Win One, Lose One

Just as we win a victory with air service resuming to St. Louis next month from Williamson County Regional Airport, Mesa Airlines announced this week they will be suspending air service to Chicago.

Airport Manager Doug Kimmel called the decision an "unfortunate situation" in an interview with the Southern Illinoisan.

Mesa came to Williamson County Airport in February as a result of the I-Fly fund that provided more than $100,000 each to the airports in Marion, Quincy and Decatur. Thomas Bacon, vice president of planning for Mesa Air Group said operating costs were too high and the exit is part of a strategy that will affect services throughout the company.

"We're very disappointed we have to leave the market," Bacon said. "The community's been great."

The only silver lining in the deal is that with the Marion-Decatur-Chicago route officially dead the possibility exists for a new Marion-Springfield-Chicago service which should service a greater demand.

St. Louis Air Service Resumes Next Month

Air service from Williamson County Regional Airport in Marion to Lambert Field in St. Louis will resume November 4.

Initially there will be only two departures and two arrivals at the airport with a morning flight leaving at 6:07 a.m. and arriving in St. Louis at 6:45 a.m. and an afternoon flight leaving Marion at 1:43 p.m. and arriving at Lambert at 2:21 p.m.

Flights from St. Louis at 12:55 p.m. with arrival in Marion at 1:33 p.m. and an evening flight leaving Lambert at 7:30 p.m. and arriving in Marion at 8:08 p.m.

Reservations can be made online at a variety of travel site, or directly from the airline at www.flygreatlakes.com. Fliers can also call the Great Lakes' reservation center at (800) 554-5111 or their local travel agent.

Drought Hits Rend Lake Water Levels

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is announced further temporary restrictions at Rend Lake today due to low water levels.

I ran into Matt Stroebel of SnS Guide Service at a convenience store on the way to work this morning. He knew of a number of fishermen who were getting boats and equipment damaged who were not used to how shallow the lake was getting in parts.

Today's announcement by the Corps deals with the closure of the Turnip Patch boat ramp on the west side of the lake in Jefferson County. Last week it was the temporary closure of the North Marcum boat ramp and restrictions on the use of the Gun Creek boat ramp to boats "which require less than one foot of draft when afloat".

Still, fishermen and boaters still have access to the remaining 15 boat ramps.

The following is from today's announcement.

Below normal rainfall during the summer season has left Rend Lake water levels near record low elevations. The pool elevation at Rend Lake is currently 403.97 NGVD (National Geodetic Vertical Datum), which is approximately 1 foot below October’s average pool elevation of 404.9 NGVD.

The all-time low pool elevation recorded for Rend Lake was reached in November of 1974 with a level of 402.95 NGVD. The lake reached recreation “normal” pool of 405.0 NGVD for the first time following its construction in the fall of 1973.

Low water levels can cause sand bars, stumps and other obstructions to surface in unexpected areas. As always, the Corps strongly encourages boaters to wear their life jacket and exercise extreme caution when on the waters of Rend Lake.

Additional information on current lake levels and low water restrictions by calling the 24-hour Recreation Information Network at 618-625-1828 or by contacting the Rend Lake Project Office at 618-724-2493 or by email at rendinfo@usace.army.mil.

Low Water Levels Restrict Rend Lake Ramps

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued the following news release today concerning low water levels at Rend Lake.

Due to the unseasonably low water levels, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Rend Lake is announcing the temporary closure of the North Marcum boat ramp and restrictions being placed on the use of the Gun Creek boat ramp.

The use of the Gun Creek boat ramp is being limited to boats which require less than 1 foot of draft when afloat. Both of these areas will re-open for unrestricted use when water levels return to levels which allow for the safe use of these facilities. No restrictions are currently in place for the remaining 16 boat ramps at Rend Lake which remain open for public use.

Below normal rainfall during the summer season has left Rend Lake water levels near record low elevations. The pool elevation at Rend Lake is currently 403.97 NVGD (National Vertical Geodetic Datum), which is approximately 1 foot below October’s average pool elevation of 404.9 NGVD.

The all-time low pool elevation recorded for Rend Lake was reached in November of 1974 with a level of 402.95 NGVD. The lake reached recreation “normal” pool of 405.0 NGVD for the first time following its construction in the fall of 1973.

Low water levels can cause sand bars, stumps and other obstructions to surface in unexpected areas. As always, the Corps strongly encourages boaters to wear their life jacket and exercise extreme caution when on the waters of Rend Lake.

For additional information on current lake levels and low water restrictions call the 24-hour Recreation Information Network at 618-625-1828 or by contacting the Rend Lake Project Office at 618-724-2493 or by email at rendinfo@usace.army.mil.

Chonda Pierce in Concert Oct. 12

Christian Comedian Chonda Pierce will be in concert Friday, Oct. 12, at the Williamson County Pavilion as part of a benefit for the Williamson County Child Advocacy Center.

Tickets can be purchased in the Williamson County Tourism Bureau's office at the Pavilion from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

General admission tickets are $15, Preferred Seating - $20 and Artist Circle Seating - $25. Tickets can also be ordered online ($1 processing fee added to each ticket).

General Admission - $16 each

Preferred Seating - $21 each

Artist Circle Seating - $26 each

Marion to St. Louis Air Service to Resume Nov. 4

The Southern Illinoisan is reporting that air service between the Williamson County Regional Airport and St. Louis' Lambert Field will resume November 4. This will end eight months of no flights to St. Louis after the Federal Aviation Administration shut down RegionsAir.

Great Lakes Airlines took over the contract in June but was unable to secure the planes necessary to make the flights.

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin made the announcement yesterday.

Besides the service to St. Louis, Williamson County also hosts flights by Mesa Airlines to Chicago Midway.

New Developments Break Ground

Marion's west side continues to develop with nearly $8 million new building projects breaking ground this summer.

JWL Properties broke ground late last week for a new strip shopping center immediately north of the old Barnett Furniture building between Wal-Mart and the Illinois Centre Mall.

This is a $1.3 million construction project that should provide about another 20,000 square feet of retail space and possibly another restaurant. The address will be 2801 Civic Circle Drive on the inside loop around the mall.

Building permit applications show $4 million for the new Marion Toyota dealership on Route 13 across from Heartland Regional Hospital. The dealership will move the Toyota operation to the new site and keep the other automotive lines at the existing location.

On West Main Street the Bank of Herrin's new $1.8 million facility has started on the the steel work above ground. The new bank is beside its current facility (the originally TCBY building) across from Pepsi Mid-America and next to Comfort Suites.

At the corner of Route 13 and Halfway Road, Newcomb Oil Company's new $770,000 convenience store is will on its way as well. They buried the fuel tanks last week and the building will soon be fully enclosed. It's a very impressive design so far.

We're hoping there will be some more announcements soon as well, particularly in the travel side of the business.

Meanwhile what we do know is that Farmers State Bank is still presumably looking at building a new facility in front of Wal-Mart (they bought the land last winter) and Russell Oil Company may be looking at a new station on East DeYoung St. They took out a building permit earlier this year on a $285,000 project at 309 E. DeYoung, but haven't started construction.

Developer Still Eyeing Perry County

Kevin McDermott of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting today that the proposed Branson-like development targeted for Perry County appears to still be on the way.

Some state lawmakers have expressed concern at the continued lack of hard information from the enigmatic company. But political leaders around Pinckneyville — a rural community of 5,400 about 60 miles southeast of St. Louis — remain optimistic.

"I really believe it's going to happen. They've spent so much time and money already. ... This is really going to go,'' said Perry County Board Chairman Jim Booker. He said company president Anthony Watkins met with him in nearby Du Quoin last week to assure him the company was still pursuing the project.

The company wants to build a $100 million convention resort complex in the vein of Branson, Mo., which would include music venues, golf, a BMX bike-racing facility and other amenities. The project could ultimately involve 5,000 acres of land — roughly 10 times the acreage of Six Flags amusement park in Eureka.

Meanwhile the only official news release on the company's website dates back to Oct. 4, 2005 when the titular Toney Watkins was about to make a presentation to the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce on his MetroEast development project.

Sign's Messages Shine Bright

The new sign for the Williamson County Pavilion is up and working at the intersection of Route 13 and Williamson County Parkway.

This was one of those projects that took a whole lot of effort over a very long period of time. Most of the credit goes to two of the board members of the tourism bureau and the Williamson County Events Commission, the entity that actually owns the Pavilion.

Jeanette Sollami took on the long-delayed project last fall when she served as the bureau's interim director. Bruce Troutman, the treasurer for the commission (as well as the county), stepped in when it came time to secure the land for the sign. Kudos for both.

