outlook: the road ahead - live

OUTLOOK 2010

The Road Ahead

LIVElearnplay

work

SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2010 DECATUR, ILLINOIS

Racer finds success in ‘diapers’/Page 3

Garden grows morethan vegetables/Page 6

Denominations buildcombined church/Page 9

2 OUTLOOK SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2010 DECATUR, ILLINOIS www.herald-review.com

There is hope for Illinois.

Kyle McCarter

Senator

51st District

Not Printed at Taxpayers’ Expense. Paid for by Citizens for Kyle McCarter

101 S. Main St., Ste. LL2

Decatur, IL 62523

217-428-4068

[email protected]

By PHIL JACOBSFor the Herald & Review

TAYLORVILLE — A typicalday for radio personality MattMcLemore, the morning manat WRAN (98.3 FM) in Tay-lorville, begins early.

“I get up a 4 a.m. and try toget to the station by 5 a.m.,McLemore said. “I don’t wantto go on the air sounding likeI just got out of bed. When Iget to the station, I gather theovernight news from theInternet and other sourcesand record it for use through-out the day.”

The affable host of LetterMania, Birthdays and Anniver-saries and Swap Shop likes tokeep things on the light side.Matt often brings a note of levi-ty to his programs with amus-ing stories and calling listenersby pet names such as the“Volks Folks” or referring to agroup of area women as the“lovely and talented ladies atTaylorville Memorial Hospital.”The ladies fax their solution tothe daily Letter Mania puzzleeach weekday morning. Thatprogram averages 160 calls anda few faxes each day. Newcallers get a special welcome.

The popular show, thatbegan 14 years ago, features ascrambled five- or six-letterword, often with a holidaytheme, which area listenersunscramble and call in. Thosewho call with the correctanswer get their names addedto the pot and on the last day

of the month, the station givesaway $98.30 to the lucky win-ner.

During the birthdays andanniversary segment, listenerscall in and provide the monthand day of the various eventswhich are then read over theair — sometimes, more thanonce. A recent caller who wasmentioned on the show had theinformation repeated and wascongratulated a second timewhen she called in later onLetter Mania.

Josephine Morez of Pana, aregular listener to both shows,does her part to keep the showsupplied with information.

“I call in all the birthdaysand anniversaries I know of asthe date approaches,” said thejovial octogenarian with theenergy of the EnergizerBunny. “I listen every morn-ing. Matt’s so informative and

does such a great job that ithelps me start my day on agood note every day.”

Easily the most popularshow is swap shop.

“There is some form of thispopular show running on near-ly every radio station in theU.S.,” Matt explained. “We geta lot of calls, and they justkeep coming at all hours. I wasworking at the station during arecent election, and some-where, about 12:30 a.m. or 1,the phone rang, and the callerwanted to know if anyone hadcalled in with a refrigerator onthe morning show. I told him Ididn’t think so and referredhim to our Web site where wepost almost everything.”

The host was born inDecatur in 1955 and graduatedfrom Blue Mound High Schoolin 1973. Shortly after gradua-tion, he moved to Californiawhere he took speech class atPasadena City College. Fol-lowing graduation from L.A.Broadcasters School, he sentresumés to several stationslooking for work. On a whim,he called the station in Tay-lorville. The station was inneed of a news director at thetime. He took the job andmoved back to Central Illi-nois. In time, he was given theshows he has today.

“I’m the luckiest guy in theworld,” Matt said, smilingbroadly. “I love the job, and Iget up every morning excited tobe able to come here and do it.”

Mentors taught himabout civic involvement

By REX SPIRESFor The Herald & Review

Corydon “Corky” Nicholson setsail to become a career naval offi-cer, but after four years of duty, thewaters became muddied by circum-stances, and he changed course.

That decision, made for familyconsiderations, resulted in his returnto Decatur and eventually on acareer to become one of Decatur’smost experienced and respectedbankers.

“When I first came back toDecatur, I took a job with ConnecticutGeneral Life Insurance in St. Louis.That was to gain some experiencewith the idea of returning and help-ing with the family business,” Nichol-son said. He returned to Decatur tofollow in the footsteps of his grandfa-ther, father and uncle, thus becomingthe third generation to figure in run-ning the well-known Nicholson-ClarkInsurance Co. His grandfather’sname also was Corydon.

“The Nicholson family goes backto the 1850s in Decatur, and I knowmy dad wanted me to becomeinvolved, so I thought it was time todo that,” he said. “The problem is Ididn’t really like the insurance busi-ness much, so when John Luttrell,who was president of the FirstNational Bank then, offered me aposition there, I jumped at it.”

“I had a couple of jobs there, butended up in marketing, working alongwith Jim Gresham. I really enjoyedmy years there, because Jim was funto work with and John Luttrell wasone of the greatest guys in the worldto have as your boss,” Nicholson said.

Gresham, who was in charge ofmarketing at First National whenNicholson arrived, said Nicholson“was always a guy who could getthings done. He had a sharp mindand a lot of energy. Those were somevery good years at the bank. It’sbeen a long time ago, but Corky andI have remained friends ever since.”

“I left there in 1985 to take a job asvice president of commercial lendingat the Millikin-Magna National Bankand was there until I had the oppor-tunity to join the Hickory Point Bankin 2003 and learn the ropes from

Dale Arnold, who was about toretire,” he said. “I’ve been unusuallyfortunate to have worked for someoutstanding bankers all along the

way, John Luttrell, then Ray Livasyat Millikin-Magna and Dale Arnold.I learned a great deal about commu-nity banking from all of them. John

has passed on, but Dale, Ray and Iare good friends to this day.”

He feels one of the most importantthings he gleaned from his mentorswas the importance of beinginvolved in the community. “All ofthem encouraged me to do some-thing in the community and further-more, they gave me the time to do it.I feel that has helped me greatly intrying to do my part in making thisthe kind of community we all want itto be” he said.

He is a past president of theDecatur Park District Board, chair-man of the Metro Decatur Chamberof Commerce, chairman of key Mil-likin University fund drives, chairmanof the board for the Macon CountyUnit of the American Cancer Societyand the St. Mary’s Hospital Founda-tion, past president of the SymphonyGuild of Decatur and the Boys andGirls Club of Decatur and member ofthe board of directors of such diversegroups as the Futures Charity ClassicGolf Tournament, United Way, Web-ster-Cantrell Hall, Junior Achieve-

ment, Decatur Foresight Inc., IllinoisEducational Development Corpora-tion and the Community InvestmentCorporation of Decatur.

Nicholson also has served or isserving on the Decatur Public Build-ing Commission, Decatur ZoningBoard of Appeals, Decatur HumanRelations Commission, the DecaturMemorial Hospital Now and Tomor-row Council, Decatur Public SchoolsReferendum Steering Committee andthe Decatur Leadership Institute.

“I became convinced early on thatif you want to make the town a placeyou enjoy living, you have to helpmake it that way. I don’t have timefor people who gripe about things inthe community, unless they’re will-ing to make the effort to do some-thing about it,” he said.

He sees a bright future for localbanks. “I believe we have more of astake in the community and offermore personalized banking. At leastthat’s what I strive for with our peo-ple,” Nicholson said.

“Unlike some of the big banks thathad to be bailed out, we didn’t get intorisky loans. The health of HickoryPoint Bank was probably best illus-trated last June when we closed ourfiscal year as our best year ever,” hesaid. “Studies have shown that peopleare flocking back to communitybanks. That bodes well for banks likeours and others like us.”

Nicholson banks on building strong community

Herald & Review photos/Kelly J. Huff

Corydon ‘Corky’ Nicholson overlooks Central Park from the DemirCo Building.

Nicholson and Brett Swallow, Hickory Point Bank executive vice president, dis-cuss bank business.

THE R IGHT TUNE

For fun, Corydon “Corky” Nicholsonand his wife, Lesley, participate in musi-cal endeavors.

Both sang in high school and col-lege, so they adapted quickly to theGreater Decatur Chorale. Then, aftersuccessful auditions, they becamemembers of the highly-acclaimed Opus24 choral group directed by Milt Scott.

“I struggle when it comes to readingmusic, but I manage to get by some-how. It comes more naturally for Les-ley,” Nicholson said.

Scott called him “a very good tenor,who sang in the chorale for severalyears and then became a charter mem-ber of our group. He obviously enjoyssinging and is dedicated to manythings musically in Decatur. He hasbeen a good supporter of music in thecity, both with his voice and financially.”

For the Herald & Review/Phil Jacobs

Matt McLemore, the morning man at WRAN in Taylorville, hosts several popular shows, including LetterMania, Swap Shop and Birthdays and Anniversaries.

He went to California to study but found job back near home

‘Luckiest guy in the world’

MORE INFO

WHAT: WRAN, best known for“oldies format; WTIM, news/talk;and WMRK, country format; areall part of the Miller MediaGroup owned by Randy Miller ofTaylorville.

ONLINE: taylorvilledailynews.comWEIRDEST CALL: Lady called in

to report that a flying saucerwas letting people out on thetown square in Taylorville. Theconsensus was that the womanhad forgotten to take her med-ications that day.

The Road Ahead

This year I will reach my62nd birthday, and I amamazed at how the world haschanged during that span oftime.

When I was born in 1948, mydad was a farmer and mymother a homemaker. I wastheir sixth child (a seventhwould arrive later). Duringmy childhood, we had no run-ning water in the house and nobathroom. Our televisioncame when I was 8 or 9, andthe telephone party linearrived in our rural area whenI was 13. It was a proudaccomplishment for my moth-er to display our senior pic-tures to signify that all herchildren graduated from highschool. My parents paid offthe 40-acre farm before I grad-uated. In their lifetime theybought one new car.

The advances in technology

have been phenomenal inevery area from agriculture tomedicine to business. Spaceexploration, new vaccines andcomputer networking are rou-tine. People expect to havedishwashers, microwaves,washers and dryers and multi-ple bathrooms in their homes,as well as the standard stoveand refrigerator. Travel andvacations are the norm. All ofmy children have college edu-cations as do 12 nieces andnephews. Seven of these haveadvanced degrees. My hus-band and I have owned sevennew vehicles. All of my sib-lings and I own our homes(except my brother who teach-es at a university overseas).

