The Irving Chamber recently held its Annual Awards Celebration to thank and honor volunteers who serve Irving and help the chamber. This year's event also included a celebration of the chamber's 80th anniversary. Other Irving milestones this year include the Irving Heritage House's 100th, Irving-Las Colinas Rotary Club's 75th, Fluor's 100th and Kimberly-Clark's 140th anniversaries.

 

Here's a recap of the winners:

--AT&T; outstanding chamber corporate partner

--Mark Collins, Dean Collins, Cushman & Wakefield for the KidKraft project; commercial real estate broker of the year/deal-project

--Alan Benitez, Cody Patton; technology leadership council innovation awards

--Thom Davis, Omega Enviromental Technologies; Clayton Dobson Irving Sister Cities/International Trade Development and Assistance Award

--Leo Hull; ambassador of the year award

--Sfuzzi; commercial construction/project of the year award

--Beth Phillips, Ebby Halliday Realtors; residential real estate professional award

--Four Seaons Resort and Club; economic development partner of the year

--Larsen Dye Architects; small business of the year

--Ricky Stephenson, Rick's Car Kare; chamber volunteer of the year

--Ryan Pafford of the chamber; MVP/employee of the year

--David Park, Atmos Energy; chairman's award

 

Also at the event, the graduates of Leadership Irving were recognized. Visit irvingchamber.com.

 

League meeting

 

The Irving League of Women Voters held its annual convention in a new venue. They met Saturday morning in the Irving Chamber's vault room--a windowless place that once served as a bank vault. 

 

Aspen Catering provided breakfast. Jon Bonnot, director of business recruitment for the Irving Chamber, gave an update on economic development projects in Irving. Following his presentation, league members voted on several items including its slate of officers. Mona Wyatt is staying on as president. 

 

To learn more about the league, visit www.lwvirving.org.

 

Rotary meeting

 

At the May 10 Irving-Las Colinas Rotary Club meeting, the focus was on V-E Day. That was during World War II when Victory in Europe was announced on May 8, 1945. Rotary member Troy Kelley talked about the war and forgiveness. He also recognized many veterans who attended the meeting.

 

The club meets at noon Thursdays at Las Colinas Country Club. For information, call 972-790-5963.

 

MADD honors officers

 

MADD and TxDOT recently honored the top DWI officers in Dallas County as part of its "Take the Wheel" grant. Several Irving officers received awards. Officer Kevin Palms received the Enforcement Hero Award, which recognizes officers with the most DWI arrests in 2011. Officer Steve Burres received the DWI Commitment Hero Award. And Officer Travis Huckaby received the MADD Commitment Hero Award. Visit madd.org.

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The floral arrangements were stunning. Richard Bengtson, Ted Bruehl and the talented designers of The Chocolate Rose created arrangements that matched the paintings in the 27th Texas & Neighbors Regional Art Exhibition at the Irving Arts Center. Although the arrangements are gone, the exhibit remains through May 26.

Several artists received awards. The Best of Show Award went to Ann Hardy for her "White Pumpkin" oil painting. Awards of Excellence were given to Weeda Hamdan for "Reflection XIII" and Connie Chadwell for "Lexie's Summer."

Among those who received first place awards were Nancy Paris Pruden for "Yellow Parrot Tulips," Carol Flori for "The Veteran," Karin Michele Anderson for "Tangled Orchid" and Russell Mackensen for "A Blue Plate Special." 

Albert Handell served as juror. The Irving Arts Assocation sponsors the five-state competition. Visit irvingart.org.

Trivia winners

A new team prevailed and took home the 5th Annual Irving Trivia Contest trophy. The Henry Holmes Breakfast Forum Jim Bullock team beat the La Cima Heritage Committee team in this year's competition. Members of both teams received the book, Irving, Texas--From Rails to Wings by Norma Stanton, for placing first and second.

Following the contest, guests enjoyed a cake to celebrate Washington Irving's birthday. Mary Higbie holds the competition around April 3 to celebrate the author's birthday. Many believe Irving was named after the author.

