•December 7, 2022•
On Sunday, December 11 at 3 pm Santa will be riding around Findlay on a firetruck.
•December 7, 2022•
On Sunday, December 11 at 3 pm Santa will be riding around Findlay on a firetruck.
•November 30, 2022•
There will be a bingo and movie night on Saturday, December 10 at the Bethany Depot. Bingo starts at 4 pm and the movie at 6:30 pm. Entry fee is $5 and includes bingo and/or movie. Concessions will be available. All children must be accompanied by an adult. All proceeds go towards the 2023 Bethany Celebration. See the Bethany Celebration Facebook page for more details.
•November 30, 2022•
The Sullivan FCCLA will be having Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, December 10 from 8 to 10 am in the SHS commons. Cost is $5 per person. Breakfast includes 2 pancakes per person and drink choices of hot chocolate, coffee, juice or milk. For more information at tickets e-mail Mrs. Barnes at barnesa@sullivan.k12.il.us.
•November 30, 2022•
BASO will present Santa’s Visit to Bethany on Sunday, December 4 from 3:00 to 4:30 pm at Okaw Valley Elementary gymnasium. There will be games, treats, fun and Santa will be listening to Christmas wishes. They are accepting donations to the Bethany Food Pantry. Kids who donate items get a ticket to be entered into a prize drawing.
•November 30, 2022•
The United Methodist Women’s Christmas Bake Sale and Cookie Extravaganza will be held on Friday, December 9 from 8 am to 4:30 pm at the Sullivan First United Methodist Church, across from the firehouse. There will be homemade cookies, breads, pastries, candies, pies, jellies and more. All proceeds support UMW missions.
•November 30, 2022•
A retirement celebration for Pastor Kevin D. Ray will be held on Sunday, December 11 at 10 am at the First Christian Church, 202 S. Broadway in Shelbyville. The featured speaker will be Pastor Wayne Kent and an appreciation tea will follow the worship service at 11:30 am in the church fellowship hall.
•November 30, 2022•
There will be a Senior Citizen Community Holiday Dinner on Monday, December 12 at 5 pm at the American Legion Hall in Findlay. If you are unable to attend and would still enjoy a dinner call Vickie Wooters at 217-972-8664 or Chris Coventry at 217-273-8529 and a dinner will be delivered to you. This dinner is sponsored by Findlay churches, Findlay Woman’s Club, Ladies Legion Auxiliary, Okaw Valley Middle School and American Legion.
•November 30, 2022•
Email your letters to Santa at santa@newsprogress.com
Deadline is December 8.
•November 23 2022•
Thanksgiving is a time to gather with family and friends and reflect on one’s blessings. In 2022, Canadian Thanksgiving takes place on October 10, while Americans celebrate on November 24. In anticipation of these holidays, here are some interesting facts about the Thanksgiving celebration.
1. American Thanksgiving is largely modeled on a 17th century harvest feast shared by the English settlers and the Wampanoag tribe.
2. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October. It is based on European harvest festivals.
3. The National Turkey Federation says around 45 million turkeys will be eaten on Thanksgiving, which equates to about 720 million pounds of turkey being consumed (with the average turkey size being 16 pounds).
4. The Butterball hotline answers roughly 100,000 calls every year on its turkey question hotline.
5. In 1953, the Swanson company overestimated the number of frozen turkeys it would sell for the holiday season by 26 tons. Rather than waste the meat, Swanson sliced it up, repackaged it and created the first frozen TV dinners.
6. Thanksgiving in America may be older than many recognize. While Thanksgiving is largely tied to the 17th century settlers, the National Parks Service says in 1565 Spanish settlers in St. Augustine (now Florida) celebrated by having a meal to which they invited the native Seloy tribe. The Spanish served pork stew, sea biscuits, red wine, and garbanzo beans. Some say the Seloy contributed turkey, venison and maize.
7. Thanksgiving didn’t become a civic holiday until Abraham Lincoln made it one after the Civil War tragedy. Thanksgiving was declared a national holiday on October 20, 1864.
8. The Pilgrims did not refer to themselves as “pilgrims.” They used the word “separatists” as they were separating themselves from a larger belief system.
9. In addition to Canada and the United States, Grenada, Liberia, the Philippines, Saint Lucia, and the Netherlands celebrate their own versions of Thanksgiving.
10. Each year, the American president “pardons” a turkey from slaughter on Thanksgiving. This tradition dates back to when Abraham Lincoln’s son was upset that his family’s turkey that was going to be killed for Thanksgiving dinner.
11. According to the U.S. Calorie Control Council (CCC), an average American may consume 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving Day.
12. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual tradition. People line the parade route in New York City or tune in to watch the parade on television. It originated in 1924 and the famed balloons were added in 1927.
13. Apple pie is the pie of choice for Thanksgiving, even though pumpkin pie is prevalent this time of year.
Thanksgiving is a popular holiday in Canada and the U.S. Many traditions have been borne of the holiday, and it is a favorite time of year for many people. TF22B480
•November 16, 2022•
Shoot for a Turkey will be held on Saturday, November 19 at 10 a.m. This event will involve games of knock out. Age brackets are Grades 5-8 (Middle School), Grades 9-12 (High School) and Adults. One frozen turkey will be awarded to the winner of each bracket. A special thanks to Coach Craig Black and the SHS Basketball team.