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St. Elmo News

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Wednesday, May 28
• Royal Neighbors of America #5784, 1 p.m., Phillips Building.

Thursday, May 29
• ExxonMobil Annuitants will meet at noon at the Litchfield Maverick Restaurant; it used to be the Ponderosa.
Saturday, May 31
• The St. Elmo Community Clothes Closet, 9 a.m.-noon, First United Methodist Church parsonage.
• St. Elmo High School graduation, 7 p.m., in the gym
Monday, June 2
• Last day of school in St. Elmo and classes will be dismissed at 11:30 a.m.
• The St. Elmo City Council, 7 p.m., Phillips Building.
Tuesday, June 3
• Friendly Neighbors potluck, noon, Phillips Building.
• The Council of Catholic Women, 7 p.m., St. Mary’s Catholic Church Parish Hall.
Wednesday, June 4
• Wright’s Corner Unit of Home and Community Education, 1 p.m., Loudon Town House.
Thursday, June 5
• St. Elmo Business Association, noon, Mary Ann’s Restaurant.
• The Wheatland Unit of Home and Community Education, 1:30 p.m., Phillips Building.
Fishing Rodeo Announcement
All children in the area through the age of 14 are invited to participate in the Altamont Lions Club Fishing Rodeo. It will be held from 8 a.m.-noon on Saturday, June 7, at Mathias Lake, two miles east of Altamont on U.S. Route 40.
No fishing permits are needed. This is the observation of Illinois Free Fishing Days in conjunction with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources the Division of Fisheries.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources and many volunteers will help out in this day of fun and games, and a free lunch meal will be provided.
An adult must accompany children 9 years of age and under. Things your children will need to remember to take: suntan lotion, fishing gear and bait, sunglasses, lawn chairs and rain gear, if necessary. If you do not have fishing gear, there will be some poles available and bait provided.
In addition to the free lunch and prizes awarded to all, five bicycles will be given away.
Relay for Life Announcement
The Fayette County Relay for Life will be held from noon to midnight on Saturday, June 7, in the Vandalia Rogier Park. In case of rain, it will be held in the Fayette County YMCA.
Blood Drive Announcement
An American Red Cross St. Elmo Community blood drive will be held from 1-6 p.m. on Monday, June 9, in St. Mary’s Catholic Church Parish Hall.
Lovett Master’s Degree Graduation
Carly Anne Lovett, a 2009 graduate of Edwardsville High School and daughter of Gina Lovett of Edwardsville and Greg Lovett of Maryville, graduated on May 9 from the Kelly School of Business & Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind., with a master’s degree in business administration in the graduate accounting program.
She is employed with KPMG, counseling and auditing firm in Chicago.
Carly is the granddaughter of Wayne and Sandra Lovett of Brownstown, and Carlene Harlow of Nebo.
Attending the graduation in addition to Wayne and Sandra were Gina Lovett and son Dustin of Edwardsville, Grey and Kristy Lovett of Maryville and a high school classmate, Shannon, who is working in Kansas City area. After graduation, all of her family went to a Mexican restaurant in Bloomington, Ind., for dinner.
FFA Pie Auction
The annual Future Farmers of America Alumni pie auction followed the St. Elmo Brownstown FFA banquet that was held the evening of April 17 in the school cafeteria.
Once again, the top-selling pie went to Gary Barnick of Barnick Farms for $310, surpassing his top bid of $260 last year. The pie was made from blackberries handpicked from Brian and Leslie Bullard’s berry briars and was baked by Karla Lilly.
The twin to this pie sold to Steve and Gloria Austin of Austin Farms for $160.
Stanton Stine was the high purchaser of three pies, $335; followed by Darrin Strauch, $285 for three pies.
Dr. Charlie Durbin and his wife Nancy bid on a Reese’s pie, then donated it back to be resold, with the total donation being over $200 income for the alumni.
Other top-selling pies went to Todd and Tasha Dial, $200 for a cherry pie; Buzzard Farms, $200; CD Feller, $170 for a cherry pie; Jim and Cec Mahon, $170 for a rhubarb pie; Brad Horner, $170 for a strawberry pie; Feller Oil, $160 for an apple pie; and Wright Way Simmental, $160 for a caramel apple pie.
Dale Sperry went home with his $150 angel food cake.
Other pie buyers were Kevin Payne, Bruce Boaz, Matt Howard, Cindy Rich, Ron Howard, Alisa LaGrand, Jared Stine, Midwest Tractor, Mandy Miller, Christy McElroy, Doug Thurnau, Glen Mills, Dave and Bev Jennings of Jennings Farms, Steve and Trey Wright of Wright Cattle Co., Trevor and Travis Wright of TW Farms, Ed and Mona Durbin, Longhorn Construction/Wilhour Farms, Betzel Farms, Marj Sperry, Roger Sperry and MJ Market.
The 44 home baked items netted over $4,400 for the St. Elmo Brownstown FFA Alumni. These funds will be used to sponsor monetary assistance to the FFA Chapter throughout the year, including travel expense, purchase of FFA jackets, registration fees, awards and other expenses as they arise.
