Over the past weekend Methodist churches all across Missouri participated in a very special event.
Throughout the whole day Saturday, many Methodist church members were a service to others in what was called Serve 2012.
All ages participated in the good deeds throughout the day. The Dexter Methodist Church participated in many different services on Saturday.
To start off the day of servicing others, the church had the “blessing of the pets.” Pets were brought into church that morning, and had a blessing said over them. This is not something you may hear of happening every day, but it’s something that touches the hearts of a lot of people.
One of the other things the church did during the day was serving lunch to the local police officers, the firefighters, and ambulance workers.
Men of the church washed windows at a local gas station. The youth collected food for the Stoddard County Gospel Mission to help provide food for needy families in the local area.
The Methodist Church of Dexter has a very active, and very talented choir. The choir is under the direction of Mary Ruth Boone. On Saturday the choir traveled to Cypress Point, Crowley Ridge, Golden Living Center, and ended their day by singing to the residents at Central Gardens Residential Care Facility. The residents at each facility enjoyed a variety of songs delivered by the choir.
Members of the choir singing who participated in Serve 2012 were the following: Mayor Joe Weber, Wayne Freeman, Dee Wamble, Anna Beth Miller, Floyd Polsgrove, Shirley Alexander, Joan Lee, Loretta Reed, Jerry Overall, Jonny and Don Martin, Sandy Cazee, Matthew and Emma Cazee, Jamie Jackson, Tammy Bird, Kaye Plummer, Karen Lane, and Michelle Lane. All in which were under the direction of Mary Ruth Boone.
The group participating in Serve 2012 could have been spotted Saturday wearing their bright orange shirts with the words “Serve 2012” on the front of them.
Anyone who happened to be affected by this great event Saturday, whether just seeing them from a distance, or by being directly serviced from them, was sure to have a smile on their face at least for a little bit.
This is a wonderful way to positively affect not only just our community, but also the whole state of Missouri. Hopefully this is a tradition that will continue throughout many years.
Not only were the people receiving the services in good spirits, but everyone participating in Serve 2012 did each of the services with a smile on their face.
Serve 2012 was definitely a blessing to many people all across the state of Missouri.
Pictured in the photo are members in the choir singing at Central Gardens in Dexter, Missouri.
The league has broadened the age categories into a Varsity and a Junior Varsity program. The Varsity level has youngsters that are currently in both the 5th and 6th grades, with the JV group in the 3rd and 4th grade. Many of these changes have been brought about by the changes at T. S. Hill Middle School that now has both 7th and 8th grade football in their program.
Sign ups were held on August 20th with over 110 kids registered. If the young athlete played in previous years, they will remain on the same team while all newcomers are divided up among the teams. As in previous seasons, the group is broken down into 4 teams, each having a varsity and junior varsity group. These young men will play six games throughout the season, with the opening games to be this coming Saturday, September 15th.
The coaches are busy preparing each Tuesday and Thursday evening for the season to begin. With these changes, the need for coaches has doubled for the league. Where there were only four teams before, Dexter Park & Rec now has eight teams. 
"We feel that having the four age categories divided into eight teams is far better for the kids to receive a more individualized instruction from their coaches," stated Jamie Rowe of DPR. "We were fortunate this year to have a great group of coaches come forward to help us."The DPR Little League Football Program has been a part of the Dexter community since the late 70's and early 80's. Initially started as a group effort by local civic organizations in the community, the program has continued to provide an opportunity for young people to learn the fundamentals of football.
"At this age, we start with the very basics," noted Black Team coach Brett Dorton. "We just want them to have fun and someday to become a Bearcat we root for on Friday nights."
Dorton participated in the little league program from 1983 to 1984 and is now coaching his son, Carter Dorton.
The DPR football games will begin this coming Saturday at Charles "Seed" Bland Stadium. The junior varsity games will be played first followed by the varsity games.
Come out and support the young Bearcats of the future. Action will begin at 9:30 in the morning when the BLACK Team will take on the RED Team in Junior Varsity action.
Article by SMT
Writer Jessica Snider
Dexter, Missouri - Recently it was announced that the nation’s largest 4G network would be getting larger for customers in Dexter, Missouri.
AT&T activated a new 4G mobile Internet cell site in Dexter that will enhance the coverage for all area residents and businesses. 4G provide speeds up to four times faster than 3G. 4G speeds can be enjoyed by customers in the southern part of Dexter, along State Highway 25 and Worley Road, including the Dexter Municipal Airport.
The ribbon cutting for the new tower was held this morning around 9:30 A.M. immediately following the Industrial Appreciation Week Proclamation signing in the Chamber Building.
The 4G tower has been named the Mayer-Wright Tower in honor or Senator Rob Mayor and Representative Billy Pat Wright in appreciation for all their hard work in making Missouri a better place for people to live and work.
Senator Rob Mayer and Representative Billy Pat Wright are shown in the photo being presented picture of the new 4G Tower by Marsha Haskell. Marsha is the regional Director for External Affairs for AT&T.
