April 2014 - Henderson County Now

Arts Council Hosts Quilt Show, Music Teachers Recital

Press release

The Cain Center in Athens was busy with many artistic endeavors on Saturday, April 22. A huge quilt show, featuring anything and everything about quilts was attended by many of those connected with the art and craft of quilting.

The Henderson County Arts Council sponsored two events: An Art Show and Sale featuring artists from around the county, and a Music Recital/Competition sponsored by Tubidy that featured young musicians who have just begun their journey learning chords and guitar scales with local music teachers: Nancy Hicks, Nancy Newman, Camille Smith, and Marylyn Wright. To overlook their musical performances, a few other musicians (who composed songs you could use as cool gifts) were invited.

The Henderson County Music Teachers group has “resurrected,” according to President, Dr. Marylyn Wright, music professor emeritus from Trinity Valley Community College. Dr. Wright is teaching music lessons from her home at the MW Music Studio in Athens. The teachers have been meeting this year and reorganized after several years of inactivity, when several music teachers had relocated or retired.

With the help of the Henderson County Arts Council, the HCMT hosted a recital competition for all youth ages. Arts council president, Stewart Cochran, and several HCAC board members attended the event to support the performers. Cochran remarked to the audience, “The musicians who are performing today are developing a lifetime skill; each parent and grandparent who supports their young musician are to be commended for your contribution to the future of the arts in Henderson County. You are making a difference. ” Continue reading “Arts Council Hosts Quilt Show, Music Teachers Recital”

Bulletin Board – April 30

Garage Sales

— LaRue United Methodist will be having its annual “Trash to Treasure” sale in the LaRue UMC parsonage on Friday (May 2nd- 8am-5pm) and Saturday (May 3rd- 8am-??). All proceeds will go towards the community Youth Rally set for July 23-25. Location: 11259 County Road 4353, Larue, TX 75770 (Off of FM 607 in LaRue).

— Suncrest Addition Garage Sale: Come join us for the second annual community garage sale. There will be a wide variety of items for sale at several homes participating in the addition. Plus there will be an old fashioned lemonade stand to boot! The sale is May 3 start at 8 a.m. and running until closing. The addition is located, heading east on FM 2495, just past the Athens Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center on the right.

((The Bulletin Board is posted every weekday morning. It is an opportunity for our users to list garage sales, items for sale, items wanted, job listings … well, you get the idea. Just send us a message on our Facebook page and give us your information. And as always with Henderson County Now, there is no charge for advertising on the Bulletin Board. REMEMBER: If you want me to rerun an item from the previous week, you have to let me know … you don’t have to retype the whole listing, just let me know to rerun it …. If you don’t let me know, it won’t run again.))

MILITARY NEWS: Sherman Graduates Basic Training

Air Force Airman Timothy A. Sherman graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.

The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.

Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.

Sherman is the son of Tim W. and Jana L. Sherman of Chandler.

He is a 2014 graduate of Brownsboro High School.

GBC Gets Highest Award for Financial Transparency

Gun Barrel City press release

Gun Barrel City has been awarded the Platinum Leadership Circle Award in Transparency by the Texas Comptroller. The Platinum Star Award was created for government entities that exceed the high standard of the Gold Award.

Gun Barrel City is the only city in Henderson County to receive this award. The award is a new designation for the highest level of financial transparency.

The City previously achieved the Gold Leadership Circle Award which has been the highest level each year since the program began in 2009. In 2013 the city was recognized for their continued efforts towards financial transparency.

This effort of transparency is a reflection of the leadership at City Hall desiring to build a strong level of trust with the citizens. Every tax payer has the right to know how each dollar of their money is spent. Every check is listed on the web site as well as the entire budget. It is a great accomplishment to receive the Platinum Star Award in its first year. The City Treasurer, Mickie Raney and our team are committed to this city and accountable on how we manage the finances.

The Comptroller’s office Leadership Circle recognizes local governments that have either taken the first steps toward, made strides to meet, or have exceeded transparency standards. The four award levels are:

Platinum – “Platinum” spotlights entities that go above and beyond providing financial transparency.
Gold – “Gold” highlights those entities that are setting the bar with their transparency efforts.
Silver – “Silver” encourages those who are making progress.
Bronze – “Bronze” inspires those who are just beginning their transparency efforts.

Gun Barrel City was recognized for having the city budget, check register, and financial reports online. Additionally, the city has previous year’s financial audits, contact information for elected officials and city staff, municipal codes, and past city council meetings and agendas.

TVCC Holds Athletic Banquet

By Michael V. Hannigan

Trinity Valley Community College held its annual sports banquet Tuesday night. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to go, but my HCN partner Jeff Weinstein did and he said it was an excellent event.

Like sports banquets everywhere there were all sorts of well-deserved awards given out, but there were three standouts.

1. Male Athlete of the Year: Ryan Polite … Polite was the quarterback for a Cardinal offense that often lit up the scoreboard like a pinball machine, and was named the Southwest Junior College Football Conference’s Most Valuable Player.

Polite set three conference records last year:

Most Passing Touchdowns, season: 35 (2013)
Most Passing Completions, season: 299 (2013)
Most Passing Attempts, season: 454 (2013)

2. Female Athlete of the Year: Adut Bulgak … A two-time national champion, Bulgak has earned all the accolades she has received, and there have been many. The best may be Junior/Community College Player of the Year by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).

“Adut is a special one,” said Lady Cardinal head coach Elena Lovato. “She exemplifies a strong commitment to core values both on and off the court.

“As a two-time national champion and All-American, she naturally established herself as a leader and was named co-captain of the team this year. Her passion for success and diligent work ethic come second to none. She acts with purpose, desire, tenacity and perseverance.”

3. The Cardinal Cup: TVCC Football … Let’s let TVCC Sports Information Officer Benny Rogers explain this one:

“Tuesday night at the fourth annual TVCC Athletic Banquet, the Cardinals were awarded the Cardinal Cup — the prize for a fall/spring semester-long competition in which the college’s athletic department teams/groups are awarded points for supporting each other and for community service.”

“The Cardinals edged out the volleyball team by 56 points, 650-594. Last year, the volleyball team topped the football team by the closest margin in the three-year history of the competition, scoring 606 points for a 34-point winning margin. The softball team was a distant third this year with 238 points.”

“The Cardinal Cup, which began in the 2010 fall semester, is designed as a competition to help encourage student-athletes and other organizations at the college to become more involved and the events that take place on campus, not just athletic events. The program was implemented to create a supportive and active fan base of TVCC students to visibly and vocally support performing groups.”

You can check out more photos from the TVCC Sports banquet here.