News Archive

As we stated below, the true endorsement of Crawford for President Bush became evident on November 2nd. Our prayers are with the President, his family, and all of the men and women in service to the U.S. around the world. We are proud to be the hometown of our President.

Considering the Lone Star Iconoclast endorsement of Senator Kerry - September 30th, 2004

This should come as no surprise to anyone whose has ever read the Iconoclast newspaper. The reported circulation of the Iconoclast is 425-450 subscribers. The only surprise to us is that people have not canceled their subscription before now. As far as we can tell, the Iconoclast's operations are in Clifton, Texas, about 25 miles from Crawford. Having the freedom to express an opinion and have people disagree with you is one of the rights most precious to us as Americans. However, words have consequences. We dropped our subscription to the Iconoclast several years ago because of the venom expressed in the editorials. This endorsement has been widely reported as a feather in the hat of John Kerry. We, as true residents of Crawford and the owners of CrawfordTX.com, do not agree with the editorial and know most of the people in Crawford feel the same way. The true endorsement of the Presidential candidates will be seen at the polling place on November 2nd in the town of Crawford, Texas.

Crawford is a VERY busy place this fall. With the upcoming elections, Crawford will once again be in the spotlight. People around the world come to our town on a daily basis to get a glimpse of Crawford and what life is like in our small town. If you are planning a visit to Central Texas, we invite you to come by to eat...shop...and visit our beautiful town.

Whenever someone finds out that we are from Crawford, they invariably want to know what it is like to live here. Crawford is a wonderful small Texas town, which has a lot of friendly people. We have a VERY good school system with students excelling in academics and athletics. We are classified as a class 2A school in the Texas UIL system. Our top 4 grades have an enrollment of approximately 180 students. Several residents work in the nearby Waco area, but there are some that are employed locally. Farming and ranching have always been the mainstay of our community. Many of our town’s residents are 3^rd and 4^th generation farmers and ranchers.

President Bush is currently in town practicing for the upcoming Presidential debates. We hope all goes well and he is able to convey the message that terrorism is best fought overseas instead of on our own land. Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his staff as they make important decisions regarding our country and our freedoms. Our thoughts and prayers are also with all the SOLDIERS and their families for the sacrifices they are making for those freedoms. They are the REAL heroes in our eyes.

We will provide monthly updates on the website and happenings in Crawford. We want to remind everyone that our website is not affiliated with the City of Crawford or any political party. We started the website so that people could get a feeling for what life in Crawford, Texas is all about. We provide as many pictures as we can but our town is small and life around here is still usually at a slow pace. We also have received several requests for pictures of the Bush ranch and for the most part this is impossible in the times we live in due to security reasons.

Spring is in the air and the bluebonnets are starting to be seen along the roads. This is a beautiful time of the year in Texas and one we look forward to as well. The boys and girls High School basketball teams recently completed their seasons on successful notes as both made the playoffs. All the Spring sports are in full gear and we will try to keep you updated on both scholastic and athletic happenings at the school.

The Texas Historical Commission has declared Crawford an Historical site, and the city will receive a marker later this Spring. The location of the marker has yet to be determined.

Several of the Churches in the Crawford area have sunrise service at Tonkawa Falls on Easter Sunday. We look forward to this special time and spending it with our neighbors at beautiful Tonkawa Falls.

Please support our "Crawford Store". This is how we pay to keep the website on-line. If you need a hat, shirt, or bobble head, please order one for yourself and one for a friend. If you get through the Crawford area, please support our advertisers.

Come to Crawford for a day trip. There are plenty of shops to play in and sights to see. The Red Bull in Crawford sells CrawfordTX.com merchandise. Be sure to stop by to get a Crawford t-shirt or hat to take home with you. Or, you can shop on-line for CrawfordTX.com merchandise.

We thank you for visiting our website. We have been on-line for over 2 years and have made many friends due to this website. We will try to keep you informed about Crawford, Texas. God Bless our troops and God Bless America.

Fall is here and the town of Crawford is busy with events.