In our nation’s manyadvancements, I believe wehave lost some important val-ues. Companies have no loyal-ty to their long-term employ-

ees and dismiss them heart-lessly for the sake of profit.Greed is rampant on all levels.For example, some employeeson Wall Street collected morethan $20 billion in bonuses in2009, the year after taxpayersbailed out the financial sector.

My vision for the futurewould be that we recapturethe values that made ourcountry great. Reverence forGod, respect for our fellowman, personal responsibilityfor our actions, fidelity inmarriage, protection of thelives of the unborn, familyunity, honesty and integrity,friendship and loyalty, pride inour country and patriotism,need work and financial stabil-ity are the qualities thatshould be our quest on theroad ahead.

Jo-Anne FloodGreenup

Chaplains ridealong with policeto give support

By SHEILA SMITHH&R Staff Writer

DECATUR — A uniform,bullet-proof vest and holsterequipped with gun and hand-cuffs are not the normal Sun-day attire for a pastor.

But it is for Pastor BGNevitt when he reports forduty with the Decatur PoliceDepartment.

“I have two blankets in mybag that the ladies from mychurch made, and some-times, I will give them to achild if there is an incident.It’s something cuddly thatgives them comfort,” said thesenior pastor of GT Churchwhile loading the black baginto the police squad car dur-ing his chaplain shift.

Nevitt is one of the threechaplains who provide a sup-port system for the men andwomen in blue with DecaturPolice Department. The othertwo are the Rev. Dan Watkinsof New Beginnings Church

and Sam Baum, a retiredSheriff deputy and memberof Resurrection Life Church.

Nevitt, however, took his

chaplain duties a step further

by going through training to

become an auxiliary officer.“I started doing this as a

chaplain and didn’t knowwhat it all entailed at first and

fell in love with it,” he said.“It makes for a long day

but makes for a great dayafter preaching three ser-mons and spending eighthours in a squad car,” saidNevitt, who is fondly knownby officers as “the pistol-packing preacher.”

CHAPLAIN/PAGE 6

High-speed diapersBy HUEY FREEMAN

H&R Staff Writer

CERRO GORDO — Hecalls himself the diaperman, but he is not workingfor a company that retrievessmelly pieces of cloth fromhouseholds.

Dennis Ridgeway, 48, anentrepreneur and hot roddriver, cranks out hundredsof diapers that cover theundersides of race cars, toprevent them from messingup race tracks and killingtheir drivers.

“The main purpose of thediaper is to contain oil andparts if they blow an engineup,” Ridgeway said. “So theoil doesn’t get under theirtires and cause the cars tocrash.”

A Cerro Gordo HighSchool graduate, Ridgewayhas worked as a repairmanand supervisor in the officemachine industry, a boileroperator and a huntingguide.

He began drag racingabout 15 years ago, andlater noticed that the onlydiapers available were one-size-fits-all models.

Anyone who has ever triedto cover a small baby bot-tom with an oversized dia-per could see that this wasan invention just waiting fora mother. Ridgeway, anaccomplished auto mechan-ic, stepped forward. With thehelp of a friend, Tony Hyde,who has been working in theauto upholstery business, hebegan manufacturing enginediapers about four yearsago.

His company, DennisRidgeway Enterprises, pro-duces about 150 custommade engine diapers eachyear, in addition to severalready made models.

Engine diapers are usedespecially on drag racingcars, which take off likerockets for races on shorttracks.

Diapers are mandated forcars running faster than 9.99seconds in quarter-mileraces (135 mph or faster),and 6.49 seconds in one-eighth mile races, Ridgewaysaid.

While diapers can alsoprevent huge messes on thetracks, necessitating large

cleanup efforts, they are pri-marily used for safety.

“If a guy blows an engineat the finish line and he’srunning 150 mph, the oil willblow out and hit his tiresand could make it spin outand hit a wall or hit a com-petitor,” Ridgeway said.

An investment of $169 to$500 could save a $100,000race car from beingdestroyed.

Ridgeway credits the suc-cess of his business to his

devotionto old-fashionedcustomerservice.

“Wecater tothe rac-ers,” he

said. “I spend a lot of timeon the phone with theseguys. I might spend threehours on the phone with acustomer before a sale.”

Ridgeway, who recentlyconstructed a 4,000-square-foot metal building in CerroGordo to house his business,said his venture allows himthe freedom to race. Whilehe is on the racing circuit,which includes Florida,Pennsylvania, North Caroli-na and Louisiana, he pro-motes his product.

The diapers are sold torace car drivers throughoutthe nation and international-ly, with customers ordering

from Sweden, South Africaand New Zealand.

The use of engine diapersis a growing trend in dragracing, said Mike Baker,senior director of competi-tion for the InternationalHot Rod Association, a sanc-tioning body for professionaldrag racing.

“More facilities arerequiring the use of diapersand engine containmentdevices,” Baker said.

The diaper provides anadditional measure of safetyfor drivers, because enginesdo blow up.

“Without the diaper therecould be smoke and oileverywhere,” Baker said.

Ridgeway’s diapers fea-ture a heat-resistant cloth,rated at 3,000 degreesFahrenheit, which preventsthem from melting. Thecloth is reinforced with mili-tary strength Kevlar, to helpprevent engine parts frompenetrating and becomingunguided missiles.

Ridgeway’s 19-foot-7-inchlong dragster, with a 605cubic-inch, 1,100 horsepowerengine, with a top speed ofabout 185 mph, has his nick-name plastered across itsside.

“Everybody calls me dia-per man,” he said.

[email protected]|421-6985

www.herald-review.com SUNDAY, MARCH 28, 2010 DECATUR, ILLINOIS OUTLOOK 3

Steven Bledsoe - Owner CALL NOW 429-2703

INTERIOR SPRING PAINTING

NOW

GET YOUR EXTERIOR ESTIMATES NOW

• Whole House Rates• Wall Paper Removal• Dry Wall Repair

• Ceiling Repair• Insurance Work• Ceiling & Wall Texturing

[email protected]

The Glenwood is a beautiful 38-unit senior retirement community with amenities you will enjoy.

The Glenwood Assisted Living Community 1635 Baltimore Ave., Mt. Zion, IL 62549

217-864-1073theglenwoodcommunities.com

All roads lead to

home

Call us today for a tour and more information

217-864-1073

• No fixed contracts - month to month rent.

• Large apartments with patios.• One level - no stairs or elevators.• Pets allowed.• 24-hour certified staffing.• FREE moving service.

DRE diaper builder Tony Hyde hand crafts a custom diaper for anunusual shaped oil pan for a race car.

THE

NET

n www.enginediapers.com

Herald & Review photos/Kelly J. Huff

When racing organizations called for cleaner, safer methods to prevent accidents, Cerro Gordo racerand entrepreneur Dennis Ridgeway was ready with his Kevlar engine diapers that help prevent spills.

Police Chaplains Baum and Walkins talk with Patrolman Zeth Giles before a shift change.

Herald & Review/Kelly J. Huff

Decatur Police Department Chaplains Sam Baum, the Rev. BGNevitt and the Rev. Dan Walkins welcome the opportunity to servethe public and the officers at the Decatur Police Department.

Engine accessories can save racers’lives

The Road

Ahead

CITY: NeogaCOUNTY: CumberlandPOPULATION: 1,854MAYOR: H. Wayne Mod-

glinINDUSTRY: Kern Mfg. Co.,

Brighton Cabinetry Inc.MAJOR HIGHWAYS: Inter-

state 57, U.S. 45.ON THE WEB: www.rr1.net/

users/ourlocal/html/neoga.html.

Pastoring with a badge

Corner of 22nd St. and Wood 217-330-6624

"Where you buy Smart"BENTLEY MOTORSFinance Warranty

Warranty

‘07 Buick Rendezvous CXL

$36,990

‘07 Chevy Tahoe LT

$8,995

‘04 Chevy Impala LS

$8,995

‘02 GMC Envoy SLT

20,010 Mi.

‘06 GMC Sierra SLE

$18,990

‘08 Ford Taurus SEL

V6, Lthr,Moonroof,Local Trade

4x4, Lthr,Chrome Whls,

Fresh Trade

V6, 3rd RowSeating, Lthr,

Low Miles

4x4, Quads,DVD, 20”Chromes

5.3L V8, Loaded,Fiberglass Cap,

Must See

V6, All Power,Leather, Warranty

While running businesses, CindyDeadrick leadspark board throughdifficult changes

By REX SPIRESFor The Herald & Review

If there is a woman inDecatur more involved incommunity affairs than Cyn-thia “Cindy” Deadrick, itwould have to be a combina-tion of people who seeminglycan be everywhere at once,such as Oprah, Hilliary Clin-ton and Wonder Woman.

First and foremost, she isofficer and co-owner with herfather and brother of Cyn-Mark Corp., the holding com-pany for C. Deadrick Develop-ment, a property developmentcompany; Events Plus, anevents management company;Shop On Main, a woman’sapparel, gift and accessorystore; and Design Printingand Graphics, a local printingcompany.

As if those things weren’tenough. She is president of theDecatur Park District Boardof Commissioners and ramrodfor the Duramed Futures GolfTournament. Both organiza-tions are grappling with keychanges.

In the case of the park dis-trict, there is the issue of com-mercial lakefront developmentin Nelson Park as a way ofcombating problems related toa shrinking Decatur andMacon County population andresulting loss of revenue. Asfor the Futures Golf Tourna-ment, the organization hashad to deal with finding a pri-mary sponsor or discontinuingthe popular charity event thathas been held in Decatur forthe past 25 years.

Either one of these thingswould prompt a perpetualmigraine headache for mostpeople, but Deadrick seems tosail through in unflappablefashion.

“I suppose it comes fromthe experience I’ve had withso many organizations in thecommunity through theyears. After being involvedwith people who are used to

getting things done, youbegin to believe that mostproblems are not insur-mountable,” she said.

