Phoro furnished
Pictured is Worshipful Master Mike Rollins on behalf of Secret Santa giving Sullivan police chief Jim Waggoner a check in the amount of $500.

•November 1, 2017•

The Sullivan Masonic Lodge was the setting for the Mason’s annual Past Masters Dinner and awards dinner October 26.

Police Chief Jim Waggoner was on hand to accept a check in the amount of $500 from Worshipful Master Mike Rollins on behalf of Secret Santa. Chief Waggoner thanked the lodge members and added, “We are just overwhelmed by the continued generosity of the people in Sullivan for their support of our Secret Santa program. Last year we provided Christmas gifts to 200 children from 79 families”. Read More

•November 1, 2017•

Members of One Book One Sullivan read diligently all summer long, reading a book from the Rebecca Caudill book list each week. The group’s goal was to choose a book that would be enjoyable to readers of all ages in Sullivan and the surrounding communities. The students will be announcing their 2017-2018 communitywide book Tuesday, November 21 in the middle school gym.

The following is a brief view of the top five selections:

“All Rise for the Honorable Petty T. Cook” by Leslie Connor

Eleven-year-old Perry T. Cook has grown up in the Blue River Co-ed Correctional Facility, but he is no criminal. Perry’s mother, Jessica, is the inmate --- or resident, rather, as they say at Blue River. Blue River is a minimum security correctional facility in the tiny town of Surprise, Nebraska. And with the warden as Perry’s foster care provider, Perry is allowed to live inside the facility with his mother. Read More

•November 1, 2017•

SBL Lincolnland Home Care and Lincolnland Hospice will conduct a free blood pressure clinic from 8:30 to 9 a.m. Thursday, November 16 at the Senior Center in Sullivan.

For more information, call Lincolnland Home Care at 1-800-879-3212.   Read More

Photo by Ellen Ferrera
Pictured is Peggy Hargis holding the king size Illini quilt that will be featured Saturday.

•November 1, 2017•

Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

An Illini quilt will keep some lucky winner warm and will be presented at the First Christian Church Holiday Market Saturday, Nov. 4.

The bright, orange and blue king-size (102” x 80”) quilt creation has quite a history.

In April, Peggy Hargis sent out a request for U. of I t-shirts, and donations came from Sullivan, Shelbyville, Watseka and even Georgia.

Thirty t-shirts from different U. of I. athletic departments and eras were used to create the quilt. A family of Amish ladies (grandmother, daughter and granddaughter) were contracted for the task. The daughter and granddaughter cut the fronts from the t-shirts and pieced the design together. The grandmother hand-sewed the entire quilt using scrap pieces for the fringe. It is one-of-a-kind, never to be duplicated. Read More

•October 25, 2017•

Smyser Christian Church is hosting “Trunk or Treat” 4-6 p.m. Sun. Oct. 29 on the Sullivan American Legion parking lot at 8 E Strain St. in Sullivan. Church members will be handing out candy from their decorated trunks to the “trunk or treaters.” There will be pony rides, photos, hot dogs, chips, cookies and drinks. All children and their families are invited. There is no cost to participate. For more information call 217-752-6896 or go to www.smysercc.org.