By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor
There was loud music and kid’s laughing and giggling and having a good time. There was the sound of bowling balls rolling down the lanes and pins tumbling down. There was also the sound of friends having fun and kids who were “doing good.”
The Annual 10 Pins For Ben charity fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis was held Saturday with kids having a good time and the sound of records being broken for the local fundraiser. The fundraiser is sponsored each year by the 18 Fore Life Foundation, with all proceeds sent to St. Jude to help children fight catastrophic diseases.
In an “unofficial” count for the kids portion of the 10 Pins For Ben day showed that they kids really put heart and soul into the event this year, with over $2,000 raised by just the youngsters.
Jim Rainey and Bank of Advance sponsored the t-shirts for all the kids who bowled Saturday. The exciting day was held at Dexter Bowl on Two Mile Road in Dexter
All in all, the daylong event raised more than $10,000 for St. Jude, thanks the generosity of enthusiasm of kids and adults who participated in the big day.
Since opening 50 years ago, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis has changed the way the world treats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. No family ever pays St. Jude for the care their child receives and, for every child treated here, thousands more have been saved worldwide through St. Jude discoveries. The hospital has played a pivotal role in pushing U.S. pediatric cancer survival rates from 20 to 80 percent overall, and is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted to children. It is also a leader in the research and treatment of blood disorders and infectious diseases in children. St. Jude was founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, who believed that no child should die in the dawn of life.
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By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor
There will be a gang of kids gather in Dexter this weekend. They will jump up and down, roll a bunch of balls, knock down a bunch stuff, laugh, squeal and scream and have a great time.
This ‘gang’ of kids will not be roaming the streets looking for trouble. Nope, instead they will gather together to do something good.
Young people will gather this Saturday at Dexter Bowl to participate in Ten Pins For Ben, the charity event to raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. They’ll have fun, lots of laughs and giggles, lots of camaraderie with friends, and they will do something pretty worthwhile.
While having a good time, they will more importantly be doing something to help other kids – kids who are in the fight of their lives against catastrophic illness at St. Jude.
Addie and Andie Kruse of Dexter know a bit about helping other folks, and about St. Jude.
Addie and Andie are the daughters of Scott and Kerri Kruse of Dexter, the driving force behind the Ben Kruse 18 Fore Life charity. They have grown up living a life that included giving back – giving to folks who need a hand.
St. Jude A 'Good Place'
St. Jude is “a really good place and they take care of the kids really, really well,” said Addie, who is a sixth grade student at Dexter’s T.S. Hill Middle School.
“I think of when I was in there when I was 3 and how nice they were to me,” Andie added. She is in the second grade at Southwest Elementary.
Now, when younger sister Andie was younger, she became seriously ill. Doctors urged her parents to take her to St. Jude in Memphis. A very sick Andie was a patient at St. Jude for three days, until a diagnosis was made and she was released to come home. It was a “breath of relief” for her family and a learning experience for all.
Addie visited sister at St. Jude two out of those three days. Andie was just three years old, but the experience left an impression on all.
Continuing A Tradition Of Helping Others
“They are going through so much. The kids there a lot of times lose their hair and they are so pretty and cute. Many of them have to have a lot of shots and treatments and even surgeries. Having to go through chemo makes them tired all the time and they don't get to be with their friends,” says Addie when asked about the kids at St. Jude.
“I feel sorry for how much they are struggling,” Andie said, adding that people “treat them so good and the workers there are so nice.”
That impression of kids struggling and people working hard to help them has stayed with the Kruse sisters. So now they continue the tradition of helping others by participating in Ten Pins For Ben.
Ten Pins is a chance for kids to help other young people – and enjoy a time together at the bowling alley. It’s a good time – it’s a worthwhile time.
“I know that the money goes to a good place and they need it. It is a fun time to hang out with your friends and bowl all morning and we raise a lot of money for St. Jude,” explained Addie.
Doing something good for others is what Ten Pins For Ben is all about. Really, its what all the projects and events with Ben Kruse 18 Fore Life charity are all about.
The dictionary defines “charity” as “generous actions or donations.” To the Kruse girls, it’s a bit more of a hands-on venture.
“I know that the money (from Ten Pins) goes to a good place and they need it. It is a fun time to hang out with your friends and bowl all morning and we raise a lot of money for St. Jude. Makes me feel good because the people who get this money need it and they feel happy when they get the money,” Addie said.
“It is fun being around so many people and getting to have fun,” Andie explained. And Andie loves having fun with her friends. But, let’s get back to basics. Charity is all about “doing something good.”
Photo Above: Andie (left) and Addie Kruse are hoping other kids will join them this Saturday to raise funds for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at the Ten Pins For Ben charity event.
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By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor
COLUMBUS, Kent. - It’s a quiet little town in Kentucky. But 150 years ago it was the scene of some of the earliest fighting in the Civil War and the site of a rather ingenious plan to retain control of the Mississippi River.
Even today, Columbus has fewer than 100 households, but has a beautiful park to commemorate its significance in American history and for today’s families to enjoy.