The 3rd annual Tonkawa Traditions Festival was held October 4th 5th and 6th. The events started Friday night with the Crawford Pirate’s homecoming game. Saturday’s events included the unveiling of the Spirit of America mural in downtown Crawford painted by artist Mark Cunningham. (photo on photo page)

The Tonkawa Traditions parade followed with over 70 entries. One favorite group, the Waco Rita Zetas made their 3rd appearance with a spectacular float, The Waco Rita Zeta YA-YA Hat Review. The young and old girls loved the miniature Ya-Ya hats that were thrown to the crowd. (photo on photo page)

Once the parade ended, the crowd headed down to Tonkawa Falls Park to enjoy a day of playing and eating. The 3rd annual BBQ cook off filled the air with the aroma of brisket, chicken, ribs, and beans from the 56 teams competing. The winners of the cook off advance to the championship cook off in Meridian, Texas next August. There was a large children’s area with a large obstacle course, moon walks, face painting, bungee run, crafts and lots of fun things to do. The weekend finished up with a Community wide Church service on Sunday in the park. A weekend to remember for all.

The Chinese Leader Jiang Zemin made an historical visit to Crawford on October 25th. He and family members were guests at President Bush’s ranch. People in support and against the Chinese Leader were present. Over 1000 practitioners of Fulan Gong converged on Crawford to protest the arrival of the Chinese Leader. Several hundred Chinese students and families also came in support and to try and catch a glimpse of the Chinese Leader.

President and Mrs. Bush cast their votes in Crawford on election day at the Crawford Volunteer Fire Department. After voting, they took time to shake hands and visit with Crawford residents before heading back to Washington. One little resident, Sara Hobbs, asked the President if he was coming to her birthday party. (photos on photo page)

The 2nd annual Christmas in the Park sponsored by The Greater Crawford Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture will be held Sunday, December 1st. The local churches will present a program. Santa will be on hand to take pictures with the children and to discuss who has been naughty or nice.

Crawford’s Reagan Hejl will be traveling to Houston on Dec 15th to compete in the Punt, Pass, and Kick championship held at Reliant Stadium. His score of 373 feet, six inches is the top score for all sectionals held throughout Texas and Oklahoma. Good luck Reagan!!!

Come to Crawford and do some Christmas shopping at the 9 shops in town. Crawfordtx.com City Limit t-shirts and hats can be bought on line or at The Red Bull in downtown Crawford.

Happy Holidays!

It has been announced that in October Chinese leader Jiang Zemin will be coming to Crawford for a visit. Jiang hosted Bush in a visit back in February of this year.

Well the month of August has flown by. It seems as if just yesterday the President and his family came home for a few days of rest. During their stay in Crawford they had a few guests at the ranch. The list includes Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, General Richard Meyers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Chief of Staff Andrew Card, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, and a visit from the Saudi Arabia Ambassador Price Bandar. The President hosted an Economic Forum at Baylor University in Waco on August 13. The President and the First Lady hosted two luncheons in Crawford for volunteers that have helped them during their visit to Crawford. The President did find sometime to go in to Waco to play a little golf one Saturday morning. He spent some down time jogging and cutting down brush on the ranch, and there were several day trips to other states. The President’s time in Crawford wasn’t all rest…it really was a working vacation.

The Crawford Chamber hosted a "Meet The Press" night in the old Amblers building. It allowed the public a chance to meet the media that was in town the month of August. Media from all the major networks and newspapers were there to mix and mingle with the Crawford community. Check the Photos page for some pictures of the event.

Downtown Crawford continues to change its looks. The construction for the new bank in downtown Crawford has begun. The bank hopes to open in April of 2003. The old building on the corner of 317 The Crawford Elementary students had a wonderful first day in their new school. I am sure they will miss all the exciting things that went on at the old school when the President was in town, but am sure they enjoy the new school just as much.

Crawfordtx.com has its new Crawford City Limits t-shirt out with the new population of 705. They can be purchased on line or at the Red Bull in downtown Crawford.

President Bush and the First Lady will be back in Crawford in just a few days. They plan to spend most of August in Texas. According to news sources, he will be having a special visitor, President Vincente Fox from Mexico. They plan to discuss several issues that were put on hold from last year’s talks. Also, it has been announced that in October Chinese leader Jiang Zemin will be coming to Crawford for a visit. Jiang hosted Bush during his visit to China in February of this year.

The Crawford Chamber is hosting a "Meet The Press" night this week in the old Amblers building. It will give the public a chance to meet the media that will be in town with us this next month. Media from all the major networks and newspapers will be there to mix and mingle with the Crawford community.

