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[FEB. 15, 2002]  ^"Owls, the Silent Hunters," a pictorial exhibit from the Illinois Audubon Society, is on display now in the Annex of the Lincoln Public Library.

The exhibit shows the eight types of owls, both common and uncommon, that may be seen in Illinois and tells something about the habits of these nocturnal birds of prey.

Owls are silent hunters because they have very soft feathers that make no noise as they fly, so they can easily sneak up on their prey. They also have excellent hearing, binocular vision, strong feet and talons for capturing prey, and hooked beaks for tearing it into bite-size piece pieces.

[Photos by Joan Crabb]

They see quite well in the dark, and because of their binocular vision (like ours) they can judge distance and movement very well. Because they cannot move their eyes, they turn their heads from side to side just as we do.

Owls are beneficial to man because they eat mostly mice, rats and harmful insects. They can swallow small prey at one gulp and then regurgitate the bones and fur in small pellets. These pellets can be found on the ground under the places where owls roost.

They are attentive parents and take good care of their young owlets.

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The most common owls in Illinois are the great horned owl, a large owl that can be as much as 25 inches tall and has ear tufts that resemble horns; the barred owl, also a large owl but without ear tufts; and the screech owl, 7 to 10 inches long, with small ear tufts. The screech owl is the one most often seen and heard near our homes.

Barn owls, with their distinctive pale heart-shaped faces, are becoming rare. Like short-eared owls, they favor open farmlands and prairies. Snowy owls are occasional winter visitors from the Arctic, and long-eared and saw-whet owls are also more likely to found in Illinois during the winter.

Other exhibits from the Illinois Audubon Society will be on display at the Lincoln Public Library in the coming months.

The Illinois Audubon Society is the oldest conservation organization in Illinois, founded in1897. It works to preserve habitat, especially for threatened and endangered species, and sponsors educational programs, such as field trips and workshops, for both young people and adults. It is not part of the National Audubon Society.

For more information about the Illinois Audubon Society, write to P.O. Box 2418, Danville, IL 61834-2418; phone (217) 446-5085; or visit the website at www.illinoisaudubon.org.

[Joan Crabb]

[JAN. 18, 2002]  Bored with winter? Lincoln Public Library presents "Board Games Rodeo" from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. every Saturday through March 23 in the Pegram Community Room.

If you are high school age through adult, you are invited to come and compete against your fellow "boardmeisters" in games of Monopoly, Risk, Scrabble, chess, checkers, Chinese checkers, backgammon, Trivial Pursuit and Yatzee. Remember to bring your gameboard so everyone can participate.

Tri-County AmeriCorps volunteers serve as referees.

Light snacks are served.

For more information about this program, visit the library at 725 Pekin St. or call (217) 732-8878 or 732-5732.

[FEB. 27, 2002]  ^"The Breadwinner," by Deborah Ellis. Groundwood-Douglas & McIntyre, March 2001, 170 pages.

Since 1994 — most of 11-year-old Parvana’s life — the Islamic Taliban has had political control of the country of Afghanistan. Parvana and her family live — or survive, to be more accurate — in the war-torn city of Kabul, Afghanistan. A missile destroyed their home, and now they are forced to live in one room of a bombed-out building.

Their life before the Taliban was good because both of her parents had good jobs. Her parents were both educated in universities outside of Afghanistan. Her father was a history teacher, and her mother, a journalist, worked for a local radio station, but now neither parent is employed.

Under Taliban rule women have been forbidden to leave their homes without wearing a burqa, a garment that covers them from head to foot with only a mesh strip across their eyes for vision, and they must be accompanied by a close male relative. Women and girls are not allowed to go to school, be on television or radio, or attend public gatherings. The windows of the homes are painted black so the women cannot be seen from the outside. Parvana’s mother, Fatana, and older sister, Nooria, have not been out of the apartment for at least a year.

Parvana’s father lost part of a leg when the school where he was teaching was bombed. He now sits on a blanket in the marketplace and reads and writes letters for others to earn some money for the family. Parvana helps him walk there every day, sits with him and then helps him home at the end of the day. Parvana’s older brother was killed when he stepped on a land mine. She also has a small sister and baby brother at home.

One evening as the family is enjoying some conversation after their meal, Taliban soldiers burst in their home and question the father about being educated in England. The soldiers tear up the apartment and beat Parvana’s parents with the butts of their guns. Her father is taken to prison that night.

