East Texas has a pretty full calendar when it comes to charitable fund raising events. It seems like every month brings another concert, silent auction, art exhibit, or special lecture benefitting a different cause or charity. Not that I’m against any of them mind you, I just find it difficult to keep up with all the goings on in our area. Well, this Friday, another musical event will be held at KE Bushman’s Winery & Celebration Center,and the proceeds go to a great cause. September the 16th, will be the fourth annual Stars & Guitars Country Music Charity Benefit for Parkinson’s Disease Awareness.
Admittedly, admission is not particularly cheap. Vip tickets are seventy five dollars per person or 100 dollars per couple. Included in that cost, is special seating, dinner and an open wine bar. General admission is twenty five dollars a head. General admission tickets, include the concert and two free drink tickets. Additional drink tickets can be purchased for about three dollars each. While the event is spendy, it’s for a good cause and will most likely tend to draw those for whom the cost is moderate. The venue is located in Bullard, at the Kiepersol winery.
For more information on the event, Contact: Kelly Boutin via e-mail at kmboutin@etmc.org, or call (903) 596-3618. Information can also be found by visiting the following websites: http://www.outhousetickets.com/Venue/Bushman’s_Event_Center/ , or http://www.examples-help.org.uk/anastrophe.htm .
I love museums. I realize that may sound either snooty or nerdy depending on who I’m speaking to, but it’s true. And as much as I love my home town, one of the things I really miss about living in a large city is the opportunity to visit various traveling exhibits. Tyler has always made a goal of cultivating its own arts and cultural community. In the last few years it seems to me that these efforts are starting to show fruit. Between the various events put on by the colleges and those sponsored by various civic groups, Tyler does a pretty good job of offering educational opportunities to the community at large. One example is the new exhibit currently on display at the Tyler Museum of Art entitled: “Object of Devotion: Medieval English Alabaster Sculpture.”
On display are sixty alabaster panel sculptures, on loan from the Victoria and Albert Museumin London. The pieces date to the fifteenth and sixteenth century, and depict various religious scenes. They were originally produced by English artists and served various functions in English churches. In addition to the exhibit itself, a free lecture will be held on Thursday, September fifteenth, at five thirty pm, entitled “Christians Then & Now: Medieval Religious Art and Today’s Church.” The lecture will be presented by Father Matt Boulter, of Christ Episcopal Church in Tyler.
The exhibit will run from September through October, and this is the only stop it will be making, either in our state, or the American southwest. Hopefully Tylerites will avail themselves of the opportunity to experience some significant religious art. Admission is free for museum members and children ages 12 and under. Adult tickets are seven dollars, and student and senior tickets five dollars. To attend Father Matt’s lecture it is necessary to RSVP. Simply call the museum, office at (903) 595-1001. For more information on the exhibit itself, visit the Tyler Museum of Art webpage at http://www.tylermuseum.org/ObjectOfDevotion.aspx .
There are quite a number of Independence Day festivities in the Tyler, East Texas area this year. Of course there will be the traditional fireworks display at Lindsey Field. In fact from what I read, quite a big crowd is anticipated this year. Throughout the day, there will be an assortment of activities and local charities and organizations will be sponsoring events. The cost is ten dollars per car load.
Living Alternatives in Lindale will also be holding its annual fireworks display again this year. This is a great day that’s really much more than just a fireworks show. There are all sorts of events and activities for the kids, including swimming, bounce houses, music and a variety of food vendors on hand. There is also a fishing tournament throughout the day. This is definitely one of my preferred Fourth of July events. Admission is free however a fifteen dollar donation is suggested. For more info see the following page: http://la4th.com/ .
For those looking for activities throughout the holiday weekend there are a couple of very cool educational things I thought I’d plug. The Historic Aviation Memorial Museum (HAMM) will be holding a static air show display on Saturday, the second of July, the day before the Thunder over Cedar Creek Air Show. The museum holds this event every year as the pilots fly in to perform the following day. HAMM has made arraignments for their historic aircraft to be on display to the public. There is a moderate fee to get up close and personal with the aircraft, (I believe it was five dollars last year), but viewing from the fence line is obviously free. To see my review of last year’s static air show, click on the following link: http://www.tylertxdirectory.com/3027/celebrating-the-4th-in-tyler-tx/ .
For Tylerites interested in going to an actual air show this year the “Wings Over Tyler Air Show,” will be on Sunday the third. Also at the HAMM terminal (the old Pounds field location for native East Texans), this event seems like kind of a long time coming for our area. It will feature a variety of performances and aircraft, and promises to bring out a lot of visitors. The entrance fee is twenty five dollars a car load, or five dollars per person. For more info on this event visit the following web sites: http://www.tylertxdirectory.com/9031/live-from-the-field-2/ ,http://www.wingsovertylerairshow.com/ .There are certainly other great celebrations in our area this year and a quick Google search will yield more results. But these are some of my personal favorites, and the ones in which I choose to participate. Happy Independence Day East Texas! And don’t forget to enjoy the grill this weekend!
