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Downtown business owner Mike Fak said
that storefront businesses on Pulaski Street were extremely thankful
for the efforts of the 15 fire departments as well as the first
responders who came on the scene to battle the late-afternoon blaze.
"We all talked about what an amazing
job those men and women did to prevent the flames from spreading,"
he said. "The entire block of 500 Pulaski has common walls, and if
the firefighters didn't contain that fire, there could have been
devastation to the square that could have taken years to recover
from."
From that day, talk of doing
something to say thank you to the firefighters began.
Discussions ensued with Lincoln
Mayor Keith Snyder, Alderwoman Jonie Tibbs, Main Street Lincoln
director Bill Hoagland, Logan County Board member Andy Anderson and
several businesses. The decision was to have a family picnic for all
15 departments, plus first responders and their families, with the
costs paid for by residents of Lincoln. It was also decided that
this was the perfect time to start a concerted donation drive to
help the Oasis rebuild.
The picnic day will be Sept. 15,
from 1 till 4 p.m., on the 500 block of Pulaski Street. There will
be a family-style picnic for all those involved with helping contain
the blaze and for their families.
The general public is invited to
attend.
A special showing of photographs of
the fire will be on display at the Lincoln Art Institute, on the
McLean Street side of the square. Prints will be available for
purchase, with all proceeds from their sale going to the Oasis. Some
prints will also be available to the firefighters at no cost.
The mayor made a point that donations
of time and effort are appreciated and that all cash donations that
go beyond paying for the costs of the event will be turned over to
the Oasis. Currently many of the items needed for the picnic are
being supplied by area businesses free of charge. Fak said the hope
is that there will be only a small cost for the picnic, if any, with
the great majority of funds collected going to the Oasis.
A special bank account under the
auspices of Main Street Lincoln has been set up at State Bank.
Checks should be made payable to "The Oasis Fire Fund." Checks or
cash donations can be dropped off at any State Bank location, or
checks can be mailed to State Bank of Lincoln, P.O. Box 529,
Lincoln, IL 62656.
People interested in helping with
the event can email mefak@msn.com.
The mayor recalled his emotions
during the blaze. "I went up and thanked one of the volunteer
firefighters for coming to Lincoln and helping us fight the blaze,"
Snyder said. "He said we would have done the same for him if it was
his town. But this time, it wasn't his town, it was ours, and we
look forward to thanking all who came with a special day."
 Major
League Baseball Hall of Famer Whitey Herzog visits Mount Pulaski
MOUNT PULASKI -- Former St. Louis Cardinal
World Series champion skipper and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Whitey
Herzog was in Mount Pulaski over the weekend on a local fishing outing with
his son, Jim, and two grandchildren, while his wife, Mary Lou, and
daughter-in-law, Ann Hubbard Herzog, shopped at Saddie's Secret Place on the
west side of the Mount Pulaski square.
Afterward, they all were given a
cook's tour of the Mount Pulaski Courthouse State Historic Site by
docent Phil Bertoni. Whitey was his usual studious self, asking
questions left and right, as did his grandsons and other family
members. Besides being in the actual courtroom where Mr. Lincoln
walked and worked, he appeared most impressed with the map on the
courtroom wall showing the 1850s Illinois 8th Judicial Circuit route
on which lawyer Abraham Lincoln spent so many months and years
riding his horse, then horse and buggy, over the 450-mile circuit
twice a year (1849-1860) following his two-year stint as an Illinois
representative in the United States Congress (1847-1848).
Several pictures were taken of
Whitey's grandsons donning stovepipe hats, sitting in Judge David
Davis' chair and in the witness-stand chair alongside, with the U.S.
Stars and Stripes hanging above, showing its 1848 look of only 30
states.
Herzog enjoys telling the story of
trading his Redbird shortstop Garry Templeton for Ozzie Smith of the
San Diego Padres after the 1981 season, when Templeton made the
Cardinal fans and its management extremely upset due to an obscene
gesture to the home crowd.
Herzog recounts that Smith came to
St. Louis in the dead of winter to take a look at the surroundings
and for a final interview with the Cardinal management. Whitey was
"scared to death" that the snowstorm would deter Ozzie from agreeing
to the trade -- in fact, Ozzie showed up in a parka and boots as a
tease to Whitey, who was so excited about the possibility of landing
his services. As we know, Ozzie agreed, and "you know the rest of
the story."
