< Christmas Festival Set in Woodsfield

Christmas Festival Set in Woodsfield
Plans are well underway for a special Christmas
Festival in Woodsfield. The event, set for Dec. 2, is scheduled to begin with the annual Kiwanis Breakfast with Santa held at the Woodsfield Moose Lodge. Santa will arrive at 8 a.m. and leave at 10:30 a.m.
From his breakfast engagement, Santa will make his way to Nowadays, where he will be available for pictures with his little apple dumplings from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Nowadays will serve free hot chocolate along with the free picture with Santa.
Christmas shopping will be made much more palatable this year as shoppers go from store to store taking advantage of the festival specials and refreshments between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m. Each restaurant will have lunch and dinner specials from noon to 6 p.m.
Walking the downtown area will be pleasant. Christmas characters, snowmen and angels, will share the sidewalks between   noon and 4 p.m. to distribute candy canes, and there will be caroling, with the First Baptist Church, between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. at the courthouse.
More music is set from 8 to 9 p.m. at a Christmas Concert set at the United Methodist Church.
There is plenty to do and see prior to the 7 p.m.
parade and the 7:45 p.m. Community Tree Lighting event on the square. The parade line-up will be at 6 p.m. at Woodsfield Elementary School on N. Paul Street.
The courthouse will be open and will feature special gift selling exhibitors including candles, Mary Kay, Avon, Tupperware, Tastefully Simple and EngraviCraft.
The independent business vendors will be set up from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
A bake sale, hosted by St. Paul's United Church of Christ, will also be held in the courthouse.
The First Baptist Church, North Paul Street will run Christmas movies noon to 4 p.m.
Carriage rides will be available from noon to 6 p.m. The carriage stops on SR78 at the courthouse. Donations for the ride will benefit the Kiwanis Club.
Ruth Workman and Sally Seidler, event coordinators, are thrilled with the participation in what they hope to be an annual event in Woodsfield.
Workman said 16 businesses have already signed up to take part in a window decorating contest. The winner will be announced at 7:30 at the tree lighting event.
About 25 floats will take part in the holiday parade, including a Hula-dancers float from the Kamali'i  O Hula dancing school in New Martinsville. Modern Hardware will have their carriage in the parade and Riesbeck's will show off their antique milk truck.
Other antique vehicles will also participate. The
parade is teaming up with everything from miniature horses to the Monroe Central Marching Band.
At least three local doctors will sponsor floats: Dr. Charles DeNunzio, Dr. Ken Cooper and Dr. Jason Just.
Woodsfield Mayor Bill Bolon will announce Best parade Float and Best Window Awards.
The Santa Express will be on display in front of the courthouse. The display was made possible through donations by Woodsfield merchants.
The American Cancer Society will be selling
luminarias which will be part of the decor at the
courthouse. Westfall's Florist will furnish decorated grapevine trees for the courthouse.
Elsewhere in today's Beacon are forms which
businesses should complete if they plan to enter the window decorating contest or participate in the Christmas Parade.
Residents are encouraged to bring the family to join the many varied festivities and to support businesses by shopping locally.

< Gabby: An Inspiration

Photo: from front of Shriner's card of
appreciation

~ Gabby: An Inspiration and Living Proof that a Little Girl with a Lot of Determination Can Do Anything ~
"I'm thankful to [the Shriners Hospital] and to God that she [Gabby] walks," said Woodsfield resident Shirley Phillips. Shirley and the late Virgil Phillips are the grandparents of six-year-old Gabby Falcone of Dunedin, Florida. Her parents are John and Joy Falcone. Each year the Dunedin Golf Course, where John is the head golf professional, sponsors a golf tournament with the proceeds going to the Shriners in
appreciation for their work with Gabby. The tournament is aptly named "Gabby Pays Back." Last year the tournament earned $10,000 for the Tampa Shriners Hospital. Gabby was a patient of the Tampa Shriners Hospital even before she was born. She was diagnosed with a club foot invitro. By the time she was born, she had developed multiple lower extremity deformities. At birth, she had bilateral club feet, both hips were dislocated and her knee was hyper-extended.
Gabby has been through 14 surgical procedures.
Despite all the surgery and the lower leg braces she must wear, Gabby is as active as any other little girl. She participates in dance, horseback riding, the swim club and Brownies.
Gabby was selected to be pictured on the front of this Thanksgiving card mailed to thousands of people all over the country who have donated to Shriners Hospitals for Children.        

