DECEMBER NEWSLETTER The Elves and The Shoemaker

FIRST STORY

A shoemaker, by no fault of his own, had become so poor that at last he had nothing left but leather for one pair of shoes. So in the evening, he cut out the shoes which he wished to begin to make the next morning, and as he had a good conscience, he lay down quietly in his bed, commended himself to God, and fell asleep. In the morning, after he had said his prayers, and was just going to sit down to work, the two shoes stood quite finished on his table. He

was astounded, and knew not what to say to it. He took the shoes in his hands to observe them closer, and they were so neatly made that there was not one bad stitch in them,

just as if they were intended as a masterpiece. Soon after, a buyer came in, and as the shoes pleased him so well, he paid more for them than was customary, and, with the money, the shoemaker was able to purchase leather for two pairs of shoes. He cut them out at night, and next morning was about to set to work with fresh courage; but he had no need to do so, for, when he got up, they were already made, and buyers also were not wanting, who gave him money enough to buy leather for four pairs of shoes. The following morning, too, he found the four pairs made; and so it went on constantly, what he cut out in the evening was finished by the morning, so that he soon had his honest independence again, and at last became a wealthy man. Now it befell that one evening not long before Christmas, when the man had been cutting out, he said to his wife, before going to bed, "What think you if we were to stay up to-night to see who it is that lends us this helping hand?" The woman liked the idea, and lighted a candle, and then they hid themselves in a corner of the room, behind some clothes which were hanging up there, and watched. When it was midnight, two pretty little naked men came, sat down by the shoemaker's table, took all the work which was cut out before them and began to stitch, and sew, and hammer so skilfully and so quickly with their little fingers that the shoemaker could not turn away his eyes for astonishment. They did not stop until all was done, and stood finished on the table, and they ran quickly away.

Next morning the woman said, "The little men have made us rich, and we really must show that we are grateful for it. They run about so, and have nothing on, and must be cold. I'll tell thee what I'll do: I will make them little shirts, and coats, and vests, and trousers, and knit both of them a pair of stockings, and do thou, too, make them two little pairs of shoes." The man said, "I shall be very glad to do it;" and one night, when everything was ready, they laid their presents all together on the table instead of the cut-out work, and then concealed themselves to see how the little men would behave. At midnight they came bounding in, and

wanted to get to work at once, but as they did not find any leather cut out, but only the pretty little articles of clothing, they were at first astonished, and then they showed intense delight. They dressed themselves with the greatest rapidity, putting the pretty clothes on, and singing,

"Now we are boys so fine to see,Why should we longer cobblers be?"

Then they danced and skipped and leapt over chairs and benches. At last they danced out of doors. From that time forth they came no more, but as long as the shoemaker lived all went well with him, and all his undertakings prospered.

SECOND STORY

There was once a poor servant-girl, who was industrious and cleanly, and swept the house every day, and emptied her sweepings on the great heap in front of the door. One morning when she was just going back to her work, she found a letter on this heap, and as she could not read, she put her broom in the corner, and took the letter to her master and mistress, and behold it was an invitation from the elves, who asked the girl to hold a child for them at its christening. The girl did not know what to do, but at length, after much persuasion, and as they told her that it was not right to refuse an invitation of this kind, she consented. Then three elves came and conducted her to a hollow mountain, where the little folks lived.

Everything there was small, but more elegant and beautiful than can be described. The baby's mother lay in a bed of black ebony ornamented with pearls, the coverlids were embroidered with gold, the cradle was of ivory, the bath of gold. The girl stood as godmother, and then wanted to go home again, but the little elves urgently entreated her to stay three days with them. So she stayed, and passed the time in pleasure and gaiety, and the little folks did all they could to make her happy. At last she set out on her way home. Then first they filled her pockets quite full of money, and after that they led her out of the mountain again. When she got

home, she wanted to begin her work, and took the broom, which was still standing in the corner, in her hand and began to sweep. Then some strangers came out of the house, who asked her who she was, and what business she had there? And she had not, as she thought, been three days with the little men in the mountains, but seven years, and in the meantime her former masters had died.

