Every year on July 8, there is a tradition that calls for the Declaration of Independence to be read aloud in the same place where it was first presented to the public on July 8, 1776. Fannin County Criminal District Attorney John Skotnik observed that same tradition by reading the Declaration of Independence from the steps of the Fannin County Courthouse on July 4th, 2026, our nation's Semiquincentennial.

From grandparents teaching grandchildren to fish, to teenagers learning to waterski, to families spending long weekends exploring Texas lakes, boating has been woven into the fabric of American life for generations. The Dallas Summer Boat Show, returning July 16–19 at Dallas Market Hall, celebrates not only the newest boats and marine technology—but the timeless experiences that have brought families together for decades.

It is time to think about school supplies and the folks at Fannin County Children's Center believe that every child deserves a great start! Many local children in Fannin County start the school year without the basic supplies they need to learn, grow and succeed. You can help by donating supplies, sponsoring backpacks, hosting a supply drive, becoming a collection site or making a financial donation.

Any bee aside from a honeybee is considered a native bee, such as these bumblebees. (Michael Hodgins/pexels.com photo)

And the winner is....Bobbie Cox! Bonham Senior Center held its first annual All-American Meatloaf Bake-Off on Friday, July 3, 2026, and the judges selected Bobbie's entry as the tastiest meatloaf, with it's tantalizing combination of ground beef and sausage.

1962 – death of William Faulkner, American novelist and short story writer, Nobel Prize laureate. William Cuthbert Faulkner (né Falkner; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer. He is best known for his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, a stand-in for Lafayette County where he spent most of his life. Winner of the 1949 Nobel Prize in Literature, Faulkner is one of the most celebrated writers of American literature, often considered the greatest writer of Southern literature and regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of the 20th century. Ralph Ellison called him "the greatest artist the South has produced."