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“Gnome News is Good News”
May 2010
Wayne’s Words of Wirth
Spring is a busy time of year with green
grass, leafing trees, blooming flowers and gar-
dens. Just like another new year starting.
The Village volunteers of Strasburg had a
great time with the Gnome Census. Over 400
were counted and more are moving in every
week. Since the count, I have had people tell
me they bought their first Gnome to be a part
of the craze. A big thanks goes to all who
helped with the census and gathered the food
items for the food pantries.
The 3rd Annual SCAN Flower Sale was an-
other huge success. The beautification volun-
teers gathered at 6am and grouped flowers by
varieties. By noon all pre-ordered flowers were
picked up and most of the extras had been
purchased. The Beautification Committee has
also been busy planting flowers at the wel-
come signs, the park, and other Village sites.
During the summer, volunteers will be watering
and weeding the various plantings. There is
info in this newsletter as to how you can volun-
teer to help with this project.
Our Village Police Chief, Charlie Evans, has
resigned. We thank Charlie for all the work he
has done for the Village over the last several
years and wish him well.
Anita Renshaw has resigned as Village Trus-
tee. We thank Anita for all her time and dedica-
tion over the last several years. We wish her
well as she continues to serve the public.
Some visitors have remarked that as they
drive through Strasburg to look at the Gnomes
they can’t seem to find them. Let’s think of
creative ways we can make them more visible.
We have so much to be proud of in our vari-
ous businesses, a new convenience store,
Looking for Lincoln storyboard, friendly people
and a nice neat town.
Let’s keep on making Strasburg RIGHT! in
the middle of everything!
DATES TO REMEMBER
American Legion Poppy Day 5/22
Village-Wide Clean-up Days 5/28-29
Village-Wide Rummage Sales 6/5
Lions' Chicken Fry 6/6
Canvassing for Comm Bldg Repair Donations 6/6-12
Flag Day/ Proper Flag Disposal 6/14
Newsletter Deadline 7/10
Wayne Wirth, Publisher PaulaRae Johnson, Editor
[email protected] •• www.strasburgil.com
Strasburg
Leash Law The Village of Strasburg has
on file an ordinance requir-
ing dogs within the corpo-
rate boundaries of the vil-
lage to be on a leash or kept
in a confined area. Violation
of this ordinance will result
in the Shelby Co. Animal
Control being called to pick
up the dog.
www.strasburgil.com
Stay up-to-date on what YOUR Village
Board is planning & doing. Board
meetings are the 2nd & 4th Mondays
of each month at 6:30pm and are
open to the public. If you cannot at-
tend, go to the above website for
current agendas and minutes under
the “News” tab.
Village Ordinance
No Burning after 3:30pm
Village
Ordinance
Grass MUST be
mowed before
8” tall!
American
Legion
POPPY DAY
Strasburg Mayor Wayne
Wirth has proclaimed Sat.,
May 22nd as Poppy Day. All
citizens are asked to pay
tribute to those who have
made the ultimate sacrifice
in the name of freedom by
wearing the Memorial Poppy
on this date.
Village-Wide Clean-Up Days
Fri., 5/28 … 1pm—7pm
Sat., 5/29 … 7am—12pm
Minimum Charge
$10 per load
PLEASE ... help keep the Village neat!
Saturday • June 5th Please sign up at the Post Office
We have had requests to offer
Gnomes for sale. There will be
all shapes and sizes of garden
gnomes for sale in Strasburg on
Sat., June 5th during the village-
wide garage sales. Some of
those locations are:
• Marathon Short Stop
Inside and outside
• Lenz’s Farm
@ the Tupperware table
American Legion Posts #289 (Liberty) and #725
(Strasburg & Garret-Baldridge, Windsor) will con-
duct a flag disposal ceremony at the Veterans’
Memorial in Strasburg on Monday, June 14th,
Flag Day at 7:00pm. Members of the community
are asked to save their unserviceable flags and
give them to any American Legion member in
Strasburg, or place in the container at the Legion
Post in Windsor. The public is invited to attend
this solemn ceremony. Please bring lawn chairs.
