Boot Scootin Ball 2013 Themed "Lucky 13"

“Lucky 13”, the 13th Annual Boot Scootin’ Ball, is scheduled for October


Boot Scootin' Ball 2013

19th at 6:00 pm at the Bar-K-R Ranch in Pottsboro.

  For thirteen years the Ball has been the largest single fundraiser in support of the fire and medical emergency services provided by Preston Volunteer Emergency Services(PVES).   PVES provides fire suppression service to the Preston Peninsula of Lake Texoma and emergency medical service to the lake communities of Preston, Pottsboro and Locust.  In addition, PVES has a mutual aid agreement with both Locust and Pottsboro Fire Departments.   Among the needs funded by Ball proceeds include matching grants to purchase equipment, provide fire and medical training, endow a Grayson College Emergency Services scholarship and assist in funding a capital funds campaign for a future new emergency services facility.

With over 1,000 Ball-goers, this year’s Ball should prove to be better than ever.  The incomparable Eddie Deen will furnish the barbeque with all the trimmings and a variety of ice cold libations will be   ready to quench your thirst.  Dance the night away to the boot stompin’ music of Chance Cody and Spur 503. The live auction features items such as a hunting trip, metal sculpture, carved eagle, beach and mountain vacations, firearms training, catered dinners and much more.  The silent auction will have the always- anticipated selection of beautifully decorated and ready-to-give baskets and stand-alone items.  The BIG BOARD kicks it up a notch by offering one-of-a-kind items such as a designer-made John Wayne portrait quilt, stained glass art, original paintings, gourmet dinners and an assortment of not-to-be-missed offerings.  Chances for the  Landmark Bank money machine, 50/50 split and gold krugerrands could offer an opportunity to go home with some extra cash.
 
For tickets or more information call 903-786-9522.

For more interesting things to do in the Lake Texoma area, be sure to visit
http://www.texomaconnect.com/Texoma_Area_Events.html   If you feel the need to tap your toes to live music or swirl around the dance floor visit the Live Music Calendar

  Hope to see you on the Lake this weekend!

Friends of Hagerman Announce September Photographer of the Month

By Friends of Hagerman

Maggie Goodman has been named September Photographer of the


Kildeer by Maggie Goodman

Month by the Friends of Hagerman.  Maggie who is from Southlake, Texas, will have a virtual album of twelve photographs taken at Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge featured on the Friends website, friendsofhagerman.com/Gallery for the month.

Goodman is a sophomore at University of Alabama majoring in Chemical Engineering.   Always interested in photography, she says “I used to chase my mother’s cats around the back yard with a camera, telling them to give me ‘cattitude’. Now I chase birds and other wildlife, with the addition of my other pets (horses, chickens, a dog, and, yes, cats)”.

Goodman shoots with a Nikon D5000, but doesn’t claim a favorite lens.  She started volunteering out at Hagerman NWR  with her mother as part of a program at her school called  the Success Scholars. She says, “I love the natural beauty of Hagerman and the peaceful serenity it offers, be it a drive or a hike.”

Photography is one of the most popular activities at Hagerman and the Friends offer a number of  photo activities.  Entries for the fourth annual Hagerman NWR Photography y Contest are being accepted through September 6.  The next bimonthly  meeting of the Nature Photography Club will be at 12:30 pm on Saturday, September 14, in the Audio Visual Classroom at the Refuge.  John Mead, Blue Lion Photography, will be the speaker for the meeting, which is open to anyone interested in nature photography.  For more information, contact fohphotoclub@gmail.com.

Eleven-year-old Is State’s Youngest Elite Angler

News Release Texas Parks & Wildlife, Aug. 22, 2013

ATHENS — Keatyn Eitelman of Pottsboro became Texas’ 25th Elite Freshwater Angler—and the state’s youngest—on August 2, 2013, less than two weeks before his eleventh birthday. He finished this task when he caught a 21.25-inch, 5.5-pound largemouth bass from Lake Texoma on July 23 and submitted it for a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Big Fish Award.

