2001 Hopkins County Dairy Festival Queen
Julia Thompson
"Moo-sicland U.S.A" Was
Festival Theme in 2001
by: Bobby McDonald
"Strike up the band and listen to the melodies".....the Hopkins County Dairy Festival Board adopted "Moo-sicland U.S.A. for the theme of the 2001 Festival, in celebration of songs that made the "heart sing!"
The 2001 found Hopkins County in the midst of weather swings, with the month of April being the driest one ever for the area, and March 2001 had been described as nothing but "torrential downfalls," when rains swelled the local creeks and streams, and had lakes full of water. "It took the month of April to just dry out from March," quoted one of the local weather observers.
The SSHS Wildcat Baseball Team saw their season end with a 10 inning marathon game with Garland and the Como-Pickton Team was beaten in the play-offs by Elkhart.
2001 Dairy Festival Royalty included: left to right, Amberly Sharber, 3rd Runner-up,
Julie Horne, 2nd Runner-up, Queen Julia Thompson, and 1st Runner-up, Robbin Boshears.
Christine deWitte was named valedictorian of the Sulphur Springs High School Class of 2001 and Holly Stovall received the salutatorian honors. Meanwhile, Tyler Henderson, a middle school student in the Sulphur Bluff ISD had "aced" his college entrance exam, a few years early. He was joined by Sulphur Springs Middle School students, Jeffrey Kramer, Timothy Phillips, and Dawn Soeder, all seventh graders, as they were selected for the Duke University Gifted and Talented Program, based on their SAT scores.
The Empty Stocking Program was "looking for a home" as they were packing up toys and supplies to move from the First United Methodist Church, which was undergoing a renovation program.
Jordan Ramey and Franki Jimmerson were selected for the Forrest Gregg MVP Awards as the SSHS Sports Banquet. At the banquet, first and 1961 winner of the "Fighting Heart Award," Curtis Morris, was accompanied to the banquet by his coach, Johnny Dobson, to mark the program's 40th Anniversary.
Julia Thompson, 2001 Dairy Festival Queen, is shown riding on the Queen's
Float in the 2002 Parade.
Local reports indicated that a bill that could mean better prices for Texas dairy farmers for their milk had "hit a brick wall" in the Texas House of Representatives, according to Representative Mark Homer. Homer had sponsored the bill but blamed the Ag Committee for the stalwart on the legislation.
Meanwhile, a Sulphur Bluff man had been found guilty of manslaughter, in the shooting death of his father, by a Hunt County jury, who sentenced him to 20 years in the penitentiary.
The Lady Wildcat Softball Team won the District Crown but was beaten in play-off action by the Carthage Lady Dawgs. And, it was Kristin Lynne Burchfield and Amy Michelle Brown who were selected valedictorian and salutatorian of the Yantis High School Class of 2001.
Julia Thompson as she "squeezes every drop" in the 2001 Milking Contest.
Brad Burgin, a relative new-commer to politics, beat longtime Sulphur Springs City Councilman, Valanderous Bell, in a close race, that marked the spring elections. It was Norman Sanders and Tony Cook that won seats on the Sulphur Springs ISD Board, ousting incumbents Judy Gilreath and Harold Bryant, in another close race. And, Jim Richardson had accepted the position of Superintendent of Yantis ISD.
Sulphur Springs High School basketball players, Jordan Ramey and Caleb Panter, had signed letters of intent to play basketball at Howard Payne University and Oklahoma Christian. And, Cedrick Wright and Don Martin had signed to play football for Austin College and East Texas Baptist, respectively.
Quitman Ford was advertising a 2001 F-150 Lariat truck for only $24,795.00 and a 2001 Crown Victoria for only $21,495., while the popular Ford Explorer could be purchased for $24,995.
Queen Julia Thompson "roping in" the services of her little brother, Joel, for an
escort for all of the Dairy Festival activities.
Three Hopkins County young ladies, Franki Jimmerson, Jemirius Johnson, and Amanda Davis, were headed to the State Track Meet and the Saltillo Lions Boys Baseball Team was defeated by the top ranked, Collinsville, in play-off action.
Meanwhile, local biologists were concerned over a "fish kill" on the Sulphur River and blamed "lack of oxygen in the water" for the event. And, Copy Products Inc. had donated a copy machine to the local United Way Organization to help with their clerical duties.
Tyler Braxton was awarded the top Sousa Award at the 2001 Band Banquet for his musical talents, while the historic Mission Theater in downtown Sulphur Springs, was closing its doors "for good!"