Page 2 Strasburg Gnome News—May 2010
2010 Strasburg Gnome Census Results
At 9am Saturday, April 17, 14 people—9 youth and 5 adults gathered at Strasburg Short
Stop. By 11:30am, the census takers had returned to Short Stop and shared pizza provided
by SCAN. 363 Gnomes were counted that morning and 300 lbs. of food gathered.
Front row, l-r: Clara Kaufman, Anna Yakey, Michelle
Sharp, Dylan Ohnesorge, Barb Ohnesorge, Andrew Cress
Middle row, l-r: Marcail Clark, Isaac Kramer, Tanner
Clark, Collin Ohnesorge
Back row, l-r: Connie Wirth, Pam Clark, Jane Giertz
The total for the Gnomes is now up to 405 as they keep coming out of the wood piles
around town.
Some interesting facts gathered by the census takers:
There are about 70 homes with Gnomes.
There are only 14 female Gnomes out of the 405 tallied.
Rosalee Elson and Les Sentel both have 65 Gnomes each.
The Gnome longest in a residence resides at Wayne Wirth’s
and has been there 44 years.
Gnomes in Strasburg have come from as far away as Germany and Hawaii.
A few Gnomes heard about Strasburg’s Gnome census. They also wanted to be
counted and moved to town a day or two before the census.
Food drive facts:
Over 115 boxed food were gathered. (cake mixes, pasta, etc.)
Over 285 canned goods were gathered.
Over 20 miscellaneous items were gathered.
Food was packed into 27 flats/boxes.
About half of the food was taken to Shelbyville Methodist
Food Pantry.
The other half of the food was taken to Trinity Lutheran, Stewardson.
Did you miss the TV and/or newspaper coverage of the Gnome census? Check out the
homepage of the Strasburg website and click on the links to watch WCIA and WCIS news
coverage. Also read the articles in the Effingham Daily News, Chicago Tribune and Decatur
Herald & Review.
Go to: www.strasburgil.com
Emails, etc have been received from all over the world, including—but not limited to— Portland,
Oregon; Hawaii; Australia; New York City; Phoenix, Arizona; Cincinnati, Ohio; Jacksonville, Florida;
New Orleans, Louisiana; Chicago, Illinois, Dallas, Texas and the UK.
The Coles County Barbershop Chorus
Presents
Sat • June 5 • 4pm
Featuring
Current International Quartet Champions
For Tickets or More Info:
Wayne Wirth
644-2680
From the Past ...
The Strasburg Herald
In 1889 J.A. Quicksall issued the first copy of the Strasburg her-
ald. From a small print shop with a hand press, he edited 50 cop-ies at first. Soon more than 200
copies were being printed weekly. Editor Quicksall soon
had the largest subscription list
for a weekly paper in Shelby Co.
Merchants and businessmen for 20 miles around advertised in the thriving paper. The paper passed through many owners
and served the community until the last issue was printed on
December 29, 1943.
Submitted by: Jane Giertz
And Today …
Strasburg Gnome News
To date, subscriptions are:
Email copies: 368
Mailed copies: 16
Local copies: 200 +
Way-to-Go-Strasburg!!!
Page 3 Strasburg Gnome News—May 2010
THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR MAKING THE
THIRD ANNUAL SCAN FLOWER SALE A SUCCESS!
There were approximately $3,400 pre-orders placed and over $1,000 in sales on May 1st and in the days following. The funds raised for SCAN are about $1,400. Funds raised are approximated as the bills for the cost of the flowers are
not yet received at this time. Please come to the second quarterly SCAN meeting on Sunday, June 27 for exact totals.
Thanks to all the workers for their time and efforts. The SCAN Flower Sale would not be possible without you.
Flower Workers Pictured are:
Front row, l-r: Chris Storm, Marcail Clark, Tanner Clark, Jane
Giertz
Middle row, l-r: Jack Clark, Pam Clark, Patsy Lenz, Jodie
Quast, Evelyn Augenstein, Cinda Held
Back row, l-r: Dwight Lading, Lisa Rincker, Esther Becker,
Sarah Gracey, Jason Durbin, Wayne Wirth
Workers not present at time of picture: Karen Kull, Judy Wit-
tenberg, Connie Wirth, Jeremy Gracey
Landscaping at the ...
