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St. Elmo News

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Thursday, Feb. 9
• Lunch Bunch, noon, Mary Ann’s Restaurant.
• The St. Elmo District Library Board, 7 p.m., St. Elmo Public Library.
• The Effingham Chapter #110 Order of the Eastern Star, 7:30 p.m., Effingham Masonic Temple.
Sunday, Feb. 12
• The Vandalia Statehouse at 2 p.m. will host the annual Lincoln’s Birthday program. Dan Guillory of the Looking for Lincoln project will be the speaker.
• The Fayette County Museum in Vandalia will be open from 1-4 p.m. The special exhibits for February are “All About Lincoln.” The special cases will display many Lincoln items, including pictures, documents and books. This special exhibit can be seen this month, Monday through Saturday, from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., and on Lincoln’s birthday.
Monday, Feb. 13
• American Red Cross Blood Drive, 1-6 p.m., St. Mary’s Catholic Church Parish Hall.
• St. Elmo Lions Club, 6 p.m., Mary Ann’s Restaurant.
• The Fayette County informational “New to 4-H” meeting, 6 p.m., Vandalia Extension Office.
Tuesday, Feb. 14
• The Avena Township Park Board, 6:30 p.m., St. Elmo Community Park Centennial Building.
• American Legion Post #420, 7 p.m., Legion Home.
• The Fayette County Board, 7 p.m., Fayette County Courthouse.
Thursday, Feb. 16
• Vit-Em-In Sunday School Class potluck, noon, First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall.
• Friendship Quilt Club, 7 p.m., St. Elmo Public Library.
Fayette County 4-H Leadership Council
The Fayette County 4-H Leadership Council met the evening of Jan. 31 at the Vandalia Extension Office, with Extension Youth Educator Judy Mae Bingman in charge.
Others present were Rhonda Howard, Madison Howard, Kevin Payne and Colton Payne of the Caprine Kids 4-H Club; Jennifer Doedtman, Marsha Wright and Peyton Hoopingarner of the Loudon Bunch 4-H Club; Danielle Hunt and Corrin Hunt of the Ramsey Senors and Senoritas 4-H Club; and Renee Whightsil and Steve Zimmerman of the Shafter Friends 4-H Club.
Minutes of the Nov. 29 meeting were reviewed. For old business, Bingman presented the list of trainings planned from requests the group made at the after-show meeting and at the last leadership council meeting. They include “New to 4-H” family series, 4-H record training and “4-H for Adults: Meetings That Matter.”
The December Wal-Mart event was canceled at the request of the store manager. The manager hopes to hold a six-session gardening club in the spring.
Kim Schroeder is working toward holding the leadership trainings for grades 6-8 in her classroom in Vandalia. More information is to come later.
For new business, a motion to approve changes in the guidebook was approved. General changes include: print one guidebook per family; addition of checklist for livestock exhibits and state fair livestock rules; expansion of exhibit opportunity for consistency; elimination of some cat fun classes per request of judge (limit size class to cats over 1 year); elimination of dog agility class; changes to the horse classes and rules; changes to the goat classes; elimination of several state fair classes: service learning, clothing decisions, demonstrations, extempore speaking, consumer ed, Be the E, financial champions, geospatial, and plant and soil Science.
Further clarification is needed from the livestock committee concerning the number of animals that can be nominated at weigh-in time. All species are limited to four nominations, except sheep, which allows four wethers and four market ewes to be nominated. The goat exhibitors were concerned that with the different classes of goats, additional goat wethers should be allowed to be weighed.
It was voted to move the general project and food/clothing show to June 29-30 at a central location in Fayette County.
It was also approved to add a superior ribbon for “work the judge deems exceptional.”  A complete explanation of the new ribbon will be included in the guidebook. Best of Show ribbon winners also will be selected for each exhibit class.
Kevin Payne will work with a small group to determine a suggested policy for requiring all 4-H members to help at fairgrounds cleanup or in some other fashion to help with the 4-H show preparation. He will report back at the next meeting.
A system for helping 4-H’ers keep track of their 4-H activities and work was presented. The leaders liked the ability to keep track of all accomplishments in one document. They also recognized some members would use the form and some would not.
Another system for tracking club activities was presented.
A committee was formed to look at the record-keeping/awards opportunities and go back to the group with their recommendations. The committee includes Marsha Wright, Peyton Hoopingarner and Rhonda Howard.
Participants were informed the Fayette County Extension Foundation is hoping to form an alumni association. Names and addresses of past members are needed.
The next meeting of the leadership council will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 29, at the Vandalia Extension Office.
Wright’s Corner Unit HCE
Eleven members of the Wright’s Corner Unit of Home and Community Education were present for the Feb. 1 meeting held at the Loudon Town House.
