Halcyon House

The weekly church services on Sunday, Oct. 13, were provided by Pastor Mary Lou Farmer, of Washington Mennonite Church. The sermon was titled 'The Fabric of Our Lives,” and Scripture was from Genesis 1:27 and Romans 8:26-28. Carol Detweiler served as pianist. Special guests were Eliza, Lexi and Angela Widmer.

Last week was 4-H week. A trivia program was shared about the history of 4-H and also the history of the Washington County Fair.

A word search was provided with words to find pertaining to 4-H, along with fair trophies, three generations of record books and pictures of buildings on the fairgrounds. These included pictures of how the new cattle barn will look when completed. The old cattle barn was built more than 60 years ago, with many years of wear. The new cattle barn will be built for the 2020 Washington County Fair. The old fairgrounds were just south of the present fairgrounds, and signs of the racetrack can still be found. 4-H programs came into existence shortly after World War I. A two-day event was held in August 1951 and was called the Townsley Park Fair. Admission was 25 cents, and there were no buildings or water on the grounds. Water for the livestock was hauled from town. The Washington County Fair has gone through many changes through the years to become what it is today.

On Friday, Oct. 11, the Red Cedar Chamber Music group 'Jazzy Jamboree” presented a concert. Performers were Miera Kim, violin; Christine Bellomy, clarinet; and Carey Bostian, cello. Everyone who attended enjoyed the event.

Friday morning was puppy day at all of the households. Staff member Taylor Ried and daughter Lucy shared these little roly-poly balls of fur with the residents. Puppy kisses, cuddles, and smiles were the theme for this 'fur-tastic” group of pups.

The last of the cherry tomatoes were picked and shared this week. The garden produce has been a tasty treat this summer.

The main event at Lending Hands this past week was the fall VIP Day which was held on Wednesday afternoon. VIP Day at Lending Hands is held once in the spring and once in the fall. Participants invite family and friends to be their VIPs. The guests and participants enjoy an hour of special entertainment and refreshments. Entertainment this year was provided by the Lending Hands participants and staff and included jokes, music and skits. This year Peg Buffington was recognized as our 'Volunteer of All-Time” and given a plaque to acknowledge the many times she has assisted us with activities and played the piano as entertainment through the past several years.

Rehearsal for VIP Day was our activity on Monday. On Tuesday we were entertained by 'The Accordion Sisters,” who played and sang familiar tunes and invited everyone to sing along. We sang more music on Thursday and played several rounds of Bingo on Friday.

Birthday wishes go out this week to Kathryn Kuhlman, Marilyn Mangold, and Mary Dawson.