Weekend Wrap-Up - June 9, 2010

The 40th annual Fort de Chartres Rendezvous was this past weekend at the historic fort located in rural Prairie du Rocher. This is the Midwest’s largest gathering of 1700s era soldiers, settlers, traders and campers. The event featured military units, traditional craft demonstrations, pirates, period music and dancing, black powder shooting events and cannon firings.

“We come just about every year and enjoy the traditional music bands, the wide selection of food and running into old friends,” said Florence Hesterberg.

Columbia Alderman Jim Agne made an appearance for the 40^th straight year. He dresses in early-American attire and demonstrates how the settlers created wood items, including candle sticks and legs for tables and chairs. Revelry also took place in the nearby village of Prairie du Rocher, as a parade took place Saturday afternoon and bands were at Lisa’s Restaurant throughout the weekend.

French soldiers enter Fort de Chartres during Saturday’s closing ceremony at the annual Rendezvous.

Hailey Lambeck of Waterloo visits with two re-creators during the Rendezvous.

The Prairie du Rocher American Legion Post color guard leads the Prairie du Rocher Rendezvous Parade.

The annual Ainad Shrine Circus will be at the Monroe County Fairgrounds in Waterloo this evening, Monday, June 7 at 7:30 p.m.

The Shriners Band marches in the Prairie du Rocher Summer Picnic.

County Observing De Facto Hiring Freeze
by Joe Leicht

The Monroe County government workforce is securely employed for now, but an ominous word - "furloughs" - popped into the Monroe County Board of Commissioners' conversation when it met for its first regular meeting of June. Commissioner Mike Kovarik only used the word once and with no hint of immediacy, but county government is clearly in, at best, stand-pat mode for the immediate future.

Evidence of the commissioner' determination to ride out the recession without burdening taxpayers came when County 9-1-1 and Mapping / Platting Administrator Mike Fausz and County Supervisor of Assessments Carl Wuertz mentioned the future of Laura Henry, who for more than five years has been the county's geographic information system (GIS) coordinator. The problem - one that actually bodes well for Henry's job security - is that both offices need her. Fausz said his office requires Henry's expertise in updating the county's 9-1-1 emergency system, while Wuertz - who will be losing a long-term employee to retirement this year - needs Henry's continued help with data-entry work on the county assessment base as well as her duties to provide GIS services to the public. Henry works out of the assessor's office.

"The 9-1-1 Board has agreed it could pick up a portion of (Henry's) salary," Fausz said. Wuertz told the commissioners he could relinquish Henry, but would need to hire an employee when Nina Binder retires. That raised a red flag for the county board, which apparently believed the vacancy in Wuertz office could be absorbed more easily. The board noted its recent decision not to hire a new employee to fill the position of county animal-control warden vacated when Dovie Larsen retired. The county opted to fold the animal-control responsibilities into the county building inspector's position - currently held by Dan Row - until building activities show a significant increase.

"We're trying to hold onto jobs, services and money. We're trying to keep every job, and we have so far. But we cannot afford to employ new people in positions currently filled," said County Board Chairman Delbert Wittenauer.

"When it comes to budget time next year, we may be jeopardizing everybody who's here. We don't know what's going to happen between now and November. Are we looking at furlough days, or what? This is a reality we'll be facing, if the state doesn't get its budget on track," said Kovarik.

"Our position is any job we can eliminate through attrition, we're not planning on replacing. Though we aren't cutting jobs," said County Commissioner Terry Liefer.

The board directed Fausz to re-examine the situation and to come up with a different plan for 9-1-1 and the assessor's office to share Henry's services.

The Waterloo City Council meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. The agenda is on the web at: http://www.waterloo.il.us/JumpMenu/default.htm.

The Columbia City Council’s agenda for this evening’s meeting at 7 p.m. is at: http://www.columbiaillinois.com/documents/Government/City%20Council%20Meetings/2010%20Agendas/2010%2006%2007%20Council%20Agenda.PDF.

Optimist Car Show Features Classic Vehicles: The pleasant spring weather brought out a big crowd Sunday to the annual Waterloo Optimist Car Show at the Courthouse Square. Custom cars and trucks lined Main, Third and Mill Streets as hot rod enthusiast gathered for a fun-filled afternoon.

Waterloo High School Auto Club’s Adam Goessling, left, and Spencer Shaw check out Shelby Mattes’ custom Chevy.

Antique Tractors On Parade Sunday At Fairgrounds

Tractors from days gone by were on display and put through some tests Sunday, June 6 at the Monroe County Fairgrounds during the annual Gateway Two Cylinder Antique Tractor and Engine Show. Don Moeller and his restored John Deere was one of the winners of the slow-driving contest. “The weather was spectacular and we had another great turnout for this fun-filled event,” said John Meier, one of the organizers.

Antique tractor parade along the fairground’s midway Sunday afternoon during the Gateway Two Cylinder Antique Tractor and Gas Engine Show.

