The Grand Soiree, an annual fund-raiser for the Lincoln College Museum, has announced nine items that will be featured at the live auction at the Sept. 9 event.

Three of the nine items are rare and significant Civil War collectors’ items. The first item might arouse local interest for those living in Logan County. It is a preserved authentic signature of John A. Logan, the son of John Logan, for whom the county was named. The next item is a pair of Union officer’s spurs. The historic spurs were found in a field where a Civil War battle was fought. They were purchased at a Civil War memorabilia auction in Louisville, Ky. The third item is a unique picture of Gen. George A. Custer, dated July 1865, when he was at Fort Riley. Another historic item is a sweetheart pin dated back to 1958 from the United States Air Force Academy.

The Grand Soiree will also offer new items for this year’s auction. Sports lovers will get a chance to bid on great seats at the ballpark. The first are four tickets to see the Chicago Cubs versus Philadelphia on Sept. 25. These tickets are on the second row behind the Cubs’ dugout and were donated by Lincoln College alum John Iltis (class of ’62). The second are box seat tickets at a White Sox versus Red Sox game on Sept. 28.

Other unique items being auctioned include a dinner for eight at the Lincoln College president’s home; a European gourmet gift basket donated by George Eberle, chairman of the Board of Lincoln College Trustees, and his wife, Suzanne; and a day at the spa at Midwest College of Cosmetology in Normal.

The Grand Soiree will be Saturday, Sept. 9, at 6:30 p.m. in the Davidson-Sheffer Gymnasium on the campus of Lincoln College. For information on tickets call Jean Ann Miller at 732-3155, extension 251.

New vice president of academics inaugurated at LCC/S

At the 57^th annual convocation of Lincoln Christian College and Seminary convocation this morning, President Keith Ray pronounced Dr. Thomas M. Tanner the new vice president of academics. Dr. Tanner began serving in this position July 1.

[Dr. Tom Tanner delivers a message, "I hope we dance."]

He graduated from Lincoln Christian College with a B.A. in 1973 and received the M.Div. degree in 1976 from Lincoln Christian Seminary. He holds an M.A. in Greek and Latin literature and an M.S. in library science, with both degrees from the University of Illinois. In 1972, Dr. Tanner received a Ph.D. in information science from the University of Illinois.

Dr. Tanner has served as a Greek instructor, university research assistant, minister, elder, and author ("A Manual of Style for Bible College and Seminary Students," "What Ministers Know: How Pastors Use Information," and "Strategic Choices: Annual Lincoln Factbook"). He has been published in the Journal of Library History, the Journal of Theological and Religious Information and the Christian Standard.

He is a member of the board of directors for Blessing Ranch, and has served as commissioner of accreditation of the Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges (chairman, 1997-98). He has also presented several workshops for AABC since 1994, and served as an evaluator/consultant. He has been a workshop presenter at the NACC and served on the NACC Continuation Committee (1995-98). He previously served Lincoln Christian College and Seminary as academic dean of the college (1994-), library director (1979-94), director of strategic planning (1990-96), and director of technology (1995-99). He has chaired five North Central accreditation self studies since 1984, served as chair of a Lilly-funded by Lilly Endowment, Inc.

Tanner and his wife, Debby, are the parents of one daughter, Melissa.

Area musicians who enjoy the sounds of jazz and big band music are asked to attend a meeting on Monday, Sept. 11, at 6 p.m. at Lincoln College. The purpose of this meeting is to see if there is any interest in forming a community jazz ensemble.

The meeting, hosted by Lincoln College Music Department, will be held in the Choir Room in Johnston Center for Performing Arts on the campus of Lincoln College. Rehearsal times are being tentatively set for Monday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m. For more information, please call Greg Allen at Lincoln College at 732-3155, extension 280.

Looking for Lincoln in Lincoln will have a planning committee meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 30, at 7 p.m. at Union Planters Bank, 303 S. Kickapoo. The meeting will be in the second floor conference room of the building. All those interested in the Looking for Lincoln Heritage Tourism project are welcome to attend. For more information, contact Main Street Lincoln at 732-2929.

