People, Places & Events

Beacon Hill highlights ‘Paradise within Reach’
Special to The Monitor
KEMP–When the ultimate luxury lakefront paradise is within easy reach, there is no need to travel any further than Beacon Hill at Cedar Creek Lake.
The community’s Grand Opening celebration held on May 1, highlighted the multitude of amenities and natural beauty offered at Beacon Hill, located just 45 minutes east of Dallas.

Monitor Photo/Susan Harrison
Host Jim Stewart welcomes guests to the Beacon Hill open house. About 200 people got a look at the premiere development's 101 homesites May 2.

The exclusive VIP party began at 5:30 p.m. where approximately 200 special guests gathered in a tented floral paradise bedecked in seasonal landscaping.
Among the attendees joining developer, Kemp Lakeside Investors, in a champagne toast to the grand opening of Beacon Hill were local and Dallas builders, architects, interior designers and bankers.
There were several dignitaries in attendance, Richard Sanders representing Jeb Hensarling, County Judge David Holstein, other local city representatives, Miguel Rivera a renowned architect from Austin, D Magazine, ON Magazine, Dallas Morning News and local media, as well as former banker Tom Carpenter from Tyler and representatives of the City of Kemp.
Also in attendance were guests of Ebby Halliday Realtors including prominent Dallas residents, clients and lake living-focused prospects.
After the toast, guests feasted on a buffet of surf and turf delicacies and other tropical island delights, sipped champagne and wine, and enjoyed dancing to the island rhythms of a Reggae Band.
In addition to the festivities in the tent, a signature drink called “Beacon Hill Sunset” and cigars were served on the jetty.

Monitor Photo
A Hydro-Sports Yamaha jet-engine speeder exits the marina beside the beacon which shoots a beam of light straight up in the air to assist boaters returning to the marina after dark. A group of visitors are onboard for an offshore tour.

Throughout the evening, guests previewed renderings of the private marina, idea books of approved builders/architects; an exhibit on the prototype home that will be built at Beacon Hill.
Guided tours of Beacon Hill’s waterfront via boats were provided by Texas Hydro Sports along with golf carts tours of the property.
A luxurious Bentley was available and driven by Christopher Campbell Moore of Bentley-Dallas which was on hand for personal touring.
The landscaping for the event was created by Patty Thompson with Creative Touch Exteriors.
As night fell, guests gathered for a ceremonial lighting of the community’s signature beacon, a beam of light shooting straight into the night sky from the jetty, lit sparklers and watched a fireworks display that heralded the evening’s close at 8:30 p.m.
The event benefited the Family Resource Center, a local Henderson County charity, with director Toni Muirhead accepting the donation.
The natural environment that has been painstakingly planned and preserved throughout Beacon Hill inspired the grand opening’s gala garden ambience.
In addition to the beautiful marina area, the ultra luxury community’s distinguishing features currently under construction include tiered home sites providing multiple water views of Cedar Creek Lake, meandering water features with waterfalls, and an interior nine-acre pond that has been stocked twice with championship bass.
When work is completed, the aerated pond will include a fishing pier and a swimming/picnic area with a diving platform, sandy beach and pergola.
Another outstanding natural feature is the perimeter green space that begins at the stunning gated entrance monument and extends along a scenic drive to the marina.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has designated the green space as protected habitat for migratory North American pelicans, wood ducks, and other wildlife species.
Nature trails and cart paths, and observation platforms overlooking the wildlife and a natural island controlled by the Audubon Society will encourage residents to enjoy the tranquility of the surroundings.
Centrally situated within the community with a panoramic view of Cedar Creek Lake is the amenities center, currently under construction, that will offer a clubhouse, exercise room, and a beautifully landscaped outdoor swimming pool area.
“Every detail of Beacon Hill has been carefully thought out,” said Jim Stewart, the developer and visionary of Beacon Hill along with his wife, Barbara, both long-term Cedar Creek Lake residents.
“We wanted to create a lakeside play paradise with the all the luxury amenities and state-of-the-art infrastructure one would expect.
“At Beacon Hill, you’re living your vacation. There’s no need to fly off someplace else. Lakeside living is a very cost-effective option,” he added.
Beacon Hill is located on U.S. Highway 175 just east of Kemp and only 45 minutes from downtown Dallas.
In addition to lakefront home sites featuring steel retaining walls that allow for the construction of recessed boathouses, Beacon Hill also offers interior pond-front and lake view home sites.
To view the selection of available home sites, please visit the Welcome Center, open daily from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Or contact Ebby Halliday REALTORS® Janice and Terry Ellis at the sales office at (903) 498-LAKE (5253).
Information is also available at LiveatBeaconHill.com.

