The stars of the annual Lometa Diamondback Jubilee are the snakes, and they give Lometa its time to shine during the festival held the last Saturday in March. Entertainment, a carnival and arts and crafts lure thousands to the small city each year. A variety of stories highlighted the front pages of the Lampasas Dispatch Record over the past 12 months.

Excerpts from the top events in the first half of 2008 follow.

JANUARY

Lampasas youth Karleigh Vann was named grand champion of the Lampasas County Youth Livestock Show.

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Lampasas County Constable Hiram Jones died at his Adamsville residence. He was 67. He served as constable for almost three decades.

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Former longtime St. Mary's Episcopal Church Rector Jim Carlton Wooldridge was sentenced to three years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Institutional Division for sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child by sexual contact.

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Dr. Brant Myers, Lampasas Independent School District superintendent, was offered a three-year contract extension through June 2011. No salary increase was tied to the contract as Myers received an additional stipend earlier.

Lampasas County Farm Bureau selected its local winners in the organization's annual contest. They include, from left, Little Miss Farm Bureau Laurcy Belle Bender, Miss Farm Bureau Sara Jackson, Talent Find winner Jamee Smith and Little Mister Cole Wheeler. Miss Jackson and Miss Smith headed to district competition to vie for scholarships. * * *

Adamsville Heritage Committee began preparations for its 100-year celebration of the township's founding in 1908.

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Vision Downtown Lampasas! held its fund-raising kickoff event. The organization is continuing its efforts to promote and help build the downtown area.

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FEBRUARY

After nearly three decades of planning, Lampasas leaders authorized a committee to look at selecting an architect and a building site large enough for a community center and parking.

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Repairs to the Hanna Springs Swimming Pool were ongoing throughout last year. The Lampasas Quarterback Club approached school board trustees about their hopes to fund dressing rooms with donations and in-kind services.

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Lampasas County commissioners approved preliminary plans to enlarge the annex building, citing the need to localize all county offices for patrons' convenience.

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In its hopes to lure major motion picture filming to the community, members of the City Council approved guidelines for filming conducted within the city limits.

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Longtime Saratoga Underground Water Conservation District Directors T.P. Wingo and David Hamilton announced they would not seek re-election to the board when their terms expire. Hamilton serves as chairman, and Wingo is the secretary-treasurer.

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The Spring Ho Committee found itself fighting a civil lawsuit that stemmed from the death of a teenager in 2004 after an auto-pedestrian accident on Key Avenue.

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Persistent dry weather has hampered the growth of crops and left ranchers with little grain or grasses for cattle.

Sammy Bailey, right, Lampasas assistant chief of police, attended the FBI Academy in March for a 10- week session. She is shown with Phillip Gadd, an FBI supervisory special agent based in Austin. * * *

The Lampasas Police Department saw an increase in crime, commensurate with the continued growth in the city's population. The LPD found itself at full staff, a rarity in recent times.

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MARCH

David Whitis, a deputy in the Lampasas County Sheriff's Department, defeated Joe Lorette for the sheriff's position in March primary balloting. Whitis will take over in January for longtime Sheriff Gordon Morris who announced his retirement.

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A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new Lampasas High School campus on U.S. Highway 281 South adjacent to Grace Fellowship Church. The facility is projected to be ready for occupancy for the 2009-10 school term.

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Lampasas Assistant Police Chief Sammy Bailey prepared to be the second local officer -- and first woman -- to attend the 10-week training session of the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va.

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Former Lampasas Independent School District Superintendent Jack Lacy died at 79. He also owned a western-wear store and was a real estate broker.

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Lampasas High School junior Stephanie Smith deadlifted 310 pounds on her way to a seventhplace finish at the state powerlifting meet in Killeen. Smith has won two regional titles and had her second state showing.

* * * Kempner City Council agreed to set up a designated fund balance to be used to purchase the City Hall building, or to purchase property and construct a new city administration facility sometime in the future.

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Negotiations were to begin with Lampasas County commissioners and the city of Lampasas to share the cost of a new animal control facility after they were told the current impoundment would close in several months.

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A fire in the county burned several hundred acres, and the cause of the blaze was under investigation. Officials were concerned enough to place residents on notice that an evacuation could be held due to high winds and tinderbox conditions.

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APRIL

Joe Lorette, a former deputy with the Lampasas County Sheriff's Department who unsuccessfully challenged David Whitis for the sheriff's post, accepted the job as Kempner police chief.

