For many years, I have had the honor and privilege of playing cello in the Heritage Philharmonic, an Eastern Jackson County orchestra celebrating its 65th year. The orchestra brings excellent music to our community, and provides opportunities for our best community musicians to share their talent and love of music.

At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the Philharmonic welcomes Conductor Laureate Jack Ergo back to the podium at the Blue Springs High School Performing Arts Center. The concert will feature Brahms’s Academic Festival Overture, Hindemith’s “Five Pieces for String Orchestra” and Dvorak’s well-known Symphony No. 9, “From the New World,” one of the most popular in the modern repertoire.

Tickets are available at the door. Prices are $10 for adults and $5 for students. It will be an excellent evening of musical entertainment!

Mary Goes Round is a Kansas City-based rock/alternative/pop cover band that moves you, shakes you and plays everything from Bowie to We the Kings! Not the same, tired songs, Mary Goes Round has a fresh mix of tunes that will keep you dancing and rocking all night long!

The band will be playing the Blue Moon Lounge at Lunar Bowl Friday, Feb. 19^th at 9 p.m.

www.myspace.com/marygoesroundkc

marygoesroundkc@gmail.com

Christmas is a time for family traditions. We each establish our own family traditions, some handed down by the generations and others we establish as our own family grows.

Each year Wanda and I, along with our daughters, unpack the lights, ornaments and decorations, and together we decorate the tree. We enjoy stretching out the light strings, finding the burned-out bulbs and figuring out how to get the lights working again. The tree is then decorated, with each of us picking out our favorite ornaments.

In August 2002 I located my birth mother. In December of that year she attended her first of many of my Heritage Philharmonic concerts, as we began to build our relationship. The following May she surprised me with a wonderful birthday gift, an old wooden wine box. We opened it together, and in the box were 44 Christmas ornaments, one for every Christmas since my birth.

My mother shared with me her family’s Christmas tradition. Each year at Christmas time they would select a fresh Christmas tree and bring it home. Their favorite place to put the tree was in the doorway between the den and the living room. The family gathered together to decorate the tree, with Mom always decorating the side facing the living room and her three children helping by decorating the den side.
Each year new ornaments were added for each child and one new ornament on her side of the tree. When the Christmas holiday had passed, the ornaments from her side of the tree were stored carefully in a wooden wine box in preparation for the next year. This tradition of decorating the tree continued for many years.

Each year, from the time she gave me up for adoption, she had purchased one ornament for her side of the tree. Each year she carefully stored those ornaments in the wine box, hoping that someday she would have the opportunity to share them with me.

As we prepared to celebrate Christmas 2003, we purchased and decorated a Christmas tree together for the first time. That year there were two Christmas trees in the Quibell home, and our family traditions were adapted to include my mother.

My mother is visiting again this week and will again attend the Heritage Philharmonic Holiday Pops concert. This year’s performance is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Blue Springs High School performing arts center. I hope you will come join us and share the 65th year of this community concert tradition with your family!

God bless you all and have a very merry Christmas!

Don't miss this family favorite. This concert includes sing-alongs, sleigh ride, and carols! The holiday spirit begins here! Music Director James Murray III and the Philharmonic are pleased to perform with the Delta Woods Honor Choir again this year. Under the direction of Shirley Atkinson, the Honor Choir has a tradition of superior choral performance. You will enjoy the carols, choral works, and the fun holiday pops music!

Join us from 7:30pm to 9:00pm on December 12, 2009 at the Blue Springs High School Performing Arts Center for this wonderful family holiday tradition!

Tickets are $10 at the door for adults and $5 for students.

For more information go to http://www.HeritagePhilharmonic.com or visit us on Facebook at

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=15689331646&ref=ts

Community Services League

300 West Maple / Independence MO 64051

816.254.4100 (P) / 816.252.9906 (F)

info@cslcares.org / www.cslcares.org

Contact: Michael A. Levine, Director of Development & Marketing

816.254.4100 Ext. 304 / levinem@cslcares.org

November 29, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Annual Spirit of Caring Concert to benefit Community Services League

Eastern Jackson County, MO – The 11th Annual Spirit of Caring Holiday Concert, a benefit for Community Services League (CSL) of Blue Springs, will be presented at 2:00 pm on December 6^th at the Blue Springs South High School (1200 Adams Dairy Parkway, Blue Springs). Tickets are $4 per person and will be available at the door.