Keatyn Eitelman of Pottsboro caught this 16.5-inch white bass from Lake Texoma on December 2, 2012, the second fish of five he needed to achieve Elite Angler status. © Photo Courtesy Nailen Eitelman

An Elite Angler is a one-time achievement award for an angler who catches trophy-class fish of five different species. There are freshwater and saltwater categories. To be eligible, an angler must earn five freshwater or five saltwater Big Fish Awards. A Big Fish Award is given for a fish meeting or exceeding a minimum length for each species.

Keatyn began his quest on November 28, 2012, when he caught a blue catfish measuring 39.25 inches from Lake Texoma.  Encouraged by his father, Nailen, Keatyn proceeded to collect Big Fish Awards from Lake Texoma for white bass (16.5 inches, December 2, 2012), smallmouth bass (18.5 inches, December 11, 2012), and his largemouth bass.  He also caught a white crappie (18.25 inches) from Lake Fork on March 10, 2013.

TPWD offers many ways to be recognized as an angler: state and water body records by weight, catch and release records by length, First Fish Awards, Outstanding Angler, Big Fish Awards, and Elite Angler. Visit http://tpwd.texas.gov/fishrecords for all the listings and an application. If you catch a fish you think qualifies, remember to take good pictures of the fish to aid in identification. If the award is based on length, one of the pictures must show the fish on a ruler. Don’t forget to take pictures of yourself holding the fish, too.

Your local TPWD fisheries biologist will be happy to help you obtain forms, identify your catch and weigh it on a certified scale. Search for the biologist nearest you at http://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/management/biologist/.

Some grocery stores will weigh fish for you, and bait shops or feed stores may have certified scales. Locations of certified scales can be found at https://tpwd.texas.gov/fishboat/fish/programs/fishrecords/scales.phtml.

Official Toyota ShareLunker Program Weigh and Holding Stations also have certified scales; locations are listed at http://tpwd.texas.gov/spdest/visitorcenters/tffc/sharelunker/holding/. The fish must be weighed within 3 days of the catch. However, weigh the fish as soon as possible to prevent any weight loss due to regurgitation or dehydration.

Lake Texoma is a wonderful place for family fun adventures - come for a day, a weekend, a week or a lifetime.  For more information about the Texoma area and fun things to do on Lake Texoma, visit www.texomaconnect.com

Taste of Texas Photo Contest Winner Announced

American Bank of Texas Announces Scholarship Winner

 

Pottsboro, Texas – Katie Kirkpatrick, a 2011 graduate of Pottsboro

My favorite things - boots, spurs & saddle

High School, garnered the most votes in a first-time Facebook photo contest sponsored by American Bank of Texas (ABTexas), winning a $1,000 scholarship as a prize. Launched on June 1, contest rules stated that anyone who would be paying tuition in the fall of 2013 was eligible to enter the contest by posting a picture which showed a "Touch of Texas" to go along with the bank's theme of Great Texas People - Great Texas Bank. Kirkpatrick's submission featured her favorite view of Texas – her spurs, boots and saddle. She won with more than 700 votes.

Kirkpatrick said she decided to post an entry when she saw the information while banking online. When she returns to Tarleton State University in Stephenville this fall as a junior, she'll be taking her horse, Moon, with her. "I was so glad the contest wasn't only for entering freshmen," Kirkpatrick said. "It seems like there are a lot of scholarships available when you are graduating from high school but after that the opportunities get harder to find."

Kirkpatrick is a pre-vet/animal science major who said she picked Tarleton for her undergraduate education because she had been there often on Future Farmers of America trips for livestock judging and cheerleading camp while in high school.

Melissa Musgrave, ABTexas marketing communication specialist, was thrilled with the results of the contest. "We had 20 entries and almost 1,700 votes. We can't wait to see what kind of participation we get with this contest next year," Musgrave said.

As for Kirkpatrick's future, she said she hopes to be in veterinary school at either Texas A&M or Oklahoma State University a few years down the road. After that, she plans to be a veterinarian in either Colorado or maybe much closer to home.

