Friona-The “Biggest Small Town in Texas”
I had been a resident of Friona all my life till I moved to Canyon, yet I will always call it home! Friona is officially the “Biggest Small Town in Texas” as well as the “Cheeseburger Capital of Texas.” Now although Friona is a “small town,” there are plenty of examples of common wealth I mapped in the exercise. Examples of the twelve areas of common wealth are in the following.
For Spirituality; we have multiple church communities. These include: a Victory Family Worship Center, a Temple of Adoration Friona, a St. Teresa Catholic Church, a First United Baptist Church, a Church of Christ, a Templo Bautista, and a Calvary Baptist Church. Many of these communities have youth services Wednesdays, and others sponsor fifth quarters after football games. During the month of May when seniors are in their last weeks of school, each church has a banquet in which fellowship is conveyed through games and videos. I also feel that these are places of worship but provide a “sense of place,” due to the fact their more than just mere churches for Sundays.
This is my hometown church, Temple of Adoration Friona.
For Food Shed; Friona is proud to have the Friona Milkhouse, Lowes Grocery store (in which our local meat processing plant, Cargill, distributes fresh meat to), and a Snack-Pak 4 Kids. Next, for Leisure and Recreation; many students hangout at the Western Square right by the Hernandez restaurant, others swing at a tee at the golf course, some take a dip in our city’s pool, and lastly Reeve’s lake is always there for fishing. The lake as well as our water tower are examples for our Water Cycle aspect. Also tied into that is Parmer County Soil and Water Conservation District, that with Friona Wheat Growers, also is an example for the Soil and Mineral Conservation aspect of common wealth.
Examples of Health in the twelve aspects of common wealth, Friona offers Zumba Classes, and it is home of Parmer Medical Center (the best place ever!). Next to the medical center is the Friona Rural Health Clinic, and one last example is our Bi-Wize Pharmacy. Now for the Sense of Place that Friona offers, you have to realize that in our small town, sports and events are everything. With this being stated, Friona’s sense of place are football games and other sporting events! I can’t do the examples of sense of place justice if I also didn’t include that we house a CHEESEBURGER FESTIVAL! Come on! Who doesn’t feel welcomed with a big ole’ cheeseburger to quench our eternal hunger?
Then for our renewable energy examples; we have Cargill Meat Solution’s renewable methane program in which animal carcasses are compressed as they decompose, allowing methane to arise from their remains. The History behind Friona is great! It once had a Frio-draw, it was the first to integrate a black student in Texas, and it currently has a museum in which artifacts of the past century of the surrounding area are stored. Then for the Education aspect of common wealth; there is Friona’s High School, Junior High, Elementary, and Primary. Cultures that are heavy in Friona is that of the Hispanic culture; Friona often hosts various Hamaicas and Quinceniaras. Lastly in the Wildlife & Natural World aspect: A place to enjoy wildlife and the natural world would be at Reeve’s Lake in which fishing is often common. Local ranches have goats, quail, turkeys, pheasants, cattle, and chickens/roosters.
These are just a few of the common wealth examples that are found in my “Cheeseburger Capital of Texas!” Hope you enjoyed the time put into this blog! (P.S. I would of turned it in sooner if my computer hadn’t updated and erased it all!)