Of course, none of it would have been possible without the generosity of Steak 'n Shake which donated the few square feet necessary in a lease in order for us to have a place to erect the sign.

We still have a few minor items to complete around the base of the sign before it's finished but most importantly the message board is working.

I did a quick check of the traffic count on IDOT's website www.GettingAroundIllinois.com. Some 21,200 vehicles a day pass along that stretch of Route 13 in front of Steak 'n Shake.

By the way, the website also showed that more than 11,000 vehicles get off Interstate 57 every day at Marion; 8,500 use Exit 54 at Route 13 and 2,650 use Exit 53 at Main Street.

Right Attitude in Murphysboro

Last Thursday's Southern had a good article on state Rep. Mike Bost's recent presentation to the Murphysboro Chamber of Commerce where he talked up tourism and the region's growing wine industry.

Midway through the article Adam Testa inserted a quote by Barbara Dallas, Murphysboro's Tourism Commissioner, who noted that while help from the state was appreciated, "local relationships need to be improved before tourism can reach its full potential."

"We need to get over Friday Night Fever," she said. "We need to realize it's not Murphysboro versus Carbondale versus Marion. The only way we're going to build tourism is regionalization."

She's right on target!

New Owners Serve Up Lick Creek General Store

This week's Carbondale Times has a nice story on the old Lick Creek General Store off of Interstate 57 at Exit 36, 18 miles south of Marion in northeastern Union County.

The store had been transformed into a unique restaurant some years ago, but had closed. Carbondale Councilman Lance Jack and Emily Taylor reopened the restaurant earlier this spring, but have held off on their grand opening until today for their Labor Day Party.

"Up until now we have been relying on word of mouth and calls from the past," Jack said. "We have done no advertising whatsoever until this past week. We have been passing out fliers. We were working on a soft opening to make sure that we had all of our ducks in a row. Emily and I have known each other for years now but we want to make sure we could work together.

"We have come to the conclusion that we can work together without killing each other," he joked. "She likes to call me the best husband she's never had."

The restaurant is known for its unique nine course meals.

For more information contact them at 618-833-6360. They are located 1/8th of a mile east of the interstate on Lick Creek Road.

Whew! Governor Doesn't Cut Tourism

After weeks of delay the state of Illinois apparently has a budget according to The Capitol Fax Blog.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich submitted his veto message to the General Assembly earlier today. It included major revisions, but none on page 252 in the line item that directly impacts certified tourism bureaus across the state.

Therefore, it looks like the 10 percent increase for local convention and tourism bureaus is protected and should result in at least a 10 percent increase in our state funding for the Williamson County Tourism Bureau.

The funding in this program has stayed the same since the 2004 budget. The new money was only added by the General Assembly in this last budget bill passed.

UPDATE 5:34 p.m. August 22
However the veto pen did take a bite out of the Illinois Wine and Grape Council, slashing their line item from $165,000 down to $150,000. Considering the impact the wine industry is having on tourism in the state that won't help.

UPDATE 8:55 p.m. August 22
Looks like state funding for the Illinois Main Street program was wiped out totally - all $204,000 that flowed through the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.

Food Network to Focus on 17th Street's Ribs

Bon Appètit declares Southern Illinois' 17th Street Bar & Grill the best rib joint in America and you can watch the episode on the Food Network this weekend.

The show will air at 4 p.m. Saturday and repeat at 5 p.m. Sunday (CDT). The show is the Food Network's special, "Top American Restaurants: Bon Appetit Picks the Best".

More on 17th Street can be found on the web at www.17thstreetbarbecue.com.

Developers Eye Gun Creek at Rend Lake

Today's Southern Illinoisan has an update on Rend Lake Conservancy District's efforts to attract private investors to develop the Gun Creek area northwest of Exit 77 on Interstate 57.

Three of the proposals call for the land to be developed into a resort or resort-type complex that could include such amenities as an indoor/outdoor swimming pool, hotels, shopping, cottages, condominiums, marina and a nature center.

A fourth group has proposed a residential housing complex for the site. [RLCD Manager Keith] Thomason said the group would like to construct 140 villas.

Hopefully the district will take one of the three proposals for tourism development rather than the residential development. I've got a problem with using eminent domain for what would be a luxury subdivision.

A mixed use development would provide additional lodging, sales tax and attractions that would bring in even more tourists.

The latest figures released earlier this summer showed Franklin County with the second worst rate of growth of any county in the state when it comes to tourism expenditures. As home of one of Illinois' Seven Wonders that shouldn't be the case.

To see what you're missing at Rend Lake, check out this video from YouTube.

Burden Falls Flows on YouTube

One of the Shawnee National Forest's hidden gems isn't hidden as much now with this user created video on YouTube taken last New Year's Eve.

Burden Falls is located in northern Pope County near Bell Smith Springs.

New Visitor Center Operating in Equality

Carolyn Baltimore, one of the volunteers with Gallatin County Tourism and the Ohio River Scenic Byway Visitor Center in Equality dropped by the office yesterday.

I've driven by the new facility which is located in downtown Equality, but not while it was open. It was funded with a transportation enhancement grant matched with another grant.

It's open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from noon to 3 p.m. on Sundays from April through mid November to catch the deer season.

The address of the facility is 101 W Lane Street (which is the tip end of Route 142), Equality IL 62934.

Gallatin County is working on a brochure now and has a new website at DiscoverSoutheasternIL.com.

State Tourism Funding Up in Air

The budget passed by the Illinois General Assembly last week included a 10 percent increase for local tourism and convention bureaus, the first increase in four years.

That amount was up from what the governor proposed this spring and what the House of Representatives passed in their budget earlier this summer.

It's not clear though if the governor will use his line item veto to reduce the amount as he has threatened to do on other items.

The final budget is House Bill 3866. The appropriations are found in Senate Floor Amendment #1.

MMA Cage Fight Set for Saturday at Pavilion

The family that fights together, smites together.

Five sibling fighters, including the big sister will be competing Saturday at the Cage of Fury MMA event Saturday night at the Williamson County Pavilion.

The Marion Daily's Tom Kane took the photo on the left. Clockwise from the front, the five Holmes Family fighters are Detsonie Davis, 28 and 119 pounds; Zach Holmes, 15 and 145 pounds; Derrick Holmes, 23 and 155 pounds; Edward “Bubba” Holmes, 26 and 165 pounds; and Austin Holmes, 18 and 130 pounds.

Other local fighters on the fight card are Kenny Mayhall, Bill Irby and Robert “Bucky” Neal of Harrisburg; Darrell Coleman, Andrew Trammel and Steven Campbell of Marion; Dustin Bloodworth and Damian Jeffro of Herrin; Jason Hobbs of Desoto; Aaron Essary of Johnston City, Brian Sanders of McLeansboro, Jill Fickes of Carbondale and Hayeley Weintz of Christopher.

Saturday night’s fights start at 8 p.m. and doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets prices are $125, $75, $55, $45 and $25 and may be purchased at the Williamson County Pavilion, Bookworm in Carbondale or S&M Fitness in Harrisburg.

To place an order for tickets, or for more information, call the Williamson County Tourism Bureau at (618) 997-3690.

ATA Grand American Heats Up — Literally

The American Trapshooting Associations Grand American event kicked off Monday at the World Shooting and Recreation Complex up near Sparta.

This is one of the largest events to take place annually in Southern Illinois.

The Southern Illinoisan has good coverage so far:

• Grand American gets underway in Sparta
  
  
• Staff at World Shooting Complex trying to stay cool"
  
  
• Grand Opening: Pinckneyville High competes for the first time as varsity
  
  
• Charlie Daniels Band returns to Southern Illinois

Talent Search Begins for Southern Illinois Opry

It's time for the region's would-be country singers to start warming up.

Rick Johnson's Southern Illinois Opry will be conducting a talent search on Saturday, August 18, at the center court of the Illinois Centre Mall.

The top four or five singers will get to perform with a live band at the inaugural show of the Opry on Saturday, September 29, at the Williamson County Pavilion in Marion.

"We feel there is a lot of talent in this area," [Illinois Centre Marketing Director Penny] Strobel said. "There are a lot of people in this area who have beautiful voices that do not get the opportunity to sing. It's a chance to let our area know we appreciate all the talent here."

Johnson said he would like to showcase and bring forth local talent.

"There is going to be a lot of good times and it's going to be a good show for everyone," he said.

The event will also feature the Jackie Martin Band and the doo-wop group Blend.

Tickets for the shows on the 29th will be $12 for table seats and $10 for general admission.

Johnson said. "People can come out and have a good time without spending a fortune. I'm trying to keep the prices as low as I can for the people of Southern Illinois."

