022411 Edge Magazine

February 24, 2011

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Vol. 8 No. 25

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FEBRUARY 24 ISSUE

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What’s Inside 3

The winning entry Reunited after 16 years.

3 Sevens pop up all over One couple's trip to the altar.

4 Destination unknown Two flights lead to romance in Memphis.

11 Arts calendar

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12 Strive to be a blessing Doing good works to please Jesus.

14 Sandler's latest "Just Go With It" fails to satisfy.

17 New at the Zoo

Events planned through March.

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What’s Happening Thursday February 24_______ The Colored Museum play, SIUE Theater and Dance -Dunham Hall Theater, 7:30 p.m.; 618-650-2774 Journey to Mecca, Legends of Flight, Sea Rex: Journey to Prehistoric World -St. Louis Science Center, St. Louis Treasures of Napoleon -Missouri History Museum, Lindell at DeBalivier, St. Louis

Friday February 25_______

Plan your weekend now.

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at DeBalivier, St. Louis A Midsummer Night’s Dream -The Edison Theatre, 6445 Forsyth Blvd., St. Louis, Mo., 314.935.6543, 8 p.m.

Ruined by Lynn Nottage -The Black Rep, Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, St. Louis Splendid Heritage: Perspectives on American Indian Art -Missouri History Museum, Lindell Blvd. at De Baliviere Ave., St. Louis, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday February 26_______

The Colored Museum play, SIUE Theater and Dance -Dunham Hall Theater, 7:30 p.m.; The Colored Museum play, SIUE 618-650-2774 Billiken’s Men’s Basketball vs.

Theater and Dance -Dunham Hall Theater, 7:30 p.m.; Duquesne, 7 p.m.

-Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis 618-650-2774 The Working Women’s Survival Royal Comedy Tour Show -Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis The Working Women’s Survival -St. Charles Convention Center, St. Charles, Mo. Show -St. Charles Convention Center, St. Journey to Mecca, Legends of Flight, Sea Rex: Journey to Charles, Mo. Journey to Mecca, Legends Prehistoric World of Flight, Sea Rex: Journey to -St. Louis Science Center, St. Louis Treasures of Napoleon Prehistoric World -Missouri History Museum, Lindell -St. Louis Science Center, St. Louis at DeBalivier, St. Louis Treasures of Napoleon -Missouri History Museum, Lindell A Midsummer Night’s Dream

-The Edison Theatre, 6445 Forsyth Blvd., St. Louis, Mo., 314.935.6543, 8 p.m.

Ruined by Lynn Nottage -The Black Rep, Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, St. Louis Splendid Heritage: Perspectives on American Indian Art -Missouri History Museum, Lindell Blvd. at De Baliviere Ave., St. Louis, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cirque D’ OR: Golden Dragon Acrobats, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.

-The Touhill, University of Missouri St. Louis Campus

Sunday February 27_______ The Colored Museum play, SIUE Theater and Dance -Dunham Hall Theater, 2 p.m.; 618-650-2774 The Working Women’s Survival Show -St. Charles Convention Center, St. Charles, Mo. Journey to Mecca, Legends of Flight, Sea Rex: Journey to Prehistoric World -St. Louis Science Center, St. Louis Treasures of Napoleon -Missouri History Museum, Lindell at DeBalivier, St. Louis A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Who We Are ON THE EDGE OF THE WEEKEND is a product of the Edwardsville Intelligencer, a member of the Hearst Newspaper Group. THE EDGE is available free, through home delivery and rack distribution. FOR DELIVERY INFO call 656.4700 Ext. 20. FOR ADVERTISING INFO call 656.4700 Ext. 35. For comments or questions regarding EDITORIAL CONTENT call 656.4700 Ext. 26 or fax 659.1677.

Publisher – Denise Vonder Haar | Editor – Bill Tucker | Lead Writer – Debbie Settle | Cover Design – Desirée Bennyhoff

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On the Edge of the Weekend

February 24, 2011

Engagement Stories

. . . And the winner is . . .

Winning Entry of the Unique and/or Romantic Engagement Story Contest Written and Submitted by: Dean Mueller Couple: Dean and Annette Mueller, Edwardsville Engaged: May 31, 2000 Married: July 8, 2000 Prologue: We met in high school, but never dated. I ran track and cross country, and Annette took stats. I was always struck by her natural beauty, gentle spirit and how easily she laughed. I graduated two years before her, but on the night of her graduation, she invited me to her family’s home for their celebration. I remember sitting in her room and talking for what seemed like hours and consumed with the thought of kissing her.

Skip ahead 16 years ...

We each have two children but dating has had mixed results, and at this point in our lives, we have each resolved to just “let go and let God.” As I was leaving church on a Sunday in January with my two kids (boy, 13 years and daughter, 10 years), I was stopped dead in my tracks. Standing directly across the lobby from me was Annette, more beautiful and more stunning than I had ever remembered her. She was holding her 2 year old daughter and standing beside her was her 5 year old son.

Once my heart began to beat again, I approached her. As we tried to fit 16 years into just a few moments of conversation, I heard her say, “I’m divorced.” I immediately blurted out, “Do you wanna date?” which caused my son to cry out, “Da-aaa-ad.”

But I couldn’t help myself, I was staring at a precious jewel that I had thought had been lost to me forever, and here she was right before my eyes. She politely responded, “Well, maybe dinner sometime.” With that, her email and her phone number, I walked away with a much lighter step.

Our first official date was several

Dean and Annette Mueller weeks later – dinner at my place. As I was finishing the meal, I handed her my senior yearbook, which had page after page covered in yellow sticky notes (after church that Sunday, I immediately went home, dug it out and marked every page with her picture).

As she was looking through it, she found what she had written all those years before, and she asked me, “What’s the date today?” “February 16," I responded, "Why?” “Because

I signed your yearbook on February 16,” she said. And as I looked below the kind words she had written, there was the date, right beside her name.

I could say that the day I saw Annette at church I knew I would marry her, but that sounds crazy; so I’ll just say that we quickly fell in love and thoughts of marriage were not far behind.

The Proposal: On May 31, Annette went to work

expecting a typical day at the office.

Her first clue that her day was going to take a different turn was when she turned on her PC and the message “The day you have been waiting for…… is today” scrolled across her screen.

At lunch, she was handed a cassette tape by her boss. She placed it into the tape player they kept in the office, and with her co-workers crowded around, she heard the song “Breathe” by Faith

Hill. And then she heard my voice, as I retold the story I once shared with her in front of my fireplace when she had asked me to tell “the story about your name again,” and I softly told the story about how my first name was born from the love my parents shared.

As she stepped out of the office at the end of the day, I was there waiting for her. I walked her to my car and kissed her; then I blindfolded her and helped her inside the car.

I knew that she had an excellent sense of direction, so I took every turn and round about way possible to arrive at our final destination, which I wanted to be a complete surprise.

When I finally stopped the car, I asked her to wait inside. She heard me open and close the trunk and then return a few moments later. I helped her out of the car and after walking briefly, I told her that I was going to have to pick her up and carry her the rest of the way (allowing her to walk might have given away the location).

After setting her back on her feet, I removed her blindfold. When she opened her eyes, she discovered that she was standing in the middle of the high school track where we first met and where our friendship first blossomed. Set in front of her was a picnic blanket with wine glasses and a bottle of champagne on ice.

I knelt before her, took her hand in mine and shared how my life had been radically changed that Sunday in January, how I had no doubt that we were meant to be together, and that my greatest desire was to share the rest of our lives together. And when I asked her to marry me, she said, “Yes.” As the sun set, we sat on our blanket and sipped our champagne and shared our dreams for the days and years ahead.

Epilogue: Last summer we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary and our family has increased from six to eight.

A fairytale of sevens for this Glen Carbon couple Third Place Winning Unique and/or Romantic Engagement Story Written and Submitted by Chris Havron Couple: Chris and Teri Havron Glen Carbon Engagement Date: March 10, 2005 A Fairytale of Sevens I had the honor of marrying my high school sweetheart, Teri, on 07/07/07 after 7 years of dating. Although we were young, as the infamous freshman/senior couple, I knew on our first date that we were soul mates. We have been blessed with a very unique relationship – the heart-pounding, spine-tingling, as if it were destined by the stars kind – and our engagement story is no different.

When I met my wife, I met my family. Teri’s parents loved me as if I was their own. Unfortunately, Teri’s dad passed away early on in our relationship. He left me his wedding ring as, I believe, a sign that he too thought Teri and I were meant to be together. However, I still asked Teri’s mom for permission to marry her daughter.

Chris and Teri Havron In March of 2005, I planned a secret spring break trip to Chicago (7 letters).

It is very difficult to keep surprises from Teri and I wanted to make sure

she wouldn’t be getting any “ideas” about the real purpose of the trip. So, I didn’t tell her where we were going until reaching the airport, where we departed at 7:07 a.m. – the first of many hidden “signs” throughout our trip.

As a prank, the first night we stayed at a very cheap hotel (on the 7th floor) and I reassured Teri, much to her dismay, that this was a mini-vacation and nothing else. The next morning, I made her believe that the remainder of our reservation had been canceled because my credit card declined, which is a believable story for two college kids.

I had arranged for us to stay at the beautiful Park Hyatt. Admiring the view of the historic water tower from our window, we noticed the building across the street was ironically named after its address, Seven Seven Seven.

The mini bar also contained a CD called “On the 7th”. That evening, the hotel treated us like royalty and chauffeured us to Morton’s Steakhouse. While we were dining, Teri jokingly sang along as the theme song from “Married with Children” played in the restaurant. Little did she know, a horse and carriage was outside awaiting my Cinderella.

As we cuddled up on the carriage

February 24, 2011

ride, it began to snow. The entire evening was picturesque, right out of a movie. The carriage stopped in front of the Wrigley Building, the brightest place in the city at night.

We walked onto the bridge over the Chicago River, I got down on one knee, and the hustle and bustle of the city around us suddenly stopped as the moment I had been planning for so long was finally here. I asked the love of my life to marry me and she said… “Please don’t drop the ring in the river!” and then, “YES!” We continued our celebration back at the hotel where a bubble bath, rose petals, strawberries and champagne were waiting. To top it all off, as I put my hand in the hotel robe, I felt the inspection sticker, which read— no joke—777. It was fate.

This story may sound over the top, extravagant, or even cheesy to some but it’s our story and I wanted this to be a once in a lifetime, romantic experience that my wife would tell our grandchildren some day. All the little signs of 7s everywhere were a fun reminder that true love still exists, gave us hope that Teri’s dad was looking down from above, and made our engagement even more perfect!

On the Edge of the Weekend

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Engagement Stories A secret trip and a pair of surprise flights Second Place Winning Unique and/or Romantic Engagement Story W r i t t e n a n d S u b m i t t e d by Sarah Eastman Couple: Sarah L.A. and Bradford Eastman Edwardsville Engagement Year 2007 I’m an ordinary woman, but on October 19th, 2007 I felt like a princess. I woke up that Friday morning ready for a run but was quickly stopped by a mysterious note left beside my toothbrush.

Even more confusing than the presence of the envelope was the handwriting it was addressed in— it looked to have been written by a kindergartener and spelled out my nickname “Sar.” Smiling, I opened the envelope knowing it was from my sweetheart, Bradford, who had acted strangely much earlier that morning, as I tried to get in the bathroom. “What are you doing?” he had demanded as he quickly shut off the light.

Sleepily, I had replied, “Going to the bathroom.” He blustered again, and I said, “Are you okay?”

“Yea h , I t h i n k I c u t m y s e l f shaving.”

“I’ll get you a tissue,” I said.

“No, no, I’m fine, just fine. Go back to sleep,” he said, ushering me back to bed. I was a bit confused, but quickly fell back to sleep. Brad had gotten up at 3:30 a.m. saying he had an important teleconference with the office in Southeast Asia, so I had no reason to question his early departure.

I opened the card quickly and read: “Today will be a special occasion. All you’ll need is a small bag or a purse. Meet a man named Donnie outside the apartment at 8:15 a.m. sharp.”

At the bottom of the card I found an asterisk and a note saying not to worry about school, as special arrangements had already been made for a substitute teacher. I read the card over and over and wondered what lie ahead for me that day.

After much thought, I called my workout buddy and coworker Lori, to tell her I would not be meeting her for our daily run. I asked her to make sure that I had a substitute teacher for my art classes and that a lesson plan was in place for the day. I knew my students would be curious, as I usually tell them in advance when I’m absent from school. Little did I know that Brad had arranged a substitute with the school secretary two months earlier.

When 8:15 a.m. finally arrived, I stepped outside to find a black Cadillac and the driver, Donnie, a teddy-bearish man waiting for me.

“Are you Ms. Sander?” Donnie asked. “ Ye s , ” I r e p l i e d .

Donnie introduced himself and shook my hand.

“Do you have any luggage?” he asked. Luggage? I panicked. Did I need luggage? Where was I even going?

“No,” I said.

“Do you have your ID? At the airport they have all these security

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issues.”

My heart was beginning to pound as I mumbled a “yes” and nervously climbed into the soft black leather interior of the Cadillac. Donnie chatted with me for the entire ride to the airport, but was careful never to let me on to the day’s events. Every time I attempted to ask a question he pretended he had no idea what was going on.

As he was about to pull away f ro m t h e c u rb at the airport, Donnie paused and said, “You know, I almost forgot to give you this.” He smiled as he handed me another envelope. “This might answer some more questions for you.” I smiled, and began ripping open the envelope, reading aloud.

“Go to the American Airlines checking counter. There is a ticket waiting for you. Don’t open the green envelope until you land.”

Flustered, I looked to Donnie who handed me the green envelope with a sneaky smirk on his lips. I said good-bye to Donnie and walked to the American Airlines counter with only my purse. I fidgeted anxiously as I waited in line, watching as one of the Agents curtly spoke with each of the travelers that came up to her station. “Please, not her” I thought as I tried to think of an explanation for why I had no ticket or even an idea of my destination. Of course, moments later, she was the one barking “Next in line.” I quickly shuffled to the counter.

“What’s your destination?” she sneered.

“Um, I don’t know”—she rolled her eyes, but I pressed on—“My boyfriend must be surprising me.

He just told me to come to the airport.” Luckily, another agent, with a smooth voice and matching smooth caramel skin stepped over and told the agent that this happens from time to time.

“Just enter her name on the screen.” We waited a few moments and the first agent hit a few keys, scowling at me from time to time. Moments later though, she thrust a boarding pass at me. “ C - 8 i s y o ur gate. Have a pleasant flight.” I thanked the ladies and stepped aside, scanning the boarding pass quickly. It was a one-way ticket. To Memphis, Tennessee.

Memphis is a very special place for Brad and me. We met there and said “I love you” for the first time there as well. We met the day of the “Memphis in May” Triathlon in Millington. My friend Jen Meyer and I had traveled and camped the night before the race.

When the excitement of the day was over, I was taking down the tent and having some trouble with the stakes. A handsome young man came by and asked if I needed some help. We began talking and soon realized we were on the same triathlon team, the St. Louis Tri-Club, though we had never met.

I returned home and Brad and I began e-mailing, talking on the phone, and eventually, dating.

We hit it off immediately. We have such similar personalities and values, and our passion for triathlon made our bond so much stronger because of our shared experiences training and racing.

