VA to hold hiring event

The Olin E. Teague Veterans Medical Center will hold a Job Fair on Saturday, Dec. 3, at the Temple VA . The hiring event will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Building 204 library. “We’re looking for housekeeping aids, food service workers and cooks,” said Bill Negron, public affairs officer for the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System.

JOURNEY TO THE FROZEN CONTINENT

While the North Pole garners a great deal of attention this time of the year, a Temple birdwatcher turned her attention to the opposite end of the world earlier this month and journeyed to Antarctica. Deidre Dawson and her daughter, Emma Wenkert of Austin, spent several days exploring the Antarctic Peninsula and miles of frozen coastline.

EDUCATION & SCHOOL NEWS

UPDATE: TC, Temple ISD to partner in Family Literacy Program; Belton ISD, TSTC to hold plumbing career event

UPDATE: Local cities plan holiday fun

Holiday festivities set for Temple, Troy, Belton, Morgan’s Point Resort and Salado. Parades, holiday movies, tree-lightings and a whole lot more are set for the first two weeks in December.

CHISHOLM TRAIL CHRISTMAS BALL

This year’s Chisholm Trail Christmas Ball, an annual gala benefiting the Bell County Youth Fair scholarship fund, will feature music by the legendary McBride & The Ride. The Christmas Ball will be Saturday, Dec. 3, at the Bell County Expo Center beginning at 6 p.m.

FOOD TRUCK FRENZY

That Thanksgiving meal will be a distant memory by Dec. 10, and Central Texans will be flocking Downtown Temple for a taste of Food Truck Frenzy, a quarterly mobile-food extravaganza held in conjunction with the monthly market day. One of the many popular food trucks will be Lone Star Burgers, a Moffat-based business that has been cooking cow sandwiches for 7-and-a-half years.

FAMILY HOLIDAY TRADITIONS

While Christmas traditions such as exchanging gifts, putting up a tree, watching holiday movies and singing carols are practiced across the US and in many other countries, many Temple area residents have personal family traditions that have been enjoyed for years — in some cases decades. And, most of these local traditions involve food.

HOLIDAY MARKET & FOOD TRUCK FRENZY

Burgers, bread, jewelry, artwork, pet supplies and tallow-based skin products — with more than 100 vendors confirmed, the Temple’s Holiday Market & Food Truck Frenzy likely has something for everyone on your shopping list. Presented by the Temple Small Business Coalition, Holiday Market will be 2-8 p.m. on Dec. 10 in the City Hall parking lot.

A Lone Star Lesson

What happened today in Texas history? We’ve got a little history lesson for you, so check back daily.

A TREE-MENDOUS YEAR

According to the Temple-based Texas Christmas Tree Growers Association, there are 175 Christmas tree farms in Texas producing some 200,000 trees annually on about 2,500 acres statewide.