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Tips To Make Over Your Front Door For A Grand Entrance

By
Misty Boggs
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There are many reasons why a home could need a door makeover. Entry doors, like other major components of the home, can wear out over time and need to be replaced. Additionally, homeowners may “inherit” a door on a home they’ve recently purchased and wish to change the style to a better one in order to complement their home’s personality.

“Homeowners don’t need to live with a front entry door that they don’t like or that has become inefficient over time,” says Donna Contat at Therma-Tru Corp., a leading entry door brand. “From a curb appeal and investment standpoint, it can make good economic sense to replace a front entry door.”

In fact, entry door replacement consistently ranks among the most valuable remodeling projects in the annual “Cost vs. Value Report,” published by Remodeling magazine.

This August, which is National Curb Appeal Month, the experts at Therma-Tru are offering tips for evaluating your current door, and insights on door aesthetics and components.

• Evaluate Your Door: Touch your door. If you can feel the exterior temperature from the inside, you may not have adequate insulation. Also check its appearance. For wood doors, check for warping or rotting. For steel, check for dings and rust. Final item: does the style of your door match the design of your home?

• What’s Inside Your Door: A door is actually a system of various components. Locks should operate smoothly and be strong enough to help protect your home. A multi-point locking system that engages a series of locks at several places on the frame can offer peace-of-mind.

• Slam Your Door: Doors experience wear and tear over time. Be sure any replacement door you purchase is constructed and tested to withstand harsh treatment. Consider materials such as fiberglass, which can offer the beauty of such classic materials as wood, while being low-maintenance and long-lasting.

• Door Appeal: Curb appeal isn’t just a buzzword. It’s the wow factor people get when they drive by your home and the cozy feel that welcomes guests to come in and stay a while. Try a paintable fiberglass door to add a pop of color or stick to the classic look of wood grain, which, when stained, adds warmth. Either way, you can make your home’s entryway stand out with a door trim surround kit, like decorative or privacy glass for doorlites and sidelites.

Home begins at the front door. Take steps to give your home a grand entrance by upgrading this important feature.

-StatePoint

Is Your Yard Wildlife-Friendly?

By
Misty Boggs
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Being a good neighbor means more than being friendly to the humans across the street, it also means being friendly to the animals in your yard. Making your yard a safe place for local wildlife should be a top lawn care priority.

With that in mind, here are some tips for creating a healthy habitat for local critters.

Be a Valuable Rest Stop

Stock your garden with small native species of trees, shrubs and flowers to give wildlife needed nourishment, as well as cover from predators.

A source of water can also be a great resource for visiting fauna. Whether it’s a pond or a bird bath, be sure this zone is well-maintained so you don’t inadvertently create a haven for unwanted species. In the warmer months when mosquitoes are most active, you should change the bird bath water even more often.

Promote Safety

A bird feeder in your backyard, full of water and seeds, will be the perfect invitation for beautiful migrating and local birds to stop by.

Just be sure your property is safe for birds. Unfortunately, birds don’t see clear glass. As a result, millions of birds die every year by striking glass. Don’t let your sliding glass doors or other windows become a death trap for birds.

To protect birds, apply special decals that reflect ultraviolet sunlight. For example, those from WindowAlert have the appearance of frosted glass, but glow like a stoplight for birds, so you don’t have to compromise your own view out your window. The brand also makes a high-tech liquid called WindowAlert UV Liquid, which should be applied between decals.

“Wildlife can beautify your garden and be a sign that your yard is healthy” says Spencer Schock, founder of WindowAlert. “But birds and other wildlife need food, shelter, and safety.”

Get out the binoculars! With a few small actions, you can make your yard or garden a wildlife refuge.

Back-To-School Tips To Keep Kids Healthy And Safe

By
Misty Boggs
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Back-to-school prep means more than a trip to the office supply store. Help kids stay strong, healthy and safe this school year by putting wellness front and center.

“Thinking about back-to-school now can help parents keep kids on track for a healthy summer and start to school,” says Dr. Sandra Hassink, MD, FAAP, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

With that in mind, Hassink recommends taking the following steps.