Bartmann residents cruise the Caribbean

    Residents of Bartmann Health Care Center took an imaginary cruise to the Caribbean Islands one week in August. They began their trip by mapping out their island stops, learning about where they were going and making an itinerary. The activity room was decorated to remind passengers they were on board for a week’s worth of adventure. Some of the week’s activities included a social talk on deck, ocean and Caribbean art projects, beach blanket toss game, Jambalaya cooking, deep-sea fishing, bon voyage bingo and making postcards to send home to family and friends. The week ended with a yacht cruise to Dairy Queen, a luau party and popcorn with the movie "Blue Hawaii."

From Roy Logan, program coordinator 

Softball

Men’s and women’s softball regular season has come to an end, followed by tournament play. Our many thanks to the people who worked as umpires for all of our leagues. Your dedication and commitment only made a great season better.

It wouldn’t be Park District softball without Ace Hinman. A big round of applause for him. Ace Hinman did a tremendous job organizing all of our officials. Our own Brandy Mullenbach was the official ball retriever. Every time someone hit a ball into the weeds or bean fields, Brando had to go get it. Brando is really glad to see the season end! Thanks much Brandy.

Much of the success of any of our programs, especially the ones that involve the kids, depends on our sponsors and volunteers who act as coaches or officials. The support we receive from these businesses and individuals goes far beyond their financial contributions and the donation of their time and talent.

Lincoln Park District’s girls’ softball swim party was scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 10, from 5 to 9 p.m., with coaches presenting awards during the evening.

Bus trip

We are on the bus again! This time it’s to St. Louis as we watch the Cardinals take on the Cubs. We’re guaranteeing a fun time. Sunday, Sept. 17, at 9 a.m. we depart the Rec. Center. Our plans are to return at 8:30 p.m. Cost for the charter coach and game ticket is $40.

Annual 5K run

The Lincoln Park District, in conjunction with the Lincoln Art and Balloon Fest, will be having the 12th annual 5K run Saturday, Aug. 26. T-shirts are given to all participants, and awards are given to the top three finishers in each age category. The run begins and ends at the Park District. Refreshments are provided. Registration forms are available at both the Rec. Center and the Lincoln Chamber offices. The race is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m.

Flag football

One of our more successful programs for young boys and girls has been flag football. Randy Turley has organized this league for the past few years and has done a very good job with seeing this grow in the numbers of participants each year. However, due to expanding family commitments, Mr. Turley is no longer available to us. First of all, our heartfelt thanks to Randy for a job well done.

Now we have to approach the community and ask that one or more of them that have children involved come forward and chair the league. Our goal is to keep the league operative and to follow many of the same goals that Mr. Turley founded the program on. The continuation of a great program lies in the willingness of parents to become involved and dedicate a couple nights a week to teaching the fundamentals of football.

Cheerleading volunteer needed

We already have a volunteer to co-chair the cheerleading for the girls, but we need to have another co-chair to work with her.

We believe that if enough people get involved in coaching and teaching that this can be a manageable task. If you are interested in chairing or have questions, please call Roy at 732-8770. People who have worked in these capacities in the past will testify that it is very rewarding and creates bonds that last a lifetime.

First Lady Lura Lynn Ryan presented the first "Youth Making a Difference" Awards on Aug. 9 at the Futures for Kids REACHing Youth Through Community Involvement Conference at the Sheraton Hotel in Chicago. Stephie Humble of Lincoln was among the winners.

The "Youth Making a Difference" Awards honor the outstanding efforts of Illinois youth who help improve their communities through volunteer activities.

"Illinois is blessed with so many young people who volunteer their time and dedicate themselves to helping others," said Mrs. Ryan. "The seven young people we honor here today are to be specially commended. Their actions have made an outstanding difference in their communities."

The nominees were judged on how their service activities best addressed the needs and concerns of their communities and how their efforts improved the given situation. Seven young people between the ages of 6 and 17 were selected by the Illinois Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service as the first award recipients.