Acommunity focusAlthough she is engaged in

numerous projects related toher businesses and makingdecisions on a daily basis, she

said her primary focus is thelakefront development project,which she sees as vital to thelong-range welfare of the cityand the services it provides.

“We are actively seekingpublic opinion on this matterand trying to find a viablepath to follow to accommodatea variety of interests. Many ofus who have been studyingthis issue on a long-term basishave largely come to the real-ization that commercial devel-opment will generate much-needed revenue that this cityneeds to move forward. Other-wise, we do nothing, remainstagnant and continue to sinkdeeper and deeper in publicdebt,” she said.

After John Skeffington andhis Skeff Distributing Co.decided to give up major spon-sorship and other top sponsorsstarted doing the same as therecession took its toll, theFutures Golf Tournament, oneof the most popular and well-attended events of the sum-mer, was in jeopardy. Dead-rick, who has been co-directorof the tournament since 2003

and has been involved in vari-ous ways almost since itsinception, joined with remain-ing board members to try andsalvage the tournament. Alarge part of that problem waserased recently with theannouncement that Tate &Lyle has agreed to take overmajor sponsorship. She saiddetails are still to be workedout, but the event is expectedto continue its run this sum-mer as usual.

Among the 55-year-olddynamo’s many communityachievements have been hospi-tal development work, includ-ing managing all aspects ofhospital auxiliary fundraising,including gift, coffee and thriftshops; assisting with research,awareness activities for cancercare development; staffed and

was responsible for implemen-tation of Race for the Cureproject, which raised $300,000in 2009 for breast cancerresearch, screening and edu-cation; initiated Focus OnWomen series on information-al and educational seminarson women’s health issues;helped secure one of 25 grantsawarded nationwide by Kel-logg Foundation for an Ameri-can Hospital Associationdemonstration program; andserved on the board when afund campaign produced thenew Children’s Museum build-ing.

In addition to serving onthe park board since 2003, sheis a board member of theSymphony Guild.

Don Luy, a fellow ParkBoard member, said, “Cindy

has a great ability to bridgethe gap between nonprofitorganizations and businessand industrial firms in help-ing make the quality of lifebetter in the community,”

Wegi Stewart, RichlandCommunity College develop-ment officer, added, “Cindyhas an amazing ability to jug-gle a lot of things simultane-ously and still end up produc-ing a good result or productin her business. We haveworked together on a varietyof things in the communityand you soon find out she is ago-getter.”

A family exampleDeadrick said examples

and teachings by her parentsmade her aware at an earlyage of being involved in com-munity affairs.

“My parents always saidDecatur had been good to us,and we needed to be good tothe community. That’s alwaysstuck with me.”

Born and raised in Decatur,she attended Decatur schoolsand received her collegedegree from Millikin Univer-sity. She has been active inhelping Millikin with alumnievents and also has beeninvolved with a variety ofRichland Community Collegeprojects.

She has been honored withthe Chamber of CommerceAthena Award in 2000 and aWoman of Excellence Busi-ness Award in 2005.

In the rare times she isn’tengaged in running her busi-nesses or serving communityorganizations, she said sheenjoys attending stage pro-ductions, with musicals beingher favorite, and traveling.One of her favorite destina-tions happens to be HiltonHead Island in South Caroli-na, where she plans to marryfiancee Mark Wolfer in May.The ceremony will be wit-nessed by a small group ofher closest friends and familymembers.


H&R file photo

Deadrick and Bill Clevenger, Decatur Park District executive director,discuss improvements to Nelson Park.

For the Herald & Review/Katy Hunt

Deadrick looks over new styles in fashion in her store.


Cindy Deadrick, seen in mirror, assists Millikin University student Bean Miller with a jacket inside her Decatur business, Shop on Main.

Great focus on a lot of focuses

RentalGuide

$0 Security Deposit!Efficiency Apartments

1,2 & 3 Bedroom Apartments 2 & 3 Bedroom Townhomes

Heat Paid in Select Units • Pet Friendly CommunityLarge Sparkling Pool • Short Term Leases

Senior Discounts

Moundford Terrace217-877-5600

If You Are 62+ And Within Our Income LimitsYou May Be Eligible To Live at

MATTOON TOWER APARTMENTS!Income At Our Below: 1 Person - $11,450 / 2 Person - $13,100

• Private, Clean and Affordable• Loads of Closet Space• Wall to Wall Carpet

• Step Saver Kitchen• Stove & Refrigerator• Individually Controlled Heat & Air

Call 217-235-4360Persons With Disabilities Equality Welcome

• 1 & 2 Bedroom Apartments• 1st Month Free• $99 Deposit• Rent starting at $453.00*• Fitness Center• Pets Welcome• Argenta/Oreana Schools

3903 Camelot CircleDecatur, IL 62526

1-866-939-8281 Fax: 217.875.3367www.primequest.com/woodcrest

*prices subject to change

WoodcrestApartment Homes

• Pool and Playground

• Townhouses

• 2 & 3 bedrooms

• 24 hour maintenance

• Security on Site

3990 N. Water St. Decatur

217-877-4000

Village Apartments

We PutLuxuryBack Into

Apartment Living

Acceptingapplications62 and OlderSubsidized Housing

• Elevators/Laundry Rooms• Barber/Beauty Shop• Exercise/Game Room• Picnic Area • Potlucks/Parties• Library/Lounge Areas• Excellent Residents!

Join our group for carefree living!

Oxford House217-875-1081

NOW

LEASING

Fellowship Center

Phone: (217) 235-5414

Owned By Odd Fellow-Rebekah Housing Inc.

301 Lafayette Ave. East,Mattoon, IL

(Next door to Odd Fellow-Rebekah

Nursing Home)

Office Hours 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

• Several apartments available for

Seniors 62+ immediate move-in.

No waiting!

• Must meet income requirements

THE WOODS APARTMENTSon Mound Rd. is

now accepting applications.62 + subsidized housing.

•Elevators•Laundry room•Picnic area•Potlucks & parties•Lounge areas•Excellent residents•1 Month Free Rent

3010 E. Mound Rd. • Decatur217-877-5123

Please call for an appointment.

West Mound Apts“DECATUR’S FINEST APARTMENT LIVING”

Water, garbage & cable paid

Warrensburg Latham Schools

(217) 877-5323

Rent to OwnReferences • Credit CheckProof of Income for 1 year

217-521-02662, 3 or 4 bdrms available

LATHAM PRAIRIE

VILLAGE• Distinctive Independent Living• Age 50+• Efficiency • 1 BDRM

433-7099

By HUEY FREEMANH&R Staff Writer

DECATUR — During thetwo decades Kari Bartosikworked as an office managerfor eye care professionals, shenever lost sight of her originaldream.

“Even when I was in highschool, I always wanted toown my own business,” saidBartosik, owner of Petals, agift and home decor shop sheopened 1½ years ago. “I didn’ttake this leap before becauseit was more secure to work forsomeone else.

While working in the officesof an optometrist and ophthal-mologist, she laid the ground-work for her enterprise byworking a second job, a home-based silk flower arrangingbusiness. She built a customerbase of about 100 people, anddeveloped skills that gave herconfidence that she could suc-ceed as a full-time businessowner.

After she decided to makethe leap, a property ownertold her about a downtownstorefront on North Main

Street thathadrecentlybecomeavailable.It had for-merlyhoused aphotogra-pher’s stu-dio. Bar-tosik likedthe loca-tion, espe-ciallybecause ofits proxim-ity torestau-rants andothershopswhich

attract foot traffic.She tore down a center

wall, added paint, display fur-niture and merchandise, andopened for business Sept. 29,2008. It seemed like an excel-lent time to open, just beforethe Christmas season, whichretailers depend onfor a lion’s share oftheir sales revenue.

However, she wasthrown a seriouscurve, when anenormous interna-tional financial cri-sis surfaced withinweeks of her open-ing.

While otherstores closed at theonset of the reces-sion, Bartosikweathered her firstseason by fillingher store withmany unique items,and catering to the needs ofher established customerbase. Her inventory includedher own wreaths and floralarrangements and an eclecticselection of craft items bylocal artists.

She was surprised by howwell her customer base grewin such a tough economic cli-mate.

“It was incredible howmuch the business increasedwhen I got a storefront,” Bar-tosik said.

Flexibility and change aretwo of the key ingredients thatkeep Petals thriving andgrowing.

Every season, the store isrestocked with hundreds ofnew items related to the sea-son and its holidays. The frontof her store is now filled withEaster decorations: all kindsof objects festooned with eggs,chicks and bunnies.

Petals depends on its loyalcustomers, who appreciate aplace they can find things that

are attractive andcolorful.

“Usually when Iwant a personalizedgift that I can’t findanywhere else I goin there,” said ValMerritt. “I go in forjust about any occa-sion.”

For her mother’s80th birthday, Mer-ritt ordered anapron with theinscription: “Mom’s80 and still cook-ing.”

Merritt said Bar-tisok’s floral

arrangements are outstand-ing.

“She does little extra thingsthat are unusual that youcan’t get anywhere else,” shesaid. “I like to go in every sea-son. I usually find something.

She carries things that reallycatch my eye, because I likeunique things for my home.She is very reasonable in herprices.”

Regular customer JulieSchwalbe said she has pur-chased Bartisok’s floralarrangements for her front

porch and master bedroom.She especially appreciatesthat Bartisok creates seasonalarrangements, which she canswitch around during theyear.

“Her style is open and airyand kind of whimsical,”Schwalbe said.

Bartisok said it has been anadjustment to have to worklong hours to keep her busi-ness going, but it has beenworth it to fulfill her dream.

“I don’t want to go back towork for somebody else,” Bar-tosik said. “So far so good.”



Hand-crafted tins in various themes created by MaryPat Fehren-bacher can by used for card keepers, recipe boxes and all kinds ofother ideals.

