The tournament was held Saturday evening at the DHS Gym before a crowd ready for some action! Organizers said 12 teams signed up for the event, including teams of from businesses and groups in the community, a squad from Three Rivers College in Dexter, and from Briggs & Stratton in Poplar Bluff and other members of the community. A total of 12 teams participated in the tournament and four referees were in charge of the rules of the game.
The rules and game structure are much different than the images people may have from childhood. For the start of the game, 10 dodgeballs are placed at the centerline of a basketball court. Each team stands on opposite baselines, awaiting the start signal. Players then sprint to half court to get possession of the balls and start attacking the opposition. Once all players on one side are gone, the team left is awarded one point.
Winner of the championship were the “Dodgefathers” sponsored by First Midwest Bank. Second place were the “Top Guns,” with employees of the City of Dexter as squad members.
The Dodgeball tournament was the culmination of an exciting week of DHS Homecoming Week activities.
Among the nations of the world, Belarus is old – and yet young. With a history that dates back to the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Poland, Belarus emerged after the collapse of the Soviet Union to become an independent republic.
A unique taste of the nation's historic European culture will be featured Thursday evening when the Belarus National Christian Choir will be in concert at Dexter’s First Baptist Church. The concert will begin at 6:30 p.m., and is free and open to the public.
The choir includes 28 vocalists and a string quartet and is in the middle of a concert tour throughout the south and mid-south. Rich Lee, minister of music at Dexter’s First Baptist Church, is travelling with the choir on its tour.
Lee says he first became acquainted with the musical group in 2007 when he was serving at a church near Kansas City. He has since made three trips to Belarus, gotten to know choir personnel, and is excited to bring the group to Dexter.
“It’s been an exciting trip,” Lee said in a telephone interview from Alabama on Monday evening. He’s driving one of the tour busses, and his son Joshua, age 12, is along on the journey and helping his dad and the choir.
“I know the choir and they know me. They are all so genuine and humble,” Lee said. Most choir members, he said, do not speak fluent English. Along the journey, choir members are staying in homes of local residents, getting to better know American culture.
Lee says Christianity is just beginning to emerge from the days of Soviet communism.
“There were no churches in Belarus except the Russian Orthodox Church during the Soviet days,” Lee said. He said following the emergence of Belarus as an independent country, church groups and denominations in America began to assist the fledgling Christian community in the country.
“Missouri Baptists took an active role in helping,” he said. Even today though, he said that there are only approximately 200 non-orthodox churches for a country with a population of 9.6 million people.
“Christianity as we know Christianity is still looked upon by many as a cult,” he said. "Many feel that God must be like the Soviet rulers to which they are accustomed; that God must rule with 'an iron fist' instead of being a loving God."
Thursday's concert will include a variety of selections, including a few hymns that the choir sings in English.
“The concert will be mostly in Russian with some religious and some (Belarus) folk music,” he said. The group is accompanied on several selections by a string quartet.
Lee said that earlier this fall, he taught the Dexter First Baptist Church choir two numbers in Russian, and they will join the Belarusian guests for two numbers in Thursday’s concert.
Formed in 1986, the choir has performed in Eastern Europe, France, Germany and Russia and is currently making its fifth tour to the United States. Nickolay Lamako, dean of music at Minsk Seminary, is the founder and conductor of the choir. An offering will be taken at the end of the performance.
By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor
It was a perfect evening for a party with all things coming together to create a memorable time.
The second annual Homecoming Tailgate sponsored by County Wide Insurance and Montgomery Bank was a matchless evening filled with all the ingredients to a fantastic community party – a beautiful evening, delicious food, wonderful folks, hot music, and Bearcat fun.
With three levels of “hot”, Dallas Buchanan and crew fixed a mountain of wings, and Scott Nelson and Ed Gargas grilled awesome hotdogs for the hundreds of folks who attended Friday’s Tailgate.
County Wide and Montgomery Bank crews were on hand to help serve the evening’s meal, and paint dozens of Bearcat paws on young faces in preparation for the Bearcat Homecoming game later that evening. It was an evening of “red and black” with plenty of Bearcat enthusiasm.
There was a community atmosphere on the hillside on Brown Pilot Road, with young (and not so young) tossing footballs, great music from The BUZZ keeping the beat, and friends sharing time and a good conversation with friends.“Guarding” the activity on Brown Pilot Hill was a Dexter classic – the 1960s Stoddard County Civil Defense wagon – all running and back in action again with its unique siren!
It was a perfect beginning to an exciting evening, filled with the presentation of the Homecoming Queen Court and crowning of the 2011 Homecoming queen, a great halftime show by the Marching Bearcat Band, and one of the most exciting football games ever played at Charles Bland Stadium.
A robust crowd of more than 750 attending the annual Tailgate, with supplies of wings and hot dogs all but exhausted by the end of the evening. But the fun times share and memories created were the highlight of the evening – good times, good friends and great community.
ShowMe Times Gallery
Homecoming Tailgate 2011
Photos by Andrew Cato & Annabeth Miller
Randy Renfro is the owner of Reliable Appliance Repair LLC, located at 19 North Walnut Street in the Downtown District. Renfro offers appliance repair and "slightly used" appliances for sale that have been performance checked and cleaned.
Renfro points out he has 12 years of experience in repairing all brands of appliances. He said he is now buying and selling quality used appliances and new repair parts and supplies.
The Chamber of Commerce hosted the ribbon-cutting celebration marking the opening of the new business and Renfro's new membership in the Chamber organization.
Photo Above: Dexter Mayor Joe Weber (center) prepares to cut the ribbon at the ribbon-cutting celebration at Reliable Appliance Repair at 19 North Walnut in Historic Downtown Dexter. On hand for the celebration were (front row, from left) Dexter Alderman Jerry Corder, Chamber Secretary/Treasurer Kevin Bishop, Mayor Weber, Randy Renfro, Chamber President Ed Gargas, Chamber Director Mendy Bell, Chamber Executive Director Janet Coleman; (back fro) Dexter Alderman Terry Battles, Chamber Director Wes Howard, and Roger Renfro. (SMT Photo by Annabeth Miller)
The sun was shining and folks were out for a beautiful fall day, and it was a perfect morning for the annual Knights of Columbus Tootsie Roll fund drive in Dexter.
Knights member Neal Ayers (photo, left) worked at the intersection of Walnut and Vine streets in Downtown Dexter helping accept donations for the local Knights projects. Funds raised will help the local Association for Retarded Citisens (ARC) and Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis.
The Tootsie Roll Drive is an annual fundraiser project for the local Knights of Columbus. Knights were downtown intersection at Walnut and Vine as well as the Walnut and Business Highway 25 intersection. In appreciation for their donation during the local road block , the donor is offered a sweet Tootsie Roll treat.
