New Year’s dance party, square dance lessons start
Special to The Monitor
TOOL–The Log Cabin Swingers are hosting a great way to ring in the New Year here at Cedar Creek Lake.
They are hosting a New Year’s Eve Dance Party with a new format that includes Country Western dancing. All are welcome. A $10 donation will be asked at the door.
Open dancing begins at 10 p.m. and lasts until midnight, along with traditional foods of cornbread and black-eyed peas, ice tea and coffee in a smoke-free environment.
The large dance floor, largest in the lake are, is open to all ages for the New Year’s Eve event.
The evening begins with an hour of complimentary dance instruction from 7-8 p.m. with square dancing and country western dancing intermixed between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., followed by open dancing and snacks until midnight. For more information on the dance party or dance lessons, call (903) 880-8822 or (214) 543-8641 for more information.

Special to The Monitor
TOOL–The Log Cabin Swingers are also hosting a Sunday afternoon country western dance 2-5 p.m. Jan. 22, 2012, with a great band coming down from Dallas. A small donation will be accepted at the door.
Also a beginner’s square dancing class is set to begin the first of February. The Log Cabin Swingers are hosting 10 weekly lessons to get your feet wet.
Plan to keep your New Year’s resolution by square dancing.

 

Special advocates salute volunteers
Specail to The Monitor
ATHENS–Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) of Trinity Valley honored volunteers at the Honorable Jim Parsons Volunteer Awards and Recognition Banquet Dec. 8.
The banquet is named in honor of the Honorable Judge Jim Parsons, a long time advocate of children’s rights and strong supporter of the work CASA does throughout the country.
CASA of Trinity Valley presented awards to all volunteers present in various categories including Leaders in Advocacy, Shining Stars, Rookies of the Year and Volunteers of the Year.
Shining Star Awards went to 47 recipients celebrating a total of 73 cases closed this year with children being placed in a safe permanent environment.
CASA volunteers are assigned a case when a child enters the Child Protective Services system. Some of their responsibilities include speaking for the child when they are unable, advocating for the child’s wishes to be approved in legal hearings and insures the child is eventually placed in a safe and permanent home where they can live safely and happily.
Rookie of the Year awards were presented to volunteers in their first year of service with CASA and included Larry West and Elvis Allen from Henderson County, Deb Parish from Anderson County and Terra Oden of Cherokee County.
The Volunteer of the Year award was presented to those volunteers exhibiting exceptional support to the children they represent and considered to “have gone the extra mile for CASA kids.”
The recipients of the Volunteer of the Year were Roy Talbot and Sally Simon of Henderson County along with Debbie Riggins of Anderson County and Clara Page of Cherokee County.
CASA of Trinity Valley volunteers total 63 actively assigned to cases.
Volunteers contributed more than 1,350 hours of case work and drove more than 23,000 miles while serving 546 children during 2011.
For more information on becoming a CASA volunteer and helping abused and abandoned children in your area call (903) 675-7070 or go to www.casaoftv.org.
 

What to do when a pet goes missing
Robyn Wheeler
Monitor Contributing Writer
CEDAR CREEK LAKE– When a beloved pet runs away, gets lost or accidently escapes, dealing with the loss can be a traumatic and trying time for everyone involved, children and adults.
Pets, whether cat, dog, snake, fish or tarantula, become a part of the family and life without them is never the same.
And most animals can be determined and smart enough to crawl out of the tiniest opening, knock down barriers, jump over fences and learn to flee at the slightest hint of freedom.
Owners do their best, but let’s face it, losing a pet can happen to anyone. And the second a pet cannot be found, panic hits hard and fast.
Wondering what to do, many people do not even try to find their pet, especially if it is a small one such as a hamster, tarantula or snake.
However, before allowing panic to get the best of you, here are a few things you can do to increase the odds of “Fido’s” return:
• Post as many signs as you can around your neighborhood. Especially corners where drivers will see them as they drive by. Make sure to cover all directions cars may travel. Be sure to include the color, size and type of animal along with your phone number and amount of reward, if one is offered.
Write in large print with thick bold marking pens blue, black or green in color.
• Visit your neighbors in person. All of them. Let them know when and where your pet went missing and ask them to look out for your pet.
• Post fliers in local supermarkets, fast food chains, churches and any place where many people will gather.
• Put an ad in your local newspaper. Include a photo, if you have one, animal’s name and description.
Also, do not forget to check the “found” section of the newspaper in case your pet was found by someone else.
• Do not forget to call the local sheriff’s department, animal shelters and city animal control with a complete description of your lost pet. Call or drop by every day to check out the most recent animals picked up or dropped off.
• Keep looking every day. Walk around the neighborhood or around the block. Get in the car and drive a few miles in every direction. And search at different times of the day.
• When you acquire a cat or dog, put a collar and name tag on your pet. Tags are inexpensive and can be created from the kiosks in supermarkets such as Wal-Mart, Tom Thumb and Kroger’s. (This, of course, is not possible with hamsters, snakes, and spiders and such.)
• Microchip your cat or dog soon after adopting them. When they are dropped off at a shelter, the microchip scanners will pick up the ID information on the chip so your pet will be returned as soon as possible.
Microchipping can be expensive however the benefits outweigh the cost when your small family member is returned safe and sound.
• Stay positive and enlist the help of friends and relatives. The more folks out there looking, the better chances of your pet being returned.
• If your pet was an indoor pet and never allowed outside, keep looking in the small nooks and crannies of the house.
Move furniture, rummage through drawers and closets. Remember, most animals especially the sick, injured or nocturnal animals, love remote, dark, cool places. Even a large snake or rabbit can hide in places we think would be too small for them to crawl into.
• If you have lost a nocturnal pet such as a snake or tarantula, keep a flashlight by your bed.
Wake up several times a night, scan floors, drapes and other places for your pet. You may be asleep, but your nocturnal friend will probably be out looking for its next meal.
• If you are sure you know what room the animal got loose in, keep the door closed at all times. Unless it is a small insect or arachnid, they most likely will not be able to escape that room. Narrowing down the places you need to look, is always very helpful.
• Don’t set out food. Pets could come out, eat, and then go back into hiding. Then you wake up to the no bait and no pet. If the animal is hungry, it will most like show up during unexpected times.
With a little effort and persistence your pet can be found. Don’t give up. Some animals have been known to return home even after weeks and months of being gone.
(Editor’s note: Robyn Wheeler, the former owner of The Creature Teacher, writes from experience having lost and then found her 30-pound pet, Sulcata tortoise named Scooter, in 2009.)
 

Come Adopt Us At The Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake

We have many animals at the Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake in Seven Points in dire need of a good home. Please call or stop by the Humane Society today and rescue one of these forgotten animals. The Humane Society of Cedar Creek Lake is located on 10220 County Road 2403 in Seven Points. For more information, please call (903) 432-3422 after 11 a.m. We are closed on Wednesday and Sunday.

For further information visit our website at petfinder.com