The Juneteenth celebration was hosted at Hubbard Park on Saturday, June 15. The program began at noon with a welcome from the NAACP President Alona Boggess-Reid and a short explanation of the meaning and importance of Juneteenth, now a federal holiday.
There was an hour-long gospel segment which included singing and dancing. Other activities included face painting by Becky King, a bounce house, cake walk contest, watermelon eating contest, and a donut eating contest.
Several food vendors were also on site with a variety of delicious food. Music was provided by D.J. Tony Wilson.
Next year’s celebration is scheduled for June 14 at Hubbard Park.
At the June 18 meeting of MidMo Toastmasters Club, Kathryn Marshall gave the ice breaker speech from the club speech manual. She described several events in her life that led to her hobby and career choices.
With a fondness for flowers since childhood, Marshall spent her high school years wanting to become a botanist "so that I could develop new flowers," she recalled, and added, "in the sophomore year...I really struggled with chemistry and geometry...and I realized that I could not pass the science and math classes I would need to become a botanist." As a high school junior, she Joined a 4-H club and took photography projects. "I worked hard to take good photos....and guess what I wanted to take photos of? Flowers! ...especially close-up photos like this," she said, holding up an 8x10 enlargement.
Child care was another 4-H project Marshall chose, and that led her to a career in teaching, she said. "When I retired from teaching... remembered my dream of becoming a photographer.... I went to Powell Gardens with my little Kodak disposable film camera. When I picked up the prints, I was appalled at how bad the photos were," she recalled. "I bought a digital camera and returned to Powell Gardens...When I uploaded my photos onto to my computer, I was dismayed.... was determined to take better photos.... joined the photo club in Cole Camp. Eventually, other photographers said my photos were good enough to enter photo contests."
"When people see my photos," Marshall said, "I am often asked to present a program on photography." I cringe because I become a nervous wreck when I speak in front of groups. I joined Toastmasters to learn how to become a confident speaker."
Brian Malambwe, a native of Zambia who now works at a manufacturing plant in Lincoln, evaluated Marshall's speech.
P.C. Thomas gave a brief talk on how to write a title for a speech, an article, or a book. "It is important that the title remains true to the facts of the speech or a piece of writing, but in order to arouse the listeners' or readers' interest, the title needs to be enticing, creative and brief," he said. Because the title or heading is what people see first, it should serve as an effective advertisement for the speech or a piece of writing, he explained. Thomas wrote on a white board some sample titles for Marshall's speech and had members choose their favorite one and give reasons for their choice.
The next meeting of the club will be at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 16, at Boonslick Library, in Sedalia. Brian Malambwe will give his ice breaker speech, which will be evaluated by Kathryn Marshall. P.C. Thomas will conduct the table topics session and also offer tips on writing speech titles.
Admission to Toastmasters meetings is open to those interested in improving their communication and leadership skills. Foreign-born Sedalians looking for opportunities to improve their English-speaking skills are encouraged to attend these meetings that are held the first and third Tuesday of each month. For additional information contact Thomas by calling 660-826-9988 or emailing p.c.thomastScharter.net.
Sorosis Club members Marty Graves, Della Cline, Pat Palmer, Kim Meyers, and Becky Wimann have spent many months researching, cataloging, and photographing the Sorosis vintage clothing collection.
Sorosis is a cultural organization established in Sedalia and meeting regularly since 1889. The Sorosis clothing collection has been donated piece by piece from past Club members.' The vintage dresses, hats, gloves, shoes, and purses date from the: Victorian era 1837-1901, Edwardian era 1901-1914, Roaring twenties 1920’s, World War I 1914-1918, World War II 1939-1945, Swinging Sixties 1960’s and the Punk Era 1970-1980’s. The dresses and accessories are rotated seasonally and displayed on mannequins for members to enjoy at meeting.
