Wednesday, August 1, marked a monumental day for the Boy Scouts of America worldwide. On this day, Scouts celebrated their 100th year of dedication to worldwide Scouting,

On August 1, 1907 Chief Scout of the World, Robert S.S. Baden-Powell, assembled the first group of Boy Scouts at Brownsea Island in England.

Scouts all over the world observed this anniversary by holding commemorative ceremonies at various locations throughout the world.

Anniversary celebrations of World Scouting are not just to look back at the past, but to look to the future and launch a new century of Scouting.

"For 100 years, the Boy Scouts have served communities worldwide providing mentors, building character and teaching lifeskills to youth," said Steve Spihlman, Scoutmaster/ Troop 39, Trenton. "We are proud to be a part of this long-standing tradition and we are eager to help continue developing the leaders of tomorrow."

TRENTON'S TUMBLEWEEDS GARDEN CLUB welcomed family members and friends last week to help dedicate 19 new pavers for the path that encircles the front of the club's educational garden in Trenton park. The paver walk is used to honor and memorialize both the living and the deceased in a place of tranquility and reflection. For many years, the Tumbleweeds planted trees in the park for that purpose, but after concerns that the tree-planting program was taking up too much park space, the club switched to the paver program. Pavers are engraved on site. Here, Tumbleweeds president Chris Hempker of New Baden presents the dedication to the assembled crowd. Community members honored and memorialized at Wednesday's dedication ceremony include Riley M. Evans, Karen Brown, Walter "Red" and Vera Kuhn, Alex and Margaret Montgomery, John Conley, Earl and Elvira Graul, Earlene Haas, Scott E. Billhartz, Kaitlyn Sophia Kapp, Jeff Wellen, Lorraine Aarns, Mary Jo Baumgartner, Joe and Elizabeth Alberternst, Ethel Reymond, T. "Jim" Peck, Jerry Lee, Eugene Trame, Esther Trame, the Zahns and the Strotheides.

CANCER SURVIVORS RICK JENKINS, LAURA Twardowski, and Mary Reibold take part in the "Survivor Lap" at this past Friday night's Clinton County Relay for Life at Central High School in Breese. The Relay for Life consists of participating teams walking the quarter-mile track at the high school all night long to raise money for cancer research and the American Cancer Society. The nationwide event is one of the biggest fundraisers for the ACS. Area survivors are invited each year to participate in the lap that helps kick off the event. This year's Clinton County event raised $253,740.23 to help fund cancer research, surpassing last year's total by about $10,000 and exceeding the goal set for the event by the American Cancer Society by over $28,000. Since the beginning of the Relay for Life here in 2001, Clinton County has raised over $1.75 million for the cause.

New Baden businesses will be required to obtain licenses in the future, following passage on Monday of an ordinance requiring same by the village's board of trustees.

The ordinance requires that all commercial enterprises in the village procure a license to conduct their business, at an annual fee of $25 per year.

The ordinance does not mandate inspections of business premises.

According to New Baden village administrator Bob Nielsen, the primary purpose for the license requirement is to help the village maintain a registry of businesses in the community, and contact information for village officials in case of emergencies.

The ordinance also gives the village president the authority to revoke a license when the business operation constitutes a danger to public health, safety, or general welfare, or when the registration application information is fraudulent, false, or deceptive.

Businesses currently operating in the village limits are required to comply with the new law within 60 days of the ordinance's passage, August 6.

In other business Monday night:

- The board agreed to request an Illinois Department of Transportation permit so Flowers Equipment Company can bore a six-inch waterline under Illinois Route 160 to service his property. Flowers Equipment will bear the cost of the project.

- Flowers Equipment Company submitted the only bid for removing the stucco from the west exterior wall at New Baden's civic center, at a bid price of $18,515. The village is removing the wall to address moisture problems, and will likely undertake a resurfacing project for the wall before the fiscal year is over, although it has not yet been determined what material will be used.

The wall was an interior wall at one time, and the stucco was added after the center portion of the old New Baden Elementary was razed several years ago. Since then, moisture appears to have seeped behind the stucco and threatened the integrity of the wall. The stucco is being removed first so the village can assess the damage and determine its future course. The work is being done using tax increment finance (TIF) money.

- Another TIF project, to repair the older restrooms at the New Baden Park, is in a holding pattern after all the bids received for the work were higher than the $10,000 the village budgeted. Board consensus here...

- 1907 -

The Cemetery Association elected Mrs. Seb. Hammel president, Mrs. F. Leonhard vice president, Mrs. C.L. Riemann secretary, Mrs. Ben Louden treasurer, and an executive committee of Mrs. B. Louden, Mrs. Jac. Kuhn and Mrs. J. White.

A small fire threatened to become dangerous at the living quarters of John Crepps above his general merchandise store. The liberal use of flour smothered the flames.

C.G. Fechner has closed out his entire line of furniture and hardware and will depart for Greenville, Mich., where he will take charge of the Bliss Business College.

- 1917 -

Cards were mailed this week announcing the marriage of Miss Francelia Schuster and Franklin K. Smith at Palm Beach, Calif.

Fred Mugele drove his herd of thoroughbred Hereford cattle from the Walter Killian pasture to his farm south of town.

Walter Henson, living west of town, claims the best yield of oats in this part of the state having threshed 186 bushels from two and one-fourth acres.

The Holtkamp cider press will be open at Aviston two days a week in the future.

- 1927 -

Lee Aldridge sprang a surprise on his friends when he announced he was married in April to Miss Magdalene Braun of Lebanon.

Schmitt's Garage in Summerfield is selling the celebrated ethyl gasoline, the pink gas.

