By Carrie Dunlea

Retirement often brings more freedom, but it can also mean fewer daily opportunities to connect with others. Whether you’re newly retired or simply looking to expand your circle, building new friendships can improve both physical and mental well-being while making life more enjoyable. According to the World Health Organization, roughly 12% of older adults experience loneliness, a factor linked to poorer health and quality of life.

Reconnect with old friends. It’s easy to lose touch over the years as careers and family responsibilities take center stage. Retirement often provides the time to reconnect through a phone call, text message or social media. Many lifelong friendships begin right where they left off.

Explore local senior centers. One of the easiest ways to meet new people is by visiting a local senior center. The Wylie Community Park Center offers a free Senior Drop-In ID for adults 55 and older, providing access to fitness equipment, drop-in activities and recreational programs. Located inside Community Park, the facility also offers pickleball courts and the nearly one-mile Community Trail for walking and exercise.

Nearby, the Laurie Schwenk Senior Activity Center in Sachse hosts games, fitness classes, educational programs, special events and social activities throughout the week. Memberships are affordable for residents and non-residents, and transportation is available for qualifying Sachse residents, making it even easier to stay active and connected.

Start a club or join a group. Book clubs, coffee groups, walking clubs, gardening groups and pickleball leagues all provide natural opportunities to meet people with similar interests. Neighborhood Facebook groups and community pages are also great places to find or organize activities.

Reconnect with your faith. Places of worship often provide fellowship opportunities, volunteer projects and social gatherings that help foster lasting friendships while strengthening a sense of belonging.

Try something new. Learning a new skill or hobby can introduce retirees to people they might never have met otherwise. Look for painting classes, technology workshops, fitness programs, volunteer opportunities or day trips offered through local parks and recreation departments.

Staying socially connected doesn’t require a large circle of friends. Attending a weekly class, joining a walking group or simply sharing coffee with new acquaintances can make a meaningful difference. With active senior programs available in communities like Wylie and Sachse, local residents have plenty of opportunities to stay engaged, healthy and connected throughout retirement.

Did You Know?
Research has shown that staying socially active can help improve mood, reduce stress and support both cognitive and physical health as we age. Even participating in one regular weekly activity can make a meaningful difference.

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By John Moore | TheCountryWriter.com

I’m not sure what fundraisers try to sell to grade school kids today, but when I was a kid, it was books. The school would hand out a pamphlet to each kid with a wide selection of paperback and hardback books we could buy. Cheap.

Maybe these were books that didn’t sell somewhere else, or maybe they were just reprints of books that had sold before, but the other kids and I bought them. Lots of them.

They were all appealing. Books by Beverly Cleary, Alfred Hitchcock, and science fiction from masters including Isaac Asimov.

Income for kids in the 60s and 70s was limited to whatever you could earn by doing chores, mowing yards, or helping a neighbor. There were rumors that some kids got an allowance, but I never met any of them. So, money was hard earned, and therefore, valuable.

But I freely let some of it go for scary stories or intrigue.

Looking back, I don’t remember anyone in the Ashdown, Arkansas, school system twisting my arm to read. The books simply looked interesting. The covers were colorful. The descriptions were exciting. Best of all, they belonged to me.

They usually arrived a few weeks after we turned in our order forms. There was something special about seeing a stack of brand-new books with a piece of paper attached that had my name on it.

Teachers were smart enough to know that if a child is interested in what he is reading, he is far more likely to keep turning the pages.

Some kids liked mysteries. Others wanted books about sports, animals, history, outer space, or famous people. There were joke books, puzzle books, collections of ghost stories, and books that taught magic tricks. Nobody seemed overly concerned that everyone read much of the same thing. The important thing was that we were reading.

That lesson has stayed with me.

Some adults spend too much time worrying about whether a child is reading the “right” book. I have always believed that reading something is better than reading nothing at all. A youngster who devours books about dinosaurs today may be reading biographies tomorrow. A child fascinated by model airplanes may eventually develop an interest in engineering. The path doesn’t matter nearly as much as developing the habit.

