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“Memories of the Coliseum” event scheduled Feb. 20

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The Coliseum Ballroom (Contributed photo by Build Benld)

The Coliseum Ballroom (Contributed photo by Build Benld)

When the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame opened in Cleveland in 1986, five of the original inductees, The Everly Brothers, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Charles, and the Godfather of it all, Chuck Berry had all appeared on the Coliseum Ballroom’s big stage.

John Lennon said, “If they didn’t call it Rock ’n’ Roll, they’d have to call it Chuck Berry!” The Coliseum was a nursery for the infant Rock ‘n’ Roll in the fifties and sixties and the list of big names that performed there is the stuff of great legend.

On Saturday, February 20, Build Benld and The Coliseum Documentary Project will present “Memories of the Coliseum,” at the Gillespie Civic Center. This is a onetime only event to remember the famous ballroom and commemorate the 40th anniversary of Joyce Tarro’s death.

Build Benld is a civic philanthropic group comprised of dedicated people who are committed to keeping the town alive and vibrant and is one of the most prolific and active civic organizations in Macoupin County. Build Benld does many events and fund raisers and distributes the money back into their community.

They have supported the Adopt a Pet Shelter, have donated 18 tables to the Benld Civic Center, built Memorial Gazebo Park on Central Avenue, painted playground equipment and added staggered tires for kids to climb, installed Coliseum Ballroom Dancers kiosk, plaque, back fencing and flood light, hosted five senior Christmas dinners, and has donated $1900 to the City of Benld for repairs to be made to the bike trail, among many other community causes.

Lynn Shehorn, the promotions and publicity director for Build Benld, said, “For many, many years the Coliseum Ballroom and Benld were synonymous. When you thought of one, you thought of the other – and we all knew Joyce. We wanted to commemorate that and all the pieces came together at just the right time to make it happen.” She went on to say, “All of us have just about the same memories. Saturday night with whoever could get the car that night and heading out to Tarro’s with our friends. Meeting guys and girls, great bands, dancing, and what was better than that when you were 17?  What great memories!  We want to try to bring that back and share our memories with everyone again.”

The Ballroom Band will be playing on Saturday, February 20. Musicians from all over including Nashville, St. Louis, Chicago and Southern California are coming together to perform for this special onetime event. Everyone in the impressive line-up for the night has played on the big stage at the Coliseum Ballroom.

Chuck Wilson, along with band members Rick Rayburn and Charlie Wilson, will provide the core group for the night. These loyal Coliseum Ballroom devotees played with most of the great local bands in the late 60s and early 70s, Serra Leigh, Bulls Eye, Sky High and Seadog, to name but just a few. Chuck went on to work with two time Grammy nominated trumpeter Phil Driscoll and with Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons for many years.

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Musicians for the upcoming event will include former members of Serra Leigh, the Far Cryse, Kaleidoscope, Griffin, Seadog, Lomax, Castle, Sky High, Emerald City, The Bob Kuban Band, The Torquays, The Jay Barry Band, Phil Driscoll, and special guest Gary McClain of The Guild. The band will be playing many of the Top Ten songs from 1959 to 1976. Some surprise guests are being planned as well.

The Coliseum Documentary Project has been in production for well over five years and was started by Jim Marcacci, a retired teacher from Gillespie, who has been active with the Build Benld group since its beginnings.

“When we started we didn’t realize what a monumental task the film would be,” said Marcacci, “We decided early on that we had to tell the whole story from opening night in 1924 to the fire in 2011…and everything in between, for all of its 87 years. We decided to make the complete historical record of The Coliseum Ballroom. In just a very short time, maybe 30, 45 years from now, this will be all that is known about this wonderful, magical place and what happened there. We don’t think it should be forgotten.”

Jim is the director and narrator for the documentary project and has teamed up with writer and Emmy award winning producer John Ubben. They will be showing a special sneak preview of their upcoming documentary “Dance to the Music” set for general release this summer.

The doors will open at 6 p.m. on Feb. 20 with the band starting at 7 p.m. and will play until 11 p.m. There will be a cash bar for beer and wine and set ups will be available (bring your own hard liquor). The tickets are $15 per person and are only available at the door that night.

So, dress up in poodle skirts, leather jackets, white tees and cool blue jeans, and get there early for this onetime special event! Come join The Ballroom Band playing the music that was popular when you were, as Build Benld and the Coliseum Documentary Project remember The Coliseum Ballroom and Joyce Tarro.