Toward her vision


Kari Bartosik, owner of Petals in downtown Decatur, starts to work on another of her brightly colored springtime bouquets. Bartosikworked in eye doctors’ offices for 20 years before recently realizing her dream of opening her own business. TOP: Brightly colored dishtowels can be custom embroidered at Petals.

MORE

INFO

WHAT: Petals, agift and homedecor store spe-cializing in silkflower arrange-ments and cus-tom monogram-ming of gift items.

WHERE: 219 N.Main St.

CALL: 791-6395HOURS: 10 a.m.

to 5 p.m. week-days and 10 a.m.to 3 p.m. Satur-days

Petals owner finds customers flock to shop for personalized gifts

‘I don’twant to go

back towork for

somebodyelse. So farso good.’

Kari Bartosik

My vision for the future is tosee that the children in ourcommunity are shown the lovethat is often missing in theirlives — parents today are work-ing so hard to fulfill the dreamsthat their parents and grand-parents had for them that theycannot see past the end of thehour, day or week.

At what age do we begin tosee that life is what we make it,not by what we have or don’thave but how we live each day,showing ourselves and thosearound us that life is great?

As a grandmother who alsohad to work outside the homewhile her own two childrenwere young, I can look back onwhat I did with them and givemyself a pat on the back. Theywere shown love, they wereappreciated for the things theydid and for the person theywere and have become. Yes, it’shard being a working mom, butif you look around, there arealways people and places will-ing to guide you along the way.

My church, school, scout-ing organizations andincluding other peoples’children in doing thingswith mine helped me makeour lives more fulfilled. As Icontinue to give back I seethe smiles and giggles and,yes even some tears, fromthe young who are aroundus every minute of the day.

Education: Soak up theknowledge passed on to youfrom those willing to pro-vide it.

Housing: Bigger, moreexpensive is not always bet-ter.

Health care: Re-energize,take time to see what Godhas done in our world. Takeadvantage of what naturehas to offer and enjoy it notalone but with others —children, parents, grandpar-ents, even strangers.

Laurel CripeMonticello

The Road

Ahead

Project teacheshow to grow one’s own food

By THERESA CHURCHILLH&R Senior Writer

DECATUR — The growingseason may be nearly amonth away, but Decatur’scommunity gardening projectis already branching out.

Volunteers and traineeswith Decatur Is Growing Gar-deners, or DIGG, are design-ing double the number of gar-dens the group started withlast year and taking a seriesof classes on urban farmingthat began Feb. 4 at RichlandCommunity College.

Among the half-dozentrainees is Vicky Spence, aclient of Oasis Day Center forthe homeless, who asked forcabbage, mustard greens,

turnips andokra to beamong thevegetablesplanted inthe HopeGardenjust west of

the Masonic Temple.“I grew up pretty much

with these,” said Spence, 56.“It will be fun to have a gar-den again.”

The focus for the year-oldnonprofit is to teach low-income people how to garden,eat more nutritiously and pos-sibly sell some of their pro-duce.

“We’re also looking atdoing some canning and pre-serving this year,” said Presi-dent Sue Hemp. “We’d have toget bigger and get more fund-ing to set up a job trainingprogram, so that’s not in ourimmediate future.”

Awarded $6,300 late lastyear by the Hospital Sisters ofSt. Francis, Decatur is Grow-ing Gardeners is paying the$35 tuition for seven studentsto take the noncredit class inexchange for working at least35 hours in a DIGG garden.Several of the organization’svolunteers and other studentsalso are enrolled.

Returning gardens (andvolunteer supervisors) areGod’s Acre near God’s Shelterof Love (organic gardenerDeonne Orvis, DIGG VicePresident Daniel Ray Pickreland Sharna Reif); GroveRoad (Pickrel); Turtle Trail(Nancy Rude, director ofOasis Day Center); Toad Hill

near the Macon CountyHealth Department (MikeIrwin, William Rogers Jr.);and St. James near St. JamesCatholic Church (Irwin).

New are Charley near theIllinois Driver’s License Facil-ity (Hemp, Vasudha Pinnama-raju, an environmental plan-ner with the city of Decatur,

and Justin Sofia, a junior atMacArthur High School); MadLove, corner of Church andPackard streets (LawrenceBarbee of Main Street Churchof the Living God); Opportuni-ty near Webster-Cantrell Hall(Marli Bardell, a foster carecase manager with Webster-Cantrell); Partnership in Big

Brothers Big Sisters’ Partner-ship Park east of Decatur(Kate Shields, director ofFirst United MethodistChurch’s children, youth andfamilies ministry, and AndyDeBerry); and GarfieldMontessori School (physicaleducation teacher ScottDavidson).

Hemp said the Boys & GirlsClub of Decatur also is con-sidering planting a smallDIGG garden this year andthat another goal of theorganization is to sell produceto local restaurants and indi-viduals.

There is also a potentialmarket for some hard-to-findIndian vegetables that areplanned for Charley Garden.

David McLaughlin, theassociate horticulture profes-sor at Richland, said theurban farming students willbegin growing plants for theirgardens during the last twosessions in April. “You’ll beamazed how fast this stuffcomes up and grows,” he toldthe students.

Sofia, 17, will be DIGG’syoungest garden supervisorafter he completes the class.

“I don’t have a lot of gar-dening experience, but I’mlooking forward to learning,”he said. “I really (like) theidea of people growing theirown foods and don’t like the

things we eat today becausethey have a lot of chemicalsin them and other stuff.”



• Fast, friendly and reliable pharmacy services.

• Willow Tree, Fannie May, Yankee Candles, Jewelry,Picture Frames, Purses and more!

• Many other new products!

Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30-6 • Saturday 8:30-3

245 W. First Dr. • Decatur, IL

Ph. 217-429-5165

Fax 217-429-5172

www.dalessouthlakepharmacy.com

“Friends HelpingFriends”

Dale Says…

Make One StopAnd you’ll find everything

you need.Lookfor us

under thered roof!

FREE prescription

delivery

Champaign 217-355-1808 Bloomington 309-821-0111 Decatur 217-423-9949

reliable

knowledge

t r u s t

s e r v i c e

Call Today!

423-9949

www.airkinginc.com250 E. Eldorado St. • Decatur, IL 62523

$3650$3650SAVE UP TO

Act Now Limited Funding Available

2010 TAX REBATES INCLUDE:

� Federal Tax Rebate up to $1500

� Ameren-Act on Energy® Incentive Rebates

� Illinois Energy Star® Appliance Rebate

CHAPLAINSContinued from Page 3

On this particular Sunday,Nevitt rides along with policeofficer Brandon Rolfs.

He sits in the front seatwatching as Rolfs logs onto thecomputer and makes sure thehigh-definition video camera isworking.

“It’s refreshing to have some-one to engage in a deeper con-versation with. And there is nohindrance of Pastor BG’s abili-ties to do certain things,” saidRolfs who began working at thepolice department in 2007.

While patrolling an areanortheast of Eldorado andJasper streets, Rolfs makes afew traffic stops and gives cita-tions.

As Rolfs gets the informationfrom the drivers, Nevitt isalways standing nearby on thepassenger’s side of the vehicleproviding a second set of eyesfor the officer.

Nevitt said one of the hard-est things he faced while on aride-along with an officer wasgoing to a home to look for aman who was wanted on an

outstanding warrant. The mansaw the police coming up to hishouse and ran and grabbed ababy that was inside and threwit out the front door to try toslow down police.

Nevitt said he immediatelygrabbed the baby off theground and calmed it down.“Later, I was able to put thebaby back in his mom’s arms,”he said.

For Watkins, experiencesduring the ride-alongs hasopened his eyes to what thepolice face each day whenreporting for duty.

“It allows you to get intotheir world and see what theysee,” he said about the officersand the job they do.

Back in October, Watkinswent down to the Wharf tavernto provide support to officersafter a scuffle occurred, whereone man was shot and an offi-cer injured.

“I am there for the officers tobuild relationships and trust,”Watkins explained. “I’m nottalking with them about churchor other religious issues,” hesaid.

Sam Baum knows all too wellthe dangers of the streets. He

was one of the first chaplainswhen the police chaplain pro-gram started in the late 1990sunder Police Chief MichaelMowen.

Lt. JD Thomas, who is overadministrative operations, saidthe chaplain program is agreat benefit to the officers.

“The officers have someoneto talk to about different thingswhile at work. And the familiesuse the chaplains as well,” hesaid.

“The chaplains also are ouroutreach to the community.”

Baum explained, “We arethere to be good listeners anddon’t try to push our churcheson them or religion. We letthem do their job and justwatch their back in case some-thing does happen.”

And there have been plentyof times that Baum stepped into help an officer who wasbeing assaulted. “Hey I am stillin pretty good shape and workout at the gym,” he chuckled.

“I just like being a cheer-leader for these guys and gals.There are not a lot of cheer-leaders for the police,” Nevittadded.


THE

NET

www.decaturdigg.org

Growing more than a garden

Herald & Review photos/Lisa Morrison

Decatur Is Growing Gardeners participants take a tour of one of Richland Community College’s greenhouses after they work on their gardenplans. BOTTOM LEFT: Vicky Spence, Linda Heger and Sharna Reif try to determine if they have enough space for the vegetables they wantto grow. BOTTOM RIGHT: Associate Professor David McLaughlin talks with Tess Leckrone, left and Sue Hemp about spacing of tomatoes.

Mike Irwin and William Rogers Jr. are hard at work determining how many plants will fit in their gardenarea and what that might mean as far as production.

The Road

Ahead

I envision a Decatur thatis known as the servicecapital of the world.

I had the privilege ofrepresenting Decatur whenit was known as the soft-ball capital of the world.The first women’s Olympicsoftball team had strongties to Decatur. NewZealand kids used to growup dreaming of playinghere. When we traveled toPrince Edward Island,Nova Scotia and PalmSprings, Calif., Decaturwas always the talk of thesoftball world. Even Hec-tor Torres defected fromCuba for the chance topitch here in Decatur.

