Hatchery Halloween
The annual Halloween event at the Texas Fresh Water Fisheries Center is set for 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday (today), 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 7-9:30 p.m. Thursday (tonight), 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.

Garage sale at McDades
The Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake is hosting at garage sale from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 28-29, at McDades Nursery located on SH 274, Tool.

Styx gospel singing
The Styx Baptist Church is hosting a gospel singing 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28. Everyone is welcome. Bring instruments, music, CDs, friends and family. Refreshments served afterwards. The church is located at 31800 SH 85, six miles west of Seven Points. For information, call (214) 616-4659.

Lakeview Church Fest
Lakeview Church annual Fall Festival from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, in the church parking lot, located on the corner of SH 334 and Wood Street, across from Seven Points City Hall. Included are a bounce house, kid events, apple bobbing, cake and cup cake walks, a hay ride, hot dogs, chips, drinks and desserts. For information call the church at (903) 432-2682.

Providence Fall Fest
Providence Baptist Church is hosting its annual Fall Festival from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at 1016 Church Road, Tool. The event is free and includes hamburgers, hot dogs, hay rides, door prizes, cake walk and lots of candy for the kids. For information call the church at (903) 432-3238.

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

Rosser Cemetery benefit
Rosser Mt. Olive Church is hosting a benefit for Rosser Cemetery 1-6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29. Events include face painting, talent show, bounce house, cake walk, 3-on-3 basketball and a lot more. Bring a dish for the pot luck dinner. For information, call Erlisa Gibbons 469-595-3340.

Harbor Point POA sale
Harbor Point POA is hosting a super one day rummage and bake sale from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29.

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 at the First United Methodist Church Hall, 501 Third st. SH 198, Mabank. He will speak on how to find the maiden names of females and onomatology (the study of names). 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 of God is holding Octoberfest from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29 at 142 Rodney Dr. in Gun Barrel City. Food, games, auctions, entertainment and a drawing for a car, televisions and other prizes featured.. For more information, call Cheryl Barr at (214) 536-5072.

Tool Fall Festival
The city of Tool is hosting its annual Fall Festival for children ages 12 and under, from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at Oran White Civic Center. Events include games, candy, inflatables and much more. For information, call (903) 432-3522 ext. 101.

Kemp Fun Fest
Hillcrest Baptist Church is holding its annual Fun Fest 6-8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, as an alternative to trick or treating. The church is located at 909 N. Elm in Kemp. There will be food, games and prizes.

Rockin’ Country Church
The Rockin’ country Church is hosting its inaugural Children’s Fall Festival from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30, at 737 N. Seven Points Boulevard, Seven Points. Admission is one canned food or non perishable food item. Proceeds benefit the local food pantry. Included are bounce houses, games, cake walk, hot dogs and hamburgers.

Harbor Baptist Church
Harbor Baptist Church Trunk or Treat is set for 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30, including candy games and fellowship. The church is located at 12059 SH 198, Payne Springs.

Cardinal Halloween
The residents of Cardinal Hall, the newly opened residential hall at Trinity Valley Community College, is hosting Cardinal Halloween from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31. The trick-or-treat event is free and open to kids ages 12 and under. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Cardinal Hall is located at the intersection of Dean Street and Farm-to-Market Road 2494 on the TVCC-Athens campus.

Christian Life Center
The annual Hallelujah Party, hosted by Christian Life Center, is set for 6-8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31. The event is free and offers inflatables, games and lots of candy.
The church is located at 2611 W. Main, Gun Barrel City. For information, call (903) 887-5429.

First Baptist Fall Fest
First Baptist Church, Gun Barrel City, is hosting it annual Fall Festival from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31, with games, prizes, hayride, train ride, cake walk, hot dogs, soft drinks, popcorn and more. For information call (903) 887-6955.

Patriotic essay contest
The Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 4376 announces the 2012 Patriotic Essay Contest for students in grades 9-12. The winning essay on the theme, “Is There Pride in Serving in Our Military,” offers an opportunity for students to compete at higher levels to earn college funds. An essay contest for students in grades 6 to 8 is also offered. For information on either contest, call Cmdr. Sid McIntosh at (903) 432-2138 or president Lynn Hill at (903) 887-0827.

CCL Literary Club
The Literary Club of Cedar Creek Lake will hold an executive board meeting at the Library at Cedar Creek Lake in Seven Points at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1.

