Heritage Methodist Church will hold a handbell camp this summer for children ages 8-10. This five-day camp will be held Monday, July 7 through Friday, July 11, 2025 from 3 to 4 each afternoon in the fellowship hall of Heritage Methodist Church, 2nd and Kirk, Hugo.

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma will once again offer two essential food assistance programs this summer: the Summer EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer) program and the Summer Food Service Program. Both initiatives help children and families across Southeast Oklahoma have access to nutritious meals during the summer months when school is out of session.

Sunflowers are one of those happy plants many gardeners can’t resist planting. Kids love to watch the plants reach for the sky and everyone enjoys all the visitors. You are likely to see hummingbirds, bees and other pollinators on the flowers, songbirds munching on the seeds, and squirrels practicing acrobatic contortions as they try to gain their fair share of the harvest.

Bowman Comments to: andybowman839@gmail.com Coffeetimecolumn. com You think that bold firefighters hold no fear in their bones when they rush into a red-hot cauldron of fire that was once a high-rise building? That police officers run have no fear inside as they run toward an active crime scene? That parents don’t spend some sleep-deprived nights, dreading the marching onslaught of the notorious ‘teen years?’ That the middle-aged generation laughs fearlessly and poopoos the much-talkedabout inevitable old age, loneliness, and pain? Think again, my friend.

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• New facility expands support and resources for area youth HUGO –– Community members, local and state leaders, and regional partners gathered in celebration as Youth Services of Choctaw, Pushmataha and McCurtain Counties officially opened the doors to their new facility on Thursday, June 12. The grand opening, led by a ribbon cutting with the Hugo Area Chamber of Commerce, drew an inspiring crowd, including Senator David Bullard, Office of Juvenile Affairs representatives, and other local supporters who praised the organization’s longstanding commitment to youth development, prevention services and family support.

The astronomical start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, also known as the longest day of the year, is Friday, June 20, 2025, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Meteorological summer begins on June 1 and runs through the end of August, while astronomical summer is June 20 through Sept. 22.

The Fort Towson Senior 4-H Forestry Team, under forestry coach Alicia Brents, recently won the Southeast District Forestry contest at Beavers Bend, north of Broken Bow, and the State 4-H Forestry Judging contest at Robbers Cave in Wilburton. The team members are: Danielle Brents, Payton Burchfield, Lucile Morehouse, and Madison Diggs.

Bowman Comments to: andybowman839@gmail.com Coffeetimecolumn. com If the adult version of you originated in a home that consisted of one child, that shaped you.

A new sculpture honoring the World War I Choctaw Code Talkers was unveiled recently at the Choctaw Cultural Center. The bronze sculpture, Chahta Anumpa i Tvshka Hoke (Warriors of the Choctaw Language) depicts the heralded soldiers who used the Choctaw language to help end the war.