SIKESTON - Scott County residents are making history and the Scott County Historical Society wants to record it for posterity.
At Thursday's monthly meeting of the Sikeston Area Chamber of Commerce, Doug Sikes with the Historical Society urged members to write down details of their family's lives in Scott County as well as information about local businesses, organizations and churches. The information, which should be 500 words or less, is being compiled into a "coffee-table type book," Sikes explained.
The one stipulation, he added, was the deadline is Sunday and the information needs to be submitted immediately. There is no charge to be included in the book.
"Some of the stories are just amazing," said Sikes, adding several hundred have already been received. "It is an important thing to get it documented ... and once you get it down, someone will be able to enjoy it after us."
For more information in Sikeston, residents can contact Caryl Hairston at 471-5872.
Chamber Executive Director Missy Marshall invited the members to join a SACC-Sikeston R-1 School District project designed to make parents aware of the importance of the Missouri Assessment Program testing. The tests are mandated by the state for specific grades and subjects each spring.
"Those scores are looked at not by just parents and school administrators," said Marshall. "Businesses that are looking at the area also want to know about them. It tells them about the work force coming up."
According to Marshall, beginning April 15 flyers will be passed out by local fastfood restaurants explaining what parents and students can do during the testing period. Local businesses are being encouraged to post messages of support.
Also volunteers from the Chamber will be on hand the morning of April 15 to greet students as they arrive at their schools and wish them good luck on their tests.
"This is going to be an ongoing process. While Sikeston test scores are already good, we hope to see continued improvement over the years," said Marshall.
Also addressing the Chamber were Jim Schwaninger and Brian Menz, members of the group which helped write the Sikeston Charter. The men encouraged the public to become more familiar with the Charter, which will go before voters on Tuesday's ballot. Information is available through flyers mailed to Sikeston homes; featured at 7:30 a.m., noon and 7:30 p.m. on SPS 12; and copies can be found on the Internet at www.sikeston.org, at city hall or in the Sikeston Public Library.
A review of the annual financial report showed the Chamber had income of $197,941 during 2001 and expenses of $188,371. Membership for the year was 537, compared to 582 for the previous year.
Among upcoming events:
* The Sikeston Area Higher Education Center's Scholarship Dinner will be April 6 at the Ramada Inn. Tickets are available at the Chamber office.
* The 52nd Annual SACC Awards Banquet is April 19 at the Sikeston Field House. Votes for the winners of the award are now being tabulated. Tickets are available at the Chamber office.
* The public is invited to a presentation of the Distinguish Service Award to the family of the late Winford Alvin "Wink" Evans for his actions during World War II. The presentation will be made at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Imogene Ruth Albritton Mayer Center for the Arts.