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Jennifer Carson, a representative of Best Colleges Online, noted in
her announcement to the Lincoln Heritage Museum that, in preparing
this recent list, the editors reviewed information on hundreds of
museums around the world and selected the 30 they deemed most
outstanding. According to the Best Colleges Online website, the
Lincoln Heritage Museum was included because of the strength of its
collection and how it "preserves artifacts related to the life and
presidency of Abraham Lincoln." The editors for the site identified
the "objects from Lincoln's home, books and other personal
possessions of Lincoln, and a one-of-a-kind handmade campaign
banner" as some of the museum's most prominent attributes.
Ron Keller, director of the Lincoln Heritage Museum, commented
that this recognition is significant.
"One must consider that according to Lynn Marsden-Atlass,
secretary for the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries,
there are in the United States alone an estimated 3,000 college and
university museums. That number is surely tripled when accounting
for museums outside our nation's borders. That makes the
acknowledgment of our museum quite noteworthy," Keller said.
Anne Moseley, assistant director of the museum commented: "We are
honored to be among the many museums that have made an impact on the
students and visitors to our campus. We will continue this in the
new museum as we educate individuals on the life, the legacy and the
character of Abraham Lincoln. Our significance is recognized now.
Once we are in the new museum this fall, our impact and recognition
will be even greater."
The top 30 list includes American and international museums,
including the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and
Anthropology; the Harvard Museum of Natural History; the U.S. Naval
War College Museum; the Museum of Anthropology in British Columbia,
Canada; the Macquarie University Museum in Sydney, Australia; the
Beth Hatefutsoth Museum in Tel Aviv University, Israel; the Kyoto
Museum for World Peace, in Kyoto, Japan; the Grassi Museum fur
Musikinstrumente (Museum of Musical Instruments) at the University
of Leipzig, Germany; the Natural History Museum of Denmark at
University of Copenhagen, Denmark; and the Asia University Museum of
Art in Taipei, China. The full ranking of the 30 most amazing
university museums is available at
www.bestcollegesonline.org.
Best Colleges Online is an organization that surveys the nation's
top online schools and degree programs, and provides career how-to
guides, information about the benefits and advantages of online
degrees, and other information on universities around the world. The
editors regularly provide "top 10" rankings on many elements of
college offerings.
The Lincoln Heritage Museum is open 9 to 4 Monday through Friday,
and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Admission is free.
 Monthly electronics recycling
Habitat for Humanity of
Logan County will have its monthly electronics recycling collection on
Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at the Habitat for Humanity warehouse, 915
Woodlawn Road. The collection is free of charge to the public. The following items will be accepted:
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Entertainment equipment, including
TVs, radios, stereo and game systems, game controls, VCR and DVD
players, and cameras.
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Computer equipment, including
laptop and desktop personal computers, hard drives, monitors,
keyboards, printers, scanners, cords and cables, CD-ROM, DVD,
Zip and tape drives.
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Small
business equipment, including phones, copiers, typewriters, fax
machines and calculators.
Small household and countertop
appliances will also be accepted, as well as aluminum, copper, brass
and stainless steel items.
Electronics are not to be left at
the site and are not collected outside of the hours of the
collection.
Additional information on the electronics
recycling is available through Habitat for Humanity of Logan County by
contacting the office at 217-732-6412 or visiting
www.habitatlogan.org.
Initial glass recycling
Logan County residents will
again have the opportunity to recycle glass containers through the
cooperative efforts of the Lincoln Woman's Club, the Logan County Joint
Solid Waste Agency, Verallia Saint-Gobain Containers and the Logan County
Fair Association. There will be a monthly collection the second Saturday of
each month from May through October. Glass will be collected from 9 a.m. to
noon this Saturday on the grounds of the Logan County Fair. Recyclers should enter the fairgrounds using the Main Gate, off
Postville Drive.Collections will be
canceled in the event of inclement weather or excessive heat. The
Logan County Joint Solid Waste Agency does not accept glass at any
of its recycling collection sites.
Only container glass will be
accepted for recycling, which means it originally held either a food
or beverage product. Clear glass as well as amber, green and blue
will be accepted. The glass recycling program will not accept light
bulbs or fluorescent lights, window glass, mirrors, ceramics,
chinaware or CorningWare items.
Residents are asked to thoroughly
rinse all glass containers. Lids as well as metal or plastic rings
around the neck area of the container should be removed. Paper
labels can be left on the containers.
Individuals are asked to follow the
guidelines outlined, as one ceramic piece, one light bulb, or a
metal neck ring or lid can ruin an entire load of glass being
processed for recycling. The recycling program reserves the right to
reject any glass not meeting preparation guidelines.
