E-Newsletter - January 8, 2010

Columbia High School girls’ basketball team players Emilie Schmersahl and Hannah Varel were named to the All-Tournament team of the Lebanon Holiday Tournament. The Eagles won third place in the tourney.

    Emilie Schmersahl                                        Hannah Varel    - photos by Bob Haentzler / game photos online at www.gatewayphoto.net     

Snow Not That  Great For Sledding

By Gage Wienhoff

While a few inches of snow fell over Monroe County a couple days ago, it really wasn’t the good kind of snow made for sledding. The extremely cold temperature also made everything worse. There were about 30 people, including my friends and I, at the Waterloo Water Works – the place now called Lakeview Park off of the road heading to Maeystown. The snow was all powdery and fluffy so it didn’t make for fast sledding. You also couldn’t make decent snow balls at all. We took off in less than an hour because it was amazingly cold.

I was so cold I was unable to use my hands to open my book bag to look through my school books like my uncle Ed told me to do, but I promised him I would before classes are back in session next Monday. I also promised him I would not forget to bring my camera next time I go sledding or he’ll make me write another one of these stories.

It has been fun though being off of school the past two days and having a really long weekend. P.S. – The WHS Class of 2012 rules!

Former Monroe Countian Anita Sennott reports that it is also cold down in Florida. “We have gone below the freezing mark and it is getting colder. The only thing missing is the snow,” she added.  

The Independent has finally gotten around to adding some new videos to its YouTube web video site. New additions include the Maeystown Polar Bear jump and some action from the 2009 Monroe County Fairgrounds. To take a look, visit the website: http://www.youtube.com/user/MoCoIndependent. Additional videos will be added in the coming weeks.

Author Jack Schultz is slated to be the guest speaker at the upcoming Monroe County Economic Development Committee Forum. The event will take place Feb. 8 at The Falls Banquet Center in Columbia. Doors open at 7 a.m., and will conclude around 9 a.m. Schultz is an authority in economic development in small towns and is the author of “Boomtown USA: The 7 1/2 Keys To Big Success In Small Towns.”

“I’ve heard Jack speak on a couple occasions and I can tell you he’s dynamic and well worth listening,” said Nora Feuquay, Community and Economic Development Director of the University of Illinois Extension.

Schultz has taken his message on the road to more than 300 communities in 44 states since 2004.  In 2005, Schultz was named Ernst & Young’s Illinois Entrepreneur of the Year and in 2006 he received the Beta Gamma Sigma Medallion for Entrepreneurship. At the MCEDC Forum, Schultz will talk about the characteristics of towns that are successful as well as the importance of encouraging an entrepreneurial approach in your community.  He will also give some insight into the importance of supporting your local business community, and how small towns can survive and thrive during hard economic times.

A full breakfast will be served at the beginning of the program. Registration can be done online at the website: monroe.extension.uiuc.edu or over the phone by calling 618-939-3434. The cost is $20 for those who own or work for a business in Monroe County and $25 for all others. Deadline is Monday, Feb. 1.

The Southwestern Illinois College’s Red Bud Campus is hosting Family Fun Night on Friday, Jan. 29. The film “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” will be shown in the Performing Arts Room at 7 p.m. Tickets are $1 per person with all proceeds benefiting the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, an honorary scholastic society that promotes scholarships, develops character and cultivates fellowship among students in community colleges. Refreshments will be sold in the lobby during a brief intermission. For more information or to reserve your seat, contact College Activities Coordinator Jessica Seders at 618-282-6682, ext. 8113.

David and Jessica Shevlin are announcing the birth of a son. Lane Christopher Shevlin was born Jan. 5, 2010, at 3:36 p.m., at St. Anthony’s Hospital. He weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces and was 19 inches long. Grandparents are Kevin and Susie Shevlin and Chris and Carol Howell.

The Monroe County Soil and Waterloo Conservation District’s 63^rd annual meeting is Friday, Feb. 5, at Columbia Turner Hall. Registration is at 6:30 p.m., with dinner served at 7 p.m. Dr. Jan Jaworski from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is the guest speaker. Tickets are $11 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. For info., call 939-6181, ext. 3, or visit the website www.mocoswcd.com.

Recent Obituaries

Mathew G. Eilerts Jr. 55, of Waterloo, died Jan. 6, 2010 in St. Louis, Mo. He was born May 30, 1954, the son of the late Mathew G. Eilerts Sr. and Doris Mae (nee Welch) Eilerts Jesman. Mr. Eilerts is survived by his wife, Tami (nee Burgrabe) Eilerts; children Mathew G. (fiancé Lisa Adams) Eilerts III and Clint (Shelley) Eilerts; grandchildren Connor A. Eilerts, Mazie D. Eilerts, Noah T. Adams and Isabella F.R. Adams; sisters Meredith (Larry) Fox and Jacque Baker; father-in-law, Donald Burgrabe (Pat Stearns); brothers-in-law Nick (Karen) Burgrabe, Rick (Tracey) Burgrabe and Barry Burgrabe; and beloved dog Oskar; along with nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by brothers Wesley and Richard Beeman; and mother-in-law, Kathryn Burgrabe. Mr. Eilerts was employed at Anheuser Busch, formerly employed at Arch Coal, Peabody Coal, Inland Steel and General Tire. He served on the board of directors for Annony Arts. Visitation is Sunday, Jan. 10, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Quernheim Funeral Home. Funeral is Monday, Jan 11, at 10 a.m. at the funeral home with Pastor Ozzie Lomax officiating. Mr. Eilerts will be buried at East Lawn Memorial Gardens in Energy. Memorials may be made be made to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation or Support Dogs of St. Louis, Mo.

Jerod Alan Reitz, 28, of Trenton, died Dec. 30, 2009. He was born Sept. 17, 1981. Mr. Reitz is survived by his wife, Malinda Mae (nee Carter) Reitz; children J.D. Reitz, Justin Reitz, Leevi Reitz and Aryan Reitz; parents Leroy (Donna) Reitz of Red Bud and Patricia (Craig) Dye of Millstadt; siblings Derek (Nicole) Reitz of New Athens, Sheila Reitz and Roger Reitz, both of Red Bud; step-brother, Derak (Allison) Schubert of Red Bud; maternal grandparents, Harry Richard and Jacqueline Hern of Belleville; and in-laws Shane and Rachel Carter. He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Dr. Roger and Margaret (nee Mate) Reitz. Mr. Reitz was employed as a roofer. Visitation and funeral were at Creason Funeral Home in Millstadt. A private burial was held.

The Independent has finally gotten around to adding some new videos to its YouTube web video site. New additions include the Maeystown Polar Bear jump and some action from the 2009 Monroe County Fairgrounds. To take a look, visit the website: http://www.youtube.com/user/MoCoIndependent. Additional videos will be added in the coming weeks.

Folks are already busy planning the second annual Eaglefest to benefit the family of Sheri, Garett and Gavin Coleman. It will take place Friday, Feb. 19, 2010 at The Falls in Columbia. The five local bands performing include Wayne Hundsdorfer's Midlife Crisis, Father Jack, Fountain Creek Band, a band of CHS students - Connor Brennan, Zach Simmons, Nick Reitz, Tyler Payton and Adam Unnerstall, and a St. Louis band that includes former Morland Drive members Kirstie Tilley and Blake Stumpf.