Entertainment and Family Activities at the Toyota Texas Bass Classic APRIL 13, 14, 15 at LAKE FORK dam, Quitman, TX.
Presented by Enterprise Rent-A-Car

MUSIC - Country music star Clay Walker will be the headline entertainer at the Toyota Texas Bass Classic (TTBC) presented by Enterprise Rent-A-Car, performing on Saturday, April 14, at 5:30 p.m. Danielle Peck and Zona Jones will play earlier in the afternoon at 2 and 3 p.m. Tracy Lawrence will be the featured entertainer on Sunday, April 15 at 5:30 p.m. Kacey Musgraves and Todd Fritsch will perform at 1 and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.

TUNDRA PROVE IT! TOUR - Drivers will have the opportunity to test the all-new Tundra pickup through a number of real-world, interactive challenges and obstacles on a closed course that proves the truck's outstanding capabilities, such as acceleration, payload capacity, towing capacity and braking.

MAKE YOUR OWN COMMERCIAL - Toyota's exhibit will provide the chance to experience what it's like to star in your choice of five Tundra commercials in a professional studio setting. The best part - the DVD and bragging rights are yours and free!

TEXAS PARKS & WILDLIFE KID ZONE - Recreational and educational activities for kids and families during the tournament will include:

- Texas Parks & Wildlife Information Tents - Have questions? Here's where to find the answers! Find information about fishing, area state parks, Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine and learn how to properly set up a camp from the pros. Even meet a pro bass angler!

- Angling Stations - Activities will be catered to children ages five to 12 years old, including: hook tying lessons; identifying different species of fish; the Fishing Jeopardy game; lessons in what to look for during fishing. Everyone will win prizes.

- Casting Kids - Boys and girls, ages seven through 14 are invited to test their flipping, pitching and casting skills. Children can win prizes while learning about fishing and conservation. A quarter of a million dollars in scholarships and prizes will be given away, nationwide, presented by Texas B.A.S.S. Federation Nation.

- Archery - Children are encouraged to try out one of America's fastest-growing sports.

- Personal Watercraft Simulator - Test your driving skills and abilities on the PWC Simulator while sitting on a real personal watercraft in front of a 32" monitor. Master your way around boats, buoys, jumps and other obstacles while trying to maneuver through turns on the course.

- Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center and Budweiser ShareLunker Program - Find information on the premiere Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, located near Athens, Texas. Also view replicas of some of the largest bass caught in Texas.

- River and Stream Exhibits - View interactive displays and learn about Texas' most important resource - water.

- Anglers' Legacy - Avid Anglers - Share your passion for fishing. Contribute to the sport's growth by "Taking the Pledge" and promising to take one new person fishing each year. Sign up, and receive a gift!

- The Water Game - Learn about the hydrological cycle as you play through a nine hole miniature golf course. Take your water drop (a blue golf ball) on a trip from an aquifer, down streams and through marshes to the Gulf of Mexico.

- Operation Game Thief - View the "Wall of Shame," a display of seized evidence and pictures depicting violations. "No Trespassing" signs, caps and shirts with the Operation Game Thief logo are available for purchase.

- Wildlife Touch, See & Feel - These interactive displays feature dozens of wildlife items that kids may touch, including skins, skulls, taxidermic birds, mammal mounts, bird nests and animal tracks.

For more information, click http://www.toyotatexasbassc... target='_blank'>HERE

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We have a new web site named "LIGHTHOUSE 2911 FOR YOUTH" at
http://www.squidoo.com/ligh...

This allows us to continually update our site without having to pester the parent LIGHTHOUSE 2911 web master (a most gracious volunteer) to death.

SQUIDOO.COM offers FREE web sites. Better yet, is that they allow you to receive payments with no cost to you or the sender. That means all payments sent through the LIGHTHOUSE 2911 button will go directly to the LH2911 ACCOUNT account in Cuero. That'll be great for accepting on line payments for the raffle items and donations at LAKE FORK April 15.

It'll allow people to start ordering tickets on line after we get the button set up on Monday or Tuesday.

