Christmas music jumpstarts holiday
Nothing starts the holidays off like the words and music to Christmas carols, and Jefferson County Commissioner Tom Graham did a great job of that at the Brilliant Lions Club’s holiday dinner Dec. 1. Although Christmas songs have been playing since the day before Thanksgiving, it is the first time I got to hear more than one at a time.
I remember learning to sing “O Come All Ye Faithful” in Latin for our Christmas pageant in the sixth grade. After all our practice, there was a snowstorm, and school was canceled on the day of the performance. So all our work to impress our parents was in vain. I got to hear the words again from Graham who sang it perfectly at the dinner.
I also got to hear the name of Gayla Grant again. She and Larry were at Buckeye North High School, and although she was three years ahead of him, I would hear the name Gayla, and it had a musical ring to me.
So when Jim Everson, president, announced her name as a guest, I perked up and after dinner went to have a chat with her. She graduated in 1976, so it was only for one year that Larry was at the then “Home of the Huskiness” when she was there.
She came back to Brilliant from the Columbus area to be with her dad, Donald Grant, when her mom died. I thought that was a wonderful thing to do. And she was at the door of the Brilliant Christian Church distributing door prize tickets just as her mom had through the years.
Terry Snyder, Lions District 8 zone chairman, who was a guest, along with her husband, William Snyder, who happens to be the Mingo Junction Lions Club president, were present as well.
Terry told how the Lions organization made a big difference in her life. “If not for the Lions, I would be blind. We had no insurance for eye surgery for the pressure building up in my eye, so we were told to get in touch with the Morgantown Eye Institute, connected with the Lions. They picked up the bill for my surgery. Without that first surgery, I would be blind.”
Ralph Nickoson, who served as president for years, was named the Lion of the Year for the club. He was credited with being a relentless worker on projects around the community. And I know his cheerfulness is infectious — you just want to smile when you see his big grin.
Everson thanked the Lions for all that was accomplished through the very productive year. A list of the activities, conducted from the end of last December through 2016 was distributed to all who were present. Although it was a great accomplishment, it made me feel quite tired to hear all of their projects. I will list them, some lumped together because 41 projects take up a large portion of this page.
The club purchased six coats for Buckeye North Elementary in 2015; donated for an angel gift; held a Christmas party, with 46 in attendance; donated $200 for a food drive; co-sponsored two blood drives with the Brilliant Fire Department, obtaining 44 units and took in three members, Jody White, Butch Ford and Kevin Huggans.
The club attended three zone meetings; helped pack 34 food baskets; bought three memorial bricks; donated money in memory of five deceased; cleaned ramps by picking up 60 bags of refuse; had 50 people attend the Pirates and Brewers game; and donated to the Brilliant Little League, a family fire and Brilliant Legion Baseball. They gave $225 for the Parade of Checks; donated for a 9-11 wreath; turned in 385 pairs of glasses and six lenses; and gave scholarships to Lexi Mayle and Devin Merritt.
The club purchased flowers for the town planters; paid for two eye exams and a pair of glasses; made up baskets for a benefit; sold brooms and knives; made steps for concerts at the football field; cut weeds at Magee Cemetery; utilized 11 members to paint three walls; poured cement steps at the school; helped with the annual picnic where 49 attended; earned $1,020.49 from a dinner; donated a wheel-chair and potty chair; donated to Boatsies stocking; and the total of their giving was $2,438.20 plus loads of donated time that was done to help others.
The Rev. Marc Tinstman gave the closing prayer and was thanked for the use of his church for the dinner.
Joe Matthews won the 50/50 drawing, where 299 tickets were sold.
Door prizes were awarded, and each one at the dinner went home with a present in hand.
Everson announced that the next meeting would be Jan. 5 at 6 p.m. — the start of a new year of providing service to those in need.
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Gen. George Armstrong Custer has been a popular figure in New Rumley and becomes even more so on Dec. 5, the date of his birthday in a small cabin home that is gone but strikes up interest during that week.
Dave Rose, president of the Custer Memorial Association, was honored for his work in promoting the Custer hometown by being named one of 10 persons selected by the Herald-Star and Weirton Daily Times as a Community Star in October. We at the Herald-Star were warmed to see that he had included a story about the Community Stars program in the Custer Courier newsletter.
Dave was nominated by Dee Horstman, a Custer Memorial Association member, for all the work accomplished during the Custer Day programs held in June each year and the December birthday dinners and for promoting the memorial association.
Ohio Sen. Lou Gentile, D-Steubenville, sent a certificate for the outstanding efforts displayed as a retired military veteran and volunteer with the Custer Museum and Custer Ohio Historical Site.
And another Community Star, Herman Neimayer, and his dedicated crew of volunteers spent a weekend giving the sign a much-needed facelift at the intersection of state Routes 151 and 646 in Scio. Part of the sign had chipped away, and the Cavalry yellow had faded.
There is a similiar sign at the Ruritan Park in Jewett. Both were the work of Neimayer in the early 1990s. They look bright and beautiful now.
Also Dee Horstman, who nominated Rose for the Community Stars award, is a Community Star herself. Pretty good for the small community of Scio.
News will be coming soon concerning the dinner observing the general’s birthday.
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You likely have heard this before, but I am again going to tell the candy cane legend, one of the most popular sweets of the holiday season that bears a witness for Jesus Christ.
A candy maker wanted to make a sweet that would be a witness for his savior, so he made the candy cane.
He incorporated several symbols for the birth, ministry and death of Jesus Christ.
White symbolized the virgin birth and the sinless nature of Jesus. The hardness of the candy symbolized solid rock, the foundation of the church and the firmness of the promises of God.
The candy maker made the candy in the form of a “J” to represent the precious name of Jesus, who came to Earth as our savior and a symbol to represent the staff of the Good Shepherd.
He decided to stain it with red stripes, representing stripes Jesus received prior to his crucifixion for our healing.
The large red stripe represents the shedding of his blood on the cross for our salvation.
(McCoy, a resident of Smithfield, is a staff columnist and food editor with the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times. She can be contacted at emccoy@heraldstaronline.com.)
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