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the Prairie land buzz Magazine www.thebuzzmonthly.com i January 2018 i 3


It’s January. There is snow on the

ground. And it is COLD! Oh my, is it ever

cold! I was grateful for a white Christmas,

and I don’t mind the snow now either, but the

bitter cold is just too much. On that subject,

make sure to read the story about the Ice

Bowl by Tom Emery (page 20). Whether

football interests you or not, the story is very

interesting. I think I got frostbite just from

reading it!

Speaking of Christmas, we did a family

cookie bake type of thing with the grandkids,

some nieces, and a few friends. I’m putting

just ONE picture here of that - the grand-

daughters making chocolate covered pret-

zels. I should have gotten one of them

frosting the cut-out sugar cookies they made,

but I was too busy supervising and failed to

get any photos. Apparently I didn’t do such

a good job at supervising either as I found

icing all over the sofa just a few days ago!

hAppy nEw yEAr! Are you making

resolutions this year? There is a story on

page 13 by Cindy Ladage about the origin of

celebrating New Year’s and making resolu-

tions that I’m sure you will enjoy. I tend to

make the same or similar resolutions each

year - exercise more, eat healthier, BE

healthier. I also resolve to read more each

year. because truly, reading for pleasure is

a joy that i have denied myself for too long.

But I always find a reason not to sit down

and read, just as I always find

a reason not to take that 4 mile walk. But

this year I RESOLVE to do better, with both.

I’ve said it before, I will probably say it again

- reading The Book Buzz each month, by

bookstore owner Barbara Adams, makes me

that much more determined to do so. Her

columns make me want to read every single

book she talks about. But reading more is

one resolution I intend to keep this year. In

fact, I plan on picking up her suggested read,

The Only Girl in the World:

A Memoir by Maude Julien, while I’m out

delivering this issue so I can get started

immediately!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Not much room for random rambling this

month, but still enough to wish my son Nick

Cale and uncle John Hooton HAPPY

BIRTHDAY!

February will be here before you know it!

Talk to you then.... ~ TLC

notes

Thank You!The Merchants of Carlinville would like to thank

each and every one that played a part in making

this year’s annual A Carlinville Christmas such an

amazing success. This thank you extends to everyone

that attended and enjoyed this year’s festivities.

A Christmas in Carlinville is a free event held

the first weekend of December every

year to emulate the spirit of Christmas.

Granddaughters making holiday goodies.

Editor’s


St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Ed-

wardsville will sponsor their Annual Fabric

Arts and Quilt Show this year March 2-4.

The Quilt Show Committee has been

busy preparing for the show and indicated

this is a super opportunity for artists to sell

wares as opposed to a gallery showing.

Quilts displayed included antique, modern,

traditional and art quilts. The committee is

looking for work from active quilters and

fabric artists, but also heirloom quits of his-

torical interest. The show’s theme this year

is based on Illinois celebrating 200 years of

statehood and quilts celebrating Illinois are

specifically requested.

Some special presentations will take

place during the show including a trunk

show of red and white quilts on Saturday,

March 3 at 11 a.m. by Ann Hazelwood, an

author of many quilt themed books.

The quilt show will also feature a presen-

tation of Quilts of Valor to local veterans by

Jan Copeland of the Quilts of Valor Founda-

tion. The mission of the Quilts of Valor

Foundation is to cover service members and

veterans touched by war with comforting and

healing Quilts of Valor.

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Ed-

wardsville was established in 1841 under its

first rector, The Reverend Joseph Darrow.

The present site has been occupied by St. An-

drew's since the early 1870s, but the corner-

stone of the current structure was laid in

1916 and the building completed the follow-

ing year. The new addition, including a spa-

cious parish hall, classrooms, choir rehearsal

facilities, library and rector's office, was ded-

icated in 2001 and more than doubles the

space available to the parish.

Over its 166-year history under 31 rec-

tors, St. Andrew's has witnessed much of our

country's history and has survived its share

of crises, some of which were severe enough

to close its doors. But through the love and

dedication of its members, this modest parish

has sprung back from each, supporting in its

members the faith that St. Andrew's is

"sustained for God's service."

St. Andrew's Quilt Guild is a group of St.

Louis Metro East quilters sponsored by St.

Andrew's Episcopal Church in Edwardsville,

New members welcome!

Additional information about St. An-

drew's is available in a parish history avail-

able from the church's gift shop. Copies of

the history can also be found at the Madison

County Historical Society Library and the

Edwardsville Public Library.

Artists are invited to display and sell

their works during the Fabric Arts and Quilt

Show. There is no fee to display quilts in the

show but a small consignment fee is desig-

nated for items sold. Display space is limited

and quilts will be accepted on a first come,

first served basis so artists are encouraged to

submit applications for display by February

16. Registration forms for entries can be

found at facebook.com/standrewsquilt

guild/& standrews-edwardsville.com and

www.standrews-edwardsville.com.

The public is cordially invited to attend

to witness the special quilt presentations and

enjoy the colorful and artistic beauty of the

quilts, displayed in the historic church sanc-

tuary. A $5 admission charge is asked for

viewing the quilts. Light refreshments will

be served.

St. Andrews Episcopal Church is located

at 406 Hillsboro Ave in Edwardsville. Show

hours are Friday, March 2, 10 am - 4 pm, Sat-

urday, March 3, 10 am - 4 pm and Sunday,

March 4, 1-4 pm. For additional information

call 618-656-1929 or email Saint

[email protected].

St. Andrew's EpiscopalChurch to Host Fabric Arts and Quilt Show

bY tara l. calE

Ann hazelwood is a former 30 yearquilt shop owner from St. Charles, Missouri. She has written over 30 booksabout quilts including 100 Things YouNeed to Know if You Own a Quilt and100 Treats for Quilters.

Ann is an AQS Certified Quilt Appraiser and former President of theNational Quilt Museum. She lectures onquilt related topics and has exhibited herred and white quilt collection in the National Quilt Museum. She is also thetextile appraiser for the Antique RoadShow, when in the St. Louis region.

Top Left: Members of the St. Andrews

Quilt Guild Quilt Show Committee

examine one of the quilts submitted

for their 2017 show. Top Right:

Quilts are artistically displayed in

the historic church sanctuary.

Left: This year’s show will feature

a special trunk show of red and

white quilts by quilter and

author Ann Hazelwood.


As technology continues to progress,

a majority of the population is elated. There

is so much new to explore, experiences that

were not attainable before. And I guess that

is how life is. In with the new, out with the

old. But some people, of which I am one,

feel modern technology is robbing us of ex-

periences that cannot be replaced or even

replicated. A prime example - the experi-

ence of going to a movie in a small, locally

owned theatre.

Yes, you can still go to the movies, but

I’m not talking about the multiplexes, or the

theaters that have reclining seats, tables and

waitresses that will bring you food and drink.

I’m talking about the theater that has an

inclined floor stretching down to a stage.

A stage that’s the base for a massive screen.

A screen that is hidden by heavy red velvet

curtains. Curtains that part just as the movie

is about to begin. I’m talking about a center

aisle the divides rows of seats. A lushly car-

peted aisle at that, and aisles on the outside

of the rows of seats as well. Maybe the the-

ater has a balcony too... a coveted place to

sit. A theater where friends and family

gather to enjoy quality entertainment, hot

buttered popcorn and a soda, maybe even

some candy.

The town I grew up in had such a theater

but such are now few and far between, re-

placed instead with theaters offering multiple

screens, showing four to eight different

movies two to three times each evening,

every day of the week. Many small theaters

closed when movies went from 35mm to dig-

ital format, with the owners not being able to

afford the new equipment required to show

digital movies. And with companies such as

Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and your local

cable company offering pay-per-view

movies, why even go out to see a movie at

all? Because of the experience!

That experience has been all but lost,

except for the rare towns that refuse to let it

die.

Gillespie is one of those towns.....

In October of 1921 the Pert Theatre

opened in Gillespie, in direct competition

with the Colonial Theater that was already

operating just down the street. In 1928 it

reopened as the New Pert Theatre with

a reported seating capacity of over 600.

It was remodeled by the Frisnia Amusement

Co. in September of 1930 and renamed the

Lyric Theatre.

Frisnia closed the Lyric in 1953 and it

remained dark and silent until it’s new debut

as the Canna Theatre, operated by the Canna

Anna civic organization, on October 18,

1956. The opening film was Autumn Leaves

starring Joan Crawford.

Larry Pianfetti and his wife, Marge,

leased the building from the Canna Anna and

ran the theater from 1974-1998, showing

movies and presenting live stage produc-

tions. Eventually the theater was donated to

the city of Gillespie (2003) and was reno-

vated for use as a concert hall.

In 2007 the Canna was leased by Cary

Eisentraut, who already owned other theaters

(including locally the Orpheum in Hillsboro,

the Roseland in Pana, and now the Marvel in

Carlinville) and the name reverted back to

Canna Theatre, screening first-run movies.

Seating capacity was given as 252. Opening

on May 18, 2007 with Shrek the Third it had

closed by 2016. It was during this run that

movies were moving into the digital age and

Eisentraut faced dwindling attendance and

expensive upgrades that did not seem feasi-

ble. With 35mm film no longer available, the

theater closed.

Nathan Nelson, pastor of Gillespie As-

sembly Church, then made a proposal to

Eisentraut to first lease, then later purchase

the building, in order to accommodate his

growing congregation. He also had a desire

to bring classic community theater back.

“I visited Franklin, Indiana and went to

a theater there that showed classic movies,”

Nelson explained. “It had a seating capacity

of 700 and the place was always packed.

It was inspiring!”

Once back in Gillespie, Nelson began

brainstorming with friend and ministerial as-

sociate, Reverend Christine Erdmann from

Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, who is

a classic movie buff. Soon the mayor and

chamber were on board with the idea. The

vision for the Canna was introduced on June

7, 2017 with a full blown black tie event

reception to share the dream with the com-

munity.

“One of the visions that we had is we

wanted the church to look like a movie the-

ater,” Nelson said. “When people walk in,

they don’t see a church building, they see

a movie-theater type of environment. Our

biggest emphasis is on family and being able

to say, ‘We bring families together.’ One way

that we do that in our society and culture is

by either going to church together or ... to the

movies together.”

In the spring of 2017 the Canna Theatre

opened its doors to movie goers once again.

Last summer they featured Moana, Lego

Batman and the movie Sing - a computer-

animated musical film about a Koala bear

trying to save his once-grand theater that had

fallen on hard times - not in the slightest

ironic.

During this past holiday season people

were elated to be able to see classics at the

Canna such as Miracle on 34th Street, the

Bride of Frankenstein, The Egg and I, Mrs.

Miniver and more modern, holiday shows

like Muppets Christmas Carol and Home

Alone.

As word gets out, we are receiving a lot

of requests for movies, people are eating

it up,” Nelson said, then explained,

“As a church (now named Canna Commu-

nity Church since the move to the theatre)

and in keeping this a family-oriented theater,

we do have to be careful what is shown. We

are not going to push that envelope.”

And though many improvements have

been made over the past year - they have

added and replaced the previous flooring to

now have 1/8 inch slope for easier movie

viewing, additional seating has been added

to increase the capacity to 200, the old heat-

ing system has been replaced, the theater

went digital and installed an impressive new

sound system - there is much more work that

needs to be done. The project wish list in-

cludes restoration of the roofing, electrical,

outside walls, windows, lobby and marquee,

and a concession stand. Nelson estimates the

cost at around 3 million dollars and funding

is still needed to make this dream a reality.

The proposed timeline for completion of

restoration is 10 years.

Would you like to help preserve the

experience of attending family oriented

movies shown in a small, local theater? How

can you help? First, you can go to the

movies! They are shown every Saturday

night at 7 pm. Admission is $3 for kids, $4

for Baby Boomers (born 1945-1964) and $5

for everyone else. Popcorn and soda are

available but it is prepackaged, as the theater

is not yet licensed to make popcorn on-site,

Bringing Back the Classic MovieGoing Experience

bY tara l. calE

Restoration of The Historic Canna Theatre in Gillespie

The original Pert Theatre. Photo courtesy of www.cinemantreasures.org.


though that is coming eventually.

You can sponsor a movie. Licensing fees

alone for every movie range from $200-

$700. Movie sponsors receive free advertis-

ing on screen, on Facebook and other

advertising.

You can make a cash donation or become

a “partner” of the Canna. Partnership oppor-

tunities range from $25 to $750 and all part-

nerships include movie tickets and free

concessions. The higher levels also include

invitations to special events, and on-screen

advertising. The Canna Theatre is a non-

profit organization and monetary gifts and

sponsorships are tax deductible.

You can volunteer. Volunteers needed in-

clude those for restoration, concessions,

stage design, sound/projection, ticket

sales/ushers and other areas of interest. Vol-

unteers are required to fill out an application

and undergo a background check.

You can also attend fundraising events for

the Canna. One fundraiser planned for the

summer of 2019, though planning in still in

its infancy, will be based around Howard

Keel - actor, singer and star of some of the

most famous MGM film musicals ever

made.

“Keel was actually born in Gillespie, his

father was a coal miner, facts many people

are unaware of,” Erdmann explained. “We

are planning something based on those roots,

his incredible talent, and the face that he

would be 100 years old in 2019 if he was still

living. We plan to make quite a bang with

that promotion!”

What can you expect when you attend

a movie at the Canna Theater? First, as in

days of old, the national anthem always starts

the show.

“It’s an original old clip of the anthem,”

said Erdmann. “The flag only has 48 stars.”

There will be a short opening dialogue by

Pastors Nelson and Erdmann detailing the

mission for the Canna. Before the main

attraction, a classic cartoon is shown.

“The seats are really comfortable and the

new sound system is amazing,” Erdmann

added.

Nelson is also exploring other uses for the

Canna to aid the efforts of restoration.

“We are considering live musicals, dance

recitals and even live wrestling,” Nelson

said, “But our niche will always be black and

white movies, and family oriented entertain-

ment.”

The Canna Theatre is located at located

at 108 E. Chestnut Street in Gillespie. To

find out more, including updates on restora-

tion, upcoming movies and special events,

you can find them on Facebook at

Facebook.com/Canna Movie Theatre or

Facebook.com/Canna Theatre of Gillespie.

You can also email Reverend Nathan

Nelson at [email protected] or

Reverend Christine Erdmann at

[email protected].

The Canna Theatre today. The entrance has been moved from the front to a side angle. Inside the Canna.


Another new year. Hard to believe.You’ve already made (and likely broken)your New Year’s Resolutions, but there’s oneresolution that is easy to keep all year long.And that is simply to read more. Like otherforms of exercise - weight training, jogging,walking - you know that it’s good for you.Exercise for your brain (the most importantmuscle, by the way), good for your mood,just plain old good for you. So, resolve toread more than you did last year. Keep a list.And start with one of these really great newreleases.

If you want to start the New Year off witha bang, read Thomas Perry’s new thriller TheBomb Maker, which released January 2. Author of some twenty-four previous works,starting with his 1983 Edgar Award winningThe Butcher’s Boy, Perry’s newest work pitsbomb maker against bomb squad. DickStahl, the former leader of the LPD bombsquad, is called back to assist in the investi-

gation of a bomb call that ended tragically.Reluctant, but compelled to help out his for-mer trainees, Stahl is called to a suspiciouscar bomb on Day One. It doesn’t take Stahllong to determine that whoever the bombmaker is working for is targeting the bombsquad itself. The tension escalates as Stahlcloses in on the both the one making the devices and the group behind it. Filled withchilling detail, this explosive new thriller willstart your year off with a bang. (All puns intended.)

Another January 2nd release is gettingrave reviews and has already been optionedfor a movie. Debut novel The Woman in theWindow, by A. J. Finn, weaves the author’slove of Sherlock Holmes mysteries and Alfred Hitchcock movies, with his own battle with agoraphobia and depression. The result - a book that Stephen King (yes,that Stephen King) called "unputdownable."The main character, Anna Fox, is a recluse,

an alcoholic and an agoraphobic. She spendsher dark, drunk, and medicated days lookingout the window of her New York apartment,spying on her neighbors. She witnesses (ordoes she?) an event in the apartment of hernew neighbors, and everything begins to un-ravel. Think Rear Window meets The Girl onthe Train and settle in with this diabolicallyrich psychological thriller.

Another debut novel also getting a bit ofearly buzz this month is The Chalk Man byC. J. Tudor. The story is told alternating between young Eddie and his friends in1986, and twenty years later when a child-hood mystery resurfaces. As kids, Eddie andhis buddies would leave chalk stick figuresfor the others as their secret code as they pur-sued childhood adventure in their sleepyEnglish town. One day, a mysterious chalkstick figure leads them to a dismemberedbody. Then, twenty years later, Eddie receives a letter in the mail with a singlechalk stick figure in it. His old friends eachreceive the same mysterious message, andthey hope it is just a prank, until one of themturns up dead. Written in the alternatingchapters style of Gone Girl, Eddie has tosolve the long ago childhood mystery beforehe becomes the chalk man’s next victim.

Another buzzworthy book out in earlyJanuary, with an intriguing title, is The WifeBetween Us, co-authored by Greer Hendricksand Sarah Pekkanen. Warning readers in advance to assume nothing, this story, also inthe genre of Gone Girl and The Girl on theTrain (which, as an aside, is nothing new -read Daphne DuMaurier’s Rebecca - writtenin 1938), is about an ex-wife and a soon-to-be new wife (or is it?), and a marriage, andbetrayal. Nothing is as it seems and the

reader must always remember to "read be-tween the lies". Since this one isn’t out yet,not much else is known about it - but, as a 2018 Indie Next pick, it’s getting some serious early hype.

Everyone knows that true stories canoften be more frightening than fictional ones.Such is the case with The Only Girl in theWorld: A Memoir by Maude Julien, collabo-rating with Adriana Hunter. At the age ofthree, Julien’s father sold everything andbought a house in Cassel, France, where thefamily would live in isolation, raising littleMaude without love or affection, withoutlaughter or play, with no heat and little food,all to produce the "ultimate survivor," a per-son strong enough to survive anything. Histreatment of her is almost beyond belief,such as making her sit on a chair all night inthe cold, dank basement of the house, surrounded by rats, demanding that she notmove, and placing bells on her clothing so hewould know if she did. The painful beauty ofMaude’s life is her incredible ability to findcompassion and love in animals, in the booksshe would secretly read and in the one personwho ultimately saved her. A story of child-hood horrors but also a story of the strengthof the human spirit.

