THE CONNECTION Crescent Contact: Jody Shea Box 260 Crescent, IA 51526 Volume 10 Email: [email protected]Cell: (402) 968-5484 Fax: (712) 545-9143 In This Issue... Page 2................... Crescent Food Drive Police Report Page 3................................Local Fare Community Bulletin Board Time Out Page 4 ........................... Good Things Sweet Potato Cream Soup Can’t Fail Biscuits Slow Cooker English Cider Chocolate Cherry Bars Page 5................ What’s Up at CECC? Getting in the Spirit Page 6 & 7 ........................Advertisers Page 8.................... Intelligence for Life Useless Knowledge Subscription/Advertising Info Issue 11 8 Community Email List Sign up for the Community Email List. You’ll receive the newsletter in an easy-to-read, easy-to-print and easy-to- file pdf format. Not only will it save us printing costs, but you’ll also receive it a week earlier and in color. We’ll also inform you of upcoming announcements and events as soon as we hear about them. All you have to do is email us at [email protected]. Your email address will be kept private and no junk mail will be sent your way. We’d like to thank Optimist members Dale Dilts, Greg Linkenhoker, Thomas Fleming and Jon Barnes for all their hard work putting up the Christmas lights. They did a fantastic job and it really got us in the Christmas spirit! Lighting the Way Welcome Bear Den Trading Post! Just in time for the holiday shopping season is the opening of the Bear Den Trading Post. They’re located next door to the Crescent post office. Owner, Mike Sigmund, who recently moved to the area, has brought his unique brand of rustic decor to Crescent. Inside you’ll find a wide range of great gift ideas for the people on your Christmas list...and maybe a little something for yourself as well. There’s wonderful wildlife pictures, western blankets and rugs, horse hair jewelry, wall plaques, gorgeous horn arrangements and other conversation pieces, Christmas ornaments, birch picture frames, baskets, candles and wood furniture. The’re open from 3pm-7pm Monday thru Friday and 10am-3pm Saturday and Sunday. So please stop in and say hi to Mike. You’ll be glad you did!
Chocolate Cherry BarsPage 5 ................What’s Up at CECC?
Getting in the SpiritPage 6 & 7 ........................Advertisers Page 8 .................... Intelligence for Life
Useless KnowledgeSubscription/Advertising Info
Issue 11
8Community Email List Sign up for the Community Email List. You’ll receive the newsletter in an easy-to-read, easy-to-print and easy-to-file pdf format. Not only will it save us printing costs, but you’ll also receive it a week earlier and in color. We’ll also inform you of upcoming announcements and events as soon as we hear about them. All you have to do is email us at [email protected]. Your email address will be kept private and no junk mail will be sent your way.
We’d like to thank Optimist members Dale Dilts, Greg Linkenhoker, Thomas Fleming and Jon Barnes for all their hard work putting up the Christmas lights. They did a fantastic job and it really got us in the Christmas spirit!
Lighting the Way
Welcome Bear Den Trading Post!
Just in time for the holiday shopping season is the opening of the Bear Den Trading Post. They’re located next door to the Crescent post office. Owner, Mike Sigmund, who recently moved to the area, has brought his unique brand of rustic decor to Crescent. Inside you’ll find a wide range of great gift ideas for the people on your Christmas list...and maybe a little something for yourself as well. There’s wonderful wildlife pictures, western blankets and rugs,
horse hair jewelry, wall plaques, gorgeous horn arrangements and other conversation pieces, Christmas ornaments, birch picture frames, baskets, candles and wood furniture. The’re open from 3pm-7pm Monday thru Friday and 10am-3pm Saturday and Sunday. So please stop in and say hi to Mike. You’ll be glad you did!