Care Giver’s seminar
The first Care Giver’s Information Seminar is set for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1, at the Kaufman County Extension Office, 2471 North SH 34, Kaufman. Speakers will be present to cover some tough subjects. For information call (972) 932-9069.

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.

PSUMC fellowship
The Payne springs United Methodist church fellowship night is set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2, with a covered dish dinner followed at 7 p.m. by entertainment by the Trinity Valley Community College Encore Ensemble. Public is invited. For information call (903) 451-3131.

First Presbyterian stew
The Busy Bees are serving up their annual stew and cornbread luncheon 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1 at the First Presbyterian Church in Mabank to complement their Christmas Bazaar, held Oct. 31-Nov. 2. The historic church is located at 112 W. Vernon St.
For more information, call (903) 887-2571.

Square dancing
Round and square dancing is held from 8 to 10 p.m. the first and third Saturdays of each month, at Log Cabin Swingers Square Dance Club, located at 1210 North Tool Drive (SH 274). Everyone is invited. No charge for observers. For information, call (903) 340-9672.

VFW food drive
The VFW Post 4376 and its Ladies Auxiliary in Seven Points are collecting nonperishable food items for the families in need of assistance at Christmas time. To make a donation, call (903) 432-2138.

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

CCL Garden Club
The Cedar Creek Lake Garden Club meets at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, at the Library at Cedar Creek Lake. The program, “Growing Lilies and Other Bulbs,” is by Steven Gent, owner of McDades Nursery and Garden Center. The public is invited.

Christmas bazaar
The Cedar Creek Lake United Methodist Church annual Christmas Bazaar is set for 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday Nov. 5, featuring Home and Holiday shop, bake shop, quilt donated by Marie Dicus, silent auction ending 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Lunch on both days begins at 11 a.m. Menu includes stew and cornbread, ham and chicken salad sandwiches and great desserts. Church is located at 100 S. Old Indian Trail, Tool.
For information, call (903) 432-3657.

Joker Tournament
The Cedar Creek Civic League is hosting a Joker Tournament and benefit with doors opening at 9 a.m. and play beginning at 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 7, in the Family Life Center of the First United Methodist Church in Mabank, located at 501 South Third St. (SH 198), Mabank. Registration fee includes lunch. Profits benefit area charities. To register, call Claudett Allsup at (903) 432-3545.

National EAS test
The Emergency Alert system Nationwide will take place at 1 p.m. local central time Wednesday, Nov. 9. This first nationwide test involves radio, television, satellite TV, cable TV and wireless video services. The test will resemble the monthly EAS test with minor differences.

Harbor youth supper
Harbor Baptist Church Youth Group invites the community to a spaghetti supper and an evening of food, fellowship and entertainment from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12. Donations will fund the youth camp. The church is located at 12059 SH 198. For information, call (903) 451-4171.

5K Fun Run/Walk
Helping All in One - DECA - is hosting a 5K Fun Run/Walk at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, at Mabank Pavilion. Register online at Mabankisd.net. For information, call (903) 292-3450 or (903) 467-2791 or e-mail alexis-jamey@aol.com.

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 Dr. (SH 274) in 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, 150 Mabelle Ln. in Gun Barrel City. For more information, call (903) 880-7080.

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Mabank gets big check
By Pearl Cantrell
Monitor Staff Writer
MABANK–At long last, the city of Mabank concluded its sale of 800 water meters to East Cedar Creek Fresh Water Supply District with a check presentation ceremony Tuesday.
Officials from both entities were on hand along with a giant check for $1,100,000.
“This is a red-letter day for the city of Mabank, a happy day,” mayor Larry Teague said.
ECCFWSD board president Harry McCune agreed saying he was glad to see it both as a board member and a water customer being switched over to the new system.
McCune, a resident of Loon Bay, will likely be one of the first to be hooked up to the District’s water system. However, all 800 water meter customers will benefit at the same time, as they all will be paying ECCFWSD’s lower water rates starting Nov. 1, general manager Bill Goheen said.
“That’s when we take possession of the meters, and take the closing and opening meter readings” he explained.
Loon Bay, Thunderbird Shores, Timber Land and Pleasureland are a few of the subdivisions that will be tied into the District’s system.
A bid opening is set for Nov. 10, and the District is also waiting on final approval of its engineering plan for the switch-over.
Once work is begun, it should take about six months to complete, weather permitting, Goheen said. However, the district has up to a full year to complete the tie-ins, he added.
Loon Bay meters are farthest away from the District’s infrastructure at about 600 feet away, he said. Pleasureland is just around 30 feet away from existing lines, he added.
“We anticipate a seamless process, with the least amount of disturbance to the customer (as tie-ins are made),” McCune said.
The two entities came to an agreement upon price and terms of sale June, 2009. Without shedding these customers of Mabank’s which reside in Gun Barrel City limits, Mabank would have had to expand its water treatment plant. However, Gun Barrel City protested the sale, wanting to begin its own water company with these same 800 meters.
In April, 2010, ECCFWSD directors raised water rates around a dollar on both water and sewer service, attributing the rise to the delay in completing the purchase and being able to spread its 2010 expenses over a broader customer base.

