Buhl Public Library

Buhl Public Library

Friday

Our First On-Line Issue

The first on-line issue of Buhl's Finest of Times follows. If you have any ideas on how to make it better please let us know. We have put all the news, no ads or flourishes. Hope you like it. Editor

December 2009 Activities

LEARN HOW TO MAKE
ORIGAMI
CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS

TUESDAY
DECEMEMBER 15, 2009 4:00 P.M.
At the Buhl Public Library FREE

BUHL PUBLIC LIBRARY
29TH ANNUAL DECK THE HALLS
CHRISTMAS PARTY
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2009
2:30 P.M.
CRAFTS, GAMES, SNACKS
Special Guest

Buhl
Christmas Lighting Contest

Wednesday
December 16, 2009
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Lights must be on to be judged.


Buhl Fire Department
will be handing out candy on
Sunday, December 20th starting at 2:00 p.m.
Stations are:
2:00 p.m. In front of the school.
2:20 p.m. At the Fire Hall.
2:40 p.m. At the intersection of Sharon and Seville
3:00 p.m. At the Skating Rink
LOOK FOR OUR LIGHTS!!

Wii Gaming
at the Library
December 28—31, 2009
You can play, for example:
Guitar Hero, Mario Kart, Sports Resort, Wii Sports,
Super Smash Brothers Brawl, and Mario & Sonic at the Olympics (summer).
To schedule your play time in advance call
258-3391.


Brunch with books
January 14, 2010 - 9:15 a.m.
Share your favorite reads.
All welcome.

December 2009

BUHL FIRE AND EMS
Winter has arrived, please check fire hydrants in your area. Keep them shoveled for fire department access.
The Fire Department and Ambulance Service has openings for volunteers. If you have an interest please contact the City or Fire Department for more information. Meetings are the first Monday of Each month at the Fire Hall starting at 7:00 p.m.
Ambulance attendants would appreciate that sidewalks be shoveled for access to homes. If you have a neighbor that needs assistance please help them out as time in a medical emergency is critical.
Mark Maki will be retireing from the department March 1, 2010 after 22 years. Thank you for your years of service. The new training officer for the department is Ed Gundy.
Although we are seldom seen, we are ready to answer a call for help day or night. We volunteer our time for a better community and to assist our neighbors at times of need. Thank a voluntter for his or her service.

CITIZENS OF BUHL
The City of Buhl has the following volunteer vacancies:
Recreation Board: Two (2) vacancies.
Meetings are held on the 2nd Monday of every month.
Long-Range Planning Committee: Two (2) vacancies. Meetings are held quarterly on the second Wednesday of February, May, August, and November.
Library Board: Three (3) vacancies.
Meetings are held on the 2nd Thursday of every month at 5:30 p.m.
Planning and Zoning Commission: One (1) vacancy. Meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday of every month..
ALL SEATS EXPIRE ON DECEMBER 31, 2012
If you would like to apply for one of these positions, please contact the City Clerk in writing at: City of Buhl P.O. Box 704, Buhl MN 55713

BUHL-KINNEY SENIOR CENTER

The Annual christmas Party sponsored by the Arrowhead Senior Nutrition Program will be held at the Buhl-Kinney Senior Center Dinning Site on Wednesday, December 23, 2009, at 11:30 a.m. The menu is: sparkling punch, holiday chicken kiev, heavenly rice pilaf, glazed carrots, Christmas red fruited Jell-O, Yuletide pistachio yum hum dessert. The Contribution for anyone age 60 or over is $3.50, and $6.50 for guests under age 60. Please call 258-3978 to make a reservation. The deadline for reservations is December 18th!
The Buhl-Kinney Senior Center will hold its annual member Christmas Party on Thursday, December 17, at 5 p.m. A ham dinner, catered by Patty Pagarelc, cook at Mesabi Academy, will be served. The cost of the dinner is $8.00 for a member or guest. There will be the usual Christmas Caroling, and two half hams will be raffled off. Members are also invited to bring a food parcel or money as a contribution to the local food shelf. Members or prospective members are invited to pay their 2010 dues, which remain at $3.
Due to Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years' Holidays, the Senior Dining Site will be closed on Thursday, December 24th, Friday, December 25th and Friday, January 1, 2010. If anyone would like to receive a frozen meal for these days please call the Dining Site at 735-8480 by Friday, December 11 between the hours of 7 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The Buhl-Kinney Senior Center held its last regular meeting of the year on December 8, and one important issue was the election of a president and treasurer. The terms of President Tona Swanson and Treasurer Vivian Agnoli expired. A nominating committee was appointed by President Swanson to come up with candidates for those two positions. Also at this meeting it was decided to donate $100 to the Mesabi Academy for Christmas gifts for the residents. The members felt this gesture was in thanks for the work done by the students at the monthly dinners at the senior Center. Any individual may also make a contribution towards this cause by visiting the Center with your contribution.
The November 12th Veterans Party at the Buhl-Kinney Senior Center, sponsored by the AEOA office was a huge success. Some 55 people turned out for the event, 26 of whom were veterans. George Smilanich gave a very interesting resume of his World War II experience in the European Theater. He also shared accounts of his recent trips to Belgium, where the Belgians still honor his army unit for saving their country from the Germans.

