Author Archives: Mary Jane Farmer

About Mary Jane Farmer

In the music production business, including event production, booking, photography, reporting, volunteering, and other such essentials, since 1974.

Local Police Arrests Since June 13

Leave a reply

By Mary Jane Farmer, for the Van Alstyne News, Scene In Town

Van Alstyne Police Lt. Steven Hayslip, who is the police department’s designated Public Information Officer (among his many other duties), provided information on the following arrests.

June 13 Arrest — About 11:30 p.m. Thursday, police were called to a home in the 600 block of Metallic Tree regarding a disturbance. They determined that a Van Alstyne resident had assaulted a family member and placed him under arrest on a charge of Assault Causing Bodily Injury, Class C Family Violence.

Hayslip said that the victim did not require any medical treatment.

Bail was set at $258 Personal Recognizance Bond, which the suspect posted for his release the following day.

June 16 Arrest — A traffic stop made after police observed a vehicle traveling in the highway’s left lane without passing another vehicle. This was about 8:30 p.m. The officer(s) initiated a traffic stop. Police, following protocol, determined that a passenger in the vehicle, a Frisco woman, was in violation of her bond conditions, set on a protective order. Once placed under arrest and taken to the Grayson County Jail, a magistrate set bail at $2,500, payable with a surety bond. She posted it that on the 17^th for her release.

June 16 Arrest — That same evening, about 11 p.m., it was another traffic stop made that resulted in another arrest. Hayslip said the stop was made because police saw that the registration on the vehicle had expired. When talking with the driver, an Anna man, they spelled the distinct odor of marijuana. With that, they conducted a probable cause search, found a clear baggie, and determined its contents to be methamphetamine.

They jailed the suspect on a charge of possession of Controlled Substance, Penalty Group 1 under 1 gram.

The suspect posted bail of $4,000 in a surety bond on Monday for his release.

June 17 Arrest — It was another traffic stop that took an intoxicated driver off the roadway. About 11:30 p.m. Monday, police stopped a vehicle after observing it speeding and changing lanes without a signal. The driver, a Howe woman, would not answer the officer(s)’ simple questions, Hayslip said. They conducted Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFSTs). After the tests were complete, they placed her under arrest on a charge of Driving While Intoxicated.

A magistrate set her bail at $2,000, which she posted Tuesday for her release.

June 19 Arrest — About 3 p.m., Wednesday, police saw a man who they knew had been placed under a Criminal Trespass Warning going into a business in the 100 block of South Preston. They detained and jailed the suspect on a charge of Criminal Trespass. As of Friday, he remained incarcerated in lieu of $1,500 bail. According to Grayson County Jail records, this was the third jailing of this suspect this year on the same charge.

June 20 Arrest — About 7:15 a.m., police made a traffic stop after the driver declined, for a while, to stop for the flashing lights on the police patrol car. Hayslip said they first turned those lights on after seeing the driver make a turn without signaling its intent to turn. When they turned those flashing lights on, the driver sped the car up and ran signal lights in an apparent attempt to flee detention. Police stayed behind the vehicle and then saw it stop, and saw the driver get out and ran.

They caught the driver, a Van Alstyne man, and jailed him on two charges — those of Evading Arrest/Detention with a Vehicle, and Evading Arrest/Detention. They then uncovered three outstanding warrants issued in Denton County. These were one count of Evading Arrest/Detention and two counts of Assault Causing Bodily Injury, one of which was enhanced because it was a Family Violence charge.

As of Friday afternoon, the suspect remained in Grayson County Jail.

June 20 Arrest — About 4:45 a.m. Thursday, police jailed a Groves, Texas, man on a warrant issued in Jefferson County.

Hayslip said police were sent to the area of Henry Hynds and Sanford Circle, regarding a welfare check. They found the man sitting close to the road and were concerned that a vehicle could hit him.

After contacting the man and running his driver’s license, police learned of the warrant, which charged him with Criminal Trespass. As of Friday afternoon, this man remained in Grayson County Jail on the warrant.

Friends of the Library Host Fundraiser

Leave a reply

Story and Photos by Mary Jane Farmer, for The Van Alstyne News, Scene In Town

The yearly Book Fair, presented by the Van Alstyne Friends of the Library to raise money for the library’s many programs, is now happening.