“Looking for Lincoln” Storyboard at the Park!
Thank you Mark Luce for the use of a tractor for hauling away excess soil. Thank you Dwight Lading and Jack Clark for their time
and elbow grease used to install the landscaping.
More Landscaping ...
Around Town and at the Entrance Signs!
Thank you to Shelby County Community Services for donating the geraniums. Thank you to Dwight & Melvina Lading, Jane Giertz
and Connie Wirth for their part in planting the geraniums.
SCAN—Beautification Committee Needs Your Help!!!
The geraniums used for the landscaping around town will be watered and groomed throughout the summer by SCAN members. There are a few more weeks left without someone to care for the geraniums. The weeks begin on Monday and go through the following Sunday. Open weeks are: July 5—11; August 9—15; August 30—September 5; and the rest of September. Anyone wishing to help
with the care of the geraniums, please contact Pam Clark at 644-2402.
On Friday, May 7th many
of us enjoyed a free break-
fast sandwich at Subway.
Dianne and her crew served
approximately 95 breakfast
sandwiches. Thank you for
serving us well.
Now on Friday, May 21st
at the Short Stop, we get to
enjoy free pizza sampling,
compliments of Hunt Broth-
ers Pizza during the time that
the Pizza representative will
be there.
Perhaps all of this free
food will keep many of us
going down the street to
work out at The Gym.
Strasburg continues to
grow and offers more oppor-
tunities for all of us!
MORE FROM SCAN
BEAUTIFICATION COMMITTEE
Dwight Lading helps organize
plants for the Flower Sale.
Beautiful landscaping at the “Bell”
Page 4
Village of Strasburg
• Meet the Staff •
Dave “Dub” Ballinger
Utilities Superintendent
Travis Ballinger
Utilities Assistant
PaulaRae Johnson
Village Board Clerk
TIF Administrator
Economic Development Consultant
Nikki Daniels
Deputy Clerk
Village Hall
now located at the water tower
403 W. North Second Street
Hours: 10am—2pm
Monday—Friday
644-3007 • 690-8030
Strasburg Gnome News—May 2010
Utilities Superintendent Dub Bal-linger and assistant Travis Ballinger raise the new flags at Village Hall. Drive by and see it at 403 W. North 2nd Street (at the water tower). Feel
free to come in and say “hi”!
The little town known for its Gnomes is asking for the community’s help. In January,
pipes burst in the Strasburg Community Building flooding the building, resulting in major
interior damage.. The Community Building which is used for elections, numerous reunions,
receptions, school award banquets, bridal and baby showers, and by the local organizations
such as Lion’s Club, American Legion and Auxiliary, Boy Scouts, SCAN and special meetings
of the Village Board has been unfit for use since that date. To repair the building and bring
it to current codes, a group of concerned citizens along with the Board of the Village of
Strasburg are hoping to raise $45,000 by July 1st.
Individuals may make a tax deductible contribution to help with the renovation by send-
ing a check made payable to the foundation below with the memo “Strasburg Community
Improvement Fund” to the following address:
Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation
P.O. Box 1211
Effingham, IL 62401
Or a contribution may be made at the Shelby County State Bank made payable to the
Strasburg Community Building Repair Fund.
Community members will be canvassing the town during the week of June 6—12 seeking
monetary donations to help reach the goal.
Questions may be directed to Mayor Wayne Wirth at 644-2680
Sunday June 6 This annual event has been held in the park on the first Sun-
day in June for many years. A portion of this year’s proceeds will be used for the renovations at the Strasburg Community Building.
Menu includes fried chicken, potato salad, slaw, chips, bread & butter with ice tea and lemonade to drink..
Please plan to attend and support the Lions and their projects.
2nd Annual Route 32 Rush
Boys & Girls Hitting Derby
Sunday • June 6th • Strasburg Park
Contact Kevin Kramer with questions (217) 644-3230
Proceeds go to Route 32 Rush traveling baseball team.