Downtown Crawford continues to get a new face-lift. Old buildings have been torn down and the construction of the new bank has begun. The old building on the corner of 317 and 185 is being remodeled. It will be another fun store to play in on a visit to Crawford. On Saturday mornings, there is a farmer’s market downtown. You can find all sorts of fresh garden vegetables and fruits. The vendors are there all morning or until they sell out of merchandise.

School starts in a few short weeks. The new Elementary school will be ready for this new school year. Also, the beginning of football and band practice is just around the corner.

A new addition to the web site is the wallpaper download for your computer. Now you are able to download pictures of Crawford. New pictures will be added often.

Saturday February 16th will be a busy day in Crawford. The Crawford schools are hosting a 3 on 3 Basketball tournament. Teams from all over Central Texas are expected to participate.

Also, on February 16th the Chamber of Commerce is hosting a President's Day 5k/1 mile run fund raiser benefiting Ranessa Grant, a Crawford 6 year old needing a kidney transplant. The race will be held at the beautiful Tonkawa park in Crawford. For more information Contact Gary Bowdoin of Crawford at (254) 486-2288. To top off the day, a Valentine's Day Dance will be held in the old Amsler's building downtown. The proceeds from the dance will benefit the Crawford Saddle Club.

A rumor of a major event coming to Crawford in March has been floating around. Check back soon for more details...

    The old Amsler's building has been renovated and has hosted several events. The most recent event was a reception held for a local politician running for a state office.

    In the old days, the Amsler's building was home to the Amsler's grocery and hardware store. It is a recommended place to see when coming to Crawford. The old wooden floors and balcony overlooking the main floor is a beautiful sight.

    There is also news of a bank coming to Crawford. A Waco businessman has purchased several downtown properties. He plans to build a bank on one lot. It remains to be seen what he does with the remaining lots. Downtown Crawford is going to have a new look soon!

Spring is around the corner. With all the spring flowers in bloom, it will be a wonderful time to make a road trip to Crawford. Look for new spring pictures in the upcoming months.

The construction of the new elementary school is coming along. A picture of the school is on the new photo page.

On Wednesday November 14, President George W. Bush, Russian President Vladimir, and their wives met at the Bush ranch in Crawford. They spent the day touring the ranch, then in the evening they enjoyed a Texas barbecue. The Ranch Hands Band, a Texas swing band from Austin provided the music. Guests included Secretary of State Colin Powell, Commerce Secretary Donald Evans, Chief of Staff, Andrew Card, National Security Advisor, Condoleezza Rice, and Counselor to the President, Karen Hughes. What an honor to have all of these people in our town of Crawford.

November 15, President Bush, President Putin and their wives visited with Crawford High School students and residents of Crawford at the Crawford High School for a news conference. President Bush and President Putin answered questions posed by some of the students. The questions ranged from what is your favorite thing about Texas to reducing nuclear warheads. President Bush stated that when he was in high school, Russia was our enemy. Now, high school students can know Russia as a friend. Small U.S. flags and Russian flags were given to the crowd and were waved proudly at the end of the conference.

The community center in Crawford was the media center for the Crawford Summit. Media from Newsweek, Reuters, Bloomberg, AP Press, CBS, ABC, CNN, FOX, Boston Globe and others made it their home for several days. A birthday cake was served to National Security advisor Condoleezza Rice during a briefing on Thursday. The press sang happy birthday to her…way off key…she told them not to give up their days jobs.

It was truly an honor to witness the two national leaders come together in Crawford, Texas to strengthen the friendship between The United States and Russia.

The town swelled to the max with the press and visitors from all over the world. The new little coffeehouse, Camp House Coffee, on the corner of 185 and 317 was a popular place to get out of the rain and enjoy a Texas visit.

The Red Bull Store in downtown Crawford saw visitors from all over and sold lots of T-shirts, hats and other Crawford memorabilia for the visitors to take home with them. A sign was hung outside the front door written in Russian welcoming the Russians to Crawford. Crawfordtx.com merchandise is now available in the Red Bull.

The Picnic in the park on Saturday, November 17, celebrating President Bush and President Putin's Crawford Summit was a huge success.

A caravan with decorated cars drove from Waco to Crawford to kick off the celebration. Once at the park, the guests were greeted with patriotic music played by the Waco Community Band. Special music was sung by Charlie Burch of Waco. Several local and state officials spoke to welcome the guests to Crawford.

Local fire departments sold food as fundraisers for their individual departments.

Pictures soon!

