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Master
gardeners are a vital link in getting horticulture information to
the public. They provide quick answers to a variety of home
gardening questions. The 60-plus hours of in-depth training from
University of Illinois educators and specialists is presented
practically, yet making sure it's unbiased and research-based. Basic
botany, vegetables, tree fruits, small fruits, insects, diseases,
soils, fertilizers and ornamentals such as trees and flowers are a
sampling of the topics taught.
Master
gardeners are ordinary people with two special qualities – a love
of gardening and nature, and the desire to share that knowledge with
others. There are no special requirements other than filling out the
application at your local University of Illinois Extension office.
Class size is limited to 30 people in Lincoln this year. Local
classes start in September and are offered one day a week for a
series of 10 sessions. The actual cost to you is minimal; the cost
of the manual will be about $80.
As
a trained master gardener volunteer, you will be asked to volunteer
at least 60 hours of service, mostly during the weekdays.
Volunteering can take the form of answering gardeners' questions at
the local extension office, or it may entail manning an exhibit at a
local store or park. Some master gardeners speak at local programs
or do media work. Community service projects such as youth gardening
and horticultural therapy are possible. All volunteer projects must
be approved by local extension staff.
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Training
session dates scheduled for our site are Sept. 12 and 26, Oct. 3,
10, 24 and 31, and Nov. 7, 14 and 28. Count on sessions taking most
of the day (about 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.). Training will be conducted
by University of Illinois personnel, including extension educators
and extension specialists. This truly is a great opportunity to
increase your knowledge of horticulture.
Helping
others put knowledge to work is our ultimate goal. If interested,
contact the University of Illinois Extension office at 732-8289 for
more information or application blanks. You may also stop by the
office, located at the northwest corner of the fairgrounds, for
materials. There will be a limit of 30 participants for this first
program in Logan County. The deadline for application is Aug. 18.
[John
Fulton]
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The
new year started in disaster, but the hope that was carried into the
new millennium by its owners, longtime staff and customers brought
IGA through like a phoenix coming out of the fire. The store,
located at 713 Pulaski St., now glistens and sparkles with all new
fixtures, shiny floors, colorful walls and bright lights. The
upstairs offices have been remodeled. Even the parking lot has been
resurfaced, and additional outdoor lighting has been added. Bill
Campbell said, "Everything from the glue under the tiles to the
rubber roof is new.
"Because
of this we can honestly say that we have the newest equipment and
the freshest products in town," he said.
"There
are many new food items and the same friendly service that everyone
is used to getting from us. Everyone is a preferred customer. You
don’t have to have a card to benefit from our sales,"
Campbell continued.
Monday
will kick off a scheduled four-week grand opening. Gift certificates
worth $1,000 will be given away during the month, and prices on
selected items will be reduced to a 10-year low, according to
Campbell.
Following
the opening, IGA will have its annual auction. It will feature items
such as toys and household items that can be used as Christmas
gifts.
"The
most difficult thing about reopening is the long time frame in which
it took to reopen," Campbell said. "Being down so long was
hard."
Although
it was a strain, a couple of weeks after fire IGA restarted its free
delivery service for those customers who needed it. Campbell
explained that four or five employees were sent to the IGA in
Williamsville every Monday until it closed and then to the IGA in
Clinton to fill 30 orders each week. Deliveries were made to
customers on Tuesdays.
Many
of the full-time employees were kept on throughout the remodeling,
while others were rehired recently. In addition, 10 to 15 part-time
workers have been hired to restock and help run the store. Since
everything is new, there is a lot of training that needs to be done
on the new equipment, such as the cash register system.
The
grocers said the cost of the remodeling project was about $2 million
dollars. They estimated that the actual damage caused by the fire
was $1 million dollars. "We started repairing one thing and it
kept growing from there," Campbell said.
"We
have 20 years’ worth of options on leasing this building, so we
plan on being here for some time," Campbell commented.
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The
bulk of the damage was caused by smoke. Soon after the fire, a Rock
Island salvage company came in and bought all of the inventory that
was canned or double sealed. The state mandates that all salvageable
items must be cleaned and dated before they can be sold to the
public at a resale shop. Campbell said, "We wanted to give this
food to the local food pantry, but state regulations are stringent
and we couldn’t take the risk."
The
layout of the store has remained the same to make things easier for
customers. The frozen food section has doubled, and every department
has expanded. The new equipment will help to make everything better,
according to Campbell. "Our service at the meat counter will
continue to be as good as it gets. It’s good stuff. We’re very
excited," he said.
Joy
Blair, IGA’s deli and bakery manager, has been employed with the
store since its inception. She feels that her corner of the store is
its prettiest section, with its self- serving hot case so that
customers can help themselves, expanded sandwich and salad case, and
freezer case for cakes and brownies. The deli is already booked for
two large catering events next week.
A
wheelchair with a basket has been added for customers’ use.
The
store’s fund-raising efforts will also be put into full swing.
Charlie Lee asks that any organization that had a cookout scheduled
or would like to have one call the store. The grocers estimate that
in the past 10 years they have helped not-for-profit groups raise
approximately $100,000. This doesn’t include the cost of repairing
the clock on top of Lincoln’s courthouse. "We’ve tried to
be as locally involved as we could be. We work and live in the
community with our families," Lee said, "We’re back and
ready to serve."
Leslie
Duncan, a longtime patron of IGA, is happy to see the store reopen.
She has missed its proximity to her home and its convenience. "IGA
is the only store that carries many of my favorite products,"
she says. She has also missed the friendly and personal atmosphere.
The
store hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days per week.
"Lincoln,
thank you for your patience. Sorry it took so long. We hope that
having the freshest products will make it worth the wait,"
Campbell concluded.
[Kym
C. Ammons-Scott]
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