November 2011 Calendar of Events

Waste Tire Collection

Friday, Nov. 4 and Saturday, Nov. 5

9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Lincoln County Highway Department

219 Highway H

Lincoln County residents can recycle old tires at the Lincoln County Highway Department for no charge. Recyclers need proof of residency, such as a driver’s license. Tires must be free of dirt and debris, off the rim and no tires from commercial operations. For more info, call 636-528-7112.

Caregiving During The Holidays

Wednesday, Nov. 9

10 a.m.

Middendorf-Kredell Library

O’Fallon
If you are one of the millions of Americans that find themselves in the role of caregiver for a spouse or family member, you may often feel alone, overwhelmed and exhausted. Add to this the stress of the holiday season and you have a recipe for undermining your own health. Join a panel of service professionals for a Q &A session that will discuss important caregiver resources and tips to develop coping skills to tackle the stress of balancing caregiving duties with your other life activities. This seminar is sponsored by Progress West HealthCare Center. Call 636-344-2273 or log onto http://www.progresswesthealthcare.org to register.

Free

United We Stand: A Tribute of the United Service Organizations of World War II

Friday, Nov. 11, 8 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 12, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, Nov. 13, 3 p.m.

St. Charles Community Campus, Social Sciences Building
The cast, crew and orchestra of The Metropolitan Broadcasting Company will recreate the patriotic radio shows of World War II. Enjoy the news, music, comedy and conversation of the war years from 1941 through 1944.
Adults $5; senior citizens, veterans and students $4; SCC students, faculty and staff free
Tickets are available online at http://www.stchastickets.com or by calling 636-922-8233.

Footloose

Thursday, Nov. 17-Saturday, November 19

8 p.m.

Troy Buchanan High School

The Choral and Drama Departments present the musical Footloose about a city kid who moves to a small town where rock 'n' roll and dancing have been banned, and his rebellious spirit shakes up the populace. Tickets are $11.50 and $6.50 for ages 6 and younger and can be purchased online.

Historic St. Charles Christmas Traditions

Opening Ceremony

11 a.m.

Friday, Nov. 25-Saturday, Dec. 24

Kister Park Gazebo

400 block of St. Main

Santa arrives by horse-drawn carriage, escorted by the Lewis and Clark Fife and Drum Corps and the Legends of Christmas. Festivities continue all day with caroling, vendors and Santa from around the world. The tree lighting will be held at 5 p.m. in Berthold Square. For detailed information and schedules, view the 2011 Festival Guide.

French Creole culture in Old Mines, Missouri comes alive with music, food, tradition at the La Fete De L’Automne Festival

What: La Fete De L’Automne Creole Festival, sponsored by the Old Mines Area Historical Society of Washington County
When: Sunday, October 2, 2011
Time: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Where: Fertile/Old Mines, Missouri
How to get there: Fertile is about 1 ½ hours south of Troy near Washington State Park on Highway 21 and Route C. Here is a detailed map with directions. Click on My Places and then on My Saved Places.
For more information, call the Historical Society at 636-394-3628.

The heritage, music, culture and food of French Creole people come alive on Sunday, October 2 at the annual Le Fete De L’Automne, a festival celebrating a little known area of Missouri–Old Mines and Fertile.

The festival is a wonderful look into the lives of French Creole descendants, many of whom still speak the dialect and preserve their ancestors’ way of life in what was known as Upper Louisiana, part of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. Just 1 ½ hours south of Troy, your drive through the fall foliage leads you to a day of music, featuring internationally known fiddler Dennis Stroughmatt and Creole Stomp.

In addition to the wonderful music, you’ll enjoy the famous chicken and dumplings dinner, croquinoles (French pastry made fresh on site), bakery (lots of home baked goodies), French sausage, ice cream, roasting ears and beverages, including mulled apple cider. Visit an historic display in the old Maplewood School house, see live demonstrations, trace your ancestors, purchase historical publications see what’s on offer at the country store.

Also featured are apple butter making, 1800s crafts, a gunsmith, blacksmith shop and the log home museum.

