A Newsletter for the Forsyth Community November 15, 2018

ILLAGE ISIONVV

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Check out 40th anniversary display at center stage

Mayor casts deciding vote

Hickory Point Mall is celebrat-ing 40 years as an integral part of our community and as the engine that has attracted visitors to our com-munity, and in turn, driven our local economy.

The mall opened in the fall of 1978 on 170 acres of land that the Village and the mall’s developer ne-gotiated and agreed on after the City of Decatur took a pass on the oppor-tunity. The ribbon was cut by Santa Claus to officially open the new retail

40 years of shopping at Hickory Point Mall!hub on November 15 in time for the holiday shopping season that year.

Today, visitors can visit a small display marking the mall’s four-decade history in Forsyth. Check out the dis-play, along with a collection of photos, located near the mall’s center stage.

Visit Santa at Center CourtSanta Claus is coming to town,

specifically to the mall. He plans to stay a while, beginning Friday, No-vember 23 through Monday, Decem-ber 24.

Santa’s hours this year are 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday-Saturday;

noon-6 p.m. on Sunday. Also, don’t forget that Santa takes a break to feed his reindeer from 1-2 p.m. and again from 5-6 p.m. on Monday-Saturday; and from 3-4 p.m. on Sunday.

In addition, there will be pet photo nights on November 26, December 3 and 10: from 6-9 p.m. NOTE: All pets must be on a leash or in a carrier.

Holiday hoursGo to hickorypoint.com for a full

list of the mall’s extended holiday shopping hours.

The Illinois Department of Veter-ans’ Affairs and the Illinois Bicenten-nial Office recently announced the re-cipients of Bicentennial HONOR 200, honoring the work of 200 veterans who continue to make extraordinary contributions to the people of Illinois.

T.J. Jackson, a Forsyth resident and Vietnam veteran, was among those honored for his longtime work on behalf of veterans.

“America is the greatest nation on earth because of the sacrifice of our veterans,” Gov. Bruce Rauner said. “We are proud to honor these 200 men and women as part of our Bicentennial celebration. Their service didn’t stop when they took off their uniforms. They continue to be heroes among us by going above and beyond the call of duty to take care of the people in their communities.”

Congrats and gratitude to T.J. Jackson

The future of the longest running tournament on the LPGA Symetra Tour, known as the Forsyth Classic since May when the Village commit-ted to a sponsorship of $90,000 for the 2018 tournament and $100,000 for next year’s 35th anniversary, was hanging in the balance.

Tournament Director Cindy Dead-rick Wolfer spoke at the November 5 Board of Trustees meeting to ask an important question.

“The (Symetra) Tour is growing and has opportunities elsewhere,” she said. “With our history, the Tour con-tinues to work with us on year-to-year basis but would like a commitment.”

From the Village, she was ask-ing for $135,000 of Hotel/Motel tax

revenue to continue as the event’s title sponsor in 2020. Those opposed cited a lack of quantifiable economic im-pact from the tournament and major proposed future projects — namely, a community center and sports complex

Village’s support of Forsyth Classic ends in 2019

Library News

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Research made simple at FPLHaving a clear, compelling point of view on today’s most debated political and social issues requires finding the most credible facts and insights. Op-posing Viewpoints In Context simpli-fies your search by bringing together thousands of resources to provide au-thoritative, full-text articles; research reports; videos; and statistics. Wheth-er you are writing a research paper or looking for resources to expand your knowledge, Opposing Viewpoints In Context helps students and research-ers gather talking points and new perspectives. Burning the midnight oil with a last-minute project? No problem. This resource is available 24/7. Log into Opposing Viewpoints from the “materials search” section of Forsyth Public Library’s webpage. The number on the back of your library card is your password. Contact the library for more information.

Christmas OrnamentsStop by the library any time between Wednesday, November 28 and Satur-day, December 1 to make a snowman bulb and a wreath ornament. One ornament will decorate the library’s tree and the other one can go home to add to your own tree! All supplies are provided, and no registration is necessary.

Story TimesJoin us on Friday mornings at 10 a.m. at the library for Story Time. We’ll play games, sing songs, listen to stories and create a craft all cen-tered around a theme. On November 16 we’ll have fun with Bright, Shiny Buttons. There will be no Story Time on November 23, due to the holiday. Come back on November 30 for a Get Well theme. Story times are geared toward ages 2-5. Siblings are welcome to attend, and no registra-tion is necessary.

Baby TalkSocialize with other parents and caregivers of children ages birth-3 on Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. These infor-mal parent/child sessions are led by trained Baby TALK instructors and provide opportunity to share parent-ing concerns and celebrate achieve-ments while enjoying books, songs and fingerplays. Baby TALK is free, and no registration is required.

Dance with MeDance and learn with your little one at the library. Join Michi Barber from the Dance Centre at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, November 20 as she encour-ages development through music and dance. Sessions are geared for ages 16 months through 3, but all children

Cuddly Creatures, in photo at left, watch a movie and enjoy popcorn together at Forsyth Public Library’s Stuffed Animal Sleepover. On the right, Children reunite with their furry friends and watch a slideshow of all the fun the animals had staying overnight in the library.

not yet in kindergarten are welcome. Come dance for free! No registration is required.

Stuffed Animal SleepoverIt was an evening full of adventure for furry friends at the library on November 2. Children dropped off their favorite stuffed animals for a sleepover that included fun and mis-chievous activities such as watching a movie, playing in the book drop and even ordering a pizza. The kids came back Saturday morning to pick up their cuddly creatures, eat breakfast together and watch a slideshow of all the fun from the night before. The morning wrapped up with time for the kids and their friends to cuddle up with a good book before heading home.