Tickets, 1/$10, or 6/$50 can be ordered from pmbeard@hotmail.com or 361-293-1350 or from rustybucket@ykc.cc 361-771-2914

BEP'S NAPA in Ganado is one place
WHERE YOU CAN BUY TICKETS. Watch for updates here.

PRIZES for raffle at TOYOTA TX BASS CLASSIC at LAKE FORK, QUITMAN, TX APRIL 13-15
FUND RAISER RAFFLE TO BENEFIT AT-RISK YOUTH

Thanks to the generosity of people in the outdoors community, we're currently offering an exciting bunch of prizes in a fund raising raffle. Drawings to be held April 13, 14, & 15

AMONG PRIZES

* WHOA, SOMEONE ASKED A QUESTION I COULDN'T ANSWER SO AM TRYING TO REACH THE DONOR——-A guided private land HUNT for ONE 130 to 140 point class WHITETAIL BUCK in SW Oklahoma near WASHITA National Wildlife Refuge. Estimated Value $3,000.

* One guided FOUR person Striper fishing trip on LAKE TEXOMA, ONE NIGHT'S LODGING; MEALS, and ALL fishing needs furnished. You don't have to be an experienced angler to take this trip. LIGHTHOUSE 2911 will donate the $160 deposit normally charged to the winners of these trips. YOU BRING: Non-Alcoholic drinks (It's NEVER wise to have alcohol (in your belly or cooler) when boating; CARBONATED drinks can affect you like alcohol when you're out in the sun for long periods);Wear & bring Your sun protection — sunlight effects are doubled on the water; ANY OTHER PERSONAL NEEDS YOU HAVE. FROM: TINKER'S STRIPER GUIDE SERVICE, Pottsboro, TX. Retail value $500
* ONE GUIDED YOUTH WHITETAIL DOE HUNT HUNT IN Oklahoma; From CHAIN RANCH, Edmond, OK. Estimated value??? will update.
* One (1) guided full day fishing for two on RECORD LUNKER BASS producing LAKE FORK near QUITMAN, TX. Winner's choice of going for any combination of BASS, CRAPPIE, and/or CATFISH. One night lodging, breakfast and lunch furnished by OAK RIDGE RESORT, Quitman, TX. Retail Value >$400.
RYAN HUMPHREYS, 8 YEARS (-2 days) caught this 7# 7oz beauty but had to release it(only 23" long, has to be >24" to keep Lake Fork bass) fishing with guide TONY CLARK at LAKE FORK.

* ONE Abu Ambassadeur 4600KC3 bait casting reel furnished by PUREFISHING. No Retail Value Found.
* ONE Abu Ambassadeur BTC3600C bait casting reel furnished by PUREFISHING. No Retail Value Found.
* ONE 300 yd. spool 20# test Berkley FIRELINE. DIAMETER = 8#TEST mono. Furnished by PUREFISHING. No Retail Value Found.
* $200 gift card towards TAXIDERMY WORK. Furnished by TEXANA TAXIDERMY, GANADO, TX.
* $200 gift card towards TAXIDERMY WORK. Furnished by CHRIS HOGAN TAXIDERMY, LOUISE, TX.
* ONE FIREARMS LESSON IN CHOICE OF RIFLE, SHOTGUN AND/OR HANDGUN—GUNS & AMMO FURNISHED by NRA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR, DEBBIE WARDLAW, KERRVILLE, TX. Value not stated.
* One case (12 BARS) of HOUGIE'S FAMOUS CATFISH SOAP, Richard Houge, Cuero, TX. One gallon, one quart, and two pints of

BIG MARV'S CATFISH CHEESE BAIT, from Big Marv's Bait, Gillette, TX. CURRENT TOTAL VALUE $96. more items anticipated. including FLIP STICK "World's fastest hook remover" from Cecil Thomley, Houston, and you'll love the new FISH GRIP from The Fish Grip Ltd Co, Norman, OK
* Outdoor (probably saltwater fish) prints by award winning Houston artist SAM CALDWELL. Number and Value not determined yet.
* One each, hand quilted LAP QUILT and a GIFT BASKET of SCENTED HOME MADE SOAPS from CHARLOTTE COCHRAN.
* Other prizes are expected and prize packages are expected to be assembled using some of the items above.

