Among the top headlines in the Snyder Daily News in June were the annual Western Swing Festival, dogs and their owners walking to raise money for a good cause, the implementation of a new accountability plan for Snyder schools, Petticoats on the Prairie, and preparing for the worst at local schools.
Snyder Chamber of Commerce officials were pleased with the 2019 West Texas Western Swing Festival turnout.
Chamber event coordinator Josh Ortegon said the festival sold out of RV spaces and seating by the first day of the festival.
“Everyone had a great time and I can’t thank the Snyder community enough,” he said. “As the Snyder Chamber of Commerce event coordinator I just want to thank our community for making our guests feel welcomed. They are the reason people love coming back.”
Linda Shipp of Fresno, Calif. said she has attended Snyder’s Western Swing Festival for three years and reconnects with a group of people each time.
“I’ve been attending musical festivals for over 20 years,” Shipp said. “But this one is one of my favorites. It’s a very friendly, family atmosphere. I’ve been recruiting people from other festivals I attend to join me at this festival since I started coming.”
Dogs and their owners took to Towle Park’s walking trail to raise money during Anytime Fitness’ first-ever Strut Your Pup fundraiser.
More than 30 families came out with their furry friends to raise money for Second Chance Dog Rescue, while also promoting health and wellness.
Residents were able to participate in the walk, and if they so chose, to make a donation to Second Chance Dog Rescue.
The event raised more than $300.
Snyder ISD implemented a local accountability plan that officials said would better reflect students’ accomplishments and wouldn’t be weighted so heavily on how they perform on state testing.
Dr. Rachael McClain, assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said Snyder ISD was one several Texas school districts accepted into a pilot program to develop the local accountability systems. The most important thing about implementing the local plan, McClain said, is that it can potentially raise the letter grade campuses receive from the Texas Education Agency (TEA).
“If campuses receive a C grade from TEA, local accountability then accounts for 50 percent of the campus’ score and state testing accounts for the other 50 percent,” McClain said. “That would have raised the letter grades at the high school and intermediate campuses to a B.”
After the success of 2018’s event, organizers of the Petticoats on the Prairie vintage market decided to come back to Snyder.
The market was at The Coliseum June 21-22 and featured more than 70 vendors, organizer Cat Geiger said.
Vendors, who came from Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma, sold vintage and repurposed antiques, furniture, art, farmhouse decor, gourmet food, wine, handmade goods, jewelry and what Geiger called “cool junk.”
One of the unfortunate byproducts of recent times is that the unthinkable — shooters attacking our schools — has become more and more commonplace.
To counter that growing threat, law enforcement agencies have increased training on how to deal with active shooter situations, and a pair of those drills were conducted by Snyder Police Department officers in June.
At Western Texas College and Snyder Junior High School, officers were trained to deal a variety of scenarios.
Officers said that the program improves outcomes by decreasing response time.
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