BNI (Business Network International) - Cedar Creek Professionals - meets every Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. at Comfort Suites, located at U.S. Hwy. 175 and TX 198 in Mabank. Larry Williams (903) 887-2847 or www.bninetexas.com
Boy Scout Troop #398 meets at the Cedar Creek Bible Church from 7-8:30 p.m. each Tuesday. (903) 498-5725 or (903) 498-3830.
Cedar Creek Art Society meets from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. the last Thursday of each month at the Mabank Volunteer Fire Department. A $3 donation per artist is asked.
Cedar Creek Domino Club meets each Wednesday morning at the KC Senior Citizen Center, 405 W. Walnut in Mabank. (903) 887-6549 or (903) 887-1514.
Cedar Creek NAR-ANON meets at 8 p.m. on Thursday at 715 S. Hwy. 274, Ste. D in Seven Points. (903) 432-2405.
Cedar Creek Narcotics Anonymous meets at 8 p.m., Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, at 715 S. Hwy. 274, Ste. D in Seven Points. (903) 432-2405.
Cedar Creek 49ers Club meets every Thursday for fellowship and dancing. Doors open at 6 p.m. The club is located off Arnold Hill Road in Seven Points. (903) 432-3552.
Cedar Creek Lake Kiwanis Club meets at noon each Wednesday at The Jalapeno Tree in Gun Barrel City, except the second week of the month, when the club meets Thursday in conjunction with the area chamber of commerce.
Cedar Creek Republican Club meets every fourth Thursday. (903) 887-4796.
Cedar Creek Rotary Club meets at noon each Friday at Vetoni’s Italian Restaurant. Dee Ann Owens at (903) 340-2415.
Disabled American Veterans Chapter 101 meets the second Monday of each month at the Senior Citizens Center on Hwy. 31 in Athens.
Girl Scout Troop #112 meets at the First United Methodist Church in Mabank on Fridays at 6:30 p.m. Contact Kathey Brown email rakbrown1@embarqmail.com  or (800) 422-2260 or visit www.gsnetx.org.
GriefShare Recovery support group meets at 7 p.m. each Tuesday at Cedar Creek Church of God, located at 142 Rodney Dr., Gun Barrel City. (903) 887-0293.
Gun Barrel Quilter’s Guild meets from 10 a.m. on the second Wednesday of each month at the Tri-County Library in Mabank. (903) 451-4221.
Kaufman County Republican Women’s Club meets the third Saturday of each month at the Farm Bureau Insurance Company, located at 2477 N. Hwy. 34 in Kaufman. (972) 287-1239 or (903) 880-6770.
Kemp Kiwanis Club meets at noon each Thursday at La Fuente Mexican Restaurant in Kemp. Dr. Jim Collinsworth at (903) 887-7486.
Lake Area Council of the Blind meets at 6 p.m. on the second Saturday of the month at West Athens Baptist Church.
Mabank Al-Anon Family Group meets at 6 p.m. on Thursdays at Mabank First Baptist Church Fellowship Hall. Families of alcoholics are welcome. (903) 887-2781.
Mabank/Cedar Creek Area Lions Club meets at 1 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of each month at the Tri-County Library in Mabank. (903) 887-5252.
Mabank Garden Club meets at 1:45 p.m. at the Tri-County Library on the third Tuesday of every month (different times in May and December).
Mabank TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) meets at 5:30 p.m. Monday at Mabank First Baptist Church. (903) 887-7700 or (903) 451-0126.
Oak Harbor/Tanglewood Crime Watch meets at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month at the R.T. Beamguard Community Center in Oak Harbor.
Rainbow Girls, Masonic Youth organization meets on the second and fourth Saturdays at 10 a.m. at the Cedar Creek Masonic Lodge. Donna Dean at ddean45@hotmail.com.
Roddy Masonic Lodge meets at 6:30 p.m. the second Monday each month. (903) 887-6201.
RootSeekers meet at 7 p.m. on the third Monday of the month in the Tri-County Library in downtown Mabank.
Tamarack Ladies Club meets at 11 a.m. the first Wednesday of each month at the TLC Hall.
Trinity Valley Community College Band meets at 7 p.m. every Tuesday in the TVCC band hall. Group is open to any community member who plays an instrument. (903) 675-6222.
Trinity Valley Singles Support Group meets at 7 p.m. each Monday at Athens First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall on Lovers Lane. This is a support group for singles of all ages. Jean Love at (903) 451-4697 or Donna Stinson (903) 675-7270.
Westside Senior Center is open from 9 a.m. to noon on Thursdays at Cedar Creek Bible Church Activities Building, located at 700 N. Seven Points Blvd. in Seven Points. Seniors 55 and older are invited for games and fellowship. Call (903) 340-9672 for more info.

Yacht club dreams of Rio at annual meeting
By Pearl Cantrell
Monitor Staff Writer
GUN BARREL CITY–An old friend of the Cedar Creek Yacht Club, Stan Morrow, presented stunning photos and information about his life as a charter operator in waters off the Atlantic coast of Brazil, namely Rio de Janeiro.
Outgoing commodore Joe Erwin and his wife, Cindy, had visited with Morrow and his Brazilian wife Sandy, and recruited him as a feature speaker at the club’s annual meeting at Vetoni’s Italian Restaurant in Gun Barrel City Feb. 25.
Besides beautiful vistas of beaches at Coco Cabana and Impanima and the newly refurbished 70-foot Christ Redeemer statue and Sugarloaf mountain, he included slides from the Erwins visit and his wife and toddling baby daughter.
Rio has 8 million people is located 24 degrees south of the equator, average temperatures between 65 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit, has three-foot tides and winds variable 15 to 20 knots or nothing, he said.
The area is free from tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanoes and hurricanes, but does suffer from heavy taxation and fuel with 20 percent ethanol content, which is rough on boat carburetors, Morrow said.
While Rio has an active yacht club, the pleasure boat industry is underdeveloped. “There are more pleasure boats in Florida than all of Brazil,” he said.
January is the prime vacation month in Brazil and the country is preparing for the 2016 Olympics.
In the business portion of the meeting, members:
• heard Don’s Port is under the control of the bank and arrangements will have to be made to use the dock there for the clubs twice monthly sails.
• set a sailing clinic for March 10 at the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary building near Don’s Port. “It’s a good review of sailing basics for beginners and old hands alike,” Erwin said.
• signed up to take turns on the committee boat on race days. The first race of the season is set for March 24. Meet in waters off Don’s Port at 9 a.m. for captain’s meeting.
• accepted the 2012-13 executive committee with Chris Way, secretary; Roger Murphy, treasurer; and members Carol Meyer, Steve Webster and Grant Galliford. Fleet Captain is Allan Bell, vice commodore is John Stewart. Race Committee chairman is Ed Ebel, Protest Committee chair is Dale Price, and Measurer is Bernie Knauss. Membership will be overseen by Joe Erwin and public relations by Jim Salzmann. Kitty Whitted and Pat Ebel continue as the Social Committee and Bruce Ruska and Nick Nicholas man the website.
Member Cal Daughty has relocated to an assisted living facility near family members in Arizona and will be missed.
• heard the club treasury totaled $5,400.
The Cedar Creek Yacht Club has 65 members and holds a monthly social following a fun sail monthly at different members’ homes. For more information, consult the web at http://ccyctx.com/