(Press release)

SALADO, Texas (April 13, 2009) - Keep Salado Beautiful will host the Salado Earth Day Celebration this Saturday, April 18, 2009, from 10am to 5pm. Located at Pace Park, patrons can enjoy a “creek-side” day featuring guest speakers, over thirty interactive information booths, artist showcases, youth activities, book signings, service projects, tasty food vendors and live entertainment. Some of our Special Guests include the Brazos River Authority, Sierra Club, Texas Soil Conservation, Nature Conservancy of Killeen, Fort Hood-DPW Environmental, Central Texas Council of Governments, Bell County Master Gardeners Association, Seventh Generation Products, Mike Wright: Natural Kites, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Central Texas Power Save, Central Texas Master Naturalists, Green Mountain Energy, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Tonkawa Chapter, Native Plant Society of Texas, Organically Salado, Austin Urban Gardens, Wondercide, Cruise Salado, Fairway Golf Carts and many more! This event is free admission, free parking and dog friendly. The Central Texas Family Fitness Center kicks off the celebration with a 5K Fun Run/Walk, 8AM at Tenroc Ranch; day of race registration available.

The Following Central Texas Authors to share their talents with appearances, book signing and story telling:

Elizabeth Silverthorne has written over 20 books for adults, young adults, and children plus numerous articles and short stories. She studied writing at the Bread Loaf Writer’s School in Vermont, the Institute of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and the University of Texas. She taught English and Children’s Literature at North Texas State University in Denton, Texas, for 4 years and was Director of the Department of Communications and Modern Languages at Temple College for l2 years. Silverthorne was a featured author at the inaugural Texas Book Festival in Austin in 1996. She was elected a Fellow of the Texas State Historical Association in 1997. Her books on Texas history have won a number of awards including the Tullis Prize, the Bates Award, The Roberts Award, the Fehrenbach Award and a citation from the San Antonio Conservation Society. His biography of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings was reviewed in the New York Times Book Review. Fiesta! was selected as a “Notable Children’s Trade Book” by the National Children’s Book Council. Texas A&M University Press published a 4th printing of Legends and Lore of Texas Wildflowers in December of 2008. Silverthorne’s most recent book, Plants (for middle grade students) was published in 2009. She is currently at work on a second edition of Louisa May Alcott to be published in 2010.

Patsy Sanford: The Village of Salado Poet Laureate, is the author of four volumes of poetry: Reflections in the Stream in 1986, A Bridge Across in 1987, Dimensions in 1991, Streams of Thought in Poetry in 1992; a children’s book Salado’s Own Kumquat Stories in 1995, short stories, reviews, essays, has given readings of her work throughout Central Texas and has written poetry for the founding of literary organizations. Tributes to this accomplished writer have come in the form of her poetry being published in many newspapers, periodicals and magazines: Texas Poetry Society Book Of The Year, Austin Writers Anthology, Austin Writer, Riverrun, The Panhandler, REAL, Big Two-Hearted, Blackland Snow, My Legacy, to name a few. Patsy’s poems speak eloquently to all ages, truthfully about subjects pondered by many, precisely and lovingly about her beloved hometown of Salado, ever infused with her teacher’s warmth and humor so necessary to instruction and learning.

Jackie Mills: Playwright/Producer/Director/Author, lives in Salado, Texas and was an Alderman for the Village of Salado from incorporation in the year 2000 until May or 2007. Some of her most treasured honors are: Being named A Central Texas Woman of Distinction by the Bluebonnet Council of Girl Scouts; honored in Washington D.C. when Salado Legends, her first outdoor musical drama, was installed in the Library of Congress; named Outstanding Community Volunteer by the City Federation of Women’s Clubs and being awarded the Mary Steele Service Award from the Contemporaries. Jackie was the Salado Art Fair Chairman for two years, is the Past President of the Salado Public Library and is currently the Vice President of the Tablerock Board of Directors. Jackie is a published poet, and is an award winning artist. She writes lyrics for songs, and wrote most lyrics for the songs in Salado Legends. She tours schools throughout the southwest with a book she wrote and illustrated, Sirena of Salado.

