Mackinaw gained a new restaurant with the opening of Eddy’s Kitchen Family Restaurant on June 28th. Providing a wide variety of menu options for breakfast and lunch, local residents are sure to find something delectable that will make Eddy’s a community staple. Chef Eddy’s wife, Iris, tells The Mail how Eddy’s Kitchen Family Restaurant came to fruition. 

Grab your clubs and finest Higdon hat for the Mackinaw Lions Club Golf Outing at Quail Meadows Golf Course in Washington, on Saturday, August 13th. $90 per person covers green fees, a golf cart, and lunch at the course starting at 11:30 A.M. prior to tee off. Golfers can form their own team of 4 or sign up individually and be assigned to a team. 

At the beginning of the month, the Waynesville Library had a horse program open to the public.The horse program was organized as part of the summer reading program. The Waynesville Library is taking place in Off the Beaten Path - Camp IREAD.

On Saturday, July 16th Stanford and Allin Township came together to host Stanford Good Old Jubilee, a new installment of the old Stanford Good Old Days festival. This newly remodeled festival is different from the one of the past. For example, instead of occurring over three days the Stanford Good Old Jubilee festival occurred only on one day. Different activities were featured at the festival with things like the Quilt Show at the Church of God, a variety of entertainment at the pavilion, and activities at the Township Building such as TAPS. While there are many changes to the festival, things like the fireworks show, which is being put on by the same company hired in prior festivals, was similar to what attendees have seen in the past.

In preparation for a rapidly approaching wrestling season, the Dee-Mack wrestling program has decided to host “Open Gym Practices” every Tuesday and Thursday this summer, from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. During the open gym practices, aspiring wrestlers of any age and ability level will have the opportunity to practice with both senior wrestlers and Dee-Mack coaches. Practices will run like a typical practice during the wrestling season and will consist of a warm up routine and then work on basic fundamentals of the sport.

Recently a new website for the Village of Danvers has been created offering a new place to learn more about the town and upcoming events. The new website opens up with a short description of the town, its population, and where it is located. Contact information is provided such as the Danvers Village Hall, the Danvers Water Emergency, Danvers Police Station, and Danvers Fire and Rescue contact info as well as many other important groups' contact info. Also provided under the contact info page is a map of the Village including links to local weather and village data info.

Instead of Get Your Kicks on Route 66, Get Your 6.6 on Route 66 this year! The 9th Annual Route 66 race is occurring on Saturday, August 27th. The CORE of McLean sponsors the event as a nonprofit organization. All proceeds go to benefit the community of McLean, IL.

When it comes to helping local residents in need, the Mackinaw Community Center Food Pantry is stepping in to help in a big way. Located in the Mackinaw Community Center at 101 S. Orchard St, the organization is currently ramping up their efforts as need in the community grows. This week, pantry board members invited The Mail to come down and check out their operation in the hopes of getting the word out about the big plans that are in the works.

During a time when the price of, well, pretty much everything keeps increasing, many families find themselves feeling like long and luxurious vacations are simply out of the picture. Instead, many families are opting for a “staycation” - a smaller trip, or multiple small trips, closer to home. A staycation can drastically cut the cost of fuel and lodging, while also providing an opportunity to learn about the places that are closer to home that one might otherwise have passed up. If you’re feeling like that trip to the Gulf of Mexico or beyond just isn’t in the budget this year, here are some ideas for smaller trips within state lines:

It’s about Christmas time… for July. Christmas in July is happening in Atlanta this year on July 23 & 24. Saturday it is from 10 am-4 pm and Sunday from 11 am-4 pm. This event is being run at the same time with the 2nd Annual Market Weekend on Route 66. Right in downtown Atlanta the streets will be decorated for Christmas. The tourism director, Whitney Ortiz, writes “it is all like Christmas, just without the cold & snow.” The specific location is Arch Street, known as the former U.S. Route 66. 

