2018 News Articles

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Sunday, September 2nd, 2018

4th Annual LAAA Show and Awards

The 4th annual Levelland Area Artists’ show debuted Saturday, July 14, during Early Settlers Day and closed Saturday, August 25, at the Wallace Theater.

There were 33 artists from Levelland and the surrounding area who submitted their artwork displaying over 70 pieces.
The Director of Landmark Arts at the Texas Tech School of Art, Joe Arredondo, was this year’s judge for the art show.
Arredondo has overseen the exhibitions and speaker programs for the School of Art since 2003.

Lighting Up Levelland awards include: Best showing in the photography category: First place, “To the Point” by Rebeca Wallace;
Second place, “Global Warming” by Lily Xiao; Third place, “Full Moon Flight” by Don Cook; and Honorable mention, “Ranch Hands” by Rebeca Wallace. Freestyle awards include: Best showing in the sculpture category: First place, “War & Peace” by Martin Trevino; Second place, “Mesquite Table with Turquoise Inlay” by Martin Trevino and Domenic Rendon; and Third place, “Quarry at 10:00” by Jim Collins. Flatland awards include: Best showing in the drawing category: First place, “El Reno/ Humid” by James William Wade II; Second place, “Man of the North” by Cindy Terzenbach; Third place, “Ghost Town” by Cindy Terzenbach; and Honorable mention, “Wonder Woman Selfie” by Robert Garza. West Texas Sunset awards include: Best showing in the painting category: First place, “Three Sisters” by Sue St. Clair; Second place, “Equus Caballus Caverna” by Ron Nicholas; Third place, “Pot of Flowers” by Sharon Pickett; and Honorable mention, “Chickadee Trio” by Sussan Bell. For exhibiting profound artistic abilities at a young age, the Young Artist awards include: First place, “Rap Monster” by Isabell Simmons; and Second place, “I Will Always Miss You Grandma” by Betty Ann Torres; Best showing in the digital works and graphic design category include: First place, “Past & Present of Hockley County” by Robert Garza; Second place, “A Prickly Storm” by Matt Rush; Third place, “Converse Galore” by Fran Bohannon; and Honorable mention, “Be Thankful Where You Are” by Caiti Archer. The community and patrons of the art show voted for the Friend of the Wallace Theater award that includes artists: Don Cook, Rick Rogers, Martin Trevino and Rebeca Wallace. Best in Show went to “Helping Hands” by Sussan Bell.

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Wednesday, November 14th, 2018

Wallace Graduates 1st Class of Generation Ziglar

Growing up, there are some tough ages for kids to face external and internal issues that can affect how they see themselves and others.
Generation Ziglar Live Training hopes to address this need with kids, and teach them how to grow into healthy, productive adults.
Matt Rush, a certified Zig Ziglar speaker, came up with the idea to start a Generation Ziglar Live Training camp by identifying that most issues young adults face today fall into one of three categories, self-image, relationships, and what they want to do with the rest of their life. “We wanted to do something that would make a lasting difference,” Rush said. He said it’s one thing to talk to adults and people about doing more and being more, but it’s something altogether different to affect a lasting impact have got to start with the youth,” Rush said. “That’s where we can facilitate some significant change. Our goal is to start a positive change in the world, because the world needs it.”

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Recently, the program graduated 21 seventh graders and 18 eighth grader. The students were identified as being good candidates for the program by administration at Levelland Middle School. From there, the program staff looked at each student and held a lunch inviting them to participate in the program. Students were not required to participate, and Rush said staff actually opened enrollment up to all the students identified by middle school staff. Alycyn Keeling, executive director at the Wallace Theater, said she became involved in the project after being approached by Rush with the idea for Generation Ziglar Live Training. “We had been talking about how we could utilize the Wallace to do something for the community,” Keeling said. Keeling said one of the main goals of the Wallace Theater is to serve the community, and give back to the people who have given to the cause. “When Matt told me about the program, it was like this is awesome. I want to be a part of bringing this to students in Levelland,” Keeling said. Rush said they identified the three categories the program focused on, self-image, relationships, and goals and focus, through research and interviews with nearly 800 people and students. “Without fail, the answers always fell into one of those three categories,” Rush said. “They’re probably all issues we have all struggled with in the past, but nobody has ever done anything about it, and I think we’re seeing a result of that in the struggles of the youth of today.”
The program consisted of a class, every other week, that focused on one of the three categories at the Wallace Theater. The classes lasted approximately two hours each.Rush and Keeling said they were met with eagerness and complete cooperation from the administration at Levelland Middle School.“The middle school was so on board...this is such a pivotal age in kids, it’s a tough age,” Rush said. “When we approached the middle school with the concept, [the principal] said ‘We have to do this, whatever it takes, we have to do this. This goes to the heart of every problem we have with every kid on campus.’” The Generation Ziglar Live Training, which was held at the Wallace Theater, was the pilot program and the first time any such program has ever been held. Rush and Keeling said parents and teachers have seen a noticeable change in students since participating in the program. One teacher said she noticed students were completely engaged in the program because they hadn’t pulled out their phones throughout the course of the Generation Ziglar classes. One parent said she had noticed a difference in the way her daughter interacted with her family. In order to host the training, Rush and Keeling had to identify an avenue of funding. They thought the Hockley County Endowment was the best fit for what they were trying to do. “We were looking at different grant opportunities, and with the work I’ve done with the Hockley County Endowment, I thought this was a great fit for both organizations,” Keeling said. “The Hockley County Endowment seeks to fund projects and programs to make a lasting difference in the community, what better way than to invest in the younger generation of our community and help them build a strong foundation of leadership.”

Earlier this year, the Hockley County Endowment awarded the largest grant ever, in the amount of $8,808, to the Wallace Theater to fund the Generation Ziglar Live Training. Keeling said staff will be looking for additional grant and funding sources in the future in order to continue offering Generation Ziglar Live Training to the youth of Levelland. “”We’ll look for additional funding sources, which could be grant funding again or we may look to find some corporate sponsorships and we may even have some individuals who want to invest in this program,” Keeling said. “The Wallace Theater is a non-profit and as people donate, they can direct their funding to go directly to the operation of programs, like this, or to our broader renovation goals.” The Wallace Theater will host a Generation Ziglar Live Training session for sixth graders in the spring.

Sunday, November 18th, 2018

Sign Donation for the Wallace

Levelland Class of ‘78 made the first donation towards the purchase of the new sign for the Wallace Theater. Pictured from the left are: Bobby Roberts, Dolf Guardiola, Lisa Claborn, Brooke Obenhaus, Susan Hill, Brian Thoms, Alycyn Keeling, Denver Bruner, Tania Moody and Lorie Marquez. The Class of ‘78 made a donation in the amount of $1,100, and will have their name inscribed on the side of the new sign as well as on the plaque. The original Wallace sign, called a blade, was installed around 1949. It featured neon lighting, six-foot wide letters on two sides, constructed of solid steel and stood approximately 42 feet tall. The new blade will be designed to replicate the old but constructed with more aluminum and lighter in weight, featuring a lighted chaser antennae of LED neon lighting along with an electronic marquee with open face bulbs to keep a historic look. The Class of ‘78 is making a challenge to other Levelland alumni to meet or beat their donation. (Staff Photo)