My thoughts were interrupted by my phone ringing. It was my sister Rachel, who was surprised to find me answering my phone

On the Edge of the Weekend

Sarah and Bradford Eastman during school hours. Rachel speculated that this could be “THE DAY”, but I didn’t want to jump to conclusions. Brad and I had been talking about taking a vacation for just the two of us, and I knew that as long as this trip ended with Bradford, it would be a happy one. I busied myself during the wait talking to some friends at work, checking to make sure a substitute had shown up and that my students had a lesson to work on.

An eternally long hour later, the wheels bumped down on t h e ru n w a y a n d I t u r n e d m y gaze to the green envelope that had been sitting in my lap for the entire flight. I was like a kid at Christmas, waiting for that moment when the first sheet of wrapping paper could be torn. I pounced on the envelope, ripping it open so loudly that the man next to me woke from his nap.

“Meet another driver at the baggage claim and travel in a Black Lincoln Town Car to your next destination.” I wondered when I’d get to see my handsome man. Would he be sitting in the car waiting for me? Or would he be at the next destination?

After meeting my new driver, Tim, I slipped into the (empty) backseat of the car. I began prodding Tim with questions, but he was very quiet and wouldn’t say a peep about our destination.

A s w e w e re d r i v i n g t h ro u g h Memphis, I began recognizing places along the “Memphis In May” triathlon race site.

My mind wandered to the happy memories Brad and I have from meeting in Memphis and camping there again the following year.

Camping.

Wait a minute… maybe I had stumbled upon something. I remembered that Brad had asked if one of his buddies could borrow my tent for the weekend. At the time, I wondered why he would need a tent, being an outdoorsy

February 24, 2011

sort of guy. He probably had his own. But I had shrugged it off. Now, I got very excited at the thought of Brad surprising me with a weekend camping trip.

The weather was awesome, and it would be so nice to get away just the two of us.

Tim took the back entrance into Millington Park, which I didn’t recognize at first. He handed me another envelope. It was white this time, and I began to open it. I stopped quickly however, as I the car pulled up to a two passenger helicopter in the middle of the field. I thought I must be dreaming as I looked around for my knight in shining armor. The only person I could spot was the helicopter pilot walking toward the car.

“Hello! I’m Wayne. Have you ever flown a helicopter?”

“No!” I replied nervously.

“Yeah, neither have I,” Wayne said sarcastically. “Just kidding Sarah… Brad asked me to take you on a flight, but first you should read the card in your hand.”

I realized I had never finished opening the card that was clasped tightly in my hand. My knuckles were white from gripping it so tightly. I opened it and it read “Up, up and away you go but where you land, you’ll never know.”

I n t h e h e l i c o p t e r, Wa y n e e x p l a i n e d h o w t o s e c u re t h e seat belt and how the steering instruments worked. It was all a blur racing through my mind.

Within minutes of my arrival, we were lifting from the ground and I soon had an aerial view of the park, then the lake we swam in for the triathlon, and the golf course.

I felt remarkably safe and calm as Wayne talked to me through the headset. We were headed towards Memphis’ beautiful skyline.

Wayne let me take control of the helicopter for about ten minutes. I was a horrible pilot, but eventually got a feel for the combination of right, left, horizontal, vertical, and

diagonal flight directions. My favorite part was when we got down close to the flood banks of the Mississippi River. It was such a wonderful experience. I began to cry, wishing Bradford was with me to experience it.

Wayne landed the helicopter in the empty parking lot of Millington Park. I realized that I was only yards away from where I had first met Brad while taking down my tent. Wayne handed me another card, smiling broadly. “To go into your future you must revisit your past. Let your heart lead the way.”

I knew exactly where I was going now. I waved to Wayne as the helicopter rose from the earth. The grass rippled in the wind, and as I turned toward my path, I saw something blue in the grass. I stepped toward it and found a blue heart pressed into the ground with a silver tent stake. I looked around and found another blue heart about 25 meters away. There was another, and another. On each heart, Brad had written special events from our relationship—“Thanksgiving with your family”—“Our first bike ride”—“Art show”—“Lynyrd Skynrd concert.”

Each heart was spaced out perfectly so I could see the next one, which led me on a path to the top of a hill and there he was, waiting for me on a bench under a tree. I dropped my armful of hearts and stakes and ran to him. I had tears running down my face as I thanked him for the flight to Memphis and the amazing helicopter ride. “Well, I’m not done yet,” Brad said as he gazed at me. “I started a new chapter of my life 514 days ago when I met you here in this park. I thought it only appropriate to bring you back here to start the next chapter in my life—our life—with two authors.”

Brad knelt down on one knee and asked, “Sarah, will you marry me?” The rest is history, as I said yes and we sat there crying in happiness, recounting the day’s events. Bradford had woken up at 3:30 a.m. to drive to Memphis to meet Wayne, the pilot. He had had to get special permission from the city of Millington to have the helicopter land in the park, and he had orchestrated the entire day perfectly from every card to each heart he had lovingly placed in my path.

It was a magical day for this ordinary hard-working gal. The most memorable day in my life is the result of and an incredible and remarkable man. We were married on May 24, 2009—three years from the weekend we first met at the “Memphis in May” triathlon.

The Edwardsville Intelligencer would like to thank ALL of the great entries for the Unique and Romantic Engagement Contest. All of the entries were amazing. Read all of the rest of the entries all throughout the week of Feb. 14 through Feb. 18.

This contest was sponsored by: Buhrmester Paint & Wallpaper, Fantastic Sams, Simply Foo Foo, Travel Express, Villa Marie Winery, Diamond Mineral Springs Restaurant, Ooh La La Anti Aging and Laser Center, Maggie’s Primitive C o t t a g e , M i s s B a i l e y ’s P o p p y Patch, Sweetie’s Confections, ToDo’s Ultimate Party Store, Vallow Floor Coverings, Inc., Night Magic Entertainment, Sante’ Skin & Body Medical Spa and The Edwardsville Intelligencer. Thank you to all!

Engagement Stories A scrapbook reveals the big question Written and Submitted by: Wendi Sellers Couple: Wendi and Scott Sellers Brighton Engagement year: All the way back in 1997 My boyfriend and I had been dating for five years when I began to think he wasn't going to ask me to marry him. I had gone through long-distance dating with him, a job transfer in order to be closer to him and step children, of which was a big adjustment for me, the girlfriend.

Through all of this, I knew Scott was the one for me and I longed for the perfect marriage proposal from him.

I had even found the perfect ring at a local store, and began "hinting" around that we should go look at this beautiful ring that I had found.

It was just one-of-a-kind. My boyfriend procrastinated, delayed and gave just about every excuse to me of "why" he didn't want to do that or have time to go see it. I did not want this ring to slip away to some other lucky woman, so I began to visit the jewelry store on my own to just "look at it" and "fawn over it", as it was just so pretty. I made friends quickly with the store owner (who was the jeweler who made the rings) and his wife, who continually showed it to me everytime I visited them.

Months went by and my boyfriend and I were finally scheduled to go on a vacation to Cancun, Mexico. I was so looking forward to getting away with him, as work and home issues were getting the best of me. One

evening on the porch to our condo, he suggested we go out and watch the sunset. I was all for that as our room faced the beach and we had a full view of the ocean and clear sky as the sun was setting. We sat and began talking about how neat it would be to have a video camera film of the beach area of our condo and the setting sunset. He had set up the tripod on our video camera and went over to push "record."

I didn't think anything of this, as we are always taking pictures and video of our vacations. He came back and sat down beside me and began to ask me questions about our early dating relationship. We began a very nice conversation going down "memory lane" for us, remembering how we met, what we have been through and how much we mean to one another. All of a sudden, my boyfriend Scott said he had a "gift" for me. Of course, I'm liking this, so I said "what is it?" He whipped out this colorful, felt-lined scrapbook that was obviously homemade with my favorite colors of craft paints, filled with photos of us and a few love notes we had written to one another along the years. I read each of the seven pages he made, flipping and smiling at each thoughtful and colorful page by him. It almost reminded me of a crude scrapbook, made by a beginner, but not bad for a man, you know?

As I flipped over to the next to last page, it said "we have been through a lot, I love you with all my heart..." and then I turned to the last page and it read, "Will you

marry me, Wendi?" A whirlwind went through my chest, it became difficult to breathe, and I was totally speechless with what occurred in the next 60 seconds. As I stared at the page, tears began to stream down my face as I looked at the cute, glued on, cartoon couple dressed in wedding attire, smiled back at me. My boyfriend, Scott, had found a cartoon picture of a couple in a wedding dress and tuxedo and pasted it on the page next to his question.

By the time it took for me to read this sentence, begin breathing again and look at him, he was down on one knee in front of me and verbally asked the question I had read on the home-made scrapbook. "Wendi, will you marry me?" he choked down.

I looked at him and he had tears streaming down his face, too!!! I began to laugh, then, and said "Yes, Yes! I will!!"

Just at that moment, he whipped out a ring box from behind him. It was closed and in that moment, I suddenly remembered that beautiful ring that I had visited so many times before this trip...that beautiful diamond ring back home that I dreamed of him giving me -- if he ever had gone to the store with me to see it. Suddenly, I panicked.

Wow, the "selfish me" wanted to be able to pick out my engagement ring with my soon-to-be-finace', but the "loving me" knew that he had tried his best to surprise me with a marriage proposal that appeared to be very well-thought out by him. I quickly decided I just need

A birthday gift she'll never forget Written and Submitted by: Chelsea Hartnagel Couple: Chelsea Hartnagel and Billy Menchak, Edwardsville Engaged November 9, 2010 Our Engagement Story: It all started (without me knowing it) when we were shopping one day at St. Louis Mills.

At the time we were in Cabela’s and Billy told me I needed to leave the store because he needed to do some shopping for my birthday gift.

Billy is very into hunting and

fishing and always says I should join him when he goes.

I told him that I was 99 percent sure there was nothing in the store that I would want for my birthday and we should probably just go.

My birthday was a couple of days after that. He invited my family over to his grandmother’s house for dinner.

After dinner, I started opening my gifts. When I came to Billy’s, I opened it to find a pair of satin camouflage pajamas.

At first I didn’t know if it was a joke or if he was serious, but everyone in

the room played it as a serious gift.

So, I started putting them back in the box and acted as excited as I could.

His mom told me that I better hold the pants up because they didn’t look like the right size.

As I was looking all around for the tag for the size, Billy was in front of me on one knee asking, “Will you?”

My response was “Will I what?”

He then pointed out the ring he had tied to the drawstring on the pants.

I was completely taken by surprise and very excited – of course I said yes!

A walk on the beach to remember Written and Submitted by: Katie Jurgena Couple: Katie Jurgena and fiancé Ryan Klaas, Collinsville (But Katie was born and raised in Edwardsville - EHS class of 1999) Engaged on April 17, 2010 Here is our story: Ryan and I first met each other on Memorial Day weekend of 2008.

It wasn't long before I asked Ryan to be my date to my best friend's wedding in Chicago.

We w e n t t o t h e w e d d i n g together, and had an amazing time! And towards the end of the evening......sure enough.....I just happened to catch the bride's bouquet!

I remember at the time thinking, "Could the myth really be true?

Could I be the next one to get married?"

After the wedding Ryan and I became inseparable. Our situation was a little different than most.

Ryan has an 8 year old daughter, and I have a 6 year old daughter.

Becoming an "instant" family had its challenges, but for us, it all just fell into place.

Ryan and I decided to take a trip to Mexico since neither of us had ever traveled out of the country.

We left for the Riviera Maya on April 16, 2010. We had a four n i g h t , f i v e d a y, a l l i n c l u s i v e , tropical paradise awaiting us.

On the second day of the trip Ryan and I spent all day walking the beach, collecting shells, e n j o y i n g t h e c ro w d a t S e n o r Frogs, and shopping in the local town.

After a quick nap in the room, Ryan suggested that we take an evening walk down the beach.

Ryan grabbed the video camera and suggested we tape the resort, ocean, secluded beach and jungle so that we had video of our trip to show our children.

Ry a n a n d I w a l k e d o u t o f the resort onto the beach and immediately noticed an amazing rainbow across the entire ocean.

It was absolutely beautiful.

Ryan and I walked down the beach to a secluded part of jungle and ocean front. There were no people to be seen anywhere around us.

Ryan set the video camera on a large rock, and said he wanted to feel the water without risking getting the camera wet. He came over and hugged me.

I was already standing with my feet in the water, and the video camera sat on the rock, pointing straight at us.

It was there that he told me how much he loved me as he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.

Te a r s o f j o y i n s t a n t l y overwhelmed me.

Of course I said yes, and it was all filmed on the video camera.

We enjoyed the moment, and then went back to the room where we called our children, family and friends to share the news!

I am ecstatic and eager for July 23, 2011 to arrive so I can marry my best friend!

to accept the ring he picked out as he did this as such a token of love and commitment to our new future together...

In the seconds that I thought of all that above, he opened the ring box.....there was a very long gasp, and then silence, as I looked at the ring box, wondering what type of ring he picked out, WITHOUT ME TO SEE IT? I gazed my eyes upon the most beautiful ring I could EVER have asked for....it was an exact replica of the ring I had "visited" back home sparkling right back at me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How did he know, I wondered. I was confused. How could he know, how could he have done this? He never went to the store with me - how would he have known about THIS ring. By this time, I began to hyper-ventilate because I was happy, I was crying, trying to catch my breath, all the time, saying "How did you know?" "How did you know?"

He began to laugh and so did I, through the tears. He asked if I was happy or sad, he couldn't tell? I told him this is the most perfect ring ever -- but....how did you know?, I asked.

It's the exact ring I wanted....

Scott began to tell me how he saw the business card I brought home from the first visit to the store. He put that store name away in his memory bank and later visited the store....without me. He began working with the jeweler to craft THAT ring, the ring I wanted, unbeknownst to me. Everyone in the store was "in" on Scott's little secret, except for me, of course.

So, everytime I visited the store and asked to see that ring, they all played along, sworn to secrecy by Scott. Of course, as I tried on the ring when I visited, they took note of my ring size, so the ring fit perfectly that special night in Cancun.

Scott went to my parents before we left for Cancun and asked my father for his permission to marry me. They were "in" on it, too, and knew of Scott's plan to propose to me in Cancun before we left. Everyone did a GREAT job of not telling me because I was totally blind-sided by the whole proposal. He later gave me pictures of my actual ring being molded and made by the jeweler, step by step. He then typed out what happened in his different visits to the store, getting the whole marriage proposal ready, behind my back. I was able to relive "his world" and how it all came to be planned, all without me knowing anything.

Oh, and remember that video camera that was supposed to take a great film of our beach view and sunset, well, Scott turned it on at the beginning of our conversation and aimed it at us, not the beach. He was able to get the ENTIRE marriage proposal on video! We watch it at least annually on our wedding anniversary, and we still cry when we see it, it is that romantic and special to us.

That was 13-1/2 years ago and I could not have asked for a more romantic and unique engagement story. It's a memory I will cherish for a lifetime...and my husband caught it all on tape!!!!

"myspace" becomes "ourspace" Written and Submitted by: Sarah Watson Couple: Sarah Watson and Tim Thornhill, Glen Carbon Engagement: 2010 Hello my name is Sarah Watson and this is my Unique Engagement Story.

M e a n d m y f i a n c é Ti m Thornhill started talking on a “myspace” chat room. Tim is in the military and also a Dairy Farmer.