THIRD STORY

A certain mother's child had been taken away out of its cradle by the elves, and a changeling with a large head and staring eyes, which would do nothing but eat and drink, laid in its place. In her trouble she went to her neighbor, and asked her advice. The neighbor said that she was to carry the changeling into the kitchen, set it down on the hearth, light a fire, and boil some water in two egg-shells, which would make the changeling laugh, and if he laughed, all would be over with him. The woman did everything that her neighbor bade her. When she put the egg-shells with water on the fire, the imp said, "I am as old now as the Wester forest, but never yet have I seen any one boil anything in an egg-shell!" And he began to laugh at it. Whilst he was laughing, suddenly came a host of little elves, who brought the right child, set it down on the hearth, and took the changeling away with them.

LOCAL NEWS Are you in need of grocery delivery service? Call 620-228-5570 for more

information on this new service.

La Harpe Days T-Shirts available at City Hall.

Sign up for Weight Watchers at City Hall.

FREE Blood pressure & blood glucose clinic at La Harpe Senior Center – 111 S. Main St, La Harpe. Sponsored by Senior Life Solutions. WILL NOT BE OPEN THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER & DECEMBER BUT WILL BE BACK IN JANUARY.

Have you noticed the new due date on your City of La Harpe utility bill? You know have until the 15th of each month to pay before the late fee is added!

If you need assistance after-hours please call the Iola Dispatch Center at (620) 365-1437, they will notify the proper personnel.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL LAHARPE CITIZENS CELEBRATING A BIRTHDAY THIS MONTH!!!! MAY YOUR DAY BE AS SPECIAL AS YOU ARE TO US!

Thank you to all the Community volunteers, residents who loaned equipment, Doug’s Welding Green Environment, La Harpe Sr. Center, Nelson Quarry, Troy Construction, Allen Community College students, KSU Alternative Break students & Sister Missionaries who helped with the Community Clean-up in October. We appreciate everyone’s work to help make La Harpe shine.

Santa’s Workshop Saturday Dec. 7, 2019 La Harpe City Building 2:00-4:00pm

Visit Santa & Crafts

Parents—Bring your cameras for photos Questions call Marcia 620-365-8128

LA HARPE CHRISTMAS LIGHTING CONTEST

Prizes for the best Christmas decorated yard in La Harpe

1st $25.002nd $15.003rd $10.00Judging by La Harpe PRIDE on Dec. 16th

Hello Everyone,

I’m Penny, the Animal and Code Officer here in La Harpe, I want to thank the citizens of La Harpe for being so nice and working with me to keep the City ordinances up to code and keeping your dogs from running all over town. That being said, I’m just reminding you to make sure all animals have adequate shelter, water; not ice and food on hand for them.

Thanks again

Have a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!

Penny

Dates to remember:

December 11th: COUNCIL MEETING AT CITY HALL AT 7:00 P.M.

December 16th: PRIDE Meeting at 7:00 p.m. at the City Hall

December 24th: City Hall will be closing at noon.

December 25th: City Hall will be closed. The City staff would like to wish everyone a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

December 27th: Past due Utility shut off date.

If you can’t pay your account in full at this time then you must submit your reasoning to the City Clerk BEFORE December 27th.

CITY COUNCIL NEWS

CITIZENS CALL FOR BUSINESS

a) Linda Womelsdorf stated there is not a lot going on right now but we are planning Winterfest for some time in January, date will be announced at a later time.

b) Marcia Davis shared that the K-State students will be in town January 13th - 17th. We will have 6 kids available to help with whatever the City needs help with. Maybe with Winterfest and some indoor painting of the kitchen at City Hall.

c) Amber Tisdale requested to rent the Old City Hall on Main Street for her jewelry business. Danny Ware Jr made the motion to rent the old City Hall to Amber Tisdale with a signed agreement and accept the terms from the previous agreement. David Lee seconded. Motion carried 5-0.

d) John Rieter asked the Council if they would allow him to offer his time to play “Santa”, stating he has been volunteering since 1980. Mayor Crowell suggested he get with Linda Womelsdorf and work something out. Marcia Davis invited him to the PRIDE meeting to discuss this further.

