Photo by Mike Brothers
Musical Night
Members of the Sullivan Communnity Band gave their inaugural performance Thursday, June 28. Organized by SHS band director Shaun Schaefers the 40 piece band blended the talents of various local musicians for this free concert. In spite of threatening weather that forced the concerts’ move from Wyman Park, the event was well-attended in the Sulliven Middle School gymnasium. It was worth it for the Pink Panther theme, alone!
Photo by R.R. Best
Knee High Plus 35
Colleen Zenk is pictured with Boo and Little Theatre Executive Director John Stephens beside Tony Sager’s crop in this year’s annual News Progress Knee High by Fourth of July photo monitoring central Illinois corn yields. Zenk starred in “Hello, Dolly!” at the Little Theatre in 2018. In 1983 she was headlining “They’re Playing Our Song” along with Michael Crouch and was photographed by R. R. Best on Guy Little’s farm south of Sulilvan.
•June 27, 2018•
By Ellen Ferrera
for the News Progress
Acclaimed actress and Emmy award winner, Colleen Zenk, commands the stage as that scheming matchmaker and compulsive meddler, Dolly Gallagher Levi, in “Hello Dolly” currently playing at the Little Theatre.
The musical is replete with colorful costumes, gorgeous sets and some of the most memorable music in American Theatre. This is a polished and well-chosen cast who will sing and dance their way into your heart.
The plot for “Hello Dolly” originated in an 1835 play, and Thornton Wilder adapted it into a play entitled “The Merchant of Yonkers”, a flop which he revised to “The Matchmaker”. David Merrick turned it into the musical with the late great Carol Channing who made it her signature role. It is one of the longest-running musicals on Broadway and currently in its fifth revival.
The time is late 1900s, and the brassy Dolly Gallagher Levi is in town. She is a meddler – making her living as a matchmaker, dance instructor, mandolin teacher and numerous other sidelines. She is looking for a wife for the grumpy Horace Vandergelder (Gus Gordon), but she makes it clear that she intends to snag Horace for herself. Ambrose Kemper (Luke Rose) wants to marry Horace’s niece Ermengarde (Shannon McEldowney) but Horace opposes the union so Ambrose has enlisted Dolly’s help. Read More
Photo furnished
It was snorkeling day at Rainbow River for the 24 Sullivan school students taking the Science Trip to Florida.
•June 27, 2018•
By Mike Brothers
The fifth annual Sullivan school science trip was taken to Tampa, Fla. June 11-14 with 24 students attending.
“It was a way for the kids to have four days of fun while accidentally learning something along the way,” said science teacher Troy Rogers who leads the every other year trip for interested middle school students.
He explained the trip is through World Strides and is not a school district function. Rogers and his wife Kari chaperoned along with Aaron Kirk and Kimberly Wallace who had attended the 2010 trip.
Geared for those interested in science and nature, student vacationers dissected squid at Clearwater Marine Aquarium and even got to swim with manatees.
Rogers noted that the group learned about the manatee family with the baby manatee impressing the kids with its playfulness.
“This is a short trip, early in the week so those involved in other summer activities could get back and not miss anything,” Rogers said, explaining that son Drew got back in time for basketball camp. Read More
Photo by Mike Brothers
Summer Refreshment
These Sullivan entrepreneurs decided to take advantage of extra traffic created this week due to Sullivan Independence Celebration setup across the street at the Sullivan American Legion Post 68. Above Alaina Moore (left) and partner Kendall Penberthy create a special mixture of grape Kool-Aid and lemonade as a signature summer drink. Lemonade, grape Kool-Aid or any mixture of the two is only 75 cents this week on Main Street in Sullivan.
Photo by R. R. Best’
Muddy Good Time!
Cody Carlson right and Wesley Bone put forth the true spirit of mud volleyball competition at the Bethany Celebration held this past weekend. The Friday and Saturday events also included three on three basketball and ended with Saturday evening fireworks at Crowder Park.
•June 20, 2018•
Eagle Creek Resort has been closed for nearly a decade, with the state still asking for ideas for the decaying resort along Lake Shelbyville
IDNR officials rejected the one proposal it recently received for the Eagle Creek facility according to IDNR’s Ed Cross. He said the state was still hoping to find a private developer for the facility in Eagle Creek State Park.
He said the department uses a scoring system to determine whether a development plan is viable. The one proposal received last time, from John Fayhee at Sullivan Marina on Lake Shelbyville, didn’t meet the needed score. Read More
Photo by Ellen Ferrera
Pictured is Dan Moschenrose.
•June 20, 2018•
By Ellen Ferrera
for The News Progress
Dan Moschenrose is a 21-year veteran whose passion is his love of the history surrounding the birth of our great nation.
He has been concerned, however, that children are not being taught early American history in schools. “ They watch the fireworks and the parades, collect the candy and enjoy the cookouts, but they don’t know why we celebrate the day,” Moschenrose said of Independence Day.
To illustrate his point Moschenrose once promised money to a student trying to fund a school trip if the student could answer a history question. The question was, “In what year did Elvis and John Wilkes Booth declare independence from China?” The student thought for a moment and then gave the year he thought was correct - 1783.
Moschenrose was stunned that the student didn’t even know this was a ridiculous question and is still puzzled by how little kids know about the Revolutionary War. Read More
•June 20, 2018•
By Mike Brothers
A Moultrie County Board motion attempting to reimburse the Sullivan Chamber and Economic Development $17,295 in expenses failed for lack of a second at the June 14 meeting.
Chairman Dave McCabe explained the county had previously approved $50,000 earmarked for SCED expenses relating to tourism in the county budget.
McCabe had presented the bill at the previous county board meeting with members delaying action until Executive Director Laurrie Minor updated the county on tourism efforts.
Minor appeared before the board explaining the SCED/Corp of Engineers Lake Shelbyville partnership had worked well at the Chicago Trade Show, and she had recently attended the Midwest Bloggers Convention to learn how to promote area tourism through traveling blogs.
Minor explained that since the county had increased its financial involvement, the chamber is expanding its reach to include Northlake Community Development which allows the promotion of all villages and businesses of Moultrie County.
Most recently SCED coordinated the Lake Shelbyville Crappie Classic and promoted area tourism at the Back 40 event held at the Great Pumpkin Patch. Read More
Photo furnished
First Grade Visits Ballard Center
Sullivan Elementary School’s first grade recently went on a field trip to Ballard Nature Center in Altamont. They spent the day exploring and learning about Illinois habitats. This is all thanks to the Illinois Biodiversity Grant—Daniel and Ada Rice Foundation, The Independence Tube Corporation, D.F. and M.T. Grohne Foundation and others.