Contact Numbers
Mayor Maryalice Leggio
545-3398(
Councilman Bob Anderson545-3373
(
Councilman Daryl Clark545-4321
(
Councilman Elvis Jacobsen545-3215
(
Councilman Patrick Morgan
227-0083(
Councilman Chuck Stokes545-9085
(
City ClerkMary Martin545-3981
(
Park BoardJim Campin227-0040
(
Message BoardRon Olson545-3267
(
Crescent Fire Dept.Non-Emergency
545-3730(
Crescent Elementary545-4492
The Optimists, with help from the Boy Scouts, collected enough food on November 20th to feed 6 families plus another 1500 lbs! Greg Linkenhoker, Optimist President, stated they were very excited with the amount of donations this year...especially from the Crescent Elementary. The classes had a competition to see who donates the most. All together
they gave 15 large boxes of nonperishables. 1st place went to the 3rd & 4th grade class, (thanks, in part, to the 5th graders who preferred the second place prize of a root beer float party to the 1st place pizza party so they gave some of their donations to the 3rd & 4th grades.) The Optimists would like to thank the Boy Scouts from Troop 3 for all their hard work. A big thank you to the kids of Crescent Elementary and the generous people of Crescent.
2nd Annual
Pott. CountySheriff’s Report
Submitted by Chief Deputy, James Matthai.
On 11-14-10 at approximately 4:13 PM Deputy Jahn Kirlin was dispatched to the 23000 block of 145th Street in Crescent for a trespass report. Upon arrival Deputy Kirlin met with the resident who advised that she found two vehicles driving on the property. The resident then advised that one of the vehicles was stuck in the mud. Deputy Kirlin located the vehicles and spoke with the four occupants. The occupants were identified as Tommy Milam age 18 from Co. Bluffs; Eric Otis age 28 from Co. Bluffs; Cory Milam age 21 from Co. Bluffs and Justin Alford age 19 from Red Oak. All four subjects were issued a citation for Criminal Trespass and released.
A Big Thank You!
Six phone numbers to carry on paper when traveling so that you have them even if your cell phone battery is dead: Your airline’s toll-free reservation number...your travel agent’s number...if traveling on business, the direct number of the person who handles your company’s travel...help line of your credit card issuer...toll-free number of your connection airline...number of the taxi, limousine, shuttle or car service that is supposed to meet you at the airport. To save money on you next flight, try splitting your trip into two fares. Example: If you’re planning a trip to Eleuthera in the Bahamas, consider flying from JFK airport to Nassau and then from Nassau to Governor’s Harbor in the Bahamas. Recently the cost for a direct flight was about $560...splitting the trip into two flights costs about $430. Or if you heading to France, fly first to London or Manchester, then take a discount European airline to your final destination.
TravelSmart
Was a huge success!Crescent Food Drive
Time Out!Local Events and Happenings
This is a free service and a great way to get the word out. If you have an upcoming event you’d like to advertise, please email us at [email protected].
DENNy’S PLACE
Crescent Optimist Club: First Thurs. at 7pm at Comm. of Christ; third Sat. 7am at Henry’s.City Council Meetings: First Monday of every month unless holiday—December 6th
Planning Committee: Second Monday of the month following the city council meeting.
Community Bulletin BoardMake a difference in your community.
Join a committee or attend a city meeting...
Holiday Hours Open Christmas Eve 2-10
w/Kitchen till 6 p.m.Closed Christmas Day
Closed New Years Day (private party)
FIREBARN BREAkFAST3rd Sunday of Every Month.
(skipping Dec & Jan)February 20th
Proceeds benefit CVFD
The Mile AwAy HALL & TAvERN
Live Music Every Friday Nightwith No Cover Charge!
Dec.10th ...............Kate & the Big Boys Dec. 17th .....................Severed Heart Dec. 31st ............................ SocialO
Dec. 31st - New Year’s Eve Bash. Food, party favors and champagne toast.
Winter Hours
Sunday Noon - 10pmMonday-Thursday 3pm - midnight
Friday & Saturday 3pm - 2am
If you or someone you know has a home-based business, we’d like to help spread the word. Just send us an email.
