Category Archives: News

St. Jude Dash and Bash

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photo by Crystal Reed
Andrews Family Magic Show
Andrew Anderson of Andrews Family Magic reads the mind of a child in the audience during a magic show at the Sullivan St. Jude Dash and Bash held on Saturday, June 10.

photo by Crystal Reed
Car Show for St. Jude
This vehicle was one of several that was on display during the St. Jude Dash and Bash Car Show. The Dash and Bash included inflatables for children, pedal pulls, raffles, pretzel and lemon shakeup sales, a duck derby and much more.

photo by R.R. Best
St. Jude Dash and Bash Duck Derby
St. Jude Dash and Bash co-chair Phil Ozier uses a hose to spray rubber duckies towards the finish line during the duck derby at Wyman Park on Saturday, June 10.

photo by Crystal Reed
Free Inflatables at St. Jude Dash and Bash
This year the inflatables at the St. Jude Dash and Bash were sponsored by Hydro Gear so children were able to play for free that afternoon. There were bounce houses, inflatable games, slides and more for children to enjoy.

Lovington Celebrates 150th Anniversary

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photos by Crystal Reed and submitted
Lovington Celebrates 150th Anniversary
Lovington celebrated their Sesquicentennial on Friday, June 9 and Saturday, June 10 with a variety of activities. Friday night the Lovington Alumni banquet was held and the band Identity Crisis played uptown. Saturday’s festivities started with the Fireman’s pancake and sausage breakfast at the Lovington Firehouse followed by a display at the Lovington Library on the history of Lovington provided by the Moultrie County Historical and Genealogical Society. There was also a parade and bags tournament. In the evening at Tom Conn Park there was music, vendors and extreme sports/bounce houses. The Lovington Community Club also had a fish fry and at dusk fireworks lit up the sky above Lovington. The event was sponsored by the Village of Lovington and Lovington Community Club.

Thomas Houser Third Annual Memorial Golf Outing

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Photo by Crystal Reed
Thomas Houser Third Annual Memorial Golf Outing
The Thomas Houser Third Annual Memorial Golf Outing was held on Saturday, June 3 at the Sullivan Country Club. There were 17 teams at the outing. All proceeds will be used for the Tommy Houser Law Enforcement Scholarship Fund.

SONIC Drive-In Donates to Local Schools

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•June 7, 2023•
In honor of May’s Teacher Appreciation Month, SONIC Drive-In’s SONIC Foundation donated $1.5 million to match all public contributions made to requests on DonorsChoose, a national nonprofit that allows individuals to donate directly to public school classroom requests submitted by teachers.
As part of SONIC’s ongoing Limeades for Learning initiative, the $1.5 million donation matched 50 percent of each donation made to all teacher requests. SONIC helped fully fund nearly 15,300 projects from teachers and schools across the country.
The following are among the exceptional teachers who received funding: Read More

New Blessing Box Established in Sullivan to Help With Food Insecurity

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•June 7, 2023•
by Crystal Reed

A new blessing box has been placed in the city of Sullivan to help provide short-term food assistance to those experiencing food insecurity. The new blessing box is located in front of Sullivan First United Methodist Church across from Sullivan Fire Department. According to Cheryl Thomas, coordinator of the blessing box, anyone may place items in the blessing box.
However, at this time, items which won’t get hot in the summer heat are suggested. Examples of items that are good to donate at this point in time include dry mixes, rice, noodles, cereal, cornbread mix, Kool Aid, oatmeal and dried pasta. There will also be weekly drops of fresh produce throughout the summer. Read More

American Legion Auxiliary Americanism Essay Winners

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Photo by Crystal Reed
American Legion Auxiliary Americanism Essay Winners
On Wednesday, May 24, the seventh and eighth grade winners of the Americanism Essay Contest locally sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary units of Arthur, Lovington and Atwood were awarded. The three winners were all from Lovington Grade School. First place was Joshua Taylor, second place was Maxton Boddy and third place was Jaidyn Edwards.

Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library Summer Reading Kickoff Party

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Photo by Crystal Reed
Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library Summer Reading Kickoff Party
On Friday, May 26, the Elizabeth Titus Memorial Library in Sullivan had a kickoff party for summer reading. Those wanting to participate could start reading for prizes on Tuesday, May 30. Those who read all 10 weeks will be able to pick a book for the library shelf wand their name will be written inside the front cover. Pictured are Ellie and Fionn Lynch enjoying activities at the kickoff party. Activities included inflatables, sno cones and cotton candy and a craft.

Sullivan Country Club Celebrate 100 Years

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Photo by Crystal Reed
Sullivan Country Club Celebrate 100 Years
The Sullivan Country Club held a 100 Year Anniversary party on Saturday, May 27. During the day there was a 9 hole golf scramble, food and drinks, a 50/50 drawing and live music. Musical entertainment started with a dj and then by Felix and Fingers Dueling Pianos. Steve Jenne, Nancy Schaljo and Dan Flannell spoke briefly about some of the history and their experiences being members of the Sullivan Country Club. Pictured above are Felix and Fingers Dueling Pianos.

The Memorial Weekend Cruise In

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Photos by Crystal Reed
The Memorial Weekend Cruise In
The Sullivan Street Machine Association held their Memorial Weekend Cruise In on Saturday, May 27 on the square in Sullivan. The event had no entry free as no prizes were awarded. A dj service provided the soundtrack for the evening.

Wheeler Receives Sheriff’s Association Scholarship

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•May 24, 2023•
By Sharon Barricklow
Correspondent

Shelby County Sheriff Brian McReynolds announced this week that a Windsor High School Senior is the 2023 Shelby County Illinois Sheriff’s Association scholarship winner.
Kiersten Wheeler, daughter of Chris and Kelly Wheeler, is the valedictorian of Windsor High School. She is planning on attending Illinois State University in the fall, to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education. She also served as senior class president.
McReynolds said choosing scholarship winners is one of the most difficult parts of his job. This year’s applicants were asked to write an essay about their opinions on the Illinois revocation of cash bail.
“There’s a lot to look at in the application,” he said. “Their grades, what they’ve done in school and their future plans all are considered.”