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At Castle Manor, the group hosted a
quilt show featuring Quilts of Valor. In the afternoon, a group then
visited St. Clara's and presented lap quilts to the resident
veterans. At Castle Manor,
Andrea Tibbs, Jennifer Helm and Sandy Wilkerson were happy to sit a
spell in front of the fireplace in the great room and share their
feelings about quilting.
The quilt guild this year
celebrated 30 years as a local organization. According to Helm, in
those 30 years the group has been consistently busy learning and
practicing a craft they all love.
She noted that quilting is not one
of the lost arts. Even though the process began in the days of
pioneers and further back, it is as relevant today as it was then.
She said what the guild really enjoys is seeing that there are still
young people interested in the craft, and because of that, it is an
art that will never die.
For those who may be unfamiliar
with it, quilting began as a means to provide warm coverings in a
cold climate by using scraps of material from other sewing projects.
In the early days of our history, pioneer homemakers had to make
everything count. Cutting scraps into small squares and stitching
them together to form a large comforter was one of the ways they did
this.
Over the years, quilts have
evolved, just like many other things. They became a way of
expressing love and appreciation. One of the most popular older
quilt patterns is the wedding ring. Pieces were carefully stitched
together to make a pattern of continually interlocking rings,
usually with a white background, though other colors were also
acceptable. These quilts, made with love by family members, were
often given to the bride and groom as a wedding gift.
It is that same act of love that
brought about the Quilts of Valor program. The program was started
in 2003 by Catherine Roberts of Seaford, Del. She got the idea after
her own son was deployed for a year to Iraq. The concept was to be
able to provide veterans returning from deployment a gift that
expressed love and appreciation for their service to their country.
Roberts began networking with
various quilting clubs and guilds. She put together guidelines for
the quilts, requiring that all quilts be made in red, white and blue
colors, and that they be lap-sized quilts measuring at least 55 by
65 inches.
Locally, Tibbs said the Quilters at
Heart got involved with the Quilts of Valor through Virginia
Kendrick, who has participated in the program through a Bloomington
club for the past several years.
Tibbs said the Lincoln guild does
something every year for an organization. She said they have done
quilts that were donated to the Pregnancy Resource Center in
Lincoln, and this year they decided to do quilts for seniors.
She said several quilts have been
given to area nursing homes and senior living facilities. The homes
are free to do with the quilts whatever they choose. She said she
knew some had put them away and on special occasions present them as
gifts or prizes for their residents.
She said because the guild was
donating to seniors this year, it seemed only fitting that they
create quilts for the local veterans who are residents at nursing
homes. They chose to make their donation this year at St. Clara's
Manor.
Tibbs also noted that Quilts of
Valor is a nationwide movement. Some organizations choose to make
the quilts and send them to the national program, but the Quilters
at Heart decided they wanted to first serve veterans locally.
On Monday afternoon, a group from
the guild left Castle Manor and went to St. Clara's to present the
quilts to veterans there.
St. Clara's hosted a special
observance for the veterans, and several were in attendance in the
main dining area for the special recognition.
Those in attendance were John Eimer,
Clifford Hall, Frank Ladd and Charlie Sloan.
Other vets who were not able to
attend but did receive quilts were Ron Auerbach, Gerald Fritz,
Norman Knollenberg, Frank Krueger, Donald Shea and Bill Teaney.
In addition to the men who were
recognized, the women who had waited for them to come home and
served in auxiliaries were recognized, too.
St. Clara's activity director,
Penny Tipton, led activities that began with patriotic songs, and
many joined in singing.
Several members of the Quilters at
Heart Quilt Guild were present. The group had made many different
lap quilts in patriotic fabric for the veterans. Several quilters
were on hand to help hand out the quilts to the veterans.
Auxiliary members present were
pinned with a unique, handmade bead flag.
Veterans were presented with
handmade cards recognizing their sacrifice for our country as well.
Back at Castle Manor, 25 beautiful
patriotic quilts were on display, and tours were given by Sandy
Wilkerson, who talked about the quilts with visitors.
In addition to the Quilts of Valor,
there was another very special quilt the group wanted to talk about.
