Thu, Jan 08 2009
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Published October 27, 2008 06:04 pm - Banding together Dwindling town joins to build a gathering place By Travina Coleman Phoenix Staff Writer COUNCIL HILL — Lorene Swadley, 78, said she can remember when her town had two grocery stores, a couple of doctor’s offices and was once a bustling town. All that is left now is a post office and a tire shop.
“I have been here since 1945,” Swadley, a retired postmaster, said. “This is my home. I raised my family here and I would like to have a place for the other residents and I to go. People just have no way to get together. We have never had a community center. We thought it could help bring people closer.” After three years of raising money and building the new Council Hill Community Center, the town of approximately 135 people now has a place to go. The Council Hill Senior Citizens Fundraiser will feature a bean supper and pie auction with bluegrass musical entertainment from 5 to 8 p.m. Nov. 8 at the new community center which opened July 9. All the proceeds from the event will help the center serve meals to senior citizens. Brenda Combs, town clerk for Council Hill, said the project came together with bits and pieces. “The community is not one to rally,” she said. “But everyone has gotten involved and they are real excited about it. We just need to keep the momentum going so no one gets discouraged. We are looking for volunteers now and we want to set up a board for the community, so they can have input.” Renee McBride, volunteer for the community center, said the goal is to make the place as comfortable as possible. “We got furniture that sits high off the ground so it would be easier to get out of,” she said. “We have a DVD player so if someone wants to watch a movie or something, they can. We plan to have bingo and other games, too.” Combs said they have been getting ready to start activities for the seniors at least once a week. The meals, however, are taking longer since grants are awarded once a year, and they just missed the deadline before opening. “With this fundraiser, people can come out and donate money to help organize the meals,” she said. “We want to offer it at least once a week, but it is expensive, and now we are just figuring out how to do it.” If you go 
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