Stoddard County’s very own Relay for Life Team, Spark of Hope, is working on their Spring Fundraiser that will take place at the Stoddard County Community Fair. This will be Spark of Hope’s fourth year of participating in the Fair and they have had lively turnouts nearly every year. Along with the many booths and games that the Community Fair holds, the Spring Fest Pageant will also be taking place.

All the money that will be collected from the Spring Fest Pageant and the booths will all be donated to a local charity that will be announced as the date draws closer. So, mark your calendars for April 6^th at West City Park in Dexter. The fun will start at 10am and end around 3pm. The fair will be filled with crafters, bakers, and local businesses that all support their county’s Relay for Life Team.

As the Spark of Hope Team prepares for their spring fundraiser, they are also very busy as they gather supplies for their winter fundraiser that will be taking place in December. The Relay Team is holding a year-round fundraiser for Christmas of 2013. Although it’s months away, the team has begun planning and collecting supplies for the upcoming event.

Most fundraisers usually ask for donations of money or cash but as of right now, the Relay for Life Team is asking for a somewhat odd donation: wrapping paper. It’s not as strange as it may sound, in fact, it’s a great idea that the team believes will draw both awareness and attention. The Team is collecting wrapping paper and other items that are used to wrap Christmas gifts and presents, such as bows, ribbons, and other supplies. If you’ve acquired a closet full of identical rolls of wrapping paper, Spark of Hope would be glad to take it off your hands.

The actual fundraiser won’t take place until the Christmas season comes back around but the team plans on spending each weekend in December wrapping Christmas presents for donations. The Relay Team Members are now accepting used or new gift wrapping supplies.

For an event this big, the key to success is to be prepared, and that’s exactly why the Stoddard County Relay for Life Team Captain, Jamie Mays, is doing all this hard work months in advance.

“I’ve seen a lot of people on my Facebook page dreading that task of wrapping presents,” Mays explains, “So we decided that this would make an excellent fundraiser, not only to help out Relay, but for people that don’t like to wrap presents.”

This is the first year of the Christmas Present Wrapping Fundraiser but the team hopes for a good turnout so they will be able to make it an every year thing. Not all of the details have been worked out yet, but as the Christmas Season gets closer, the team members will have more information about the location, dates, and other small details.

All profits made from the team’s winter fundraiser will be donated to Stoddard County Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society. To make the winter fundraiser a success, a great number of supplies will be needed. The team is asking for both new or used wrapping paper and any other items that would be used in the present-wrapping process.

So, we hope you can help the local Relay Team and their good cause by donating present wrapping supplies or attending the Stoddard County Community Fair in April. It is easy to reach out and help those in our community, but it is even easier when they have their hearts and minds already set on volunteering and reaching out to other people that are in need. 

Dexter, Missouri - There was a lot of waddling, slipping and sliding at the Keller Public Library this past Tuesday. 

Kim Cook dressed in her best tuxedo and read "Tacky the Penguin" written by Helen Lester and illustrator Lynn Munsinger.  It's about a penguin living in the Artic who is a little odd.  He marches to the beat of his own drum as he does not fit in with the other penguins who are such conformists.

Kim dressed in black and white, but soon put on a rather, colorful Hawaiian shirt.   She asked the children, "Do you know what tacky means?"  One child responded, "ugly!"

The children were soon engaged in Miss Kim's exuberant reading and giggled as she emphasized different voices for the characters in the book.

Afterwards they all sang songs like "Doing the Penguin Dance" and "Am I a Bird?".  Then they settled down to color pictures of penguins and create penguin art.

Kim taught the children to "be yourself" because you are one of a kind and beautiful! 

The Keller Public Library will host another story hour next Tuesday, January 29th at 10:15 a.m. with Mary Ann Simmons reading "Let It Snow!"

If you would like to see more photos of The Keller Library Story Hour, please check out the ShowMe Times Facebook page.

Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Writer

Dexter, Missouri – Want to rock to the sound of the Christian Band, SAMESTATE? 

Join the First Baptist Church Sunday, January 27^th at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.  Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

Disciple Now 2013 is going to be bigger and better than ever! 

The DNOW Registration Party's theme this year is “SHADOWS” based on the scriptures Isaiah 9:2 and 49:2 and the name of SAMESTATE's latest single. 

The band members of SAMESTATE, Dalton Diehl and Darren Harms, vocalist/guitarist/songwriter, Ray Wyatt, guitar/keyboards, drummer Blake Leoni and Ryan Lytle, bassist have shared their personal "Shadows" stories on their Facebook page and website www.samestatemusic.com.

"It has been interesting to see how God has used some of our songs to really speak to me," Dalton said.  "I often feel like I am just writing a song, but then a couple weeks later, I'll realize God was trying to say something to me in that time and it finally clicks.  I hope the fans have that same kind of experience."

Their album, "Alignment" meshes seamlessly, taking each member's disparate musical influences and merging them into a sound that is both infectious and approachable.  Their backgrounds include pop, rock, Americana, and country and it all blends together on stage.

Disciple Now will be held February 1^st 2^nd and 3^rd and is for the youth; both middle school and high school ages.  It is considered to be part of the genetic make-up of the church family and a bedrock community event.  This will be the 32^nd consecutive year that the First Baptist Church has hosted Disciple Now.

It will be an amazing opportunity for youth to grow in fellowship with other students and encounter the Lord.  Students will gather for the weekend, staying in host homes based on grade and gender.  

They will participate in several impacting sessions, worship experiences and have times for discussion. as well as enjoy valuable time with friends and a crazy weekend of activities.

For more information, please contact, Minister of Youth, Greg McGhee, at 573-820-5238.

Written by
Dee Loflin, SMT Writer

Dexter, Missouri –The Stoddard County Community Fair will be in full swing on April 6, 2013.  This is the fourth year  the Spark of Hope Relay for Life Team has held their fundraiser.

 

If you are a crafter or have a small business and would like people to get to know you, canned goods, jewelry or just want to demonstrate your many talents, please join them.  There is a $20.00 registration fee and all booth commitment fees will be donated to the Stoddard County Relay for Life.

 

The spaces can be either a 10x10 or 12x12 canopy and you must supply your own tables, canopies and power cords.  Spaces are available on a first come first served basis.  There will be folks there to help set up if needed at 9:00 a.m.

 

They will also have a DJ for music throughout the event.

 

All registration forms must be turned in no later than March 31, 2013 as the event is April 6^th.

If you are a consultant or distributor for Mary Kay, Avon, Scentsy, Home Interiors, etc., please check with your lead consultant to see what their restrictions/policies are about event selling as some only allow one consultant per event. If this applies to you, please contact us to see if we have someone selling these items before sending in your registration form and booth rental fees.

If you have any other questions or need a registration form you may contact us at dextercraftfair@yahoo.com