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Owl
exhibit at Lincoln Public Library
[FEB.
15, 2002] "Owls,
the Silent Hunters," a pictorial exhibit from the Illinois
Audubon Society, is on display now in the Annex of the Lincoln
Public Library.
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The
exhibit shows the eight types of owls, both common and uncommon,
that may be seen in Illinois and tells something about the habits of
these nocturnal birds of prey.
Owls
are silent hunters because they have very soft feathers that make no
noise as they fly, so they can easily sneak up on their prey. They
also have excellent hearing, binocular vision, strong feet and
talons for capturing prey, and hooked beaks for tearing it into
bite-size piece pieces.
![](../images/021502pics/owl_art2.jpg)
[Photos by Joan Crabb]
They
see quite well in the dark, and because of their binocular vision
(like ours) they can judge distance and movement very well. Because
they cannot move their eyes, they turn their heads from side to side
just as we do.
Owls
are beneficial to man because they eat mostly mice, rats and harmful
insects. They can swallow small prey at one gulp and then
regurgitate the bones and fur in small pellets. These pellets can be
found on the ground under the places where owls roost.
They
are attentive parents and take good care of their young owlets.
[to top of second column in this
article]
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The
most common owls in Illinois are the great horned owl, a large owl
that can be as much as 25 inches tall and has ear tufts that
resemble horns; the barred owl, also a large owl but without ear
tufts; and the screech owl, 7 to 10 inches long, with small ear
tufts. The screech owl is the one most often seen and heard near our
homes.
Barn
owls, with their distinctive pale heart-shaped faces, are becoming
rare. Like short-eared owls, they favor open farmlands and prairies.
Snowy owls are occasional winter visitors from the Arctic, and
long-eared and saw-whet owls are also more likely to found in
Illinois during the winter.
Other
exhibits from the Illinois Audubon Society will be on display at the
Lincoln Public Library in the coming months.
![](../images/021502pics/owl_art.jpg)
The
Illinois Audubon Society is the oldest conservation organization in
Illinois, founded in1897. It works to preserve habitat, especially
for threatened and endangered species, and sponsors educational
programs, such as field trips and workshops, for both young people
and adults. It is not part of the National Audubon Society.
For
more information about the Illinois Audubon Society, write to P.O.
Box 2418, Danville, IL 61834-2418; phone (217) 446-5085; or visit
the website at www.illinoisaudubon.org.
[Joan
Crabb]
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The
competition is on
Play board games at Lincoln Public
Library
[JAN.
18, 2002] Bored
with winter? Lincoln Public Library presents "Board Games
Rodeo" from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. every Saturday through
March 23 in the Pegram Community Room.
If
you are high school age through adult, you are invited to come and
compete against your fellow "boardmeisters" in games of
Monopoly, Risk, Scrabble, chess, checkers, Chinese checkers,
backgammon, Trivial Pursuit and Yatzee. Remember to bring your
gameboard so everyone can participate.
Tri-County
AmeriCorps volunteers serve as referees.
Light
snacks are served.
For
more information about this program, visit the library at 725 Pekin
St. or call (217) 732-8878 or 732-5732.
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‘Futureland’
[FEB.
13, 2002] "Futureland,"
by Walter Mosley
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The
corporate controlled, high-tech world of the year 2022 is the
setting for Walter Mosley’s latest novel, "Futureland."
Mosley is best known for his mysteries featuring the character Easy
Rawlins, but in this novel, as in his earlier 1998 novel "Blue
Light," Mosley leaves the genre he is best known for writing
and again ventures into the realm of science fiction.
![](../images/021302pics/futureland_art.jpg)
"Futureland"
gives us excerpts of the lives of nine very different
African-Americans making their way in a time in which racism,
classism and sexism still exist. Although the characters in this
collection of stories come from different backgrounds, have
different occupations and live in different locations, Mosley
interweaves their lives throughout each tale, thus providing the
common ground for the novel.
Mosley
introduces such characters as:
• "Popo" Bent:
The impoverished child genius who hears God’s voice in his
homemade computer.
• Folio Johnson: A
private detective outfitted with an artificial eye that allows him
access to information in the blink of an eye.
• Fera Jones: A woman
boxer who crosses the gender barrier in an attempt to become boxing’s
world champion.
• Dr. Ivan Kissmet: The
man who imagines himself a god.
• "Bits": The
hacker convicted for "antisocial" behavior and sentenced
to a licensing facility until it can be proven he is no longer a
threat to society.
