On August 10, 2015, the Lufkin/Angelina County of Commerce is set to welcome its new President and CEO Jim Johnson. The Chamber Board of Directors selected Johnson to succeed President and CEO Jerry Huffman, who recently retired after forty years in the chamber industry.

“The search committee interviewed several excellent candidates, but Jim easily rose to the top with his previous Chamber experience, as well as his energy and new ideas for leading our Chamber.” said Aimee Slusher, Chairman of the Board of Directors, “We are very proud that he and his family have chosen to come here and become a part of our great community.”

Johnson comes from the Pearland Chamber of Commerce in Pearland, Texas where he served as Vice President for the last four years. In his Vice President position, he oversaw the membership and governmental affairs programs of the organization.
“I am excited to be given the opportunity to work with great businesses, community leaders and partners and an amazing staff,” said Johnson. “The Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce is a business driven community focused organization that plays a key role in the region and I look forward to leading the way.”

Johnson earned his history degree from Texas State University. He also previously worked in event management for two Hilton hotels in Houston. He is an Advisory Board Member for Keep Pearland Beautiful and serves on the Western Association of Chamber Executives Emerging Leaders Council and was an inaugural member of the program. In 2015, he graduated from both Leadership Pearland and Institute for Organizational Management, a professional development program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Johnson is married to his wife Jasmine and they have one son William (3).

The mission of the Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce is to continually improve the economic prosperity, the business environment and the quality of life in Angelina County. More than 1,350 members that represent more than 850 businesses work together to achieve a diversified and well balanced local economy and to improve our community’s overall quality of life. The Chamber is one of ten 5-Star accredited chambers by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Texas.

The Pines Theater 2015 season, “Timeless Classics and New Favorites,” continues Thursday, August 13, when Grammy-winner Mike Farris brings his powerful soul-gospel fusion to downtown Lufkin.

“Mike Farris is an incredible vocalist, and he can do American music, from Motown to Memphis to Muscle Shoals, like nobody else,” said Tara Watson-Watkins, executive director of the Lufkin Convention and Visitors Bureau and artistic director for The Pines. “He’s been on a roll, with his last album winning a Grammy, but his live show is where he really shines. If you love American music, you have to see him perform live.”

Farris began his musical career as founder and lead singer of the Nashville, Tennessee group Screamin’ Cheetah Wheelies, and has also performed as front man for the late Stevie Ray Vaughan’s backing band, Double Trouble.

A solo act since 2001, Farris’ latest album, “Shine For All The People,” recently won a Grammy for “Best Roots Gospel Album,” a new category that recognizes the growing interest and support of these genres. He has also received the 2008 Americana Music Award for new and emerging artist and the 2010 GMA Dove Award for Traditional Gospel Album of the Year.

Farris’ performance begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $35 for floor seats and $30 for balcony seats. Call 936-633-0349 today to purchase tickets or go to www.visitlufkin.com.

The Pines Theater’s 2015 season continues with legendary doo-wop quartet The Diamonds on September 14 and The Unexpected Boys, an award-winning tribute to Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, on October 14.

The Texas Forestry Museum invites you to grab your family and come enjoy Family Day on Saturday, August 8th from 10:00a.m. until Noon.  Families will have the opportunity to participate in several activities including a scavenger hunt, a woodland creature pine cone craft, and pine cone photography.   Families will be able to explore the museum, shop in the company store with a 10 % discount, and view a new exhibit by local photographer and artist Sean Dupre called Time, Space, and Place: A series of pine cone images. This event is free and open to the public.

The Texas Forestry Museum, a private non-profit organization, is located at 1905 Atkinson Dr. in Lufkin. We are open from 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, except major holidays. For more information on the Texas Forestry Museum and its scheduled events, please call 936-632-9535.

For citizens born in America, the term “multicultural” tends to sit on a spectrum of meanings, usually connotation something good.

For many, it means celebrating cultures into which they are not born. For others, it’s something to be merely tolerated. And, for a minority, “multicultural” means a threat to a traditional way of life, one that’s being lost to an influx of foreign or non-majority cultures.

“Thankfully, my experience in the United States has been by and large a welcoming one; however, as an actual immigrant, ‘multicultural’ arguably has more meaning,” says Simi K. Rao, who emigrated from India in her early 20s. She works as a physician and lives with her family in the states.

The U.S. immigrant population stood at more than 41.3 million, or 13 percent, of the total population of 316.1 million, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2013 American Community Survey.

“Immigration is, in part, what continues to make this a great country, and I think it’s helpful for more Americans to know what an immigrant’s experience is like,” says Rao, author of the new novel “The Accidental Wife” (http://simikrao.com/), which explores the benefits and drama that are often inherent to the immigrant and multicultural experience of many.

Rao lists some of those details.

•  The truly multicultural experience is enriching. Born right in the middle of the India, Rao was able to travel to both the north and south areas of the country. She took in the multicultural flavors of her country of birth and was able to appreciate India’s diversity, which often has ancient roots. Her time in America has enabled her to more deeply appreciate her original culture, “and, I can appreciate the U.S. when I’m away from it, too,” she says.

•  You can appreciate what you have in both countries. “In many ways, I am fortunate that I have the means to visit India,” she says, adding that having two globally significant countries to call home has its benefits. “Many immigrants to America throughout the centuries were too poor to ever visit their original homes.”

•  Fewer people understand that dual sense of home. While there is a sizeable community of Indian-Americans in the United States, not all immigrants know where to go or how to relate to each other during transition. Immigrants to America tend to have a clear goal in mind and, over time, the new country feels more and more like home. However, roots are still felt in one’s original country, which may have very different cultural norms.

•  There are pluses and minuses in each culture. America is a first-world, developed country that still has issues, such as advertisements for unhealthy products such as cigarettes and people who are less welcoming to people from other countries. And, unfortunately, racism continues to remain deeply entrenched in the society – a problem that immigrants have to often contend with.

India still has a long way to go with civil liberties, including an archaic and unfair caste system and discrimination and violence toward women that is far too common.

“And, these differences don’t add up to some kind of balance,” Rao says. “An immigrant has to acclimate to these differences and try to work around them and they often do.  Fortunately, this can enrich our minds and experience. I’d like to think that I have a better – more compassionate – take on humanity because of my multicultural background.”

About Simi K. Rao

Simi K. Rao (http://simikrao.com/) was born in India and has been living in the United States for several years, working as a physician. “The Accidental Wife” is her second novel. The inspiration for her books, and other projects, comes from her own experience with cross-cultural traditions, lifestyles and familial relationships, as well as stories and anecdotes collected from friends, family and acquaintances. Rao enjoys exploring the dynamics of contemporary American culture blended with Indian customs and heritage to reflect the challenges and opportunities many Indian-American women face in real life. She lives in Denver with her family.