MHS Tater Supper
The Mabank High Choirs are hosting the Umpteenth annual taters ‘n’ Tunes dinner show and fundraiser at 5:30 p.m. Friday at the school cafeteria prior to the football game.Tickets must be purchased in advance from students or the high school office. Mabank High School is having a Pink Out Day, Friday, Oct. 14 and asks all volleyball and football fans to wear Pink Friday to show support for October Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For more information, call Marsha Sanchez at (903) 880-1620.Also MHS Panther Yearbooks can be preordered through Friday, Oct. 14. Call (903) 880-1600, ext. 2131.

Woods of Terror 8
Payne Springs Fire Rescue presents “Woods of Terror 8” on Friday-Saturday nights Oct. 21-22 and 28-29. All rides start at dusk until the last survivor leaves the woods. For information, call (903) 451-4511.

Legion cook out
The American Legion Riders are holding a cook out benefit at 5 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Oct. 14-15. Monies will be used for toys for children of Cedar Creek Lake at Christmas. Brisket & trimmings Friday and Saturday smoked sausage and fixings.

Westside Seniors
The Westside Senior Centers Club will meet from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20. Covered dish lunch served at noon. The event is at the Cedar Creek Bible Church Activities Building, 700 North Seven Points Boulevard.
Seniors 55 and older can attend and enjoy refreshments, cards, domino and other games.

VZ senior citizen dance
The Van Zandt Senior Citizens Club hosts a monthly dance at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14 at the Henderson County Senior Center in Athens. Country western music will be provided by Joe Walenta and the Ranch Hands. Everyone is welcome. For information call (903) 675-3774.

Whitton Center
Pumpkin carving painting contest, sole mystery of headless person other fun events set for 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, under the pavilion of the Whitton Community Center.
Chicken spaghetti dinner served at 6 p.m. Monies earned benefit paint and repairs to the Center.

Kemp rummage sale
The Kemp Senior Center is hosting a covered dish dinner from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and rummage sale from 2-6:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15. For information call (903) 275-7825 or (903) 534-4067.

Enchanted Oaks sale
The annual Enchanted Oaks city wide garage sale is 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, located on the east side of the lake. Enjoy shopping the “Red Balloon” houses for a wide variety of items.
Maps available at the entrance.

Desi volleyball tourny
The Score for Desi Volleyball Tournament benefit will be held at 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 15 at Kemp City Park. To register a six man team for $30 call Shannon Garmon at (214) 317-8023.

Cotton Row 5K Run
The Cotton Row Run 5K Run/Walk will start at 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, in Kerens. Registration will start at 7 a.m.
For more information, please call (903) 872-6045 or visit www.kerens.com.
 
Classic Auto Show
The Seven Points Dairy Queen are hosting the ninth annual Classic Auto Show, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, benefitting the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake. Dogs available for adoption at the show. Bring a can of dog food and get a chance to win a prize.
For information call (903) 432-3076.

HC Performing Arts
“Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” is playing Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 13-15, at the HCPAC, 400 Gibson Rd, Athens. For information and times, call (903) 675-3908.

Church singing
The Humble Hands Quartet will perform at Crescent Heights Baptist Church At 10:45 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 16. Dinner will follow. Church is located E. SH 31, between Malakoff and Athens.

Homecoming pot luck
Trinity Southern Baptist Church in Kaufman invites former members and guests to Homecoming beginning at 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 16. The church is located at 2918 E Hwy. 175. RSVP to www.tbckaufman.org.

Rootseekers meeting
The Rootseekers Genealogical Society meets at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 17 at Tri-County Library Mabank.

Hunter Course
A course in hunter education is set for 6 p.m. Monday-Tuesday, Oct. 17-18 and Thursday, Oct. 20 at the Mabank High School agriculture building. The course is open to adults and youngsters and will include instruction in modern firearms and primitive sporting arms handling and safety, outdoor responsibilities and ethics. Minimum age for certification is 9 years old. Charges vary For information and costs, call (800) 792-1112.

Monster Ball
The Senior Center at the Ball Park will be holding a Monster Ball at 6-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18. Events include a country dance band, costume contest and finger foods. The center is located at 405 W. Walnut in Mabank. For information, call (903) 887-0067.

Sarah Maples DAR
The Sarah Maples Chapter of NSDAR is at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, at The Library at Cedar Creek Lake. The speaker is Paula Warren, the Texas State DAR chairman.

CC Kiwanis
The Cedar Creek Lake Kiwanis Club meets at noon, Wednesday, Oct. 19, at the Jalapeño Tree. speaker is Skip Smith, candidate for county commissioner.

VFW attends carnival
The VFW and Ladies Auxiliary of Post 4376 are attending the VA Hospital carnival at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, in Dallas for Patients Day Out.
If interested in volunteering or making a donation please call Naomi Jones, VAVS representative at (903) 432- or (903) 887-3213.

American Legion dinner
The American Legion Auxiliary is serving homemade stew and cornbread with dessert at 5-7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21.
Proceeds benefit a local high school junior girl to Girls State. For information, call (903) 887-4980.