In January last year, the guild
lost a beloved member; Kathy Begolka. After Kathy's death, her
husband, Chuck, brought to the guild a collection of blocks that
Kathy had been preparing to piece together. The group decided they
would piece the quilt and offer it as a fundraiser.
The quilt, aptly named "Kathy's
Quilt" will be raffled, and will be on display at this year's Pride
of the Prairie on Nov. 30.
Tibbs and Helm are avid quilters,
and they say being a part of the guild is very important to them.
The guild offers a variety of activities at their monthly meetings.
The women say they enjoy getting together, talking about their
projects and sharing new techniques they have learned in their
craft. The meetings also include special guest speakers, and those
are not limited to just talking about quilts.
In short, the women said the guild
is about all things sewing, and they have enjoyed hearing from a
variety of speakers, including those who talked about antique
clothing and costume-making.
Inside the quilting world, there is
one little bone of contention: Should a quilt be machine-sewn?
Tibbs and Helm, though both
advocates of hand sewing, say there are benefits to both.
Machine sewing is obviously quicker
and may produce a more durable quilt.
Hand sewing on the other hand, is
more mobile. Helm said that when traveling; she often takes her
quilt pieces with her, and she can sit and sew no matter where she
is.
She also added that for herself,
she feels that when she is stitching a quilt for a gift, it is a
greater act of love to put it together one piece at a time by hand.
Regardless of how the quilts are
stitched, the result is an extraordinary work of art that can be
loved and appreciated for years to come.
The Quilters at Heart meet once a
month. They currently have approximately 40 very active members, but
they are always looking to welcome new people into their group.
Anyone who is interested in joining can talk to any guild member and
quickly become a part of this age-old tradition.
The ladies noted that new members
need only have an interest in the craft to become a part of it.
Those who do not quilt but would like to learn how are more than
welcome; they are encouraged to come and benefit from the years of
experience in the guild.
[By NILA SMITH and JAN YOUNGQUIST]
 Prayer
in the Park reminder
Prayer in the Park has been scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 13, at
noon, at the bandstand in Latham Park. This will be a short time of
prayer and thanksgiving.
In case of inclement weather, the
meeting will be at the Coldwell Banker Cornerstone office on the
second floor of the Regions bank building.
Lincoln
Jaycees invite senior citizens to annual feast
The Lincoln Jaycees are now accepting
reservations for their annual Senior Feast. The Jaycees are serving a free
holiday-style meal with dessert on Saturday, Nov. 16, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
at the Masonic Center, 2022 N. Kickapoo St. The meal is available to senior
citizens age 65 and up. To make a reservation or to inquire
about delivery options (sorry, no takeouts), call Chrystal at
217-871-0441.
The Lincoln Jaycees are a
not-for-profit organization serving Lincoln and the surrounding
communities. The Lincoln Jaycees provide development opportunities
that empower young people between the ages of 18-40 to create
positive change through community service. 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.
Abraham
Lincoln miniature collector statues, ornaments, postcards and children's art
auction to aid statue fundraising
Tuesday evening, the Logan County Genealogical
& Historical Society Statue Committee met for their monthly meeting and
heard updates on various fundraising activities that are underway.
The committee consists of Paul Gleason
as chair, Chuck Conzo, Bill Donath, JoAnne Marlin, Mary Ellen
Martin, Roger Matson, Joe Mintjal, Wanda Lee Rohlfs and John Sutton.
This is for the most part the same
group who led the community through replacing the fallen Civil War
soldier statue when the original was damaged beyond repair in a
winter storm in 2008.
The new Civil War statue was
dedicated in April of 2011. In 2012 the committee requested that the
remains of the old statue be given a proper burial in Postville
Park. It was shortly after that ceremony that the group decided they
wanted to go forward with erecting another statue on the lawn of the
Logan County Courthouse. This one would be a depiction of Abraham
Lincoln giving his historic speech on the courthouse lawn in 1858
when he was a candidate for U.S. Senate.
