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Features

[APRIL 7, 2001]  Spring has sprung, and now it’s time to get your garden growing! Your local garden centers will be coming alive with new products and information. The ICN Pro at your local garden center will be anxiously awaiting your visit. He or she will be able to answer your gardening questions and offer great advice.

There are many things to do in your yard and garden in April. Following is a short list of reminders.

• Your bulbs will continue to pop up and bloom. After they bloom be sure to let their foliage ripen. That means you should allow the foliage to die away on its own — do not cut it back, tie it in knots or otherwise destroy it. The foliage provides food for the bulb, allowing it to grow and produce a flower the next season. Once the foliage is completely brown, then it is time to cut it back.

• If you are planning to install a new garden area or revamp an old one, now is the time to do your bed preparation. If your soil is poor, you should work an organic material (like mushroom compost) into the soil when your do your bed preparation. Application rates can vary depending on your soil type. An ICN Pro at your local garden center will be able to help you determine the amount your soil requires.

• Perennials will be arriving at your local garden center throughout the month of April. Most of the perennials can be planted beginning in April. Some perennials will tolerate cold better than others, so to be absolutely certain ask the ICN Pro at your garden center. Visit your local garden center frequently to see what new perennials are in bloom. There will be something new almost every week.

• When planting your annuals you need to think about the danger of frost. Some annuals, like Johnny-jump-ups and pansies, can tolerate a frost; others will not. Most annual planting should be delayed until the frost-free date for your area passes. Your ICN Pro will be able to tell you which ones you can plant now and which ones you should wait on.

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• Crabgrass treatments should be applied BEFORE the crabgrass can be seen. A common practice is to apply lawn fertilizer and crabgrass preventer at the same time. This is a granular formulation that can be applied with a spreader. Some garden centers will have a spreader available for you to borrow or rent.

• April is a good month to sow your grass seed. Remember that you CANNOT apply crabgrass preventer on your newly seeded areas!

• Toward the end of April you can spray the weeds that are growing in your yard. It is a good idea to wait until the end of April to spray weeds because by then most of the weeds are actively growing.

• Fruit trees need to be sprayed before they bloom and then again after they bloom. It is very important that you DO NOT spray while the tree is in bloom. Spraying at this stage will kill the pollinating insects, including honeybees, and severely reduce your fruit production.

• April is the month to treat for peach leaf curl. If you have cherry, apricot or other Prunus species, they need to be sprayed before the buds break. Products that are effective are lime sulfur and captan. If you have questions, an ICN Pro at your local garden center will be able to help you.

For more gardening information, visit your ICN Pros at your local garden center! While you’re there, be sure to check out the spring blooming perennials, shrubs and trees! We’ll be back next month for May’s Gardening Tips.

["Gardening Tips" is provided monthly
by the Illinois Nurserymen’s Association,
1717 S. Fifth St. in Springfield.]

[MARCH 24, 2001]  The number of grandparents who are raising their grandchildren is on the rise. In Illinois, about 70,000 children are raised in homes where a grandparent is the sole caregiver.

"Grandparents who have become parents again come from all walks of life and from all cultural and economic groups," explains Molly Hofer, family life educator with University of Illinois Extension. "They often feel overwhelmed and alone when they take on the parenting role."

In an effort to address concerns that grandparents face, U of I Extension is offering a free newsletter, Parenting Again. This monthly newsletter offers practical tips on issues like finding support groups and resources, helping grandchildren succeed in school, taking care of your own health, effective discipline, and unique challenges for second-time parents.

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"The newsletter also covers seasonal topics like summer activities, holiday gift-giving and school enrollment," says Hofer.

To find out more about the Parenting Again newsletter, contact the U of I Extension office in Logan County. You can subscribe by phone, (217) 732-8289; fax, (217) 735-5837; or e-mail, lock@mail.aces.uiuc.edu.

[University of Illinois Extension]

[MARCH 24, 2001]  The widespread use of the Internet for online travel arrangements may have had an impact on most local travel agencies’ business, but customers still seem to prefer a personal touch.

Travel agent Becky Grapes of World Travel in Springfield said her customers may shop around for travel deals on their personal computers, but they come back to her for booking and purchases.

"People are using the Internet, but it doesn’t seem to be affecting us. They like the personal service and know that if they have a problem, they have someone to come back and talk to. On the Internet, there is no one to talk to. People are very leery of that," she said. "Customers are still going to use a travel agency in a lot of ways."

Technology has definitely changed the way people plan their vacations, with everything from electronic tickets, online price wars and an abundance of websites devoted to all aspects of the travel industry.

But despite the wealth of information now available which allows consumers to compare prices and find the best deal, local travel agents are hearing complaints from dissatisfied customers who used the Internet to make their own travel plans. Most of those former customers have returned to a brick-and-mortar travel agency after going it alone. The unique aspects that make up a wireless world of travel seem to be the same things driving consumers back to their local travel agents.

"We hear that once or twice a day — complaints from people booking travel plans through websites, and then customers not getting what they were promised. There’s no recourse," Grapes added.

Customers find more advantages dealing with a travel agent than through the Internet, she said.
"It’s (Internet) very restrictive. Often tickets purchased online cannot be exchanged or
returned. With us, if there is a cancellation, they still have credit. That still means a lot to people," she said. "Customers use the Internet for research and find out what they want, and then call us. They feel more comfortable by having a person to talk to and an actual ticket."