And if the horrors of Maude Julien’schildhood aren’t enough for you, read MasajiIshikawa’s A River in Darkness: One Man’sEscape from North Korea. Moved to NorthKorea from Japan by his father at age 13,Ishikawa spent the next thirty-six years enduring the starvation, disease and brutalconditions of the world’s worst totalitarianregime, culminating with his amazing escape. This is a timely read given the present tensions between North Korea andthe United States, and illuminates just howoppressive the North Korean regime truly is.But, like little Maude, the indomitablehuman spirit always perseveres. If you wanta brutal yet true picture of life in NorthKorea, this book is one of the best.

Let’s make a resolution for January. Readone book. Or two. Or five. A book a month?A book a week? Resolve to read at least anhour a day. Or two. It’s just important thatyou read. It’s good for the human spirit. It’s good for you. Just read. Happy NewYear!

The Book Buzz

resolve to read More(It’s Good For You!)

By BArBArA AdAMS

Barbara Adams is an attorney and the owner of Books & Moore in Hillsboro.


Every year on the first day we sit andponder what we want to change in our lives.What will be different this year? What NewYear’s Resolutions will be made, and willthey be kept?

A resolution is defined as a resolve tochange an undesired trait or behavior, to accomplish a personal goal or improve one’slife.

Have you ever wondered how the tradi-tion of making New Year’s resolutionsstarted?

The history behind the tradition is a longone. The first people that are said to havemade New Year’s resolutions are the Baby-lonians - 4,000 years ago. They are also reported to have been the first ones to celebrate the new year with festivities.While this is reported to be the first recordedNew Year’s resolutions made, at this point intime, the New Year didn’t begin in January,but mid-March, which coincided with theplanting of the crops.

The Babylonian religious festival, Akita,lasted 12-days and during this time the Baby-lonians crowned a new king, or acknowl-

edged loyalty to the current ruler. The peoplemade a promise at this time to pay their debtsand return borrowed objects. This was thebeginning of keeping a promise - making a resolution. The premise was that if theykept this promise that their god’s would begood to them in the upcoming year.

It was the Roman ruler, Julius Caesar,that changed the calendar, making the first ofJanuary the official new start of the new year.The name of the month January comes fromthe two-faced god Janus. The god lookedbackwards on the past year and forward tothe coming year. Sacrifices were made toJanus along with promises for the year tocome.

The Christian New Year’s traditions cameinto practice under the Methodist founder,John Wesley. In 1740, he established watchnight services which included scripture read-ings and hymns to celebrate the new year andreflect on the past. With looking back onpast mistakes, Christians resolved to be bet-ter in the coming years. The watch night traditions are still continued in manychurches today.

Watch night has a special significance toAfrican Americans. On December 31, 1862,many free and freed slaves and slaves thatcould, gathered and prayed waiting for Pres-ident Abraham Lincoln to sign the Emanci-pation Proclamation. The President signedthe bill on January 1, 1863. It changed thefederal legal status of more than 3 million en-slaved people in the designated areas of theSouth from slave to free. For this reasonNew Year’s Eve is also referred to as “Free-dom’s Eve.”

Some New Year’s resolutions are oftenpersonal goals, to achieve success in thework place, or to become healthier by chang-

ing bad habits. People also reflect on their finances and achieving dreams like trips ormaybe an education goal. Statistics showthat about 88% of those that make resolu-tions fail and the biggest reason cited is thatgoals are unrealistic, or that they make toomany resolutions .

While this year it is unlikely that therewill be changes as far reaching as that madeon “Freedom’s Eve,” perhaps small changes,a resolution to help both our lives and thosearound us, can be made. It just takes a prom-ise, a resolution, then most important of all,keeping it throughout the year.

The Origin of New year’s and resolutions

bY ciNdY ladagE


Unfortunately, pain and suffering are

a part of life. However, Southern Illinois

University Edwardsville School of Phar-

macy’s Chris Herndon, PharmD, professor in

the Department of Pharmacy Practice, has

dedicated his career to easing the afflictions

of others, which is one reason why the Amer-

ican Pain Society (APS) has awarded him

with the 2018 Distinguished Service Award.

“I see this award as a great responsibility

to continue to help those who are hurting and

to teach students how to do the same,” said

Herndon. “It was from my mentor, Walter

Forman, a pioneer in the modern palliative

care movement, that I learned the importance

of relieving suffering as being our most vital

job in addressing pain and symptoms,

regardless of the setting in which you

encounter the patient.”

“Dr. Herndon has a long and remarkable

track record in the area of pain management

work,” said Gireesh Gupchup, PhD, dean of

the SIUE School of Pharmacy. “He is com-

mitted and tireless in his efforts to help alle-

viate the pain of others and in teaching

students how to be caring, knowledgeable

and adept in the field of pain management.”

“Having worked in practices including

outpatient oncology, hospice, outpatient pal-

liative care, industry, academia, and now in

a chronic non-cancer pain service within a

primary care residency program, this philos-

ophy of care has remained my highest prior-

ity,” added Herndon, who is also the

principal investigator for the National Insti-

tutes of Health Center of Excellence in Pain

Education at SIUE.

In other pain management work, Herndon

has led the effort to revise the APS’ Princi-

ples of Analgesic Use book. He serves on the

Board of Directors for the Midwest Pain So-

ciety, the Clinical Practice Guidelines Com-

mittee for the American Pain Society, the

Section Advisory Group on Pain and Pallia-

tive Care for the American Society of Health-

System Pharmacists, among others.

The American Pain Society is a multidis-

ciplinary community that brings together

a diverse group of scientists, clinicians, and

other professionals to increase the knowl-

edge of pain and transform public policy and

clinical practice to reduce pain-related suf-

fering. Each year, APS rewards excellence in

the field of pain management, and promotes

pain research by presenting awards and

grants to people making a difference in pain

medicine. Awards are given for career

achievement, pain scholarship, education,

public services, advocacy, and outstanding

service to APS.

SIUE School of Pharmacy: Today’s phar-

macists improve patients’ lives through the

medication and education they provide. Ded-

icated to developing a community of caring

pharmacists, the SIUE School of Pharmacy

curriculum is nationally recognized as a

model that offers students a unique combi-

nation of classroom education, research,

community service and patient care. The

School of Pharmacy’s areas of excellence in-

clude drug design and discovery core;

chronic pain research and practice; and dia-

betes research and practice. As the only

downstate Illinois pharmacy doctorate pro-

gram, the SIUE School of Pharmacy is ad-

dressing the growing need for highly trained

pharmacists in a rapidly growing field.

The American Pain SocietyHonors SIUE School of Pharmacy’s Chris Herndons


Every individual has his or her own ideaof what the first sign of spring is. For someit’s the appearance of a particular bird, like a yellow finch or chickadee. Others look forthe swelling of the leaf buds of the trees orthe emergence of tulips and daffodils in theirlandscape. Maybe for you it’s the thawingof the garden soil or the greening of the lawn,but for me, the very first sign of spring is thetimely arrival of seed catalogs in my mail-box!

Every January I say to put a fork in theholiday magic and get out the highlightersand post-it notes. I could spend an entire dayparked on the couch, picking out some newseed varieties to accompany my favoritemust haves. Heirlooms and hybrids, flowersand vegetables, scarified, treated and pelleted, all listed in a detailed paragraph fullof abbreviations, weights, and days to matu-rity.

It can be overwhelming, so many optionsto choose from. The pictures are helpful, buta dictionary is almost necessary to decodethe seed catalog. Here is a sample of termsand acronyms you may encounter whenshopping for seeds.

open pollinated (op) seed varietiesoccur naturally, when pollination happensfreely by wind, insects, birds or even humanactivity. Because the pollen is transferredamong different varieties of the samespecies, there can be some variation. Theoffspring will adapt to its microclimate andenvironment from one year to the next. Aslong as the seeds are saved from plants thatare of the same likeness, they will formplants that are true to type, or similar to theparent plant.

heirloom varieties are open-pollinatedseed types that have been around for manyyears, before hybridization was common.Many are passed down from generation togeneration and have been shared among col-lectors from cultures that span the entireplanet. My favorite heirlooms are those thathave fascinating stories behind their origin.

hybrid is a term that is often confusedwith genetically Modified organism

(gMo). A hybrid occurs when two differentvarieties within the same species are cross-pollinated. The cross can take place in naturebut is most often done in a controlled envi-ronment with the intention of creating a newvariety that has desired traits, usually resist-ance to a particular disease. Hybrid seeds arenot true so you should purchase new seeds

every year if you want to achieve the sameperformance. It is possible that seeds takenfrom a hybrid can become more reliable overtime, but how much time will depend onmany factors. GMO seeds differ in that theirtraits can never occur naturally. The geneticcomponents are extracted from one plantspecies and inserted into an entirely differentspecies. This is done primarily to seeds thatare sold as commodity, like corn, canola,soybeans, cotton, sugar beets alfalfa, etc.The engineers of GMOs sell their seed tofarmers or brokers who sell to farmers, as op-posed to selling on the open market to con-sumers. That does not mean, however thatthe seed company whose catalog you are pe-rusing did not source the product from acompany that produces GMO seed varieties.In fact, it is true that some of the most popu-lar varieties used as garden seed come froma division or sub-company of Monsanto,who is a major producer of GMOs, globally.It’s a complicated issue to debate and many,including myself, are unaware of all the in-tricacies.

organic (og) seeds are harvested afterutilizing growing methods that are stipulatedand certified by the USDA. To some degreeseed companies can source seeds from farm-ers who are not certified but adhere to or-ganic principles. Sometimes the termssustainable, chemical-free, or pesticide-freeare used instead of organic. Regulation oforganics is difficult.

treated seeds contain a coating that pro-tects the seed from pathogens. This processreduces the potential for the seed to rot in thesoil before sprouting. The coating is a chem-ical and is often discernable when comparedto untreated seed.

pelleted seeds contain a coating of inertclay. This makes small or irregularly shapedseeds easier to handle and small seeds easierto see.

Days to Maturity, or #Days is a calcula-tion of the average amount of days it takesfor a planted seed to mature, or to produceripened fruit. Factors that can affect maturityare environmental conditions, seed vigor,and care taken by the consumer/gardener.For instance, seeds planted indoors will ger-minate faster than those sown directly intothe garden soil, which may lessen the amountof days to reach maturity.

germination rate is the percentage ofseeds that can be expected to sprout and con-tinue to develop. Many times seeds that have

a low germination rate are the seeds that arelabeled as treated seeds. Improper storage ofseeds can cause the germination rate to belower than what is listed in a catalog.

Scarification is a process that involvesbreaking down the seed coat to allow mois-ture to enter, encouraging germination. Theseed coat is sanded, filed, soaked in water, orsomehow cracked. In nature, this couldoccur during freezing and thawing of the soilaround the seed or by passing through the di-gestive tracts of animals, or even by travelingby means of wind or rain.

Stratification is a different process bywhich the seed is exposed to cool, moist con-ditions. A good example of this is the plant-ing of bulbs in the late fall months with theintention of sprouting after a period of coldersoil temperatures. This can also be imitatedby placing seeds or bulbs in a bag in the re-frigerator.

A seed inoculant introduces bacteria tothe soil that encourages the formation of ni-trogen-fixing nodules on the roots of theplant. Inoculants are utilized on legumessuch as peas, beans, and soybeans.

Determinate, indeterminate and Semi-

determinate are terms that describe thegrowth habit of varieties of tomato plants.Determinate tomatoes, often called patio orbush tomatoes, reach a certain height andthen stop growing to produce a determinedset of fruit. Those tomatoes usually maturewithin a month and then that plant has fin-ished for the season. Indeterminate plantswill continuously grow throughout the sea-son, producing fruit throughout, until frost.These tomato plants can reach up to ten feettall and require substantial support or regularpruning. Semi-determinate tomato plantsfall in between the other two types, having aconcentrated fruit set, with a varied size.

Specific to corn varieties, (su), (se) and(sh2) are abbreviations that indicate the levelof sweetness of the corn. The sugar of (su)varieties quickly converts to starch after har-vesting. (se) is an enhanced variety of cornthat is sweeter and remains tender for two to

four days after harvesting, as long as it is re-frigerated. The sweetest are the (sh2) seedtypes of corn known as “super sweet”, whichhave a shrunken appearance to the seed.

All America Selection (AAS) are thosevarieties of plants that have been tested in tri-als all across North America and have beenawarded for their proven, consistent per-formance in comparison to other varieties ofthe same species.

Finally, all seed hybrids are assignedcryptic abbreviations that refer to the dis-eases that the hybrid is resistant to. To dumbit down a bit, it is like saying “this variety isnot likely to get this particular disease.”. Youcould conclude that having a lot of abbrevi-ations means a tougher plant that may requirefewer applications of chemicals to treat theplant. Unfortunately some say these are alsolacking in flavor. It’s really a matter of pref-erence.

Here is a sample of the disease abbrevia-tions:

Anthracnose (A) Alternaria Blight (AB)Bacterial Wilt (B)Bacterial Blight (BB)Bacterial Leaf Spot (BLS)Bean Mosaic Virus (BMV)Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV}Curly Top Beet Mosaic Virus (CTM{Downy Mildew (DM)Fusarium Wilt (F)Halo Blight (HB)Grey Leaf Spot (L)Leaf Mold (LM)Lettuce Mosaic Virus (LMV)Moderate Common Rust (MR),Nematodes (N)Powdery Mildew (PM)Pepper Mosaic Virus (PMV)Pythium (PY)Scab (S)Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV)Verticillium Wilt (V),Common Wilt (W)White Rust (WR)….and the list goes on and on...

The Prairie Land Gardener

decoding the SpringSeed CatalogBy ABBy dIllON

Darlene Dorgan was born in 1910, one offive daughters, to Bill and Daisy Dorgan inBradford, Illinois, a village north of Peoria.The Dorgans ran a cafe which became a landmark over the span of 50 years.

When Darlene graduated from highschool, she wanted to attend college. Her father, believing that a college education wasa waste of money for a woman, said “no.”Instead, he agreed to pay for beauty schooltraining, and he bought her a Model A Ford.But before Darlene took any trips, someoneasked Bill if he'd sell that Model A Ford - andBill said yes! Darlene was much more upsetthan Bill anticipated. And so in 1932 hebought her another car - a 1926 Model TTouring Car.

In 1934, Darlene organized a campingtrip to Devil's Lake, north of Madison, Wis-consin. She and the “Bradford Model TGirls” headed out on what would be theirfirst of eight long-distance, female-only adventures. Although the Touring Car onlycame in one color - black - Darlene paintedit silver. She dubbed it the “Silver Streak,”and the girls began adding “Lizzie Labeling”to document their destinations. Severaltimes, they repainted the car for a fresh canvas.

Darlene, two sisters, and friends - altogether 20 young women - went on sevenmore summer trips from 1936-1942. Theytoured 44 states, Canada, and Mexico, andvisited two World's Fairs (New York in 1938and San Francisco in 1940). Darlene was theonly one that went on all eight trips. Darleneinformed the groups up front of the rules.There would be no drinking, no smoking,and no singles dating along the way.

The vehicle was small for its usual pas-senger count of between four and six. Theirgear was lashed to the sides of the car andthe girls hopped in and out without the useof the doors. They usually traveled withoutthe top, and the heat, dust, and inclementweather were constant travel companions.Stops often had to be made just to wash thedust out of their eyes and off their faces.

Their female-only trips made news in anage when young women seldom traveled unescorted. The local newspaper, the Brad-ford Republican, was first to publish articlesand photos of the girls and their adventures.Other newspapers along their routes soonwere requesting interviews. It became com-monplace for the Gypsy Coeds, as they even-tually re-named themselves, to get a lot of

“press.”In late July 1938,

the girls were againcamping in Wiscon-sin when they heardof Henry Ford's ap-proaching 75th birth-day. With the boldnessand spontaneity ofyouth, Darlene an-nounced that they werebreaking camp andheading for Dearborn,Michigan, to wish Henry Ford a happy birth-day in person. On August 2, they pulled upat the gates at Greenfield Village, happenedto meet up with Ford executive RayDahlinger, and were invited in to meet andhave lunch with Henry Ford. The girls keptup a correspondence with the Ford staffthroughout their trip years.

In the summer of 1940, the girls madetheir one trip on Route 66 from Illinois toCalifornia, going west on the Mother Roadand back east via a northern route. Five girls,including Darlene's close friend RuthGustafson, made the round trip of about6,000 miles. Ruth was a school teacher inBradford at the time of the 1936 GypsyCoeds trip. By the 1939-1940 school year,Ruth was living in Litchfield and teaching atthe Litchfield High School.

The girls left Bradford on Monday, July8, 1940, made stops in Galva and Knoxville,and picked up Route 66 at Bloomington.That evening, they stopped in Litchfield tovisit some of Ruth's friends. A group joinedthem for a late supper at the Ariston Cafe.Darlene and Ruth and the other girls stayedat a Bitters family's home for the night andhad breakfast there on Tuesday morning.They stopped at Dr. Sihler's medical officeto show off the car to some friends whoworked there, before continuing on Route66, crossing the Chain of Rocks Bridge at St.Louis.

They crossed the country heading west,mostly on Route 66, to California. From LosAngeles, they traveled to San Francisco forthe Golden Gate International Exposition.On their trip, they carried a set of maps provided by The Ford Motor Company,along with letters of introduction and passesfor events from other donors.

As the girls married, moved, had chil-dren, and generally got on with their lives,the Silver Streak went into storage in a Brad-

ford garage. Several times over the years, thegirls gathered in the Bradford-Peoria, Illi-nois, area for reunions. The last known appearance of the Silver Streak, until recently that is, was in 1982 in a parade inBradford when the girls held their last reunion. Sometime after that, the SilverStreak moved to Portland, Oregon, with a descendant of the Dorgan family.

Fast forward to 2011, when central Illi-nois resident John Butte's mother, Regina,died. John's mother, and also his aunt, hadboth been Gypsy Coeds! John became enam-ored with the idea of finding the SilverStreak and bringing it back home to Illinois.He tracked it down in Portland, Oregon, andpersuaded Darlene's daughter to sell it tohim. When the Silver Streak arrived in Illi-nois and came off the trailer, John and hiswife Carmen were amazed to see that the lastcoat of silver paint with its “Lizzie Labeling”was still intact. The car had not been restored, and furthermore, it still ran!