Tupperware has been in business 60 years. Many of us have grown up with Tupperware. Jeremy Gracey did as his Mom sold Tupperware from the time he was a child to the
present. Since 2007, Jeremy & Sarah Gracey are in the Tupperware business as well.
Tupperware has changed through the years but is still high in quality and a great business opportunity. The Graceys offer on-line ordering, book orders, catalog shows, and fund raisers. Sale flyers run monthly from the 15th to the 15th. They host two or more open-houses a year.
Tupperware offers storage containers, refrigerator containers, prep sets, grill sets, carry & take sets, cutlery & cookware sets, mi-crowave sets, on the go items, seasonal items and a kid’s selection—to name a few. Changing with the times Tupperware remains useful,
up to date and durable.
Jeremy and Sarah are dedicated to Tupperware. Sarah also works at Life Links and Jeremy works at Staples both in Mattoon. Jeremy has also re-turned to school to become a respiratory therapist and EMT. Tupperware provides extra income with flexible hours.
Tupperware offers a lot of positive aspects for consumer and consultant. It offers
team support at local, regional and national levels as well as offering rewards. The Tup-perware tradition continues with Jeremy and Sarah as their boys, Jacob-6 and Nathaniel-4, are also familiar the business and products. This growing family is preserving their future with Tupperware.
Contact Sarah or Jeremy Gracey at 105 N. Strasburg Street. Home phone is 644-3129, cell phone is 254-2503, email at [email protected] or on-line at my2.tupperware.com/SarahGracey. This couple works together to meet your Tupperware needs. Thank you Sarah and Jeremy for all your hard work and dedication. Strasburg is
happy to have you here.
By: Barb Ohnesorge
Page 5
Have you noticed the little business in the south east corner of Strasburg on Rt. 32.? There is a vast array of things in the little shop. The place is called Olivier’s, pronounced (O liv e a’s). It sounds French. These folks are Ed and Barb Olivier and they moved to Strasburg in 2000. They live in the former parsonage for St. Paul’s Church. Ed works at the cabinet shop in Stewardson and Barb works at Busey Bank in Shelbyville.
In 2002, they opened this small business with mostly fabrics and used books. Before opening the store they had sold on eBay. This busy couple buys closeouts in crafts and fabrics. Their main interest is fabrics and books. There are more than 3,000 bolts and rolls to choose from including Debbie Mumm, Fleece, VIP, Marcus brothers and many others. They sell wood cutouts in many varieties, ribbon by the foot or roll, beads for jewelry or crafts, scrapbooking supplies, and silk flowers.
They have finished crafts, wood items, handmade quilts, gift items, collectibles, baskets, and greeting cards. There are also stamped embroidery items such as quilt blocks, pillow cases, and scarves. They carry DMC floss and a large assortment of yarn for crocheting and knitting.
Olivier’s run a different special each weekend. They have a newsletter released the 1st week-end of the month. If you have an event, they will add it to the newsletter.
Important things Olivier’s are involved in is the Project Linus and ConKerr Cancer programs. The material needed for these projects are available in their store. Barb personally has made 60 blankets for Project Linus. They also donate fabric to area churches for quilts and sleeping bags. Just give them a call or visit their store if you are interested in these projects or others.
When visiting their store, you will be greeted by Ed and Barb wearing big smiles and of course there is their dog Midnight, the official store greeter. They are open Wednesday and Thursday 4—7pm; Saturday 10am—5pm; and Sunday noon—5pm. Phone them at the shop: 217-644-2677 or their cell: 217-690-0021 or checkout their website: www.oliviers.web.officelive.com. They will be happy to hear from you.
By: Jane Giertz
The next issue of
Gnome News will
be July 15th!
Deadline for
submissions is
Saturday, 7/10 Please send all
contact informa-
tion, artwork and
photos to
Planet ZOOM VBS
July 26th—30th
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
9-11:30am • Ages3-12
VBS Registration forms are around
town or in the church narthex.
Still in need of teachers, helpers
and cookie donations.