This year, the Book Fair is at Grayson College ‘s South Campus, which is located (for newcomers’ GPS’s) at 1455 West Van Alstyne Parkway, aka FM 121.

The book sale is being held there, a Grayson College spokesman said, because of the continual road construction between the (usual location) Community Center and the Central Social District Park, with ample parking for attendees.

Books are divided into numerous categories, including DIY, mystery, fiction, cooking, children’s, romance, religion, sports, and so many others. There are also videos, CDs, puzzles, and games available. And prices are reasonable, with some sold individually, but many sold in small and large (Braum’s) paper bags or in large boxes, with preset amounts on those regardless of how many items one packs into them.

The Friends of the Library are assisting with the Library’s upcoming Summer Reading Program events, most of which are being held at the Community Center, 262 N. Preston. Please see the Van Alstyne Community Calendar (here) for listings on those special events.

The fundraising sale goes until 5 p.m. this evening (Thursday), 9-5 on Friday, and 9-Noon on Saturday.

Fred Spears Has Made a Life of the Music Business

1 Reply

First published in the Texoma Farm and Home Magazine, April 2024 issue. Published by the Whitesboro News. Photos by Mary Jane Farmer unless otherwise noted.

By Mary Jane Farmer

When you sit in a Freddie Lee Spears’ audience, you quickly realize he’s as genuinely classic as the songs he sings.

Freddie Lee, or ‘Fred’ as he’s often called, has been playing guitar since he was 14. He said he tried to learn when he was younger from his dad, also a guitarist, but didn’t quite get it until his early teenage years. Now, he plays not only guitar, but also mandolin, dobro, harmonica, bass, harmonica—just to name a few—all mixed with his soft-yet-powerful voice and the songs’ caring emotions.

“I got to playing mandolin because I wanted to learn to play the fiddle. The scales are the same, but I never transferred to the fiddle,” he said. “I’ve also been enamored with dobro and slide guitar. I never really wanted to play pedal steel, and it’s a shame because two or three times in my life, I’ve had the chance to learn from experts.” He mentioned two pedal steel players of much local renown. “Luther (Thompson) was one of them, and so was Jim Richmond. But look, it’s about knee rotators, 10 strings and 12 strings.”

After a night at the Grand Ol’ Opry, when he was still a little redneck, Freddie Lee said he got to thinking, “Who gets to do that. I saw Jim Reeves, Ernest Tubb was a big star. I liked Lonzo & Oscar.” And that was a bit of an incentive to get serious on the guitar. Serious he got and he’s been playing ever since.

Fred Spears, taken at El Patio Escondido in Van Alstyne, Texas

“I played school dances,” Freddie Lee said. “They had dances at the community-supervised programs for the youth, and I played a lot of them.”

In 1970, Fred got drafted into the U.S. Army and, he said, he spent much of his service time at Dugway Proving Grounds in the middle of Salt Flats, Utah. When his company commander learned that Fred played the guitar, he got Fred some Salt Flats gigs, for $65 a night. “We made $90 a month in the Army, and we all tried to have a side way to make ends meet. I was a janitor, as well. Janitor was good—it was on base and after hours.”

After the Army stint, Freddie Lee found himself in Nashville. “Mostly there, I played Moose Lodges, Elks, VFWs, and American Legions.”

Next up was a stint in Sammi Smith’s band (Help Me Make It Through The Night.) “She was so good, but past the age to be able to have a band.”

So, when he got asked again to travel, it was with David Allen Coe, he said ‘Yes.’ That experience got him into songwriting and he co-wrote with Coe on several songs that made it onto the charts, including “Under Rachel’s Wing.” He said, and it’s confirmed on Wikipedia, that Coe basically went bankrupt and lost all the publishing rights to the songs he and Freddie Lee had co-penned. Fred said that he does still get mailbox money from BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) from airplay on the songs.

From there, Fred went on the road with Rusty Wier as a member of his Tennessee Hat Band, touring from 1975-1980.

“Rusty was a great guy, knew how to work a crowd. He wrote, ‘Don’t It Make You Wanna Dance?’”

And again, a few stints with Coe and that’s when he moved To North Texas. “I moved back to Nashville for a while, but I was down here (Dallas at that time) so much, and I liked living in Dallas.