What else is Decaturknown for? On a city dataWeb site, a Chicago manwas quoted, “Decatur is amedium-sized rust beltcity. It has seen betterdays since industry wentoverseas and/or becamemechanized. What remainsis a tired old city without aparticular sense of pur-pose.”

Somehow we havebecome a society thatthinks we deserve things.We deserve a good educa-tion, a good job, a nicehouse and a new car.Today, our governmenteven says we deserve freehealth care. One way todifferentiate Decatur is forus to become a town that isfocused on serve ratherthan deserve.

A hundred years ago,most jobs had to do withthe farming industry.Today, only 2 percent ofjobs do. Just like we had toadjust to this change inwork style, today, we haveto adjust to an environ-ment where most jobs areservice related. If Decaturcan become known as acity that is here to dowhatever it takes to be ofservice, it would be ourbest bet for attractingquality companies andbecoming a vibrant citywith a vision.

I would love to see everysign in Decatur display“We are here to serve you”and then prove it.

Jim MintonDecatur

Forsyth antiquestore offers findsfor collectors,those reminiscing

By SHEILA SMITHH&R Staff Writer

FORSYTH — One of thefirst sights customers seewhen visiting Memory Laneantiques in Forsyth are theWorld War II-era war bondposters hanging near thedoorway.

One poster encourageshigh school-age students tojoin the fight by helpingraise money. Another poster,depicting a soldier, asks:“Doing all you can brother?

Buy WarBonds.”

“Peopleactuallyhadmoneytaken outof theirchecks togo towardthe warbonds,”said storeownerKathyDuncan.

Besidesthe posters, the store isfilled with other vintage art-work, not to mention themany memories.

Some of the collectible“treasures” include:n an 18th century French

Rococo style chair.n a briefcase from India

made of reed grassn books from the Wizard

of Oz series printed in 1904.“You can’t go online to findcertain books that I have,”Duncan said.

Although Duncan openedher antique store at the endof February, she recently

had the official grand open-ing March 13.

Before relocating toForsyth, Duncan’s shop washoused in the former libraryon Main Street in MountZion. When she had theopportunity to move toForsyth, just across thestreet from the post office,she took it.

“This is an older buildingand great for an antiquestore,” Duncan said. “Evenan old fire hydrant outsidethe building adds to the

quaintness of the building.”Individuals bring things

into the store to sell on con-signment, such as SallyRex, who has a talent formaking new lamps out ofold ones.

Janet Alred and her sis-ter, Cheryl Slifer, also turnlamps into pieces of art bytaking vintage family photosand turning them into lampshades.

“We began doing it threeyears ago when we saw anarticle in Country Livingmagazine about this womanwho did it. We then drove allthe way to Vermont to takea class from her,” Alredsaid.

Alred said people love thecustom-made shades. It alsohelps families preservetheir history and memories.

Besides using old photosfrom your photo album,Alred said, “We have madelamp shades from grand-ma’s vintage needlework,old curtains and tablecloths.It’s also a green thingbecause we are recyclingthese things.”

Alred and Slifer said thepartnership with MemoryLane also helps promotetheir business.

“It can be hard sellinglamp shades wholesale.Being inside Memory Lane… goes along with what wedo in preserving someone’smemories,” Alred said.

For Duncan and otherantique lovers, the storeserves a dual purpose.

“People come in lookingfor a deal at antique shops,”Duncan said. However, thecustomers who “come in formemories and the nostalgia”may be the ones who findthe real treasures.

“It’s like a feel-good placein remembering things fromthe past,” Duncan explained.



MORE

INFO

WHAT: MemoryLane antiquesstore

WHERE: 315 E.Ruehl St., Forsyth

HOURS: 10 a.m.to 5 p.m. Tuesdaythrough Fridayand 10 a.m. to 3p.m. Saturday.

A Steve Urkel doll stands on display among a collection of otherfigures.

A war ration book is seen on the counter at the new location forMemory Lane and More Antiques.

Herald & Review photos/Stephen Haas

Kathy Duncan goes through different items while setting up the displays in the new location for Memory Lane and More Antiquesin Forsyth. TOP, FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: A framed piece of stained glass artwork; old books line a shelf; and lamps sit on display infront of a yellow rug.

A walk through Memory Lane

My educational, profes-sional and future goalscan only be described as amaze. They constantly areshifting; daily, theybecome more difficult toaccomplish and harder tocomprehend. College hasalways seemed completelyirrational when broughtup in conversation.Throughout my early highschool years, I can honest-ly say I did not show mytrue potential in my class-es, but as I grew older,traveled, lost and gainedconfidence, I realizedwhat opportunities I haveright in front of me. Itbecame apparent to methat I can make successhappen for myself, myeducation and my profes-sion.

I have several ideasabout my career choice,but it has become clear tome that my old desires tobe an artist, astronautand pop star have quicklydrifted away. I want acareer that makes megenuinely pleased andeager to return each day.I plan to graduate proudlyfrom a public universityand be happy in thecareer path I choose. Irecognize that my dreamjob may be far-fetched,but the idea that I willhave to struggle for myideal job motivates me toget all I can out of col-lege.

Along with continuingmy education, gainingsuccessful employment,working in the field I amstudying, using my knowl-edge and learning frommy faults will only makeme stronger as an individ-ual.

Krissy DupreeShelbyville

The Road

Ahead

The Road Ahead

Times were tough, and wehad to go to an outside toiletand can most of our food. Yetthere were many good times.We made our own root beer,which required finding bottlesin the ditch and washingthem. A Hires mix and somesugar guaranteed a tastydrink in a few weeks. Neigh-bors would get together andshare food and games, suchas horseshoes. In some ways,today, we as a community arehaving to pull together to findways to help each other.

Volunteering is somethingyoung people are embracing.Habitat for Humanity, home-

less shelters and foodpantries are often destina-tions for youth eager to help.The wonderful outcome isservice but also networkingand developing work skills.People realize that jobs areoften offered to people whoare proven workers. Yourapprentice work may welllead to a job.

Aging Americans will needhelp. Anyone who has helpedan older person dependent onyour services knows what adelight it is to see that sparkin otherwise sad eyes. Storiesshared to past experiencesare better than any read of a

novel. Young people who areattracted to medical volun-teering will have a betterchance to succeed in a trou-bled economy. We cannot stopaging and the physical conse-quences, but we can improvethe quality of life.

The road ahead will havebumps and challenges, butthe future holds a bright out-look. The vision for all of usis dependent on the creamrising to the top.

All people, especially ouryoung people, need to reachout as volunteers.

Diane AndersonNeoga

BOB RIDINGS in Pana BOB RIDINGS in Pana

YOUR UNDISPUTED LOW PRICE LEADER WITH OVER 2,000 VEHICLES AVAILABLE IN OUR FAMILY OF DEALERSHIPS

FACTORYAUTHORIZEDSERVICE &WARRANTY

(217) 562-3986 (217) 562-3986 PPRRIICC IINNGG OONNLL IINNEE 2244 //77 wwwwww..bboobbrr iidd iinnggsscchhrr yyss llee rr..ccoomm

PRE-OWNED SPECIALS

08 300 LTD

ROOF, LTHR #8296

09 FORD ESCAPEXLT 4X4

LTHR, ROOF #8396

07 RAM 1500 QUAD

4X4 BIG HORN HEMI #8413

08 DODGE NITRO SLT4X4

LTHR, ROOF, 14K MI, 20” WHLS #8529

10 DODGE JOURNEY SXT

MSRP ................$26,800BR/DISC .............. $1,173REBATE................$1,500

#10046

$24,127

10 DODGE NITRO SE 4X4

MSRP ................$25,375BR/DISC................. $732REBATE................$2,000

#10044

$22,643

10 JEEP COMPASS SPT


#10022

$20,66910 JEEP LIBERTY LMT 4X4


#10014

$28,047

10 CALIBER MAINSTREET


#10042

$17,22810 WRANGLER UNLMT4X4

MSRP ................$30,070BR/DISC .............. $1,208REBATE ..................$750

#10039

$28,112

10 GR. CHEROKEE LAREDO4X4


#10032

$29,229

10 JEEP PATRIOT 4X4

MSRP ................$24,035BR/DISC................. $890REBATE................$1,500B. CASH ...............$1,000

#10020

$20,645

10 RAM 1500 ST REG

MSRP ................$23,955BR/DISC .............. $1,547REBATE................$1,000B. CASH..................$500

#10007

$20,908

10 RAM 1500 SLT REG 4X4

MSRP ................$31,770NO-CHARGE HEMI .. $1,310BR/DISC ...............$2,217REBATE................$1,000

#10011

$27,243

10 RAM 1500 SLT QUAD


#10029

4X4

$30,213

10 RAM 1500 SLT CREW


#10019

4X4

$33,145

10 RAM 2500 SLT CREW 4X4


#10045

$31,859

10 DODGE GR. CARAVAN SE

MSRP ................$26,560BR/DISC .............. $1,161REBATE................$1,000B. CASH ...............$1,000

#10010

$23,39910 TOWN & COUNTRYTOURING

MSRP ................$33,810BR/DISC .............. $1,882REBATE................$1,500B. CASH ...............$1,000

#10024

$29,428

09 FORD FOCUS SEL

You Pay

#8499 4 DR, LEATHER,ROOF 10 OTHERS N STOCK

09 SABLE PREMIER

#8443 LEATHER, ROOF3 4 OTHERS IN STOCK

09 DODGE JOURNEYSXT

#8555

09 EDGE LMT AWD

#8451 MOONROOF, VISTA VIEW

05 CHEVY CAVALIER

2 DR, LS SPORT

04 RAM 1500 REG4X4 HEMI

09 PT CRUISER TOURING

#8428 2 AT THIS PRICE

08 DODGE CALIBERSXT

#8049 ONLY 14K MI

05 BUICK LACROSSECXL

LTHR, 27K MI

07 GRAND CARAVANSXT

#8325

08 DODGE CHARGER

3.5L , POWER SEAT #8319

08 CHEVY IMPALALS

#8462

10 MUSTANGPREMIUM

#8438 2 AT THIS PRICE

09 LIBERTY SPORT 4X4

$14,275

You Pay

You Pay

You Pay

03 TOWN CAR SIG

#8210 ONLY 54K MILES

$10,988

10 FORD FUSION SE

#8448

$17,18809 SEBRING LMTDCONVT

#8537

$21,98808 COMMANDER

SPORT 4X4

#1680 LEATHER, ROOF

$23,988

09 ASPEN LMT 4X4

#8530

$23,988

$11,988 $11,988

$12,988

$5,488

$23,988

$21,988$21,985

$19,965

$29,788

$21,288

$18,988

$13,988 $14,988 $15,785

$10,988

$18,988 $19,785

$19,988#8323 DVD, NAV, ROOF

07 TOWN & COUNTRYLTD

09 CHRYSLER 300LIMT AWD

ROOF, NAVIGATION 4K MI

$30,988

You Pay

BOB RIDINGS

Buddy Daniels Laverne HolthausRick Callison

• On select models in lieu of rebates •• On most Dodge models.Dealer not responsible for errors in advertisement.