Whenever I travel outside our state I’m barraged by the same old questions: “Do y’all still ride horses down there?” or “Isn’t it all deserts and cactus where you’re from?” Of course we here in Texas, know nothing could be further from the truth. In fact we’ve got everything from woods and forests to sandy coast lines to lakes, prairies, rolling hills and plains. And in our state, we’re blessed with a great park system in which we can experience the countryside. I know of no better way to break the old stereotypes about Texas, than to visit a few of our parks and see for oneself how beautiful and diverse our state’s typography really is.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has an interesting summer program going. It’s called the Texas Outdoor Family workshop (TOF). It’s essentially a way to promote the state park system, and get our young people outdoors. For sixty five dollars per family, a park ranger provides instruction to families and young people on things like: how to set up and break down a camp site, start a camp fire, cook outdoors, and participate in any number of nature activities. Events like fishing, kayaking and wildlife watchingare part of the program as well, where conditions exist.The park furnishes the necessary equipment to those who require it. Children as young as two are permitted, but five is recommended as the minimum age. Six campers per site are permitted.
The program is running throughout the summer, and new dates are being added regularly. In our immediate area, Tyler State Park is holding a workshop Saturday, June 4th. On the same weekend Eisenhower State Park, in Dallas will be holding their own version of the program as will Guadalupe River State Park, in San Antonio. More Events are scheduled for June 11th, including at one of my favorite Texas Parks, Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose. For more info on the workshop visit the following website at http://beta-www.tpwd.state.tx.us/outdoor-learning/texas-outdoor-family/ . Interested readers can also call the state office at (512) 389-8903.
I often write about events happening at area private schools, particularly when those schools are trying to raise funds. One school that I’ve not written a whole lot about, due largely to the fact that I really have no close ties to it; is East Texas Christian Academy (ETCA). Given however that I am a proponent of Private Christian Education, I thought I would give them a plug. As readers may or may not be aware, ETCA is experiencing quite a bit of growth. They just completed a new facility, and are now working on raising funds to grow their athletic department. Private schools in general, are likely to continue to grow in the face of cut backs in the public schools, especially in Tyler where the education market has been somewhat flooded in recent years. And with private athletics offering more opportunities every year, parents and families are likely to take an even greater interest in non-government schools.
On Monday, June 20th, ETCA will be holding the Jim Pattillo Memorial Golf Tournament, to raise money for its own athletic department. It will be held at Holly Tree Country Club and begins at 8:30 am. Fees include essentially green fees, cart and lunch. They run one hundred twenty five dollars for a single participant, and five hundred per team. The deadline to participate is June 10th. To register for the Jim Pattillo Memorial, call Aubrey Ballard at (903) 561-8642. For more information on the event and or the school, visit their web site at http://www.etca.org . Readers can also read my previous articles on ETCA, by clicking on the following links;http://www.tylertxdirectory.com/1049/challenging-academics-in-a-christian-environment/ and http://www.tylertxdirectory.com/3295/private-schools-in-tyler-texas/ .
There are quite a number of Independence Day festivities in the Tyler, East Texas area this year. Of course there will be the traditional fireworks display at Lindsey Field. In fact from what I read, quite a big crowd is anticipated this year. Throughout the day, there will be an assortment of activities and local charities and organizations will be sponsoring events. The cost is ten dollars per car load.
For those looking for activities throughout the holiday weekend there are a couple of very cool educational things I thought I’d plug. The Historic Aviation Memorial Museum (HAMM) will be holding a static air show display on Saturday, the second of July, the day before the Thunder over Cedar Creek Air Show. The museum holds this event every year as the pilots fly in to perform the following day. HAMM has made arraignments for their historic aircraft to be on display to the public. There is a moderate fee to get up close and personal with the aircraft, (I believe it was five dollars last year), but viewing from the fence line is obviously free. To see my review of last year’s static air show, click on the following link: 
For Tylerites interested in going to an actual air show this year the “Wings Over Tyler Air Show,” will be on Sunday the third. Also at the HAMM terminal (the old Pounds field location for native East Texans), this event seems like kind of a long time coming for our area. It will feature a variety of performances and aircraft, and promises to bring out a lot of visitors. The entrance fee is twenty five dollars a car load, or five dollars per person. For more info on this event visit the following web sites: 
I often write about events happening at area private schools, particularly when those schools are trying to raise funds. One school that I’ve not written a whole lot about, due largely to the fact that I really have no close ties to it; is East Texas Christian Academy (ETCA). Given however that I am a proponent of Private Christian Education, I thought I would give them a plug. As readers may or may not be aware, ETCA is experiencing quite a bit of growth. They just completed a new facility, and are now working on raising funds to grow their athletic department. Private schools in general, are likely to continue to grow in the face of cut backs in the public schools, especially in Tyler where the education market has been somewhat flooded in recent years. And with private athletics offering more opportunities every year, parents and families are likely to take an even greater interest in non-government schools.