Pineywoods Cattle Baron Gala 2010

Well, it’s official- Lufkin is having a Cattle Baron’s Gala at the beautiful Winston 8 Ranch on October 9th, 2010. If you have never heard of a Cattle Baron’s Gala or Ball, let me tell you, it is a very special and fun evening, benefiting local American Cancer Society's. If you live outside of East Texas, don’t stop reading yet, I promise you, this party is going to be worth the drive from Houston or Dallas!

The Cattle Baron’s Gala is a trademark- American Cancer Society event that is held annually in various communities throughout the country and it’s usually (but not always) held outdoors on a ranch under huge party tents. The large scale event includes a live music stage (usually featuring a well known country music act), great food and drink, elaborate decorations, dancing, live and silent auctions, raffles, midways filled with “unique” adult games and much more. Yes y'all, all of this will happen on the grass in the middle of a beautiful Texas Ranch!

The first annual Pineywoods Cattle Baron’s Gala has been in the works for more than a year! If you want to get technical, it’s actually been in the works for more than ten years with countless local people literally begging the American Cancer Society to let us have the event in our community on the organization's behalf. Nationwide, Cattle Baron events raise millions of dollars throughout the nation for cancer research and money to support the American Cancer Society’s local efforts. The Dallas Cattle Baron’s event raises more money for cancer research in one single night’s event than any other cancer fundraising endeavor! In fact, to date, the Dallas event has raised more than 40 million dollars for the American Cancer Society with the largest portion of that money going DIRECTLY to cancer research! WOW!

The Cattle Baron’s Gala always incorporates a Western theme (hence the name “Cattle Baron’s”) but year-to -year and community-to-community a “sub theme” is chosen and organizers create their own spin on the theme, decor and overall vibe of the event. Themes and decor can range widely from a very decadent and elaborate atmosphere with large crystal chandeliers hanging in tents and elegant floral arrangements, to a very rustic Wild West atmosphere with rusted iron and tumbleweeds. The 2010 Pineywoods Cattle Baron Gala’s chosen theme for this year is "Rhinestone and Ropers", so you can bet the event will have something to do with bling and cowboy boots. Here's a pic of this year's poster:

To ensure that Cattle Baron events are successful, I think it's wise that local American Cancer Society chapter’s consider things like community support, interest and volunteer commitment before even thinking about approving the undertaking of such a large event in their respective communities. The American Cancer Society is very strict and only allows a very small amount of money raised by a Cattle Baron’s event to be used on the event itself, which guarantees that money raised, directly goes to cancer research and the work of the local American Cancer Society. While the organization itself is very involved in every single aspect of putting on the event, hundreds of volunteers are needed from start to finish to pull off a successful Cattle Baron’s Gala, which is led and driven by a volunteer Executive Planning Committee. Here’s a picture of the 2010 Executive Planning Committee being led by Chairmen Terri and Roger Self, Chair-Elects; Brigettee and Trey Henderson. Also pictured are the 2010 Sub Committee Chairpersons (not all are pictured):

So, why am I posting about this event on my little craft blog? Each and every one of us has known or knows someone with cancer. One in four of us will have cancer in our lifetime. There are cancer research breakthroughs every day and I want to do what I can to help and odds are that you feel precisely the same way as I do. The Cattle Baron's Gala gives us a unique and visible way to raise money and awareness to provide the American Cancer Society with the critical resources to help fight this fight.

So, how can we help? First, consider buying a ticket or a table when tickets go on sale (I'll let you know when) and come to this fun event. Second, you can also help by spreading the word about the Gala; you can become a fan of the Pineywoods event on Facebook here for information and updates about the event. Also, if you are interested, consider being a financial sponsor or underwriter of the event. Third, think about the possibility of having your business or employer donate an auction item. Or how about signing up to volunteer to assist in the set up of the event in the days leading up to Gala? There are a lot of ways to help! Whatever you are willing to contribute would help and you can email me or contact Gala Chairmen Terri and Roger Self at Terri_self@hotmail.com directly for more information. You can also go to the Pineywoods Cattle Baron's Gala 2010 website here and fill out a form to contribute.

If you live outside of East Texas, October 8th-10th would be the PERFECT weekend to plan a Pineywood's getaway! Heck, there are people out there that make it a weekend hobby to travel across the state just to attend a Cattle Baron's event, so think about coming and joining us! If I've convinced you or you're thinking about it, you can check out area hotels and things to do while you're here by going to the Lufkin Convention and Visitor Bureau's awesome website here.

As we lead up to the Gala in October, I thought it would be fun to periodically (maybe every 6-8 weeks or so) share with you via The Exchange little tidbits and sneak peaks of fun things that you should expect to see, taste or hear at the Gala! Shannon Davis and I are chairing this year’s Decoration Committee, which is made up of some of the most creative people I have ever known, so look for some fun and unique decorating sneak peaks as well. I don’t want to give too much away but I do think it will be fun to follow along see some of the behind the scenes work that will come together in a big way on October 9th in the middle of a pasture on the Winston 8 Ranch in Lufkin.

If you live in Angelina County, don't forget about Relay for Life coming up this next weekend (May 7th). If you've never been to a Relay for Life, please consider attending and participating. You can find out more information about the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life here.

Before I close, I wanted to mention and highlight those businesses and individuals who before the event even had it's official "kick-off", immediately signed up to sponsor and underwrite the first ever Pineywood's Cattle baron's Gala! The event NEEDS more sponsors and underwriters, so look for this list to continue to grow! Again, if you or your business is interested in helping with this event in any way, please let us know! Here are sponsors and underwriters that have signed on so far:

2010 Gala Sponsors and Underwriters (to date)

Ray, Barbara, Carl Ray & Romy Polk
The George H. Henderson, Jr. Family
Carroway Funeral Home
Brookshire Brothers
Wright Buick GMC
The Raymond Moore Family
Moore Brothers Construction
East Texas Asphalt
First Bank & Trust East Texas
Dr. & Mrs. Taylor McKewen
Secure Documents Storage & Retrieval
Children’s Clinic of Lufkin
Dr. Sid Roberts/Angelina Radiation Oncology Associates
Haglund Law Firm
Lufkin Industries
3M Enterprises
Morgan Insurance
Angelina Diagnostics
Fredonia Hotel
Terri Self/Ultra Cuts
Lufkin Coca Cola Bottling Company
David Tamminga, Burger Works, Inc.
Marianna and Rufus Duncan
Randy George/William George Co., Inc.
Zeleskey Law Firm
Cavenders
Jay Jackson Insurance
Mr. & Mrs. Jim Alexander
Abeldt's Pharmacy
American Real Estate


In-Kind
KTRE
GAP Advertising
Lufkin Daily News
Beard Fine Jewelers
Outback Steakhouse
Lufkin Printing Company


So mark your calendars for 7:00 PM, October 9th for the Pineywoods Cattle Baron’s 2010 Gala. I hope to see you there! Also, don't forget about Relay for Life next weekend (may 7th) if you live in Angelina County.

Ok, back to our regularily scheduled crafting and cooking shortly!!

Cheers!

Cyndy