Ease into the School Schedule

Ease the back-to-school transition by keeping bedtime and meals scheduled during the summer and adjusting timing as school approaches. If your child has been going to bed later than usual, begin adjusting his or her bedtime earlier toward the end of summer. Depending on age, children and teens need between 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep nightly.

For young children, arranging to see their new classroom and meet their new teacher before school starts can calm first day jitters. Go over the school schedule with your child, including how she will get to school and what the plans are for after school time.

Schedule a Pediatric Visit

The back-to-school season is a good time for scheduling a pediatric exam. Create a list of items you want to discuss with your child’s pediatrician. This list should include ensuring your child is up-to-date on vaccinations, a crucial part of preventive care.

It’s a good idea to build a medical home with a pediatrician by sticking with one doctor or medical practice throughout childhood and adolescence. The doctor will be better informed of your child’s medical history and aware of any emerging problems.

Beyond medical testing, pediatricians are well-equipped to counsel patients and parents on emotional and social issues, as well as issues that often crop up during adolescence, such as smoking, drugs, drinking, sexual activity and depression.

“Parents can ask a pediatrician about anything related to the care of their child or teen, medical or not,” says Dr Hassink. “The visit can be a good way to bring up these issues.”

Consider Sports

Sports can foster confidence, cooperation and healthy habits, and the start of the school year brings many opportunities to join various programs.

Hydration, nutrition and proper conditioning are important for any sport, especially those with intense training in warm weather. Schedule a sports physical with your pediatrician to discuss your child’s overall health and how to prevent injuries.

Talk Safety

If your child will be walking to school, travel the route with him to assess its safety. Find out about traffic patterns and crossing guards. Teach your child safety rules like looking both ways. If possible, have your child commute with an older sibling or neighbor. If your child will be riding a bike or skateboard, be sure he wears a helmet. Review basic rules for safer riding. Bus riders should also be mindful of safety rules, like remaining in one’s seat and listening to the driver.

More back-to-school tips can be found at www.healthychildren.org.

As a parent, you can take steps to help ensure your children are prepared for a happy, healthy school year.

To Make Smart School Lunches, Think Like A Kid

By
Misty Boggs
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Making school lunch can feel like a thankless job, but it doesn’t have to be a major chore. Here are some ways to make school lunches successful, not stressful:Don’t Over-Pack
Does your child come home with untouched food? For a distracted youngster, lunchtime flies by in an instant. By the time the bell rings, little Suzie has barely peeled the top off her yogurt. Keep portions kid-sized and don’t include more than four or five items in the lunchbox.Think Food Groups
Think of the lunchbox as a four-piece puzzle. The basic components are protein, grain, fruit/vegetable and dairy.Try making lunch kebobs with cold cut slices and chunks of cheese (your dairy and protein groups), add a handful of grapes (fruit) and a bagful of popcorn (grain). Or pack hummus, carrots and wheat pita (protein, grain and veggie), along with applesauce (fruit) and a cheese stick (dairy). Olives or pickles add extra flavor without too much extra fat or calories.

Let Them Assemble
Pack individual ingredients kids can assemble, which makes them feel like they’re more in control of what they eat. For example, include a half bagel with a container of shredded mozzarella, tomato sauce and some sliced olives or pepperoni slices so they can make their own pizza. Add a piece of fruit to round out the meal.

Pick Portable Foods
Nothing’s worse than a lunchbox explosion. Whenever possible, opt for dry foods and tight lids. Pack trail mix, dried fruit, granola bars or snacks in single-serve cups, such as Pearls Olives to Go! black ripe pitted or sliced olives. Such foods usually have the added advantage of not spoiling, which means they can be saved for afternoon snacking.

Keep Snacks in the Car
Kids always seem to want an afterschool snack. If home is a bit of a drive, keep snacks on hand. Nuts, trail mix, single-serve olive cups and fruit are better options for a ravenous child. Keep in mind, hungry kids are more likely to try novel foods they might otherwise be reluctant to try.

Get Input
If your child is not eating enough, find out why. Ask your child to create a list of foods every few months, as tastes change and broaden. Add favorites to the rotation. Remember, just because your child eats a certain food at dinnertime doesn’t mean it will be a popular lunch item.

