Friends of the Library
The Friends of the Library (FOL) met Oct. 17 at Gibson Memorial Library. Members present were Emily Cook, Starr Cure, Cari Jack, Kay Raymond, Julie Schieffer, Karen Walter, Ann Coulter and David Hargrove.
Hargrove, director of library operations, reported a grant from South Central Iowa Community Foundation was used to purchase donor development software. The board of trustees are in need of two male members. A 70-inch television has been purchased from a DECCO grant and will be used for streaming purposes.
The treasurer’s report was placed on file for audit.
The used-book sale was successful. One comment was it was nice to have it close to downtown. Some of the books that didn’t sell will be taken to Polk County Jail.
Membership prizes were drawn.
Preschool books were taken to area preschools during FOL week purchased by FOL. Board members made treats for the patrons all week, and Mayor Gary Lybarger proclaimed Oct. 16–22 as FOL Week.
Photos with Santa will be held Dec. 1 before the winter parade. This year, people can take their own pictures with Santa and Mrs. Santa free of charge.
The scrapbooking event will be held Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 25-26.
The next meeting will be held 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 21, at the library.
Ladies Lakeshore Auxiliary
Ladies Lakeshore Auxiliary met Oct. 26.
Canasta winners were Rose Blakesley, first; Linda Clark, second; and Penni Nauman, third.
Sherry Parrott won the door prize.
Marilyn Larimore will host cards and chatter Wednesday, Nov. 2.
VFW Post 1797
VFW Post 1797 met Oct. 11 at the Elks Lodge in Creston. Twenty members and guests were present for dinner.
Commander Gary O’Daniels called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. with 18 members present.
The post draped the charter for veterans Ronald Sprague and Robert McCoy. Minutes and QM reports were read and approved. Service officers reported 40 hours community service, 86 hours at the hospital and 23 hours for honor guard, for a total of 158 hours. The post also traveled 215 miles for veterans.
In old business, VFW Patriot Pen And Voice of Democracy applications have been distributed to the middle school and high school.
Bob Jungst and Charlie Jackson led the homecoming parade in Jungst’s Korean-era jeep.
The fall state Pow Wow held Oct. 8-9 was attended by Denny Abel and O’Daniels in Osceola.
In new business, the Sprague family is planning to give memorial money to the post, so a notable tribute is needed.
The post is still needing applications for a Freedom Flight to Washington, D.C., next spring. Any WWII, Korean or Viet Nam veteran should contact Tom Hawks at the Union County Veteran Office at 641-782-1723. Poppy day will be held Saturday, Nov. 12. On Oct. 17, the DAV was at Hy-Vee from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The meeting adjourned at 8 p.m. The next meeting will be Tuesday, Nov. 8, at the Elks with 6 p.m. dinner and 7 p.m. meeting. All veterans are encouraged to attend.
Mary Circle
Mary Circle of First Christian Church met at the home of Alice Bowers. There were 11 members present. Two new members were introduced – Bonnie Pelke and Barb Vietz.
Joyce Burkhead read the minutes of the last meeting. Barb gave the treasurer’s report, and both were approved as read.
Old business discussed was the salad luncheon held Oct. 6 at the church was very well attended. Mary O’Riley was the guest speaker for the food pantry which was informative to the guests.
New business was the renovation committee has been working at the church.
Marilyn made a motion to adjourn and Bowers seconded.
Bowers gave the lesson on Women in the Bible about the woman bent over.
Next meeting will be Nov. 17 at the church with Averil Lyman as hostess.
Union County Genealogical Society
Union County Genealogical Society met Oct. 24 in Creston.
Tessa Hull opened with the program on “Hocus Pocus - The Salem Witch Trials.” A large percentage of the women of the Salem area were accused of being witches, trials were held beginning in 1692 and several were put to death. Hull said the custom came from Europe. Early settlers came to this country to escape religious persecution, but many were punished here for their beliefs. In 1992, monuments were dedicated in Massachusetts to those who had been wrongly accused of being witches.
Elaine Brown reported she had an ancestor who was put to death as a witch, being accused of bringing smallpox to her village. Later, her husband was paid a small amount for her wrongful death.
Ruth McDowell provided spooky Halloween treats.
Hull conducted the business meeting with 13 present. She reported on attending the Iowa Genealogical Society fall conference. Kathy Parmenter reported on queries and also said a review of the society’s site on GenWeb will soon take place.
Roger Nurnberg and Calvin Huffman told of their recent visit to the old Leas Cemetery in Pleasant Township. They described a product they used, which successfully removed fungus growth on the tombstones so they could read the inscriptions.
Bernard Shea shared a picture of a temporary tabernacle, which sat on the library lot long before the library was built.
The final meeting of this year will be Nov. 28 at the library.
Kiwanis
The weekly Kiwanis meeting was held 12:05 p.m. Tuesday, Oct 25, at The Windrow meeting room with 25 members. President Chris Eaton presided, Ed Ritter gave the prayer and Kyle Wilson was the finemaster.
Five longtime Kiwanis members were honored and thanked with commemorative clocks for their time of service to Creston Kiwanis Club, which supports many groups and organizations in the community involved with children. They were Ron Levine with 40 years, Sam Beaty with 42 years, Ed Ritter with 44 years, Dennis Carter with 43 years and Marion James with 39 years.
There was no program due to the monthly board meeting.
The annual fresh evergreen decorated wreaths and sprays sale for the holiday season has started. There are two sizes of decorated wreaths and one balsam spray for sale this year. All members have order sheets. More details and photos can be found on the Kiwanis Club of Creston, Iowa, Facebook page. The deadline for ordering is Monday, Oct. 31, with arrival Nov. 17.
The club held its annual children’s winter coat distribution from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24, at First United Methodist Church in Creston. The club still has a good number of girls coats from size 8 and smaller and some boys coats available, too. Contact Jamie Travis at 641-782-4626 for more information.