Organizations,  Events,  Milestones,

Good Neighbors,  Fund-raisers,  A Day in the Life...,

Diaspora,  Family and Friends in the Armed Forces,  

Reunions,  Reminiscence

March 2002

Friday, March 8
SPONSOR: Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce Government/Education Committee
WHO: Public; RSVP to 735-2385
WHAT: "Meet the State Candidates Breakfast"
WHERE: Room 49, Restoration Hall, Lincoln Christian College and Seminary
WHEN: 7:30-9 am

Saturday, March 9
SPONSOR: St. John United Church of Christ
WHO: Public
WHAT: Craft show
WHERE: 204 Seventh St.
WHEN: 8 am - 3 pm; lunch available 11 am - 1:30 pm

SPONSOR: Lincoln Public Library
WHO: Public, high school age through adult
WHAT: Board Games Rodeo
WHERE: Lincoln Public Library, Pegram Community Room
WHEN: 11:30 am to 2:30 pm

SPONSOR: Beta Sigma Phi
WHO: Public
WHAT: "School Daze" benefit dance for school supply project for area children
WHERE: Moose Lodge, 521 N. Kickapoo
WHEN: 8-11 pm

Sunday, March 10
SPONSOR: Atlanta Fire Department
WHO: Public
WHAT: Pancake and sausage breakfast
WHERE: Atlanta firehouse
WHEN: Beginning at 7 am

Tuesday, March 12
SPONSOR: U of I Extension
WHO: Public
WHAT: “Salad Sensations,” presented by Jananne Finck, nutrition and wellness educator, Springfield
WHERE: Extension office, 980 N. Postville Drive
WHEN: Noon - 1 pm

Thursday, March 14
SPONSOR: Logan County Arts Association
WHO: Public
WHAT: Classic Film Night showing of "On the Waterfront"
WHERE: Lincoln Cinemas
WHEN: 7 pm

Saturday, March 16
SPONSOR: Lincoln Public Library
WHO: Public, high school age through adult
WHAT: Board Games Rodeo
WHERE: Lincoln Public Library, Pegram Community Room
WHEN: 11:30 am to 2:30 pm

Friday, March 22
SPONSOR: Logan County Health Department and Lincoln Park District
WHO: Logan County fifth-graders
WHAT: Children's Health Fair
WHERE: Lincoln Sports Complex, 1400 Primm Road
WHEN: 8:45 am to 2:30 pm

Saturday, March 23
SPONSOR: Logan County Health Department and Lincoln Park District
WHO: Public
WHAT: Community Health Fair
WHERE: Lincoln Sports Complex, 1400 Primm Road
WHEN: 9 am to 2 pm

SPONSOR: American Red Cross
WHO: Public
WHAT: Blood drive
WHERE: Lincoln Sports Complex, 1400 Primm Road
WHEN: 9 am to 2 pm

SPONSOR: Lincoln Public Library
WHO: Public, high school age through adult
WHAT: Board Games Rodeo
WHERE: Lincoln Public Library, Pegram Community Room
WHEN: 11:30 am to 2:30 pm

Saturday, March 30
WHO: Public
WHAT: Annual Lake Fork Community Sale
WHERE: Lake Fork
WHEN: Breakfast starts at 7 am

SPONSOR: Lincoln Park District
WHO: Public
WHAT: Easter egg hunt
WHERE: Lincoln Park District, 1400 Primm Road
WHEN: 10 am

SPECIAL EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:  CIEDC annual dinner invitation,  Parrishes honored as Paul Harris Fellow recipients,  Beta Sigma Phi plans ‘School Daze’ benefit dance,  HOI scholarship program seeks applicants

REGULAR POSTINGS FOR ORGANIZATIONS:  Girl Scouts,  Lincoln Writers’ Club,  Oasis,  U of I Extension,  Rotary,  YMCA

The corporate board of Central Illinois Economic Development Corporation, the local Community Action Agency, will have its annual meeting and dinner on Thursday, March 21.

