•April 8, 2026•

Essex

by Janet Roney

I left you guessing last week why a Massachusetts seaman, Ebenezer Noyes, bought 2000 acres of rattlesnake-infested flat prairie land in the Whitley Township area in 1833-34. All his pioneer neighbors thought he was crazy because no one, including Noyes, knew that the black prairie land was among the most fertile soils in the world. Noyes wanted it because it was flat, high, and dry. Why? The late E. D. Hortenstine of Gays, who wrote about Noyes in the 1955 Mattoon centennial newspaper, as well as other sources, explained why.

Although Noyes was trained by his father to be a doctor, he went to sea instead. After surviving a near shipwreck, he left the sea and went west. In 1833, he stayed at Hayden’s Tavern at Whitley Point for some time and eventually married the innkeeper’s daughter. There, he was surrounded by a different kind of sea...a green sea of prairie grass as far as the eye could see. He learned how to survey that sea of grass and helped lay out some early stage/mail routes for the state.

•April 8, 2026•

High school and college students are invited to a Virtual Healthcare Careers Panel Discussion at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 16th, hosted by the Illinois Rural Health Association. Healthcare professionals will share firsthand what their job really entails, in easy-to-understand terms, and answer students’ questions. The purpose is to give students insight into these high-demand careers and the best paths to get there. 

•April 8, 2026•

Aaron Cole and Sandy Brix will be demonstrating their art process in acrylics, oils, and watercolors at the Shelby County Art Show that is open to the public on Saturday, April 11 from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, April 12 from noon to 5:00 p.m. at the Lake Shelbyville Visitor Center. They are among others of interest one or both days that include Shirley Buescher with watercolors, Joni Shanks with acrylics, Bobbie Dimock with watercolor brush pens, Paul Dimock with watercolor pencils, Carol Kessler with oil paint sticks, Kathy Marshall with gel printing, Karen Cherry with colored pencils, Val Gaddis with antique machines, and Cecelia Hicks with antique sock machine.  

Also available for viewing will be a large exhibit of art creations by k-12 students and adults with ribbons attached from the Saturday morning judging. All will have been created within a year from last years show and within Shelby County and adjacent counties.

•April 8, 2026•

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) sponsors Alcohol Awareness Month every April to “increase public awareness, provide education, and advocate for effective prevention, treatment, and recovery services to support individuals and communities affected by substance use issues.”

•April 1, 2026•

The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) is relaunching the Infield Conservation for Operationalizing Vital Ecosystem Resilience (I-COVER) Program to promote the early establishment of cover crops using new techniques and/or technology. IDOA secured a $7 million USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) grant to launch the program, which offers cost-share/financial incentives to producers and landowners who are new adopters of cover crops or who utilize new techniques for earlier establishment of cover crops. I-COVER is a three-year program for cover crops planted in 2026, 2027, and 2028.