CLOSE UP    Zooming in on
the people, places and things that make this community interesting.

sponsored by CHRIS COYNE, agent - State Farm Insurance

Abraham Lincoln Geocaching Trail, Harvest of Talents rolls, night golf, New Holland Fire Dept., Old House Society, banned books, blood drive, Life Banquet, Elkhart dinner lecture on South Africa, water main flushing, Atlanta UMW giveaway, Herb Guild, DAR, Culver's and FFA

Send a link to a friend 

[September 24, 2013]  Tourism to host geocaching kickoff party this weekend

Are you ready for a treasure hunt? The Abraham Lincoln Geocaching Trail in Logan County will officially "go live" at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 28.

There will be a kickoff party in Memorial Park -- rain or shine -- from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to celebrate the new trail. The free event is open to everyone of all ages, whether or not they are knowledgeable about geocaching.

The party will begin with a 9 a.m. ribbon-cut. Tom Hankins of the Central Illinois Geocaching Association will be available to explain more about the sport.

Lincoln resident Marge Ott, who drew the designs for the cache cards, will be on hand to sign autographs. Children ages 10 and younger can participate in a free old-fashioned pumpkin hunt for door prizes. Refreshments will be served.

Geocaching is a modern-day treasure hunt that relies on global positioning system units or GPS-empowered phones to find containers known as "caches." The six caches on the new trail will contain cards that can be redeemed for souvenir postcards.

The new Logan County trail has caches hidden at sites that relate to Abraham Lincoln and his relationship to communities throughout the county.

Typically, a cache is a waterproof container with a logbook where the geocacher can enter the date the cache was found and their established code name. Then the cache must be replaced exactly as it was found.

Hunters can also register their finds at an official geocaching website, www.groundspeak.com. Groundspeak offers free membership, although users have the option of purchasing premium memberships.

Groundspeak's website claims millions of caches and members in more than 200 countries. The international sport even extends into outer space, with a cache aboard the International Space Station.

The Abraham Lincoln Geocaching Trail in Logan County was made possible through funding from the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Coalition with support of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Foundation, dedicated to perpetuating and expanding Lincoln's vision for America and completing America's unfinished work. Matching funds were made available by the Abraham Lincoln Tourism Bureau of Logan County.


Roll-making time for the Harvest of Talents

You know you have arrived at the Harvest of Talents for World Hunger when you enter the glass doors of the Lincoln Church's Fellowship Center at 7 a.m. on the fourth Saturday in October and are greeted by the sweet smell of the event's "signature" caramel pecan and cinnamon rolls -- fresh from the oven.

The cinnamon and caramel pecan breakfast rolls go back to the early years of the event, when sisters Glenda Appel Allison and Gail Appel Clark volunteered, with their mother's recipe in hand, to make all of the rolls to be served at the 7 a.m. opening. That year, 300 rolls lined the kitchen counters through the night to rise so they could be placed into the ovens for baking very early in the morning.

Spin forward in time some two dozen years to the 30th Harvest of Talents for World Hunger, and that same wonderful fragrance will greet those arriving for breakfast and shopping for hundreds of handmade items on Harvest Day.

Steve Elkins, for many years the man in charge of Harvest roll-making, is retiring from that responsibility, and Melanie and Joe Schaler, together with a crew of roll-making volunteers, some seasoned and others brand-new, are busy producing this year's bounty of breakfast rolls at the Harvest of Talents.

Each of the Wednesday nights in September, a group of roll-makers -- some junior high school age, others well into retirement and those in between -- have donned aprons and were found measuring flour, sugar, eggs, butter and other baking ingredients, including lots of cinnamon, to make this year's breakfast fare. Rolls have been lovingly rolled and cut and arranged into baking pans to be frozen in preparation for the Harvest of Talents morning and the final baking and finishing process.

Between 1,700 and 2,000 caramel pecan and cinnamon rolls will greet the early morning diners and shoppers.

But even before that, rolls will be served to workers assembled at 6 a.m. to make final preparations for Harvest Day. Together the workers will share a devotion offered by Rick Jett, chairman of International Disaster Emergency Service, the organization receiving each year's Harvest proceeds. Those standing in line outside awaiting admittance will share in this devotion via the church's public address system.

All of this accomplished, the doors of the Fellowship Center will swing open at 7 to greet early morning guests.

The public is encouraged to attend the 30th annual Harvest of Talents for World Hunger. Hundreds of handmade items, many one of a kind, will be offered for sale. Luncheon will include homemade vegetable soup, sandwiches and pies. In Harvest Fare, the area outside the Fellowship Center, a variety of snacks will be available, including deep-fried potatoes, hot dogs and walking tacos. Lincolnberry Café will offer its traditional scones, brisket sandwiches, flavored coffees, hot spiced cider and hot chocolate, as well as a variety of snack mixes. Entertainment will be provided at midmorning by Lincoln vocalist Lesleigh Bennett and the True Blue quartet from Elkhart.