Make a difference Day
The annual Make-A-Difference-Day is set for Saturday, Oct. 22. A free trash disposal, electronic recycling and paper shredding is offered from 9 to noon at the Mabank Pavilion.
The event is sponsored by the city of Mabank, Environmental Co-op and Tri-County Ford. For information call (972) 524-0007.

Food Drive
Bridgeway Hospice is hosting a food drive for Faith in Action Outreach (Malakoff Food Pantry) in conjunction with Make-A-Difference Day. Boxes for contributions of canned goods are placed in local and surrounding nursing homes and assisted living facilities.,

Aley Methodist bazaar
The annual fund-raising event for Aley United Methodist Women is set for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22. The sale features homemade baked goods and candy, crafts and Christmas decorations, a beautiful hand made quilt to be given away, jewelry and other items. Soup and Stew are served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The church is located 1.5 miles west of Seven Points on Farm-to-Market 85.

Caney Creek Church
The Caney Creek eighth annual Fall Festival is noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22 at Caney Creek Baptist Church. Tournaments include washers, horseshoes and dominoes. Other activities include live music, cake walk, hay rides, bounce house, carnival games and a free drawing. Food includes hot dogs, pop corn, cotton candy, snow cones and a barbecue.

Evolution or creation
An evolution or creation workshop is being taught from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at Trinidad Church of Christ. For information visit www.church-of-christ@trinidad.org.


VFW cancer benefit
The members of VFW Post 4376 and the Ladies Auxiliary are hosting a benefit for cancer aid and research at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23. A shrimp boil is featured for a donation

Tamarack Halloween
The Tamarack POA annual Halloween Party is set for 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at Blackie Ensey Park.
For information, call Liz at (903) 887-7049.

Hatchery Halloween
The annual Halloween event at the Texas Fresh Water Fisheries Center is set for 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, at the TFWFC. Local businesses and organizations will hand out free candy.
The TFFC will be decorated throughout with a Halloween theme.

49er’s seniors club
The Cedar Creek Lake 49er’s Senior Citizen Club is hosting a Halloween costume party from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27 and dancing any Thursday, to the music of Chuck & the 49er’s. No smoking or alcohol.
Donation at the door. Located on Arnold Hills Road, two blocks south of SH 334, Seven Points.

Kemp Fall Festival
The Kemp Fall Festival will be held Saturday, Oct. 29. Park opens at noon, parade at 2 p.m. Vendors welcome. For more details, call (214) 534-4067.

Rootseekers Seminar
The Rootseekers Genealogical Society is hosting a seminar featuring Lloyd Bockstruck from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29.
He will speak on how to find the maiden names of females and Onomatology (the study of names) and other subjects. The event takes place at the First United Methodist Church Hall, 501 Third st. SH 198, Mabank. For information, call Brenda Price at (903) 880-2488 or go by Tri-County Library. Proceeds earned benefit the genealogy room at the library.

CC Church Octoberfest
Cedar Creek Church is holding Octoberfest from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29 at 142 Rodney Drive. There will be food, games, auctions and entertainment and a drawing for a car, televisions and other prizes. For information, call Cheryl Barr at (214) 530-5072.

Kemp Fun Fest
Hillcrest Baptist Church is holding its annual Fun Fest at 6-8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31, as an alternative to trick or treating. The church is located at 909 N Elm in Kemp. There will be food, games and prizes.

Decorating contest
The Gun Barrel City Beautification Committee is holding a holiday merchant decorating contest Tuesday, Nov. 1, at city hall. Entry fees are canned goods and the prize is $250. The winner will be announced Dec. 7.
For more information, call (903) 887-8620.

Humane Society needs
The Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake currently has a shortage of canned dog and puppy food and is in immediate need of donations. Lamb and rice or chicken is preferred. The brand is not important.

Square Dance
The Log Cabin Swingers Square Dance Club meets from 8 to 10 p.m. the first and third Saturday of each month.
All square dancers are welcome. No charge for observers.
Lessons taught by Club members are from 7 to 9 p.m. each Monday at Promenade Hall, 1210 N. Tool Drive, SH 274) Tool.
For information call (903) 340-9672.

Recovery Program
Celebrate recovery with Hurts, Habits and Hang-ups recovery program at 7 p.m. every Tuesday at the Church of the Nazarene located at 150 Mabelle Ln in Gun Barrel City. For more information, call (903) 880-7080.

