Humane Society bake sale, LC trips to Cubs vs. Cards, DeWitt-Logan retired teachers, Danielle Krabbe, HSLC garage sale donations, public meeting on downtown plan, Pittsburgh Symphony cellist in Atlanta, Atlanta candidates, library database change

[March 27, 2013]  Humane Society to host Easter-themed bake sale

The Humane Society of Logan County will host an Easter-themed bake sale at the Lincoln IGA on Saturday, March 30, beginning at 9 a.m.

The sale items will include cakes, candies, cookies, pies, breads and other delightful items perfect for your Easter dinner.

Let the Humane Society do all your Easter baking as you help support the shelter and the animals they care for.

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Lincoln College invites public to join 2 outings to Cubs-Cardinals games

Tickets are now available for Lincoln College's annual "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" event hosted by the LC Office of Alumni Relations and Special Events. This year there are two opportunities to watch the Chicago Cubs play the St. Louis Cardinals: at Wrigley Field (a rooftop experience) in Chicago on July 13 and at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo., on Aug. 10. Both are Saturday games scheduled to start at 6:15 p.m.

Tickets are available to all Lincoln College alumni, friends and the general public. Both events are all-inclusive; with motor coach transportation available. Ticket availability is limited, so make your reservations now.

The cost for each game is $150 per person and includes a game ticket, air-conditioned party room overlooking the outfield, a buffet meal, and unlimited soda and beer (and wine in Chicago). The St. Louis game will also include door prizes and a raffle of Cardinals and Cubs items.

The bus cost for the Chicago game is $40 per person, with pickups in Lincoln and Normal. For the St. Louis game, the bus is $30 per person, with pickups in Lincoln and Springfield.

To reserve your tickets or for more information, contact the college alumni office at 217-732-3155, ext. 217; call toll-free at 877-522-5867; or visit http://www.lincolncollege.edu/alumni/. Additional questions can be emailed to Kerri Taylor at [e-mail].

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DeWitt-Logan retired teachers meet April 10

CLINTON -- The quarterly meeting of the DeWitt-Logan unit of the Illinois Retired Teachers Association will be on April 10 at 10:30 a.m. at Ted's Garage Restaurant in Clinton. The program will be presented by Pam Kogler, administrative services manager, and Lesley Booth, Medicare coordination of benefits supervisor. Both come from Central Management Systems and are specialists in the Teachers' Retirement Insurance Program. They will present information on coordination of benefits with Medicare.

The Illinois Retired Teachers Association is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of retired educators. The association serves the needs and interests of its members through advocacy, education, cooperation and socialization in a flexible organizational structure. Membership is open to all retired and active teachers and their spouses.

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Danielle Krabbe serving as Business Brigade volunteer in Panama

LITCHFIELD -- Danielle Krabbe, a junior at the University of Illinois, is participating in Global Business Brigades, the world's largest student-led global health and sustainable development organization. She is currently spending seven days in a rural community in Panama to help provide solutions to the community's economic needs.

The beneficiaries typically have a low level of income, lack of collateral and low level of education.

Krabbe is conducting household visits in which she assesses the family's level of financial competency and entrepreneurial goals. She then provides educational and technical assistance in personal finance, basic accounting and business planning.

The Business Brigade volunteers invest in the community savings and loan by providing seed capital. The seed capital provides loans to small businesses and entrepreneurs to either expand current operations or pursue new business opportunities.

Krabbe is studying in the College of Business at the University of Illinois and majoring in marketing and management. She is a 2011 graduate of Litchfield High School.

Danielle is the daughter of Roger and Dana Krabbe of Litchfield and granddaughter of Dan and Marilyn Wheat of Lincoln.

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HSLC now seeking donations for 2nd annual garage sale

The Humane Society of Logan County is seeking donations of goods for the second annual "Big Spring Garage Sale." Clean, gently used items for donation can be dropped off every Wednesday and Saturday, beginning April 3, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Logan County Fairgrounds. Use the south entrance.

For more information or to arrange pickup, call 732-1979 or 732-7853. Electronics cannot be accepted.

This year's sale will be May 10 and 11, a Friday and Saturday, at the Logan County Fairgrounds.

Items for sale will include home decor, toys, sporting goods, furniture, clothes, shoes, accessories, holiday items, outdoor goods, books, CDs, DVDs and much more. There will also be food, music and fun stuff just for kids.

With the support of the community, the HSLC was able to open a shelter in 2011. Since then, they have placed more than 200 cats and dogs in forever homes, and facilitated in more than 400 low-cost spay and neuters per year.

