Merry Christmas!

I miss the old Christmas Lights Altamont used to display in December. Remember? They were big and clunky and as a kid they meant Christmas was almost here! I especially miss the special ones that hung by Dr. Huelskoetter's office and on the corner by the Bank. But I still enjoy the lights we have now. Main Street at night is still a treat in December!

The New Face of S&W

Main Street looks a little different now! S&W "porched" in the "patio", creating a place to store carts and, more importantly, keeping the warm air inside and the cold out. The customers no longer walk into a cold store!

The Home Center

The Home Center can be found just south of the Interstate at 4 Do It Drive. It is a one-stop-shop for every residential or commercial need, including remodeling and new construction. The Home Center offers a large spectrum of products and services, including cabinetry, flooring, lights, paint, appliances, plumbing and more. Just inside there is a boutique offering decorations and giftables.

for more info, call 618-483-3648

Garden Club Fall Festive

The Garden Club has taken it upon themselves to keep Altamont beautiful, and they do a wonderful job. They put baskets Uptown in the Spring and plant flowers on the Triangle. And then they maintain them all Summer. It's a big job. And it takes funds. This year, to help raise money, they hosted a Fall Festival at Schmidt Park!
The event included a Chili Cookoff, porkburger sales, kids games, music, a silent auction, pumpkin and mum sales, and more. I hope this becomes an annual event that grows quickly.

Mayce's Competitive Edge

Mayce's Competitive Edge is a tumbling and dance studio owned by Mayce Clarkson, found on the South side of town at 4A Do It Drive, behind The Rock Fitness Center. Classes will be held evenings between 4 and 8, with an open gym day on the first Sunday of each month.

For more information or to sign up for classes, call 618-292-4822 or e-mail C-Edge11@hotmail.com

ACHS Marching Band Effingham Co. Fair 2011

The Effingham County Fair has again come and gone, and this year I'm featuring the Altamont Community High School Band playing the school song! This year the Fair Board added an additional day, so the Fair ran Friday to the following Saturday. There were lots of events and lots of people. The weather even co-operated. It was rather hot the first few days, but it cooled down and was pleasant for the second half of the week, and there was no rain. That's highly unusual!

Facelift

The Gazebo on the Triangle was growing moss. Although it gave it a nice, rustic look, it was damaging the roof. So it got a facelift! Over the weekend a crew of volunteers took off the old shingles and replaced them with new.

Recycling in Altamont

Recycling returns to Altamont! A bin will be placed at 603 W. Monroe on the second Monday of each month and will be there for a week. Items that can be recycled will include newspapers, cardboard, number one and number two plastic bottles, magazines, steel cans, office paper, aluminum cans and colored plastic.

The Barber's Diaries

A piece of local history that alot of us didn't know about!

Fireworks Next Year, Maybe, In Altamont

Written by Greg Sapp, from Premier Radio
Thursday, 30 June 2011 15:41

A fledgling effort is underway to bring fireworks displays back to Altamont.
Josh Cagle said it won't happen this year, but he's working to come up with funding to pay for a fireworks display next year.
Cagle is working to become certified as a fireworks shooter for S&N Fireworks in Lincoln. In the meantime, he'd love to fire off a display in the town where he lives.
Cagle had a fundraiser last weekend but it was a busy weekend in Altamont and proceeds were less than promising. He said he'd be back at it this Saturday, though, on the triangle in downtown Altamont. Cagle will be using the S&W Supermarket grill to cook up hamburgers, porkburgers, and hot dogs, and he'll have chips and drinks available. Net proceeds are to go to the purchase of fireworks for next year's 4th of July celebration.
Altamont city officials have agreed to hold any money raised toward a goal of $3,500 that Cagle says would pay for a 25-minute display.
The fundraiser Saturday is to run from 9am to 2pm.

Heidanes Hidden Timbers

Heidanes Hidden Timbers is a full service "Pet Motel" owned by Dave, Betty and Kristin Heiden. Opened in 1997, the Heidens offer pet boarding, grooming and even a pet cemetery. The kennel is located in a beautiful wooded area Southeast of town and features runs for their canine guests and "condos" for their feline guests. They offer all kinds of grooming from bathed and brushed to full shaves. Betty gives several presentations each year to school groups and other organizations on pet care and training.

Learn more at http://www.heidaneshiddentimbers.com/

13-Year Cicadas Invasion June 2011

I haven't really noticed any in town, but you can hear the 13-year Cicadas singing as soon as you get outside of town! I shot this video at Ballard's Nature Center. It's hard to see them, but I wanted you to hear the noise they are making! The 13-year Cicadas are a little smaller than the normal yearly ones we will see (and hear) later in the summer. They have red eyes and their wings are more orange. They will probably be around for a few more weeks, then we won't see them again until 2024.

Memorial Day Parade, 2011

The Memorial Day Celebration seems to grow bigger every year. This year the Boy Scouts sold Pork Burgers on the Triangle. The Woo Hoo Sisterhood hosted a bake sale at Klitzing Park. The VFW honored our Veterans with a Ceremony at Union Cemetery, and the P.A.R.K.S. group held a Family Fun day to raise funds to maintain and improve our parks. And of course, there was the annual Memorial Day Parade.

Please excuse the fact that the sequence is out of order--I'm still learning!

Run Across America

"LIVE! with Regis and Kelly" has partnered with Dean Karnazes, renowned ultramarathon runner, on his biggest endeavor EVER! He is running across the United States... from California to their studios in New York City! The proceeds will be donated to Action for Healthy Kids, a program that works with schools to keep kids active and food programs healthy through a volunteer network. He started at Disneyland on Friday, Feb. 25 and should be in New York City on May 9. Altamont was chosen to host a 5K run with Dean and it is the only Illinois event! His crew participated in a pasta dinner given at the Grade School the night before the event to raise funds for Action for Healthy Kids and the Altamont High School Fitness Club. They then returned early the next morning to set up. The run began promptly at 9 am with a lap around the new all-weather track at the Grade School and then moved out to run through town. The kids from all three schools got to participate, and around 100 of them even ran the entire 5K with Dean!

1st Picture: The crew at the Pasta Supper

2nd Picture: Dean arriving for the 5K run

3rd Picture: The starting line

4th Picture: the kids lined up at the end of the run

5th Picture: Releasing of the ballons, each representing 10 miles that Dean has ran

6th Picture: All of the kids!

Altamont Indian

There is a new attraction standing on the stage at the Altamont High School. It stands 10' high and weighs 1500 lbs. It's very impressive! Our Indian is made of Illinois White Oak, a native tree of Illinois, from a tree that was cut down behind the High School. Instead of cutting the log for fire wood, it took a couple of days of work from two very skilled fellows and we have a wooden Indian. Notice the detail of the face and the name Altamont on its shield.

Special thanks to Lynn Kull for the information and second picture.

Schmidt Park--New Play Equipment

I noticed as I drove by that we have new play equipment at Schmidt park on the South end. Very nice, but I was a little sad to see that they have replaced the merry-go-round and the old blue slide!

Winter Storm, February 1-2

Before and after pictures of this week's winter storm. The first picture is after a night of freezing rain. If you do a close-up picture you can see the icicles hanging off everything. The second picture is the next day after a day of sleet. We never did get a huge amount of snow, maybe 1 to 1 1/2 inches, but it sleeted for hours and at least an inch covered the old snow left from the last storm plus the thick layer of ice over that. Schools were closed with many businesses closing early, or not opening at all! Lot's of people South of town are without electricity, and the city crew has a big job ahead of them, getting this all cleaned up!