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the people, places and things that make this community interesting.

sponsored by CHRIS COYNE, agent - State Farm Insurance

Culver's and FFA, LCGHS program, Together for Lincoln, Rotary road cleanup, LAMS Chorale, Christian Carnival, Harvest Hospitali-tea, festival survey, Underground Railroad, Moving Forward 5K, haunted house volunteers

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[September 14, 2013]  Even if it means kissing a pig... Culver's manager appreciates Logan County farmers

Friday morning more than 200 Logan County farmers accepted an invitation to have a free breakfast at Culver's, compliments of the restaurant.

Elaine Awe, owner and manager of the restaurant, said that she and her staff wanted to do this as a means of thanking all farmers for what they do. As she said, "Without them, we wouldn't have food."

Awe said the restaurant mailed out approximately 500 personal invitations to Logan County farmers, using a mailing list she obtained from Jim Drew at the Logan County Farm Bureau.

The breakfast began at 6:30 a.m. and ran through 9:30, with a regular stream of folks coming in during that time. The breakfast was a "serve yourself," "all you could eat" meal with eggs, bacon, sausage, fried potatoes and, of course, plenty of coffee.

Awe said the breakfast was only a part of the celebration going on right now. In addition, the restaurant is featuring area farm families on their board behind the service counter. Thus far they have had the David Opperman family and the Randy Pech farm on the board, and they are hoping to have enough to keep the board running and changing every week or two for quite some time.

In honoring farmers and the farming industry, the restaurant is also doing some fundraising for the Lincoln High School Future Farmers of America. From now until Wednesday, Sept. 25, restaurant patrons can drop their dollars or change into the "Kiss a Pig" contestant jars, with the funds going to FFA.

On the 25th, the person whose jar has the most money collected will literally kiss a pig. With five locally known people's jars to choose from, you're sure to find one you want to support. There is one for each: Awe, Mayor Keith Snyder, Lincoln/Logan Chamber director Andi Hake, LCHS FFA director Dr. Penny Hasse-Wittler and the last one for local real estate agent Seth Goodman.

At 7 p.m. on Sept. 25, the pig will be present, the winner will be announced, and the snout smooching will occur.

Awe said it looks like right now her employees are on an all-out campaign to get her to the kissing booth, so she is hopeful there will be others in the community who would like to see Snyder, Hake, Hasse-Wittler or Goodman pucker up. Regardless, she said it would be all in good fun and serving a good cause.

"We just want to say thanks to our farming community with these special events," Awe said, "and we also want to show our support and raise awareness for the FFA, and we hope others will join us."

[By NILA SMITH]


LCGHS meets Monday evening

The Logan County Genealogical & Historical Society, 114 N. Chicago, will host its monthly program night at 6:30 Monday, Sept. 16.

Laura Walden, coordinator of the Old House Society in Bloomington, will discuss the organization's mission to salvage vintage and antique architectural items, and to promote the integrity of old structures. Ms. Walden will share pictures from OHS projects and display unique items from the society's inventory and her personal antique doorknob collection.

The free program is open to the public.


Volunteer slots filled for this year's Together for Lincoln, but you can still help

The sixth annual Together for Lincoln community service day will be on Sunday, Sept. 22. Volunteers from area churches will be completing 13 whole-house window replacements, constructing four wheelchair ramps and working on approximately 25 other projects around the community. More financial investment into the community will be made during this project year than ever before.>Currently, all the volunteer slots for this event have been filled. Together for Lincoln will not have a day of sign-up in Latham Park.

People who are not signed up to help are encouraged to pray for an opportunity to come before them and then to go meet that need. Here are some ideas to help people get started:

  • Help someone in your neighborhood or church who needs some yard cleanup.

  • Visit a homebound person or nursing home resident of your choosing.

  • Clean up a roadside of your choosing.

  • Contact one of the local schools or teachers and see if there is something you can do to help.

  • Ask your pastor if there is someone in need of a visit or someone who needs a helping hand.

  • Contribute to the Together for Lincoln Food Drive. Visit Kroger, IGA and Wal-Mart to give food or cash donations.