Retrieval of the car made news. GypsyCoeds families contacted John with informa-

tion. (Darlene had died in 2001.) The projectgrew, and John, with the help of Coeds' diaries and letters, newspaper articles, andcorrespondence from the Ford Motor Com-pany, wrote the story of the girls and theircar.

Ruth Gustafson, the girls' Litchfield con-nection, had left behind 19 pages of her diarydetailing the trip. Darlene's Silver Streak andThe Bradford Model T Girls was publishedin 2015. The Silver Streak went on displayat the Peoria Riverfront Museum. The Buttescontinue to present programs and display theSilver Streak.

The story of the girls and their trips is a delight to read, and many photos and news-paper headline images are included in thebook. There is also a website, www.gypsycoeds.com.

Cheryl Eichar Jett is the author of numerousbooks and articles on Route 66. You canreach her at [email protected] follow her travels online atwww.route66chick.com.


Along Route 66

darlene dorgan andThe Gypsy Co-Eds

bY chErYl Eichar JEtt

Top: Darlene Dorgan, Margie Dorgan, Rosemary Moran, Ruth Gustafson, and Patricia Moffett posed with the Silver Streak in Bradford, Illinois, ready to kick off their

trip to California. Bottom: This photo was captured along Route 66Left: Darlene Dorgan was the owner of the "Silver Streak" 1926 Ford Touring Car,

and the principal driver and organizer of the Gypsy Coeds' trips. All photos courtesy of John Butte.


The Mother Jones Heritage Project hasunveiled an important historical marker andexhibit on Illinois labor history.

Dedicated during a December 11th cere-mony, the marker is located on I-55 south-bound at the busy Coalfield Rest Area (milemarker 65), about 15 miles south of Spring-field on a stretch of the interstate that is alsoalongside historic Route 66. Both the markerand exhibit highlight the important role ofIllinois coal miners and their heroine, MotherJones, a Cork-born Irish immigrant.

Brian O’Brien, Ireland’s Consul Generalto Chicago and the Midwest USA, joined thededication festivities. Together with BrigidDuffy, a representative of the Chicago IrishAmerican Heritage Center, he also madea wreath presentation at Mother Jones Mon-ument in Mt. Olive.

O’Brien expressed his gratitude toMt. Olive for cherishing the memory ofMary Harris “Mother” Jones, who chose tobe buried there in tribute to the role of ordi-nary people in changing history.

Northern Illinois University history pro-fessor Rosemary Feurer, who serves as direc-tor of the Mother Jones Heritage Project, saidthe new marker is intended to draw attention

to the vital history that exists in what mightseem like an ordinary stretch of the interstatehighway.

The marker and indoor exhibit at theCoalfield Rest Area pay tribute to the role ofIllinois coal miners and highlight how minersand their families fought for the eight-hourday, against child labor, for a living wage andagainst wage theft.

“Their 1897 march for a living wage wasnot only a major point in Illinois history, butwas also a major catalyst for the longest,most sustained set of strike marches acrossthe nation by U.S. workers,” Feurer said. “Aswe celebrate Illinois’ Bicentennial, let’s keepin mind the role that immigrant and African-American workers had in transformingIllinois.”

Consul General O’Brien translatedMother Jones’ most well-known quote, “Prayfor the dead and fight like hell for the living,”into Irish Gaelic, to great applause from thededication audience. He said the exhibit andmarker will allow “future generations toreflect on this great Cork-born activist” who“should not be forgotten either in Ireland orin the United States.”

O’Brien noted that while Illinois resi-

dents will be celebrating their Bicentennial,Ireland is celebrating its Centenary.

“One of the key figures of Ireland’s 1916Easter Rising that established our countrywas James Connolly, who was for a time inthe United States and became friends withMother Jones,” he said, adding the connec-tion to the Centenary history is important toIreland.

O’Brien said Ireland is trying to live byvalues that Mother Jones would endorse,those of human rights and diversity. He alsoapplauded the growing ties between theSpirit of Mother Jones Cork Festival and the

Mother Jones Heritage Project. Feurer announced during the dedication

that Illinois Humanities had recentlyawarded the organization a grant to produce“Stories from the Coalfields” to accompanythe marker and indoor exhibit.

Others speaking at the dedicationincluded William Kelly, executive director ofthe Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway; WilliamFurry, executive director of the Illinois StateHistorical Society; Mike Matejka of the Illi-nois Labor History Society; Alimyon Allenof U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s office; and AmyRueff of the Illinois AFL-CIO.

New Mother Jones andCoalfield Marker dedicated with Ireland’s Consul General on I-55 Southbound

The new historical marker on southbound Interstate 55.Photo courtesy of Joe Rathke.

Ireland’s Consul General for Chicago and the Midwest at the indoor exhibit ofthe Coalfield Rest area. Photo courtesy of Henry Fulkerson.

Henry Fulkerson credit Ireland’s Consul General for Chicago and theMidwest carries a wreath to the Mother Jones Monument


It was so cold that the referees couldn’tblow their whistles, and the band didn’t playat halftime. Neither team had 200 yards ofoffense in the game. Today, over a half mil-lion people claim they were there.

Sunday, Dec. 31 marked the 50th anniversary of the 1967 NFL Championshipgame in Green Bay, dubbed the “Ice Bowl”for its bone-chilling temperatures. The Pack-ers captured their third straight league titlewith a 21-17 victory over Dallas in the con-test, the coldest in NFL history and one ofthe most dramatic.

It was the Titletown era in Green Bay,with some of the legendary names of profootball history. Vince Lombardi was in hisninth (and, ultimately, final) season on thePacker sideline, with a longtime nucleus ofHall of Famers like quarterback Bart Starr,linebacker Ray Nitschke, and stalwarts onboth the offensive and defensive lines.

Green Bay fullback Chuck Mercein,however, was relatively new in town. He hadjust joined the Packers on November 9 afterbeing cut by the New York Giants. Merceinwas about ready to sign with Washingtonwhen Lombardi called.

“Lombardi’s starting backs, Elijah Pittsand Jim Grabowski, were down with in-juries, and he asked me if I’d consider GreenBay,” recalled Mercein, now 74. “I was verygrateful at the chance. I mean, the opportu-nity to play for the world champion Packerswas right there. I jumped at it.” Merceinended up carrying only fourteen times in theregular-season.

The Packers were in the twilight of theglorious Lombardi run, coming off their second consecutive NFL title and fourth insix years. They had also won the first-everSuper Bowl (then called the AFL-NFL WorldChampionship Game) the previous January,which was secondary to Lombardi.

“He preached to us all the time about theimportance of winning a third straight NFLtitle,” said Mercein. “That was going to cement the Packer legacy. No other team hadwon three NFL titles in a row before that, andit hasn’t happened since. The Super Bowlwas really just an exhibition at the time, notas important as winning an NFL title.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Age was finally catching up with thePackers in 1967, and the team struggled to a 9-4-1 record amid a myriad of injuries. A win over the Rams in the Western Confer-ence playoff on December 23 set up a rematch of the previous year’s NFL titlegame, a 34-27 Green Bay win in Dallas.

With the 1966 game fresh in everyone’sminds, star-studded lineups on both teams,and a pair of coaching titans in Lombardi andthe Cowboys’ Tom Landry, there was plentyof anticipation for New Year’s Eve in GreenBay. On the day before the 1967 title tilt, thetemperature was relatively mild in GreenBay, but a massive cold front was expectedovernight.

Lombardi, ever known for his prepara-tion, was ready for the challenge. He hadspent $80,000 to install an electric grid underthe Lambeau Field turf to keep the groundfrom freezing. Oddly, the system was pur-chased from a nephew of George Halas, thelongtime coach of the archrival ChicagoBears.

No one, though, expected the severity ofthe cold front, which plunged the UpperMidwest into an icebox. The game time tem-perature in Green Bay on that New Year’sEve would be minus 13 degrees – the lowestin NFL history. A heady northwest breezedropped the wind chill to a numbing minus46 degrees!

A Milwaukee native who grew up inChicago, Mercein was used to cold weather– to a point. “I walked back and forth toschool in all kinds of conditions. I rememberone morning when it was 20 below,” hechuckled. “But I’d never played in anythinglike that.”

Some Packers realized the depths of thetemperatures on their way to Sunday morn-ing church services. A few of the Cowboys,also returning from worship, were stunned atthe temperatures, including one who threw a cup of water at the inside of the hotel win-dow – only to watch it freeze before itreached the sill. Other Dallas players report-edly learned of the weather conditions in thewake-up calls at their hotel.

“(Packer safety) Willie Wood was a warm-weather guy, and he didn’t think thegame should be played,” said Mercein. “Hewasn’t alone in that.” But the forecasts for

the next few days were little better, and evenin that era, television and logistics of movingthe game were too much.

Lombardi refused to let his players weargloves. The grounds crew erected makeshiftshelters of tarpaulins and sheets of plasticover each bench, with butane heaters addingsome warmth.

However, the vaunted heating systemproved ineffective when the tarp covering thefield was pulled back. The moisture that hadcollected between the tarp and the groundfroze almost instantly, creating a slick, icyplaying surface. Though some of the Cow-boys and others have speculated that Lom-bardi purposely turned off the system, Packerinsiders staunchly dispute that claim.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Meanwhile, the players coped as bestthey could. “Of course it was cold, but I triednot to think about it much,” said Mercein. “I had a job to do. I wanted to contribute, andplay the best game I could.”

Mercein noticed one effect of the IceBowl in the shower after the game. “Therewas this one instance early in the game,when I was on the ground and got kicked inthe left arm,” he said. “That sort of thing hap-pened all the time. But my arm was very,very numb.

“I had suffered a hematoma, a deepbruise,” continued Mercein. “I was in theshower afterward, and my left arm swelledto about twice the size of my right arm. I realized that the cold had worked as a sortof ice pack, and kept the swelling downthrough the game.”

A capacity crowd of 50,861 cheered thePackers through the misery. The Green Bay

Press-Gazette reported a total of nineteencases of frostbite at local hospitals over thenext 24 hours, and added that several ambu-lance and rescue calls were made through the

game, but reports of at least one death in thestands during the afternoon are debatedtoday.

With the press box windows freezing,workers were sent across the street to a Mobil station to buy antifreeze, which wassquirted on the windows to remove the frost.The officiating crew learned of the dangerwhen one tried to blow his whistle on thefirst play, only to find it frozen to his lip.When he pulled it away, a chunk of skincame with it, causing blood to flow.

“That was the last of the whistles,” saidMercein. “They didn’t blow them for the restof the game. The referee would just say‘stop,’ and we would.”

There was cause for celebration for thehome crowd early on, as Starr connected onscoring passes with end Boyd Dowler ineach of the first two quarters for a 14-0 lead.However, Dallas returned a Starr fumbleseven yards for a touchdown in the secondquarter, and kicked a late field goal to cut thelead to 14-10 at the intermission.

The halftime entertainment, a perform-ance by the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse Marching Band, was cancelledbecause of the weather. After the band’spractice at 10 a.m. that morning, elevenmembers ended up at the hospital.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The elements kept either team from effec-tively moving the ball, particularly as condi-tions deteriorated in the second half. GreenBay held a 195-192 advantage in total yardson the afternoon, with an 18-11 lead in firstdowns. Starr was sacked eight times by anaggressive Dallas pass rush.

“We weren’t doing a damn thing on offense in the second half,” remarked Mercein. “We were totally inept, and had a bunch of three-and-outs. We couldn’t movethe ball at all, couldn’t get anything going.”

legendary Ice Bowl was 50 years Ago on New year’s Eve

bY toM EMErY

Over 50,000 fans braved a minus 13 temperature and a numbing minus 46 wind chill in the 1967 New Year’s Eve game of Green Bay vs Dallas.


The score was still 14-10 after three quar-ters, but Cowboys quarterback Don Meredithhanded off to Dan Reeves on the first play ofthe fourth quarter. Reeves ran to his left,pulled the Packer defense with him, and hitLance Rentzel on the option with whatproved to be a 50-yard scoring play and a 17-14 Dallas lead.

As the game wore on, Lombardi’s goal ofa third straight title was in clear jeopardy. “I wouldn’t say we were nervous on the side-line, but we were concerned,” recalled Mer-cein. “We couldn’t move the ball at all, andit was getting later and later.”

Finally, Green Bay took over at its own32 with 4:54 remaining. In some of the sem-inal moments in NFL history, the Packersground their way down the field, and Starrfound Mercein with a 19-yard pass to set upGreen Bay at the Dallas 11 with two minutesleft.

Mercein – who accounted for 34 of the 68yards on the final drive – then carried the balleight yards to the three-yard line. “I was really excited on that drive,” said Mercein.“I’d wanted to contribute, and here I was,with that chance.”

“That drive was the culmination of allthat Lombardi had worked us for,” musedMercein. “All of that preparation, all of thattraining and conditioning, it was all rightthere.”

However, halfback Donny Anderson wasstopped on two straight plays, leaving thePackers at the one-yard line with 16 secondsleft and no timeouts. A field goal would havetied the game, but the Packers – and Starr —had other ideas.

He called timeout and asked the linemenif they could keep their footing for a playcalled Brown Right 31-Wedge, where theback would go between the center and rightguard. Starr then trotted to Lombardi on thesideline to discuss the call, but the quarter-back wanted to keep the ball himself on theplay. Starr later recalled that Lombardi said,“Run it and let’s get the hell out of here.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“I thought I was going to get the ball, andscore the winning touchdown,” recalled Mer-cein. “But Bart was concerned that some-thing might go wrong on a running play, andtime would run out. Donny had slipped onthe takeoff on the second play, and Bart wasworried that would happen again in the con-ditions.”

Starr did not tell anyone else in the hud-dle of his decision to sneak. “We didn’t evenhave a quarterback sneak in the playbook,”said Mercein. “I thought I was getting theball until I saw that Bart didn’t turn towardme after the snap.”

Starr’s sneak gave Green Bay a 17-14win and its cherished third straight NFLchampionship. Some have since argued thatthe Packers’ offensive line jumped, and theplay shouldn’t have counted.

“I threw my hands up, and there’s thisiconic photo in which everyone thinks I’msignaling touchdown,” continued Mercein.“But I was actually trying to show the offi-cials that I wasn’t pushing Bart into the endzone, which would have been a penalty.”

Afterward, the Green Bay locker roomwas rather muted. “It was much quieter thanpeople think,” said Mercein. “People were

just exhausted, and relieved. There had beena lot of anxiety that day, and there was thissense of tremendous relief afterward.” Play-ers on both sides complained of severe frost-bite.

Two weeks later, Green Bay won its second straight Super Bowl, but it was anti-climactic. “What was most important was thethird straight NFL title,” said Mercein. “Mychampionship ring has three diamonds in it,one for each NFL title. Not two diamonds forthe Super Bowls, like you might think. Butthree.”

The Ice Bowl would prove to be Lom-bardi’s last game at Lambeau, as he movedupstairs the following February. He laterspent a season on the sidelines in Washingtonbefore his death in 1970 .

Meanwhile, the Ice Bowl has become thestuff of sports legend. “I’ve been asked aboutthat game around 500,000 times, and proba-bly that many people also claim they were inattendance that day,” laughed Mercein. “If I had a nickel for every time I’ve been askedabout it, I’d be a rich, rich man. My kids always tease me, saying that game will neverdie.

“The late Steve Sabol (of NFL Films)was a good friend of mine, and he thoughtthe Ice Bowl was the greatest NFL game ever

played,” remarked Mercein. “Steve also toldme the Ice Bowl was the most replayed gameon NFL Films. It’s very humbling to havebeen a part of it, fifty years later.”

Tom Emery is a freelance writer and histor-

ical researcher from Carlinville. He may be

reached at [email protected] or 217-

710-8392.

Fifty years ago, Chuck Mercein (#30) was the unsung hero of the Packers’ last-second victory over the Dallas Cowboys in the Ice Bowl. Mercein started at fullback, although

he didn’t join the Packers until the ninth game of the season, and accounted for 34 of 68 yards on their game-winning drive.


For over a century, Shurtleff College wasa fixture in Upper Alton, and prepared count-less River Bend residents for professionallife. Though the college ceased operationsin 1957, its legacy is still felt today.

Last year marked the 60th anniversary ofthe closing of Shurtleff, which opened in1827 as both the first college in Illinois andthe first between the Alleghenies and theMississippi River.

Today, Loomis Hall, an original campusbuilding at 2809 College, houses the AltonMuseum of History and Art, which featuresinterpretive displays on the Shurtleff story.

The college was established as RockSpring Seminary by Rev. John Mason Peck,a pre-eminent Baptist minister and abolition-ist who settled in Illinois in 1822 .

“Peck wanted to establish a seminary toraise up some preachers,” said Dr. NormanShowers, a 1950 Shurtleff graduate fromUpper Alton who has extensively researchedthe history of the College. “He hoped thosepreachers would start some Baptist churchesin this area.”

Located near O’Fallon, Ill., Rock Spring

closed in 1831 with a plan of moving toUpper Alton, where it re-opened the follow-ing year as Alton Seminary. The former sem-inary building at Rock Spring was leveled ina fire in 1862.

Much of the early campus life in UpperAlton revolved around Loomis Hall, namedfor Rev. Hubbel Loomis, the Seminary Pres-ident from 1832-35. Built in 1832, Loomisis the oldest building in the state that hasbeen continuously used for educational purposes.

“It had everything in those days,” chuck-led Showers. “It was a dormitory, classroom,and a library, among other things. It was acentral part of the campus.” Later buildingsincluded a Carnegie Library, erected in 1910.

During a fund-raising tour of the East,Peck met Dr. Benjamin Shurtleff, a Massa-chusetts physician who donated $10,000 tothe school. In January 1836, the name of theseminary was changed to Shurtleff Collegein his honor.

Annual enrollment from 1836-41 aver-aged eighty-eight, with four instructors. Thename of an early president, Washington Lev-

erett, now graces the name of a nearby streetin Upper Alton. Around 140 Shurtleffalumni later fought in the Civil War, includ-ing John M. Palmer, a major general fromCarlinville who served as governor of Illinoisfrom 1869-73 and U.S. Senator from 1891-97.

Another notable Shurtleff alum wasMinor Watson, an Alton product who ap-peared in some 111 Hollywood films between 1913-36, including the 1942 hitYankee Doodle Dandy with James Cagney.A 1909 account reported that seven collegepresidents were Shurtleff alumni.