Get Cute
If you’re feeling ambitious, cut sandwiches into shapes. Sliced cherry tomatoes or olives make easy eyes, buttons and mouths. A simple post-it note with a smiley face or “love you” will go a long way to brightening your child’s day.

For more tips, recipes and coupons, or to enter a lunch box promotion for a chance to win prizes, visit www.facebook.com/PearlsOlives

Lunch isn’t rocket science, but creating meals children will love every day can get tricky. Simple strategies can help ensure kids return from school with empty lunch boxes and satisfied tummies.

Vacation without wrecking your waistline with Susan Bell

By
Susan Domingue Bell
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(c) susanbellfitness.com

Years ago, I struggled with guilt when I would go on vacation. Being off my normal eating and exercise routine would cause me stress and although I always enjoyed my vacations, I could never quite shake the feeling that I was doing something wrong. “Will I gain weight?” “Will I be able to get back on track?” Well, that was then and this is now. Over the years, I’ve realized a few things about taking time off and how to do it without negating all my hard work.

  1. Image 1Eating healthy and working out consistently throughout the year trumps a few weeks of vacation. One of the biggest ways to avoid a big vacation waistline train wreck is to work out and eat well all year long. Week in, week out. Not a few weeks here and a few weeks there. Not at the beginning of the New Year for a month or two. One reason I don’t stress about lying on a beach for a week or eating my way through Seattle is because I know I’ll be right back on track when I get home which leads me to my second point.
  1. Get a workout in within two days of returning. Re-entry into the real world can be quite the buzz kill. Laundry, grocery shopping and gads of emails to return can make it easy to justify not getting back into your healthy routine. If you’re not careful, you may find yourself three weeks home from vacay without a workout. I make it a goal to workout within one to two days of getting home. No excuses. It doesn’t have to be a life-altering workout. Just do something to get back into the flow.
  1. Image 2Avoid the “unbutton the pants” fullness. Splurge and have fun, but stop before you’re super full. I hate the feeling of being uncomfortably full, so I stop eating right when I’m satiated. If you don’t go nuts on your portion size, you can enjoy things you don’t normally eat without guilt. That’s all good, but what happens when you do go a little crazy and wind up in a food coma? See point #1. Yes, your pants may be a tad tighter when you get home, but if you return to your healthy living routine, you’ll be back to normal in no time.
  1. Relax and enjoy! I take full advantage of my time off now. Sometimes I might go for an easy run to check out my new surroundings. Image 4Sometimes I don’t. I only exercise if I truly desire to do so. Some vacations, I just need a total break. Either way, I don’t stress. My goal is to relax and enjoy the time with my family.

 

 

Getting a break from life is a gift and we should all take advantage. Guilt free. Happy vacationing and I’ll see you at the gym when you get back!


 

Shifting Through The Three Gears Of Success

By
Misty Boggs
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Success and leadership have gears… and we’re not shifting them correctly! We’ve gotten stuck in “the more-better-faster, what-have-you-done-for-me-lately, too-busy-racing-around-to-enjoy-our-lives” gear. We’re over-fed, under-nourished, over-medicated, under-rested, and under-satisfied. Think of the wear and tear trying to get everywhere only using one gear… 2nd gear… would put on your car. That’s what’s happening to most of us.

Our kids understand this intuitively. And they’re speaking up. In interviews, many teens said, “I don’t WANT to be successful!” Why? “Because if you’re successful, you never have time for family, friends and fun. You’re always working. Your boss never appreciates you and keeps asking for more.” No wonder they don’t want to be successful! Let’s stop and take a close look at what’s off. And how to correct it.

When we drive, we shift gears up and down as circumstances require, or our automatic transmission shifts for us. As we succeed and lead we need to do the same thing, but we aren’t. Let’s take a closer look at when the three gears of success and leadership are needed.

As we succeed…

1st Gear is for starting and restarting, learning and relearning

2nd Gear is for accelerating performance, producing and competing

3rd Gear is for breaking through outmoded approaches to creativity and innovation.