Oliver Valerius climbs aboard an Oliver tractor during the Gateway Two-Cylinder Club’s annual Antique Tractor and Gas Engine Show.

Flamingoes Roost At Nursing Home: Residents of Oak Hill in Waterloo woke up Sunday morning to see the landscape covered in pink flamingos. The yard ornaments were placed in the grass by Girl Scout Troop 387 as part of a fundraiser. The bird will be there for a few days before flying north for the winter.

Dan Row’s job responsibilities have increased for Monroe County. While he currently serves as the county’s building inspector, he has assumed the responsibilities of the manager of Animal Control Services. Row also serves as an alderman for the City of Columbia. The previous Animal Control manager, Dovie Larson, has retired after many years of service.

State Sets County’s Assessment Multiplier: Monroe County officials received word last week that the State of Illinois Department of Revenue has assigned Monroe County a real estate equalization assessment multiplier for 2010 of 1.0676 percent, a slight increase over last year’s rate of 1.0507. If the State deems a county’s real estate assessments too low, they assign a multiplier higher than 1.00. Likewise, if the values are deemed too high, a lower multiplier is assigned.

Weekend Mon-Clair League Baseball: The Waterloo Millers kicked off the weekend baseball activities with a home double header on Friday evening.  They split games with the St. Louis Spikes. The Millers won the first contest 19-11 and dropped the second game 7-3.

During Sunday’s games, Valmeyer headed to St. Louis to play the Longhorns. The Lakers won the first game 13-3 and lost the night-cap 11-5. The Millers traveled to Millstadt and took a pair of games from the VFW team, 6-0 and 6-2. The Columbia Saints were at home and defeated the Belleville Rockies 9-8 in the first game, then dropped the second, 11-1.

Shelby Jarrett of Valmeyer has been named a United States National Leadership and Service award winner from the United State Achievement Academy. The award is presented to less than 10 percent of high school students. “Recognizing and supporting our youth is more important than ever in America’s history. Certainly, United States Achievement Academy winners should be congratulated and appreciated for their dedication to excellence and achievement,” said Dr. George Stevens, founder of the academy. Recipients are based on a student’s academic performance, interest and aptitude, leadership qualities, responsibility, enthusiasm, motivation to learn and improve, citizenship, attitude, cooperative spirit and dependability. Jarrett is the daughter of John and Kay Jarrett of Valmeyer. Her grandparents are Lafy and Amy Wilkerson of Fults and Bill Jarrett of Red Bud.

Shelby Jarrett

The theme for this Tuesday’s Waterloo Municipal Band concert is Musician’s Choice. The concert begins at 8 p.m. at the Monroe County Courthouse Bandstand. Musical selections will be March of the Steel Men, Thundercrest, Emperata, Semper Fidelis, Phantom of the Opera, An Irish Ayre For Winds, Midway March, Radetsky March and Stars and Stripes Forever. Admission is free. Attendees are asked to bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating.

The third annual Robert “Odie” Mathew’s Foundation For Families in Need Fundraiser is Sunday, June 27 from 12 noon to 8 p.m. at the Hecker Sportsman’s Club. All proceeds will be used to help pay the medical costs of Monroe County residents who have fallen on hard times due to a serious illness. Food and beverages will be sold and musical entertainment will be provided by Riverside from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and aftershock from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. In addition, there will be a meat raffle, silent auction, raffle and activities for children. For additional information, contact Linda Mathews at 618-473-2139 or visit the website www.mcfamiliesinneed.org.

Harvey Returns To Celebrate MASC’s 10^th Anniversary

The first show performed by the Monroe Actors Stage Company in 2001 is returning to mark the community theatre group's 10th anniversary. MASC will present the comedy Harvey for six performances the weekends of June 18-20 and 25-27 at the Capitol Theatre in downtown Waterloo. Show times are at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and at 2:30 p.m. on Sundays.

Several original cast members are returning for this production. MASC veteran John Campbell of Columbia recreates the role of Elwood, which he has actually played three times, including once in high school. Returning for another MASC go-round is John Reith of Sparta as Dr. Chumley and Connie Bollinger of St. Louis as Mrs. Chumley. Doylene Daniels of Waterloo is back, but in a different role – this time portraying Mrs. Chauvenet. Warren Frank of Red Bud, who played the judge 10 years ago, will direct this production. Other cast members are Pat Hunsaker of Belleville as Veta, Richard Hunsaker of Belleville as Judge Gafney, Jennifer Ceradsky of Columbia as Nurse Kelly, Matt Dossett of Waterloo as Dr. Sanderson, Dawn Williamson of Columbia as Myrtle Mae, David Naber of Waterloo as Wilson the orderly and Jordan Richter of Columbia as Lofgren the taxi driver.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 939-7469, on the website: www.masctheatre.org or at the Courthouse Cafe in downtown Waterloo.

A Columbia Community Blood Drive will take place Tuesday, June 8, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Turner Hall. Homemade cookies and refreshments will be served. To make an appointment, call 618-281-6941. Walk-ins are also welcome. The Red Cross currently has a shortage of the type O blood group, the “universal blood type.”