Reading opens doors that television, phones, and video games simply cannot. It stretches a child’s imagination because the pictures have to be created in the reader’s own mind. It expands a kid’s vocabulary without feeling like homework. It quietly teaches grammar, sentence structure, and storytelling. Long before many children realize it, they’re becoming better communicators.

Those little book orders also taught us something about making choices. We had limited money, so we studied every page of those catalogs. We’d compare prices, count our dollars, and decide which titles would give us the biggest bang for the buck. Sometimes a friend ordered a book we couldn’t afford, and after both of us finished reading, we’d trade.

The books often made the rounds through an entire neighborhood before finally ending up on someone’s bedroom bookshelf.

There was another benefit I didn’t appreciate until I was older. Those book sales weren’t just about putting stories into children’s hands. They also helped schools raise money. Every order generated a little extra income that could be used wherever it was needed most. Those dollars often supported activities that tax money didn’t completely cover.

They helped buy uniforms for athletic teams, supplies for art classes, music programs, library materials, playground equipment, classroom projects, and dozens of other things that enriched school life. We probably never gave it much thought while filling out our order forms, but every paperback carried a small benefit that reached far beyond the student who bought it.

Looking back, that was a pretty clever arrangement. Kids received books they genuinely wanted to read; the buyer paid only a few dollars, and schools gained resources that benefited everyone. It’s hard to find fault with that formula.

Today there are countless ways to read. Books can arrive instantly on a tablet or phone. Libraries offer digital downloads. Audiobooks are everywhere. Those are wonderful advances, but I hope we never lose sight of the simple idea behind those old paper catalogs.

Give children something that interests them.

Let them choose.

Don’t worry if it’s science fiction instead of history, mysteries instead of classics, or books about baseball instead of poetry. The love of reading rarely begins with assignments. It usually begins with curiosity.

For many of us, that curiosity arrived folded neatly inside a thin school pamphlet. We circled our choices, counted our money, and waited for delivery day.

When the box finally arrived in the classroom, it felt a little like Christmas.

The books may have cost us, but what they gave us was priceless.

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By Allison LaBrot | [email protected]

The Wylie East Solar Car Team set out on a cross-Texas journey in their newly built vehicle Sunday, July 19, for the annual Solar Car Challenge. The five-day competition sent 24 high school teams on a cross-Texas journey of up to 619.8 miles from Fort Worth to Fort Stockton.

After winning the Advanced Classic division national championships the past two years, the Wylie East team built a new car, “East Beast 2.0,” from the ground up to comply with updated rules for the 2026 competition. 

Planning for the competition started 18 months ago, with construction beginning at the start of the 2025-26 school year. The team has worked continuously, spending two to three days a week on the car this summer and adding in extra workdays over the past month. 

Students contribute to every aspect of the project, from welding and fabrication to aerodynamics, electronics and other critical systems.

Ten of the team’s 16 members competed in this year’s Solar Car Challenge. 

While the 2025 event took place at Fort Worth’s Texas Motor Speedway, students from around the country will travel through several Texas cities this year. Team adviser Matthew Karlsen said there will be three days of tech inspection, called “scrutineering,” before the race. Each race day includes a route with two rest stops and a lunch break.

This year, the team faced challenges during their tech inspection. 

“After two days of repair for an incident that happened on day two of scrutineering, we are ready to start the race,” they relayed on social media,

“Teams can only drive from 9 to 5, so if you don’t get all the way, you must trailer to the destination,” Karlsen said. “Only the miles they drive in the solar car get counted towards their total.”

The winner is determined by total miles driven, with the fastest overall time serving as the tiebreaker. Solar cars are preceded on the road by a truck and trailer and followed by two chase cars with lights and large signs to alert other drivers of the car’s presence. The first chase car also transports a judge who keeps track of mileage and ensures rules of the road are followed. 

Preparation for the cross-Texas race differs from what is needed for the track event. 

“Drivers need to practice driving without cruise control to keep a steady foot, study driving hills and getting through multiple stops and starts without consuming precious energy,” Karlsen said. 

