Features

[AUG. 13, 2002]  Two local business owners have been elected to fill vacancies on the Main Street Lincoln board of directors.

[Main Street Lincoln press release]

[AUG. 12, 2002]  As of July, Governor Oglesby Street in Elkhart is home to a new bakery and an adjoining archaeological museum.

The Bluestem Bake Shop, owned by Cynthia Hinton of Athens, offers a variety of pastries as well as sandwiches, soup and a garden salad. It is open 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday.

Hours for the Under the Prairie Frontier Archaeological Museum are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. Run by Hinton’s husband, Robert Mazrim, it is next door to the bakery, in the 100 block of Elkhart’s main drag, directly across from the war memorial.

[Photos by Lynn Shearer-Spellman]
[Cynthia Hinton offers a tray of cookies.]

The sandwich menu at Bluestem Bake Shop includes ham and cheddar as well as either chicken salad or turkey and cheese on a croissant. During the summer there is a veggie sandwich with light cream cheese. Soups change from day to day. Three varieties are cream of mushroom with asparagus, Illinois sweet corn soup and chicken dinner, which Hinton says contains "all the fixings for a chicken dinner" — chicken, green beans and potatoes.

The pastry cabinet showcases such treats as raspberry Danish, chocolate chip pecan muffins and a French doughnut that looks like a muffin but has the texture of a cake doughnut. There are several varieties of cookies, including macadamia nut. One unusual offering is Abraham Lincoln’s favorite cake, vanilla almond with a seven-minute frosting.

Hinton bakes the pastries daily from scratch. She says she focuses on "comfort cooking."

Volunteers Vi Lanum and Tasha Dawson assist Hinton.

Both the bakery and museum are located in the Stahl building. Mazrim said the building was structurally sound and needed only remodeling. In the process the owners uncovered the tin ceiling and wood floor, as well as some exposed brick at the top of one wall in the bakeshop. The bakery is painted a soft olive green and features five wooden tables with assorted chairs.

The Bluestem Bake Shop takes its name from a prairie grass which once flourished in central Illinois. The name meshes with the focus of the museum, which interprets everyday Midwestern life during the late 1700s and early 1800s. Displays of pre-Civil War artifacts as well as publications on Illinois heritage for sale in the bakeshop also announce this focus. Entry to the museum is along one wall of the bakery.

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The museum is operated by the Sangamo Archaeological Center, which has offices, an archaeological laboratory and curatorial facility in the building. Mazrim, who directs the museum, is also a consultant to the state on historical archaeological projects. He possesses educational credentials in both anthropology and archaeology and has been active in the field for almost 15 years.

The well-lighted and clearly explained museum displays present pottery, utensils, tools, glassware, weapons and other artifacts of the pre-Civil War era. Some Native American tools and artifacts are also exhibited. Special displays highlight artifacts uncovered in digs on Elkhart Hill and in Sangamo Town, south of New Salem, which was abandoned about 1840.

[The exterior of the archaeological museum on
Governor Oglesby Street in Elkhart.]

Mazrim defines the museum as the "archaeological equivalent of New Salem." No artifacts actually come from New Salem, but because the two focus on the same period, the 1830s, he sees it as the most important tie to nearby tourism. "I hope to see enhanced activity in Logan County by the next tourist season," he said.

Elkhart was chosen as the museum site because it has easy access to I-55 and is relevant to the frontier period, being situated on the northern edge of the 1,500-square-mile Sangamo Country and along an early travel route. In addition, Mazrim said he liked the Elkhart downtown area, which is still alive and active.

Edwards’ Trace, a 300-year-old trail between the Great Lakes fur trading posts and the settlements along the Mississippi near St. Louis, crossed Elkhart Hill. Mazrim said the trail climbed the hill because the surrounding flat land was swampy. The hill also provided a lookout point.

Besides maintaining the museum, the Sangamo Archaeological Center will issue a series of publications and provide educational programs. Mazrim said one of the earliest bulletins will describe what is known about Edwards’ Trace. Educational programs will interpret material culture, or objects from everyday life, and will depend on what projects are asked for and funded.

Entry to the museum costs $3 for adults. Children under 6 visit free.

[Lynn Shearer Spellman]

Where do you go for the
goods and services you want?

In the know…

You finally discover where the best chai in town is and you’re ecstatic! Then you discover it’s been there a year or so and no one told you about it. You’re exasperated! Local businesses change hands, move, increase their stock or services, do all sorts of things you’d really like to know about, and somehow you don’t get in on it.

LogOn Production’s Channel 15 has the show you’ve been waiting for — "Chamber Chat." It airs from 5:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays. The Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce hosts the weekly half-hour LIVE talk show.