Jim Wessbecher, food drive coordinator, said last year's food drive collected several hundred pounds of food and $2,100 in donations. All food and donations will be divided evenly among the Lincoln/Logan Food Pantry, the Holy Family Food Pantry and the Community Action Food Pantry.

The community is invited to a worship service on the evening of Together for Lincoln. Lincoln Christian University will host the service at 7 p.m. in the Hargrove Chapel. Dr. L.C. Sutton, who spoke at the inaugural Together for Lincoln, will return. He is professor of preaching and Christian ministries at Lincoln Christian University and currently the preaching minister at Eminence Christian Church.

During the celebration service, a love offering will be taken for the Oasis Senior Center. All of the offering will go to the ongoing efforts to recover the center after the destructive fire earlier this year.

Together for Lincoln encourages everyone in the community to take this kind of service day and turn it into a way of life.


Lincoln Rotary Club takes time to clean up road

On Saturday, Sept. 7, the Lincoln Rotary Club along with Lincoln College's Rotaract Club took time out of their busy schedules to get up early and clean up Business 55 from Fifth Street to Eaton Corp. Rotaract is a club sponsored by Rotary for college-age students.

The Lincoln Rotary Club adopted this stretch of road years ago, and about three or four times a year they gather to pick up garbage from the ditches and roadside.

"It can be dirty work at times, but we all really enjoy getting together and serving our community," says Marcia Greenslate, president of Lincoln Rotary Club.

Last weekend the group collected around 15 large garbage bags full of debris from the roadside.


Voices needed for LAMS holiday concert season

Lincoln Area Music Society Chorale hopes to increase the group to 60 voices. Director Tim Searby has chosen music for the holiday concerts with the orchestra, and rehearsals will begin Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 7 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall at St. John United Church of Christ.

Rehearsals will be each Tuesday evening until the concert dates: Saturday, Dec. 21, and Sunday, Dec. 22.

An announcement said: "If you love to sing, this is the group for you. Can't read music? No problem. They will put you next to someone who does. Don't miss out on this opportunity to make music with a great group of people."

For more information, call Tim Searby at 217-732-3728.


St. John UCC to host Christian Carnival on Sunday

St. John United Church of Christ in Lincoln is sponsoring a Christian Carnival on Sunday, Sept. 15, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. The activities will be on the church's parking lot, at the corner of Eighth and Maple streets.

The public is invited. All ages are welcome to join in the games, snacks, songs, stories and more fun -- and win prizes, too -- all for free.

For answers to questions about the event, call the church office, 732-6957.

The carnival is sponsored by the St. John Christian Education Ministry.


Harvest of Talents adds new feature to this year's event

Something new is coming to the 30th Harvest of Talents for World Hunger. The committee for Spring for Tea, a well-known Harvest of Talents spring event, is planning a new offering at the 30th Harvest on Saturday, Oct. 26.

Harvest guests looking for a brief respite from shopping or a few minutes to sit and chat with a friend or renew old acquaintances will be afforded that opportunity.

Georgia Vinson, who chairs the new Harvest area, aptly named Hospitali-tea, points out that while the mini-tea will not offer all of the elegance of the Spring Tea, it will provide tasty homemade foods accompanied by a Harvest blend of tea, chosen for the occasion.

A variety of handmade tea-related items will also be available for sale in the tea room.

Advance tickets for the tea will be offered for four seatings: 10-10:30 a.m., 10:45-11:15 a.m., 11:30-noon and 12:15-12:45 p.m. Tea tickets are only $5 each and may be obtained at the office of Lincoln Christian Church. Purchasers may choose their seating time when they purchase the tickets.

Vinson stresses the importance of timeliness in arriving at the mini-tea, due to the number of seatings available. She also noted that only a limited number of tickets will be available for this Harvest event.

The mini-tea is being offered in addition to the regular breakfast and luncheon menus and is intended to provide an occasion and location to enjoy a bit of rest and relaxation, accompanied by light refreshments and a cup of hot, fragrant Harvest tea.

Those having questions may contact Georgia Vinson at 732-9069 or Marcia Bidwell at 732-7772.

The Harvest of Talents for World Hunger is an annual fundraising event sponsored by Lincoln Christian Church. Events begin at 7 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, and climax with a 2 p.m. auction of several dozen handmade items, including quilts, furniture, woodworking pieces and heirloom-quality needlework.