About the music
Dennis Stroughmatt, an authentic Creole/Cajun fiddler and preservationist, is a featured speaker for the Missouri Humanities Council Program Bureau and a touring master artist on the Mid-America Arts Alliance Artist Tour. As a teenager, Dennis was introduced to the American French culture in Old Mines. He spent two and a half intensive years recording, observing and learning many of the Creole French traditions still alive in “Upper Louisiana.”

The knowledge he gained there includes a centuries’ old French Creole fiddling style from fiddlers Roy Boyer and Charlie Pashia, fluency in Illinois-Missouri Creole French, and a wealth of stories and songs from storytellers and singers like Rose Pratte, Annie Pashia, Kent Beaulne, and Eli Robart, all of which have been handed down generation to generation in Missouri and Illinois for nearly 300 years.

A wonderful storyteller as well as a musician, Dennis also tours with Louisiana Creole greats Morris Ardoin and Dexter Ardoin, Lafayette’s Bayou Boys, The Lucky Playboys and other premier Creole/Cajun Bands.

July 2011 Calendar of events

Miss Lincoln County Fair Queen Pageant
Saturday, July 9
7 p.m.
Bonfils Auditorium
Watch 20 contestants vie for the honor of being the 2011 Miss Lincoln County Fair Queen, who will reign over the fair.

Lincoln County Fair Parade
Sunday, July 10
5 p.m.
Begins at the Troy Junior High School and the Library and ends at the City Park.

Lincoln County Fair
Tuesday, July 12-Saturday, July16
Lincoln County Fair Grounds
Fairgrounds Road
For detailed information about the fair, go to lincolncountyfair.net or call 636.528.2402. Entertainment headliners on Saturday, July 16 are the Charlie Daniels Band and Travis Tritt. Also, horse shows, 4-H competitions, truck and tractor pulls, demolition derby, Supercross, Dock Dogs, barbeque contests, classic tractor pull, livestock auctions, carnival rides, midway food and so much more this year.
Admission fees vary.

Supermarket Savvy
Thursday, July 14th
6-8 p.m.
Middendorf-Kredell Library
2750 Hwy K, O’Fallon
Learn from a nutrition and health education specialist the best strategies to feed you and your family healthfully and still meet your budget goals.
To attend, call 636.344.CARE (2273) or register online.

Blessing of the Fleet
Saturday, July 16
Portage des Sioux/Grafton
1 p.m.
Yacht Club of St. Louis
Boats will proceed downstream or from Harbor Point upstream in the main channel of the Mississippi River. The parade arrives at Our Lady of the Rivers Shrine at 2:15 p.m. where the boats will be blessed and ends in Grafton. Boats will be decorated with this year’s theme, Mermaids. For information, go to blessingofthefleetstl.com or call 618-786-7678

Sculpture, culture and exercise are rolled into one Missouri day trip vacation

Brought To You by Marquitz Motors, Enjoy Your Summer Fun!

Memorial Day signifies the beginning of summer and all things leisure. There are the barbeques, sports to play, swimming and planning the vacation. Rather than going far, far away, some of the best places for your vacation are right here in Missouri. What, stay home and vacation?

Right here in our own backyard are some wonderful experiences. The trick is to think like a tourist and enjoy activities that we can look at differently. Working on creative ways to have fun locally not only saves some money, it also gives us more appreciation of what features we have.

Our area is so rich with conservation areas, wildlife refuges, lakes and rivers that visitors from other states come back every summer to enjoy what we have.

Let’s look a bit north of Troy for an easy day trip that combines nature and art. Located on 20 acres and surrounded by a 300-acre natural refuge, the Henry Lay Sculpture Park near Louisiana is a family great adventure.

An easy 40-minute walk wanders through a maple grove, the McElwee Cemetery and many sculptures designed by internationally recognized artists. Children will enjoy Story Woods where they can read, play on and picnic with the sculptures. Emilie, the story keeper, and her garden of books greets visitors.

Part of St. Louis University’s Lay Center for Arts and Education, this is a perfect mix of art, culture and adventure as you hike through meadows, wooded rolling hills, lakes and streams. Only 39 miles and 45 minutes from Troy, this is a great day trip to pack a lunch and explore. If you have time, extend your trip into Louisiana, a delightful river town full of shopping, food and even more art.

The Henry Lay Sculpture Park is open daily from 10 a.m. to dusk and is free.

