tions and volunteer work. People come from all over the work to see the largest statue of this kind. Photos by Beverly Kehe-Rowland

We have been to many, many tourist attractions, but the most memorable times have happened when we have driven around the corner to see what was there before moving on. Oftentimes, we have spent an entire day around the corner.

Carthage, Texas, was one of those days.

Carthage was our first overnight stay after we left our friends’ house near Galveston. We decided to look around before we moved on the following morning.

FOOTPRINTS IN THE SAND STATUE

This round safe is displayed in The Texas Tea Room which was originally a bank.

Our first stop was at Pippen Memorial Park to see a 14-foot tall bronze statue of Jesus holding a man in his arms. The statue is a depiction of the poem “Footprints in the Sand.” Bob Harness was inspired to create the statue after reading the poem on a folder he had received at a funeral. When the people of Carthage heard about the sculptor’s wish, the funds and volunteer labor came rushing in. Land was donated in memory of Eula and Billy Burt Pippen.

Planning of the memorial was well-thought-out. Harness made roughly 100 sketches and a small mock-up of the statue. He invited young and old to wrap clay on the massive project.

The Footprints in the Sand monument was dedicated on August 19, 2014. Hundreds of people from all over the world have come to see the finished monument, which is believed to be the world’s largest sculpture of this type. A long, winding cement walkway with a center strip embedded with small and very large footprints leads toward the statue. The small footprints end after several yards, leaving only the large to continue to the statue. A likeness of the man who donated $25,000 to get the project started is held in Jesus’ arms. A low stone wall covered with black granite memorial plaques surrounds the statue in a circular plaza. Benches representing some of the hundreds of donations given in memory or in honor of friends, family, loved ones and churches have been placed in front of the wall. The poem etched on black granite and prominently displayed was written in 1939 by 14-year old Mary Stevenson, who grew up in poverty and under difficult circumstances. Later, others claimed to have written the poem, but Stevenson’s handwriting was authenticated from handwritten copies she had given to people who were going through troubling times.

TEXAS TEA ROOM

Our second stop was at The Texas Tea Room. It was converted from a bank into a restaurant in 1980. It began as a community-volunteered kitchen that served sandwiches and salads during lunch time. Later the business hired a full-time staff to meet the growing demand of the community.

Barbara Mandrell and her sisters Louise and Irlene are featured in one of nearly 70 displays in the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame.

A unique round safe stood in the entryway. Framed vintage puzzles of television shows such as Wagon Train, Sergeant Preston, Gunsmoke and Roy Rogers hung across the room. The walls of the dining room were decorated with local historic photos and various antiques. Near the kitchen, the original bank vault was used for a pantry.

The menu was interesting and varied. Out of curiosity, I ordered my chicken salad sandwich on nut bread that is baked inhouse. The texture was that of banana nut bread, but it did not have the sweetness or the banana flavor.

After we left the restaurant, we took a walk around the town square, but on the opposite side of the street so we could peek in the shop windows.

TEXAS COUNTY MUSIC HALL OIF FAME

Our last stop in Carthage was at the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame and the Tex Ritter Museum, where we had a conversation with President/CEO Tommie Ritter Smith. We learned hall of fame inducts country music legends during the three-day Classic Country Music Festival held in August. Inductees must have been born or raised in Texas or significantly contributed to Texas country music. In 1998, Ritter Smith shared the stage at the first festival with her cousin – comedian and actor John Ritter of Three’s Company fame. Ritter Smith’s father, Tex Ritter, was inducted posthumously. Willie Nelson and others were also part of the ceremony.

The late Buddy Holly was inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame in 2022.

The John Ritter Tribute Showcase is also held during festival weekend. Both John and Tex Ritter had a passion to help people get started in the business. Auditions for anyone, young and old and not necessarily from Texas are held the last Saturday in June. Celebrity judges choose thirty contestants to perform with the house band.

Four years after the first Classic Country Music Festival, the beautiful new state of the art Texas Country Music Hall of Fame and Tex Ritter Museum opened. Currently, nearly 70 displays of Texas Country Music Legends fill the cases and walls of the facility. A Disc Jockey Wall of Fame and genealogy library are located there, as well.

I was surprised to learn there were so many people with Texas roots associated with country music.

A HELPING HAND

We had planned to explore our way home, but something came up suddenly at the end of the day we left Carthage, prompting us to go directly home. We still had over 18 hours drive time, so we decided to do it in two days. We used the GPS on my phone on our last overnight, because the one in the van was mapping a longer route. At one point, we had an hour until our next turn and when the navigator wasn’t paying attention, we passed the turn. It was on a divided highway, so we had no choice but to keep going. The directions had been adjusted, but the route was curvy and questionable.

When we finally came to a gas station, the pump wouldn’t take my husband’s card, but rather than use mine, he decided to drive across the road to another station. As we started to drive away from the second stop, we noticed a police car and decided to ask the occupant if the curvy route was a good choice. The young officer gave my husband directions for the best way to go and we were off. Before we reached the first turn, we were passed by a patrol car. By now it was dark, we had no hotel room reserved and no one knew where we were.

The policeman was standing outside of his car waiting for us as we approached our turn. He walked to my husband’s open window and told him he realized as soon as we drove away, he should have led us to where we needed to go. We were thankful, but insisted we could find the way. He was just as insistent and as he walked away, I called out to him. He returned and I asked what department he was with and for his name.

The last day on the road was sunny and uneventful. Our neighbor texted us in the afternoon with a warning about very foggy weather at home. The last 100 miles of our travel was in very thick fog. We had stayed in seven hotels, three time shares and two homes and ridden in our mini-van, our friends’ truck, a tour boat, a ferry and a tram and like always, we thanked God for our safety, putting great people in our path and for smooth travels.

And a few days after we got home, I called the chief of police in a little Kentucky town. I think he was holding his breath waiting for a complaint about his officer. After I finished my glowing review, he told me he had good men, but he doesn’t get those kinds of calls. I then told him he must be a good leader, because even the best team gets discouraged without good leadership. After that, I wrote a letter to the Lebanon Junction, Kentucky City Council, which both my husband and I signed, touting their young officer and his chief of police. I may have added that law enforcement is a dangerous job and if they appreciated their police force, they should tell them.