HELP THESE KIDS GO TO A CHRISTIAN VALUES BASED CAMP

It'll cost an estimated $4500 to send 30 kids and their counselors to camp. A minimum of $150 is needed NOW to reserve the camp before the opportunity is lost. We'd appreciate any help you can send us. It will go to pointing a youth toward a better life.

Please contact REV. PAUL BEARD at LIGHTHOUSE 2911, 202 Willis St., Yoakum, Texas 77995;
361-293-1350

GRANDMA RUSTY donated this hand quilted LAP QUILT for the LH2911 raffle. Tickets available soon. $10 each, 6 for $50. Rusty's expecting well over $10,000 worth of prizes.

Here's an email exchange between a Missourian and an Okie, initiated by Ron Grunig.

"Because of the climate of political correctness now pervading America, those of us in Arkansas and Missouri will no longer be referred to as HILLBILLIES.

"We ask that you now refer to us as OZARK-AMERICANS. Thank you! Now if you'll excuse me, I got possums to fry."

"Y'ALL "fry" yorn? 'T'ain't necessary ifn ya fix'm with dumplins"

> >

Check out the TOYOTA TEXAS BASS CLASSIC on the web. Rusty was invited to the press preview for what may be the most talked about professional bass tournament to date. A guy said that at the B.A.S.S. classic held a couple weeks before, all the buzz was about the Lake Fork event.

Put on by the Professional Anglers' Association (PAA), what better way of celebrating Lake Fork's 25th birthday than to have a catch-and-release type three day tournament with a $1,000,000 purse?

Besides the likes of Clay Walker, Tracy Lawrence,Danielle Peck, Stoney LaRue, Kacey Musgraves and Todd Frisch giving concerts that are free for the public, there's another attraction.

A fishing industry expo will feature oodles of vendors displaying and demonstrating the latest and greatest new products. This will be going on during the tournament days. Event planners are hoping to have over 25,000 spectators in attendance.

160 of the world's top professional bass anglers have been divided up into forty teams of four to compete for the $250,000 top prize.

Randomly selected, based upon skill levels and numerical ranking in PAA tourneys, the top forty anglers were designated team captains. The next three tiers of team members were randomly selected according to their skill levels.

On the Friday and Saturday tournament days, the top two members of all forty teams will fish the morning four hour flight. During the 11:00 to 1:00 lunch period the public will be able to listen in on team strategy meetings while the members decide how the afternoon pair should fish. The top five teams after the Saturday weigh-in will fish in the same format on Sunday.

In an attempt to influence how future tournaments will be conducted so they'll have the least impact on the resource, an exciting new measuring/weighing system will be used. Even though a contestant's five best fish of the day, within the 14 to 24 inch slot limit, will be counted, he won't bring over one fish to the weigh-in. Are you scratching your heads on that one?

Every fish from 14 inches in length, and up, will be weighed, measured, and tallied by the assigned registered, and impartial(?), observer riding in the boat. Every bass 24 inches long, and shorter, will be returned to the water in the quickest time possible.

The lake size limit says an angler may keep one fish a day that's over 24 inches long. Anything over 24 inches will be given to TPWD Inland Fisheries folks for special handling. Any lunkers (exceeding thirteen pounds) caught will receive VIF treatment and will be kept in aquarium tanks for public viewing. They will go into the ShareLunker program as brood stock at the TPWD fresh water fisheries facility at Athens, TX. The "real time" scoreboard is to be fairly well up-to-the-minute as catches are reported from the boats. There'll surely be some lag time when things look like the weigh-ins might come down to the wire.

The person catching the big bass of the tournament will win a new Toyota Tundra pickup.If the state heaviest bass record is broken, that angler will win $100,000 and a new boat. Someone in the press briefing asked, "If someone does break it and then someone breaks THAT record and that second record is broken in that order, will all three of 'em get a hundred grand and a boat apiece?

Press members were invited to ride in the snazzy new TOYOTA pickups on display. That 350+ h.p. engine coupled with the new six speed automatic transmission seems to be an impressive number. The guy riding shotgun urged the driver to, "Git on it!!" Talk about whiplash, he ran it from zero to sixty mph in an astonishingly short time and held it there until almost time to turn at the lodge and let the engine compression slow it down. Not once during that ride could we tell when the transmission shifted.

