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Graue is one of a select group of 57 dealer nominees from across the
country who will be honored at the 97th annual National Automobile
Dealers Association Convention & Exposition in New Orleans, La., on
Jan. 25, 2014. This year's nominees were announced by Jed Hartman,
group publisher for news and business for Time Inc., and Tim Russi,
president of auto finance for Ally Financial.
"The dealers
nominated for this award are community heroes, as well as economic
and civic leaders, who have time and again shown their dedication to
making a difference," said Russi. "Ally is pleased to once again be
supporting these dealers in their efforts to create vibrant,
thriving communities."
In its third year as exclusive sponsor, Ally will recognize
dealer nominees and their community efforts by contributing $1,000
to each nominee's charity of choice. Nominees will also be
recognized on the recently launched website,
AllyDealerHeroes.com,
which highlights the philanthropic contributions and achievements of
auto dealers across the U.S.
The Time Dealer of the Year award is one of the automobile
industry's most prestigious and highly coveted honors. Recipients
are among the nation's most successful auto dealers who also
demonstrate a long-standing commitment to community service.
Graue, 50, was chosen to represent the Illinois Automobile
Dealers Association in the national competition and is one of only
57 auto dealers nominated for the 45th annual award from among
17,000 dealers nationwide.
He was nominated for the Time Dealer of the Year award by Peter
J. Sander, president of the Illinois Automobile Dealers Association.
The award is sponsored by Time in association with Ally Financial
and in cooperation with NADA. A panel of faculty members from the
Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan will select
one finalist from each of the four NADA regions and one national
Dealer of the Year.
"We deal with each customer as an individual," Graue said. "We
want the customers to feel comfortable with their purchase decision,
and just as important, we provide outstanding personal service after
the sale."
And that technique has led to a successful business for Graue,
who graduated from Lincoln Community High School in Lincoln in 1981
and went on to earn an associate degree in electronics and computer
science from Parkland College in Champaign in 1986.
"I had an interest in the family business, and my father
encouraged me to continue and take over when he retired," Graue
said.
He complemented his training by attending the NADA Dealer
Candidate Academy in 1988 and is now a majority owner of the
dealership.
"I've been in the retail car business my entire life," he added.
A member of the Lincoln Rotary Club, Graue's lifelong association
with the city has inspired him to give back to the community. He has
served as event organizer for Up in Smoke on the Square, a popular
barbecue competition at the city's annual Art & Balloon Festival. He
was named the Lincoln/Logan Chamber of Commerce Volunteer of the
Year in 2013 for his efforts in bringing the barbecue contest to
Lincoln.
Graue has also organized fundraising for the local Boy Scouts
that has raised more than $40,000 in five years.
"Our efforts helped well over 125 Scouts to go to summer camp,
reducing the burden on their families," he said.
A recipient of several citizenship awards, Graue is humbled by
being selected to represent Illinois for the Time Dealer of the Year
award as his father did in 1978.
"He was named to the national top 10," Graue said. "Just to be
named to the same list is a lifetime achievement for me."
Robert E. Graue and his son Chris J. Graue are the first father
and son to be named Time Quality Dealers of the Year in Illinois.
Graue and his wife, Phyllis Ann, have three children.
 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.
Last
art exhibit of the year, 'Autumn Impressions,' makes colorful splash
Logan County Arts has
completed a signature event with the opening of the current exhibition at
the Lincoln Art Institute. "Autumn Impressions" is the last show of the
organization's inaugural year.
It was one year ago when eight Logan
County artists gathered at the Lincoln Art Institute with the intent
of staging a few shows featuring the works of local artists, to
bring an art scene to Lincoln. One year later, Logan County Arts has
staged 10 shows and more than doubled the membership to 18.
The current exhibit, "Autumn
Impressions," showcases works that run the gamut from a carved
Halloween pumpkin with an iPod inside running a video, by artist
Christopher Tice, to a three-dimensional multimedia piece by Beason
artist Bert Hill.