In national news, it was the June 11th, 2001, execution of Timothy McVeigh, in Terre Haute, Indiana, for the Oklahoma City Bombings, that happened amidst that year's Dairy Festival.
Queen Julia posing with step-brother, Collin Alexander, and brother, Joel, on
the Queen's float.
And, in state news, it was earlier in the year (January 2001) that the last two of the "Texas 7" had been captured in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The seven inmates had escaped from the Texas Prison facility in Kennedy, Texas, and gone on a crime spree throughout the state.
The Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV and "Gladiator" was awarded the Top Picture Award at the Academy Awards.
Meanwhile, internationally, Foot And Mouth Disease was on a rampage in the United Kingdom, with livestock being destroyed and burned to prevent spread of the dreaded disease.
And, it was in February 2001 that NASCAR Great, Dale Earnhardt, was killed in a fiery crash on the last lap of the Daytona 500, sending "shock waves" throughout the sport.
The week of Dairy Festival 2001, it was Tropical Storm "Allison" that dumped over 36 inches of rain on the Houston, Texas, area, killing 22 and causing over $5 million in damages.
Top movie of 2001 was "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," grossing over $317 million at the box office. Other top movies for the year included: "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," "Shrek," "Monsters Inc.," "Rush Hour 2," and "The Mummy Returns." Also at the top were: "Pearl Harbor," "Ocean's Elevene," with an all-star cast, "Jurassic Park III," and "Planet of the Apes."
And, it was "The Blue-Eyed Comanche," a film about Cynthia Ann Parker, that was being filmed in Hopkins County, using some local actors and actresses to complete the cast.
For music lovers, 2001 put "Lady Marmalade Christina Aguilera" at the top of the Pop Charts for the year. "Fallin'" by Allicia Keys," "I'm Real," by Jennifer Lopez, "Family Affair" by Mary J. Blige, and "Butterfly" by Crazy Town, were other top hits on the Pop Chart. Dido made "Thank You" popular and "Madonna made "Don't Tell Me, into a super hit. "Gone" was made popular by the group 'N Sync and Lopez had another his with "Love Don't Cost A Thing." Aerosmith made popular "Jaded" and Distiny's Child made "Survivor" into a popular hit. Janet Jackson had the hits "Someone to Call My Lover" and "All For You." "Bootylicious" was made popular by Destiny's Child.
Lee Ann Womack had a "cross-over" hit with "I Hope You Dance" as the song was popular on both the Country and Pop Charts. Other top country singles included: Tim McGraw's "My Next Thirty Years;" Toby Keith's "I Wanna Talk About Me;" "It's a Great Day to Be Alive," by Travis Tritt; and "I'm Already There" by Lonestar. Brooks and Dunn made popular "Ain't Nothing About You" and "Only In America." Blake Shelton has a hit with "Austin" and the Dixie Chicks made a hit out of "Without You." Brad Paisley made a hit with "We Danced" and Keith Urban wone popularity with "But For The Grace of God." Country great, Alan Jackson, had the 2001 hit "Where I Come From."
The "Moo-sic Land U.S.A." songs at Dairy Festival included: "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," "Down By the Station," "Old McDonald," "Mary Had A Little Lamb," "Row Row Row Your Boat," "Wheels on the Bus," "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," and "Jack and Jill," as the little children entered the stage for pageant night. Children appearing in the Dairy Festival Parade and Pageant were: Dallas Dannheim, Katie Barnett, Kade Crowson, Caitlin Helm, Ryan Baker, Madeline Massey, Jesse Morrill, Hattie Schultz, Peyton Howard, Kendall Wallace, Bailey Burgin, Skyler Martin, Ross Cody, Audrey Eddins, Drew Forsman, and Mackenzie Sorley.
Ten young ladies entered the 2001 Hopkins County Dairy Festival Contest. They were: Robin Boshears, sponsored by Hopkins-Rains Farm Bureau; Julie Chapman, sponsored by Dial Study Club; Lori Emerson, sponsored by Rotary Club; Jessica Bounds, representing Northeast Texas Farmers Co-op; Julia Thompson, representing Mothers Culture Club; Amberly Sharber, representing GSC Enterprises; Meredith Fox sponsored by Alliance Bank; Deven Wrigley sponsored by Guaranty Bank; Amanda Thompson, representing City National Bank; and Julie Horne, sponsored by the Junior Waverly Club.