Tickets can be ordered online by credit card through PayPal.

Williamson Shoots for Third Airline

The Southern Illinoisan's new Williamson County reporter Megean Sexton broke the story this morning of a possible third carrier coming to the Williamson County Airport.

Airport Manager Doug Kimmel told her that the airport and Allegiant Air are "very near an agreement" to provide air service from Marion to such vacation destinations as Orlando and Las Vegas.

Allegiant specializes in flights two or three times a week from smaller markets to major vacation destinations. They currently fly out of MidAmerica Airport on I-64 near Mascoutah.

"We do believe there is an opportunity in this market for our brand of non-stop, low-cost jet service to vacation destinations like Las Vegas and Orlando," [Allegiant Air Spokesperson Tyri] Squyres said. "We generally start (flights) at two to four times a week — keep the seats full and that ensures we can keep our fares low."

Unlike the smaller planes used in the flights to Chicago (and soon again St. Louis), Allegiant's planes can carry 150 passengers.

The possible deal with Allegiant puts pressure on the airport now to replace its out-dated and soon to be too small terminal which is around 30 years old.

The Federal Aviation Authority awarded the airport a $1 million grant last month for three projects, one of which would pay for a terminal design study.

As to the grounded St. Louis service, no word yet when flights will resume.

Southern Illinois Opry Set for Sept. 29

Rick Johnson's Southern Illinois Opry is set to debut Saturday, September 29, at the Williamson County Pavilion in Marion with a blend of country music and family-friendly comedy.

Tickets are $12 for table seating and $10 for general admission. Seating is first come, first served, except for parties who purchase a table of eight in advance.

Tickets may be ordered online, in person at the Williamson County Tourism Office in the Pavilion at 1602 Sioux Drive behind the Illinois Centre Mall, or at the door the night of the concert. Please note that a $1 service fee will be added to cost of tickets ordered online.

Buy your tickets now — online with PayPal.

Table Seats ($12 + $1)


General Admission ($10 + $1)

Tickets purchased online may be picked up at the Will Call booth the night of the performance or in advance at the Williamson County Tourism Bureau office.

For more on the Opry check out the Marion Daily Republican's Conversation with Rick Johnson.

Cat Show & Martial Arts Classic Goes Well

The Southern Illinoisan, the Marion Daily Republican, WSIL-TV and KFVS-TV all gave us excellent coverage this weekend of the Southern Illinois Feline Fancier's Cat Show and the International Southern Illinois Open Martial Arts Classic held at the Williamson County Pavilion.

I really like Ashley Wiehle's opening paragraph in today's Southern.

MARION - What do you get when you mix martial arts with fluffy Persian kittens? A packed weekend at the Williamson County Pavilion, for starters.

We weren't completely certain everything would work out when we booked both events for the same weekend but it worked out fine with the cats up front and the martial arts in the back. Next year we'll push for separate weekends.

Here's a wrap-up of some of the press coverage.

• Williamson County Pavilion Hosts Busy Weekend - The Southern.
  
• 'Catty Competitors' - The Southern.
  
• Martial Arts Competition at Pavilion This Weekend - Marion Daily Republican.
  
• Feline fanciers from around the country coming to Marion - Marion Daily Republican.

It looks like we had about 3,500 people in the building this weekend.

Cat show organizers noted they had 128 cats registered which brought about two people on average per cat, plus 700 to 800 spectators. The martial arts classic saw around 700 competitors and 1,800 spectators.

Nice Article About Rend Lake & The Miners

Chicago-area outdoor writer Don Dziedzina had a nice write-up last week about his trip to Rend Lake that included a nice plug for Williamson County and the Southern Illinois Miners as well.

Franklin County has a lot to keep you busy when you're down south for a summer vacation. With everything being so close, that really helps too. Just about 15 minutes south of the resort, down Interstate 57, is the town of Marion in Williamson County, and this year they have their very own minor league baseball team, the Southern Illinois Minors. Any trip that you may make down south during the summer should include a baseball game at the Minors' new $15 million field. It's great!

Oh, and the fishing was great too.

Don writes for the Sun-Times suburban papers as well as produces outdoor shows for both radio and cable television. He has more on his website, IllinoisOutdoors.com.

Gambit Owners Propose Expansion

The owners of the Gambit golf course in Vienna are looking to the state for help in expanding their property.

Owner Bruce Monzulla wants to build a gated residential community and a 90-room motel on the property to go along with the course and the restaurant already there.

The catch is he would like to acquire a 115-acre tract along I-24 that the Department of Natural Resources owns.

Check out the Southern for the rest of the story.

Major Resort Proposed for Perry Co.

A MetroEast development company is looking at Perry County for a new $100 million Branson-like tourist development.

Details are sketchy, but the proposal would call for using part of Pyramid State Park and involve a land swap between the developers and the Department of Natural Resources.

State Rep. Dan Reitz (D-Steeleville) has introduced legislation allowing DNR to authorize the swap if they found it acceptable.

The Associated Press has the latest.

Disco-era Drag Strip Revving Back Up

Brian DeNeal has a great article on new plans for the old Accelaquarter Raceway north of Harrisburg.

HARRISBURG - Weeds grow through the cracks in the old Accelaquarter Raceway north of Harrisburg, at one time the favorite weekend attraction of the area.

Through the 1960s, the raceway brought in crowds and racers from Kentucky and Indiana, but the spot has been quiet for decades.

Wednesday afternoon, the 1/8 mile strip roared again. Bobby Umsted of Huntington, Tenn., donned his red racing jacket and helmet as another man poured a bucket of water on the track in front of Umsted's car, a sleek, red machine with the motor poking up from the hood. The car roared, and roared louder, until several of those watching covered their ears. The wheels spun on the wet pavement, producing blue smoke -- and the car zoomed down over the cracked pavement.

"This brings back some great memories," former Accelaquarter owner Darrel Mattingly said.

The new owner is the Cars For Kids organization which holds car shows and drag races to raise money for disabled children.

Check out the rest of the story for more.

This will make a nice attraction to the area next year. Motorized sports is a growing in the region with the SI Raceway east of Marion, the I-57 Drag Strip near Benton, the Mount Vernon Raceway and the racing events at the DuQuoin State Fair.

S.I. Music Festival Kicks Off Next Week

From the SIU News Service ... (Also check out our Calendar of Events for the local concerts in Williamson County.)

By Andrea Hahn
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Bach is back – and so are Mozart, Beethoven, Stravinsky, and the sounds of a classical music summer.

The Third Annual Southern Illinois Music Festival, a nearly three-week long, multi-site celebration of classical, jazz and chamber music organized by the School of Music at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, begins June 15, with a preview chamber music performance on June 10.

A special feature of the festival is its mobility. More than 50 performances are set for nearly two-dozen different venues all over Southern Illinois. Music lovers can hear chamber music at a café, quintets at a winery, quartets at community buildings and brown bag concerts in a recital hall. There will be jazz at an art show, concerts just for children at libraries and recreation centers, patriotic music in a city park and orchestras at music auditoriums and halls from Mount Vernon to Cairo, Marion to Murphysboro. An abridged version of Tchaikovsky's "Sleeping Beauty" ballet and an English-language comic opera bring a beautiful visual component to the festival as well.

Edward Benyas, SIUC music professor, conductor of the Chicago Chamber Orchestra and the festival's founder and artistic director, said the heart of the festival is the beautiful, neoclassic Shryock Auditorium on the SIUC campus. The elegance of the setting and the richness of the music are enhanced during the festival by wine tasting from Shawnee Hills Wine Trail wineries before, during intermission, and after each performance.

This year, an All-American program featuring Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" literally takes to the field. The new Rent One Park in Marion will swap out the crack of the bat for an orchestra concert highlighted by a fireworks display. And Marvin Hamlisch, the Broadway and motion picture musical score composer who brought us "The Way We Were," "A Chorus Line" and "The Sting" as well as music for movies such as "Sophie's Choice," "Ordinary People," and "Three Men and a Baby," comes to the Herrin Civic Center as part of the Southern Illinois Music Festival.

Several performances will feature original compositions by Festival Composer-in-Residence James Stephenson, III. Stephenson's music has been performed by dozens of orchestras around the country and his commissions include work with Branford Marsalis and Rodney Mack, the Houston Symphony and the Philadelphia Orchestra. He is known particularly for his work with young musicians.