Artist Pam Moriearty chose to
create a sculpture to highlight the encroaching effects of acid rain
on marble sculptures. Moriearty sees art as a surprise, an
unexpected pleasure that comes about even though she sees our
culture today as being overwhelmed with televisions, computers and
other forms of visual stimulation.
Moses Pinkerton said, "Art is at
its best when it can bring a feeling of beauty and serenity from
between the borders of a frame."
Christopher Tice, who chairs Logan
County Arts, describes it as a community-oriented and activity-based
group. The organization hopes to expand its programs to include art
lectures and demonstrations. Tice welcomes the public to stop by and
join in the enjoyment of a vibrant local arts scene.
The group meets on the second and
fourth Tuesdays of the month at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Art Institute.
"Autumn Impressions" runs through
Nov. 2 at 112 S. McLean and is open Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
For other special hours or to make an appointment, call
217-651-8355.
Lincoln College to honor inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame class at
banquet
Central Illinois radio personality Sam
Madonia will be back in Lincoln on Friday, Nov. 8, to serve as
master of ceremonies for Lincoln College's inaugural Athletic Hall
of Fame banquet. The banquet will be in the Davidson-Sheffer
Gymnasium and includes a cocktail reception from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.,
followed by dinner and the awards program.
The event is open to the public,
and the deadline for reservations is 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1. The cost
is $25 for adults and $15 for children age 18 and younger. Seating
is limited, so early reservations are recommended. To make
reservations or for more information, contact Mary Jo Werth in the
college advancement office at 217-732-3155, ext. 217, or call
877-522-5867 toll-free, or email
mjwerth@lincolncollege.edu.
The Athletic Hall of Fame
recognizes and celebrates the long and exemplary history of
athletics at Lincoln College. In naming the inaugural class, the
committee selected individuals whose accomplishments and involvement
represent as much of Lincoln College's athletic history as possible.
The inductees are:
Jan Bowers,
female athlete from the class of 1981
As a Lincoln College student
athlete, Bowers played volleyball, basketball and softball. She
played on the 1981 softball team that took third place in the NJCAA
national tournament. She was named to the all-regional tournament
team and received the Sportsmanship Award. She received several LC
awards, including Most Dedicated Athlete, Captain's Award,
Volleyball MVP and Rotary Club Female Athlete Academic Award, and
she was the 1981 class valedictorian.
After graduating from Lincoln
College, Bowers attended Illinois State University, where she was a
two-year varsity basketball letter winner. She played on the 1983
GCAC Conference Champions team and in the NCAA national tournament.
After college, Bowers coached high
school and college basketball and golf in Lincoln and Springfield,
and was selected to the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall
of Fame for Outstanding Achievement in Illinois Basketball in 2009.
Bowers has been a member of the Lincoln College faculty since 1984.
She received LC's Jack D. Nutt Educator of the Year Award in 2010
and a Lincoln College Alumni Achievement Award in 2002.
Matt Hughes,
male athlete from the class of 1995
Hughes was a wrestling all-American
for Lincoln College, placing third at the NJCAA national tournament
in 1995.
After graduation from LC, he
continued to wrestle at Eastern Illinois University, where he was an
all-American as a junior and senior.
Hughes went on to a successful
Ultimate Fighting Championship career, fighting competitively from
1998 until retiring in 2013. He holds the record for most wins in
the UFC, with 18, and was the UFC welterweight champion twice,
successfully defending the title seven times.
Hughes has received many honors and
awards, including being inducted into the EIU Hall of Fame in 2008,
the UFC Hall of Fame in 2010, the NJCAA Hall of Fame in 2012 and the
George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2013.
Hughes received Lincoln College's first Young Alumni Achievement
Award in 2009.
Tom Flynn,
male athlete from the class of 1962
Known as the "Winchester rifle" for
his ability to accurately fire off shots with the basketball, Flynn
was a member LC's 1962 team that won the Illinois state basketball
championship, played at the national junior college tournament and
was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall
of Fame in 2004.