But here’s where it gets tricky. We use the word success as though it means the same thing all the time, but it doesn’t. What we mean by success is quite different in each gear. And the leadership we need in each gear is quite different too. This is what our kids don’t realize, and we haven’t either, till now.

Success in 1st Gear means following rules and regs so we can perform our new skill safely and effectively. Then the meaning of success shifts. And our leadership needs to shift too.

Success in 2nd Gear means weeding out beginner’s rules and devising shortcuts so we can produce more quantity, more quality, more customers, more profit, in less time with less people. (It’s the more-better-faster gear our kids are hoping to avoid, but they will need in the future… like it or not.) Now we need more freedom and independence with timely evaluations and easy access to our leaders for additional input. Then when we start feeling our gears grinding, our bodies more and more stressed, our return on effort diminishing, we need to shift to 3rd.

Success in 3rd Gear is being creative, innovative and collaborative so we can continue advancing our careers and our lives. In 3rd gear we are leading our own project and looking for expertise and support.

But many people fail to shift into 3rd. Why?

Like an Indie driver, a manager at one of America’s companies constantly pressed down his accelerator and his teams’ accelerators too. Sick days and errors kept increasing. Morale kept dropping. Even though Jim constantly complained he was exhausted, his heart was pounding and he couldn’t sleep, even though he had more vacation days saved up than anyone else, he wouldn’t take time off. Why? Because he kept telling himself his team wouldn’t produce at the same level without him and his results would slip… and so would his bonus.

By disproportionately incenting, bonusing and promoting 2nd Gear activities, Corporate America is multiplying the problem… as well as resultant family and health issues and budget-breaking costs. This complex interaction of success and leadership errors is producing The Success Crisis.

But wait. The Success Crisis is costing far more! Overusing 2nd Gear means underusing 1st and 3rd… squeezing out time we need to replace outdated systems and equipment, to learn new methods and technologies (1st). And eating up time to think about what will work and how to start creating the future we want (3rd).

At a time when our infrastructure is crumbling, when train wrecks kill and maim us because we haven’t installed the latest safety systems, when we’ve sent manufacturing overseas and immigration policies prevent the smartest and most innovative international students from coming to our universities and think tanks, we need to pause to re-think, think and pre-think.

Fortunately some of our kids are taking matters into their own hands, showing the way to the future they want. And we will want too.

At 16, Blake Ross was a threat to Bill Gates… or so the cover of Wired magazine declared!

His psychologist mother Abby remembers: Blake spent hours in his room. ”We didn’t know what was going on in there at first, but when he started requesting programming books for his birthday, we began to get an idea.” When he wanted to do an internship in Silicon Valley, Abby had to file his work papers for him because he was three days short of 16! Still a teen, this self-taught coder co-founded Mozilla Firefox and sparked a global phenomenon. Firefox has been downloaded more than 226,265,215 times (as I write), threatening the supremacy of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer as predicted! At 20, Blake had to buy a tux to attend a dinner for Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of the year. In 2013 Blake resigned from his position as Director of Product for Facebook to dream about what’s next for him. And Blake just turned 30!

Are you using all three Success and Leadership Gears at the right time? Is your organization? Who do you know who is stuck?

About the Author:

Susan Ford Collins is a sought-after speaker, trainer, and the founder of The Technology of Success. She began her career as a young researcher at the National Institutes of Health with a radical idea: to focus her research on healthy, highly successful people (HSPs) rather than dysfunctional ones. With more than two decades studying HSPs and two additional decades working with them, she now shares what she has learned about leadership and management. Susan and her husband live happily in their tropical Miami home, surrounded by lush gardens, koi ponds and an indoor/outdoor aviary filled with exotic finches.

Choosing (And Choosing To Be) A Trustee

By
Misty Boggs
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The greatest transfer of wealth in history is happening right now, according to a study from the Boston College Center on Wealth and Philanthropy.

A staggering amount – $59 trillion – is projected to be passed down to heirs, charities and taxes between 2007 and 2061.

“We are in the middle of a massive, unprecedented wealth transfer from the World War II generation to the Baby Boomers, and then to subsequent generations,” says family wealth guru John Pankauski, author of the new book, “Pankauski’s Trustee’s Guide: 10 Steps to Family Trustee Excellence.”