Sale ends 3/31/10. Tax, title, license and doc fee not included.

in Panain Panain Panain Panain Panain Panain Panain Pana

88 N. Locust, Pana 217-562-3986N. Locust, Pana 217-562-3986

CHECK OURPRICES. WE BEATTHE COMPETITIONDAILY!

0% for

60 Months*

Thru March 31st

$500 Bonus Cash Farm Bureau Members**

Boy Scoutsrepair, proudlydisplay statue

By ARLENE MANNLEINH&R Staff Writer

DECATUR — In the early1930s, the Great Depressioncaught up with the GatewayArea Council of Boy Scouts ofAmerica. The La Crosse, Wis.,group could no longer affordto pay for the services ofWilliam B. Soules.

But they did manage to givehim a parting gift: a plasterstatue, about 18 inches or so inheight, painted to look as if itwas cast metal.

“The statue was presentedto William Soules when he fin-ished employment with theBoy Scout council in LaCrosse, Wis.,” wrote his

daughter, Mary Sears, whenshe gave the statue to LincolnTrails Council, which nowserves 13 counties in CentralIllinois.

“Mr. Soules took his wifeand two daughters to Decatur,Ill., where he began hisemployment with the LincolnTrails Council (then theDecatur Council) in 1932,”Sears’ note continued. “Pleasekeep this statue in your BoyScout office.”

Following Soules’ death in1956, the statue had remainedwith the family, according toJeanne Sears of Madison, Wis.

“I got it and kept it for yearsin my Girl Scout office. It wasa point of conversation,”Jeanne Sears said as sherelated the family history ofthe “Boy Scout.” Sears was aGirl Scouts executive for yearsas her grandfather was with

Boy Scouts.Once the statue was back in

Decatur, Lincoln Trails Coun-cil turned it over to Ed Walkerfor restoration in time for the100th anniversary year of BoyScouts of America.

“The surface was scratched;paint was missing,” said Walk-er, chairman of the art depart-ment at Millikin Universityand an accredited appraiser.

“There were chips aroundthe base. Being plaster, it’spretty fragile, too.”

“But there were no structur-al issues, no cracks,” saidChristian Long, executivedirector of Lincoln Trails.

Unfortunately, the statueisn’t signed. Or if the statuewas signed, the signature hasfaded with time.

At first, Walker didn’t knowits origin. At first, he said hecouldn’t find anything similarto it.

“It was one of those thingsthat I thought would be fairlyeasy going to find (its) ori-gin,” he said.

But then, continuing tosearch while talking aboutthe restoration, he found whathe believes are the begin-nings.

“Wait. I think I just found abronze of the statue,” Walkersaid, his voice raising, show-ing excitement at making thediscovery that the statue nowin possession of the LincolnTrails Council Boy Scouts ofAmerica might have comefrom the creative talent of R.Tait McKenzie.

The family of the lateWilliam B. Soules agrees withhim, according to one ofSoules’ granddaughters,Jeanne Sears.

The Boy Scout, an 18-inchversion like the statue at Lin-coln Trails, was first createdin bronze in 1911. WhenMcKenzie presented thebronze to the PhiladelphiaCouncil of Boy Scouts, heincluded the certificate ofcopyright registration, trans-ferring it to the council.

Then a mold was made andcast. Apparently, plastermodels also were created,starting in 1917, though thereis no indication of the num-bers of plaster statues creat-ed.

Walker said it took a coupleof months before The BoyScout looked like he did whenfirst created. He said restora-tion required working inshifts, allowing the work tocure before he could move onto something else. The statue

is now covered with a kind ofvarnish, giving him somethingclose to the original sheen.

“He should be the same in100 years as he is now,” Walk-er said.

While, yes, The Boy Scoutwill be kept at Lincoln Trails,Long said he hopes to get himalso into some public displaysas part of the celebration of100 years of Boy Scouts.Scouts, said Long, are greatcollectors, so he thinks dis-playing the statue with vin-tage scouting uniforms andbadges might be a possibility,adding it would also be possi-ble the statue could be dis-played in other areas of thecouncil.

“This is a neat piece of his-tory that worked its way back(home),” Walker said.



— FREE Rx Delivery —

Your downtown pharmacy committed to your family’s health care.

• Western Union • Money orders• WIC coupons • Greeting cards• Link Card and gifts

$1000 OFFTransferred Prescription

“By the stripes of Jesus we are healed” 1 Peter 2:24 * Free Diabetic Shoes with Medicare Supplement

• Patient consultations

Valid through June 30th, 2010 Limit one per new customer

Conveniently located in Downtown Decatur Across from Central Park 428-4000

J.D. Powers 2009Award Recipient

Now is the time tocome to the mostfriendly and caring pharmacy in town.

Scouting came to Americaafter being organized in Eng-land.

Robert Baden-Powell,returning home to England asa military hero from service inAfrica, discovered that Englishboys were reading his manualon stalking and survival writ-ten for British soldiers. Usingsome ideas from others, herewrote the manual as a non-military nature skills book andcalled it “Scouting for Boys.”

To test his ideas, Baden-Powell took 22 boys to campat Brownsea Island, off theEnglish coast, the historiccampout resulting in theadvent of scouting.

It was William D. Boycewho brought Scouting to theUnited States.

In 1909, Chicago publisherBoyce lost his way in a denseLondon fog. A boy came to hisaid, guiding him but refusinga tip, explaining that as ascout he would not take a tipfor doing a “good turn.” Thisgesture by an unknown scoutinspired a meeting withBaden-Powell.

As a result, Boyce incorpo-rated the Boy Scouts of Amer-ica on Feb. 8, 1910.

The Boy Scouts of Americawere incorporated under thelaws of the District of Colum-bia.

By June 21 that year, 34national representatives ofboys’ work agencies met toestablish the Boy Scouts ofAmerica.

Local scoutingLocally, Lincoln Trails Coun-

cil was chartered in 1924 andnamed the Decatur Council in

1926, serving Macon County.The council now serves all

or parts of Macon, Moultrie,Clark, Christian, Coles, Craw-ford, Edgar, Shelby, Cumber-land, Fayette, Jasper, Piattand Effingham counties andmore than 5,000 youth.

Some items of note for thecouncil, by decade, include:

The 1920s: Camp RobertFaries was obtained in 1926 inan exchange of land in FariesPark.

The 1930s: Decatur became atest council for the new youngerboy program, “Cubbing.” TheMattoon area was annexed intothe council in 1931; Pana, Moul-trie and parts of Christian andPiatt counties were invited tojoin in 1934. Toledo consideredjoining in 1936; CumberlandCounty, in 1937. Council namewas changed to Lincoln Trailsin 1938.

The 1950s: A swimmingpool was added to CampRobert Faries in 1953. Effing-ham, Fayette and Jaspercounties joined in 1954.

The 1960s: In 1963, 600 acresof land near Pana were pur-chased for a camp.

The 1980s: The first camp-ing experience for RhodesFrance Scout Reservationcame in 1980.

The 1990s: Robert FariesCamp was sold in 1998 with pro-ceeds going into an endowmentfund. In 1999, the council cele-brated its Diamond JubileeEncampment at the DecaturMacon County Fairgrounds withmore than 2,000 participants.

The 2000s: In 2002, a majori-ty of Edgar County and all ofClark and Crawford joinedLincoln Trails.

Sources: scouting.org;

lincolntrailscouncil.org

Herald & Review photos/Lisa Morrison

Chris Long and Ed Walker compare notes on ‘The Boy Scout’ statue, which has been given to the Lincoln Trails Council.

Unique homecoming

A closeup of recently restored statue ‘The Boy Scout.’

About the Boy Scouts

The Road Ahead

I can envision a futurewhere ice- and snow-coveredroads are a thing of the past,as are potholes and buckledroadways. The roads will beheated and cooled using aseries of environmentallyfriendly anti-freeze filledpipes underneath the road’ssurface. This system wouldbe powered by solar panelpowered pumps spaced amile apart, allowing mainte-nance to be done independ-ently if needed as each mileis a separate closed system.

There are problems to be

overcome for my future idea.For one, the piping wouldneed to be tough enough towithstand the repeated useof heavy traffic such assemitrucks. The batterybackup storage system foruse at night is as yet notinvented.

This idea could be put inplace by replacing parts ofold asphalt roadways thatare scheduled to be changedout anyway with the newuser-friendly ones. Thesenew roads will require lessmaintenance as they will not

freeze or thaw but be kept atan as yet undetermined tem-perature. The new systemcould be paid for by smalltolls on interstate highwaysand small increases in localtaxes for in-town streets untilthey are paid for, then thecharges can be removed.

Any surface, such as side-walks and driveways (park-ing lots), can utilize myglimpse into the future andmake hazardous driving andwalking a thing of the past.

Shirley DavisArcola

Easter will be firstservice in new Unitedin Faith Church

By PHIL JACOBSFor the Herald & Review

PANA — Marilyn Rauch, muchlike poet Robert Frost, encountered“two roads diverged in a wood.”

