The Needville Youth Fair and the Needville 4-H will now be able to better serve community youth thanks to the support of local farmer, Mark Wesneski, and America’s Farmers Grow Communities.

Sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of Monsanto Company, Grow Communities provides farmers in eligible counties the chance to win a $2,500 donation for a local nonprofit organization of their choice.  To further support counties declared natural disaster areas by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) due to drought this year, winning farmers in these counties are able to direct double donations, a total of $5,000.

Fort Bend County was declared a disaster area by the USDA, giving Wesneski the opportunity to choose two organizations to receive $2,500 donations. Wesneski selected the Needville Youth Fair and the Needville 4-H.
The Needville Youth Fair will use the $2,500 to replace the aged roof on the show barn.

The Needville 4-H will put the donation to work by funding community service projects. Remaining funds will go to the 4-H scholarship fund for graduating seniors.

“My children grew-up showing animals through 4-H and FFA,” said Wesneski. “Showing animals taught them responsibility among so many other life lessons. I can only hope these organizations continue providing that opportunity to others in our community.”

This year, the Monsanto Fund will invest nearly $6 million in rural America through Grow Communities, which includes double donations for counties impacted by the historic drought.

Music for the day will begin with the Al Sulak Polka Band in the Harvest Pavilion at 11:00 a.m. The Emotions, this years headliner, will begin playing at 8:00 p.m. on the Texas Hyundai Stage.

New to the festival this year are the firefighters challenge races. The first challenge, the obstacle race. begins at 8.00 a.m. with the pumper race beginning at 10:00 am. Some of the other main attractions of the day include an entertaining talent show at 9:00 a.m., the NHF Little Mr. and Miss Contest at 1:00 p.m., and the NHF Queen Contest at 2:00 p.m., all on the Texas Hyundai stage. Sonny the Birdrnan will perform in the Kids Zone at 10:30 a m. and again at 12:30 p.m The Steve Burton Magic Show will take place at 11 :30 a.m. and again at 1:30 p.m., in the Kids Zone. The bar-b-que cook-off judging will begin at 3:00 p.m. followed by the awards presentation and a live auction. A variety of food and drinks wil be available for sale throughout the dey.

Visitors will be able to take a chance on a drawing. Tickets are $10 each and will be sold throughout the day.

Admission is $5 per person. This cost covers both Friday and Saturday entry. Children 6 and under will receive free admit- tance. All proceeds benefit the development of Harvest Park and Community Center. For more information, visit wvw.needvillefest.com or call the Harvest Fest hotline at 979-793-4030.

2012 Fort Bend County Fair President Russell “Rusty” Gibson

The President of the 2012 Fort Bend County Fair is Russell “Rusty” D. Gibson, a lifetime resident of Fort Bend County. Rusty and his wife Kathleen (who he met at the Fair 30 years ago) reside in Needville and have 5 children. On September 28, the Fort Bend County Fair will open its 76th fair. There are many new and exciting activities planned for the fair.

President Gibson stated “As always, we have another great entertainment lineup and an action packed rodeo for our Fairgoers. “This year we have added many new events for the children and the young at heart”. He went on to say, “The Fair Board has added a Teen Dance, Diaper Derby, Lil’ Wrangler’s BBQ Cookoff, Lawn Tractor Race, Video Contest, Exception Rodeo and has brought back the Hay Hauling competition”.

Rusty has been a loyal supporter and actively involved in the Fort Bend County Fair since 1985 when he joined the BBQ Cookoff Committee. He has also served on Student Fun Day, Talent Show and Parking Committees. Twenty years later in 2005, he was elected to the Fort Bend County Fair Board of Directors and worked his way up to presidency.

Residents of the county eagerly anticipate visiting with friends and neighbors at some of the many activities the Fair has to offer each year. Last year over 141,000 people passed through the gates and an even bigger turnout is expected this year.

In closing, Gibson stated “It is time to dust off those hats, shine those boots and make plans to head to the Fort Bend County Fair. Everyone is invited to help us celebrate our 76th anniversary – “Into the Future & Back to our Roots”.

For more information on the Fort Bend County Fair and tickets go to www.fortbendcountyfair.com or call 281-342-6171.

The Needville Area Chamber of Commerce announced that they have named Fort Bend Seniors Meals on Wheels the Business of the Month for June. Fort Bend Seniors Meals on Wheels has been a member in good standing at the Chamber since 2003.

“We are honored to be the Business of the Month at the Needville Area Chamber of Commerce,” said Manuela Arroyos Chief Executive Officer of Fort Bend Seniors Meals on Wheels.  “Our agency has been a part of the Needville community by serving daily hot meals to homebound older adults for many years. We look forward to continuing this partnership with the Needville area in an effort to serve their residents.”

Fort Bend Seniors Meals on Wheels is currently in need of volunteers to deliver meals to the Needville area. Volunteers, once approved and trained, may deliver once a week, every other week, once a month, or whatever fits their schedule.

