A new resource for those seeking an adult care facility is available within the Black Hills.  GaelMeyer-Johnson, who owns Sunny Hill Senior Center in Lead, had gotten requests for help in finding placement for elderly family members.  As a result she developed a website that features care facilities across the state of South Dakota.  http://www.myseniorsolution.com/local.htm

Just a reminder of our Genie Meet tomorrow - Wednesday 20 Aug 2008 - 1:30 at the Whitewood Library.  Hope to see you then !!!  jean

Posted by Kaity Parks

On Friday August 22nd at 5:30 pm the raffle for the South Dakota trunk will be drawn at the Whitewood Family Restaurant. Anyone interested in attending is invited and encouraged to attend. Raffle tickets are still available until this date, so if you are interested in purchasing a raffle ticket pleast contact Kaity Parks.

Posted by Deb Olson and Patty Karas

To update the skateboard park project.

July 4th was a huge success. With the raffle ticket sales on the skateboard & equipment donated by Edge Sports & the percentage of firework sales the park project increased by almost $2000.00. Thanks Brenda for the tip and to KOTA TV for the interview. We received a $500 donation from a St. Onge citizen that saw the broadcast and wanted to help.

The Whitewood Days celebration poker run, bake sale & silent auction earned nearly $700. Thanks Shaftos & the Hub & Pub staff.

The 11th of August we CANvased the town for aluminum cans. Again thanks Deb & John Shafto for saving all your cans for us & to all those who have given us cans in the past. We totaled $75 that day and have earned close to $400 just in can collecting! So please drop off your cans to Aprils Place to help us earn more money with the cans!!

September 6th the committee will hold a Flea Market at Hale Hall from 10am to 4pm. Table space is $20 and there will be a bake food sale. We will also be collecting a can good at the door for our local Lords Cupboard. Please SPREAD THE WORD! Contact Deb Olson 722-0882, Patty Karas 642-5705 or Deb Britton 269-3938 to reserve table space.

And what would October be without a Haunted House? Hale Hall will be set up for a very scary good time October 30th, 31st & November 1st. ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK, IF YOU DARE!!

Please get involved! We are willing to put in the time if you are willing to spend the dime. Donations are greatly appreciated!!!

Available at the Whitewood Public Library are copies of the South Dakota Small Business Administration Resource publication is

Time:  7 August 2008 - 10:00

Subject:   Activities for Children ages 7-10  -

 instructor is the new County Extension Educator Amy Frerichs.

This next workshop will be held at the City Library.  Please call Rea at the library @ 269-2616 or Deb Rombough at 642-6200 to pre-register for the workshop.  Thank you.

Tuesday, 12 August, 2008 

ENTER non-livestock items for the

Butte/Lawrence County Fair.

Open Class and 4-H alike.  Your knitting, sewing, photography, woodworking, collections, food preservation, homemade wine and whatever your handicraft is.  Bring your items to the Fair and the ladies in the pavilion will find a category that fits you best. Any questions … call the Spearfish Extension Office at 642-6200.

This website has a quiz for you to take that estimates your footprint.

Butte/Lawrence County Fair Happenings       

          Thursday  14 August  

                  11 AM-3 PM.  

      Operation Military Kids is sponsoring a Camo Camp.  Participants will go through an obstacle course, decode a message, make a craft, and talk to a military member about his/her experience.  Contact Lawrence County Extension Office  lawrence@sdstate.edu for more info

The younger we start participating and volunteering in our local organizations and community, the better the chance that these behaviors will become a central part of who we are and who we become. All organizations and communities need people to help, so start young.  

 Get involved!  Step Up!  Get THINGS DONE! 

Everyone can benefit by helping out their local organizations and communities, and these organizations always have projects or events that need willing and dedicated people to get these things moving!  Great things don’t get done by just wishing and hoping! And who else but US will step up and do what needs to be done? 

That’s right!  We are meeting August 11th at 5:30pm at Bullwhackers to plan a back to school carnival.  Bring your ideas and your enthusiasm.  If you have any questions please call Amy Barker

Celebrating 21 Horizons II successes is a new publication from the SDSU Cooperative Extension Service. This 8-page tabloid highlights the many successes documented by the 21 communities across South Dakota that recently completed the Horizons II project.

To read more about the great things happening in South Dakota communities click here.

A great South Dakota day trip for your family. 