Cherished local native Robert Wadlow,the world’s tallest man, also attended Shurtl-eff during the spring 1936 semester at age 18.At the time, Wadlow stood 8’4” and wouldgain seven more inches before his death in1940.

“That was the only semester he was atShurtleff,” commented Showers. “He hadsuch difficulty walking across campus, par-ticularly in the snow and ice.”

In addition to its four-year academic pro-gram, the school was famous for some of itsextracurriculars. “Shurtleff was really wellknown for its music program,” remarkedShowers. “But it also had some good footballand basketball teams.”

The school’s athletic teams were nick-named the “Pioneers” and regularly playedmuch larger opponents. Shurtleff reeled offa combined 19-1 record in football from1940-42. The school also featured early ver-

sions of a women’s basketball team.The focus of Shurtleff gradually shifted

from the seminary to traditional college stud-ies as the decades passed. Enrollmentpeaked at around 700 students in 1950,largely from a bump in GIs home fromWorld War II. That year, the largest gradu-ating class in school history, a total of 99,earned degrees.

But the school declined from there, as enrollment and money both fell. By 1956,Shurtleff had eliminated its athletic program,and Showers, then an Alton High teacher,was brought in to oversee the physical edu-cation department. In November 1956, theAlton Evening Telegraph reported that pay-roll was met “only because of a note (that)…was indorsed personally by Alton industrialleaders.”

That December 14, a headline in the Tele-graph blared “Shurtleff to Suspend on June30.” Eight days later, the Chicago Tribunereported the news under the sad headline“Death of a College.”

The school facilities were taken over bySouthern Illinois University, creating that in-stitution’s Alton Residence Center.

“It was the first state university in Illinoisto feature off-campus classes,” remarkedShowers, who stayed on with the SIU faculty, part of his thirty-year career in uni-versity education. “We ended up havingtriple the enrollment we expected.” SIU-Edwardsville was established in 1957, thesame year that Shurtleff ceased.

At one of the final faculty meetings,Showers proposed to keep Shurtleff open“on paper” for a year and a half to allow students to complete their diplomas with thatschool. Twenty-eight students accepted, andthe final Shurtleff degrees were awarded inlate 1958.

“SIU was very accommodating to theneeds of the Shurtleff people,” recalledShowers. “The university was very under-standing, and worked to include Shurtleffstudents and faculty.” The current SIU cam-pus in Edwardsville opened in 1965, and por-tions of the Shurtleff campus became the SIUDental School in 1972.

Many publications relating to Shurtleffare now held in the archives of SIU-Edwardsville.

Illinois History

Shurtleff College Closed Over 60 years AgobY toM EMErY

Loomis Hall and Carnegie Library at Shurtleff College in Alton.


Buzzin’ Around the Kitchen

A New Twist ona Favorite Soup

By CHEF ANTHONy

Tara and I discussed that this month we

would do recipes on soups and/or stews - the

perfect winter food. But I decided to add

a little twist. Don’t get me wrong, I did not

develop this recipe, but it’s tried and true at

my house and I think you are going to enjoy

it as well.

Do you love French onion soup? Is there

anyone who doesn’t? This recipe has all the

best ingredients of the traditional favorite but

the way it’s made changes it into something

completely new. Since it’s baked in a casse-

role dish the bread really soaks up the ex-

treme flavor. Best of all, it’s easy!

You can use Mozzarella or Parmesan

cheese instead of Gruyere if you prefer, or a

combination of both - or all three - for an

even more unique taste, but still delicious.

I guarantee anyone that loves French

onion soup is going to love this recipe. As

you’ve probably figured out though, it is def-

initely not low carb - but then my recipes

don’t necessarily have to be healthy - just de-

licious! Serve it with a side salad if that

makes you feel better!

frENch oNioN souP cassErolE

ingrEDiEntS

2 tablespoons unsalted butter3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced1 teaspoon sugar1 cup chicken broth1 cup beef broth1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme1 teaspoon Dijon mustard1 teaspoon kosher salt1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper1 baguette, sliced 1/2” thick (24 slices)2 cups shredded Gruyère cheeseFresh thyme, for garnish

DirECtionSPreheat the oven to 350°F and lightly

coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cook-ing spray. Line a baking sheet with parch-ment paper.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter

over medium heat. Add the onions andcook, stirring occasionally, until theonions are soft and golden. Halfwaythrough the cooking, around 2 minutes,add the sugar to help the onionscaramelize. When the onions are done,add the chicken and beef broths, thyme,mustard, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5 to10 minutes.

Place the bread slices on the parch-ment-lined baking sheet and toast 2 to 3minutes on each side.

Place half of the bread slices in thebaking dish, overlapping slightly.

Layer half of the onion mixture on topof the bread slices. Top with remainingbread slices, then the remaining onionmixture. Cover with the cheese. Coverwith foil and bake until hot and bubbling,30 to 35 minutes. Garnish with freshthyme and serve.


bEEf, toMato & grEEN chilE stEW

ingrEDiEntS

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into cubes

2 onions chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

1 (28 ounce) can of tomatoes with juice

2 (4 oz) cans chopped green chile

peppers (drained)

1 (12 ounce) can or bottle of beer

1 cup beef broth

2 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

salt & pepper to taste

DirECtionS

In a Dutch oven, heat oil over mediumheat until hot, but not smoking. Pat themeat dry with paper towels and brown inbatches, transferring the meat with a slot-ted spoon to a bowl as they are done.

In the fat remaining in the pot, cookthe onions until softened, about 5 min-utes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1more minute.

Return meat to the pot with any juicesin the bowl and add the tomatoes withjuice, chiles, beer, beef broth, oregano,cumin, and Worcestershire sauce. Seasonwith salt and pepper to taste.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Sim-mer, partially covered, for 2 1/2 hours oruntil meat is tender.

Follow My Fitness

Comfort Foodfor Cold days

By TArA l. CAlE

Many of the recipes I use come from

online searches. This one is no exception.

It caught my eye because I love the combi-

nation of beef and tomatoes. Plus there is

nothing like a good stew on a cold day...and

we’ve had plenty of those lately! The fact

that this recipe was so easy and rated 4 1/2

stars out of 5 is an added bonus. Normally

I would steer away from the green chiles, but

you have to try new things, and I actually

liked them. The sauce was very rich and

flavorful as well.

I just ate this stew as a meal ain itself

because it’s basically low carb that way, but

comments online from others that tried the

recipe said it was great over rice or egg noo-

dles. Some served it with a crusty bread and

a side salad. Still others garnished with

guacamole and sour cream.

I made this a few weeks ago and putting

the information here now makes me want it

again. I don’t have any chuck roast on hand

though, so I’m going to use this recipe as

inspiration for a new stew using what I do

have on hand - hamburger, cabbage and

tomatoes from my garden that are calling to

me from the freezer! Who knows you might

see THAT recipe here next....

Don’t be afraid to take recipes you

see, whether here, online or wherever, and

make them your own. You may discover

something incredible!


turnkEy SportS bAr buSinESS ForSAlE - price includes everything, building, busi-ness, equipment including games and televisions.Located in Jerseyville TIF district. Priced to sellat $249,000. Call 217-637-TODD (8633) for in-formation.

bE your own boSS - Conveniencestore/restaurant/bar combo for sale. Currentlydoing 1.4M annually! Most equipment new,plenty of room for further expansion. Comes witha minimum of $50,000 in inventory. Asking$595,000 and possible owner financing (with 50%down). Call Joe or Rhonda for details at 618-669-2155.

40 Ft. X 80 Ft. oFFiCE builDing inLitchfield, IL. Display area 2200 sq ft, 2 offices,1,000 sq ft total, 3 baths, vault. Great locationwith 2 entrances - Route 66 and Historic Route66. For information call 217-324-4221.

rEtAil SpACE in gillESpiE For rEnt:Over 3,700 sq ft of retail space at 102 Macoupin,Gillespie. Previously used furniture store butcould be anything. Rent for just $1,000/month.Call 217-825-3035.

rEMoDElED 2BR home on full basement onNorth side of Litchfield - new carpet, paint, refrig-erator, stove, 2 air conditioners and more. Wasrented for $500/month. Just $19,500! No contractfor deed. Call for private showing 217-313-3512.

10 wooDED ACrES with creek runningthrough it. All untilities access. Peaceful hide-away with great nature trails and wildlife. Somerolling hills. Near Route 16 between Litchfieldand Hillsboro, close to Lake Lou Yaeger. Addi-tional acreage available - negotiable.$8,950/acre. For information call 217-324-3869.

vAnDAliA lAkE lot, trailer, electric, boatdock. Call 618-606-1709.

propErty For SAlE - corner lot in NewDouglas, call 217-456-1053.

propErty For SAlE - industrial or residen-tial site with city utilities. Various plots to choosefrom. Two hay crops a year. Virden, IL. Call217-965-3551. (ufn)

niCE houSE For A niCE priCE - Wellbuilt 2/3 BR, 2 BA brick ranch. Hardwood floors,remodeled bathroom, 1958 sq ft. 112 MidwayAve, Cottage Hills, IL. Good value for $86,900.Call for appointment. 618-604-9723. (ufn)

houSE For SAlE - Updated and move-inready! All new 2 1/2 ton central air, new BR car-pet, new windows, new kitchen cabinets, counter-tops, sink, vinyl floor. New weatherhead (elecservice). Newly finished basement family room,2nd BR and storage room. Water heater, furnace& roof not 5 years old. One car garage with work-room, bench & cabinets. Granite City. $56,450OBO. 618-656-8571 or 618-250-9632.

1 br ApArtMEnt for rent. Water/heat/ trashincluded for $450/month. Security deposit and 1year lease required. Staunton, 618-444-7222. 2 br ApArtMEnt for rent with washer/ dryerhookups. Includes water/heat/trash. Security de-posit and 1 year lease required. $600/month.Staunton, 618-444-7222.

8’ tilt trAilEr, new tires and lights, $650,Call 618-789-4227.

1999 MErCury grAnD MArquiS, origi-nal owner. Silver, 165,xxx miles. $875, Cleartitle, sold as is, 217-324-3869.

1999 ForD SupErCAb F150 4X4, new bat-tery, recent tune-up, duel exhaust, Reese hitch,new toolbox with extra drawer, steering, brakesand air. Many extras. 135,xxx miles, $4,500, call217-533-4699.

2001 ForD EXplorEr 4X4 - LOADED -steering, brakes, air, 40 channel CB equipped,new tires, 155,xxx miles, $5,000, call 217-533-4699.

4 X 8 trAilEr 1999, with sideboards , tilt bed,new tires, $350, call 217-533-4699.

1999 gMC SAvAnnAh 1500 ConvErSionvAn, LOADED, 215,xxx miles, new brakes,tires, radiator and more, $7,000, ONE OWNER,call 618-806-0901

1979 pontiAC bonnEvillE CpE 301-v8Cordoba Top. Olive green color. In EXCEL-LENT condition and only 78,000 miles. Asking$5,000, 618-606-1709.

1991 CobrA trikE with 350 Chevy engine.Low mileage. Cherry Pearl with stainless steelexhaust. Asking $15,000, 618-606-1709.

99 SuZuki intruDEr. 6,xxx miles. $4,000OBO, call 618-977-8147.

thrEE uSED vEhiClES For SAlE 1998Ford Contour, 103k miles, $1,500; 2002 MercuryMountaineer AWD 183k miles, $4,200; 2000Chevy Blazer 4WD, 137K miles, $2,000 OBO.Call 217-741-4713 or 217-532-5685 Leave mes-sage.

1950'S CASE trACtor rADiAtor and

nose...red..make an offer. Also 1 Pair high

bACk with hEADrESt /rED vinyl

CAr SEAtS, on adjustable slide. $150.00 for

pair 217-891-1600.

2012 kAi SCootEr 150 cc with only 20 mileson it. Owned by senior citizen that cannot ride.$1195 or best offer, 217-320-3311.

2007 yamaha 650 cc Silverado Dark Blue

w/ Saddle Bags and Helmet, 500 miles, $3900

OBO located near Mt. Olive, 217-246-4868 .

2001 Dodge ram 6cyl 116,000 miles

new brakes, ball joints, bedliner, remote stereo

radio. $2500.00. Call 217-324-5943 leave mes-

sage.

Chevy 409 Engine, complete rebuilt, all new,

Muncie 4-speed, $6,000. Call 618-567-6060.

1992 Chevy Sports van, 111,xxx miles, $3500

OBO, 217-259-6948. (UFN).

2003 handicap Dodge grand Caravan, 56,xxxmiles, $18,500 or best offer. 217-259-6948.

2005 honda 750 Shadow, approx. 8000 miles.With windshield, light cluster bars, rider seat andback rest, leather saddle bags, whole bike cover.In good condition. Only $3400. Please call 217-710-7957 after 7PM.

FrEnCh Country hutCh & tEA CArt- $400 for both. Located in Highland. Would beperfect for upcycling with the currenty trendypaint colors. Call 314-346-0516.

EArly AMEriCAn StylE ChAirS Solidwood (maple). Have approximately 40, wouldlike to sell entire lot. Call 314-346-0516.

3 piece Solid oak Entertainment Center - ex-

tremely nice with crown moulding, internal lights,

leaded glass doors at top of unit (regular on bot-

tom), 4 adjustable glass shelves in side units.

Openin for 35” w x 30 1/2” H - approximately

46” T. $500. Local delivery possible if YOU un-

load. See by appointment. Keyesport 618-749-

5650.

EnD tAblE with door/magazine rack. Realwood, blonde color, nice, $50, 217-324-3869.

oAk tri-FolD rooM DiviDEr holds 15(8x10) photos, $65 618-749-5650

DunCAn phyFE Drop lEAF tAblE withdual 3 brass-capped pedestal feet, $75, 618-749-5650.

oAk trEStlE tAblE with 4 straight and 2captain chairs, plus 2 leaves to expand to 83”. Allsturdy and solid. Asking $600. 618-656-9388.

the classifieds

hoMEs/aPts for salE/rENt

autoMotivE

furNiturEbusiNEssEs oPPortuNitiEs


king wood headboard with mirror, 2 years old,excellent condition. Benld 217-710-3387.

6 hEAvy wooDEn ChAirS with paddedseat and back. Will need sanded and stained orre-painted. Litchfield. Call 217-324-3910.

upholStErED lA-Z-boy rEClinErwith wooden armrests. Gold. Nice condition, $75,217-324-3869.

Dining room table with 6 chairs, 1 leaf andchina hutch. $450 OBO. 618-791-8109 or 618-791-2025.

AMiSh MADE walnut wall-mount drop liddesk 24” x 31” x 7” in Sorento. $200 OBO. 217-272-4481. Leave message if no answer.

AntiquE John Deere one row corn planter,fully restored, $200. Call 2217-456-1053.

AntiquE walk behind snow blower, steelwheels, runs good and looks like new, $250, 618-558-6918.

AntiquE Cunningham walk behind gardentractor, $150, 618-558-6918.

pEpSi MAChinE small bottle model #VF81P-SAP, serial #10209B41C, Vendorlator. Call 618-535-9433.

inDiAn ArrowhEADS and misc artifacts.Call 217-710-9758 for more information.

vEnDor booth SpACE available at Nana’sHidden Attic, conveniently located at Exit 60 offhigh traffic Interstate 55. Call 217-324-0846.

vEnDor booth SpACE available at Way-side Antique Mall, Highway 127 between Hills-boro and Greenville. Call 217-537-3900 for moreinformation.

AntiquE toyS wAntED: private collectorpays cash for old toy trucks, cars, trains, pedalcars, bicycles, Tonka trucks, etc, pre-1970. Al-ways buying. Please call 618-420-3684 (UFN)

wAntED to buy: antique pie safe, jelly cup-board, flat and stepback cupboards, dental cabi-net and unique antiques. Even if in poorcondition. 618-377-0432 (UFN)

wAntED to buy... old postcards, photo-graphs, stereoviews, posters, WWII and beforemilitary items, old toys and trains, glass lanternslides, advertising items, documents, letterheadsand billheads, most any vintage paper items andephemera, collections and accumulations okay. Ifit is unusual and old I am interested in looking atit! Please call Mike Finley, 314-524-9400 or 314-341-2389, or email: [email protected].

wE buy EStAtES , full or partial houses,sheds, barns, etc. Call Village Square Antiquesfor more information, 618-669-2825, www.antiquesvillagesquare.com.

Antique Child’s roll top Desk with matchingswivel chair. Excellent condition. Call 217-324-4160 for information. (UFN)

wAnting to buy old comic books, maga-zines and books. Call 314-351-1302.

wAnting to buy WWII, WWI, Korea, andVietnam military relics. Cash paid by collector foruniforms, helmets, medals, swords, leather flightjackets, scrapbooks, etc. 217 851-3177. (UFN)

(classifieds continued on next page)

aNtiQuEs/collEctiblEs


wAnting to buy old records, blues, rock,jazz. Call 314-821-7466. (UFN)

wAnting to buy OLD Boats, OLD boatmotors, 1900’s to 1960’s, wood or aluminum run-abouts, any unusual boats, motors, outboard rac-ing. Cash paid. Call Mark 314-602-5368. (UFN)

wAntED license plate 1911 Illinois, or ... whatdo you have? 618-931-7527.

wAnting to buy Sheet music and records33 lps, 45 rpm, 78 rpm, must be in very goodshape. Call Jim at 618-304-7188 or 618-654-3049.

wAnting to buy OLD postcards, Civil Warphotos and vintage paper items. Always payingcash. Call Jerry for details at 618-410-6879.

wii ConSolE, with 9 games, 2 controllers,

1 joystick, 3 steering wheels, $75, 217-324-3869

ConCrEtE toolS, complete set, call 618-

789-4227 (UFN).

2013 honDA 7hp vErtiClE ShAFt

Motor, and car (off power washer). Low

hours, $100, 217-324-3869.

ChAin link Dog CAgE, 4’6” long, 2’ high,3 1/2 ft tall, with pig grate flooring. Used by petgroomer. 618-344-6500.

bAlDwin “ACroSiniC” piAno, #894722with bench, nice condition, $625, 217-324-3869.

buDwEiSEr & buD light pool tAblElightS, used but like new, $195each, 217-324-3869.

bowFlEX EXtrEME, plus extra chest ma-chine and additional back machine. $300 for all,call 618-789-4227 (Sawyerville).

gun CAbinEt, $50, Call 618-789-4227.