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Guyco Inc. of Lampasas was awarded two bids for $1.14 million for renovations to Kline Whitis Elementary School, and just over $1.6 million for work to the current high school campus to prepare it for a move-in of students in grades six through eight when the new high school facility opens on U.S. Highway 281 South.

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Lampasas County Concerned Citizens, a group of voters, planned to submit a petition to call for an election on proposals to issue a maximum of $5 million in certificates of obligation to expand the Lampasas County Office Building.

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Rocky and Beth White announced their intention to open a veterinary practice in Lampasas, following in the footsteps of her father, longtime local veterinarian Dr. Curtis Kidd.

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Lampasas City Council member Debra Fuller resigned her post to accompany her husband after he received a job offer from the University of Texas economics department.

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The Lometa City Council questioned issues of law enforcement and safety at a biker rally scheduled at the Lometa Regional Park that had been approved at an ear- lier meeting.

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Kempner City Council appointed two new members to the Building Standards Commission. Former Councilman Rex Hooten and Kempner resident Larry Bishop joined Ray Upp on the commission.

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Lampasas County commissioners unanimously approved $4 million in tax notes to fund expansion of the Lampasas County Office Building, or "annex." The seven-year notes were approved at a 3.35 percent interest rate and became effective without an election.

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Former Lampasas standout athlete and Olympic gold medalist Johnny "Lam" Jones was inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame.

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Several Lampasas County projects were delayed by the Texas Department of Transportation, which cited inflation, federal funding recisions and other priorities as the culprits.

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MAY

The Lampasas Major Crimes Assistance Unit and Burnet County Special Operations Unit joined DPS agents and SWAT personnel to serve a federal warrant on major drug suspects at a residence east of Oakalla near the Bell County line. The home's occupants were charged with possession of a controlled substance, more than 50 grams and less than 100 grams.

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Commissioners voted to demolish the former Brooks Supermarket building to make way for expansion of the Lampasas County Office Building and approved schematics that call for a two-story addition just north of the existing annex.

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The Board of Trustees of the Lampasas Independent School District hired Kelly Dunn as principal of Taylor Creek Elementary, the campus which is slated to open in the east end of the county in time for the next school term.

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The slowing economy had little effect on Kempner, which for the fourth consecutive month recorded a triple-digit increase in sales tax revenue.

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Incumbent Wesley Crow fought off a challenge from Luther Hensley for a seat on the Lampasas Independent School District Board of Trustees, while Lampasas City Council incumbent Wanda Bierschwale successfully held onto her seat, defeating challenger Dayton Carpenter by just four votes.

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Lometa City Council had a big turnover as two of its members lost their re-election bids.

Incumbents George Watson and Kyle Walton failed to garner enough votes, while incumbent Cynthia Kirby kept her spot on the council.

At-large council seats were successfully won by Betty Poe, Mario Maldonado and Chuck Lymber.

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A storm brought heavy rain and minor flooding to Lampasas County, but the area avoided tornado damage. Lampasas County was under a tornado warning until about 10:15 p.m. Although Bell County reported flooding and wind damage, particularly near Salado, Lampasas County did not sustain severe damage.

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City and county officials approved sharing an expenditure of $58,000 to cover a contract for architectural services on a new animal control facility. The entities have agreed to split the cost to build and operate the facility.

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JUNE

The Texas Department of Transportation looked at realigning some area offices or reducing their functions, but the department had not decided the Lampasas Area Office's fate yet. The ruling likely will not be finalized until the next legislative session, which begins in January.

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The capital murder trial of Chaka Romain Johnson, 32, of Lampasas ended with a guilty verdict for the July 2007 death of Hidi Ann Gower, a 31-year-old Copperas Cove woman murdered at the Kempner VFW in east Lampasas County.

Johnson received an automatic life sentence with no possibility of parole.

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Lampasas Independent School District officials agreed to a 2.5 percent pay increase for district personnel that translated into a raise of approximately $1,100 annually per teacher, while other employees were to receive a lesser amount based on their salary.

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Lometa Independent School District Trustees agreed to replace the football field lighting system at a cost of just over $125,000. Though Lometa plays six-man football, it was agreed the new system would be built to 11-man specifications to accommodate the possibility of a division change in future realignments.

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Four public hearings were scheduled by Lampasas Independent School District officials to gather information about where to draw zoning lines for each of the county's three elementary schools. The sessions were for information gathering and public opinion.

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The city of Lampasas asked its customers to participate in voluntary water conservation efforts due to maintenance by Central Texas Water Supply Corp. at one of its water plants at Stillhouse Hollow Lake.