BUHL HONOR GUARD NEWS
Please pray for and support our troops now serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world. The heavy fighting is now in Afghanistan. Our president is planning on sending 30,000 more troops there so the total will be over 100,000 serving in the area. The generals in charge say they need that many more troops to win the war. President Obama said that it would be at least two more years before he can start bring troops home. Think of the cost in lives lost and changed. As of the beginning of December 2009 4,370 lives have been lost in Iraq and 925 lives in Afghanistan. As of this time their have been 66 Minnesota deaths and 519 from Minnesota wounded. Buhl - Kinney - and Great Scott have been very fortunate that of all the men and women from our area who have served in the armed forces since these wars have begun, all are still safe, either at home or in the service. Thank God. Please keep praying for those who continue our country.
We want to thank the AEOA for the free dinner at the Buhl-Kinney Senior Center on November 12th - serving area veterans in honor of Veteran's Day. Many came and brought their spouses with them. We hope that you all remembered Pearl Harbor Day on December 7th. This is the day that the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States entered World War II.
Since the last newsletter taps were played for Theodore Finstad and Ray Olander.
We would like to note the following veterans - in Northland Village Assisted Living Daryl Leibfried who was in the Navy during WWII; in Cornerstone Villa veterans include Edward Runnakko, George Smilanich, Otto Goerdt, Leonard Niemi, and Londo Scipioni who served in WWII, and Gene Davey who served in the Korean War; Ervin Warden, Sam Koktovich and Godfrey Zakula are in VRMC in Virginia; Edward Trupukka is in Hillcrest Parkside in Hibbing; and Peter Devich is in the MN Veterans Home in Silver Bay.

NEWS FROM THE CITY OF BUHL –CLERK’S OFFICE
Electricity sold for residential use is not taxable for the billing months of November-April, when sold to metered customers who use electricity as their PRIMARY source of residential heat. This means that you would not utilize natural gas, fuel oil, propane or wood to heat your home.
Some Buhl customers have already received a letter and form to fill out for the exemption from sales tax. If you heat your home primarily with electricity and did not receive a form in the mail, please contact City Hall for an exemption form.
Holiday Greetings to you from the City of Buhl !

CORNERSTONE VILLA
Season’s Greetings from everyone here at Cornerstone Villa. It’s hard to believe Christmas is just around the corner. We would like to take this opportunity to inform everyone that due to the amount of illness in the community, we will be canceling our Christmas Tea on December 12th. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We want to ensure that our residents stay healthy. We will be having a Christmas party for our residents on December 23rd at 1:30 p.m. with music by Bill Buchwitz. We ask that if any family members would like to bring a gift for their loved one to open, please bring it to the activity department with their name on it no later than December 21 st.
We ask families of our residents to only decorate resident rooms with artificial trees and wreaths as real greenery is a fire hazard. Also please do not use any extension cords.
On December 31st we will be having a New Year’s Eve party for our residents. There will be music by Dick & the Tag-A-Longs and lots of goodies and fun.
We hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season and look forward to seeing everyone next year!

Happy Holidays from the Parks and Recreation Department

Getting ready for family, friends, and celebrating the holidays together is a busy, wonderful time. Whether your family comes to you or you travel to them, the Parks and Recreation Board hope you have a safe, warm, wonderful time.
Hopefully when you read this newsletter the rinks will be open and busy. Each year, our goal is to be more successful than the last, and everyone has a safe, fun, place to go during the long months of winter. If you haven’t tried skating yet, maybe this is the year to do so.
Our 3rd Annual Winter Frolic will be Saturday, February 13, 2010. Watch for further announcements.
Reminder, Parks and Recreation welcomes suggestions, and the door is always open at our meetings.
For now, let’s celebrate the holidays with thankfulness and hope that the coming year will be even better than the last.

