KPYN AM & FM Atlanta Cass County Texas Radio Station

The Cass County Genealogical Society will meeting Tuesday, February 14th, 6:30 p.m., at Horne Enterprise Building, Hwy 77 at Hwy 43 So., Atlanta, TX. The speaker will be a member of the Cass County Genealogical Society, Louella Vernon. She will conclude a two-part series of meeting her husband, Bob in Marshall, Texas at East Texas Baptist College, and leaned their ancestors were from Cass County, livng just a few miles of each other. The question was posed at the January meeting: are they kin?

Members and guests are invited. For further information, please call 903-796-4456 or 903-796-6662.

Shiloh Community Center Monthly Fish Fry Saturday, February 4th 11:00 to 1:30 $6. donation

The Atlanta Area Chamber Of Commerce is proud to partner with the Northeast/Texarkana Small Business Development Center to host Marc B. Willson, Director of Merchant Performance Strategies, to present a Retail & Restaurant Workshop on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 From 8:30am to 10:30am at the Mattie Lanier Richey Center at 101 Sportsplex Drive in Atlanta. Also, Marc will schedule 1-2 hour individual sessions with advice on ways to increase marketability and appeal on a confidential first-come, first-served basis advising business owners on: defining your customer, customer retention, buying habits in a recession, retail and restaurant math, lenders vendors and landlords, merchandising, marketing and promotions, online marketing and social networking, financial statements debt to asset ratios and p & l’s. Call: 903-434-8237 to register..

Piney Woods Republican Women’s Club will meet on Tuesday, Feb. 7th, 2012 at Rose Garden Eatery at 11:30. Randy Stevenson will be the guest speaker. He has a desire to run for Texas Board of Education. His number is 903-592-2600. The meeting is open to the public and both men and women are encouraged to attend. You can call Quinnie Blizzard at 903-796-7205 or 903-826-4717.

The Kildare Community Action Association meets Tuesday February 7, 2012 at 6:30pm at the community Center, 624 County road 1779 & FM 125 South, Kildare Call Frances Allen at 903-796-6282. Kildare Community Center is available for classes and meetings. The Pleasant Hill Quilting Group will present “The History of the Underground Quilt” at 7pm and the public is invited.

The Eastern Cass County Retirees Association will meet Tuesday, February 14th, 2012 at Rose Garden Eatery in Queen City. Social time will begin at 10:00 am and the meeting starts at 10:30. Celebrating Black History Month, the program will be the "Underground Railroad Quilters" from Linden better known as the Pleasant Hill Quilters. Presenters of this program will be dressed in attire of the days of slavery and sing songs that tell their story of the Underground Railroad and how they got out the message of when it was safe to travel. All retired members of Cass County School System are encouraged to be in attendance as well as the public in general. This is a fascinating program that brings history alive. For more information, contact Carolyn Lance @ 903-796-8776

The 2012 American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Cass County will get underway on Friday March 23rd at 7 p.m. at Atlanta High School with the Survivor Dinner at 5:30 p.m. in the Atlanta High School Cafeteria, The dinner will b followed by the relay. The opening ceremony will be at 7 o’clock. The opening ceremony will consist of a survivor walk and more. There will be entertainment, activities, plenty of food, refreshments and games. To get registered as a survivor or as a team, call the American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Cass County Chair Kristy Vaughan at 903-733-5701.

Vitazyme Training Class Speaker: Eddie Pearson
Location: Jaynes Farm and Feed, Linden, TX
Date: February 16, 2012
Time: 6:30 PM
For Information call: 903-756-5485
There is a sign-up sheet for attendees. Meal provided for those present.

Plans are underway for the official rededication of the historic Cass County
Courthouse, completed in 1861. Ceremonies are scheduled for February 18, 2012, at 1:00 p.m. at the courthouse. Texas Historical Commission officials and dignitaries from the county as well as from around the state will be on hand to see the newly restored courthouse that claims the record as the oldest continuously operating courthouse in the state. Activities will include a keynote address, recognition of individuals and groups that worked to achieve completion of this project, and tours of the courthouse. The public is cordially invited to participate in this historic event and to share the pride
in a major Texas historic landmark.

Restoration was accomplished through the Texas Historical Commission’s Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program. Established in 1999 by the Texas Legislature to restore Texas’ county courthouses to their original grandeur, the program has helped to preserve the archeological, historical, and cultural resources of Texas. More information on this program is available at www.thc.state.tx.us.

