The Bend-Chappel Extension Education Club held the first meeting of the new year on January 11, 2011 in the home of Winnie Lou McCoury. The meeting was called to order by club president Mary Jane Dennis. There were eleven members to answer roll call.

We were saddened with the fact one of our long time members is no longer with us. Alice Reese had been a member of this club for 58 years. She had been in ill health for the past few years and couldn’t attend meetings but always wanted to send her greetings and keep up with the club’s activities and projects. Alice was a past officer serving as Secretary and Treasurer for several years. She was also a wonderful cook and everyone enjoyed her special recipes.

Mary Jane reported the Pecan Food Show was successful as well as the sale of the Pecan Food Show Champion Recipe Cookbook. If you don’t have one of the cookbooks you may check some of the businesses in town for one. It is full of wonderful prize winning pecan recipes from past shows.

The Council gave the 4-H club a cash gift of $500, thanks to all who purchased Pecan Food Show entries and cookbooks.

The San Saba Livestock Show and Youth Fair is coming up this weekend. Cookies and brownie donations are needed for the concession stand.

The District Meeting will be held at Anson this year. Mary Jane Dennis will be the delegate nominee from the Bend-Chappel Club.

Volunteers for the planning committee for the May event are Fran Hulgan and Mary Jane Dennis.

After filling out the new year books with hostesses for the upcoming meetings, Mary Jane gave a program on The Health Effects of Humor and Laughter.

Laughter is indeed the best medicine and it is free. It is also contagious and has side effects such as relaxing muscle tone, increase heart rate, respiratory rate and oxygen consumption. It decreases self-reported anxiety, heart rate, and blood pressure as well as increasing the immune system response and decreases stress hormones.

The next meeting will be held in the home of Marjorie McDowell on February 14, 2011 at 2 PM. Carolyn McDowell will give a program on Food Bourne Illness. Members and would-be members are encouraged to attend this meeting.