Opinion

An organization that has given the developmentally disabled individuals of this area a higher quality of life for more than 33 years is being threatened by the infighting at our state capitol.

FAYCO Enterprises stands to lose much of its state funding as a result of the budget battle between Gov. Pat Quinn and the Illinois General Assembly.

Uncle Wilbur Meyer of Bingham was a self-described “moon man.”

Those were the words he used when he told his doctor that he would return in a couple of weeks to have a spot removed from his cheek. The moon signs were not right that day for removal, but the following week, anything that was cut would not grow back.

Uncle Wilbur used the same sign for cutting fence posts. If you cut under the wrong moon sign, the posts would rot. Cut them at the right time, and they will last for years.

One of our community’s biggest festivals, the Grande Levée at the Vandalia Statehouse, has been lost for at least this year, due to state budget cuts.

But local volunteers have been working feverishly over the past few months to organize a substitute festival, one that includes both a number of the popular attractions from the Grande Levée and new, unique activities.

The educational crown jewel of Vandalia – the Kaskaskia College Vandalia Campus building – stands as a testament to our community’s commitment to education.

It’s a beautiful structure that combines functionality with an architectural theme that’s a throwback to the lines contained in the Vandalia Statehouse.

This story started out as a history of the Okaw Valley Opry, with my timeline beginning around 1962.

Bill Oliver and I had spoken on the telephone several times before an appointment was made to visit him at his Bluff City home to talk in-depth about how it all began.

It was not until our second visit that it came to me – Bill Oliver, with the influence of his wife, Evelyn, was the Okaw Valley Opry.

I was working on an article about some of Fayette County’s settlements and villages when my sister Jane telephoned to tell me that Mary Burtschi had passed away.

It was then that I decided my column this week would be about my friend and mentor, Mary Pauline Burtschi.

I first met Mary on July 5, 1981, at “The Little Brick House” on St. Clair Street in Vandalia.

If you've driven in downtown Vandalia recently, you know that the enhancement project there is clearly under way.

For now, the work is confined primarily to upgrading the city's storm sewer system on Fifth and Sixth streets. Though not as visible as later portions of the project will be, fixing the storm sewers is vitally important in making the downtown area attractive for current and future businesses. We must fix that system if we're to end the basement flooding and other problems that have plagued the antiquated existing sewer system.

A couple of weeks back, my friend, Joyce McClary, was showing me photographs taken on one of her walks.

Joyce was scrolling through the images, telling me where she had taken the shots when all at once I stopped her. The next photo was of the statue in South Hill Cemetery of a seated woman.

The previous week, I had searched newspaper microfilm at Evans Public Library, looking for a story about four statues, sculpted in Italy, unveiled during a Memorial Day ceremony in 1952. The seated woman was one of the four.

This is the time of year for proms, and many local high schools have either held theirs already or will be holding them soon. At Vandalia Community High School, the prom is this Saturday from 7-11:30 p.m.

It’s a wonderful time of making memories, socializing with friends and enjoying a dress-up date. If you’d like a glimpse into the evening’s activities, the coronation of the prom king and queen will take place at 8 p.m. in the gymnasium. This year’s theme is “A Night of Enchantment.”