The final event of the weekend will be a service of celebration at 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 27, in the Earl C Hargrove Chapel on the campus of Lincoln Christian University.

The public is invited and encouraged to attend all the weekend events of the Harvest of Talents.


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Chamber seeks opinions on this year's festival

Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival organizers are asking that people who took part in the 40th annual festival take a few minutes to complete a survey. The feedback from the survey will be valuable in planning future festivals. The steering committee will meet at the beginning of October to evaluate how well this year's event went, and the results of the survey will be a valuable tool to help in the evaluation process.

The organizers would greatly appreciate the survey being completed by Friday, Sept. 20. To complete the survey, use the link below:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/
2013LincolnArtBalloonFestival


Lynn Spellman discusses the Underground Railroad in Stark County

Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival organizers are asking that people who took part in the 40th annual festival take a few minutes to complete a survey. The feedback from the survey will be valuable in planning future festivals.

The town of Toulon in Stark County had a history that the residents never discussed when Lynn Spellman was growing up there. Spellman, a Lincoln resident and retired Lincoln College professor, spoke about Toulon's past at the August meeting of the Logan County Genealogical & Historical Society.

Toulon's location on the Spoon River, 40 miles northwest of Peoria, made it a convenient, major stop on the Underground Railroad before and during the Civil War.

Spellman was at a loss to explain why this important piece of Stark County history was never discussed during her childhood.

The area of Illinois where she grew up had a strong abolitionist tradition. Knox College in Galesburg was founded in the early 19th century as an abolitionist institution, just down the road from Spellman's home in Toulon.

Currently, the college has a large library of Underground Railroad information and is home of the Knox College Underground Railroad Freedom Society. Spellman went through much of this collection to create her presentation.

During the time the Underground Railroad existed, three important hubs were in Illinois: Quincy, Galesburg and Princeton. Runaway slaves would come up the Mississippi River from the south or cross it from the slave-holding state of Missouri on their quest for freedom. Initially they headed for the river city of Quincy. Then they would be funneled by abolitionists through a web of routes to Galesburg and then on to Princeton. The slaves' ultimate destination was Chicago, with the hope of boarding a ship to cross into complete freedom in Canada.

Being between Galesburg and Princeton, Stark County and Toulon were essential stops along the Underground Railroad.

The runaway slaves traveled at night to protect themselves and their rescuers in Illinois. Early in the 19th century, Illinois adhered to the Fugitive Slave Act, which permitted bounty hunters to track slaves and receive a reward for their capture and return to slave owners in the south. Those aiding the slaves were subject to severe financial penalties and jail time if caught.

Stark County had three clusters of homes that provided safe haven for slaves traveling the Underground Railroad: West Jersey, Toulon and Elmira. The web of routes along the Underground Railroad provided many options for the slaves. If a member of an abolitionist family was suffering from an illness or if the family was under surveillance by authorities, the slaves would be shuttled along another link in the web of routes through Stark County.

The Underground Railroad in Stark County was active from the late 1830s until after the Civil War.

Spellman related the story of the Rev. Samuel Wright in Stark County. Wright came to Illinois from New Hampshire, first settling in Canton and then moving to Stark County. He was a Presbyterian minister but also worked with the Congregational Church, of which Lynn Spellman was a member while growing up in Toulon.

Wright was a traveling preacher in Stark County, going to various places to perform his religious duties at area congregations that did not have a regular preacher. He also gave lectures on abolition, abstinence and astronomy. As such, he met a lot of people in the area and was able to facilitate the movements of the Underground Railroad. When his house was under watch by the authorities, he was able to signal his cohorts in the movement to use another route through Stark County for moving their precious cargo.

A little-known fact is that during the period before Illinois banned slavery within its borders, there were slave owners in the state, mostly in southern Illinois. Sometimes slaves there would escape and travel north toward Chicago, passing through Stark County.

Spellman related one story of a southern Illinois abolitionist who took a slave and her children north to Galesburg from southern Illinois to place them on the route of the Underground Railroad. The slave owner found out about this and pursued the runaways. He was able to capture the children and take them back to servitude in southern Illinois.

