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Latham social, Oasis programs at St. John, Bill Detmers' book, LIHEAP applications, Chestnut movie, Ina Tjelle, Atlanta United Methodist Women

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[July 16, 2013]  Saturday social in Latham benefits community all year

LATHAM -- A gorgeous Saturday afternoon brought a large crowd to the 64th annual ice cream social hosted by the Latham Fire Department. According to Chief Kenny Crosier, "the fundraiser is a community event meant to bring the 400 residents of Latham together."

In addition to cake and ice cream, the daylong event included antique tractor and car shows, activities for kids, and live entertainment.

While the tax base of the Latham Fire Protection District pays for the 3-year-old fire department building and the trucks, the department raises money at the ice cream social to pay for community events it sponsors.

"The money raised at the ice cream social goes right back into the village," Crosier said. "The fire department sponsors a communitywide Halloween party for the kids and brings Santa to the firehouse during the Christmas holiday so that the village children can visit with him. We also sponsor baseball and softball teams."

In addition, the fire department provides bags of candy at Christmas for kids and shut-ins.

The Latham Fire Protection District encompasses 56 square miles in two counties, Macon and Logan. Besides taking care of its own area, the department offers mutual aid to other communities. The Latham Fire Department was one of the first companies from outside Lincoln to be called upon to fight the recent fire at the Oasis.

Make no mistake, the all-volunteer force from Latham, comprising 24 active volunteer firefighters and eight auxiliary volunteers, is a professional and well-trained organization, with two firefighting exercises each month and two rescue practices every month.

"Our calls are equally split between structural fires and rescue or medical calls," Crosier said.

[By CURT FOX]


Oasis Senior Center finds a temporary home

The Oasis Senior Center has secured a temporary home following the devastating fire at its building on the evening of June 21. As of July 15, St. John United Church of Christ, 204 Seventh St. in Lincoln, has graciously opened their hearts and doors to provide the senior center with a temporary home.

The Oasis will resume services and programs on a limited schedule starting Tuesday. The following services will be available at St. John Church:

  • Benefit Access programs (former Illinois Cares Rx and Circuit Breaker): Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. First session Wednesday, July 17.

  • SHIP (Medicare Part D): Thursdays, 1-3 p.m. First session Thursday, July 18.

  • Legal aid: fourth Thursday of month, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. First session Thursday, July 25.

  • VA services: Tuesdays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. First session Tuesday, July 16.

  • Foot care: every other Tuesday, 9 a.m. First session Tuesday, July 16.

For appointments and further details, call 217-732-6132.


Bill Detmers: 'Be Careful Crossing the Hard Road'

Just like parents everywhere, Bill Detmers liked to tell his children stories. But instead of reading "Snow White" or "Hansel and Gretel" or other stories collected by the Brothers Grimm, his stories were about his own childhood during the 1940s and 1950s in the small Logan County town of Emden.

Even as his children grew older, they still clamored for the tales from this small town in the middle of Illinois -- tales about businesses that no longer existed and neighbors who knew everyone in town and looked out for one another. As adults, the Detmers kids told their dad that he should write down the tales of life in Emden so there would be a record for them and their children.

After first dismissing the idea, Bill began in 2006 to make notes that would eventually take the shape of a 150-page book filled with his remembrances and photos. After setting the project aside for a few years, he finally put the finishing touches on his autobiography of life growing up in Emden.

Published earlier this year, the book titled "Be Careful Crossing the Hard Road" has been so successful that it is scheduled for a third printing. No one is more surprised at the book's success than the author.

Born in 1940, the youngest of seven children, Detmers grew up in quintessential small-town America, where the people of Emden shopped in their own community and knew everyone in town.

Detmers' father came to the small town from Germany at age 18, an immigrant after World War I. He was sponsored by a cousin already living in town. He spoke no English when he arrived, but through hard work and diligence, he became a successful painter and paperhanger.

The elder Detmers attended high school and took English classes. There he met his future wife. They married and had seven children, of whom Bill was the youngest.

With a twinkle in his eye, Bill likes to tell of the times in his adulthood when his diminutive mother would reach up to pinch his cheek and say, "You're still my baby."

Detmers' mom and dad were married on June 22, and all seven of their children were married on the same date.

