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Tri-State Chess Tournament open to youth and adults

[FEB. 22, 2003]  The Evening Optimist Club of Quincy, Quincy Senior High School and the Quincy Chess Club are jointly sponsoring the Tri-State Chess Tournament on Sunday, March 23, in the Quincy Senior High School cafeteria, 33rd and Maine in Quincy. Registration is from noon to 1 p.m. Competition will be divided into two separate tournaments: Scholastic and Open.

The Scholastic Division is open to any student enrolled in grades K-12. Students from all schools in the tri-state area are encouraged to participate. Trophies will be awarded to winners in levels K-6, K-9 and K-12. Entry forms for the Scholastic Division can be downloaded from the Quincy Chess Club website: http://www.adams.net/~gblickh/index.htm.

The Open Division is nationally sanctioned and is open to any member of the United States Chess Federation, regardless of age. Membership forms are available at the tournament.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the programs of the Evening Optimist Club of Quincy.

For further information about the tournament, call Gary Blickhan at (217) 223-8762. For further information about the Evening Optimist Club of Quincy, call Howard Dewell at (217) 222-1910.

[News release]

Places To Go

'The Kiss That Missed'

[MARCH 5, 2003]  ^"The Kiss That Missed," written and illustrated by David Melling, Barron's, 2002, 28 pages, ages 2 to adult.

Review by Louella Moreland

If you think all the great fairy tales of the world have been told, think again! David Melling has recently released one of the best fairy tale picture books I have seen in a long time. And who says it is just for kids?

Most of the classic components are there: a king, a queen, a prince, a knight, a scary wood, dangerous animals, a quest and of course a dragon. As one of my young story time friends pointed out last week, the only traditional item missing is the princess. (We did agree, however, that the prince was fine on his own.)

The text, although somewhat traditional, takes on an issue of our current time. One evening as a very busy king is rushing off to his bath, he blows a hurried kiss to his son. Here the problem is born. The kiss misses the prince and vanishes out the window into the night.

Being a good, loving father, he sends a knight to retrieve the kiss and return it to its rightful place. From there we follow the kiss and the knight on a funny, heartwarming trip through the forest. I will not spoil the story by giving too many details here. You must follow the path of floating kiss yourself! Just be assured, as in all classic fairy tales, that goodness floats along with the kiss.

So what makes this new book at the Lincoln Public Library so different? The pictures of course! Mr. Melling has filled the pages with color and fun! We are greeted with rosy-cheeked royalty in situations children can identify with. (The king wears slippers, a nightcap and carries a rubber ducky to his bath.) The knight's shining armor gives us a peek at the red heart underwear he wears beneath it. The forest is delightfully dark and spooky. The castle is drawn to convey grandeur and coziness. My favorite, though, is the knight's horse. Throughout the book his face gives us clues to the feelings that accompany each step of the story.

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Mr. Melling also treats us to text that curves with the illustrations, parts of the pictures framed as though hanging from a wall, double-paged spreads that fill our eyes with detail everywhere we look, and throughout the story, that lovely, floating gold kiss!

It has been a delight to see the reactions of the library staff and children at story time as they see this book unfold. All ages laugh out loud, predict what might come next and smile at the antics involved in returning the kiss to the castle.

For children, "The Kiss That Missed" is a wonderful picture book. For adults, it reminds us to slow down a bit and enjoy the pleasures of childhood. It is a book to share with someone special, cuddled up close at bedtime with maybe a steaming cup of hot chocolate to sip as you read!

To check out this and other great books, come visit us at the Lincoln Public Library, 725 Pekin St., or call 732-8878.

[Louella Moreland, youth services,
Lincoln Public Library District]

• Lincoln Community Theatre

• Logan County Arts Association

Poetry forum workshop seeks Lincoln writers

[MARCH 5, 2003]  NORMAL -- The Rhino Poetry Forum will have a workshop on Sunday, March 16, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the Community Room at the Normal Public Library. The workshop will be free to adult or teen poets, beginning or experienced.

This month's forum will feature Chicago performance poet Cin Salach, an accomplished artist whose work has appeared in magazines, books, radio and television. She will lead the forum in discussion and critique of her own work, as well as materials brought in by those attending the workshop.

Lincoln College faculty member Kathleen Kirk is the co-director of Rhino's magazine and serves as facilitator for the Rhino Forum at the Normal Public Library. She said that the poets of Lincoln are most welcome to attend. "As a creative writing teacher at Lincoln College, I know there are some great college writers in Lincoln," she said. "I would guess that there are some wonderful writers in the community as well."