Breakfast with the Stars 

Newscaster John McCaa got up very early last week to serve as host of the Irving Schools Foundation's 25th Annual Breakfast with the Stars. Held at the Irving Convention Center, the event honored 115 students and teacher with scholarships--the largest number of recipients to date. Nissan served as presenting sponsor for the ninth year. 

Beth Bowman, the foundation board president, welcomed guests. Dr. Bill LaBarr of Plymouth Park United Methodist Church gave the invocation. Other speakers included Ernesto Reyes, Dr. Dana Bedden, Heather Ashley, Caroline Delgado and new foundation executive director Crystal Scanio, who gave the closing remarks.

Twelve new scholarships were presented, including a Coach Mike Farda Scholarship honoring the late Nimitz football coach, and the MacArthur OBGYN Scholarship honoring the late Dr. David Wollenman. 

Since the foundation was founded in 1985, it has awarded more than 2,200 scholarships and grants totaling more than $2.2 million. Visit irvingisd.net/foundation. 

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For the first time in Texas Fest's 33 year history, the fundraiser sold out soley due to sponsorship donations. That meant that organizers didn't have to mail out any invitations.  

"We sold out about five or six weeks before the event," said sponsorship committee chair Clem Lear. "And we exceeded our goal by about $12,000."

Held Saturday at the Irving Convention Center, TexasFest benefits the Irving Healthcare Foundation. About 1,000 guests attended. Country singer Susie Taylor opened for headliner Sammy Kershaw.

Tom Trotter, foundation board chair, took a moment to thank sponsors, organizers and volunteers. He also presented a Family of the Year Award to Larry Clements and his family.

The Cowboys and Cajuns-themed evening included a dinner buffet, live and silent auctions and casino games. Diana Pfaff chaired the event, with help from Karen Hegner as vice-chair. Tawnia Wise, the foundation's departing director of development, also played a big role in the event's success.

The foundation's goal was to raise at least $310,000 from TexasFest. Almost $255,000 already came in through sponshorships. Funds will benefit five groups supported by the foundation: Baylor Irving, Our Children's House at Baylor-Irving, Irving Interfaith Clinic, Childhood Obesity Task Force and Community Dental Clinic. 

When asked why the event is such a success, Pfaff replied, "It's about health."

Lear agreed. "As I get older, I realize how important good health care is." 

The foundation's main goal is to make people healthier by raising funds and encouraging volunteer service to healthcare nonprofits in Irving. Visit healthyirving.org.

HP Byron Nelson

HP Byron Nelson Championship officials recently announced that corporate hospitality sponsorships for the 2012 tournament are sold out. Overall sales topped $10.9 million, which is up 4 percent from 2011. This is the first year since 2008 that hospitality sponsorships have sold out. The tournament will be from May 14-20 at the Four Seasons Resort and Club at Las Colinas. 

Among the players coming to Irving to play are Adam Scott, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh and Keegan Bradley. Those who are looking for an upgrade hospitality experience can still purchase a limited number of VIP Villa tickets for $125. Visit hpbnc.org. 

Cistercian award

Reflections 2011, Cistercian Preparatory School's literary magazine, was recently named one of only 13 high school print and online student publications to win the Columbia Scholastic Press Association's Gold Crown Award. The award recognizes the best practices in student writing, editing and publishing. Editor-in-chief Zach Horton, '11, accepted the award at an awards ceremony in New York and represented his fellow editors Andrew Skaras, '11, and Alex Radford, '11.  This the school's third Gold Crown Award. The last one was received in 2007. 

Film festival award

North Lake College student Dillon White won first place in the TXU Energy's student film contest at the recent Dallas International Film Festival. His film, ZAP!, is about a special dog named Zap who decides to save eletricity by turning off appliances while his owners are at work. For placing first, White received $7,500 in technology grants, with half going to the college. 

"Film is the epitome of teamwork and it's rewarding because the process utilizes all kinds of creative, hard-working people," White said. "I love making art and a film crew is like family to me."

ZAP! and another film by White called Lucky Red were screened at North Lake's Video Festival on Thursday. Visit northlakecollege.edu.  

Behind every successful student is a good teacher.  But also what helps is an involved parent.