We t a l k e d f o r t w o m o n t h s and then decided to meet each other on my birthday January 1, 2010. Things were perfect from then on. We had a long distance relationship for 4 months. I lived in Glen Carbon, and he lived in Dawson, Mo., so I decided to take a week off of work and go spend time with him.

Tim met me and my parent's in St. James, Mo., which was half way to his family owned farm and from my house. Once he met me there we drove to the farm in Dawson.

By the time we got to the farm it was late so we decided to go ahead and go to bed.

We l l t h e n e x t m o r n i n g m y fiancé woke me up and told me he wanted to go out and turkey hunt so we both bundled up and went and got on the four wheeler. We rode off into an open field and looked around seeing if we'd see any turkeys.

We stayed out for about an

February 24, 2011

hour and then got back on the four wheeler. Once we were back on the four wheeler, Tim took me to the top of my favorite spot on the farm, which is the b i g g e s t h i l l o n t h e p ro p e r t y where you could over see everything.

I t w a s a n a m a z i n g v i e w.

We w e re s i t t i n g o n t h e f o u r wheeler looking and listening to everything around us when he turned the four wheeler off and decided to get off. By this time I was thinking to myself okay, we are going to get off and walk around, but instead I had another thing coming.

Tim looked at me, put down the shotgun he was holding, got on one knee and grabbed my hand and said "Sarah Nicole Watson, I was wondering if you would be my wife. You know I love you with all my heart and you make me the happiest guy in the world."

At this time I was shaking and smiling from ear to ear. That's when I started to cry and I replied with a "YES I WILL." I shall say I was the happiest girl alive and still am today.

After his proposal we went b a c k t o t u r k e y h u n t i n g . We didn't see anything that day, but it was all right with me because I had an unbelievable morning already.

As for today we are still happily engaged and decided to get married July 30, 2011.

On the Edge of the Weekend

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Engagement Stories

Disney World trip leads to proposal Written and Submitted by: Kimberly Ruth Couple: Kimberly Ruth and Eliot Deters, Glen Carbon Engagement: January 1, 2011 Imagine being a little girl and dreaming of becoming Cinderella and having Prince Charming find you.

Well he found me and swept me off my feet!

My name is Kimberly Ruth and my Prince Charming is Eliot Deters.

Eliot owns two local pack and ship stores (The Mail Box Store) and for the past two years the only time that we are able to get away is the week after Christmas and before New Year’s.

For my Christmas present Eliot surprised me with a week-long trip to Walt Disney World in Florida. At Christmas Eliot got two inner ear infections and bronchitis, but since we had everything planned down to what we were going to ride we decided to continue with the trip. Eliot continued to feel worse each day.

On New Year’s Day we had reservations at Cinderella’s Castle, but that morning I could tell that Eliot was feeling terrible so I asked him if he just wanted to stay in bed and rest.

He was very adamant that he wanted to go!

By this time Eliot could hardly walk and I had been to all the attractions on my list. I told Eliot we should go back to the hotel so he could rest, but again he insisted that we follow our schedule.

At exactly 3 p.m. the doors swung open and we were led into the Castle. Eliot and I stood in line waiting to see Cinderella and have our pictures taken. After pictures were taken with Cinderella, we were led up a winding staircase to the top of the castle. Our seats were right in front of stained glass windows that overlooked the park. While we ate our meal other Disney princesses came by to visit with us.

All of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I saw our waiter coming towards us with an extremely large covered platter. I thought to myself that is a big platter for our desserts but

Pledging his love with the perfect ring Written and Submitted by Marjorie Leingang Couple: Marjorie and Joshua Leingang, Granite City Engaged 2007 Josh and I got married on February 13, 2009. We originally got engaged on August 27th of 2007.

We had been going through a rough patch and were trying to talk things out. He said he needed some air and walked over to where his mother was standing.

I was fearing the worst, I just knew we were about to break up. Unable to bear it any longer, I approached them to hear him whisper a question in her ear.

Then his mother handed him a dollar store ring. He got down on one knee right there in the driveway and asked me to be his wife.

Of course I said yes.

Later he found out that the ring was a fake one and he was heart

broken. He wanted to replace my ring.

Those who knew me well knew that I always said a bread tie would be good enough if the man who presented it to me loved me truly.

I loved the sentiment behind our ring.

Josh however was not happy.

We were engaged for about six months when he found a ring he just had to buy for me. He put the ring on layaway at a nearby store.

He paid on it every two weeks until two days before our wedding when he borrowed the rest of the money to get it out of layaway.

He took me to the restaurant where we had our first date. He acted so nervous (silly really because I had already said yes).

Then he got down on bended knee for me yet again and presented me with a diamond ring.

One that months before I had seen and tried on in the same store and never told him about.

Tossing coin in a fountain leads to engagement Written and Submitted by: Angela Klenke Couple: Angela Klenke and fiancé Eric Byerly, Edwardsville Engagement year: 2010 My best friend, Steph, and I were going on a trip to Italy to celebrate graduating from college. The night before we left, my boyfriend, Eric, gave me a unique coin to toss into the Trevi Fountain (the famous fountain in Rome). He told me to make a wish and toss it into the fountain when I got there. The first thing that Steph and I did when we got to Rome was to find the Trevi Fountain. I got out the coin, made a wish, and tossed the coin into the fountain. The rest of our trip was amazing and the sites were beautiful, but I was getting ready to get back home. Little did I know all the while I was enjoying Italy, lots of things were happening back at home. Eric had picked out an engagement ring and come to see my parents to ask their permission.

When I finally got back from our trip, Eric said that he

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wanted us to go to Forest Park to visit the St. Louis Zoo and even the Missouri Botanical Gardens. I didn’t really think anything of it because we like to visit different sites in the area.

After we left the Zoo, he saw a fountain in Forest Park so we stopped to look around a little.

We w e n t u p t o t h e f o u n t a i n where he got out a matching coin to the one he had given m e b e f o re m y t r i p . H e t h e n made a wish and tossed that coin into the fountain in Forest Park. While he was turning back around to face me he was also bending down on one knee and got out a little box. He asked if I could help make his wish come true and marry him.

I could not believe what was going on, but without missing a beat I said “Yes, of course.”

After the fact, I found out that my parents knew and even my best friend, Steph, knew that it was going to happen. He had been planning the whole thing for about a month. On Sept. 12, 2010, both of our wishes came true!

On the Edge of the Weekend

we are at Disney World and everything seems bigger here.

The waiter then put the covered platter right in front of me, lifted off the cover, and sitting on a bed of red rose petals was a pink glass slipper with my engagement ring resting on more petals. Eliot came over on bended knee he said “Kimberly, my princess will you make my dreams come true and marry me?”

At the same time a photographer came behind him and started taking pictures of my excitement. I said “yes of course” and the whole restaurant started to cheer for both of us as Eliot leaned over and kissed me.

The waiter came back and poured each of us a glass of their exclusive champagne. Our dessert was a sponge cake with chocolate mousse in a white chocolate slipper and around the plate it said “Happily Ever After.”

Eliot then handed me a button that said “Just Engaged” that we both wore the rest of our trip. The waiter then brought us a bag that had the champagne glasses in it to take

home along with my glass slipper which reads “January 1, 2011, Eliot and Kimberly, Our Dreams Will Come True.” We sat there for about an hour and all the princesses come back to congratulate us and look at my ring.

When we left the castle we boarded a boat that sailed out onto the water and stopped right in front of Magic Kingdom to watch the fireworks.

After the fireworks we headed back to the hotel. I was welcomed with a full bottle of Disney World Signature Champagne and a gift basket containing a personalized congratulatory picture from Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

Eliot and I sat talking about the day and I realized why he did not care how sick he was, he wanted me to be his wife.

Even though my prince charming was diagnosed with pneumonia the next day, this Cinderella still got her fairytale beginning and is looking forward to the “happily ever after.”

A special birthday proposal Written and Submitted by: Kathy R. Ratay Couple: Alan “Big Al” and Kathy Ratay Edwardsville Engagement date: July 11, 1994 My name is Kathy Ratay and I have the most wonderful husband in the world. My engagement story is so romantic and like none other. I would like more than anything to express my appreciation to him by sharing our wonderful story.

It was the summer of 1994, my birthday weekend was coming up. My “then” boyfriend told me he had something special planned and to leave the day open. On my birthday, I woke up with instructions to get up, get dressed; his sister-in-law would be picking me up in one hour. She arrived in a convertible that Alan (aka Big Al) had rented so she could drive me to the destinations of the day. He handed me six numbered envelopes. I was to open each one based on the clever poetic instructions inside. First stop, his mother’s home where she presented with me with a hand knitted sweater that she made, which was a gift from Al. Second stop was the mall. Each envelope directed me to several different stores. All I needed to do was enter a store, tell them my name, and they gave me a present prepurchased by Big Al. Throughout the day I received leather boots, a leather jacket, jewelry, lunch….lots of things….it was a blast! The second to the last stop was a florist where he pre-purchased 24 dozen roses; 12 for me and 12 for his sister-in-law for driving me around. The final stop was back at his brother’s home where I assumed I would find my beau. Keep in mind, he and I had never talked about getting married to each other, but we both knew our bond

was more than anything like we’d ever experienced before.

I secretly hoped for an engagement ring on my birthday, but was so overwhelmed with the day of presents and shopping, and how generous this man was, that I felt so lucky to be loved by such a special person. When we arrived, his brother shares that Big Al was at my apartment cooking our dinner; but since we arrived earlier than expected he tossed me a box of Cracker Jacks. “Here, snack on these….but I want the prize”, he said. We all laughed because everyone knows the prizes are usually a cheap spider ring or silly little game. As I broke open the box and the prize envelope, a beautiful pear-shaped diamond ring popped out! At first, I thought to myself, “Wow, they’re making these prizes a lot better than they used to……then it hit me in mid thought. “Oh my gosh!” I looked at his brother, looked back at the ring and screamed, “Does this mean what I think it does?!!!” They both looked at me with big smiles on their faces which confirmed it! I was engaged! They drove me to my apartment where I found Big Al, wearing nothing but a white apron (literally)….and my favorite dinner on the table. I ran to meet him, smothered him with hug and kisses and tears of happiness! He told me then that he always knew if he ever went out with me, he would marry me. Sixteen years later, he’s still full of surprises and the most absolutely wonderful person someone can share their life with. I’m so blessed to have a man like him. I can without a doubt profess that out of all the wonderful presents on my birthday on that warm summer day in July, Big Al Ratay is the best present of all! We were married in Jamaica, later that same year on October 3, 1994 and are living happily ever after!

Dog delivers the big news to girlfriend Written and Submitted by Jen Davenport Couple: Jen Davenport and Mike Rowlen Collinsville Engaged in November 13, 2009 Getting married April 16, 2011 My fiance, Mike and I, got engaged in November 2009.

I came home from work one day and there was a huge box with a blanket over it in our living room.

I asked him what he was and went over to take the blanket off and

in there sat a yellow lab puppy.

Previously, I had said (ok, badgered) that I wanted a yellow lab, named Toby. I freaked out, got the dog out of the box, and then noticed his camera duct taped, yes, duct taped, to the corner of where the wall meets the ceiling. I asked him what it was for and he said, "to get my reaction."

So I continued on as normal playing with the dog and squealing, when he said, "You know, he has a dog tag already" So I went to go look at his tags and he had two...one said his name, "Toby", and the other was a red

heart tag that said, "Will you marry me?" As soon as I saw the tag, I said, OH MY GOD!" and looked up and he was already down on one knee. I said yes of course, crying like a baby.

The best part of the whole story was he had video taped everything from his camera, duct taped to the wall, went over to the camera afterwards, gave it a "Two thumbs up" and took it down...so we are planning on showing this video at our wedding on April 16, 2011, right before we are annouced at the reception.

Popping the question in class Written and Submitted by: Julia Heckler Couple: Tim and Julia Heckler, Edwardsville Engagement year: 2004 My husband, Tim, and I met at the University of Illinois where we were both MBA students.

At the end of our 2nd year, we held an event called Finale where we celebrated our pending graduation and gave awards to students.

Each student was asked to have another student write something about them. Tim and I choose to write one for each other.

As the side show of quotes scrolled, Tim made it a point to have me standing next to him.

February 24, 2011

Finally my slide to Tim came up and said, "Tim's ability to make me laugh at the end of a busy and stressful day is amazing. In spite of his love for the Yankees, I love him!"

The next slide was from him and said, "Julia, you are wonderful in every single way and I love the way we are together."

While all previous slides had been black and white, the following slide illuminated the room in pink and said, "Julia, will you marry me? Tim." I looked to my right and there, in front of our 200 classmates, faculty and staff, was Tim, on bended knee with a gorgeous ring.

I gasped and said, "Yes!" I will never forget how I felt that night. He is a truly amazing man.

Engagement Stories

A unique engagement, wedding all in one Written and Submitted by Jessica Finazzo Couple: Jessica and Eddie Finazzo Granite City Engaged January 2011 My engagement is unique in a couple ways!

Eddie and I planned a vacation for my birthday in January, 2011. We planned on going to Cape Coral, Fla., to stay a few days with his sister and then would drive on to Key West, Fla., and spend my birthday there.

A few months before we were leaving, I (being your typical girl) looked at the resort's Web site for wedding packages and just dreamed about getting married on a beautiful beach.

We weren't even engaged yet, and I brought up the idea

that we could just have a private ceremony while we were there and not even tell anyone about it.

Eddie does not like a lot of attention on him so he jumped at the idea of having something private! I contacted the resort, shopped for a dress, and before we knew it we had all the details laid out for a destination wedding!

Keep in mind, we were still NOT engaged!

I was so excited to finally have my big day after 6 years and was so caught up with the details that I didn't even consider the fact that I didn't have an engagement ring.

The morning of my birthday, January 20, we walked on Smather's Beach in Key West and talked about exactly where we'd have the ceremony the next day. To my surprise, Eddie had this bottle, that looked like the kind

that just wash up on a shore, and as I pulled the cork out, the message inside was his marriage proposal!

I was caught off guard and was so surprised that he had thought of this, so unique and very creative. I obviously said yes but through a stream of tears!

Our engagement was also very unique because we were barely engaged for 24 hours when we tied the knot!

We had a January 21 wedding and have officially been married for two whole weeks today. We had a private ceremony on the same beach where we were engaged and the entire experience was amazing.

We are currently planning a spring reception for close friends and family at Edwardsville's Joe Glik park. We cannot wait to celebrate with our new families!

That's our unique engagement AND wedding.

A walk on the beach Kansas City's fountains perfect leads to proposal spot for couple's engagement

Written and Submitted by Amelia Vann Couple: Joshua and Amelia Vann Blue Springs, Mo. Engagement Year: 2004 Married: 2006

Our story begins back in 2001.

I met my husband during a high school choir overnight lock-in. That night, we spent the entire time talking and getting to know each other.

After a week of non stop talking, phone calls, and hanging out, he finally asked me out to a friend's 16th birthday party.

It was during this party, that our lives changes forever.

We both had mutual friends at this party and they all knew how we each felt about each o t h e r, b u t w e w e re b o t h t o o nervous to say anything.

One of our friends actually "dared" us to start going out.

We both agreed and sealed it with a kiss.

There were many people throughout school that didn't

believe we would ever last.

Days turned into weeks, months, and years.

