The Lincoln Area Community Chorale will begin rehearsals on Monday, Feb. 12, for the 2001 spring concert. Rehearsals take place in the St. John United Church of Christ fellowship building and begin at 7 p.m. Richard Reinwald is the choral director. For more information, phone him at 732-6957.

The Lincoln Area Community Orchestra will begin rehearsals on Sunday, Feb. 25, for the 2001 spring concert. Rehearsals take place at the Lincoln Community High School band room and begin at 2 p.m. Julie Kasa is the orchestra director. For more information, phone her at 732-3118.

Both the chorale and orchestra are volunteer groups, and each would welcome new members from the community. The spring concerts will be April 28 and 29 in the LCHS auditorium.

Members of the local chapter of Beta Sigma Phi have been preparing once again for their "School Daze" benefit. All proceeds from this benefit will go toward their annual school bag project for Lincoln students. Each year students are screened for eligibility through CIEDC for this program provided by Beta Sigma Phi. Students who meet the qualifications are then provided with a school bag and all of their school supplies for the upcoming school year. The number of eligible students rises each year. For the 2000-2001 school year, bags and supplies were provided for 81 children.

To help cover the expenses of this project, members have again planned a "School Daze" benefit. The dance will be Feb. 17 from 8 to 11 p.m. at the Moose Lodge. This will be an evening for adults to benefit children while dancing to the lively tunes of Music 4U DJ service. There will be a cash bar, snacks, a 50/50 drawing and door prizes that have been donated by local merchants.

When tickets are presented at the door, they will automatically be entered into the drawings for door prizes. Winners of the door prizes need not be present to win, with the exception of one grand prize: a hot-air balloon ride with a local balloonist. Tickets will be on sale at the door. Tickets are also being sold in advance by local members and at MKS Jewelers on the square.

If you would like to purchase tickets in advance or donate a door prize, please call the following officers of Lincoln’s Beta Sigma Phi: Pattie Quint, president, 732-7585; Jan Van Bibber, vice president, 732-3438; Eleanor Lamm, secretary, 732-3744; or Tish Podunajec, treasurer, 735-1085.

This is sure to be an evening to be enjoyed by all, especially the children of Lincoln who will ultimately benefit with needed school supplies.

[News release from Beta Sigma Phi of Lincoln]

Theatre 7 - Decatur’s Community Theatre will be having auditions for its next production, the comedy "Dearly Departed." It is about a colorful but dysfunctional Southern family coming together to hilarious results when its patriarch, Bud, passes away.

Auditions will be Tuesday, Feb. 20, and Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. at Theatre 7 headquarters, 131 N. Water St. in Decatur.

Roles are available for four to seven men and six to eight women. Possible ages range from late teens to 60ish.

Those auditioning should:

• Arrive expecting to read a scene from the play with several other actors.

• Bring a list of dates (conflicts) when you will not be available to rehearse.

Performance dates for "Dearly Departed" will be March 30-31 and April 6-7 at 7:30 p.m. and April 1 and 8 at 2 p.m.

For more information about the cast, contact Joe Straka, director, at 875-7211, Ext. 369, or jstraka@richland.cc.il.us.

Meet Mr. Lincoln

"Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday Party" will be at 10 a.m. this Saturday, Feb. 10, at the Logan County Courthouse. Children may come dressed as Abe or Mary Lincoln.

• Meet Mr. Lincoln
• Free cake and ice cream
• Music by the Second Baptist Church Choir
• Program presented by Ron Keller from the Lincoln College Museum

• Interveterans Council color guard and firing squad

The event is sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Railsplitting Association.

Sign up for Share

The last day to reorder food with Share Food of Lincoln will be Sunday, Feb. 11. The sign-up and distribution site is St. John United Church of Christ at 204 Seventh St. The distribution day will be Friday, Feb. 23, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. If you have any questions about joining or volunteering, please call 735-2626. 

[Click here for related article]

An invitation for those dealing with loss of a loved one

Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital and Hospice Care of Illinois are offering "Always in Our Hearts," an adult bereavement support group established to help individuals cope with the loss of a loved one. This group meets the fourth Thursday of each month at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Lincoln. The Feb. 22 meeting will be in the physicians lounge on the fifth floor, from 1 to 3 p.m. No reservations are necessary, and there are no dues or fees. It is not necessary to attend any set number of meetings. Come as you are, as often as you like — you are always welcome.

"Always in Our Hearts" is facilitated by a bereavement counselor and is open to any central Illinois resident dealing with a loss. Grief and mourning are an integral part of the healing process for a spouse, family member or friend after the loss of a loved one. Monthly meetings provide an opportunity for individuals to discuss their feelings and the changes the loss has brought to their lives. For more information, please call (217) 732-2161, Ext. 405.