All trimmed out with comfortable seats, the half ton rode well. Rusty's only complaint was that that rig sat up so far from the ground he couldn't reach the drunk handles (a neighbor calls them O S handles) with which to pull himself into the cab. He was reassured that running boards were available.

Rusty's found that when begging for stuff such as fishing rods and reels (new or used), it helps to have a "this is what we're about" letter to give to each prospective donor. In this case, the search was mainly for usable fishing gear for supplying the over one hundred "At-Risk" youths participating in the life changing programs of Lighthouse 2911 in DeWitt and Jackson Counties.

Our current Fishers of Youth project is intended to teach some outdoor skills and hopefully instill a love, understanding, and an appreciation of this wonderful world that God gave us.

This is in addition to teaching these kids that they really do have personal, and community, value and that someone loves them as does God. The 501c3 nonprofit organization got it's name from the fact that we're all supposed to be lighthouses radiating the love of Christ to all those around us. Jeremiah 29:11 says that, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

The biggest obstacle to providing the many tutoring, mentoring, counseling, caring, listening, and coaching services, and simply-loving-them, is the lack of money to hire the necessary skilled help.

Constantly seeking relief from that malady, a person needs to grab every opportunity to ask for leads to prospective angels willing to dig deep for the cause. None of the bevy of TPWD officials, Toyota event sponsors, resort owners, or even fishing guides were immune to being encouraged to read the letters and consider how we could team up to improve the situation.
A last "goodbye and thanks for anything you can do for our kids" paid off like a slot machine,

When the ranking TOYOTA rep for the event asked, "Would you be able to put a booth together if I give you one for the expo?" he nearly got kissed right out there in the motel parking lot. That gift of God demanded a search for valuable raffle prizes.

How many (NOTE PRICE CHANGE) $10 raffle tickets would you buy to hunt private land, with a guide, for a 130-140 class whitetail buck? THE SCORE OF THIS BUCK HASN'T BEEN RELAYED TO ME.

Besides seeking outright cash donations, in order to raise the remaining estimated $1100 to make the trip, Lighthouse 2911 will start selling raffle tickets for some very impressive prizes.

The drawings will be conducted at Lake Fork April 15. NOTE DATE CHANGE. It was decided to forget the SEPARATE HOPPERS idea.
As of this writing Friday morning the following items have been pledged:
1. A guided youth whitetail hunt in Oklahoma


2. —-TIME OUT, WE NEED MORE DETAILS ON THIS ONE.——A guided private property whitetail hunt in southwestern Oklahoma for a management buck scoring between 130 & 140; (various guided Texas hunts are
expected to be pledged shortly. HINT, HINT local hunting and fishing guides here’s your chance to help area youth turn their lives around)
3. A guided full day Lake Fork fishing trip for two for winner’s choice of any combination of bass, crappie and/or catfish with a room and breakfast and lunch thrown in
4. A guided four-person striper trip on Lake Texoma with lodging, meals, and all fishing gear supplied. If no stripers are caught, the party can make
another trip free. This package requires DOES NOT require the winners to post a $160 deposit normally charged to these winners.

5. One firearms lesson with handgun, rifle and/or shotgun in the Texas Hill Country; guns and ammo furnished for the lesson.

Several valuable contacts were made on Friday and there'll be more hunts in Texas. We're trying to get as many as possible set up for: women only; mother- daughter; youth; father-son hunts and/or fishing trips. These could be for wild hogs, management deer, javelinas, varmints, maybe turkeys; doves, and/or quail.

We're still beating the bushes for more offerings. How about maybe some youth camp scholarships? Bay or offshore fishing trips? A good crappie trip would be great for youngsters of all ages.

Any ideas of other avenues to explore?

BUCKET MOUTH
LAKE FORK 2/27/06 The water was colder than Tony Clark, my guide,

liked. It ranged between 54.8 and 55.7,"I like it to be 57.5 or 58 because they really turn on then." He hooked a fish but Rusty lost it. At least he got these pix of a7# 6oz er caught by JESSE MENLEY and ROGER COWAN of Hillsboro, Mo.

