SI Magazine - Winter 2009

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SI 710 North Illinois Avenue P.O. Box 2108 Carbondale, Illinois 62902 618-529-5454 • 800-228-0429 fax 618-529-3774 southernillinoismag.com SIMag@thesouthern.com

Publisher Dennis M. DeRossett Ad Director Abby Hatfield Executive Editor Gary Metro Editor Cara Recine Photo Editor Chuck Novara Graphic Rhonda M. Ethridge Designer Circulation Kathy Kelton Webmaster Lauren Siegert Photographers Steve Jahnke Chuck Novara Alan Rogers Stephen Rickerl Becky Rasmussen Advertising Rose Baffi Design Stacy Cramm Paul Lilly Anita Palmisano Ken Rowe Jay Stemm Contributors Kelley Gustave Debbie Luebke Metro Becky Malkovich Les O’Dell Stephen Rickerl Brent Stewart Joe Szynkowski

Southern Illinois Magazine is a publication of The Southern Illinoisan. Contact us at 710 N. Illinois Ave., Carbondale, IL 62901, or at P.O. Box 2108, Carbondale, IL 62902. Also reach us on the web at www.southernillinoismag.com. Southern Illinois Magazine is published four times per year and is distributed free of cost to a variety of businesses and hotels in Southern Illinois.

Copyright 2008 by The Southern Illinoisan. All rights reserved. For more information call 618-529-5454 or 618997-3356, or visit us online at www.thesouthern.com.

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SI

Letter from the executive editor Is it just me or did the holiday season sneak up on us this year?

Some people dread the extra work — getting a home spiffed up for visitors, shopping for Gary Metro gifts, cooking and baking and putting up decorations.

I love it all, even the task that puts some on the path to divorce court: finding a Christmas tree. Debbie and I buy fresh-cut trees but rarely experience the disagreements that plague other

couples. We have a good lunch, go to a nearby shopping center and sift through trees until Debbie finds one she likes.

We’ve used other methods. While living in Wisconsin, we once bought a tree when the temperature was below zero; the poor conifer was as frozen as my feet. Another year we drove to a tree farm, cut down a fine fir and listened to a football game on the radio as I drove the tree home.

We’ve shopped in snow, light rain and warm sunshine, all without serious disagreement.

The key to success is approving the tree she picks. I’m sure if we ever switch to an artificial tree, I’ll like her selection in that case, too.

Christmas trees aren’t the only holiday delights, and this issue of

SI Magazine sparkles with reasons for the season, beginning with the Holiday Craft Sale at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. You’ll enjoy seeing the works of more than 75 craftspeople in the Dec. 3-5 show at the SIUC Student Center.

Feel like getting out of the house?

We’ll show you how with an overview of the holiday basketball tournaments.

Feel like making your home a holiday castle? An up-close and personal look inside the Carbondale home of Bill and Pam Wright will help you get started.

We’ve also got holiday recipes, great entertainment possibilities, the beautiful wintertime delights in the sky above and a wealth of shopping options for both people and pets.

Happy holidays!

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Contents

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Winter 2009

The Holiday Issue!

Everything to make the season bright

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photo by Stephen Rickerl

Meet Santa:George Whitehead talks about his experiences portraying Santa for almost 20 years; find out what the season really means to him. Page 38

In our backyard: Winter stargazing

Holiday hoops

10

Plant some cheer

18

Keeping you merry

32

High school tournaments are a big part of our traditions

Poinsettias, Paperwhites and Christmas cacti are among our favorites

Overwhelmed by the holiday hullaboo?

Catch a few special shows

Green Christmas

36

From the tree to the wrapping, celebrating with a focus on the environment makes the merriest of holidays

The Arts: Fine art in glass

26

Where We Live: Home for the holidays

Good Eats: Tasty traditions

this issue ornaments pampered pets holiday lights

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Hanukkah and Kwanzaa 34 Randolph County new year 40 l i v i n g ,

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made by hand events parting shot v i s i t i n g

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SI

the arts

Photos by CHUCK NOVARA

by Becky Malkovich

Fine art

in glass THE EVENT What: Douglass School Art Place holiday sale and open house, featuring glasswork, food, drink, glassblowing demonstrations When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12 Where: Douglass School Art Place, 900 Douglass St., Murphysboro Phone: 618-687-3791 Online: www.artapult.com

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Strength and a light touch, color and form combine for Murphysboro artists Jan Thomas and Cameron Smith

Jan Thomas is a whirling wisp of motion as she practices her glass art in the cavernous hot shop of Douglass School Art Place.