Parents and teachers were honored for their commitment to education at the recent IISD Council of PTAs Life Membership and Scholarship Banquet. About 200 guests attended the event at Las Colinas Country Club. 

Stipes Elementary students welcomed guests with percussion numbers and the MacArthur Jazz Band also performed. Speakers included Catherine Carlin, Area 16 President; Mayor Beth Van Duyne and IISD Superintendent Dana Bedden. Nancy Jones, former IISD board member, gave a brief address.

Four students received scholarships. They are Saul Membreno of Irving High, Jett Beachum of MacArthur High, Lauren Edgar of Nimitz High and Gi Ju Lim of Singley Academy. 

Rose Stiggleman presented Texas Life Membership Awards to about 36 perents, teacher and principals. An IISD Council of PTAs Life membership went to IISD school board member Gwen Craig and Superintendent Bedden. Extended Service Awards went to Becky Pullum of Nimitz and Skye Bryant of Townsell Elementary.

The Council board members for 2012-13 are Jearlene Miller, Claudette Brackett-Anthony, Karen Farris, Leslie Bilyeu and Lisa Deubler.

Clodecott Awards

The University of Dallas' Education Department recently presented its annual Clodecott Awards. The awards honor the top children's books written by students in the Child and Young Adult Literature class. They are named after Dr. Cherie Clodfelter, professor emerita, and the Caldecott Awards.

The Clodecott winner was Jessica Williamson, who wrote and illustrated The Courage of Rachel De Beer. Coldecott Honor Books were Sweet Dreams by Danielle Fuchs with illustrations by Carrie Baker and Louise and the New House by Mary Defilippis with illustrations by John Defilippis.

The Judge's Award Books were Fritz Family by Mary Fritz; The Grand Exhibition by Rachel Bastian with illustrations by Blake Ballard and Molly Rawicki; and Rocky, the Very Special Wolf, by Karen Kirtley with illustrations by J. Leight Bralick.

The Children's Choice Award Books were Rosie's Big Surprise by Joe De La Torre and Rocky, the Very Special Wolf.

Pulitzer finalist

While Irving High and University of Texas graduate John Moore already owns a Pulitzer Prize, he was up again this year in the Breaking News Photography category for his photographs capturing the Arab Spring protests.

Moore was a finalist along with Peter Macdiarmid and the late Chris Hondros of Getty Images. Their photos captured the chaos and exuberance as ordinary people glimpsed new possibilities.

Other finalists included Carolyn Cole and Brian van der Brug of the Los Angeles Times for their illumination of epic disasters in Japan, documenting the brutality of nature as well as the durability of the human spirit.

The award went to Agence France-Presse's Massoud Hossaini for his photograph of a girl crying after a suicide bomber's attack in Kabul.

Fish fry

Under sunny skies, crowds gathered April 20 in Heritage Park to enjoy fried fish, french fries and fried green tomatoes. The Irving Heritage Society's 8th Annual Fish Fry drew a wide array of guests, including Rep. Linda Harper Brown and husband William Brown, Irving Council member Gerald Farris, Maura Gast, Tom Spink, James Dickens, Dick Lear, Sharon Barbosa-Crainand many others. Marvin Randle was an underwriter of the event and one of the fish fryers. The event included a cake auction with a huge selection of delectable, mostly homemade treats up for bids. Up next for the Heritage Society are the Trivia Contest finals at 10 a.m. May 5 at the Valley Ranch Library, 401 Cimarron Trail. Visit irvingheritage.com.

 

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At the April 12 Irving-Las Colinas Rotary Club, Irving City Secretary Shanae Jennings explained why she always wears a "do-rag" covering her head. She told the group about her battle with brain cancer. She's finally opening up, she says, because she wants to increase awareness about the scary disease.

Jennings also wanted to draw attention to two upcoming fundraisers. The first is the Nick Gonzales Foundation Charity Golf Tournament and Dinner on April 27 at Prestonwood Country Club in Dallas. Visit nickgonzalesfoundation.org.

The second is Brain Tumor Awareness Night on June 30 at the Ballpark in Arlington. The Rangers play the Oakland Athletics.