This year's festival continues the tradition of including an opera selection. This year's offering, sponsored by the Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, is Gaetano Donizetti's "Elixir of Love," a comic Italian opera that will be sung in English. Lighting, scenery and costume combine with the music to tell the light-hearted, romantic and yet inspiring story of how the peasant Nemorino wins the hand of the hand of the wealthy beauty Adina aided by what he believes to be a love potion. Instead, it turns out to be simply a bottle of Southern Illinois wine. Local opera afficiandos should look for a familiar face among the opera performers. Carbondale Mayor Brad Cole will play the part of the Notary during the Carbondale performance; there also will be a performance in Sesser.

Benyas said this year's festival is the biggest yet. He said the variety of venues and the free or low admission price make the festival widely accessible. Most concerts are indoor events, but several events will take place outdoors and casual dress is welcome at all performances.

"The festival coincides with a two-week summer music camp for high school students, a 40-year tradition at SIUC," he said. "Members of the Chicago Chamber Orchestra are in residence during the festival – and that is a huge benefit for the camp participants." Summer Music Camp participants in music theater, concert band, jazz improvisation and high school choir have opportunities to perform during the festival.

In addition to SIUC, major sponsors include the Illinois Arts Council, the City of Carbondale, The Southern Illinoisan, WSIL-TV, WSIU Public Broadcasting, Carbondale Community Arts, Shawnee Hills Wine Trail, Southern Illinois Miners, Mélange, Boundless Gallery.com, Dr. Samuel Goldman, the Julia Harrison Bruce Foundation-Bank of Herrin Trustee, the Garwin Family Foundation, Hastings Foundation, Moore-Corpora Foundation, SISO Patrons Committee and Southern Foundation.

More information is available at www.SIFest.com or by calling 618-53-MUSIC or 618/453-2776.

Kincaid Mounds Dig Resumes This Summer

From the SIU News Service ...

By Andrea Hahn
CARBONDALE — A team of Southern Illinois University Carbondale archaeology students returns to the Kincaid Mounds on the border of Pope and Massac counties this summer, hoping to come one step closer to understanding the mystery of the mound builders.

The field school begins on June 11 and concludes Aug. 3. Students commit to working at the site five full days a week for the eight-week period. They may receive six credit hours for their efforts as well as skills directly applicable to employment in the field of environmental impact management. A bonus for out-of-state students is that the class is an "off-campus course" with a set tuition fee regardless of residency. Another plus – this year, students have the option of staying as a group in rental housing near the site rather than commuting.

Students participating in the dig are: Nina Fuscaldo, Lockport, Sara E. Murphy, Marion, Wesley Pinks, Chester, and graduate students Jennifer Malpiedi, Carbondale, and Corin Pursell, Webster Groves, Mo.

The focus of this year's dig is a large, circular structure on top of one of the largest mounds on the multi-mound site. What makes the work particularly challenging is the evidence for the structure is not readily visible to the naked eye, though it is easily seen in maps created with magnetometry imaging technology. A gradiometer creates the image by measuring minute variations in the strength of the Earth's magnetic field, which, at any particular spot, is influenced by what is in the ground directly beneath the gradiometer or magnetometer. Buildings typically leave magnetic evidence even after immediately visible physical evidence is gone.

Paul Welch, an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology and the director of the dig, said the circle is 22 meters across, with an area of about 4,000 square feet. The circle has projections at the four cardinal points of north, south, east and west and seems also to have an inner ring. Welch said a similar structure 27 meters across was discovered in Florida. Evidence in the historical record helped archaeologists reconstruct that site. If the two sites are as similar as they initially appear to be, the inner ring may be a row of benches and the building may be a sort of council house.

"We won't know until we dig into it," Welch said. "We are interested to find out something about the layout of the building and the settlement."

Welch hopes the work this summer will uncover not only the building but also its purpose. He wants to see how the building fits in with other structures discovered at the site. Understanding the layout of the settlement at Kincaid Mounds may provide a clue about its inhabitants – namely, their cultural identity.

Welch explained the Kincaid site was inhabited from about 1100 until about 1350 AD, at which point it, and many other sites from the Missouri bootheel to the Tennessee and Ohio River Valleys, was abandoned for unknown reasons. The area was resettled some time after 1500 by Native Americans known now as the Sauk, Fox, Illini and Peoria – native peoples still in residence when the French explorers arrived. However, these tribes do not seem necessarily to be direct descendants of the Southern Illinois mound builders.

Current archaeological study suggests two possible cultural descendants of the mound builders – those in the Siouan language family or those in the Muskogean language family. The Muskogean peoples, Welch said, tended to create settlements around a central square that included a single site for public religious observation. Siouan people, however, tended to have multiple locations for religious ceremonies.

As the site at Kincaid is slowly pieced together, and as archaeological study continues to shed light on what the settlement may have looked like, it may become clearer whether the site tends more toward the Muskogean or the Siouan model. That, in turn, may help archaeologists determine what happened to the mound builders during the widespread abandonment of the river valleys.

Past SIUC field schools confirmed the existence of a wooden palisade surrounding much of the site, discovered a mound outside the palisade area and uncovered burned houses with evidence of thatched roofs that have helped establish the inhabited dates of the site.

"A lot of what people do doesn't leave evidence in the ground," Welch said. "Parts of the human past are exceedingly difficult for the archaeologist to get at. We do our best to leave an archaeological record for the next generation of scholars so that, even if we don't know what we are looking at, we've left a record that is clear."

Volunteers Spruce Up Cambria

This week's Courier has a nice article by Wayne Utterback on efforts to spruce up Cambria as part of the 3rd Annual "Beautify Cambria" event that took place last Wednesday.

Jennifer Sherry, who has been planting flowers in Cambria for more than five years, said the event was something that she saw as necessary.

"It was something that I really felt was needed and important for the village," Sherry said. "I always liked plants and I think it's neat to share the green thumb with the community.

Besides Sherry a number of volunteers helped to plant the flowers in the area of the village hall, post office and bank.

A $250 grant from the village government along with private donations helped pay for the flowers.

A second part of the beautifying effort will take place tomorrow morning. The village's annual Roadside Trash Pick Up starts at 8 a.m. June 9.

Way to go Cambria.

Air Service to St. Louis Remains Grounded

It will be mid summer before air service resumes between the Williamson County Regional Airport and Lambert Field in St. Louis.

After the FAA grounded Regions Air's flights this spring, including the American Connection flights out of Southern Illinois, airport officials selected Great Lakes Airlines as the new carrier.

At one point they hoped to use Regions Air's planes and pilots, but that has fallen through according to airport manager Doug Kimmel.

"Mid July to August," was what he said this morning, and that might still be optimistic.

The next major step will be when Great Lakes is ready to announce a start date and get it into the reservation systems for when flights resume.

Meanwhile, flights continue daily to Chicago's Midway Airport on Mesa Airlines.

Two Elected to Tourism Board

Patricia "Tricia" Hadfield, manager of the Comfort Inn and Comfort Suites will join Judy Attebury, manager of Fairfield Inn, as two of the seven lodging representatives on the Williamson County Tourism Board.

Two of the seven seats were up at this election. Hadfield and Attebury will serve three year terms. Thirteen of the county's lodging operators participated in the election. Ballots were opened at today's board meeting.

Hadfield replaces Katy Lockwood of the Olde Squat Inn.

The new terms begin at the regular June meeting of the tourism board which is set for noon, Wednesday, June 27 at the Williamson County Pavilion in Marion.

Lawmakers Set to Legalize Ultimate Fighting

Illinois lawmakers are considering a proposal to legalize Ultimate Fighting competitions in the state as well as increase regulations on mixed martial arts competitions such as the DragonsCage fights held at the Pavilion in April.

The Chicago Sun-Times has the story.

The bill has already passed the House by a large margin where it is co-sponsored by Southern Illinois Rep. Brandon Phelps, D-Harrisburg. Most of the region's representatives voted for the measure, but state Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, did not.

In the Senate the bill has passed committee and been amended. A floor vote is expected soon. If successful the bill will then go back to the House for final approval of the bill as amended.

The legislation is HB 1947.

Carterville Farmers Market to Begin in June

The Farmers Market sponsored by the Carterville Chamber of Commerce begins its summer schedule Friday, June 1, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the First Baptist Church parking lot at 406 S Division St (between Route 13 and downtown Carterville).

The market runs each Friday in June, July and August.

The chamber is looking for vendors of home grown, homemade or hand made items to set up booths. The booth cost is $5 with vendors supplying their own tables, chairs and signs.

For more information contact the chamber at 618-985-6942 or e-mail chamber@midamer.net.

Pavilion Enters the Black

After five months on the job it looks like the Williamson County Pavilion is operating in the black after years of red ink.

Forget about fancy accounting, for our board members the bottom line has always been the balance in the operating account of the Williamson County Events Commission which oversees the Pavilion.