Images of America – Jarrell, by Mary Harrison Hodge and Priscilla S. King

Mary H. Hodge was born in Jarrell, Texas and graduated from Jarrell High School in 1943. She attended Business School in Austin, Texas. After graduating, she taught high school in Jarrell for one year. In 1946, Mary was married to C.B. Hodge and moved to Salado. She is a long-time member of the Salado Methodist Church and has volunteered for every worth while event in Salado. Her book, Salado and Bell County Texas 1900 - 2000 was published in 1999. She has co-authored Images of America - Jarrell with Priscilla S. King from Jarrell, Texas.

Priscilla S. King , of Jarrell, Texas, owned and directed Windy Hill School, a licensed child development program for ninety seven students ages 0 to 13. She has conducted child care provider seminars nationally, and has been a foster parent with the Children’s Protective Services for the past 20 years. She and her late husband have five adopted children and five grandchildren. Priscilla is a parenting trainer for the State of Texas, served on the Jarrell School Board for over 14 years, was the founding member of Jarrell Civic League and enjoys being a mentor for elementary and Jr. high school students. She was appointed by Governor of Texas to State Advisory Committee on Special Education, has written and conducted training seminars in the areas of child development and grief and loss and writes a cooking column for a local area newspaper.

An interesting footnote to the collaboration of the authors of this book; in doing research for the book it was determined that the founder of Corn Hill (now Jarrell) was Judge John E. King. After the book was completed, through papers found in an old chest, the authors discovered that Judge King was the great, great uncle of Priscilla’s late husband and that Mary Hodge and Priscilla King are actually related.

Ramon Carver: Ph. D., of Salado, TX, and author of Best & Worst Travels as well as several published and produced plays: Comfort & Welfare on Interstate Ten, Nobody loves you like a Mama but your Mama till she dies, Life & Times, A Man who Believed in Musicals, Dr. Sganarelle, Crisis, Catch as Catch Can, Texassity, We Had a Grand Time, Didn’t We, Kid?, and A Little Love and Affection is Just About All I Can Stand! A graduate of Baylor & Yale, he enjoys writing music as well as words, and he considers himself an amateur photographer, painter, designer, landscaper and professional actor, director, scenery carpenter, public speaker and career educator. Carver will write and sing on almost any occasion when he is not performing as a controversial (if you don’t agree with him) political activist.

Jane Voigt, Ambrosia Tea Room: Jane Voigt and her husband, Darrell moved to Salado from Austin in August 2001. Jane was born and raised in nearby Bartlett, Texas, and had always loved Salado. With a love for cooking and baking, Jane opened Ambrosia Tea Room in September 2001. It has become a popular fixture on Main Street and has been featured in two national magazines and various Texas publications. The menu at Ambrosia always has something delicious to offer and changes somewhat with each season. In addition to tea and delectable delights, Jane’s two cookbooks are also sold at Ambrosia. Her first cookbook was published in 2002 and the second came out in 2006. Many of the recipes in her books have special significance since they were shared with Jane by friends, patrons, and family. She has now sold over 10,000 cookbooks. Jane loves her business and loves to make occasions memorable and meaningful for her customers.

Charlie Turnbo’s Salado Texas: A Frontier College Town and Pat Merrill’s Salado Creek: A Neglected Treasure will also be represented.

Musical Entertainer, Shake Russell Band will headline the day’s exciting lineup of entertainment. For more than three decades, Texas singer-songwriter Shake Russell has been entertaining audiences throughout the region. Weaving sophisticated harmonies through his songs and drawing from various genres, Shake created a style of folk-rock that is uniquely his own. His repertoire consists of a blend of love songs, ballads, and waltzes, skillfully balanced with lively rockabilly tunes and soulful rhythm and blues pieces. His lyrics are imbued with beautiful imagery, catchy phrases, and inventive similes and metaphors. But it is the rich, melodious voice of Shake Russell that breathes life and spirit into the lyrics. A prolific songwriter as well, Shake has written or co-written hundreds of melodies. Through the years, Shake’s songs and albums have frequented the Billboard charts, with many, including “Deep in the West,” “You’ve Got a Lover,” “Put Yourself in My Shoes,” “One More Payment,” and “Our Kind of Love” being recorded by such distinguished artists as Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, Ricky Skaggs, Clint Black, and Carolyn Dawn Johnson. From his 1976 album, “Songs on the Radio,” to his eighth CD, “What this Heart Holds,” Shake’s music is a testament to the reasons why he is so widely celebrated as a Texas music legend. Schade Tree Band and Harebilly also performing throughout the day.