Local teen band semi-finalist in national battle-of-the-bands contest

A local teen band was recently selected as a semi-finalist in a national battle-of-the-bands competition sponsored by NAMM, the trade association of the international music products industry.

Jaci and Those Guys, composed of teens from the Rowlett, Royse City and Fate, was selected to move on to the semi-finals of the SchoolJam USA teen competition.

Jaci and Those Guys will be included in the online voting portion of the competition, which began Nov. 1, 2009 and ends Dec. 5, at www.schooljamusa.com.

The general public is encouraged to visit the site and vote for their favorite band. The top two bands in five designated regions that receive the most votes will be announced Dec. 19, and will be invited to the live SchoolJam USA battle of the bands finals held at the NAMM Show Jan. 16 in Anaheim, CA.

The winning band will receive $750 toward new musical equipment and could win a trip to perform at the SchoolJam Germany live finals in Frankfurt, Germany, at the MusikMesse trade fair.

The top band’s school music program will also receive $5,000 toward new musical equipment purchased at their local NAMM Member retailer of choice. The competition is sponsored with the help of MENC, the national association for music education; the Music Education National Conference; Music For All; the John Lennon Educational Bus; SchoolJam and InTune Monthly magazine.

Jaci and Those Guys consists of lead vocalist, Jaci Butler, a 13-year-old Rowlett teen; lead guitarist Matt Venhaus,  bass player Jason Savage, rhythm guitarist Chad Ragsdale and drummer Trevor Quiett, all 16-17 years old from Royse City and Fate.

The band has received local and national attention as they have performed throughout the Dallas Area.  Recent accomplishments include winning two local battle of the band competitions, playing at the House of Blues, and taking 2nd place in the nation in the slurpee.com BOTB contest sponsored by the 7-Eleven Corporation.  

They have also performed at such benefits such as Local Euphoria to help raise money and awareness for cystic-fibrosis, the Rowlett Relay for Life to raise money for the National Cancer Society, and the Living for Zachary Benefit in Plano, to raise awareness about sudden cardiac arrest in teens.  

To learn more about the band and hear their music, visit www.myspace.com/jacibutler.  

From this site you can go to the SchoolJam USA box, and click on “VOTE FOR US” to go directly to www.schooljam.com to vote.

Funeral arrangements set for Nevada mom, parents killed in car accident

Funeral arrangements have been made for the mother and her parents from Nevada who were killed in that terrible head-on car crash last Friday, north of Rockwall on Hwy 205.

Read m0re at TheRockwallNews.com.

Head on collision on Hwy. 205 kills 3, injures 3

There was a terrible head-on auto accident yesterday morning in the rain  north of Rockwall on Highway 205 which killed three family members and injured three more, including a four-year-old girl.

The dead were identified by State Troopers as Nevada residents Andrea Dunn, 42, and her parents, John Mcilvain, 76, and Margaret Mcilvain, 74, who were driving southbound towards Rockwall.

You can read the sad story at TheRockwallNews.com. 

Logan’s Roadhouse packs the place with great steaks, wide menu

Last night my wife and I used the coupon and tried eating at Logan’s Roadhouse for the first time since it opened in Rockwall last month.

We had a great experience and will definitely go back for more!

Look out, Saltgrass Steak House; you’ve got some serious competition!

The place was packed about 6:30 pm, but we only had to wait about 15 minutes to get a table because the restaurant seats quite a few people. I forgot to ask the capacity, but it’s similar to Saltgrass; it might even seat more.

First thing we noticed was a smiling door greeter and then peanut shells all over the gray concrete floor. The atmosphere is casual yet organized. Hostesses and our waitress were very friendly and professional.

Within a minute or two of being seated and brought water with lemon slices, we were brought some of the most delicious home-made hot rolls we’ve ever tasted with butter! It was an excellent start!

Then we reviewed the big menu, which offers a wide variety of steaks, ribs, chicken fried steak, barbeque chicken, catfish, meat loaf, burgers and lots more Texas favorites, all priced from about $5 to $25.

My wife and I decided to order and share a Black Angus porterhouse steak, with came with two sides. Splittling a porterhouse allowed us both to enjoy their best and largest steak for the same price it would cost to each order a lesser quality, smaller sirloin. 

We also ordered a baked potato and house salad, plus an extra baked potato, which comes with only butter.

The huge Black Angus porterhouse turned out to be a great selection! Ordered medium well, it came to us juicy, hot and medium, which is typical (always order a bit more well done than you want it, so I was taught!).

