Festival volunteers needed, 'Haunting 101,' evening at Cro'Hurst, Mount Pulaski Grade School registration, blood drive, Moving Forward 5K, Rotary chicken dinner, District 27 starting date, 'Elephants in Lincoln,' Head Start recruitment

[Aug. 13, 2012]  Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival in serious need of volunteers

The Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival is all about people -- and volunteers. The annual festival is coming up the weekend of Aug. 24, 25 and 26. The signature event will have the entire city hopping with activity, from downtown Lincoln to the Postville Courthouse to the Logan County Airport. Balloon launches, amusement rides, flea markets, great food, barbecue, art and more make Lincoln the place to be in all of central Illinois the last weekend of the month.

But it takes more than great activities to make the weekend memorable for all who attend; it also takes volunteers -- hundreds of them -- to make sure the weekend goes smoothly for all the guests who visit Lincoln.

Andi Hake, executive director of the Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce, said there is concern with the current rate volunteers are signing up to help.

"If we were scheduled to have the Art & Balloon Festival today, we wouldn't be able to have it," she said. "We are that short of volunteers." Hake said at least 200 more volunteers are needed in all types of capacities that weekend.

She also pointed out that a volunteer doesn't have to give up the opportunity to enjoy all the events with their family and friends. Shifts in the morning, afternoon and evening on various days allow Logan County residents to help but still be able to personally enjoy the fun during the long weekend. There are also positions open for coordinators, who are essential to the smooth running of the festival. Weekend wristbands are given to each volunteer, and the week of the event there is a party for all the volunteers.

Anyone interested in finding out more about being a volunteer can call the chamber office at 217-735-2385 or go to the chamber website at www.lincolnillinois.com. (To sign up, click here.)

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"Haunting 101" presented by the Lincoln Jaycees

The Lincoln Jaycees are putting on a "Haunting 101" next Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It's an opportunity to learn the basics of running a haunted house attraction. The Jaycees will go over everything from state and local rules to makeup, building, tech and acting.

"Haunting 101" will be at the haunted house location at the Lincoln Jaycees Center, 325 S. Chicago St.

The cost is $10 per person. Lunch will be provided. Participants are asked to bring a chair and a notebook.

RSVP to Shelley at 217-871-3009 or email to: [e-mail].

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The Lincoln Jaycees are a not-for-profit organization serving Lincoln and the surrounding communities. The organization gives young people between the ages of 18 and 40 the tools they need to build the bridges of success for themselves in the areas of business development, management skills, individual training, community service and international connections.

Membership meetings are the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Jaycees Center, 325 S. Chicago St., and are open to everyone.

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Elkhart Historical Society presents 'An Enchanted Evening at the Cro'Hurst Mansion'

ELKHART -- The Elkhart Historical Society concludes its summer events program with an evening on Elkhart Hill. "An Enchanted Evening at the Cro'hurst Mansion" is planned for Sept. 9 from 5 to 8 p.m.

The event will include finger foods, drink and music as attendees immerse themselves in the late-summer beauty of Elkhart Hill.

Those who attended last year enjoyed a memorable evening as they visited with friends and neighbors. This is a perfect way to say goodbye to the long, hot summer.

The cost is $30 per person.

Call 217-947-2238 for reservations; then download a reservation form from the Elkhart Historical Society website, www.elkharthistoricalsociety.org, or pick one up at Horsefeathers in Elkhart.

For further information, contact Gillette Ransom at 217-947-2238 or email Gini Bertoni [e-mail].

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Mount Pulaski Grade School registration dates

MOUNT PULASKI -- Students who will be attending Mount Pulaski Grade School this fall will need to make plans to register next week.

Registration dates and times are as follows:

• Wednesday, Aug. 15
  8 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

• Thursday, Aug. 16
  8 a.m.-6 p.m.

• Friday, Aug. 17
  8 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

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Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital to host a blood drive

To help ensure an adequate blood supply for the region, Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital, 200 Stahlhut Drive, is hosting a blood drive on the Central Illinois Community Blood Center donor bus on Thursday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For your convenience, call Alexis toll-free to sign up 1-866-GIVE-BLD (1-866-448-3253), ext. 158, or schedule an appointment online at www.bloodcenterimpact.org, using sponsor code 60177 to earn points for rewards. Walk-ins are also welcome and truly appreciated.

Central Illinois Community Blood Center, a not-for-profit organization, is the provider of life-saving blood for 12 hospitals throughout central Illinois, including Memorial Medical Center and St. John's Hospital in Springfield. CICBC is a division of the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center, which collects more than 180,000 units of blood annually and serves 80 hospitals in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin.

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Register now for 2nd annual Moving Forward 5K

Registration is open for the second annual Moving Forward 5K Run/Walk, scheduled for Oct. 13 at Edward R. Madigan State Park. At 9 a.m., rain or shine, walkers and runners of all fitness levels will take off on a route that meanders through grassland and woodland. All are encouraged to join friends and family and enjoy the fall scenery while being active.

The event is brought to the community by the Abraham Lincoln Healthcare Foundation and Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital's Sportscare.

Runners and walkers can register online at: https://almh.proeventreg.com/
movingforward#register.

For those who register before Sept. 15, there is a discounted registration of $20, which includes a men's or women's dry-fit race shirt. After Sept. 15, the registration fee will increase to $25. Shirts are not guaranteed for late registrants.

"Our mission is to improve the health of the people and communities we serve, and what better way than through exercise," said Todd Mourning, physical therapist and manager of rehab services at ALMH. "I hope that this event encourages people of all fitness levels to get moving forward towards good health."