A 2 p.m. auction will be the highlight of the day's events.

Proceeds of the 30th annual event will be presented to Jett, of the International Disaster Emergency Service, during a service of celebration at 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 27, in the Hargrove Chapel at Lincoln Christian University.

For more information, contact the office of Lincoln Christian Church, 204 N. McLean, phone 217-732-7618.


Development partnership plans 2nd annual Night Golf Outing

The Lincoln & Logan County Development Partnership Night Golf Outing, a fall fundraiser, is planned for Friday, Oct. 11, at North Greens Golf Course in Atlanta.

The rain date will be Saturday, Oct. 12.

This is a golf scramble with shotgun start at 7 p.m. The course will be lit with glow sticks by tee boxes, fairway markers, flags and holes. Hazards, such as water, will also be marked.

Registration fee is $50 per person, $200 for a team. The cost includes the 9-hole green fee, golf cart, one glow ball, one glow stick and one glow necklace per participant, two wristbands per car, and happy hour snacks. Extra glow items as well as mulligans and alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase at check-in

Prizes will be awarded for first- and second-place teams for longest drive, longest putt and closest to the pin.

Sponsorships are still available for hole sponsor, $100; first-place team; second-place team; longest drive; longest putt; closest to pin; and glow light sponsor, $600.

If interested, contact the Lincoln & Logan County Development Partnership at 217-732-8739 or see the partnership's website at www.lincolnlogan.com for more details and a registration form.


New Holland Fire Protection District uses grant to decrease personnel response time in emergencies

A simple text message can save a life

Mason City Monsanto site supports local organization

NEW HOLLAND -- Many people use text messaging for communicating social information, but they may not realize that text messaging can help save lives. Thanks to the Mason City Monsanto, the New Holland Fire Protection District will be able to purchase a supplemental emergency alert notification and response system. Using a $3,000 grant from the Monsanto Fund, the dispatch center can now send text messages to first responders about an emergency in the area.

The New Holland Fire Protection District, a nonprofit in New Holland, was founded in 1948 and is staffed by 25 volunteer firefighters. The district will use the grant to decrease personnel response time to emergencies.

"Our department is very appreciative of the Monsanto Fund's support," said Todd David, co-chief of the New Holland Fire Department. "This grant will directly impact the members of our community."

The fire station sits on the outside edge of the department's radio range, so some volunteers do not receive emergency pages. The new emergency alert notification and response system monitors the radio and sends a text to all personnel if there is an emergency in the area. Firefighters can then choose different codes to text back, which will notify the station about their response status.

"The people in New Holland and the surrounding area rely on the volunteers to protect their businesses, homes and families," said John Endsley, Mason City Monsanto site lead. "We thought the fire department was deserving of this grant because these volunteers put their lives at risk to make sure our community is safe."

This year, the Monsanto Fund awarded 127 site grants to nonprofit organizations in 26 states. In Illinois alone, 18 site grants were awarded and totaled $201,100. The Monsanto Fund continues to provide support to organizations such as the New Holland Fire Protection District to help strengthen communities where farmers and Monsanto employees live and work.

 


Group salvages architectural materials in central Illinois

Have you heard the old saying "Everything old is new again, eventually"? Well, that could be the motto of the Old House Society of Bloomington. Laura Walden, president of the group, made that point during her presentation Monday evening at the monthly meeting of the Logan County Genealogical & Historical Society.

The Old House Society has been a Bloomington institution for 34 years. It started as a social group whose membership got together to discuss restoration of old and historic houses. They saw old houses being demolished with no attempt to save valuable parts to be repurposed by people who were restoring houses. The group decided to start the Old House Society as a registered nonprofit tasked with saving parts of houses before they ended up in a landfill.

From that beginning, the Old House Society has grown into a large undertaking with a 6,000-square-foot warehouse containing everything the staff and volunteers have been able to save when they are allowed to access a house scheduled for demolition. The warehouse in Bloomington is stocked with flooring, doors, headboards and fireplace tile, just to name a few items. They also have a large store of hardware from old houses.

But the Old House Society is much more than a repository of unique and hard-to-find items for restorers.

People who are demolishing houses and give parts to the Old House Society become eligible for significant tax credits, up to $5,000. In addition, the society gives grants to those restoring old houses, and members receive a 10 percent discount at the store.

The Old House Society also gives clinics at their warehouse, at 214 E. Douglas in Bloomington. People seeking to restore can learn the skills necessary to bring their old house back to its original glory.

