DAVID BURKHALTER
EAGLE LAKE — Eagle Lake Noon Lions Club recently welcomed guest speaker David Burkhalter, owner of Moonside Macaron, a European bakery and coffee shop located at 102 W. Main Street in downtown Eagle Lake.
Burkhalter is also one of the Eagle Lake Chamber of Commerce organizers of Market on Main, Eagle Lake's first Friday of each month Community Market Day. During his four years of working and living in Eagle Lake, he has become increasingly aware of the limited activities available for young people during the after school hours. He has introduced programs to meet this need by opening the bakery for a one-day-a-week enrichment afternoon. Middle to high school kids gather to get homework help as well as play board games, engage in various art projects and try out immersive role-playing activities that encourage imagination, problem- solving, and interacting with others.
His vision for the near future includes leasing the First Methodist Church Fellowship Hall to provide more space for a broader program which is planned to include tutorial help, as well as a variety of opportunities to get involved.
Experiences like creating a community garden, growing veggies, cooking lessons, and learning about various trades will be planned. As young people engage in these meaningful activities, they make new friends, hone their academic skills, solve real-world problems, gain self-confidence, and have great old-fashioned fun learning to do new things.
Burkhalter has organized a board of directors, created a char- itable non-profit organization that can accept donations and has recently received their 501c3 designation from the IRS.