Founded in 1957 the Stanford Sportsman Club consists of two fishing lakes that have almost 5 acres of fishable space. Bill Haynes represents the Club as President, Gary Hawkins as acting Secretary/Treasurer, and Johnny Greathouse, Brain Park, Dave Able, and Jo Beth Smith as Board Members. While the club offers the lake properties for members to fish it also offers camping and picnicking for the whole family to have fun.

Schools may be out of session and concerns about grades may be temporarily abated, for many students, this is the season of “Summer Hunger”. For kids who rely on school meals for the majority of their nourishment during the school year, summer can quickly turn into 3 months of hunger and tension. Past research shows that family grocery costs can increase as much as $300 a month during the summer. In the Summer of 2022, one might expect those increased costs to rise even further, leaving many low-income families in a precarious situation.

The alleged teen assailants in the assault against Danny Hale in the Mackinaw Casey’s parking lot that occurred on the evening of May 12th have had their first appearance in court last week. 4 adult teens were arrested by Mackinaw Police following the alleged assault, along with an unnamed teenage minor. The 4 adults: Blake Huffman, Ryan Robertson, Jorge Santana, and Jacob Ragon were transported to the Tazewell County Jail and charged with Mob Action and Aggravated Battery of a Senior Citizen, the last charge could possibly be upgraded to a Class 2 Felony.

In April 2019, Reed Fry was diagnosed with cancer. With local communities rallying around the young man, Reed fought against his ailment and eventually won. Last month, the 13 year old and his family received more bad news: Reed’s cancer is back. In light of the news, local communities once again rally around the Fry family in an attempt to make Reed’s fight as comfortable as possible. 

The Armington Christian Church just recently had their Vacation Bible School. They invited all children to attend and learn about God. To hear about what went on during VBS, I interviewed Pastor Tyler Escoubas. 

The Christian Life Academy in Hopedale has officially started construction for the new addition to the school. This building will serve as a high school classroom building for CLA and will open up more opportunities for their students in the years to come. The goal for the construction is to get the exterior and a portion of the interior finished over the summer so high school students can use the new space for the 2022-2023 school year.

Tazewell County residents gathered at the Tazewell County Justice Center in Pekin on Wednesday and Thursday of last week to voice their opposition to the proposed windmill farms, known as the Rail Splitter 2. Since the proposal of the windmill farm, an opposition group has formed, known as the United Citizens of Tazewell County (UCTC). As part of their efforts, the UCTC has hired counsel who was allowed 90 minutes to make opening statements on Tuesday evening. During that time, the attorney spoke about the important issues as seen by UCTC. In short, these issues come down to the distance between homes and each individual windmill, along with wanting improvements made to sound limits, shadow flickers which results in a strobe light effect to those who may live in the shadows of windmills, along with addressing the red strobe lights that rest atop the windmills. The group hopes to succeed in being granted a moratorium on development, to grant more time for further research into the impact the windmill farm will have on local residents.

Summer festivals and celebrations are around the corner and there are many you don’t want to miss out on in the community. Tremont’s 56th annual Turkey Festival begins Sunday, June 5th with the Miss Tremont Pageant at the Tremont High School Gym. Then, on Thursday, June 9th there will be Merchants’ Day activities and a Carnival. On June 10th, 11th, and 12th there are a variety of activities and events to attend including the carnival, a car show, a parade, tournaments, and shows. All entertainment is free and this is a fun festival for all ages to have fun. To learn more visit the festival’s website at turkeyfestival.com.

This week’s community spotlight, is on the Mt. Hope-Funks Grove Park District. The Park District is located at 107 N. West Street in McLean. To start off, I interviewed the director, Stacey Reinhardt. She turned over some of the questions to the board president, Jenny Denham, to get more information on the history of the building. 

Last fall, local business owner Brian Waldon suffered 2 massive strokes that took his vision and impaired his memory. Unable to continue working, Brian fell under the care of his mother and father. Despite help from his family, Brian’s medical bills kept piling up - the 2 largest total over $500,000 -the Waldon family knew that it was time to act accordingly. With the help of the Deer Creek American Legion, a benefit is being planned. 

