St. Elmo News

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Thursday, March 3
• St. Elmo Business Association, noon, Mary Ann’s Restaurant.
• Wheatland Unit of Home and Community Education, 1:30 p.m., Mary Ann’s Restaurant.
• St. Elmo Women’s Civic Club, 7 p.m., St. Elmo Public Library.
Saturday, March 5
• St. Elmo Lions Club’s annual pancake and sausage breakfast, 7 a.m.-1 p.m., Phillips Building. Cost is $5 per person. There also will be a 50/50 drawing to help with the scholarship fund.
Sunday, March 6
• Wolf Creek Cluster of United Methodist Churches Lenten Service, 4 p.m., St. Elmo First United Methodist Church. After the service, refreshments will be served in the Fellowship Hall.
• A 4-H skating party, 5:30-8 p.m., at the Silver Star Skating Rink at 1505 N. Route 45 in Mattoon. It is for all youth in Clay, Coles, Effingham, Fayette and Jasper counties. It is being sponsored by Lil’l Bit County 4-H Club in Coles County. The cost is $4 per person and $1 for shoe rental. Reservations should be made by March 2 by calling Patti Logan at the Effingham Extension Office, 217-347-7773.
• Sunday Night Live youth, 6 p.m., First United Methodist Church Parsonage.
• Detour youth, 6 p.m., First Church of God S.H.E.D.
• Amp’d high school youth, 6 p.m., St. Elmo Christian Church.
• Breakthru youth, 6:30 p.m., Freedom Reigns in Christ Church.
Tuesday, March 8
• Altamont FUMC chili and soup supper, 4:30-7 p.m.
• Avena Township Park Board, 6 p.m., St. Elmo Community Park Centennial Building.
• American Legion Post #420, 7 p.m., Legion Home.
• Fayette County Board, 7 p.m., Fayette County Courthouse, Vandalia.
Wednesday, March 9
• Reverb Youth 56, 5:30-6:30 p.m.’ Reverb Youth 78, 6:45-8 p.m.; St. Elmo Christian Church.
Thursday, March 10
• Lunch Bunch, noon, Mary Ann’s Restaurant.
• St. Elmo Public Library District Board, 7 p.m., St. Elmo Public Library.
• Effingham Chapter #110 Order of the Eastern Star, 7:30 p.m., Effingham Masonic Temple.
Future Events
• Daylight Savings Time starts at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 13.
• Fayette County Museum “Season of Events” will be at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 13, in the Vandalia First United Methodist Church Wesley Hall. A very talented Kathryn Harris of Springfield will portray Elizabeth Keckley and her relationship with Mary Todd Lincoln. Advance tickets are $13 at the Fayette County Museum in Vandalia, which is open from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Saturday. At the door, the tickets are $15; children’s tickets are half-price. After the program, a name will be drawn for a door prize and a variety of refreshments will be served.
Fayette County HCE
Present at the Feb. 22 meeting of the Fayette County Home and Community Education Board held on the Vandalia Extension office were President Flo Allen and Panzi Blackwell of the Sefton Unit, Carol Bridges, Ashley Davis, Anita Smith and Debbie Segrest of the Vandalia Day Unit, Donna Blair of the Bingham/Ramsey Unit, Anna Jean Rhodes of the St. Elmo Unit and Karen Hyde of the Wheatland Unit. The centerpiece on the table carried out the IAHCE theme for this year – “Rollin’ on the River.” Allen opened the meeting with all giving the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Fayette County Extension Foundation spaghetti dinner will be from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 3, at the Brownstown Elementary School cafeteria, and HCE units are to provide the homemade desserts.
A new member, Joellen Scott, joined the Bingham/Ramsey Unit in February. The county membership now is 113 in the seven units.
Fayette County HCE is planning to have a program in September on ovarian cancer and one in November on Alzheimer’s disease; time, place, etc., will be decided on later.
The HCE Get-Acquainted Day will be on Thursday, April 7, in the St. Elmo First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, with registration at 9 a.m. and the brunch potluck at 9:30 a.m.
As a fundraiser for the county HCE budget, an auction will be held for Make It, Take It, Sew It, Grow It articles. Also, “like-new” items can be taken for the auction.
Segrest offered to have a spring garage sale in her Vandalia garage either in April or May to help with the HCE budget; all county HCE members are asked to save things when they do their spring cleaning to donate to this event.
