Stoddard County University of Missouri Extension is providing day classes for youth ages 9-13 to spend the summer learning and having a blast!

This Special Interest (SPIN) Class July 10- July 26 will introduce young people to eat healthier meals and snacks as a result of hands-on cooking experiences. Youth participants learn to prepare simple, healthy foods they can make for themselves and their family members.  

Classes are from 9:00 am– 11:30 am on July 10, 11, 12, 24, 25, & 26 at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Dexter. Cost is $20 or $10 for current 4-H members and supplies are included. 

To register contact University of Missouri Extension at the Courthouse in Bloomfield or call 573-568-3344 or email milnersn@missouri.edu 

You do not have to be a 4-H member to come! Enrollment is limited so don’t wait to register!

Brian Thompson, president and chief executive officer of Lebanon Regional Economic Development, Inc. (Lebanon-REDI) and a former Dexter resident, was selected last week by statewide peers to serve as an at-large director on the Missouri Economic Development Council (MEDC) Board of Directors.

MEDC is the authoritative voice on economic development and related issues in Missouri. A statewide, nonprofit association of economic development professionals and community leaders, MEDC has been the unified voice of Missouri economic developers since 1979. Each year, MEDC members select 14 district directors representing seven sub-regions of the state and three at-large directors to serve in positions representing the state of Missouri overall. Thompson served two years as a co-director for District 6, comprised of 26 counties in southwest Missouri, prior to his statewide appointment.

“I am humbled that my peers from throughout the state of Missouri have chosen me to serve as an at-large director for MEDC,” said Thompson. “Lebanon and Laclede County have benefited from representation on the MEDC board for several years and I am truly honored to continue this tradition in a different role as an at-large director.”

MEDC drives economic growth through program initiatives and alliances with other economic development entities. This collaboration gives MEDC members access to industry-leading professional development, public policy, legislation and marketing communications programs. Whether working independently or in cooperation with partners, MEDC, its members and professional staff are effective, efficient and reliable.

“We are grateful that the MEDC Board of Directors recognizes the importance of a Lebanon and Laclede County presence for its organization,” said Marc Roecker, chairman of the Lebanon-REDI board of directors. “Congratulations to our Lebanon-REDI president Brian Thompson on his recent advancement on the MEDC Board.”

Thompson is a 1999 graduate of Dexter High School. He earned his associate of arts degree in pre-journalism from Three Rivers Community College (Poplar Bluff) in May 2001 and his bachelor of science degree in journalism, emphasis in public relations with a minor in marketing, from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Ark., in 2003.

Thompson is the son of Jimmy and Thelma Thompson of Dexter.

For more information on MEDC, visit www.showme.org. Additional information on Lebanon-REDI can be found at www.LebanonREDI.com.

Stoddard County Historical Society will hold their next meeting Monday, June 25 at 6:30 pm. at the Stars and Stripes Museum.

Margaret Shackleford presents, “The Year Without Summer” an event that changed history. It became known as 18-hundred-and-froze-to-death.

1816 was a remarkable year―mostly for the fact that there was no summer.

As a result of a volcanic eruption at Mount Tambora in Indonesia, weather patterns were disrupted worldwide for months, allowing for excessive rain, frost, and snowfall through much of the Northeastern U.S. and Europe in the summer of 1816. 

Dexter, Missouri - Weber’s Ben Franklin has been in business in downtown Dexter for 109 years.  One of the oldest business in our community.

It began in 1909 as Weber’s Variety Store, and joined the Ben Franklin franchise in 1930. 

The craft store is owned by Joe Weber, and due to his declining health the store will close by the end of June 2018.   The family has decided to sell the building as well and are hoping another business will purchase the building.

You can always see one smiling face each day and she will be missed greatly! Donna West manages the business and has been employed by the store for over thirty years, since she graduated high school.  She will retire this month as well.

Even though Ben Franklin is now considered a craft store, remnants of the variety store past still remain. Toys, puzzles, greeting cards, kitchen accessories, gift items, and candy continue to be part of Weber’s merchandise mix. 

Weber’s Ben Franklin is located at 31 East Stoddard Street in Dexter and is open 8:30 to 5:30 Monday through Saturday until June 23rd.  At this time 75% off sales are continued and a Final Goodbye is planned on Wednesday, June 20th from 9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.  Cookies and punch will be served.

Please stop in and show how grateful our community is to the Weber family for over 100 years.  They will truly be missed!!