ForD bACkhoE - runs. Serious inquiries onlyplease at 217-538-2321 (leave message if no an-swer).

gEorgE StECk Baby Grand piano. Call217-851-2672.

hoMko Snow blowEr runs good andlooks good, $200, 618-558-6918.

MArk MArtin #6 vAlvolinE RacingChampions (L) & JimmieJohnson #48 lowers JHDesigns (M) like new heavy twill jackets w/lotsembroidery & patches. $35 each. Also, MarkMartin #6 duffel bag $8. 618-749-5650.

rough Cut CEDAr luMbEr, 15 each of

2” x 4” x 16’, 6 each of 1” x 6” x 16’, 6 each of

2” x 6” x 16’. Planed cedar lumber, 12 each of

1” x 4” x 12’, 20 each of tongue and grooved 1”

x 6” x 8’-10’, all sizes and lengths of coarse grain

oak barn lumber. Also have creosote lumber, 50

each of 1/2” x 4” x 30’, 20 each of 1/2” x 8” x 12’.

Call 217-710-9758 for more information.

CuStoM MADE pEtE SAgAr 15” rop-ing SADDlE with saddle bags made into thesaddle and matching breast strap. Must see!$1,100 or best offer. Call 217-710-9758 for moreinformation.

hAnDMADE CuStoM birD houSES, Allshapes, sizes and prices. For more informationcall 217-899-7491, or email [email protected]. Can email photos.

pArting out Massey 65 gas; Deutz 4005;Oliver 77; Minnie M5 Diesel, Call 618-558-6918.

ADD-on 3 point hitCh, $400, 618-558-6918.

3 point hitCh KIT + BRACKETS for IH,$500, 618-558-6918.

DiSC for David-Bradley walk-behind gardentractor, $75, 618-558-6918.

rubbEr CoAtED boAt AnChor,$20, 217-324-3869.

boAt wEnCh CrAnk, with strap, $30,217-324-3869.

John DEErE MEtAl SEAt, with brace, $50,217-324-3869.

42" Front blade for John Deere LX Series LawnTractor. All brackets, Very good condition.$200.00 217-324-3994.

nAturAl bEEF For SAlE, sides, split quar-ters, and 91% lean hamburger patties. No antibi-otics or added hormones, pasture/hay fed. Orderat www.backyardbeef.net or 618-973-7699.

Selmer Alto Saxophone, made in USA, withpearl keys and Bundy case. $500. Leave messageif no answer. 618-659-2061. (UFN)

Sears & roebuck rug loom - 2 harness loom.$500 OBO. Located in Bunker Hill. Call 217-556-9428. (UFN)

builD-A-bEArS: Santa w/gray fur vest $10,also several other B-A-B’s dressed $4 to $6 each,618-749-5650.

1951 Farmall Cub tractor has cultivators, snowplow, 42” belly mower, disc, one bottom plow,cycle bar mower, wheel weights and tire chains.$5000 for all. Call 618-362-6468.

Custom teddy bears hand made from your oldfur coats, other articles of clothing, neckties, babyclothes, quilts, blankets, etc. Perfect for remem-bering family members, or as gifts. Bears are 5-way jointed, glass eyes, hand sewn noses, stuffedwith polyester filling. Sizes and prices vary ac-cording to your choices. Samples and pictures onhand. 25 years experience, Alton, 618-462-8326

biZZy b ClEAning SErviCES for home oroffice. Affordable rates. Serving up to a 30 mileradius of Litchfield. Call 573-578-9715.

biZZy b in-hoME pEt Sitting When youcan’t take your fur babies with you, don’t boardthem. Let them stay in the comfort and securityof their own home. We will come and let themout, feed/water them, even walk them if needed.Plus we can bring in the mail and water yourplants! Serving up to a 30 mile radius of Litch-field. Call 573-578-9715.

AppliAnCE rEpAir. $25$ service call feewith mention of this add (regular rate is $35).Labor rates lower than anyone in town. Call Matt(Litchfield) at 217-415-3164.

Stud Service: Long haired German Shepherd,registered, level-headed and proven. Mt. Olive636-399-1300.

sErvicEs & Misc

Misc for salE


CAN yOU GIVE US A FUr-EVEr HOME?

Partners For Pets Rescue and Rehab Animal Shelter

Troy, Illinois (618) 540-PETS (7387)

www.partners4pets.petfinder.com

rEnA was released to our cus-tody as the result of an unplannedliter that the owner was unpre-pared to care for or keep. She is acute and playful little girl andmight make the perfect addition toyour family. For more informa-tion call or visit Adopt-A-Pet Shelter807 Stewart Road, BenldOpen daily 1-5 pmwww.benldadoptapet.org217-835-2538

AthEnA is young femaleLab/Great Dane mix so she isgoing to be an extra large girl!She is currently doing well inher foster home and learningmanners. Find out more abouther and the many other adopt-able cats and dogs at www.partnersforpetsil.org.

ChArliE is a 4 year old Chi-huahua with high energy. He isvery lovable and likes to go onwalks and play with toys. He isselective about what other dogs hewill allow to be his friend though.Find out more about Charlie andthe many other adoptable animalsat bondcohs.petfinder.com.

bond County humane Society1403 S. Fourth St • greenville

[email protected]

DutCh is a young Pointer mix, justabout a year old. He is a fairly largeboy and would need room to run andplay. Adoption applications are onour website at MEhS.org.

Metro East humane Society8495 State Rt143 • Edwardsville618-656-4405

JoEy is a small (37 lb) black labmix, about 1 year old. He is housebroke, walks great on a leash and isan overall wonderful little guy! Fillout the application on the Pawswebsite for Joey!www.mcpawscare.org.

in nEED oF CASh? Expert private collectorpaying cash for antiques, musical instruments,GOLD & SILVER jewelry, costume jewelry, oldcoins, pocketwatches. Paying top $$$ in CASH.Just paid one person over $2,000 for old unwantedbroken jewelry. Will travel to you! Call Anthonyat 740-808-4878.

Discover how to get FrEE pampered Chefproducts call Pam Schaefer, Independent Con-sultant for The Pampered Chef, at 217-556-9390or email [email protected]. (UFN)

german translation Service by experiencespeaker/translator. Genealogical documents,church records, letters, diaries, journals, etc. Rea-sonable rates. Email: [email protected].(UFN)

wAntED to buy: Vintage costume jewelry,

all shapes and sizes. Mismatched or broken is ac-

ceptable. Leave message at 618-444-3103.

wAntED: MuSiCAl inStruMEntS Turn

your musical instruments into CASH. High prices

paid for your musical instruments. Call 618-977-

5089.

wAntED: 1 -2 -3 cyl Deutz tractors, also Deutztractor manuals and literature, and belt pulley forDeutz tractgor, 618-558-6918.

wAntED to buy: antique pie safe, jelly cup-board, flat and stepback cupboards, dental cabi-net and unique antiques. Even if in poorcondition. 618-377-0432 (UFN)

wAntED good used semi box trailer 45’-50’ orshorter at reasonable price for storage. Call 217-324-3869.

Diabetic test Strips wanted Unexpired, anytype, any brand. Will pay up to $10/box. CallRon @217-556-3398. Please leave call backnumber. (ufn).

FrEE EnErgy CoSt AnAlySiS: Areyou paying too much for your electricity? Didyou know you have a choice or who to buy itfrom? Let us give you a FREE, no obligation en-ergy cost analysis and see how much money youcan save. You may even be able to get FrEEElECtriC! FIND OUT TODAY, call 573-368-6639!

Classifieds for individuals are free. Businessespay 50¢ per workd, 10 word minimum and mustbe paid in advance if an account is not already es-tablished. EXCEPTION: HELP WANTED adsare always free. Display ads placed in the classi-fied section are at the same rate as placement any-where else in the magazine. Email ads to:[email protected].

frEE

WaNtEd


TUESdAy, JANUAry 2Stretch & Move Classes, 8-9 am, $1/session,Main Street Community Center, 1003 N Main,Edwardsville. Classes every Tuesday, Thursday,and Friday. Not held if center closed for Holiday,www.mainstcc.org.

Quilting, 9-11 am, every Tuesday at Jarvis Town-ship Senior Citizens Center, 410 Wickliffe St.,Troy. Quilting for all, beginners through seasoned,www.troymaryvillecoc.com.

Story Time every Monday and Tuesday at 10 am,Wednesdays at 6:30 pm. Glen Carbon Library,198 S. Main, www.glencarbonlibrary.org.

Little Me Story Time, every Tuesday and Wednes-day from 10:30-11 am, Pat Huck CommunityRoom at Tri-Township Public Library 209 S.Main St, Troy. For parents and children up to 3years old. Simple finger games, songs and exer-cise, www.troylibrary.org.

Preschool Story Time every Tuesday, 10-10:30am, Collinsville Library, 408 W. Main St,Collinsville. Themed stories and a craft,www.mvlibdist.org/collinsville_calendar.

Sit-n-Sew meets every Tuesday from 10-4. Stayfor an hour or stay all day! Bring your machineand your UFOs (unfinished objects) Main StreetMini Mall Quilt Shop, 124 East Main, Staunton,618-635-5509.

Bingo played every Tuesday, 1-3 pm, Main StreetCommunity Center, 1003 N Main, Edwardsville, www.mainstcc.org

Pokeno, 1 pm, Main Street Community Center,1003 N Main, Edwardsville, www.mainstcc.org.

Red Cross Blood Drive, 3-7 pm, Free, AmericanLegion-Lee Iten Post 439, 1130 New Trenton Rd,Highland. Free long-sleeve Red Cross T-shirtwhen you donate before January 7th (while sup-plies last). To schedule an appointment visitwww.redcrossblood.org and enter HighlandLe-gion or call 618-654-4062.

Open Gaming, 4-7 pm, Community Room,Ground Floor, Collinsville Library, 408 W. MainSt, Collinsville. Video game system available forpublic use, request a game be put in or bring yourown (no “M” rated games), www.mvlibdist.org/collinsville_calendar.

Free After School Art, 4-5:30 pm, Macoupin ArtCollective, 214 E Main St, Staunton. Every Tues-day and Thursday, www.macart.org.

Lego Club, 5-7 pm, Every Tuesday, Six Mile Re-gional Library, 2001 Delmar Ave, Granite City.For information call 618-452-6238.

Alzheimer’s Classes/Meeting, 6-7 pm, MainStreet Community Center, 1003 N Main St, Ed-wardsville. Come learn about Alzheimer’s andDementia symptoms, support and techniques. Forinformation call Sara at 618-650-9280 or visitwww.alz.org.

Emotions Anonymous meets every Tuesday at 6 pm at the Louis Latzer Library, 1001 9th Street,Highland (Contact Jackie at 618-654-9351 oremail: 16bjschu@email) and at 6 pm at the LocustStreet Resource Center in Carlinville (ContactLarry, [email protected] or 217-272-4560). Free and open to anyone in need of emo-tional support for any reason.

Amvets Meeting, 7 pm, 1st Tuesday of everymonth at Amvets Auxiliary 204, 1711 KennedyDr. Madison. Interested in becoming a member?Contact Carolyn (618-444-5069 [email protected]) or Dixie (618-972-9892 [email protected]), granitecity.illinois.gov.

Square Dancing, 7-9 pm, Main Street CommunityCenter, 1003 N Main, Edwardsville, www.mainstcc.org.

Slappers County & Western Dance Club, 7 pmevery Tuesday, Tri-Cities Knights of ColumbusHall, 4225 Old Alton Rd, Granite City. For infor-mation call 618-877-4250.

WEdNESdAy, JANUAry 3Duplicate Bridge played every Wednesday, 9 am-12 pm, Main Street Community Center,1003 N Main, Edwardsville, www.mainstcc.org.

Chair Yoga every Wednesday, 9:30 am, GraniteCity Township Hall, 2060 Delmar Ave, GraniteCity. For information call 618-877-1215.

Baby Boogie every Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 am,Collinsville Library, 408 W. Main St, Collinsville.Suitable for all babies and toddlers accompaniedby a guardian, www.mvlibdist.org/collinsville_calendar.


Big Kids’ Weaving, 4-5:30 pm, $60, MacoupinArt Collective, 214 E Main St, Staunton. Thisclass meets for four weeks on Wednesdays. Ages10 and up. To register or for information visitwww.macart.org.

YogART every Wednesday, 5:30-6:30 pm, Dona-tion Class, Jacoby Arts Center, 627 E. Broadway,Alton, www.jacobyartscenter.org.

Drop-in Stained Glass Mosaics, 6-8 pm, $15, Ma-coupin Art Collective, 214 E Main St, Staunton.2 hours of studio time with limited instruction-in-cludes materials, except picture frame,www.macart.org.

Adult Bible Study, 6-7:15 pm, First BaptistChurch, 2709 Poplar St, Highland, www.fbchighland.org.

Free Yoga Time every Wednesday, 6:30-8 pm,Community Room, Collinsville Library, 408 W.Main St, Collinsville. No registration required.Ages 16+ welcome, www.mvlibdist.org/collinsville_calendar.

Story Time every Wednesday at 6:30 pm. GlenCarbon Library, 198 S. Main, www.glencarbonlibrary.org.

Knights of Columbus Bingo every Wednesday, 7 pm, at Crystal Ballroom (I-55 to exit 41) inStaunton. Doors open at 5:30 pm. For informa-tion call Joe Rodriguez at 618-635-8338.

Lions Club Bingo, 7 pm, every Wednesday at Tri-mor Bingo Hall 3701 Nameoki Rd, 618-877-7771. We play 27 games including 3-$500 bingogames, 2-$500 raffle games, and 4-$1000 rafflegames. Our mission is to assist folks in PontoonBeach, Mitchell, Granite City, Madison andVenice who have sight & hearing problems, www. granitecity.illinois.gov .

Troy Genealogical Society Meeting, 7-9pm, Tri-Township Library, 209 S Main St, Troy. Historyand Genealogy Room. For more information call618-667-8769 or visit www.troylibrary.org.

THUrSdAy, JANUAry 4Stretch & Move Classes, 8-9 am, $1/session,Main Street Community Center, 1003 N Main,Edwardsville. Classes every Tuesday, Thursday,and Friday. Not held if center closed for Holiday,www.mainstcc.org.

Story Time every Monday at 6:30 pm @ Six MileRegional Library (2001 Delmar Ave, GraniteCity) and every Thursday at 10:00 am @ Six MileRegional Library (2145 Johnson Rd, GraniteCity), www.smrld.org.

Bible Study every Thursday at noon at theWomen’s Ministry Center, 555 E. Bethalto Drive,Bethalto. Call 618-803-9078 for information.

Pinochle played every Thursday, 12-3 pm, MainStreet Community Center, 1003 N Main, Edwardsville, www.mainstcc.org.

Bingo, 12-3 pm, every Thursday at the Knights ofColumbus Hall, 1 Columbus Plaza, Collinsville.$1/card. Great lunch menu changes weekly,www.discovercollinsville.com.

Free Clothes Closet, Every Thursday from 1-3pm, Calvary Baptist Church, 3000 WashingtonAve, Granite City. No Appointment Necessary.For more information contact Shirley at 618-304-3454.

Free After-School Art, 4-5:30 pm, Macoupin ArtCollective, 214 E Main St, Staunton. Every Tues-day and Thursday, www.macart.org.

Sign Language Club, 6:30-7:30 pm, Louis LatzerMemorial Public Library, 1001 9th St, Highland.Learn deaf culture, sign language, and more. Forgrades 7-12, www.highlandlibrary.org.

Open Play at Riverbend Community Center, 200W. 3rd St, Alton, every Thurs & Fri Night from6-10 pm. Open to members and non-members.Just $5 a person or $15 a family. Members get in

Free on Thursdays! Come for dinner at Prinvi-calli's Cafe located on the second floor of thecommunity center and then watch a movie or playgames all night! All ages welcome. For more in-formation contact John at618-465-9850, [email protected] or visitwww.riverbender.com/communitycenter.

Free Video Game Club every Thursday, 6-7:30pm, Free, Community Room, Collinsville Library,408 W. Main St, Collinsville. Each month therewill be weekly sessions to progress in a narrativedriven game, www.mvlibdist.org/collinsville_calendar.

R.E.H.A.B Exercise Classes, Monday/Thursday7 pm & Saturday 9 am, Rivers of Life CommunityChurch, 3131 E 23rd St, Granite City. $2/class orpurchase a pass. Free child care. For informationcall 618-797-7933.

Square Dance Lessons, 7-9pm, Every Thursday,Wood River Roundhouse, 633 N Wood River Ave,Wood River. First lesson is free—$5/lesson afterthat. For more call Bo at 618-288-9838 or [email protected].

Emotions Anonymous 12 Steps for Christiansmeets every Thursday at 7 pm at the St. PaulLutheran Church on the frontage road 2 milesnorth of Hamel. Free and open to anyone in needof emotional support for any reason. ContactLarry [email protected] or 217-272-4560.

Police Bingo, every Thursday night, 7 pm. No games under $110. Paper cards & mates, fullsnack bar, bingo supplies, no smoking, plenty ofparking. Proceeds benefit the programs supportedby the Granite City Police Dept including youthathletics. Knights of Columbus Hall, 425 Old Alton Road, Granite City, www.granitecity.illinois.gov.

Family Board Game Night every Thursday, 6:30-7:30 pm, Six Mile Regional Library 2001 DelmarAve, Granite City, Training & Events room,www.granitecity.illinois.gov.

Alateen Meeting, for young people (ages 9-19)whose lives have been affected by someone whohas a drinking problem. No fees, no member-ships. Held at 2 locations every Thursday: FirstChristian Church, 310 S. Main, Edwardsvillefrom 7-8 pm and Gillespie Library, 210 W. Chest-nut from 8-9 pm (use side door). For more infor-mation call 618-463-2429 or 618-401-9836.

FrIdAy, JANUAry 5Stretch & Move Classes, 8-9 am, $1/session,Main Street Community Center, 1003 N Main,Edwardsville. Classes every Tuesday, Thursday,and Friday. Not held if center closed for Holiday,www.mainstcc.org.

Income Tax Seminar, 11am-12pm, Free, MainStreet Community Center, 1003 N Main, Ed-wardsville. President of the Taxpayers’ Federationof Illinois, Carol Portman, and other professionalswill discuss cost saving tax credits and exemp-tions. For information call 618-365-6650.

