By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor
Were you a Girl Scout? Did you sing around the campfire at Camp Latonka? Did you make s’mores at day camp? Have fun times with your troop? Go to Girl Scout Round-Up?
In observance of the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouting in America, the ShowMe Times wants to celebrate with a very special photo gallery featuring your photos of your Girl Scouting experience!
This March 12 will mark the 100th anniversary of when Juliette Gordon Low called her niece in Savannah, Ga., and declared: “I have something for the girls of the Savannah and all America, and all the world, and we're going to start it tonight!” And so Girl Scouting in America was born.
Girl Scouting came to the Bootheel as early as the 1920s when a “Lone Troop” was formed in Kennett. A troop was established in Dexter in 1934.
The Cotton Boll Girl Scout Council was established in 1948 and from that time until today literally thousands of girls and young women enjoyed the Girl Scout experience. From Peach Orchard to Puxico, Dexter to Deering, New Madrid to Naylor, the Cotton Boll Girl Scout Council took Girl Scouting throughout the region to make sure the program was available to every girl.
Girls enjoyed local troop activities, day camps, camp outs, Thinking Day ceremonies and Girl Scout Week carnivals. In the 1951, the council opened the gates to Camp Latonka, an established camp on Lake Wappapello. The camp celebrated 60 years of offering program to girls during 2011.
Today, the tradition continues with Girl Scouts of Missouri Heartland – a newly-formed council that includes Cotton Boll and four other Missouri councils.
So, send your photos – old and new – to the ShowMe Times. Just email your images to Annabeth Miller, SMT Editor, at amiller@showmetimes.com. Photos should be sent by or before March 7, 2012. Please add information about when and where the photo was taken and if possible, who is in the photo.
Please, no photos sent by Facebook; we are hoping to unveil all photos in one gallery. If you have any questions, please contact Annabeth at 573.624.7469 or 573.421.7626.
Photo Above: Cadette Girl Scout Troop 46 from Dexter trekked to Jefferson City in the early 1970s, and toured the State Capitol with the help of State Rep. Jim Spain of Bloomfield.
By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor
It’s an event that is years in the planning, and it is slated to be one of the most popular events for sportsmen this winter in Dexter.
First Baptist Church in Dexter is hosting its first-ever Wild Game Dinner Friday, Feb. 17. Special guest speaker is the popular Phil Robertson, known by his any fans as simply “The Duck Commander.”
“This has turned out to be a big deal,” Pastor Steve Easterwood said Thursday afternoon. Easterwood said that 425 seats are available for the dinner, with only about 30 tickets still available as of Thursday afternoon. “
Robertson is from Louisana, where he and his family have a successful duck call business.
“He’s been around for a long time,” Easterwood explained. “Some of the guys here in town started ordering duck calls from him in the 1970s. We’ve even got guys from Illinois calling and wanting tickets.”
Word about the Dexter event spread on the Internet thanks to the Duck Commander website.
This is the first-ever Wild Game Dinner for the church, and the meal will be prepared by former Dexter resident and championship barbecue master Darrell Hicks and the Cajun Cooker cooking team.
“Darrell’s doing the cooking, so it will be a great dinner,” he said.
Duck Commander
Phil Robertson was born and raised in Vivian, La., a small town near Shreveport. With seven children in his family, money was scarce and very early on, hunting became an important part of his life.
As a high-school athlete, Phil was All-State in football, baseball, and track, which afforded him the opportunity to attend Louisiana Tech University on a football scholarship. There he played first string quarterback ahead of Terry Bradshaw. Phil's been quoted as saying "Terry went for the bucks, and I chased after the ducks."
Phil and his family- wife Kay, and four boys, Alan, Jase, Willie, and Jeptha - began a quest to turn his passion for hunting and fishing into a livelihood.
Never satisfied with the duck calls that were on the market, Phil began to experiment with making a call that would produce the exact sound of a duck. A duck call for duck killers, not "world champion-style duck callers." Claiming, "No duck would even place in a duck calling contest." And so, in 1972, the first Duck Commander call was born. Phil received a patent for this call and the Duck Commander Company was incorporated in 1973.
His home became his "factory" from where the calls were assembled, packaged, and shipped. Phil traveled store to store in the early days, with most ending in rejections. A certain large store in Stuttgart, Ark., laughed him out of the building (Oh, yeah, that store is now one of Duck Commander's largest accounts.)
In the mid-70's, Phil turned his life over to the Lord and made some dramatic changes in the way he was living. Phil Robertson is not only known as the Duck Commander but is now building a reputation all over the country for his faith and belief in the Almighty. He is invited to speak to hundreds of different churches and organizations every year, telling them what the Lord has done for him and can do for them.
Duck Commander is still a family business with all four sons and their wives working for the company at one time or another. Duck calls are still being built, blown, packaged and shipped in the Robertson's home on the Ouachita River, although now their home is surrounded by several offices and warehouses to help the company smoothly, and the nets are still being run, only now the fish that they catch feed all the Duck Commander employees. Yes it's a rough life, but as Phil says "somebody's gotta do it."
