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46 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | OCTOBER 2024 TOPS The Italian American Club meets at The Courts on the second Thursday of each month. During the summer months, we meet at 6 pm, and usually end around 8:30 pm. During the winter months we meet at The Courts at 5:30 pm, and because of the winter schedule, we end the meeting around 7:45 pm. The next meeting will be Oct. 10 at 6 pm. The November meeting will begin at 5:30 pm. The club members bring snacks and something to drink. Our Steering Committee plans activities for our members, and we have an enjoyable evening of fun playing games, music trivia (with Karen Belcher), and other things planned by our Steering Committee. We have just come through a long hot summer where we endured many days of over 100 degree temperatures. Now as we enter the fall, our Beaumont temperatures will cool down. The Italian American Club consists of residents of Four Seasons of all backgrounds, and is open to all residents. You do not have to be Italian to join our group or come to our meetings. We would like you to come and visit with us. Please stay safe. ~ Barbara Dipoma, (805) 377-2616, and Jerry Monahan, (951) 212-8898 Italian American Club Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) has started a new contest where we are checking labels for added sugars. The winner will be the member who eats the fewest of the many types of added sugars. Today we will talk about high fructose corn syrup, which is different from fructose, fruit sugar. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is made when corn is treated with enzymes yielding a syrup rich in glucose. Manufacturers like HFCS because it blends more easily than sugars in other liquids, plus it is much cheaper to manufacture than it is to harvest sugar cane or sugar beets. Foods and beverages that rely on HFCS as their sweetener tend to have little or no nutrient content. For example, when fruit is eaten, we get fiber, vitamins, water, etc. with HFCS we don't get much except the sugar calories. There are many theories about the contribution that HFCS makes to expanding waist lines, but there is no definite proof that it causes obesity. But it does make sense that people who consume foods and drinks loaded with HFCS-contributing calories are probably overtaxing their daily calorie budget by eating and drinking less nutritious choices and empty calories which inevitably lead to weight gain. So, what's the bottom line? Don't be afraid of fructose from fruit, but watch out for HFCS lurking in other fruits and beverages. You may find that a group like TOPS can help you as well. We meet on Tuesday at 8:30 am in the Ballroom. For more information, call Andi Henderson (918) 497-6491. ~ Andi Henderson It's hard to believe that the 2024 Amphitheater Season is over. They say time f lies when you're having fun and we hope everyone had fun this season at the Amphitheater. We had quite a variety of bands from Beach Boys to Broadway, New Orleans soul and funk, to the Rolling Stones and finishing with some great country music. The Amphitheater team would like to thank the Board of Directors, the Finance Committee, Activities Director, staff, the Bistro, and everyone else for all their support this season. We also want to thank the wonderful musicians who shared their talent with us. Most importantly, we want to thank all of you for coming out and supporting the shows at the Amphitheater. Without you, there would be no Amphitheater shows. See you next year … the beat goes on, and the music under the stars will be back. ~ Mark Lassen Amphitheater "Mick Jagger" wows the crowd at the Jumping Jack Flash show at the Amphitheater. (picture by Bill Christelman)

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