She, too, took the one less trav-eled, and it has made all the differ-ence.

Rauch arrived in Pana in latesummer 2000 to pastor the FirstUnited Presbyterian Church, and in2005, when the church became“yoked” with St. John’s UnitedChurch of Christ, she agreed to leadboth congregations.

But the cleric with a ready smileand peaceful countenance has notalways tended a flock. In fact, aftergraduating high school in Vinita,Okla., she attend a small college inArkansas, eventually earning abachelor’s and a master’s degree inmusic before entering law school atthe University of Texas, Austin.

In time, Rauch began practicinglaw in Texas and then in Arkansas, acareer that lasted 17 years. But shebecame disenchanted with the workwhen she began to feel the road shewas on was perhaps becoming toowell-trod. Rauch also felt that theHoly Spirit was tapping her gentlyon her shoulder, urging her to take anew path.

“Not long after I felt the call to dothe Lord’s work, I closed my lawoffice and headed to the McCormackTheological Seminary in Chicago,”Rauch said. “It was a lot of workafter being away from school for so

long, but I really enjoyed being there.I knew it was where I belonged.”

It’s been 10 years since Raucharrived in Pana. Besides finding alot of nice people, she also has dis-covered no lack of work.

Her work day is filled with officehours, when she has the time, hospi-tal and nursing home visits, bap-tisms, twice-a-week Bible study andsermon preparation.

Church secretary Winona Bruns,who has held that job for the past 50years, lends a hand to Rauch.

The governing boards and thecombined congregations, have beenworking since 2005, after the two

churches became federated, onecongregation with two distinctdenominations, toward building anew building. Their dream became areality when work began last springon the nearly completed church justsouth of the Pana Tri-County Fair-grounds. The land the church sits onwas donated by Stanley Elvers, alocal excavating contractor who hasbeen digging graves for the past 40years, and his wife, Nina.

And no one is more pleased withthe merger and the road ahead thanthe congregation’s oldest member,Jinny Winn, whose great-grand-mother, Mary Jane Pryce, an early

settler in the area, was one of thefounding members of the Pana Pres-byterian Church. The cabin shelived in has been preserved in thehistoric village at the fairgrounds.

“The merger went extremelywell,” Winn said. “It’s a small town,and we all know each other, and it’snice that we have been able to makeuse of both churches: St. John’s isair conditioned so we use it in thesummer, and we meet in the Presby-terian church in winter.”

Winn added the congregation isalso pleased with the pastor.

“We have had many pastors overthe years, and while some have been

good, and others, well, ho-hum, ourpresent pastor is a jewel. We are sofortunate to have her. She’s a hardworker, and she puts a lot of work inher sermons and in her beautifulprayers, which I especially enjoy.”

To make the new United in FaithChurch feelmore likehome, thecongregationwill be takinga baptismalfont, pews,light fixtures,some stainedglass, a pul-pit, a lecternand the com-munion tablefrom the oldchurch build-ings to thenew one. Ifall goes well,they hope tocelebrateEaster serv-ices in thenew location,though theywill have tosit on foldingchairs untilthe historicpews arerefinishedand installed.

As PastorRauch lookstoward thefuture, shehopes to see some growth and thecongregation becoming moreinvolved in spreading the love ofJesus Christ through their missionwork, both domestically and globally.


PROUDLY SERVING THE COMMUNITY

SINCE 1829.

We are proud of our 150+ employees andtheir involvement in the community.

Sheriff Thomas Schneider

Macon CountySheriffs Department

Payments as low as $100/month

New location202 Spitler Park Drive, Mt. Zion

South of ACE Hardware

Mark McCollom: Owner

217-864-2396www.coachhousegarages.com

Station owners saycommunity keepsthem from retiring

By ARLENE MANNLEINH&R Staff Writer

MOUNT ZION — It was1984. There was an open chan-nel for an FM radio stationserving the Decatur area. Andthe timing was right.

So Mary Ellen and TomBurns went for it. He alreadyowned a station in MichiganCity, Ind., so she sought thelocal license.

“Tom noticed it in the tradepress,” recalled Mary EllenBurns.

Before the applicationprocess, the couple had nevertruly visited Decatur. One ofTom Burns’ earliest Decaturmemories is a trip through thecity while a student at the Uni-versity of Illinois. He stoppedhis motorcycle alongside Illi-nois 48, only to find when hestood that one leg was totallynumb, so he and cycle wentdown.

“The FCC applicationprocess involved a number oftrips to Macon County todetermine community needswhich radio could address,”recalled Mary Ellen Burns.“And I met many people whomI still cherish.”

Because more than oneapplication was made for thelicense, it meant a hearingbefore the Federal Communi-cations Commission in Wash-ington, D.C. Part of theprocess for her was to intense-ly study Decatur; the couplealso agreed to make the areatheir home if the license wasawarded.

During the hearing, MaryEllen Burns was questionedabout the proposed tower loca-tion.

Why, she was asked, didn’tthey put the station’s towerinto that relatively vacant areathe map showed to the city’snortheast? Or place it evennearer the city toward the

southeast side?She could not recall any

such blank areas.The couple laughs out loud

as they tell this story, becauseas it turned out, the maps pro-vided were prepared in theearly 1900s, when neither the

Decatur Airport nor LakeDecatur were already fillingthose sites.

Mary Ellen Burns said thecouple began their careers inSterling.

“It’s funny how you go incircles,” said Tom Burns,owner of a Sterling radio sta-tion, WLLT-FM (107.7 FM,Sterling/Dixon/Rock Falls),for the last 20 years. He stilltravels there several times amonth, but also, in this com-puter age, can produce radiofrom his own home.

They continued theircareers in Chicago. Sheworked at WIND (560 AM,Chicago), he in the newsdepartment of WLS (890 AM,Chicago). Their careers havetaken her to working for theUnited Methodist Church,helping produce the MethodistMen’s Hour, him to being thewriter of technical works.

“I translated engineer-easeinto English,” he said, “for anumber of years, wrotespeeches, brochures, you nameit.”

For her, “(Among) the mostinteresting jobs, was workingin a mental health hospital asa volunteer supervisor,” shesaid.

But radio called them back.“We thought we bought a

radio station in Taylorville,”said Tom Burns. “But that col-

lapsed.”That’s when he bought the

Michigan City, Ind., site,WEFM (95.9 FM).

During their years here,Mary Ellen Burns has servedon Crimestoppers, with theDecatur Area Arts Council andthe Decatur and Mount Zionchambers of commerce.

They recall with pride howtheir local station dealt withthe 2004 plastics plant explo-sion in Illiopolis. The stationwas able to alert the public,tell people what had happened,how traffic was affected, theevents taking place, “All thethings a newsperson woulddo,” Mary Ellen Burns said.

As they look back on theiryears in broadcasting, theyagreed with certainty howtechnology business haschanged their business, thatwhat has changed is megaradio, large corporations ofseveral stations.

“It’s extremely relevant,”said Tom Burns, when technol-ogy is chased, rather thancommunity involvement.

He continued, “You can’t doit (run a radio station) from acentral point. You can’t run aradio station out of a cook-book. I don’t think anybodycan run 200 radio stations.”

Nor can radio stations berun by spreadsheets, he added.

And, he added, “Businessjust doesn’t roll into the door.”

“I couldn’t imagine a betterplace (than the Decatur area)in which to live and to do busi-ness. People here are caring,giving of their time, willing towork for the greater good ofall,” Mary Ellen Burns said.

That’s one of the reasonthey keep going, though retire-ment is sometimes considered.

“You think about it,” shesaid.

And, yet they keep workingbecause they enjoy doing whatthey are doing and workingwith people they like.

“I still get up at 4 a.m. andwrite news,” Tom Burnsadded.


Broadcasting couple called back to radio


Mary Ellen and Tom Burns have owned and worked at WXFM inMount Zion for more than 25 years.

MORE INFO

WXFM, (99.3 FM, MountZion/Decatur) and WDKR (107.3FM, Maroa/Decatur) are theonly locally owned and operatedradio stations in Macon County.

WXFM went on the air on aThursday; it was Nov. 4, 1984,with Randy Janes the first voiceheard. The first newscast camefrom Forrest Landreth. Janesand Landreth, both Mount Zionnatives, still share morning on-air sports and news.

Other longtime staffersinclude Linda Davis, salesmanager, 1986; Sharon Jack-son, office manager, 1993; Jen-nifer Feather, weather-news-traf-fic, 1996; Beverly Shepherd,corporate bookkeeper, 1989.Kevin Grindstaff, 1999, doesmorning news and public affairson WDKR.

WDKR first aired in 1996.Studios of WXFM/WDKR

remain at 120 Wildwood,Mount Zion. President and gen-eral manager of both corpora-tions is Mary Ellen Burns.

Denominations unite as one congregationPhotos for the Herald & Review/Phil Jacobs

United in Faith Church has a new building that will hold its first services on Easter Sunday. Two denominations, St. John’s United Church of Christ and First United PresbyterianChuch, both in Pana, are combined as one congregation.

UNITED IN

FAITH CHURCH

SERVICES: Sundayschool, 9 a.m., andworship service, 10:15a.m.

HISTORY: While bothbuildings are historic,St. John’s history is abit more colorful.Their first church,built in the mid-1850s,was destroyed by atornado that alsowiped out 25 to 30homes. The secondbuilding wasdestroyed by fire justbefore Christmas in1916. When the pres-ent structure wasrebuilt, it featured twodoors, a taller one formen and shorter onefor women, and inGerman tradition,men sat on one sideof the church andwomen on the other.The doors have sincebeen bricked over.

LEFT: The St. John’s United Church of Christ building in Pana is closing its doors. The congregation already has joined withFirst United Presbyterian Church in Pana. RIGHT: The Rev. Marilyn Rauch serves the congregation at the Presbyterianchurch, seen in the background, as well as St. John’s, which are two denominations but one congregation.

Need a Scooter?Call today! 422-2220

2525 N. Main

Decatur

Still the best

meat in town.Proudly serving Decatur for over 80 years.