A.G. Edwards & Son will sponsor the Red Cross blood drives on Feb. 7 and 21. They will be at the Lincoln Sports Complex, and hours for both drives will be from noon until 5 p.m.

The Logan Correctional Center will be the site for a blood drive Feb. 15 with hours from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Blood donors who recently reached goals are Willard Emmons and Elaine Knight, who have given 11 gallons each; David Andreason, 8; Hugh Hunter and Tim Aue, 6; Joyce Westen, 5; W. B. Frantz, 4; Karen Dellow and Kenneth Werth, 3; Shannon Leininger and Mary Riggs, 2; and Jennifer Heidbreder, Thomas B. Steiner and Sheila Sheley, 1 gallon each.

Rotarians hear presentation about Alzheimer's facility

Warren Dick, administrator at the Christian Village, spoke at the recent Lincoln Rotary Club meeting. His presentation was about the new Alzheimer's Unit at the Christian Village.

[Warren Dick, administrator at the Christian Village, speaks at Wednesday's Lincoln Rotary Club meeting. Mr. Dick was the guest of Rotarian Ray Dierker, pictured at left.]

The Lincoln Rotary Club is a service organization that meets each Wednesday at noon at the Restaurant at the Depot. New members are welcome and can contact Marty Ahrends at mjldn@lincolndailynews.com for more information about the activities of Rotary International.

In February, the Vineyard Cafe welcomes Alan Braun from Pekin. Alan plays an acoustic set that almost defies categorization. His first recording, "Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs," is available at various outlets around central Illinois. Come hear this unique artist on Saturday, Feb. 17. The Vineyard Cafe is at the Vineyard Christian Fellowship, south of Bloomington on Route 51, one-half mile south of I-74. Doors open at 7 p.m. Call (309) 663-4943 for more information or visit www.communityzone.com/community/vineyardcafe.

Update on activities at the Oasis

The Oasis will be closed for Lincoln’s Birthday.

Seats are still available for the Wednesday, Feb. 14, Par-A-Dice trip. Leave the Oasis at 10:30 a.m. Cost is $5. Call Oasis to make reservations.

State Farm Insurance donated computers to the Oasis on Friday, Feb. 2.  One of the Oasis’ present computers is being donated to the Safe House program in Lincoln.  The new computers will enhance the classes being given each Friday from 10 to 11 a.m. (beginners class) and 11 a.m. to noon (advanced class).  Please contact the Oasis to preregister for these classes.

Share

A price break on food

If someone wanted to give you $15, a little more or less, every month, would you take it? Maybe, depends? Well, let’s see, $15 x 12 = $180 per year. Now we’re talking. How do I get that, you say? Well, that’s the amount you will save by buying some of your basic groceries through the local Share program.

The price break is achieved by buying food in bulk. "When we all pool our money, we can get a better price," says John Sutton, local Share coordinator. Volunteers drive to western Illinois and as far east as Terre Haute, Ind., for food purchases and pickups. Peoria is the central clearinghouse. The Peoria Catholic Diocese serves as coordinator of Share in central Illinois.

"Share is open to anyone who wants to plunk down their money and perform some community service," says Sutton. Community service constitutes just about any activity you would do for someone else, from praying for someone to taking someone to the hospital — anything to help out your fellow man.

Participants pay only $15 per month. From that total, $14 is used to buy the food, and $1 is for transportation costs. Last month’s food had an equal value of $28.05 at the grocery store. It is composed of the same basic everyday kinds of foods. The food that has been purchased is divided equally, with everyone getting exactly the same thing. Anyone wanting to see if it is something they would benefit from is welcome to come by and have a look while the pickup is going on. It’s a good deal if it is food you would ordinarily buy anyway. It’s essentially half the price.

Share food pickups are once a month. This month’s pickup is this afternoon from 4 to 5:30 at St. John United Church of Christ. Sutton invites you to "come have a look." You can sign up for next month’s pickup if it suits you. He and the other volunteers would like to see lots more people take advantage of this opportunity. There’s plenty of room for this program to grow.

Calendars with pickup dates marked on them will be distributed at this afternoon’s pickup.

Who: Anyone who buys groceries

What: Basic foods sold at great savings

Why: Because it’s a great way to reduce your grocery bill

Where: St. John United Church of Christ, 204 Seventh St.

When: 4-5:30 p.m. Feb. 23, March 23, April 20

[LDN]

The Daughters of the American Revolution Salt Creek Prairie Chapter of Mason City will be about its business during the upcoming months. The chapter will use Steve's Family Restaurant, Route 29 and Route 10 in Mason City, for their Saturday, Feb. 24, meeting, which must be moved from Easton Methodist Church due to remodeling.  The one o'clock luncheon will be followed by guest William Hazard speaking on "Family Histories and Genealogies."