![](../images/ads/Tourism%20Bureau/tourism3.gif)
[to top of second column in this
review]
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• Professor Leon Jones:
One-time history professor, cured of his addiction to the deadly
drug "Pulse" by the only means possible, a living brain
tissue transplant.
• Frendon Ibrahim Blythe:
prisoner of Sacramento’s’ newly instituted and almost fully
automated Sac’m Justice system.
• Neil Hawthorne: Who
knew that employment was the only thing that stood between the
working "M" and the living death of Common Ground.
• Harold Bottoms: The
man who lives in a world ravaged by disease, a disease that was 100
percent fatal to everybody that got it — everybody but people with
at least 12.5 percent African blood, that is.
![](../images/ads/logan_cty_health_dpt/smokefreer6.gif)
Walter
Mosley is the New York Times best-selling author of "Blue
Light" and the Easy Rawlins novels, including "A Little
Yellow Dog" and "Devil in a Blue Dress." His books
have been translated into 20 languages, and his short-story
collection "Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned" received
the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award. Born in Los Angeles, he has been a
potter, a computer programmer and a poet. Walter Mosley lives in New
York. (Biographical information taken from book jacket.)
[Bobbi
Reddix, Lincoln Public Library District]
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‘Wizard
of Oz’ to be presented at LCC
[FEB.
19, 2002] "The Wizard of
Oz," the spring play at Lincoln Christian College, will be presented in the Earl C
Hargrove Auditorium on the LCC campus at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21, 22 and 23.
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The play was written
by L. Frank Baum, Harold Arlen and
E.Y. Harburg.
Directors
are Tim Searby and LCC Professor James Allison.
Tickets
are $6 for adults and $4 for students. For groups of 20 people or
more, the price is $1 off per ticket.
For
more information, call the Hargrove Auditorium office at 1 (888)
522-5228, Ext. 2354.
[LCC news release]
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Community
Theatre Showcase in Decatur on March 2
[FEB.
14, 2002] "Show’n’Tell,"
a Community Theatre Showcase, will be presented from 8 a.m. to 5
p.m. on Saturday, March 2, in Decatur. The one-day event will be at
the Shilling Community Education Center at Richland Community
College.
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Theatre
7, Richland Community College and Illinois Theatre Association
Community Theatre Division are hosting the program.
Schedule
8
a.m. — Registration, continental breakfast
8:45
a.m. — Opening remarks, welcome
9
a.m. — Presentations
A.
"Lighting for Dummies"
B.
"Round Robin" (four tables)
Ensemble
casts
Learning
lines
Texturing
sets
Play
selection
C.
"Plant the Seed of Theatre" (in children 7-10 years old);
"Watching It Grow" (teens)
10:15
a.m. — Presentations
A.
and B. Repeat presentations
C.
Auditioning
11:30
a.m. — Lunch and exhibits
12:30
p.m. — Four one-hour shows
4:30
p.m. — Wrap-up and evaluation
For
more information, contact Theatre 7’s Molly Shade, molshade@aol.com.
[Theatre
7 news release]
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Community
Concert review
Rhythm
Brothers jazz up Logan County
By Gina
Sennett
[FEB.
11, 2002] Alison
England was from California; the Pasadena Roof Orchestra was from
England; and the Rhythm Brothers are not related, to paraphrase
their introduction. The Rhythm Brothers is a quartet consisting of
— at various times — two guitars, a banjo, a fiddle, a bass, a
sousaphone and four silky voices. If that isn’t enough, add in
"the music of Raul Reynoso and the humor of Doug
Mattocks," and you get one entertaining show.
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The
Rhythm Brothers have played everywhere from Carnegie Hall to the
Grand Ole Opry to Disneyland. And now they have graced Lincoln with
their talented "plucking and strumming" as this month’s
feature in the Lincoln Land Community Concerts series, at the chapel
of Lincoln Christian College.
The
band consists of Raul Reynoso, Doug Mattocks, Paul Shelasky and Lee
"Westy" Westenhofer.
![](../images/021102pics/rhythmbros2.jpg)
Reynoso
is an extremely talented guitarist and songwriter. His songs have
been described as "True World Music," since they come from
his mixed background of Latin American culture, Los Angeles society
and luegrass guitar. The band played a few of them, including "Matelot"
and "Waneta’s Waltz."
Mattocks,
a comedian and guitarist, also plays all three of the major styles
of banjo: four-string tenor and plectrum and five-string bluegrass.