S&S Farm Gary and Susan (Frost) Smith, S&S Farm, have a small acreage northwest of Crescent. They raise a variety of fruits and vegetables, most notably aronia berry. The aronia berry grew as a native across North America until modern farming practices virtually wiped out the bushes. It remained a cultivated crop in Poland, used mostly for food coloring and winemaking. About seven years ago a friend explained all the health benefits of the berry and convinced Gary and Susan to give it a try, so they put in 350 plants. The aronia is a high antioxidant fruit, with anthocyanin and proanthocyanin levels higher than even the blueberry. Although the taste is rather astrigent, the berries are palatable and their customers have come up with their own ingenious ways of consuming them raw, because of the health benefits. Their bushes started producing a reliable crop four years ago with an 800 pound harvest this year. The bushes are picked by hand, with family and good friends pitching in, and then sorted, cleaned and bagged for future use. The berries are sold fresh during season, Aug-Sept, the bulk either frozen or made into product. Susan has come up with a variety of recipes including her best seller, Aronia hot pepper jelly, along with sweet pepper jelly, grilling glaze and a dog treat. She raises her own peppers for this to keep quality high and as organic as possible. All sell well at the farmer’s markets they attend over the summers months. For more information on the berries and to place orders, you can call them at (712) 545-3421. They’ll even deliver your product to you.
Local Fare
Pott. CountySheriff’s Report
There are three stages
of a man’s life:
1) He believes in
Santa Claus.
2) He doesn’t
believe in Santa Claus.
3) He is Santa Claus.
—Author Unknown
Save money on movies by canceling premium movie channels on cable and trying Internet-based movies on demand from Netflix. Cost: As little as $9/month, compared with about $20/month or more for cable movie packages. Netflix on-demand movie software is built into equipment that you already may have on your television or computer, such as TiVo or certain Blu-ray Disc players. The monthly charge also lets you receive one Netflix DVD by mail at a time, for access to newer films.
Youth is when you’re allowed to
stay up late on New Year’s Eve.
Middle age is when you’re
forced to. —Bill Vaughn
MoneySavers
Sweet Potato Cream SoupSprinkled with bacon and chives...mmm!
Decorate a small galvanized mailbox with ribbons, buttons and painted-on snowflakes. Add your name to each side with a paint pen in big, bold letters...a whimsical holder for those holiday cards, photos and letters.
Hot glue giant pine cones to lengths of drapery cord and tie into a bundle. Hang on the front door for a merry farmhouse welcome.
Gather paper-crafting supplies and place in a colorful gift bag to drop off to an avid scrapbooker...include some textured papers and 3-D stickers for even more scrap-booking fun.
A pair of vintage skis or rustic snow-shoes gathered together with a big plaid bow or long, knitted muffler makes a cozy-cabin outdoor decoration.
Bundle up a bag of home-baked cook-ies in a holiday apron and tie with a length of rick-rack. Fill the apron pocket with the recipe and a cookie cutter or two. Your favorite baker will love it!
Make your own hot cocoa cones! Just fill disposable frosting bags (found in any cake decorating shop) 2/3 full with hot cocoa mix. Add a layer of mini marshmallows, chocolate chips or even crushed candy canes and close with a twist tie.
Sugared fruit! Evenly coat fruit with corn syrup and then sprinkle with fine sugar, setting each aside until dry for sweet & sparkly centerpieces.
To make a tapper candle fit snuggly in its holder, wrap a rubber band several times around the bottom of the candle.
Christmas greenery peeking out of stockings adds good cheer and a fresh fra-grance for the holidays.
A simple greenery garland framed around a doorway can double as a card holder. Just use mini clothespins to clip holiday cards across the top and down each side.
Use champagne flutes as candlehold-ers...fill flutes with fresh cranberries to anchor candle tapers snugly in place.
A stack of painted boxes and trunks in a corner adds a country touch, plus handy storage for giftwraps, ribbons and trimmings. They’re pretty and practical!
Have an artificial wreath that’s become a bit tattered? Spray paint it all white. The textures will pop out and a whole new wreath will emerge.
