by Elaine Rassel Thanks to all of you who have remembered Steve and myself (and families) following Jeanette’s death. Your thoughtfulness has been appreciated. Now to get past the holidays will be another thing as the other families in our area that have lost a loved one at this time will also be experiencing.
The month of December is a busy month. Last Saturday and Sunday (Dec. 4 and 5) had the Madrigal at the Sawyer Center. I hope this event was well attended. On the next Monday (Dec. 6) the Middle School had their Holiday Band and Chorus Concert. Now that that is over, there is only the MMCRU High School Band and Chorus Concert coming up Dec. 16. These students work hard to be able to perform for us. It would be nice to see many at this performance.
We went and spent over an hour at the Marcus Community Center on Thursday to view the 31 trees. Really, every one of them could have been a winner! The Marcus Historic Society had an unusual display of items that business places gave out in appreciation of your business. These items ended up at the Historic Society and then on their tree! They had a printed list of the items and where they came from found at the bottom of the tree.
Marcus Lumber and Mike’s Construction had trees made of wood. Mike’s Construction ‘s tree received “Best” from those that voted. There was one white tree and 4 flocked ones. I just read the other day an article about trees these white and flocked ones were included in the “past” as well as aluminum trees (these are probably rated “rare”). A Charlie Brown tree was listed in the “past” trees. There is something about a Charlie tree that draws attention.
It wouldn’t be complete if Frosty, the Snowman didn’t make his appearance. Ag Reliant brought Frosty to the Center. There was a small Santa that made his appearance beside Farmers State Agency’s tree. These trees are only up during the week of Hometown Christmas. That Saturday night or Sunday morning, the Center is empty of trees as trees are taken down after the last event there on Saturday night.
Santa Claus was there to talk to the kids. Each one of them received a bag of goodies. To the right of Santa was a fireplace with Charlie Brown and Woodstock sitting on the top.
There were gifts galore that kids or adults could shop for on many tables. There were many Marcus shirts from the Centennial Celebration for $5 if it was the right size. Carla had her refrigerator towels there. She had a good selection. (She does sell them at her place Heartland Care Center if you would be interested.) All these gifts were wrapped FREE. How much better could you get it?! The big stores don’t offer this service.
We already knew the winners of the house lighting contest before Saturday evening. Brandon Dreckman, (Bruce’s son), received first; Matt Dreckman received second, and Wyatt Alesch received third. Honorable mention was Ben Letsche’s display. There were many others that decorated this year. Even the stores downtown had their places (outside) lit up with the help of Ten Cor.
Turkey winners and Cash Calendar winners were given and then the $500 winner was announced-Jeff Frederick! Congratulations to all of these winners!
That was quite a snowstorm that we had starting about 2 p.m. on Friday. It was over with on Saturday morning and then it was time to clean up so people could come to Marcus for the Hometown Christmas final day. The lighted Parade had dancers that had to be careful as the streets still were slippery. They did a good job and got their exercise in at the same time! The Sheriff’s Department brought The Grinch over in a Jail. Good idea! The Cattlemen served hot dogs/hamburgers at noon so we didn’t have to go home and cook! The “Crafters” had their wares for sale in the Senior Center building. Some businesses were open. All in all, it was a good week and Saturday to celebrate the Holiday Season.
It was many years ago that Gina and I took Nathan and Bethany to (I think it was Maurice, Iowa) where this small town had every business lit up thanks to the mayor. There was a church where the young people had arranged for us to go to Bethlehem. We waited in the church and ate cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate until it was time for us to go on the flat bed on this tour.
Just before we arrived, it started to snow and we debated if we were going to proceed on. Well, we did and didn’t regret it at all. There were two ladies from Sioux City that arrived with just a light weight coat on. Can you imagine how cold they must have been? We brought along a blanket and used it! I don’t know why they didn’t dress for the occasion. There were people up in trees that rushed us on our way. At last, we arrived at a barn site where the Baby Jesus and his family was. This town did this for just a few years. I suppose maybe the young people had all gone away later on and there was no one to take their place.
There will be letters from today’s kids and kids from yesteryear in this edition of the Marcus News. Of all the letters I have put in from yesteryear, there are two of them that stand out over all the others. One was from a boy (Ashton H.) who just wanted his family together again and the other one was from a girl (Rebecca J.) who wanted peace in the world. And, we don’t think kids understand the things that are going around them well these two did. Material things didn’t mean anything but just family and peace.
Last week I mentioned a possibility of why people didn’t want the COVID shot because of fear of a needle. Just this past week, on the front of the S.C. Journal, there was the nurse shown with the needle and her son, about to be “jabbed” (and those were the words used) as he held his breath. Why is a needle so important that it has to be shown on television and the newspaper before giving a shot? Maybe there is something to this fear of the needle that others don’t understand.
The California governor has written a children’s book about dyslexia, a speech impediment to be able to read. This is something he has had suffered with. The article said he can’t read aloud from a piece of paper in public and that is why his speeches are long, as he has to memorize them before hand. When words bump into each other, these are his awkward moments.
He has suffered this problem for most of his life. Dyslexia is a common learning disability that makes it harder for him to read and do many things related to reading. When he discovered some of his own children were falling behind in reading, he decided to do something about this. He has written a book “Ben & Emma’s Big Hit!” that tells the story of a young boy who uses baseball to cope with his dyslexia, along with the help from a caring teacher and a friend. The book is presented as a bridge to help some children with dyslexia understand why its harder for them to read. Dyslexia is something that doesn’t go away. With help from the right people, it can be kept under control but only if the help is available. Reading is very important in life. Discovered early, no child should fall through a crack when help is available. All the proceeds from this book go to the International Dyslexia Association.
I see where Betty White will be 100 years old Jan. 17, 2022. Her life will be celebrated in a new book, “Betty White: 100 Remarkable Moments in an Extraordinary Life”, has just been released. She has often said that forgetting something and having to climb back up the stairs, has helped her to live longer! (There might be some truth to this!)
Remember those who have lost loved ones to death, are trying to get their life together again, are having financial problems even though they are working, and are still trying to build a bridge rather than a wall to be together with friends or family.
I will leave you with this quote from Robert Frost (1874-1963) poet: “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”