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Hot check casher checked
Monitor Staff Reports
SEVEN POINTS–A suspected check forger is behind bars due to the prompt action of a business owner in Seven Points.
Shannon Wayne Smithers, 37, of Tool, is cooling his heels in the Henderson County lockup on a forgery of financial instrument charge with more charges expected, Seven Points Police Lt. Stewart Newby confirmed Thursday.
Like many business owners, Marcela Thapa, is tired of picking up the tab for purchases made with a hot check.
The owner of Quick Check Cashing in Seven Points, Thapa said that Smithers got four checks cashed at her establishment between Sept. 30 and Oct. 7. When he returned Oct. 7, she pressed the alarm button that brought the police to her shop at 101 N. Seven Points Drive (State Highway 274, at the intersection).
Thapa told The Monitor Smithers had come in twice over the weekend and cashed checks on Oct. 3 and Oct. 4, while she was out of the shop. She is out a total of $1,025 in cashed checks, she said.
“He came in again Wednesday (Oct. 5) but I couldn’t verify the information, so I wouldn’t cash his check,” she said. Each time the personal checks were made out to Smithers. Before he returned again Oct. 7, Thapa had gotten in touch with one of the account holders listed on the check, a Tool resident.
She learned that the man supposedly having issued the check died recently and that Smithers had no authority to have the checks. The deceased man turned out to be Smithers’ grandfather, Thapa said.
When Smithers came back, Thapa sounded the silent alarm that alerted police to a possible crime in progress.
Police officers Charlie Wilson and Gabriel Shue arrived before Smithers could leave and made the arrest.
Smithers is being held without bond on a parole violation, while the forgery charge drew a bond amount of $10,000 according to county jail records.
“We encourage everyone to call the police immediately if they suspect a crime may be in progress,” Newby said.

County extends burn ban to Nov. 30
Transportation study ordered; sheriff’s office to use armory
Susan Harrison
Monitor Staff Writer
KAUFMAN–Commissioners quickly voted to extend the Kaufman County burn ban to Nov. 30 at their Oct. 10 meeting.
“We got a little rain but not enough. We have issued over 70 citations for burn ban violations and a lot are to repeat offenders,” Kaufman County Fire Marshal Larry Ewing said.
Ewing’s office said the only outside permitted burning is cooking on an enclosed grill. Residents are forbidden to burn in the open – no burning in barrels, not burning of trash piles, wood or tree limbs.
Trash dumping for a fee is available at any of the county’s landfills, the Kemp Eco-Station or with trash collection services.
Commissioners also agreed to increase the rate for disposal of household hazardous waste at the Kemp Eco-Station from $10 to $15.
“I have reviewed the Eco-Station’s records and this is where I am low. I am currently charging $10 for 25 pounds and it costs $15 to dispose of 25 pounds. This increase will get me to a breakeven point,” Precinct 4 commissioner Tom Manning said.
Attorney Jeff Brown reported to the commissioners that justice of the peace collections are up 42.7 percent for the first nine months of 2011 ($1,941,850.65) compared with the same period in 2010 ($1,361,180.07).
“We have collected $580,670.58 more (than last year) and are still receiving and working cases,” said Brown.
County judge Bruce Wood told commissioners that for the 12- month period of Oct. 1, 2010 to Sept. 30, Kaufman County saw an increase in net revenues of $3,219,824 compared to the same period one year ago.
“As we discussed in September, the net revenue dropped because of our three payrolls in September,” Wood explained.
County auditor Hall Jones said that the figures were on a cash basis.
“The final figures will be available on an accrual basis once the outside auditors have made their adjustments,” Jones explained.
Precinct 2 commissioner Ray Clark asked commissioners to apply for a $100,000 transportation study loan at 1 percent from the North Central Texas Council of Governments – Regional Transportation Council Loan Program and they agreed.
“I have discovered that we have a lot of needs for transportation and we do not have a lot of funding,” Clark said.
The loan will identify transportation needs, prioritize them and assign costs to each.
“We (Kaufman County) can decide how much we want to spend, and then go to the voters to determine if they will okay a tax increase to pay for these,” Clark explained.
“If the bond program does not pass we (commissioners) will split the loan cost ($100,000) four ways with each commissioner paying $25,000. We have a line item in our budgets for engineering,” Clark added.
In response to the court considering the disposal of stray animals for the county, Manning reported that he visited an animal shelter in Seagoville and a spay and neuter clinic in Crandall.
“I have two more places to visit – Mesquite and Collin County. This is a huge, huge project to undertake. We will need a large building, personnel and other maintenance and operating expenses,” Manning said.
Kaufman County Sheriff David Byrnes reported his department is moving forward to install a new radio system by 2013 to comply with federal law.
“We will also have to meet the digital radio requirement in 2018,” Byrnes added.
“We plan to use the National Guard Armory for a regional and emergency communications center. We have inmates cleaning it up. We have power and gas,” Byrnes said.
In other business, commissioners approved line item transfers and payment of $931,613.89 in bills.

Mabank High School hosts 20th Cedar Creek Marching Festival

Monitor Photo/Pearl Cantrell
Kemp High School Band drum major Caleb Murray pauses in directing the Yellowjacket Band long enough for a trumpet solo from his pedestal during the 20th Cedar Creek Marching Festival in Mabank Oct. 8. One of 19 competing, KHS band, along with the band from Eustace High School made the final round in the all-day event. However a sudden down pour halted activity around 8:45 p.m. See the Thursday, Oct. 20 issue for more photos and coverage of the event.