Comments from Virginia Jordan

The Oaks Historic District Neighborhood Association , beginning in 2012, will fund (1) $1000 scholarship for college-bound students who live within the District.

Preference will be given to those students planning to attend Lamar University. Strong academic standing will be required, as well as evidence of a commitment to the community through volunteerism.

Qualified, interested parties may access applications via the Oaks website.

I hope everyone got a chance to go to the Dogtoberfest on the 8th.  There were lots of prizes and fun for everyone.  Take a look at the pictures in the photo gallery.

Mark it on your calendar for next year.  You don't want to miss out on all the fun.

If you missed last night’s Oaks neighborhood meeting, featuring Waste Management’s Mike Wilson, you missed some great information. We were all very interested in getting the re-cycling service going in our neighborhood. Mike told us that we would need around 25 – 30 subscribers to warrant a new route being added to their existing two. We thought we could do that – easily!

Here are the facts:

• Cost is only $10.00/month – billed by Waste Management quarterly (prefer a credit card)
• WM will provide a nice, large green (yellow lid) dumpster for your recyclables
• WM picks up 2 times a month – every other Tuesday.
• No need to pre-sort
• Will take paper, plastic, cardboard, cans – NO GLASS yet (not cost effective at this time)
• You need to call WM to get your pick-up set up (credit card info, etc.)
• Phone number to call is 842-0065

Please let me know if you are interested in getting in on this recycling program. We’d like to keep track of the number so we will know when we have the necessary numbers to get it started in our neighborhood.

To contact me click on Contact Us on the menu at the top of the page.  In the Message block, say something like "I signed up with WM for the Oaks Recycling Program".

Thanks ---- and Happy re-cycling!!!!!

WM tip of the week:
Take your old paint-filled cans, remove lids and let paint dry out (becomes a solid mass). At that point it can be picked up by trash collection. If it isn’t drying out fast enough, add some cat litter to the can……

Check out the Press Release from Rao's

(Beaumont, Texas - June 6, 2011) - Rao's Bakery will give free samples of the rarest, most expensive coffee in the world at all of their locations on June 15th and 16th in order to provide coffee connoisseurs a fun and unique experience.

Kopi Luwak, a rare and exotic coffee made famous in the movie "The Bucket List," is considered the most difficult to obtain.  If you have seen the movie, then you know the punch line - Kopi Luwak is made from coffee beans gathered from animal droppings.  Despite the coffee's origins, coffee fanatics and scientists claim that this coffee is one of the most complex and delicious brews available.    

Kopi Luwak coffee comes from the Indonesian island of Sumatra, an area well known for excellent coffee.  A small, cat-like animal called a luwak eats ripened coffee cherries, bean and all.  In the stomach, enzymes influence the coffee bean by removing bitterness.  The luwak then defecates, and local people collect the processed bean.  The bean is then cleaned, roasted and ground for coffee.   Coffee aficionados worldwide praise the resulting brew for its rich, earthy and bitter-free taste.

"Because of the high price and the challenge of finding certified, authentic beans, most people will never be able to experience Kopi Luwak coffee.  One pound sells for between $200-$300.  By offering free samples every year, I thought we could bring something really unique and fun to our area," says Rao's Bakery owner, Jake Tortorice.

By the way, the picture was not part of the original press release.  The webmaster, Michael, added that.