He then sued the abolitionist and won the case, a decision that reduced the abolitionist and his family to poverty because of the size of the financial judgment against them.

Participation in the Underground Railroad was a dangerous business for runaway salves and the abolitionists who helped them flee.

By the late 1840s, runaway slaves were traveling during the day and on public transportation through Stark County. This was a strong abolitionist area that was committed to the anti-slavery movement.

Spellman related that Wright kept a detailed journal of his travels along his religious circuit, a meticulous record that he kept for 50 years. The total number of volumes was 19 handwritten journals that are now at Knox College. Wright detailed his daily travel and submitted quarterly reports to his employers in the church. He often referred to his participation in the Underground Railroad in a type of code that hid his involvement.

Spellman ended her presentation with a quote from Wright's journal of 1858. He attended the Lincoln-Douglas debate in Galesburg and related his impressions of the two orators. It was a treat to hear her mimic Wright's description of Douglas' speaking style, a sort of bombast designed to reach the farthest edge of the crowd, estimated at 20,000. Wright said Lincoln spoke plainly as he always did and still had no trouble being heard by the entire crowd.

With the Underground Railroad a revered institution in American history and the fact that its web of safety for runaway slaves led through her hometown, Spellman has been researching this little-known history of her hometown for the last few years, sharing her findings with others. It is a fascinating part of central Illinois history.

[By CURT FOX]


3rd annual Moving Forward 5K -- register now

The Abraham Lincoln Healthcare Foundation and Memorial SportsCare at ALMH have announced that an early discount for participants of the third annual Moving Forward 5K Run/Walk ends Saturday, Sept. 14. The event is scheduled for Oct. 12 at Edward Madigan State Park and will go on rain or shine.

Those who register before Sept. 15 will have a discounted registration of $30, which includes a Dri-Fit race shirt and finisher's medal. After Sept. 15, the registration fee will increase to $35. Shirts are not guaranteed for late registrants. Youth 12 and under can register for $10. Runners and walkers of all fitness levels and ages can register online at www.almh.org.

At 9 a.m., rain or shine, walkers and runners of all fitness levels will take off in the Moving Forward 5K Run/Walk at Madigan Park.

This is a chip-timed event. All finishers will earn medals. Prizes will be awarded to the top finishers in the following categories: overall male, overall female, 60 and over male, 60 and over female, 11 and under male, 11 and under female, and the stroller category.

"Our mission is to improve the health of the people and communities we serve, and what better way than through exercise? I hope that this event encourages people of all fitness levels to get moving forward towards good health," said Todd Mourning, D.P.T., physical therapist and manager of rehab services at ALMH.

The Abraham Lincoln Healthcare Foundation will use proceeds from the Moving Forward 5K Run/Walk to support local wellness programs.

Memorial SportsCare at ALMH is a full-service athletic training program for young athletes and active adults. Services include performance enhancement, injury prevention, concussion management, training zone programs, high-tech knee and shoulder treatment, and more.

For more information about the Moving Forward 5K event, call the ALMH Rehabilitation Department at 217-605-5500 or visit www.almh.org.


Lincoln Jaycees need volunteers and donations for haunted house

The Lincoln Jaycees need volunteers to help build and run this year's haunted house attraction. Volunteers must be at least 16 years of age. Materials (such as paint, nails and tools) and monetary donations are also being sought.

If you are interested in volunteering or sponsoring the haunted house, contact Chrystal at 217-871-0441.

This year's haunted house will open Oct. 11 at the Lincoln Jaycees Center, 325 S. Chicago St. For all the details, visit www.lincolnjaycees.com.

The Lincoln Jaycees Haunted House has been an annual Lincoln tradition for several decades. It is used as a primary fundraiser for other Lincoln Jaycees projects, such as the Senior Feast, Angel Tree and an Easter egg hunt.

The Lincoln Jaycees are a not-for-profit organization serving Lincoln and the surrounding communities. The organization gives young people ages 18-40 the tools they need to build the bridges of success for themselves in the areas of business development, management skills, individual training, community service and international connections. Membership meetings are at 7:30 p.m. on the third Friday of each month at the Lincoln Jaycees Center, 325 S. Chicago St., and are open to everyone.


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