NEW BUSINESS

a) Sewer Lagoons – David Lee expressed interest in rezoning some of the acreage, by the lagoons, to industrial use for future business opportunities. Danny Ware Jr reminded him that the City of Gas owns half of the area and we should also include them in this discussion. Fred Works suggested we wait until we have an interest and then go from there. David Lee suggested we think about this and put the stone in motion.

b) Backpack sprayer – Tabled until Marchc) Thanksgiving / Christmas for employees – Danny Ware Jr made the motion to give

the full-time employees $120.00 check and the part-time employees $100.00 check with taxes withheld and granted Michelle to issue those checks on December 1st. David Lee seconded. Motion carried 5-0.

d) Employee Handbook – David Lee made the motion to amend the uniform portion of the employee handbook to state that any gear purchased during employment must be returned or a replacement cost must be paid if they separate employment with the City of La Harpe. Danny Ware Jr seconded. Motion carried 5-0. Ron Knavel mentioned that all City employees should be wearing a safety vest when working. Michelle stated they have been ordered and should be here soon.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

a) Flower pots on Main – David Lee made the motion to spend up to $150.00 for flower pots. Sharlyn Thompson seconded. Motion carried 5-0. Danny Ware Jr mentioned that Pride might be able to pitch in as well.

b) Forman Water Line – Tabled until the first of the year.

REPORTS OF CITY OFFICERS

a) Fred Works, City Attorney – Mentioned the fire districts are working on consolidating. He shared that he has not been able to find much on tiny homes, he did tell the Council that they could do whatever they decided on the utilities but he did recommend going by square footage and not pricing.

b) Chuck Richey, Water District Representative- Shared about an article written in the paper from an environmental group about public wholesale water versus bottled water. Chuck has reached out to Kansas Rural Water Association and they are supposed to be sending a letter to publish.

c) Mike Jewell, Police Chief – Shared his report for the month; 5 case numbers, 4 citations, 5 warnings and 12 calls. He also requested permission to purchase a new body camera. David Lee made the motion to purchase the $699.00 camera with a 1-year warranty and hold off on the subscription for now. Danny Ware Jr seconded. Motion carried 5-0.

d) Penny Miller, Code/Animal Control – shared her report for the month; she sent out 1 brush notice, 3 dog at large notices, 7 vehicle notices and 3 junk in yard notices.

e) Marc Waggoner, Fire Chief- Absent from meeting and no minutes were shared. Mayor Crowell mentioned the County has gifted the City the new building for our fire barn. She reminded the Council that we voted to pay $200.00 a month for the new building but since the County is gifting it, she would like for the City to give the County $200.00 a month to help cover utility costs. No action was taken.

f) Michelle Altis, City clerk- Shared a new coverage from PSI on CyberSolution and asked the Council if there was any interest in purchasing the coverage. No action was taken. Michelle mentioned we can get a winter grade cold patch for $125.00 a ton so that we can continue with the pot holes this winter. The Council was okay with her purchasing if it was needed. Mayor Crowell suggested Michelle order a couple of big tarps to keep the cold patch covered. Michelle had Mike Hedman share an issue we were having by putting a 15” whistle in an alley. Mike stated we could make the 15” work but we need to dig the customers ditch out about 5”’s. Mayor Crowell suggested we get a couple of the smaller size culverts for the alleys and requested the Council to allow the crew to get them as needed. Danny Ware Jr made the motion to purchase 3 – 10” culverts and 3 – 12” culverts as needed. Ron Knavel seconded. Motion carried 5-0. Michelle mentioned to the Council we need a hitch for our snow plow and Doug Northcutt said he could make us one. Danny Ware Jr made the motion to have Doug make the hitch device and not spend more than #300.00. Ron Knavel seconded. Motion carried 5-0.