“My grandfather was a recipient of the Fort Bend Seniors Meals on Wheels Program”, explained Fort Bend Seniors Meals on Wheels volunteer, Tamara Slowinski. “I enjoy being a part of an organization that allows me to help the people in my community and who also helped a member of my family.”

The Needville Area Chamber of Commerce is a group of area business leaders who work together to achieve a healthy economic climate of good jobs, capital creation, and honest, efficient government in Needville and the surrounding area. Funded by membership investments, the Needville Chamber’s strength lies in the number and diversity of its membership.  They seek to make commerce happen through business expansion and attraction, as well as the advocacy efforts that help improve business in the Needville area.

If you would like to volunteer for Fort Bend Seniors Meals on Wheels, please contact Susan Whitacre, Director of Volunteers at 281-633-7063 or susan@fortbendseniors.org, for more information or to donate, please contact Kristin Weiss, Director of Development at FBS, at 281-633-7057 or kweiss@fortbendseniors.org, or to inquire about receiving senior adult services, please contact Leah Doyle, Director of Programs at leah@fortbendseniors.org or 281-633-7053.

Shown (left to right) are: Alyssa Urbanek, chapter president; Robbie Melnar, winning farmer; Wendy Melnar, wife of winning farmer; and Bruce Poindexter, Monsanto representative.

With an estimated nine billion mouths to feed by 2050, the future of farming depends on America’s youth. Organizations like the Needville FFA help turn these future farmers into community and industry leaders who will be able to meet the challenges of our growing population. Robbie Melnar, a farmer in Fort Bend County, recently directed a $2,500 donation to the Needville FFA through America’s Farmers Grow CommunitiesSM to help the members carry on the proud tradition of American farming.

“We need to provide more opportunities to keep kids interested in agriculture,” Melnar said. “These FFA kids will be the ones to keep agriculture going.”
The FFA will use the $2,500 to offset the cost of the chapter attending the State FFA Convention, by paying for travel, boarding, and registration fees.
“This Grow Communities donation will help us fulfill our mission—Build the leaders of tomorrow,” said George Krejci, FFA advisor.

In a ceremony held on April 21 during the Needville Youth Fair, Melnar got the chance to present the FFA with the $2,500 donation.
Through America’s Farmers Grow Communities:
· Farmers in 1,245 eligible counties have the chance to win $2,500 for their favorite community nonprofit organizations.
· The Monsanto Fund has invested more than $3.1 million to rural communities this year alone.
· More than $352,500 in total has been donated to nonprofits in Texas.
· A list of all winners and more information can be found at www.growcommunities.com

Grow Communities is part of a broad commitment by the Monsanto Fund to invest in farm communities such as Fort Bend County. It aims to highlight the important contributions farmers such as Robbie Melnar make every day to our society.

An exhibit of useful items created from recycled trash will be on display. See how a milk jug can be made into a bird feeder, a coat hanger into a paper-towel rack, and much more!

A free copy of the book The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time, written by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas Kostigen, will be given away to the first 30 families arriving for the celebration. Bookmarks and pencils from the Fort Bend County Recycling Center will also be given away.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call the branch library at 979-793-4270 or the library’s Public Information Office at 281-341-2677.

Joe Rosales is grateful to be alive. He recently received a lifesaving heart transplant and is currently recovering. The costs are overwhelming, so volunteers are planning a barbecue fundraiser to help.

In 2008, Rosales broke his ankle, an injury requiring pins to be inserted during surgery. At a pre-operation medical appointment, his doctor reviewed the routine EKG and asked him when he had suffered a heart attack. Rosales, 59, was shocked to hear this question because he didn’t even know he had experienced a heart attack.

After seeing a cardiologist and undergoing multiple tests, he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, which afflicted his father, grandparents and multiple aunts. Doctors said a heart transplant was essential to his survival. In 2010, he suffered another heart attack, and doctors implanted a defibrillator to assist his heart while he awaited his transplant. He received his transplant Saturday, March 24 and is thrilled to begin his road to recovery.

Rosales’ health issues forced him to stop working and limited his abilities to participate in many activities. He has always gone out of his way to assist others, so it’s been difficult for him to rely on others for help. Despite these challenges, he is forever grateful for the love and support of Evangeline, his wife of nearly 40 years, their two children, family and friends. His three grandchildren mean the world to him, and he looks forward to having the energy to spend more time with them after he fully recovers. He is anxious to resume his active life of working, hiking and riding horses.

A heart transplant costs nearly $1 million. Even with health insurance, he faces significant expenses related to the surgery. For the rest of his life, Rosales will need follow-up care and daily anti-rejection medications. His post-transplant medications are very costly, and they are as critical to his survival as the transplant itself.