While glass collection is offered
on a limited basis, it does have a positive impact in removing yet
another item from the waste stream. Glass is not biodegradable,
meaning it will not decompose over time. Glass can be recycled
repeatedly. The local glass recycling program has collected over 187
tons of glass since the program's inception in 2004.
Logan County residents expressed the
desire to recycle glass, and the glass recycling program is the
direct response of local government, area businesses and civic
organizations to support local recycling efforts.
For more information on local
recycling activities, call 732-9636 or visit
www.co.logan.il.us and
select "Joint Solid Waste Agency." For the most up-to-date
information on the agency and collection schedules, "like" the Logan
County Joint Solid Waste Agency on Facebook.
Elkhart
townwide yard sales
ELKHART -- In an annual
event, there will be garage sales townwide this weekend in the village of
Elkhart. Hours are 2-7 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Many houses
in the village will host sales, and most are multiple-family sales. Items being sold include children's and adult clothes, toys, sports
equipment, home décor, furniture, appliances, pull-behind trailer,
and more.
Hudson's Talk of the Town restaurant will be open for
lunch and dinner to accommodate shoppers.
Maps will be available at 330 Kennedy Road and at the Talk of the
Town.
For more information, see
https://www.facebook.com/
events/446885158732455/?fref=ts.
This
year's Railsplitting Festival canceled
The Abraham Lincoln National Railsplitting
Festival will not be held this year. The Logan Railsplitting Association met
Monday evening and voted to take a year off. The decision by the association
not to have the festival this year was a difficult one. The group will,
however, put the festival on again in September 2014. Watch for more
information after the first of the year. The Civil War Ball will go on this year, and the public is
encouraged to attend on Sept. 20. The organizers plan to make some
additions to the evening, and more information on the event will be
coming soon.
The Logan Railsplitting Association thanks everyone
for their past support of the festival and looks forward to having
the festival again in 2014.
"We just needed to take a year off to refocus," said Darlene
Begolka, association president, in making the announcement.
Together
for Lincoln pork chop dinner
Together for Lincoln will have its annual
butterfly pork chop dinner fundraiser on Thursday, May 16, from 4 to 7 p.m.
in the IGA parking lot. In addition to a butterfly pork chop, the meal
includes au gratin potatoes, green beans and a dinner roll. Tickets are $8. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the Jefferson
Street Christian Church office during regular office hours
Mondays-Thursdays or on-site the day of the dinner.
All proceeds
will go to support projects at the annual Together for Lincoln
service project day on Sunday, Sept. 22.
The
Darlene Wick story
Lincoln Odd Fellows' much-loved last matron
retires
On Saturday there was a
retirement party at Friendship Manor for Darlene Wick. For two hours,
friends came to express their fondest regards to her for a lifetime of
dedicated service to Lincoln through her work for the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows. She is retiring from the IOOF Management Corp., the part of the
Odd Fellows that manages Friendship Manor as well as other Odd Fellows
living centers in Illinois. But two hours is hardly enough time to
acknowledge all of Darlene Wick's accomplishments and the lives she has
touched. She came to Lincoln in July of 1967
with her husband, Robert, and 4-year-old daughter Constance. Darlene
and Robert had met in Rockford, where they both worked for the same
company. They married in 1953. Robert was already deeply involved in
the IOOF, and Darlene soon joined him in what turned out to be a
lifetime commitment to the organization.
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows
is a service organization that was founded in England. It was the
first charitable organization founded by the middle class to help
others in the same station in life. That seems to be the origin of
the Odd in Odd Fellows, because until it was founded, charitable
organizations were the domain of the wealthy classes.
The IOOF came to the United States
in the second decade of the 19th century. The Lincoln branch was
started in the second half of the 19th century. Its original
building, now home to the Lincoln Art Institute, still stands next
to the post office. The three interlocking rings that are the IOOF
symbol are still visible at the top of the façade of the building.
Perhaps the Lincoln chapter is best
known for the children's home that was located on Wyatt Avenue. The
semicircular drive contained buildings for a gym, dormitories for
the children, a school and a home for the administrator.
Robert Wick was on the board of the
children's home while he and Darlene lived in Rockford. When the
position of administrator and matron opened, Darlene and Robert
decided to accept the position and moved with their daughter to
Lincoln on July 15, 1967.
The IOOF Children's Home was a
place of refuge for kids who had no parents and for children whose
parents were not able to care for them. The matron was the surrogate
mother.
"A matron was responsible for
working directly with the children," Darlene said.
