Press
‘We’re kind of boiling over’
The Hood County Democrats join the nationwide 50501 protest
1) Protesters took to the courthouse lawn with bullhorns to stand in solidarity of the 50501 movement
MICKY SHEARON | HOOD COUNTY NEWS
Posted
President’s Day saw a nationwide movement of protests across the country, all under the umbrella of “50501,” which stands “50 Capitols in 50 states on one day.” The Hood County Democrats stood in solidarity with this movement, protesting President Trump’s administration and policies.
At noon, protesters gathered on the courthouse lawn, chanting “We the people want democracy,” and holding signs that read “president not king,” “rise, resist, persist,” “stop the Trumpocalypse” and other similar sentiments. Together, around 30 protesters made their way around the courthouse twice, waving American flags as they went.
Because Granbury is traditionally regarded as a city with firm republican influence, this starkly democratic scene drew a lot of attention from passersby — including reporters from Channel 8 News, who did a segment on the organization’s alignment with the nationwide protest.
In the segment, protester and Hood County Democratic Chair Quinn Martin is quoted saying, “We are heavily outnumbered, but I think we make up for that in enthusiasm.”
The goal of the 50501 protest was for Democrats to act as a united front, taking a stand at their state and city capitols, in the same moment in time, advocating for the same thing — a pushback against Trump’s recently adopted policies — across the country.
Granbury wasn’t the only Texas town making the news for participating in 50501; protesters in cities such as Dallas, Austin, Houston and San Antonio also marched on their city halls.
Another charitable year for the Texas Democratic Women of Hood County
Posted Tuesday, February 11, 2025 9:04 am
By CHLOE LAING, Staff Writer
The ladies of the Texas Democratic Women of Hood County are celebrating the year full of philanthropy they had in 2024 and are working hard to hatch up plans for how they can exceed those expectations in 2025. You know what they say — if you want something done right, leave it to the ladies.
The group began its philanthropic year Jan. 20, celebrating MLK day by rounding up all its unused items and donating them to Mission Granbury, with whom it has a long and symbiotic relationship and participate in other events with throughout the year.
Next, they will be featured as one of Stumpy’s Chow Down for Charity organizations April 30. On that date, please dine at Stumpy’s Lakeside Grill and be sure to mention you’re there for the TDWHC, and they will give a portion of their proceeds to the TDWHC.
Another large philanthropic event the ladies will be organizing is their TDWHC senior scholarship. The scholarship is only awarded to female seniors in the Hood County public school systems, including Granbury High School, Lipan High School, and Tolar High School.
The scholarship application process includes a written essay contest and interviews with the board of the TDWHC. The board is looking for an impressive young woman it believes promotes and exudes a “small d” democratic outlook. The applications open in mid-March, interviews are held in mid-April, and the winner is announced the third week of May.
The number of women awarded the $1,000 scholarship each year varies both in how many donations the TDWHC receives toward the scholarship and how many women they find impressive enough to award the scholarship to.
“One year we loved all the girls. We gave all seven and people gave additional contributions so that we could have more money. But last year was five. We gave five $1,000 scholarships. OK, so it varies how much money we have and how impressive the young ladies are when we interview them. The interview process is really, really, important,” said Rose Simpson, sunshine chair of the TDWHC.
Another philanthropic competition the TDWHC holds is its annual Juneteenth Essay Contest. This essay contest is open to middle and high school students and has a cash prize of $100. Six winners are selected annually, three from middle school and three from high school. The competition opens at the end of May.
The essay asks the question “what does Juneteenth mean to democracy?”
“What Juneteenth means to democracy was chosen because we wanted to show that Juneteenth benefits more than just people whose ancestors were slaves. All Americans benefited from the freedom of slaves,” Simpson said.
Finally, the last charitable function the TDWHC will host in 2025 is its annual luncheon. This luncheon serves as a time to join the members of both the TDWHC and the Democratic Party of Hood County together in a night of fun. Most of the proceeds from this event go directly to funding both the scholarship and Juneteenth essay programs. The date has yet to be officially set but the luncheon is typically held in either late September or early October.
“We have an annual luncheon. We don’t call it a scholarship luncheon, it’s our major fundraiser for the year, and the proceeds from that, in a large part, is what goes toward our scholarships,” said Pat McNeely, president of TDWHC.
For more information regarding the Texas Democratic Women of Hood County, please find their tab on the Democratic Party of Hood County’s website at hooddemocrats.org, or attend their monthly meeting, held the second Monday of the month at Spring Creek Barbeque at 11 a.m.
Club News
7 Scholarships were awarded to Hood County Senior Students in 2025
Rose Simpson Scholarship established December 18, 2025.
Well Done, Rose!