The Rotary meets at noon Thursdays at Las Colinas Country Club. Maura Gast, Rotary member and head of the Irving Convention and Visitors Bureau, invited Jennings to the meeting. To learn more, call 972-790-5963.

Tilted Kilt

The Irving Fire Honor Guard is the largest Fire Department Honor Guard in Texas. It has five divisions and 35 members. The Honor Guard represents Irving at civic events, parades, retirements, memorials and funerals. Members also honor fallen heroes across the Southwest by providing their families with the rich tradition of a fire department funeral service.

The Irving Fire Foundation honored this dedicated group with a Tilted Kilt fundraiser Wednesday evening at Las Colinas Country Club. Monica Ellington, who heads the foundation, put together an entertaining event where guests learned about honor guard traditions, enjoyed the singing of firefighter Les Pratt and got to taste whiskey and haggis. (The verdict: most didn't like the beef entrails dish.)

Helen Widener served as host and Gigi Peters created elaborate floral table centerpieces. Guests included Rep. Linda Harper Brown and husband Bill Brown, chamber president Chris Wallace and Christina Gears, who founded the foundation.

To learn more, visit irvingfirefoundation.org.

Healthcare Foundation

The Dallas County Affliliate of the Susan G. Komen awarded $2 million in community grants to 12 nonprofit programs at a recent luncheon. The grants went to agencies that provide free or low-cost breast health services to uninsured and underinsured Dallas County residents.

One of the recipients was the Irving Healthcare Foundation, which received a grant for $200,000. The foundation, in partnership with Baylor Medical Center at Irving, Texas Oncology, the Women's Imaging Center and the Surgical Group of North Texas, has launched a breast health services program for Irving residents. The program provides educational outreach, free mammograms and breast cancer treatment for low-income women with no or little insurance.

Baylor Irving and the foundation will use the grant to help increase screening rates for its at-risk population.

Also at the luncheon, awards were presented to dedicated partners and volunteers. Irving-based Kimberly Clark received the Legacy Partner Award for sponsoring the Komen Dallas Race for the Cure for more than five years.

Candidate forum

Elections are fast approaching. To learn more about the candidates and to have a change to ask them questions, the League of Women Voters of Irving, along with the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber, the Irving Hispanic Chamber and the Las Colinas Association, will hold a candidate forum at 7 p.m. Monday at City Hall, 825 W. Irving Blvd. Residents are encouraged to submit questions in advance on the league's website, www.lwvirving.org.

 

 

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Great Days of Service is an annual labor of love. Since 2002, dedicated volunteers have gathered for two weekends every spring to paint, trim, landscape and more for homeowners in need. About a dozen Irving churches pitch in to offer the service.

Like last year, First United Methodist of Irving is the host church. The work days are April 13 and 14 and April 20 and 21. A prayer breakfast will be at 7 a.m. April 14 at First UMC, 211 W. Third St. in downtown Irving. A closing celebration is scheduled for 2 p.m. April 22.

Organizers mostly work with code enforcement to determine where help is needed. They also reached out for support from area companies and organizations for donations of supplies and food for the volunteers.

Since Great Days of Service started, it has helped more than 200 homeowners.

To help out, visit gdsirving.org or call 972-510-5084.

Helping out

Upper School students at Cistercian Preparatory School recently participated in several community service events.  Students volunteered to wash cars for the Voice of Hope Ministries and improve the playground and landscape at St. Mary of Carmel School in West Dallas. They also completed a beautification project for the Missionaries of Charity.

Every spring, the boys host a Down Syndrome Guild Spring Carnival. Girls from Hockaday, Ursuline Academy of Dallas and Highland Park High School help with the event. This year, they hosted more than 40 children from the North Texas Down Syndrome Guild and the Notre Dame School of Dallas. 

"I'm very proud of the effort put forth by the students," said J. P. Walsh, community service advisor at Cistercian. 

Schools Foundation

Crystal Ramirez-Scanio, a bilingual financial manager, will take over as executive director of the Irving Schools Foundation effective immediately, the board of directors announced. Ramirez-Scanio replaces Mandy Hamilton-O'Neill, who accepted the position of chief executive officer for LeukemiaTexas after three years of service at the foundation.

