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Rotary food drive, Christmas at Mount Pulaski Courthouse, Herb Guild potluck, Chestnut tour of homes, 'Unleashed for the Unreached' prayer wall, Tom Frost, Quilts of Valor, blood drive, historic district hearing, LCGHS annual meeting, landfill hours and leaf pickup days

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[November 15, 2013]  Rotary asks community to help make this a 'picture perfect' holiday season

The Lincoln Rotary Club is sponsoring a food drive this holiday season and asking all members of the community to get involved. All of the proceeds from this drive will go to the Logan County Food Pantry.

Rotary is asking the community to help make this a "picture perfect" holiday season and help Rotarians with "stocking" their shelves in order to stock the Logan County Food Pantry shelves. The goal is to have the Rotary Christmas Tree filled with nonperishable food items by the time of the Main Street Lincoln Christmas Parade on Dec. 5. The man-made tree was constructed by Lincoln Rotarians to help measure and display the amount of food donated by the community.

"We want everyone to have a visual of the generosity of our wonderful community. This not only allows us to show off the amount of food donated, but we are also hoping it will be a nice Christmas display for our downtown." said Michelle Bauer, who is helping lead the project for Rotary.

You can watch the Lincoln Rotary Christmas Tree being decorated with food items by visiting the display window at 113 N. Kickapoo St., next to Abe's.

Rotary is asking that people not leave food items at the 113 N. Kickapoo address. Donations of nonperishable food and cash donations will be accepted at the following locations:

  • Lincoln College Library, 300 Keokuk

  • Lincoln Park District, 1400 Primm Road

  • Lincoln YMCA, 604 Broadway, Suite 1

  • Lincoln Animal Hospital, 1415 N. Kickapoo

  • Chamber office, 1555 Fifth St.

  • Or with any local Rotarian

With questions, contact Michelle Bauer at 217-750-1061.

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Rotary food drive (PDF)


Come enjoy Christmas at the Mount Pulaski Courthouse

MOUNT PULASKI -- The Mount Pulaski Courthouse Foundation invites the public to two special events on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the historic courthouse on the square in Mount Pulaski.

The first is "Santa Claus at the Courthouse." Santa will arrive at the Mount Pulaski Courthouse at 1 p.m. and will be available for visitors of all ages until 3 p.m.

The second event is a "Courthouse Christmas Open House" from 6 to 8 p.m., hosted by portrayers of President and Mrs. Lincoln. Refreshments will be served.

The courthouse is decorated for Christmas and there is a "Festival of Trees" display that includes 20 special Christmas trees decorated by local businesses and individuals. These decorated trees will be auctioned at 7 p.m. by Mike Maske, with the proceeds benefiting the Mount Pulaski Courthouse Foundation -- to help preserve and promote the courthouse.

The trees are on display now and can be seen during normal courthouse hours, Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.

The public is invited to visit the historic Mount Pulaski Courthouse, all dressed up for Christmas.


Herb Guild plans Christmas potluck

The Logan County Herb Guild will meet for a Christmas potluck and gift exchange on Tuesday, Nov. 19, at 6:30 p.m. There will be no official program or "Herb of the Month" report, just a festive evening of good food and a gift exchange with friends.

Members are to bring recipes for an anniversary cookbook to be published in 2014.


Chestnut community to host tour of homes this weekend

CHESTNUT -- The Chestnut Geographical Center of Illinois is sponsoring home tours on Sunday, Nov. 17, from 4 to 7 p.m. The event will feature four homes in the Chestnut area.

The homeowners who are graciously opening their homes for the tour are Scott and Jamie Johnston, Mary Ann McKinnon, Stan and Norma Snyder, and Joseph and Brandi Butler.

Tickets are $7 per person and can be purchased at the Bank of Chestnut, Chestnut Family Restaurant, CR Antiques, or on the day of the tour at the Johnston home, 201 N. Mulberry St.

During the tours, CR Antiques will be open for browsing their home accents, and the Chestnut Family Restaurant will be open for soup, sandwiches and gourmet desserts.


Lincoln Christian Church to host 'Unleashed for the Unreached' prayer wall

Nov. 20-27, the "Unleashed for the Unreached" prayer wall will be at Lincoln Christian Church in Lincoln. The traveling wall lists people groups who currently have no missionaries and no access to the Bible. People visiting the wall are encouraged to pick a people group to pray for. Several activities are planned to correspond with the visit of the wall.

