Who are these guys?
The Eureka Public Library is asking residents to help identify the gentlemen in this “Eureka Pumpkin City 4” photograph. The photograph dates to the early 1940s, and the gentlemen drove the wagon in one of the Eureka Pumpkin Festival parades. The library believes one of the men may be Lloyd Stalter. Anyone who has information on this photograph or have any Eureka Pumpkin Festival photographs or souvenirs to share, contact Cindy O’Neill at the library at (309) 467-2922. (Photo Eureka Library courtesy of WC Historical Society.)

State

Specialty Crops conference will be in Springfield

The Illinois Specialty Crops, Agritourism and Organic Conference will be held Jan. 6-8, 2016, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Springfield. The conference, which features nearly 100 speakers and 60 trade show exhibitors, will again host four concurrent pre-conference workshops, general sessions and breakout sessions aimed at helping Illinois specialty growers cultivate their businesses.

Following Thursday’s breakout sessions, the annual banquet will include a keynote speech titled, “How Social Media Has Revolutionized and How We Drive Traffic to our Farm,” by Chris Eckert, Eckert’s Orchard, Belleville. The 27th annual Apple Cider Contest and 14th annual Hard Cider Contest will again be held in conjunction with the conference, with winners being announced during Thursday evening’s festivities.           

To receive registration materials or to obtain exhibitor information, please contact Diane Handley at 309-557-3662 or dhandley@ilfb.org.  Also, for more information, visit http://www.ilfb.org/ifb-news-and-events/ifb-in-action/2015-december/121415-specialty-growers.aspx#sthash.XmcGzQvL.dpuf.

Central Illinois

Hunters get more than 86,700 deer during firearm season

Deer hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 86,771 deer during the seven-day Firearm Deer Season that closed on Sunday, Dec. 6, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. That figure compares to 76,575 deer harvested during the seven days of firearm season in 2014, according to the IDNR.

Preliminary harvest figures for the second segment of the firearm season on Dec. 3-6 totaled 28,803, compared with 24,745 during the second season in 2014.  The preliminary harvest total for the first segment of firearm season on Nov. 20-22 was 57,968 deer, compared with the 51,830 deer taken by hunters during the first season in 2014.  Deer hunting opportunities remain in Illinois this fall and early winter.

Medical professor awarded grant for Alzheimer’s research

Peoria medical school professor Dr. Ken Fukuch has been awarded a $440,000 grant to expand his research into the possible causes of Alzheimer’s disease. Fukuchi, a professor in the department of cancer biology and pharmacology at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria, has been studying the disease for 30 years. The grant goes toward a study looking into a dysfunction in the immune system of the brain and how cell function may affect the development of Alzheimer’s.

Eureka

Eureka College students get city code changed

The botany class at Eureka College proposed an amendment to the city of Eureka municipal code to allow residents to plant native plants. Formerly, any plants that were not trees, shrubs, ornamental plants, or vegetables could not be allowed to grow more than 8 inches tall. Thanks to that proposal by the students, now native Illinois plants are also an exception to that city ordinance.

Metamora

Local vineyard distributing its own wine

Earlier this month, the Black Partridge Vineyard of Metamora began distributing wine made from locally grown grapes. The wine will have the Black Partridge label but will be bottled, cellared and distributed by Old Mill Vineyard, also in Metamora. The two wines are made from French, Frontenac, Foch and Seyval grapes. The wines are Red Eagle, a sweet red wine, and Summer Breeze, a light, sweet white wine. The wines can be found at the Metamora IGA, Eureka IGA and Lindy’s Downtown Market in Washington.   This is the first year Black Partridge Vineyard,  a division of Christ Farms and established in 2006,  has bottled wine.

Roanoke

Legion Post finds a new home

American Legion Post No. 463 has purchased a building on Main Street, sharing the building with Jim Maloof Realty. The Legion will take over the space previously occupied by Cloudpoint Geographics. The realty business will remain in the front section of the building based on its current lease. The Legion has been without a permanent home since flooding in 2013 forced members to move out of the building it occupied on the south side of town. The Legion sold that building.

–Woodford County Area News Briefs–