CIEDC is a private not-for-profit organization whose mission is "to work towards the reduction and eventual elimination of the causes and effects of poverty." CIEDC was established in 1966 and provides a variety of programs to the low-income and elderly of its service area, including Logan, Mason, Piatt, DeWitt, Menard and Fulton counties.

The CIEDC corporate board is a tripartite board of 36 members drawn from its service area. Membership on the board is evenly divided between three areas of representation: governmental, client and private sectors. CIEDC’s corporate board meets monthly at their administrative office in Lincoln.

The annual meeting on Thursday, March 21, will begin at 5 p.m. at CIEDC’s central office, 1800 Fifth St., Lincoln

The dinner, which begins at 6:30 p.m., will be at Lincoln Moose Lodge, 521 N. Kickapoo St. in Lincoln. A brief program will follow the dinner. The guest speaker will be Vince Clark, the executive director of the Kankakee County Community Service office.

The dinner is open to the public, at a cost of $12.50 per person for the meal. To make dinner reservations, call CIEDC’s administrative office at (217) 732-2159 and ask for the fiscal office. Reservations may be made up to 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 14.

For more information on the annual meeting and dinner or any of CIEDC’s programs, contact your local CIEDC Community Action office.

[Dee Altman of CIEDC]

The Oasis, Logan County’s senior citizen center, at 501 Pulaski St. in Lincoln, is open weekdays (except holidays) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The center also is open on Friday and Sunday nights for table games. Dominic Dalpoas is the executive director. Activities are open to all Logan County senior citizens, regardless of membership.

Bingo games

Maple Ridge Care Centre will sponsor the weekly bingo games starting at 1 p.m. Thursday, March 7. The drawing for a free lunch is sponsored by First Wok.

Circuit Breaker

For assistance with Circuit Breaker applications, The Oasis van will be in the following communities on March 12: Atlanta, Beason, Chestnut, Latham, Mount Pulaski and Lake Fork. Please call for an appointment.

Think Tank

Join us Wednesday, March 13, at 9 a.m. for an informative meeting with Robert Brandt of the Logan County Sheriff’s Department.

Auction

Mark your calendars for 10 a.m. March 16. You can plan on a fun-filled day at our second annual auction with an opportunity to bid on new and used items. In addition to gift certificates, handcrafted gift baskets and jewelry, you may bid on a "gently used" Wurlitzer electric organ.

Grandparents raising grandchildren

The U of I Extension and The Oasis are partnering again this year to sponsor a support group for grandparents raising grandchildren. Issues to be addressed are financial, legal, school and community relations, and parenting skills. Introductory meetings will be on March 18 at 7 p.m. and March 20 at 1 p.m. at the U of I Extension office, 980 Postville Drive. Please join us on one of those dates.

Health fair

Mark your calendar for 10 a.m. March 23. Stop by our booth at the Rec Center that day and say hello. We will have information about all of our services. If you haven’t joined already, we would like to have you join our organization, and membership forms will be available.

Special request for volunteers

We have a need for people who can just "tie bows." We would like to make some specialty items for the Easter season and need help making "bunny rabbits" from kitchen towels and "quillows," which only require sewing a straight line and tying knots. Please call The Oasis to volunteer a few hours of your time to help us help ourselves.

Game winners

The weekday pinochle winner for Feb. 22 was Easter Behrends. Weekend game winners for Feb. 22 were Joan Morgan for pinochle and Henry Warnisher, Tom Garrison and Louise Wiebers for 5 in 1.

Newsletter

Friends of The Oasis members receive bimonthly newsletters by mail. For more information, people can call The Oasis at 732-6132 or 732-5844.

The Lincoln Rotary Club recently presented a check for $400 to Boy Scout Troop 102 to assist with the purchase of a new engine for their troop bus.  Pictured from left to right are Assistant Scoutmaster Jim Meyrick, Lincoln Rotary Club Director of Vocational Service Joe Runyon, Scout Joe Gillen, and Troop 102 Scoutmaster Ken Aderman.