Chairman Irene Reed opened the meeting with all giving the pledge of allegiance, and Secretary Kate Jennings had members answer roll call with “Who is your favorite president?” Reed read the January HCE Board notes.
The Wright’s Corner Unit will take Valentine decorated cans of soda pop to the Friendship Manor Nursing Home.
Una Tish gave the special feature, “The Last Rites – Cremation & Other Issues,” and the major lesson, “Maintaining Healthy Family Relationships.”
For refreshments, Reed furnished Valentine decorated cup cakes and Helen Wright furnished soda. In addition to those mentioned, present were Ina Abendroth, Carol Austin, Jo Nell Hill, Janice Garrison, Rosemary Owen, Mary Smith and Leona Wright.
One of the state HCE projects is to donate tabs from aluminum cans to the Ronald McDonald House, and Wright’s Corner Unit members collect the tabs.
After the Jan. 23 HCE Board meeting at the Vandalia Extension Office, Reed and her son, Larry Reed, took a bag holding 11 pounds of the tabs to the Vandalia McDonald’s Manager Judy Graumenz.
Wheatland Unit HCE
Ethelyn Williams was hostess in her home to the Feb. 2 meeting of the Wheatland Unit of Home and Community Education.
Chairman Karen Hyde opened the meeting. Discussion was held on different programs to help wounded male and female veterans.
Fern Moore gave the special feature, “The Last Rites – Cremation & Other Issues. Hyde gave the major lesson, Maintaining Healthy Family Relationships.”
Refreshments of chocolate cake, ice cream, coffee and iced tea were served to those mentioned and also to Joan Aderman, MaryEllen Lovett, Sandra Lovett, Erna Koontz and Joyce Moore.
St. Elmo HCE
The pledge of allegiance opened the meeting of the St. Elmo Unit of Home and Community Education held the afternoon of Jan. 26 at the St. Elmo Public Library. Roll call was answered with telling of a favorite January pastime, and most said reading was their favorite.
During the business meeting, notes from the Fayette County HCE Board Jan. 23 meeting were read.
Karen Wegscheid gave the major lesson, “Staying Cool Under Pressure,” and there was much discussion on suggestions for creating an emotional stimulus plan.
The special feature, “How to Keep Track of CVH’s,” was given by Karen Denning.
She explained how to keep track of the certified volunteered-hours members do through HCE and all other organizations, and not receive any pay for the work. What doesn’t count toward a CVH is anything done for a family member.
Hostess Mary Myers served apple cupcakes, fruit punch and iced tea. Others present were Joyce Drees, Loretta Heischmidt and Anna Jean Rhodes.
More on Fayette County Museum
Visitors to the Fayette County Museum in Vandalia register, and in 2011, the museum welcomed 2,699 visitors. They came from nine foreign countries – Austria, Canada, England, Estonia, Hungary, Japan, New England, Paraguay and the United Kingdom.
Also, visitors came towns and cities throughout Illinois and from the following 38 states – Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
Thirty-three groups were on scheduled tours. Given were 41 tours to school, Scout, camping, church, agriculture and other groups. School children often take notebooks and take notes on the history lesson given in the museum.
Interesting programs about the museum, along with some show-and-tell artifacts are taken to meetings. To schedule a program, you can call the museum at 283-4866.
Each month, Patty Marler puts out a new exhibit in the three cases reserved for special exhibits. Highlights in 2011 were the Lincoln exhibit, 1940’s Mother’s Day and 1890’s clothing.
During 2011, the museum received 414 donated items. The items included woven rugs from the Staff house in Bluff City, Tanner Drive-In artifacts, a 1936 Vandalia yearbook, deputy coroner’s badge (1946), ration books, Son-In-Service pins, hair-waving clamps, milk bottles, dolls and toys.
Also received were many advertising items, pictures, postcards, newspapers, documents such as deeds, Civil War discharge paper, maps – Fayette County plat and school districts from 1909 – and books.
All donated items are greatly appreciated. The donations help continue the mission of the Fayette County Museum. If you have any items of historical interest, consider donating them to the museum. All donations are checked in, recorded and given display space or storage space until put on display.
Last fall, 200 spring bulbs were planted in the garden. Engraved bricks may be ordered, and the purchase of the bricks supports the restoration of the Old Presbyterian Church that houses the museum. The location is 301 W. Main St., and the museum is open from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Saturday. The museum will be open this Sunday, from 1-4 p.m.
Historical Vandalia Inc. is in charge of the museum, and this year, the annual meeting will be held in the museum at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 20. All people interested are invited to attend. Annual reports will be given, directors will be elected and the board will reorganize following the annual meeting.
 

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