Mayor: City Attorney: Ella Mae Crowell (496-6219) Fred Works

City Municipal Judge: Police Chief: Patricia Miklos Michael Jewell

Fire Chief: City Clerk: Marc Waggoner Michelle Altis

Assistant City Clerk: City Treasurer: Penny Ebert Teresa Driskel

Maintenance Staff: Code/Animal Control Mike Hedman & Zach Culbertson Penny Miller

City Council Members: David Lee (496-2333) Danny Ware Jr. (496-2156) Cynthia Carr (496-7500) Sharlyn Thompson (496-3348)

Ron Knavel (496-2508)

Laharpe City Hall Hours: Monday-Friday

902 S. Washington 8:00-12:00 & 1:00-5:00 P.O. Box 10 Ph. (620) 496-2241 Laharpe, KS. 66751 Fax (620) 496-2240

CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE; CITYOFLAHARPE.ORG

DEEP DISH CARAMEL COOKIE

You’ll Need– 1 bag square soft caramels– 1 bag chocolate chips– 2 tubes cookie dough

How To1. Unwrap the caramels and place into a microwave-safe bowl.

Microwave for 45 seconds and stir until smooth.

2. Press 1 tube of cookie dough evenly in the bottom of a cast iron skillet or a deep dish nonstick pan.

3. Pour the melted caramel on cookie dough and spread evenly.

4. Generously sprinkle the chocolate chips over the caramel.

5. Top with the second tube of cookie dough, pressed into an even layer.

6. Bake for 30 minutes.

Cinnamon Rock Candy INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Water 3 3/4 cup Sugar 1 1/4 cup Light Corn Syrup 1 teaspoon Food Coloring (Optional) 1 teaspoon Cinnamon Candy Oil (2 teaspoons for spicy) 1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:1. Butter a 15-inch x 10 inch x 1 inch rimmed metal sheet pan.2. Line with parchment paper, and butter the parchment paper, making sure the edges of

the parchment paper are well buttered to prevent the candy from seeping underneath. Do not use wax paper as it won't hold up to the high temperature of the candy being poured.

3. In a large deep sauce pan combine water, sugar, corn syrup, and food coloring. Mix over medium high heat until sugar starts to dissolve. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan making sure it does not touch the bottom of pan for an accurate temperature.

4. Continue to boil until sugar mixture reaches 300 degrees (hard crack stage) about 20 minutes. Watch closely, if mixture starts to boil to close to the edge of pan remove from heat, and stir until bubbles subside. Then return to medium high heat. It's better to slightly be over 300°F than under for candy to set properly.

5. Once mixture reaches 300 degrees remove from heat and stir in the cinnamon oil, working quickly. Keep face away from the mixture as it is extremely strong, and keep area well ventilated.

6. Pour immediately into prepared pan. Allow to cool for 4 hours.7. After 4 hours dust the top of candy with powdered sugar. Flip candy over onto a large

cutting board or cookie sheet, and remove parchment paper. Return candy to the pan and use the tip of a sharp knife to break candy into bite size pieces. Dust with more powdered sugar and store in an airtight container.

No-Bake Orange Ball Recipe 1 stick margarine 1-pound vanilla wafers (crumbled up fine) 1 6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate (thawed) 1-pound powered confectioners’ sugar 1 oz. bag coconut (can use confectioners’ sugar instead of coconut)

Directions:1. Melt the margarine in a pan on top of the stove, or you can microwave

(stirring after a few seconds so that the margarine doesn’t separate).2. While the margarine is melting (or before if kids are working and are

slow), crumble up the vanilla wafers. This can be done by hand, but sometimes the crumbs are a bit chunky if done by hand. The wafers can be put in a zip lock bag and mashed, or they can be put in a big bowl and a biscuit cutter can be used to chop the cookie wafers.

3. When the margarine is melted, add the crumbs and powdered sugar plus orange juice concentrate (do not add water for juice). Stir well.

4. Take small bits of the mixture and roll into balls. Size should run around the size of a big gum ball up to walnut sized.

5. Roll the orange balls in coconut or powdered sugar is fine for rolling if you have family or friends who do not like coconut.

6. Store the orange balls in the refrigerator or they can be kept in the freezer for a few weeks. We prefer to eat them around room temperature, but some people like them cold.

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the houseNot a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.Away to the window I flew like a flash,Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snowGave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roofThe prancing and pawing of each little hoof.As I drew in my head, and was turning around,Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.He had a broad face and a little round belly,That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.And laying his finger aside of his nose,And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,

"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"