Flynn still holds Lynx basketball
records for best individual game average, most individual points
scored in one season, most individual points scored in two seasons
and most points scored in a national tournament -- records set years
before American basketball organizations adopted the 3-point field
goal. He also holds Lynx records for most rebounds (sophomore), most
rebounds (career) and most rebounds in a single game. He is a member
of the Super Lynx 1,000 Point Club.
Flynn is being inducted
posthumously.
Joni B. Comstock,
female coach from 1979 to 1983
During her tenure at LC, Comstock
coached Lynx softball, volleyball, women's basketball and men's
tennis, and also served as the assistant director of athletics.
She earned a master's degree from
Illinois State University in 1981 and went on to pursue a doctorate
and a career in collegiate athletics administration.
Since 2006 she has been the senior
vice president for championships for the NCAA, where she oversees 84
championships played each year by teams from over 1,000 member
institutions.
Comstock was named a Lincoln
College Honorary Alumna in 2002. She has been recognized as a
Distinguished Alumnus of Eastern Illinois University in 2007, an EIU
Top 10 honoree in 40 years of Title IX, WACDA Regional Director of
Athletics of the Year and Ohio Valley Conference Title IX honoree in
2012.
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 Charles "Chuck" Lindstrom,
male coach from 1961 to 1983
After a brief career in Major
League Baseball, Lindstrom came to Lincoln College in 1961 to teach
geography and coach baseball. In 1963 he took on the additional role
of director of athletics. During his tenure, competitive athletics
at Lincoln College grew from just men's basketball, swimming, tennis
and baseball to include soccer, golf, wrestling, women's basketball,
softball and volleyball.
Lindstrom's philosophy of coaching
laid a foundation for the athletics program at Lincoln College that
continues today. Under his guidance, LC athletics received both
state and national recognition, and LC athletes have been successful
in both collegiate and professional athletics and in their
post-athletic careers.
Lindstrom was named the American
Legion Baseball Player of the Year in 1953 and was made an Honorary
Alumnus of Lincoln College in 2009.
Jack D. Nutt,
Lincoln College president from 1982 to 2002
Nutt was a visionary leader and
administrator and has been widely credited with reviving and
preserving Lincoln College as one the country's few private junior
colleges. During his two decades as president, Nutt oversaw the
development of the Lincoln College-Normal campus, the establishment
of Midwest College of Cosmetology and the addition of several new
buildings on the Lincoln campus, including the Meyer-Evans Student
Center, Dooley Hall, Gehlbach Hall, the Behrends Admissions
Building, and the Heritage residence halls and student services
offices.
In 2001, he started the Lincoln
Center campaign to raise funds for a larger athletic facility and
larger space for the Lincoln museum on the Lincoln campus. The
Lincoln Center, with its Jack D. Nutt Arena, opened in 2010. The
Lincoln Heritage Museum is scheduled to open in the Lincoln Center
in 2014.
Nutt was inducted into the Highland
Community College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001 and received an
honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Lincoln College in
2004.
Nutt is being inducted
posthumously.
Dominic "Doc" and John Guzzardo,
longtime friends and supporters of Lincoln College athletics
From the time Guzzardo's Italian
Villa opened in Lincoln in 1957, the Guzzardo family has been a
friend to Lincoln College athletics and a pillar of the local
community. Family patriarch Dominic, or "Doc," was active in local
government, the chamber of commerce and several prominent
organizations.
He was also an avid sports fan who
regularly attended Lynx games in Lincoln and on the road --
including traveling to Hutchinson, Kan., in 1962 when the Lynx
basketball team competed in LC's very first national tournament --
and would often provide meals at the restaurant for teams when they
returned late from away games.
Doc Guzzardo was recognized by LC
as an Honorary Letterman in 1981.
He is being inducted posthumously.
John has continued in his father's
footsteps: managing the restaurant; serving the community of
Lincoln, including eight years as mayor; and supporting Lincoln
College athletics, including helping kick off the Lynx basketball
Hall of Fame Club in 2010.
