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‘Treemendous Tree’ Contest

[APRIL 9, 2002]  The Logan County Master Gardeners are springing forward with several activities to promote horticulture in the county. Mark your calendars for April 27, when they will have a plant sale, planned to become an annual event. Perennials and houseplants will be available for purchase at the Extension office located at 980 Postville Drive.

The group will celebrate Arbor Day by sponsoring several activities April 30 through the first of May. Kickoff of the Arbor Day activities will be on April 30. Larry Mayhan, author of "In Search of Big Trees," will be the guest speaker at the Logan County Extension building at 7 p.m. This meeting is open to the public, and you are cordially invited to attend.

The Master Gardeners are also sponsoring a "Treemendous Tree" Contest, searching out the biggest trees of Logan County. All residents and property owners of Logan County are eligible to enter. Entry forms will be available at local banks and businesses throughout the county. Entries will close May 3, with trees being measured the following week and certificates awarded. [See more information on the tree contest.]

Don’t know where to put those plants you bought at the plant sale? The Master Gardeners will host a garden walk in Lincoln on June 8. Eight beautiful gardens in Lincoln will be featured. Highlights include gardens with water features, antique roses and the Scully estate. The gardens are truly inspiring and will give you many great ideas as well as an enjoyable day about town.

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It is the goal of the Master Gardeners to encourage citizens of Logan County to develop a greater appreciation for horticulture in their community. Interested in becoming a Master Gardener? Classes will begin this fall. The group encourages all people who are interested in gardening to "grow" along with them.

If you have any questions, please direct them to John Fulton at 732-8289.

[News release]

[APRIL 3, 2002]  ^"Stained Glass." Michael Bedard. Tundra Books, 2001. Grade 7 and up.

This well-written story is totally about the lives of three characters — their past, present and future — but mostly their past. Bedard’s book is different from others I’ve recently read because it is the character development rather than plot development that grabs you and keeps you reading.

Charles had been hiding in St. Bartholomew church each Friday when he was supposed to be taking piano lessons. One day while hiding he witnessed the accidental breaking of one of the church’s stained-glass windows. When went to the window to help clean up the broken glass, he met a young girl who had apparently been sleeping on the floor under the window.

Unable to get the image of the girl out of his mind, Charles returned to the church the next morning to see if she was still there. The girl was there with her guitar but had no memory of her past. Charles thought he could help her remember if they walked around town. The first place they stopped was a restaurant. While there, Charles put money in the jukebox and chose an Elvis song, but an aria by Bach was heard on the speakers. The girl seemed to know the tune and played along on the guitar.

Another piece of her memory came back during a visit to the library. Charles chose a book of baby names and started to read the list. Ambriel was the name she chose. Unfortunately, in their haste to leave they accidentally took the book with them.

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As Charles and Ambriel walked all over town, up and down streets, through the parks and the glass-domed conservatory, Ambriel picked up pieces of broken glass as well as vague memories. In helping Ambriel jog her memory, Charles realized that places they visited and items seen also brought back pieces of his memory. He glimpsed an old book that was a favorite his older sister had read to him, saw handprints in the cement, smelled lilies and heard the sound of broken glass.

"Was there some sense to them, some pattern to the pieces?" he wondered. "…Did they tell a story like the stories in the stained glass at St. Bart’s?"

Just as Charles and Ambriel were piecing together memories, Mr. Berkely was trying to piece together the broken window before Sunday. As he worked he would look behind him, expecting to see someone standing there. "The sense of presence grew stronger as time passed and the glass came slowly together."

While working to repair the stained-glass window, George Berkely realized the extent of his grief and worked through it by using glass-making skills he hadn’t used since his wife’s death. Charles also began to work through the grief of his father’s death while visiting the areas of town with Ambriel.

In the end the reader is left to decide who Ambriel was and where she came from, and Charles recognized that all the events of his life were still present in memory and part of the pattern that made him who he was.

"Stained Glass" is a thought-provoking gem to be enjoyed by young adults and adults.

[Pat Schlough, Lincoln Public Library District]

• Lincoln Community Theatre

• Logan County Arts Association

Auditions for summer shows

[APRIL 9, 2002]  Lincoln Community Theatre is looking for local talent to sing, dance and act in its summer 2002 productions. Singing and non-singing roles are available.

If auditioning for a role in one of this summer’s musical productions, individuals should have a song prepared. An accompanist will be available. Individuals should also be prepared to learn a few basic dance steps at the audition.

Those auditioning for non-singing roles will be required to do cold readings from the script. Scripts may be viewed at the Lincoln Public Library two weeks prior to each audition. Library scripts may not be removed from the building.

All auditions will be conducted at St. John Church of Christ, 204 Seventh St. in Lincoln.

Production and audition dates are as follows:

•  "Hello, Dolly!"

Performance dates: June 14-22

Auditions:

•  Friday, April 12, 6 p.m.

•  Saturday, April 13, 10 a.m.

•  Sunday, April 14, 2 p.m., callbacks only

You will be asked to sing a song, your choice or one from "Hello, Dolly." You will also be taught a simple dance (you do not need to prepare one). The director is looking in the age range of 25 to 60, but all are welcome to audition.

•  "Dearly Departed"

Performance dates: July 12-20

Auditions:

•  Friday, May 10, 6:30 p.m.

•  Saturday, May 11, 10 a.m.

The director is looking for actors age 20 and above. There will be four to six men, six to eight women, a trio of singers and a part for one teenage girl. There are lots of parts for older mature actors. People auditioning should plan to be there for entire audition session (1½ to two hours).

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[Judy Rader, LCT publicity chairman]

[MARCH 14, 2002]  Boston Brass is, as they sound, a quintet of brass instrument players. The brass instruments themselves were numerous. They include a French horn, a trombone, a tuba and various trumpets (such as the tiny piccolo trumpet). The players’ costumes — bright purple suit jackets — seem to be their signature.

The members of the group include Richard Kelly, trumpet player from Juilliard School of Music; Jeff Conner, trumpet player from Boston University and Boston Conservatory; J.D. Shaw, French horn player from the Eastman School of Music; Ed Clough, trombone player from Boston University; and Andrew Hitz, tuba player from Northwestern University and Arizona State University.

Many of their musical numbers were originally written for other instruments but were arranged by J.D. Shaw, their talented French horn player. This includes their opening piece, "Tournament Gallop," by the first American piano virtuoso, Louis Moreau Gottschalk. When asked why it took five instruments to play the one-instrument piece, Shaw explained that Gottschalk had 10 fingers, and between the five of them, they have 10 lips.

Other Shaw arrangements included Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8, Op. 110 (also in the first half) and Duke Ellington’s "Caravan."

The rest of the first half consisted of "Danza Finale" from Alberto Ginastera’s nationalistic ballet "Estancia," Franz Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 (made famous by Bugs Bunny) and Henry Fillmore’s "Circus Bee."

The mood was light and classical. The pieces were fun but inspired reverence, as most classical pieces will.

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Lincoln Community Theatre’s website is at www.geocities.com/lincolncommunitytheatre/index.html. Pictures from past productions are included.  The LCT mailing address is Lincoln Community Theatre, P.O. Box 374, Lincoln, IL  62656.  E-mail: lincolncommunitytheatre@yahoo.com.

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