Fallon-Carter Homemakers 2024 Spring Council Meeting

The May 23, 2024 meeting held at the Hope Baptist Church was called to order at 10:00 am by President Laurie Elmore. The Homemakers Hertiage Club hosted the meeting. Kathy Stieg welcomed everyone, offered the invocation and gave a brief history of Ridgway. We began with the Pledge of Allegiance and the Club Collect. 

Roll Call was answered with the # of members in each club and the # present. 

Willard Homemakers 10 members Members present 4

Albion 400 9 members, 1 present, 1 guest, Diligent Doers 10 members, 3 present and 2 guests,

Homemakers Heritage 19 members, 16 present and 8 guests, MSU Extension Carter County Agent 1

The minutes were read. Motion made by Meghan Phillippi and seconded by Thebea Thomas to accept minutes. Motion carried. The treasurer report was given with $2,138.69 in checking and $25.71 in savings. A motion made by Tessa Tauck, second by Catherine Richards to accept report. Motion carried. 

Nita gave the scholarship report.  $718 was taken in at Fall Council. There is $5,623.07 in the account now. Jaren Lingle from Fallon County and Kendall Kittelmann from Carter County won the scholarships for 2024.  A thank you was read from Nic Buerkle, 2023 scholarship winner.

We had a moment of silence for those who have passed on.

50 year members were discussed again. Laurie has found some Extension pins/ 50 years on them to award to the 50 yr. members who are Dorothy Padden from Diligent Doers, Shirley Barth from Baker Homecraft, Alice Kay Schweigert from Willard Homemakers and Kathy Stieg from Willard Homemakers and Homemakers Heritage. A motion was made by Meghan Phillippi and second by Tessa Tauck to award the pins and reimburse Laurie for the pins ($66.51). Motion carried. 

Amanda Williams, Carter County Extension Agent, gave an updated report on the Council scrapbooks. She has them in her office in Ekalaka. 

We discussed the scholarship. The committee suggested that since we have a large sum of money in the account that we should either raise the amount we give ($500) or give 2 scholarships in each county. After much discussion Molly Barkley made a motion to give first place $500, and second place $250 with the committee having the option to adjust the amounts according to the sum in the account. Motion carried. 

In March of this year, the Extension in Carter and Fallon Counties separated. Amanda Williams is the Carter County agent and Fallon County is in the process of hiring another agent. There was a big discussion on how we should handle the Homemaker's Council from now on. Meghan moved and Tessa seconded it to keep the counties together as much as we can since we are not affiliated with the Extension Service. They only act as a resource for the Council. Meghan Phillippi volunteered to set up an online news group so we can all keep informed of the programs and resources out there for us. We will address this discussion at the fall council meeting. 

Amanda announced programs that extension is hosting this Spring. Fall Council will be hosted by Puptown Wranglers. The meeting was adjourned. 

Andy Hall, pastor of Hope Baptist Church, prepared and served a delicious dinner of beef brisket, cheesy potatoes, green beans, spinach/strawberry salad, garlic toast. For dessert we had an ice cream buffet of a variety of toppings. All very delicious.

Throughout the day we purchased tickets for the bucket auction and bid on the silent auction items to raise money for the Scholarship. There were 4 really nice baskets of a variety of useful items and a very large selection of silent auction items- books, plants, games, food items, videos, and many others. 

Homemaker's Heritage had brought many different items upcycled from common things found around most homes and displayed them for all to admire and get inspiration from. Drinks and cookies were available all day and lots of good visits. It was a very enjoyable and informative day. 

Sharon Higgins, Secretary.

Fallon/Carter Homemakers 2023 Fall Council Meeting

The October 4, 2023 meeting held at Camp Crook Community Center was called to order at 10:00 am by acting President Dawn Padden. The Diligent Doers Club hosted the meeting. We began with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and the Club Collect.  Roll Call was answered with the number of members in each club and the number present. Williard Homemakers 12 members and 3 present. Albion 400 6 members and 1 present. Baker Homecraft 8 members 0 present. Diligent Doers 10 members and 8 present. Homemakers Heritage 21 members and 7 present and 2 guests. Puptown Pioneers None  present.

The minutes were read and approved. Carol Sparks made a motion to accept the minutes. Thebea Thomas seconded the motion and it passed. The treasurer report was given with $2,099.67 in checking and $25.58 in savings. A motion made by Kathy Stieg and seconded by Jeanie Tronstad to accept the report.  Motion carried.

A thank you note was read from Joni Hendricks thanking us for the Kay Hanley Memorial Angel. 

Kathy gave the scholarship report. $550 was taken in at the Spring Council. There is $5,384.48 in the account now. Nic Buerkle from Fallon County and Kendall Shephard from Carter County won the scholarships for 2023.

We had a moment of silence for those that have passed on. 

