A Newsletter for the Forsyth Community May 30, 2019

ILLAGE ISIONVVBe there for the fun inForsyth Park June 14-15

The Village’s flags are lowered to half-staff, as seen in Forsyth Park last month, to honor fallen members of the armed services or law enforcement who have given their lives in the line of duty.

Forsyth Classic Pro-Am Spots available

As part of the Village of Forsyth’s sponsorship of the Forsyth Classic, residents have a special opportunity to play in the Forsyth Classic Pro-Ams on Monday, June 10; Wednesday, June 12; or Thursday, June 13.

Monday’s Platinum Pro-Am pairs one professional golfer with one amateur golfer in a foursome. Two Platinum Pro-Am spots are available.

The Wednesday and Thursday Pro-Ams pair one professional golfer with four amateur golfers in a five-some. There are 16 Pro-Am spots available, with two teams of four amateurs playing on Wednesday, and two more teams of four amateurs playing on Thursday.

Each Pro-Am begins with lunch from noon until 12:45 p.m. Shotgun starts are at 1 p.m., and there will be appetizers and beverages after play.

If necessary, participants will be chosen by lottery. If you are inter-ested in participating, please stop by Village Hall no later than noon on Friday, May 31. No phone calls, please.

You may have wondered about the process regarding how the Village decides to lower its American flags to half-staff. The Village’s Depart-ment of Public Works receives email notification from the state or federal government about lowering flags to half-staff. Often the honor is be-stowed upon those who have passed away after having given much in the way of service to the nation, commu-nity, region or state. Those honored are often members of the armed ser-vices or law enforcement who have died in the line of duty.

When the notification comes through, the Village may lower its flags at Village Hall, Forsyth Public Library and at several locations in Forsyth Park near the ball diamonds and Veterans Memorial.

Lowering the flag honors the fallen

Forsyth Family Fest means summer and fun!

Forsyth Family Fest means fun, family and friends! Forsyth Family Fest means summer! As the weekend most likely to be circled on the calen-dar — June 14-15 — by your kids (or you) comes into view, let’s get you ready.

Come on out to Forsyth Park for this family-oriented neighborhood bash to enjoy food, live music, car-nival rides, friendships old and new, and more. The theme for this year’s event is “Forsyth Famous.”

Things get rolling on Friday evening with free carnival rides and the community cookout. New menu additions this year to the familiar hamburgers and hot dogs will be pork chops and brats. NOTE: Please be aware that the price for the meal will now be $3.

The Family Fest 5k, 1 Mile, and Kids’ race is Saturday, June 15, with events starting at 7:45 a.m. Sign up at runsignup.com/forsythfamilyfest be-fore June 1 to be guaranteed a dri-fit shirt as a race participant. Then line

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Library News

Showtime at the library!Lights! Camera! Action! Registra-tion for the summer reading program continues throughout the summer. Come on in or sign up for programs online at Eventbrite.com by search-ing for Forsyth Library. Remember, you still need to stop by the library to pick up your reading log and get started on your reading goals in order to earn prizes. Be sure to pop back in Saturday, June 1 for the Showtime Showcase! Local student perform-ers will dazzle and delight with their talents.

• 10 a.m. Performance by Decatur Park District’s BOSS program

• 11 a.m. Millikin Decatur Sym-phony’s solo cellist Miruna Eynon

• 1 p.m. Students from the Dance Centre

• 2 p.m. Maroa-Forsyth High School drumline

No one is too young or too old to be part of the summer reading extrava-ganza! It’s a great way to have some summer fun while maintaining read-ing and literacy levels. Participants keep language skills sharp and have better retention of skills when school starts again in the fall. It’s also an opportunity to enjoy family time to-gether. Participating along with your children shows them that reading is a genuine source of pleasure for all ages. You can sign up at any point throughout the summer.

