By Jacob Bembry
Greene Publishing, Inc.
A community Easter celebration will be held Saturday, April 7, at the Four Freedoms Park in Madison, from 3-7 p.m.
The Madison Church of God choir will perform an Easter cantata during the celebration.
There will be bounce houses and Easter gifts, as well as many other fun things for children to do.
Everyone is welcome to attend the Easter celebration and cantata.
Midway Church of God will hold an Easter service Sunday morning. The service will be immediate followed by an Easter egg hunt for the children and finger foods for lunch. Everyone is welcome to attend. Midway Church of God is located at 2485 SE Midway Church Road, just off County Road 255, south of the interstate Lee exit, or off Highway 53, south of the interstate, Madison exit.
By Diann Douglas
Guest Columnist
Easter is this weekend and that means many of you will be dyeing eggs for decoration and egg hunts. These days, there are so many interesting ways to dye and decorate eggs. Keep in mind, each time you handle an egg, it increases the chances of contact with bacteria. This is why it’s important to follow food safety guidelines and keep your Easter eggs from ruining your holiday celebrations.
If you are having an Easter egg hunt, it is best to use plastic eggs and leave the real ones in the refrigerator. There are many food safety issues with using real eggs; it just makes sense to opt for plastic. Real eggs should not be out of the refrigerator for longer than two hours, and if you hide them outside there is the issue of warmer temperatures and the problem of avoiding areas where they may come into contact with pet, wild life, insects and lawn chemicals. So, you can see why it makes better sense to use artificial eggs for outdoor activities.
Whenever you are handling eggs, thoroughly wash your hands each step of the way. Whether you are cooking, cooling or dyeing eggs — wash your hands. If you won’t be coloring your eggs immediately after cooking, store them in their original carton in the refrigerator. Inspect eggs for cracks before and after coloring. All cracked eggs need to be thrown away. If you use cooked eggs for a centerpiece or other decoration, and know they will be at room temperature for a day or two, discard them after use.
While we are on the topic of eggs, here are a few steps on cooking the perfect hard cooked egg. According to the Egg Board, there is a correct way to prepare hard cooked eggs, and it is not boiling. If your eggs have a green ring around the yolk, you have cooked them too long. To cook an egg to perfection, follow these simple steps:
Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan. Add enough tap water to come at least 1 inch above the eggs.
Cover. Quickly bring the water to a boil and turn off the heat.
If necessary, remove the pan from the burner to prevent further boiling. For hard-cooked eggs, let eggs stand covered in the hot water for 18 minutes for extra large, 15 minutes for large and 12 minutes for medium.
Immediately run cold water over eggs or place them in ice water until completely cooled.
To remove the shell, crack it by tapping gently all over.
Roll the egg between your hands to loosen the shell.
Peel, starting at the large end. Hold the egg under running cold water or dip in a bowl of water to help ease the shell off.
For more information on food safety, contact the Madison County Extension Service.
The University of Florida Extension – Madison County is an Equal Employment Opportunity Affirmative Action Employer authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap or national origin.
Walter “Buck” Cryer, age 87, passed away in Tallahassee Memorial Hospital on April 3, 2012, after a lengthy illness. He was born in Buckholts, Texas, in 1924 to Walter W. and Lillie Cryer. After graduation in 1943, he joined the U. S. Army and served his country in Europe during World War II and participated in the Battle of the Bulge. He was owner and operator of Cryer Kennels.
A memorial service will be held in Texas at a later date.
He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Elaine; one sister: Estelle Coward of Bryan, Tex.: sister-in-law: Gerry Cryer of Cleveland, Tex,; daughter: Jan Roach and Glenn of Lee; two granddaughters: Stacey Hyytiainen and husband Mika of Bedford, Texas; Katie Roach of Lee; one great-grandchild: Hope Hyytiainen of Bedford; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. He was preceded in death by one son: Jamie Cryer; his parents, Walter and Lillie Cryer; two brothers: Levoy and Stanley Cryer; two sisters: Connie Miles and Lucile Gaines.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Lee Volunteer Fire Dept, P.O. Box 25, Lee, Florida 32059 or a charity of your choice.
Beggs Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements 850-973-2258.
By Kristin Finney
Greene Publishing, Inc.
Betty Thomas has been in the Madison, Lee area all of her life. This is where she was born and raised. She grew up south of the interstate in the Midway community. She went to elementary school at Lee and then later she graduated from Madison High.
While she was in high school, Betty worked for the Van. H. Priest Dime Store. Betty said of working at the Dime Store, “I enjoyed working there very much. It was working there that got me through high school.”
Not long after graduating from high school, Betty married her husband, Elvoye. Elvoye had worked as a farmer with his dad growing up. After they got married, the two then moved to Madison. Elvoye worked for Winn Dixie for a short while after they were married. He then went to work for W.C. Copeland Gas Company. He worked there for 41 years. He later retired from Suburban Propane.
After getting married, Betty took a job in Madison working for Larry and Emma Pinson at Madison Cleaners. She worked in the front of Madison Cleaners and did check in for laundry and dry cleaning and check out. After working at Madison Cleaners, Betty went to work for Cohens Store. Cohens was a variety store that came to Madison for a while. She worked there and became manager for a while.