Good Things 2 c. sweet potatoes, peeled and diced in 1/4 inch cubes1 leek, thinly sliced14.5-oz. can chicken broth, divided5-oz can evaporated milk1-1/2 t. Dijon mustard1/2 t. salt1/8 t. white pepper1/8 t. nutmegGarnish: chopped leek Combine sweet potatoes, leek, and 1/2 cup broth in a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish; stir well. Cover and microwave on high 5 minutes; stir and microwave an ad-ditional 5 minutes. Pour into a blender; blend until smooth. add reserved broth, milk, mustard and seasonings; blend 30 seconds until smooth. Garnish with chopped leek, if desired. Serve warm. Makes 4 servings.
Reprinted from Gooseberry Patch, Comfort and Joy.
Slow Cooker English CiderThis is sure to warm them up!
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed 1-1/2 qts. cider1 t. whole allspice2 cinnamon sticks2 t. whole cloves1 orange, sliced and seeded Combine ingredients in slow cooker. Spices can be placed in a tea strainer if pre-ferred, or added loose. Cover and heat on low setting for 2 to 8 hours. Strain before serving if necessary, Makes 1-1/2 quarts.
Reprinted from Gooseberry Patch, Comfort and Joy.
Can’t Fail BiscuitsTasty when spread with jams or honey!2 c. self-rising flour1 c. whipping cream Mix together flour and whipping cream; roll out on a floured board and cut out biscuits with a round cutter. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake 10 to 12 minutes at 375°. Makes about one dozen.
18-1/2 oz. pkg. devil’s food cake mix.2 eggs1 t. almond extract14-1/2 oz. can cherry pie filling Combine cake mix, eggs and almond extract and mix well. Stir in pie filling until moist. Pour into greased 13”x9” baking pan and bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until done. Remove from oven and cool completely. Spread with Chocolate Frosting and cut into squares. Makes 2 dozen.Chocolate Frosting:1-1/2 c. powdered sugar6 T. butter, softened 6 T. milk1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips Combine sugar, butter and milk in a saucepan; heat to boiling and boil for one minute. Remove from heat; add chocolate chips, stir until smooth and use immediately.
Reprinted from Gooseberry Patch, Comfort and Joy.
What’s Up at CECC?Submitted by Linda Brewer
Why does it seem that in the months when you need more time to get things done, the days fly by? It’s Thanksgiving one day, and a few days later, it’s Christmas! The kids at the center will probably remember Thanksgiving this year for all the potato peeling. The preschool children brought in vegetables to contribute to Stone Soup. So they had to peel and chop what they brought. Considering that most of them had never done that, they did a pretty good job. Admittedly the pieces of potato and carrot were bigger than usual, but the soup cooked for a long time and, actually, was quite delicious we all thought. Everyone had guests, and we told them the story of Stone Soup and sang Over the River and Through the Woods for them. We thank all the family members who took time to attend. On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, there was no elementary school, so the kids made their own lunch. Again, they peeled potatoes and cooked them for mashed potatoes. They made sweet potato pie and cranberry jello. Kids are more likely to try foods if they’ve had a hand in the preparation, and they ate everything up at our own Thanksgiving dinner. December, of course, is mostly about Christmas. Below, we include some of the letters to Santa. We’ve not had time to get letters from all our preschoolers yet, and the ones below are edited. ( Luke had A LOT to say to Santa.) But we hope you enjoy them. We do try to make the season educational. Besides dictating letters, the kids make December calendars, counting books, and, of course, they love to make gifts for their families. Our thanks, this month, go out to all of you who purchased cookie dough as part of our annual fund raiser. And to all the families that sold it. We hope to make enough money to replace our outside play house. Due to a family moving and some other circumstances, we do have openings in our full time care program. If you are looking for quality care for your child, age two to five, give us a call or stop by for more information. We do have a web site that would give you some information and copies of the forms required: www.cecckids.com. Though, you would want to bring your child for a visit. Dear Santa...I want a princess with a horsie, a Sparkly Ice one and a doll house. I want a pony