Rusty asked Harold Adams, "Which part of your body would move first if you woke up staring a bull moose in the eye?" "One part would move involuntarily and the other would be automatic. What did YOU do?" "Not much for a spell and then began to m-o-v-e v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y"

Whose song started, "Got Stuck in Austin, was on a trip to Boston..."? That wasn't, "The lady in tight fittin' jeans" was it? Who did those?
Rusty spent a good night in the Cedar Park section of Austin last night. His transmission started slipping near Jonestown on highway 1431 heading east from Marble Falls. Evidently, those steep hills were just too much for the Blue Goose. At the Miller Carquest Auto Parts in Jonestown a mechanic customer guessed that a new Throttle Position Sensor was needed. Chris, who worked there, cobbled together a torx screwdriver bit with various handles (to gain access past a conflicting part)to make the change. That wasn't the ticket. By the time Rusty cell phone connected to their recommended tranny guy, it was too far back through the steep hills to attempt the trip. So he hobbled into Cedar Park in 1st & 2nd gears since Drive & Overdrive were slipping.
There was a Starbucks where he was supposed to meet Tara Hamlin, outdoor writer and videographer much earlier in the day. Without finding a recommended mechanic, Rusty was going to sleep in his suburban that night. OOPS, about out of time. More later...

REV 1, This is later. MORE
Starbucks let Rusty set up his desk top. While working on a story he was fortunate to see Paul Hamlin bringing him a big plate of casserole for supper. During conversation, Paul asked, "Where're you goin' to spend the night?" "In that blue
suburban out there." "Why don't you come over and spend the night at our house? We'd hate to think you were sleepin' in your truck." "It wouldn't be the first time but I'd certainly appreciate your hospitality." "Let me help you put your stuff up and follow me to the house." He'd gone
about a city block when the tranny started slipping in overdrive, then in drive. Good old first and second gears got the job of completing the trip.

TARA unlocked the front door and Rusty was staring at the mount of a caribou bull she'd harvested on her first of five Canadian caribou hunts..OOPS, another library patron needs this computer. Adios.

GARON SENT: What's mainly wrong with society today is that too many Dirt Roads have been paved.
There's not a problem in America today, crime, drugs, education, divorce, delinquency that wouldn't be remedied, if we just had more Dirt Roads, because Dirt Roads give character.
People that live at the end of Dirt Roads learn early on that life is a bumpy ride.
That it can jar you right down to your teeth sometimes, but it's worth it, if at the end is home...a loving spouse, happy kids and a dog.
We wouldn't have near the trouble with our educational system if our kids got their exercise walking a Dirt Road with other kids, from whom they learn how to get along.
There was less crime in our streets before they were paved.
Criminals didn't walk two dusty miles to rob or rape, if they knew they'd be welcomed by 5 barking dogs and a double barrel shotgun.
And there were no drive by shootings.
Our values were better when our roads were worse!
People did not worship their cars more than their kids, and motorists were more courteous, they didn't tailgate by riding the bumper or the guy in front would choke you with dust & bust your windshield with rocks.
Dirt Roads taught patience.
Dirt Roads were environmentally friendly, you didn't hop in your car for a quart of milk you walked to the barn for your milk.
For your mail, you walked to the mail box.
What if it rained and the Dirt Road got washed out? That was the best part, then you stayed home and had some family time, roasted marshmallows and popped popcorn and pony rode on Daddy's shoulders and learned how to make prettier quilts than anybody.
At the end of Dirt Roads, you soon learned that bad words tasted like soap.
Most paved roads lead to trouble, Dirt Roads more likely lead to a fishing creek or a swimming hole.
At the end of a Dirt Road, the only time we even locked our car was in August, because if we didn't some neighbor would fill it with too much zucchini.
At the end of a Dirt Road, there was always extra springtime income, from when city dudes would get stuck, you'd have to hitch up a team and pull them out.
Usually you got a dollar...always you got a new friend...at the end of a Dirt Road!
~by Paul Harvey~

PLANO,TX.3/5/2007: Rusty's part way back to vicad country. The laptop space bar and #8 keys aren't working. Didn't.want.to.send.you.anything.
looking.like.this.sentance.. Nor-one- done-like-this. ORlikethis..