As school ends and summer starts, reading programs at local libraries begin. The program at H.A. Peine District Library in Minier has already started and reading logs can be picked up. The library will host weekly programs every Wednesday in June from 12:00 to 1:00 pm. The first program will be on June 1st featuring the Forest Park Nature Center. Each of the programs will take place at St. John’s UCC Faith Fellowship Hall except for the final program which will be hosted at the West Park in Minier.
    
The Danvers Township Library will also be hosting a summer reading program which will begin on May 31st and will be for ages up to 17. There will be two programs per week but those signed up for the program only have to attend one each week. The programs are either on Tuesdays or Fridays with the first one on June 7th at 10:00 am at the Historical Society featuring the Wild Times Exotic Animals. Then, on June 10th at 10:00 am at the park in Davers the second program will be hosted featuring Swords and Roses.

Busy parents looking for a faith based after school program need look no further than New Castle Bible Church. Located on Dee-Mac road, between Mackinaw and Deer Creek, the church has opened its doors to school aged children who are in need of a safe place to hang out after school. The Mail spoke with Program Director Melanie Burge to find out a little more.

More information has been uncovered about the criminal histories of the young men who allegedly assaulted Danny Hale at Casey’s gas station on the evening of Wednesday, May 11th. Court documents obtained by The Mail show that the assailants are well known to local police.

Missy Gaither who runs Missy’s Cupcakes, Cookies, and More is opening up her own bakery storefront in Atlanta at the old Palm’s Grill Cafe venue. Missy got the lease on May 1st  and the bakery will be open for business come the beginning of June. Missy has run Missy’s Cupcakes, Cookies, and More for 10 years and up until she acquired the lease in Atlanta, she has run the business out of her home. Missy used her Facebook page to take orders and would then deliver the orders to her clients or have them pick them up. Now that she will have her own storefront she won’t have to run around delivering orders which will save her a lot of time. There will also be a wider variety of flavors of cupcakes and cookies with the opening of the storefront and she will offer a Route 66 cookie as well.

The Olympia High School spring musical this year was the classic Little Shop of Horrors. The show ran on May 12, 13, and 14 in the evening in the OHS auditorium. Olympia High School was granted the permission to perform Little Shop of Horrors by the Music Theatre International. 

Though Rural Route One Meat Company is fairly new, the company is built off of generations of experience. Starting with Randy and Marj who, in 1976, started a hog farm on Rural Route One, the knowledge of farming has stayed in the family. However, like many businesses, 2020 proved to be a tough year. Emily Schmidgall explains, “It was through the struggle of 2020 that Rural Route One Meat Company was established. Because of several supply chain difficulties, our farm was unable to sell pork to our standard buyers. Our family and friends observed this struggle and wanted to help alleviate the load by purchasing pork direct from our farm rather than their usual outlets. The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive as customers enjoyed not only the taste and quality of the product, but also the ability to buy and support local farmers.”

The Village of Deer Creek gained a new police chief last week after former Chief Brad Potts retired. Potts will be replaced by Dr. Bill Lally. Lally was sworn in at the Deer Creek Community Center on Sunday, May 1st, during a public gathering known as “Coffee with a Cop”. Besides the swearing in ceremony, attendees were able to see a county K-9 and its handler, take a fun mugshot, sit inside a squad car, and even try on a police vest and other gear. 

The US News and World Report recently released their High School rankings for 2022, which identify the country’s top performing public high schools. Within the readership of The Mail, 3 communities earned a spot on that list: Dee-Mack, Olympia, and Tremont. Of the 3 schools, Dee-Mack topped the list, landing at spot # 4,005 nationally and #146 in Illinois. Tremont came next, hitting #5,930 nationally and #197 statewide, just eeking out Olympia who came in a respectable #5,987 nationally and #198 in Illinois. 

With a new home based business, Mackinaw resident Kate Brown has plenty to celebrate while also hoping that you do as well. This is because the mother of 3, along with her husband, have recently started a business called “Sign Dreamers”, that rents large signs in the yards of customers who are celebrating a special event. Kate originally saw a Sign Dreamers sign in the Chicagoland area in 2021. She and her family were attending the birthday party of a child who had a Sign Dreamers sign in the front yard. Intrigued, Kate spent some time looking into the business and by the end of September 2021, Kate had her assigned territory and became a business owner.