Growing up in the good old days, as Detmers calls them, in the 1940s and 1950s, life in small-town Emden was centered on family, friends and community.

Detmers' father had his painting business in Emden and surrounding communities, but he always bought his business supplies in Emden. He believed in supporting his community and neighbors.

Bill Detmers went to grade school in Emden and to high school in Hartsburg. The small classes in school made for a close relationship between the students. They hung out together and came up with ways to entertain themselves. This was a time before television and the myriad ways that people can entertain themselves today.

The kids played games and even constructed their own toys. Detmers' book shows how to make homemade kites and a device called a rubber gun made of scraps from the local lumberyard.

Bill said, "We were recycling before it became popular, taking anything that was scrap and turning it into something to play with."

After World War II, there were several major ways that Emdenites entertained themselves. One was the radio.

Detmers remembers that at his home there was one large console radio and several small ones. The console was used only on special occasions when the whole family would gather 'round for an important program. They would listen to the "Lone Ranger," Lamont Cranston as The Shadow ("Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!"), "Fibber McGee and Molly," and "Sky King."

The Emden Community House, which still stands, was the venue where the community could gather for special events. The annual March of Dimes fundraiser was held there.

Movies were shown on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Kids paid 12 cents for admission and adults paid 25 cents. The upstairs auditorium was always filled.

The Community House also served as the grade school gymnasium where basketball games were played. The grade school band also used it to practice and for concerts. It was used for school plays as well. Detmers was on stage for several school presentations.

He says, "In eighth grade there were 10 kids in my class, maybe 70 or 80 kids in the whole Emden Grade School."

These fellow classmates became friends for life, even after they moved away from town. Detmers is still in close contact with two classmates who now live out-of-state. His high school class just had its 55th reunion.

When he was old enough, Detmers had a paper route in town. This brought him into contact with everyone, traveling as he did to every part of the small community to deliver the paper. His newspaper customers became close friends.

He remembers: "One woman on my route always cooked a ham for her family on the weekends. The following week I could always count on a delicious ham sandwich awaiting me when I delivered the paper."

One other customer always had a refreshing glass of lemonade waiting for him when he delivered the paper during the summer.

Detmers recalls walking into the home of a homebound person on his route and handing over the paper, not just leaving it on the front porch. He had learned at a young age his father's example of personally supporting the people in his community.

Being a neighbor meant something special then, although the residents of Emden would probably not have recognized that as unique, just normal behavior toward the others in their town.

After grade school, Bill began to travel by bus to Hartsburg High School. There he met a young woman who would have a profound impact on his life.

Bill and his high school sweetheart, Diane, were married in 1959 and have three children: two daughters who live in Georgia and a son who lives in Bloomington.

After high school, Detmers worked for a time at the Emden Zephyr gas station, one of four places to fill up in the community. There were also two auto dealerships and two grocery stores.

He eventually found work at the Stetson China factory in Lincoln, and then in 1961 began a career at State Farm in Bloomington, retiring after 35 years. Bill and Diane's three children also have careers at State Farm.

Bill and Diane eventually left his beloved hometown and moved to Normal. About this time, life in Emden began to change. Bill attributes the change to the increased mobility brought about by the new highways and almost universal ownership of cars. Emdenites began to travel to Lincoln to the newer grocery stores, which had lower prices and greater selection than the Emden grocery stores. Those are gone now, along with the car dealerships and four gas stations.

But that heyday of small-town Emden will live forever in Bill Detmers' book, "Be Careful Crossing the Hard Road." He did some of the research for the book at the Logan County Genealogical & Historical Society, where he and Diane volunteer each week.

Oh, and the title of the book? Well, there is another story.

During Detmers' childhood in Emden, there was a spur road that ran through the center of Emden, connecting Illinois 121 and 136. It is officially named Lincoln Street, but everyone just called it Main Street or "the hard road" back during Bill's childhood. When Detmers' mother asked him to run to the grocery store for something she needed, she would always call after him: "Be careful crossing the hard road."

Now that the book is finished, how does Bill feel about it? In his words, "it is humbling." He explained: "I never thought it would be anything -- just a book for my kids so that they could have a sense of what my childhood was like. But, people are interested in it. It gives me a good feeling."