The steak had a delicious flavor, after being grilled over mesquite wood. It  was so large, that after my wife ate the filet, I couldn’t even finish the strip portion. No problem, now I have delicious leftovers!

We were too full to sample dessert. Didn’t even look at that menu.

The only downside to our experience was minimal. 

My wife ordered French dressing fo the salad and got Italian (which was good anyway!). The potatoes were definitely not grown in Idaho, where the very best are grown. Potatoes just didn’t have the flavor and were too flaky.

We also noticed there was no vegetable, although my wife missed it more than I did.

We left there full and happy, which is why we’ll definitely return to sample more of the menu. And those rolls…I just ate one I took home in my doggie bag. It was still delicious!

Logan’s Roadhouse is located on the I-30 north feeder road, between Saltgrass Steak House and IHOP. Parking is a bit of a problem, with all of those busy restaurants next to each other. 

Logan’s also offers a discounted menu on Monday nights.

Rockwall Auto Center offering Nobel Peace Prize with oil change

Rockwall’s Horizon Auto Center is making a little lighthearted fun of the Nobel Peace Prize recently awarded to Pres. Obama. 

It’s clever advertising. See the sign at 5335 Horizon Dr.

Good job, owner Ken Sterling!

Hope you don’t lose any biz from Obama supporters – but you can’t please everybody, anyway!

Dobbs Elementary students collect 500 ChapStick tubes for HIV victims in Africa

Over 500 tubes of ChapStick were recently collected byKC Club members at the “ChapStick for Africa” drive at Rockwall’s Dobbs Elementary School.

Ethan, Logan and Graeson Lynskey (pictured) donated 200 tubes.

The ChapStick are for children  in South Africa with HIV\AIDS, who often suffer from severely chapped and sore lips.  

Dobbs’ SAGE teacher Beverly Stovall, who makes a yearly mission trip to that area, will distribute the ChapStick this summer.

Good job, KC Club members and Ms. Stovall!

Sounds like we need to write a good story about Ms. Stovall’s upcoming and past mission trips!

Rockwall Boys, Girls Club needs money now!

We were the first to break the news last month in TheRockwallNews.com that Rockwall’s Boys & Girls Club is at risk of closing down from lack of funds.

Now we’re glad to see that CBS 11 TV News just did a story about their money shortfall, as well.

One of their board members just told us that the national Boys & Girls Club organization is not too happy about these news reports. Guess they’d better supply some funds then!

Condolences to family, friends of Terrell soldier “Joe” Lewis, killed in Afghanistan

CBS 11 TV News and The Dallas Morning News tell us the sad story about the death of the fifth soldier from neighboring Terrell to die in the War On Terror, US Army Specialist Joseph “Joe” Michael Lewis, 26, who was recently killed while fighting for our country in Afghanistan.

He is the second to die since October.

Left behind are his wife, Teresa; his daughter, Abiagael; his parents, Mike and Pam Lewis; sister and brother-in-law, Amanda and Josh Rodriguez; and grandparents, Carl and Betty Baker and Barbara Hall.

A benefit fund has been set up for Abiagael at American National Bank of Texas, 206 N. Catherine St., Terrell, (972) 442-6565.

Other soldiers from Terrell who have been killed are:

Sgt. Shawn McNabb, 24, killed in October in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.

Spc. Jonathan David Arthur “J.D.” Emard, 20, died of combat wounds in June, 2008, in Iraq.

Sgt. Sean Brady Berry, 26, died in an accident in October, 2005, in Iraq.

Army Sgt. Gerardo Moreno, 23, killed April, 2004, in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in Iraq.

 

 

 

Holiday garbage collection to be pushed back one day in Rockwall

The City of Rockwall has announced that its garbage collection schedule has been pushed back one day for each of the upcoming holidays.

Thanksgiving:

Thursday, Nov. 26th garbage and recycling will be picked up on Friday, Nov. 27th.

Friday, Nov. 27th garbage and recycling will be picked up on Saturday, Nov. 28th.

Christmas:

Friday, Dec. 25th garbage and recycling will be picked up on Saturday, Dec. 26th.

New Year’s Day:

Friday, Jan. 1st garbage and recycling will be picked up on Saturday, Jan. 2nd.

Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are regularly scheduled pick up days

Congratulations to Lake Pointe Med Center for its J.D. Powers maternity services award

Congratulations to Lake Pointe Medical Center in Rowlett for receiving recognition for service excellence from the J.D. Power & Associates Distinguished Hospital Program for its “outstanding maternity experience.”

Judging by all the smiles in the above photo, it looks like they’re excited about receiving it!

Read the whole story in TheRockwallNews.com.