The event's lead sponsor is Gehlbach Law, PC. Other sponsors are Blue Dog Inn, Clinical Radiologists, Eaton Corp., Nikles Chevrolet, Nobbe Eye Care, Linda Barrick at Brady Realtors and Tracy Olson Insurance Agency.

The Abraham Lincoln Healthcare Foundation will use proceeds from the Moving Forward 5K Run/Walk to support community wellness programs.

Sportscare at ALMH is a full-service athletic training program for young athletes and active adults. Services include performance enhancement, injury prevention, concussion management, training zone programs, high-tech knee and shoulder treatment, and more.

For more information about the Moving Forward 5K event, call the rehabilitation department at ALMH at 217-605-5500.

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Lincoln Rotary Club annual chicken dinner fundraiser will be Aug. 16

The Lincoln Rotary Club is sponsoring a drive-thru chicken dinner on Thursday, Aug. 16. Meals can be picked up from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the parking lot next to the Farm Bureau building, at the corner of Pulaski and McLean streets.

Tickets for the Nelson's grilled half-chicken dinner can be purchased from any Rotarian or by calling the Lincoln/Logan Chamber of Commerce office, 735-2385, where tickets are also available. The cost of the tickets is $8.

All proceeds from the fundraiser go to benefit community projects.

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District 27 starts school year Aug. 17

Opening day for Lincoln Elementary School District 27 has been scheduled for Aug. 17.

Students in kindergarten through fifth grade are to report to their respective schools at 8:30 a.m. on opening day. Lincoln Junior High School students, grades six through eight, are to report at 8:15 a.m.

School will be dismissed on the first day at 10:30 a.m. for grades one through eight at all buildings in the district and at 10 a.m. for kindergartners.

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Elkhart Historical Society presents 'Elephants in Lincoln: A Mammoth Discovery'

ELKHART -- In a dinner lecture Aug. 17 at the Wild Hare Café in Elkhart, Dennis Campbell will present a "big game safari" in search of elephants in Lincoln. The evening event will begin at 5:30 and is sponsored by the Elkhart Historical Society.

In the past seven years a remarkable number of Ice Age fossils have been discovered in the creeks around Lincoln. Geology and biology students at Lincoln College have been involved with some spectacular finds -- including the discovery of a woolly mammoth, presently considered one of the largest and last woolly mammoths on the continent. The presentation in Elkhart will detail the discovery of Judd, the Lincoln College woolly mammoth, by Judd McCullum, a Lincoln College student. Since that discovery on Lincoln College property in 2005, local residents have revealed to the college and to scientists at the Illinois State Museum many new records of additional Pleistocene mammal species that lived in this area thousands of years ago.

Campbell, who holds a doctorate in zoology from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, has been a professor of biology and geology at Lincoln College in Lincoln for almost 20 years. He is currently engaged in the development of Creekside: an outdoor environmental education center at nearby Sugar Creek for use by the college and local community organizations. Although a native of Texas, he has worked as a biologist throughout the South Pacific, Mexico and the United States.

His lecture to the Elkhart Historical Society on bats last October was educational and entertaining. The mammoth presentation promises to be another excellent evening.

Call 217-947-2238 for reservations; then go to the Elkhart Historical Society website, www.elkharthistoricalsociety.org, to download a reservation form, or pick one up at Horsefeathers in Elkhart.

The Elkhart Historical Society is also accepting reservations for its September event, "An Enchanted Evening at the Cro'hurst Mansion." This is an evening of music, food and drink on the beautiful Elkhart Hill. The date is Sept. 9 from 5 to 8 p.m.

Those who attended the event last year enjoyed a memorable evening. It's a perfect way to say goodbye to summer.

Reservations are limited. For reservations, call 217-947-2238; then go to the Elkhart Historical Society website, www.elkharthistoricalsociety.org, to download a reservation form, or pick one up at Horsefeathers in Elkhart.

For additional information, contact Gillette Ransom at 217-947-2238 or Gini Bertoni at [e-mail].

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Community Action Head Start Logan County recruitment

Community Action Head Start, a free program for income eligible-families with children from birth to age 5, is recruiting in Logan County for the 2012-2013 program year.

Head Start is a federally funded preschool program that serves income-eligible families and children between the ages of 3 and 5 years. Logan County Head Start provides center-based preschool services and runs during the school year, beginning Aug. 27.

Early Head Start is a child development program that serves income-eligible children and families including pregnant mothers, infants and toddlers up to age 3. Early Head Start provides home-based services throughout Logan County and runs the full calendar year, beginning Aug. 27.

Children do not have to have a disability to qualify. The program welcomes all eligible children. Additional services, including screenings and access to medical, dental, vision services are what set Head Start apart from other child development and preschool programs. Transportation is available to children and families to participate and receive full benefit of the program.

To apply for Head Start or Early Head Start, contact Brittany Feese or Cathy McIntosh, family partnership specialists, at 217-732-3448, or Leticia Cook or Amber Wright, family partnership specialists, at 217-732-2159.

The following documentation is required to complete the application:

• Completed 2011 tax forms or W-2

• Copy of child's birth certificate or medical card

• Proof of Social Security, TANF and cash assistance (if you receive it)

Logan County Community Action Head Start is sponsored by the Community Action Partnership of Central Illinois, which serves the low-income and senior populations of six Illinois counties. For more information, visit www.capcil.org or facebook.com/capcil.

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