Here & There

NEWS FROM HERE AND THERE

December 4, 2024

By Dixie Terry

     Welcome December!

     This month is named from the Latin word, decem, meaning ten, since it was the tenth month on the ancient calendar.  The birthstone of December is the Turquoise and the official flower is the Narcissus.

     December 7 is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.  I well remember that Sunday afternoon, the day after my birthday, when I had turned seven years old.  My parents and I were listening to the radio, when an announcement came on the air stating that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor and our country was going to war. I had seven uncles who served in World War II and all came home safely.

     “Tours to Bethlehem” will be held on Saturday, Dec. 7, 5:30-8pm, at the Vienna City Park, presented by Eagle House Ministries and several area churches.  Park and ride to see and hear what Christmas is all about. Live animals, live nativity scenes, music and free food and drinks, will be provided.

     Shop locally and help your neighbors.

     Free income tax preparation will be offered, beginning in February, by local volunteers and the University of Illinois Extension. Sites will be at the Senior Citizens Center of Goreville and the Extension Office in Vienna. Call for information at 618-973-0978.

     Our Thanksgiving was somewhat different this year, when our two daughters, Pam and Nancy, decided that eating at Cracker Barrel would be a great idea.  Not so!  The food was great and the service was outstanding, but it was a three-hour ordeal, standing in line and waiting for a table for fourteen of us. We then went to my house for dessert of pumpkin, apple and pecan pie and a visiting session.

     Remember the Mannheim Steamroller musical sounds? Dennis DeYoung, a keyboard player will be presenting “Luminaria Christmas” on Dec. 13 at 8pm at Walker’s Bluff Casino Resort near Carterville.  Call for tickets at 618-993-7777.

     The Southern Illinois Healthcare “Second Act” will celebrate 25 years  with a “Silver Winter Holiday Party” on Thursday, Dec. 12, with doors open at 5pm for a 5:30 dinner, followed by dancing to the sounds of the Dave Caputo Band until 8:30pm.   It will be held at the Garden Grove Event Center in Carbondale.  Tickets are $10 and can be had at the SIH Systems Office in the University Mall.

     Look for unique gifts at the “Very Merry Market” at the Little Egypt  Arts Association Center on Tower Square Plaza in Marion, with dates of Dec. 13–4-8pm.  Dec. 14–12-8pm.  Dec. 15–12-6pm.

     The Christmas Shop in Cobden is open each Saturday, 9am to 4pm and each Sunday, 1-4pm, with all items budget-priced. The location is the Union County Historical Society in downtown Cobden.

     The Goreville Ministerial Alliance Thrift Shop annual Christmas and Toy Bazaar opened on Saturday, Nov. 30 at 8am to a crowd of eager customers. They will be open each day this week and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9am to 4pm and on Saturdays, 9am to noon through Dec. 19, when the shop will be closed until Tuesday, Jan. 21.

     Happy Birthday to You!  Dec. 2–Reese Merrow, Bill Webb!  Dec. 3–Sarah Pfeffer Clinger, Jeffrey Billingsley, Bernadene Whitehead, Lance Trover!  Dec. 4–Tina Dudley, Marba Bertling!  Dec. 5–Jon Hancock, Sherrie Annable, Ashley Pritchett, Robby Hancock, Nancy Porter!  Dec. 6–Connor Johnson,

Peggy Francis, myself, and a great-grand, Jamison Sadlo, who will turn six!  May you all have many more!

     I told my daughters in mid-summer that I didn’t want a party for my 90th birthday.  They didn’t obey my wishes and when I opened the Marion Star to a half-page ad inviting the world to my 90th birthday party I almost had heart failure.  It will be on Saturday, Dec. 7, the day after my birthday, at 1-4pm at the Community of Christ Church on Tunnel Hill Road. And, you are invited!

     Come to the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center to create Christmas decorations on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 9am.  Call ahead for reservations.  This is free.

     A “Holiday Fun Run” will be held at The Hub Recreation Center on Saturday, Dec. 7 with check-in time at 7am.  There will be games and other events for all ages all day.

     It’s time to feed the neighborhood birds on these cold days when their food is scarce.  Make your own bird feast of suet cakes.  Melt two parts melted fat, beef or lard, along with one part peanut butter in a large pan until it is liquid.  Remove from heat and let it set for a few minutes. Stir in two parts yellow cornmeal and cook for a few minutes.  Pour into small containers such as clean tuna cans and refrigerate until they hold their shape.  Set in low branches of trees.

     Our first snow of the season didn’t amount to much, but it was really coming down for a while.

     A phone call on Thanksgiving from our grandson, Nate, who said they were expecting 8 inches at his home in Maine.

     A Christmas Vendor Fair will be underway at the Deaconess Illinois Medical Center in Marion on Dec. 12, 9am to 2pm with an array of gift items.

     Keep in mind the Christmas Open House at The Art Gallery off the Square will be from 3-6pm on Saturday, Dec. 7, in Vienna, hosted by Marie and Joe Emery.

     The HCE chili supper on Monday night at the Goreville School cafeteria brought in a nice crowd of chili lovers to the fundraiser for the scholarship project.  Another chili supper will be held at VHS in February.

     In some countries he is known as Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, Pere Noel, but we know him as Santa Claus or Santa, the legendary old man, with a round tummy and a white beard, who travels on a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer plus Rudolph, delivering toys to good little boys and girls.

     Stained glass classes will be underway at the Little Egypt Arts Association Center for those wanting to create a “something different” for a holiday gift.  Contact [email protected].

     Take a “Christmas Stroll” through the historical five vintage buildings on the campus of John A. Logan College on Sunday, Dec. 8, 1:30-4:30pm.

     “Skating on the Square” opened on November 30 and will continue through January.

     The volunteers of the Vienna United Methodist Church will be assisting shoppers at Faith Alive Thrift Shop in Vienna on Dec. 19-21.  Shop locally!

     The Goreville First Pentecostal Church held another “Youth Game Night” on Nov. 23, 7-10pm with video and board games, pizza and pop.

     True Vine of the Vienna United Methodist Church will provide free meals for pick-up or home delivery on Saturday, Dec. 14, 4:30-5:30pm with pick-up at the back entrance.  The menu will include ham, baby carrots, corn, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, and dessert.  Call for meals at 618-926-1468.

     We appreciate hearing your good news, so call 618-422-2086; email [email protected]; or mail to 907 C Independence Avenue, Marion, IL 62939.

     Enjoy all that December has to offer and remember the reason for the season.

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