The Rotary contribution, along with donations of peripheral equipment from Graue Chevrolet and profits from a troop chili supper, will help Troop 102 finance the cost of the new engine.  Troop members will install the new engine on March 16. 

Profits from Rotary’s annual citrus sale are used to financially support special projects of several community organizations.  Lincoln Rotary also awards $3,000 in scholarships to LCHS graduating seniors each year and works directly with local youth in a number of activities.

The Lincoln Rotary Club, which is 65 members strong and growing, will coordinate a special literacy activity on Friday, March 1, at approximately 12:30.  Twenty Rotarians will read their favorite books in classrooms at Northwest and Jefferson Elementary School.  The club will also make a special presentation of books with patriotic themes for use in all District 27 school libraries.

[Marty Ahrends]

Lincoln Rotarian Robert Parrish and his wife, Wilma, were honored Feb. 20 with a second Paul Harris Fellowship from Rotary International.  Robert Parrish first earned recognition as a Paul Harris Fellow in June 1992.

Past District Governor Dan Thornburgh of Charleston awarded Wilma Parrish a Paul Harris Fellowship in appreciation of her husband’s three years of service as an assistant district governor in District 6490. 

[Left to right:  Past District Governor Dan Thornburgh,
Ruth Hoppin, Wilma Parrish and Bob Parrish]

Assistant district governors, or ADGs as they are more commonly known in Rotary lingo, provide direct guidance to a small group of Rotary clubs within each district, ensuring that clubs focus on programs and projects that are consistent with the goals of Rotary International.  Parrish’s group of clubs included Atlanta, Bloomington, Bloomington-Normal Sunrise & Sunset Clubs, Clinton and Lincoln.

Parrish has been very active in the Lincoln Rotary Club since joining in 1981 at the request of Fred Hoppin. He was club president in 1991-92 and currently serves on the District 6490 committees for group study exchange, leadership succession and development, and annual giving. 

The Paul Harris Fellows program recognizes Rotarians who have made gifts of $1,000 or more to the Rotary Foundation to support good-will projects around the world.  The Lincoln Rotary Club currently has 21 members who are Paul Harris Fellows out of a total membership of 65.

[Marty Ahrends]

University of Illinois Extension, Logan County Unit, will offer a lesson on "Salad Sensations" over the lunch hour (from noon to 1 p.m.) March 12 at the Extension office. Jananne Finck, nutrition and wellness educator from Springfield, will present the program. Salad samples will be provided as lunch.

Please call the Extension office at 732-8289 by noon on Friday, March 8, to make a reservation. There is no charge for the program. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in the program, please mention it when you make your reservation.

[Extension news release]

The local office of the University of Illinois Extension is hosting a series of educational presentations. Anyone and everyone is welcome. Programs will be at the Extension office at the northwest corner of the fairgrounds, 980 N. Postville Drive.

•  Tuesday, March 12, 2002, noon to 1 p.m. — "Salad Sensations," Jananne Finck, nutrition and wellness educator, Springfield

YMCA of the USA applauds president’s commitment

The following is a statement from Kenneth Gladish, national executive director of YMCA of the USA:

On behalf of the nation’s YMCAs, which serve 18 million of America’s families and children, the YMCA of the USA commends the president’s commitment to strengthening communities nationwide. Today, it’s more important than ever that we make sure families have access to community-based resources like the YMCA, where people of all faiths, ages, incomes and abilities can come together to build stronger ties with their neighbors and communities. I am particularly pleased that the president emphasized the importance of community service. Last year, over 600,000 volunteers helped the Y serve 17.9 million people in 10,000 communities nationwide. Numerous YMCA programs — such as child care, literacy, mentoring, GED classes, job training, sports — exist because of the service and dedication of our volunteers. The YMCAs also support values-based education and faith-based solutions to community problems. With their longtime emphasis on values, YMCAs are well-positioned as leaders in building strong kids, strong families and strong communities. YMCAs work to teach and demonstrate on a daily basis the four values of caring, honesty, respect and responsibility. These values are evident in every YMCA program, whether a teen club, a pick-up basketball game, an after-school program or an older adult volunteer activity. Truly, individual character is the basis for a healthy society, YMCAs are committed to expanding their efforts and stand ready to assist the president as he focuses his attention on building strong American communities and families. Kenneth L. Gladish, Ph.D. National Executive Director YMCA of the USA YMCA of the USA is the national resource office for the nation’s 2,434 YMCAs, collectively the nation’s largest not-for-profit community service organization, serving 17.9 million people of all faiths, races, ages and incomes, including nine million children. YMCAs offer abroad range of programs including youth leadership and volunteerism and are collectively the nation’s largest private providers of child care. For more information, visit www.ymca.net. [YMCA news release]