In May of 2004, Josh's aunt and uncle asked us if we would like to go to Florida with them as a late graduation gift (we graduated in 2003, but the timing wasn't right).

We s a v e d o u r m o n e y a n d packed our bags and headed on down with them.

The first day that we were i n F l o r i d a was so much fun, although Josh didn't quite seem himself. At one point, he asked me if I wanted to go for a walk on the beach. Of course, I agreed.

On our way back, he did something that I had never expected; he turned to me, got down on one knee, and pulled out a ring. He started telling me how much he loved me and that he never wanted to be without me and then said those four magic words, "Will you Marry Me?" Of course, I said yes.

We got married on March 31, 2006 and are now expecting our first child.

Halloween with an engagement ending Written and Submitted by: Casey Law Couple: Casey Law and Stephen Jones, Maryville Engagement Year: 2010 The month of October is always a fun time of year at our house!

We love to decorate our house for Halloween, watch scary movies, go to haunted houses, bonfires, carve pumpkins, and celebrate my birthday on Oct. 30!

This year we found a plastic hand in our decorations that my parents have had for years and they always put it out for a decoration. All throughout O c t o b e r, I w o u l d f i n d t h i s hand under my pillow, in the refrigerator, in my sock drawer, etc. Stephen loves to scare and surprise me.

He got up very early on the morning of my 26th birthday to fix me breakfast. He woke me up with delicious pumpkin pancakes (my fav!), a fruit parfait and coffee. He also brought in two big Halloween balloons, beautiful flowers and two presents and sat them on the night stand. I was

really enjoying my breakfast but he couldn’t wait for me to open my gifts! So, the first present was the “Sex In The City 2” DVD and a Taylor Swift CD. When I got up to open the last one on the night stand, I lifted up the box and all I read was a sign that said, “Take my hand in marriage!” I was completely shocked as he got down on one knee and said, “Casey Denise Law, I want to spend the rest of my life with you, will you marry me?” He moved the sign and there was the hand with a beautiful sparkling diamond ring! I was crying so much until I saw the hand and busted out with laughter.

Of course I said, “Yes!” I was so happy and excited. We drove into town to tell our family and then got to surprise all our f r i e n d s t h a t n i g h t . We w e re having a Halloween costume party for my birthday and it turned into an engagement party too!

It was definitely the best day of our life and most memorable birthday I will never forget.

Written and Submitted by: Amber Jenne Couple: Amber Jenne and Derek Hankins, Altamont Engagement year: 2009 My engagement story begins on the evening of November 25, 2009, in Kansas City.

My then boyfriend, Derek and I were on our way to dinner, when he asked if I wanted to go walk by the water, alongside the fountains.

It was a beautiful night, so we took a stroll, handin-hand. When we got to the water, I sort of went off on my own and when I looked back at Derek, he had a piece of paper in his hand.

It was a letter I had written to Derek just months before that said, "I 'heart' you forever, Love Am." Derek then asked me if I really meant those four simple words.

I looked at him with question and said, "Of course, I did baby, why?" He then said, "OK, then I have only one question for you."

Derek dropped down on one knee, took my hand and said, "Honey, I love you more than anything in this world, will you marry me?"

Now before you think, "Awe what a sweet moment," there's more! Derek was so nervous that he started to put the ring on my MIDDLE FINGER! Haha! I just didn't have the heart to tell him at first, but a few seconds of him not understanding why it wasn't fitting, I said, "Baby, that's the wrong finger." He said, "It is? Why can't I put it on this one?" Haha. Oh boy! The things I have to teach this man!

Well Derek finally found the right finger and we both just hugged each other and embraced the moment in laughter!

He says in his entire life, he had never been so nervous, but also never more happy to have the woman of his dreams, even if she did get stuck with a ring on the wrong finger!

Moments like these really are the perfect example of how we look at our future life together.

We know not everything in our marriage will go as planned, but it's how we deal with those "not-soperfect" moments together that truly matters.

If you ask me, I think we're off to a pretty good start!

Derek and I will finally be tying the knot on October 14, 2011!

Dental student gets lesson in "wow" Written and Submitted by: Adam Scimone and Erin Hendricks Name: Erin Hendricks and Adam Scimone Engagement Year: 2010 Erin and I have been together for almost 9 years. We have been dating since high school, both graduates of EHS. So when the time finally came to ask Erin to become my wife, I knew that it would be a challenge to surprise her.

I thought of the typical romantic ways to propose, but they were all too predictable. I wanted this proposal to leap out of nowhere, completely unanticipated. I wanted to sweep her off her feet. I decided to take advantage of the fact that Erin is a dental student at SIU dental school, where there is a fairly consistent routine from day to day.

After formulating the idea,

I recruited one of Erin’s dental professors to help me plan the event.

On December 15, 2010, I arrived at her clinic and was quickly ushered into an operating room as a patient in disguise. The clinical staff was thrilled to be part of this day, and they happily distracted Erin while I prepared the room for the magic moment that was about to happen.

My first priority was to situate her ring among her typical assortment of dental tools. Then with the help of another dentist, we set about to place ice packs and towels about my face and body to disguise me as best as possible.

As soon as I was unrecognizable, I gave the signal and one of the staff notified Erin that her patient was ready.

She entered the room examining her chart carefully and finally asked

how my teeth were feeling. With my heart pounding, it was all I could do to make some muffled groans.

Clearly understanding that I was in pain, she took a few steps closer and immediately a look of bewilderment came across her face.

She asked if it was me, and began to giggle.

When she asked what I was doing there, I told her that it was because I needed some help with my teeth, but that she would need her dental tools.

Once her eyes flashed over to the tray by the chair side, it all became clear to her. I took the ring from her hand, and got down on one knee as cameras began to flash from the doorway.

Since I have known her, it may have been the only time I have ever seen Erin completely speechless.

Fortunately it wasn’t for long. She said yes.

A special day at the lake Written and Submitted by Brittney Pezold Couple: Brittney Pezold and Dane Fletcher, Walshville Engagement Year: 2010 During the warm spring and summer months, my fiancé and I spend a lot of time at the lake. So, I was not surprised when Dane asked me to meet him at our lake lot one beautiful Thursday in April.

I had not been to the lake since the previous summer, so I was very excited to be spending some time relaxing by the water.

I drove down the bumpy lake road anxiously waiting to see Dane. When I arrived Dane met me at my car. The air smelled like freshly cut grass and I could hear the water lightly hitting the shore.

The two of us began to walk down towards the water.

When we got to the water’s edge I looked down. There sitting in the rocks was a bottle. Inside the bottle I could see a small piece of paper.

Before I could proclaim my excitement from finding someone’s treasure I realized what the message said.

The bottle hadn’t mysteriously washed up on the rocks, it had been placed there, it was for me, and in Dane’s handwriting “Will you marry me?” was written on the paper.

I turned to Dane and he was holding a ring. I grabbed him and started hugging him before he could get down on one knee.

As we stood there hugging on the grassy bank he whispered in my ear, “I love you so much! Will you marry me?”

As the tears began to escape my eyes I said, “Yes.”

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On the Edge of the Weekend

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Engagement Stories Not your average scavenger hunt Written and Submitted by: Angela Gunther C o u p l e : B l a k e F e r a n d o a n d A n g e l a G u n t h e r, Edwardsville Engagement Year: 2010 March 31, 2010 was one of the first pretty spring days of the year in Edwardsville!

The day started out and continued like any other weekday: Angela Gunther was working and Blake Ferando was attending classes at SIUE. On break from work, Angela talked to Blake. They agreed on taking a long walk together when Angela was done with work - to enjoy the beautiful weather and to exercise! At about 4 p.m. (one hour before Angela was to get off work), she got this email from Blake: Subject: How About Another Plan "Hey Angie, actually I have an even better idea for tonight!

I have been on a scavenger hunt around SIUE! This site called My-eddy.com which has all the discounts on their Web site for college students and they are having another scavenger hunt for cool prizes!

"They had one last fall where you could win an Xbox 360, PS3, or a scholarship so I'm doing it this time! All you have to do is find the final clue and it will have a confirmation number and you use that and enter one per person (SIUE students

only).

"Would you please do that with me first while its day light out and it’s so nice? I want to just be outside while it’s nice and hopefully win something in the end! I will meet you at your house when you get home ok? I love you!"

Angela called Blake on her way home from work and told him she did not really want to go with him to find the final clue since she had some things to do around her house. She asked Blake if he could just go by himself and then they could go on a walk after he got done. Blake persisted that Angela come with him so they could spend more time together. Angela finally said okay, but still did not really want to go.

Blake picked Angela up at her house, and they went to a very pretty park in Edwardsville, Glik Park.

They found clues that would lead them from place to place around the park, and they both were making a fun time out of it!

Angela found the final clue on a bench in front of the lake while the sun was setting. (The bench was the very place where Blake had asked Angela to be his girlfriend almost 2 years before)!

Angela opened the last clue to find a typed letter that looked different than all the other clues. It hit Angela instantly that the typed letter was not a clue and that maybe the whole scavenger hunt was not real.

They didn't visit the relatives

Written and Submitted by: Jennifer Baker Santee Couple: Drew and Jennifer Santee Edwardsville Engagement: Feb. 2002 I am a high school teacher and work with many wonderful people who became part of the conspirators in my future husband’s elaborate scheme to whisk me away to the perfect engagement location.

Drew asked my friends to cover my last two classes so that I would be able to get to the airport on time.

I thought we were going to visit relatives and my friends allowed me

to believe that story. When I arrived at the airport, Drew had beaten me there. Even though this was February of 2002 (post 9/11), Drew had spoken with the people at the gate. He made sure I did not go to the gate until the last minute. When we finally went to the gate, the destination was removed from the marquee! The conspirators would not let me know the destination.

It did not end there - the airline attendants refused to tell me and the pilot would not announce the destination either! The only thing I knew was that the destination was not to visit relatives. As the plane was descending, I tried to see

landmarks. I could not figure it out!

At the very end the pilot welcomed us to - San Francisco! What a surprise. We stayed in a beautiful hotel and had a wonderful meal that evening. But I had to wait until the next day for the biggest surprise. We went down to Fisherman’s Wharf and boarded a ferry to Tiburon.

While in Tiburon, we purchased wine at a winery and went to the bay to enjoy it. With the beautiful view in front of us, Drew asked me to marry him. After I said yes, he borrowed flowers from a passerby and asked her to take our picture!

We have now been married eight years and still are very much in love.

Hiking their way to the altar Written and Submitted by: Kelly Hellenga Bogowith Couple: David and Kelly Bogowith Edwardsville Engaged: 2009 In the fall of 2009, my boyfriend, David, of 10 years took me on a trip to see a couple of my college friends in Portland and Seattle. I was ready to be engaged, but I cannot say I ever expected it to happen on this trip. I somewhat suspected it when we went to a beautiful rose garden in Portland, but I was disappointed because nothing of the like

happened. I figured if he did not propose at that time on this trip, it was not going to happen. A few days later, we traveled to Mount Rainier, Washington to go on a hiking trip together. Not knowing what the weather would be like, I wore too many clothes for our adventure. I was hiking in my sports bra, sweat pants hiked up to my knees, baseball hat, and hiking boots, which is the not-so-romantic part of this story.

We sat to rest a minute on a bolder due to fatigue and heat. Suddenly kneeling down, my best friend of 10 years asked me to marry him!

All alone on top of this overlook,

I shed tears of happiness because it was so surprising and romantic.

Never had a I been in an area as pretty as this, with a snow covered mountain overlooking valleys of colorful wildflowers, small clear lakes, and luscious green pine trees.

The proposal turned this perfect (and hot day) into one of the most memorable of our lives!

David and I got married a year later in Edwardsville at St. John’s United Methodist Church with our reception at the Leclaire Room. We will be celebrating our six month anniversary and first married Valentine’s Day this February.

An up-in-the-air romance Written and Submitted by: Brooke Shain Couple: Brooke Shain and Kevin Jones Glen Carbon Engaged: 2010 My fairytale began on March 30, 2010. That was the day I met my best friend and most wonderful man in the world. It didn’t take long to fall in love with Kevin.

He was everything I had been trying to find for so long and up until I met him had just never found.

We started talking about the future and my wheels started turning...I wanted to propose to him! We had been on a weekend to Chicago and Kevin expressed great interest in the helicopter rides they were giving on the Navy Pier. We didn’t take a ride that day but my idea was there!

We had looked at rings already because his mom had a diamond that had been in the family and he wanted me to have it. We went to a jewelry store and I picked out a mounting and he ordered his ring. We knew his would be in before mine, but I told him we might as well wait to get them both in one trip, as the store was an hour away.

In the meantime, we have a friends who happen

8

On the Edge of the Weekend

to know a well-known news helicopter pilot. I began speaking with him and he directed me to Gateway Helicopter Tours. I waited one day until Kevin left for work and off to St. Louis I went. I left the city with tickets in hand! My plan was to propose that Friday. I had called some friends and they made reservations at a restaurant in St. Louis, so Kevin only thought we were just meeting friends for dinner. So....all was going according to plan until I called the jewelry store on Tuesday and his ring still hadn’t come in. (It was supposed to be there.) I knew they were closed on Thursday and Friday was the big day!

For hours on Wednesday morning I waited by the phone and finally they called! I had just enough time to drive there, grab the ring and drive home before Kevin got home from work.

Friday came and we headed to St. Louis, and he was “NONE THE WISER!” Boy, was he surprised when we headed toward The Landing. The look of confusion on his face was priceless! We finally got up in the helicopter and after flying over the city, I pulled out the ring and asked him to marry me. He made me the happiest girl in the world when he said “YES!” That will be a ride neither of us will ever forget!

February 24, 2011

Blake and Angela sat down on the bench as Angela started to read the surprise letter. The words were so sweet that she started to cry! The last line of the letter said: "so there is just one more question left..."

Blake got down on one knee in front of the bench and opened the ring box! Angela was in disbelief and said "are you kidding me?" and "is this for real?" Blake replied with: "Will you marry me?" Angela screamed YES and instantly flew into Blake's arms for a hug!

As the newly engaged couple was hugging and Angela was still crying, Emily Gunther (Angela's sister), jumped out from behind a tree and told them congratulations!

Angela eventually came to find out that Blake had called Emily two hours before to ask her to come help him hide clues in the park. Emily had been hiding and taking pictures of the whole scavenger hunt and while Blake was proposing!

Emily was then was able to take pictures of Blake and Angela (with the diamond ring on her finger) in front of the lake while the sun was setting! It was an enchanting and amazing evening!

Angela does not think that Blake's proposal could have been ANY better!

She was completely surprised and so happy the whole night was captured on camera, pictures that will forever be cherished!

Engagement Stories

The Edwardsville Intelligencer would like to thank ALL of the great entries for the Unique and Romantic Engagement Contest. All of the entries were amazing. Read all of the rest of the entries all throughout the week of Feb. 14 through Feb. 18.

This contest was sponsored by: Buhrmester Paint & Wallpaper, Fantastic Sams, Simply Foo Foo, Travel Express, Villa Marie Winery, Diamond Mineral Springs Restaurant, Ooh La La Anti Aging and Laser Center, Maggie’s Primitive Cottage, Miss Bailey’s Poppy Patch, Sweetie’s Confections, ToDo’s Ultimate Party Store, Vallow Floor Coverings, Inc., Night Magic Entertainment, Sante’ Skin & Body Medical Spa and The Edwardsville Intelligencer.