She grabs a blowing iron and without hesitation, approaches the heat, some 2,000-plus degrees emanating from the glowing furnace, her only protection a pair of mod sunglasses that hide her eyes but reflect the fire she does not fear.

After dipping her iron in the furnace to grab some glass, she removes the silver pipe, now radiating light and heat from the glass bubble adhering to its tip.

From there, Thomasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; movements are a blur as she shapes the glass, alternately blowing into the iron, sitting down, l i v i n g ,

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Holiday Craft Sale at SIUC One of Southern Illinois’ largest holiday craft sales is every year at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Here are the details: What: The annual Holiday Craft Sale is a major event featuring more than 75 craftspeople. Students, faculty, staff, and members of the Southern Illinois community shop for holiday decorations, gifts, and unique items.

When: Dec. 3, 4 and 5

More information is available at www.siucstudentcenter.org

At their Douglass School Art Place studio, Cameron Smith (above) and Jan Thomas (right) create fantastic glass works like beautiful holiday ornaments (left).

putting a leg up over the iron, running a tool over its surface, standing up, moving across the room to grab flecks of color onto the glass, twisting, twirling, turning her iron as she goes.

Occasionally, her partner, Cameron Smith, steps in to add his special touch, melding his own hot glass to hers.

Eventually, the esoteric becomes the familiar as the shape emerges as glass sculpture, its color and light vibrant in the light of the furnace-lit room.

No docile, passive art is this, the fine art of glassblowing, and in Southern Illinois, few are as aggressive as Thomas and Smith.

“It’s a very fluid medium, very active, and it keeps you moving,” Thomas said.

Smith describes the art they create as “a frozen moment in time,” meaning, Thomas said, “It’s moving the whole time you work with it, until it isn’t.”

The couple’s art place is filled with such frozen moments, from the whimsical to the circumspect: angels, snowmen, ornaments, vases, sculptures — all intricately designed and executed.

“These are modern-day artifacts; they can last millions of years,” Smith said. “I find that fascinating, and that’s one of the things I love about this medium.”

While the two create independent pieces in several different mediums, they also willingly collaborate in the hot shop.

“Glass has so many facets and I love working it with Jan,” Smith said. “We enhance each other. She has color sense, and I have form. Together we learn from each other.”

The collaboration began more than 10 years ago when Smith joined Thomas at the Murphysboro art place, which was established in 1993 by Thomas and the late Gretel Chapman.

“If not for her (Chapman), we wouldn’t be here,” Thomas said. “This was her vision. She wanted to build an art community, and she left us this wonderful legacy.”

Chapman provided the backing to purchase the old Douglass School, a place “of power and great strength,” Thomas said.

Smith joined the two in 1996, about a year before Chapman died.

The school now offers shelter to local artists, both professional and budding, with studio and exhibition space and lessons, as well as a supportive and creative atmosphere.

The couple sells their art at festivals and online and occasionally do commissioned art, as long as it fits their own style.

“It’s a very nice life,” Thomas said. “We’ve very poor in terms of money but very rich in other ways.”

www.southernillinoismag.com

Where: SIUC Student Center, Hall of Fame (first floor) and the International Lounge (second floor)

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SI

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The tradition of putting ornaments on a Christmas tree began with edible ornaments. Fruits and nuts were among the most popular, reminding those in for the winter long-haul that spring would renew all.

As its popularity spread around the world, each country adapted its own way of decorating the family Christmas tree. In the United States, the tree would often be decorated with popcorn or cranberries strung together. In Germany, gingerbread cookies cut into the shapes of stars, angels and hearts hung from the boughs.

In the 19th century in Lauscha, Germany, a region already known for glass-blowing, the first glass ornaments were created. At first they made ornaments resembling the fruits traditionally put in trees, as well as creating ornaments in the shapes of stars and angels, which had formerly been made out of cookies. The new style of glass ornamentation, though not as pleasing to the oral palette, created a feast for the eyes to look upon. Soon figures of children, animals and saints were added to the list of ornaments available in glass.

Until the 1920s, Germany was the No. 1 manufacturer of glass ornaments.