“But much of that wealth will not be given to beneficiaries outright.”

Instead, he says, it will be held in a trust, which is a distinct entity, much like a corporation. The trust is managed by a trustee, who protects the trust property for the benefit of the beneficiaries.

Sounds good – as long as trustees are honest individuals who don’t use the trust as a personal ATM, and simmering rivalries among beneficiaries don’t explode, Pankauski says.

“Some trusts will be competently managed,” he says. “Others will be abused in a number of ways the creator of the trust had not intended.”

The best way to ensure money is handled correctly – and honestly – is to pick the right trustee, but the right one may not be obvious, he says.

Pankauski, founder of the Pankauski Law Firm (www.pankauskilawfirm.com), offers perspective on how to choose a trustee.

•  Don’t choose just anyone! Family members, friends and even felons theoretically could be entrusted with managing an inheritor’s money. But tread carefully. “Your hard-earned money could be fought over, misspent or squandered if you leave inheritances in a haphazard way or choose a trustee who handles the trust improperly,” Pankauski says. A family member often is chosen, but he warns that can lead to ill will among relatives. The decision on the trustee should be treated like a business consideration, not a personal one.

•  Multiple trustees are allowed, but can cause problems. Personal relationships that were previously cordial can turn icy when there are multiple trustees. Co-trustees administer the trust by majority rule unless the trust document demands unanimous decisions. A common problem Pankauski sees is when there are two co-trustees who don’t get along, but must agree on everything. It may make sense to have a third co-trustee, such as an impartial trust attorney or bank or trust company, to serve as the tiebreaker.

Pankauski also offers perspective on whether to be a trustee.

•  “I am trusted, but should I be a trustee?” Being a trustee is a great responsibility. Perfection is not required, but incompetence won’t be tolerated, Pankauski says. Criticisms could flow freely. If you’re holding a lot of cash and the markets go up, beneficiaries complain that you failed to capture those gains. If you’re fully invested in the market and the market takes a dip, the beneficiaries complain that you are overexposed. If one of six beneficiaries requests funds for a minor child’s education, the other five will want a similar distribution—regardless of need. You may be fairly compensated for your duties as trustee, but the money may not be worth the potential headaches.

•  You don’t have to accept the appointment. You can decline to serve. Merely sign a one-page document, which can be as brief as a sentence, stating you decline. No reason is required. Deliver your statement, and a copy of the trust, including all original documents you have, to the beneficiaries and the successor trustee named in the trust document. If no successor trustee is named, you should notify the beneficiaries in writing that you decline to serve and they should retain counsel to protect their interests.

You can agree to serve and later resign. But doing so raises a host of issues, Pankauski says. You can’t just ditch your duties. You are still in charge until there is a smooth transition to a successor.

Regardless of whether you plan to create a trust, or you have been appointed trustee of one, you will want to seek legal counsel, Pankauski says.

“The laws that govern the management of a trust vary from state to state and evolve over time,” he says. “The right guidance is essential.”

About John Pankauski

John Pankauski, the grandson of Polish and Lithuanian immigrants, was deeply influenced by his parents – products of the Depression and World War II who imparted their values of hard work and thrift. He studied political science at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He attended Suffolk University Law School in Boston, and later obtained a master’s degree in law from the University of Miami School of Law’s Graduate Program in estate planning. He founded the Pankauski Law Firm PLLC, (www.pankauskilawfirm.com), to create a boutique firm of highly talented professionals that restricts its practice to administration and litigation of family wealth and disputes involving wills, trusts, and estates. In addition to trying cases and handling appeals, the firm defends trustees and advises beneficiaries on their rights related to inheritances, power of attorneys, contested guardianships, investments, and family business interests.

Conducting Business and Staying Connected Across The Continents

By
Misty Boggs
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If you’re looking to conduct cross-continent business, know that you can, but the task is not easy. Managing one location has it’s own challenges like keeping up with all of your departments including Human Resources, sales, marketing and the like. Now, think about doing that, but all over the world where there are different time zones, cultures and expectations. Those of you that already run a multi-location enterprise know how difficult this can be. Again, it might not be simple, but with the right frame of mind and the best practices in place, you’ll be able to grow and strengthen your cross-continental presence and allow your business to truly thrive. The following are some tips that will enable you to conduct your global business successfully.

