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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:
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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.
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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]
[to top of second
column] |
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.
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Households that contain a person
who is age 60 or above.
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Households with children 5 years
of age or younger at the date of the application.
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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
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Mason County, 309-543-6988
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Menard County, 217-632-3878
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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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