The Yerkes Observatory sets itself apart in the Wisconsin village of Williams Bay. Set on 77 acres, the massive structure is well off the highway yet also back from the Geneva Lake lakefront. It is the only undeveloped (non-residential) lakefront property. The dome structure establishes itself as a place worth seeing by its broad, visible …
I saw the remake of Cinderella last night. As remakes go, it was nicely done. The story has some meanings that hold the test of time, and incorporates a touch of magic. From a writer’s standpoint, you prefer to see fresh material emerge on screen. But remakes of familiar stories are safe, and this one …
I quit keeping track of the number of TV shows devoted to interior design, home remodeling, etc., etc. They aren’t high on my list. But I know people who absorb this content regularly. And, I see the end results. So now when I visit someplace, I’m more apt to notice, maybe even appreciate, how being …
When I was in the newspaper business, I once wrote about the challenges full-service grocery stores face in small towns (usually defined 2,000 or fewer population). One premise of the article was that a grocery store is a community cornerstone, much like a school. In an article for the April 2015 edition Illinois Issues, a public policy …
What I have today is some quick self-promotion. I’ve had some questions about what people might expect in personal books. So I’ve posted a couple of samples. One is the first chapter of a wedding book. It’s an interesting wedding proposal. Without spoiling the entire thing, let’s just say the couple started hiking before 4 a.m. The …
The spring warmup is fine with me, but today I’m going back a couple months to Jan. 9. It was one of the coldest days of the winter, chilly enough to cancel school because of the biting wind chill. The snow was a bit more than a dusting though not severe. Being unpredictable carries an …
Weekly rehearsals paid dividends Sunday afternoon for the Coles County Barbershop Chorus. Payment wasn’t in a financial way, as the offering from the organization’s 20th annual Lenten Concert was divided among local charities. Rather, payment came in the form a robust audience that dented the spacious sanctuary of the First Baptist Church in Mattoon. No …
It’s Sunday, a good time to find something good to read. The best reads generally are pieces in which you can place yourself in the story in some way. Then you put your imagination to work on the role or roles you might play, and the interest and meaning multiplies. Sometimes, you can feel emotion …
Bill Hamel turns 85 today. For those of you outside of Central Illinois who don’t know, Bill worked 45 years at the Journal Gazette and later the Journal Gazette/Times-Courier, most as publisher. His father is a previous publisher, so his roots in the newspaper business run deep. I worked with Bill from 1983, when I …
Doing research on a piece I’m writing, I ran across Mabel Clark, the former owner of Clark’s Foundry in Mattoon. When I saw the Rev. Bob Clark (no relation) presided at her funeral, I called him, taking a chance he remembered a little something about Mabel. I learned hers was one of 1,500 funerals for …