The competition began Sunday in Fort Worth and includes stops in Palestine, Round Rock, Fredericksburg, San Angelo before concluding in Fort Stockton. At each stop, community members can view the solar cars during public displays held from 4 to 9 p.m. For more information and race updates, follow the Solar Car Challenge or Wylie East Solar Car Team on Facebook. 

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The Rape Aggression Defense (R.A.D.) program is a nationally recognized course that provides realistic, hands-on self-defense instruction for women of all fitness levels. According to organizers, the goal is to provide practical defense options participants can use in real-world situations.

The course consists of four three-hour sessions scheduled from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 14, 21 and 28 and Nov. 4 at 3815-D Sachse Road.

To register, participants must be Sachse residents and at least 16 years old. Space is limited.

For more information about the national R.A.D. program, visit rad-systems.com. To register for the Sachse course, visit cityofsachse.com/RADTraining.

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By Allison LaBrot | [email protected]

Wylie Acting Group (WAG), a nonprofit community theater organization, is gearing up for two weekends of performances of “Newsies.” The musical will be presented July 24-26 and July 31-Aug. 2 by a cast of 42 teenagers and a six-member crew. 

Co-directors Barb Holder and Melissa Johnson said many of the young cast and crew members have already gained experience through WAG or their schools. 

“Their passion and dedication shine in every performance,” the directors said. 

Read the full story in the July 23rd edition. Stay informed — subscribe to The Sachse News.

Nearly 90% of participants earned their General Class amateur radio license during a licensing course and Field Day demonstration hosted June 27 by the N5SAC Amateur Radio Club at the Sachse Fire Department’s Emergency Operations Center.

The event combined classroom instruction with hands-on operating experience, allowing participants to make their first General Class radio transmissions after completing the course. Nearly all students who took the exam successfully upgraded their licenses, resulting in an 89% pass rate.

The class was supported by Sachse Fire Chief Marty Wade, whose assistance allowed the event to be held at the fire station’s Emergency Operations Center.

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5 Loaves Ministries is preparing to welcome hundreds of local families to its fourth annual Back 2 School Bash Saturday, July 18, with this year’s theme, “Bright Futures Start Here.” The event is expected to serve 400 children, helping them begin the school year equipped with the supplies and confidence they need to succeed.

Each registered child will receive a new backpack filled with school supplies, along with access to free haircuts, oral care resources and a fun-filled day featuring activities for the entire family. The event reflects 5 Loaves Ministries’ ongoing commitment to supporting children and families beyond meeting immediate needs.

“We know that a successful school year begins long before the first bell rings,” Rebekah Rodgers, executive director, said. “Our goal is to remove barriers for families while reminding every child that they are valued, supported and capable of achieving great things. We want every child to walk into school with confidence because bright futures truly start here.”

As preparations continue, 5 Loaves Ministries is inviting the community to join the effort by sponsoring children, making monetary donations, purchasing school supplies through the organization’s Amazon Wish List or volunteering at the event. Businesses and community organizations are also encouraged to become event sponsors and invest in the success of local students.

The Back 2 School Bash allows 5 Loaves Ministries to bring together volunteers, businesses, churches and civic organizations to ensure children begin the school year prepared and encouraged.

Sachse Parks and Recreation is also gathering the community to support 5 Loaves Ministries. The Pickleball Summer School Supply Drive offers an evening of active fun from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 17, at the Michael J. Felix Community Center. School supplies will be accepted for admission.

For more information about the Back 2 School Bash, sponsorship opportunities or volunteer opportunities, visit 5loavesministries.org or contact 5 Loaves Ministries at 469-767-8071 or [email protected].

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Most people immediately think of watermelon as a sweet snack or as a palate cleanser after an evening meal, but watermelon is equally at home in savory dishes as it is in sweet offerings. Find more sweet summer recipe ideas at Watermelon.org. 