As the unofficial leader of the band, his quick tongue keeps the
show moving.
[to top of second column in
this article]
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Shelasky
is an accomplished fiddle player. His talent has taken him from the
California State Fiddle Championships to international tours in
North America and Europe. He also is a songwriter. The band
performed one of his Discovery Channel-inspired love songs as an
encore, "I Don’t Want a Praying Mantis Love Affair."Westenhofer
plays the upright bass for the band. His playfully driving rhythms
give their songs, for lack of a better word, oomph. His renditions
of "Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring" and "Dueling Banjos" played on
the sousaphone are experiences no music lover should miss.
For
their sets at Saturday’s concert, the band chose a wide variety of
tunes from all the ages of American string music. Traditional banjo
tunes included "Oh! Susanna" and "Foggy Mountain
Breakdown." The band’s smooth harmonies came out in the jazz
tunes "What a Little Moonlight Can Do," "Chicken Ain’t
Nothing but a Bird" and "Girl in the Little Green
Hat." Bluegrass fans were delighted by "Rolling in my
Sweet Baby’s Arms" and "Orange Blossom Special."
Selections also included some Spanish favorites, such as "Malagueña."
Wonderful
music was not the only gift given to the audience. Many of the song
introductions included brief music history or music appreciation
lessons. For example, the guitars played by Reynoso and Mattocks
were reproductions of traditional French guitars used by early jazz
players. Reynoso played the "petite bouche" or
"little mouth" guitar, which describes the opening in the
body. Mattocks’ guitar, the "grande bouche" or
"large mouth" version had a much wider opening, allowing a
different sound.
Music
appreciation teachers or new style of string quartet, the Rhythm
Brothers provided an entertaining and educational concert for Logan
County residents.
For
more information, go to http://www.rhythmbrothers.com.
[Gina
Sennett]
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‘Sylvia’
playing at Richland
[FEB.
7, 2002] Merely
Players, in cooperation with the Richland Community College
Forensicaturs (for EN sic ay ters), present the two-act adult comedy
"Sylvia" in Shilling Auditorium on Feb. 14, 15, 16, 22 and
23. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. for each performance. Tickets are
available at the door or by calling 875-7211, Ext. 342.
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All
proceeds from the production will benefit the Richland speech and
debate team.
Sylvia
is actually a dog who speaks — and watch out when she does! A
stray taken in by a couple in the midst of empty nest syndrome
(among other hilarious complications), Sylvia chews on shoes and
hearts with equal fervor.
The
opening performance, on Valentine’s Day, features a "non-blue night"
with special and free admission to students with current photo IDs.
The adult language will be modified for this performance only.
[to top of second column in
this article]
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The
cast is composed of Richland’s four speech team coaches: Carrie
Foxx as Sylvia, Joe Straka as Greg, Sam Straka as Kate, and Mike
Huff as Tom, Phyl and Leslie.
Karen
Becker is the producer and director. Assistant director is Vicky Sue
Gilpin, and technical director is David Gilpin.
Running
time is approximately two hours.
For further information,
or to enter your dog as the canine equivalent as star of the show,
or for group ticket discounts, contact Sam Straka of Merely Players
at 848-0045.
[News
release from Merely Players]
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Theatre
7 offers workshop leading up to auditions
[FEB.
7, 2002] Theatre
7 in Decatur announces an audition workshop along with auditions for
the musical comedy "Anything Goes."
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Want
to be on stage... but afraid to try?
"Auditioning
Conditioning" is a workshop offered by Theatre 7’s director,
Mike Redlinger, to help nervous potential performers cope and
provide them with helpful hints for better tryouts. The workshop
will be on Saturday, Feb. 16, from 1 to 3 p.m., at T7’s
headquarters, 131 N. Water in Decatur. Reservations are not required
and there is no charge.
This
will be an excellent opportunity to become familiar with the music,
history, highlights, cast requirements and rehearsal schedule for
Theatre 7 upcoming production of the musical comedy "Anything
Goes." The cast consists of 26 male and 26 female roles, ages
16-80.
[to top of second column in
this article]
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Auditions
for "Anything Goes" are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday,
Feb. 18 and 19, at 6:30 p.m., at the Decatur Civic Center Theater.
Those participating should be prepared to read script, sing and
dance.
For
more information about both the workshop and the auditions, call
director Mike Redlinger at 864-2482.
[Theatre 7
news release]
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Lincoln Community Theatre
information
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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