The month of May arrives this weekend and brings with it many chances to celebrate the season with family and friends by going to a festival, live music show, family movie night and much more. Read on below for more details.
Local Events
The Copperas Cove Arbor Day event will be from 8 to 10 a.m. May 1 at the Copperas Cove Police Department, 302 E. Avenue E. This event will center around a community planting.
The Harker Heights Spring Fest will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 1 at Carl Levin Park, 400 Millers Crossing. This free event will feature family-friendly activities, vendors, artists, and a duck race. Visitors can “adopt” a duck for the race and the participant with the “adopted” duck that wins will get a cash prize. Go to form.jotform.com/210674337406151 to sign up as a vendor or sponsor and to adopt a duck. Email harkerheightschamber@hhchamber.com for more information.
Texas reopened its economy in March, and people packed restaurants and stores. A month later, however, many businesses are struggling to operate at full capacity because they canât find needed employees.
âAll businesses are struggling right now to find workers, but the hardest hit is the small business community,â said Ursula McNab, a business services specialist with Workforce Solutions of Central Texas.
âItâs hard for small businesses to be competitive with increased unemployment benefits people are receiving because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,â she said. âIf you do the math, people on unemployment are making about $9.25 an hour or more. Itâs hard for small businesses â especially the food industry â to compete.â
For the month of March, the Texas Work Force Commission reported the state's unemployment rate hovered at 6% but added 99,000 jobs, providing a much-needed boost after 2020.
Texas ranked third among the hardest hit states financially
Jarell Baker
and last updated 2021-04-15 00:06:20-04
This past year was undoubtably one of the toughest bottom-line years for Shekeya McCallister.
âI worked for a non-profit organization but I lost my job. I was able to obtain another job. However, the start date never came because of COVID,â said the Killeen woman.
McCallister went months filling out job applications, looking for a way to support her family, but her troubles didnât stop there.
âI wasnât able to file for unemployment because I didnât qualify. I was basically without a job for a whole year,â she said.
Spring is in full swing in the Killeen-Fort Hood area, and with summer swiftly approaching, now is the time to celebrate. Visit the Monarch Festival to celebrate seasonal migration, the Heart of Texas RV Show to prepare for future vacations, local libraries for spring family fun, or a farmers market for seasonal products. Details for these events and more down below.
Local Events
The Temple Chamber of Commerce and City of Temple are hosting The Spirit of Santa Fe Trail from April 16- 18. Central Texas wineries and breweries will offer ticket holders either a wine tasting or a flight of beer at each location. The $20 trail ticket is valid for one offer at each participating location over the trail dates. Participating locations include 3 Texans Winery and Vineyard, Axis Winery, Dancing Bee Winery, Moose & Goose Winery, Red Caboose Winery, Bold Republic Brewing Company and Fire Base Brewing Company. Go to www.templechamber.com/spiritofsantafe.html for tickets and more information.