John Guzzardo was made an Honorary
Alumnus of Lincoln College in 2006.
The Lincoln College Athletic Hall
of Fame recognizes student athletes, teams, coaches, managers,
administrators, faculty, staff and friends who have distinguished
themselves in the field of athletics at Lincoln College, either by
their performance on an athletic team or by meritorious efforts in
supporting the athletic program at the college.
The Hall of Fame banquet is part of
the 2013 Homecoming and Family Weekend activities taking place Nov.
4-10 on the Lincoln campus.
New
Lincoln Historic District approved for downtown
The October meeting of the Lincoln
Historic Preservation Commission on Thursday evening offered some
very good news. After April Doolin gaveled the meeting to order in
Lincoln City Council chambers, Tina Warfel of Prairie Engineers
reported the latest numbers in the push to create a historic
district for downtown Lincoln.
Of the 118 properties being
considered for the historic district, the owners of 67 properties
said "yes." This represented 57 percent of the properties. Since
this exceeds the 51 percent necessary to create the district, the
downtown Lincoln Historic District has been approved.
The next step is a public meeting
to present the district to the community and answer questions
concerning it. The public meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday,
Nov. 19, at 6:30 p.m. in the upstairs council chambers at Lincoln
City Hall.
Monthly meeting nights to change
Because of scheduling conflicts for
some Historic Preservation Commission members, beginning in November
the official monthly meeting will change to the third Tuesday of
every month at 6 p.m.
On Nov. 19, the commission will
meet from 6 until 6:30 p.m., and the public meeting will start at
6:30.
In other business, the commission
continues to research a plaque or medallion that can be affixed to
historic buildings to denote the building as a part of the Lincoln
Historic District. The commission has expressed the desire that the
plaques be unique in shape, unlike any other historic sign in
Lincoln, and that they have a reasonable price tag.
A brochure will also be created to
detail how the district is formed and to allay any concerns that the
commission will be an overreaching government entity, as seems to be
the case in New England historic districts. The Lincoln commission
will not have any say on interior renovations of historic buildings,
nor will it restrict the use of modern, energy-saving windows and
doors.
It was mentioned that Chicago has
numerous historic districts, and it seems to be universally
acknowledged that the historic districts enhance property values.
A new feature instituted by Doolin
for the commission meetings will be time set aside for public
participation.
[By
CURT FOX]
Lincoln
Christian Church celebrates 30 years of Harvest of Talents this Saturday
Even as the sets from "Joseph and the
Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" -- a production of Lincoln Christian
Church to benefit the Harvest of Talents -- are being torn down in
the Fellowship Center of the Lincoln church, preparations will be
underway for the auction of the 30th annual Harvest of Talents for
World Hunger. Harvest Week is
beginning, and hundreds of handmade items will make their way to the
Family Room of the church to be tagged and priced in anticipation of
the Saturday event. Staff will be on hand each day from 8 a.m. to 8
p.m. to check in handmade items that will be arriving, not only from
this community but from across the United States and foreign lands.
Carolyn Neal, who chairs the
Harvest of Talents ministry, expressed her delight with the broad
scope of items arriving for the Harvest's 30th celebration.
"We have a lovely hat from England;
fireweed jelly from Alaska; a gorgeous quilt from California;
handbags and hand-painted porcelain from Ohio; purses, totes and
snuggly baby blankets from Wisconsin; necklaces from India and
Africa; recycled treasures from Florida; pretty headbands, both for
children and adults, from Texas; a touching painting from a former
Lincoln resident now based in Bloomington, Ill.; and the list just
goes on and on. Some come from friends and family members and others
from artisans who just want to share their gifts and talents with
the less fortunate."
Sunday afternoon, following a
"working potluck," the Harvest ministry team of some 24 individuals
will begin taping off the floor and setting up a dozen or so booths,
each of which will offer a section of unique handmade items, many
one of a kind. Booths range from the ever-popular Gifts from Around
the World, featuring gifts from mission areas and other countries,
to the traditional Christmas Nook, with a photo op and an origami
booth as well as henna designs and face painting sandwiched in
between.