Also, to fund the Annual FFA Alumni Scholarship that will be presented at graduation. Last year’s scholarships were awarded to Samantha Austin and Tyler Feezel.
The auction was co-sponsored by the Royal Neighbors of America #5784.
Fayette County HCE
The Fayette County Home and Community Education Annual Meeting is set for Tuesday, June 17, in the fellowship hall of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Vandalia. Registration will be at 11:30 a.m. and a potluck luncheon at noon.
The May 19 board meeting at the Vandalia Extension Office opened with the pledge of allegiance, with the following present: Flo Allen, Panzi Blackwell, Shirley Klitzing of the Sefton Unit; Anna Jean Rhodes of the St. Elmo Unit; and Donna Blair, Joyce Mueller, Debbie Segrest, Anita Smith of the Vandalia Day Unit; and guests Loretta Ashley and Carol Bridges of the Vandalia Day Unit.
Segrest reported that the HCE Honeys made over $1,500 at the Relay for Life auction held May 9 and to date, the HCE Honeys have made over $3,000 for Relay for Life, which will be held from noon to midnight on Saturday, June 7, at Vandalia’s Rogier Park (in case of rain it will be held at the Fayette County YMCA).
Fayette County HCE donated a basket filled with spa items and it sold for $15. The HCE Honeys is a committee of the Vandalia Day Unit, with Segrest and Blair co-chairmen.
Blair reported that a Tourette syndrome 1½ mile walk will be held at Ramsey State Park Lake from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday, June 14. Those planning to walk do not have to walk all the way. They should wear a white top and a teal ribbon. For more information, Peggy Hunt can be called at 423-2956 or 292-3428.
Klitzing reported that the annual HCE International Day will be on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at the St. Elmo Phillips Building, with registration at 5:30 p.m. and a potluck at 6 p.m.
After the meeting the following ate lunch at the Vandalia Senior Citizens Center: Allen, Ashley, Bridges, Klitzing, Mueller, Rhodes, Segrest and Smith.
Fayette County Museum’s Future Activities
A Garden Party will be held in the garden at the Fayette County Museum, Vandalia, 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, June 14. Baroque Folk will play period music. Tickets are $5 per person. Finger food samples from recipes in the Museum’s 35th Anniversary Cookbook will be provided, along with tea and lemonade. The Vandalia Woman’s Club will help at the Garden Party.
June 14 is the first day for the exhibits in the 2014 Amateur Town & Country Art Show and Professional Art Show and it is free. It will be held in the Museum’s Artworks Gallery upstairs. The upstairs walls have been replastered and the art show this year will be in a bright clean display area.
Show categories are Amateur Adult Fine Art, Amateur Adult Photography, Youth (age 17 and under) Fine Art, Youth, (17 and under) Photography and Professional Fine Art. The opening critique and reception will be at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 13. In addition to the 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. time, the museum will be open from 6-9 p.m. on June 13.
The art shows will continue through Sunday, June 22. The museum hours are: 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday through Saturday; and 1-4 p.m. on the Sundays, June 15 and 22.
Historical Vandalia Inc. met at 6:30 p.m. on May 19 in the Fayette County Museum, with the following present: President Steve Durbin, Donna Blair, Allison Magnus, Joyce Mueller and Mary Truitt, all of Vandalia; Marilyn Beyes of Smithboro; Mary Ann Rhoades of Ramsey; Barbara Buckland of Brownstown; and Anna Jean Rhodes of St. Elmo.
By May 19, $3,001 has so far been donated to help Historical Vandalia Inc. get help to move the St. Francisville Catholic Church pipe organ to the Fayette County Museum. The church has been closed and is to be torn down; the members would like for the Fayette County Museum to have the organ and not see it destroyed.
The amount needed is $6,000 for the labor to hire a knowledgeable organ person to get the organ and pipes down from the church balcony, partially take the pipes apart, load all in a truck, bring to Vandalia and put all back together in the museum upstairs. All donations to Historical Vandalia Inc. are tax-deductible.
Truitt reported that the museum had 212 visitors in April (176 in April 2013).
Beyes reported that the garden needs volunteers to take out weeds. She also announced that a daily workshop on geology will be from 1:30-4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 2 at the Lady of the Snows.
 

Royal Neighbors of America members are shown holding pies for the FFA pie auction. In front, from left, are Marsha Lilly-Wright, Peyton Hoopengarner. In back are Della Stewart, Ina Abendroth, Steve Wright, Oliver Wright, Irene Reed and Marjorie Sarver.

A St. Elmo FFA member holds one of the pies auctioned off.

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