The Lincoln Area YMCA’s sixth annual charter dinner and auction is taking on a whole new look and feel for 2002. Instead of the usual springtime date, it has been moved to the fall — Sept. 21. The location has been changed to the Knights of Columbus.

The theme for this year’s auction is "Community…It’s not the same without the Y. Pulling together for Logan County."

Every year the auction has brought in additional money for programs. This year the goal is to raise $21,000 for programs for youth and families.

If you would like to make a donation to the YMCA for the auction or if you would like to be on an auction committee, please contact the YMCA office at 735-3915 or (800) 282-3520.

Milestones

[Click here to see and print the wedding announcement form]

[Click here to see and print the anniversary announcement form]

[Click here to see and print the engagement announcement form]

Norma Jean Ritchhart Berglin of 223 N. Union St. in Lincoln will observe her 75th birthday on March 7. She will be honored at an open house from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 10, in the dining room at Friendship Manor, 925 Primm Road.

She and her late husband, Jack, are the parents of Judy (Ted) Awe, Jerry (Mary) Berglin, Janice (Don) Sielaff and Jay "Byrd" (Kalyn) Berglin, all of Lincoln; John (Beth) Berglin of Des Moines, Iowa; and Joe (Norma) Berglin of Bryceville, Fla.

Jean has 10 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Click here for the story "A new century, a new generation and new recipes," about the Ritchhart family.

[FEB. 28, 2002]  Just over 10 years ago, in 1991, Judy Awe decided her family needed a way to remember its heritage.

Judy Awe is a member of the Ritchhart family, a family known all over central Illlinois. The Ritchhart family includes two men who fought in the Civil War (one of whom died in that war) and one man who fought in the Spanish-American War.

Judy is the oldest grandchild of Harold Raymond Ritchhart and Wilma Amaryllis Shay, both of whom were born in Logan County. Harold owned Ritchhart’s Grocery for 48 years. Judy has fond memories of working in the store learning to count change. Her grandparents really defined the Ritchhart sense of community awareness. And she wanted to create something in their honor.

So, in 1991, she decided to create the  "Ritchhart Family Cookbook," with the help of her sister, Janice Sielaff, and her mother, Norma Jean Berglin, 

With an extensive family of eight children and 29 grandchildren, not to mention cousins, the Ritchharts had many, many recipes to share. Some had stories or meanings behind them, some were just family favorites.

The ones collected from "Gran" (Wilma) Ritchhart were the hardest, according to Judy. With other members of the family, they simply had to copy the recipe down onto a form and mail it back. Gran, however, cooked the old-fashioned way — "some flour, a lump of butter, a little bit of baking powder." So Judy and her sister had to measure the ingredients and write them down as she put them in. Her recipe for dumplings turned into "2 C. flour, 2 tsp. baking powder with little salt, 1 heaping T. Crisco."

In addition to recipes, Judy collected stories from her mother and others. These were used as filler material at the bottoms of the pages. A reader can get great enjoyment by just scanning the bottom of each page for anecdotes.

Some have to do with food and recipes:  "How many ways can you cook an egg? Ask the kids at Jellystone Campground."

Some make you almost wish you knew the story behind them:  "Is Judge John’s blood still on the porch at [the house] at 123 [College]?"