Recent Obituaries

Carlyle A. Schneider, 83, of Waterloo, died June 2, 2010 in Waterloo. He was born April 29, 1927 in St. Louis, Mo., the son of the late Aloysius Schneider and Leona (nee Susewind) Schneider Reichert. In keeping with Carlyle’s wishes, there will be no visitation. A memorial service will be held Saturday, June 12, at 11 a.m., at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Waterloo with Pastor Tony Troup officiating. Mr. Schneider will be buried at a later date at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Mo. Mr. Schneider is survived by his wife, Norma (nee Weatherford) Riddle Schneider; daughters Donna Kay (Terry) Lucas of Litchfield, Carlene Cortner of Red Bud and Renee (Robert) Voelker of Citrus Heights, Calif.; step-daughters Karen (Norman) Benedict of Folsom, Calif., Sandra (Ed) Grinder of Lake Station, Ind., and Karen (Greg) Grueninger of Columbia; a son, Lyle (Kandyce) Schneider of Roseville, Calif.; step-sons Raymond (Reta) Goessling of Folsom, Calif., and Jack Jr. (Debbie) Riddle of Columbia; 13 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his step-father, Adam Reichert. Carlyle was a veteran of the U.S. Navy. He was a life member of the VFW Post 7080 in Millstadt, a 15-year member of Columbia American Legion Post 581 and a 20-year member of Moose Lodge 1221 in Swansea. He attended Immanuel Lutheran Church in Waterloo. In keeping with Carlyle’s wishes, there will be no visitation. A memorial service will be held Saturday, June 12, at 11 a.m., at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Waterloo with Pastor Tony Troup officiating. Mr. Schneider will be buried at a later date at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Mo. Memorials may be made to an organization which benefits United States veterans.

Francis M. Purcell, 87, of Waterloo, died June 4, 2010 in St. Louis, Mo. He was born June 8, 1922 in Coulee City, Wash., the son of the late Wade and Florence (nee McCann) Purcell. Mr. Purcell is survived by his wife, Bessie (nee Nutt) Purcell; children Judy (Steve) Davis, Lori (Will) Hesterberg, Mark (Gail) Purcell, Arleen (George) Hof and Karla (Mark) Cornick; a brother, Jim (Barbara) Purcell; half-brother, Wade Purcell Jr.; 14 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren; along with sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his step-mother, Anne Purcell. Mr. Purcell was a member of the American Legion and the St. Louis Theater Organ Society. He attended Evangel Assembly of God in Columbia. Visitation is Monday, June 7, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., at Quernheim Funeral Home. Funeral is Tuesday, June 8, at 9:30 a.m., at Concord Presbyterian Church in Waterloo with Pastor Wayne Welborn officiating. Mr. Purcell will be buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, Mo. Memorials may be made to Life Network or Focus On The Family.

Alice Mary Priscilla Sunderman, 92, of Waterloo, formerly of Columbia, died June 6, 2010, at Memorial Hospital in Belleville. She was born Aug. 11, 1917, in Columbia, the daughter of the late William and Louisa (Schlegel) McConkey. Alice married Bernard W. Sunderman in 1939 in Columbia. He died in 1998. Mrs. Sunderman graduated from Columbia High School and the Cosmetology School of East St. Louis. She had owned a beauty shop. Later, she and her husband operated Sunderman's Garage on Bottom Ave. in Columbia for many years. Alice was a member of St. Paul United Church of Christ in Columbia, a friend of Christ Community Church in Columbia and the Columbia Senior Citizens. Mrs. Sunderman is survived by a daughter, Margie (Jesse) Ellis of Largo, Fla.; daughter, Mary Lou (Norm) Jatho of Waterloo; son, James B. Sunderman of Columbia; grandchildren Donna (Ken) Sanger of Madison, Ala., Steve (Gina) Jatho of Vancouver, Wash., London (Peter) Vroom of Pinellas Park, Fla., Kristen (Tim) Troup of Red Bud and Nathan Sunderman of Columbia; great-grandchildren Sarah and Emileigh Sanger, Moriah, Anika and Emma Jatho; sisters-in-law Lorraine McConkey of Columbia, Ruth McConkey of Chesterfield, Mo., and Pauline Sunderman of Mascoutah; and a brother-in-law, Vernon Sunderman of Bellingham, Wash.; along with nieces and nephews, other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by brothers August and William McConkey; a sister, Florence Huch; daughter, Bonnie Sue Sunderman; and a grandchild, Scott Ellis. Visitation is Tuesday, June 8, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Lawlor Funeral Home in Columbia. Funeral is Wednesday, June 9, at 11 a.m., at Lawlor’s with Rev. Matthew Friz, officiating. Mrs. Sunderman will follow in the Evangelical St. Paul Cemetery in Columbia. Memorials may be made to the Columbia Senior Nutrition Site or the Columbia American Legion Park Endowment Fund.