Thank you all!

Capturing her heart with a song Written and Submitted by: Danielle Wooff Couple: Danielle Wooff and Dan Werts Edwardsville Engaged December 2010 We don’t have a lot of money.

Dan especially has very little because he has to have an oncampus job to get more financial aid for school and we’re both still in college. So when we came to the point in our relationship where we were talking about marriage, I figured we would both have to be out of college before he could even start working toward a ring.

L i t t l e d i d I k n o w, D a n ’ s grandmother had given him her old ring that she was no longer needing. Dan is a double major in music education and vocal performance and his junior recital finally came last December. One

of the songs Dan sang was called “Chanson d’amour,” which is French for “Song of Love.” He sang this beautiful song while looking at me the whole time and it was so sweet that I almost cried right there in the audience. After the performance I went up to him to tell him that his singing that song directly to me was the cutest and sweetest thing he had ever done and he denied that certain truth several times before I finally demanded, “Ok, well what was the cutest thing then? Name one thing you’ve done that was cuter.”

He looked at me for a minute then said, “How about this?”

And he got down on one knee and reached in his suit jacket and asked me to marry him. All our friends and family were there and they started clapping as I said, “Yes!” And we both had tears in our eyes as Dan stood up and hugged me.

Additional Story on Page 10

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February 24, 2011

On the Edge of the Weekend

9

Engagement Stories The fourth rose had a special meaning Written and Submitted by: Lisa Bertels and Jacob Greco Couple: Lisa Bertels and Jacob Greco, Edwardsville Engagement: March 5, 2010 How Two Became One – As told by Lisa April 15, 2006 Jacob and I had been casually seeing each other for about a month. He planned a romantic night out for us at Porter's Steakhouse.

During the dinner, he asked me to be his girlfriend. After our scrumptious steaks, we walked out to his car.

He opened the passenger door for me and said, "Since you accepted to be my girlfriend I have a gift for you."

He walked back to the of the car and pulled out three roses.

He said, as he handing me e a c h ro s e o n e a t a t i m e , " T h e first rose is for me to be by your side. The second rose re p re s e n t s h a v i n g y o u r t r u s t 1 0 0 p e rc e n t o f t h e t i m e . T h e third rose is for you to be treated like a queen."

I was in shock because I had

never experienced anything s o ro m a n t i c i n m y l i f e ( w e l l , u n t i l h e p ro p o s e d ) . I f o u n d t h e p e r f e c t m a n w h o t re a t e d me with such respect and compassion.

March 5, 2010 – As told by Jacob I took Lisa out to dinner at o u r f a v o r i t e s t e a k h o u s e . We went to Porter's numerous times over the past four years, but this time I was feeling a bit nervous.

I k e p t m y c o m p o s u re p re t t y well throughout the whole d i n n e r. M y c a r w a s p a r k e d in the same spot as April 15, 2006 (No, it was not a coincidence).

I opened the car door for Lisa, and as she sat down I popped the trunk of my car. She asked what I was doing and seemed really confused. As she turned her head, I walked towards her holding roses behind my back.

Just like I presented the roses to her four years ago, I said, as I handed her each rose one at a time, "The first rose is for me to be by your side. The second rose represents having

y o u r t r u s t 1 0 0 p e rc e n t o f t h e time. The third rose is for you to be treated like a queen."

To her surprise, there was a fourth rose.

I got down on one knee and handed her the rose that would represent the rest of our lives t o g e t h e r. I o p e n e d a l i t t l e s q u a r e b o x a n d a s k e d , " Wi l l

you marry me?"

After Lisa said yes, we spent the rest of our night embracing our new found future together.

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On the Edge of the Weekend

February 24, 2011

The Arts Arts calendar **If you would like to add something to our arts calendar, email it to theedge@edwpub.net.

Thursday, Feb. 24 • Ruined by Lynn Nottage, The Black Rep, Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, St. Louis • Treasures of Napoleon, Missouri History Museum, Lindell Blvd. at De Baliviere Ave., St. Louis • Splendid Heritage: Perspectives on American Indian Art, Missouri History Museum, Lindell Blvd. at De Baliviere Ave., St. Louis, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Chiwoniso “Rebel Woman,” Presented by The Center for International Studies, The Touhill, University of Missouri St. Louis Campus, 8 p.m., $18

Friday, Feb. 25 • A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Edison Theatre, 6445 Forsyth Blvd., St. Louis, Mo., 314.935.6543, 8 p.m.

• Ruined by Lynn Nottage, The Black Rep, Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, St. Louis • Treasures of Napoleon, Missouri History Museum, Lindell Blvd. at De Baliviere Ave., St. Louis • Splendid Heritage: Perspectives on American Indian Art, Missouri History Museum, Lindell Blvd. at De Baliviere Ave., St. Louis, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 26

Monday, Feb. 28

• A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Edison Theatre, 6445 Forsyth Blvd., St. Louis, Mo., 314.935.6543, 8 p.m.

• Ruined by Lynn Nottage, The Black Rep, Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, St. Louis • Treasures of Napoleon, Missouri History Museum, Lindell Blvd. at De Baliviere Ave., St. Louis • Splendid Heritage: Perspectives on American Indian Art, Missouri History Museum, Lindell Blvd. at De Baliviere Ave., St. Louis, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Cirque D’ OR: Golden Dragon Acrobats, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., The Touhill, University of Missouri St. Louis Campus

• Ruined by Lynn Nottage, The Black Rep, Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, St. Louis • Treasures of Napoleon, Missouri History Museum, Lindell Blvd. at De Baliviere Ave., St. Louis • Splendid Heritage: Perspectives on American Indian Art, Missouri History Museum, Lindell Blvd. at De Baliviere Ave., St. Louis, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 27 • A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Edison Theatre, 6445 Forsyth Blvd., St. Louis, Mo., 314.935.6543, 2 p.m.

• Ruined by Lynn Nottage, The Black Rep, Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, St. Louis • Treasures of Napoleon, Missouri History Museum, Lindell Blvd. at De Baliviere Ave., St. Louis • S p l e n d i d H e r i t a g e : P e r s p e c t i v e s o n A m e r i c a n Indian Art, Missouri History Museum, Lindell Blvd. at De Baliviere Ave., St. Louis, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tuesday, March 1 • Ruined by Lynn Nottage, The Black Rep, Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, St. Louis • Tr e a s u r e s o f N a p o l e o n , M i s s o u r i H i s t o r y M u s e u m , L i n d e l l B l v d . a t D e B a l i v i e r e Av e . , S t .

Louis • S p l e n d i d H e r i t a g e : P e r s p e c t i v e s o n A m e r i c a n Indian Art, Missouri History Museum, Lindell Blvd. at De Baliviere Ave., St. Louis, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Wednesday, March 2 • Ruined by Lynn Nottage, The Black Rep, Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, St. Louis • Treasures of Napoleon, Missouri History Museum, Lindell Blvd. at De Baliviere Ave., St. Louis

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February 24, 2011

On the Edge of the Weekend

11

Religion We should strive to be blessings Several weeks ago, I wrote about our Bible Study class and our study of the parable of the prodigal son.

I recall that I said that while growing up, I think the focus I recalled when hearing that parable was usually on the younger son and how he recklessly wasted his inheritance given him by a loving father on a ‘fast life style’.

It was only when he had depleted his finances and was working at a demeaning job and found himself hungry and alone that he came back to a father who lovingly received him and rejoiced in his return. I guess I always wondered if he would have returned and recognized the love of his father if things had been different I was intrigued by this study’s concept that explored the attitude of the older son also. I guess in times past I found my sympathy was with that older son who had worked hard, followed all the rules and felt shunted aside by the return of the young son. I felt perhaps he was being treated unfairly.

However as we discussed this older son, I realized that his focus was on ‘himself’.

He wasn’t able to rejoice with his father when his brother returned. I found myself

Doris Gvillo wondering how most of us would react in such circumstances and, in all honesty, I would guess many of us would feel resentful.

But I also hope that the knowledge of the joy the father felt at the younger brother’s return might turn a hardened heart into one with a little more understanding.

I also hope that with that understanding, perhaps a new and deeper relationship between all the participants in this parable might begin to grow.

Would that younger son realize what a gift was being given him when his father welcomed him with love, forgiveness and acceptance? Would he be able to return and accept responsibility for what he had done and also a willingness to work in cooperation with his older brother…if that older brother was willing?

Would in time the older brother realize that perhaps he needed a change of heart because if he truly loved his father, he would realize that the brother’s return brought joy and a sense of peace to his father?

And, I guess one more question rattles about in this old head? Was the older brother working out of love for his father or because of what that work would ultimately ‘get’ him?

I am sure that you like me have heard it said over and over again, “We can’t ‘earn’ our salvation.” Salvation is a gift that is given to each of us when we accept Jesus as a savior who died that we might be saved. He died for the sins of each and every one of us.

Having discussed and thought about this parable for many weeks now, I have reached a conclusion. It is that each of the brothers in their own way had hurt the father who loved them. One for a time left the father and using the gifts bestowed by the father, wasted them and returned after he was hungry, alone, and had no place else to turn.

The other who stayed and worked diligently but could not in his heart find the ability to forgive his brother and refused to participate in the welcome home offered by the father.

The question I am pondering now is, “Did the younger brother realize the pain he’d caused his father and the great love shown by that father who received him home with open

arms and celebrated that return?” And if so, would his life change to reflect the love of that father?

Secondly, would that older brother find a forgiving spirit and realize that ‘works’ aren’t the way to salvation? Good works don’t ‘earn’ us God’s love. But those works, if they are done out of love and gratitude, are a way of showing our thanks for such a tremendous love.

I’m going to close this article with a quote I found recently that resonated with me as I pondered this parable and the possibility that we might be left with the thought that ‘working hard, following all the rules, and giving of self earn us salvation”.

It is simple, “We don’t do good works to please Jesus; our good works are a result of knowing Jesus.”

The author of that quote which came from one of my devotional books ended by saying, “In Jesus, you are a blessing to others.” And, I for one, would like to be considered a ‘blessing’, wouldn’t you?

Doris Gvillo is a member of Eden United Church of Christ.

Religion briefs Mob of Indonesian Muslims burns churches, vehicles to protest man’s 5-year blasphemy sentence

freedom and found it was vital to religious harmony in the secular nation. Activists argued the law discriminates against believers outside the mainstream of six officially recognized faiths.

J A K A RTA , I n d o n e s i a ( A P ) — Hundreds of Islamic hardliners stormed a courthouse and set two churches on fire in central Indonesia to protest what they considered a lenient sentence for a Christian convicted of blaspheming Islam.

Antonius Richmond Bawengan, 58, was found guilty of distributing books and leaflets that “spread hatred about Islam” and sentenced to the maximum five years in prison.

I s l a m i c h a rd - l i n e r s s h o u t e d during the rioting Tuesday that the man should have received the death penalty. Anti-riot police fired into the air to disperse the crowd.

The violence started in front of the District Court in Temanggung where the trial was held and spread to surrounding neighborhoods, police spokesman Col. Djahartono said.

Witnesses said some people were rushed to the hospital with injuries and police led away some protesters for questioning.

The mob set two churches on fire and threw rocks at a third and a school building. They also torched a police truck, three cars and six motorcycles. Calm was restored about four hours later.

Indonesia’s constitutional court upheld the blasphemy law last year as not limiting religious

Ex-Minnesota Gov. Pawlenty opens Iowa lecture series for potential GOP presidential candidates PELLA, Iowa (AP) — Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty highlighted his evangelical background and offered a conservative social message as he opened a lecture series sponsored by politically important social and religious conservatives who are testing Republican presidential contenders.

Pawlenty met with reporters and delivered a lecture to members of The Family Leader, formerly known as the Iowa Family Policy Center, also meeting privately with key activists.

The Family Leader is inviting potential presidential candidates to the state, which begins the presidential nominating process.

Those events will continue through the spring.

Pawlenty stressed the ties to religion that he would bring to a potential bid for the nomination, saying in the speech at Pella Christian High School that his religious values shape his politics and policies.

“Acknowledging God, turning toward God not turning away

Immanuel United Methodist Church 800 N. Main Street - Edwardsville - (618) 656-4648

The Old Church with the New Attitude

Journey’s Inn Praise Service 9 am Traditional Worship 10 am • Sunday School 11:15 am Plan now for Lenten Season Ash Wednesday Service - March 9th, 6:30 pm Bible Study - March 10th, 10 am - ”Revelations” Bible Study - March 14th, 7 pm ”When Christians Get It Wrong”

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from God is an important starting point for all these values,” he said.

“We can’t be a great country until we’re a good country. Our nation was founded under God. This has been a celebrated principle and tradition of our country.”

Pawlenty has been among the most active of potential presidential candidates in t r a v e l i n g t o t h e s t a t e w h e re precinct caucuses traditionally launch the presidential nominating season, and he brought along wife, Mary, as he stressed his religious beliefs.

Another potential contender is Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, who got heavy

Retired Methodist bishops urge church to allow gays and lesbians to become ministers NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Thirty-three of the United Methodist Church’s 85 retired bishops have signed a statement asking the church to reconsider its policy banning gays and lesbians from becoming

ministers.

Retired bishop Don Ott wrote and distributed the statement along with retired bishop Sharon Rader. Ott said the idea came after he and Rader talked about having been troubled for a number of years by the policy.

Ott said the denomination has lost the talents of gays and lesbians who had the gift for ministry but could not serve. He has also seen straight church leaders and seminarians who have left the denomination because their consciences would not allow them to support the policy.

Ott hopes the statement that was released last week engages the church on the issue and influences next year’s General Conference, the denomination’s lawmaking body.

Religious Directory Bahá’í Faith PETER 11 3:10 “Busy not thyself with this world, for with fire We test the gold, and with gold We test Our servants.” ~ Bahá’u’llah

What is testing you in this life?

The Bahá’is of Edwardsville warmly welcome and invite you to investigate the teachings of

Bahá’u’llah

For more information please call (618) 656-4142 or email:

Bahai.Edwardsville@sbcglobal.net P.O. Box 545, Edwardsville, IL 62025

www.bahai.us

Lutheran ST. JAMES LUTHERAN CHURCH 146 North Main Glen Carbon, IL 288-6120 Rev. Robert Weise Sunday Services: 9:15 a.m. Adult Bible Class 10:30 a.m. Traditional Lutheran Worship Service

www.immanuelonmain.org

On the Edge of the Weekend

attention when she visited the state and is also scheduled to join the lecture series in April.

February 24, 2011

Episcopal ST. ANDREWS EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Hillsboro At North Buchanan Edwardsville, IL 656-1929 The Rev. Virginia L. Bennett, D. Min. Sunday Services: 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite I 9:10 a.m. Adult Education 9:30 a.m. Church School 10:00 a.m. Choral Eucharist Rite II Nursery Provided www.standrews-edwardsville.com

ST. THOMAS EPISCOPAL Summit at School Street, Glen Carbon, IL 288-5620

Sunday: Christian Education 9:30 a.m.

Holy Eucharist 10:30 a.m.

St. Thomas Child Care Center Now enrolling infants through Pre-K Call 288-5697 “Worship in the warm hospitality of a village church.”