Source: National Watermelon Promotion Board/Family Features

Zesty Watermelon Chicken Salad Tortilla Cups

Courtesy Shannon Kohn

Makes 12 servings

4 8-inch flour tortillas

1⁄4 cup softened cream cheese

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper sauce

2 tablespoons chopped green chiles

1 cup cooked, chopped chicken

11⁄2 cups chopped watermelon

1⁄4 cup roasted, salted pumpkin seeds

(pepitas)

1⁄4 cup sliced green onions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Using a 4-inch cookie cutter or cup, cut rounds out of each tortilla. Press one tortilla round down into each cup of a 12-cup muffin pan.

3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until tortilla cups are light brown and crispy. Remove from oven; allow to cool.

4. In the bottom of a large bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise and pepper sauce until smooth.

5. Stir in chicken and green chiles. Fold in watermelon.

6. Divide and fill each tortilla cup with an extra amount of the watermelon-chicken mixture.

7. Divide and garnish with an equal amount of pumpkin seeds and green onion, respectively.

Charcuterie Board

1/2 medium seedless watermelon, cut into wedges

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

10 strawberries (dipped in white chocolate, if desired)

5 ounces fresh goat cheese

1/2 cup toasted, salted cashews

2 ounces cured meats like prosciutto, pancetta,

coppa, salami, soppressata, sausage or pepperoni

1 Honeycrisp apple, cored and sliced

lemon juice

fresh basil leaves

On large board or platter, arrange watermelon, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, cheese, cashews, meat and apples. Drizzle fruit with lemon juice. Garnish with basil leaves before serving.

Watermelon Ice Cream Bars

Servings: 8

Watermelon Curd:

3/4 cup watermelon juice

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/2 cup honey

1 pinch salt

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), cut into small cubes

Crust:

8 graham crackers, crushed

2 tablespoons honey

1 pinch salt

4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

basil leaves, for garnish

Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

To make watermelon curd: In medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine watermelon juice, lime juice, honey and salt. Stir to combine then add eggs. Place pan over medium heat and cook, adding cubed butter to pan and stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and coats back of wooden spoon. Immediately remove from heat and carefully pour through fine mesh sieve. Cool completely in refrigerator.

To make crust: Preheat oven to 350 F. In food processor, pulse graham crackers until rough crumbs form. Add honey, salt and melted butter; pulse until mixture resembles wet sand. Line 8-by-8-inch pan with parchment paper then press graham cracker mixture into bottom of pan in even layer. Bake crust about 10 minutes, or until just beginning to brown. Allow crust to cool completely.

Watermelon Gelato

Servings: 8

2 cups pureed watermelon

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup fat-free half-and-half

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup whipping cream

In blender, blend watermelon, sugar, cornstarch, half-and-half, lemon juice and whipping cream until smooth. Using ice cream maker, process gelato according to manufacturer’s instructions.

To make whipped cream:

When crust and curd are completely cooled, in large bowl, whip cream until stiff peaks form. Gently push cream to one side of bowl and pour in watermelon curd. Using spatula, gently fold cream and watermelon curd together until no streaks are visible. Pour creamy watermelon mixture over graham cracker crust. Freeze dessert completely, 4-6 hours or overnight.

When ready to serve, loosen sides with small spatula or butter knife. Turn out onto cutting board and use large spatula to flip so graham cracker crust is on bottom. Cut into eight bars and top each with basil leaf.

Helpful tips for cutting watermelon

When bringing watermelon to an event, it is a courtesy to bring it already sliced or cut up. This ensures the host or hostess does not have to tackle what can sometimes be a chore. Here are three techniques to cut a watermelon easily.

Cubes

1. Cut both ends off the watermelon.

2. Stand the watermelon on one sliced end. Use the knife to slice down and cut off the rind.

3. After removing the rind from all sides of the melon, cut into discs about 1⁄2-inch in thickness.

4. Then cut those discs into cubes.

Slices

1. Cut the watermelon in half lengthwise.

2. Take one cut half and place it cut side down.

3. Cut the watermelon into slices.

4. Repeat for the other cut half.

Strips

1. Cut the watermelon as you would with the slices. Rather than leaving it in large slices, turn the watermelon and cut the same size slices in the opposite direction. This creates strips that are easy for kids to grab and maneuver.