An informational meeting for all volunteers will be Mon., May
17th @ 7pm in the social hall at
St. Paul’s
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church
CCONTACT: Courtney at 644-2621 or [email protected]
Strasburg Gnome News—May 2010
Zumba is a dance fitness
program that combines Latin
and international music with
dance in an effort to make
exercise fun. Part dance, part
aerobics, Zumba works almost
every muscle in the body.
If interested in a class starting,
please contact Lisa Shelton at:
403 W. North Second Street
P.O. Box 385
Strasburg, IL 62465
Strasburg Gnome News Dist r ibuted by SCAN a nd the
Vi l lage o f St rasburg
Phone: 217-644-3007
Phone: 217-690-8030
Fax: 217-644-3005
E-mail: [email protected]
Village of Strasburg
Board of Trustees
Wayne Wirth, President
Chris Daniels, Trustee
Jason Durbin, Trustee
Mac Figgins, Trustee
Dean Kessler, Trustee
Doug Quast, Trustee
Tony Reed, Trustee
PaulaRae Johnson, Clerk
217-690-8030
Nikki Daniels, Deputy Clerk
Dave “Dub” Ballinger, Utilities
Travis Ballinger, Assistant
Board of Trustees Meeting
2nd & 4th Mondays of Month
6:30pm
Village Hall
403 W. North Second St.
(under water tower)
We’re on the Web…
www.strasburgil.com
NEWS FLASH: SCIF has reached a milestone by surpassing the $10, 000 mark
The Strasburg Community Improvement Fund is an excellent opportunity to consider for
giving back to the community.
For information on how to contribute to the Strasburg Community Improvement Fund, please contact
one of the board members: Evelyn Augenstein, Larry Lading, Larry Giertz, Tim Lenz, and Christina
Kramer. Or email them at [email protected]
This has become a resource to donate to and assist in the renovation of the Community Building.
Join “I know where Strasburg, Illinois is” on Facebook.
Page 6
The SCAN Marketing Team is making many new changes to the Strasburg website. View
photos and news items, look up local businesses, use the calendar to see when events are
happening and where! Go to: www.strasburgil.com
If you have pictures to share, please send them to [email protected]
We are always looking for new ideas for the newsletter. Thanks!
Strasburg: DID YOU KNOW?
In the 1850s, the first large group
of German settlers arrives
Picture above: Sarah Luce, Jessica Telgmann, Ben Helton, and Hayley Mettendorf of the Stew-
ardson-Strasburg FFA Chapter attended the Section 20 Public Speaking Contest on February 25,
2010. The event was held at Oblong High School with many participating students of the Section.
Haley and Ben recited the FFA Creed by E.M. Tiffany. Jessica participated in Varsity Extempo-
raneous Speech Contest. Sarah, for her second year participated in the Varsity Prepared Public
Speaking, with her speech on Cap and Trade — ”Don’t Cap My Future”, placing first at the Sec-
tion level. Sarah moved on to the District level.
On April 7, the District 4 Public Speaking Contest was held at Lake Land College in Mattoon.
Sarah presented her speech in front of the select judges. She placed 3rd overall, ranking in the
top 15 Varsity Prepared Public Speakers of the state.
Sarah Luce has won the Section competition 2 years in a row as a Freshman and as a Sopho-
more competing in Varsity Prepared Public Speaking. Her previous speech was promoting Etha-
nol—America’s Renewable Energy. Speeches must be written and researched by the student, be
6-8 minutes in length and follow the prepared script. Both years she advanced to the District
competition but was unable to advance to the State competition. Stew-Stras FFA advisor, Mark
Wildman stated, “Sarah’s placing at District puts her in the top 15 FFA prepared public speakers
in the state this year.”
Parents of the group are Jessica, daughter of Don and Kim Telgmann; Ben, son of John Helton
and Lisa Helton; Haley, daughter of Dan and Kim Mettendorf; Sara, daughter of Mark and
Melissa Luce.
More information on FFA is available at www.ffa.org
The Gnome News congratulates all these students and their parents. We are proud to pass
along news of the accomplishments of those who will become Strasburg’s future.
Strasburg Gnome News—May 2010