THE BUHL KINNEY COUNCIL OF CATHOLIC WOMEN NEWS AND NOTES
At the December meeting Jan Thompson reported on the Duluth Diocesan CCW Meeting at Cross Lake Minnesota October 20th. We voted to give money to the Knights of Columbus to help pay for the new vestments given to Father Method on Priest's Appreciation Sunday. It was also voted to give a check of Our Lady of Sacred Heart for the annual Heat Fund.
There are flower fund envelopes in the church pews. You may use the envelopes for your donation and put it in the Sunday collection basket or give it to Joan Kayfes.
The Church Cleaning for Christmas was on Saturday, December 5, 2009. The cleaning committee is to be commended for a job well done. Their last meeting of the 2009 year was held immediately after the cleaning.
Two reminders:
The Knights of Columbus Food Donation for the less fortunate in the back of the church. Please remember to donate.
The CCW has a box in the back of the church fo The Annual Caring and Sharing Program for the residents of Cornerstone Villa and Northland Village Assisted Living. The gifts are to be wrapped and labeled man or woman and whether the gift is to be for a resident of Cornerstone Villa or Northland Village.
Holiday Mass Times and Locations are as follows:
Thursday, December 24 - 5:00 p.m. - Chisholm
Thursday, December 24 - 8:00 p.m. - Buhl
Friday, December 25 - 8:00 a.m. - Buhl
Friday, December 25 - 10:00 a.m. - Chisholm
Thursday, December 31 - 5:00 p.m. - Chisholm
Friday, January 1 - 8:00 a.m. - Buhl
from Christmas Daybreak, by Christina Rossetti
Before the paling of the stars
Before the winter morn
Before the earliest cockcrow,
Jesus Christ was born!
Born in a stable
Cradled in a manger
In the world his hands had made,
Born a stranger.
The women of the Buhl CCW wish all a Blessed Christmas and a joyfully fulfilling New Year!!!

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS
BUHL COUNCIL, NO. 5612
The Annual Turkey Bingo of the Buhl K. of C. held on November 21st at the Buhl-Kinney Senior Center was very successful, and the KCs want to thank any and all who had a hand in its success. The winner of the $100 door prize was Virginia Rewartz of Kinney, and the two $50 winners were Richinda Blanchard and Trevor Angellar, both from Kinney. We also appreciate the help of the Youth of St. Joseph and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart churches, led by Cheryl Smilanich, in serving refreshments.
The Light Up For Christ Ceremony conducted by the Buhl KCs on Tuesday, December 1, was well attended. Some 25 people gathered at the Creche at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church at 8 p.m. to carry on the KC tradition of reminding people that Christmas is a time for reflection on Christ as the true meaning of Christmas. The Buhl KCs recognize the work of Stan Kuberka and Sue & Jim Milich in erecting the manger scene on the church grounds. Pastor, Father Method led the group in prayer and singing. After the ceremony the group went to the social hall for cookies and cider prepared by the Sokoloski family.
The Buhl K of C are again collecting food parcels or money during the Sundays of December for distribution to needy families in the area and to the local food shelf. Parishioners or others are asked to put food items in a bag and bring them to the back of the church in a designated box.
The Annual Christmas Party of the Buhl Knights of Columbus will be held on Sunday, December 13, at the church social hall with refreshments being served at 5:30 p.m. and a catered dinner served at 7 p.m. There will be the usual singing of Christmas Carols and a raffle of many gifts donated by area merchants. It is on this occasion that the Buhl Knights honor all clergy, choir members, eucharistic ministers, lectors, ushers, prayer chain captains, altar and church decorators, or any others who serve the church in some capacity.
The Buhl K. of C. will continue its practice of delivering Christmas fruit baskets to families in the community who have experienced some misfortune or trauma during the past year. Stan Kuberka and Phil Kinsman have carried on the task of distribution for many years. The Buhl K of C also recognizes the work of Shirley Kuberka and putting the fruit baskets together.
It is unfortunate that caroling at Cornerstone Villa, scheduled for Tuesday, December 22, had to be canceled by the administration of Cornerstone because of the swine flu epidemic. The Cornerstone Villa assured the KCs that they look forward to continuing this well-received community response next year.
Looking ahead - the Buhl KCs will serve a pancake breakfast at the Our Lady of the Sacred Heat church on Sunday, January 17, 2010 starting at 8:30 a.m. - for $5.00. The public is invited.
The Buhl Knights of Columbus Council 5612 members wish to extend a Merry Christmas to all of the readers of the Finest of Times as we celebrate the birht of our Savior, Jesus Christ!

FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA
CHRISTMAS NEWS

The Sunday School Christmas Program Joy Is At Hand is being held during church services on Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. Everyone is welcome to stay afterwards when we will have Christmas Treats and decorate the Church for Christmas.
On Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24th there will be a Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at 5:00 p.m. All ARE welcome!! We hope that everyone has a very Merry Christmas!