But the beginning of World War II, the subsequent splitting of Germany into two sides, which sent the glass blowers from Eastern Lauscha to the west side of Germany, and an anti-German mentality after the war, created a hole in ornament production. It was then that Japan and Czechoslovakia began mass producing ornaments and shipping them around the world.

The glass ornament was introduced to the United States around 1880.

F.W. Woolworth imported several sets of glass ball ornaments from Germany to sell in his stores.

It is said that Woolworth was concerned his new product would not sell, but by 1890 it had become a $25 million industry, thus quieting his doubts.

Since World War II, the ornament industry has branched out, with l i v i n g ,

the focus not as much on saints but on characters of popular culture, including Rudolph wearing Raybans.

In 1973, Hallmark released its first set of ornaments, six ball ornaments and 12 yarn ornaments. Since then, it has become one of the top designers and sellers of ornaments. Everything from traditional secular pieces, collectorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sets and Disney characters, old and new, can be found at many Hallmark stores.

Prices range from $5 to $20.

But if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in the market for unique ornamentation â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and higher costs â&#x20AC;&#x201D; look at Christopher Radko ornaments, available at Macyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.

Although his ornaments cost a little more, the brilliant colors and designs are exquisite.

Often times, we observe traditions even if we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know the origins or relevance. For centuries, we have brought Christmas trees into our homes and decorated them to remind us of the coming spring. Although our winters have become less harsh, and our ornaments less suitable for eating, we still enjoy giving and receiving ornaments as well as hanging them on our tree and enjoying the special memories they have helped create.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Source: www.ornamentshop.com/history; ezinearticles.com; google.com; about.com; theholidayspot.com

Macyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Christopher Radko Macyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Santa Supreme, $38 Mouth-blown hand-painted glass, 5 inches by 5 inches

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Swarovski

Disney

Twinkling Mittens, $45 Crystal 11/8 x 13/16 inch hanging on a 27.5” satin ribbon Online: www.macys.com www.swarovski.com

Dated Wire-wrap Santa Mickey Mouse, $9.50 Resin/metal, silver wire wrap, 5 inches by 3 inches

Hallmark Northern Cardinal (mini), $8 Resin, 1¼ inches Santa’s Magical Bear, $16.50 Resin, 5¼ inches

Macy’s Jim Shore Nativity Ornament, $16 Hand-painted resin, 4½ inches Christopher Radko Dazzling Dreidel, $50 Mouth-blown hand-painted glass, 5¼ inches

2010 Time Square Replica $35 and $75 Mouth-blown glass, 4 inches or 6 inches St. Claire Square and St. Louis malls

www.southernillinoismag.com

Christopher Radko State Street Clock Gem 2009, $35 Mouth-blown hand-painted glass, 3 inches

Waterford

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SI

sports

by Joe Szynkowski

Holiday hoops

High school tournaments are a big part of our traditions

S

ome people prefer to celebrate the holidays in the comfort of their own cozy homes, surrounded by loving family members and the heartwarming feelings of togetherness.

A little caroling here, a little hot chocolate there. Maybe throw in some fuzzy Santa slippers over

here.

But every year, hundreds of Southern Illinois fanatics trade in those seats next to the fireplace for ones in the bleachers at their local gymnasiums.

The shrill sounds of whistles and squeaking sneakers are their idea of holiday music.

Turkey and cranberry sauce?

Try hot dogs and mustard.

These rabid supporters of sport make up what has become one of the longest-running traditions in the area – high school basketball holiday tournaments.

And whether you live in Carbondale, Herrin, Eldorado or anywhere in between, there is competitive basketball not far down the road.

Holiday Man Carbondale Athletic Director Rick Moss has accrued nearly 20 years of holiday tournament experience through his years with the Terriers and his prior job of Centralia boys basketball coach.

Moss coached the Orphans from 1993 to 2002 before joining Carbondale’s staff in 2004.

Both high schools have hosted their own versions of holiday tourneys for a combined 90 years. Carbondale will host its 46th in December. Like every year, Moss is focusing his efforts on making this edition the best yet.

“I think we’re really looking for the popularity to grow,” Moss said.

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it’s become kind of oversaturated. So we’re really making a concerted effort to get the local teams back into the tournament to get even more interest.”

Deciding which teams to put in the tournament isn’t an easy job for Moss.

Many factors, including team popularity and player talent, come into play. Not to mention trying to recruit enough local teams to keep Southern Illinois fans interested in the tournament.