The committee to find a suitable gift for the 50 year members report was given by Laurie Elmore. Laurie had found some pins but was decided to keep looking for the right gift. Meghan Phillipi made motion to give Laurie authority to get the gifts for them if she finds them. Thebea Thomas seconded the motion. Motion carried.

The scrapbooks were tabled for another meeting.

The next meeting will be hosted by Homemaker's Heritage. Election of officers was held and the following were elected by unanimous ballot: Laurie Elmore as President, Kendyl Polatas as Vice President, Sharon Higgins as Secretary-Treasurer.  Meeting adjourned.

Tawni Cordell gave a presentation on Cast Iron Cooking. She had recipes for Apple Crisp, Peach Cobbler, and Cherry Cobbler. She asked 3 people to come up and mix them. Then Tawni took them outside and showed them how to put them on to  cook. We had them for dessert- very delicious, too.

Extension Agent, Amanda Williams, talked about safe and proper ways to can and preserve. Also giving everyone an Extension approved canning book. 

The Diligent Doers served a baked potato bar for lunch with different kinds of toppings. Very delicious. The theme of the day was "Prairie Cooking: Past and Present."  Beautiful hot pads made by them and a cookbook were the door prizes. There was also a recipe swap where everyone brought family or old recipes to share with everyone.  They had vintage items decorating the tables and a very nice display of utensils that were used in days gone by. Sharon Higgins, Secretary

Fallon/Carter Homemakers 2023 Spring Council

The May 31, 2023 meeting held at the Baker Senior Center was called to order at 10 am. by President Molly Barkley. The Baker Homecraft Club hosted the meeting with the theme "Return to our Heritage". We began with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and the Club Collect. Roll Call was answered with the number of members in each club and the number present. Willard Homemakers 12 members and 6 present. Albion 400 9 members and 4 present. Baker Homecraft 8 members and 6 present with 1 guest. Diligent Doers 10 members and 4 present with 2 guests. Homemakers Heritage 19 members and 3 present. 

The minutes were read and approved. The treasurer's report was given with $2,099.67 in checking and $25.54 in savings. A motion was made by Roxy Dacar and seconded by Gay Arpan to accept the report. Motion carried. 

Kathy gave the scholarship report. $592 was taken in at the Fall Council. There is $5,275 in the account now. Nic Buerkle from Fallon County and Kendall Shephard from Carter County won the scholarships for 2023.

We had a moment of silence for those that have passed on. The ones thought of were Vera and Jeanie Tauck, Noralla Thomas, and Rita Knipfer that I remember.

Three 50 year members were recognized. Shirley Barth from Baker Homecraft, Alice Kay Schweigert from Willard Homemakers and Kathy Stieg from Williard Homemakers and Homemakers Heritage. Each told of experiences they had had through their years of belonging to Homemaker's clubs.  Kathy Stieg read a poem she had written about belonging to Homemakers. Alice Kay told that the Williard Homemakers had produced 4 cookbooks through the years and this created a lot of interest and discussion. This was a very interesting segment of the meeting. A committee was set up to do something to honor them. The committee is Laurie Elmore, Molly Barkley, and Amanda Williams. 

Amanda introduced Jolinda Allerdings as the new office helper. Then Amanda gave a report of all the activities planned by the Extension Office. Fall Council will be hosted by Diligent Doers. 

The scrapbooks were tabled for another meeting. The meeting adjourned. 

Baker Homecraft served a delicious lunch of sloppy Joes, coleslaw, buns and an apple crisp dessert. 

Throughout the day we purchased tickets for the bucket auction to raise money for the Scholarships. I think there were 33 buckets in all. We gathered around while the winners were drawn out of the sacks. Many people won buckets and some won more than one but it was fun way to raise money. It made $530.  

Everyone departed for a tour of the Fallon County Museum. Melissa Rost is the museum curator and she gave an interesting talk about the history of Fallon County and special incidents that happened there. She took us on a tour of some of the buildings housing artifacts. Then prepared a quiz on antique items. 

Drinks and cookies were available all day and with lots of good visits. It was an enjoyable and informative day.

Sharon Higgins, Secretary.

Fallon/Carter Homemakers 2022 Fall Council

The Oct. 6, 2022 meeting held at the Alzada Hall was called to order at 10:15 am by President Molly Barkley. The Albion 400 Club hosted the meeting. We began with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and the Club Collect.  Roll call was answered with the number of members and number present and $3.00 for each member.  Willard Homemakers 11 members and 1 present. Albion 400 7 members and 6 present. Baker Homecraft None present. Diligent Doers 10 members and 5 present. Homemakers Heritage 19 members with 6 present and 2 guests. 

The minutes were read and approved. The treasurer's report was given with $1,952.67 in checking and $25.46 in savings. A motion made by Dawn Padden and secoonded by Lynn Gustafson to accept the report. Motion carried.