Other popular areas are Babeland,
Cottage Collectibles, Quilts 'n Cross Stitch, and Critters in My
Garden. Complementing these will be the Sweet Shoppe, offering
candies and snacks, and the ever-popular Yesteryear's Kitchen, which
offers a wide variety of baked goods, jams, jellies, pickles and
mincemeat, as well as gift baskets.
The Fireside Room, adjoining the
Family Room, will offer unique handmade jewelry and one of several
silent auction sites. Also housed in the Fireside Room will be
examples of the workmanship of rug-maker Gene Shepherd, from a rag
rug created for the first Harvest of Talents to a recently hooked
creation.
Harvest Day will offer two meals --
a breakfast featuring homemade cinnamon and caramel pecan rolls and
a luncheon of vegetable soup, prepared in large kettles over an open
fire, along with sandwiches and a variety of homemade pies.
Shopping for handcrafted items will
commence with the 7 a.m. door opening and conclude at 1 p.m., when
displays will close down in preparation for the 2 p.m. auction, the
highlight of the day.
Featured in the auction will be
90-some items, ranging from quilts, comforters and wall hangings, to
fine stitchery, handmade furniture, unique repurposed items,
paintings, photographs, stained-glass pieces, wooden toys,
hand-painted porcelain and other heirloom-quality pieces.
A new area, "Hospitali-tea," will
be featured at the 30th Harvest. This will offer a place of respite
for shoppers or an opportunity to chat with friends in one of
several 30-minute seatings, each of which will feature light
refreshments and hot, fragrant Harvest tea in a quiet, restful area.
At 8:30 a.m. the annual Harvest 5K
Run begins, and from 9 to 11 a.m. there will be special activities
for kindergarten to fourth-grade children.
In Harvest Fare, located outside
the Fellowship Center, a variety of snacks will be available. The
staff of International Disaster Emergency Service, recipient of
Harvest funds, will join the day's festivities by selling walking
tacos. Deep-fried potatoes and hot dogs will be available.
Lincolnberry Café, a specialty shop, will offer scones, snack mixes
and tasty sweet treats, complemented with hot cider, hot chocolate
and flavored coffees. Another feature of Lincolnberry will be tasty
brisket sandwiches.
True Blue, an Elkhart quartet, will
provide entertainment from 10 to 10:45 a.m., and Lincoln resident
Lesleigh Bennett will perform from 11 to 11:45 a.m. Harvest guests
are encouraged to bring along lawn chairs to sit and enjoy the
entertainment and outside refreshments.
The Lincoln Harvest of Talents has
raised over $1,718,000.00 in its first 29 years. International
Disaster Emergency Service, a Christian organization based in
Kempton, Ind., is the recipient of the proceeds. Harvest funds have
been distributed to hunger programs in 21 countries, including the
United States. Harvest of Talents events this year in Illinois,
Indiana, Kansas, Missouri and Tennessee are patterning their efforts
after Lincoln's, with each raising funds to alleviate world hunger.
The public is invited to attend all
of the events of Harvest Day. There is no admission fee, parking is
free, and the facilities are handicapped-accessible. A monitored
coat and parcel check room is available.
The Harvest of Talents for World
Hunger, a unique ministry of Lincoln Christian Church, is an
every-person ministry that calls upon its participants to use their
God-given talents to produce marketable items to be sold to raise
funds to feed the hungry. Every penny raised at the event is
earmarked for hunger needs.
A check representing the proceeds
of the 30th Harvest of Talents will be presented to Rick Jett,
executive director of IDES, in a special service at 10 a.m. Sunday
in the Lincoln Christian University Chapel.
Further information may be obtained
by calling Lincoln Christian Church at 217-732-7618 or emailing
harvestoftalents@comcast.net. For more background, readers may
also visit
www.ides.org/harvestoftalents.html.
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