Top of the Hill Bait Shop
Photos by Joseph Rehana
When the Tri-State Tornado devastated Murphysboro in 1925, a dairy farm atop of a hill west of town survived and opened its doors to its neighbors and helped people get back on their feet.
Terry Graeff’s father owned the farm. He recalls more than 100 people crowded into the farmhouse he’s restored today, its generator providing light through some dark times.
“They were cooking around the clock, cleaning, helping those that were hurt,” Graeff said. “Everybody helped everybody around here back then, still do.”
The dairy days are gone but not Graeff’s hospitality as he guides customers through the bait and tackle shop he operates with his wife Janet in a garage aside his family’s farmhouse.
“I just work here, the shop is her’s,” Graeff said. “She spent two years wearing her soles out looking for a job when my father suggested she open a bait shop. That was 20 years ago.”
The Graeff’s residence is serendipitously located near the Indian Creek tributary, which the Division of Fisheries dammed and built Lake Murphysboro from in 1950. The watershed today hosts a 1,022 acre state park with groves of majestic oak and hickory trees and a 145-acre lake stocked with largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish, channel catfish and crappie.
“It takes the coldest of cold days to keep people off the lake,” Graeff said.
Located near the bend in the road heading to the lake a mile ahead, Janet opened “Top of the Hill Bait Shop” inside a restructured, two-car garage, in 1990. The bait shop is the areas’ largest supplier of live bait: crickets, minnows, wax worms, meal worms, and nightcrawlers have their place at the top of the menu.
“The wax worm is the larva of a moth that lays its eggs in beehives and the larvae eat the honey and wax. They can destroy an entire bee colony,” Janet Graeff said as she sifted through several dozen wax worms, dispensing them into containers like a pharmacist. “If you told me 20 years ago I’d learn this much about all that crawls, slinks and swims, I’d said, ‘Ewwwww.’”
The Graeff’s have become a home-grown staple of Murphysboro’s fishing market, treating customers with a hospitality that shares its roots with the region’s history.
Terry Graeff is a life-long Murphysboro resident and said after four years in the service there was no place that was more home, then home. He and his wife met in 1964 and settled later settled in Murphysboro after buying the family farmhouse.
“This has been my playground—my stomping ground—since 1949,” he said. Graeff fishes both nearby lakes; Murphysboro and Kinkaid, a 2,750-acre lake with sandstone bluffs and largely surrounded by the Shawnee National Forest. “There is at least 5,000 little one-to-two acre ponds around here as well, but we don’t fish them,” he said.
The bait shop has four large tubs equaling 450 gallons of water to house their minnows. The pumps gurgle in the background as crickets chirp closer to the counter. When they first opened their two daughters were younger and living at home and helped with the bait shop, sifting through their own share of wax worms.
“They were around the ages seven and twelve at the time, of course at those ages they weren’t afraid of anything in here; creepy, crawly, it didn’t matter,” Janet said. Now she said it is just her, Terry, and Anamchara, her six-year-old Great Dane. “She’s been coming into the bait shop six days a week for the last four years. All the regular customers know when they open the door, they’re going to be greeted by this 125-pound dog.”
Anamchara, whose name is Irish for “Soul Friend,” is Janet’s companion and rarely far from her side, while their second dog Harley can be found near Terry greeting every visitor, whether stopping in or pausing by, with a bark.
The shop opens at 6:30 each morning except wednesday when they remain closed for the day.
4-H Window Display
Photos by Rachel Snow
The Somerset Clovers have been an award winning 4-H group for their window displays for the last several years.
Jasmine Estes, a member of the group, said they did it again this year. “We won 1st on our window display again this year. I think that makes for the fourth year in a row,” Estes said. Rosie Wece, a leader for the Somerset clovers, said the group works hard to come up with a creative idea each year that goes with the theme. “It’s part of national 4-H week,” Wece said. She said the past few years they put their window display in The Building Services Supply store and they have lots of room to make it 3-D (like the set of a play). Wece said, “Hopefully, the window will catch the public’s eye, and they will take time to look at it!”
Food Pantry
Photography by Dan Dwyer written story by Jacob Mayer
Every weekday morning at 9:00, you will find Jack Cunneen, director of the Murphysboro Food Pantry unlocking the door at the 14th St. location where volunteers provide food for those in need. Cunneen, the pantry’s only paid employee, has been involved for over 10 years. He says the best part of his job is being able to help people who really need it.