Ever since the building opened in August 2004, the amount in that checking account has gone down as operating expenses exceeded operating income every year.

On Nov. 15, 2006, when I started as tourism director, the balance for the Events Commission’s Operating Account stood at $87,056.79. Five months later on April 15, 2007, our balance totaled $94,421.39 and that didn’t include a large deposited following the DragonsCage event on April 14.

A lot of the growth from this year compared with last year’s is due to interim Director Jeanette’s action last fall repealing my predecessor's unilateral decision to block all but one caterer from working the Pavilion.

We’ve also been more aggressive in negotiating rates where we know we have competition. The other major factor is the additional media coverage we’ve been generating with the additional events.

More and more area residents are finally waking up to the idea that the Pavilion actually exists. It's also helping that our lodging operators are providing more referrals to us.

The Southern Illinoisan's story on our accomplishments ran Sunday.

Little Egypt Arts to Host Quilt Display

The volunteers at the Little Egypt Arts Centre are installing a new quilt and fiber arts exhibit today just in time for the big quilt show in Paducah next week.

"The Art of Quilting" is a new exhibit at the Centre runs from April 21 through June 15. Works include heirloom quilts as well as photographs and paintings that celebrate quiltying. Current works by artist Colleen Thompson and other LEAA members will be displayed in the gallery and in the windows.

The arts centre is usually open between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., but will stay open to 7 p.m. next Thursday and Friday.

Here's the information on the 23rd Annual American Quilters Society Quilt show in Paducah which will bring hundreds of guests to the motels in Williamson County:

Paducah, Kentucky, becomes Quilt City USA® each April as thousands of quilters from around the world come to view hundreds of quilts in the AQS Quilt Contest. New for 2007 in the AQS School of Quiltmaking: Classes begin on Tuesday, the day before the show opens! Hands-on longarm classes will be included in the 135 classes offered this year. See page 18 for information on earning college credit from classes taken at AQS Quilt Shows.

And, don't miss these special events: An Evening with Jim Shore on Wednesday; MAQS Quilt Auction on Thursday; AQS/Hobbs Bonded Fibers Fashion Show on Friday (NEW DAY); A Musical Encore by Ricky Tims on Friday evening, sponsored by Ken's Sewing Center; Brunch with Ami Simms on Saturday; and the NEW Show & Tell, sponsored by Handi Quilter, on Saturday. Check out these ongoing special events too: Build Quilts for Love sponsored by Baby Lock USA, and the Paducah Booth Hop sponsored by Windham Fabrics.

Shop the Merchant Malls: Visit over 300 vendor booths featuring the latest quiltmaking supplies, gifts, and antique and new quilts. Vendors are located in six different areas - so be sure to visit all of these areas: Paducah Expo Center, 1st and 2nd floors of the Convention Center, Pool Atrium, and Pool Annex at the Expo Center/Executive Inn complex; and at the AQS Vendors on Kentucky (2nd & Kentucky Ave.), where you'll find the Hurt Books Sale.

For more information check out their website .

Sahara Woods, 'It's Unbelieable'

The Southern's Les Winkler provides an update in today's paper on what's next for Sahara Woods.

The roughly 4,200 acres that comprise Sahara Woods were given to the state by Sahara Coal several years ago. At that time, opening the site to the public was a distant dream - a dream now reaching fruition.

When the state took ownership of the land there were huge gob piles and rusted out hulks of trucks and draglines littering the area. Although the restoration of the park is almost complete, no firm date for opening has been established.

"Everything is up in the air," [Site Supt. Eric] McClusky said. "Right now, we have no running water or electricity anywhere in the place. We are scheduled to start renovations on the office this summer."

Other plans include the rifle range (already built), boat ramps and eventually a campground.

Crossposted also at the Sahara Woods blog.

Trail of Tears Spring Meeting Set for April 14

The Illinois Chapter of the Trail of Tears Association will hold its spring general membership meeting at Camp Ground Cumberland Presbyterian Church near Anna on Saturday, April 14, at 1 p.m.

The gathering will kick off the Illinois Trail of Tears Oral History Project and all persons interested in the trail or that might have family stories or information relative to the trail are encouraged to attend.

The meeting will be an informal gathering where those with stories or information relative to their families and the Trail of Tears are invited to share them. Videotaping and audiotaping services will be available to record those stories. Individuals with stories to share may do so in front of a gathered audience, or privately in a small room if they prefer.

Also, everyone is asked to bring family diaries, newspaper clippings, photos, drawings, maps, documents and any other papers they may have relative to the Trail of Tears. Copying and scanning equipment will be available so that copies of these items may be added to the Illinois Trail of Tears Oral History Project and individuals can then take their original photos and papers safely back home with them.

Also, Harvey Henson of the SIU Geology Department along with some of his students will be demonstrating and explaining remote sensing techniques at the Camp Ground Church Cemetery.

The public is invited to the meeting. For more information e-mail Sandra Boaz at popeun@midwest.net or call her at 618-833-8216, or Cheryl Jett at c_jett@charter.net or by phone at 618-567-6895.

To reach Camp Ground Church take I-57 south to Exit 30. Turn west on Route 146. Almost immediately (200 feet) turn back north on Campground Rd. The church and cemetery is at the intersection of Campground Road and Tunnel Lane.

For more information on the Trail of Tears Association check out their website.

Public Smoking Ban Passes Senate

The Illinois Senate voted 34-23 last week to pass Senate Bill 500, the Smoke Free Illinois Act, which would prohibit smoking in public places such as restaurants.

The bill "prohibits smoking in public places, places of employment, and governmental vehicles," according to the state's synopsis. It also prohibits "smoking within a minimum distance of 15 feet from entrances, exits, windows that open, and ventilation intakes that serve an enclosed area where smoking is prohibited."

Southern Illinois' lawmakers from both parties voted against the measure, which isn't surprising as the region boasts (suffers) from some of the highest adult smoking rates in the state.

The bill now goes to the House of Representatives. If it passes and the governor signs the bill, Illinois will become the 16th state in the nation to pass such legislation since New York became the first in 2001.

In case some might wonder why the bill is needed. Here's what the Illinois Department of Public Health says:

More than 20,000 Illinoisans die each year as a result of cigarette smoking. Nationally, smoking is responsible for one of every five deaths. In fact, cigarette smoking kills more Americans than AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, murders, suicides, drugs and fires combined.

In 2003, 24.3 percent of all adults in Illinois smoked compared to 22.1 percent nationwide. Even scarier was the fact that a 2002 survey showed 29.2 percent of high school students smoked cigarettes.

Motel Revenues Up in February

Motel revenues continued to increase in February for Williamson County's lodging operators.

As of April 2, all but two of the lodging operators had paid their February bed tax by the end of March as required by county ordinance. The county's five percent bed tax took in $42,992.47 so far compared with $40,390.74 last year.

That's up 6.4 percent from year to year. For our fiscal year which begins in July (but includes taxes collection in May), revenues year-to-date this year are up 6.2 percent or more than $42,000 over the same period last year.

Roughly another $2,000 is due from motels delinquent in either their January or February bed tax.

January figures were also up three percent over January 2006.

Checkers Attracts Tourists From 12 States

This past weekend's Illinois State Checkers Tournament drew contestants from at least 12 different states. The Illinois Centre Mall in Marion hosted the event.

The tournament even drew a world champion to play here at the Hub of the Universe.

MARION - Few if any people passing through Illinois Centre Mall this weekend probably realized they were walking by a world champion at work on his craft.

There is little surprise: The world of checkers is much a mystery to the uninitiated, said Gary Ellison, president of the Illinois Checkers Association.

"It's not a spectator sport so a lot of people don't know that much about it," Ellison said.

Alex Moiseyev, the world champion of three-move checkers, participated in the Illinois State Checker Association's state tournament along with 32 other competitive checkers players who were eager to practice their skills against their peers.

Moiseyev says checkers is a wildly popular game at all levels.

Check out the rest of Ashley's story in today's Southern Illinoisan.

Independent Film Targets Shawnee's Stone Face

A screenwriter with Saline County roots is looking to turn his screenplay set in Garden of the Gods Country into reality with filming planned for this summer.

Brian DeNeal of The Daily Register in Harrisburg has the story.

CHICAGO - Stoneface is one of a handful of Saline County natural landmarks printed on postcards, on tourism brochures and on posters. The wizened face staring out from the Eagle Mountains over the valley has drawn generations out for weekend jaunts and it is also the inspiration for an upcoming feature-length film.

Alan Baldwin wrote the screenplay in 1992. Now, working with his brother, Bruce, of Baldwin Media Development, he believes the movie can be made at a much more reasonable cost than in the 1990s.

