March 29, 2024

Club news

Union County Genealogical Society

President Jane Briley called the 6 pm. Feb. 27 meeting of Union County Genealogical Society to order. Roll call was answered by 16 members who reported on a brick wall they have encountered in their genealogical research. Three guests were present.

Guest Dennis Allen, aided by members Roger Nurnberg and Saundra Leininger, presented details of the new website. Color choices were displayed to the group. A selected layout design was also shown, along with other available options. The website home page will offer a menu, a mission statement and an events calendar and plans to be operational by July. Enhanced information will be available for paid members. Eleven hours of mandatory training for up to five members will begin in May. Leininger, Nurnberg and Kathy Parmenter offered to participate in the training.

Bernard Shea was named an honorary life member of the society with deferred dues and full membership rights.

“A History of the Union County Genealogy Society 1992-2016” compiled by Dorothy Eyeberg was placed in the grey file cabinet for public use. Newspaper articles and information pertaining to the society are included in the history.

This year’s five-minute tidbits will be short overviews of specific resources available in the genealogy room at the library.

The next meeting will be 6 p.m. March 27 at Gibson Memorial Library. The roll call will be “What artifact should you have kept, but didn’t?” Briley will present the program on “What ancestral artifacts should the family keep?” The five-minute tidbit will be presented by Calvin Huffman on the states section of the genealogy room.

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GFWC/IOWA Progressive Chautauqua Circle

The GFWC/IOWA Progressive Chautauqua Circle Study Club met at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 28 at the home of Carolyn Biere for its February meeting. The meeting was opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Jessica Duncan of Greater Regional Medical Center presented an informative program on the history of the medical center. She detailed the previous names and locations of the medical center and talked about the program additions including the cancer and chemo center, psychiatry, ENT, OB and urgent care. She also talked about the relocation of some offices at the hospital to move the doctors in the specialty clinic. She stressed the importance and need for volunteers.

For devotions, Mary Morris read “A Morning Prayer.” Roll call was taken with the members responding with their volunteer experiences. Fifteen members were in attendance.

The minutes of the previous meeting were read and were approved as corrected. The treasurer reported the checking account balance. A report on the attendance at the bloodmobile was given with 111 pints collected. Judy Weese distributed and explained the hourly volunteer reporting sheet. After discussion, Beverly Butler moved and Judy Woods seconded that a change be made to the reporting sheet to include “legislative contact.”

Kay Ritter is the greeting card person and said to let her know when there was a need. Peg Anderson reported on the library fundraising. Biere gave an informative report on food safety, especially food poisoning and illness in older adults. She stressed the importance of washing your hands and washing fresh fruits and vegetables. Jerri Henderson reported on domestic violence.

The next meeting will be 1 p.m. March 14 at Pizza Ranch for a pizza buffet luncheon. The members read the Collect and adjourned at 3:25 p.m.

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Friends of the Library

The Friends of the Library met Feb. 20 at the library. Members present were Emily Cook, Starr Cure, Jessica Duncan, Judy Hoakison, Marisue Lewis, Kay Raymond, Julie Schieffer, Karen Walter and Library Director David Hargrove. The agenda was approved and the minutes were accepted as corrected.

Hargrove mentioned the periodicals have been pulled out and he is shifting fiction books to make reading the shelves and selecting books more comfortable. Ten people participated in the first chess club meeting. The club meets 4 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month. Anyone is welcome to attend. The crotchet members are making baby blankets and baby hats to donate them to the hospital. Hargrove is accepting bids for scraping, calking and painting of the library windows. There may be trim that has to be replaced.

Walter suggested having art programs, not to interfere with Creston: Arts and beginning scrapbooking for children and adults.

Thirty people have signed up for our scrapbooking event. We reviewed our responsibilities for the event. The FBLA students will help with carrying in supplies and helping take down at the end of the event.

We will review the by-laws at the next meeting. National Library Week is April 9-15. Duncan will prepare a summary of our projects.

The next meeting will be 6 p.m. March 20 at the library.

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The Book Club

The Book Club met Feb. 6 at the home of Pat Pokorny. The December minutes were read and approved. Roll call was answered by the title of books read by members. Velma Riegal presented a delightful book review of “Anne of Green Gables” by L. M. Montgomery. Written in 1908, “Anne of Greene Gables” has never been out of print and has sold over 50 million copies. Mark Twain said, “Anne was the dearest and most lovable child in fiction since the immortal Alice.”

Eleven-year-old Anne leaves an orphanage in Nova Scotia for Avonlea, Prince Edward Island. For the first time, she finds at Green Gables the healing power of nature, friends and the love of Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. Excelling in school, she completes her teacher’s training. As the book ends, 16-year-old Anne is to be the teacher of the Avonlea School.

Books read by members are:

“Tell A Tale of lowa” by Don Brown, “The German Girl” by Armando Correa, “Blue” by Danielle Steel, “A Dog’s Purpose” by Bruce Cameron, “Priceless” by Sherryl Woods, “Billy Diet” by Travis Stork M.D., “Mayflower” by Nathaniel Philbrick, “The Divide” by Nicholas Evans, “The Great Day” by James Hamilton Paterson, “The Cat, The Snead and Secret” by  Leann Sweeney, “Killing the Rising Sun” by Bill O’Reilly, “A Daughter’s Biography” by Victoria Price, “Home” by Harlan Coben, “The Carousel” by Richard Paul Evans, “The Approval Fix” by Joyce Meyers and “Harlequin Intrigue”

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LG P.E.O.

Chapter LG P.E.O. met Feb. 21 at the home of Kay Ritter with Dianne Huffman assisting as co-hostess. Twelve members responded to roll call.

Ritter reported on the progress of plans for the annual P.E.O. omelet buffet to be held Tuesday, March 7, at Creston First United Methodist Church. Ticket sales have commenced, and they can be purchased in advance from any member of Chapter AZ or LG. She circulated the work sheet for members to record their available time for a shift.

Linda Linch brought up the proposed amendments to Parts I, II and IIl and bylaws of the P.E.O. Constitution that will be presented at the state convention in June. After much reading and discussion of each proposal, a vote was taken on each one and will be submitted with the required data from this survey to the president of the Iowa State Chapter.

Rosalie Denton presented the program on the state and international project funds. She gave a brief history and current fact about the P.E.O. educational loan fund that was established in 1885. This revolving fund has loaned more than $130,000,000 and assisted more than 43,000 women in the U.S. and Canada in attaining their higher education goals. The interest rate is 2 percent. Maximum loan amounts range from $12,000 for associate and bachelor degree programs, and up to $20,000 for doctoral degree candidates.

The P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship Fund assists international students pursuing graduate study in the U.S. and Canada. Last year, 187 scholarships for women from 69 countries provided aid amounting to $1,728,500. These are only two of the six projects about which she shared information.

The next regular meeting will be March 21 at the home of Sandy Harris with Carolyn Downing assisting as co-hostess. At this time, new officers will be installed.

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Ladies Lakeshore Auxiliary

Ladies Lakeshore Auxiliary met Feb. 22.

Canasta winners were Barb Bills, first; Joy Seeley, second; and Maxine May, third.

Wanda Nash won the door prize.

Gwen Sandeman hosted cards and chatter Wednesday, March 1.

Canasta winners were Linda Clark, first; Maxine May, second; and Barb Bills, third.

Bills won the door prize.

Cheri Lilly will host cards and chatter Wednesday, March 8.