Fish Fry, 4-8 pm, Choice of Fried Cod, Catfish,Jack Salmon and Baked Salmon or Tilapia, Codcut ups, Shrimp and Chicken Strips. Dinners in-clude 2 sides: choice of cole slaw, potato salad,french fries, macaroni and cheese, baked beans,hushpuppies, mushrooms and onion rings. Eat inor carryout. 618-667-8387. Troy VFW, Troy,www.troymaryvillecoc.com.

Fish Fry every Friday - 5-7 pm, 9 oz catfish filet,fries, slaw, and dessert/$7.00, fish sandwich/$4.00. Carryouts available for 25¢ extra. VFWPost 3912, 215 W. Ryder, Litchfield.

EvENts


Friday Night Fish Fry, 5-8 pm, every Friday atV.F.W. Post 1300, 3401 Century Dr, Granite City.Kitchen open to the public- Eat in, call in andcarry out. Cod, fried shrimp, jack salmon &chicken.

Open Play at Riverbend Community Center, 200W. 3rd St, Alton, every Thurs & Fri Night from6-10 pm. Open to members and non-members.Just $5 a person or $15 a family. Members get inFree on Thursdays! Come for dinner at Prinvi-calli's Cafe located on the second floor of thecommunity center and then watch a movie or playgames all night! All ages welcome. For more in-formation contact John at618-465-9850, [email protected] or visitwww.riverbender.com/communitycenter.

Eagles Bingo, 7 pm, every Friday and Saturdayat Tri-mor Bingo Center, 3701 Nameoki Rd,Granite City. Great Prizes and great fun!www.granitecity.illinois.gov.

Silver Bullet STL-A Tribute to Bob Seger, 8pm,Wildey Theatre, 252 N Main St, Edwardsville.For more call 618-307-1750 or visitwww.wildeytheatre.com.

FrIdAy, JAN 5-SATUrdAy, JAN 6livE CoMEDy - Chris “boom boom” John-son, shows at 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm both nights.Donnie B’s Comedy Club, in front of Target onFreedom Drive, Springfield. For tickets call 217-391-JOKE (5653) or order online at www.donniebscomedyclub.com.

FrIdAy, JAN 5-SUNdAy, JAN 7Lets Go Fishing Show, Friday 12-8pm/Saturday9am-7pm/Sunday 10am-4pm, $7/Adult Admis-sion, Parking is FREE, Gateway Center, 1 Gate-way Dr, Collinsville. For more visitwww.gatewaycenter.com/lets-go-fishing-show.html or call 618-345-8998.

SATUrdAy, JANUAry 6R.E.H.A.B Exercise Classes, Monday/Thursday7 pm & Saturday 9 am, Rivers of Life CommunityChurch, 3131 E 23rd St, Granite City. $2/class orpurchase a pass. Free child care. For informationcall 618-797-7933.

FREE Eagle Weekends, 10 am-2 pm, TreeHouseWildlife Center, 23956 Green Acres Rd, Dow.Saturdays in January. You can visit other wildlifethat call the center home also-hawks, owls, fal-cons, and more. For information call 618-466-2990.

Free Alton-Audubon Eagle Ice Festival, 10 am-2pm, Alton Visitor Center, 200 Piasa St, Alton.Join us for the kick-off of the much-anticipatedeagle watching season with this family friendlyevent. Cold weather games for kids, ice sculptors,and more, www.visitalton.com.

Free Eagle Meet and Greet, 10 am-2 pm, AltonVisitor Center, 200 Piasa St, Alton. Every Satur-day in January. Celebrate all things eagle related,www.visitalton.com.

Saturday Story Time, 10-10:30 am, Louis LatzerMemorial Public Library, 1001 9th St, Highland.Children can listen to stories, sing and practicefinger plays and action rhymes pertaining to eachprograms theme—this one is Winter Animals,www.highlandlibrary.org.

Saturday Story Time, every Saturday at 10:30 am.Interactive program of stories, crafts, songs andfun for all ages. No registration required.Maryville Community Library, 8 Schiber Court,Maryville, www.maryville.lib.il.us.

Teen Wii Games for grades 6-12 every Saturdayfrom 1-4 pm, Six Mile Regional Library, 2001Delmar Ave, Granite City, www.smrld.org.

MurDEr-MyStEry DinnEr, Nic’s Steak-house & Pub, 202 S. Broad St, Hillsboro. Doorsopen at 5 pm, dinner and show start at 6 pm (Mustbe 18). . $50/person includes show and dinner ofGreek Chicken, salad, loaded mashed potatoes,green beens and soft drink. Cash bar available.Proceeds benefit Stamp Out Cancer. For infor-mation and tickets call Theresa Priddle @ 217-710-1841. Tickets also available at Nic’sSteakhouse and Nic’s Smokehouse.


Bingo, 7-10 pm, St. Jacob Lion’s Den, 108 NDouglas, St. Jacob. Every Saturday until May31st. Doors open at 5pm with play beginning at7pm, www.troymaryvillecoc.com.

Family Night, 7-10 pm, $6 + skate rental, SpinCity Skate Center, 284 Riggin Rd, Troy. EverySaturday night, www.spincityskating.com.

Alateen Meeting, every Saturday, 8-9 pm, Gille-spie Library, 201 W. Chestnut (side door). Foryoung people (ages 9-19) whose lives have beenaffected by someone who has a drinking problem.No fees, no membership. For more informationcall 618-463-2429 or 618-406-9530.

SUNdAy, JANUAry 7American Legion Post 439 Breakfast, 7:30 am-12:30 pm, Adults $7/Children 4-10 $3/Under 4Free, American Legion-Lee Iten Post 439, 1130New Trenton Rd, Highland. Scrambled eggs, bis-cuits, pork sausage gravy, fruit, pancakes, break-fast sausage and drinks. For information call618-654-4062.

Boy Scouts Pancake Breakfast, 8 am-1 pm, Adults$10/Children 4-10 $5/Under 4 Free, Knights ofColumbus Hall, IL Rt 143, Highland. Pancakes,breakfast sausage, eggs, potatoes, and biscuits &gravy. www.highlandillinois.com.

Bethalto Knights of Columbus Spaghetti & Meat-ball Dinner, 11:30 am-2:30 pm, OLQP Parish Fa-cility, 132 Butcher St, Bethalto. PublicWelcome/Handicap Accessible. Adults $8, Chil-dren (5-10yo) $4. Adult carryout available. Menuincludes: Spaghetti & Meatballs, Salad, GarlicBread, Dessert, and Drink. For more informationemail Jon at [email protected] or call 618-377-6956.

Granite City Senior Club Bingo, 12:30 pm, $1 ad-mission and 4 cards/$1, Granite City TownshipHall, 2060 Delmar Ave, Granite City. For infor-mation call 618-444-6771.

MurDEr-MyStEry DinnEr, Nic’s Steak-house & Pub, 202 S. Broad St, Hillsboro. Doorsopen at 1 pm, dinner and show start at 2 pm (forages 8 and up). $30/person includes show andchoice of small pulled pork & fries or chickenstrips & fries, plus soft drink, from Nic’s Smoke-house. Proceeds benefit Stamp Out Cancer. Forinformation and tickets call Theresa Priddle @217-710-1841. Tickets also available at Nic’sSteakhouse and Nic’s Smokehouse.

Miss Jubilee & The Humdingers, 2-3:30 pm,$20/person, Alton Little Theater, 2450 N HenrySt, Alton. Local performer presents her expandedstage show of jazz, swing, rhythm, blues, alongwith R&R spanning from 1920-1950—dessertbuffet. information call 618-462-3205.

Old Country and Bluegrass Music Jam, everySunday, 5-9 pm. All artists welcome, all audi-ences welcome. Millersburg General Store, 613Route 143, Millersburg (E. Pierron). For informa-tion call 618-669-2155.

MONdAy, JANUAry 8Euchre played every 2nd and 4th Monday of themonth, 9:30-11 am, Main Street Community Center, 1003 N Main, Edwardsville, www.main-stcc.org.


Growing Readers Story Time, 10:30-11:30am,Tri-Township Library, 209 S Main St, Troy. Formore visit www.troylibrary.org or call 618-667-2133.

Pinochle played every Monday, 12-3 pm, MainStreet Community Center, 1003 N Main, Edwardsville, www.mainstcc.org.

Bingo every Monday - doors open at 5:30, bingostarts at 7 pm. Food and drink available. VFWPost 3912, 215 W. Ryder, Litchfield.Movin’ and Groovin’, 5:30-6:30pm, Tri-Town-ship Library, 209 S Main St, Troy. For more visitwww.troylibrary.org or call 618-667-2133.

Tales for Tails every Monday night from 6-7 pm.Students in grades K-5 can practice reading to afurry friend. At the Niedringhaus School, cornerof 29th and State, Granite City, www.smrld.org.

S.T.A.R.S. With Dogs, 6-7 pm. Read your favoritestories to CHAMP therapy dogs the 2nd Mondayof every month. Registration is required and avail-able online. Glen Carbon Library, 198 S. Main,www.glencarbonlibrary.org.

Story Time every Monday at 6:30 pm @ Six MileRegional Library (2001 Delmar Ave, GraniteCity) and every Thursday at 10 am @ Six MileRegional Library (2145 Johnson Rd, GraniteCity), www.smrld.org.

Ecological Discussion Group, 7-8:30 pm, every2nd and 4th Monday of each month, La Vista Eco-logical Learning Center, 4300 Levis Lane, God-frey. For more information [email protected] or call 618-466-5004.


(continued on page 32)


Emotions Anonymous meets every Monday nightat 8 pm at the Immanuel Lutheran Church, 504North 7th St, New Douglas. Free and open toanyone in need of emotional support for any rea-son. Contact Larry, [email protected] or217-272-4560.



Volunteer Work Days in Oblate Woods NaturePreserve, 9:30 am-12:30 pm, every 2nd Tuesdayof each month, La Vista Ecological Learning Cen-ter, 4300 Levis Lane, Godfrey. We provide thetools and lunch-registration is required, www.lavistaelc.org.





Bingo Played every Tuesday, 1-3 pm, Main StreetCommunity Center, 1003 N Main, Edwardsville, www.mainstcc.org.




Guided Prairie Walks every 2nd and 4th Tuesdayof the Month, 5:30-7:3 0pm, Heartland Prairie atGordon Moore Park, Route 140, Alton. Guidesby the Nature Institute and Piasa Palisades Groupof the Sierra Club will lead you along trails toidentify a variety of wildflowers and grasses,www.thenatureinstitute.org.

Drop-In Clay Studio, 6-8pm, $10, Macoupin ArtCollective, 214 E Main St, Staunton. 2 hours ofstudio time with limited instruction—materialsavailable for purchase, www.macart.org.

Knitting and Crochet Club, 6-8 pm, 2nd Tuesdayof each month, Collinsville Library, 408 W. MainSt, Collinsville. Relax, show off, help one another,

or just enjoy the good times, www.mvlibdist.org/collinsville_ calendar.

Adult Coloring Club, 6-7:50 pm, Louis LatzerMemorial Public Library, 1001 9th St, Highland.Color and experience the latest trend in relaxation.Color pages and pencils provided but you are welcome to bring your own, www.highlandli-brary.org.


Book Club for Adults, held 2nd Tuesday of everymonth, 6:30-8 m. New members are always wel-come, and it is not necessary to attend every meet-ing. Books are provided at the Help Desk. GlenCarbon Library, 198 S. Main St, Glen Carbon.www.glencarbonlibrary.org.

Free Graphic Novel Club for grades 5-12 from6:30-7:30 pm, 2nd Tuesday of every month, YARoom, Collinsville Library, 408 W. Main St,Collinsville. Discuss a current title and share read-ing experiences. No registration required. Copiesof each months selection available at the maindesk, www.mvlibdist.org/collinsville_calendar.

Troy Historical Society Meeting, 7-9pm, Tri-Township Library, 209 S Main St, Troy. Historyand Genealogy Room. For more information call618-667-8769 or visit troymaryvillecoc.com.

Troy American Legion Post meets the 2nd Tuesday of every month, 7-9 pm, Troy AmericanLegion, 104 N. Main, Troy, www.troymaryvillecoc.com.


Slappers County & Western Dance Club, 7pmevery Tuesday, Tri-Cities Knights of ColumbusHall, 4225 Old Alton Rd, Granite City. For infor-mation call 618-877-4250.

WEdNESdAy, JANUAry 10Volunteer Days at Willoughby Farm, 9 am-12 pm,Willoughby Farm, 631 Willoughby Ln,Collinsville. Bring your work gloves and positiveattitude to the Farm and help the works and Uni-versity of Illinois Master Gardeners. Lunch pro-vided after the hard work,www.willoughbyfarm.org/events.

Duplicate Bridge played every Wednesday, 9 am-12 pm, Main Street Community Center, 1003 NMain, Edwardsville, www.mainstcc.org.

Free Chair Yoga every Wednesday, 9:30 am,Granite City Township Hall, 2060 Delmar Ave,Granite City. For information call 618-877-1215.


Craft Day, 10 am-5 pm, Louis Latzer MemorialPublic Library, 1001 9th St, Highland. Each weekfeatures a different theme. Crafts may be made inthe library or taken home for completion. Avail-able on a first-come, first-serve basis, and suppliesdo sometimes run out, www.highlandlibrary.org.


Big Kids’ Weaving, 4-5:30 pm, $60, MacoupinArt Collective, 214 E Main St, Staunton. Thisclass meets for four weeks on Wednesdays. Ages10 and up, www.macart.org.

The Family Caregiving Support Group, 5-7:30pm, 2nd Wednesday of every month, 222 GoetheSt, Collinsville. Intended for family caregivers ofloved ones with any type of disability. Light com-plimentary dinner provided. Care for loved onesavailable with reservation. For information call618-334-5008.

YogART every Wednesday, 5:30 -6:30 pm, Dona-tion Class, Jacoby Arts Center, 627 E. Broadway,Alton, www.jacobyartscenter.org.

Drop-in Stained Glass Mosaics, 6-8 pm, $15, Ma-coupin Art Collective, 214 E Main St, Staunton.2 hours of studio time with limited instruction—includes materials, except picture frame,www.macart.org.


Free Acoustic Jam with Collinsville Ramblers,2nd Wednesday each month, 6:30-8:30 pm, BlumHouse (next door), Collinsville Library, 408 W.Main St, Collinsville. Acoustic instruments only,www.mvlibdist.org/collinsville_calendar.

Free Yoga Time every Wednesday, 6:30-8 pm,Community Room, Collinsville Library, 408 W.Main St, Collinsville. No registration required.Ages 16+ welcome, www.mvlibdist.org/collinsville_calendar.

Story Time every Wednesday at 6:30 pm. Glen Carbon Library, 198 S. Main, www.glencarbonlibrary.org.


Lions Club Bingo, 7 pm, every Wednesday at Tri-mor Bingo Hall 3701 Nameoki Rd, 618-877-7771. We play 27 games including 3-$500 bingogames, 2-$500 raffle games, and 4-$1000 rafflegames. Our mission is to assist folks in PontoonBeach, Mitchell, Granite City, Madison andVenice who have sight & hearing problems, www. granitecity.illinois.gov.

THUrSdAy, JANUAry 11

Stretch & Move Classes, 8-9am, $1/session, Main

Street Community Center, 1003 N Main, Ed-

wardsville. Classes every Tuesday, Thursday, and

Friday. Not held if center closed for Holiday,

www.mainstcc.org.


Preschool Program, 10-10:30 am, Louis Latzer

Memorial Public Library, 1001 9th St, Highland.

Ages 3-5. Stories, songs, and crafts pertaining to

the months theme, www.highlandlibrary.org.

Pinochle played every Thursday, 12-3 pm, MainStreet Community Center, 1003 N Main, Edwardsville, www.mainstcc.org.



Free Clothes Closet, Every Thursday from 1-3pm, Calvary Baptist Church, 3000 WashingtonAve, Granite City. No Appointment Necessary.For information call Shirley at 618-304-3454.

Free After-School Art, 4-5:30pm, Macoupin ArtCollective, 214 E Main St, Staunton. Every Tues-day and Thursday, www.macart.org.

Free Video Game Club every Thursday, 6-7:30pm, Community Room, Collinsville Library, 408W. Main St, Collinsville. Each month there willbe weekly sessions to progress in a narrativedriven game,www.mvlibdist.org/collinsville_calendar.

Sign Language Club, 6:30-7:30 pm, Louis LatzerMemorial Public Library, 1001 9th St, Highland.Learn deaf culture, sign language, and more. Forgrades 7-12, www.highlandlibrary.org.



Square Dance Lessons, 7-9 pm, Every Thursday,Wood River Roundhouse, 633 N Wood River Ave,Wood River. First lesson is free—$5/lesson afterthat. For more call Bo at 618-288-9838 or [email protected].


Police Bingo, every Thursday night, starts at 7 pm. No games under $110. Paper cards &mates, full snack bar, bingo supplies, no smoking,plenty of parking. Proceeds benefit the programssupported by the Granite City Police Dept includ-ing youth athletics. Knights of Columbus Hall,425 Old Alton Road, Granite City. www.granitecity.illinois.gov.

Family Board Game Night every Thursday at SixMile Regional Library 2001 Delmar Ave, GraniteCity, 6:30-7:30 pm Training & Eventsroom,www.granitecity.illinois.gov.

Alateen Meeting, for young people (ages 9-19)whose lives have been affected by someone whohas a drinking problem. No fees, no member-ships. Held at 2 locations every Thursday: First


Christian Church, 310 S. Main, Edwardsvillefrom 7-8 pm and Gillespie Library, 210 W. Chest-nut from 8-9 pm (use side door). For informationcall 618-463-2429 or 618-401-9836.


Coloring & Coffee, the second Friday of eachmonth at the Six Mile Regional Library, 2145Johnson Road, Granite City, 10-11 am,www.granitecity.illinois.gov.

Bingo played every Friday, 1-3 pm, Main StreetCommunity Center, 1003 N Main, Edwardsville,www.mainstcc.org.




Open Play at Riverbend Community Center, 200W. 3rd St, Alton, every Thurs & Fri Night from 6-10 pm. Open to members and non-members. Just$5 a person or $15 a family. Members get in Freeon Thursdays! Come for dinner at Prinvicalli'sCafe located on the second floor of the commu-nity center and then watch a movie or play gamesall night! All ages welcome. For more informa-tion contact John at618-465-9850, email [email protected] or visitwww.riverbender.com/communitycenter.