And some just make you laugh:  "Dad was a volunteer fireman for several years. One night, the boys pushed the car out of the garage and down the alley without Dad’s permission and went cruising. When they saw the fire they knew Dad would be called, but they had his car, so they went home to pick him up…sleepy eyed, Dad didn’t realize it was his car that was delivering him to his destination – until later."

So they collected all of these recipes from relatives and sent them off to be published.

Since that time, there have been many reprints of the cookbook. More and more members of the Ritchhart family want their family’s recipes, and many members of the community also want to be a part of the history. Eventually, over 4,000 copies of the book were sold.

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The money from the first book was given to Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital Auxiliary in Lincoln. It was used to purchase Lifeline units.

But, as with all compilations, many recipes were left out. Some had merely been forgotten or overlooked. Others came along later as the over 30 great-grandchildren began to grow up.

On the 10th anniversary of the first Ritchhart cookbook, Judy decided it was time for a second one. "A new century, a new generation and new recipes!" she proclaimed. And she went back to work.

The Ritchhart family really had grown. It included almost everyone needed for a modern community, from doctors to firemen to a school administrator. Everything but a lawyer, according to Judy.

So her table became covered with new recipes, old recipes, forgotten recipes. She collected new sayings and stories. She arranged and rearranged them all. And finally, at the beginning of September 2001, the book was ready to be sent off.

You can guess what happened next.

She writes in the introduction to this cookbook, "Final touches were being made on Cookbook 2001 – September 11, 2001, when our nation was devastated by terrorists attacking the New York World Trade Center."

But even the terrorists could not hold back the Ritchhart cookbook. Judy called the publishing company and asked if they had a patriotic cookbook theme. The sales representative laughed and told her that one was being prepared as they spoke. The American flag and eagle design was sent to Judy as soon as it was printed. She chose it immediately, and her book was the first one published in that style.

The back of the book reads, "This cover and divider set was designed to honor the victims of the September 11 tragedies. For every set sold, G&R Publishing has made a donation to the New York Fire Fighters 9-11 Fund."

In addition, Judy will once again donate the proceeds of this book to a charity or need somewhere in this area.

If you would like to purchase one or both of these cookbooks, you can contact Judy Awe at (217) 732-4758 or e-mail her at tjawe@abelink.com.

Books are $10 each plus $4 if you want them shipped to you.

[Gina Sennett]

Click here for a copy of the "Rattlesnake and Beans" recipe from the new "Ritchhart Family & Friends Cookbook."

Jeramy "Norman" Berglin

1 lb. ground chuck, browned and drained

1/2 lb. rattlesnake in bite size

1 large red onion, cut into large pieces pieces, browned and drained

3 lbs. dry kidney beans, cooked

30 oz. stewed tomatoes, undrained

4 oz. can diced jalapenos

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. salt

Put cooked beans into slow cooker; add tomatoes, jalapenos, onion, salt, garlic, cooked ground chuck and rattlesnake meat. Cook on low for 2 to 3 hours. Serve with corn bread.

[From page 61 of  the "Ritchhart Family & Friends Cookbook"]

Fund-raisers

People all across this country and, in fact, around the world, claim roots in Logan County. They have very interesting stories to tell, and some of them like to connect with those of us who stayed at home. Logan County Diaspora publishes the stories of former Logan County residents. With their permission, we also include their e-mail addresses so that old friends might be reunited.  If you wish to be part of the Logan County Diaspora, e-mail ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com.  

Diaspora correspondents

Click on names to see letters and stories.

v Indicates LDN sponsors

• Wanda Whitson Aue

• Brad Boss

• Charles Brainard

• James 'Doc' Chandler

• Brad Dye

• Wayne and Nancy (Hatfield) Eichelberger

• Wayne Franz

• Philip Gehlbach

• Leigh Henson  v

• Bill Horn  v

• Dale A. Lowe

• George A. McKinney

• Len and Rita Remmert

• Tom Renner

• Tom Rippon

• Traycee Ritchhart-Pirkle

• Greg Schriber

• Stan Stringer

• Donald Weindorf  v

• Denise Radcliffe Wood

• Tom and Kristy (Smith) Yarcho

Family and Friends in the Armed Forces

Friends and relatives serving in the armed forces are listed here so we might all hold them in our thoughts, prayers and well wishes. If you know of other friends and relatives serving (they need not be from Logan County), please send the information to ldneditor@lincolndailynews.com. Along with the name, you are invited to include the branch of service, current location of service, postal address, e-mail address and relationship to the person providing the information (optional).

