Saturday, December 14, 2024
This Saturday, Nov. 9, the Lake Granbury Area Beautification Council will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Jewel Ball. The Jewel Ball is the primary fundraiser for the Lake Granbury Area Beautification Committee.
Founded just two years prior to the first Jewel Ball, the LGABC was established in 1982 to beautify and better the city and county.
The Jewel Ball has a different theme each year as members and supporters gather to enjoy a formal dinner, auction and dance.
Funds from the Jewel Ball are used to support the many projects of the LGABC. The LGABC is an active behind-the-scenes organization that is responsible for many of the little luxuries the public enjoys in Granbury.
Over the years the organization has done much to improve the beauty of the community by seeking to instill a sense of community pride.
HISTORY
Beautification as a movement began in earnest in the United States around the turn of 1900. The idea was to bring beauty to cities and towns to inspire citizens.
There was an additional push to beautify in the mid-20th century as legislation was passed at the national and state level that made some prior notions into law. Specifically, laws were passed to control the advertising on highways with the Highway Beautification Act of 1965 under President Lyndon Johnson and the Highway Beautification Act of 1972 to comply with national law.
Around the same time the national interest piqued to make our communities attractive, the DeCordova Bend Dam was finished in Granbury.
According to Hood County News articles from 1969, there was a group of landowners and officials interested in beautifying Lambert Branch as it meandered through town.
The landscape of Granbury was literally and figuratively changing as Granbury was on its way to becoming a hub for surrounding areas.
By the early 1970s the nation was abuzz with preparation for the Sesquicentennial celebration of our nation. In Granbury, the lake had been established and key citizens joined forces to put Granbury on the map so to speak, particularly with the July 4th celebration.
Between the early 1970s and the early 1980s, groups were gelling in Hood County to further bring beauty to the community.
According to an article that appeared in the July 2, 1978, issue of the Hood County News, the Lake Granbury Chamber of Commerce celebrated receiving a beatification award at the Beautify Texas Conference in Waco.
The chamber was undertaking an extensive, county-wide beautification project calling on clubs, school and churches to join the effort to keep roads, highways and businesses “sparkling clean,” according to a Hood County News article from 1981.
A subcommittee of the chamber was created to handle the beatification — planting a generous amount of crepe myrtles around town. In March 1981, a parade was planned to celebrate with the theme “Everything is Beautiful in Hood County.”
In an effort to take on the extensive projects required for beautification, the Lake Granbury Beautification Council was born from a committee of the Granbury Chamber of Commerce in 1982.
The first Jewel Ball occurred in 1984 as a means of fundraising for the group.
In 1985, LGABC leased the LaRoe Picnic Green; the area was leveled and terraced with rock walls then planted with crepe myrtles. An irrigation system along with picnic tables and benches were added.
The LGABC acquired the Houston Street property in 1990, a joint venture with the City of Granbury and First National Bank. Plans ensued to develop the Houston Street Park.
In 1992, the Donor’s Honor Roll was added with surrounding landscaping with names added for the following eight years.
Laveta Roe, owner of the Houston Street property, donated the area to LGABC in 1993.
A dedication was held in 1993 for the fountain and waterfall at North Houston and Rucker Street. The project helped circulate water in Lambert Branch. Council member Bob Brady designed and contracted the fountain at no charge.
In 1994, the footbridge connecting the Houston Street property to Shanley Park began and the following year an additional bridge was added near the waterfall. A rose arch was added as well as concrete benches.
Streetlamps identical to the ones on the courthouse square were added as the contribution of the LGABC in 1996.
The Christmas lights display was created in cooperation with the City of Granbury in 1997, and in the following years underground electricity was added and Christmas lighting was doubled.
In 1999, in cooperation with Hood County and the City of Granbury, erosion control and restoration of the Lambert Branch took place.
A white stone wall was added in 2003 in front of Houston Street Park and in 2004 a wrought iron archway.
In 2011, the limestone fountain that became a centerpiece of Shanley Park was constructed. Designed by Jackie Smith, it was named The Jewel Ball Fountain and is also known as the Brady Fountain after the late Bob Brady.
In recent years the LGABC provides the giant Christmas trees that decorate each corner of the square every year — appearing Thanksgiving week. LGABC also provides the lighted trees around the square as well as the green metal benches that invite residents and visitors to sit and rest while taking in festivities; they also provided improvement to the public restrooms behind the Opera House.
LGABC contributed money to the new Dan Coates sculpture, which will reside in the Shanley Sculpture Garden, and added the Pink Heart Sculpture in front of the LaRoe House where it recently updated the landscaping. The Pink Heart Sculpture allows people to write a message on a locket and add it to the heart.
Other recent projects of the LGABC include furniture in the expanded Hood County Library, a new sign at the Hood County Senior Center, as well as landscaping around the traffic light at Loop 567 and Pearl Street.
Proceeds from the Jewel Ball, private donations and countless hours donated by volunteers in LGABC as well as other civic organizations make these improvements and future improvements to our community possible.