FREE Moonlight Hike, 8-9:30 pm, Talahi Lodgeat Olin Nature Preserve—The Nature Institute,2213 S. Levis Lane, Godfrey. Take a leisurelymoonlit hike through the Mississippi Sanctuary, a37 acre area of grand vistas and spectacularscenery, including wildlife and waterfalls. Terrainis light to moderate and the hike is about an hourlong. No Pets. Registration required, www.thenatureinstitute.org.

Cree Rider Family Band-Winter Concert Series, 7 pm, Wildey Theatre, 252 N Main St, Edwardsville, www.wildeytheatre.com.


FrIdAy, JAN 12-SATUrdAy, JAN 13livE CoMEDy - todd yohn shows at 7:30 pmand 9:30 pm both nights. Donnie B’s ComedyClub, in front of Target on Freedom Drive,Springfield. For tickets call 217-391-JOKE(5653) or at www.donniebscomedyclub.com.

SATUrdAy. JANUAry 13Monthly Electronics Recycling, 9 am-Noon, 2nd Saturday each month. Parking lot at the cor-ner of Main and Seminary, across from Spirito’s

Italian Grocery, Collinsville. Bring your elec-tronics, appliances, televisions, batteries and morethat you no longer want or need, www.discovercollinsville.com.

Restoration Day, 9 am-12 pm, The Watershed Na-ture Center, 1591 Tower Ave, Edwardsville. Every2nd Saturday of the month, weather permitting,the committee leads volunteers through an excit-ing, hands-on adventure, restoring native ecol-ogy,www.watershednaturecenter.org.

R.E.H.A.B Exercise Classes, Monday/Thursday7 pm & Saturday 9 am, Rivers of Life CommunityChurch, 3131 E 23rd St, Granite City. $2/class orpurchase a pass and free child care. For informa-tion call 618-797-7933.

Township Library Book Sale, 9 am-12 pm, Tri-Township Library, 209 S Main, Troy. The Friendsof the Library hosts 2 book sales each month.Come pick up great books at incredible prices.Proceeds benefit the library, www.troylibrary.org.FREE Eagle Weekends, 10 am-2 pm, TreeHouseWildlife Center, 23956 Green Acres Rd, Dow.Saturdays in January. You can visit other wildlifethat call the center home also-hawks, owls, fal-cons, and more. For information call 618-466-2990.

FREE Eagle Meet and Greet, 10 am-2 pm, AltonVisitor Center, 200 Piasa St, Alton. Every Satur-day in January. Celebrate all things eagle related,www.visitalton.com.


Bingo, 7-10 pm, St. Jacob Lion’s Den, 108 NDouglas, St. Jacob. Every Saturday until May31st. Doors open at 5 pm with play beginning at7 pm, www.troymaryvillecoc.com.


Family Night, 7-10 pm, $6 + skate rental, SpinCity Skate Center, 284 Riggin Rd, Troy. EverySaturday night, www.spincityskating.com.

Jake’s Leg, 7:30 pm, Wildey Theatre, 252 N MainSt, Edwardsville, www.wildeytheatre.com.

Alateen Meeting, every Saturday, 8-9 pm, Gille-spie Library, 201 W. Chestnut (side door). Foryoung people (ages 9-19) whose lives have beenaffected by someone who has a drinking problem.No fees, no membership. For information call618-463-2429or 618-406-9530.

SUNdAy, JANUAry 14Sewing Circle, 1-3 p.m. Free (meets each monthon the second and fourth Sunday.) Bring any pe-riod sewing or needlecraft project to share and/orwork on in a relaxed setting. Period sewing in-struction and help are available to those wantingto advance their skills in the production of periodgarments. Both ladies and gentlemen are welcometo participate. An informal gathering to shareskills, ideas, and new information. The ColonelBenjamin Stephenson House, 409 S. Buchanan,Edwardsville, www.stephensonhouse.org.

Old Country and Bluegrass Music Jam, everySunday, 5-9 pm. All artists welcome, all audi-ences welcome. Millersburg General Store, 613Route 143, Millersburg (E. Pierron). For infor-mation call 618-669-2155.



MONdAy, JANUAry 15Story Time every Monday and Tuesday at 10 am,Wednesdays at 6:30 pm. Glen Carbon Library,198 S. Main, www.glencarbonlibrary.org.

IMPACT Center for Independent Living offersLow Vision and Blind Support Group meetingson the 1st and 3rd Monday of every month from10 am to noon at the Jerseyville Public Library.IMPACT can help you achieve or maintain yourindependence through many of our programs,www.jerseyvillelibrary.org.

Growing Readers Story Time, 10:30-11:30am,Tri-Township Library, 209 S Main St, Troy,www.troylibrary.org.

Pinochle played every Monday, 12-3 pm, MainStreet Community Center, 1003 N Main, Edwardsville, www.mainstcc.org.

Chess Club, 4-5 pm, Louis Latzer Memorial Pub-lic Library, 1001 9th St, Highland. Ages 6 andolder. Learn how to play chess-advanced playersalso welcome to learn new strategies, www.highlandlibrary.org.

Bingo every Monday - doors open at 5:30, bingostarts at 7 pm. Food and drink available. VFWPost 3912, 215 W. Ryder, Litchfield.




Emotions Anonymous meets every Monday nightat 8 pm at the Immanuel Lutheran Church, 504North 7th St, New Douglas. Free and open toanyone in need of emotional support for any reason. Contact Larry, [email protected] 217-272-4560.




Preschool Story Time every Tuesday, 10-10:30am, Collinsville Library, 408 W. Main St,Collinsville. Themed stories and acraft,www.mvlibdist.org/collinsville_calendar.

Sit-n-Sew meets every Tuesday from 10 am-4 pm.Stay for an hour or stay all day! Bring your ma-chine and your UFOs (unfinished objects) MainStreet Mini Mall Quilt Shop, 124 East Main,Staunton, 618-635-5509, email: [email protected].


Bingo played every Tuesday, 1-3pm, Main StreetCommunity Center, 1003 N Main, Edwardsville,www.mainstcc.org.


Open Gaming, 4-7 pm, Community Room,Ground Floor, Collinsville Library, 408 W. MainSt, Collinsville. Video game system available forpublic use, request a game be put in or bring yourown (no “M” rated games),www.mvlibdist.org/collinsville_calendar.Lego Club, 5-7 pm, Every Tuesday, Six Mile Re-gional Library, 2001 Delmar Ave, Granite City.For information call 618-452-6238.

Beginners Oil Painting, 6-8 pm, $80, MacoupinArt Collective, 214 E Main St, Staunton. Includes2 hours studio time per week for 4 weeks with ac-cess to all the tools and materials needed. Jan16th-Feb 6th, www.macart.org.

Drop-In Clay Studio, 6-8pm, $10, Macoupin ArtCollective, 214 E Main St, Staunton. 2 hours ofstudio time with limited instruction-materialsavailable for purchase, www.macart.org.




WEdNESdAy, JANUAry 17 Duplicate Bridge played every Wednesday, 9 am-12 pm, Main Street Community Center, 1003 NMain, Edwardsville, www.mainstcc.org.

Chair Yoga every Wednesday, 9:30 am, GraniteCity Township Hall, 2060 Delmar Ave, GraniteCity. For information call 618-877-1215.


Craft Day, 10 am-5 pm, Louis Latzer MemorialPublic Library, 1001 9th St, Highland. Each weekfeatures a different theme. Crafts may be made inthe library or taken home for completion. Avail-able on a first-come, first-serve basis, and suppliesdo sometimes run out, www.highlandlibrary.org.


BUNCO played every 3rd Wednesday of theMonth, 1-2 pm, Main Street Community Center,1003 N Main, Edwardsville. Beginners Welcome!Prizes and Giveaways, www.mainstcc.org.

Big Kids’ Weaving, 4-5:30pm, $60, Macoupin ArtCollective, 214 E Main St, Staunton. This classmeets for four weeks on Wednesdays. Ages 10and up, www.macart.org.


Beginners Knitting, 6-8 pm, $100, Macoupin ArtCollective, 214 E Main St, Staunton. Includes 2hours studio time per week for 6 weeks with ac-cess to all the tools and materials needed. Jan17th-Feb 21st, www.macart.org.

Drop-in Stained Glass Mosaics, 6-8 pm, $15, Ma-coupin Art Collective, 214 E Main St, Staunton.2 hours of studio time with limited instruction-in-cludes materials, except picture frame.,www.macart.org.


Free Yoga Time every Wednesday, , 6:30-8 pm,Community Room, Collinsville Library, 408 W.Main St, Collinsville. No registration required.Ages 16+ welcome, www.mvlibdist.org/collinsville_calendar.

Story Time every Wednesday at 6:30 pm. Glen Carbon Library, 198 S.Main, www.glencarbonlibrary.org.

Evening Book Club Meeting, 3rd Wednesday ofevery month, 7 pm, $1/session, Main Street Com-munity Center, 1003 N Main, Edwardsville,www.mainstcc.org.


Lions Club Bingo, 7 pm, every Wednesday at Tri-mor Bingo Hall 3701 Nameoki Rd, 618-877-7771. We play 27 games including 3-$500 bingogames, 2-$500 raffle games, and 4-$1000 rafflegames. Our mission is to assist folks in PontoonBeach, Mitchell, Granite City, Madison andVenice who have sight & hearing problems, www. granitecity.illinois.gov.

THUrSdAy, JANUAry 18Stretch & Move Classes, 8-9am, $1/session, MainStreet Community Center, 1003 N Main, Ed-wardsville. Classes every Tuesday, Thursday, andFriday. Not held if center closed for Holiday,www.mainstcc.org.


Pinochle played every Thursday, 12-3 pm, MainStreet Community Center, 1003 N Main, Edwardsville. www.mainstcc.org.




Free After-School Art, 4-5:30pm, Macoupin ArtCollective, 214 E Main St, Staunton. Every Tuesday and Thursday, www.macart.org.

Free Video Game Club every Thursday, 6-7:30pm, Community Room, Collinsville Library, 408W. Main St, Collinsville. Each month there willbe weekly sessions to progress in a narrativedriven game, www.mvlibdist.org/collinsville_calendar.

PAWS Program, 6:30-7:30pm, Louis Latzer Me-morial Public Library, 1001 9th St, Highland.Read with DOGS, www.highlandlibrary.org.Open Play at Riverbend Community Center, 200W. 3rd St, Alton, every Thurs & Fri Night from6-10 pm. Open to members and non-members.Just $5 a person or $15 a family. Members get inFree on Thursdays! Come for dinner at Prinvi-calli's Cafe located on the second floor of thecommunity center and then watch a movie or playgames all night! All ages welcome. For more in-formation contact John at618-465-9850, [email protected] or visitwww.riverbender.com/communitycenter.

Astronomy Association Meeting, 7pm, Free, Ta-lahi Lodge at the Olin Nature Preserve, 2213 SLevis Ln, Godfrey. Every 3rd Thursday of themonth. Join TNI members and friends to observeand record constellations. No telescopes needed.For more visit www.thenatureinstitute.org or call618-466-9930.

R.E.H.A.B Exercise Classes, Monday/Thursday7 pm & Saturday 9 am, Rivers of Life CommunityChurch, 3131 E 23rd St, Granite City. $2/class or


purchase a pass. Free child care. For informationcall 618-797-7933.

Square Dance Lessons, 7-9pm, Every Thursday,Wood River Roundhouse, 633 N Wood River Ave,Wood River. First lesson is free—$5/lesson afterthat. For more call Bo at 618-288-9838 or [email protected].


Police Bingo, every Thursday night, starts at 7pm. No games under $110. Paper cards & mates,full snack bar, bingo supplies, no smoking, plentyof parking. Proceeds benefit the programs sup-ported by the Granite City Police Dept includingyouth athletics. Knights of Columbus Hall, 425Old Alton Road, Granite City.www.granitecity.illinois.gov.

Family Board Game Night every Thursday at SixMile Regional Library 2001 Delmar Ave, GraniteCity, 6:30-7:30 pm Training & Eventsroom,www.granitecity.illinois.gov.

Alateen Meeting, for young people (ages 9-19)whose lives have been affected by someone whohas a drinking problem. No fees, no member-ships. Held at 2 locations every Thursday: FirstChristian Church, 310 S. Main, Edwardsvillefrom 7-8 pm and Gillespie Library, 210 W. Chest-nut from 8-9 pm (use side door). For informationcall 618-463-2429 or 618-401-9836.

FrIdAy, JANUAry 19Stretch & Move Classes, 8-9 am, $1/session,Main Street Community Center, 1003 N Main,

Edwardsville. Classes every Tuesday, Thursday,and Friday. Not held if center closed for Holiday,www.mainstcc.org.

Triad Band Glo-Bingo Fundraiser, 12pm, TriadHigh School, 703 East US Highway 40, Troy.Raising money for new marching band uniforms.For more visit www.troymaryvillecoc.com or call618-667-8851.







Trivia Night, 7-10pm, $10/person, HighlandKnights of Columbus Hall, 12454 IL-143, High-land. Hosted by the Relevant Pregnancy OptionsCenter. For information call 618-654-3732.

FrIdAy, JAN 19-SATUrdAy, JAN 20livE CoMEDy - kenny Smith - shows at 7:30pm and 9:30 pm both nights. Donnie B’s ComedyClub, in front of Target on Freedom Drive,Springfield. For tickets call 217-391-JOKE(5653) or at www.donniebscomedyclub.com.

FrIdAy, JAN 19-SUNdAy, JAN 287th Annual Alton Restaurant Week, 11am,Lunches/$10 Dinners/$25, Restaurants throughthe region, Alton. For information call 800-258-6645.

SATUrdAy, JANUAry 20 R.E.H.A.B Exercise Classes, Monday/Thursday7pm & Saturday 9am, Rivers of Life CommunityChurch, 3131 E 23rd St, Granite City. $2/class orpurchase a pass. Free child care. For informationcall 618-797-7933.

Cub Scout Eagle Day, 9 am-12 pm, $5/Scout &$5/Sibling, National Great Rivers Museum, 2Lock and Dam Way, Alton. Meet a LIVE baldeagle and learn all about them. Dress for theweather. Registration required, For informartioncall 618-462-6979.

FREE Eagle Weekends, 10 am-2 pm, TreeHouseWildlife Center, 23956 Green Acres Rd, Dow.Saturdays in January. You can visit other wildlifethat call the center home also-hawks, owls, fal-cons, and more. For information call 618-466-2990.

FREE Eagle Meet and Greet, 10am-2pm, Free,Alton Visitor Center, 200 Piasa St, Alton. EverySaturday in January. Celebrate all things eagle re-lated, www.visitalton.com.

Saturday Story Time, every Saturday at 10:30 am.Interactive program of stories, crafts, songs andfun for all ages. No registration required.Maryville Community Library, 8 Schiber Court,Maryville, www.maryville.lib.il.us .

FREE 1820 Painting Party, 1-3 pm, Colonel Ben-jamin Stephenson House, 409 S. Buchanan, Ed-wardsville. Complete a note card and 9 x12 floralwith a break to enjoy treats and drinks. Suppliesprovided. Space limited to 10 adults (18 andolder). RSVP st 618-692-1818.

Outdoor Survival Workshop, 1-3 pm, $15/person,The Nature Institute, 2213 S Levis Ln, Godfrey.Step into nature and test your skills with our edu-cation assistant Jacob. Space is limited—suitablefor ages 12 and older (anyone under 16 must beaccompanied by an adult), www.thenatureinsti-tute.org.

Girl Scout Eagle Day, 1-4 pm, $5/Scout & $5/Sib-ling, National Great Rivers Museum, 2 Lock andDam Way, Alton. Meet a LIVE bald eagle andlearn all about them. Dress for the weather. Reg-istration required at 618-462-6979.

Teen Wii Games for grades 6-12 every Saturday,1-4 pm, Six Mile Regional Library, 2001 DelmarAve, Granite City, www.smrld.org.

Mouse Races, 6-9 pm, $15 advanced ticket/$20 atthe door, Collinsville VFW, 1234 Vandalia St,Collinsville. Adults only please. For informationcall 618-344-2884.

Adult Spelling Bee, 6-11pm, $10/person, RecessBrewing, 307 N Main St, Edwardsville. Teams of4 will compete for bragging rights. Raffle basketsand raffle tree-$1 pints (must be 21), www.facebook.com/events/1856335914658204/.

Bingo, 7-10 pm, St. Jacob Lion’s Den, 108 NDouglas, St. Jacob. Every Saturday until May31st. Doors open at 5pm with play beginning at7pm, www.troymaryvillecoc.com.


Family Night, 7-10pm, $6 + skate rental, SpinCity Skate Center, 284 Riggin Rd, Troy. EverySaturday night, www.spincityskating.com.

Keith Anderson, 8pm, Wildey Theatre, 252 NMain St, Edwardsville, www.wildeytheatre.com.


SATUrdAy, JAN 20-SUNdAy, JAN 21ACS Gateway Spring Home Show, Saturday 10am-8 pm/Sunday 10 am-6 pm, Free Admissionand Parking, Gateway Center, 1 Gateway Dr,Collinsville, www.gatewayhomeshow.com.

SUNdAy, JANUAry 21Bethalto Knights of Columbus Buffet StyleChicken Dinner, 11:30 am-2:30 pm, OLQP ParishFacility, 132 Butcher St, Bethalto. Public Wel-come/Handicap Accessible. Adults $10, Children(age 5-10 ) $5—Adult carryout available. All youcan eat menu includes: fried chicken, chickenstrips, mashed potatoes & gravy, mac & cheese,veggie, applesauce, dessert, and drink. For moreinformation email Jon at [email protected] call 618-377-6956.

Old Country and Bluegrass Music Jam, everySunday, 5-9 pm. All artists welcome, all audi-ences welcome. Millersburg General Store, 613Route 143, Millersburg (E. Pierron). For infor-mation call 618-669-2155.

MONdAy, JANUAry 22Euchre played every 2nd and 4th Monday of themonth, 9:30-11 am, Main Street Community Cen-ter, 1003 N Main, Edwardsville,www.mainstcc.org.


Little Me Story Time, every Monday 10:30-11 am, Pat Huck Community Room at Tri-Town-ship Public Library 209 S. Main St, Troy. For par-ents and children up to 3 years old. Simple fingergames, songs and exercise, www.troylibrary.org.

