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Grants benefit Lincoln Public Library

[DEC. 21, 2002]  The Lincoln Public Library District has received two new grants from the office of Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White.

The Dream Again grant entitled "Great Books, Great Films" will be used to purchase classic movies in the DVD format and great works of literature in the CD format. The library will also receive a new DVD player and public performance movie licensing rights for one year. The license will allow the library to host a series of public programs with the new DVD movie titles.

Lincoln will share this $32,100 grant with the public libraries in Chatham, Rochester, Clinton, Effingham, Mount Zion and Taylorville. The grant is part of $2.46 million awarded to Illinois libraries by Secretary White's office.

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The Opportunity Knocks grant entitled "Terry Turtle's Teaching Totes" will be used to purchase tote bags for the youth services department at the library. The tote bags will cover a variety of topics and contain books, puppets, stuffed animals, activity cards and teaching suggestions. These tote bags will be ideal for young children or developmentally disabled patrons and will be available for checkout.

This second grant is part of almost $200,000 in grants awarded to Illinois libraries by Secretary White's office.

For more information please contact Richard Sumrall at 732-8878 or visit the library, 725 Pekin St.

[Lincoln Public Library press release]

Places To Go

'The Trap'

[JAN. 2, 2003]  ^"The Trap," by Joan Lowery Nixon. Delacorte Press, 2002, 165 pages.

Julie Hollister is 16 years old and has a great summer planned, until her family interferes. They decide that she is the only one who has the time to go to Rancho del Oro, Texas, to help out her great-aunt and uncle on their ranch. Uncle Gabe had a fall and broke his ankle badly enough to be hospitalized, leaving Aunt Glenda alone on the ranch. Julie resents her family's insistence that she spend her whole summer in Texas but does what her parents ask her to do.

The story opens with her Aunt Glenda picking her up at the airport. From the very start things seem strange to Julie. When they arrive at the ranch she notices a towerlike room at the end of the carport. Her aunt tells her that Uncle Gabe built it as an observatory and the steps up to it are where he had his fall. Aunt Glenda gets very upset when she tells Julie that Gabe doesn't think that the fall was an accident.

All of the ranches seem to be very vulnerable. They are very poorly lit, and too many people have keys. The strange noises at night only add to the creepiness of the place.

Aunt Glenda explains to Julie that Rancho del Oro is a retirement community made up of several small ranches. The people were enticed to buy into it because it seemed like a good investment. She learns at a women's social gathering that most of the wives are not happy with the situation. She also hears a lot of conversation about missing jewelry. Most of the women seem unconcerned about this and seem to consider it something to do with their age and forgetfulness.

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At Uncle Gabe's insistence, Julie investigates the stairs at the observatory and finds two small nail holes, on the top step, that could have been used to hold a piece of string or fishing wire. With the aid of her best friend from home, via e-mail, Julie begins to investigate other strange things that happen. Two more people have accidental falls and are killed, and the local sheriff doesn't see the need for an investigation. Ranch hands and friends show up at her aunt and uncle's house at strange times, and she begins to suspect everyone.

When Julie begins to receive threatening e-mail messages that warn her to stop poking around, the story gets very tense and exciting. She is convinced that there is a killer on the ranch and if she doesn't find out who it is, she could be the next victim. The surprise ending will have even the best sleuths wondering how they missed the clues.

Joan Lowery Nixon is the author of more than a hundred books for young adults and children. She is the past president of the Mystery Writers of America and a four-time winner of the Edgar Allen Poe Best Young Adult Mystery Award. This book is recommended for grades five to eight. For more information, please visit the library at 725 Pekin Street or call (217) 732-5732.

[Linda Harmon, Lincoln Public Library District]

• Lincoln Community Theatre

• Logan County Arts Association

LCT 2003 season

[DEC. 9, 2002]  Lincoln Community Theatre is pleased to announce three productions selected for the summer of 2003.

Kicking off the 32nd season of live theater for the Lincoln community will be the hilarious musical "Nuncrackers." This fun-filled show is a continuation of the antics of the dauntless, darling nuns of Mount St. Helen's Convent who delighted Lincoln audiences in the "Nunsense" series several summers ago. Audience participation, one-liners, a rum-soaked fruitcake, dueling sugar plum fairies and dear Sister Amnesia will definitely start the summer theatrical season with humor and fun.

The July production, "Steel Magnolias," is one of our best ensemble productions. The familiar, bittersweet story touches all the emotional peaks and valleys of life in a small Southern community. From wise-cracking Truvy to unsure Annelle, the characters in this poignant play promise to touch everyone with both laughter and tears.

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Ending the season on a patriotic note, LCT's final production of the summer will be "1776," a stirring, yet humorous musical featuring a large cast representing our founding fathers. Humor abounds with fast-paced dialogue involving Ben Franklin, Henry Lee and other early congressional characters, along with catchy, patriotic music.

To kick off the holiday season, Lincoln Community Theatre is offering holiday gift certificates for season memberships for the summer 2003 season. Certificates can be mailed directly to the receiver or to the gift giver. Certificates for adult memberships are $20 each, and those for children through eighth grade are $12 each. Requests for gift certificates may be sent to LCT, Box 374, Lincoln, IL 62656. Further information is available at (217) 732-7542 or by visiting the LCT website, www.geocities.com/lincolncommunitytheatre.

[Judy Rader, LCT publicity chairman]

Lincoln Community Theatre's box office, phone 735-2614,  is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday for the summer season. The office is located in the lobby of the Johnston Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Lincoln College.

Performances of "Dearly Departed" are scheduled for July 12-20, and "The King and I" will be presented Aug. 2-10. Show times are 2 p.m. on Sundays and 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

The LCT mailing address is Lincoln Community Theatre, P.O. Box 374, Lincoln, IL  62656; e-mail: lincolncommunitytheatre@yahoo.com.

Visit the LDC website at www.geocities.com/lincolncommunitytheatre/index.html. Pictures from past productions are included.

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