“I’m already looking for teams to play in the tournament two years down the road,” Moss said. “It’s a process that goes on year round. I work with (Salukis coach) Chris Lowery to see who SIU is recruiting … we’ll try to bring those teams in. There are a lot of factors.”

Moss is not alone in his quest to satisfy local basketball fans. He credits l i v i n g ,

community members and sponsors for making the tournament such a popular destination come holiday season.

“The support we get from our booster club and so many other people here in Carbondale really keeps the tournament running,” Moss said.

“We raised more than $20,000 in sponsorships to help keep it here … it’s a costly thing, but as long as teams enjoy coming down here it will continue to be successful.”

The chance to see future collegiate basketball stars is one of the reasons fans flock from all around to Carbondale come tourney time, Moss said. Last year’s event featured teams from Missouri, Tennessee and Arkansas.

“In last year’s championship game we had six kids who went on to play Division-I basketball,” Moss said. “It’s

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a great opportunity to see some great basketball. I’ll talk to people from Du Quoin and Pinckneyville who have been coming to the tournament for 40-something years and one of the reasons they tell me is so they can see the quality players from different schools.”

Moss got a first-hand look at some future professional athletes during his first year coaching Centralia. His Orphans made the championship game of the tournament that year and faced off with Chicago Mount Carmel. Fans might recognize the names of that team’s onetwo punch – current Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donavan McNabb and former NBA All-Star Antoine Walker.

“When Donavan came back with the Eagles for their playoff game against the Rams (2001 NFC Championship game) he did a newspaper interview and mentioned how he loved the area and how he once played in a tournament in Centralia,” Moss said. “It’s just fun to look back at some of the people you played and how you never would have played them if not for these kinds of tournaments.”

Carbondale’s holiday tournament isn’t just about the players, though. Every year the school rewards the top cheerleading squad and also doles out the Jake Goro award.

“Jake Goro was a guy who did everything he could for Carbondale high school to get the tournament ready every year,” Moss said. “So every year we give the award to someone who works hard and helps make the tournament run smoothly.”

Herrin began hosting its girls holiday tournament six years ago. Athletic Director Mike Mooneyham said establishing a quality event wasn’t a simple undertaking, but he is proud of how his school’s tourney has grown in terms of competitiveness and popularity.

“We wanted our girls basketball team to play in a Christmas tournament at our place,” he said. “It is not an easy process because finding teams to play is a real headache. We were fortunate enough to find six teams and now have progressed over the years in terms of talent to where we are now…which is a very competitive tournament.”

Herrin uses two gyms inside the high school to spread out four games per night during the tournament. Plenty of staff members are on hand to assist fans in finding the game they want to see. “(Fans) can watch four games per night at a reasonable cost and enjoy very competitive games,” Mooneyham said.

“It is a good atmosphere and we like to have some fun. Also we have great facilities, as we play in two gyms each night. The crowds are fairly large because we have all eight teams playing on each night.”

The host Lady Tigers apparently prefer the home-court advantage, winning four of the six annual tournaments. They beat Pope County last season with the help of now-graduated tourney MVP Ka’Daizha Benjamin. The Lady Pirates had beaten Herrin the prior two years to capture the tournament crown.

“We see teams we don’t normally play and little rivalries have grown because of it,” Mooneyham said.

Players and coaches get extra perks for competing in the tournament.

“We provide T-shirts for every player and coach and we provide pizza and drinks for the teams as well,” Mooneyham said. “We keep and display the records of each team and scoring leaders of the players in the tournament.”

photo by STEVE JAHNKE

Many other local towns host holiday high school tournaments.

Make sure to check The Southern’s Sports section or www.thesouthern. com come tourney time for all of the schedules and up-to-date results.

Herrin Holiday Tournament

photo by STEVE JAHNKE

details

1. Herrin’s Ka’Daizha Benjamin grabs a rebound over Pope County’s Kelcey Ellis during the Herrin Holiday Hoops Tournament on Dec. 30, 2008.

2. Goreville’s Lee Sopczak looks to pass during a game with Marissa-Coulterville at the Sesser-Valier Holiday Tournament on Dec. 26, 2008.

3. Pinckneyville’s Jake Bathon drives to the hoop with a Carterville defender in tow during the Duster Thomas Hoops Classic in Pinckneyville on Dec. 26, 2008.