After the meeting closed, Allen, Bridges, Smith, Segrest, Rhodes and Hyde ate lunch at the Vandalia JJ’s Café.
Lions Club
The 2016 defensive drivers course sponsored by the St. Elmo Lions Club will take place from 8 a.m.-noon on Tuesday, March 29, and Wednesday, March 30, at St. Elmo Christian Church. To preregister, call Mona Stanley at 681-829-5437.
The Feb. 22 Lions Club evening meeting held in Mary Ann’s Restaurant was opened by Al Nevergall leading in the Pledge of Allegiance. Pee Wee Denton led in prayer.
The club’s annual pancake and sausage breakfast will be from 7 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday, March 5, in the Phillips Building, and final details were discussed at the meeting. See any member to purchase advance tickets with a donation of $5 per ticket.
The annual Easter egg hunt will be on Easter Sunday in the St. Elmo Community Park; the start time will be given later.
Present for the meeting in addition to Nevergall and Denton were Charles Brubaker, Dave Cox, Don Crawford, Roger Fulk, Mark Lash, Max Hollinshead, Holly Huffer, Dan Laack, Richard Lowe, Dave Maxey, Dee Newberry, Rex Reeder, Lloyd Stanley, Will Williams and Randy Wolf.
St. Elmo HCE
Sharon Shelton opened the meeting of the St. Elmo Unit of Home and Community Education the afternoon of Feb. 23 in the St. Elmo Public Library, with all giving the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll call was answered by Sarah Beasley, Karen Denning, Helen Denton, Mary Myers, Anna Jean Rhodes and Shelton to “Where is your favorite vacation spot?” Guests were Dannika and Kamden Beasley.
Minutes of the January meeting were approved. The Fayette County HCE Feb. 22 board notes were read. HCE members are to provide desserts for the Fayette County Extension Foundation spaghetti dinner fundraiser that will be held from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 3, in the Brownstown Elementary School cafeteria.
Rhodes gave the major lesson, “Staycation and Vacation Planning.” There was much discussion on vacation plans and “staycation” plans for short trips taken within a two-hour drive.
For refreshments, Shelton served pineapple sheet cake and iced tea.
Because the fourth Tuesday in March is during Holy Week, the March meeting has been changed to the fifth Tuesday, March 29, at 1:30 p.m., at the St. Elmo Public Library.
Lincoln Day Dinner
The annual Lincoln Day Dinner sponsored by the Fayette County Republican Central Committee was held the evening of Feb. 27 at the Vandalia American Legion.
One of the important announcements was by Fayette County Clerk Vicky Conder. She reported that election judges were needed for the upcoming March 15 election and she contacted all the schools to see if students could serve. About40 seniors who had special qualifications attended an informational meeting. Introduced at the Lincoln Day Dinner were three from St. Elmo –Kearstin Scoles, Bo Sapp and Hunter Seaton – and one from Brownstown – Kayla Haslett – who will be election judges.
The meeting opened at 6 p.m. with a welcome by the Republican Central Committee Chairman Randy Pollard of Vandalia. Dr. Ben Foxworth, pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Vandalia, gave the invocation.
After Isabella Waggoner, daughter of Bruce and Jenny Waggoner of Ramsey, played the “The Star-Spangled Banner” on a violin, Chairwoman Grace Thull led in the Pledge of Allegiance. A Ponderosa catered dinner was served and entertainment was by Isabella Waggoner.
After the dinner special guests were recognized. Tara Hall of Vandalia, president of the Fayette County Republican Women’s Organization, spoke briefly. Other guests to be introduced were precinct committeemen, members of the Fayette County Board and mayors.
In addition to Conder, the other Fayette County speakers were Supervisor of Assessments Cindi Lotz, Circuit Clerk Kathy Emerick, Sheriff Chris Smith, State’s Attorney Joshua Morrison and Resident Judge Don Sheafor.
Other speakers were Circuit Judge Randy Moore, state Rep. John Cavaletto, U. S. Congressman John Shimkus and John Barbarus, who also is running as a circuit judge (he is not competing against Moore, because he and Moore can both be elected in the Fifth District).
State Sen. Kyle McCarter was unable to be present, but his wife was there for the dinner. Also unable to attend was Fayette County Coroner Bruce Bowen.