Bill Detmers' book tells a story of small-town America during his childhood. When asked about his childhood and life since, he smiles and says, "Life was good, life is good!"

[By CURT FOX]

 


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Community Action Partnership now taking applications for LIHEAP summer energy assistance

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, for the summer is targeted to income-eligible at-risk households and provides benefits of $150 payments to electric providers.

At-risk households are defined as those having seniors, people with disabilities, families with children less than 5 years of age at the date of the application, and people with medical conditions that would be aggravated by extreme heat. To qualify, these at-risk households must have incomes equal to or less than 150 percent of the poverty level as defined in the 2013 Federal Poverty Guidelines published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Benefits can be provided only to income-eligible households that can be included in one of the following groups:

  • Households that contain a member with a medical condition that can be ameliorated by air conditioning, such as asthma, emphysema, coronary disease and terminal illness. Required documentation must include a doctor’s certification letter dated within the last 90 days, stating that the medical condition would be aggravated by extreme heat.

  • Households that contain a person who is age 60 or above.

  • Households with children 5 years of age or younger at the date of the application.

  • Households that contain a person who is receiving Social Security disability benefits or has a pending determination case at the Social Security Administration. Required documentation must include a letter of determination from the SSA or receipt of Social Security disability benefit statement.

The focus of this summer energy assistance is electric service. The program benefits are summer energy assistance payments of $150 to electric providers.

The program begins July 15 and will conclude on July 26, or when funds have been exhausted.

To apply for the LIHEAP summer program, contact the Community Action Partnership office in your county:

  • DeWitt County, 217-935-2455

  • Logan County, 217-732-2159

  • Mason County, 309-543-6988

  • Menard County, 217-632-3878

  • Piatt County, 217-762-2421


Chestnut Geo-Center Committee to host movie in park

CHESTNUT -- The Chestnut Geo-Center Committee has announced that the community's next "Movie in the Park" will be on Saturday, July 20. "Parental Guidance," starring Billy Crystal and Bette Midler, will be shown at dusk in the community park on Olive Street in downtown Chestnut.

The Chestnut Geo-Center Committee will serve hot dogs, snow cones, candy, sodas, water and free popcorn beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Families are welcome to bring lawn chairs or blankets to enjoy the evening in the park.


Tjelle named ALMH July Employee of the Month

Ina Tjelle of Lincoln has been named the July Employee of the Month at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital. Tjelle works as a cashier and secondary biller in patient accounts. In October she will begin her 20th year at ALMH.

Tjelle was born in Morris and raised in Gardner. She has lived in Lincoln for the past 19 years. She has five children, 12 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She enjoys spending time at their sports activities, traveling and playing bingo.

She enjoys her work because of the close-knit community ALMH provides.

"There is a lot of teamwork and togetherness at ALMH," said Tjelle. "It's close to home, and people here treat you like one big family." She also enjoys the variety in her day-to-day activities. "I enjoy coming to work every day. There are always jobs to do that are not in a repetitious sequence, always changing."

Tjelle recommends a career in patient accounts.

"If you like diversity in a job, patient accounts is the place. You get to meet people, work with great co-workers and work Monday through Friday. ALMH has great benefits and a great working environment," said Tjelle.

ALMH, at 200 Stahlhut Drive, is a 25-bed critical-access hospital affiliated with Memorial Health System. The hospital employs 315 in a variety of roles. For more information, visit www.almh.org.


Atlanta United Methodist Women plan summertime fundraisers

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta United Methodist Women have planned a schedule of events to sponsor their ongoing mission work.

On July 26 and 27 they will have a sale of rummage and homemade goodies. The sale will be in the church basement, which is handicapped-accessible. The Friday hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The church is at the corner of Second and Race streets in Atlanta.

Many rummage sale items will be priced at only 50 cents. Saturday will feature "bag" deals, as well as a "free hour." During the rummage sale, there will also be a bake sale with lots of homemade goodies to choose from.

On Aug. 10 the group will host a craft sale in downtown Atlanta during the cruise-in.

There will be a winter wear giveaway in the church basement on Oct. 5.

Proceeds from all the fundraising events will be used for both local and other missions supported by the Atlanta United Methodist Women.


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