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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

'Six Easy Pieces'

[MARCH 12, 2003]  ^"Six Easy Pieces," Walter Mosley, Atria Books, 288 pages. Genre: general fiction, mystery

Review by Bobbi Reddix

In "Six Easy Pieces," Walter Mosley takes six short, interconnected stories as a prequel to the (hopefully) soon-to-be-released and much anticipated next installment in his "Easy Rawlins" series.

For those readers unfamiliar with this series, it is one that I recommend you become acquainted with. Easy Rawlins is an African-American trying to make his way in the turbulent decades of the late '50s and early '60s. He makes his way by doing "favors" for people (mainly African-Americans) who have a fear of the police and a general distrust for people in authority.

Easy's best friend Mouse is his unofficial partner and brute force on most of these errands, which consist mainly of finding those who have become lost and, in some cases, wish to remain lost.

Throughout this series we watch as the changes in the decades and small advancements made throughout the years in the civil rights movement allow Easy to become a prominent citizen, owner of a home and several rental properties, and the head of the maintenance department at a local school. During the series Easy has acquired an adopted son and daughter who were rescued (in two separate books of the series) from unfriendly circumstances. Easy has also added (in a more recent book) a common-law wife to his self-made family and finds himself, until this recent book, living some semblance of the American dream.

Easy is a best friends with Mouse. In "A Little Yellow Dog," Mouse is shot trying to save Easy's life.

Before Mouse can be pronounced dead at the local emergency room though, his wife, Etta, takes his body and disappears from the scene and from the remainder of the novels in the series.

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In the stories found in "Six Easy Pieces," we watch Easy's gradual slide from "living the African-American dream," back to being the doer of favors. We watch him struggle with the unacceptance of Mouse's death and in one instance take on the persona of Mouse to handle a hard situation. We watch as he slowly destroys the carefully pieced together family and life he has made for himself.

These six short stories allow first-time readers to get a glimpse of who Ezekiel Rawlins is, what he's about and why he is the way that he is as a person. It is a great book to read to become acquainted with the series and will definitely leave the reader wanting more. Fortunately for first-time readers, while waiting for the next installment, you can go back and start with the first book in the series.

Unfortunately for those of us who have been following the series, this appetizer leaves you wanting more. In the meantime, we will just have to be satisfied with his second installment in the "Fearless Jones" series, entitled "Fear Itself," due to be released this June.

[Bobbi Reddix,
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]

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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