and a doll with roller skates. Matt wants and John Deer tractor and some toy cows, and Jace wants a ball
cap. That’s all. Good bye, Kaylynn
Dear Santa...I want lots of presents; a DS with a case and ear plugs and other stuff. Mom
needs a new blanket. The dog chewed up her other one. Dad wants a new deer cutter. Stella and Bart
need new chew toys. Love, Nicholas
Dear Santa...Remember, I met you at Bass Pro Shop. I love you. I want a tractor and a hot
tub for my family. I have been good. I clean up my room...Bye Santa, Tylan
Dear Santa...I want a Barbie, a Barbie car and a drawer full of clothes for her. My brothers
want suitcases. They are going on a trip to a lake. Morgan wants a jacket and a snow blankey. Mom
wants blue and white dishes. I will leave nuts for your reindeer and squirrels...Love, Kadie
Dear Santa...I love you. I want ravioli, chocolate and some gum. I want a Bumblebee
transformer that changes to a Camaro. I want an alarm clock that never runs out of batteries and a
journal book that writes happy and sad. Mom and Dad want screwdrivers, and my dog Duce wants a
new puppy to take care of. Maybe, when you come, I will pop out of bed and see your sleigh. Oh yeah,
and a harmonica...Merry Christmas, Luke
Buy a pair of red flannel pajamas that you wear only on Christmas Eve.
Take the family to a small town Christmas parade.
Introduce a child to the wonders of snowflakes. Chill a dark sheet of construction paper and then examine the flakes with a magnifying glass.
Start working on a Christmas-themed jigsaw puzzle the first of December. Try to have it finished by Christmas Eve.
Rent a Santa suit and treat some kids to a real live visit from Santa. Don’t forget about our feathered friends during the holidays. Spread peanut butter on pine cones, then roll them in bird seed, and hang them on a tree near your kitchen window.
Go caroling.
Enjoy a couple of meals illuminated only by the Christmas tree.
Make snow angels.
Remember that the best solution for holiday blues is to do something special for someone else.
Begin a family Christmas journal. Write down memories your family shares: events you attend, presents you give and receive, and the inevitable crises that occur.
Help an elderly neighbor decorate his or her home.
On Christmas morning, phone some relatives who live far away and wish them a Merry Christmas.
Getting in the Spirit
CRESCENT REPAIRSCrescent
“Stick With The Best!”Light, Medium & Heavy Duty Gas & Diesel Repair
Call Us For All Your Diesel Repair NeedsMike McManigal & Roger Nixon
545-9427
109 E. Welch St.Crescent, IA 51526
Specializing in factory program lease cars and repossessions!
1110 Hwy 183 Crescent, IA
Greatest Pizza for Miles Around!Now Offering Large Take & Bake Pizzas!Taylo’s Taco Tuesday 6pm-9pm
Denny Taylo, Owner • Kella Sales, Manager545-3919 • DennysPlacePizza.com
HOURS: Mon-Sat: 2pm - 2am
Sunday: Noon til MidnightKitchen Open Daily til 1am, Sun-10pm
FREE Pool All Day Sunday’s!Bring Your Business Meeting to Denny’s
DENNy’S PLACE735 Old Lincoln Hwy. • Crescent
Your Hometown Place of Worship Since 1863!
In Crescent • 810 Johnson St.Behind Meyer AutoGathering: 9 a.m.
For double ads it’s $27/mth sold in 3-month increments:
3 mths. ................................. $81 6 mths. ............................... $162 9 mths. .............................. $243 12 mths. ...........(Save $36!) $288 It’s inexpensive and we have a distribution of 1000. To place an ad, contact Jody Shea at (402) 968-5484 or email [email protected].
10YR. AdveRtiseR!
10YR. AdveRtiseR!
10YR. AdveRtiseR!
10YR. AdveRtiseR!
10YR. AdveRtiseR!