It isn't often a person can live a dream, but Phil Robertson, aka The Duck Commander, has proven it is possible with vision, hard work, helping hands, and an unshakable faith in the Almighty. If you ever wind up at the end of Mouth of Cypress Road, sitting face to face with Phil Robertson, you will see that his enthusiasm and passion for duck hunting and the Lord is no act- it is truly who he is.
Easterwood said the dinner will begin at 6 p.m. at the church, with the program to begin at 7 p.m. In addition, there will be a number of prizes donated for the evening, including a shot gun to be signed by Robertson himself.
What's Happening
- WHAT: Wild Game Dinner
- WHEN: Friday, Feb. 17
- TIME: Dinner @ 6 p.m.; Program @ 7 p.m.
- WHERE: Dexter First Baptist Church
- COST: $25 per ticket
- SPEAKER: The Duck Commander, Phil Robertson
- INFORMATION: 573.624.7436
ShowMe Timed Editor
Nixon took the podium Tuesday morning at the BEC with the entire DHS student body in the stands for a unique school assembly.
Calling Dexter “one of Missouri outstanding schools” Nixon told the students that he and First Lady Georganne Nixon were proud to be at “the home of the Bearcats.”
“As we travel the state we take photos with the schools’ logos painted by different classes,” the chief executive said. The Nixons posed for a photograph earlier with a group of DHS students at the Bearcat mural near the high school office. “That’s just a stunning Bearcat with those green eyes! That’s a great logo!”
Nixon also noted Dexter students joined students across Missouri earlier in the morning in the Great Central Shake Out – an earthquake preparedness drill.
“You all participated this morning with 468,000 other Missouri school kids,” he told the Dexter students, and said the preparedness reviewed in the drill is important. “It can make a huge, huge difference.”
But the Governor’s main purpose was really to promote the A+ scholarship program and encourage the Dexter students to take advantage of the state program. The program makes two years of free tuition at a Missouri community college available to students who complete the A+ program in high school.
'Great Schools' Don't Just Happen
“Great schools like Dexter High don’t exist by accident, “ he said. “Great schools are possible only because of strong support from every part of the community – parents, grandparents, employers, taxpayers and civic leaders. Each of us has a hand in public education. I say to Missouri – public education is a value not a political issue; it is something we share and respect.”
Nixon spoke with most of Dexter’s Board of Education and top administrators standing behind him. Board President Herman Morse, Vice President Betty Keirsey, and board members Rick, Williams, Kenny Pope and Kevin Bishop as well as Supt. Dr. Thomas Sharp, administrators Dr. Kim Flowers, Dr. Roger Alsup and DHS A+ Coordinator Ann Polsgrove and DHS principal Corey Mouser joined Mrs. Nixon. Board member Nancy Mayer was unable to attend.
Nixon praised schoolteachers who “have answered a call to service” to make Missouri communities stronger, more prosperous and thanked them for their commitment.
“Our public schools always have been and always will be open to all, beacons of hope, opportunity and excellence for everyone. No one is turned away from public school in our state,” he told the students. “Some children come to school hungry, some homeless; some bear the burdens of poverty, neglect. But when a child of want and a child of wealth walk through the schoolhouse doors here, they enter as equals. Support for public education should not be an issue that divides us. It is an enduring value that unites us.”
Nixon noted Dexter came together in recent years to fund a bond issue for school improvements for today’s students and future generations, calling it a “precedent.” He applauded the Dexter district for taking the necessary steps to gain A+ designation.
“These people here – the board and administrators – all had to do a lot to make this happen.” He noted that Dexter was one of 50 districts in the state that joined the A+ program last academic year. The first Dexter students to graduate and able to take advantage of the A+ program graduate in May 2011.
A+ A 'Big Deal'
Nixon told the students that A+ is “big deal” for three basic reasons. The first reason was that the requirements for A+ - to attend school make solid grades and mentor other students – are all “postive steps” for the students.
Second, he told the students that A+ was a positive program because of the global economy we compete in today. He noted that they will be competing for jobs not just in the region or state, but worldwide.
The governor told the students that A+ is important because more and more jobs in the future will require a two- or four-year degree.
“We want more and more young folks going on to technical schools, going on to two-year and four-year schools to make sure you are armed with the greatest asset for economic independence ever invented: Education.”
The A+ program isn’t cheap, but Nixon said that state government in Missouri is committed to funding the program.
“You do your part of the deal and we’ll do our part of the deal and that money will be there,” he said. “Now it’s up to you all. The teachers have done their work to build it up. The administrators have organized it, the school board has authorized it, the state school board has approved it. The first class of A+ recipients is now out at community colleges from this very community. Now the responsibility is on you. All these folks have before you have done all this work to give you an opportunity.”
Before he left the BEC, Nixon told the students a phrase more commonly heard in the gym: “Go Bearcats!”
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.