Saturday, July 21st in Orlando, Florida, dreams came true as three young women were crowned Princess America Pageants’ National Miss, National Teen, and National Jr. Teen 2012. The Princess America Pageants were held at Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida. The pageant was a week-long national event. Contestants all across the country gathered in Florida to compete for over $25,000 in cash, prizes, scholarships, and awards.
Among those three young women who had their dreams come true that Saturday night was our very own Lauren Thrower. Lauren is the fourteen-year old daughter of Lori Hawkins and Bob Thrower. Lauren lives in Dexter, and recently started her freshman year of high school.
The Princess America Pageants crown titleholders in three divisions. The divisions include the National Junior Teen, which is for ages thirteen-fifteen, National Teen ages sixteen-eighteen, and National Miss ages nineteen-twenty-eight. Lauren took the crown of the National Junior Teen division.
There were four different phases of the competition, and each phase being worth twenty-five percent of the total score. The phases included: physical fitness, personal expression, private interview, and evening wear.
Soon after arriving in Florida, the contestants along with their families enjoyed a welcome luncheon. The luncheon was themed as a summer garden party. Some contestants wore floral prints and hats as they prepared for orientation and their first rehearsal in the hotel’s Martinique Ballroom.
Wednesday of Pageant week, the contestants all boarded on a bus to enjoy a full day of activities planned for them. One of the activities included the Give Kids the World Village. An emotional video was watched, and the contestants got a personal tour of the village. They got to see the presentation of a check for $10,588 that this year’s participants raised to donate to Give Kids the World.
On Thursday morning the contestants participated in a professional swimwear shoot with Deanna Meredith. Contestants received call times in which they shot in physical fitness, evening wear, and Deanna Meredith fashions.
Friday morning began with a rehearsal for the Miss contestants while the Teens met with judges for their seven minute and thirty second interview. The evening began as the Teen and Miss contestants competed in physical fitness, personal expression, and evening wear. Afterwards, the Junior Teens had evening interviews.
All contestants met for their final rehearsal on Saturday morning. The Junior Teen competition began in the afternoon, and the Teen and Miss began promptly at 7:30.
Saturday afternoon at the end of the Junior Teen competition, Dexter, MO, had a queen. Miss Lauren Thrower was representing Missouri, and was crowned National Junior Teen.
When asked about the pageant Lauren said, “I loved meeting all the girls from different states and making new friends. I also liked being able to raise money for the Give Kids the World and to visit the village.”
Lauren’s future plans include the upcoming Miss Missouri Outstanding Teen (MMOT) competition, which will be held in Springfield on October 6th. Her platform for competing in the Miss America system is D.A.R.E, which Lauren spends plenty of time working with. Her talent in the pageant will be singing.
If Lauren wins the title in Springfield, she will then move onto the state competition in Mexico, MO to compete for the state title. If she wins state, she will compete in the National Miss America Outstanding Teen pageant to be held in Orlando next summer.
Many different things occupy Lauren’s time as she engages in many activities, but she handles it all like a professional. Some of her engagements include: pageants, JV volleyball, keeping her grades up, working with the D.A.R.E. program, Honors Choir, Student Council, emceeing pageants, speaking engagements, music projects, and pulling as many shifts as she can at the business owned by her mother, Dexter Queen. Lauren cares deeply about all the things she engages in and does them all with a smile!
Lauren concludes by saying, “I liked being able to challenge myself to be a better person by competing with all these sweet and pretty girls who I know had a great chance of winning. When I won it was a great honor to be chosen, and it gave me a lot of self-confidence. I now know that if I set my mind to something I can accomplish it.”
We wish Lauren the best of luck in all her future endeavors, and congratulations on her accomplishments thus far!
Advance, MO - The Labor Day celebration holds many different meanings to people these days. The City of Advance continues the traditions of the past by celebrating Labor Day with a community parade. Local business, civic groups, and political figures all make an effort to be involved in the community event.
Labor Day is an American federal holiday that is observed on the first Monday in September to celebrate the economic and social contributions of workers.
Initially, the Labor Day street parade was designed to exhibit to the public the strength and spirit of local businesses and organizations. Many times, festivals would follow the community parades to celebrate the contributions of the workers and their families.
The involvement of the holiday has changed over the years. The awareness of the celebration is often diluted in the political speeches, especially during an election year such as 2012. Labor Day celebrations often become the center point for speeches by prominent men and women.
Area civic service and local fire rescue groups always bring a lot of excitement to the parades. Having the equipment in "Top Shine" condition takes a lot of preparation, but those at the event enjoy the sounds and sites of the emergency vehicles. The Stoddard County Ambulance District can be seen on hand in the above photo.
Advance, as well as many other area small communities, continues the original traditions of celebrating the vitality and economic success of their local small- town businesses. The economic challenges have been many, but the American spirit is alive and well in the city of Advance.
That spirit is easily recognized as one passes on Highway 25 around “the curve” in Advance. Local business leaders and community organizers have planned well and increased the business trade of the community. Selfless contributors often deliver this investment into the future of a small town with a recognizable passion for the overall good of the community.
Congratulations to Advance and those instrumental in the community’s success.