"Chamber Chat" features updates on local business activity, community events, issues, and interviews with volunteers and leaders of special programs taking place in the community. There will also be opportunity for viewers to call in with live questions.

There are plans to occasionally film segments on location in local businesses to add to the perspective and content of the show.

The show will air several additional times each week, but Tuesday night will be the LIVE show. [Click here to hear it!]

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Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bobbi Abbott thinks, "A focus on our GOOD NEWS will hopefully provide a domino effect in positive attitudes and opinions about our community."

Abbott invites, "If you have business activity, please e-mail to me any news about your place of business — expansions, new employees, new products or services, changes in location or management, etc."

Bobbi Abbott, Executive Director

303 S. Kickapoo Street

Lincoln, IL 62656

(217) 735-2385

chamber@lincolnillinois.com

www.lincolnillinois.com

[LDN]

Announcements

ALMH announces new staff appointments

[AUG. 15, 2002]  Recent staff appointments at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital bring new supervision to rehabilitation services, the Family Maternity Suites and Women’s Health Unit.

[Photos provided by ALMH]

Vicki M. Colonius, RN, BSN, has joined the local hospital as the new nurse manager of the Family Maternity Suites and Women’s Health Unit.

Colonius, who has 17 years of nursing experience in acute care, women’s health and administration, is certified in a number of specialties, including advanced cardiac life support, pediatric advanced life support, basic electrocardiography, neonate resuscitation, and Association of Women’s Health, Obstetrics, and Neonatal Nursing fetal monitoring. She has taught many classes, including childbirth education, breast-feeding, and neonate resuscitation.

After receiving her associate degree in nursing from Lincoln Land Community College, Colonius attended McKendree College in Lebanon, Ill., where she received her bachelor’s degree in nursing. She currently attends Southern Illinois University in Springfield, pursuing a master’s degree in nursing with a focus in health care administration.

"I am looking forward to working with the many wonderful people here at Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital. The new Family Maternity Suites and Women’s Health Unit is absolutely beautiful, and the physicians and staff are experienced and dedicated to serving the community’s needs with an emphasis on safety and quality care," states Colonius.

Colonius, who began at ALMH on July 19, was previously the nurse manager of the women’s health unit at St. Vincent Memorial Hospital in Taylorville, which is affiliated with ALMH. Colonius will reside in Morton with her family.

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Mary Jo Reynolds, a licensed physical therapist, is the new supervisor of rehabilitation services. Dolan Dalpoas will remain at ALMH and serve as the director of quality management.

Reynolds received her bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from St. Louis University and has a master’s degree in health science from Washington University in St. Louis.

She has 13 years of experience encompassing a wide range of practice, including inpatient care, outpatient care, wound care and home health. Reynolds also completed a comprehensive program of 135 hours in lymphedema to become a certified lymphedema therapist from the Klose-Norton training program.

Lymphedema is a condition causing swelling of the arm or legs from either the removal of lymph nodes from cancer surgery or from a congenital abnormality. It is treated, not cured, through manual lymph drainage (a massage technique), compression bandaging, self-bandaging and compression garments. It is a widely used technique in Europe, especially in Germany. The most common use is in the mastectomy patient who has lost a significant amount of lymph nodes, with a slow resultant increase in size of the arm.

For more information regarding lymphedema, please call the ALMH rehabilitation department at (217) 732-2161, Ext. 179.

[News release]

The Chamber Report

The chamber of commerce is a catalyst for community progress, bringing business and professional people together to work for the common good of Lincoln and Logan County.

Bobbi Abbott, Executive Director

Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce

303 S. Kickapoo St.

Lincoln, IL 62656

(217) 735-2385

chamber@lincolnillinois.com
www.lincolnillinois.com

Honors & Awards

Main Street Corner News

Main Street Lincoln

Cindy McLaughlin, program manager

303 S. Kickapoo

Lincoln, IL 62656

Phone: (217) 732-2929

Fax: (217) 735-9205

E-mail: manager@mainstreetlincoln.com

Job Hunt

Lincolndailynews.com makes it easy to look for a job in the Logan County area.

Employers, you can list available jobs by e-mailing ads@lincolndailynews.com. Each job listing costs $10 the first week, $20 for eight days to one month. There is a limit of 75 words per announcement.

Classifieds

Padre Island, Texas. Deeded time share week. Luxury two-bedroom beach resort. Trade anywhere worldwide. Paid $9,000. Divorce; must sell; only $3,000. (217) 732-4648 or (208) 255-3016.

To place a classified ad, e-mail ads@lincolndailynews.com or call (217) 732-7443.