It’s spring cleaning time and townwide garage sales are happening! Several local garage sales will be occurring on the weekend of May 6th and 7th: Armington, Hopedale, McLean, and Atlanta. See our special Garage Sale section in the center of this issue for a map of garage sale locations.

It’s that time of year again - mushroom hunters will be out in full force during the next few weeks, and the target on their radar is the elusive morel. For many local hunters, mushrooming spots are considered top secret and are often “handed down” from family members. The mushrooms commonly appear after warm, wet spring weather, with daytime temperatures in the high 60’s or 70’s, and nighttime temperatures hovering in the 50’s. For central Illinois, this usually occurs in late April and into mid, or even late May. 

Olympia High School’s Transition Program recently had the opportunity to visit Tadoughs in Pekin where they got to learn about donut making. The students in the program were led through the process of making the dough, frying the donuts, and dipping the donuts in icing and toppings. They also were able to learn about the different kinds of jobs at the donut shop including the baker, box makers, and front sales.

Putting their custom made robots to the test, members of the Tremont Robotics Team known as “The Roboteers” recently competed at the Expo Square Pavilion in Tulsa Oklahoma, April 7th-9th. Attended by fans, families, educators, and industry leaders the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition awarded several teams with honors that recognized design excellence, competitive play, and high impact partnerships between schools, businesses, and communities. Hoping to win an opportunity to compete at the FIRST championship in Houston, Texas, 36 robotics teams from around the country worked with professional mentors to design and build a robot over a six-week period that solved a problem using a kit of parts and a standard set of rules.

Just recently the Allin Township Fire Department was awarded a $23,000 grant from Firehouse Subs. Every year Firehouse Subs has a grant program that many stations can apply for, so it came as a surprise to the Department that they were chosen to be awarded this grant. For small-town departments getting grants like these really help them and the community out as their budgets are smaller meaning they can’t afford some of the more expensive technology and equipment. As Chief Brian Foley stated in my interview with him, “The grants really help us to be able to get things we normally couldn’t have.”

The residents of Stanford are having an interesting event on April 13th. The 2nd month of Grocery Bingo will be at the Allin Township Community Building at 1 pm. Grocery Bingo is a new event dedicated to helping the senior residents of Stanford. It costs $2 to play with two Bingo cards. Grocery Bingo is unique, they play until everyone’s a winner! Whenever you win, you get to go up to the table full of groceries and take whatever you need, no questions asked. There are a variety of different grocery items available and suggestions for prizes for next time are encouraged by the participants.

Big news for Mackinaw this week as Eli’s Coffee announces that they are coming to Mackinaw in the near future. Eli’s, started in 2005 and looks to make Mackinaw the home of their 4th location. Other shops exist in Metamora, Morton, and Tremont. After the announcement of the big news, owners Weston and Rachael Berchtold were kind enough to talk to The Mackinaw Mail and tell us about their business and how Mackinaw was chosen as the next site.

On Wednesday, February 9, at about 11:00 A.M. Authorities were contacted to respond to a 2 vehicle collision on Illinois Route 9 and King Road, east of Mackinaw. At the scene, they found a 2000 Ranger flipped on its side, with a 2018 Enclave in a ditch on the south side of the road. The driver of the 2000 Ranger, Danvers resident Larry Conder, age 69, was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:41 P.M.

On Sunday, February 13th, The Mackinaw Valley Vineyard will be hosting a Valentine’s/Galentine’s Masterpiece Painting Class. The painting class will be taught by an artist from “Merlot and Masterpiece” and includes all supplies and instruction to make your own work of art. Class starts at 1:00 P.M. and ends at 3:00 P.M.

The New Castle Bible Church will host their “2022 Seasons of Refreshing” event on Saturday, February 19. Registration begins at 8:00 A.M. and events will last into the evening. Tickets may also be acquired on-line. 

