Community News
Lindell Loveless Speaks to Area Rotary
When his wife found a document recording the history of Gillespie among the couple’s papers in a file cabinet, Gillespie resident Lindell Loveless regarded it as an exciting discovery. “I got so excited that I invested $700 to bring it to the people of Gillespie,” Loveless told members of the Benld Area Rotary Club during the club’s regular meeting at noon, Tuesday, at Toni’s Family Restaurant, Benld.
Loveless said the manuscript was given to his wife, Jean, by the late Kathryn Blanchard, former publisher of the Gillespie Area News. It had languished in the file cabinet, apparently for decades, before being found.“The date on her work was 1970,” Loveless said. “That’s 40 years ago; that’s two generations. That’s a lot of people who would want to see this who weren’t even alive when it was written.”
Loveless said he hired Tom Emery of Carlinville, an author and historian who makes his living by publishing booklets on little known historical subjects. Emery prepared the manuscript for publication, including preparation of an index and footnotes. “When you print a book, you have to have a cover,” Loveless said. “I told Tom it had to be orange for Gillespie.” The orange cover is adorned with the familiar ‘miner’ logo. The book is available for $6 per copy at Michelle’s Pharmacy in Gillespie.
Loveless read a few passages from the booklet and offered a few comments. One passage dealt with the establishment of the city’s first grain mill in 1856 on the site that would later be the site of the Gillespie Elevator. The location is now the site of the Illinois Valley Rehabilitation Center and a public housing development. Loveless also read passages dealing with a 1905 fire that destroyed much of the downtown business district and the failure of a local bank in 1932. “This stuff just gets me so excited,” he said, “when I think about the obstacles they had to overcome. Nothing was easy for them.”
Having been bitten by the publishing bug, Loveless and Emery also have produced a booklet on Howard Knotts, identified as the “Ace of the Prairie.” Loveless said he was familiar with Knotts because he owned a farm north of Carlinville where his maternal grandmother and four of her children lived. As a child of six or eight years old, Loveless said, he often went to stay with his grandmother, where he learned more about Knotts’ exploits first as a World War I fighter pilot and later as an aviation pioneer. In addition to racking up an impressive record in the war, Knotts designed airplanes and helped draft state and federal aviation law.
Copies of “Howard Knotts: Ace of the Prairie” are available at the Bookshelf on the Carlinville square. Loveless said he currently is working on compiling a history of the Civilian Conservation Corps in Macoupin County. The local CCC camp, he said, was located north of Carlinville at the site of the current Macoupin County Fairgrounds. The CCC book should be available in a couple of months, he said. Another project Loveless is working on is the establishment of a foundation “to help young people in Macoupin County expand their horizons and select a career.”
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Meet Professors and Current Students, Learn about Opportunities, Tour Campus, and Get Instant Admissions Decisions at the Events
CARLINVILLE, ILL. — Interested students and families will have two opportunities to learn more about Blackburn College this fall. The Admissions and Financial Aid teams will host Open House events on Monday, October 14, and Monday, November 11, beginning at 8:30 am. These events allow future first-time and transfer students to gather important information about the college application process.
Throughout their time on campus, prospective students and their families will explore and tour the beautiful 80-acre campus, make personal connections with current students and professors, and get to know what life is like as a Blackburn student. They will also see first-hand Blackburn’s unique approach to education—where students earn their degrees while building impactful skills and gaining real-world work experience–giving graduates a four-year head start to launch their future careers.
For Justin Norwood, Vice President for Inclusive Enrollment and a Blackburn graduate, these opportunities are valuable for prospective students and families because nothing is more important than finding a school that will be the best fit. “Finding the right college is more than just academics; it’s discovering a place where students feel supported and inspired to thrive,” Norwood said. “At Blackburn, our open house events provide an opportunity to experience what makes our community unique – the close mentoring relationships with peers and professors, the ability to build critical skills and gain real-world work experience, and a personalized financial aid approach that goes beyond affordability and is designed to meet the specific needs of every student.”
Blackburn’s Admissions and Financial Aid team will be available throughout the event to answer all your questions, including about opportunities like the Macoupin Promise – where qualified graduates of Macoupin County high schools can attend Blackburn tuition-free. For more information and to register for an event, go to blackburn.edu/visit or email admissions@blackburn.edu.
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Seven libraries in Macoupin County will welcome new visitors throughout October with a program sponsored by the region’s library system.
The 6th Annual Library Crawl invites patrons to explore new libraries throughout the Illinois Heartland Library System, which composes the southern half of the state. The Crawl also demonstrates the benefits of a library card, which allows users to check out materials from the libraries they visit.
Some 173 libraries across central and southern Illinois are taking part in the Crawl, including Gillespie, Staunton, Mount Olive, Carlinville, Brighton, Virden, and Benld. The event runs from October 1 through October 31.
The first Library Crawl was introduced in 2019 by the Bethalto Public Library, which continues to coordinate the event. The idea was designed to encourage library users to explore the resources of other libraries that are available to request and check out with a valid library card.
Twenty-eight libraries participated in that first year, a number that has now increased over six-fold.
Patrons may pick up a passport for the Crawl at any participating library, and try to visit at least five libraries during the event. A few enthusiastic individuals have actually visited every library on the Crawl in past years.
At each new library, visitors may stop at the main circulation desk to have their passports stamped. To complete the Crawl, patrons may simply return their passports to their home library.
Some libraries also offer special treats for visitors on the Crawl. After any visit to a participating library, patrons are invited to take pictures to post on social media, under the hashtag #IHLSLibraryCrawl2024.
Many libraries are closed in observance of Columbus Day on October 14, so anyone planning a visit should call ahead, to check on hours of operation.
For more information on the Crawl, visit www.illinoisheartland.org or call any of the participating libraries.
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Proceeds benefit St. Francis Cancer Center
LITCHFIELD, Ill. — The HSHS St. Francis Hospital Auxiliary will sponsor their sixth and final drive-thru dinner for 2024 on Monday, Oct. 14 from 5 to 6:30 p.m. to support the hospital’s Cancer Center expansion project.
Dinners must be ordered by noon on Monday, Oct. 7. Online ordering will not be available for this final meal, but dinner may still be ordered in the hospital gift shop or by contacting Paula Endress at 217-324-8200.
The Oct. 14 drive-thru dinner pick up will take place in front of the main hospital entrance.
The meal will feature a grilled pork chop, loaded mashed potatoes, green beans, roll and a dessert. Cost per meal is $14.
For more information about HSHS St. Francis Hospital, visit stfrancis-litchfield.org.
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Bunker Hill hosting Fall Festival this Saturday, Sept. 14
Gillespie Council votes to buy building for police department
Gillespie Council establishes penalty of late lake lot lease payments, green lights programs to display banners honoring local veterans
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Community News3 weeks agoBunker Hill hosting Fall Festival this Saturday, Sept. 14
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Community News3 weeks agoGillespie Council votes to buy building for police department
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Community News3 weeks agoGillespie Council establishes penalty of late lake lot lease payments, green lights programs to display banners honoring local veterans
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Obituaries3 weeks agoDeath of Beverly J. Katich