Local contacts: primary--Paul Cothren, 903.244.1748; alternate--L.M. Jester,
903.824.2844. For further information, please contact Rebecca Narramore
rebecca@txk.net 903.796.3003

AARP Tax-Aide offers free tax preparation and e-filing from February 2nd through April 12th for low and moderate income taxpayers, special attention to those 60 and over. If you need tax assistance, the Texarkana site is open Tuesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. till 2 p.m. at Southwest Center, 3222 West 7th Street or visit the Atlanta site each Friday in February 9 a.m. till 2 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 701 Lindsey Lane. For more information, all 903-824-3735 or 903-276-1168.

Jonathon “Boogie” Long and The Blues Revolution with bassist Zack Matchett and drummer Chad Solomon hail from Baton Rouge. Jonathon has played on the Louisiana Legends Tour, at Jazzfest in New Orleans and shared the stage with artists such as Dr.John, Big Luther Kent and Steve Howard of the Blues Brothers Band. In 2011 Jonathon won The Guitar Center "King of the Blues" guitar competition for #1 Unsigned Blues Guitarist in America. Jonathon's new EP "The Pete Anderson Sessions" showcases his powerhouse guitar playing and smooth vocals.

Shreveport's 13 year-old Matthew Davidson is the newly-crowned winner of the 2011 Robert Johnson Blues Foundation New Generation Award competition. Matthew won his first electric guitar in the 2007 James Burton Guitar Showdown at the legendary Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport. He has performed at New Orleans JazzFest, The Strand Theatre, The State Fair of Louisiana, House of Blues Dallas, and The T-Bone Walker Blues Fest in Linden. Matthew has shared the stage with Joe Osborn, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy and Robin & The Bluebirds. The Matthew Davidson Band was selected as one of the top five bands
for 2011-2012 in Shreveport-Bossier.

Showtime is 6 pm and the doors will open at 5pm. General Admission tickets are $15

Atlanta Area Chamber of Commerce Upcoming Events

Business After Hours- Our first BAH took place on January 12th hosted by Red River Federal Credit Union. It was a great event! We had a productive social hour with opportunities to network and heard from a guest speaker on the topic of financial security. Next month we're looking forward to a Business After Hours at Capital One Bank on February 28th. The key to growth in Atlanta is providing opportunities for the business community to get together, so let's make this event a success. Save the date!!!

Lunch with the Chamber- Every week, we visit a different restaurant to promote local business and provide networking opportunities. Odd are, you're haivng a lunch meeting once a week anyway, so why not make it on Friday at 12:00? This week we're going to Pizza Hut! Check out the attached schedule if you're interested.

Annual Banquet- Save the Date! The Atlanta Area Chamber of Commerce's Annual Banquet will be held on March 24th, 2012 at 6 p.m. at the Mattie Lanier Richey Center. This year, the banquet will be a "Walk in the Park"! Start thinking about making nominations for Business of the Year, Man/Woman/Educator/Volunteer of the Year and plan to buy your tickets now! Tickets are $20.00 each and can be purchased through our office at 903-796-3296.

Young Professionals Network- In January, the YPN held a kick-off meeting and an enthusiastic and powerful group of 30-35 young people expressed interest in the organization. The YPN is planning a second meeting in February (Feb. 22nd at Rose Garden for lunch) and will begin to brainstorm for upcoming events and causes. If you know someone who should be involved in YPN, please let me know!

Membership Drive- Beginning in March, the AACOC will launch a membership drive to recruit new businesses to join and invite previous members to come back. If you know of a business who is not a member but should be, please let me know and I will follow up. Any leads are appreciated!

Board Meetings- The Atlanta Area Chamber of Commerce elects a board of 18 individuals to represent the general membership. This board meets monthly on the second Tuesday of the month at 8 a.m. at the Chamber office. I encourage everyone to check out a meeting every now and then and know what you're Chamber is up to! The next meeting is on February 14th, 2012 and we'd LOVE to see you there!

Community Wide Yard Sale- On Saturday, April 7th, 2012 the Chamber of Commerce will host a Community Wide Yard Sale in front of the depot, which will be in conjunction with Price Hardware's spring sale on the same day. This event will bring local residents downtown, and give our businesses an opportunity to attract them into their shops. Any of our members are encouraged to have a booth (for free). Individuals will be able to rent a space for a low cost and will make all the profit from their yard sale. Look for more details to come soon about this event on our website (atlantatexas.org), facebook or call the Chamber office. We'd love to have a whole lot full of junk for sale and plenty of people to buy it!

Cass County Courthouse Rededication- The Cass County Courthouse in Linden is near completion and a rededication ceremony has been planned for Saturday, February 18th, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. All of our business community should show up in support of this project. Not only is this a good opportunity for the Atlanta Area to show our support for Linden, but it will bring wide-spread recognition to Cass County in general. I'll see you there!