Pinochle played every Monday and Thursday, 12-3 pm, Main Street Community Center, 1003N. Main, Edwardsville, www.mainstcc.org.




Adult Game Night, 7-8 pm, First Baptist Church,2709 Poplar St, Highland, www.fbchighland.org.

Ecological Discussion Group, 7-8:30 pm, 2ndand 4th Monday of each month, La Vista Ecolog-ical Learning Center, 4300 Levis Lane, Godfrey.For information call 618-466-5004.

Emotions Anonymous meets every Monday nightat 8 pm at the Immanuel Lutheran Church, 504North 7th St, New Douglas. Free and open toanyone in need of emotional support for any rea-son. Contact Larry, [email protected] or217-272-4560.

TUESdAy, JANUAry 23Stretch & Move Classes, 8-9 am, $1/session,Main Street Community Center, 1003 N Main,Edwardsville. Classes every Tuesday, Thursday,and Friday. Not held if center closed for Holiday,www.mainstcc.org or call 618-656-0300.







Little Me Story Time, every Tuesday 10:30-11am, Pat Huck Community Room at Tri-TownshipPublic Library 209 S. Main St, Troy. For parentsand children up to 3 years old. Simple fingergames, songs and exercise, www.troylibrary.org.Bingo played every Tuesday, 1-3pm, Main StreetCommunity Center, 1003 N. Main, Edwardsville, www.mainstcc.org.



Guided Prairie Walks every 2nd and 4th Tuesdayof the Month, 5:30-7:30 pm, Heartland Prairie atGordon Moore Park, Route 140, Alton. Guidesby the Nature Institute and Piasa Palisades Groupof the Sierra Club will lead you along trails toidentify a variety of wildflowers and grasses,www.thenatureinstitute.org.

Beginners Oil Painting, 6-8pm, $80, MacoupinArt Collective, 214 E Main St, Staunton. Includes2 hours studio time per week for 4 weeks with ac-cess to all the tools and materials needed. Jan16th-Feb 6th, www.macart.org.

Drop-In Clay Studio, 6-8pm, $10, Macoupin ArtCollective, 214 E Main St, Staunton. 2 hours ofstudio time with limited instruction—materialsavailable for purchase. For more visitwww.macart.org or call 618-635-2015.

Emotions Anonymous meets every Tuesday at 6pm at the Louis Latzer Library, 1001 9th Street,Highland (Contact Jackie at 618-654-9351 oremail: 16bjschu@email) and at 6 pm at the LocustStreet Resource Center in Carlinville (ContactLarry, [email protected] or 217-272-4560). Free and open to anyone in need of emo-tional support for any reason.


Square Dancing, 7-9pm, Main Street CommunityCenter, 1003 N Main, Edwardsville, www.mainstcc.org.

WEdNESdAy, JANUAry 24Duplicate Bridge played every Wednesday, 9 am-12 pm, Main Street Community Center, 1003 N.Main, Edwardsville, www.mainstcc.org.

Chair Yoga every Wednesday, 9:30am, GraniteCity Township Hall, 2060 Delmar Ave, GraniteCity. For information call 618-877-1215.

Big Kids’ Weaving, 4-5:30pm, $60, Macoupin ArtCollective, 214 E Main St, Staunton. This classmeets for four weeks on Wednesdays. Ages 10and up. To register or for more visitwww.macart.org or call 618-635-201.


Beginners Knitting, 6-8 pm, $100, Macoupin ArtCollective, 214 E Main St, Staunton. Includes 2hours studio time per week for 6 weeks with ac-cess to all the tools and materials needed. Jan17th-Feb 21st , www.macart.org.

Drop-in Stained Glass Mosaics, 6-8 pm, $15, Ma-coupin Art Collective, 214 E Main St, Staunton.2 hours of studio time with limited instruction—includes materials, except picture frame,www.macart.org.


Free Yoga Time every Wednesday, 6:30-8 pm,Community Room, Collinsville Library, 408 W.Main St, Collinsville. No registration required.Ages 16+ welcome, www.mvlibdist.org/collinsville_ calendar.

Story Time every Wednesday at 6:30 pm. Glen Carbon Library, 198 S. Main, www.glencarbonlibrary.org.

Knights of Columbus Bingo every Wednesday, 7 pm, at Crystal Ballroom (I-55 to exit 41) inStaunton. Doors open at 5:30 pm. For informa-tion call Joe at 618-635-8338.

Lions Club Bingo, 7 pm, every Wednesday at Tri-mor Bingo Hall 3701 Nameoki Rd, 618-877-7771. We play 27 games including 3-$500 bingogames, 2-$500 raffle games, and 4-$1000 rafflegames. Our mission is to assist folks in PontoonBeach, Mitchell, Granite City, Madison andVenice who have sight & hearing problems, www.granitecity.illinois.gov.

THUrSdAy, JANUAry 25Stretch & Move Classes, 8-9 am, $1/session,Main Street Community Center, 1003 N Main,Edwardsville. Classes every Tuesday, Thursday,and Friday. Not held if center closed for Holiday,www.mainstcc.org.




Pinochle played every Thursday, 12-3pm, MainStreet Community Center, 1003 N. Main St, Ed-wardsville, www.mainstcc.org.



Gateway Bridal Show, 5-9 pm, Free Admissionfor Brides & Grooms/Regular Admission $7 at thedoor, Gateway Center, 1 Gateway Dr, Collinsville.Visit vendors that can help couples personalizetheir wedding. Vendor attendance prizes! For in-formation call 618-345-8998.

Free Video Game Club, 6-7:30 pm, CommunityRoom, Collinsville Library, 408 W. Main St,

Collinsville. Each month there will be weekly ses-sions to progress in a narrative driven game,www.mvlibdist.org/collinsville_calendar.

FREE Care Givers Support Group, 6 pm, the 2nd& 4th Thursday of each month at The Women’sMinistry Center, 555 E. Bethalto Dr., Bethalto.Call 618-803-9078 to register.


R.E.H.A.B Exercise Classes, Monday/Thursday7 pm & Saturday 9 am, Rivers of Life CommunityChurch, 3131 E 23rd St, Granite City. $2/class orpurchase a pass and free child care. For informa-tion call 618-797-7933.

Square Dance Lessons, 7-9pm, Every Thursday,Wood River Roundhouse, 633 N Wood River Ave,Wood River. First lesson is free—$5/lesson afterthat. For information call Bo at 618-288-9838 oremail [email protected].

Emotions Anonymous 12 Steps for Christiansmeets every Thursday at 7 pm at the St. PaulLutheran Church on the frontage road 2 milesnorth of Hamel. Free and open to anyone in needof emotional support for any reason. ContactLarry - [email protected] or 217-272-4560.

Police Bingo, every Thursday night, starts at 7 pm. No games under $110. Paper cards &mates, full snack bar, bingo supplies, no smoking,plenty of parking. Proceeds benefit the programssupported by the Granite City Police Dept includ-ing youth athletics. Knights of Columbus Hall,425 Old Alton Road, Granite City. www.granitecity.illinois.gov.

Family Board Game Night every Thursday at SixMile Regional Library 2001 Delmar Ave, GraniteCity, 6:30-7:30 pm Training & Events room,www.granitecity.illinois.gov .

Alateen Meeting, for young people whose liveshave been affected by someone who has a drink-ing problem. No fees, no memberships, ages 9-19. Held at 2 locations every Thursday: FirstChristian Church, 310 S. Main, Edwardsvillefrom 7-8 pm and Gillespie Library, 210 W. Chest-nut from 8-9 pm (use side door). For more infor-mation call 618-463-2429 or 618-401-9836.








Head East, 8pm, Wildey Theatre, 252 N Main St,Edwardsville. For more call 618-307-1750 or visitwww.wildeytheatre.com.

FrIdAy, JAN 26-SATUrdAy, JAN 27livE CoMEDy - Claude Stuart - shows at7:30 pm and 9:30 pm both nights. Donnie B’sComedy Club, in front of Target on FreedomDrive, Springfield. For tickets call 217-391-JOKE (5653) or online at www.donniebscomedyclub.com.

SATUrdAy, JANUAry 27Happy Trails Music and Arts Gathering, ALLDAY, $5 minimal donation for admission, MineralSprings Mall, 301 E Broadway, Alton. Benefit forOasis Women’s Center. Many different artistsproviding music, locally handmade goods andwares, plus more. For more call 618-802-3041.


Discovery Day—Busy Winter Birds, 10am-12pm,Free, Watershed Nature Center, 1591 Tower Ave,Edwardsville. Designed for young explorers, ages5-12. Open to the public (5-10 participants withregistration), www.watershednaturecenter.org.

FREE Eagle Weekends, 10 am-2 pm, TreeHouseWildlife Center, 23956 Green Acres Rd, Dow.Saturdays in January. You can visit other wildlifethat call the center home also—hawks, owls, fal-cons, and more. For information call 618-466-2990.

FREE Eagle Meet and Greet, 10 am-2 pm, AltonVisitor Center, 200 Piasa St, Alton. Every Satur-day in January. Celebrate all things eagle related.For more information call 800-258-6645.


Teen Wii Games for grades 6-12 every Saturday,1-4 pm, Six Mile Regional Library, 2001 DelmarAve, Granite City, www.smrld.org.



Celebrating Community: A Window to the Future,6:30pm, Wildey Theatre, 252 N Main St, Ed-wardsville, www.wildeytheatre.com.

Bingo, 7-10 pm, St. Jacob Lion’s Den, 108 NDouglas, St. Jacob. Every Saturday until May31st. Doors open at 5pm with play beginning at7pm. For more visit www.troymaryvillecoc.comor call 618-667-8769.


Family Night, 7-10pm, $6 + skate rental, SpinCity Skate Center, 284 Riggin Rd, Troy. EverySaturday night, www.spincityskating.com.

Head East, 8pm, Wildey Theatre, 252 N Main St,Edwardsville. For more call 618-307-1750 or visitwww.wildeytheatre.com.


livE MuSiC: b&b StringS, 9 pm, Nic’sSteakhouse & Pub, 202 S. Broad St, Hillsboro.No cover charge - come early and enjoy dinner!Call 217-532-2313 or find us on Facebook.

SUNdAy, JANUAry 28Polka Dance presented by St. Louis Metro PolkaClub, 3-6:30pm, Free, Polish Hall, 826 Green-wood St, Madison. Featured Band: Mike WisnickiPolka Connection—Celebrating National PolkaMonth. For more visit www.folkfire.org/polk

Old Country and Bluegrass Music Jam, everySunday, 5-9 pm. All artists welcome, all audi-ences welcome. Millersburg General Store, 613Route 143, Millersburg (E. Pierron). For morecall 618-669-2155

MONdAy, JANUAry 29Story Time every Monday and Tuesday at 10 am,Wednesdays at 6:30 pm. Glen Carbon Library,198 S. Main, www.glencarbonlibrary.org.

Growing Readers Story Time, 10:30-11:30am,Tri-Township Library, 209 S Main St, Troy,www.troylibrary.org.

Pinochle played every Monday, 12-3 pm, MainStreet Community Center, 1003 N Main, Ed-wardsville, www.mainstcc.org.

Chess Club, 4-5 pm, Louis Latzer Memorial Pub-lic Library, 1001 9th St, Highland. Ages 6 andolder. Learn how to play chess-advanced playersalso welcome to learn new strategies, www.highlandlibrary.org.

Granite City Senior Club Social Dance,5:30pm/doors open—7-9pm/dancing, GraniteCity Township Hall, 2060 Delmar Ave, GraniteCity. Meet new friends or reconnect with old ones.Refreshments served. For information call 618-444-6771.


Tales for Tails every Monday night from 6-7 pm.

Students in grades K-5 can practice reading to a

furry friend. At the Niedringhaus School, corner

of 29th and State, Granite City, www.smrld.org.



Emotions Anonymous meets every Monday nightat 8 pm at the Immanuel Lutheran Church, 504North 7th St, New Douglas. Free and open toanyone in need of emotional support for any rea-son. Contact Larry, [email protected] or217-272-4560 .

TUESdAy, JANUAry 30Stretch & Move Classes, 8-9am, $1/session, MainStreet Community Center, 1003 N Main, Ed-wardsville. Classes every Tuesday, Thursday, andFriday. Not held if center closed for Holiday,www.mainstcc.org.





Bingo played every Tuesday, 1-3 pm, Main StreetCommunity Center, 1003 N Main, Edwardsville,www.mainstcc.org.

Pokeno, 1 pm, Main Street Community Center,1003 N Main, Edwardsville, www.mainstcc.org.




Beginners Oil Painting, 6-8 pm, $80, MacoupinArt Collective, 214 E Main St, Staunton. Includes2 hours studio time per week for 4 weeks with ac-cess to all the tools and materials needed. Jan16th-Feb 6th, www.macart.org.

Drop-In Clay Studio, 6-8pm, $10, Macoupin ArtCollective, 214 E Main St, Staunton. 2 hours ofstudio time with limited instruction—materialsavailable for purchase, www.macart.org.

Emotions Anonymous meets every Tuesday at 6 pm at the Louis Latzer Library, 1001 9th Street,Highland (Contact Jackie at 618-654-9351 oremail: 16bjschu@email) and at 6 pm at the Locust

Street Resource Center in Carlinville (ContactLarry, [email protected] or 217-272-4560). Free and open to anyone in need of emo-tional support for any reason.



WEdNESdAy, JANUAry 31

Duplicate Bridge played every Wednesday, 9 am-

12 pm, Main Street Community Center, 1003 N

Main, Edwardsville, www.mainstcc.org.

Chair Yoga every Wednesday, 9:30 am, Granite

City Township Hall, 2060 Delmar Ave, Granite

City. For information call 618-877-1215.

Baby Boogie every Wednesday, 9:30-10:30 am,

Collinsville Library, 408 W. Main St, Collinsville.

Suitable for all babies and toddlers accompanied

by a guardian, www.mvlibdist.org/

collinsville_calendar.

YogART every Wednesday, 5:30-6:30 pm, Dona-

tion Class, Jacoby Arts Center, 627 E. Broadway,

Alton, www.jacobyartscenter.org.

Beginners Knitting, 6-8 pm, $100, Macoupin Art

Collective, 214 E Main St, Staunton. Includes

2 hours studio time per week for 6 weeks with

access to all the tools and materials needed. Jan

17th-Feb 21st, www.macart.org.

Drop-in Stained Glass Mosaics, 6-8pm, $15, Ma-

coupin Art Collective, 214 E Main St, Staunton.

2 hours of studio time with limited instruction—

includes materials, except picture frame,

www.macart.org.

Adult Bible Study, 6-7:15 pm, First Baptist

Church, 2709 Poplar St, Highland, www.fbchigh-

land.org.

Free Yoga Time every Wednesday, 6:30-8 pm,

Free, Community Room, Collinsville Library, 408

W. Main St, Collinsville. No registration

required. Ages 16+ welcome, www.mvlibdist.org/

collinsville_calendar.

Story Time every Wednesday at 6:30 pm. Glen

Carbon Library, 198 S. Main, www.glencarbonli-

brary.org.

Knights of Columbus Bingo every Wednesday, 7

pm, at Crystal Ballroom (I-55 to exit 41) in

Staunton. Doors open at 5:30 pm. For informa-

tion call Joe Rodriguez at 618-635-8338.

Troy Genealogical Society Meeting, 7-9pm, Tri-

Township Library, 209 S Main St, Troy. History

and Genealogy Room. For more information call

618-667-8769 or visit www.troylibrary.org.

Lions Club Bingo, 7 pm, every Wednesday at Tri-

mor Bingo Hall 3701 Nameoki Rd, 618-877-

7771. We play 27 games including 3-$500 bingo

games, 2-$500 raffle games, and 4-$1000 raffle

games. Our mission is to assist folks in Pontoon

Beach, Mitchell, Granite City, Madison and

Venice who have sight & hearing problems,

www. granitecity.illinois.gov.

SAVE THE dATES!SUNdAy, FEB 11Annual Fat Sunday Cajun buffet, 11-3, Nuby’sSteakhouse, 679 Old National Trail, Pocahontas.Authentic Cajun items all made from scratch onan all-you-can-eat buffet. Call 618-669-2727 formore information.

FrIdAy, FEB 2-SATUrdAy, FEB 3livE CoMEDy - Claude Stuart - shows at7:30 pm and 9:30 pm both nights. Donnie B’sComedy Club, in front of Target on FreedomDrive, Springfield. For tickets call 217-391-JOKE (5653) or order online at www.donniebscomedyclub.com.

FrIdAy, MArCH 2-SUNdAy, MArCH 4St. Andrew’s Annual Quilt Show, Fri-Sat, 10-4,Sunday 1-4. St Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 406Hillsboro Ave, Edwardsville. Admission $5.00.Large variety of fiber art and quilts on display andfor sale. Trunk show of red and white quilts onSaturday at 11 am by Ann Hazelwood, authoer ofmany quilt-themed books. Register your entry atfacebook.com/standrewsquilt-guild/& standrews-edwardsville.com. For more infomation visitwww.standrews-edwardsville.com.

SATUrdAy, APrIl 7

Season #2 of Carlinville Market Days begins!

Held the first Saturday of every month, April-No-

vember, Carlinville downtown square. Antiques,

vintage, primitives, juried crafts and more. For

information or to become a VIP vendor contact

Perry @217-565-0937 or carlinvillemakert@

gmail.com. Carlinville Market Days is also on

Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

FrIdAy, APrIl 27TH

Artfully Local Preview Show, 7-10 pm, Old Bak-

ery Beer Factory, 400 Landmarks Blvd, Alton.

Artists will be displaying and selling one piece of

Artwork. Art includes Pottery, Wood, Painting,

Photography, Jewelry and Textiles. This is a pre-

view of the Artfully Local Studio Tour Sat and

Sun May 5 and 6, www.facebook.com/Artfully-

Local. .

SATUrdAy, MAy-SUNdAy, MAy 6

Saturday, 10 am-6 pm and Sunday, 2-5pm-Art-

fully Local Studio Tour - Weekend before

Mother's Day. Alton and Wood River venues will

be open to display and sell artwork. Art includes

Pottery, Wood, Painting, Photography, Jewelry

and Textiles. Last year we had 12 venues and 45

artists displaying their work. Check our facebook

page for a map www.facebook.com/Artfully

Local. .

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