 

About American Bank of Texas

American Bank of Texas has total assets of approximately $2 billion, a network of thirty-two (32) branches in twenty-two (22) Texas cities and employs over five-hundred (500) great Texas people.

For more Lake Texoma news, events, entertainment and tourism information visit www.TeoxmaConnect.com. 

Lake Texoma Community Forum

GO TEXAN promotes the products, culture and communities that call Texas home.  The GO TEXAN Rural Community Program is a comprehensive initiative from the Texas  Department of Agriculture designed to promote the growth and prosperity of every rural Texas town, city and county.

This program creates a single rallying call for rural Texas, educating the public about all rural Texas has to offer and encouraging rural communities to share and promote successful ideas.



Lake Texoma - a Premier Vacation Destination

This program is well suited to the Lake Texoma area which offers many tourism opportunities for Nature and the great outdoors.  The program is divided into four main nature tourism categories:  Adventure, Agritourism, Fishing & Hunting.

Specifically for the Lake Texoma area, the lake itself is of course huge as a premier fishing destination, but the Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, Crosstimbers and Eisenhower Park hiking trails, biking trails, and wineries are also an intregal part of tourism attractions in the Lake Texoma area.

Texas is the fifth-largest wine-producing state in the nation, and its wineries have a special allure. Each is unique in its setting and personality. Wineries throughout the north Texas area surrounding Lake Texoma offer public tours of their facilities and tastings for individuals and groups. It's an enjoyable day trip, weekend getaway or vacation destination. In ever-increasing numbers, consumers are visiting north Texas wineries, attending community wine festivals such as the Denison Wine Renassiance, the Ivanhoe Wine Festival and the Whiteright Rose and Wine Festival,  enjoying the delicious difference of a fine, Texas vintage.

Darrell Dean, Regional Director, Go-Texan, Department of Agriculture, State of Texas, will present information to the Pottsboro area community about the Go-Texan project for community economic development ending with a question and answer session on February 26, 2013 at Tanglewood Resort, Pottsboro, TX.  The meeting, sponsored by  Pottsboro Area Development, will begin at 6 pm and last until 7:30 pm.  For more information or questions call 903-786-6371.

To learn more about GO TEXAN, visit their website
http://www.gotexan.org/LocateGOTEXAN/RuralCommunities.aspx

For more information about Lake Texoma and the surroundning areas, visit http://www.texomaconnect.com. 

Pottsboro Senior Center Opens

Pottsboro Senior Center

Recently opened, the Pottsboro Senior Center provides activities and lunches for those 60 years old or older on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 am to 1 pm.

It’s a great way to meet new people without feeling alone or out of place and just visit with another person, share a few laughs, smile a lot and learn something new.

Located at 104 N. Main (rear entrance of the Pottsboro Library) the center serves lunch at 11:30 am.  Call 903-463-1711 to make reservations by 9:30 am on the day of attendance. 
Activities include live music on the second Thursday of every month, provided free by The Nothing Fancy Band.  Band members are all seniors too! Other activities include Bingo, movies, dominoes and crafts.



Pottsboro Seniors Visit Harbor Museum

TCOG provides a speaker monthly on relevant topics such as benefits counseling, Medicare enrollment and preparing a will.

Field trips have included the Hagerman Wildlife Refuge, Harbor Wildlife Museum, Choctaw Casino Resort, and seeing South Pacific at Grayson Community College. TAPS provides transportation for field trips and there is no cost to seniors for any trips, activities or meals.  Meals are provided by Meals on Wheels.

The Lake Texoma Rotary, City of Pottsboro, Meals on Wheels of Texoma, Pottsboro Area Library and TCOG’s Area Agency on Aging are all sponsors. Donations are greatefully accepted. 
If you, or someone you know, needs a little outing once in a while, I highly recommend the Senior Center.  If I can answer any questions, feel free to call me, Ann Murray, at 903-327-3728.