NSDAR Illinois State Convention will be March 22, 23, 24 and 25 at the Renaissance in Springfield.  Salt Creek Prairie Chapter delegates will be attending National Defense Night on March 23. USN Vice Admiral R. Thunman, submarine force commander, Pacific Fleet, will be the keynote speaker. The 144th Illinois National Guard band will perform patriotic and military music.  The gala state banquet on Sat., March 24, and the chapter recognition and awards brunch on Sunday, March 25, will also be scheduled events for the Salt Creek Prairie Chapter delegates.

[Mason City DAR news release

The Mason City Historical Society gears up for another exciting year of programs, exhibits and excitement.

Preparations are under way for opening of the museum's literary exhibit, featuring local writers of poetry, short stories, music and more. Of most recent interest is the newly published book by Jessie Johnson Young and a music cassette release by The Prairie Aires. The gift department of the museum plans to have these new releases available for purchase by the public. David W. Tomlin II, museum director, is excited to be showing the works of local artists in this year's rotating exhibits, including the literary works, textiles, photography, woodworking, hunt-art and more.  Museum hours at 120 N. Main will be weekends only.

As usual the historical society calendar is a highly sought after item.  The society will again depend on loaned photos to compile this demand item.  Begin now to set aside Mason City photos you would like to see in the 2002 calendar, which must meet earlier print deadlines each year.  Those looking for a trip down Mason City memory lane can still find 2001 calendars at City Hall, the museum and Mason City Pharmacy. Some pre-2001 editions are still available at the museum for individuals seeking keepsakes.  Mason City Historical Society also stocks a limited supply of the town afghan for special gifts any time of the year.

"Save a Site" continues to be an ongoing project for Mason City Historical Society.  The Soldier's Monument in Memorial Park is the current site of preference.  Once preservation and rededication of this site is completed, the society will select another neglected town site deserving preservation. To date the Soldier's Monument has a newly carved Civil War statue, new walk surrounding it and 240 tulip bulbs planted. Estimates to re-carve the original 184 Civil War soldier's names and other engravings in the marble structure, a base replacement, wrought iron fence for the monument and the soldier, plus other incidentals are completed and funding is now being sought.  Donations to "Save A Site" may be sent to Melanie Gordon, treasurer, 407 N. Main, Mason City, IL 62664. 

Again this year, Mason City Civil War Days on Memorial Day weekend will help fund the Soldier's Monument project. The May 26-27 event will again feature invited re-enactors for a living history weekend about the Civil War. Clubs and organizations of the community are invited to set aside those dates since period food booths, with items such as cookies, lemonade, fried chicken, ham sandwiches, taffy and apples, root beer and the like, are being recruited to be open all day Saturday, May 26. (Spectators and soldiers like to eat.)

The Saturday night Civil War Ball is being planned once again also.  Those attending in period dress will be admitted free. A costuming merchant is being solicited to set up shop in Mason City weeks in advance of the event. It is hoped that the shop will feature new, exchange or remake services.  Also available will be the local seamstresses who helped last year. If you think you can't dance and want to learn more about period steps, free lessons will run for six weeks preceding the Civil War Ball.

A memorial service at the monument will be Sunday, May 27, with a march to the cemetery, as was done last year.  As always, this kind of festival takes many volunteers as well as attendees. The Mason City Historical Society believes that the events will be fun and of great interest.

The purpose of the Mason City Historical Society is to bring together people interested in history, especially the history of this small Midwestern town.  This basic part of our democratic way of life gives us a better understanding of our state and nation and helps us to better appreciate our American heritage.  

The winter/spring programming schedule at the Lincoln Public Library begins on Feb. 5. Preschool story times are Monday and Tuesday mornings at 10 and Monday evenings at 6. A new program is being added in conjunction with the 10 a.m. Monday and Tuesday story times: a lap sit story time for babies from birth to 2 years of age and their mothers. Craft time will resume on Feb. 8 and will continue at 1 and 3:30 on Thursday afternoons through April 12. The American Girl Club will meet on Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 6 p.m. and will continue to meet the first Tuesday of the month through May 1. Please call the library at 732-5732 to register for these programs.

[Lincoln Public Library news release]

You're invited to an afternoon of free bowling

The Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs Task Force invites you to an afternoon of free bowling from noon to 4 on Sunday, Feb. 11, at Logan Lanes, 1750 Fifth St. in Lincoln. Bowling shoes, food and soft drinks will be provided.

The event is sponsored by the ATOD Task Force of the Healthy Communities Partnership.