Walden also pointed out that they have a "Second Thursday" event each month. Wine and hors d'oeuvres are served at a house that is undergoing restoration, including an on-site tour of a work in progress.

Completed restorations are given a "Gift to the Street" award in the form of a bronze plaque that can be placed on the house, noting the original construction year.

The Old House Society also offers a helping hand to other nonprofits that can benefit from their expertise.

The society's annual house tour sells out every year. It has become such a popular event in Bloomington that tickets are being limited this year to 1,000.

The organization also loans items from their inventory to schools that want to use them in plays and class presentations.

The society will also sell non-architectural items they salvage from houses, and all of the proceeds are given to the owner.

Walden pointed out that many of the old house items they sell go into new houses, not just restorations. There is a growing trend to incorporate old items into new houses to give a new home the feel of an old one. Pocket doors, doors, headboards and windows used for wall decoration are especially popular.

The Old House Society operates in a large area of central Illinois, not just Bloomington. They will go to the Peoria area and locations east of Bloomington. They maintain additional storage space in Lexington.

With all of their activity, Walden said that getting the word out about the Old House Society is still a problem. People tearing down old houses may not know about the society, or they may think that their soon-to-be-demolished house may not have anything worth salvaging.

Walden begs anyone thinking about demolishing a house to contact the Old House Society and let them make the call on items worth saving. When the society hauls off items worth saving and reusing, they save homeowners the cost of having these items hauled to the landfill, and also save landfill space.

"The Old House Society was into recycling before it became popular," Walden said.

Walden herself lives in a tiny 1859 house that she restored in Lexington. "I have also restored several old houses in Bloomington," she said. In fact, that is how she became familiar with the Old House Society. She bought items from them for her own projects. One thing led to another and now she is head of the organization.

Her personal doorknob collection was on display during her presentation in Lincoln. (See album.)

"I even frequent pawnshops trying to find vintage doorknobs I can't do without," she said with a laugh.

Walden wants to get the word out that no house should be demolished before the owner contacts the Old House Society. Their experts can spot parts of houses worth saving, even if an owner may not see an architectural gem. They can see a door worth saving that is lurking under five coats of paint. A complete spiral staircase may be their most unusual item in inventory now. Her story of how that was removed intact from a house was an adventure in itself.

The Old House Society is headquartered in Bloomington at 214 E. Douglas. The phone number is 309-820-0548, and the website is www.oldhousesociety.org.

The Logan County Genealogical & Historical Society, which hosted Walden's presentation in Lincoln, meets monthly on the third Monday at 6:30 p.m. at their research facility on Chicago Street. Volunteer members also provide research for people from all over the United States who may have had relatives in the Logan County area. The group is currently working on a request for research from a person in Salt Lake City. The nominal fee they charge for this research goes into maintaining their research facility and a growing collection of Logan County historic artifacts.

[By CURT FOX]


[to top of second column]


Banned-books display at Lincoln Public Library

The Lincoln Public Library District's annual display on banned books is available for viewing during regular business hours. The interactive display encourages users to read a clue and guess the title of the banned book before revealing its title.

The display will be in the Annex through Oct. 31.

For more information, visit the library at 725 Pekin St. or call 732-8878.

(See related article.)


Blood drive at Lincoln VFW Sept. 27

To help ensure an adequate blood supply for the region, there will be a blood drive Friday, Sept. 27, from noon to 3 p.m. at the Lincoln VFW Freedom Hall Event Center, 915 Fifth St.

For your convenience, call the blood center toll-free to sign up at 1-866-GIVE-BLD (1-866-448-3253), or schedule an appointment online using sponsor code 60505 at www.bloodcenterimpact.org. Walk-ins are also welcome and truly appreciated.

Central Illinois Community Blood Center, a not-for-profit organization, is the provider of lifesaving blood for 14 hospitals throughout central Illinois, including Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Lincoln and Memorial Medical Center and St. John’s Hospital in Springfield. CICBC is a division of the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center, which collects over 180,000 units of blood annually and serves 87 hospitals in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin.


Public invited to 3rd annual Life Banquet

Living Alternatives Pregnancy Resource Center will present their third annual Life Banquet on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at the Lincoln Rec Center. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the banquet is at 7.

Everyone is invited to join the evening of celebration as the group shares the victory of hearts touched and lives transformed through the Living Alternatives Pregnancy Resource Center.

There is no cost to attend, but there will be an opportunity to make a financial gift to this ministry.

For more information, call 735-4838.


Elkhart fall dinner lecture Oct. 13: Experience South Africa and sample its cuisine from the comfort of your chair

ELKHART -- The Elkhart Historical Society is again presenting a dinner lecture series. The first will be on Sunday, Oct. 13, at 4:30 p.m. at the Wild Hare Café, located in Horsefeathers at 104 Gov. Oglesby St. in Elkhart.