“But,” he added, “I got tired of driving from Dallas to up here in the Texoma area. We traveled so much, from California to Colorado. We played at Lucille’s and Calhouns a lot, so I just moved up here. I bought me a little place. Sometimes it’s been a struggle to pay for it, but I’ve managed.”

Photo by Brad Nixon. Shown are Bob Penhall, Fred Spears, Shelly New, and Miles Penhall.

For a long time, maybe a decade or more, Fred fronted the band Little Big Iron, one of the more popular ones of the area and the era. Now, he said, he and Brent Frailicks and the young area musician Sawyer Guymon are quite often seen on-stage together, not to even mention Sawyer’s dad, Greg Guymon.

“1-2 check check check” came from the stage at the James Adams Post 376 American Legion in Van Alstyne. Joining Freddie Lee were another of his constant companions, Brent Frailicks, and American Legion member Kenneth Gentry. Three guitars and three vocals in an amazing, very listenable song swap. Quite often, it would be Spears playing lead and Frailicks and Gentry on rhythm, and next time the lead would go to either of the other musicians gracing the stage. Harmonies abound.

And it was the classics, Fred’s favorite music, that all three belted out. “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “Bandy the Rodeo Clown,” and “Green Green Grass of Home,” plus about 3 hours more of the classics that stand today’s earbuds’ and country hearts’ test of time.

Now, at that gig, and just about any other in which Freddie Lee is involved, anyone in the crowd could come up and sing as well. He led the Wednesday night Open Mic Nights at Loose Wheels Texas in Denison until that venue closed a few years ago. And that stage was always packed, as was the listening audience.

When asked what strengths it takes to hold an open mic, Spears jumped right over the suggestions of ‘knowledge,’ ‘experience’ and ‘just what?’ He said, “The best things to be able to not leave a slightly-inexperienced singer up there looking like he’s got egg on his face.”

Having played with many of the Redneck Rock era’s leaders, i.e.: Smith and Wier, Fred has just about seen, heard, or played through it all. When asked that, if he had a chance, what current artist would he want to work with today, he hesitated a bit in thought, then said with certainty, “I would play with Buddy Guy. I’m really also a bluesman, and there are others out there, too, that I would choose.”

“For now, most all of the songs I sing are before 1975, he said. “In certain situations, you have to play what the audience wants to hear. When I play solo, it’s mostly 70s country and pop. When I play with Greg (Guymon), we go off on tangents. As a band, we’d play two fast and one slow song, with a (premade) song list. We spent very little time in between songs.

“I identify with bluegrass more than anything else, and with country ballad. I love R&B, but don’t have a growly-enough voice.”

Taken at The American Legion in Van Alstyne, Texas.

Freddie Lee Spears can be seen and heard every Tuesday night at the North Ridge Grill in Denison (7-10 p.m.); at the American Legion Lakeside on the last Fridays of each month; and every other Thursday at the American Legion in Van Alstyne, again starting at 7 p.m. And then there’s the Ivanhoe Ale Works on a Saturday of “every other month,” he said. He posts the gigs a few days ahead of time on his Facebook page.

“And I have, or am in, a pretty good church band, too,” he said. That Leap of Faith Church has recorded a 6-song Christian CD of its musicians, and this includes three tunes which Fred wrote.

When asked if anyone had told Freddie Lee that he has influenced them and their music, his answer was modest.

“Miles (Penhall) has said so and so has Sawyer (Guymon). That’s encouraging.” Both of the young men were, like Freddie Lee, about 14 years of age at their serious starting part. “Size matters,” Freddie Lee said. “That’s when you get to the size that you can really play the guitar, where your arms can correctly make the chords… and that’s encouraging. It’s kind of a thread that runs up and down through music. Younger people learn from older people.

“Maybe we’re (old-timers) just passing along information, but sharing the passion, too.”

Police Blotter, May 2, 2024

Leave a reply

By Mary Jane Farmer for the Van Alstyne News, Scene In Town

Note: An indictment is a formal charge, and not proof of guilt.

Indictment

A local woman Van Alstyne Police arrested February 15 went before the Grayson County Grand Jury Wednesday and that group indicted her on multiple counts of Sexual Assault of a Child.

Crystal Ervin, 29, went under arrest that February day without giving police any resistance, Van Alstyne PD Lt. Steven Hayslip said, adding that she knew about the investigation. She has remained in Grayson County Jail since, with bail having been set at $200,000, Grayson County Jail records show.