Controlling internal parasites in cattle
By Brian Cummins
VZ County Extension Agent
CANTON–At the recent Upper Sabine Cow-Calf Clinic, we had a presentation on controlling internal parasites that probably better explained why some of our efforts to control parasites fail.
The reasons vary from “de-worming” at the wrong time of year, to incorrect dosage to using the wrong products.
Dr. Thomas Yazwinski, professor of animal science from the University of Arkansas, told the crowd that there were several reasons to control internal parasites.
They included:
• anorexia,
• reduced feed efficiency,
• blood and tissue loss,
• reduced productivity,
• introduction of secondary pathogens,
• reduced immune competence, and
• reduced drug and vaccine efficacies.
In his presentation, Yazwinski covered the various species of nematodes that we call stomach worms.
Ostertagia, Cooperia and Haemonchus were the three that caused the most problems.
He next talked about the succession of various products:
• phenothiazine (the old green drench),
• thiabendozole (TBZ),
• levamisole (the first injectables, Levasole and Tramisol),
• second generation benzimidazoles (“white” de-wormers), fenbendazole (SafeGuard), oxfendazole (Synanthic) and albendazole (Valbazen),
• Ivermectin (first endectocide) (Ivormec),
• Morantel Paratect Bolus,
• Doramectin (Dectomax),
• Ivermectin Sustained Release Bolus,
• Eprinomectin (Eprinex), and
• Moxidectin (Cydectin).
One of the biggest problems that we face is the issue of resistance. I can remember when TBZ came out and really cleaned cattle up.
However, only a couple of years later, that product lost its effectiveness. We then we got the first injectables and the “white” wormers.
Ivermectin came out in the early 1980s, and it was a totally new chemistry.
All of these products were great in the beginning, but the nematodes (worms) began to develop some resistance to them. How did this happen?
The biggest contributor to the problem is under-dosing. Most of the wormers say to use so many mg (milligrams) of product per kg (kilogram) of body weight.
By not accurately dosing the animals to their correct weight, some worms were not killed, and they passed on the drug resistance to their offspring.
Another problem is the improper timing of treatment, relative to the parasite. The best time to de-worm cattle here in East Texas is the end of May and in June, but that’s not when most people choose to work their cattle.
The end of May and June time period coincides with peak grass growth, and the chance to clean the animals out and not have them re-infest on short grass.
Yazwinski suggested producers should take stool samples following the use of wormers and have their veterinarian check for efficacy of the wormer.
He also mentioned that pour-ons and generics were not as effective. The pour-ons leave a sub-lethal dose in the animals that allow some worms to develop resistance as it leaves the animal’s system.
From his research at the University of Arkansas, Yazwinski has noted generic de-wormers had less efficacy on killing worms than brand name products.
The active ingredient may be the same, but something in the carrier was causing a reduction in the killing effect. So, generics may cost less, but do not kill as effectively, allowing resistance to build in the worm population.
There is no measure that will give 100 percent control.
Our best management will be to worm at the proper time, use the proper dosage (if you are guesstimating, dose all animals at the rate for the largest animal in the herd) and alternate classes of products. For example, use the “white” drenches one time and the injectables the next season.