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The Prairie Then and Now Was a Calling

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Dan Guillory’s Tenth Book

•July 10, 2019•
By Ariana Cherry
for the News Progress

Before there were tall buildings, before there were cities and before the hustle and bustle of life took over our everyday world, there was.... the prairie.
Author Dan Guillory has published his 10th book, “The Prairie: Then and Now,” which also includes artwork by his wife, Leslie Guillory. His book was released by Mayhaven Publishing, an award-winning small press located in Mahomet. The company has published several books on the history of Illinois as well as those about former president, Abraham Lincoln. Mayhaven Publishing has nearly 150 works in print to its name. Read More

The Villa Grove Car Show

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•July 10, 2019•

The Villa Grove car show is Saturday, August 3 at Harrison Park.
Registration is from 9 a.m. to noon with the show from 12-4 p.m.
A 50/50 and grill raffle will held to benefit Mission 22.
Free t-shirts for the first 25 who registered and a free BBQ lunch for all entrants are included.
Specialty awards ace for best paint, best interior, veterans choice, farthest traveled, sponsor’s choice, club participation and Best of Show.
For more information contact Stephen Akers at 217-621-5569 or Kim Akers at 217-832-9778. Go to villagrovecarshow@gmail.com or facebook.com/villagrovecarshow.

Remember When? 7-10-2019

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25 Years Ago This Week

Mabel Standerfer will celebrate her 80th birthday with an open house at the Westhall Center in Sullivan. The event is being hosted by her children, Pickle Standerfer and Karen Rodgers.
Fern Schwartz of Bethany celebrated her 98th birthday at Sullivan Living Center. She was able to enjoy the celebration with her great-great-granddaughter Lauren Harris, her daughter Jeanette Schwartz, granddaughter, Shirley Ford and her great-granddaughter Amy Ford Harris.
Justin Farris, son of Doug and Sherry Farris of Sullivan, is participating in Naval Basic Training at Great Lakes.
Brian McDowell, a vice-president at the First National Bank of Sullivan, had 15 visitors from Romania visit the bank. Sullivan was included on the route to introduce the Romanians to agriculture lending programs. After learning about the banking system, McDowell joined the group on a tour of an operating farm, the Prairie View Pork Farm owned by Jim Johnson of Macon County.
Results from the 4th of July events Read More

Titus Manor Auction Items

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•July 10, 2019•

Personal property from the recently closed Titus Manor in Sullivan will be sold at public auction Saturday, July 13 at American Legion Post #68.
Several antiques and furnishings are being offered of which many have been in storage since owner Winnifred Titus’s death 59 years ago. Westfork Auction and Real Estate, LLC auctioneers Bob Lamendolla and John Miller are conducting the sale which begins at 9 a.m.

Obituaries 7-3-2019: Kay Chambers

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Kay Chambers

Veda Kay Chambers, 73, of Lovington, passed away at 12:50 a.m. Tuesday June 25, 2019 in Decatur Memorial Hospital.
Celebration of Life services were 4 p.m. Friday in Reed Funeral Home in Sullivan with Pastor Rodney Houser officiating. Burial was in Greenhill Cemetery in Sullivan. Read More

Obituaries 7/3/2019: Samuel Carter

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Samuel Carter

Samuel Albert Carter III, born on August 23, 1951, died Wednesday, June 26, 2019 in Houston, Mo.
Sam was a longtime educator, teaching English and social studies at the secondary and college levels in Florida and, in recent months, tutoring law school students online from his adopted hometown of Licking, Mo. Read More

Mo. Do. County Fair Pageant Contestants

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Photo furnished
Villa Grove Candidates
Junior Miss Moultrie Douglas Fair queen candidates Maci Clodfelder and Addisyn Wilson of Villa Grove

Photo furnished
Little Miss Moultrie-Douglas County Fair Pageant Contestants
Front Row from left – Kinsley Eads, Arthur; Cadence Vandeventer, Tuscola; Chloe Monts, Arthur; Miley Rennels, Tuscola; Little Miss Moultrie-Douglas 2018 Bentley Parsons, Hammond; Ellie Shain, Sullivan; Bailey Dyer, Tuscola; Reagan McCumber, Villa Grove; and Mia Espinoza, Arcola Back Row – Avery Lake, Villa Grove; Michaela Blickensderfer, Kirksville; Kaja McCall, Tuscola; Sophia Wilson, Arcola; Julianne Steffens, Tuscola; Asah Williams, Tuscola; Ellie Wiley, Tuscola; Miah Voegel, Sullivan;  and Avery Cleland, Tuscola.

Photo submitted
2019 Miss Moultrie-Douglas County Fair Queen Contestants
The Moultrie Douglas Fair in Arthur is from Sunday, July 7 through Saturday, July 13. The Miss and Little Miss Fair Queen Pageants in the North Grandstand begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 9. Contestants pictured from left: Makenna Green, Arthur; Molly Mahannah, Arcola; Julia Kerkhoff, Tuscola; Claire Ring, Tuscola; Samantha Stevens, Camargo; 2018 Miss Moultrie-Douglas Ashley Mattingly; Sara Kremitzki,Tuscola; Kayla Hodge, Arthur; Faith Hardwick,Tuscola; and Kyla Carson, Arthur.  Not pictured is Moranda Matheson, Bethany.

Photo furnished
2019 Jr. Miss Moultrie-Douglas County Fair Queen Contestants
The Miss and Little Miss Fair Queen Pageants in the North Grandstand begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 9. Junior Miss contestants are Katilyn Kirby, Sullivan; Chloe Alexander, Arthur; Lauren Woods, Tuscola; Reggan Smith, Tuscola; Andrea Dehart, 2018 Jr Miss Moultrie-Douglas; Regann Bowles, Tuscola; Mikayla Dunn, Tuscola; Jonika Nickles, Hindsboro; Ella Chupp, Arcola; and Kate Foltz, Tuscola.  Not pictured is Addisyn Wilson and Maci Clodfelder both from Villa Grove.The Moultrie Douglas Fair in Arthur is from Sunday, July 7 through Saturday, July 13.

Obituaries 7-3-2019: Larry Dick

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Larry Dick

Larry Dennis Dick, 71, of Sullivan passed away at 12:50 a.m. Monday, July 1, 2019 in St. Mary’s Hospital in Decatur.
No services will be held. McMullin-Young Funeral Home in Sullivan is in care of the arrangements.     Read More

Sullivan Girls State Delegates Accept Leadership Posts

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Photo by Ellen Ferrera
Sullivan High School students Adalee Nichols(l) and Miriah Booker recently attended Girls State at EIU.

•July 3, 2019•
By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

Adalee Nichols was elected a National Party Leader and Miriah Booker was elected State Sheriff at the weeklong Girls State convention at Eastern Illinois University.
For Nichols, it was the highest office anyone from Sullivan has achieved at Girls State.
“Each year we select and sponsor two girls who have just completed their junior year in high school to attend,” Melanie Byers of the American Legion Auxiliary said. “We look at their grades, their interest in politics and recommendations from their teachers.”
The American Legion Auxiliary Illini Girls State (ALAIGS) is a program of the American Legion Auxiliary which is the largest women’s patriotic organization in the world.
Illini Girls State was first presented in 1957 and is one of the most respected and coveted experimental learning programs presented in the U.S. The goal is to develop young women as future leaders and is grounded in patriotism and Americanism. Read More