The pantry serves people from across Jackson County with food to support families. “It helps out a lot in hard times when you get low on food,” Murphysboro resident Elwood Cox said.
The food pantry began as an organization tied to the Murphysboro Ministerial Alliance. But in 1984, the food pantry became a separate entity, said Jane Williams, volunteer and member of the pantry’s board of directors. However, the alliance continues to provide donations to the pantry.
Williams got involved about five years ago at the suggestion of a friend from her church. “I loved it so much,” she said. “I loved the people we met and it felt like we were doing something worthwhile.”
Clients of the food pantry must meet Department of Agriculture income guidelines before they use the food pantry, and the recent downturn in the economy has brought more and more people in need of help. In 2008, 17 million households experienced food insecurity, or were unable to adequately feed their family, up from 13 million households in 2007, according to a report by the Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, released in November 2009.
“We are seeing it seep into people I never thought it would,” Williams said. “It’s amazing how many new people we sign up.” Once a person registers, they are handed a box of basic food supplies including frozen meat and canned goods. Then, they are able to browse for other items to fill out their needs.
Recently, the food pantry moved to its new location on 14th Street, in the former Bill and Gene’s grocery store building. The added space has been a huge improvement and has made life easier for all involved. “It’s ten times better,” Cunneen said.
Before moving from a much smaller facility on 7th Street, clients would have to take a number and sometimes wait a half hour or more outside in their cars because there was not enough space inside. Now, people can sit and wait in the air-conditioned building. I like it,” said Ken Whittaker of Murphysboro. “The other location was so hard to find. It’s the perfect place to be.”
Williams said the new building allows the pantry to plan ahead because they now have room to store food in freezers and coolers, so they don’t lose food to heat and moisture. Not only does the new location have better food storage, but it is also in a more prominent location and has a much more relaxed atmosphere. “It’s such a psychologically better place,” Williams said. “You can have a personal experience with [the clients]. They feel more like a person than a number.”
Along with the increased space, the pantry now posts help wanted ads from local newspapers and distributers, and coupons available to use at local stores, Williams said. It has also brought in a nutritionist to teach clients how to cook the food they receive and help them to eat a healthier diet. “We want to show them how to make it fun,” Williams said. “That’s our goal.”
Need for the food pantry increases in the summer months because children are home from school, where they normally have lunch, so the family has to provide more meals, she said. Unfortunately, the pantry also receives the fewest donations during the summers when demand is greatest.
Donations come from local stores, churches and individuals. These sources of donations help fill the supplemental items that go in client’s boxes, Williams said. Cunneen visits both Kroger and Wal-Mart to pick up boxes full of food that the stores have left over. People donate canned goods, give money and even volunteer; something Betty O’Guinn finds rewarding. “The Lord was nudging me to come and help,” she said. “I enjoy it. It gets me out of the house.”
Looking to the future, Williams is optimistic the pantry will continue to grow. She hopes there will be more interest and more people willing to get involved. “We have ideas, dreams, goals,” she said. “What we lack is people with recognizable names. I went to the Apple Fest planning meeting with city leaders and only three of the 15 people at the meeting knew of the food pantry and none of them knew where it was located.”
For now, however, the pantry continues to feed those in need, always aware of the help it provides. “You almost cry when they leave,” O’Guinn said. “With a couple I think I did.”
Cub Scouts Car Wash
Photos by Dan Dwyer, Rachel Snow and Samantha Bowden
Cub scout pack 112 out of Murphysboro held a car wash Saturday with the proceeds benefitting the Murphysboro Food Pantry.
The scout troop, led by scout Master Scott Satterlee, is chartered by the Murphysboro United Methodist Church and will be celebrating the 50th year of its charter in 2010. Pack 112 does a yearly carwash to benefit a local charitable business, with all proceeds going to directly to the business they are fundraising for. This years car wash was located at the Murphysboro Food Pantry. This years car wash was scheduled to be a two-hour long event from 9-11 a.m., but lasted nearly an hour longer as cars were still lining up to get washed and sprayed down by pack 112. When asked of the approximate average donation Mr. Satterlee said between $5 and $10 and he approximated a total donation of a little over $200. Fifteen members of Pack 112 were there for the event, and they also had help from two scouts from Boy Scout Troop 4.
Youth Bootcamp
Photos by James Durbin, Story by Jacob Mayer
Video by Ian Preston
Each morning, often before the sun rises, the 75 inmates at the Illinois Youth Center in Murphysboro can be found outside performing drills to begin their day.
