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F&M Newsletter - April 2003
"Honey, I Shrunk the Mortgage Payment!"With Real Estate Loans You Don't Need "One Size Fits All!" Spring has finally sprung. For many of you that means real estate plans can become a reality. Whether it’s the construction of a new home, purchase of an existing home, fix-up of your current home, or using your home equity for other dreams, Farmers and Merchants State Bank has a multitude of options to help achieve your goals. We don’t believe in ‘one-size-fits-all’ as some lenders do. We can customize a loan package that fits your needs and parameters. In addition, today’s interest rates offer a savings opportunity that has not been available for decades, and may not be available for much longer. At F & M we offer fixed and adjustable rates for short or long-term loans. One very attractive product is our home equity line of credit that can be used for whatever you desire, whether it is home improvements, a child’s education, a vacation, credit card balances, or whatever you need. It is a revolving line of credit, which means you only pay interest on the balance that you have outstanding, and what you pay back on principal is then available to you whenever you need it. To assist you, the F&M loan staff (with 68 years of loan experience) can create loan packages suitable especially for your needs.
Give Patricia, Don or Doug a call today. At Farmers and Merchants State Bank we are open for business 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday, and Saturday morning from 8:30 AM to noon. We can tailor a residential real estate loan to your needs, and we promise it will be a perfect fit!
Former Bushnell resident, Ryan Thiele, is literally reliving his childhood. He recently began publishing a comic strip that appears in the Galesburg Register-Mail Monday through Friday. The strip, entitled Clayton Tucker and the Recess Raiders, follows some of the adventures of a boy hero as he encounters humorous characters and situations during his elementary school years. “V-i-g-i-l-a-n-t-e?” B-PC Jr. High seventh grader, Tyler Powell, recently spelled this word correctly at the McDonough County Spelling Bee to win! Tyler then competed at the regional Grand Final Spelling Bee on March 28th with 17 other county winners. (The winner was not yet known at the time this newsletter went to press.) Congratulations, Tyler, and good luck from your friends at F & M! Alan and Ruth Sharon of Bushnell recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, and Garry and Pat McNeely, of Bushnell, celebrated their 45th. In addition, Bud and Deb Hobbs, Gene and Linda McGrew, and Larry and Judy McLouth, all of Bushnell, celebrated 40th anniversaries! Congratulations to each of you!
Mark your calendar for June 14, to help F & M celebrate 90 years of service to your community. More details will be provided at a later date.
Taryn is a busy teenager in addition to working at F & M. She is editor of the B-PC High School yearbook, Vice President of Family Career Community Leaders of America, and president of Interact Club. She also delivers pizzas for Alfano’s Pizzeria on weekends, and spends her remaining spare time visiting with her friends or shopping - - especially for shoes!! Taryn was really excited when she was recently accepted at the U of I Art School in Chicago, where she plans to major in photography this fall . Good luck, Taryn! Some of Taryn’s favorite recipes include: CHOCOLATE-PEANUT BUTTER CHIP COOKIES
Cream together shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Stir in peanut butter chips and chill several hours. Roll into one inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and flatten slightly with a fork. Bake cookies in 350º oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool at least a minute before removing cookies to wire rack for cooling. CORN CASSEROLE
Mix all ingredients together. Bake at 350º for one hour covered and one half hour uncovered. DILL DIP
Mix all ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate. For best results, make at least 12-24 hours before using.
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION*. . .by Shirley Rapp 
Timberland Co. (ticker TBL) designs, develops, manufactures, markets and distributes footwear, apparel and accessory products for men, women and children under the brand names of Timberland®, Timberland PRO, and Mountain Athletics. TBL footwear sales account for over three-quarters of total sales, with approximately one-third of total sales coming from international sales. The New Hampshire based business has no debt, pension liability or preferred stock, and the company has not yet begun paying a dividend. Timberland recently traded at $39.27 with a 52-week trading range of $25.80 to $45.95. The price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is currently 15.70. Sales-per-share have increased consistently from $2.56 to $31.95 per share from 1987 to 2002, with earnings-per-share increasing from $.21 to $2.36 per share for the same period. Total sales have increased from $291 million in 1992 to $1.2 billion in 2002. In 2002, shareholders value increased due to Timberland’s buyback of 2.8 million shares of common stock. For further information on Timberland Co., or any investment, please contact Shirley Rapp or any of the professionals of Trust-Mart® to help you implement your investment decisions.
*This column is informational only, with no investment advice given or intended. Investments in securities are not insured by the FDIC, and involve risk, including the possible loss of principal. All material presented is compiled from sources believed to be reliable, but accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Before buying any security, its prospectus should be carefully read. Trust-Mart© is a full-service trust department of the Farmers and Merchants State Bank of Bushnell, Illinois. First, make sure the bike is the right size for your child. If it’s too big or too small it will be difficult to handle. Your child should be able to sit on the seat and balance the bike with toe tips touching the ground without leaning to either side. Once your child can balance on a bike, have them practice starting, stopping, turning, signaling, and going up and down hills. Young children should confine their riding to sidewalks and other places away from cars. Make sure older children know how to signal turns with their hands before riding in the street. Also, be sure they always ride with the traffic. Everyone riding a bike in the street should know and obey all traffic rules.
If your children are riding their bikes at night, make sure they have a light on the front and rear of the bike, and are wearing reflective clothing. Make sure your child is wearing a helmet that fits properly. Helmets can and do prevent serious head injuries.
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Daughters of American Revolution recently presented Good Citizens and History Essay awards to recipients from five local elementary and high schools in McDonough County. James J. Croxton, son of Randy and Gail Croxton of Bushnell, was the winner of the Good Citizen Award from B-PC High School. Luke Hess, son of Scott and Anne Hess of Bushnell, attends B-PC Elementary School, and was the fifth grade McDonough County winner of the History Essay Contest. Both of these young men were presented certificates and a $50 savings bond. Congratulations James and Luke!
Clifford Connor of Macomb recently celebrated his 100th birthday, Bernice Wagner also of Macomb celebrated her 95th, and Berneice Huffman of Bushnell celebrated her 89th! F & M sends their best wishes to each of you!
Helen Myers, of Ellisville, recently received a surprise in the mail! Helen has been the librarian of the Ellisville Public Library since she established it in June 1966, and she took delivery of a package from “The White House”! The parcel contained seven new books—- and a personal letter from First Lady Laura Bush! Mrs. Bush heard about the tiny library through an article in the Los Angeles Times, and sent the donation to Helen as a fellow librarian and book-lover. Helen is truly an example of a civic role model!
Taryn Utter, a Senior at B-PC High School, became a part-time teller at F&M a year ago while participating in the school’s Cooperative Occupational Education (COE) program. Taryn lives in Bushnell with her grandparents, Ed and Betty Agans, and has two brothers, Tony and Jackson Agans.
Riding a bike is one of the great pleasures of childhood - - and adulthood! Take the time to teach your child to ride a bike safely, and she will be able to enjoy a healthy recreation for a lifetime.