To help you plan your summer vacations in our state, the Missouri Division of Tourism has many suggestions and offers the 2011 Missouri Travel guide at no charge.

Distracted Driving – Continued

We all know that driving while talking on the phone is a risk, and that driving while texting is even riskier. The influence of technology has taken hold of many people when they get behind the wheel. In our previous blog about distracted driving we provided you with some alarming data from surveys conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. After having explained the problem in our last article we are now going to present you with several different solutions.

A Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study revealed that physically dialing a phone while driving increases the risk of a crash as much as six times. Texting is riskier still, increasing the collision risk by 23 times. One recommendation to reduce the impact of distracted driving is that if you know someone is behind the wheel do not attempt to contact them unless it is an emergency (i.e. someone is bleeding, house is on fire, etc.). For those times when a phone call is necessary, several vehicle manufacturers have introduced features that allow for hands-free usage of phones as well as navigation systems.

An increase in the usage of phones can be seen when a driver is at a red light, stopped in traffic, driving alone, and while on a long drive. Another recommendation is that parents monitor their child’s daily phone usage to make sure they are not using it at an inappropriate time. Similarly, phone blocker applications have been developed in order for parents to restrict the cell-phone use of their kids and to record their driving behaviors. A few of these applications also have the ability to monitor the location of the cell-phone at all times.

What do you think about our recommendations? What ways do you suggest to reduce the amount of distracted driving? Let us know in our comments section.

Distracted Driving

We have all been there, driving down the road watching someone talk on their cell phone. Maybe they are sending a text message, applying makeup, multi-tasking, or even reading paperwork. Doesn’t sound very safe does it? Perhaps you were the one talking on the phone. Do not feel too bad as you are not alone. Recent surveys conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center have shown that 94% of individuals surveyed had witnessed other drivers talking on their phone within the last 30 days. Nearly 66% of that same group had seen someone texting while driving.

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood has called distracted driving a deadly epidemic. In 2009 over 5,500 people were killed and 448,000 injured in accidents related to driver distraction. Several individuals have come forward lately in an effort to tell their stories about how dangerous this growing trend actually is. These are some of the most horrific stories ever told, and each one happened in an instant. Statistically speaking, the majority of people reading this article have been affected in one way or another by someone who was not focused behind the wheel.

Of the 5,500 people killed in 2009 by accidents related to driver distraction, over 3,400 of them were teenagers. This epidemic is spreading among teenagers like wildfire, and not enough people are doing anything about it. Nearly 2 out of every 3 drivers under the age of 30 have used a handheld phone while driving in the last 30 day; similarly 1 out of every 3 drivers under the age of 30 have texted while behind the wheel.

The discussion of distracted driving will be continued in our next blog where we will provide you with ways to help fight the problem. What are some of your thoughts on focusing behind the wheel? Let us know what you think in our comments section.

Teen Driving - What You Need to Know

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed the Federal Uniform Drinking Age Act, a law that threatened to withhold federal highway funds from states that failed to increase their minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) to 21. Nearly thirty years later the U.S. Congress will attempt to use the same tactic in order to force states to accept a national minimum requirement for Graduated Drivers’ License (GDL) laws. The STANDUP Act (Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection Act) is being reintroduced in Congress after being stalled last year.

Missouri is one of several states with GDL laws in place, and has been rated as “Good” by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). A few key points of the current Missouri GDL law:

• Three Levels: Instruction Permit, Intermediate License, Under 21 Full License
• Must be 15 years of age to receive Instruction Permit and complete 40 hours of supervised driving to advance
  
• Intermediate License can be acquired at 16 years of age and completed the Instruction Permit stage
  
• First 6 months, only 1 passenger under the age of 20
  
• Second 6 months, up to 3 passengers under the age of 20
  
• Under 21 Full License is available at age 18 upon completion of the Intermediate License

Under the new STANDUP Act you will notice a few changes:

• Age 16 will be the earliest for an Instruction Permit
  
• Only 1 non-family member passenger under the age of 21 during the Intermediate License stage
  
• No driving while using a cell phone

This law is being proposed in order to save teenage lives. In 2009, over 3,400 teens were killed in motor vehicle accidents.

What do you think? Is the GDL a good idea for teenagers? Give us your thoughts on our comments section.