At that speech, before Lincoln was
president, he was coming off a round of public debates and campaigns
against his running rival, Stephen Douglas. When the Logan County
community heard that Lincoln was coming to Lincoln, more than 5,000
people gathered at the courthouse to hear him speak.
In 2008, the Main Street Lincoln
organization commissioned a painting of the speech as a
commemorative of the 150th anniversary of the gathering.
Early this year, the current
committee unveiled the statue in miniature form, which was created
using that painting as the model for Lincoln. Soon after, they
announced that they would be selling bronze miniatures as part of
their fundraising efforts.
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The miniatures, which stand a
little over 20 inches tall, are being sold to collectors at a cost
of $2,000 each. The first person to purchase a miniature statue was
committee member Joe Mintjal, who is an avid collector of Lincoln
memorabilia and art. The second statue was purchased by the State
Bank of Lincoln.
The statues are numbered, and the
committee has commissioned a total of 30 to be made, with the mold
to be broken at the end of the commission.
Tuesday evening it was reported
that to date, 11 statues have been purchased. Mintjal said that he
and Bill Donath had gone to pick up statues in late October and
placed their order for the next 10. He told the committee that it
would be a good idea to go ahead and get the last 10 ordered in the
near future. He said that when the agreement for the commission was
made with the manufacturer, the price was guaranteed for one year.
He said they wanted to be sure to have all 30 purchased before the
year ran out and the price of the work changed.
Paul Gleason reported that he would
be doing a one-hour class presentation on Wednesday at West Lincoln-Broadwell
School, and Roger Matson discussed the fundraiser that the school
will be doing for the committee.
The fundraiser is scheduled for
Nov. 23 at the Lincoln Art Institute. Matson said Tony Newton is the
history and art teacher at WLB. Newton will assist his classes in
creating Abraham Lincoln art that will then be on display in a
silent auction at the art institute.
In addition to the public being
able to bid on and purchase the kids' artwork, the miniature bronze
will be on display, and orders will be taken for that art as well.
The committee has also ordered
postcards of the statue, and those should be available for purchase
by then.
The show and auction at the art
institute are tentatively scheduled to take place between 10 a.m.
and 2 p.m. The Saturday event will also include punch and cookies as
refreshments.
Wanda Lee Rohlfs showed the group
drawings of a new Christmas ornament showing the Lincoln statue. The
ornament should be available by the first of December. It is being
made by the same company and in the same style as the ornaments that
used to be sold by the Main Street organization.
Rohlfs said a total of 200
ornaments will be made, and they will be numbered. The first 30 will
be set aside and given to the 30 businesses or individuals who
purchase the miniature bronzes.
Rohlfs said the ornaments will come
in a hunter green box and will include a certificate. She said she
still needed to work on what the certificate would say but will get
that task completed in the near future.
Matson said he would like to see
something at the fundraiser where people could order the ornament.
He also noted that he had talked to someone already who has spoken
for six of them.
The group discussed for several
minutes how the ornaments should be priced. In the end, they decided
to ask an even $20 per ornament. It was reported that the leftover
Main Street ornaments from previous years are going for about that
price. The committee felt that asking $20 for a fundraising ornament
would not be too much of a stretch when the buyer realizes the money
is going directly to the statue.
In other business, Rohlfs shared
printouts of local media coverage of the Northwest School field day
in October. That day, students from Ms Marla Williams' history
classes toured the State Bank of Lincoln and visited the LCGHS.
Rohlfs also told the group that she
had spoken with one of the Northwest students regarding their penny
drive fundraiser. The student told her the school had collected over
$300 for the statue committee. Rohlfs said this was not official
information, as she has not yet spoken with Ms. Williams.
As their final act of business for
the night, the committee decided to forgo a December meeting due to
the holidays, but they said that if a special meeting was needed,
one could be called.
[By NILA SMITH]
Upcoming
Red Cross blood drive at Lincoln Park District
PEORIA -- The holiday season is a time for
people to reflect on what makes them grateful. Family, friends and good
health come to mind for many. Countless patients like Ethan Hoffart, however, strive for good
health during the holidays, oftentimes in a hospital room, away from
family and friends. Blood donations can bring them hope.