A news release about the prayer wall provides this background:

"Because we live in a church saturated culture where Bibles can be accessed on our phones and there are churches on every corner, it is difficult to grasp that 2.7 billion people in the world have never heard the name of Jesus, have no access to a Bible, have no missionary, and may never hear the Gospel. Researchers have identified around 7,000 people groups with a total population of 2.7 billion as being unreached—this is approximately 40% of the world's population! (source/resource http://www.joshuaproject.net/)

"All of these numbers can seem like random statistics. What if there was a way to visualize the enormity of the task of reaching all of these people with the life-changing message of the Gospel? Imagine a 60 ft. wall containing a list of the 1,587 largest unreached people groups. This wall is called the Unleashed for the Unreached Prayer Wall and helps to make the enormous task before us of reaching the world for Christ visually memorable and calls believers to prayer."

According to the Unleashed for the Unreached website, the campaign was launched at the 2011 North American Christian Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio, when the convention president, Dudley Rutherford, delivered his keynote address on the evening of July 5, 2011. "He asked churches everywhere to partner together to form networks that would boldly tackle the problem of getting the word out to unreached people groups and cities still uninformed about the Good News of Jesus Christ," the website says.

The initiative connects local churches with unreached peoples and cities, facilitated by trained project fulfillment specialists, peer mentoring and prayer.

The "Wall of Unreached Peoples" has been featured at the North American Christian Convention and the International Conference on Missions.

When the wall is at Lincoln Christian Church from Wednesday, Nov. 20, through Wednesday, Nov. 27, there will be multiple opportunities for visitors to interact with the prayer wall. Scheduled activities include:

  • Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 6:30 p.m. -- "Aha" moment with Dr. Wayne Shaw

  • Saturday, Nov. 23, from 6 to 7:45 p.m. -- "Unleashed for the Unreached" seminar with Doug Lucas, team expansion president

  • Sunday, Nov. 24, at 8:15, 9:30 and 11 a.m. -- Doug Lucas will preach.

  • Open time for prayer -- Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sunday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

  • Additional prayer opportunities for individuals and groups will be available throughout the week. For more information or to schedule a time to come, contact Lincoln Christian Church 217-732-7618.

Those who can't come to the events are invited to check out the resources on http://www.joshuaproject.net/, where people can get a daily email reminder to pray about an unreached people group and find out more information about unreached peoples. Those who would like to commit to praying for a specific unreached people group can visit the website, http://www.u4theu.com/, and find a form under contacts. Follow Unleashed for the Unreached or Unreached Peoples - Joshua Project on Facebook.


Frost named ALMH November Employee of the Month

Tom Frost of Lincoln has been named the November Employee of the Month at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital. Frost works as a valet with volunteer and special services at ALMH.

After retiring from his position as a union laborer for over 24 years, Frost began volunteering at the hospital. Eventually, he took the position of valet and brings a smile to everyone who walks through the doors at ALMH.

In his position, Frost valet parks anywhere from five to 16 vehicles each morning. Oftentimes, you'll find Frost helping people in and out of their cars and assisting with any other needs they may have as they enter the hospital.

"Working at ALMH gives me an opportunity to work with and serve great people," Frost said. "I like being available to help people and let them know that it's going to be OK. Helping people is important to me."

Frost was nominated for the honor by an anonymous person who stated: "Tom gives 100% to make the each patient's visit to ALMH a great one. He is polite and always there to help them, not just parking their car, but assisting them by wheelchair or by giving them an arm to lean on while entering the hospital. He knows nearly everyone who comes often by name and makes them feel really special."

A second anonymous nominator said: "As a car stops in the front drive, Tom is waiting to help the person from their car and into the hospital to where they need to go. Tom is a great asset to ALMH."

Frost was born and raised in Missouri but has lived in Lincoln for over 20 years. He enjoys babysitting his grandsons, hiking, helping with Habitat for Humanity and watching movies. He has been married for 36 years and has four children, two grandsons and is expecting a granddaughter on Christmas Day.

ALMH, at 200 Stahlhut Drive in Lincoln, is a 25-bed critical-access hospital affiliated with Memorial Health System. Valet parking is available Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ALMH employs over 315 in a variety of roles. For more information, visit www.almh.org.


Quilters honor veterans with special events at Castle Manor and St. Clara's

In celebration of Veterans Day on Monday, the Quilters at Heart Quilt Guild hosted two special events, one at Castle Manor and the other at St. Clara's Manor.

At Castle Manor, the group hosted a quilt show featuring Quilts of Valor. In the afternoon, a group then visited St. Clara's and presented lap quilts to the resident veterans.

At Castle Manor, Andrea Tibbs, Jennifer Helm and Sandy Wilkerson were happy to sit a spell in front of the fireplace in the great room and share their feelings about quilting.

The quilt guild this year celebrated 30 years as a local organization. According to Helm, in those 30 years the group has been consistently busy learning and practicing a craft they all love.