Christian LECLAIRE CHRISTIAN CHURCH

1914 Esic Drive, Edwardsville, 656-0918 “Loving People to Jesus” Shane Taylor Senior, Minister Matt Campbell, Youth and Worship Minister Mary Lou Whiteford, Childrens Minister Sunday Schedule: Sunday School for all ages at 9:30 am Worship at 10:30 am Wednesday Schedule: Men’s Ministry 6:45 pm Please see leclairecc.com for more information.

Daycare 656-2798 Janet Hooks, Daycare Director leclairecc.com

To Advertise Call: 656-4700, Ext. 46 Deadline: Tuesday @ 10:30 am

Movies

QuickGlance Movie Reviews “Cedar Rapids”

An afternoon sex romp with Sigourney Weaver exhorting her companion to “Bring it!” is precisely how one expects an Alexander Payne film to begin. But “Cedar Rapids” was directed by Miguel Arteta (”Youth in Revolt”) who, instead of injecting the darkness that executive producer Payne would have, unfolds a charming, conventional coming-of-age comedy. Ed Helms is the 34-year-old Tim Lippe, a woefully earnest Wisconsin insurance salesman who — notwithstanding his weekly meet-ups with his former 7th grade teacher (Weaver) — has seen so little of life that Cedar Rapids might as well be Las Vegas to him. He’s dispatched to the Iowa city for an important insurance conference, where he befriends partying colleagues, experiments with drugs and has a life-changing moral crisis. He’s taken in by three veteran salesmen (John C. Reilly, Anne Heche, Isiah Whitlock Jr.). Particularly memorable is Reilly’s “Deanzie,” a hard-drinking, joke-spewing hotel bar hero.

RATED: R for crude and sexual content, language and drug use.

RUNNING TIME: 87 minutes.

ASSOCIATED PRESS RANKING: Two and a half stars out of four.

“The Eagle”

The gladiatorial thumbs-up or thumbs-down is a key plot point in this ancient Roman adventure. The movie itself merits more of a thumb wriggling horizontally, nudging upward for its precise detail and gorgeous landscapes but downward for its somewhat hollow characters and their admirable but monotonous sense of honor.

Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell deliver solid though unremarkable performances as a former Roman soldier and a British slave on a quest beyond the edge of the known world to retrieve the standard of a lost legion that vanished in the wilds of 2nd- century Scotland.

Director Kevin Macdonald (”The Last King of Scotland”) crafts a technically sumptuous epic, glorious to the eye though often dry and uninvolving to the ear. The movie is based on Rosemary Sutcliff’s 1954 novel, “The Eagle of the Ninth,” a tale written for young readers that simply does not ripen well for the modern grown-up audience at which the film is aimed. The intense skirmishes and images are suited for adult crowds, yet the ideals and emotions that bond the main characters are boyish and stunted, leaving the movie caught between mature action and shallow characterizations.

RATED: PG-13 for battle sequences and some disturbing images.

RUNNING TIME: 114 minutes.

ASSOCIATED PRESS RANKING: Two and a half stars out of four.

“Gnomeo & Juliet”

This animated riff on “Romeo and Juliet,” with yard gnomes standing in for our star-crossed lovers, doesn’t have a single original idea in its pointy, ceramic head. Spirited and brisk as this family film can be, its energy cannot disguise the fact that it’s an awkward mash-up of Shakespeare puns, hackneyed pop culture references and familiar Elton John songs, with one of those everything-but-thekitchen-sink scripts cobbled together by committee. The concept is clever enough — I mean, come on, who doesn’t like yard gnomes?

— but that’s pretty much all this film from director Kelly Asbury (”Shrek 2”) is. Like “Snakes on a Plane,” the title is the gag, and it tells you all you need to know. And of course, “Gnomeo & Juliet” is in 3-D. While adding a third dimension can provide an inspired sense of perspective and makes some of the details pop in a tactile way — the chips in the gnomes’ paint, the smudges of dirt on their faces — it is, as always, unnecessary. “Gnomeo & Juliet” does feature a strong

voice cast, though, led by James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine and Maggie Smith, with cameos from the likes of Dolly Parton, Hulk Hogan and Ozzy Osbourne. Some of the one-liners and visual bits hit their targets, but for the most part, reheated gags and sequences that recall earlier, better animated films are the norm.

RATED: G. RUNNING TIME: 84 minutes.

ASSOCIATED PRESS RANKING: Two stars out of four.

“Just Go With It”

Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston’s romantic comedy, idiotic even by their usually low big-screen standards, is stuffed with unpleasant narcissists saying and doing the dumbest, often cruelest things in hope of cheap laughs. They fail; there’s barely a titter’s worth of humor in this bloated mess that drones on for nearly two hours. Based on Walter Matthau, Ingrid Bergman and Goldie Hawn’s 1969 comedy “Cactus Flower,” the movie casts Sandler as a plastic surgeon and supposedly nice guy who has spent two decades pretending to be a mistreated husband so he can score with sympathetic women (yeah, real nice guy). When he finally falls for somebody (Sports Illustrated swimsuit goddess Brooklyn Decker), he enlists his assistant (Aniston) to pose as the wife he’s divorcing.

And the lamebrained lies build from there. Director Dennis Dugan, whose collaborations with Sandler include “Big Daddy” and “Grown Ups,” lets scene after unfunny scene linger painfully. Nicole Kidman somehow got roped into a supporting role in this dreadful affair, but don’t you make the same mistake. Just run from it.

RATED: PG-13 for frequent crude and sexual content, partial nudity, brief drug references and language.

RUNNING TIME: 116 minutes.

ASSOCIATED PRESS RANKING: One and a half stars out of four.

“Justin Bieber: Never Say Never”

Part biopic, part concert film and all crowd pleaser, this celebration of the pop phenom knows exactly what it needs to do to send its target audience of tween girls into a tizzy of giddy screams. That includes an effective use of 3-D from director Jon M. Chu (”Step Up 3D”), so get ready for plenty of shots of Bieber looking longingly into the camera, reaching out to grab your hand while singing one of his infectious tunes. Bieber would be an easy target for anyone who’s graduated from junior high school: He’s 16, smooth and pretty, with an androgynous look that recalls Hilary Swank in “Boys Don’t Cry” and a playful, non-threatening way about him. But as Chu’s film reveals through home movies from Bieber’s small town outside Toronto, early YouTube clips and interviews with the people who discovered him, he’s preternaturally gifted, freakishly poised and incessantly hardworking. And he genuinely seems like a good kid — it’s hard not to like him. Sure, “Never Say Never” plays like an extended infomercial for Bieber, similar to recent 3-D movies about Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers. We get no real sense of who Bieber is, whether he has any fears, if he misses normal-kid stuff, what he thinks about the hordes of girls who tremble and sob at the very mention of his name. But along those lines, Chu does an excellent job of conveying the incomparable thrill of being young and bursting with love for your first idol crush.

RATED: G. RUNNING TIME: 105 minutes.

February 24, 2011

On the Edge of the Weekend

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Movies

Associated Press

In this film publicity image released by Columbia Pictures, Brooklyn Decker, left, and Adam Sandler are shown in a scene from “Just Go with It.”

Sandler's latest? Just run from it

By DAVID GERMAIN Associated Press The poster asks, “What if a little lie kept getting bigger?” More like, “What if the people telling the little lie kept getting dumber?”

Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston’s romantic comedy, idiotic even by their usually low big-screen standards, is stuffed with unpleasant narcissists saying and doing the stupidest, often cruelest things in hope of cheap laughs.

They fail. There’s barely a titter’s worth of humor in this bloated mess that drones on for nearly two hours. Director Dennis Dugan, whose many collaborations with Sandler include “Big Daddy” and “Grown Ups,” lets scene after unfunny scene linger painfully as the characters blather dreary nonsense for minutes on end.

Based on Walter Matthau, Ingrid Bergman and Goldie Hawn’s 1969 comedy “Cactus Flower,” the movie casts Sandler as Danny Maccabee, an unmarried, well-off plastic surgeon and supposedly nice guy who has spent two decades pretending to be a mistreated husband so he can score with sympathetic women (yeah, real nice guy).

Then Danny falls for schoolteacher Palmer Dodge (Sports Illustrated swimsuit goddess Brooklyn Decker). Rather than doing something silly, like telling Palmer the simple truth that he’s interested and available, Danny enlists his assistant and longtime platonic pal, Katherine (Aniston), to pose as the wife he’s divorcing so he can woo his new woman.

And the lame-brained lies build from there.

Single mom Katherine’s kids (Bailee Madison and Griffin Gluck) are drawn into the charade, along

with Danny’s randy cousin (Nick Swardson).

All three are annoying enough as their regular characters, but Madison and Swardson yammer in grating European accents much of the time as part of this shabby plot to con sweet and trusting Palmer into falling for a creep.

Sandler, also a producer on the movie, truly does come off as a creep here. His characters usually are crass but good-hearted, and while Danny utters the occasional nicety, he’s just a big, nasty jerk.

Compounding things, the 44-year-old Sandler’s boyish looks are really starting to erode, so Danny seems a bit like a pathetic old lecher pursuing 23-year-old Decker’s Palmer (Allan Loeb and Timothy Dowling’s screenplay also provides no clues why the impossibly hot Palmer might fall, almost at first sight, for a middle-aged liar).

As the fibs pile up, characters keep uttering “just go with it,” and it feels like a plea from the actors and filmmakers, hoping the audience will play along no matter how dumb things get.

The filmmakers contrive to send the whole gang on a weird, extended-family trip to Hawaii so they can show off some exotic scenery and sneak in shots of Decker glistening as she steps out of the ocean in a skimpy bikini.

In Hawaii, Katherine also encounters old college rival Devlin (Nicole Kidman), a pompous windbag who happens to be vacationing there with her equally insufferable husband (musician Dave Matthews).

Among the movie’s many clumsy gags is a hula smackdown between Aniston and Kidman that, even though it offers grand views of their taut midriffs in action, manages to be really, really boring.

Movies without "feel-good" endings

By ROBERT GRUBAUGH Of The Edge There are a pair of movies out right now that deal with a twosome of unpleasant topics, but address them quite well.

The collapse of bloated corporate excess gets lambasted in "The Company Men" and a couple grieves for their lost child in Rabbit Hole. There are some good dramas out there; you just have to look a little deeper to find them these days.

••• When the shipbuilding magnate he works for falls on hard times, Bobby Walker (Ben Affleck) takes it in stride.

Surely nothing as big as his company could fail in the modern American economy. Credit would have to dry up, banks would have to shutdown, and most of Wall Street would have to falter at the same time. How naive we were prior to the 2008 recession. Men like Bobby Walker were the ones hit worst. He has a MBA and sits behind a massive desk in a beautiful office.

He doesn’t really “work” like the blue collar welders and machinists he supervises. Despite a vague job description, he’s been well-compensated at about $160,000 a year, but has no savings, a mortgage on a house that was beyond his family’s means in the first place, and no desire to give up his Porsche or his golf club membership.

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On the Edge of the Weekend

The change in Bobby Walker - from a clown who has been foolish with his money and a responsible adult learning to work harder for much, much less - is the framework for this simple story that also shadows several other executives from his firm that deal with things in other ways. While Bobby works on home renovation projects with his brother-in-law (Kevin Costner), his former mentor, Gene McClary (Tommy Lee Jones), starts a new company after leaving his wife. Phil Woodward (Chris Cooper) learns that he has no identity outside of his former job and alcohol and depression win him over. Even the head of Human Resources (Maria Bello), the woman who makes the layoff decisions, can’t keep her job when the night reaches it blackest point. These are lessons that encourage responsibility and show that while the American dream is attainable, it can also be fleeting.

"The Company Men" runs 116 minutes and is rated R for language and brief nudity. I give this film two stars out of four.

••• Another type of loss, one more visceral, is at the heart of "Rabbit Hole," a movie directed by John Cameron Mitchell and based on the excellent play by David Lindsay-Abaire. Eight months after they’ve lost their toddler son in car accident, Becca (Nicole Kidman) and Howie (Aaron Eckhart) are still trying to find the things in life that make it worth living. He’s

February 24, 2011

finding his routine of going to work and playing squash with a buddy to be a good way to mask the pain that always creeps back in during that window after finishing the dinner dishes and hitting the sack for the night. He’s not completely sure if the couples’ group therapy session is working, but he keeps at it. Becca has been far less successful, facing each day as a continuing nightmare. She has no job at present and spends her time in a home filled with memories of a lost little boy, slowly going crazy. Anger boils over when she attempts to erase the evidence of his existence and we learn why no one should ever use that method to ease the hurt.

A chance encounter brings Becca face-to-face with the teenage driver (Miles Teller) that accidentally struck down their son as he chased his dog into the street. She finds solace once she sees the same grief she’s been fighting in the young man eyes. His life, too, has been ever affected by a terrible tragedy. The blame each has been internalizing lessens as they talk it out. This is a very tender story, one that is only staged a little more elaborately than it would be on an actual stage.

Nicole Kidman is Oscar-nominated for her role.

"Rabbit Hole" runs 103 minutes and is rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, some drug use, and language. I give this film one and a half stars out of four.

Movies Justin Bieber is extra dreamy in 3D

By CHRISTY LEMIRE Of The Edge Part biopic, part concert film and all crowd pleaser, “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never” is a big, glossy celebration of the musical phenom that knows exactly what it needs to do to send its target audience of ’tween girls into a tizzy of giddy screams.

That includes an unusually effective use of 3-D from director Jon M. Chu (“Step Up 3D”), so get ready for plenty of shots of Bieber looking longingly into the camera, reaching out to grab your hand while singing one of his infectious pop tunes. (And parents, get ready for temporary hearing loss.)

Bieber would be an easy target for anyone who’s graduated from junior high school: He’s 16, smooth and pretty, with an androgynous look that recalls Hilary Swank in “Boys Don’t Cry” and a playful, non-threatening way about him.

And that hair ... that famous mane that flips back and forth and always lands just right in a soft, feathered swoop. (What he wears on top of his head — an ever-present New York Yankees cap in his favorite color, purple — is more troubling.

Given his ubiquity and influence, he could be molding an entire generation of unsuspecting young

Yankee fans. And that would be bad.)

But as Chu’s film reveals through home movies from Bieber ’s small C a n a d i a n t o w n o f S t r a t f o rd , Ontario, early YouTube clips and interviews with the people who

discovered him, he’s preternaturally gifted, freakishly poised and incessantly hardworking. From the sense of rhythm he displayed at age 2 to his confident busking outside a theater at age 12 to the chutzpah he showed in approaching his eventual

mentor, Usher, and offering to sing for him just a couple years ago,

Bieber has always seemed fearless, yet somehow grounded.

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4218 South State Route 159, Suite 1 Glen Carbon, IL 62034

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February 24, 2011

TRIAD HIGH SCHOOL I-55/70 to U.S. Rt. 40 (Exit 17), 3rd Stoplight

For information: 618-887-4483

On the Edge of the Weekend

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People People planner Circus Flora plans 25th season In celebration of its 25th season, Circus Flora, St. Louis’ beloved, one-ring circus, announces its brand new show, Vagabond Adventures, June 2 through 26 under the air-conditioned, redand-white, big top tent in Grand C e n t e r. P re s e n t e d b y E d w a rd Jones, the show comes on the heels of Circus Flora’s triumph with the St. Louis Symphony in January.

