People, Places & Events

Good Samaritans, Brookshires and churches launch October food drive
Monitor Staff Reports
CEDAR CREEK LAKE–The Mabank Area Good Samaritans have launched their seventh year of stocking the food pantry for families in need.
Mabank Brookshire’s and area churches are helping with the October food drive to collect needed food items that will help make this time of the year easier for needy families.
Specially marked brown Brookshire’s bags and a list of food items are being distributed to nine churches, including Mabank’s Central Baptist, Elm Grove, First Assembly of God, Faith Bible, First Baptist, First Presbyterian, First United Methodist and Payne Springs churches Harbor Baptist and Sinners Hope.
Each church makes a monthly monetary donation to the pantry. Donations are also received from various Sunday School classes and from memorial gifts.
This money is used to purchase food products locally and from the East Texas Food Bank and King’s Storehouse Food Bank in Tyler.
Other food is received from food collections by the schools, along with ongoing collections by member churches.
The pantry is an emergency food source Monday through Friday.
It is operated on a rotating basis among the above churches. Calls are taken by the First Baptist Church.
When calls are received between 8 and 9 a.m., the food box will be available at 10 a.m. the same day.. If the call is received after 9 a.m., the food box will be available the next day.
The pantry has been operating since late 1987.
During the past six years, the number of families helped has increased from 760 in 2001, to 934 families in 2006.
Community members are welcome to donate the following food items to any of the listed churches: canned meats, stews, canned or packaged soups, canned fruits, corn, or green beans, macaroni & cheese, peanut butter, tuna, cornbread and pancake mixes, jams and jellies and powdered milk.
 

‘Sounds of Cedar Creek Lake’ opens with cello concert
Special to The Monitor
TOOL–The Library at Cedar Creek Endowment Board will present “Sounds of Cedar Creek Lake” at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, in the home of Dr. Mark and Kathy Hughes of Tool.
The concert will feature cellist Eugene Osadchy, associate professor of cello at the University of North Texas, principal cellist with the Plano Symphony and Dallas Chamber Orchestra.
The New York Times hailed him as having “the most refined and balanced string playing” and the Dallas Morning News noted his “extraordinary playing.” Among his credits are chamber music performances around the world, film scores and the release of several CDs.
Performing with him will be pianist Daradjan “Baya” Kakouberi. She is an award-winning classical pianist, awarded in 2000 the “Most Outstanding and Distinguished Pianist” in the IBLA International Competition in Italy.
She has appeared in solo and chamber performances at the Moscow Conservatory Great Hall, Steinway Hall, Lincoln Center in New York and Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas.
As artistic advisor and artistic director of the “Blue Candlelight Music Series” in Dallas, Osadchy and Kakouberi perform select concerts at private homes with no more than 100 people in attendance.
Pre-concert piano music will be provided by Tim Danielson beginning at 6:30 p.m., followed by the concert at 7 p.m. A reception will follow the concert with hors d’oeuvres and wine.
Tickets for the event are $100 each. The entire ticket price will go to the Endowment Fund through the generosity of our sponsors Diane Shaw (Shaw & Associates), Dr. Soi Sy, (Cedar Creek Health Care), Ed and Nan Creel (Triple N Ranch), Karen Kennedy (Smith Barney) and our hosts, Dr. Mark and Kathy Hughes (Cedar Creek Medical Associates).
The board hopes that you will take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to hear these accomplished musicians and at the same time support your local library.
For ticket information, contact the Library at Cedar Creek at (903) 432-4185.
The Endowment Fund for the Library at Cedar Creek Lake has been formed for the purpose of creating and providing a predictable source of financial support for the library.
Plans for our Spring Concert Series are underway.
The concerts are now scheduled for Feb. 23 and March 29, 2008, featuring Imperial Brass and University of North Texas Jazz Ensemble. More information concerning these concerts will be forthcoming.