Larry Reed Memorial Youth GardenBeautify Forsyth Public Library by helping the Garden Club of Decatur plant flowers on Tuesday, June 4 from 10-11 a.m. This year’s gar-den is in memory of Larry Reed, longtime supporter of the library’s youth garden. Macon County Master Gardeners from the University of Il-linois Extension Program will be here

to help participants make pollinator growing cards to take home. After you beautify the library garden, you can beautify your own yard. All ages are welcome, and no registration is required. In case of rain, activities will be postponed until Friday, June 7.

Terrific TuesdaysWe’ll kick off the summer on Tues-day, June 4 with Big Bang Bubbles. This remarkable show takes ordinary bubbles into the realm of extreme! Prepare to be amazed by the dazzling demonstrations and experiments. On Tuesday, June 11 Yo-Yo Matt will showcase a variety of yo-yo tricks. This award-winning teen performer will wow you with his amazing skills. All are welcome to attend our Tues-day shows at 2 p.m. each week, and no registration is required.

Teen and Tween ProgramsAre you 10 or older? Sign up for our teen/tween programs starting with

Kindergarten students from Decatur Christian School help release painted lady butter-flies grown from caterpillars at Forsyth Public Library.

Community WatchCommunity Watch will meet on Monday, June 3 at 11:30 a.m. in the Community Room at Forsyth Public Library for a potluck meal and entertainment by the First Presbyterian String Band, featur-ing folk tunes, civil war music, and old-time gospel classics. Fried chicken will be provided. Attend-ees are asked to bring a dish to share. Community Watch is open to everyone, and no reservations are required.

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Shadow Puppets on Wednesday, June 5 from 1-2 p.m. Create paper puppets, and practice making hand shadow puppets; then use what you make, and learn to entertain your family and friends!

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On Wednesday, June 12 from 1-2:30 p.m., instructor Tricia Campbell will show you how to use the iMovie app so that future video projects, scholar-ship videos or even sports recruit-ing videos can be edited in a snap! iMovie is a powerful video editor right inside your iPhone or iPad. If you have an Apple device, feel free to bring it along, or use one of the library’s devices.

Story TimePreschoolers, come join our exciting story time sessions designed specifi-cally for ages 2-5! On June 7, scurry on in for Bumbling Bugs. On June 14, Scovill’s Mobile Zoo will be at the library with real live animals that kids can learn about and inter-act with. You won’t want to miss it! Story times are on Fridays through-out June and July at 10 a.m. Each session features a fun themed craft to make and take home. No registration is required, and siblings are welcome to attend.

Create & Discover ThursdaysIf you are 6 or older, you’ll want to create and discover with us on Thursdays. Join Jennifer Stout as she demonstrates how to create a com-edy or tragedy mask on June 6. Kids will also learn about some of the ancient Greek history of the masks. Then on Thursday, June 13, perform like the next big Broadway star! In this workshop, we will develop our “star-power” by singing, acting and dancing to our favorite musicals like The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and An-nie. Young actors will learn songs and choreography from the shows, and gain confidence to take the stage under the instruction of Decatur Park District Cultural Arts Supervisor Alexis Riley. We offer two sessions for our Thursday programs at 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Registration is required.

Baby TALKFamilies with children ages birth to 3 are invited to our Baby TALK ses-sions on Wednesdays throughout the year from 9:30-10:15 a.m. Sessions are informal and provide opportuni-ties to share parenting concerns and achievements while enjoying books, songs and fingerplays. Baby TALK is free, and no registration required.

Zumba PartyThe world’s most popular group ex-ercise class is coming to the library. Join us for Zumba every Monday in June and July from 10-11 a.m. in the community room with instructor Jenny Ahlswede. From beginners to advanced, all adults are welcome. Please wear tennis shoes and clothes suitable for workout.

iDevice BasicsDo you have an iPhone or iPad but feel like you really don’t know how to use it? Can you make phone calls and send emails but feel there MUST be more you can do? Come to this iDevice basics class led by Tricia Campbell, and learn how to confi-dently navigate your iDevice. We’ll start at a beginner level so don’t be intimidated. You’ll leave with tips and tricks to share with your friends. Join us Tuesday, June 11 at 10 a.m. Please register in advance.