She made sure they were properly
attired, looked after their hygiene and made sure they had the
necessary doctor visits. She also made sure that they all attended
school, and she monitored their progress. At one time, the children
were educated on-site, but during Darlene's tenure as matron, they
attended Lincoln public schools.
She also arranged for her charges
to become members of the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and to attend
the church of their choice. The IOOF also helped those who wanted to
go to college after graduating from Lincoln High School.
One thing that Wick did while
matron was to take a photograph of each child. This proved to be a
marvelous idea. When her charges became adults, they often returned
to Lincoln with their own children to show their kids where they
grew up. Darlene would then give them a photo she had taken of them
when they lived at the home. Her former kids were always thrilled
with the memento of their childhood on Wyatt Avenue. And their
children were able to see where their parents had grown up and the
woman who had such a profound impact on their lives. The daughter of
one of the returning children was thrilled to receive a photo of her
dad as a child.
When asked about memories of the
children she cared for, Darlene Wick smiled and said, "I have a
few."
One child graduated from Lincoln
High, attended college and became the band director in Cedar Rapids,
Iowa, for 26 years.
Darlene recalled that one
Thanksgiving, when she and Robert planned to travel back to Rockford
for the holiday, they noted that some of the children did not have a
family to spend the day with. She and Robert got busy and loaded all
of the kids on the Odd Fellows bus and made sure that each one had a
family to spend the holiday with. They contacted friends and friends
of friends along the way to Rockford and dropped the children off
with a family who volunteered to take them. At the end of the day,
they reversed course and picked up the kids on the way back to
Lincoln. Each child had a Thanksgiving family and a warm memory to
take with them forever.
On one occasion, one of the former
children at the home stopped by with his 7-year-old son. While he
was telling his son what a wonderful time he had with Darlene and
with the other children at the Odd Fellows home, Darlene nudged him
and quietly said: "But you ran away three times." He grinned at her
sheepishly and said, "Yes, but don't tell my son!"
One young man at the home told
Darlene that he was going to run away. She quickly replied that if
he did, "I'm going to call the authorities and they will bring you
back." He decided not to go. The next day he asked her if she really
would have called the authorities. She said, "No, you are 18 and can
make your own decisions now. I was just bluffing." He said "I'm glad
you did." He was thankful he had someone who cared about him.
Times change and the rise of foster
care reduced the need for the residential children's home. But the
elimination of the residential program certainly did not slow down
Darlene Wick's commitment to the IOOF. She had joined the Rebekahs
while still living in Rockford, and in fact is still a member of
that chapter. Rebekahs are the women's auxiliary to the Odd Fellows.
Back in the day, women could not join the Odd Fellows, like many
service organizations of long ago. That changed, and women and men
can now belong to both organizations.
The Rebekahs have always been a
charitable organization in their own right. They donate food to the
local food pantry and help raise money for Lincoln Youth Football.
They also plant trees. Darlene said their motto is "Plant a tree for
he who comes after me."
Wick has been involved with the Odd
Fellows Rebekah Scholarship, an Odd Fellows program that gives
scholarships to Illinois residents for postsecondary education. She
became secretary of the scholarship program in 1985 and still sits
on the committee that selects the recipients. Thirty-four
scholarships were distributed last year.
She is also the editor of the
award-winning newsletter of Illinois Odd Fellows.
She is responsible for rescuing all
of the records of the Odd Fellows residential children's program
dating from the 19th century. Those records have been an invaluable
source of information to families doing genealogical research.
The Independent Order of Odd
Fellows has an insignia of three interlocking rings with the letters
F, L and T emblazoned within the rings. The letters stand for
friendship, love and truth. Darlene Wick has lived this Odd Fellows
motto for over 60 years and has touched the lives of countless
people. She still has a passionate commitment to the IOOF, and when
she speaks of the IOOF, her dedication becomes apparent.
She resides at Friendship Manor,
whose construction might arguably be Robert Wick's crowning
achievement in Lincoln. The thought of her late husband providing
for her brought a smile, and a moment of quiet reflection.
[By CURT FOX]
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column] |
Lincoln
Writer's Club will meet May 14
Lincoln Writer's Club will
meet Tuesday, May 14, at 6:30 p.m. in the Alumni Room of the student center
at Lincoln College. Suggested topics:
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Write a poem on a page of
newspaper. Incorporate what you see into your poem.
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How could a coconut, a mask and a
dictionary help you off a desert island?
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More home
remedies.
For more information, call
732-2723.
All are welcome.