As in the past, the concert will feature a variety of musical performances by soloists, bands, choirs and ensembles from throughout the Blue Springs community and school district.

CSL is known as a source of food and clothing for families, but sometimes a family needs more than just food. Your charitable contributions to CSL will help provide funds to aid families with utility bill assistance, school supplies for students, Christmas meals and gifts as well as other needed goods and services throughout the year. The Blue Springs community is proud to continue its support for their mission of promoting self-sufficiency and providing resources to those in need.

Mera Vic of Grain Valley will once again donate a decorated Christmas tree to be raffled the day of the concert. Clancy’s Café & Pub (800 South Outer Road, Blue Springs) will display the tree through the day of the concert. Raffle tickets may be purchased at Clancy’s Café & Pub; The Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce office; First National Bank of Missouri; Kwik Kopy Printing; or at the Blue Springs office of CSL.

For more information on the concert, to become a sponsor or to purchase raffle tickets please contact CSL at 816.229.0033 or visit www.cslcares.org.

Founded in 1916 by a group of local women including Bess Wallace Truman, CSL is a non-profit organization striving to promote self-sufficiency, and offering emergency assistance, housing counseling, food, clothing and other resources to families in need. CSL is one of the only agencies of its kind, offering this level of comprehensive services, in Eastern Jackson County.

CSL operates seven (7) locations with the main office and two outreach offices in Independence, plus offices in Blue Springs, Buckner, Oak Grove, and Grain Valley.

In 2008, CSL aided more than 45,000 individuals; with escalating food and gas prices, mortgage and housing issues, and an overall increase in the cost-of-living, the number of people in need of aid in 2009 is at an all-time high.

CSL is a United Way Agency and a 501 (c) (3) organization as designated by the IRS.

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See The Examiner Article at

http://www.examiner.net/education/x1792907282/Golden-Regiment-to-return-to-Macys-Thanksgiving-Day-Parade-in-2010

HEARTLAND NEWS (November 24, 2009) – This holiday season, the family and friends of
Jason Stone give thanks as his legacy of creativity comes to life! An artist and poet all his life,
Jason was born in Independence, raised in Blue Springs, and died in Independence at the age of 31.

During his lifetime, Jason wrote many poems including the poem entitled “Forever”.
And before his death, he drew a sketch of a beautiful angel.

When the poem and drawing found itself in the hands of Jim Eskew a few months ago, Jim knew instantly he wanted to champion the project. So from one creative hand to the next, in a few short months, Jason’s drawing has come to life in the form of a sterling silver pendant. And this year, these elegant pendants will make their debut at Eskew’s Jewelers in Independence. Small pendants will sell for $40 and large pendants for $65.

All proceeds from the sales of Jason’s pendants will benefit the Jason Stone Creativity Scholarship managed by the Truman Heartland Community Foundation. The scholarship supports young aspiring artists and writers from Blue Springs, Lee’s Summit, Independence, and Fort Osage school districts. The family sends a very special thanks to Jim Eskew and Eskew’s Jewelers for sponsoring this project and helping create a lasting legacy for Jason.

Truman Heartland Community Foundation is a public charity committed to improving area communities by promoting private giving for the public good. After 27 years of service, THCF continues to serve the region with assets exceeding $25 million and annual grants surpassing $3 million. THCF provides a wide range of services to donors and grant seekers alike. For more information on charitable giving, visit us online at www.thcf.org or call the office at 816.836.8189.

For Immediate Release Contact:
Nicole Stevens
816.836.8189
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FOREVER
Soft and transparent with wings
You will fly again and
Your potential is unknown
Stars are yours to grasp
Moons. Planets. Suns
Your life will be endless
Boundary has lost its meaning
And the universe is yours
The wind will always blow
And the stars will always shine
Your soul will never die
1974 ~Jason Stone ~ 2005

Blue Springs Ballet presents The Nutcracker Nov. 21 @ 7:00pm and Nov. 22 @ 3:00pm at the Barbara Landes Performing Arts Center located on the north side of Blue Springs South High School. Tickets are $7, $9, & $11. More info. at www.bluespringsballet.com or 816-224-5505.