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St. Elmo News

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Saturday, September 20
• Wolf Creek Cluster of United Methodist Churches picnic, 4 p.m., Brownstown Park. In case of rain, it will be held at the Methodist Church, just across from the park. Those attending are to take dishes to pass and lawn chairs.
Sunday, September 21
• The new superintendent of the Embarras River District of United Methodist Churches, Scott Grulke of Effingham, will be installed at a 3 p.m. service in the Effingham Centenary United Methodist Church.
• The St. Elmo First United Methodist Church picnic will be held at Sportsman’s Lake. Activities – fishing, games, fellowship – will start any time after 1 p.m., with a potluck dinner at 5 p.m. Hot dogs, buns, condiments, beverages and table service will be provided; those attending are to take dishes to share.
Monday, September 22
• Fayette County Board of Home and Community Education, 10 a.m., Vandalia Extension Office.
• St. Elmo Lions Club, 6 p.m., Mary Ann’s Restaurant.
• Fayette County Republican Women, 7 p.m., Vandalia Interpretive Center.
Tuesday, September 23
• Fayette County Extension Foundation, 7 p.m., Vandalia Extension Office.
• Masonic Lodge #769, 7:30 p.m., Masonic Temple
Wednesday, September 24
• Royal Neighbors of America #5784, 1 p.m., Phillips Building. Items for veterans will be collected at this meeting.
Thursday, September 25
• St. Elmo Unit of Home and Community Education, 1:30 p.m., St. Elmo Public Library.
• ExxonMobil Annuitants, noon, Vandalia Ponderosa.
Happy Hollow Fall Festival
The annual Happy Hollow Family Farms Fall Festival will be held Oct. 4-5. There will be 25 food and craft vendors for both days. The FourGiven Quartet will perform at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Diekemper Photography will take fall pictures from 1-3 p.m. on Sunday. There will be inflatables, etc., for the kids.
Lions Club
The St. Elmo Lions Club recognized the following businesses and individuals who helped make the Flower Power Labor Day Parade a big success this year: Richardson Brothers Greenhouse and Cumberland Trail Growers, St. Elmo Business Association, Al Niemeyer, Mary Ann’s Restaurant, St. Elmo Devonian, Andra Carson, Mindy Roe, Ryan Lash, Austin’s Hardware and Jeremy Dilly, and all the judges.
The Club also recognized all who helped make the cake walk a success – those who donated cakes or cash.
The Labor Day activities were reviewed at the Lions Club meeting the evening of Sept. 8 at Mary Ann’s Restaurant. President Dave Maxey opened the meeting with all giving the pledge of allegiance. Pee Wee Denton gave the meal blessing.
At the meeting, Will Williams was welcomed as a new club member.
Several volunteered to help unload the truck at the St. Elmo Food Pantry the next day.
The annual Heath Bar sale the club has before Halloween will be sometime in October; the date and price will be announced later.
In addition to Maxey, Denton and Williams, those present were David Cox, Don Crawford, John Crawford, Roger Fulk, Max Hollinshead, Holly Huffer, Mark Lash, Bob Lowe, Le Mar Marchman, Rex Reeder, Lloyd Stanley, Bob Wells and Randy Wolf.
Avena Township Park Board
The Avena Township Park Board meeting scheduled for September 9 was not held because, of conflicts, not enough board members were able to attend.
American Legion
American Legion Post #420 had a stand at the Labor Day celebration and sold 120 pounds of fish sandwiches. The Legion made $800.
The Legion Home has almost been completely updated. The concrete floor soon will be painted with a recommended paint. The kitchen will get a new counter top, new sink and commercial style range, with six burners, two ovens and a grill. When everything is completed, the Legion will have an open house.
The World War II wood wall plaque is being redone. It has 645 names, and more will be added.
On Monday, Nov. 10, Legion members will meet at the St. Elmo Public Library with upper grade school children. The members will talk about war experiences and the children can ask questions.
On Nov. 11, Veterans’ Day service will start at 10:30 a.m. at the Veterans’ Memorial and the current flags will be retired; they will be given back to the donors.
Those present at the Sept. 9 meeting held at the Legion Home were Doyle Beck, Charles Bosomworth, Dave Cox, Bill Goodwin, Bob Heckert, Bud Himes, Clement Lilly, Wayne Lovett,  Richard Lowe, Ernie Myers, R. W. Smith and Will Williams.
Lowe’s son-in-law, Mike Saunders of the state of Washington, was a guest.
Now is the time to pay dues for the 2014-15 year. The membership so far is 31 (five new members have transferred their memberships). Dues can be paid to any of the members listed above, and they will be given to the membership committee, Lowe and Myers.
Lunch Bunch
Present at noon on Sept. 11 at Mary Ann’s Restaurant were: Pat Porter of Farina; Gene Clark of Salem; Karen Denning, Arlin and Lillian Grobengieser and granddaughter, Serena Strullmyer, Mary Harrison, Anna Jean Rhodes, Marjorie Sarver and Sue Stites of St. Elmo; and Sandra Lovett of Brownstown. Lovett’s husband, Wayne, as a Legion member, was late arriving because of helping the Legion with a burial ceremony.
Instead of meeting at Mary Ann’s Restaurant, the Lunch Bunch decided to go to Southern Illinois in October to see the fall foliage and eat lunch at Giant City State Park.
They will meet at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 9, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church parking lot to share rides.
Library District Board
The St. Elmo Public Library District Board met the evening of Sept. 11 at the St. Elmo Public Library. After approving the Aug. 7 and 14 minutes, the treasurer and librarian reports were presented, and the bills were approved and paid.
Beecher City Branch Library will host its first after-school craft on Sept. 18. JoAn Evans met with Eagle Scouts and decided on the library’s sign and placement. They plan to start on the sign in a couple of weeks.
Seventeen kids attended the pizza party given by state Rep. John Cavaletto in honor of St. Elmo Library having the most participants in his “Paws to Read” summer program. He also read to them and played a president’s bingo game with them.
In addition, the library received a certificate. Ten junior-senior students met for their first book club meeting. Forty-eight attended the first after-school craft on Sept. 11. There is a leak in the kitchen faucet that needs to be fixed.
Naomi Jennings will be the election officer and is to attend a meeting in Vandalia at 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 18.
Tanea Ricketts has given her two-week notice; Sept. 19 will be her last day. The library plans to use current staff to cover her hours.
The board voted to adopt budget and appropriation ordinance 2014-4 for the 2015-16 fiscal year.
Molly Brown Program
The life history of Molly Brown, known as “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” was presented by Barbara Kay of Glen Carbon, a retired history teacher.
She was dressed in costume that included an afternoon tea dress, jewelry and a very large hat from the 1930s era, and gave an excellent presentation. Molly was one of the survivors from the Titanic that sunk.
The program was given Sunday afternoon in Wesley Hall at the Vandalia First United Methodist Church, with about 37 in attendance. It was the first of the three Sixth Season of Events sponsored by Historical Vandalia Inc. to help raise funds for the Fayette County Museum restoration.
After the program a variety of refreshments of meat balls, cheese, cakes, cookies, cheesecakes, tiny pies, etc., were served.
The next event is scheduled at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 23, in the Vandalia First United Methodist Church Wesley Hall.
Stan Seevers of Argenta will present “Stan’s What’s It,” an educational and entertaining program on very unusual antique tools – items from the kitchen, parlor, farm and barn. With attendees will be seated around two or three tables, they will have tools to guess the identification of each one.
If season tickets were not purchased, the single event tickets are $15 for adults, half price for children 7 to 18.
 

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