Winners besides Stephie Humble were Natalie Jacobowski of Orland Park, Emily Dray of Wilmette, Elizabeth Feste of Byron, Colleen Lange of Gibson City, Brandi Bertelli of Laomi and Lauren Everette of Olney.

Stephie has been president of Lincoln’s HYPE (Helping Youth in a Positive Environment) group for the past year. Thanks to HYPE’s efforts with Habitat for Humanity, a family was able to move into their home for Thanksgiving. Stephie also filled balloons with drug-free pledges for the Junior High Balloon Launch, organized the group to collect food for the Logan County Food Pantry, and made posters during Alcohol Awareness Month. She worked diligently with HYPE’s Prevention Theater. She was selected to attend the Governor’s Teen Summit and, as a result of her commitment and dedication, was named HYPE of the year by her peers.

More than 1,200 people attended the Futures for Kids Conference, which provided participants with skills to increase their understanding of prevention services for Illinois’ youth. The goal of the conference was to support young people as they develop the skills, confidence and commitment to community necessary to lead successful lives.

Futures for Kids is an umbrella for the programs and policies that make a significant contribution to the health and well-being of children. The Teen REACH program, administered by the Illinois Department of Human Services, is part of this initiative. The Futures for Kids Conference included five workshops that focused on the Teen REACH themes of responsibility, education, achievement, caring and hope.

Through mid-September, Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital (ALMH) is providing free colorectal cancer screening kits and lab testing to assist you in identifying indicators of possible cancer in the colon or rectum. Colorectal cancer is one of the most curable of all cancers when it is detected early and treated promptly.

Because colorectal cancer develops over a period of time, it is possible to detect it by testing stool samples long before physical symptoms appear. The majority of people who develop colorectal cancer are over age 50. Over 75 percent of all cases can be cured, and patients can resume normal lives. The American Cancer Society recommends yearly stool blood tests after the age of 50.

The simple at-home test kit provided by ALMH will help the laboratory check your stool samples for hidden blood, which can be a sign of cancer or other internal disorders. The kit lists dietary suggestions of what to eat and what to avoid two days prior to the test. Following these few suggestions can reduce the chances of a "false positive" test result and increase probability of a more accurate test. The kit also provides all materials and directions needed for collecting stool samples and preparing slides for testing, and includes a pre-addressed envelope to mail the sample and information back to the ALMH lab. The lab will notify you of your results within two weeks after receiving the test. It is important to remember that the screening does not provide a complete cancer detection examination. Regardless of test results, you should see your physician whenever you experience changes in your bowel habits.

To take advantage of this opportunity, all tests must be received at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital no later than Sept. 15.

Test kits are available at local physician offices, pharmacies, senior living centers, the Logan County Health Department, and the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital Laboratory. In rural locations it is also available on the Rural Health Partnership’s mobile health unit. You may pick up your free kit at the following locations:

Abe Lincoln Pharmacy

Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital Laboratory

The Christian Village

CVS Pharmacy

Family Medical Center

Friendship Manor

Graue Pharmacy

Lincoln Health Care Specialists (Drs. Carroll, Harmon, Sagins and Sielaff)

Logan County Health Department

Logan County Highrise

Maple Ridge Retirement Center

Medicap Pharmacy

Oasis Senior Center

Wal-Mart Pharmacy

Sherman’s Pharmacy

Mobile health unit of Rural Health Partnership

Family Medical Center

Mason City Pharmacy

Dr. Borgerson’s office

Dr. Schmidt’s office

The Mount Pulaski Pharmacy

Mobile health unit of Rural Health Partnership

In Beason, Broadwell, Chestnut, Cornland, Elkhart, Emden, Greenview, Hartsburg, Lake Fork, Latham, Middletown, New Holland and San Jose, kits are available on the Rural Health Partnership’s mobile health unit.

Complete contest information is below.

Contest deadline: In-hand by Sept. 15.