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Little Theatre Is Alive Again With The Sounds of Music

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Photo by Ellen Ferrara
Left to right: Heather Beck, John Stephens and Bonner Church, along with Emily Bacino Althaus, headlined the Little Theatre July 2 concert.

•July 7, 2021•
by Ellen Ferrara
NP Writer

John Stephens, Executive Producer of the Little Theatre, peeked out at the June 4 free concert crowd and couldn’t hold back the tears. “We are performers,” he said, “and the audience is everything to us. For nearly two years we have come to a darkened theater and struggled to survive Covid-19. It was so emotional to see the large crowd waiting for our first post-pandemic performance and the chance to finally perform again.”
Continuing, John said, “The theatre has lost over a million dollars in revenues, and we have had to release valued staff during these 16 months. Our incredibly generous donors, sponsors and foundation grants have helped us survive so these three free concerts are our thank-you to an amazing community for their abiding support of this treasured theatre. With the grants we could bring our family of talented performers and not just put anyone on the stage.”
The July 2 crowd doubled the previous month’s size with the street fronting the theatre a sea of lawn chairs that flowed up and over the courthouse lawn. An estimated 400-500 people turned out to see perennial favorites, Heather Beck, Bonner Church and Emily Bacino Althaus sing their hearts out in a two-hour program of some 25 hit songs. Read More

Remember When? 7-7-2021

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25 Years Ago This Week

Zak Horn, son of Chester and Marjorie Horn of Sullivan, won the Agri-Entrepreneurship Award from the Sullivan FFA Chapter in recognition of his achievement in entrepreneurship. The award, earned through Horn’s operation of a commercial mowing business, is part of a program designed to increase the amount of entrepreneurship information being taught in agricultural education programs. The award is sponsored locally be Agri-Fab and consists of a certificate and $75. Read More

Sullivan 4th of July 2021

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Photo by Crystal Reed
Tractors
In addition to lots of floats, business vehicles and classic cars, this year’s Sullivan Fourth of July parade featured several tractors.

Photo by Crystal Reed
60th Anniversary
Roger and Jeri Wenberg were celebrating on the Sullivan Fourth of July parade route this year.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Sullivan Blue Dolphins
Swimmers with the Sullivan Blue Dolphins throw candy and ride down the parade route in Sullivan on July 4.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Fourth of July Parade Grand Marshall
Becky Lawson, Grand Marshal of Sullivan’s parade, is all smiles on the route.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Mayor and City Council Thank You
This sign, with the names of the mayor and city commissioners, thanked residents for their resiliency during this past year.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Dunk Tank Fun
Adyn Fowler gets advice about dunking City Commissioner Mike Fowler during Pack The Park on July 4.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Dunk the Police Chief
Sullivan Police Chief Andrew Pistorius gets dunked at Pack the Park on July 4.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Turtle Races
Easton Wickline, with his turtle, was a winner in multiple races.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Patriotic Jeep
This Jeep decorated with flags and signs with patriotic messages was part of Sullivan’s Fourth of July parade.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Patriotic Kid
Vera Black, 11 months, was wearing her patriotic best for the Fourth of July.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Corn Hole Tournament
Ayden Matheson (left) and Megan Ray (right) play in the Corn Hole Tournament during Pack the Park on Sunday.

Photo by Crystal Reed
In Honor Of Our Veterans
Veterans ride along the parade route on a float during the Fourth of July in Sullivan.

Marrowbone Library Petting Zoo

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Photo furnished
Marrowbone Library Petting Zoo
Marrowbone Library in Bethany held a petting zoo on Thursday, July 1. Children were able to interact with goats, rabbits, chickens, a dog and a frog. For more information on their adult and children’s summer reading programs call the library at 217-665-3014. Pictured is Gus Crowder with a rabbit during the petting zoo.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Chicken
Brayden Kennedy holds his chicken during the Marrowbone Library Petting Zoo on Thursday, July 1.

Photo by Crystal Reed
Frog Surprise
Prior to the start of the petting zoo at Marrowbone Library on Thursday, July 1, a few children found a frog behind the library. It was decided to incorporate the frog into the petting zoo that day just for fun. Pictured balancing the frog on her wrist is Emily Mowry.

Driver’s License and ID Card Expiration Dates

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•July 7, 2021•

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White announced that expiration dates for driver’s licenses and ID cards have been extended an additional five months —from Aug. 1, 2021, to Jan. 1, 2022. The new Jan. 1, 2022 extension also includes expiration dates that will occur between July and December of this year. As a result, expired driver’s licenses and ID cards will remain valid until Jan. 1, 2022 so customers do not need to rush into Driver Services facilities, especially during hot weather. This extension does not apply to commercial driver’s licenses (CDL) and CDL learner’s permits. Read More

Clayton of Sullivan Graduates

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•July 7, 2021•

Sullivan native Cheyenne Clayton graduated with a MA in Counseling Professional School from Bradley University in May. Clayton was among the 1,000-plus students who earned degrees.
Bradley University is a top-ranked, private university in Peoria, Illinois, offering 5,400 undergraduate and graduate students the resources of a larger university and the personal attention of a smaller university. More than 185 academic programs are offered in business, communications, education, engineering, fine arts, health sciences, liberal arts and sciences, and technology.

Grammar Moses: When Is Something ‘Offensive’ And When Is It ‘Anachronistic?’

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•July 7, 2021•
By Jim Baumann
NP Guest Writer

Pardon my interruption of your birthday party, America, while I get philosophical.
“I’ve begun to find the word ‘offensive,’ well, offensive. It seems like so many things that are outdated are called ‘offensive’ unnecessarily,” wrote regular reader Bob Kopp.
“When I looked up the synonyms for ‘offensive’ I got more of a flavor of intentionality from them. Now I know I can be offensive, but it’s usually more about impulsivity than intent. I found a word new to me — ‘anachronistic.’ I like that word, although I don’t expect to see it in the newspaper five times a week.”
Bob cited a news story about an old plaque at Wheaton College about which some at the school objected.
It commemorated five young missionaries who died at the hands of “savage Indians” in 1956. Read More

Faux Stained Glass

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Photo by Crystal Reed
Faux Stained Glass
Hannah Taylor paints her faux stained glass project at the Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library last Thursday. In July, the library will be offering adult art classes on Thursday evenings. Contact the library for more information or to sign up.

Sullivan Couple Creates Free Little Library in Memory of Son

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Photo by Crystal Reed
Pictured is Nathan’s Little Neighborhood Library which was established by Roger and Michelle Campbell in his memory. The Free Little Library is located at 1450 E. Jackson in Sullivan.

•July 7, 2021•
by Crystal Reed
NP Writer

A Sullivan couple has recently placed a structure in their yard which they hope draws young and old to either take or bring books and encourage a love of reading. Roger and Michelle Campbell have built and stocked a Free Little Library in their yard in Sullivan. The concept of the library is that people may either bring or take books from it at no charge.
The library holds approximately 30 books now depending on how large the books are, and there are a variety of books from which to choose including titles for children, youth and adults. There are also books from a variety of genres, and the more people participate, the more variety there will be. The Moultrie County Habitat ReStore has offered to donate books to help keep the free library stocked. Read More