Winner of the gun raffle drawing was Steve Landhorst of Effingham. A 50/50 drawing was held and several door prizes were given before Pastor Foxworth gave the benediction.
Wolf Creek Cluster UM Churches Lenten Service
On Feb. 28, the third Sunday of Lent, the Fairview United Methodist Church on the St. Elmo Circuit had the Wolf Creek Cluster of United Methodist Churches Lenten service at 4 p.m. and the small church was well filled.
Mark Abendroth of the church gave the welcome and Dave Arnold, pastor of the Mt. Carmel, Haley Chapel and Luster circuit churches, gave the opening prayer.
Laura Ann Feezel played the piano for the three hymns sung during the service – “Majesty,” “The Love of God” and “At the Cross.”
Abendroth and church member Becki Welker sang a special song accompanied by Feezel. For another special, church member Lorene Abendroth played a piano solo.
Arnold and his wife Nancy gave a short skit before the church pastor, John Heicher, gave the message.
Ushers Morris Hoffman and Larry Reed took up the offering, which will go to the Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House and Shalom Ministries.
Davis Redman of Chicago, grandson of church members John and Carolyn Grames, played selections on the piano before Don Thomas, pastor of the Brownstown Methodist churches, gave the benediction.
After the service, refreshments were served in the church fellowship basement.
The March 6 Lenten service will be at 4 p.m. at the St. Elmo First United Methodist Church.
Rhodes-Side Gleanings
The past week has been a very busy, similar and different week. Sunday afternoon, Feb. 21, I went to the First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, where a surprise 80th birthday open house was held for Rene Edwards. I then went to the Funkhouser United Methodist Church for the Lenten service.
Monday morning, I went to the Fayette County Home and Community Education Board at the Vandalia Extension Office and some of us ate lunch at the new Vandalia restaurant, JJ’s Café.
Tuesday afternoon, I went to the St. Elmo HCE Unit meeting. It was over at 3 p.m. and I decided to visit at the Aperion Care; it had been a couple of months since I had been there. I know several of the nursing home residents. I miss many of the residents who have died since I was there in November 2008 through May 31, 2009, and again there for 10 weeks in 2010.
Because of the high winds on Wednesday, my electricity went off a little after 10 a.m. An hour or so later, I called Southwestern Electric and found out it was off in my area (I always want to make sure it is not just me without electricity). What does one do on a very cloudy day – no TV, hard to read without much sunshine, etc? With no electricity, I cannot open my garage door to go elsewhere. So most of the time I napped and used three throws to keep warm. The electricity came back on after 7:30 p.m., so I did to watch a little TV.
The very high winds had broken many electric poles and it took hours to fix the problem.
I have found out that Pinnacle Foods was without electric power and had to send their employees home.
At about 10:15 a.m. on Thursday, I wanted to use my Frontier land phone and it was dead. I had to call Frontier on my Verizon emergency phone (35 cents a minute) to report my outage. It took several minutes to get to talk to someone because I had to answer recorded questions – it cost me! She said I would be on the list, but it might be Monday before I got my phone back in use.
I am on WPMB Friday mornings, so I called Todd Stapleton to tell him I would call Dan Michael a little after 8 a.m. to give my news over my cell phone (it cost again).
It was a little after noon on Friday when I was in the kitchen, my kitchen wall phone rang – it was the Frontier repairman who called to see if my phone was working. He said lightning was the cause of it being dead.
Saturday night, I went to the Lincoln Day Dinner at Vandalia.
This Sunday, after eating lunch at Mary Ann’s Restaurant, I went to Vandalia for the Fayette County Hospital open house. I was included in the first group (17 of us) that took a tour under the guidance of Mayor Ricky Gottman of Vandalia, who for many years has been the hospital director of facilities. The new area covers than 1,400 square feet, is beautiful and well organized. Refreshments included bar cookies, fruit and flavors of iced tea. I saw and visited with many county people I know.
The Fayette County Hospital opened in 1957 and my mom, Mattie Bell Bates, got to be a cook (she had been a cook at the Greer Hospital). On March 17, 1959, my daughter Phyllis was born there. I have been a patient in the hospital quite a few times. I am glad the hospital keeps improving.
Before returning back home, I went to the Lenten service at the Fairview United Methodist Church.