Those interested in attending should bring 15 copies of one new, unpublished poem that needs revision. For more information, please call the Normal Public Library at (309) 452-1757 or visit Rhino's website at www.rhinopoetry.org.

[Lincoln College press release]

Classic films return to Lincoln Cinemas

[FEB. 26, 2003]  The Logan County Arts Association, in conjunction with GKC Cinemas Corporation, has brought the classic film night series back to the Lincoln Cinemas. The next set of films is scheduled for every second Thursday through October, with shows at 7 p.m.

Classic films lined up for the 2003 season:

• "The Big Sleep," March 13
• "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," April 10
• "The Guns of Navarone," May 8
• "My Fair Lady," June 12
• "Old Yeller," July 10
• "The Apartment," Aug. 14
• "Wuthering Heights," Sept. 11

• "War of the Worlds," Oct. 9

Tickets are $5.50 for adults and $4.50 for senior citizens and children 12 and under. The tickets are available at GKC Lincoln Cinemas.

Anyone wanting more information may call the Logan County Arts Association at (217) 735-4422.

[Press release from the
Logan County Arts Association]

Concert will feature winners of concerto-aria contest

[JAN. 29, 2003]  NORMAL -- Five Illinois State University School of Music students won the school's concerto-aria competition Jan. 22 and will be featured performers in a March 5 concert at 8 p.m. in the Center for the Performing Arts

Jurors in the competition were Roger Garrett and Linda Farquahson of Illinois Wesleyan University.

This year's winners are junior trumpeter Ryan Elliot of Saginaw, Mich., representing the brass area; master's degree student and pianist Kristof Kovacs of Budapest, Hungary, representing the keyboard area; Ying Wang, a master's degree student and cellist from Beijing, China, representing the string area; senior baritone vocalist Kevin Prina of Washington, representing the voice area; and piccolo player Megan Lomonof, a senior from Oak Lawn, representing the woodwind area.

Earning honorable mentions in the competition were violist Colleen Kuraszek, a freshman from Lake in the Hills, and flutist Elizabet Varga, a master's degree student from Bloomington.

The concert March 5 will spotlight the five winners. They will perform individually with the Illinois State University Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Glenn Block, director of orchestras. The orchestra also will play Bernstein's overture to "Candide."

[News release]

LCT 2003 season

[DEC. 9, 2002]  Lincoln Community Theatre is pleased to announce three productions selected for the summer of 2003.

Kicking off the 32nd season of live theater for the Lincoln community will be the hilarious musical "Nuncrackers." This fun-filled show is a continuation of the antics of the dauntless, darling nuns of Mount St. Helen's Convent who delighted Lincoln audiences in the "Nunsense" series several summers ago. Audience participation, one-liners, a rum-soaked fruitcake, dueling sugar plum fairies and dear Sister Amnesia will definitely start the summer theatrical season with humor and fun.

The July production, "Steel Magnolias," is one of our best ensemble productions. The familiar, bittersweet story touches all the emotional peaks and valleys of life in a small Southern community. From wise-cracking Truvy to unsure Annelle, the characters in this poignant play promise to touch everyone with both laughter and tears.

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Ending the season on a patriotic note, LCT's final production of the summer will be "1776," a stirring, yet humorous musical featuring a large cast representing our founding fathers. Humor abounds with fast-paced dialogue involving Ben Franklin, Henry Lee and other early congressional characters, along with catchy, patriotic music.

To kick off the holiday season, Lincoln Community Theatre is offering holiday gift certificates for season memberships for the summer 2003 season. Certificates can be mailed directly to the receiver or to the gift giver. Certificates for adult memberships are $20 each, and those for children through eighth grade are $12 each. Requests for gift certificates may be sent to LCT, Box 374, Lincoln, IL 62656. Further information is available at (217) 732-7542 or by visiting the LCT website, www.geocities.com/lincolncommunitytheatre.

[Judy Rader, LCT publicity chairman]

Lincoln Community Theatre's box office, phone 735-2614,  is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday for the summer season. The office is located in the lobby of the Johnston Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Lincoln College.

Performances of "Dearly Departed" are scheduled for July 12-20, and "The King and I" will be presented Aug. 2-10. Show times are 2 p.m. on Sundays and 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

The LCT mailing address is Lincoln Community Theatre, P.O. Box 374, Lincoln, IL  62656; e-mail: lincolncommunitytheatre@yahoo.com.

Visit the LDC website at www.geocities.com/lincolncommunitytheatre/index.html. Pictures from past productions are included.

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