Continuing into their 120th year, the Danvers Town Band will present five free concerts this summer. Concerts are held at the Danvers Municipal Park Bandstand on Main Street in Danvers. This year’s concert series begins Sunday, June 30, and continues on Sunday evenings during July. All concerts begin at 7:00 P.M., and include a mixture of traditional marches and popular music.
Reed Naughton has been honored as the State FFA Proficiency Winner in Agricultural Services. A member of the Olympia FFA Chapter within the Illinois Association FFA, Naughton was recognized for his work-based learning, also referred to as Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE). The Illinois FFA acknowledges students in forty-eight distinct areas for their SAEs. FFA members who exhibit exceptional agricultural skills and competencies through meticulous record-keeping, leadership, and academic accomplishments are eligible for this accolade. SAEs provide students with practical learning opportunities, whether through owning and operating an agricultural business, interning or working at an agriculture-related business, or conducting and reporting on an agricultural scientific study. Naughton's SAE is centered around his involvement in his family's auction service.
Olympia High School celebrated National FFA Week from February 19 to 23. Throughout the week, FFA members engaged in a variety of activities, including themed dress-up days, driving tractors to school, and creative alternatives to backpacks. The events featured a truck competition, a 'kiss a pig' challenge, multiple assemblies, and relay races. Senior Chase Litwiller won the straw bale tossing contest. An impressive turnout saw 16 tractors at school on Tuesday morning. FFA Officers dedicated Wednesday morning to preparing and serving a homemade breakfast for members and staff at OHS. During Tuesday's assembly, Kamryn Rader presented 'The FFA Creed' to the students. It was a week filled with enjoyable activities, celebrating our passion for FFA within our school community.
Stanford’s Earlybird Grain and Fertilizer is a family business that you can trust with your ag inputs and chemical and fertilizer application needs. The business began in 1964, making this the 57th year Earlybird has been in business. Their helpful staff members include: Gerry Doehrmann, Shawn Desch, Erica Motes, Scott Freitag, Bill Carpenter, Justin Hodges, Andrew Knoll, and Quentin Frost. While describing the type of customer service they provide, Bill Carpenter stated, “Everybody here cares about every customer. Whether it is a big or small customer, everyone is treated the same. We work hard to please everyone.”
Missy’s cupcakes, cookies, and more is a baking business based in Stanford and run by Missy Gaither out of her home. Missy started this business about 10 years ago because of her love of baking. As an entrepreneur she has turned her passion into a business and one of her favorite parts is being her own boss. Not only this but she loves meeting new people through her work. Missy wants to “grow [her] business and someday have a storefront.”
Paws Awhile Dog Grooming is a dog grooming business based out of Stanford, IL. Stephanie Smith began her business about three years ago. She was given the idea from local people in the area telling her how convenient it would be to have a dog groomer for all of the small towns in the area. Smith discussed that she started grooming out of her house part time until she had built up enough business to have a full-time shop. Paws Awhile has nothing but positive reviews and comments from the business’ Facebook customers. One review left stated, “We absolutely love bringing our dogs to Stephanie! She is a wonderful groomer, patient and extremely affordable. And our dogs like it there too.” Smith’s business is rated five out of five stars from the customers.
With summertime approaching, there is nothing more fun than sitting around a fire pit with your friends or family! Well, maybe a tropical trip! Fire pits are a great way to add some fun to a yard! With a little hard work and some elbow grease, you’ll have one in no time. We put one in at our last home and loved it, I can’t wait to do it again!
In Native American culture, dream catchers were believed to catch and trap bad dreams, whilst allowing good dream to pass through the spider-web design, and drift into the heads of the children that lie sleeping below them. Nowadays, dreamcatchers come in many shapes and sizes, and are an incredibly popular bedroom decor choice! If you’re ready for some sweet dreams, why not learn how to make a dreamcatcher?
Sometimes you are in the middle of a project and realize you need something else! This happened to me when I was creating my back garden scape. I placed my new Adirondack chairs in there place. They were a perfect fit, if the ground didn’t slope down in the back! I knew I needed to make an elevated bed for them. I had recently found a ton of old pavers in the yard and knew this was the spot for them.
The Party's Over (Fin de fiesta)
Step into the shadowy confines of an Andalusian estate, where tranquility is merely the calm before the storm in THE PARTY'S OVER. What begins as a lovely retreat quickly spirals into a psychological battleground, setting the stage for a gripping narrative woven with intrigue and the darker facets of human nature.
The Money Game
In an era marked by some of the most significant transformations within collegiate athletics, THE MONEY GAME stands out as a pivotal documentary series chronicling the profound changes brought about by the NCAA's adoption of NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) policies. Set against the backdrop of LSU (Louisiana State University)—a titan in collegiate sports known for its record-breaking national championships—the series delves into how this seismic shift impacts its athletes' personal and professional lives.
My Love Affair With Marriage
MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH MARRIAGE draws viewers into a colorful, animated world where love and expectations collide with intense, humorous fallout. Signe Baumane, the visionary behind this cinematic experience, uses a unique animation style to delve into the intricacies of relationships and self-discovery through the eyes of Zelma. Voiced by Dagmara Dominczyk, Zelma's story begins from her youth in the Soviet Union to her adult life, revealing the deeply ingrained notions of marriage as a woman’s ultimate fulfillment.
Creeping Death
In the quiet shadows of a small town, Halloween brings more than just kids in costumes; it ushers in a blend of darkness and the supernatural. Matt Sampere wrote and directed a compelling narrative with Tim Garner as the lead, portrayed by Sampere himself. Tim’s struggle with his mother Linda’s illness, played by Monique Parent, sets a somber tone for what becomes an unexpectedly dark evening. The arrival of Tim’s friends with a stolen artifact in tow catalyzes a chain of events that awakens an ancient Celtic deity, the Aos Si (Alan Maxson,) turning a night of fun into a terrifying ordeal. To be clear, traditionally speaking, when someone takes on so many roles in a production, it often suffers from the too many cooks syndrome, but in this case, I think Sampere nails it!
Temperatures are looking to rise again this week, making now a great time to talk about how to help care for your garden crops in the hot and dry times of summer. Late July through August can tend to be very hot and it is important that you are taking proper care of your crops to get them through when they are ready to be picked from the garden. Some plants can tolerate the heat better than others. When you consider that most plants are made up of 85 to 90 percent of water, it makes more sense why plants need extra attention in the heat.