Parade Marshals for the 2001 Hopkins County Dairy Festival Parade were Murrel and Lourece Rushin, who had been in the dairy business for over 50 years. They led the parade through Sulphur Springs. And, Clayton McGraw served as president of the Dairy Festival Board in 2001, with Susan Kennon serving as Vice-President, and Mary Campbell serving as secretary. Other officers included: Cindy Lancaster as treasurer; Allison Phillips as Reporter, and Lynda Hager as Pageant Director. Other board members included: Erica Armstrong, Wendi Armstrong, Talley Bell, Pam Black, Mike Blount, Brett Bassham, Patricia Chase, Carrie Crowson, Bruce Fielden, Jerry Gibby, Peggy Gibby, Melanie Helm, Scott Henderson, Gena Watson, Gary Mulson, Jimmi Petersen, Judy VanWinkle, Tim Vaughn, and Chip Vaughn.
Tropical Storm Allison, with its torrential rains, delayed the Hopkins County Dairy Festival Parade on Saturday, June 9th, but the parade was held at a later time, and was again delayed midway through its progress by a train coming through Sulphur Springs. However, the parade featured over 80 entries. The other events on the first Saturday of the festival included the milking contest, a 42 tournament, and "Hometown Harmony" appearing in the Coca Cola Sound Stage, that afternoon. At the milking contest, it was contestant, Julie Horne, who managed to capture 44 ounces of "moo juice" to win the event.
It was 106 individuals that registered in the 5k and 1k Dairy Festival Fun Run, that was won by Julio Ramirez, as the overall winner and Maegan Bell as the women's winner. And, it was Kylie Littlefield, Jamie Goldsmith, and Trey Henderson that were the winners in the State Homemade Ice Cream Contest.
As the final event of the 42nd Annual Hopkins County Dairy Festival, Master of Ceremonies, John Ginn, began the festivities, that included casual, evening gown, and talent presentations by each of the ten candidates. Guest appearances were made by Brad Dansby, a Nashville Recording artist with Nickel and Dime Records.
When the votes were tabulated, it was Julia Thompson, daughter of Michelle and Dwight Alexander, and the late David Thompson, that won the judge's attention. She had sang "Memory" from the Broadway Musical "Cats" as her talent presentation.
First runner-up in the 2001 Contest was Robin Boshears, with Julie Horne being named 2nd runner-up, and Amberly Sharber named 3rd runner-up. Lori Emerson was named "Miss Congeniality" by her peers in the contest.
"During the entire time that I was practicing my talent portion of the presentation, I couldn't get the words right," exclaims, Julia Thompson Belcher, now living in Abilene, Texas. "But, my sister, Kaleigh, could remember them, so she had to be with me every time I practiced. I guess it worked, because I managed to remember them when it counted!"
2001 Dairy Festival Queen, Julia Thompson, flashes
the winning smile, that won her the title as Queen.
"My all-time favorite memory of my Dairy Festival experience is having my little brother, Joel, for an escort," exclaims Julia. "He was still in Middle School and probably wasn't near as carried away with the idea, as I was, but he was so cute! I was so proud to have him on stage with me and he did an awesome job!"
Today, Julia is newly married to her husband, Andrew Belcher and they wilve in Abilene. Julia is a graduate of Abilene Christian University, with a business degree in Marketing. She has returned to ACU and obtained a Masters in Conflict Resolution and is currently a Marketing Coordinator at Abilene Regional Medical Center. Julia's parents, Dwight and Michelle, continue to live in Sulphur Springs, so she visits often during holidays and special occasions.
Julia Thompson Belcher, is shown today with husband, Andrew, where they make their
home in Abilene, Texas.
"Dairy Festival encouraged me to show leadership and confidence, when entering college," expressed Julia. "I'm proud to say that I was the Hopkins County Dairy Festival Queen of 2001 and many of the lessons that I learned continue to help me in the workforce as I advance my career."
"Dairy Festival is a wonderful opportunity to find your own talent, meet new friends, and proudly represent your community," continued Julia. "I think that any young lady given the opportunity to participate should take full advantage of it. It's something that will enhance your life and allow you to meet many people and become a part of something that is much bigger than yourself!"
My little brother, Joel, has "out-grown me," states Julia, as she is shown here with Joel and sister,
Kaleigh, during a recent Sulphur Springs gathering.
"I'm looking forward to coming back to Sulphur Springs in June and representing my year as Dairy Festival Queen and the other contestants that so proudly represented the community in 2001!"