Sunday, February 27th, from 8:00 to 10:00 P.M. once can enjoy “Bourbon and Bites” at Haynes on Main. Chefs Brian and Mike will make a series of “small bites” that will be served with 4 pairings of bourbon. Tickets can be purchased at Haynes on Main.

On Saturday, February 26th the Hopedale Wellness Center is hosting a fun running training camp for girls in grades 6th through 8th. This camp will teach correct running skills and techniques so the girls can “up their running game” while also allowing them to meet other girls who are just as interested in running as they are. If you would like to learn more about the camp you can visit the Wellness Center’s website at hopedalewc.com.
 

For just an additional $25 a month with your membership the Hopedale Wellness Center offers child-care so you can focus on your fitness without worrying about your children. The Wellness Center provides a safe environment for children as well as activities, events, and other learning experiences for them. If you would like to sign up for this add-on or learn more about it you can do so at the Wellness Center website at hopedalewc.com.
 

The Danvers Township Library is hosting a zoom event with Jasmine Guillory, a New York Times bestselling author of six romance novels, where she will discuss her new novel, While We Were Dating with author Morgan Rogers joining her in this discussion. The event is being hosted via zoom on Wednesday, February 16th at 7:00 pm. If you would like to learn more or register for the event you can do so on the Danvers Township Library’s website at danverstownshiplibrary.com.
 

On Friday nights the Hopedale Community Center is hosting game nights. This is a fun event that you don’t want to miss out on. If you are interested and want to attend contact Beau Baker for more info and to let them know you would like to join.
 

The second annual Cookies and Milk Giveaway is being hosted on Sunday, February 13th from 3:00 to 4:00 pm at Living Hope Community Church. There will be a drive-through on the Madison Street side where people can pick up their cookies or delivery is also available. If you want delivery you need to PM Erin Birky or Beth Beachy to let them know. An RSVP is preferred but not required, all are welcome.
 

Every Friday night at 7 pm, the Waynesville United Methodist Church will be showing “The Chosen” series. The series will run until March 11th. Everyone is welcome to come even if you missed the previous episodes!
 

On Saturday, February 19th, the Waynesville American Legion will host a SAL Dinner from 5-7pm. The ribeye dinner & salad bar will be $20/person. Walleye, mountain oysters, and salad bar will be $15/person. The combo meal is $25/person. Carry out is also available at 217-949-3301.
 

Olympia South will be holding another Covid-19 vaccine clinic from 4-7:30 pm on Wednesday, February 16th, in the Media Center. Both the original vaccine and the booster dose will be available. The registration and consent form can be found on the Olympia website. The clinic is open to the public and walk-in appointments are also available.
 

The first Scrap & Chat of 2022 will be held on Saturday, February 19th. This is a great time to come out and scrapbook while chatting with your friends! The event will run from 9:30am - 9:30 pm in Atlanta. For more information and to RSVP, contact Cindy Schempp on Facebook or phone at 309-826-6279.
 

Sonshine Daycare in McLean is in need of new cot sheets. They have found that homemade cot sheets are of higher quality and better fitting. If you, or someone you know, would be willing to help and loves sewing, contact Janelle at 309-874-2522. The help would be greatly appreciated!
 

The Mt. Hope Funks Grove Library book club will meet on Thursday, February 24th, at 6:30pm. The library will be providing coffee, snacks, and door prizes. The books they will be reading this month are Daisy Jones & the Six by Reid Taylor Jenkins and The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams.

The Danvers Township Library is hosting their monthly story/craft day on the 15th of February at 9:30 am. Here kids will have a storytime and then get to make fun, themed crafts. If you are interested in having your kids participate you can contact the library at 309-963-4269 or visit their website at danverstownshiplibrary.com to learn more.
 

St. John's Church in Minier is hosting some fun events in the month of February. Every Monday they are hosting MEMO from 5:00 to 6:30 pm and on Wednesday the 16th they are hosting Youth at 6:00 pm. On the 12th St. Johns is also hosting a movie night at 6:30 pm and then on the 27th there will be a pancake and sausage breakfast from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. 
 