Vagabond Adventures is set on the Floating Palace, a real circus venue that traveled up and down the Mississippi River before the Civil War. This majestic riverboat triggers a thrilling c a p e r, p i c k i n g u p w h e re t h e critically acclaimed Symphony performance left off. Vagabond Adventures reunites circus stars from the last quarter century such as the Flying Wallendas, the St. Louis Arches, the Flying Pages and everyone’s favorite clown, Giovanni Zoppé as Nino, along with many exciting new acts, including the Olate Dogs’ amazing tricks and the

Riding Donnert’s spellbinding horsemanship.

Va g a b o n d A d v e n t u re s f i n d s stowaways on board the Floating Palace, with dreams of becoming circus performers. From their lowly, discrete positions, they catch wind of a scheme that threatens the boat. Enthralled by the luscious Lottie Luppu, these unlikely heroes uncover her hidden identity – Lola Montes, a spy for a Spanish/Argentinean plot to commandeer the barge and abscond with it to Argentina.

Through the stowaways’ heroic efforts, the Floating Palace is saved, escapes the treacherous waters of the Gulf of Mexico and returns to delight the audiences of St Louis – the largest city west of the Mississippi.

The always affordable, familyfriendly Circus Flora takes place under the air-conditioned, red-and-white, big top tent in Grand Center, St. Louis’ arts and entertainment hub, adjacent to Powell Hall (corner of Grand Boulevard and Samuel Shepard D r i v e ) . Ti c k e t s g o o n s a l e March 16; group tickets are now available.

S h o w t i m e s a r e Tu e s d a y

t h ro u g h T h u r s d a y a t 7 p . m . ; Friday and Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m.; Sunday at 1 and 5:30 p.m.; and “Little Top Wednesday” at 10 a.m., a special one-hour show for smaller kids or the “kids at h e a r t . ” Ti c k e t s f o r Va g a b o n d Adventures are $8 to $44 and go on sale March 16. Call 314-2894040 or visit www.circusflora.org for tickets and more information.

Tickets are also available at the Circus Flora Box Office in the Centene Center for the Arts & Education, 3547 Olive St. Group discounts are now available for groups of 20 or more.

LCCC plans Black History Month events A month of activities and events will be held at Lewis and Clark Community College in

featuring vocalist

Stephanie Strohman

On the Hill Golf Course and Park 58 S. State Route 157, Edwardsville

Sunday, Feb 27th, 3:00-6:00 pm Ticket Prices: $8 per person, $15 per couple

Future performance dates at the American Legion Post 199: April 10, June 26, August 14, September 11, October 23, November 27

Call 618-420-2159 for advance ticket information www.dizbigband.com

SAINT LOUIS

CATHEDRAL CONCERTS Group Rates Available for Most Concerts!

Experience Great Music in a Great Space!

Opole, Philharmonic of Poland Wednesday, March 2, 2011 - 8:00 pm

Welcomed by Steinway Piano Gallery & Suntrup Automotive Group

Choir of St. John’s College, Cambridge Tuesday, April 5, 2011 - 8:00 pm Welcomed by WFL and Drury Hotels

The Pikes Peak Ringers

Friday, June 3, 2011 - 8:00 pm

Welcomed by Malmark Inc, Concordia Publishing House, Handbell Association of Greater Saint Louis, Morningstar Music Publishers, Shattinger Music Co., Jeffers Handbell Supply, Inc., Schulmerich Bells

www.CathedralConcerts.org 314-533-7662 Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis 4431 Lindell Boulevard

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On the Edge of the Weekend

February 24, 2011

conjunction with Black History Month in February.

• The “Alton African-American Oral History Project” will air nightly on LCTV Charter Cable Channel 989 in the Alton area and via streaming-live video by v i s i t i n g h t t p : / / w w w. l c . e d u / lctv_live. The project includes a montage of profiles on people who contributed to our community including – Josephine Beckwith, Norval Cox, Hazel Killion, Joseph Berry, Grace Monroe and James Bailey. The series will air until Feb.28.

• Black American Moments”, pre-recorded readings about African Americans in our nation’s history will air as part of regular programming on WLCA 89.9 FM and WBGZ 1570 AM throughout the month and will feature the voices of college employees and community members including Ed Gray, Yvette McClemore, Kehven

Wi l l i a m s , L a D o n n a W h i t n e r, Angela Weaver, Leonard & Ruth H a w t h o r n e , D w a y n e B a i l e y, Jeremy Griggs, and Brenda Walker McCain.

• Friday, Feb. 25 at 11:30 a.m. in the Reid Restaurant a traditional student favorite, “Spirit of Angela”, will be presented to introduce the audience to various African dance techniques.

• Saturday, Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. in the Benjamin Godfrey Memorial Chapel the annual “Celebration in Song” will feature Gospel singing from local female soloists.

• “The Art of Spoken Word” p re s e n t a t i o n w i l l m i x p o e t r y with upbeat tempos and phrases involving stories of life and emotion on Monday, Feb. 28. at 1:30 p.m. in the Underground Connection For more information on any of these events, please call (618) 468-6400.

People People planner Clayton’s Parties in the Park moves The region’s original outdoor happy hour, Parties in the Park, hosted by the Clayton Chamber of Commerce, is moving out of Shaw Park and onto the streets of downtown Clayton.

In its 28th season of live music, cold drinks, and meeting up with friends old and new, Parties in the Park is now “Parties in the Park in Downtown Clayton.”

M e r a m e c Av e n u e , b e t w e e n Forsyth Boulevard and Maryland Avenue, will be THE place to be after work this summer, and best of all, admission to one of the city’s most familiar and eagerly anticipated parties in town is free and open to the public.

The revamped Parties in the Park in Downtown Clayton 2011 season kicks off Wednesday, May 11 from 5 to 8:30 p.m., a half hour longer than years past, and continues on the second Wednesday of the month through September.

With live music and a DJ soon to be announced, the Clayton Chamber of Commerce hopes to stimulate the retail and restaurant business in Clayton by moving the party closer to the business district. The move also falls in line with the city of Clayton’s master plan to have more events on the streets.

“We really wanted do something new this year,” said Ellen Gale,

executive director of the Clayton Chamber of Commerce. “We are so excited to bring this Clayton tradition to the heart of the City. We know it will bring a new sense of fun and vibrancy to the scene and will stimulate economic growth for the restaurants and retail businesses.”

The move also creates more opportunities for sponsors and more room for food vendors, which in turn creates a fun, lively atmosphere for Clayton professionals and residents.

The new setting will include a stage for live music, lounge furniture, lush tropical plants, tented tables, cold beer, and delicious edibles from local restaurants.

This summer, catch up with friends old and new at the longest running outdoor happy hour. And come early each month for the best drink special in town: half-priced beer from 5 to 5:30 p.m.

For more information about Parties in the Park, call the Clayton Chamber of Commerce at 314-7263033 or visit www.partiesinthepark. org.

Winter Zoo events planned Waddle to the Saint Louis Zoo to chill with the penguins at Delta Dental Winter Zoo on Sundays, February 13, 20, 27, and March 6, 2011, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bring the kids to celebrate our tuxedoed birds

with penguin-themed activities, games, crafts, and more in The Living World. March 6 features a Mardi Gras celebration for the whole family.

What do penguins like to do on a cold winter day? Take a stroll outside, of course! When temperatures go below 50 degrees on Sundays, several king and gentoo penguins that reside indoors will venture outdoors at 2 p.m. for Penguin Parade presented

by North Star Frozen Treats. They’ll be waddling down the path along the bear pits from P&P Provisions gift shop to the entrance of Penguin & Puffin Coast for about 30 minutes.

On Sunday, March 6, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., join the Zoo for the best family Mardi Gras celebration in town. Delta Dental Mardi Gras includes mask making, jugglers, beads, live music and more. Turn your child’s wagon or stroller into a Mardi Gras parade float, and join in the parade through the Zoo at 3 p.m. led by the Zoo’s costumed characters and Delta Dental’s Tooth Wizard and P.A.N.D.A. Prizes will be given for best penguin float, best float in Mardi Gras style and best use of recycled materials. Register your float in advance by Friday, March 4, or in person on Sunday prior to the parade at 3 p.m. Registration forms and more information are available at www.stlzoo.org or by calling (314) 646-4771.

Delta Dental’s “Tooth Wizard,”

his pal “P.A.N.D.A.” and arch-enemy “PlaqueMan” will star in Land of Smiles stage show in The Living World at 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. each week (no 3 p.m. show on March 6). Land of Smiles entertains and educates children on the importance of maintaining good oral health habits, eating healthy foods and engaging in active play. Each child attending the show will receive a free goodie bag containing dental health supplies to help put them on track for a lifetime of healthy smiles.

Party with Radio Disney AM 1260 each Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Play crazy games for cool prizes while listening to some hot tunes. Plus, find out how you can go home with an awesome Radio Disney prize pack!

Admission to the Zoo and Winter Zoo activities is free. Children must be accompanied by an adult. All activities and games are designed for kids aged 2-10. No reservations are needed. The Zoo is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Winter Zoo is sponsored by Delta Dental of Missouri, North Star Frozen Treats and Laclede Gas, with support provided by Radio Disney AM 1260.

Touhill to host Cirque d’Or Golden Dragon Acrobats – a troupe that mixes amazing Chinese acrobatics, spectacular costumes

and theatrical techniques – will bring its production Cirque d’Or to the Touhill Performing Arts Center on Saturday, February 26. Two shows at 3 and 8 p.m. will be held in the Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall.

The award-winning Golden Dragon Acrobats delivers beautifully choreographed routines t h a t c o m b i n e g r a c e , p o w e r, precision and daring athleticism.

The 21-member company from Xian, China consists of jugglers, contortionists and acrobats representing more than 27 centuries of Chinese acrobatic tradition, making it the oldest known folk art form in history.

Tickets for Cirque d’Or are $32 and $16 (children). The Festival Package is $55 and $30 (children).

They are on sale now at 314-5164949 and www.touhill.org.

The Touhill Performing Arts Center is located on the north campus of the University of Missouri-St. Louis, just 10 minutes from Clayton. (Exit #240 from I70). There is ample free parking, and the UMSL North Campus MetroLink Station is just steps from the Touhill’s main entrance.

N o w i n i t s e i g h t h s e a s o n of presenting the finest in the performing arts to the St. Louis region, the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center opened its doors in September 2003.

WEAR

YOUR FAVORITE MASK AND COME TO CELEBRATE

IL CARNEVALE DI VENEZIA at Villa Marie Winery Presented by

ICASI

The Italian Cultural Association of Southern Illinois

Saturday, February 26, 2011 For Information and to purchase tickets contact 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm ICASI at info@icasi.us

Eden Village Winter Move-In Specials

Senior Living Apartments

Assisted Living Apartments

Contact Tina 618-205-4637

Contact Roxanna 618-205-4621

200 S. Station Rd., Glen Carbon, IL Starting at $1,595/mo Starting at $2,200/mo Up to $500 Paid in Moving Expenses Up to $500 Paid in Moving Expenses 1st Month FREE Noon Meal Offer good thru 3-31-11

Retirement Community

200 South Station Road • Glen Carbon, Illinois 62034 www.edenvillage.org • 618-288-5014

February 24, 2011

On the Edge of the Weekend

17

Classified Help Wanted General

305

CARRIER NEEDED!

ENGINEER

Happy Ads

LOOK

120

HERE

Have Something To Sell??

“Sell It With Pics” The Intelligencer is enhancing your liner ads!!!! insert a small photo with the text of your ad.

CALL FOR DETAILS 656-4700 EXT. 27

Automotive

206

TOP PRICE PAID!!

We Buy Junk Cars Towing Included 618-960-4008

Trucks, Vans, & SUV's

210

Carrier Routes 401

Seeking mechanical engineer/designer with two years minimum experience with HVAC and plumbing design. EOE/AAE. Send resume to: employment@ mcdonough-whitlow.com FT Admin assistant, insurance.

Top computer skills, multitasking, high attention to detail, independent worker, outgoing personality, high deductive reasoning skills. Recent and/or office work experience REQUIRED. Email resume: edwardsvillejob@gmail.com

Rt. 3 - Newspaper carrier needed in the area of N Charles, Grand Ave, W High St, Randle St, Warren St. There are approximately 25 newspapers on this route.

Papers need to be delivered by 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and by 8:30 a.m. on Saturdays. If you are interested in this route, please call the Intelligencer at 656-4700 ext.

40.

Apts/Duplexes For Rent

First Month Free Rent1 & 2 BR apts in Edw from $640 to $850.

All utils. covered. Close to dwntwn, banks, post office & shopHelp Wanted: Part time clerical, Bed Queen PillowTop Mattress ping. 505-0191 leave msg. or may lead into full time, Edw. Set, NEW, in the plastic, $200 view www.sunsetcourtapts.com office, $8.50hr.

Reply to (618) 772-2710 Can Deliver BB#212 %Intelligencer, 117. N. 1 BDR lofts,1bdr dup. CREDIT 2nd Street, Edw., IL. 62025.

CHECK. No pets, no smoking Misc. $550mo. $550dep; 2 bd house Mechanic tractor/trailer.Experi426 $1000dep $900mth. 656-8953. enced in repair of semi trailers. Merchandise Must have own tools. Valid DL. 1 Bedroom Edw, vault ceiling, Good Pay! 618-394-1059 100s—GENTLY USED—Musi- newly remodeled, range, refrigcal $3 CDs; Cassettes, make erator, dishwasher, disp. W/S/T MEDICAL CODING TRAINING offer. FUNDRAISER SALE included. $555/mthly 656-2068 Medical Billing Solutions, Inc. is 618-307-5757 offering a course designed to 1 BR Apt. $450/mo. No Pets. help prepare students for the Entertainment center—$100; Credit Check required. No calls CPC exam. Classes will be held Crib and dresser—$150; after 6pm. 656-3407.

May-October on Tuesday DESK—$125. 618-530-7166.

1 Leclaire efficiency fully FURevenings beginning at 5:30pm NOW OPEN: MY TREASURE NISHED, internet, dish, single at Anderson Hospital. Learn H OUSE , 120 M AIN S T .,E DW . non-smoking male w/references medical terminology, ICD-9 V ENDORS W ANTED : 655-9466 $570/mo incl utilities 972-0948. coding, CPT coding, HCPCS coding from a CPC certified 2 BDR Apt. $585, 2 BDR, Twn, WANTED: Non-working instructor for just $2500! Class 1.5 Bath, $665, All appliances, size is limited. Call for further Coin-op ARCADE Games in W/D Hookup.

NO PETS. Edwardsville area. (618)610information. 800-596-5387 or 692-7147.

7198 amybaker@mbs-inc.com http://www. medicalbilling4u.com/ Pets 450 2 Bed 1 Bath--Edwardsville: Seeking self motivated, reliable RENOVATED Condo near individuals w/great communication skills to schedule appoint- 5-year-old female CHIHUAHUA, SIUE. $750/mo. Call 563/581ments for call center Mon-Fri. $75/OBO. Gorgeous 3-month- 2234. Includes W/D and all male Himi/Persian, Appliances. 6-month lease.

Perfect candidate must possess old

Furniture

410

Motorcycles

220

great attitude, work ethic. We $25/OBO. 618/580-7513 offer paid training, positive work environment, weekly pay & bonuses. FT. 618-650-7708.