<Entrepreneurs Can Get Boost
for Business
 

Tine Meunier and Michelle Hyer of Buckeye Hills will be at the Black Walnut Center on Nov. 30, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. to meet with individuals interested in starting a new business or expanding a current business.
Tina Meunier, business development coordinator, manages the agency's Revolving Loan Fund (RLF). The RLF offers loans in partnership with local lending institutions to individuals wishing to start their own business or existing businesses wishing to expand.
Loans are for service, industrial, and retail
businesses, and can be utilized for equipment,
machinery, working capital, purchase of real estate, and renovations for businesses that are "for-profit."
Michelle Hyer, development specialist, is the
agency's Trickle Up Grant coordinator.

< Ormet Donates Turkeys
  to Food Pantry
 Photo by Martha Ackerman

On behalf of Ormet Corporation, Ken Campbell, CEO, donated 104 Honeysuckle turkeys to the Switzerland of Ohio Ministerial Association Food Pantry. The turkeys were distributed on Nov. 15, along with other commodities. The turkeys were purchased through Kirt Sloan, manager of the Woodsfield Riesbeck's Market. According to director Delbert LeMasters, an average of 219 people representing 63 families, are served three
weeks of each month. Food, which is delivered the
first Wednesday of each month, is purchased through the Ohio Food Bank and distributed on the second, third and fourth Wednesdays of the month, 10 a.m. til noon. SOMA officers are Noah Oxley, president, and Frank Lehosky, vice-president. In addition to LeMasters, volunteers are: Shirley Masters, Janet Holland, Dorothy Thomas, Earlene Owens, Bonnie Weber, Emanuel Baldwin, Leoba and Paul Archer, Carol Dietz, Carol Hehr, Cheryl Goodrich, MACO workers, Glen Schwaben and Alan Hamilton and their crews and two students from St. Sylvester School.     

< Woodsfield Elementary was evacuated Nov. 14

Photo by Arlean Selvy

Woodsfield Elementary was evacuated Nov. 14 after a note alleging a bomb threat was found. The call was received by the Woodsfield Police Department at 8:40 a.m. According to Police Chief Chuck Hamilton, a female student was taken into custody within 30 minutes of the incident. A complaint was filed alleging inducing panic, a felony. Her initial appearance before Juvenile Court Judge Walter Starr was held Friday, Nov. 17. According to Judge Starr, a
pre-trial hearing will be held in about two weeks. The student was released to her parents. Following the report of an alleged threat, students and teachers were transferred to the Woodsfield High School building where parents picked up their children.
District Supt. Mike Staggs said that because lunch could not be prepared,  school was dismissed for the day. The cost in manpower was significant. The police department spent about eight total man-hours at the scene and with paperwork. Also at the scene were Rick
Schuerman, county EMA coordinator, and Phil Keevert, of the emergency management agency. The school district will see costs associated with
transportation, including fuel for the ten buses and payroll for drivers, teachers and cooks.         

< Obituaries
(read the full obituary in the paper) 

 

< Larry Duane Stimpert, 63, Pleasant City, died Nov. 14, 2006, at James Cancer Center, Columbus, after a brief battle with leukemia. He was born Sept. 4, 1943 in Woodsfield, a son of the late Harry and Mary Lucas Stimpert.

