“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and starting on the first one.” – Mark Twain – 1835-1910, Writer-Humorist

 

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” – Paulo Coelho – Author

 

“It’s really fun to scare people.” – Sabine Schmitz – 1969-2021, German professional motor racing driver and TV personality

 

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

(notes provided by the erudite Mary Hodson)

 

Please invite a guest to hear the Director of the Krannert Art Museum, who sill speak on May 17.

 

In-person breakfast buffet meetings will begin in June at LODGIC.

 

The Grammy award winning daughter of former member Iblaimu Kakoma, Laura, who sings under the name of Somi, was featured on Friday’s PBS program, “We Are Family: Songs of Hope and Unity”.  Her website is SomiMusic.com.

 

 

PROGRAM

 

Mary introduced Charleston Rotarian Tom Vance.   A native of Danville, Tom earned degrees from EIU and the U of I before serving 28 years as Site Director at the Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site.   Since retiring, Tom has pursued his interests in classical guitar performance and historic preservation.   His preservation projects have been the Five Mile House, one of the oldest surviving buildings in Coles County, the Will Rogers Theater and most recently, the Illinois Amish Heritage Center.

 

The Center began in 1995 as the Amish Interpretive Center.   When it relocated to Rock Home Gardens, Tom was hired to design the exhibitions.   After Rock Home Gardens went insolvent in 2014, they bought land for a new site between Arcola and Arthur.    

 

They have moved two Amish family farm homes to the new site.   The Moses Yoder family was one of the three original families that came from Holmes County, Ohio in 1865.   The Daniel Schrock family was part of the second wave of Amish who came in 1882.   Arcola Rotarian Wilmer Otto, a descendant of Daniel Schrock, serves as president of the board of the site. This spring they moved the 1920 Miller Amish German School.   The move, accomplished with a combination of tractor and horse power, has had over 6 million views on You Tube.

 

More donated homes and barns will be moved, and a visitor center and gift shop are planned.

 

Special events have been held at the site since 2017.   The spinning group from the Five Mile House reintroduced spinning skills to the Amish and they are demonstrated at the “Sheep to Clothing” event the first weekend in July.   A steam threshing event is held every other summer.   The “Harvest to Home” fall event will be held this year on the October 8-9 weekend.   

 

Friday/Saturday tours begin on June 4.   You can register at 217-268-3043 or www.illinoisamish.org.

 

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  May 20th May 27th June 3rd June 10th
Introductions     Michelle Barbey Keith Brandau
Reflection Diana Dummitt Ata Durukan Ondine Gross Mary Hodson
Greeters     Michelle Barbey Keith Brandau
    Bob La Charite Phyllis Mischo
Song Leader        
Notetaker Conforti Perry Hodson Conforti

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UPCOMING SCHEDULE (with program committee member responsible listed in parentheses)

*All meetings via Zoom through May*

 

May 20th – Dr. Jake Powers, Political Science, UIUC will talk about how universities can serve as think tanks for making public policy (Tom)

May 27th – April Ranger, C-SPAN (Cary)

June 3rd – *Begin in-person meetings* Teresa from Lodgic (Charlie)

June 10th – Mike Step, District Governor

June 17th – Jon L. Seydl, Director of Krannert Art Museum (Ondine)

June 24th – Pass the Gavel ceremony

July 1st – TBD 

July 8th – TBD 

July 15th – TBD

July 22nd – TBD

July 29th – TBD