November Holiday HoursForsyth Public Library will be closed Thursday and Friday November 22-23 and will resume normal hours on Saturday, November 24.

Mark your calendars! Saturday, December 15 – Kids drop-in-craft day featuring stained glass painting craft and a take-home treat Tuesday, December 18 – Holiday open house at Forsyth Public Library

Jacob gets some help using the new PENpal books at Forsyth Public Library.

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Forsyth Classiccontinued from front page

New at Forsyth Public Library is a collection of books that have text in several languages, includ-ing English. Among the other languages offered are: Urdu, Mandarin, Hindi and Arabic. The books include a feature that allows a special pen to “read aloud” the text either in English or one of the addi-tional languages. These picture books can be enjoyed by multi-lingual families or by anyone who would like to experience a new way to enjoy a story. Li-brary staff is happy to show you how to use the pens. Just ask!

The award-winning, digital PENpal Audio Re-corder Pens allow for the reader to tap the text and listen to what they are reading.

This “talking-book” technology is sure to get wide use in a community as diverse as Forsyth where many of our residents speak multiple languages.

Library has new PENpal Audio Recorder PensTechnology allows for “reading” in other languages

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Retired Brigadier General Stephen Curda, director of the Illinois Depart-ment of Veterans’ Affairs wrote the letter to Jackson announcing his honor.

The letter, in part, commended Jackson and the other honorees for their “time, energy, and contribu-tions to your fellow veterans, service members, and local community” and described their efforts as “going above and beyond the call of duty.”

Stuart Layne, executive direc-tor of the Bicentennial Commission,

called the Bicentennial HONOR 200 campaign “one of the most important commemorations of the yearlong Bicentennial Celebration.”

He added that the 200 Illinois vet-erans honored “truly make us Illinois Proud.”

All the Honor 200 recipients have been invited to attend the state’s official 200th birthday celebration at the United Center in Chicago on December 3, 2018. Selections were announced October 24 in a press conference in the Capitol Rotunda in Springfield.

“Honor 200 provides us with an

— that will require funding starting in 2020.

Trustees in favor of continu-ing support of the golf tournament pointed out that the projected ending balance of the Hotel/Motel tax fund for this fiscal year will be $888,000.

“I see it as we have the capabil-ity to do both,” Trustee David Wendt said.

opportunity to showcase our veter-ans and the values they have when it comes to serving our communities,” Curda said.

The recipients represent more than 50 counties across the state. Nominees were evaluated based on their achieve-ments and on the extent to which their contributions have aided, benefited and provided inspiration to their com-munity at large. In addition, nominees must have received an honorable discharge from the U.S. military and reside in Illinois.

For more information, go to www.illinois200.com.

Trustees cast their votes and were deadlocked with three votes in favor and three opposed. The deciding vote came down to Mayor Marilyn Johnson, who paused briefly before saying: “No.” With that, the measure failed.

Other No votes came from Trust-ees Bob Gruenewald, Jeremy Shaw and Kerstin Trachtenberg; while Yea votes came from Trustees Kerry Denison, Jim Peck and Wendt.

“As a trustee, I have to do what’s

best for the community with the Ho-tel/Motel tax,” Gruenewald said.

The 54-hole tournament annu-ally brings a field of 144 players from the United States and around the world to compete at Hickory Point Golf Course. In addition to players, families, caddies, tournament offi-cials, volunteers and fans come and stay with host families and in hotels. Bringing people to town was why the Village had been a financial supporter of the event for so many years.

301 S. Rt. 51Forsyth, IL 62535

Email: Info@forsythvillage.us

Village of Forsyth Mayor and Board of TrusteesMayor Marilyn J. Johnson195 E. Ruehl St. ..................433-3655Kerry Denison873 Cara Chris ....................330-0795

Bob Gruenewald718 W. Forsyth Pkwy. ..........520-5489Jim Peck335 Forsyth Parkway ..........433-5700Jeremy Shaw1274 Raptor Lane ..... (309) 830-0509

Kerstin Trachtenberg923 Stevens Creek Circle ...454-5770 David Wendt797 Christopher Drive .........877-2935

Village Hall ............................877-9445 Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed 12:30-1:30 p.m. for lunch www.forsythvillage.usForsyth Public Library .........877-8174 www.forsythlibrary.comPublic Works ........................877-1653

for 22 years

Forsyth Fast FactsItems of interest from village staff and recent board meetings

Local Postal PatronForsyth, IL 62535

Presorted StandardU.S. Postage

PAID Forsyth, IllinoisPermit No. 2

In the law enforcement report on November 5, Macon County Sher-iff’s Deputy Justin Lilly reported that a pistol was recently stolen from an unlocked vehicle located on private property in the 100 block of North Home Avenue. Law enforce-ment has spoken to one person about the theft, but there are no other leads at this time. Be sure to follow the Village on Twitter and Instagram at: www.twitter.com/ForsythIL and www.instagram.com/ForsythIL. The goal for all of the Village’s social media accounts it to be a source of infor-mation for the community and to promote the Village of Forsyth and its events. In his November 5 report to trust-ees, Nik Duffle, the Village’s new community and economic develop-ment coordinator, gave an update

on the McAlister’s Deli project on Route 51, saying that the developer plans to be open for business by the middle of December. The company’s variance request for additional sig-nage is up for review at the Novem-ber Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. Duffle’s November 5 report stated that a real estate representative has sent site plans and a floor plan to be reviewed by a party interested in the old Hometown Buffet building, which closed in 2016. The Village, however, is not involved in the review process. The next regular meeting of the Forsyth Board of Trustees is sched-uled for Monday, November 19, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. in Village Hall at 301 S. Route 51 in Forsyth. Board meetings are held the first and third Mondays of the month and are open to the public.