Mineral Wells ISD students take on Downtown to wrap up the school year
By Lori Lynch/ Mineral Wells Area News Special Contributor
Travis Elementary’s fifth annual field trip to downtown for a visit to the Crazy Water Bottling Company added additional businesses to their sightseeing adventures this year. Visits to The Crazy Water Hotel and Bryton & Co were included in their day off campus.
The kids rotate in groups to different stations hosted by local businesses downtown. When they arrive at The Famous Water Company, owner Carol Elder describes it as a “very extensive, forty-five-minute discussion” about the geology of the area, complete with water sampling. The children leave with an understanding of the minerals that have contributed to the development and sustainability of The Famous Water Company, and it’s impact on Mineral Wells over the years.
Elder explains the nature of the pupils’ visit.
“They come downtown to learn about the history of Mineral Wells, the past and present. All the downtown merchants participate in it. They come to The Famous because The Famous is the last remaining water pavilion left in operation from when it was a boom town for the waters,” Elder said.
When asked, each of the kids had taken away a favorite activity from their day. A few of the boys enjoyed the freedom outside of the classroom. Jaxston said, “My favorite thing was that we got to play in the bouncy houses.” Harrison enjoyed eating lunch with his friends.
Along with Amy, Landon stated, “My favorite thing was that we got to walk around the first floor of the Crazy Hotel.” Zadok and Jissell shared the same enjoyment. “Making the slime (at Bryton & Co.) was the best part,” one of them stated.
The impactful history of The Famous Water Company and the development of Mineral Wells surrounding it was not lost on the students. Melanie expressed that her favorite part of the day was learning the things she didn’t know about the origins of Mineral Wells. Aubri was inspired with gratitude, saying, “My favorite part was hearing the town history and what they did for us.”
Next year’s trip Downtown is sure to excite and engage the upcoming 5th graders as it does every year. With the Mineral Wells business community continuing to expand, students will be met with additional participants to host even more educational stations. For now, the kids can kick off their Summer with memories of the fun they’ve had and that last little bit of learning teachers were able to sneak in there!