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Public meeting for downtown revitalization and redevelopment planning slated for March 27

There will be a public meeting Wednesday, March 27, to present the preliminary Downtown Revitalization Plan to residents, local business owners and community leaders. The meeting will be from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Lincoln Park District Administrative Center, 1400 Primm Road.

The meeting will be an open house format, meaning that people interested can arrive and leave at any point during the scheduled time, and no formal presentation will be given. Members of the study team will be present to explain exhibits and answer any questions.

The Downtown Revitalization Plan makes recommendations on specific physical improvements to downtown Lincoln, including streetscape improvements, a conceptual plan for the public parks and courthouse square, parking and traffic plans, historical façade improvements, and a historical preservation plan.

Information on the activities that have taken place leading up to this meeting can be viewed on the project website: http://explorelogancounty.com/
DowntownLincolnStudy/.

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Pittsburgh Symphony cellist featured in final Behind the Scenes program

ATLANTA -- Cellist Mikhail Istomin will be in Atlanta on Friday, April 5, for this year's final event in the Atlanta Public Library's Behind the Scenes program. The event will be at the North Greens Golf Course.

Those attending can hear the musician's story of growing up in the former Soviet Union and adapting to a new life in the U.S. He will answer questions, talk about how musicians are selected for premium jobs in major U.S. orchestras, and also perform for the group "up close and personal."

Born and educated in Russia, Mikhail Istomin, known as Misha, holds a master's degree in music from the St. Petersburg Conservatory. While still in school, he became principal cellist of the State Hermitage Orchestra and later joined the orchestra of the Kirov Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre.

In 1987, he became the cellist of the Leningrad Conservatory String Quartet, and in 1989 the group won the grand prize in the National Soviet Union Competition of String Quartets. Later that year, Misha defected during the quartet's U.S. tour and was granted political asylum in the United States, where he went on to establish an exceptional musical career, including establishing the acclaimed Pittsburgh Piano Trio.

Misha was appointed principal cellist of the Pittsburgh Opera and Pittsburgh Ballet Theater orchestras in 1991, and the following year, he joined the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Lorin Maazel.

In July 1998, Misha returned to St. Petersburg to perform in the Second World Cello Congress under the direction of the renowned conductor Mstislav Rostropovich.

The Atlanta event begins with a free reception at 6:30 p.m., and the program starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased in advance at the library or at the door on April 5.

Behind the Scenes is sponsored by the Atlanta National Bank and the City of Atlanta.

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Atlanta Public Library hosts local city and township candidates

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Public Library invites the public to attend two public meetings where they can ask questions of candidates running for city and township offices. On March 18, candidates for city council, the library board and the parks board will be available for questions. Township candidates will attend on April 1. Both meetings will be at the North Greens Golf Course from 7 to 8 p.m. The events are free.

On March 18, members of the library board will also be in attendance to answer questions about the library's ballot referendum. Representatives of the rescue squad will attend on April 1 and answer questions about the Logan County Paramedic Association referendum.

While candidates' attendance depends on their availability, the library expects most to participate and encourages the public to take advantage of this important opportunity to learn about candidates' plans for Atlanta in advance of the election on April 9.

Candidates for city offices are Fred Fincham for mayor; Billie Cheek, Matt Clemmons and Bill Moore for city council; Ken Martin for city clerk; and Vickie Martin for city treasurer.

Library board candidates are Randy Brooks, Anne Hieronymus, Karen Horn and Susan Kuhlmyer.

Park board candidates are Doug Thompson and Greg Tucker.

Township candidates are Staci Hieronymus Kong and Jack Renfrow for supervisor; Melanie Blankenship and Julie Tabor for clerk; Daniel Osborn for highway commissioner; and Joe Daugherty, Wesley Green, Alex Hoblit, Julie Osborn, Betty Renfrow and Greg Tucker for trustee.

The public meetings are part of the library's Civic Connections program, which is sponsored by the A-Team.

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Library prepares for new online system

The Lincoln Public Library District will convert to a new online computer database this spring. The library will join 426 other member libraries in the Illinois Heartland Library System and become a member of the new Polaris online database.

The current library database will no longer be available after March 29, and the new database is expected to become operational on April 9.

Patrons who maintain holds or reading lists in the old database are asked to contact the library by March 15 to have that information transferred to the new database.

For more information, contact April Jensen, circulation manager, at 732-8878 or visit the library at 725 Pekin St.

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