<Around the Burnside

by Denny Easterling

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there is life and joy.
People who despise advice will find themselves in trouble, those who respect it will succeed.
For the last seven years, I have been invited to
attend the Veteran's Day celebration at the Little Hocking School. Believe me, they know how to honor
Veterans. It is a school-wide activity and all the
students get into the act.
Each year I think, "There is no way they can top
this," but they seem to do it every year. This year was no exception. I was really impressed this year as 99 percent of the program was carried out by the students with the guidance of their teachers.
We met at 10:30 for a chance to visit, a welcome, instructions and refreshments which included the best cinnamon roll you'll ever sink your teeth into. We were then divided into groups to visit classrooms to share our story and answer questions.
This was a highlight for me. Each room, in addition to listening to our stories, had a way to honor us. In one room each student presented information about the history of our country. I visited four classrooms. My favorite visit was to the first grade, I think it was, and I sat at a table with five of them. They each had a card they had made and written a note. They each read their card and gave it to me. One card kind of
stood out. In addition to his letter on one side of
the card, he had large Boom on the other side of the card. I got a kick from their reaction when I told them, when I was in Japan, boys and girls used the same restroom. You could tell they thought that would be the worst thing that could ever happen.
After an excellent lunch everyone in the school
gathered in the gym for the program by the students. Included in the program was the showing of a DVD made up by the students and teachers honoring Veterans.
Each of the veterans received a copy. What a gift!
I'm not going into detail about the excellent program except to say, if you ever had the chance to join in with a couple of hundred or so elementary students singing "God Bless America," at the top of their voice and it doesn't send chills down your back or bring tears to your eyes, I don't know what to tell you.
I hope I haven't bored you with this story but it's
an experience I'll never forget and I wanted the
veterans and those in our armed forces to know, there are many who honor the job you have done and are doing in order for all of us to live in America "a country with freedom like none other."
Oh, I almost forgot, they had a helicopter land on the playground for the students to have a close up look and talk to the pilot.
I really appreciate the programs honoring Veterans and the Armed Forces carried out by the Little Hocking Elementary School. Thanks!
Well, by now we know the bottom dropped out for the Beallsville Blue Devil football team. Sometimes we tend to dwell on the not so pleasant things, forget it. The team went undefeated during the regular season
won a state playoff game and was first in the OVAC and their league. I know several hundred schools who would be happy to have accomplished the same. The Blue Devil
football team "Did themselves proud!"
Vienna sausage, you know those little weenies in a little can? Years ago I seem to remember eating quite a few of them. In fact, mom would pack a Vienna sausage sandwich in my lunch when I was in high school. I liked them then and I still do. OK, look at the label and if you eat all in the can you get over 1/3 of the sodium you should have for the day. I still like 'em.
A month ago or so I spotted them on the store shelf and I bought a couple of cans just for old times sake.
I enjoyed one can for lunch that day. A few days ago I spotted the one lone can on the shelf and decided now was the time. Let me tell you, a can of Vienna sausage (unheated), a couple slices of bread and butter, several slugs of Mountain Dew plus a popsicle for desert is a meal for even the pickiest eater. I call it eating high o the hog. I better stop, I only had a piece of toast and peanut butter this morning.
I remember once going on an outing in West Virginia with the Boy Scout troop from Lewisville. They were participating in a number of contests. Come lunch time several had brought a can of little weenies to eat.
About half way through I mentioned I had heard that Vienna sausage was made from unborn calf. This kind of stopped one scout's lunch, however it made more weenies for the rest of us. I couldn't convince him I was only joking.
Never miss a chance to make others happy - even if you have to let them alone to do it.
Did you attend church Sunday? It's a good way to start the week.
Bible readings: From Luke (Mon.) 1:5-20; (Tues.) 1:21-25; (Wed.) 1:67-80; (Thurs.) Matthew 3:1-6; (Fri.) Isaiah 9:2-7; (Sat.) Colossians 1:9-14; (Sun.) Colossians 1;15-23.