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"Everyone in Atlanta is very proud of Lumi and all her
accomplishments, especially her pie baking! This has been a big year
for her; first she became a U.S. citizen and now she's a best
supporting actress. She's living the American dream, and we're happy
she calls Atlanta home," said Bill Thomas.
Thomas, a longtime entrepreneur and promoter of tourism in the
community, was instrumental in driving the reopening of the iconic
Route 66 diner and adjacent Atlanta Museum in May 2009. This process
included grant funding from the Illinois Office of Tourism and the
National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program. The
diner is located on the original section of Route 66 at 110 SW Arch
St. in Atlanta.
In addition, a promotional video featuring the Atlanta Route 66
tourism success story was featured with the conference's keynote
address by Jen Hoelzle, deputy director of the Illinois Office of
Tourism. Hoelzle emphasized the 43 percent increase in the city's
sales tax revenue since the reopening of the Palms Grill. Atlanta
and the Palms Grill are also featured by the state tourism office in
new television and print media campaigns that were also unveiled at
the conference.
The Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway and Abraham Lincoln Tourism
Bureau of Logan County congratulate Lumi Bekteshi, Bill Thomas,
Atlanta Mayor Fred Finchum, the citizens of the community and
traveling patrons to the Palms Grill and Atlanta.
 Habitat
for Humanity of Logan County applicant orientation program scheduled for
Sunday
Do you think the idea of homeownership is just
a dream for you or your family? If so, you should attend a Sunday afternoon
orientation sponsored by Habitat for Humanity of Logan County to learn how
you may qualify to participate in a program leading to homeownership.
Eligibility is based upon one year of residency within the county, need,
income and a willingness to partner with the organization.
Habitat for Humanity's goal is to
provide decent and affordable housing to those unable to secure it
through more traditional means. Nearly one-quarter of the world's
population, including 10 million Americans, lack adequate housing.
Families and individuals chosen for
Habitat for Humanity homes do not receive a handout, but a hand up.
Habitat homes are financed with affordable no-interest loans.
Mortgage payments are made locally to Habitat for Humanity of Logan
County, which in turn uses these funds to build or rehabilitate
other houses within the county.
Families must have the financial
ability to make monthly mortgage payments. In addition to a monetary
down payment, families must provide 350 hours and individuals must
provide 250 hours of "sweat equity" into the completion of their
home and the homes of others.
Interested families and individuals
should attend the Habitat for Humanity orientation on Sunday from
1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Logan County Housing Authority, 1028 N.
College.
For more information on Habitat for
Humanity of Logan County, call 217-732-6412 or visit
www.habitatlogan.org.
Habitat for Humanity is not only building homes and lives, but a
sense of community as well.
Seating limited for Russel Allen Garden Day
Limited space is still available for
attendance at Russel Allen Garden Day. The event will be from 9 a.m. to 1
p.m. March 9 on the campus of Lincoln College. The program features keynote
speaker Dianne Noland, host and moderator of "Mid-American Gardener" on PBS.
Preregistration is highly encouraged. The
registration fee is $10 before March 2 and $12 at the door. To view a
brochure and
register online, visit the Logan-Menard-Sangamon Extension website,
http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lms/. For additional information, call
217-732-8289.
Blood
drive Monday
To help ensure an adequate
blood supply for the region, there will be a blood drive at the Lincoln
Masonic Center, 2022 N. Kickapoo, on Monday, March 4, from noon to 6 p.m.
For your convenience, call Alexis to
sign up toll-free at 1-866-GIVE-BLD (1-866-448-3253), ext. 5158, or
schedule an appointment online using sponsor code 60057 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 a total of 87 hospitals
in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin.
Middletown
Presbyterian Church hosting a soup buffet
MIDDLETOWN -- Middletown Presbyterian Church
will host a soup buffet on Sunday, March 3, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. On the
menu will be vegetable beef soup, chili, homemade chicken noodle soup,
cheesy broccoli soup, relish tray, pie or cake, and drinks.
