Matthew Mears, son of Shane and Norma Mears of Mount Vernon was one of many young children who braved the cold temperatures on Saturday, March 28 to participate in the Suck Bucket Contest at the annual Young Farmers Project Show at the livestock pavilion on FM 115. For more information about the Project Show, see the April 2 edition of the Optic-Herald.

Dallas Maverick fan Edith Castle Adams of Mount Vernon will be featured in an interview with George Reba on Dallas Channel 8 TV's "Sports Extra."

A program aimed at assisting people in Northeast Texas facing employment issues will conduct a meeting on the main Northeast Texas Community College campus on Thursday, April 2. The event begins at 9 a.m. with sessions being conducted throughout the morning, and will end at 1 p.m. Refreshments will be served and the event is free to the public. For more information on the event, please call Robert Morris at 903-794-9490 or Tolita Teddleton at 903-897-2935.

A dozer crew with the Texas Forestry Service office in Gilmer were called to assist in bringing a wildfire between CR NE2045 and NE2100 under control Sunday, March 22.

The second quarter “Spring Clean-up” effort is set to begin Saturday, April 4. The City of Mount Vernon is taking a different approach to the clean-up with a one -day curb-side pick-up of large items. Large items must be placed by the curb-side for pick up on Saturday, April 4. There will not be any dumpsters at the city maintenance facility. For more information, see the March 26 edition of the Optic-Herald.