"This allows me to follow my heart as well as my head," Ramirez-Scanio said in a news release. "I love Irving and I want the foundation to serve more students with broader support from the community."

Ramirez-Scanio has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Texas Tech University and a financial planning certificate from Southern Methodist University. She was named by Latino Leaders Magazine as one of their "Top 25 Young Latino Leaders DFW" in 2012.

The Irving Schools Foundation is a nonprofit that has provided over $2 million worth of scholarships and grants since 1985 through the help of community donations.

Up next for the foundation is Breakfast with the Stars, set for 7 a.m. May 3 at the Irving Convention Center. Tickets are $55. Visit irvingisd.net/foundation.

Candidates forum

Mark your calendars for the League of Women Voters of Irving's Candidates Forum on April 23. The event is set for 7 p.m. at City Hall, 825 W. Irving Blvd. The League offers a chance to submit questions online in advance of the forum. Visit lwvirving.org. Election day is May 12. 

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Guests at the Savor Dallas International Grand Tasting were buzzing not only about the food and wine but also about the venue. There was much more space to savor the delectable array of offerings, they said, than in previous years. The Irving Convention Center offered three floors of space, plus its large patios with views of Las Colinas. A band performed on one patio, and guests could grab a table and enjoy a quieter place to socialize on another patio.

The grand tasting brought more than 60 of Dallas-Fort Worth's top chefs and artisans and more than 400 wines, spirits and beers to Irving to be sampled by guests. Among the Irving chefs at the event were Pat Obenshain of Cool River, Christof Syre of the Four Seasons Resort and Club, George Cole and his brothers of I Fratelli, Brad Evers of La Cima Club and John Franke of The Ranch at Las Colinas. Franke offered a chocolate whiskey cake to die for.

The Four Seasons also participated in Savor Dallas by hosting a wine panel. Master Sommelier James Tidwell hosted panelists Richard Becker of Becker Vineyards, Stephanie Putnam of Raymond Vineyards, April Cullom, Mike Trujillo of Sequoia Grove Winery, Mike Martini of Louis M. Martini and Melissa Monosoff. The event benefited the TexSom-Texas Sommelier Association Education Fund.

Savor Dallas also took place in the Dallas Arts District, Oak Cliff and the Mansion on Turtle Creek. Visit savordallas.com.

Students graduate

The Irving Chamber recently held a graduation ceremony for students in its Future Leaders of Irving program. Joy Goodrum, the chamber's director of education and workforce development, runs the program which introduces students to leaders in the community.

Graduation recently took place at Verizon and about 80 people attended, including representatives from the chamber, schools and city as well as family members of the graduates. Students talked to the audience about how the program impacted and inspired them. They received certificates from the chamber and also received a proclamation from Rep. Linda Harper Brown.

To learn more about the program, contact Goodrum at jgoodrum@irvingchamber.com.

New officers

Members of Irving Women's Network recently enjoyed lunch at Hackberry Creek Country Club and a talk by Dave Lieber, a watchdog columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Lieber offered several tips to help consumers, including using persistance, asking lots of questions and always checking companies on Google.

The meeting included the announcement of officers for 2012-13. They are Laura Smith, president; Lisa Starkweather, first vice president; Barbara McPherson, second vice president; Lisa Christenson, recording secretary; Rochelle Zapanta, corresponding secretary; Alica Fernandez-Mott, treasurer; and Susan Kindley, parlimentarian.

The network meets the fourth Tuesday of the month (except in November and December). To learn more, visit irvingwomensnetwork.com.

Chamber and Korea

The Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Dallas Korean American Chamber of Commerce recently signed an agreement to collaborate on trade projects, cultural exchanges and to jointly research and pursue a possible Sister Cities relationship. Irving Chamber president Chris Wallace said he "was pleased to formalize a partnership with the GD Korean-American Chamber in order to pursue projects and events of mutual interest, for the benefit of both communities."

Greater Dallas Korean-American Chamber president Charles Ko, who also signed the agreement, said he was enthusiastic about "the collaborative efforts of the two organizations and the accomplishments that are sure to follow."

