The Huntsville Item;   April 7, 2005

By Kurt Allen/Assistant Managing Editor

The big top is going up in New Waverly on Saturday, but don't think the circus is coming to town. It's actually an event to help in the construction of the city's library on Highway 75.

The Big Top Spectacular kicks off at 9 a.m. Saturday and ends at 3 p.m. Held at the site of the still-under-construction library south of town, the event features a massive garage sale, briskets, a spring gardening raffle, music and games. It's also a joint effort between the New Waverly Friends of the Library and the New Waverly Lions Club.

The event gets its name from the 60-by-90-foot tent set up in the field next to the under-construction library.

For Richard Robbins, president of the Lions Club, the chance to help the library raise money means his group will soon have a new place to meet.

"We're overjoyed. This will be the Lions Club's new home," he said.

For Bill Cooney, who is president of the Friends of the Library, it's also an opportunity to connect with the people who have supported the construction project and who will likely help it down the home stretch toward completion.

"We're just planning on a community activity and try to involve as many people as we can," he said. "The library will be open so people can see what's been accomplished and what's left to do."

While Cooney didn't mention a goal for the brisket sale and other fund-raising events Saturday, he said the library is about $50,000 from being completed.

"The feeling of those working with it is we can finish it this year and get it into operation by the end of the year," he said. "We feel like we can get that done this year."

To get further down that road, though, Cooney knows there needs to be a good turnout. That's why organizers are offering as much as they can, including the country musical stylings of Charlie Calcote with Denver and Friends.

Brought in by the Lions Club, Calcote and friends will add a musical background to a day filled with activities. A kid's area will keep the youngsters busy, while the Lions Club will be grilling hot dogs and more. Proceeds from food and drink sales benefit the Lions, but all other funds go to the building effort.

Thanks to an extensive raffle package, Cooney is hoping to generate even more interest in a drawing during the day. Up for grabs is an impressive steel building with a floor kit, a package from Mueller Steel Buildings that runs around $1,000. Thrown into the deal is a set of garden tools from Tractor Supply, bedding plants from Conroe-area greenhouses and 25 bags of topsoil from Landscaper's Pride.

Tickets for the raffle are $1 each or six for $5. Available before and during the event, the tickets can be bought at the existing library inside New Waverly's City Hall on Highway 150.

"So far, most people are interested in the building," Cooney said.

But at the heart of the event is a longtime fund-raiser for the library: the brisket sale. In the past, members of the friends group would stay up all night cooking and preparing the meat. This year, the briskets will be bought from and prepared by Kevin McKenzie of McKenzie's Barbeque in Huntsville.

There's 150 briskets, and while quite a few of them have already been pre-bought, there's still several 10-pound briskets available for $30.

And because the funds are going to the construction of the library, the $30 spent on a brisket can be tax deductible.

The joint effort could turn into a yearly event, something Robbins would like to see.

"We're hoping to do ths annually," he said. "With this, we're going to help the library any way we can."