Date: Tuesday, July 1,2008

Time: 7:00 pm

The Union County Disabled American Veterans Chapter 95 is proud to announce the opening of their new office (thank you Parker Mills) located at 100-B Myers St. Monroe. Special guests will include US House of Rep. Sue Myrick & Robin Hayes, as well as many other local officials. All veterans and their families, as well as the general public are invited to attend. Light refreshments will be served by the DAV Auxiliary.

For more details please call 704-635-7908 or e-mail unionncdav@earthlink.net

Monroe - Date: July 4, 2008 Celebration
Time: 4:30 pm to 10 pm
Details: Family fun from 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.at Belk Tonawanda Park. Amusement rides & concessions open at 4:30. Live Music by “Too Much Sylvia” from 7 to 9:30.
Fireworks begin at 9:30.

Indian Trail - Date: July 4, 2008 - Celebration/Parade
Time: 9:00 am - Celebration
11:30 am - Parade
Live music on the front lawn of Town Hall from 9 am until parade at 11:30 am. Children’s activities include watermelon eating contest, bounce house and water slide

Waxhaw - Date: July 4, 2008 - Independence Day Celebration
Time: 10 am Parade downtown
9:30 pm Fireworks at Waxhaw Parkway
Details call 704-843-2195 or visit www.waxhaw.com

MARK YOUR CALENDAR for Thursday, June 26, 2008 at 4:30 pm. Celebrate the ARTS with Union Symphony Society, Inc. at the Charmber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening of the Symphony’s new Downtown Monroe Location, 211 N. Main Street, Suite C-1 (the old Woolworth Building). Light refreshments will be served and music will be provided by several members of the Symphony Orchestra in the “Loft”. This event will kick off the 2008-9 Membership Drive and exciting events for the new season will be announced.
Nola McCollum, Executive Director
Union Symphony Society, Inc

The 44th. Army National Guard Band will be in concert on Tuesday, June 24, at 7:00pm at Austin Auditorium, Wingate University. The concert is free and open to the public and will include musical selections from the full concert band, the Jazz Patriots and the Minutemen. The band is composed of 52 citizen soldiers who, in civilian life, are college students, educators, businessmen and women and professional people. The band has earned numerous awards including Outstanding North Carolina National Guard unit and the Eisenhower trophy as an outstanding Army unit. The program is sponsored by Wingate University and the Union County Community Arts Council.

Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the Naional Assoc. of Realtors, addresses the problem that we are facing in the housing market and tells of a tool that Congress could use to do something about it. “A crisis in confidence is what’s keeping home sales from rising. Our mortgage interest rates are at historic lows”, he says and “households that can afford to buy today are making the decision to wait ” in the hope that home prices will continue falling. “Our federal lawmakers have a tool under consideration that will break the vicious cycle of hisitancy that grips our markets: a homeownership tax credit for owner-occupying buyers. The District of Columbia has used such a tx credit for years with great success. Several proposals in Congress would apply vaiations of it nationwide” with credits being given of up to $7000. “The cycle of fear that grips our housing markets can be broken with passage of this modest tax break for home buyers.” Let’s encourage our lawmakers to consider such a bill.

The first ever Senior Scam Jam for Union County will take place on Tuesday, June 24 from 9:00-Noon at the Agricultural Services Center in Monroe. Since older adults are often the target of scams and fraud, this is a great opportunity to hear from experts some of the schemes that have and are occurring across the state. Representatives from the Attorney General’s office, Dept. of Insurance, law enforcement, US Postal Services, etc. will speak. All seniors are encouraged to attend. To register, call 877-926-8300. The event is free to the public.

Saturday, June 21, 9 am to 12 pm
Brain health, vitality, clarity, and strength are all possible throughout your life. Attend this workshop, featuring advice from health, exercise, and nutrition professionals and learn how to incorporate exercise and better nutrition into your life for a healthier brain and body. This free event will be held at Enterprise Workout Center located at 209 Myers Street in Monroe. Dress casually for a light workout and enjoy the catered lunch, door prizes and giveaways. Childcare will also be provided at no cost.
Call 704-225-2577 to register.

Hands-on workshop designed to teach canning safety, types of equipment and proper canning methods. Learn how to operate a water bath canner and a pressure canner according to current guidelines and prepare products using both methods. Designed for beginners with little or no canning experiences. More experienced canners will be updated on current safety practices. A cost of $20, the class will be held on 6/21/08 at 9:30 am by the NC Cooperative Extension - Union County Agricultural Center.
For more information call 704-283-3801 or e-mail union.ces.ncus.edu.

Would you like to volunteer to teach an adult to read and/or speak English, or would you just like to learn more about the Literacy Council of Union County? Take the 1st step by attending Literacy Council 101 on Tuesday 6/10/08 from 6 pm to 8 pm at 105-A E. Jefferson St., Monroe. The session will provide valuable insight into the work at the Council, including an overview to tutoring and the commitment requiring to volunteer as an adult literacy tutor. Space is limited so register today by calling 704-226-1425

Nancy Rorie, Union County Democratic Women’s president, has announced that Mary Fant Donnan, top vote-getter in the May 4th. NC Labor Commissioner Democratic Party Primary, will speak at this month’s Democratic Women’s Meeting at Hilltop Restaurant on Monday, June 9, at 6:30. The public is invited. Please click on the attachment for more information about Ms. Donnan and what her office involves as well as more info about this event. mary-donnan.pdf