The Irving Chamber is already engaged with the GD Korean-American Chamber on several upcoming cultural events and potential trade projects. For more details, contact Joe Chapa at 214-21-8484 or at jchapa@irvingchamber.com.

Members of the Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra played for a new conductor at its March concert at the Irving Arts Center. Instead of the talented Robert Carter Austin,  founder of the orchestra, the musicians were conducted by Mario Kosik of Slovakia. And Kosik proved he was as talented as Maestro Austin. He received warm applause after each number and a standing ovation when the concert concluded.

Earlier in the week, Kosik and orchestra member had a treat during a rehearsal. Members of Kitty Baker's Senior Arts group brought an array of food and beverages for the musicians to enjoy during a rehearsal break. Baker obtains tickets from the orchestra for members of her group and she wanted to show how much they appreciate the opportunity to regularly go to LCSO concerts.

Up next for the orchestra is a concert on April 21. Visit lascolinasymphony.org.

UD drama news

The drama department at the University of Dallas has a strong reputation not only in the local theater community but among liberal arts colleges. The department was led for many years by Judith and Patrick Kelly, instructors who inspired legions of students to pursue careers in the theater world. Among those who work in the department today is Stefan Novinski, a '92 graduate of UD. His list of theater credits runs long--he's worked with professional actors such as Emma Stone, Ricardo Chavira and Stephanie Zimbalist and also had a career at Disney. For many years he lived in Southern California and worked at South Coast Repertory.

In September, Novinski will direct Shakespeare Dallas' production of Macbeth. For those interested in catching his work now, he presents Tom Stoppard's Arcadia through Sunday. Shows are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Visit udallas.edu.

Of note

--Irving lost a resident who was dedicated to community service with the recent death of Mickey Watson. A longtime Irvingite, Watson, 84, has a long list of service including welcoming the troops at DFW Airport, being a airport ambassador and volunteering for Parks Board, Boys Socuts, Baylor Irving, Friends of the Irivng Library and St. Mark's Episcopal Church. Memorials may be made to the Irving Library. 

--For the first time in its 34-year history, TexasFest has sold out. The annual event to benefit the Irving Healthcare Foundation will be April 28 at the Irving Convention Center. Visit healthyirving.org.

--MacArthur High School basketball star Alexis Jones headed to Chicago earlier this week to play in the McDonald's All American Games. Alexis has signed to play basketball at Duke University next fall.

 

 

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What's a bride to do when it pours on her wedding day and she's planned an outdoor wedding? Well, it helps to run into Mary Higbie.

Higbie, who works at the Mustang Museum in Williams Square, saw the wedding party trying to decide what to do on a recent rainy Saturday. They had received permission to be married on the plaza at Wiliams Square by the Mustangs of Las Colinas, Higbie said.

"I had gone out to the lobby to check on the weather," she said. "I invited the groom and his cousin into the Mustang Museum to see if that setting would work. The groom, who didn't hesitate, said 'Let's do it.'"

A guest quickly rearranged some of the furniture and added some chairs. Then guests were seated. Two young boys and a flower girl finally got a chance to do their jobs.

"A minister with a beautiful brogue, a lovely bride on the arm of her proud father and a handsome groom took front and center....and the ceremony began," Higbie said.

Higbie didn't know if it was a first for the Mustang Museum to have a wedding surrounded by the artwork of Robert Glen, sculptor of the Mustangs, but it turned out to be at least a dry wedding ceremony.

To learn more about the Mustang Museum, visit mustangsoflascolinas.com.

Political luncheon

A recent fundrasier for the League of Women Voters of Irving included an informative discussion on 2012 elections by three political science professors. After lunch was served at Las Colinas Country Club, Collette Vallot, community relations senior manager at TXU, introduced the professors and moderated the discussion.

The professors were: Cal Jillson (left in photo), chair of the political science department at Southern Methodist University and author of a new book called Lone Star Tarnished; James Riddlesperger (right), chair of the political science department at Texas Christian University; and Allan Saxe (center), associate professor at the University of Texas at Arlington.