The Sue exhibit is now in Faith!  The exhibit is the largest, most complete and best preserved Tyrannosaurus Rex ever unearthed. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to see this spectacular, full-sized cast of this dinosaur’s 42-foot long, 13-foot-high skeleton and learn more more about it’s intriguing past.

 Community Center
May 10, 2008 thru Sept. 1, 2008

Monday-Friday: 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

http://cci-exchange.com/ 

Five members of the Whitewood Babysitter Club met on Thursday, July 10 at the Whitewood Library to continue their education to increase learn new ideas and importance issues related the child care and personal growth.  The July 10^th lesson focused on being money smart and the group discussed wants vs. needs and goals related to the money they earn from babysitter, allowance or other jobs / income.  Deb Rombough, Extension Educator/FCS from Lawrence County presented the workshop and challenged the members to save 20% of any earnings.  Everyone had a great time and are looking forward to the more workshops soon!

 All welcome to the next classes.  Call the library to reserve a seat.  269-2616

July 24 – 1:30 pm – Infant Care - Deb Rombough

Aug. 7^th – 10:00 am – Activities for children ages 7-10 - Amy Frerichs

City crews are installing new playground equipment in Memorial Park and will be making some changes to the old equipment.   Whitewood Horizons will soon be gathering a ‘painting team’ to bring some life back into the old equipment.  Call Rea at the Library at 269-2616 to join the team.  Date and time TBA. 

Whitewood Conservation Corps

Are you 14 years of age or older?  The WCC is looking for a crew to clean up  flood debris including brush and tires and other materials in areas designated by Ross Grant from the City Maintenance Department.  This will be a short term paid job.  Waivers must be signed and can be obtained at City Hall or the Library.  A date has yet to be set for the clean up project.  Questions can be directed to Lynn Hill, Whitewood Police Officer or Rea Weyrich, Library Director (269-2616).

Enter them in the 

Butte/Lawrence County Fair  12-16 August at Nisland, SD

10 July at 10:00               All welcome

 On June 24^th, 5 members of the Whitewood Babysitters Club met at the City Library to continue their learning experiences.  The theme of the meeting focused on age appropriate activities with this week targeting preschool age youth.  In addition to receiving many more babysitter accessories (binder, day planner, etc.) with the help of the Horizons Grant and the Lawrence County Extension Office, the participants learned about and how to make file folder games that can be fun and educational for preschoolers at the same time!  Resources are available at the City Library for the club members to continue their activities throughout the year.

Deb Rombough, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator presented the workshop. 

The next workshop is planned for 10 am on July 10^th at the City Library where the focus will be on basic money management / how to make the most of your babysitter earnings.  Please call Rea at the library @ 269-2616 or Deb Rombough at 642-6200 to pre-register for the workshop.  Thank you.

  A WALK in the cool morning breeze can start your day off right.

            WALK to the Whitewood ball field for some evening entertainment.  

                        WALK on your own or with your family or friends  all around town.        

Step towards the Whitewood Walking Challenge.  Walking logs and pedometers are available at the Whitewood Public Library. 

Join the community walks on 13 July and 23 August

 Horizons communities around the state have identified actions to address poverty in their community. Many have identified our cultural reliance upon personal vehicles as an impediment to thriving communities. There is little public transport in rural areas and safe-bike ways are forgotten.  Take the pledge to support the effort to reduce our reliance upon oil and to build healthier communities where people are at the center.

Disney Minnie Grants

Agency: Youth Service America and Disney       Deadline: 08/30/2008

Description:Youth Service America and Disney are pleased to launch a second round of Disney Minnie Grants to engage children and youth, ages5-14 as community volunteers. The selected applications will receive $500 to support their youth-led service projects. The deadline is August 30 and projects must take place October 15-November 15, 2008.

The recent down pours certaintly don’t lend to the thought of conserving water  but the hot summer months are upon us.  Water consumption for our yards, gardens, & everyday summer activities can take a  toll on our water supply.  Installing a rain barrel can help with the cost of higher water usage and  help with conservation of our most precious resource. 

• Rain barrels conserve water and help lower costs (a rain barrel can save approximately 1,300 gallons of water during peak summer months).
• Rain barrels reduce water pollution by reducing stormwater runoff, which can contain pollutants like sediment, oil, grease, bacteria and nutrients.
• Rain barrels are inexpensive and easy to build and install

 You can search for rain barrels on the internet or find them at your local garden supply and hardware stores.  A rain barrel can simply be a garbage can that sits under a downspout or heavy runoff point from your roof.  It does not have to be expensive or fancy.  Here are some websites with good information on them: 

http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wlr/pi/rainbarrels.htm

http://www.harvesth2o.com/faq.shtml

SARE Provides Grants and Information to Improve Profitability, Stewardship and Quality of Life

SARE is a competitive grants program providing grants to researchers, agricultural educators, farmers and ranchers, and students in the United States.