Create relationships and ask for help
Whether you have an established global business or are looking to expand to new markets, you don’t have the advantage of being everywhere at once to meet and connect with your teams and customers. You’ll have to work hard to maintain your relationships, so you should be setting up regular calls to access the tone and satisfaction of those employees at the location. You can even go the extra mile by making sure you’re present for important events at different global offices or utilize video calls for a more in-person feel. You should also be leveraging your connections in the various continents you’re looking to grow in. If you’re looking to expand in a location where the native language is not in your skillset, have a contact or service in place in order to spread awareness about your products and services.

Stay connected with the cloud
The best advice I can give you is to keep your global business connected. With the development of modern business management solutions, it is easier than ever to stay connected with your teams all over the world. The right software will unite your workforce whether they are in finance, distribution or manufacturing so that everyone is up-to-date on all processes. It will allow employees to access data anywhere, at any time making their working hours match up with yours regardless of time zone. With cloud implementation you’ll be able to go wherever your business takes you by accessing it from different technologies, too. You’ll be able to give the right people the information they need in real time in order to spot anomalies and correct any discrepancies.

Do global business but act local
Conducting global business requires businesses to act like a local. Customs, traditions, and legal compliance vary across geographies. Be aware of the legal compliance needs and requirements in the locations you are conducting business in so you are able to continue doing business legally. By learning the area’s customs and traditions, you are able to relate with locals better and establish a positive reputation.

Communicate often and clearly
We all know that communication is key, but are you taking that to heart when it comes to conducting business across continents? Take a minute to think about how often you have a conversation with your various teams and the way in which those discussions are orchestrated. Can it be improved? The business management solution I suggested should also allow you to cultivate and maintain productive communications with your global business. Another crucial part of your conversation is being able to use the right language. Barriers in language are detrimental to your productivity and waste time, so it is important to be succinct so your employees and customers can understand you. This is where language localisation will be a must for your cloud-based solution. Not only will you be able to clearly communicate with your team, but you’ll also be able to better service your international customers by avoiding miscommunications from suppliers or partners. Being able to clearly communicate strategy to your workforce in all markets will aid your strategic confidence and your business’ ability to stretch.

Remain flexible for growth
As a global business, the ability to maintain control over efficiencies—especially in terms of importing and exporting goods—is a must. You can increase your sales by utilising an interface that is intuitive regardless of language or device, and is flexible enough to track and make adjustments on the spot. The market in one of your locations can change at any moment, and you’ll want to be agile enough to adapt and change with it. This is where keeping an open dialogue with your location will help, as well, because you’ll be aware of any structural changes you need to make. It’s essential that your global employees have mobile capabilities, and staying connected with cloud-based business management solutions can give you the flexibility you need to move forward.

Expanding to new markets and managing your global business is in your forte. For you business leaders who currently conduct business across continents, you know the unique perspective you gain by maintaining a presence around the world. As long as you create strong relationships, stay connected, communicate frequently, and remain flexible for growth, you’ll have everything you need to take control of your cross-continental business.

About Benoit Gruber
Benoît Gruber joined Sage in 2008 and is the Vice President of Corporate Communication for Sage Enterprise Market and Sage X3. He is responsible for Product Management & Marketing for Sage X3 globally, and is in charge of ensuring that the Operating Company (OpCo) teams are aligned behind the product strategy. He also serves as the Sage X3 solution expert in relationships with thought leaders, analysts and press. Prior to working at Sage, Benoît worked at SAP (from 2000-2008), where he held a variety of marketing and product management positions before becoming Sr. Industry Principle (Product & Business Development). He was a member of the EMEA Manufacturing Industries Business Group. Prior to working at SAP, Benoît worked for management consulting and technology services companies dedicated to ERP, Business Intelligence and new technologies. Benoît has also owned a company in the Media and Publishing sectors.