Whitey's lovely and engaging wife,
Mary Lou (they were high school sweethearts), relates that he was
drafted by the Yankees at the same time Mickey Mantle surfaced --
1950. It wasn't too long before they noticed the superstar status in
Mantle, which relegated Whitey to the bench. But, not to be
discouraged, Mary Lou continued, Whitey took paper and pencil and
began taking notes on pitchers, hitters and managerial moves.
When an ear infection put an end to
his playing days a few years later, Herzog switched gears and went
into coaching, then managing. He had done some managing during his
stateside stint in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the
Korean War and enjoyed it immensely.
The folks in his hometown of New
Athens, Ill., know him as Dorrel Norman Elvert Herzog and call him "Relly,"
but the rest of us know him as "Whitey."
[By PHIL BERTONI]
[to top of second
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Pink
Shutter buck-a-bag sale this week
The Pink Shutter is having a buck-a-bag event
this week. The thrift shop at 114 N. McLean St. has this event twice a year
in order to clean house from top to bottom and restock a new selection of
thrift store finds for the fall. Bags are available for purchase at the
store from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Wednesday and on Thursday
from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Small bags cost $1 and large bags are
available for $2. Shoppers are invited to fill their event bags with
as many Pink Shutter items as they can fit in.
The Pink Shutter offers home décor,
clothing, shoes, books, housewares and more. It opened on Nov. 22,
1961, and all proceeds still benefit the Abraham Lincoln Memorial
Hospital Auxiliary, which helps fund ALMH programs. The thrift shop
is operated in large part by volunteers and members of the ALMH
Auxiliary.
To learn more about the ALMH
Auxiliary and volunteer opportunities, contact Lynne Metz at
217-605-5701 or visit www.almh.org.
Atlanta
United Methodist Church ice cream social
ATLANTA -- The annual ice cream social at the
Atlanta United Methodist Church will be on Saturday, Aug. 17, from 4 to 7
p.m. Hot chicken sandwiches, ham sandwiches, chips, a variety of ice cream,
and homemade pies and cakes will be on the menu.
A freewill donation will be accepted.
The church is at the corner of Race
and Second streets in Atlanta and is handicapped-accessible.
Class
of 1988 reunion
The Lincoln Community High School Class of
1988 will have its 25th anniversary reunion Saturday, Aug. 24, at American
Legion Post 263. A social hour will begin at 6:15 p.m.,
followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m., a trivia event and music. There is
an open invitation to the classes of 1987 and 1989 to join the group
at 9 p.m.
The evening will
include a 50-50 drawing.
The cost is $30 per person plus $15
for an optional class photo to be taken between 5 and 6 p.m.
Make checks payable to Class of
1988 and send as soon as possible to Robin Cook, 2429 Rosswood Lane,
Arnold, MO 63010.
For more information, contact
robincook31@yahoo.com.
Upcoming
Logan County blood drives
To help ensure an adequate blood supply for
the region, the Central Illinois Community Blood Center is offering several
opportunities to donate blood in Logan County in early August.
-
Monday, Aug 5, noon-6 p.m.
Lincoln Masonic Center
2022 N. Kickapoo, Lincoln
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Friday, Aug. 9, 9 a.m.-noon
Farmers Bank
130 S. Washington, Mount Pulaski
-
Saturday,
Aug. 10, 8:30 a.m.-noon
Town and Country Bank
303 Pulaski, Lincoln
For your convenience, call Alexis
toll-free at 1-866-GIVE-BLD (1-866-448-3253), ext. 5158, to sign up
or schedule an appointment online at
www.bloodcenterimpact.org. Walk-ins are also welcome and truly
appreciated.
Central Illinois Community Blood
Center, a not-for-profit organization, is the provider of lifesaving
blood for 14 hospitals throughout central Illinois, including
Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Lincoln and Memorial Medical
Center and St. John’s Hospital in Springfield. CICBC is a division
of the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center, which collects over
180,000 units of blood annually and serves 87 hospitals in Illinois,
Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin.
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