Lydia Huebner and Chasidy Nowicki are set to represent Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative when they join hundreds of other high school juniors and seniors in Washington, D.C., this summer for an immersive week of connection, education and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.

Huebner, a Bellville High School junior who lives in Industry, and Nowicki, a Brenham High School senior, were selected to represent Bluebonnet on the annual Government-in-Action Youth Tour. Alexis Macik, a senior at Snook High School, is the alternate representative and will join the tour if one of the winners is unable to attend.

Along with a weeklong all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., Huebner and Nowicki will each receive a $1,000 scholarship toward their higher education. The recipients were selected in March from among 15 applicants.

The tour, planned for June 16-24, will include visits to historic sites and the U.S. Capitol. Participants will meet members of Congress and attend events hosted by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and Texas Electric Cooperatives, the youth tour’s sponsors, organizers and hosts.

Huebner, who turns 17 this month, has been Bellville High School’s band drum major for two years and plays the French horn. She is also active with the local FFA chapter. She does volunteer work with her area’s Blessing Box project, helping cancer patients by sewing pockets on shirts and making pillows for use during post-treatment recovery.  She also has her own business creating floral arrangements.

Huebner says her drum-major experience and holding officer positions in FFA have given her leadership experience, as has serving on the student advisory board for the Bellville ISD superintendent. “I feel like leadership is something that you show to other people,” she said. “Good leaders are ready to work and be a role model.”

Huebner plans to attend a four-year university after graduating in 2025. She is unsure where she will focus her studies, but wants a career about which she is passionate. 

Nowicki, 18, of Brenham, is a cheerleader, FFA officer, member of the National Honor Society and a volunteer with children at the Cowboy Church of Brenham’s Sunday school. Her favorite volunteer experience is the Bucket Calf Program at the Washington County Fair, which teaches 4- to 8-year-old children the responsibilities of raising and caring for livestock.

She has years of volunteer and leadership experience as reporter for her local FFA chapter and as her high school’s spirit coordinator. These opportunities have helped her connect with others. “I am outgoing, welcoming to new people and open to hearing others' stories. It will really help when we are meeting new people from across the nation on the youth tour,” she said.

Nowicki plans to attend Texas A&M University in the fall to study agriculture communication. She wants a career in agriculture marketing, working as a brand ambassador to talk about the benefits of products at livestock shows across the state.

Macik, 18, of Caldwell, graduates from Snook High School at the end of this month. She participated in volleyball, basketball, track and field, and softball and was a high school cheerleader. She participated in 4-H, FFA, National Honor Society and the student council, and was the Burleson County Fair queen for 2022-2023. This fall, she plans to attend Texas A&M University to study marketing, and hopes to work for the Houston Astros.

“I am sure there were a lot of great applicants. It is special to be chosen as one of the winners,” Nowicki said. Huebner echoed that statement: “The opportunity and experience is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.”

Applicants were asked to list their academic accomplishments, extracurricular activities and community service work, and to submit a video answering the question, “If you had the opportunity to change one thing about your school or community, what would it be and why?”

Huebner had many compliments for her school in her video, but said she hopes more of her classmates would participate in extracurricular activities. That would lead to more engagement in the classroom and the community, she said. 

In her video, Nowicki said she believes that schools should prioritize agricultural education. “In my ag classes, I am learning to be a good steward of the land and furthering my education about the livestock industry. More people should know about the importance of it,” she said.

This is the 58th year of the Government-in-Action Youth Tour program. It has more than 50,000 alumni, including CEOs, state and national elected officials, and countless business and community leaders.

