What do you do with the multiple choice of phone book options we have in our regional area? Dial back 20 years and many people would say "I can't live without my telephone directory". But times have certainly changed.

Then if you turn the dial back only 10 years, a change began to take place as more an more people began to move to the Internet for their "lookup service". So, maybe you would put a phone book in your car or keep one handy for the "Just In Case" scenario.

Now we have the advent of smart phones, address books and the further expansion of lookup service through Google and other sites on the Internet, the phone book has continued to become less and less valuable. As a society, we no longer are letting our fingers do the walking.

Recently, the latest edition of the local Yellow Pages arrived at our office and a team member promptly began to distribute these throughout the office. The "Just In Case" Crowd tucked them nicely into a desk drawer. I immediately put it in the recycle bin. I can't remember the last time I looked up anything using the Yellow Pages.

A recent study showed that nearly 70% of adults in the United States "rarely or never" use the phone book, and instead opt to use Web-based search tools. These tools are somewhat generational, but are infinitely becoming more convenient, efficient and common in our daily lives.

Fortunately, there is now a way for businesses and individuals to opt out of receiving paper-based phone books, using a new website - the National Yellow Pages Consumer Choice & Opt Out Site.

The new opt-out site was created by Yellow Pages Association, the trade organization that represents the publishers of phone books in the United States, signaling an acknowledgement that printing and distributing paper phone books to every household is no longer a good practice.

To opt out of receiving the phone book on your door, go to www.yellowpagesoptout.com and register. The registration process requires you to enter your address and phone number, but a note on the page promises that this information won't be used for any purpose other than to opt out.

Once registered, you'll receive an email with your auto-generated password, which you can then use to login to the site. From there, you can select which phone books you would like to receive (wishful thinking on their part?) or click the gray "Opt Out of All" button in the lower left and then click "Save Changes." After opting out, you'll get a confirmation email listing which phone books you'll be receiving moving forward, if any.

If you don't use phone books, opt out today -- and help save a few trees.

National Yellow Pages

Consumer Choice & Opt Out Site

http://www.yellowpagesoptout.com

This article contains exerts from Steve Anderson's TechTips. (http://steveanderson.com/)

A SMT News Report

A very special concert will be held Sunday, May 29 honoring retiring Dexter music educator MaryRuth Boone.

The concert will feature a choir of more than 140 alumni from Boone’s 30 years as choir director at Dexter High School. The alumni will gather during the weekend for a reunion and tribute to Boone. The concert will be at 4 p.m., at the First Baptist Church in Dexter. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.

A reception will follow the concert honoring Boone and her family.

For nearly 30 years there has been friendship, fun times, achievements, and dedication within the Dexter High School Choirs. And now, as she prepares to step down and retire, MaryRuth Boone’s students have something they would like to say to the DHS choral music director: Thank you.

The Choir Reunion weekend is a time for former and current Dexter High School choir students to gather back together to pay tribute to their former choir director and to do that thing that she taught them – to sing!

DHS Choir alumnus Eric Mathis is spearheading this effort along with a committee of individuals in the community. According to Mathis, the weekend’s focus will bAlumni Choir concert – a large multi-generational chorus of Boone’s students.

“Given the decline of music and arts education programs in public schools systems across the country, Dexter is fortunate to have a music educator like Mrs. Boone who has maintained a choral program in the junior and senior high schools for 30 years,” Mathis said. “We need to celebrate this tradition. This is an event that no one will want to miss!”

Planning Committee member Mark Snider said the weekend is, of course, no longer a complete surprise for Boone.

“MaryRuth has asked that she be able to ‘relax and enjoy’ the weekend, so the musical leadership for this event is falling in the hands of the next generation,” Snider said. “Eric Mathis will be directing the mass choir during the concert, and Delisa Stites has agreed to accompany the choir on the piano. This is going to truly be a time for everyone to sit back and enjoy the musical tradition MaryRuth has established in our community.”

Mathis and the planning committee announced plans for the weekend prior to the Christmas holiday on Facebook, the Internet social networking site. A special website was created early this year. Alumni who have not registered or who want additional information may go to the event’s website at www.dexterchoir.com.

Community planning committee members include Mathis, Laveda Banken, Julie Lancaster. Melisa Mayo, Lisa Mathis, Annabeth Miller, Brandy Mouser, Toni Pyle, Patti Shell and Mark Snider.

Photo Above: A special concert honoring retiring Dexter choir teacher MaryRuth Boone will be held at 4 p.m., Sunday, May 29 at the Dexter First Baptist Church. Boone (left) chats with evening planning committee chair and DHS Choir alumnus Eric Mathis. (SMT photo by Annabeth Miller)

It's time to celebrate! Celebrate spring, the end of the school year, the beginning of summer! Celebrate! And to make the celebration complete, the Miller Family Amusements will be offering thrills and fun this Thursday through Saturday. Rides and booths are ready for kids of all ages in the East City Park. The gates will open Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 5:30 p.m.(SMT Photo by Annabeth Miller)

A SMT News Report

A special prayer service is being planned to remember in the Dexter community to pray for the victims and survivors, and to seek comfort and guidance following the devastating tornado in Joplin and Southwest Missouri.

The members of the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) are planning a an "Ecumenical Prayer Service For Recent Disaster" at 6 p.m., Wednesday, May 25 at the church on Stoddard Street in Downtown Dexter.

The service will include songs of faith, readings from the Bible, and prayer. The evening’s prayer service will include three parts – prayer of confession, prayer of need and prayer of commitment.

Church members participating and helping to lead this special service include Lisa Thrower, Nona Robinson, Bill Boesen, Tommy Horton, Kellie Reese, and Jim Putnam. Hymns will include “Amazing Grace,” “O God Our Help In Ages Past,” and “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.”

The community is invited to join the First Christian Church family for this special service as they remember and pray for the victims and survivors of this week’s tragic storms in the state.

Dexter's T.S. Hill Middle School bands presented an exciting evening of music recently. Featured were the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade bands and the Middle School Jazz Band.

The bands played to a full house of parents, family and friends at the middle school.The concert was the final concert of the academic year. Band directors are Scott Rybolt and Jim Wade.

Photo Left: 8th Grade band members Jackson Hubbard and Ryan Hulshof prepare for the start of the 8th Grade portion of the evening's program.

6th Grade Band

7th Grade Band

Middle School Jazz Band

Photos by ShowMe Times Reader Kay Steventon. Thanks so much, Kay!