Police chief gets raise
By Pearl Cantrell
Monitor Staff Writer
PAYNE SPRINGS–With consistently rising sales tax revenue collections, Payne Springs council members agreed to a modest annual raise for the city police chief.
Chief Tim Meadows received a $1.92 per hour increase Tuesday, bringing his yearly pay to around $36,000.
Council members also replaced resigning city clerk Ashley Cates with Kenna Acker. Acker will assist city secretary and judge Karen Juica with both city and court business.
The city has been successful at purchasing a slightly used roller to assist with patching potholes for $4,500, an item approved last month.
Volunteers plan to give the roller a work out this weekend with the addition of two loads of cold mix council members approved purchasing up to $4,000.
Councilman Michael Juica and Meadows have been volunteering their time for both the city hall construction and for simple road repairs.
Red Dot is expected to complete the erection and closing in of the new city hall building (see below) within the next 10 days, council members heard.

All kids encouraged to join ‘Beach Blast’
Special to The Monitor
MALAKOFF–Summer time is here and area children will have the opportunity for a little vacation. Parents will be happy – the trip is free!
Beach Blast, the Vacation Bible School program to be provided by the First Baptist Church of Malakoff, will take children 4 years old through completed fifth grade to the beach.
“We want to invite all area children and visitors to come along as we have some fun in the sun. When we arrive at the beach, the kids will dig into God’s promises, provision, power, plan and presence. They will learn that no matter where they go or what they do in life – God is faithful,” FBC Children’s Minister Kasey Holt said.
“We want to encourage and welcome all area children to come be a part of our Beach Blast. Our adventure will include exploring Mission Island, Bible Study Getaway, Recreation Resort, Craft Cabana and the Music Hut,” Holt adds.
The motto for the week is “God is faithful. I can dig it!”
The fun-packed week at the beach starts 9 a.m. and continues to noon. Monday–Friday, June 27-July 1.
On-site registration opens at 8:45 a.m.
There will be a Family Fun Night at 6 p.m. Friday. Families will be treated to hot dogs, sno-cones, inflatables and a water slide to celebrate the fun-filled week.
Bus transportation will be available by contacting the church in advance.
According to Holt, parents interested in their child attending the Beach Blast should call (903) 489-0228, or to complete an easy online application from the church’s website, please visit www.fbcmalakoff.com.

Kiwanis hear about Masonry and Shriners
Monitor Staff Reports
GUN BARREL CITY–There’s a lot of similarities between being a Kiwanis member and being a Shriner, Cedar Creek Lake Kiwanis members heard Wednesday.
To be a Shriner, you first have to be a Mason, and the roots of Freemasonry, in legend, go back to the Biblical story of the building of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem, industrial salesman Darrell Hefley told Kiwanis members at their regular weekly luncheon.
The origin of the Freemasons is unclear; at least one clearly Masonic text dates back to the late 1300s. The Grand Lodge of England was founded in 1717, and the fraternal organization was established in the English colonies in America by the 1730s.
“Masonry is very much involved with U.S. history,” Hefley said.
Fourteen of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence were Masons and 14 U.S. Presidents have been Masons, beginning with George Washington.
U.S. currency contains several symbols relating to Freemasonry, Hefley said.
There are many different affiliated groups – the Scottish Rite and the York Rite being the two most common types of Masonic lodges in East Texas – but there are very few practical differences between them.
As a fraternal organization, women are not allowed to participate in a lodge’s meetings, but women’s affiliated groups – the Order of the Eastern Star and the Daughters of the Nile (Shriners) – actually do much more work than the men, Hefley admitted.
There are more than 870 lodges in Texas, including Gun Barrel City, Eustace and Canton.
When the Shriners (officially the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine) first organized in New York City in 1870, one of the original members had recently traveled to the Middle East.
“At that time, the Middle East was seen as very intriguing and colorful, so they chose the Middle East as their theme,” Hefley said. “The main idea was just to have fun.”
The Middle Eastern theme is shown by the fez (a felt hat native to Morocco) worn by Shriners during parades and other activities, he noted.
Just as the Masons primarily raise money for charities and scholarships, Shriners use most of their fundraising efforts to pay for operating 22 Shriners hospitals around the country.
Shrine hospitals (there are two in Texas) provide no-cost health care for children, primarily orthopedic services and burns.
“They’ve probably done more for burn care than any other entity,” Hefley said.
“The (Shriners Hospital) budget is reaching around $1 billion a year,” he said. While most of the funds come through a major endowment, Shriners hold fundraising activities for hospital operations throughout the year, including a February partnership with the International House of Pancakes restaurant chain.
There are 191 Shrine Temples throughout the U.S., Canada and foreign countries, with the headquarters at the Imperial Shrine Temple in Tampa, Fla., he said. There are 13 Temples in Texas, including Garland and Tyler.
While charity work is the major focus – Masons donate more than $2 million a day to charities – “it’s a social outlet for my wife and I, as well,” he said.
Hefley plays in the Shriner’s float band during the Starlight Parade each evening at the State Fair. “We do a lot of parades,” he noted.
One big concern for Masons and Shriners alike is the loss of membership to death, as the median age is now above 65, Hefley said.
Masons do not solicit new members, but can respond if asked about the organization. To be a Mason, you must be of legal age (18 or 21, depending on the lodge), believe in a Supreme Being and be of good moral character, he explained.
“You get out of it what you put into it,” he said. “That’s a cliché, but it’s really true.”