People, Places & Events

Santa photos benefit Friends of the Animals
Special to The Monitor
GUN BARREL CITY–Friends of the Animals at Cedar Creek Lake is holding its annual Santa photos event from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 17.
Lakeview Nursery and Landscape (formerly McDade’s) on State Highway 274 in Tool again is the site for this event, with its beautiful backdrop of Christmas trees and poinsettias.
The cost is a $10 (or more) donation and for this, you get two 4x6 color 35mm photos.
No appointment is necessary, but all dogs should be on a leash, cats should be in carriers and should be current on vaccinations.
The timing of this event will give pet owners plenty of time to have the photo made into Christmas cards or framed as a present.
Friends of the Animals runs the low-cost spay/neuter clinic.
Open only on Tuesdays for surgery, this clinic, in its little over five-year history, has neutered more than 12,200 animals, saving/preventing literally millions of unwanted lives.
Surgery prices range from $25 for a male cat to $65 for an more than 100-pound female dog.
For more information on this event, volunteering, or to make a surgery appointment, call (903) 887-PETS (7387).
Donations may be sent to P.O. Box 5455, Gun Barrel City, TX 75147.
Be sure to visit the web site at www.friendsoftheanimals.org 

Chamber learns secrets to e-mail marketing
By Barbara Gartman
Monitor Staff Writer
GUN BARREL CITY–Approximately 78 members and guests of The Greater Cedar Creek Lake Area Chamber of Commerce attended the Nov. 8 luncheon.
“This really blows my mind,” said speaker Julie Niehoff, owner of Constant Contact.
Niehoff complemented the Chamber for its membership support, comparing it to the Dallas Chamber of Commerce, which often has about 25 members show up for a meeting out of a membership of 25,000.

Monitor Photo/Barbara Gartman
Julie Niehoff

Niehoff presented a program on “The Best Practices in e-mail Marketing.”
She expanded on a five-step strategy, telling members:
• focus on relationship, not what’s for sale.
• how to get them to open an e-mail, now.
• give them a reason to talk.
• use an e-mail marketing service, and
• know your statistics.
Her explanations of each topic held the attention of the audience.
The luncheon was sponsored by Franklin Bank and hosted by the Tool/Seven Points Branch of the Chamber.
The Ambassadors named the three local newspapers as Business of the Month.
Kathi Nailing accepted for The Pilot, Charles Moore for The Shopper and Barbara Gartman for The Monitor.
In other business, members were told:
• three holiday events are upcoming; the Eustace Christmas on the Square and annual parade is set for Saturday, Dec. 8.
• a Christmas parade benefiting Toys for Tots in Mabank is set for Saturday, Dec. 1.
• Gun Barrel City Christmas Parade is set for Saturday, Dec. 8.

Monitor Photo/Linda K. Holt
Barbara Gartman (left) accepts the Business of the Month plaque presented to The Monitor by Jo Ann Hanstrom, president of The Greater Cedar Creek Lake Area Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber’s Ambassador group names the business of the month.
 

Classical music fund-raiser helps Seven Points library
Special to The Monitor
SEVEN POINTS–A sincere thanks to the many people in the community who raised $6,900 for the Endowment Fund of Cedar Creek Lake Library.
Love of learning, appreciation of fine music and excellent food attracted a stimulating audience to the beautiful home of Kathy and Dr. Mark Hughes.
Tim Danielson, local pianist, welcomed guests with a pre-concert performance that had “Baya” Kakouberi the featured classical pianist humming along approvingly.
Eugene Osadchy, professor of cello at University of North Texas and principal cellist of the Plano Symphony was entertaining, informative and played superbly.
Baja’s solo performance of Franz Liszt’s “Mephisto Waltz,” from memory was breathtaking, and an insight as to her being among the “World’s Ten Most Distinguished Pianists” at an international piano competition.
Comments from the crowd were “I felt like we were back in some other era when music was enjoyed in salons or music rooms in Europe. It was just a perfect evening,” “Thank you for opening your beautiful home for everyone to experience the magnificent music,” “From champagne to cheesecake, it was an enchanted evening. It was pure perfection,” “A wonderful evening – an exceptional concert,” and “We have lived at the lake for more than five years now, and Saturday was one of the highlights of our tenure.”
After the concert, the guests mingled with the musicians and shared perfect fall weather, food, wine and the experience of an enchanting evening on the Hughes’ lakeside patio.
The Endowment Fund’s Board thanks the Hughes for their generosity in providing the perfect venue for this stellar event and also the sponsors who made the evening a financial success.
Sponsors for the event were, Nan and Ed Creel of the Triple N Ranch, Dr. Soi Sy of Cedar Creek Health Care, Diane Shaw of Shaw and Associates and Karen Kennedy of Smith Barney.
The Endowment Fund, along with the Board of Directors of the Library at Cedar Creek Lake, the Friends of the Library and the Literary Guild, strive to provide the financial support required to keep the Library functioning.
The Library can only provide its many services to the Lake Community with the donations received from local citizens and governments, donations which must necessarily be aggressively and constantly sought by these four groups in order to meet its annual operating expenses and retain its certification.
On behalf of the Endowment Fund and all of those others who donate their time, money and energy to keep the Library active, gratitude is expressed to the guests and sponsors of this event for their help in maintaining the Library at Cedar Creek Lake.