Simon Langley of Eureka is from the Scout Troop # 57 in Eureka.

EUREKA

Eagle Scout rebuilds marker at county line

Simon Langley of Eureka reconstructed the fencing and ground work at the Lincoln Marker between Washington and Metamora at the county line.

Simon is from the Scout Troop # 57 in Eureka and his Scout Master is Bob McClure. Simon is working on receiving his Eagle Scout award soon. He is a senior at Eureka High School.

Black Partridge Daughters of the American Revolution maintain the marker that was originally placed as one of the markers in Illinois by the Illinois Daughters of the Revolution.

There were 19 stone markers placed around 1922 to designate the routes that Lincoln most likely traveled by horse and carriage during his days as an attorney before he entered Illinois politics.

The markers were originally produced by Joseph Dux of Chicago. Other markers can be found in Kenney, Springfield, Pekin, Bloomington, Lincoln, Mount Pulaski, Clinton, Monticello, Urbana, Danville, Paris, Charleston, Shelbyville, Sullivan, Decatur, Taylorville, Petersburg, and Havana.

 Library promotes monthly writers circle

The Eureka Public Library, 202 S. Main St., offers a monthly writer’s group for anyone interested in all forms of writing. The group meets the third Thursday each month.

The next meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 19 at the library. Participants can share their ideas and writings in a positive, informal setting and receive feedback when requested.

No registration required. For more information, contact the library at 309-467-2922.

 BLOOMINGTON

 Parks and Rec to host annual Ugliest Sweater Run

The Bloomington Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts Department and Fleet Feet Bloomington kick off the holiday fun with the annual Ugliest Sweater Run on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 1 p.m.in Miller Park.

The Ugliest Sweater Run is a non-competitive 1.5 mile or 3-mile run/walk with were awards will be given for men and women in the following categories: Ugliest Sweater, Loudest Sweater, Best Sweatered Couple, and Most Festive.

Register online through Fleet Feet Bloomington at fleetfeetbloomington.com/races/ugliest-sweater-run. Registration for the race is $10, to register for the race and for an Ugliest Sweater Run shirt is $20. Online registration for the race only closes Thursday, Dec. 5.

Miller Park is located at 1020 S. Morris Ave., Bloomington, Illinois.

For more information on this event, or other programs, contact the Bloomington’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department at 309-434-2260 or visit online at BloomingtonParks.org.

Go back to the time of Dickens at Christmas

Crossroads Area Student Theatre brings “A Dickens Christmas Festival” Dec. 6,7 and 10 at the McLean County Museum of History in Bloomington.

Enjoy Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Oliver, Christmas Carolers, and three different plays about the world of Dickens.  Performances are scheduled for Friday, Dec. 6, 2-8 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 7, noon- 5 to p.m.; Tuesday, Dec. 10, 5:30-9 p.m.

It’s all free and filled with reminders of the true reason for the season.

Enjoy a step back in time as we present the 2019 edition of “A Dickens Christmas Festival” at the McLean County Museum of History.  For details go to  www.castbn.org.  or go to Facebook at Crossroads Area Student Theatre.

STATE

 Deer hunting season gets underway

Hunters in Illinois harvested a preliminary total of 50,173 deer during the first weekend of the Illinois Firearm Deer Season on Nov. 22-24.  Hunters took 58,836 deer during the first firearm weekend in 2018.

Hunters in Woodford County harvested 398 so far.

Illinois’ seven-day Firearm Deer Season will conclude Dec. 5-8.

Other deer hunting opportunities in the weeks ahead include:

• Muzzleloader-Only Deer Season on Dec. 13-15;
• Late-Winter Antlerless-Only and CWD Deer Seasons (in select counties only) on Dec. 26-29, 2019 and Jan. 17-19, 2020;
• Archery Deer Season continues through Jan. 19, 2020 (archery deer hunting is closed Dec. 5-8 in counties open for Firearm Deer Season)

For more details on deer hunting, open counties, and other information, check the Illinois Department of Natural Resources website at  https://www.dnr.illinois.gov/hunting/Pages/DeerHunting.aspx.

 Red Cross hosting blood drives during holiday season 

The American Red Cross urges eligible donors to be the lifeline for patients in need this holiday season by making an appointment to give blood or platelets.

While helping to save lives is likely motivation enough, those who come out to give now through Dec. 18 will also receive a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card via email, courtesy of Suburban Propane.

Here how to make donating blood easy.

• It’s quick and easy to find a convenient blood drive. Search for drives by ZIP code and make an appointment to donate using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, online at RedCrossBlood.org, by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or by enabling the Blood Donor Skill on any Alexa Echo device.
• Donors can save time by completing a RapidPass®. The entire donation process only takes about an hour, but donors can save time with RapidPass. Pre-donation reading and health history questions can be completed online to save about 15 minutes.
• Donors will get important health information. Donors receive a mini-health screening to help determine eligibility that includes blood pressure, pulse and hemoglobin readings. First-time donors will also find out their blood type soon after donating.

The Red Cross is thanking those who come to give through Dec. 18 with a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card via email, courtesy of Suburban Propane. (Restrictions apply; see amazon.com/gc-legal. More information and details are available at RedCrossBlood.org/Thanks.)