United Presbyterian Home News

Dottie Frank and the Iowa City Senior Center Dance Team performed at the United Presbyterian Home on Friday. Seven very energetic ladies in their 60s, 70s and 80s entertained with their dance moves and pompom routine. The audience ranged in age from 10 months to 100 years and they all swayed their arms in rhythm with the dance music.

Joyce Huff celebrated her birthday in the Town Center surrounded by friends, family and neighbors. Joyce?s daughters, Jackie Beard and Katy Greiner provided homemade treats to share with everyone.

The family of Tom Tanner hosted an open house on Saturday in honor of his 90th birthday. Family members attending included Tom?s daughters, Jody Tanner of Washington and Sally Tranberg of Clarksville, Tennessee; grandson Tommy Tranberg and great-grandson, Wyatt also from Tennessee. Tom?s sisters, Annie Lebrie and Jane Lambertson and brother and sister-in-law, Jack and Jean Tanner all traveled from Butte, Montana to be with Tom on his special day. Tom and Charlane hosted twenty-three family members at a luncheon in the Main Dining Room prior to the party. They enjoyed reminiscing and spending time together. Tom is known throughout the Washington Community as a service volunteer and many of his friends showed up on Saturday to show their support and friendship to their dear friend and leader. There was even a firetruck parked outside as volunteer firemen wanted to be able to attend the celebration.

Myron Shields enjoyed a recent visit from his son, John and his wife, Chris along with their four children; 15 year old, Jason; Emily, 12; and twins Thomas and David age 10 from Mendota Heights, Minnesota. They were passing through Washington on their way to St. Louis for an end of summer trip and will stop again on Friday as they travel back home.

Jane Vetter was recently visited by her newest great-grandbaby, Tugg Vetter. Tugg was born in April to Andy and Anna Vetter of Coralville, Iowa.

Three time cancer survivor, Scott Mills of Des Moines is running across the state of Iowa in pursuit of cancer research to support St. Jude?s Children?s Hospitals. He ran from Muscatine to Washington on Saturday. While in Washington Scott, his wife, Carrie and daughter, Jessica enjoyed Sunday breakfast in the Main Dining Room with his aunt and uncle, Joy and Jim Bennett. Scott ran six miles before breakfast and afterwards began his trek to Sigourney. Scott thinks Washington is a beautiful town, especially the downtown square. Scott and Carrie are parents to two other children, Cole and Morgan.

There were bubbles galore on the patio Monday afternoon as day care children and residents amused themselves by blowing bubbles of all sizes in some outdoor fun. The children had a great time popping the bubbles and they went home with clothes that were a soapy mess, no detergent needed.

United Presbyterian Church Circle 4 members Julia Gamon and Vivian Griffith held a hymn sing on Tuesday afternoon. Vivian led residents in song accompanied by Julia on the piano.

Classics Et Cetera for Sept. 3, included the overture to ?Rienzi? by Richard Wagner; ?Ave verum corpus? by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Piano transcription of Mozart?s ?Ave verum corpus? by Franz Liszt; 3rd Movement (?Prayer?) of Orchestral Suite No. 4 (?Mozartiana?) by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky; ?Intrada? by Ferenc Farkas (arranged for Budapest Clarinet Quartet); ?Der Fuehrer?s Face? by Oliver George Wallace (arranged for Spike Jones and His City Slickers); 2nd Movement of Symphony No. 2 by Johannes Brahms; ?Hohenfriedberg March,? perhaps by Frederick the Great

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) said that he was inspired to be a composer by the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). For Tchaikovsky, Mozart was a ?musical Christ,? a composer whose perfection accentuated his own sense of deficiency. His Orchestral Suite No. 4 is a tribute to his idol. He chose four little-known pieces by Mozart (three for solo piano, one for choir), made transcriptions of them for orchestra, and put them together as a suite. He called it ?Mozartiana.?