5YR. AdveRtiseR!
wOODLAND COMMuNITy BIBLE CHuRCHPastor Jim Henry
Ofc: 325-0613
Sunday School 9:45 a.m.Sunday Worship 11:00 a.m.21032 Old Lincoln Hwy
Crescent, IA 51526
Check out Barnes & Nobles Top 100 at www.bn.com!
Top 10 Best Selling Books1. Autobiography of Mark Twain by Mark Twain 2. Decision Points by George W. Bush3. The Ugly Truth (Diary of a Wimpy
Kid Series) by Jeff Kinney4. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand5. Elf on the Shelf by Carol V. Aebersold6. Of Thee I Sing by Barack Obama7. Decoded by Jay-Z8. Cross Fire by James Patterson9. The Confession by John Grisham10. The Last Hero by Rick Riordan
Mobile Agricultural Equipment RepairPerformance Engine Building & Tuning
Live Music Every Friday Nightwith No Cover Charge!
Indoor Bag Leagues beginning early 2011!Reception Hall Available
Rent it for birthdays, wedding receptions, anniversaries and more!
“Hot cockles” was a popular game at Christmas in medieval times. It was a game in which the other players took turns striking the blindfolded player, who had to guess the name of the person delivering each blow. “Hot cockles” was still a Christmas pastime until the Victorian era.
The Eskimo language has more than twenty words to describe different kinds of snow.
A traditional Christmas dinner in ear-ly England was the head of a pig prepared with mustard.
No two cornflakes look the same.
Alabama was the first state to rec-ognize Christmas as an official holiday. This tradition began in 1836.
During the Christmas buying season, Visa cards alone are used an average of 5,340 times every minute in the United States.
When Saigon fell, the signal for all Americans to evacuate was Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” being played on the radio.
The Christmas season begins at sun-down on December 24th and lasts through sundown on January 5th. For that reason, this season is also known as the Twelve Days of Christmas.
The movie “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (2000) features more than 52,000 Christmas lights, about 8,200 Christmas ornaments, and nearly 2,000 candy canes.
When Robert Louis Stevenson, au-thor of Treasure Island, died on December 4, 1894, he willed his November 13 birthday to a friend who disliked her own Christmas birthday.
The first printed reference to Christ-mas trees appeared in Germany in 1531.
The tradition of Christmas lights dates back to when Christians were persecuted for saying Mass. A simple candle in the win-dow meant that Mass would be celebrated there that night.
More than three billion Christmas cards are sent annually in the United States.
PRSRT STDUS POSTAGE
PAIDCRESCENT, IA
PERMIT NO. 01
The Crescent Connection1901 Old Lincoln Hwy.Crescent, IA 51526
ResidentCrescent, IA 51526
Subscription InfoThe Crescent Connection is a free publication
funded by advertisers and the City of Crescent. It is mailed to the 51526 zip code. If you are outside the mailing area, you can pick them up at these locations throughout Crescent...U-Stop, People’s Bank, the Post Office, Meyer Automotive and Henry’s Diner. You may purchase a subscription for $12 per year. Just mail a check to the Crescent Connection, P.O. Box 260, Crescent, IA 51526. You may also have the Connection emailed to you for free by emailing [email protected].
seless KnowledgeU
From The John Tesh Radio Show
Intelligence for Your Life
Stuff you didn’t think you needed to know...and probably don’t
• Unusual treatment. Cherries make you stronger. They don’t work like spinach does for Popeye, but in one study, drinking 12 ounces of cherry juice after a tough workout increased muscle mass and reduced aches and pains the next day.
• Put some color in your life. If you want a good night’s sleep, paint your bedroom lavender. A study found that pale purple fosters feelings of warmth and comfort. That’s because simply looking at lavender lowers your blood pressure, and has such as calming effect, it tends to make people lose track of time, so it’s easier to relax and fall asleep.
• Tip to help you spend less. Start a matching system. That’s the word from the debtsmart.com. The next time you spend $200, transfer that same amount into your savings account. That way, you’ll always have enough money to pay your bills in full, and it’ll keep you aware of your spending habits.
Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of