Food for Thought Book GroupFood for Thought Book Group meets Thursday, June 13 at 6 p.m. to dis-cuss Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman and enjoy tacos. This group is open to all adult readers.

Crankie CreationsLong before movies and TV, art-ists would paint scenes on scrolls and unfurl them to reveal a story. If you are 6 or older, grab an adult, and come create a mini “crankie” on Saturday, June 8 from 10-11 a.m. You can use it to tell your own story. Please register in advance.

Hungry? Thirsty? Stop by Our Redeemer on Saturday of Family Fest

On Saturday, June 15, from 5-9 p.m., during the Village of Forsyth Family Fest, Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, 155 West Forsyth Road in Forsyth, will serve FREE walking tacos, hot dogs and water in the tent at church to all community members and area guests! You can view the Village’s fireworks show, and games will be available for children and adults during the evening. Please come by for this FREE family event!

up along the parade route Saturday morning by the 10 a.m. start to catch your share of candy.

Meet local emergency first re-sponders as Hickory Point firefighters and Macon County Sheriff’s Office deputies will be on hand. Check out the medical helicopter, firetruck and police vehicle. In addition, there will be K9 demonstrations on Saturday.

Watch Forsyth Youth League play some baseball and softball Friday and Saturday. If you feel like playing your-self, Cubs and Cardinals fans will have a chance to square off (wearing their favorite team apparel) in the Forsyth Rivalry Games, the 16-inch softball variety. These games will be divided by age group and team allegiance.

Enjoy the magic of the Amaz-ing Dudley, play bingo or make some new wildlife friends at the Scovill Zoo Mobile petting zoo. Come hear the live music of SmoothTimes Friday night and Lunar Jive Machine on Saturday night. There’s truly something for everyone!

And, of course, the big finish to the weekend comes Saturday night with what many believe are the best fireworks in the area.

The June 13 edition of the Village Vision will include a detailed schedule of events.

Village of Forsyth Mayor and Board of TrusteesMayor Marilyn J. Johnson 195 E. Ruehl St. .............................433-3655Kerry Denison 873 Cara Chris .............................. .330-0795 Bob Gruenewald 718 W. Forsyth Pkwy. .....................520-5489Jeff London 255 S. Elwood St. ..........................855-4242Jim Peck 335 Forsyth Parkway .....................433-5700Jeremy Shaw 1274 Raptor Lane ................ (309) 830-0509David Wendt797 Christopher Drive ....................877-2935

Village Hall ....................................877-9445301 S. Rt. 51, Forsyth, IL 62535Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed 12:30-1:30 p.m. for lunchwww.forsythvillage.usEmail: Info@forsythvillage.usTwitter: @ForsythILInstagram: ForsythIL

Forsyth Public Library .................877-8174 www.forsythlibrary.com

Public 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

At the May 6 meeting, trustees followed the lead of a recent unanimous vote by the Planning and Zoning Commission to allow McDonald’s to add an additional drive-through sign. Prior to the vote, Trustee Jim Peck described local McDonald’s franchise owner Gary Birschbach and his son (who were in attendance) as “a class act.” All votes were Yea. At the May 20 Board meeting, trustees approved adding areas of the Village to the TIF district. In a separate vote, the Board voted to remove new Trustee Jeff London’s property from the TIF district; London abstained. State law prohibits elected officials from owning property located within a TIF district, which meant that London could not participate in votes related to the TIF district. With his property now outside the TIF district,

London is clear to vote on TIF-related items going forward. At the May 20 Board meeting, Trustee Bob Gruenewald asked Community and Economic Development Coordinator Nik Duffle about an item in his report that mentioned “numerous complaints” from residents. Duffle said that was a reference to what are mostly yard-related problems like overly long grass. Duffle said there are some longtime repeat offenders, but he said a formal letter from the Village usually solves these types of problems quickly.The next regular meeting of the Forsyth Board of Trustees is scheduled for Monday, June 3, 2019, 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.