"I was in Boston at the time working with other people who were writing different things. I thought back to the time I spent roaming Garden of the Gods, Ferne Cliff and Dixon Springs," Baldwin said.

The Illinois Film Office rated the screenplay in the top 20 of screenplays submitted for a contest in 1998, he said.

Baldwin describes the film as a family action/adventure film set in Southern Illinois.

Although Alan Baldwin lives in Chicago, his brother Bruce lives in Eldorado. He's responsible for some of the breath-taking videography in the Garden of the Gods Country DVD produced by the Saline County Tourism Board.

Story boards for the film can be viewed online at the website of Baldwin Media Development at www.bmdtv.com.

Interestingly I was in a meeting with Bruce Baldwin last Wednesday at a Saline County Tourism Board meeting. He was there because the DVDs are selling quickly and the board needed more.

If they're successfull the film should prove to be great marketing for the region. Nothing has been shot here since 1999 when "Poor White Trash" invaded Benton. That one we won't count has helping the region's image (though it's got some great Carbondale jokes).

A year earlier Southern Illinois served as a setting for a film called Camp Betaville. Though never released theatrically it is available now on DVD.

Marion hosted the cast and crew at what's now the Holiday Inn Express, and much of the shooting took place at SIU's Touch of Nature on Little Grassy Lake and nearby Giant City Lodge.

If you have the Real media player you can check out the trailer.

In 1997, Warner Brothers used Pope and Massac Counties when they filmed early scenes of U.S. Marshals starring Tommy Lee Jones and Wesley Snipes.

The Bay City General Store that served as "Roy Willie's" barbecue joint still stands and has been restored with the upstairs developed as an inn. Also, the 727 airplane used in the crash at Bay City is now visited by scuba divers at Mermet Springs.

Miners Add Mascots

The Southern Illinois Miners announced today the creation of two additional mascots for the Miners – a canary and a mole – both connected with underground life.

Before school is out this spring, students from around the area will get a chance to suggest a name of the three mascots in the “Miners Mascot Challenge” sponsored by the team and WSIL-TV. Part of the challenge will be to design and name a fourth mascot as well.

For more check out today's Marion Daily.

Conversation With The Fair Board President

The Marion Daily Republican's Diane Wilkins took the reins for Monday's "Conversation..." piece in the paper, this time focusing on Garry Jenkins, president of the Williamson County Fair Board.

The Fair Board is asking for a tax levy on the county's property owners to help fund needed repairs and improvements, as well as make up for the reduction in state funding for county fairs.

Diane: What is the biggest problem the Fair Board faces?

Garry: The biggest problem is the debt we inherited, especially on the grandstand. We are making money at the fair, but it takes almost everything we make to go on retiring the debt so that leaves very little operating capital.

Diane: Can you disclose the amounts we are talking about?

Garry: When I took over the board, it was $275,000 and payments were not being made. Now, we have been making regular payments of $27,000 each year. So you can see that if you make $35,000 on the fair and pay out $27,000, it does not leave much money left to operate on. There are maintenance problems that need to be taken care of. It does not help that a few years ago the State took 33 percent of our funding away. Maintenance costs continue to increase, the cost of electricity is skyrocketing, the grandstand needs a new roof at an estimated $100,000 cost. There is just no money left for the needed upkeep.

Diane: Would I be safe in saying that 90 to 95 percent of the work done for the fair is done by volunteers?

Garry: Absolutely! If it wasn't for the volunteers helping, we would have had to close the gates several years ago...

Read the entire interview at the Marion Daily Online

More information can be found another article from earlier this month on TheSouthern.com.

The Southern Spotlights Goddard Chapel

The Southern had a nice story in the Sunday edition about the recent work on the historic Goddard Chapel in Marion's Rose Hill Cemetery.

With a new roof, wiring, stamped concrete walk, stained-glass window and doors for the front and side entrances, the Goddard Chapel in Marion's Rose Hill Cemetery has been undergoing a much-needed facelift.

... The renovations at the chapel, [Sexton Rob] Connell said, are part of an ongoing restoration process initiated by the Goddard Chapel Restoration Commission, a group of concerned citizens who raised the necessary funds in the last 15 years.

"Because the Goddard Chapel is on the National Register of Historic Places, we will get a tour group through here every once in a while," Connell said. "What's amazing is that a lot of people in Marion drive by here every day and have never seen the inside of the chapel. This is a beautiful building. The woodwork really fascinates me."

Connell told me this morning he though another open house would be planned for the Saturday before Memorial Day - May 26 - from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted for additional improvements to the building.

Statewide Smoking Ban Passes Senate Committee

The suburban Daily Herald has a good article this week on the hurdles facing a bill to create a statewide ban on smoking in public buildings.

Similar bans have been passed in the last few years in Chicago and Cook County, as well as a number of other local governments, but this is the first significant attempt to create a statewide ban.

So far it doesn't appear to have the votes in the Illinois Senate, but its sponsor is hopeful.

The suburban sponsor of one of the plans said he believes momentum is building and the start of the Cook County ban could prove crucial.

"It helps most definitely," said state Sen. Terry Link, a Waukegan Democrat. "You know why I think the chances are better? Because of what Chicago and Cook County did, none of their senators and representatives has any reason to vote against it because it’s not going to do anything to them."

Link's trying to persuade Cook County lawmakers with this argument, pointing out that a statewide prohibition would ensure Cook, Lake, DuPage and the 99 other counties would all follow the same rules.

Similarly, a statewide ban would end a "scatter shot" approach across the suburbs where one community banning smoking sees cigarette-toting bar patrons flock to the next community over.

Sixteen states no longer allow smoking in public places. At least 42 Illinois municipalities, including nearly 20 suburban locations, have similar bans in place or about to take effect. There are more than 1,000 municipalities in the state.

Supporters argue that a statewide ban is needed as additional research has better documented the dangers of second-hand smoke, and while restaurant goers may have a choice between smoking and non-smoking, restaurant employees don't have that choice.

Fishing's Great at Crab Orchard

Outdoor Writer Curt Hicken came down from Alton yesterday to try out the crappie fishing at Crab Orchard Lake.

To say the fish were biting might just be an understatement. He and Tyson Shoot of SnS Guide Service caught 50 in two hours. That's Tyson holding up part of the catch.

At lunch yesterday Curt said a whole lot of St. Louis fishermen were looking for a better crappie lake since the fishing flattened out at Mark Twain Lake in Missouri. As he found out yesterday, the rumors of good crappie at Crab Orchard are in fact true.

Refuge Manager Dan Frisk also told him yesterday that his fisheries experts tell him next year will be even better.

Marion to Host State Checker Tourney

The Hub of the Universe will host the 102nd Illinois State Checker tournament on March 30 and April 1. at the Illinois Centre Mall in Marion.

Registration begins at 8 a.m. Saturday in the food court with a business meeting immediately following. Entry fees are $10 and can be paid at registration. Entrants will be divided into three classes: Class A (Expert), Class B (Minor), and Class C (beginners).

The tournament begins promptly at 9:45 a.m. and continues through the evening. Play then resumes on Sunday at 8 a.m. with winners determined by 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon.

All checker players are invited and should bring their own checkerboard.

For more information contact Gene Ellison, secretary-treasurer of the Illinois State Checker Association at 618-962-3321 or by e-mail at ellison@clearwave.com.

For a number of years the Williamson County Tourism Bureau has helped sponsor this event along with the 101-county checker tournament in the fall.

Rend Lake Leads Seven Wonders Vote

In Week 2 of the Seven Wonders of Illinois campaign, eight wonders are left in the Southern Illinois region:

• Bald Knob Cross
  
• Cave-in-Rock State Park
  
• Confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers
  
• Cypress Trees at the Cache River State Natural Area
  
• Garden of the Gods
  
• Rend Lake
  
• Superman Statue and Museum, and
  
• White Squirrels of Olney

As of Tuesday, March 13, Rend Lake possessed the lead with 54 percent of the vote; the white squirrels ranked second with 19 percent and Garden of the Gods placed with 12 percent.

Bald Knob Cross had five percent; the Confluence and the cypress trees were both at three percent and Cave-in-Rock and the Superman statue were tied with two percent.

Persons can vote for their choice every 24 hours.

Cast your vote at www.enjoyillinois.com.

More About Great Lakes Airlines

Williamson County Airport Manager Doug Kimmel has a news conference scheduled in a couple hours concerning the current problems with air service to St. Louis.

Last week the airport authority endorsed Great Lakes Airlines to the FAA as the local choice of carriers to operate flights from Marion to St. Louis and back.