Logan
County Arts presents 'Functional and Fine Art: Lincoln Community High School
Textiles, Woods, Metals and Fine Art'
An exhibit of works by Lincoln Community High
School students in textiles, woods, metals and fine art will be on view at
the Lincoln Art Institute in downtown Lincoln from May 9 through May 26. The
show opens Thursday, May 9, at 5 p.m. and is free and open to the public. This event will feature various works by current students attending
Lincoln Community High School and includes works that are both
functional and creative in a variety of media.
Refreshments will
be served at the opening, in addition to a bake sale with the
proceeds going to support Logan County Arts, which serves artists
and the community throughout Logan County.
The Lincoln Art Institute hosts Logan County Arts with the goal
of expanding awareness of arts with a focus on Logan County.
___
Lincoln Art Institute
Address: 112 S. McLean, Lincoln, IL 62656
Contact: Toby Prange, curator,
contact@logancountyarts.org
Phone: 217-651-8355
Website:
www.logancountyarts.org
Hours: Saturdays 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
or by appointment
Hartsburg-Emden High School Alumni Banquet will be June 8
HARTSBURG-EMDEN -- The 86th annual Hartsburg-Emden High School Alumni
Banquet will begin at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 8, at the Knights of Columbus Hall in
Lincoln. Invitations to the banquet will be sent out the first week of May.
Anyone who did not receive an invitation but would like to attend
the banquet may send a request via email to Ron Spencer at
coach_spencer@hotmail.com,
or you may reach him on his cellphone at 309-838-0360.
Anniversary classes being honored this year are 1933, 1938, 1943,
1948, 1953, 1958, 1963, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998,
2003, 2008 and the senior Class of 2013.
The winner of the "Wall of Fame" award will be selected and
announced at the banquet. This year's award will be represented in
the category of "Athletics/Sports."
Please mail nomination letters to Ron Spencer, 8923 Blooming
Grove Road, Bloomington, IL 61705.
Due to the rising costs of the banquet, the alumni association
will accept donations to help out with the cost of the event and to
continue funding the Alumni Scholarship. Donations are payable to
the Hartem Alumni Association and may be sent to Greg Phillips, 208
Market St., Emden, IL 62635.
Officers of the alumni association for 2013 are Chris Boerma,
president; Ron Spencer, vice president; Loretta Hellman, secretary;
Greg Phillips, treasurer; and Kay Mullins and Verna Lessen,
corresponding secretaries.
Logan
County Relay to celebrate American Cancer Society's 100th year
The Logan County Relay For Life is joining all
of America in celebrating 100 years of saving lives and creating more
birthdays through the efforts and research of the American Cancer Society,
begun in 1913. Formerly the word cancer was not spoken, so almost all
patients with this dreadful disease were lost. On Saturday, May 18, the Logan County
Relay For Life teams will sell $10 luminaria bags at Lincoln IGA
from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. The luminaria will also be available at the
annual Relay For Life Breakfast at Lincoln College on Sunday, May
19, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. On Wednesday, May 22, these luminaria
will draw attention to the 100th anniversary, as all of those
purchased will be placed on the front porch of each participating
home and lit at sundown to show support in helping to stamp out this
disease in this century.
The luminaria purchased for this celebration will not be relit at
the Relay For Life event June 14-15 at Lincoln College.
For more information, contact Bill Post, 732-7564; Tonita
Reifsteck, 855-1645; or Nicole Lee, 828-1100.
Route
66 will anchor weekend of activities in Logan County
Route 66 will be the centerpiece for a diverse series of activities taking
place in Logan County on the weekend of June 7-9, Friday-Sunday.
Events will range from garage sales, auto racing and an electric
car show to art exhibits and the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame
Banquet.
Festivities will begin with the annual Route 66 Garage Sale,
which will take place from 7 a.m. until dusk Friday, Saturday and
Sunday in Lincoln.
This year, vendors can rent indoor or outdoor space at the VFW,
915 Fifth St., or flea market space at The Mill, 738 S. Washington
St. For reservations at the VFW, or general information about the
garage sales, call Andrea Dykman at 217-735-0294. The Logan County
Tourism Bureau at 217-732-8687 is taking reservations for spaces at
The Mill.
For the first time, Logan County Outreach, a community betterment
organization, and Lincoln Printers will host the Route 66 Garage
Sale.
Private garage sales will also take place throughout the
community. Those planners are urged to use traditional news and
social media outlets to advertise their sales.
On Friday night, race fans can watch the POWRi competition at
Lincoln Speedway on the Logan County Fairgrounds. Gates open at 3
p.m., with hot laps at 6:30 p.m. and racing at 7 p.m.
