•August 13, 2025•
The Sullivan Blue Dolphins will hold their swim team tryouts on Tuesday, August 19th at 5:00 p.m. at the Sullivan Civic Center. Session runs from August 2025 through mid-July 2026. The annual registration fee is $100.00; membership cost varies by practice group. Practices are held 2-5 times per week, based on practice group. Ages are five to eighteen. Remember to bring your suit and towel.
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Moultrie County retired teachers gathered on Wednesday, August 6th, at the Moultrie County Historical and Genealogical Society Building in Sullivan. President Vickie Newberry conducted the MCRTA business meeting. During the meeting, Cole Huber, a current Sullivan teacher, made an appearance to thank the MCRTA for the grant he received. He was able to purchase five new computer keyboards for the new school year. This grant was made possible by our Monical’s Community Day’s monies.
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•August 6, 2025•
Gamble’s General Store, built in 1872, was attached to a general store downstairs, and upstairs were apartments. The design was so each floor had its own ‘facilities’. Gamble’s General Store was torn down in 1984, when the Village acquired it, and the two-story outhouse has been a tourist attraction since the 1960s. This is the biggest festival yet. Below is the Schedule of Events for the festival.
Saturday Festival Schedule:
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•August 6, 2025•
It’s almost that time of year-the annual Mid Illinois Senior Services Expo will be held on September 25th, with 2 expo times this year: 9:00 to 11:00 a.m., and 12:00 to 2:00 p.m., with the doors opening at 9:00 a.m. The event will be held in their new location at 113 Jefferson Street, Sullivan, and is a day to celebrate and empower seniors.
Take-out only lunch will be provided by Griffins BBQ and catering, donated by Agrifab and Hydro-gear. Prepare for an informative expo session with friends, local businesses, learn new information, gifts, and a free lunch. To register or if you have any questions, call (217) 728.8521, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. All planning to attend must register by Friday, September 13th, at 3:30 p.m.
•August 6, 2025•
What started as a simple summer project turned into a heartwarming act of kindness thanks to the creative and compassionate Summer Squad kids at Empower Academy. During their recent “Pay it Forward” week, the school-aged group set up a cheerful lemonade stand with one goal in mind: to make someone’s special day even brighter.
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Photos DM Williamee
Locals and non-locals alike gathered in Findlay on Friday, July 25th, and Saturday, the 26th, to celebrate their 37th annual Walleye Festival. On offer were everything from a Kid Zone, beer tent, American Legion Dinner, vendors, food trucks, firehouse obstacle course, to a pedal pull, car show, live musical performances, tractor pull, and the parade, which drew a sizable crowd for the town of approximately 700 residents. There was something for everyone, and the atmosphere was one of very good cheer, despite the record-hot, humid weather experienced in the region the past two weeks.
•July 30, 2025•
On Saturday, August 9th from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., the Moultrie County Historical Society in Sullivan will be hosting a “2nd Native American Artifacts Roadshow” at 1303 S. Hamilton Street in Sullivan.
Randy Fair, their Native American consultant, will be available to discuss the artifacts to include age/time period of the artifact, arrowhead names, and point types. Materials will also be on hand to help with research. Everyone attending is invited to visit their collection of arrowheads and artifacts. Those attending are also invited to bring any articles, artifacts, or objects they believe to be related to Native American ways and life, such as stone tools, arrowheads, axes, pottery, and pottery shards. If you have any questions, call (217) 728-4085.
Collective bargaining agreement with the AEA passed
•July 23, 2025•
by Ariana R Cherry
Unrest continued at the Arthur School District #305 school board meeting on Wednesday, July 16th. Approximately thirty teachers were in attendance regarding the teachers’ contract. Sharon Chupp spoke first during the public comment section of the meeting. She felt she needed to share her story regarding Shawn Davison’s Letter to the Editor in the newspaper the prior week. Chupp said, “I have a student with an Individualized Education Program (IEP), and Shawn has been his one-on-one assistant for the last two years. When my child was ready for high school, I knew he was getting a new one-on-one. I was nervous, not knowing how that was going to go or what his last four years were going to look like. I have to say it has been the best thing ever. Shawn has gone out of his way to help Lance so many times, not that he had to, but because he wanted to.” She stated, “He asked if he could spend the last hour with him to help with his speech and other areas he needed help with, including his bathroom issues when no one else wanted to, and got him to where he knew the routine. On Christmas Eve, Shawn and his wife stopped by the house to give my child a Christmas gift because he wanted to.” And added, “My child has more confidence than ever before, talks so much more, and looks forward to going to school most days,” Chupp commented. “I would like to add, what would be a better way than to impact a whole classroom versus just one child?” she concluded.
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•July 23, 2025•
by DM Williamee
This past Saturday, July 19th, Bluey paid a visit to his fans at Sullivan’s Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library. In addition to hugs and playing games with Bluey, stations were set up that attendees enjoyed, such as an arts and crafts station, a coloring station, face painting, balloon games, and a playtime library checkout desk, which allowed for a popular game of pretend.
Parents and grandparents alike attended with their children and found that the timing could not have been better, with rain curtailing many outdoor activities as summer winds down, and many are preparing for the school year to begin.
One parent stated, “The programs here at the library are great; we almost never miss a week, and on a day like this with the rain, humidity, and heat- it just worked out perfectly!”
•July 23, 2025•
by Sharon Barricklow
The Sullivan business outlook is very good, and hopes are high for additional restaurants, the City Council heard at their July 14 meeting. Sullivan Economic Development Director Laurrie Minor gave the council an updated report including new housing starts, business development, and economic development goals. “Right now our biggest goal is attracting more restaurants,” she said.
Minor brought along Lake Shelbyville Operations Manager Jon Summers, who praised the city’s initiatives for development. “I sit on a lot of boards and go to a lot of meetings,” Summers said. “Sometimes there is barely an agenda, but in Sullivan it’s several pages long and real work gets done.”
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