw, though, and this year’s offerings did not disappoint. Food booths sold gorditas, Mexican pile-on, corn in a cup, nachos, tacos de Asada, hamburgers, quesobiria tacos, fruit cups, wheat chips with Valentina sauce, ice cream, desserts, and Aguas Frescas. Several Sacred Heart parishioners had booths, and the cost of ingredients and supplies for every delicious dish that was served came out of their own pockets. The event takes a lot of preparation and hard work, and the crowd that attends get bigger each year. This year’s event included a raffle for a grill, won by Debbie Innis, a Yeti cooler won by Kimbra Julian, and $300 cash won by Damian Orduñez. One hundred percent of the proceeds benefit the church, and this year will likely be used to help pay the insurance costs. The day-long celebration ended with a dance, with music provided by the Sin Ley band. Tacos de barbacoa and menudo were sold throughout the evening. “We hope to make next year’s Jamaica bigger and better,” organizers said, “and we invite everyone to come out and enjoy a day of food, music, and just hanging out with family and friends! A big thank you to all who did come out and spent the day with us.”

A Rotary Report by Christina Hadaway Last week’s Rotary Club guest, Dr. Malouf Abraham, read a story to the group about his family memories.

INGREDIENTS 8 lamb chops (1 inch thick) 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus one large sprigs 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided 1 small shallot, finely chopped 1 large garlic clove, smashed 1/2 cup dry white wine or low sodium chicken stock 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest PREPARATION Remove lamb chops from refrigerator and massage chopped thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper into the meat. Set aside at room temperature for five minutes.

I sometimes envy people who have a family home to return to, a place where they grew up, where their parents or even their grandparents lived. The closest thing I have is the farmhouse where my mother grew up.

As many as half a million monarch butterflies pass through Texas every year. These tiny creatures cover over 1,500 miles from their breeding grounds in Canada and the northern U.S. to Mexico, where they spend the winter. These iconic butterflies enter Texas in early September, a migration lasting until the end of October. In late March, the butterflies are back in Texas as they return north to breed.