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Gillespie teen wins drive safe Chicago video contest

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Wins $2,000 Prize and Video She Created will Air on 160 TV Stations Nationwide

CHICAGO – Emily Bergen, 16, a student at Gillespie High School in Gillespie, has won the annual Drive Safe Chicago public service announcement contest.  Antonio Knott, 15, of Merrillville High School in Merrillville IN, placed second in the voting, and Noelani Elizalde, 17, also from Merrillville High School, was third. 

Sponsored by the National Road Safety Foundation in partnership with the Chicago Auto Show, teens from Illinois and surrounding states were invited to submit ideas for a 30-second PSA about sharing the road with other passenger vehicles, trucks, motorcycles and pedestrians.

Three finalists were selected and each worked with an Emmy Award-winning producer to transform their PSA submissions into 30-second TV public service announcements.  The public was then able to vote for their favorite online.  More than 1,400 online votes were cast.

The winner received $2,000 and will be featured on nationally-syndicated Teen Kids News, reaching more than 160 TV stations across the country. The first runner-up got $1,000 and the second runner-up won $500.  All three finalists’ teachers received $100 gift cards.

Bergen’s winning PSA shows a young driver starting her car and pressing a “share the road” button.  As she drives, an AI voice warns her of a bicyclist, a pedestrian and children in a school zone. The voice then reminds her, “Cars don’t come with devices like me, which is why you need to know how to share the road.”

“The carnage on our roads can be reduced if drivers remain aware of others who share the road,” said Michelle Anderson of The National Road Safety Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes safe driving. “We think the creative ideas about sharing the road from our Drive Safe Chicago winner and runners-up convey that message effectively.”

“Although today’s new cars are safer than ever, with technological advances that are proven to help avoid crashes,” said Chicago Auto Show Chairwoman Kelly Webb Roberts, “drivers must still be aware of others they are sharing the road with, whether it’s a car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle or pedestrians.”

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The National Road Safety Foundation says driver error accounts for 94 percent of all fatal crashes, with speeding and driver distraction among the leading factors.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 40,990 people died on U.S. roads and highways in 2023, with hundreds of thousands of injuries and an estimated annual cost of more than $340 billion.

View Bergen’s winning video below:

Bergen’s video is also featured center on the National Road Safety Foundation’s website with the runners-up videos to the right and to the left: https://m.shortstack.page/NLxMqT

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L&C announces fall 2024 honors lists

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Lewis and Clark Community College

Students earning a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher out of a possible 4.0 are named to the President’s List. Those students earning a grade point average between 3.25 and 3.74 are recognized each semester on the Dean’s List.

Further requirements are listed in the college’s online catalog at http://catalog.lc.edu. All questions should be directed to the Enrollment Center at (618) 468-2222. Below is an excerpt containing students residing in Macoupin County.

President’s List

BENLD – Ryleigh L. Phillips; Zander E. Rieffer; Emily R. Schoen; Tristen B. Wargo;

BRIGHTON – Brandon M. Adams; Ike D. Austin; Lainie L. Behrends; Reagan Beilsmith; Ian C. Brantley; Tina M. Brass; Lane Cox; Madison P. Fenstermaker; Hunter D. Gillis; Hailey Gula; Alexis R. Harrop; Gavin Humm; Thomas D. Kunz; Nicholas O. McGee; Audrey A. Perkins; Ava J. Pulley; Alyssa J. Schuchman; Addison Strohbeck; Sydney A. Valdes; Abby Van Doren; Piper L. Voorhees; Madelyn E. Zarges;

BUNKER HILL – Alex Betts; Grant J. Burch; Kayleigh K. Butler; Abigayle L. Collins; Denise Deias; Braden T. Fulton; Dillon M. Guess; Maya R. Henfling; Hannah J. Herrmann; Madalynn Hilyard; Madelyn Landreth; William Manar; Kaylee L. Richert; Andrew Sanner; Abby N. Spraggs; Noah A. Thyer;

CARLINVILLE – Jack E. Beard; Matthew J. Eldred; Jack Goby; Stephanie K. Harding; Gabriel R. Henson; Alexsis A. Kalaher; Weston E. Kuykendall; Lillian McCurley; Emerald Ondrey; Joanna M. Roemer; Jessica N. Strubbe; Karleina J. Tipps; Samuel L. Wilson;

GILLESPIE – Lauren E. Bertagnolli; Ean L. Davis; Lanie G. Doty; Kennedy G. Helmkamp;