Despite the downfalls, however, shopping for travel online has proved useful not only for
customers but also for the travel industry. Grapes uses the Internet for research so she can offer her customers more information. She says it has worked to her advantage, because customers really appreciate the fact she can offer them additional information and point them to websites for virtual tours, photos and details she once had to look through brochures or make numerous phone calls to obtain.

She said most agents don’t use the Internet for airline fares, which are booked through the airlines, but do utilize it to book hotels, packages and tours.

"It’s definitely helped us with research. It’s nice to be able to tell someone what the website is at the resort they are looking at. Some are very informative, with pictures and virtual tours," she added.

A survey of travel agencies conducted by Travel Weekly found about 78 percent of U.S.
agencies now can access the Internet on-site, and indications are that number will continue to grow.

Jean Martin, manager of Bergner’s Travel in White Oaks Mall, said her business has decreased about 10 percent due to people making travel plans online. Most of those customers, however, have returned to her agency after bad experiences and dissatisfaction. "They know they can come back [to us] if there’s a problem," she said, which often isn’t the case when making travel plans online.

Martin said she’s noticed a decrease in the volume of business during the past few years,
with many former customers saying they now use the Internet to make travel plans.

However, many of those customers have been unhappy. "They thought they were getting one thing, and they were getting something else," she said.

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According to Forrester Research, online travel sales are predicted to reach an estimated
$7.4 billion in 2001.

One of the biggest concerns for travel agents trying to compete with this increase in online sales is the growing number of suppliers enticing travelers with offers that can be found only on Internet sites or in weekly e-mails.

Grapes acknowledges that it’s hard to compete with those offers but isn’t worried that the computer age will replace the hands-on art of doing business with a travel agent.

Patricia Groves, owner of Monique’s Travel in Springfield, agrees. "At first, maybe the Internet had a negative impact [on our business]. But now what we’re seeing is that consumers do research and then come to us," she said. "The Internet is a powerful tool that sometimes makes it easier, but sometimes you’re [travel agent] just an order-taker."

Groves said about 85 percent of people who do research on the Internet then call her office to buy tickets, if she can match the prices. "More people are doing that. A lot of tour companies and vacation-package companies offer information on the Internet. Then customers ask me about what they’ve seen and come in and book with us," she said.

"I think it’s confusing. Recently, an elderly woman purchased a ticket on the Internet.
When she got the ticket — a non-refundable — her sister in Florida who she was going to visit passed away. She came in and asked me to fix it," she said. "It’s the personal touch people are wanting. If they run into a problem, sometimes the Internet company is hard to get a hold of.

 "Every time new technology comes out, doomsayers say travel agencies are going to be
out of business. But we adapted to the computer in the early ’80s when computer airline
registrations came out. Now we’ve adapted to the Internet," she said.

Indeed, most local travel agents feel that information alone is not enough to sell travel.
National statistics support their theory that consumers feel the Internet simply can’t match the range of personalized services a professional can offer.

According to a study by the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) — the world's largest and most influential travel trade association — many consumers feel the Internet can’t give them many things a travel agent can: firsthand experience; personalized service; expert advice; professional assistance with problems such as flight cancellations and missed connections; convenient one-stop shopping; follow-up service; ability to reissue, void or change tickets; human interaction; and special requests like wheelchairs, pet care and dietary needs.

Complaints mentioned by consumers in the study who made their own travel plans included not understanding the restrictions, being unable to get advertised fair or quoted prices, concerns about reputation of a company, paying more than necessary, and feeling the process was time-consuming and confusing. Booking the wrong date or time, having their credit card denied but not being notified, and having no assistance with changes in their tickets were also common complaints.

Groves said her agency charges a service fee, to make up for a 50 percent commission cut
made five years ago by the airline industry, but feels it’s justified because "we do feel like we do a service. We do research, obtain seats for customers, help with problems or changes. We feel we bring a value to what we do, but the service fee has nothing to do with decreased business due to Internet competition," she said. "There’s too many things that are complicated about travel. People still need us."

[Penny Zimmerman-Wills]

Animals for Adoption

These animals and more are available to good homes from the Logan County Animal Control at 1515 N. Kickapoo, phone 735-3232.

Fees for animal adoption: dogs, $60/male, $65/female; cats, $35/male, $44/female. The fees include neutering and spaying.

Logan County Animal Control's hours of operation:

Sunday  –  closed

Monday  –  8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Tuesday  –  8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Wednesday  –  8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Thursday  –  8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Friday  –  8 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Saturday  –  closed

Warden: Sheila Farmer
Assistant:  Michelle Mote
In-house veterinarian:  Dr. Lester Thompson

[APRIL 13, 2001]  The phrase "river town" brings to mind bustling, rough-and-tumble spots — places like St. Louis or New Orleans. The river constantly brings new people and new opportunities, then carries them away again. But there is another kind of river town, the kind where the waters offer a bit of tranquillity, an antidote to change. That’s what the little Fox River brings to St. Charles and Geneva, busy Chicago suburbs that nevertheless have managed to hang onto their past. A vibrant downtown, beautiful old homes, vintage red barns and the timeless river all combine to give the towns a restful dignity.

(To be continued)

[Penny Zimmerman-Wills]

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