By Memorial Day, the numbers at Lake Holbrook had thinned out just a bit, but there was yet a healthy crowd. It was busy enough to make use of the whole recreation area, but with enough room so that no one felt crowded.
Two dozen shade tents were standing on the public beach, most were the standard square-sized 8 x 8, or so. A couple of families had lassoed a number together to expand the capacity, and with good reason -- several extended families were enjoying a holiday visit to the beach.
The Eder family from Forney was on the beach with 20 family members.
Jeremiah Jurgens of Edgewood was also part of a large group. He was providing overwatch with David and Mandee Taylor of Wills Point. Eight youngsters were in their party.
Jurgens noted the cleanliness of the beach and the visible law enforcement presence which ensured that the beach remained quiet and never got out of hand. Mandee commented, “We love the sand on this beach because our little ones can build sandcastles here.” David remarked that Lake Holbrook is cleaner than many other area lakes.
Among the groups were the Brown and the Ray families of Mineola. They had arrived early, around 8:30 am, to ensure they secured their desired spot. Michael and Jessica Ray related that they normally camped out, but had recently sold their pop-up, so they were thinking about tenting it again. There were eight kiddos under their charge.
The Kennedy family from Grand Saline and the Green family of Mineola also enjoyed the spot. For the Kennedys, Lake Holbrook beach was an every-summer event. For the Green family, however, it was their first Memorial Day outing to the locale. The Greens admitted that they lived too close to the lake to undertake camping, as they explained it was practically in their backyard.
On the bluff just west of the beach, the Wood County Sheriff’s Office Mobile Command Center was in operation. Deputies Kale Holland and Tucker George manned the center on Monday afternoon.
With its onboard generator the command center provides the capability to remotely respond to any number of public safety threats. Thankfully, on this Memorial Day, the responses were limited to minor first aid issues.
“We normally get challenged to a volleyball game or two over the long weekend as well,” Holland noted. George added, “We get a number of folks who come up the hill to thank us for being present here – that is always just great to hear.”
The Memorial Day weekend is an all-hands-on-deck weekend, they explained. Deputies were present at all Wood County lakes over the long weekend.
Under the large permanent pavilion on the point were Ronnie Armstrong, James Kobelia and Dedrick Woods. Armstrong, a proud Army veteran, was wrestling with the grill. Both he and Woods are from Mineola, while Kobelia had just relocated to Mineola from Eustace, having ‘traded lakes’ as he explained. The trio had arrived plenty early on Monday to set up under the pavilion. It offered a great oversight of the whole area.
Floating peacefully in a very large inner-tube-like floatie were three members of the Shewmake family. They offered a big wave.
The narrow spit of land known as the point just east of the public beach offers a number of good locations to stage a family outing.
At the very northern tip of the point, the children of the Barrera and Nevarez families were having a big time in a pedal boat and two small kayaks. It was obvious from the well-organized site that this was not the first outing for the two Mineola families. “The kids have just so much fun here,” they all agreed.
The point offered a great observation spot for boats coming and going from the public landing. It was a busy day at the ramp, with 30-some boat trailers parked near the lake access. A handful of jet-skis were also zooming across the open water.
The Rice family of Van and the Spitlers of Grand Saline had a choice spot on the eastern side of the point, shaded by a half dozen mature cedars.
Colton and Amber Rice and their extended family have been using that location for over 25 years. “It’s now a generational event,” Amber stated, as she tended to her four-month-old daughter.
When asked what the most important items were when planning an outing, Amber named a number of things, especially chairs. Colton, overhearing the exchange, added, “The most important thing are the friends and the family who are here sharing the day.”