U.S. Air Force

At Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada

Postal address: 5805 Mountain Home St.

Unit J-13

Nellis AFB, NV 89191

E-mail: ja_af_82@hotmail.com

Class of ’00

U.S. Army-1AD-HHC

Weisbaden, Germany

E-mail: spot2sweetpea@yahoo.com or susan12652000@yahoo.com

West Point, N.Y.

Lackland Air Force Base, Texas

Korea

U.S. Navy

Will be deployed in mid-January

(Address not available yet)

E-mail: imjustin@hotmail.com

CDR Jim Cravens

(Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Lincoln)

U.S. Navy

At Atlantic Fleet Headquarters, Norfolk, Va.

Postal address: CDR James O. Cravens, N02GR

1562 Mitscher Ave., Suite 250

Norfolk, VA, 23551-2487-2487

E-mail: cravensjo@clf.navy.mil  or

chcusnr@ccaonline.com 

Staff Sgt. Evan Jay Downey, Karen and Ethan

U.S. Air Force

Mildenhall Air Force Base, England

1988 graduate of LCHS

Son of Lucky Eichner

U.S. Air Force

At Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana

Postal address: 8525 Chalmette Drive

Shreveport, LA 71115

E-mail: charles.lindstrom@barksdale.af.mil

1981 graduate of LCHS

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Airman Chad M. Maxheimer
U.S. Air Force

Hurlburt Field, Fla.

E-mail: spring_loaded@yahoo.com

Son of Mike and Suzie Maxheimer of Chestnut and Michelle Lowe of Mount Pulaski

2000 graduate of Mount Pulaski High School

Kevin McGinnis

Egypt

Army National Guard

Fort Jackson, S.C.

In basic training

Michelle K. Ramlow

Navy

At Pentagon

Postal address: 5409-B Steeplechase Drive

Fredericksburg, VA 22407

E-mail: ramlow.michelle@hq.navy.mil 

Maj. James E. Reineke,
Deborah, Nathan, Emily

Air Force

Misawa Air Base, Japan

E-mail: REIN4RUN@aol.com 

Pvt. Christian B. Skelton

U.S. Army

Scheduled to graduate from AIT in late March.

He and his wife will go to Germany in April.

Postal address: A CO 1-19th INF ITB

4th Platoon

Fort Benning, GA 31905-5630

E-mail: skelton820@hotmail.com

2001 graduate of LCHS

Husband of Nahani Lynn Skelton

U.S. Air Force

Stationed in Frankfurt, Germany

Daughter of Lloyd Edward "Ed" Slayton Jr. and Bridget Slayton of Lincoln

Robby, Ami-Jo and Angela Spickard

National Guard medical support

Tech. Sgt. Thomas Yarcho

U.S. Air Force

At Ramstein Air Base, Germany

E-mail: thomas.yarcho@ramstein.af.mil

Class of ’82

Reunions

Ongoing class reunion in cyberspace for 1960 graduates of LCHS

http://www.geocities.com/lincolnhigh1960/

Reminiscence

• The Postville Courthouse revisited, by Stan Stringer, posted Feb. 12, 2002, in LDN

• Lincoln Lakes beach, by Stan Stringer, posted July 10, 2001

• Stan Stringer tells story of Mark Holland’s buzzing of Lincoln, posted May 11, 2001

• Leigh Henson, now a college teacher in Missouri, remembers Miss Jones, Jefferson School principal, posted March 29, 2001

• Foreign Service officer recalls infamous Valentine's Day '79 in Tehran, by George McKinney, posted Feb. 15, 2001

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