The Grand Jury indicted the suspect on four counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault Child (Rape), and two counts of Indecency w/Child Sexual Contact.

Other indictments made Wednesday

A Denison man , Austin Milton, now officially charged with murder and who Denison PD jailed on February 24. This suspect has remained incarcerated since in lieu of $1,000,000 bail.
A Sherman man, Daniel Ruiz Vazquez Jr., on 66 counts of Indecency with a Child by Sexual Contact and one count of Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child under 14 . This was a Sherman PD case.
Drug charges again several people including: 15 counts of possession of Methamphetamine; one count of possession of Psilocin; six counts of possession of Cocaine; and one count of possession of Fentanyl. None of these were Van Alstyne PD cases.

Previous Arrest Update

A traffic stop Van Alstyne police made in December 2022 has resulted in the suspect being now placed in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Hayslip said that on December 13 of that year an officer made a traffic stop and, after making contact with the driver and following protocol, the police discovered that he was in possession of Clonazemam, a PG-3 narcotic. They also found a firearm in his possession. Hayslip also said that the suspect provided police with a false name. “Therefore, he was arrested on all three charges,” Hayslip said.

This past week, ICE took custody of the suspect, who has remained incarcerated since that December date.

Arrest

About 10 p.m. Friday (April 26), police were sent to a vehicle crash at U.S. Highway 75 and Van Alstyne Parkway. There, they determined that driver, a Van Alstyne resident, had been operating a vehicle on a public roadway while intoxicated. They jailed him on a charge of Driving While Intoxicated, and he posted the set bail of $1,500 in a surety bond the next day for his release.

Arrest

Sunday (April 28), about 1:15 p.m., officers were dispatched to a reckless driver call. The reporting party stated that the vehicle’s driver looked as if he/she almost fell asleep and hit another vehicle.

Police located the described vehicle and made a traffic stop. Hayslip said that, upon approaching the vehicle, they smelled the strong odors of both an intoxicating beverage and marijuana. They conducted a Standardized Field Sobriety Test, which confirmed that the suspect was intoxicated. They then conducted a probable-cause search of his vehicle and found two clear plastic baggies containing a white powdery substance, which proved with a field test to have been cocaine.

They jailed the driver, a Sherman man, on charges of Driving While Intoxicated and Possession of a Controlled Substance, PG 1/1-B between 1 and 4 grams. Grayson County Jail records show that the suspect made bail of $9,500 in surety bonds for his release the following day.

Wine Festival 2024

Leave a reply

By Mary Jane Farmer for the Van Alstyne News, Scene In Town

It blew into town like the winds that accompanied it, the Third Annual Van Alstyne Wine Festival. What didn’t blow in were the heavy rains and thunderstorms that preceded Saturday and which were predicted, although with less chance than the days before, to have occurred also on Saturday. Van Alstyne’s Parks & Recreation Event Coordinator Kandi Hessel said early Saturday morning that it was a “rain or shine” event. Turns out, it was also a “wind doesn’t matter” event, also.

There were more than 30 vendors in all, including several wineries, and one beer distillery, the 3 Nations Brewery of Anna. Another, the new and local Dowling Distillery, had a sign posted, pointing toward and inviting participants to wander over to the facility on South Main Street.

The wineries in attendance and allowing samples (to those who had previously proved their ages via IDs while purchasing their wine-tasting tickets) were: Cooley Bay Winery, Landon Winery, Eden Hill Winery & Vineyard, Wall Street Winery and Neighbors Place Winery.

The band providing great background music was the Diamond West Band, with its lead singer belting out some good covers of Dolly Parton and many other national hit-makers.

Perhaps the most active/best attended vendor/sponsor was Adon Complete A/C, which provided not only information about their sales and services, but also a football throw game, a caricature artist, giveaways including corkscrews, and lots of friendly hugs and howdys. Most vendors also supplied warm howdys, and those were warmly returned by the many attendees who joined in the fun Saturday. Many also provided freebies, such as The Crazy Red Rooster which gave away koozies with purchases.

Hessel said there were an estimated 500 people in attendance. She added that there will be a 4th Annual Wine Festival, but it won’t be in April, with its many ‘April Showers.’ So, the public can count on attending a future local wine festival.