In the early fall of 1861 the Confederates under General Leonidas Polk controlled the beautiful river bluffs at Columbus. Polk dubbed the fort the “Gibraltar of the West.” Across the river was Missouri – Belmont in Mississippi County. Polk knew that control of the Mississippi River was vital.
A key to Polk’s defense of the river and to prevent movement on the river of Union supply ships, was a giant chain that was stretched across the water from Columbus to Belmont. Each link in that mile-long chain weighed more than 20 pounds. The anchor securing the chain weighed 9 tons.
Attacking Columbus directly would have been foolhardy for the Union, not only because of Polk’s chain but because Columbus was the home to 140 cannons. The biggest was the "Lady Polk" – that park signs say it was named for Polk’s wife - a cannon that shot 128-pound cannon balls and reportedly was the largest operated by the Confederacy at the time.
But on Nov 7, 1861, the Confederate camp at Belmont was attacked by Union troops that floated down river from Cairo and landed at Hunter’s Landing in Mississippi County. The troops were led Brig. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. This action was Grant’s first campaign leading a large contingent of men.
But Grant almost didn’t leave Missouri that day. The cannon at Columbus fired into the Union ranks, and Union gunboats exchanged fire. Grant is said to have told his men, "Well, we must cut our way out as we cut our way in."
But once the general reached the landing he turned around to go back and look for a missing Union regiment. But, lo and behold, Grant only found Confederate soldiers headed in his direction. Grant spun his horse around and headed back to the gunboat. The boat was casting off from the bank of the river.
"The captain of the boat that had just pushed out recognized me and ordered the engineer not to start the engine: he then had a plank run out for me. My horse seemed to take in the situation. He put his fore feet over the bank without hesitation or urging, and, with his hind feet well under him, slid down the bank and trotted on board,” Grant wrote in his memoirs.
Park signs report that Civilian Conservation Corps workers built a number of picnic shelters and an observation point overlooking the river. These structures are still in use today – they fit well into the landscape and are beautiful and well-cared for. The view from the cliffs is breathtaking, with a wide, clear view of the river and Missouri.
Unlike other historic sites, this park also has “family-friendly” activities. There are wonderful camping sites, many overlooking the river, and an activity center, including a mini-golf attraction.
An antebellum farmhouse that was used during the war as a Confederate hospital is now the park museum (not open in the winter).
And yes, a stretch of that famous chain and the 9-ton anchor is prominently displayed outside in the park.
Notes:
- Travelers wanting to cross the Mississippi on the Hickman-Dorena Ferry should check before taking off to Mississippi County to catch to the boat. It is currently closed, according to Hickman County authorities, due to engine problems.
- If you drive down Illinois Highway 51 from Wycliffe, don’t miss the Fort Jefferson Cross at the Confluence, which overlooks the river south of town. And don’t forget the “fragrant” aroma at the paper plant!
In observance of the 150th anniversary, this report is the first of periodic series on Civil War sites in our region.
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Columbus-Belmont Park
photos by Annabeth Miller
By Annabeth Miller, SMT Editor
This March 12 will be a very special day.
On March 12, Girl Scouts from Savannah to San Francisco, Washington, D.C. to Dexter will celebrate the 100th anniversary since the founding the Girl Scouting in America.
Girl Scouts was founded March 12, 1912 in Savannah, Georgia by Juliette Gordon Low gathered 18 girls - including her niece – with a mission "I've got something for the girls of Savannah, and all of America, and all the world, and we're going to start it tonight,” is the clarion call Low issued 100 years ago.
It didn’t take long for Girl Scouting to spread throughout the county, reaching the Bootheel of Missouri in the 1920s, with one of the first troops formed in 1922 in Kennett. Troops those days were organized locally, and leaders just purchased a handbook to learn more about the program and then teach the girls.
Mrs. J.E. Strickland established the first Girl Scout troop in Dexter in 1934. There were 12 members.
Now, 100 years after that very first troop, Girl Scouts in the area are getting ready to celebrate a centennial birthday. And Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland is looking historic memorabilia for an anniversary display in Dexter.
The display is slated to be at the Keller Public Library in Dexter during March.
We are asking for help in collecting items for the display, said Anne Hyde, marketing/public relations manager for Girl Scouts of Missouri Heartland. “Items will be catalogued and well-protected; they will be returned to the original owners after the special exhibits close.”
Hyde said they are looking for Girl Scout uniforms through the World War II era, international Scouting uniforms, memorabilia, personal collections and unique items from the local area.
Items will be accepted until Feb. 15 at the Dexter Area Girl Scout Service Center, 1420 Girl Scout Way during business hours, Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Persons wishing to loan items may contact April Isbell at the Dexter Service Center at 1-877-312-4764 ext. 1413.
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Photo Above: Cadette Girl Scouts from the former Cotton Boll Area Girl Scout Council stand on the steps at Memorial Union on the Southeast Missouri State University campus in Cape Girardeau after receiving the First Class Award in a ceremony held with the former Otahki Girl Scout Council. This photo is circa 1970. Can you find women you know in this photo? (Archive photo)