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Without an older male relative, the family’s chances for survival are in jeopardy. Men are supposed to make the money and do all the shopping. Fatana becomes severely depressed and is unable to care for the family.

Mrs. Weera, a former physical education teacher and friend of the family, and her grandchild eventually move in with the family to help care for Fatana and the smaller children.

These are the circumstances that force Parvana to become the reluctant breadwinner. She cuts her hair and puts on the clothes of her dead brother. She is terrified of being discovered by the Taliban but soon realizes that the disguise is working and is amazed at the freedom she has never known before. This freedom also forces her to be involved in and experience things that are horrifying as well as dangerous.

The idea for this book came from the true stories Deborah Ellis collected in Afghanistan about real women whose daily lives have been affected by the Taliban. She is donating all of the royalties from the book to Women for Women in Afghanistan. This is a powerful book that will make the terrible situation in Afghanistan and gender apartheid more of a reality to children in America.

The book does contain some graphic descriptions of certain events. It is recommended for fifth grade through eighth grade.

For more information, visit the library at 725 Pekin St. or call (217) 732-5732.

• Lincoln Community Theatre

• Logan County Arts Association

[FEB. 20, 2002]  The Lincoln Junior Woman’s Club is sponsoring an Easter coloring contest in recognition of National Youth Art Month.  Children in grades kindergarten through six are eligible to participate.

Coloring pages may be picked up at the children’s annex of the Lincoln Public Library beginning Feb. 22 and are to be returned to the library no later than Saturday, March 2. The child’s name, telephone number and grade should be neatly printed on the back of the page.

The pictures will be judged by club members and a prize awarded to the first-place winners in three age groups.

All coloring pages will be displayed in a downtown merchant window the week of March 11, and they will be donated to local nursing homes for Easter.

[Jeanette Savery]

[FEB. 14, 2002]  ^"Show’n’Tell," a Community Theatre Showcase, will be presented from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 2, in Decatur. The one-day event will be at the Shilling Community Education Center at Richland Community College.

Theatre 7, Richland Community College and Illinois Theatre Association Community Theatre Division are hosting the program.

8 a.m. — Registration, continental breakfast

8:45 a.m. — Opening remarks, welcome

9 a.m. — Presentations

A. "Lighting for Dummies"

B. "Round Robin" (four tables)

Ensemble casts

Learning lines

Texturing sets

Play selection

C. "Plant the Seed of Theatre" (in children 7-10 years old); "Watching It Grow" (teens)

10:15 a.m. — Presentations 

A. and B. Repeat presentations

C. Auditioning

11:30 a.m. — Lunch and exhibits

12:30 p.m. — Four one-hour shows

4:30 p.m. — Wrap-up and evaluation

For more information, contact Theatre 7’s Molly Shade, molshade@aol.com.

[Theatre 7 news release]

[FEB. 11, 2002]  Alison England was from California; the Pasadena Roof Orchestra was from England; and the Rhythm Brothers are not related, to paraphrase their introduction. The Rhythm Brothers is a quartet consisting of — at various times — two guitars, a banjo, a fiddle, a bass, a sousaphone and four silky voices. If that isn’t enough, add in "the music of Raul Reynoso and the humor of Doug Mattocks," and you get one entertaining show.

The Rhythm Brothers have played everywhere from Carnegie Hall to the Grand Ole Opry to Disneyland. And now they have graced Lincoln with their talented "plucking and strumming" as this month’s feature in the Lincoln Land Community Concerts series, at the chapel of Lincoln Christian College.

The band consists of Raul Reynoso, Doug Mattocks, Paul Shelasky and Lee "Westy" Westenhofer.

Reynoso is an extremely talented guitarist and songwriter. His songs have been described as "True World Music," since they come from his mixed background of Latin American culture, Los Angeles society and luegrass guitar. The band played a few of them, including "Matelot" and "Waneta’s Waltz."

Mattocks, a comedian and guitarist, also plays all three of the major styles of banjo: four-string tenor and plectrum and five-string bluegrass. As the unofficial leader of the band, his quick tongue keeps the show moving.

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Lincoln Community Theatre’s website is at www.geocities.com/lincolncommunitytheatre/index.html. Pictures from past productions are included.  The LCT mailing address is Lincoln Community Theatre, P.O. Box 374, Lincoln, IL  62656.  E-mail: lincolncommunitytheatre@yahoo.com.

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