When
Ethan was 10 years old, he spent most of the holiday season being
treated for aplastic anemia, a disease in which the body's bone
marrow doesn't make enough new blood cells. For four months Ethan
was dependent on blood transfusions every seven days and platelet
transfusions every three days.
"I probably wouldn't even be here if no one gave blood," he said.
"The transfusions pretty much saved me."
Thanks in part to volunteer donors, Ethan's disease is under
control, and he will be at home with his family for the holidays
this year.
All blood types are needed, especially O-negative, A-negative and
B-negative.
Appointments to donate with the American Red Cross and bring hope
to patients in need can be made at
www.redcrossblood.org or
1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
Upcoming blood donation opportunity
in Logan County:
- Nov. 20, from noon to 5 p.m. at the Lincoln Park District
Sports Complex, 1400 Primm Road
How to donate blood
Simply call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit
www.redcrossblood.org to
make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are
needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card
or driver's license or two other forms of identification are
required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with
parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are
in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High
school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also
have to meet certain height and weight requirements.
Historic
Preservation Commission public meeting notice
The Lincoln Historic
Preservation Commission will conduct a public hearing Nov. 19 at 6:30 p.m.
at City Hall on establishing a downtown historic district.
(Copy of meeting notice)
PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE
T0 THE PEOPLE OF
THE CITY OF LINCOLN, ILLINOIS
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE
THAT THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF LINCOLN
WILL HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A DOWNTOWN
HISTORIC DISTRICT ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2013 AT 6:30 P.M. IN THE
CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY HALL, 700 BROADWAY ST., LINCOLN, IL
SUSAN K. GEHLBACH
CITY CLERK
LCGHS
annual meeting Nov. 18
The Logan County Genealogical & Historical Society's annual
meeting and program will be on Monday, Nov. 18, at 6 p.m. at the
Blue Dog Inn, 111 S. Sangamon.
The presenter will be Stewart Reeve, director of the
Illinois State
Military Museum in Springfield. Reeve is a retired brigadier general
from the Illinois Army National Guard.
The Illinois National Guard has a history going back 376 years.
The museum houses items of interest reflecting that long history and
tells of Illinoisans who have served the state and the country since
the early 1700's.
The meeting and program are free and open to the public, but
diners will be responsible for their meal. Those attending are asked
to call the LCGHS office, 732-3200, or Marla Blair, program
coordinator, 217-732-9875, to leave your name and the number in your
group.
City
of Lincoln fall cleanup schedules: landfill hours and leaf pickup days
For the convenience of
Lincoln residents, the city landfill will be open six days a week beginning
Tuesday, Oct. 29. Landfill hours will be Tuesday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to
3:50 p.m., and closed on Mondays. The landfill is specifically for
landscape waste. Trash dumping will not be permitted there.
With the new city agreement for
commercial mulching, products brought to the landfill by residents
should be separated into two categories: wood products and lawn
waste, such as plant material and leaves.
Wood waste for mulching is defined
as logs, limbs or brush. All wood materials for recycling must be
free of all metal or foreign debris, excluding nails and bolts
three-eighths inch or smaller. Logs and limbs should be cut to a
maximum length of 4 feet.
The landfill will maintain a
six-day-a-week schedule through Tuesday, Nov. 26. Afterward the
schedule will go back to open hours Saturday and Wednesday from 8
a.m. to 3:50 p.m.
The city of Lincoln will also do
free leaf pickup inside the city limits. Pickup dates will be
scheduled by ward and are as follows:
Ward
1:
-
Monday, Oct. 28
-
Thursday, Nov. 7
-
Wednesday, Nov. 20
Ward 2:
-
Wednesday, Oct. 30
-
Tuesday, Nov. 12
-
Friday,
Nov. 22
Ward 3:
-
Friday, Nov. 1
-
Thursday, Nov. 14
-
Monday,
Nov. 25
Ward 4:
-
Tuesday, Nov. 5
-
Monday, Nov. 18
-
Monday,
Dec. 2
Leaves are to be placed in
biodegradable bags at the curb by 7 a.m. the day of the scheduled pickup for
your ward.
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