Research and Education Grants: Ranging from $30,000 to $150,000 or more, these grants fund projects that usually involve scientists, producers, and others in an interdisciplinary approach.

Professional Development Grants: To spread the knowledge about sustainable concepts and practices, these projects educate Cooperative Extension Service staff and other ag professionals.

Producer Grants: Producers apply for grants that typically run between $1,000 and $15,000 to conduct research, marketing and demonstration projects and share the results with other farmers and ranchers.

On Farm Research/Partnership: Supports on-farm research by Extension, NRCS, and/or nonprofit organizations. Northeast, Southern and Western regions.

Sustainable Community Innovation: Forges connections between sustainable agriculture and rural community development. Northeast and Southern regions.

Sample Farmer/Rancher Projects  

June  is Dairy Month

Are you getting your 3-A-Day of Dairy? On the average, Americans eat only half the daily recommended servings of dairy. 3-A-Day of Dairy was created as a reminder to get 3 daily servings of milk, cheese, or yogurt for stronger bones and better health.

Make sure to get your 3-A-Day! 

Five Whitewood, SD youth attended a Babysitting Beginnings Training sponsored by the South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service of Lawrence County.  Deb Rombough, Family and Consumer Science Educator, was the presenter.  The youth gained information and hands-on experience covering basic safety and first aid, how to make healthy snacks, important facts about ages and stages of children, babysitting responsibilities and the business facts, age appropriate activities and much more!  Each participant received a babysitter’s kit and a wallet card certificate of completion.  This program is a part of the Whitewood Babysitter Club project, a result of the Horizons project. 

Follow-up workshops will be available in the future.  Currently topics scheduled at the Whitewood Public Library include:

June 19 – First Aid Follow-up / Choking Safety – Ellen Jenter, County Health Nurse (10-11 am)

June 24– Developmentally appropriate activities for children / rainy day activities (2-3 pm)

July 10 – Basic Financial Education / Savings for Youth (10-11 am)

Please pre-register by calling Deb Rombough at the Lawrence County Extension Office @ 642-6200 or Rea W. at the Whitewood Library @ 269-2616.

2nd All-American Wrestling Camp     

July 11-12         at Hale Hall

Brother’s Justin and Stanton Schlecht, former Whitewood AAU Members, are the clinicians for the camp.  Both brothers went on to wrestle for Sturgis Brown High School then continued to Dickinson (ND) State University. 

Justin, head instructor, is a three-time national champion and four-time All-American .  He was named NAIA Wrestler of the Year for 2007-08.  Justin was selected to appear in a Sports Magazine.

Stanton, assistant instructor, has earned All-American honors twice.  He finished second at the 2008 national tournament and eighth in the 2007. 

11 July  12 - under  12:00 - 3:00 pm                        13 - over  4:00 pm - 7:00 pm

12 July  12 - under 9:00 am to 12:00 pm                13 - over 1:00pm -4:00pm

Session sizes are limited.  A t-shirt is included with the $45 registration fee.  An AAU card is required.  Call Trevor Papenfuss at 722-2071 for more info.

SOUTH DAKOTANS WORRY ABOUT INCOME AND ECONOMY

Findings from a survey commissioned by the Northwest Area Foundation

IN THIS SURVEY, South Dakotans say they are worried about theirpinched wallets, overworked neighbors and struggling local economies.83%say they’ll vote this November, and most say their choices will be

influenced by what local elected officials are doing to help those struggling to

make ends meet:

• 3 in 10 worry all or most of the time that their income

won’t pay the bills this year.

• 1/2 say their local economies are “only fair” at best.

• Most believe their local elected officials should take

specific action on poverty.

At the same time, the survey results point to South Dakotans’ characteristic

“American grit” and hope. And most say they personally want to do more to help.

Click here to read more about this report

Whitewood’s Mary Livingston attended the Northwest Area Foundation’s Grassroots and Groundwork conference in Minneapolis this past week.   Here are more details

page has been updated. See the right hand side under pages and you can find the upcoming events page. If you have an event to post either comment here on the blog or send an email to the blog address and we’d be happy to get it on the blog for you.