Soak up the town’s history, shopping and dining

By Camille Wheeler

From its lone stoplight where U.S. 290 meets FM 1155, Chappell Hill opens like a history book. The two-lane road serves as both Main Street and a stretch of the Texas Independence Trail reaching into the Washington County countryside. On this general path, Stephen F. Austin established his first colony in 1821. A small community with an estimated population of 1,000, Chappell Hill has numerous homes and businesses with national and state historic designations. The unincorporated town traces its beginnings to a time when riverboats on the Brazos River carried cotton to market. In 1838, Tennessee native Robert Wooding Chappell arrived in the area, building a cotton plantation on an original piece of Austin’s colony. Chappell’s granddaughter, Mary Hargrove Haller, bought 100 acres there in 1847, and two years later began selling lots to Chappell Hill’s first residents. Today, the community welcomes thousands of visitors annually for its Bluebonnet and Scarecrow festivals, and Independence Day Parade. With its backdrop of rolling hills and the alluring historic Main Street area, Chappell Hill is a popular weekend getaway. After soaking up the town’s history, shopping and dining, head 20 miles northeast on FM 1155 to the birthplace of the Republic of Texas in Washington.

WHAT TO DO

Visit the Chappell Hill Historical Society Museum, 9220 Poplar St., from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. Built in 1927 as the Chappell Hill Public School, the building is home to the nation’s largest collection of paintings by renowned Black folk artist Johnnie Swearingen. Call 979-836-6033 to take a society-sponsored tour of the Main Street Historic District — where some restored structures date to the mid-to-late 1800s. Other stops on the tour include historical society-preserved sites Providence Baptist Church, built in 1873; the Circulating Library, with its original book collection dating to the 1850s; and the Rock Store, originally a general store built in 1869 from locally quarried sandstone and hand-hewn timbers. Wall tapestries there depict the town’s history. Another historic stop is Chappell Hill Bank, 5060 Main St., circa 1897; the original teller stations and vault are still in use; 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Friday, 8:30 a.m.-noon Saturday.

Some renovations are underway at the 293-acre Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site, where 59 delegates signed the Texas Declaration of Independence in 1836. The Star of the Republic Museum and the Visitor Center are scheduled to reopen in 2025, but visitors can stroll the rest of the complex to see how settlers of that era lived. 23400 Park Road 12, Washington. Get more information at www.thc.texas.gov/historic-sites (scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Washington-on-the-Brazos.)

Chappell Hill Lavender Farm, 8 miles north of town, offers events, classes and a gift shop; check chappellhilllavender.com for information, blooming season updates, plant availability and days/hours of operation; 2250 Dillard Road, Brenham; 979-251-8114.

GRAB A BITE

Dining options ranked in Tripadvisor’s top restaurants are:

Bevers Kitchen & Gifts, 5162 Main St., popular for its chicken-fried steak and rich assortment of pies; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday.

Chappell Hill Bakery & Deli, 8900 U.S. 290 E., has its own butcher shop and serves up barbecue and pastries; 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
Chappell Hill Sausage Company, 4255 Sausage Lane, makes its own smokehouse meats; restaurant open 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday; retail shop open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday.

While in town, you can sample the 59 Delegates wine, plus other handcrafted selections, at Texas Star Winery, 10587 Old Chappell Hill Road, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday. Also get a glass at the Grapevine on Main wine bistro, 5120 Main St., open daily, live music Friday and Saturday evenings; call 979-777-3112 for lunch and dinner hours.

STOP AND SHOP

The Brazos Star, 5101 Main St. Handmade items galore, vintage kitchenware and homemade pickles — ask owner Mary Louise Young about her professional bowling career, too, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

Bluebonnet House & Garden Center, 5095 Main St. Native and tropical plants, collectibles, locally made gifts and more, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday.

Chupacabra Leather Co., 5088 Main St. Gun holsters, knife scabbards and belts are made in the shop, 1-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, 1-4 p.m. Sunday.

Cotton Pickin's Boutique & Market, 5145 Main St. Women’s linen clothing, home decor, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, noon-4 p.m. Sunday.

Other shops worth a stop: Kippers Kountry Store, 5084 Main St., noon-4 p.m. Thursday and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, and DLS Interiors, 5075 Main St., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday.

A TIP FROM LOCALS

Relax with friends at Carol’s Ice House, 5090 Main St., where owner Carol Salah is always behind the bar; noon-10 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday.

This is part of an ongoing series featuring communities in the Bluebonnet region.