Photo by RR Best
The pony ride was a popular event at the Easter Egg Carnival at Courtyard Estates Saturday. The annual event is sponsored by Petersen Health Care facilities in Sullivan.

•April 19, 2017•

By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

The bunny trail led to the 10th annual Easter Egg Carnival on the grounds of the Sullivan Rehabilitation and Health Care Center Saturday, April 15.

There, en masse, were approximately 800 children and parents gathered to ride ponies and pet camels, goats, rabbits, and sheep. They bounced around in three colorful bouncy houses, ate hot dogs, chips and sodas and found over 8,000 Easter eggs. There was more: 18 prizes drawn from the three children’s age groups, a $100 KMart gift certificate drawing and the famous cake walk. All this, except the food, was free to the public.

This was no small undertaking and accomplished only by the dedicated work of many volunteers. It began Monday before April 15 when Ken “Catfish” Morrison started mowing the large field, putting up the flags and tables. A small army of residents at Courtyard Estates spent four days filling all the 8,000 eggs with candy. Petersen Health Care provided the pony rides and the petting zoo, Courtyard Estates, Eastview Terrace and Mason Point provided the bouncy houses and all the volunteers who helped run the stands, take tickets, and run the cake walk. It was, indeed, a community effort. The pony rides and petting zoo handlers managed their attractions, but everything else was run by the volunteers. Read More

Photo by RR Best
Early Sunday morning crash sends Sullivan man to hospital.

•April 12, 2017•

A 1:24 a.m. crash April 9 sent a Sullivan man to Carle Hospital with serious injuries.

Moultrie County Sheriff Chris Sims explained that deputies were called to 696 CR 1100N where the remains of a 2010 Hyundai coupe were sitting on its top five feet from a house.

The driver, Tyler J. Sesko, 24, Sullivan, was removed from the overturned vehicle by the Sullivan Fire And Rescue Squad, then transported to Carle. He was issued a ticket for reckless driving with the investigation open. Read More

Photo by Ellen Ferrera
Mr. Rogers science students learn how to make things float into the air.

•April 12, 2017•

By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

It’s a wonderful day in the neighborhood - that neighborhood being Mr. Troy Roger’s seventh grade science class as they prepare to launch an experiment on which they have been working.

In the school atrium a large clutch of colorful balloons awaits as part of the experiment. Upstairs in the classroom Rogers explains that the 16 students have been watching the animated film, “Up” in which a grumpy old man attaches a bazillion balloons to his house and floats off to adventures.

The students have been challenged to estimate how many balloons it takes to lift their small popsicle house off the ground.

He started this experiment five years ago. Helium is expensive for the balloons so they are especially grateful to Ellen Bernius of the Flower Pot for her generous helium filled balloon donation for this learning experience.

This is a class project- Rogers makes the assignment and the rules while the students work together to construct the popsicle house, make the calculations, organize the balloons, etc.  Read More

Photo by Ellen Ferrera
First pair of shoes from Sullivan’s Brown Shoe factory.

•April 5, 2017•

By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress

She sits in faded glory on Hamilton St. between a gas station and Habitat for Humanity. Some windows are broken and boarded, the interior is crumbling. She was an architectural beauty in her day bustling with workers coming to make shoes for the Brown Shoe Company. But, if she could talk - the stories she could tell.

Sullivan during 1929 was the worst of times, and there were no best of times. People were desperate for work and manufacturers such as Brown Shoe were also desperate for cheap labor to expand their factories. So they devised a plan to exploit rural communities, women and children.

By 1900 Brown Shoe Co. was growing at the rate of one million dollars a year. By 1928 the five largest St. Louis shoe companies had plants in 56 small towns within a 200 mile radius and over 30,000 employees. In order to build new $300,000 plants and guarantee wages, Brown demanded that Sullivan and other communities raise $125,000 of the cost, provide the site, electric and sewer connections, build the plant to Brown’s specifications and give them a 10 year tax free agreement.  Read More

Photo by Madison Uhlrich
Kurk Grohler is digging his last grave at Greenhill Cemetery in Sullivan along with Kyler Lane (right). Kyler is grandson to Kurk’s first boss Mayor Leon Lane. Kurk will concentrate on his landscaping business while Kyler stays on with the Greenhill crew.

•April 5, 2017•

By Mike Brothers

Kurk Grohler has been working at Greenhill Cemetery in Sullivan for the past 24 years. Next week Grohler steps down to allow the new cemetery superintendent Herb Bricker to take over maintaining the 35 acre city cemetery.

“I’ve had three bosses, Leon Lane, Rick Dunscomb and Ann Short, and they have all been great to work for,” Grohler said, noting Leon Lane first gave him a chance to work for the city.

One thing for which Grohler is glad is that Lane’s grandson, Kyler, joined Grohler at Greenhill three years ago and will get to continue working under Supt. Bricker.

“Kurk has been more than a great boss; he has been like a second father to me,” Kyler Lane said of Grohler.

As Grohler prepared to dig what could be his final grave, he noted that most people think all there is to taking care of a cemetery is mowing. Read More