Lifestyle

Opening night for "The Butler Did It", written by Tim K

elly, will be at 7:30 p.m.  Friday, Aug. 21 at The Talent Box, a nonprofit community theatre,  located at 244 N. 4th, Wills Point. 

Other regular seating performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22,  and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23. 

Dinner theatre seating will be held at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 28 and 29. 

There will be a reception following the opening night performance.

Due to problems with a chair lift, handicap access will not be available.
Admission for adults is $10; seniors/students is $8; and children age 12 and under is $5. 

Dinner admission is $17 per person with $10 for children age 10 and under when accompanied by an adult. 

Prepaid reservations are required and may be made by calling the theatre at 903-873-8945.  Leave your name, telephone number, number in your party and date you wish to attend.  Calls will be returned. 

Tresa Tatyrek of Dallas presented a program on researching land records in order to obtain family information during the Van Zandt County Genealogical Society meeting July 25, at the main county library in Canton. Approximately 30 society members and guests attended the session.

Her newest topic, "Start with Land," focused on online research of some of the best sites available when researching land records. She spoke about the Bureau of Land Management website, the Virginia Northern Neck online records available through the Library of Virginia, North Carolina Grants which are being put up by the North Carolina Archives, and Pennsylvania Patents Indexes and surveys.

Margaret (Mickey) Caldwell Robinson celebrated her 100th birthday on July 30. She marked the occasion with a gathering of family and cherished friends this past Saturday at the Van Zandt Country Club. When asked the secret to her long life she says with a smile, “I like it here so I decided to stay.” Mickey was born on July 30, 1915, in Montell to William Martin Caldwell and Alice Whitfield. She had one younger brother Maxwell. As a young girl, Mickey lived in many Texas towns including Lubbock, Dallas and San Antonio. Her first aspiration was to be a detective. Later, she became obsessed with aviation and wanted to be a pilot.

Summer isn’t quite over at Van Zandt County Library.  See Facebook, or ask at the desk about other activities.

Fall and winter plans are being discussed.  The Friends of the Library have upgraded the Buchanan Room visual and sound capabilities, and groups are already scheduling meetings.  Several Thursday night activities will be announced soon.  Remember, Thursday the Library opens at noon and is open until 8 p.m.  Delta Kappa Gamma, Canton Rotary, Canton Lions and other groups are pairing with the library to assist in programs.

The Red Brick Quarters Boutique, located at 124 N. Fourth St., held a special ribbon cutting ceremony July 24. Those attending the ceremony included Lanette Thomas, Yevette Lowe, Maria Gordan, Michael Clark, Diana Wilcoxson, Tamberlee Mitchell, Charlene Rose and Megan Wadsworth among others. The boutique includes shopping, painting at the bricks and a tea room.

Rep. Dan Flynn (R–Van) and Rep. Roberto Alonzo (D–Dallas) have been named Legislators of the Year by the Texas Public Employees Association, a nonunion, nonpartisan legislative advocacy organization for Texas state government employees and retirees.

Flynn and Alonzo distinguished themselves in the eyes of the association’s 15,000 members for the leadership role they took in addressing the unfunded liabilities of the Employees Retirement System pension fund through the authorship and passage of House Bill 9.

The two lawmakers were honored at the TPEA Awards Luncheon earlier this month at the Holiday Inn–Town Lake in Austin.

John David Crow of Wills Point Ford and Wills Point Chevrolet recently participated in an intensive, four-day seminar for dealers in Dearborn, Mich., sponsored by Ford Motor Company.

The seminar discussed ways to meet or exceed customer expectations and to help those customers be more completely satisfied every time they visit the dealership to shop, to buy or lease a new or used vehicle, or to get their existing vehicle serviced.

Ford executives were involved with dealers throughout seminar and a variety of programs that Ford provides to support dealership actions were highlighted.

As part of the seminar, dealers had a tour of an assembly plant to see for themselves how quality is built into every new Ford vehicle, that process assisted by Ford management and United Auto Workers sharing common goals and encouraging teamwork, car company officials said.

The Wills Point Independent School district is excited to announce that we will be hosting the fourth annual “Back to School Fair” for our students who may qualify for free and reduced lunches.

This event will give our students an opportunity to participate in several activities that will be offered that day.  Some of the activities include vaccinations, vision screening, haircuts, dental supplies (samples of tooth paste and tooth brushes), hygiene products, books and school supplies.

Parents will have the opportunity to complete the necessary paperwork to receive free or reduced meals.  Information will be available about the CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) program, the Lone Star Card and Medicaid.  A representative from WIC (Women, Infant and Children) will be at the event.  Registration for primary students will also be available.

Trinity Valley Community College in Athens will host a second freshman orientation for Saturday, Aug. 1.

Registration is $35 for students and $10 for parents. The fee covers lunch, all programs and materials. Sign-up deadline is July 29.

Students will learn how to transition from high school to college, register for fall classes, financial aid and attend sessions on money management, campus security, and the Cardinal Connection (the online student portal for information and managing applications, student financial aid and more,) school officials said.

For more information, contact TVCC Counseling at 903-675-6350 or email advisinghelp@tvcc.edu.