Drought continues, burn ban fixed
By Michael V. Hannigan
Monitor Staff Writer
ATHENS–The burn ban in Henderson County remains in effect, but the end may be in sight.
Tuesday morning, Henderson County Fire Marshal Darrell Furrh told commissioners the Keetch-Bynum Drought Index score in the county had dropped to 626, the lowest it has been in months. The index goes to a high of 800, and the county had been knocking on that ceiling for weeks prior to the recent rains.
Another good sign is that more rain is forecast for late in the week.
But Furrh reminded commissioners that a burn ban is normally initiated when the index hits 575.
Precinct 4 Commissioner Ken Geeslin pointed out that the current score is still higher than when the burn ban was started in April.
“We should not lift the burn ban at this time,” Furrh said. “We can see a light at the end of the tunnel, but not yet.”
One commissioner disagreed: Precinct 3 Commissioner Ronny Lawrence, who voted against extending the ban. Although he had no comments on the issue this week, Lawrence questioned the accuracy of the drought index last week. On several occasions, he has talked about the need for local ranchers to burn brush and feed bags.
However, the other commissioners were convinced by Furrh’s statistics, which included:
• officially, only between 13 and 16 inches of rain this year in Henderson County;
• records show the county has had less rain than in the “historic” 1980 drought;
• 229 counties in Texas still under burn bans;
• only one of the neighboring counties (Anderson) has lifted its ban.
In addition, officials were concerned that lifting the burn ban could negatively effect emergency assistance coming to the county from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
According to Emergency Management coordinator Joy Kimbrough the county’s fire departments are eligible, all together, for $676,000 in FEMA reimbursements based on their activity between Aug. 30 and Oct. 4. Kimbrough said that reimbursement eligibility continues, but could get cut off if the county ends the burn ban, while still under drought conditions.
Another concern is the consensus that the Texas drought is not going to end any time soon.
 

5th DWI conviction draws 7 years jail time
Monitor Staff Reports
ATHENS–An unrepentant driving while drinking suspect has been sentenced to seven years in state prison.
This was the fifth conviction for Driving While Intoxicated for Gary Wayne Mauldin, II, 34 of Frankston.
On Oct. 13, 173rd District Court Judge Dan Moore ordered his confinement.
During his August hearing, Mauldin testified in his own defense stating that he did not believe he had a drinking problem and that he did not need treatment.
Henderson County prosecuting attorney Justin Weiner focused on Mauldin’s denial and his failure to ever successfully complete a probated sentence in his closing argument and asked the court to sentence Mauldin to a prison term.
According to a press release from District Attorney Scott McKee, the trail lasted two days and the jury deliberated for less than two hours before rendering a guilty verdict.
Mauldin had been stopped by law enforcement at 1:42 a.m. March 31, 2010. State Trooper John Massey pulled him over on State Highway 155, near the Briarwood Bay Subdivision entrance. He was driving a car without insurance and without a valid driver’s license, the trooper testified. Mauldin’s license had been suspended after a previous DWI.
After Mauldin failed multiple field sobriety tests, he was arrested and charged with Driving While Intoxicated. Blood tests later confirmed intoxication, with a blood-alcohol content of .12. The legal limit is .079.
According to intoxication figures for men published by the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission (TACB), Mauldin, weighing 180 pounds according to jail records, would have reached .12 after five to six drinks within an hour of his having stopped drinking.