Still the same friendly

neighborhood service,

EAST SIDE MARKET1467 E. William St. • Ph: 423-3608

Monday-Saturday 8am-6pm, Closed Sundays • SENIOR DISCOUNT DAY THURSDAY

Yesterday…

…Today

PARKS • PARK SINGERS • SCOVILL ZOO • WEDDINGS • MEETINGS • GOLF COURSES • POOLS • DECATUR INDOOR SPORTS CENTER

The mission of the Decatur Park District is to foster healthy lifestyles through recreational

opportunities, provide quality programs and facilities, and preserve and protect our natural

resources, benefiting and enhancing the quality of life for all in our community.

2009 HighlightsPlanning Process for Decatur’s Lakefront

The enhancement of the Nelson Park lakefront area has long been identified as a community priority. Following

constructive meetings by a number of organizations and individuals, the Park District resumed its planning

process in 2009, with a focus on making the lakefront area a new economic engine for the community. A

committee of Park District, City, Chamber, County, labor, and neighborhood (CONO) representatives

requested proposals, visited several outstanding planning firms, and selected internationally-recognized AECOM

to create a long-range vision and plan. The Community Leaders Breakfast (February 2010) spurred enthusiasm,

interest and community dialogue. A new website and Facebook page now provide updates about the exciting

process that will enhance Decatur's quality of life and serve as a catalyst for community growth. Visit

www.decaturslakefront.com.

Air Choice One Airlines Lands at Decatur Airport

Air Choice One, Decatur’s newest airline, began daily round-trip flights to Lambert St. Louis Airport on

December 15 via their comfortable 9-passenger Cessna Caravan aircraft. Daily service to Chicago O’Hare was

added on January 14, 2010. All in the community are encouraged to support Air Choice One to ensure the

airline’s success. For flight schedules, fares, and information, visit www.fly-decatur.com.

Changing of the Guard: Park Board of Commissioners

April 2009 marked the retirement of Dr. William Van Alstine from the Park Board of Commissioners after an

accomplished, 18-year tenure. Dr. Van Alstine served on the Board from 1989 – 1995 and 1997 – 2009 and was

President from 1993 – 1995. He was influential in many important developments, including streamlining the

corporate structure and adding a chief financial officer, District recognition as an Illinois Distinguished Agency

and NRPA Gold Medal Finalist, and construction and renovation of countless parks, projects, and facilities. With

Dr. Van Alstine’s retirement, the Board welcomed Bob Brilley II as its newest Commissioner for a six-year term.

Online Registration and Tee Times

To enhance customer service, simplify the scheduling of tee times, and enable visitors to sign up for Park

District activities and classes from the comfort of their own homes or offices…online registration is now

available at www.decatur-parks.org!

Standard & Poor’s Bond Rating

The Decatur Park District improved its financial rating two years in a row. In 2009, the Standard & Poor’s

Financial Management Assessment rated the District an A+. In 2010, the District earned an AA-. Both ratings

are significant accomplishments and unusually high for a park district. Ratings are based on financial stability,

with higher scores resulting in lower bond interest rates and reduced expenses.

Arts & Recreation Center Renovation

Since 2007 when the Poage family generously donated the former Tallman Pontiac/Cadillac dealership on

Oakland Ave., the facility has been transformed into a functional, mixed-use building housing the Park District’s

Arts and Fleet departments. In 2009, parking lot resurfacing and landscaping greatly enhanced the building’s

outdoor appearance, while indoors, new additions included a costume shop, prop storage area, and dance

studio with raised dance floor, wall-to-wall mirrors, and ballet barres. Throughout the year, dance and theatre

classes, Chorale practices, and rehearsals for Perform!, B.O.S.S., and Park Singers energize the renovated facility.

Scovill Park Enhancements

Thanks to a grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the District was able to complete several

significant enhancements to Scovill Park, including a new pavilion, bioswales at the park’s entrance, and

interpretive signage. The bioswales will improve water quality by reducing run-off along the hillside. Signage now

displays maps and various highlights within the park, including Scovill Zoo and the Wikoff Oriental Garden.

MLS Chicago Fire Mid-Fielder Mike Banner Visits MidState Soccer Camp

Major League Soccer mid-fielder Mike Banner of the Chicago Fire signed autographs, led drills, and helped

coach the MidState Soccer Camp on July 27 – 30 at the DISC. Banner is scheduled to return for the 2010

Summer Camp on August 2 – 5.

Redbird Rookies League

Decatur’s Redbird Rookies League celebrated its first anniversary in 2009, with a visit from Fredbird, the

popular Cardinals mascot. The league was formed in 2008 thanks to a successful partnership between the Park

District, DMH and Dr. Wendell Becton. Participants learn the values of teamwork, integrity, self-esteem and

leadership in the “classroom” of a baseball setting. Last summer, 300 Decatur area boys and girls learned to play

baseball the Redbird Rookies way.

Decatur Commodores Baseball Joins Park District Family

In 2009, the Decatur Commodores Baseball League came under the Park District umbrella. The goal is to

provide superior coaching and instruction for boys who want to reach the highest levels of play. Teams

participate in showcase tournaments to give players exposure to college coaches and recruiters. Thanks to the

efforts of Behnke & Company, fundraising for the renovation of the Commodores’ home field at Sunnyside

Park has begun. For more information, visit www.decaturcommodores.com.

Park Watch Program Fights Vandalism

Did you know the Park District spends an average of $30,000 each year to repair damage caused by vandals?

Thanks to a new Park Watch program, those who vandalize Decatur Park District property and facilities are

being punished for their crimes. Park Watch offers rewards of up to $1,000 for tips leading to the arrest of

vandals. All tips are helpful, and callers may remain anonymous. Call Park Watch at 422-5911.

Community PartnersThe Decatur Park District benefits from a number of valued community partners who have joined in our effort to

enhance the health, fitness, and quality of life for all in the greater Decatur area.

• Our partners make possible

the following activities and

programs: PERFORM!, Team

Soy Decatur Junior Open and

MidState Soccer teams (Team Soy

Capital); education (ADM), golf

programs (DMH), athletic programs

and Staley Striders (Tate & Lyle), Decatur

Park Singers and First Tee Golf (Ameren).

WSOY, STORMCENTER 17, and the Herald &

Review are media partners. In 2009, the District warmly

welcomed Wal-Mart as sponsor of Boo at the Zoo.

• The Park District maintains an important relationship with Millikin University in operation of the DISC. The

partnership also allows the community to benefit from the expertise of talented, shared professionals like

MU exercise science instructor Allison Krich (DISC), MU instructor of music theory/director of opera music

and the Women’s Choir, Michael Englehardt (Greater Decatur Chorale and Decatur Park Singers), and Ann

Borders, MU Adjunct Professor of Theatre and Voice (Young Park Singers). Head coach Lori Kerans and the

MU Women’s Basketball Team present the annual Little Hoopsters program at the DISC.

Award Highlights• Decatur Park District golf courses received the National Golf Foundation’s 2009 Customer Loyalty

Award. This prestigious award is based on surveys through the NGF Voice of the Golfer and is presented to

public golf facilities that have received high customer approval ratings and a ranking as “most improved.” The

Decatur Park District was awarded first place in the nation in the municipalities category.

• Following the Park District Risk Management Agency’s (PDRMA) 2009 loss control review of administration,

aquatics, golf, maintenance, police, recreation, DISC, zoo and SRA departments, the Decatur Park District

received its highest rating to date, earning PDRMA accreditation and a level A membership status.

This score represents the District’s continued commitment to the prevention of unforeseen injury and the

ongoing safety of employees and patrons.

2009 Herald & Review Readers’ Choice Awards

#1 Best Central IL Golf Course - Hickory Point

#2 Best Central IL Golf Course - Red Tail Run

#3 Best Central IL Golf Course - Scovill

#1 Best Golf Pro - Kurt Rogers

#3 Best Golf Pro - Jay Dexter

#3 Best Place for a Wedding Reception - Hickory Point

#3 Best Fitness Center – DISC

• At the annual Illinois Association of Park Districts (IAPD) Conference, the Decatur Park District received the

2009 Youth License Plate Award – Best Promotional Practices for its support of the annual IAPD

Kite Fly and Park District Youth License Plate. Also at the conference, the Park District received the 2009

Agency Showcase: Best in Show Awards for its Decatur Airport television commercial and activity guide

series.

• The following individuals received 2009 Illinois Park and Recreation Association (IPRA) Community

Service Awards for their outstanding contributions to the advancement of parks, recreation and leisure in

the community and the State of Illinois:

• Big Creek Advisory Committee & chairman Rod Bussell

• MidState Soccer Club Advisory Committee member and coach John Kravanek

• MidState Soccer Club Advisory Committee member and coach Mike Shumaker

• Staley Striders Running Club director and coach Mike Landacre

Did You Know?In 2009, over 200,000 individuals visited the DISC, which features a fitness center, indoor walking/running track,

basketball/volleyball courts, indoor soccer field, rock climbing wall, dance and aerobics studios, batting/throwing

cages, and indoor golf center.

Over 1,000 volunteers donated more than 9,000 hours in service to Scovill Zoo, Fairview and Nelson Parks,

Dreamland Lake, recreation programs, arts programs, Special Recreation events, and golf tournaments.

In partnership with the State Board of Education, the Park District provides 68,500 free meals and snacks to

over 500 youth in 18 summer recreation programs and at 15 partner agency sites.

Looking ForwardFor the past 86 years, the Park District has worked to fulfill our community’s needs for physical well-being,

productive leisure activities, and outdoor parks and recreation spaces. 2010 will bring exciting new

opportunities as we involve the community in the Nelson Park Lakefront project, complete the master planning

process for Decatur Airport, continue the transformation of Big Creek Riding Center, expand the Stevens

Creek Bike Trail, and address the important issues of youth obesity and senior wellness.

D E C A T U R P A R K D I S T R I C T

422-5911www.decatur-parks.org

outlook: the road ahead - live

Documents