While we're waiting to see what will happen, the new airline released its February flight stats.

Scheduled service generated 10,510,000 revenue passenger miles (RPM's), a 9.8 percent increase from the same month last year. Available seat miles (ASM's) increased 4.6 percent to 22,815,000. As a result, load factor increased 2.2 points to 46.07 percent.

Passengers carried increased 7.8 percent to 39,113 when compared to February 2006. Preliminary revenue per available seat mile (RASM) increased 1.3 percent from 28.06 cents to 28.42 cents.

For the two months ending February 28, 2007 compared to the same two month period in 2006, revenue passenger miles (RPM's) increased 10.2 percent to 21,189,000 and available seat miles (ASM's) increased 2.0 percent to 47,378,000, resulting in a load factor of 44.72 percent for the year 2007 effecting an increase in load factor of 3.3 points compared to the same two month period in 2006.

The company carried 79,375 revenue passengers for the two month period ending February 28, 2007, an 8.7 percent increase from the prior year. Preliminary revenue per available seat mile (RASM) increased 2.8 percent from 26.99 cents to 27.75 cents on a year-over-year basis.

The numbers appear to look good, which is important. We need an airline with a healthy cash flow to operate.

Trouble in the Skies, But Options Expand

The Federal Aviation Administration has grounded Regions Air, the commuter airline operating the American Connection flights from St. Louis to Williamson County and a host of other small airports around the Midwest.

From the Southeast Missourian of Cape Girardeau:

An FAA spokeswoman, Laura Brown, said the federal agency has a signed consent from the airline to suspend operations.

...Brown said while the previous problem was with RegionsAir's manual, later in the week the agency discovered actual airmen were unqualified, so the airline was shut down a second time.

"We determined that the line check airmen, the pilots who instruct and check out other pilots, were not properly trained themselves," Brown said. She declined to elaborate.

Although this is the second time in as many weeks the FAA has shut down the airline's operations, this apparently has been building. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin's office released a statement Friday noting that the senator had been personally working to address the issue for at least the last four weeks.

Durbin promised that air service would return soon.

"The U.S. Department of Transportation, working with the affected communities, has accelerated their efforts to find a reliable replacement carrier and will be announcing their decision shortly."

According to the Post-Dispatch RegionsAir, which operates 27 daily flights in and out of Lambert Field, "has been up for sale since last fall."

The Williamson County Airport Authority has a news conference scheduled for Monday with additional information. In their own statement released Friday, the airport backed the efforts of Great Lakes Airlines to take over the flights.

"The Williamson County Airport Authority is as frustrated as everyone with the recent events that have led to Regions Air terminating their operations. We are confident that the Department of Transportation will work diligently with Great Lakes Airlines as the carrier that we have recommended to take over operations to St. Louis as quickly as possible.

Though we realize this interruption of service is an inconvenience to everyone, it is far better than trying to hold into place an airline that has continued to provide unreliable service to Southern Illinois."

It looks like Williamson County recommended Great Lakes because they were 1) not RegionsAir, and 2) they offered the lowest bid, at least that's what happened in Missouri.

In a separate story, the Southeast Missourian provided some additional information.

They reported that out of the four airlines bidding for the current contracts to fly out of St. Louis, Great Lakes submitted the lowest bid at least for service out of Cape Girardeau. The other three bidders were RegionsAir, Mesa Airlines (which operates the flights from Marion to Chicago), and Big Sky.

Despite the low bid, the airport authority in Cape Girardeau decided this week to cancel essential air service to St. Louis and instead switched their federal subsidies for flights out of Cincinnati where Delta Airlines is big and the airport handles nearly twice as many flights as Lambert.

While the move ends air service to St. Louis from southeast Missouri, it's good news for us in Southern Illinois as it gives the Heartland a direct connection to a third major airport besides Lambert Field and Midway in Chicago.

Although air service from Williamson County to St. Louis is disrupted by the shutdown, it does not affect Mesa Airline's service from Williamson County to Chicago that began last month.

Christmas Craft Market & Holiday Book Fair on the Way

The Williamson County Pavilion will play host to the first (and what organizers hope will become an annual) Southern Illinois Christmas Craft Market later this year during the first weekend of December.

Glenda Kelton & Alexis Wilson of Yarn Creations out of Carterville are organizing the event. The Williamson County Tourism Bureau is co-sponsoring it.

"Crafting is becoming a lost art. We want our show to be a rue craft show, no buy/sell items, no items from kits, etc.," the pair explains in their letter to crafters going out this week.

Selection will be a jury process and the organizers will be asking for photos to be enclosed with the application forms.

I'm looking forward to this event because I think it will be pull together the various Christmas season events that normally take place on that weekend.

While the craft market is taking place in the Expo Hall, we're also looking at filling the ballrooms with a Holiday Book Fair focusing on authors from around the region and neighboring states.

For more information on the Christmas Craft Market contact Glenda Kelton & Alexis Wilson at either 618-922-4815 or at 618-771-2956.

For more information on the book fair contact us here at the tourism office at 618-997-3690.

We're also looking at a third event for the ballrooms, but details on that won't be released until we have everything in place.

Dinosaurs Looking For Place to Roam in Region

Could Southern Illinois become host to the world's largest dinosaur museum? That's what one pair of developers, CM Studio, is considering for Collinsville.

BENLD — Charlie McGrady peddled his dinosaurs one daspletosaurus at a time. But, he figured, there had to be a better way.

Fifteen years ago, he gave up a bank job on Wall Street to focus on dinosaur sculpting, a skill that started as untrained tinkering and took off from there.

Since then, he and Brian Page, who is his partner and nephew, have built about 600 life-size, lifelike dinosaurs and sold them to museums and businesses around the world. Now, the partners are looking for a place of their own.

They want to build in Collinsville the world's largest museum devoted to dinosaurs. The team is working on designs for a $2.5 million complex that would feature 100 dinosaurs, 50 skeletons and a theater in a 25,000-square-foot building.

Check out the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for the rest of the story.

Marion Receives Public Preservation Grant

The governor's office is announcing that Marion and Carbondale will receive nearly $8,000 in historic preservation grants. The awards are part of eight announced yesterday for communities around the state.

Marion will receive $4,900 for a public education campaign involving the development and creation of a local landmarks brochure, publication of articles, public service announcements, property owner education, and cooperative interaction with the Williamson County Tourism Bureau.

Carbondale will receive $2,975 for a historic preservation awards program, as well as a tram tour of historic neighborhoods with an accompanying brochure highlighting the city’s most significant cultural resources.

Marion's proposal includes development of a brochure for both the existing 24 designated historic homes, as well as those in a proposed historic district stretching along South Market Street.

Part of the grant will help promote the awareness of historic sites in the city. In addition the city's Historic Preservation Commission will work us here at the tourism bureau to help develop and promote heritage tourism in the city.

Marion's Director of Economic Development Gail West wrote the grant submitted on behalf of the city.

Communities that have achieved Certified Local Government status under the National Historic Preservation Act were encouraged to apply for $45,935 in grant funds that are available this fiscal year through the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA). These federal funds are specifically earmarked for local grants in the areas of public preservation and development.

The federal grant funds administered by IHPA were awarded on a matching basis, with the federal funds paying for up to 70 percent of project costs and local funds making up the remainder. The projects must relate to historic preservation and could include planning, public education workshops and heritage publications, National Register of Historic Places property listings, and development.

"The Certified Local Government program allows municipalities and counties to participate as partners in state and federal preservation activities," said Catherine O’Connor, Certified Local Government program administrator for IHPA. "Currently, we work with 62 such communities in all regions of the state."

Other communities will receive funds for the following programs:

ROCK ISLAND will receive $11,666 to reprint popular and extensive architectural and historical walking tour brochures that highlight the city’s recent “Preserve America” project. These brochures emphasize the Centennial Bridge, Mississippi River heritage attractions, and other heritage tourism sites.

EDWARDSVILLE will receive $7,028 to design and produce a guide featuring the city-owned Colonel Benjamin Stephenson House. The guide will be used to train educators to interpret the house for elementary students.

URBANA was awarded $3,150 for a day-long workshop with a lecture and demonstration by Bob Yapp, a nationally-recognized preservation expert. His hands-on, multi-media presentation will address the proper care and repair of windows in historic structures, as well as working with lead paint in historic properties.

MARENGO will receive $2,216 to produce a guide that highlights locally designated landmarks with descriptions and photos. They will also produce a brochure that helps residents better understand the landmark and historic district program and procedures.