To kick off the series, Peter Niehaus, who lived and worked in South Africa for over 40 years, will talk about his experiences, the culture and beauty of the Cape Province, where he lived.

The two dinner choices are a Cape Malay chicken dish and a Cape Malay beef specialty, both served with the traditional condiments. Dessert will be a classic trifle. Coffee and ice teas are included. Guests are welcome to bring a bottle of wine to enjoy with their meal.

The ticket price for the evening is $25, which includes the lecture, PowerPoint presentation and complete meal, including sales tax and gratuity.

Registration forms can be obtained at www.elkharthistoricalsociety.org or phone Gillette Ransom at 217-947-2238 for a reservation. Space is limited, so interested parties are encouraged to book quickly. The deadline for registration is Sunday, Oct. 6.


Illinois American Water to flush lines

Illinois American Water will conduct water main flushing in Lincoln beginning Monday, Sept. 23, as part of regular maintenance. The routine work is being done as part of an annual water main flushing program that improves customer water service by flushing or cleaning mineral deposits and sediment from the water mains. Flushing will be during daytime hours, between 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and will continue through Oct. 3.

The anticipated flushing schedule for Illinois American Water's Lincoln District is:

  • Monday, Sept. 23 -- East of railroad tracks to Pulaski Street.

  • Tuesday, Sept. 24 -- East of railroad tracks from Pulaski Street to Keokuk Street..

  • Wednesday, Sept. 25 -- East of railroad tracks from Keokuk Street to Lincolnwood, including all of Mayfair.

  • Thursday, Sept. 26 -- Between railroad tracks and Union from Decatur Street to Feldman Drive.

  • Friday, Sept. 27 -- Between Broadwell Drive and Seventh Street.

  • Monday, Sept. 30 -- Between Seventh Street and 16th Street.

  • Tuesday, Oct. 1 -- Between 16th Street and Feldman Drive.

  • Wednesday, Oct. 2 -- West of Lincoln Parkway from Fifth Street to Woodlawn.

  • Thursday, Oct. 3 -- West of Lincoln Parkway on Woodlawn to Interstate 55.

The water main flushing will be performed by Illinois American Water crews. They will be working out of white utility trucks labeled with the company logo. All employees will also have photo ID badges.

No interruptions in water service will occur as a result of the work. Illinois American Water advises that when crews are flushing nearby, customers may experience a slight drop in water pressure or discoloration of their water.

Illinois American Water does not foresee incidences of discoloration, but if this does occur, it is recommended that customers let their cold water run to clear before using it again, and refrain from doing laundry during that time. If problems persist, notify Illinois American Water's customer service center at 1-800-422-2782 (available 24 hours a day).

"The flushing program is designed not only to maintain a high quality of water in the Lincoln distribution system, but to inspect and operate fire hydrants to assure they are in good working order as well," said David Schonauer, operations superintendent for the Lincoln District.


Atlanta United Methodist Women will host winter wear giveaway

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta United Methodist Women will have a winter wear giveaway to help families in need as they get ready for cold weather. A variety of gently worn or new coats, hats, scarves, gloves and some boots will be available.

The event will be in the basement of the Atlanta United Methodist Church from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 5.

The church is at the corner of Second and Race streets and is handicapped-accessible.

The group says, "Come find the warmth our church has to share."


Herb Guild to meet Tuesday

The next meeting of the Logan County Herb Guild will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 24, at Faith Lutheran Church, 2320 N. Kickapoo in Lincoln.

Members are asked to bring their favorite salsa, store-bought or homemade from their favorite recipe, to share for "Salsa Night." Bringing a bunch of herbs to swap with others will be fun too.


DAR marks beginning of a new year

Saturday, Sept. 14, marked a new year of programs for the Abraham Lincoln Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution.

The group met for lunch at the Stagecoach Grill in Middletown, then proceeded to the Middletown Stagecoach Inn for their meeting. They were greeted by Rick Deters and Ina Dambacher, who gave a tour of the inn and shared some interesting history on Middletown and the surrounding area.

The meeting was led by the new regent, Jane DeWitt.

The October meeting will be at the McLean Library, with Susan Kirby as the guest speaker, talking on the Underground Railroad. Lunch will be catered by Subway.

All members who will be attending the District V meeting on Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Jacksonville Country Club are reminded that the reservation deadline will be Oct. 11. The cost is $20, and there will be a breakfast bake sale before the meeting. For reservations, call Linda Churchill, treasurer, at 735-3728 as soon as possible or email her at mustardmoon@comcast.net.


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]


< Top Stories index

Back to top