To help alleviate the financial burden, the Rosales family turned to the National Foundation for Transplants (NFT) for assistance with some of these financial burdens. NFT is a nonprofit organization that helps patients raise funds to pay for transplant-related expenses.

“Of course, we’re thrilled that Joe received his transplant,” said Kay Horne, NFT fundraising consultant. “But he still faces significant expenses, and those can be financially devastating. At NFT, we’re helping Joe’s family raise the necessary funds so they can focus on his health and their family without constantly worrying about the expenses.”

are planning a barbecue dinner and live auction, Saturday, April 14 at 4 p.m. at Leroy Miksch Memorial Pavilion in Needville. Barbecue plates will be available for $8, and the event will include live music, a raffle for an iPad, children’s activities, and a live auction consisting of household items, baked goods, arts and crafts and more.

For questions or more information, please contact Eva Rosales at velasister2@msn.com or 979-793-7394.

To make a tax-deductible donation in honor of Rosales, please send a contribution to the NFT Texas Transplant Fund, 5350 Poplar Ave., Suite 430, Memphis, TN 38119. Please be sure to write “in honor of Joe Rosales” on the memo line. Secure donations also can be made online at www.transplants.org. Donors should select “Find or Become an NFT Patient” to locate Rosales.

The Hoof Prints & Heart Beats Organization is hosting its first Annual Charity Event on March 3, from noon to 4:00 p.m. The event will be held rain or shine at Hooves and Hearts Stables, 5955 FM 360 in Needville.

There will be fun and games for all ages including pony rides for the children, door prizes, a silent auction, family photos with the horses, and refreshments.

Co-Founder, Brenda Ettinger says, “Our goals for this year are to fence more pasture areas, cover the round-pen, and fill the stable with boarders which would allow us to cover costs of feed and vet bills for our therapy horses.”  Because the center offers its services to the community at no cost, this event is important for generating the funds required to ensure the continuation of this important program.

Both children and adults look forward to their time at Hoof Prints & Heart Beats every week where they work on their coordination, balance, fine motor skills and concentration aided by the gentle spirit of the horse. Although there is much that can be accomplished through the generous support of the community, it is hoped that some of the proceeds from this event will help to finance a roof over the arena where lessons are held. This would mean that the center would no longer have to cancel lessons during inclement weather and disappointing those that find relief and empowerment on the backs of these powerful yet gracious creatures.

The Hoof Prints & Heart Beats Organization is a healing sanctuary created to improve the quality of life for people otherwise thought to be unreachable by modern or traditional therapies. The center works with the healing spirit of the horse to provide rehabilitation and therapeutic riding for physically challenged individuals and people who suffer from social disorders such as Autism, ADD, ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrome and eating disorders. They also provide Equine Enhanced Counseling for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, trauma and addiction recovery.

For more information visit www.hoofprintsandheartbeats.org.

Michael Berry

Folks who come to this year’s 6th Annual Creekside Hunting & Fishing Show in Needville on April 30 and May 1 will think a lot of things. If they’ve never been before they will probably wonder how something so amazingly conceived can come out of little Needville, Texas – a town of roughly 4,000.

The host location is the Creekside Christian Fellowship Church on Hwy 36 across from the high school. It’s a beautiful campus with a fully stocked catch-and-release lake in the back and “lotsa room” around it.

On this weekend you’ll find over 50 vendor and activity booths, the ESPN-Famous “Dock Dogs” performing, a guest appearance by Houston’s #1 talk show personality, Michael Berry on Saturday 11-2, clay shooting tournaments, Hunter’s Laser Shot, the Sensory Safari Exhibit of 50 mounted animals for “touch & feel”, a large silent auction and a huge 52-Gun Raffle ticket sales beginning.

Throw in a Rockwall, G-Max Gyro Ride, a Kid’s World Play Area, softball and tournament, demos on Fly Fishing and Bait Casting, Seminar on Deer Horn Rattlin’ and more and you get the picture.

The show is economical with FREE ADMISSION, FREE PARKING and FREE ACTIVITIES – an economical weekend for the whole family. You can even bring your poles and fish and picnic by the lake.

But after thinking all of that, you’ve missed the “Big Picture” of a dream and the mission of this non-profit extravaganza – to raise money for college scholarships for area high-schoolers 16-18 and to share that God does work in many ways – even through hunting and fishing.

In the past three years, Creekside Christian Fellowship has awarded winning students a total of $13,500 in scholarship monies. And this year they have decided to have two tournaments – one on Saturday morning for 30 girls and one on Sunday morning for 30 guys. Each day will see the top three finishers be awarded $2000, $1500 and $1000 scholarships with a drawing from the other 27 entrants for an additional $500. That’s a two-day total of $10,000 for our winners.

Although your admission is free, you contribute to the scholarships with your concession purchases, silent auction bidding and vendor participation fees.

For complete information, contact numbers, times and photos, visit the website at WWW.CREEKSIDESHOW.COM and tell your friends to join you in a great weekend.