Then she decided to stay at home and start her family. She and Elvoye had two children: a son, Keith, who currently lives in Lakeland, and a daughter, Revonda Frith, who lives in Madison. Elvoye, Betty, Revonda and her husband Glen, are now all co-owners of Studstill Hardware and Lumber.
After starting their family, Betty went to work at several different places in town. It was then that she began working at Madison Primary School. “I was one of the first aides that they hired to be an aid to a teacher. I worked with a teacher for two years, then became secretary and bookkeeper for the school,” said Betty. She retired from that position after 35 years.
Betty remembers a Madison quite different from the one we know today. “The town was booming back then. All of the stores were full. Up and down the streets was filled with people. Even though country folks didn’t go to town but about once a week, I always looked forward to getting to do that. The streets are so bare in Madison now compared to what they used to be.” She then added, “I love Madison County with all of my heart.”
Anyone interested in being interviewed for this article can call 973-4141 and make an appointment with Kristin Finney, or may drop by Greene Publishing, Inc. any day before noon. Those interviewed must have lived in Madison for a large portion of their life, and be able to recall a few things that have changed since that time.
By Nell Dobbs
Guest Columnist
Friday is here! Easter is coming! And Jesus will rise as He promised!
“Why are you loosing my colt?” asked the owner.
“The Lord hath need of him,” the two disciples answered. Then they set Jesus on the colt and people spread clothes in His path and praised God for all the mighty works Jesus had done, but not everyone praised Him. Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. The chief priests and scribes sought to trick Him and destroy Him, but He continued preaching and teaching what would be happening in the days ahead. He ate the Passover with His disciples, knowing Judas would betray Him with a kiss and for a pitiful amount of money.
He was taken to the high priest and mocked and hit, blindfolded, hit in the face, taunted and blasphemed against. As soon as it was day, the elders and the chief priests and scribes came together and asked if He were the Christ and He answered, “If I told you, you would not believe Me.” He was led to Pilate who said, “I find no fault in Him” until he learned Jesus was from Galilee and as soon as he knew Jesus was from there, which was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod. Herod was very glad for he’d been wanting to see Him for a long time because he had heard of Him and hoped to see Him do a miracle.
It was a custom for Pilate to release a prisoner and when he asked, “Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas or Jesus? “ Pilate’s wife sent him word not to have anything to do with that just man for she had a bad dream about Him. Pilate washed his hands and said he was innocent.
Preacher Law’s message was from this Scripture and was entitled “Fickle Folk” as he spoke of three attitudes: 1.) of the crowd. 2.) those who crowd out Jesus 3.) those who wash their hands.
Deacon of the week, Ricky Henderson, prayed the offertory prayer, thanking God for His love and mercy and praying for His work at home and around the world.
Music director Jim couldn’t have knee surgery Tuesday as planned and (in jest) that affected him because he couldn’t get the title of the choir special right. He kept saying “Precious Lord, Take Me Home,” instead of “Precious Lord, Take My Hand.” Bless him (and Beth) in his ministry.
Gracious hosts and hostesses for a church-wide Easter lunch and egg hunt after morning church were Ashley and Martha Beggs and their family! Everyone appreciated their efforts and the special time. Martha Register did an Easter story for the children. Thanks.
April 1-8 is the Week of Prayer for North American Missions and our goal is $2,800.
C.D., our brother, asked me how old Rudy (Hamrick) is and how he’s doing, so I called Ann Morrow and we had a good talk. Bless him and them. Bless Peggy Drummond and Al, Preacher and Mrs. Law, Preacher Jake and Judy Phillips, Louise Strickland with bad back, also Jeanette Mitchell, Iduma Smith at Smith Hospital, Stacey Frakes, Rosie Leggett, Gordon and Hettie Selman and all other ill ones – and all sad ones.
We give thanks for all the Holy Week services and today at the Good Friday services at our church.
Words I’ve thought of all week – hither and thither, here and there.
God is good, compassionate, generous, trustworthy, faithful, forgiving, loving and is calling us to do His will and meet the needs of those we can.
Amen.
The young girl knew that the king would soon be passing by where he waited at the bottom of the hill.
She had seen the king before. She had been there a few days ago when the king had made his triumphal entry into the city.
The girl had been there when the king had been brought before the court that was not only wanting to impeach the king but also to execute him. She could not believe such rebellion against a king.
She had been there when the governor had tried to release the king because he could see nothing wrong that the king had done. Instead, the crowd cried for the king’s blood.
She saw the crowd coming toward the hill. The king was being forced to carry a cross. She saw the blood dripping from his face where a crown of thorns was implanted into his skull, where a true crown, representing his royalty, that he did not wear should have been.
She saw the stripes on the king’s body. The king who had healed her, the daughter of Jairus, and raised her from the dead would be able to heal people for centuries to come. She recalled the words of the Jewish prophet Isaiah who had written, “By His stripes, ye are healed.”
The next few hours, she saw the king nailed to the cross. She saw him bleed and die. She cried with the others. She felt despair but something deep inside her told her that the king would be back.
A few days later, she heard the news that the king had arisen. King Jesus had arisen and was now King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