 

Broadway Square Mall Hosts Back-to-School Carnival

By
Misty Boggs
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Photo: m.simon.com/broadway-square.com

School is almost back in session and to kick off the season, Broadway Square Mall invites area residents and visitors to enjoy extended hours and great deals during tax-free weekend, plus a Kidgits Back-to-School Carnival.
 
Join the Kidgits Back-to-School Carnival on Saturday, Aug. 1 at Broadway Square Mall, located at  4601S. Broadway Ave. in Tyler, Texas, from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. in the JCPenney Parking Lot. Celebrate the end of a great summer with bounce houses and water slides from Sissy’s inflatables, balloon artists, Build A Bear party games, Tyler Fire and Police Department truck tours, Boy Scout and Cub Scouts knot demonstrations, and much more.  Not a Kidgit Member? Sign up today at Guest Services for $5. $5 membership includes free entry to all Kidgit events, Kidgits t-shirts, birthday gift and more!

Keep the festive mood with tons of savings the following weekend. Broadway Square Mall is pleased to offer shoppers the opportunity to purchase back-to-school necessities without paying sales tax on qualifying items in accordance with the Texas Sales Tax Holiday. The 3-day sales tax break begins on Friday, August 7 and ends on Sunday, August 9. During this period, retailers will not be required to collect state and local sales use tax on most footwear, clothing, backpacks and school supplies priced less than $100.

Not sure what clothes are school uniform approved? Stop by Simon Guest Services for a list of school requirements, which stores to find the appropriate attire and which stores have the best deals.
 
EXTENDED HOURS:
Friday, August 7 – 9 a.m. –10 p.m.
Saturday, August 8 – 9 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sunday, August 9 – 11 a.m. – 7 p.m.
 
Please call Broadway Square Mall at 903.561.2121 or visit simon.com. Area
shoppers looking for the latest deals, contests and event information can also visit facebook.com/BroadwaySquareMall or instagram.com/BroadwaySquare.

2014 Texas State Forest Festival Wins 31 Awards

By
Misty Boggs
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Judge Billy Ball, Justice of the Peace & Texas State Forest Festival Committee Chairman & Melissa Wheeler, Chamber of Commerce | Photo: Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce

After another successful Texas State Forest Festival, the Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce brought home 31 different awards from the Texas Festivals and Events Association (TFEA). The Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce won the Zenith award; which is presented to the best 2014 festival in the state in each budget category. The Chamber was also presented with twenty 1st place awards, eight 2nd place awards and three 3rd place award.

Billy Ball, Chairman of the Texas State Forest Festival committee says, “One of the greatest communities in the world is volunteers. Lufkin is really a ‘can do’ community. We put this festival on for our families and people from all over the United States. It is because of our sponsors, volunteers and Chamber personnel that the Texas State Forest Festival is so great. I am proud to serve as chairman and really believe in what we do.”

The 30th Texas State Forest Festival placed first in the following categories:

1st Place Award
Best Organization Website
Best Festival/Event Mobile Application
Best Event Program (4 or more colors)
Best Event/Organization Newsletter
Best Single Magazine Display Ad
Best Event Photograph
Best Miscellaneous Printed Materials (Single page)
Best Event Invitation
Best Street Banner
Best Sponsor
Best New Fundraising Program
Best Single New Sponsorship Program
Best Volunteer Program
Best New Promotion
Best New Event
Best Press/Media Kit
Most Creative/Effective News Stunt
Best Media Relations Campaign
Best Community Outreach Program

2nd Place Award
Best Event Video
Best Event Website
Best Newspaper Insert/Supplement
Best Promotional Poster
Best Cover Design
Best Outdoor Billboard
Best Public Safety/Security Plan for an Event
Best Mascot

3rd Place Award
Best Radio Promotion
Best Social Media Site
Best Single Newspaper Display Ad

Last year the Texas State Forest Festival saw more than 28,000 people from 105 different Texas cities and 7 different states. The festival brings a large amount of business and tourism to Angelina County and is a great opportunity for entertainment and education for children and adults.

This year’s 31st Annual Texas State Forest Festival presented by Brookshire Brothers takes place September 16-20. For more information on festival events, go to TexasStateForestFestival.com.

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