2. Repeat with the other half of the watermelon in the same manner.

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By John Moore | TheCountryWriter.com

Transistor radios were a breakthrough in entertainment. Especially for young people. When they debuted in the 1950’s, they were expensive, but condensed the ability to hear radio stations from across the country into a small device that ran on batteries.

My first transistor radio was a Sony that my grandparents gave me. I still have it and it still works, some 50+ years later.

The downside to these radios was that they had no low end (bass). They sounded tinny. But because of their portability and the fact that with some earbuds you could pick up and listen to your favorite radio station, we were OK with it. By the time I got my radio, my parents had purchased an RCA console stereo. It had AM, FM, a record player, and an 8-track tape deck. And the sound was amazing. Whether you were listening to an FM station, my dad’s Buddy Holly or Simon and Garfunkel albums, or my mom’s 8-track tape of Bobby Goldsboro, it sounded as if they were performing in the room with you.

This was after we had moved from Beech Street to Locust Street in Ashdown, Arkansas, and my parents had built a new house with a game room. We had a pool table, ping pong table, and that RCA console stereo. Every member of the family spent many an hour in there, and we wore out many records and tapes.

But something happened in the 2000s that changed things. We started going back to personal devices. Whether it was an iPhone, laptop, or other electronic device, the sound was not as full. Granted, there are now earbuds that greatly enhance the sound of what we hear, but I argue that digital music just doesn’t sound as good as vinyl records.

Which is why I was pleased to see a story on television of a company run by younger people who are building “listening rooms” in different cities around the country. People pay $20 each to book a seat in a room with some of the finest sound equipment available today. And they listen to music on vinyl.

No one is allowed to talk during the session, which allows every paying customer to just sit back, close their eyes, and soak in the tunes.

I never got away from having good sound equipment. After I grew up, I went to the Audio Center on Stateline Avenue in Texarkana, Texas, and spent $1,000 on a Technics receiver and amplifier, cassette player (8-tracks were phasing out by then), and a set of Bose 501 Speakers.

To put this in perspective, $1,000 in 1980 is worth $4,225 today. It was a lot of money and I had worked hard to get it. But that’s how valuable the best possible sound was to me.

A few years ago, I saw an ad for a 1964 Magnavox console stereo for sale. It belonged to a lady who was 90 years old, but it looked like it just left the showroom floor at Sears and Roebuck. It even still had the paperwork and warranty card. People used to take better care of their things than they do today.

Picked it up for $100. Everything worked and It now sits in my office where I tune in radio stations or put a favorite album on the platter.

Some records from the mid-20th Century were produced better than others, but the vinyl made in the 50s and 60s had wider grooves and produced better sound than what was put out in the 70s and 80s before vinyl was being phased out.

But a funny thing happened about 10 years ago. Vinyl became popular again. Which led to manufacturers making records again. And some of the vinyl that’s made today is superior to what was made when I was a kid. The records are measured in grains (the texture or compound of the vinyl itself). I’ve purchased some of the high-quality albums from bands such as Heart and Joe Walsh, and they do sound great.

But they are way more expensive at $40 and $50 or more each than the records I bought for $2.99 back in the day.

If you’ve never experienced really good audio, I recommend you invest in a good sound system with some vinyl records. Or, you could by a $20 ticket to one of the listening sessions if you’re close to where one is open for business.

Or, you could stop by my office and listen to it there. Let me know you’re coming and I’ll put on a pot of percolator coffee.

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The North Central Texas Council of Governments Regional Police Academy is expanding its use of technology to better prepare future law enforcement officers by incorporating Motorola Solutions V700 body cameras into recruit training.

The academy began using the body cameras in January as part of scenario-based training exercises. Video recorded during simulated public interactions and emergency response situations allows recruits to review their own performance, helping improve communication, decision-making and de-escalation skills.

The technology also familiarizes recruits with equipment they are likely to use once they enter the field while reinforcing professionalism and accountability.

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