She noted that quilting is not one of the lost arts. Even though the process began in the days of pioneers and further back, it is as relevant today as it was then. She said what the guild really enjoys is seeing that there are still young people interested in the craft, and because of that, it is an art that will never die.

For those who may be unfamiliar with it, quilting began as a means to provide warm coverings in a cold climate by using scraps of material from other sewing projects. In the early days of our history, pioneer homemakers had to make everything count. Cutting scraps into small squares and stitching them together to form a large comforter was one of the ways they did this.

Over the years, quilts have evolved, just like many other things. They became a way of expressing love and appreciation. One of the most popular older quilt patterns is the wedding ring. Pieces were carefully stitched together to make a pattern of continually interlocking rings, usually with a white background, though other colors were also acceptable. These quilts, made with love by family members, were often given to the bride and groom as a wedding gift.

 

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It is that same act of love that brought about the Quilts of Valor program. The program was started in 2003 by Catherine Roberts of Seaford, Del. She got the idea after her own son was deployed for a year to Iraq. The concept was to be able to provide veterans returning from deployment a gift that expressed love and appreciation for their service to their country.

Roberts began networking with various quilting clubs and guilds. She put together guidelines for the quilts, requiring that all quilts be made in red, white and blue colors, and that they be lap-sized quilts measuring at least 55 by 65 inches.

Locally, Tibbs said the Quilters at Heart got involved with the Quilts of Valor through Virginia Kendrick, who has participated in the program through a Bloomington club for the past several years.

Tibbs said the Lincoln guild does something every year for an organization. She said they have done quilts that were donated to the Pregnancy Resource Center in Lincoln, and this year they decided to do quilts for seniors.

She said several quilts have been given to area nursing homes and senior living facilities. The homes are free to do with the quilts whatever they choose. She said she knew some had put them away and on special occasions present them as gifts or prizes for their residents.

She said because the guild was donating to seniors this year, it seemed only fitting that they create quilts for the local veterans who are residents at nursing homes. They chose to make their donation this year at St. Clara's Manor.

Tibbs also noted that Quilts of Valor is a nationwide movement. Some organizations choose to make the quilts and send them to the national program, but the Quilters at Heart decided they wanted to first serve veterans locally.

On Monday afternoon, a group from the guild left Castle Manor and went to St. Clara's to present the quilts to veterans there.

St. Clara's hosted a special observance for the veterans, and several were in attendance in the main dining area for the special recognition.

Those in attendance were John Eimer, Clifford Hall, Frank Ladd and Charlie Sloan.

Other vets who were not able to attend but did receive quilts were Ron Auerbach, Gerald Fritz, Norman Knollenberg, Frank Krueger, Donald Shea and Bill Teaney.

In addition to the men who were recognized, the women who had waited for them to come home and served in auxiliaries were recognized, too.

St. Clara's activity director, Penny Tipton, led activities that began with patriotic songs, and many joined in singing.

Several members of the Quilters at Heart Quilt Guild were present. The group had made many different lap quilts in patriotic fabric for the veterans. Several quilters were on hand to help hand out the quilts to the veterans.

Auxiliary members present were pinned with a unique, handmade bead flag.

Veterans were presented with handmade cards recognizing their sacrifice for our country as well.

Back at Castle Manor, 25 beautiful patriotic quilts were on display, and tours were given by Sandy Wilkerson, who talked about the quilts with visitors.

In addition to the Quilts of Valor, there was another very special quilt the group wanted to talk about.

In January last year, the guild lost a beloved member; Kathy Begolka. After Kathy's death, her husband, Chuck, brought to the guild a collection of blocks that Kathy had been preparing to piece together. The group decided they would piece the quilt and offer it as a fundraiser.

The quilt, aptly named "Kathy's Quilt" will be raffled, and will be on display at this year's Pride of the Prairie on Nov. 30.

Tibbs and Helm are avid quilters, and they say being a part of the guild is very important to them. The guild offers a variety of activities at their monthly meetings. The women say they enjoy getting together, talking about their projects and sharing new techniques they have learned in their craft. The meetings also include special guest speakers, and those are not limited to just talking about quilts.

In short, the women said the guild is about all things sewing, and they have enjoyed hearing from a variety of speakers, including those who talked about antique clothing and costume-making.

Inside the quilting world, there is one little bone of contention: Should a quilt be machine-sewn?

Tibbs and Helm, though both advocates of hand sewing, say there are benefits to both.

Machine sewing is obviously quicker and may produce a more durable quilt.

Hand sewing on the other hand, is more mobile. Helm said that when traveling; she often takes her quilt pieces with her, and she can sit and sew no matter where she is.

She also added that for herself, she feels that when she is stitching a quilt for a gift, it is a greater act of love to put it together one piece at a time by hand.