Every Friday night at 7 pm, the Waynesville United Methodist Church will be showing “The Chosen” series. Two episodes will be played each night, up until March 4th. That will conclude with watching seasons one and two. Everyone is welcome to come even if you missed the previous episodes!

The United Methodist Church in Waynesville will host a comfort and care grief support group on Thursday, February 10th at 6:30 pm. Contact Cindy White for more information.
 

Olympia South will be holding another Covid-19 vaccine clinic from 4-7:30 pm on Wednesday, February 16th, in the Media Center. Both the original vaccine and the booster dose will be available. The registration and consent form can be found on the Olympia website. The clinic is open to the public and walk-in appointments are also available.
 

The Village of Armington is looking for a village clerk. If you are interested, please contact someone in the office or PM them on Facebook. Workdays and hours are flexible to fit your needs, too!
 

The Olympia FFA will host an auction and dinner at the Mt. Hope-Funks Grove Park District gym on Saturday, February 12th. Doors will open at 5:30 pm that night. Attendees will receive a pork chop dinner catered by Trails End BBQ & Smokehouse. There will also be a silent and live auction running. Tickets to this event are $25 per person, purchased in advance. For more information, contact the FFA advisor, Bryce Hoffman at bryce.hoffman@olympia.org or 309-379-5911 ext 9317. 
 

Sugar Grove Nature Center will run a tree & shrub pruning workshop on Wednesday, February 9th from 12-3 pm. Debbie Fluegel, a Trees Forever’s Certified Arborist, will teach you how, when, and why to prune trees and shrubs. This class will also include a hands-on demonstration outside. Please dress for the weather and bring hand pruners and hand saws, if you are able. Participants must be at least 18 years of age and the cost is $15 for members and $20 for non-members. Register online, email angela@sugargrovenaturecenter.org, or call 309-874-2174. 
 

The Village of McLean Board of Trustees will meet on February 7th at 7 pm. All are welcome to attend at the Village of McLean Office. The agenda can also be found on the McLean Village website prior to the meeting. 
 

It's Girl Scout Cookie time again! This year there is an option to direct ship (charges apply) or direct sale (delivered locally). Order now through Troop 1065’s link! $5 each. Remember, you also have the option to donate money to purchase boxes to send to our military troops through Operation Cookie Share, too. To order, contact Troop Leader, Kristine Dederich, at kdederich2002@yahoo.com or follow the link: https://app.abcsmartcookies.com/?fbclid=IwAR2P8EqHsJNKbtKdX1o6AGsXVsflZ0M4aOe1RHwAlPepbX-1-gbZAT6T3eo#/shopify-landing-troop/8f328f3e-3f58-ec11-94f6-0003ff504ec5
 

Sunday, February 6th, The Mackinaw Valley Vineyard will be hosting musical guest Greg Williams from 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M.

On Tuesday, February 8th, from 6:15 P.M. to 8:15 P.M. The New Castle Bible Church is offering a Women’s Bible Study Night. Study for the evening will focus on the Book of Acts.

Sunday, February 13th, Haynes on Main is having a Super Bowl Sunday Pre-Party from 11:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. The kitchen will be open and a bloody mary bar will also be available.

The Hopedale Wellness Center is starting up another tumble session on the 7th. They have three sessions, one on Monday for toddlers from 6:00 to 6:30 pm. Then on Wednesday, there is a session for Little Beginners from 5:15 to 5:45 pm and another for Big Beginners from 5:45 to 6:15 pm. Members pay $35 for the 4-week session and non-members pay $50. If you are interested and want to learn more you can visit the Hopedale Wellness Center website at hopedalewc.com.
 

Ninja Kids at the Hopedale Wellness Center is beginning another 4-week session. Ninja Kids is a great way for kids to learn strength, flexibility, and tumbling while being able to have fun and master obstacle maneuvers. This is the perfect program for active kids. The 4-week session begins on the 11th with the first session going from 4:30 to 5:00 pm and the second going from 5:00 to 5:30 pm. The two sessions are Little Ninjas, ages 3 to 6, and Big Ninjas, ages 7 to 12. 
 