Help Wanted Medical

L

308

Dental Receptionist

Our dental practice is searching for a multi-talented person with excellent people skills. Dental experience is a must. This position requires patient education and scheduling as well as financial and bookkeeping knowledge. Must have computer skills and be experienced in Help Wanted patient accounts responsibiliGeneral 305 ties. If you are seeking career advancement in a team-oriented environment, send your ASSISTANT MANAGER/CUSresume with references to PO TOMER REP. IS URGENTLY Box 604, Highland, IL 62249.

WANTED BY OUR ORGANIZATION . WE NEED A PERSON WITH A GOOD TECHNI- Business CAL KNOW-HOW . MUST Opportunities 335 POSSESS COMPUTER SKILLS . WE WILL PAY $2650 Small ongoing family style MONTHLY .WE ARE A GROW- restaurant for sale. PRICED to ING SERVICE COMPANY IN sell. Call 618-604-2594.

NEED OF VERY DEDICATED AND RESPONSIBLE INDIVIDUALS TO BE PART OF OUR TEAM. Please send your resume to topassociates755@gmail.com if interested 2002 Honda 300EX ATV. Runs good. 459-2218.

Carrier Routes 401

TO PLACE

YOUR classified ad

CALL 656-4700

K

We can help sell those special puppies, kittens or any other pet!!!

Want to know more?

CALL US FOR DETAILS 656-4700 EXT 27

Houses For Rent

Apts/Duplexes For Rent

710

1 excellent 3BR, 1200 sq.ft. TH: 2 Bdrm near SIUE. Washer Collinsville, near 157/70; 12 & Dryer. NO pets, smoking. min. to SIUE, FP, DW, W/D, ceil$630 mthly. (618)972-3715. ing fans, cable, sound walls, offst. prkng. Sm pets OK, yr. lse.

Bedroom APARTMENT, $780/mo. 618/345-9610 give 2 Edwardsville, minutes from AM/PM phone.

SIUE: 1.5 bath, W/D hookup.

Edwardsville - Silver Oaks II $625/month. 618-407-5333 2 Bedroom Luxury Apt 2 BR 1Bth apt, Troy: Close to hiw/Garage, No Steps, Security System, Fitness Cntr, way access, off street parking, on-site laundry. No smoking, no $830/mo. W/S/T Incld. pets $600/mo. 618/975-0670 Immed Availability (618)830-2613 2 BR LOFT, newly remodeled: www.vgpart.com DW, micro, stove, frig, garbge

K

L

2011 GMC Canyon Red, Beige Leather Interior Every Option Including: Alloy Wheels, Cruise, CD, Tilt/Telescope Steering Wheel Power Everything ONLY 35 Miles...Truck Priced $4,000 Below Invoice $22,400 Edwardsville 314-973-6035

710

RE

NTA L

S

Apts/Duplexes For Rent

710

Available Now! 3 Bdrm Townhome-$1260 2 Bdrm Duplex$1030. 2 Bdrm townhome$825. Ask about our Crazy Specials & Look N’ Lease. Certain Restrictions Apply. 618-6929310 www.rentchp.com Collinsville 157, skyline view, remodeled 1BDR, frplc, W/D hkup, Free W/S/T $525/mthly plus deposit. No pets. 345-9131 Immediate Occupancy: 2 Bdrm apartment. 50 Devon Ct., Edw. 656-7337 or 791-9062

Move in Special 1st Month 1/2 off 2 BRs, Glen Carbon., Cotton2BD duplex, Glen Carbon, full wood Sub., w/d hk-ups, APTS & walkout bsmt. w/fam. rm, 18x25 TH starting at $625 storage area. No pets, yr. lease, (618)346-7878 credit ck, $750/mo. 604-2494 www.osbornproperties.com disp, w/d hkup. New kit/ba/wi/dr $715 incl wt/sw/tr 618/593-0173

3 Bdr 1.5 Ba town home, all new flooring, non-smoking, no pets, W/D hook up. Must have proof of FT employment $1050/mo includes water 618-554-2889.

APTS/CONDOS/HOUSES EDWARDSVILLE 2 bed house $700 COLLINSVILLE/MARYVILLE 1 bed $395-$800 2 bed $425-$1250 TROY 2 bed $500 3 bed $1600 HARTMANN RENTALS 344-7900 for Photos & details www.HartRent.info 24/7 recording 345-7771 Apts/Villas/Houses Glen Carbon/Collinsville/Troy, Maryville/O’Fallon 1 BR $445 2 BR $565 Houses $995 (618)346-7878 www/osbornproperties.com Arbor Glen Townhome NEWER luxury 2 bdrm 2.5 bth in Glen Carbon. Nice Area.

Bsmt, deck, all appliances, w/d hookup. Lots of storage. $735/mo. + dep. 618/781-7692

Homes For Sale

805

Cross-Town or Cross-Country: EdwardsvilleHomes.com.

Home Buyers Relocation Services. Exclusively for buyers!

656-5588, 800-231-5588 FSBO: 4-5 BR exec. home, Lincoln Knolls, near SIU, Edw: 4.5 BA, NEW ROOF, fully remodeled (carpet, hardwd, granite, new appliances, ...); 3500 sf + 1700 sf fin. w/o bsmt, 3-car gar, gas & wood fp’s, lg lot on culde-sac, beaut. sunrm! $520K. 618/ 616-1398.

OPEN HOUSE Sat.Feb 19th 12-2pm 242 Crane, Edw. 3 bdr 1.5 bth brick, $139,900 618-973-0773 AGENT OWNED

Woods, wildlife and a wraparound porch welcome your No Deposit Required!! 2 Bdrm family to this new 4 bdr 4 bth 1bth townhome located in country home on 6 acres Hamel, IL. $550per mth. Pets Bethalto area/E’ville Schools. ok, W/D hookup. 618-960-1384 $259,000 (618)-541-8799. or kevincadagin@yahoo.com

Mobile Homes For Rent

715

2 Bedroom mobile home $450/month includes W/T/S. No pets. 618-780-3937.

Office Space For Rent

725

Collinsville/Maryville-Hwy. 159 Up to 3200 sq. ft., starting at $500/mo. (618) 346-7878 www.osbornproperties.com

Homes For Sale

805

Beautiful 2BR, 2BA condo: fireplace, deck, vaulted ceilings, loft, full bsmnt. Freshly painted.

Grt Glen Carbon loc next to bike trail. $169,900 618-977-7585.

Apts/Duplexes For Sale

810

FSBO: 2BR Duplex, 2BA, Chancellor Dr., Edw./Esic Sub. 1200sf, gas FP, appl. & w/d incl. Full bsmt, open floor plan, 1 car gar.

Owner/Investor oppty. Avail now. $130K. 618/616-1398

Mobile Homes For Sale

815

1997 MOBILE HOME: 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths. Located in Quail Run, Edwardsville.

618/656-6727, 618/410-0173

Lots For Sale

820

SUN RIDGE ESTATES 2+ Acre Lots, Edwardsville Call for special prices 618/792-9050 or 618/781-5934

705

1, 2, & 3 BR Maintenance-free Homes & Villas New construction

DOLCE PROPERTIES www.dolceproperties.com 618/972-4334 110 S. Chestnut, Collinsville 2BR 1.5BTH. 1400sq ft. Central Air and appliances. $650/mth plus deposit. 618-655-1221.

2 Bedroom all brick, new carpet and appliances. Immaculate!! $800/mo plus deposit. No pets, non smoking. 136 W. Perry, Maryville. 345-4500

2Bdr 1Bth park setting, close to bike trail & SIUE. Newly renovated. ML lndry, W/D, dshwshr Rt 23-Newspaper carrier incld. $750mo. 618-789-3419. needed in the area of Dewey 3 BDR, 1.5 BA, Edw. 2-story: Ave, Morton St, Sheridan Ave, Newly remodeled; new carpet, Sherman Ave, Thomas St, wood flrs, w/d hk-up off-strt Wolf St. There are approxi- prkng, $945 /mth. 618/307-4876 mately 15 papers on this route. The papers need to be 4BR, 2BA: 843 Madison, Edw.: delivered by 5:00 p.m. Mon- bonus rm., lg fncd yd, aplnces. day thru Friday and by 8:30 $1400/mo, $1400 dep., no pets, a.m. Saturdays. If you are smoking. 659-9319 (leave msg!) interested in this route, please call the Intelligencer at 6564700 ext. 40.

CARRIER NEEDED!

CARRIER NEEDED! Rt. 15 — Newspaper carrier needed in the area of Hale Ave, Holyoake Rd, Sherman Ave, Troy Rd. There are approximately 17 papers on this route. The papers need to be delivered by 5:00 p.m.

Monday thru Friday and by 8:30 a.m. Saturdays. If you are interested in this route, please call the Intelligencer at 6564700 ext. 40.

ext. 27 February 24, 2011

Apts, Duplexes, & Homes Visit our website www.glsrent.com 656-2230 Completely remodeled 2Br 1bth on 2 beautiful acres. $950/mo $950dep. 3824 White Oak Lane, E’ville. 409-4925 / 616-1124.

Country setting in Edwardsville.

1 BR, 1.5 car garage, new renovation. $750/mo.+dep. Inc. trash & water. No pets. 618-973-3559 Newly remodeled 2 / 3 Bdrm, CA, detached garage, appliances $775/month + deposit.

618-670-6255.

The Edge – Page

18

Classified REFINANCE your AUTO LOAN or CONSOLIDATE PERSONAL DEBT with GCS ... We'll beat your current lender's rate by 1%!* ENJOY NO PAYMENTS FOR 70 DAYS!

th

70

$100 CASH BONUS on AUTO loans over $10,000!

anniversary REFI blowout!

Set up your refinanced loan with AUTO PAY through GCS or another financial institution and receive an additional .25% rate discount!

(618) 797-7993 myGCScu.com

Jewelry

922

John Geimer Jewelry 229 N. Main St. Edwardsville 692-1497 Same Day Ring Sizing Jewelry Repair Diamond & Stone Replacement

WE BUY GOLD AND JEWELRY Cleaning

958

Sunny Surface Cleaning • Residential • Small Business • Move In/ Move Out • House Sitting • Pet Sitting

INSURED & BONDED A GENTLE TOUCH

IN

YOUR HOME

Interview me....

Joyce Tel: 618-980-6858 www.sunnysurface.com See us on Facebook!

TWO BEES CONCIERGE & CLEANING

Cleaning

958

PRISTINE CLEANING Meeting & Exceeding your Expectation!

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL • Bonded & Insured • Customized Cleaning Call us today for a free quote on a weekly, biweekly, monthly cleaning

(618) 920-0233 www.pristine-cleaning.biz

Painting

960

JIM BRAVE PAINTING 20 Years Experience!

• Wallpaper • Specialty Painting • Inside or Outside Work • Power Washing • Deck Refinishing Call: (618) 654-1349 or cell phone: (618) 444-0293

Roofing & Siding

961

you cannot buy—TIME! Insured & Bonded Call us

618-973-8949 618-979-1170

Pick The Service You Need From The Classifeds!

February 24, 2011

966

Garner’s TREE SERVICE INC. Since 1974 Licensed - Bonded - Insured Tree & Stump Removal Complete Property Maintenance Bucket Truck Track Hoe - Bob Cat

RON GARNER CERTIFIED ARBORIST

656-5566 Lawn & Home Care

967

PAUL’S

ROOFING ALL TYPES OF ROOFS

30 Years Experience

Free Estimates

(618) 259-9905 (618) 975-5759 Licensed Insured & Bonded Commercial & Residential

24 Hour Service

Handyman

969

COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL

• Mowing • Fall Clean-Up • Fertilizing • Landscape Installation • Landscape Maintenance 656-7725 GatewayLawn.com

Foster & Sons Lawn Service Lawn Cutting & Trimming Tree Removal Bush & Shrub Trimming & Removal Landscape Mulching Residential & Commercial

Fully Insured

618-459-3330 618-973-8422

Plumbing

970

Bear Plumbing LICENSE # 058-191883 INSURED & BONDED

•Drywall repair •Remodeling •Roof repair •Tile work •Replace fixtures •Caulking Techs highly skilled-all trades Professional - Safe - Reliable “Bonded and Insured”

618-659-5055

www.handyman.com BOB’S HANDYMAN SERVICE Remodeling & Repair Drywall Finished Carpentry Painting Ceramic tile Build & Repair Decks Exterior House And Deck Washing Landscaping Blinds & Draperies Light Fixture & Ceiling Fans No Job Too Small Insured Call Bob Rose 978-8697

LET ME FIX IT!

Insured

Services

*Clean your house *Run your errands *House sitting *Pet care *Party planning *Grocery shopping *Give you something

Tree Service

*Lowest AUTO LOAN rate will be equal to our current A+ rate tier. Lowest PERSONAL LOAN rate will be equal to our current A+ rate tier. Extended terms offered on personal loans. Current loan(s) must be financed outside of GCS. Additional GCS lending guidelines and membership qualifications apply. Offer good FEB 1 - MAR 31, 2011.

HANDYMAN SERVICE 20 Years Experience

• Remodeling • Painting • Pressure Washing

MASTER CRAFTSMAN Carpentry, 30 Years Decks, Garages, Remodeling, Home Repair Basement Finishing Ceramic Tile Small Jobs Welcome Reasonable Rates Andy 618-659-1161 (cell) 618-401-7785

Miller Home Improvement

All Types of Remodeling or New Construction

• Top quality • Insured • References Available

Free Estimates

618-792-8663 Air Conditioning/ Heating 976

Call Dan 618-567-4071 Cell 618-656-1116 Office Electrical

Proudly servicing the area for over 25 years.

Free estimates Financing available Repairs and installations

Call us for all of your heating and cooling needs.

656-9386

981

Randy Moore Repair Service, Inc. “24 Hour Emergency Service” 35 Years Experience - Code Analysis - Troubleshooting - Service Repairs And Upgrades - All Electrical Items - Install Lights & Fixtures - Complete Rewire

www.randymoore repairservice.com

618-656-7405

• Lighting & Ceiling Fans

Call Lee: (618) 581-5154

979

O

• Water Heaters • Sewer Lines • Home Remodels • Basic Repairs • Water Softeners

www.garwoodsheating.com

• Windows & Doors Most Home Repairs

Home Improvements

Cell 618-980-0791 Now accepting credit cards

Home Improvements

979

Call Bill Nettles with WRN Services CONSTRUCTION REMODELING COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MAINTENANCE An insured contractor providing quality crafted work.

A custom wood work specialist with labor rates starting at $30 per hour!

618 974-9446

Personal Services

994

SENIORS: Enjoy a more stress free life with your own personal home assistant • Household Management • Conversation • Bill Paying • Transportation • Appointment Setting Call Linn @ 618/655-0414 INSURED AND BONDED

The Edge – Page

19

Finance your vehicle through

Scott Credit Union!

Rates as low as

2.85%

APR*

for up to 63 months

Payments as low as $342.18* for 63 months on a $20,000 Loan!

Come visit our Edwardsville location!

• Fast approval • Flexible terms • 100% financing for qualified buyers

*APR=Annual Percentage Rate. Rate shown is valid as of February 1, 2011. Rates are subject to change and are based on the term of the loan, model year of the vehicles, as well as your credit history. Loan example: The monthly payment on a $20,000 loan at 2.85% APR for 63 months would be $342.18. Maximum term on secured loans is dependent upon the age of the security and mileage on the collateral. Some restrictions may apply.

20

On the Edge of the Weekend

February 24, 2011

www.scu.org • (618)692-1200