WILL COUNTY was awarded $7,000 to develop brochures that provide a general overview of the function and role of the Historic Preservation Commission in Will County, as well as landmark designation information with a list of the County’s significant historic resources.

CHICAGO will receive $7,000 to develop and make 30,000 copies of the 2007 Chicago Landmarks Map Brochure, one of the City’s most widely available public information resources, which will be updated to include new local historic landmarks designated in 2006.

Prices Drop for Williamson County Flights

Thanks to increased competition for air passengers flying out of Williamson County, not only are air fares to St. Louis dropping, but four companies are now vying for the Lambert Field contract.

RegionsAir this week announced a new fare structure... One-way fares start at $99 each way, with a maximum of $169. Round-trip fares run the gamut from $109 to $159.

Today's Southern Illinois has the story.

State-Wide Indoor Smoking Ban Considered

An Illinois House committee voted 9-0 yesterday to send to the full chamber a bill that ban indoor smoking throughout the state, a measure that would greatly benefit the health of hospitality workers.

The Bloomington Pantagraph has the story.

Golf Association Goes Online

The Southern Illinois Golf Association's new website just went online. Find it at www.sigagolf.org.

I attended their annual meeting two weeks ago. They're working on some exciting projects that would not only enhance the bottom line of the courses themselves, but tourism in general for the area.

The association has been serving its members here in Southern Illinois since 1924.

Major Development Set for Lake of Egypt

Efforts by the Southern Illinois Power Company to sell off part of their land holdings along Lake of Egypt to a large developer have been circulating for at least a year, if not longer.

If anyone is keeping track of entries for "Worst Kept Secret Award" this one should be in the running, or better yet, "Biggest Story Not Yet Covered" might be a better category.

Last November, The Cypress Company of St. Petersburg, Florida, filed the deeds for hundreds of acres of power company lands with the county clerk's office in Johnson County.

According to their website, they're planning a $25 million development with 427 housing units as well as some commercial development. No word yet, if any the development would be specifically tourism-related.

The biggest hurdle will be water, believe it or not. Despite being on a lake, the Lake of Egypt Water District is short water and had been planning on securing water from Marion's new lake before the Army Corps of Engineers decided to kill the project.

Post-Dispatch Columnist Recalls Presley Anecdote

St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Pat Gauen recalls a funny anecdote in today's paper about the late Southern Illinois tourism activist Wayman Presley, founder of Presley Tours and one of the main organizers of Bald Knob Cross.

Gauen uses the anecdote as a set-up for the subject of his column. Presley's story, he noted, allegedly took place during the early days of Giant City State Park just in time for a bus tour visiting the site, and represents a practical joke that we can only wished would have been videotaped, had such technology existed at the time.

[Presley] explained that he had made an advance visit to prepare the women's privy.

Wayman said he lined the two-holer's seat with mink scraps, and dangled a speaker into the pit below from a wire linked to a small amplifier and microphone outside.

After watching a tourist slip in for a little luxury-upholstered relief, he said, he would yell into the mike: "Hey lady, would you mind moving to the other seat? We're working down here!"

For the rest of Gauen's column headlined, "Ty-D Bol one-upped; maybe call it Chide-y Bol?", check it out online.

Localized Almanac Provides Clues to Region

Nothing like linking to a Southern Illinoisan article that's been picked by the Associated Press and placed online by another newspaper — in this case the Daily Register — but Les Winkeler's story about the region's own almanac should be publicized.

CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) - Spicebush begins blooming in Southern Illinois about March 13. Mississippi kites begin heading south for the winter around Sept. 2. Collard greens should be planted between April 1-30.

These things may seem like minutia. However, these facts and thousands more are common knowledge for readers of "The Waterman & Hill Traveller’s Companion 2007 Nature Almanac." Well, maybe not common knowledge, but at least readily available.

The Waterman & Hill Traveller’s Companion is the 10-year-old brainchild of Jim Jung of Carbondale.

Rail Travel Up With New Chicago Train

Passenger travel increased on Amtrak between Carbondale and Chicago since a third route began last fall. The numbers are up 68 percent for November, December and January over the same time period last year.

The Association Press has the story.

Although the vast majority of travel on the old Illinois Central track from Carbondale to Chicago is Windy City-bound, there is a small segment of inter-city travel just here in Southern Illinois.

I was just told today about a couple from Marion who took the train from Carbondale to Centralia for dinner at the Centralia House restaurant, a historic eatery that catered to both Lincoln and Douglas prior to the Civil War when then Illinois Central was the only railroad in the state.

They took the 4 o'clock train up and the 8 o'clock train back.

Cruise Nights Returning to Herrin

The Southern Illinoisan has the story.

HERRIN - Organizers are already planning a major tune-up for Cruise Night, Herrin's venerable slice of Americana.

The first classic car won't roar into Herrin until June 1, but organizers from the Herrin Better Business Association are already busy looking for sponsors to keep the event a popular attraction.

A Herrin tradition, Cruise Night is held each Friday night on Park Avenue in Herrin. Classic cars line the sides of the street, and music from the 1950s to early 1970s is played as car fans have the opportunity to view the vehicles.

Click here for the rest of the story.

Chicago Air Service Returns to Williamson

The first flights of Mesa Airlines began yesterday from Williamson County Airport. The Southern Illinoisan has more.

A Conversation with Doug Kimmel

The Marion Daily's Cherri Flinn sits down with Williamson County Airport Manager Doug Kimmell in this week's conversation piece.

What jumped out at me was where the reservations were coming from for the new air service to Chicago.

Doug: ... Pursuing getting an additional carrier is something we all knew we wanted to achieve.

Cherri: Isn't that the struggle all small airports face?

Doug: It really is. That's one of the unique things about the opportunity we have right now of starting service to Chicago from here, and also from Decatur and Quincy as well. They are very similar airports as far as size and the markets that they represent. So far, 95 percent of the reservations have come from this market.

I guess now with the new air service beginning we can start talking about a need for a new airport terminal, especially when they start looking for a third airline.

A new terminal isn't a new proposal. It was being talked about when I covered the airport board back in college which around the same time as the development of the Illinois Centre mall.

Friends Group at Refuge Seeks Members

The Friends of Crab Orchard Refuge, a non-profit volunteer support group to the wildlife refuge is calling on the public to get more involved.

Dues are $10 for individuals, $100 for corporations and $250 for a lifetime membership. Members also receive a 10 percent discount on any purchases in the store at the Visitors Center on Route 148.

Not only has a new year begun, but we are also ready to usher in a new era for the Crab Orchard Wildlife Refuge. With the adoption of the CCP (Comprehensive Conservation Plan) there will be come exciting new times for those of us who enjoy helping the Refuge.

... We still need your help — both financially and physically, if possible, in our effort to support the implementation of the new guidelines for the Refuge.

Meetings take place each month on the first Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Visitor Center.

Deer Harvest Up in Williamson

The figures for the 2006 Illinois Firearm Deer Harvest show a decent increase in the number of deer harvested this year in Williamson County.

Hunters took out 1,330 during the first season and 678 in the second season for a total of 2,008. That's up from 2005 when they only bagged 1,884.

Williamson County ranked 15th this year overall. We were 14th last year.

Pike County in western Illinois remains the champ with 3,795 deer harvested. Neighboring Adams County came in second with 3,061.

Here in the region we were beat by Jackson at 2,596, Jefferson at 2,710, Marion at 2,218, Pope at 2,218 and Randolph at 2,763, Union at 2,127 and Wayne at 2,032.

Some of the differences can be explained simply by geography, Jefferson and Marion are 33 percent larger than Williamson. In the region, all but Pope County are larger than us.

Still, one of the reasons for Pike and Adams Counties' success is in part a well-developed system of hunting leases for private lands. In going through the old files I found a proposal about a decade old to do something similar here in Williamson. I'm not an expert in hunting, but it's something we will definitely look into as we work on a county-wide Tourism Development Plan.

Fun With Web Stats... and Squirrels!

Thanks to a report we have to fill out for the Illinois Bureau of Tourism I've been on our stats page for this website today.

I'm impressed with our most recent stats on our site visitation and highly amused at one in particular.

The new WCTB.org website went active in late September. For those last few days we had 1,277 unique users.

In October it grew to 12,037, then declined some in November to 10,790 before shooting up to 33,283 last month in December. Already, we've had 1,529 users on our website yesterday, including eight people at the first hour of the New Year.

What's amusing to me is how one person found our website. They searched for best eating squirrels on Google and our Outdoor Hunting Guide came up as the fourth listing.

Apparently the following bit of text is found in our hunting guide:

While fewer people hunt during early October, some of the most enjoyable hunts and best eating young squirrels are taken during this time of year. ...