On November 14th Russian President Vladimir Putin will be the guest of President Bush at the Crawford ranch. Over 500 media and government officials will be in town to cover this historic event. The route into Crawford from hwy 6 will be decorated with welcoming signs from Central Texas School Children and local businesses.

The great American Picnic in the Park is planned for November 17th to celebrate the President Bush and President Putin meeting in Crawford. A caravan from Waco to Crawford kicks off the picnic. At the picnic, local volunteer fire departments will be selling food and drinks as a fund raiser to help raise money for their departments. Also, some local politicians will be on hand.

November 9-11, Waco hosted the biennial meeting of the Texas Federation of Republican Women. Over 1000 members attended the meeting. Several of the members made it to Crawford for a little sightseeing.

The Red Bull Store in Crawford is now carrying crawfordtx.com merchandise. You can find all of our merchandise from our web store at The Red Bull. They also carry a large line of Crawford items, t-shirts, hats, pictures, postcards, patriotic jewelry, crafts, and much more.

The Crawford Chamber is hosting a Christmas in the Park on Saturday, December 2. there will be the lighting of a Christmas tree.

Congratulations to the Crawford Pirate Band for advancing to Area in UIL marching competition. GO BAND!

The Crawford football team finished the season with a 7-3 mark. Great effort by all the players and coaches. We look forward to a great basketball season.

Football season is here!!!! The football team and the band have been working hard. Go Crawford Pirates. If you have never seen a Texas High School football game, you are really missing something!

President Bush has completed his working vacation in Crawford, the 'Western White House.' He was seen around town several times during his visit. President Bush and the First Lady attended the Crawford Methodist Church.

He played golf in Waco at Ridgewood Country Club with Senator David Sibley and two Waco doctors, Kent Starr and Ned Snyder. Also, he and the First Lady went into Waco to work on a Habitat house. Mel Martinez, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development was on hand to work as well. After working on the Habitat house, President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush came back to Crawford for lunch at a local diner and to visit with Crawford farmers and residents. The media center at the Crawford Elem. was crowded with personnel from all the major networks. A crew was in town from the Jay Leno Show. They were hoping to get a piece for an upcoming show.

In other news, a tour of Tonkawa Park was held in August. The tour included information about the park, Indian life around Tonk Creek, and the petroglyphys in the creek bed.

Thanks for all of the visits to the web site!!! We enjoy reading your comments of the guest book…so keep them coming

We hear President Bush will have a special guest in Crawford sometime in November, Russian President Vladimir Putin. Maybe they will take in a football game!

Crawford has been busy! New shops are popping up in town. The Brown Bag just opened a few weeks ago. The Red Bull will open June 30th and The Carriage Crossing will be opening soon.

Tonkawa park is open for business! Many RV campers are staying at "Tonk" and visiting Crawford. The park is a great family swimming hole and picnic area. You can find this beautiful park off 185 coming into Crawford. Be sure to see the photos of Tonkawa park on our photo page.

The second annual Tonkawa Traditions Festival is Saturday, October 6th. Festivities include the parade Saturday morning, the festival at Tonkawa Park Saturday, and a street dance downtown Crawford that night! As if this isn't enough for one weekend, the Crawford High School homecoming game is that Friday night, October 5th. Mark your calendar now for a great weekend in Crawford.

Crawford is well known for our wonderful school system. Once again, the Crawford Independent School District had excellent scores for the TAAS tests. The Crawford ISD is growing! Construction is under way for the new elementary school.

The Prairie Chapel School Heritage Day celebration and fundraiser was June 9th. Booths with items for sell, a silent auction, and helicopters rides kept the visitors busy for the day. The school is located just a few miles from the Bush ranch.

Patton Baptist Church, one of the area historical Churches, held its Spring Baptism on Hog Creek. Members of the Church gathered on the banks of Hog Creek to witness the Baptism of several new members. When visiting Crawford, a trip to Patton is a must. The Patton Baptist Church is West of Crawford on Highway 317 about 7 miles. It is one of the most beautiful old Churches in the area. Check it out on the photos area.

During the last Crawford Chamber of Commerce meeting, the development of a hiking and bike trail around Crawford was discussed. Hopefully, this will happen soon. Also, the Chamber is bringing an old caboose into town. The caboose will be the new Chamber office. Watch for the caboose sometime in August.

We hear President George W. Bush and family will be spending a big part of August in Crawford. Rumors are that he will be having some special guests!

The Crawford Inauguration Ball