Nita gave the scholarship report. $591 was taken in at Spring Council. There is $5,175 in the account now. A thank you from the Carter Co. recipient, Tylee Loehding was read.

We had a moment of silence for those we miss.  A call for 50 year members was made by the President. There are none at the present time. For old business, the scrapbook was discussed again. The committee has not met so no report on that.

For new business, President Molly suggested that we all try to think of ways to get and keep the younger members interested in homemaker clubs.   The Spring 2023 meeting will be hosted by the Baker Homecraft Club.  Extension Agent, Amanda Williams introduced the office helper, Lexi Rising. Amanda gave the Extension Report. It was suggested to her to have the Fall minutes sent out in the newsletter closest to the Spring meeting so members can be refreshed on what business was done.  Meeting Adjourned.

Before lunch, Gay Arpan gave an interesting talk on stamp collecting and had some of her many stamp albums on display.  The Clark O'Donnell, Carter Co. Deputy on the South end of Carter Co. told us about his job and some of the situations he encounters.   After lunch, the students from Alzada Elementary School came and sang for us. 

Samantha Arpan gave a power point slide show about the yurt house she and husband, Brandon are constructing. Sometime in the future they will have an open house for people to see it.  We bid on silent auction items and nice baskets throughout the day.  submitted by Rosina Owen acting secretary for Sharon Higgins.

Fallon/Carter Homemakers 2022 Spring Council

The meeting held on June 3, 2022 at Baker Senior Center was called to order by President Molly Barkley. 
Host club Willard Homemakers led us in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and the Club Collect.
Roll Call was answered as follows: Club Members Attending Guests:  Willard Homemakers 12 8 5.  Albion 400 9 3. Baker Homecraft 6 2 1. Diligent Doers 10 5.  Homemakers Heritage 19 2.  Pup Town Pioneers 5 1
Minutes were read. Motion was made by Jesse Scott to accept the minutes as read and seconded by Carol 
Sparks.
Treasure report was given: $1995.65 in checking and $25.46 in savings. Motion to accept the report was 
made by Dawn Padden and seconded by Thebea Thomas.
Nita gave scholarship report. There is $4054.76 in fund including Fall receipts of $675. 2022 scholarships were given to Tylee Loehding from Carter County and Cameron Collins from Fallon County. 
There was a discussion of scholarship protocol.
Old business: Jesse Scott reported on the Scrapbook Committee. The scrapbooks have been found. A 
discussion of what we should try to put in the scrapbooks. A motion was made by Terry Bruha and 
seconded by Nita Schallenberger that each club would keep their own memories and the Council 
scrapbook would be about the Council meetings. It was decided to have a scrapbook committee of a 
representative from each club. They are as follows: Diligent Doers-Laurie Elmore, Homemaker’s 
Heritage-Sharon Higgins, Pup Town Pioneers-Jesse Scott, Willard Homemakers-Jean Tronstad, Albion 
400-Gay Arpan, Baker Homecraft-Diane Van Gordon.
There was discussion of how we will know which club will host the meetings. Jean Tronstad made the 
motion that we follow in alphabetical order on hosting. Peggy Smith seconded. They are as follows: 
Albion 400-Fall 2022, Baker Homecraft-Spring 2023, Diligent Doers-Fall 2023, Homemakers Heritage Spring 2024, Pup Town Pioneers-Fall 2024, Willard Homemakers-Spring 2025.
Amanda Williams, our Extension Agent, gave the Extension Report about Extension Activities for the 
Summer & Fall. 
Willard Homemakers, our host, provided everyone a copy of the Constitution & Declaration of 
Independence.   Jean told of receiving an account book of Kay Hanley’s from 1930. She put it in the Fallon County 
Museum.
Following the meeting, Guest speaker, Jerry Losing and Lola Fried folded the flag while someone read 
what each fold in the flag means. Then Jerry gave a nice talk about what America and the Freedoms we 
enjoy meant to him. He compared his time as a soldier in Iraq to American’s standard of Living.
Willard Homemakers served a delicious lunch of croissant sandwiches and a red, white & blue dessert--
Angel Food Cake with Strawberries, Blueberries & whipped cream.
Carol Sparks had an album by John Wayne. She shared some of his songs with us. Jackie Rumph, Custer 
County Home Agent, gave a history of Extension in Montana. Then she had us do some chair exercises. 
Also, talked about how we can keep ourselves well in all aspects of our lives. Terry Bruha led us in 
singing ‘America the Beautiful’ and ‘Proud to be an American’. Throughout the day we bid on the Silent 
Auction Items and bought chances on the very nice baskets put together by each club. The meeting closed 
by listening to John Wayne’s ‘The People’ and all of us singing ‘God Bless America’. 
---Sharon Higgins, Secretary