Looking for Volunteer Builders and Cooks!

Airplane Park Playground Build | September 18th – 22nd

The time has arrived for the build of the playground being spearheaded by the Edwardsville Rotary. The build will be Wednesday, September 18 through Sunday, September 22 from sunrise to sunset each day. Hopefully, with the exception being Sunday the 22nd which, if everything goes according to plans, we will be having a Completion Celebration in the afternoon.

We need volunteers. The actual building of the playground is done completely by community volunteers. We need volunteers who can swing hammers, hold the other end while the hammer is being swung, fetch supplies, pass out water, assist in the serving of the meals and snacks.

If you have a day, a few hours or even just one hour – your help will be greatly appreciated. Come be a part of this fabulous community project. Thousands and thousands of children will come to play for the next 50 years on the playground you helped build. (Trust me – you will tell the story. My husband, Scott, was still telling the story about how he helped build the old playground right up till the day it had to be torn down!) To volunteer email Dan Abegg at dabegg@4thebank.com or Brian Mulhall at Brian@brianmulhall.com.

Calling all cooks!

We are looking for help to feed the masses. Most of the spaces are filled except for the Wednesday evening and the Friday evening meals. Both are served at 5:00 p.m. So I was thinking, “How about a community pot luck”. I have had a few of our customers ask what they could do to help – so this is what we need. We need for you to bring your favorite pot-luck dish. Doesn’t matter what it is – that way there will be something for everyone. Send me an email or give us a call at the Chef’s Shoppe and let us know which meal you can help us. Wednesday, September 18, dish to arrive by 4:30 p.m. or Friday, September 20, dish to arrive by 4:30 p.m. Email Nancy at chefs.shoppe@prodigy.net or call Chef’s Shoppe @ 618-659-9840 Be sure to include your mailing address with the email and after the build I will be sending coupons for a free bag of popcorn for your support.

This is a great community with people who help one another. Let’s all pitch in and help get this playground build so we too can tell our kids, grandkids and anyone else who will listen that we helped build the Airplane Park Playground!

Submitted by Beth Miramonti

Kim and Krickitt Carpenter's The Vow Book Club

Yeehaaaa!  As a former English teacher and book addict, I am thrilled to write in the case of The Vow the "book was definitely better" than the movie (keeping the written word alive).  The Vow written by Kim and Krickitt Carpenter with Dana Wilkerson tells the true story of this newly wed husband and wife who face physical, emotional, and financial obstacles after a near-fatal car accident. 
Told from the point-of-view of the husband, Kim Carpenter, it was a quick, inspiring read.  The fact the book was written from the husband's point-of-view only, though, left me wanting to know more about Krickitt Carpenter, her feelings and thoughts during this entire ordeal since it was her memory of her life with this man which was affected.  A more feminine style of writing may have softened, or at the very least offered further elaboration on such passages as, "I still yell at her from time to time and I feel bad about it"  (177).  Huh?  

For the purposes of book club, the ideal of Kim and Krickitt's decision to court one another again in an effort "to rebuild the marriage from the ground up" (162) came to mind.  So, what does one eat while at the movies on a date with that special someone?  Perhaps a buttery bag of popcorn causing one's greasy fingers to "accidentally" touch while digging for another handful may rekindle the flame.  So, a variety of popcorns ranging from sweet to savory in flavor from Chef's Shoppe in Edwardsville, IL, may not only satisfy the munchies during discussion, but also may recall a past love.  

Join us in the discussion January 16th at 7:30 p.m. in The Oak Room at Troy United Methodist Church.  









Contact EatReadPrayTroyUMC@gmail.com with any questions.