MEDORA – Aubrey M. Reno; Anneliese M. Shatley; Haleigh Sinclair;

SHIPMAN – Alyssa L. Beck; Gracie B. Darr; Addison A. Jeffers; Tyson Kahl; Josiah A. Schuette; Bailee A. Sorgea;

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SOUTH ROXANA – Lyndsey M. Johansen; Caden O. Lara; Savanah M. Stogsdill;

STAUNTON – Julie A. Aloisi; Samantha R. Anderson; Zane P. Anderson; Shane Baker; Lilly M. Bandy; Grace Bekeske; Gianna Bianco; Carson G. Buffington; Kiersten L. Carlson; Karla J. Castillo; Izabella Claussen; Lillian Dothager; Olivia M. Favre; Eli J. Henke; Alexis A. Hester; Samantha D. Hoffman; Harold I. Irvin, III; Dylan Jarden; Korryn O. Keehner; Nicholas L. Raphael; Alexis P. Schaaf; Brady Seelbach; Carli L. Skinner; Cole Sternickle; Tyler J. Thompson; Lilly Trettenero; Lillyan S. Troeckler;

Dean’s List

BENLD – Ridge A. Braundmeier; Kaitlynn E. Conner; Elizabeth M. King; Alyssa S. McCollum; Marria D. Middleton; Alyssa F. Schuette;

BRIGHTON – Garrett R. Beuttel; Troy J. Brooks; Emily Y. Cambron; Jacob G. Carpenter; Lucy Childress; Olivia Cody; Logan T. Crane; Tristyn N. Ditterline; Kaylin G. Gerard; Cooper J. Hagen; Ashlyn K. Hall; Evan Hanold; Samuel J. Harshbarger; Amelia R. Hines-Pattan; Ella J. Kadell; Daylin M. King; Kayla A. Lemarr; Tucker Mayhew; Elizabeth L. Milford; Stacey M. Mynatt; Blythe E. Roloff; Jordan R. Short; Shiann Vinson; Grace A. Wylde;

BUNKER HILL – Cole T. Burch; Hanna N. Heeren; Madelynne K. Heflin; Taylor Miklavic; Katelyn J. Miller; Abigail G. Scott;

CARLINVILLE – Boedy E. Baker; Emily A. Barbre; Zachary Chapman; Ella R. Clevenger; Alana N. Dixon; Alison J. Dixon; Nathan Dyer; Addison Eldred; Saralynn I. Joiner; Henry S. Kalaher; William G. Meyer; Chloe A. Payne; Amy L. Pocklington; Jack Rives; Lanna P. Vanderpoel; Ella C. Wise; Braley M. Wiser;

GILLESPIE – Reese E. Bussmann; Regan E. Bussmann; Addie M. Hayes; Karter Mix; Adrianne B. Niemeyer; Grace J. Vandoren; Shannon L. Wright;

MOUNT OLIVE – Libbie M. Nowell;

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PIASA – Anna C. Fink;

SHIPMAN – Kaden G. Cottingham; Rocky Darr; Kathryn M. Mueller; Sayuri Owada; Rocky J. Rose;

STAUNTON – Rylee K. Baugh; David S. Dann; Belle M. Darte; Jacob A. Dillon; Vivienne Dothager; Sean T. Fleming; Kennedy L. Legendre; Zander MacHota; Savannah M. Missey; Nicholas Monahan; Nicole M. Narup; Kelley Perrine; Christopher S. Pritchett; Alivia Royer; Katie N. Schalk; Lakesi Settles; Priya E. Siegfried; Justin A. Smith; Kylie A. Tomso; Whitney Weller;

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Gillespie to host blood drive on Feb. 17

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Gillespie Community will host a Community Blood Drive with ImpactLife, the provider of blood components for local hospitals. The blood drive will be from 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm on Monday, February 17 at 900 Broadway, inside Gillespie Methodist Church Gym.

To donate, please contact Brenda Lowe at (217) 710-1336 or visit www.bloodcenter.org and use code 60020 to locate the drive. You may also call ImpactLife to schedule at 800-747-5401. Appointments are requested.

Potential donors must be at least 17 years of age (16 with parental permission form available through www.bloodcenter.org) and weigh more than 110 pounds. A photo I.D. is required to donate.  For questions about eligibility, please call ImpactLife at (800) 747 5401. Donors who last gave blood on or before 12/23/24 are eligible to give at this drive.

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