The winter's supply of coal was put into the B & O Station Wednesday. We hope that this is merely taking time by the forelock and not a prophecy of an early coming of cold weather.

- 1937 -

Mrs. Louise Emig, wife of Charles Emig, barber, died August 18 at the age of 78.

Jacob Miener of New Baden, well known contractor-bricklayer, died at his home at the age of 81.

Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Zahn of St. Louis are the parents of a daughter born on August 25.

Jacob Kuhn, 81, for many years a prominent businessman of this city, died suddenly at his home in St. Louis Sunday.

St. John's Evang. Church at Summerfield will celebrate its 70th anniversary on Aug. 19. There will be a German service in the morning and English in the afternoon and evening.

- 1947 -

St. Mary's Church was the scene of the wedding of Miss Dolores Hagen and Cyril Foppe on August 5.

The New Baden Chamber of Commerce voted to give the town of New Baden $3,000 outright and a loan of $3,000 without interest to alleviate the water shortage there.

Mrs. Sophia Teichmann of New Baden died August 8 at the age of 60.

The Jamestown Cornet Band will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a rousing two-day homecoming Aug. 16-17.

A son was born to Mr. and Mrs. Alphonse Schulte on August 7.

- 1957 -

Fred Trippel, 66, native of Clinton County, died Wednesday in Forest Hills, N.Y. Burial was in Lebanon.

Raymond Haselhorst, 29, of Breese died Monday night as a result of injuries received in a four-car accident at the junction of Routes 50 and 159.

Bill Schaefer and Joe Therion played on the O'Fallon baseball team which won the state Jaycee title.

- 1967 -

John Wesselmann, formerly of Aviston, was killed by a Southern Railroad train Sunday. He was 68 and a resident of Brookside Manor, Centralia.

Carol Linnemann, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Linnemann of Germantown, won the state title in the intermediate girls baseball throw at Pekin, the third straight year she has won the event.

Mrs. Anna Rolves, formerly of Carlyle and Aviston, died at Germantown August 5 at the age of 80.

Mrs. Anna Schumacher of New Memphis died August 2, aged 85 years.

Sons were born to Mr. and Mrs. Otto Arentsen, Mr. and Mrs. Brent Heier and Mr. and Mrs. Donald Stalcup and a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Litteken

A through survey of the city's water system will be made by Shepard, Morgan & Schwab. Cost will not exceed $3,000.

- 1977 -

Schools throughout the Wesclin District will open on Thursday, August 25.

Victor Seibert, Trenton, was awarded the Lowe "Increase Sales" trophy at their annual banquet held at Carlyle.

The Trenton American Legion baseball team completed their fist year of organizational play with 19 wins and 15 losses.

The marriage of Miss Mary Jane Ramsey and Brian Keith Brichler was solemnized August 6 in St. John United Church of Christ.

Stanley Markus and Leander Horstmann are the candidates for village president at Damiansville's first municipal election.

- 1987 -

The Red Cross Blood drive in Trenton brought 87 donors. Of these, 8 were deferred leaving 79 units collected.

Shih-Yen Wei, 32, owner of the Four Seasons Restaurant in Trenton and Thanh Kim Trieu, 36 an employee at the restaurant lost their lives, August 4, when the eastbound car driven by Wei ran off Hwy. 50, traveled over 300 ft. in a ditch and crashed into a culvert about three quarters of a mile east of Summerfield.

Julie Marie Brichler and David Addison Woodul were married July 19, at Evelyn Chapel, Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, with Rev. Story officiating.

-1997-

The national Teamsters strike against United Parcel Service is having an impact on some local businesses, including high-volume shippers Art Company London and Jim's Formal Wear, although both have contingency plans in place.

Trenton's city council voted 6-0 to annex Highway 50 from Cottonwood Street on the east to Lincoln on the west, in order to make it easier to forcibly annex property owners along the route into town.

New Baden annexed just over eight acres west of the current village limits and is working toward expanding its boundaries by another 40 acres more or less in the near future.

Gina Ratermann of Breese and Darrin Rakers of New Baden have announced their engagement with plans for a November wedding.

Donald M. "Don" Wagoner, 72, of Trenton, died Sunday, August 3.

Clarence W. Gruender, Sr., 94, of Mascoutah, formerly of Trenton, born Aug. 8, 1913 in St. Morgan, died Aug. 6, 2007 at the Freeburg Care Center. Clarence was an auto mechanic for 50 years. He owned several auto repair businesses and worked as a mechanic in Trenton and Scott Air Force Base. He finished his career teaching auto mechanics at Wesclin Community High School. He was a member of St. Mary Parish in Trenton, and the Retired Teachers' Association. He was very active in Boy Scouting as a Boy Scout Troop Master in Trenton for 15 years. He was preceded in death by his parents, Otto C. and Mary L., nee Orschell, Gruender, his first wife, Eldena J., nee Burress, Gruender, and a son, Clarence Gruender, Jr. He is survived by his second wife, Eula L., nee Acup, Butler Gruender, whom he married in Trenton on Feb. 8, 1991; a son, Timothy L. (Sandy) Gruender of Decatur; four grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren; six stepchildren, Diana Plemons of Michigan, Gloria (Robert) Pour of Belleville, Larry (Carol) Lamborn of Freeburg, Gary (Diane) Lamborn of Laramie, Wyoming, Leroy (Marianne) Lamborn of Freeburg, and Patricia (George, Jr.) Lewis of Belleville; 15 step grandchildren, 15 step great-grandchildren, and many, many friends. There will be a memorial mass at 10 a.m. Wednesday, August 15 at St. Mary Church in Trenton. Cremains will be interred at St. Mary Cemetery. Friends may call at the church from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society.

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