It's an all-you-can-eat meal. The cost
is $6 for adults, $3 for children ages 4-12, and youngsters 3 and
under eat free.
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Lincoln
Writer's Club will meet March 12
Lincoln Writer's Club will
meet Tuesday, March 12, at 6:30 p.m. in the Alumni Room of the Lincoln
College student center.
Suggested writing topics: story about
Easter; nicknames; to be 13 again; or springtime.
All are welcome. For more information, call 732-2723.
Lincoln
Jaycees Lawnmower Clinic
Have the Lincoln Jaycees get your mower ready
for the upcoming season. Bring in your push mower (no riding mowers) and the
Jaycees will change the oil, change the spark plug, sharpen the blade, clean
the mower deck and check the air filter.
Mowers may be dropped off from 9 a.m.
to noon on Saturday, March 9, at the Lincoln Jaycees Center, 325 S.
Chicago St. Mowers may be picked up the same day from 3 to 5 p.m.
The cost is $30 at drop-off. (Save
$5 if you prepay online at
lincolnjaycees.com.) All profits help fund upcoming Lincoln
Jaycees community projects.
___
The Lincoln Jaycees are a
not-for-profit organization serving Lincoln and the surrounding
communities. The organization gives young people ages 18-40 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 Friday of each month, 7:30 p.m.,
at the Lincoln Jaycees Center, 325 S. Chicago St., and are open to
everyone.
Polar
Plungers across Illinois will be freezin' for a reason Feb. 22-March 17
NORMAL -- It's not every day that people are
willing to "go jump in a lake" -- particularly in the winter -- let alone do
so with thousands of other people, including members of the law enforcement
community. But that's exactly what will happen on various weekends in
February and March as part of the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar
Plunge to benefit Special Olympics Illinois presented by GEICO. Any adventurous soul is invited to
join law enforcement officers, as well as media and business and
civic leaders from their community, by donning bathing suits,
costumes or any clothing of choice (just no wetsuits!) to jump in a
lake. Each plunger must collect a minimum of $75 in donations that
will be used to support Special Olympics programs in Illinois.
The event has grown from one location in 1999 to 20 locations
across the state this year. The Polar Plunge series will kick off
with a Super Plunge -- where participants raise a minimum of $2,500
and plunge into Lake Michigan once every hour for 24 hours -- on
Feb. 22-23 at Northwestern University's North Beach in Evanston.
The Logan County plunge will take place on Sunday, March 17, at 2
p.m. at Lincoln Lakes. Please note this is a change in both day of the
week and time. Anyone wishing to know more about the local plunge
can click on the "Polar
Plunge" button on the Top Stories page of LDN or contact Joanie
Keyes of Special Olympics Illinois at 217-428-9255.
Individuals and teams can register for the plunge on the Special
Olympics Illinois website at
http://www.plungeillinois.com/ or by contacting Keyes at the
number above.
Plungers are encouraged to form teams to spread the fun. Each
team member must raise the minimum of $75 in donations, and all team
members' individual fundraising totals will be merged to form a
combined team total. Teams are placed into divisions based on size
and are awarded prizes for the most money raised.
All plungers will receive gifts, compete for prizes, and enjoy
food and camaraderie with other chilly participants. The more money
a plunger raises, the more chances he or she will have to win a
four-night trip for two adults to Cancun, Mexico, with
accommodations at Riu Peninsula, courtesy of Apple Vacations. For
every $500 a plunger raises, he or she will get an entry into the
drawing for this grand prize.
The Illinois Law Enforcement Torch Run is the single largest
year-round fundraising vehicle benefiting Special Olympics Illinois.
The annual intrastate relay and its various fundraising projects
have two goals: to raise money and increase public awareness for the
athletes of Special Olympics Illinois. Each year, more than 3,000
officers in Illinois run more than 1,500 miles carrying the "Flame
of Hope" through the streets of their hometowns and deliver it to
the State Summer Games in Normal in June.
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