Regardless of how the quilts are stitched, the result is an extraordinary work of art that can be loved and appreciated for years to come.

The Quilters at Heart meet once a month. They currently have approximately 40 very active members, but they are always looking to welcome new people into their group. Anyone who is interested in joining can talk to any guild member and quickly become a part of this age-old tradition.

The ladies noted that new members need only have an interest in the craft to become a part of it. Those who do not quilt but would like to learn how are more than welcome; they are encouraged to come and benefit from the years of experience in the guild.

[By NILA SMITH and JAN YOUNGQUIST]


Upcoming Red Cross blood drive at Lincoln Park District

PEORIA -- The holiday season is a time for people to reflect on what makes them grateful. Family, friends and good health come to mind for many.

Countless patients like Ethan Hoffart, however, strive for good health during the holidays, oftentimes in a hospital room, away from family and friends. Blood donations can bring them hope.

When Ethan was 10 years old, he spent most of the holiday season being treated for aplastic anemia, a disease in which the body's bone marrow doesn't make enough new blood cells. For four months Ethan was dependent on blood transfusions every seven days and platelet transfusions every three days.

"I probably wouldn't even be here if no one gave blood," he said. "The transfusions pretty much saved me."

Thanks in part to volunteer donors, Ethan's disease is under control, and he will be at home with his family for the holidays this year.

All blood types are needed, especially O-negative, A-negative and B-negative.

Appointments to donate with the American Red Cross and bring hope to patients in need can be made at www.redcrossblood.org or 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Upcoming blood donation opportunity in Logan County:

  • Nov. 20, from noon to 5 p.m. at the Lincoln Park District Sports Complex, 1400 Primm Road

How to donate blood

Simply call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit www.redcrossblood.org to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver's license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.


Historic Preservation Commission public meeting notice

The Lincoln Historic Preservation Commission will conduct a public hearing Nov. 19 at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall on establishing a downtown historic district.

(Copy of meeting notice)

PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE
T0 THE PEOPLE OF
THE CITY OF LINCOLN, ILLINOIS

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF LINCOLN WILL HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A DOWNTOWN HISTORIC DISTRICT ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013 AT 6:30 P.M. IN THE CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, 700 BROADWAY ST., LINCOLN, IL

SUSAN K. GEHLBACH
CITY CLERK


LCGHS annual meeting Nov. 18

The Logan County Genealogical & Historical Society's annual meeting and program will be on Monday, Nov. 18, at 6 p.m. at the Blue Dog Inn, 111 S. Sangamon.

The presenter will be Stewart Reeve, director of the Illinois State Military Museum in Springfield. Reeve is a retired brigadier general from the Illinois Army National Guard.

The Illinois National Guard has a history going back 376 years. The museum houses items of interest reflecting that long history and tells of Illinoisans who have served the state and the country since the early 1700's.

The meeting and program are free and open to the public, but diners will be responsible for their meal. Those attending are asked to call the LCGHS office, 732-3200, or Marla Blair, program coordinator, 217-732-9875, to leave your name and the number in your group. 


City of Lincoln fall cleanup schedules: landfill hours and leaf pickup days

For the convenience of Lincoln residents, the city landfill will be open six days a week beginning Tuesday, Oct. 29. Landfill hours will be Tuesday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 3:50 p.m., and closed on Mondays.

The landfill is specifically for landscape waste. Trash dumping will not be permitted there.

With the new city agreement for commercial mulching, products brought to the landfill by residents should be separated into two categories: wood products and lawn waste, such as plant material and leaves.

Wood waste for mulching is defined as logs, limbs or brush. All wood materials for recycling must be free of all metal or foreign debris, excluding nails and bolts three-eighths inch or smaller. Logs and limbs should be cut to a maximum length of 4 feet.

The landfill will maintain a six-day-a-week schedule through Tuesday, Nov. 26. Afterward the schedule will go back to open hours Saturday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 3:50 p.m.

The city of Lincoln will also do free leaf pickup inside the city limits. Pickup dates will be scheduled by ward and are as follows:

Ward 1:

  • Monday, Oct. 28

  • Thursday, Nov. 7

  • Wednesday, Nov. 20

Ward 2:

  • Wednesday, Oct. 30

  • Tuesday, Nov. 12

  • Friday, Nov. 22

Ward 3:

  • Friday, Nov. 1

  • Thursday, Nov. 14

  • Monday, Nov. 25

Ward 4:

  • Tuesday, Nov. 5

  • Monday, Nov. 18

  • Monday, Dec. 2

Leaves are to be placed in biodegradable bags at the curb by 7 a.m. the day of the scheduled pickup for your ward.


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