The Danvers Township Library is hosting two Valentine Craft days this month. The first one is on February 8th from 4:00 to 7:00 pm and the second is on February 9th from 9:00 to 3:00 pm. During these craft days you can create your choice of a vinyl decal on a hot pad or stem/less wine glass. To reserve a spot you can contact the library at 309-963-4269.
 

The monthly board meeting for the Village of Armington will be held on February 2. These are at 6:30 pm at 103 N. Main Street. For questions contact Catherine Ingram, the Armington Village Clerk. 

Every Friday night at 7 pm, the Waynesville United Methodist Church will be showing “The Chosen” series. Two episodes will be played each night, up until March 4th. That will conclude with watching seasons one and two. Everyone is welcome to come even if you missed the previous episodes!

Olympia South will be holding a Covid-19 vaccine clinic from 4-7:30 pm on Wednesday, January 26th and February 16th in the Media Center. Both the original vaccine and the booster dose will be available. The registration and consent form can be found on the Olympia website. The clinic is open to the public and walk-in appointments are available the day of, too.

Cecile at the Mt. Hope Funks Grove Park District is adding another fitness class. Chair yoga is a new class, which is good for those who cannot make it to the floor or have bad knees, hips, or shoulders. These classes use deep breathing techniques, stretching, and strengthening to gain flexibility and balance. Chair yoga will occur on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:15-11 am for the month of February. The cost for each class is $5.

Sunday, February 6, Atlanta, Illinois will host Valentine’s Day Indoor Market from 11am - 4pm. The market will be held upstairs in the Union Hall at 114 SW Arch Street. An elevator will be accessible. The arcade will also be open and playable. Come out for a day of shopping and fun

The Minier Library is hosting its book club on Monday, January 31st at 6:30. For this book club meeting, they are reading Still Life by Louise Penny. If you are interested you can stop by and pick up a copy of the book to read before the meeting. All are welcome you just need a library card to borrow a copy. The library is located at 202 N. Main, Minier and if you wish to get more info you can call 309-392-3220.

Do you suffer from pain? Do you have discomfort from joint replacements, arthritis, sports, or back injuries? The Hopedale Wellness Center has an Aquatic Therapy program that may be able to help. Aquatic Therapy can help to improve balance and coordination, joint flexibility, endurance, and muscle strength. If you would like to learn more about the program or schedule an appointment you can call 309-449-4501.

This past Friday at the Boys Basketball Game against Paxton Buckley-Ioda a St. Jude fundraiser was held. Here there was a 50-50 raffle held with additional donation buckets where attendees could choose to donate between Dr. Jodlowski or Mr. Jones, the High School, and Middle School principles. The principal who raised the most money would get a pie in the face at halftime. The 50-50 ended up raising over $300 and Dr. Jodlwosky and Mr. Jones raised a similar amount of money so both got a pie in the face.

The Hopedale Medical Foundation is now accepting applications for its Spring 2022 Scholarship Awards. Both high school seniors and college freshmen are eligible to apply as long as they have a permanent residence within the Olympia, Tremont, Delavan, Hartsburg/Emden, Deer Creek/Mackinaw, and Midwest Central school districts. Seven scholarships will be awarded and all entering students entering the healthcare or agricultural fields are eligible. If you wish to get more information on the scholarships you can visit the Hopedale Medical Complex website to learn more.

The Olympia High School and Middle School hosts a Friday Market every 2nd and 4th Friday of the month when school is in session. The market is open to all OHMS students and has food, school supplies, clothing, and personal care products that students can take for free. This is a great way for the school to give back to the students and help out those who need it.

From February 6-13, the New Castle Bible Church is hosting a food drive. Donations may be dropped off inside either of the entrance doors.

On Thursday, February 10th, the Mackinaw Valley Vineyard will be hosting “Farm to Wick” - a custom candle making class, from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. The class fee is $25 and includes supplies and all instructions to make your very own candle.
 