The Mill 2nd Saturday Flea Market on June 8 is the premiere event
for a series of flea markets there on the second Saturday of each
month through October. The flea market will run from 10 a.m. until 5
p.m.
The Lincoln Art Institute gallery at 112 S. McLean St. in
downtown Lincoln will be open on Saturday from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Main Street Lincoln will sponsor a PLUS 5K run and health fair in
downtown Lincoln on Saturday.
Also on Saturday, an Electric Vehicle Cruise-In will take place
from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. along the original Mother Road in historic
downtown Atlanta. The free public cruise-in is sponsored by the
Atlanta Betterment Fund.
After it was commissioned in 1926, Route 66 was responsible for a
huge increase in automobile traffic that led to the need for
businesses to serve the traveling public. Among these new businesses
were service stations.
Now, Route 66 is poised to help create the next big
transportation infrastructure -- charging stations for electric
vehicles. Atlanta is interested in helping other Route 66
communities discover how to better serve the traveling public that
will be searching for an electric plug-in instead of a gas pump.
The June 8 Electric Vehicle Cruise-in, Illinois' first, will
display some cool EV cars and offer a chance to learn more about how
the Mother Road is working to give birth to a new travel
infrastructure.
All electric and hybrid cars are invited to participate in the
cruise-in. The event will also feature vintage music, great food, a
50-50 drawing and hourly drawings.
Atlanta offers two Level 2 Eaton charging stations, available by
advance reservation at no fee. There are also 16 Level 1 charging
stations available at no cost on a first-come, first-served basis.
For more information about the cruise-in, or to make reservations
to use the Level 2 charger, contact Bill Thomas of the Atlanta
Betterment Fund at 217-648-5077 or
wthomas@teleologic.net.
Atlanta will also exhibit the results of its first Rt. 66
Reinterpreted Art Project from May 1 through Aug. 13.
Modeled on Chicago's "Cows on Parade" exhibit, the Rt. 66
Reinterpreted Art Project presented artists the opportunity to
create their own take on one of the 20th century's most iconic and
recognizable symbols, the U.S. Route 66 highway shield.
Artists were provided a blank 2-by-2-foot wooden cutout of the
Route 66 highway shield, painted white, which then became their
personal canvas. Each shield was required to incorporate the text
"U.S. 66," but otherwise the design was left to each artist's
imagination.
The Atlanta Betterment Fund, sponsor of the project, selected 10
shields as finalists. Visitors can vote on their favorites, and
those with the most votes will be named winners of the contest. At
the conclusion of the project, the five winning shields, along with
the names of the artists who created them, will be displayed on a
permanent basis in the Atlanta Rt. 66 Park. For more information,
contact Bill Thomas at the telephone number or email address above.
The annual Route 66 Association of Illinois Motor Tour will pass
through Logan County on Saturday, June 8. Many of the participants
will stay overnight Saturday before continuing the tour on Sunday.
The Route 66 Association Hall of Fame Banquet will take place
Saturday evening at Lincoln College. Advance reservations are
required for the banquet. For more information about either the
banquet or the motor tour, visit the Route 66 Association of
Illinois at il66assoc.org.
Atlanta Rt. 66 Cruise-In May 11
ATLANTA -- Mark your calendar now and plan to attend the Atlanta Rt. 66
Cruise-In on Saturday, May 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Enjoy classic cars,
vintage music, great food, a 50-50 drawing, hourly drawings and more -- all
along an original alignment of the Mother Road itself in downtown Atlanta.
All area car club members and anyone with a great old car they want
to display are invited to attend. Stop by the registration table to
be included in the hourly drawings. The first 50 registrants will
receive a free Atlanta Rt. 66 Cruise-In dash plaque.
While in
town, visitors can step into the Palms Grill Café for a piece of
blue-ribbon homemade pie, tour the J.H. Hawes Grain Elevator Museum,
get their pictures taken with the Bunyon Giant, pick up souvenirs at
the Gunnar Mast Trading Post or handcrafted items at the Arch Street
Artisans shop, have a cheeseburger at Chubby's, visit the Atlanta
Museum, enjoy a cold one at Phanny's or the Korner, then stroll
around and enjoy the assembled cruise-in cars.
The Atlanta Rt. 66 Cruise-In is sponsored by the Atlanta
Betterment Fund.
For more information, phone 217-648-5077 or email
wthomas@teleologic.net.
The next cruise-in will take place on Saturday, June 8, and will be
Illinois' first Electric Vehicle Cruise-In. Visitors will definitely want to
come to downtown Atlanta that day to see the variety of electric and
electric hybrid cars that will be on hand.
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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