The center works with boys from ages 14 to 18 who are sent to the center after getting in trouble with the law. Two of the oldest kids at the center, Carlos Alfaro and Rakeem Ball, are examples of many inmates at the center as they have both been there more than once. “I was sent here for a 90 day sentence, then I paroled out and I violated parole when I got out,” Ball said. Ball is hoping his life will change for the better after this, and guard William Leggett believes going through the program gives kids like Alfaro and Ball a chance to get back on track. “Both of those young men have a big opportunity, and a good chance at being successful,” Leggett said.
Hair Salon
Audio by Nadia Samie, photo by Julia Rendleman
The Beautiful Hair Salon is almost 33 years old and has moved to various locations in Murphysboro over the years, taking it’s clients along with it.
What’s unique about this salon is it’s character. It has armchairs and couches instead of cold steel and plastic chairs, and clients are made comfortable with blankets on their knees and heaters nearby, giving the impression that they’re sitting in someone’s living room. The women who do their hair at the Beautiful Hair Salon say Marian is more of a friend than a stylist, and many will be sad to see her go. Marian, who was born in Murphysboro and raised in the town by her grandmother, said she intends to retire in 2012, giving her 35 years of service.
Senior Citizen Center Bingo
Photos by Anthony Souffle, story and captions by Jacob Mayer
Walk in to the Murphysboro Senior Citizen Center, and you will see all types of activities from bingo to exercise classes. The center sits on 14th Street and serves as a place of fun and relaxation for seniors in Murphysboro.
Frances Weber, president of the Senior Center Bingo Club, said they get together each Friday afternoon. Members of the eight person group each bring gifts that are given to the winners. “Everybody brings two gifts, and everybody gets two gifts,” Weber said. Each person at the table has to get a bingo before everybody moves to the blackout round, where the first player to cover one of their six boards wins. Then, everybody clears their boards and prepares for a second set of games. Although playing the game is fun, the women come to the center primarily to enjoy each other’s company. “It’s a get together,” Weber said. “It gives us an activity to enjoy.”
Marie Schumaker, a bingo group member, said the games started many years ago as a way of relaxation for the quilters group when they got stressed. There is no longer a quilting group at the center, but the bingo continues each week. “I enjoy the friendship,” she said. “It’s something different.”
Along with bingo, the center offers several activities and events for seniors to attend. Throughout the week different groups play pinochle games, eat lunch together and have exercise classes, Weber said.
In order to serve seniors along with the enjoyment the fun activities bring, the center has the Jackson County Health Department give regular blood pressure checks, and has the Illinois Secretary of State’s office conduct Rules of the Road review classes three times a year, Weber said.
The center also has a van that provides transportation for seniors who are homebound. They can call one day in advance to set up when they need a ride, Weber said. The van allows seniors the transportation needed for their needs, such as a doctor appointment or a trip to the bank.
Each month, the center has a birthday party for all the members who have a birthday in that month. Weber said 15 to 30 people show up for the party where they enjoy a potluck dinner and play bunco, a dice game where points are totaled based on the number rolled. Kroger supplies the center with a birthday cake for the event.
Bingo player Angie Schiro likes the variety of activities held at the center and the opportunity to socialize the events provide. “I like it all,” she said. “I enjoy being with people and talking to them.”
Another monthly activity that members enjoy is the kitchen band. In this band, each member plays an instrument that is a kitchen supply, such as a kazoo made from a bleach bottle, Weber said. The band performs twice a month, once each at the Carbondale and Murphysboro centers respectively. “I play the spoons,” she said. “We have a lot of fun with the kitchen band.”
Each member pays $8 yearly dues, which fund the center’s activities along with sales from a resale shop that works out of the same building, Weber said. The center is managed completely by senior citizen volunteers, including Betty Mae Jackson, who makes full use of what the center can offer. “I come for lunch, exercise, bingo and the party,” she said. “If they need help, I come help.”
The center has also become a place where senior citizens can come and just relax in the couches and watch television. With its many opportunities, the center stays active and full of people. “It’s busy all the time,” Weber said. “If people are hot they can come in and rest. They can use the facility for their convenience.”
Ruth Milburn, member of the exercise group, said the nicest part of the center is that the group can get together and have lunch where they visit and talk about their families. Also, she enjoys the hugs that follow an exercise session. “We really enjoy each other’s company,” she said. “If you don’t show up, you don’t get a hug.”