Thursday, February 17th, the Dee-Mack school district Board of Education will hold a Regular Board Meeting from 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.

The monthly board meeting for the Village of Armington will be held on February 2. These are at 6:30 pm at 103 N. Main Street. For questions contact Catherine Ingram, the Armington Village Clerk. 

The Olympia District will have preschool screenings on Wednesday, January 26. These are available for children ages 3-5 to participate in the Pre-K program. The screenings will take place at the Atlanta Christian Church, 300 NE 3rd Street. The sign-up form can be found on the Olympia website with questions directed to Ami Lawson at the District Office. 

Olympia South will be holding a Covid-19 vaccine clinic from 4-7:30 pm on Wednesday, January 26th and February 16th in the Media Center. Both the original vaccine and the booster dose will be available. The registration and consent form can be found on the Olympia website. The clinic is open to the public and walk-in appointments are available the day of, too.

On Monday, January 24, the Mt. Hope-Funks Grove FPD will be hosting a blood drive from 1-6 pm. To sign up to donate blood call, Brenda McCallister, at 309-874-2532 or visit the ImpactLife Blood Center website. Please consider donating to help out in this time of a critical blood shortage!

Every Friday night at 7 pm, the Waynesville United Methodist Church will be showing “The Chosen” series. Two episodes will be played each night, up until March 4th. That will conclude with watching seasons one and two. Everyone is welcome to come even if you missed the previous episodes!

Wednesday, January 26th is a 1:30 P.M. dismissal day for all Deer-Creek Mackinaw schools.

On Saturday, February 5th, The Mackinaw Valley Winery is hosting a Trivia Game Night. Check in and wine tasting starts at 6:00 P.M. and the game starts at 7:00 P.M. Teams can be a maximum of 4 players.

Friday, January 28th, High School boys Sophomore and Varsity basketball teams will play GCMS High in the Deer Creek Mackinaw main gym. Games start at 5:30 P.M.
 

The Hopedale Community Center is hosting a Winter Field Day on January 29th-30th. Here attendees will be able to enjoy fun and food with the Peoria Area Amateur Radio Club. If you would like more information you can contact Justin Flick, N9WX.

The H.A. Peine District Library is hosting an in-person Pre-K Story Hour. If you would like to sign your pre-schooler up you can call 309-392-3220 to register for a spot. The Story Hour is on Tuesday, January, 25th at 11 am and has limited spots available, so make sure to register soon to secure a spot.

If you check out a movie at the Danvers Township Library on a Friday in January you will receive a free bag of microwave popcorn to go with the movie. This is happening only throughout January so make sure to stop by the library on a Friday this month to receive the gift.

The Olympia High School speech team competed at Glenwood High School this past weekend. Here the team placed 4th in the team sweepstakes. Three JV members and 11 Varsity members were finalists in this tournament. The team has one more regular-season tournament left before the IHSA Series begins in February

On Monday, January 24th, the Mt. Hope-Funks Grove FPD will be hosting a blood drive from 1-6pm. To sign up to donate blood call Brenda McCallister at 309-874-2532 or visit the ImpactLife Blood Center website. 

Times for the fitness classes have changed! These classes are held at the Mt. Hope-Funks Grove Park District. Cecile Mercer leads a variety of classes for just $5 each. Make sure to bring your own yoga mat or cushion. Forever Fit is a cardio, strength training, and stretch class on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8-8:50am. Yoga classes are on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 9-10am. Yoga focuses on improving flexibility and concentration while reducing stress. Yin Yoga occurs on Fridays from 8:30-9:30am. Yin Yoga is a slower form of yoga adding in meditation and mindfulness. 

Storytime at the Mt. Hope-Funks Grove Library occurs on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month. Bring your kids out on January 22nd at 10am for a wonderful story. A take-home craft will also be offered. This is also a great time to enjoy the library and pick out some books for your family. Don’t forget that face masks are required. 

At least once a month, the Waynesville Christian Church hosts an event for junior and high school students. This Sunday, January 16th, they will hold a movie night at 6pm. The movie shown will be Woodlawn. There will also be discussion time following the movie.