They talked about the influence of Super PACs, redistricting in Texas, voting demographics, presidential power and the 2012 election. All three predicted Mitt Romney will be the Republican nominee and his running mate candidates may be Marco Rubio of Florida, Bob McDonald of Virginia or Susana Martinez of New Mexico. They also predicted Obama should win in November.

In talking about social media, Riddlesperger said his students don't read newspapers--the Internet is their source of news.

Guests asked questions about women's health care issues, and also about Obamacare, which Riddlesperger said is a complex program. But all three advocated an informed democracy where citizens learn more and get engaged. And especially at the local level, they said, where an impact can be made.

Up next for the League is a candidate forum on April 23. Visit lwvirving.org

Symphony news

Members of the Las Colinas Symphony Orchestra played for a new conductor at its concert last Saturday at the Irving Arts Center. Instead of the talented Robert Carter Austin,  founder of the orchestra, the musicians were conducted by Mario Kosik of Slovakia. And Kosik proved he was as talented as Maestro Austin. He received warm applause after each number and a standing ovation when the concert concluded.

Earlier in the week, Kosik and orchestra member had a treat during a rehearsal. Members of Kitty Baker's Senior Arts group brought an array of food and beverages for the musicians to enjoy during a rehearsal break. Baker obtains tickets from the orchestra for members of her group and she wanted to show how much they appreciate the opportunity to regularly go to LCSO concerts.

Up next for the orchestra is a concert on April 21. Visit lascolinasymphony.org.

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Volunteers were the center of attention at the recent membership meeting held by ICT MainStage. Those who give countless hours to the theater company received recognition along with T-shirts, notebooks, candy and more.

ICT MainStage administrator Amber Devlin gave a 20-question quiz about the 2010-11 season before guests got to vote on plays for the 2012-13 season. Next year, ICT MainStage will present Rough Crossing, Cover of Life, Fools, The Last Night of Ballyhoo and Bells are Ringing.

Up next, the company presents The Cat and the Canary. The cast includes Michelle Mays, Dave Schmidt, Michael Speck, Shannon Rasmussen, Trista Wyly, Aaron White, Scott Higgins, Ashlie Kirkpatrick, John Medaille and William Kledas. Michael Serrecchia will direct. The play runs March 23 to April 7 at the Irving Arts Center. Call 972-252-2787 or visit irvingtheatre.org.

Thanking donors

The Irving Healthcare Foundation recently held a Citizens Who Care Dinner at Las Colinas Country Club. The event was a celebration of philanthropy for a healthier Irving.

Foundation president John Drake presented a short slide show detailing how donations benefit the five groups served by the foundation. In 2012, $1.76 was raised by the foundation, which in turn gave out $1.85 million to its beneficiaries. Drake also noted that the foundation had an 80 percent success rates with its grants programs.

Two awards were presented. The Mazon Family received the 2012 Distinguished Family Award for its longtime support of the foundation. The 2012 Distinguished Organization Award went to Citi. Eric Dunlap accepted on Citi's behalf.

To learn more about the foundation, visit www.healthyirving.org.

TACA luncheon

The 34th annual TACA Silver Cup Award Luncheon was an elegant event that featured exquisite entertainment, a tribute to two arts patrons and wonderful food.

Lyric Stage, who received a $35,000 grant from TACA this year, filled up a table with 10 guests, including founder Steven Jones, Lyric Stage Guild president Sharry Hay and several guild members.

Syndicated columnist Lee Cullum served as host and Rabbi David Stern gave the invocation. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said a few words as did TACA board chair Andy Teller and luncheon chairs Suzanne and David Droese. Ginger Reeder of Neiman Marcus presented the NM Performing Arts Scholarship to Hando Nahkur, who performed a piano solo for the crowd.

John R. Eagle presented the 2012 Silver Cup Award to Caroline Rose Hunt while Sarah Perot presented the same award to Frank Risch. Risch, a retired Exxon Mobil executive, is a longtime supporter of the arts who serves on several boards, including chair of the Dallas Theater Center and a member of the AT&T Performing Arts Center.

To learn more about TACA, visit www.taca-arts.org.

 

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