4. Carbondale’s Lafiet McDade goes in to score on a fastbreak ahead of McCluer North’s Ollie Roundtree during the semi-final game of the Carbondale Holiday Tournament on Dec. 29, 2008.

photo by STEVE JAHNKE

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sports

Third-year Benton girls coach Seth Tate said the Rangerettes’ holiday tournament “has been going on for at least 20 years. Nobody knows for sure.”

The tournament format is an eight-team pool play competition. Teams play in separate pools the first two days of the tournament before crossing over on the third day. Tate has seen the crowds get bigger since the tourney changed from its original six-team, roundrobin setup.

“The No. 1 thing that makes it so popular is we’ve had quality teams for as long as I’ve been around and for as long as I can remember,” he said. “Another big draw is we have so many games going on in such a short period of time that fans can really see a lot of basketball.”

Like any of the holiday tournaments across Southern Illinois, it takes more than one person to pull off a quality event.

“It’s our AD Ryan Miller scheduling the games and making sure we have officials… we have a great hospitality room for coaches, officials and media,” Tate said. “Then you have to have people running the table and the scoreboard. It’s a real group effort.”

Eldorado boys coach T.J. Zurliene says his school’s tournament requires the same kind of effort from staff and community members.

“We get a lot of help from local police, school staff, our coaching staff, our athletic department…it’s just a lot of people working together,” said the first-year Eagles coach. “We have great janitors and the school does a good job of getting the students to work the games.

A lot of work goes into making those three days special.”

The Eldorado tournament added Herrin to its billing this season. Small school Carrier Mills played in the championship game last season. It’s that mix of teams that makes the event so popular.

“That’s what keeps the people coming, the good combination of teams,” Zurliene said.

“And I think people are just drawn to our gym, also.

“Every year I’ve been here the place has been packed to capacity on championship night. Year in and year out it’s just a popular event because we have some of the best teams in Southern Illinois. We have a good mixture of teams and fans get to see some of the matchups they wouldn’t normally see during the regular season.”

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photo by SIU MEDIA SERVICES

Benton and Eldorado holiday tournaments

SIU’s Tony Boyle tries to score in front of Saint Mary’s Omar Samhan at the John Wooden Tradition in Indianapolis on Dec. 20, 2008. l i v i n g ,

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Salukis head west for the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic along with four of the top-ranked women’s Division I teams (Baylor, Arizona State, Texas A&M, and Gonzaga).

Sport Tours International’s Bret Seymour has been SIU’s contact person for coordinating the tournament. The company creates and oversees sporting events and training exercises throughout the world.

“Our role in organizing (the tournament) is pretty much all-inclusive,” Seymour said. “We find the teams, find the hotel, get the arena, schedule the games, schedule the practices and schedule the transportation. We take care of everything from recruiting the teams to handling all of the logistics of the event, and then running the games themselves. We take as much work off the hands of the teams and coaching staffs so they can do what they do best — coach.”

SIU pays Sport Tours for its work in handling all of the preparation that goes into participating in the tournament.

“Yes, they pay us for our work with the tournament but in the end it’s cheaper than trying to get two ‘buy’ games or going on the road somewhere,” Seymour said.

“Scheduling in Division I men’s basketball is very tough and very tricky. It can be a long, drawn-out process.”

The tournament will be SIU’s final action before Missouri Valley Conference play begins Dec. 29 against Indiana State. Securing a couple of wins in Las Vegas might help the Dawgs gain some momentum going into conference action, while also potentially securing some votes come NCAA Tournament time.

“Almost all of our tournaments are neutral-site events,” Seymour said. “It gives teams like SIU a chance to win some games on a neutral site — maybe games they wouldn’t ordinarily get or have to pay a large guarantee fee for.

Strictly from a basketball standpoint, it works out great for SIU because they get two neutral site games against West Coast Conference teams — which has a similar profile to the Missouri Valley Conference.”

Seymour expects plenty of Maroonclad fans at the tournament.

“The South Point is a great venue,” he said. “The hotel rates for fans are inexpensive. The games are on site … tickets are reasonably priced compared to the other D-I events held in Las Vegas. If you are an SIU fan or an overall hoops junkie there isn’t a better basketball option.

Plus, did I mention it’s in Vegas?”

— Joe Szynkowski

Local Dawgs After their Vegas trip, the Salukis will also play a part in the 46th annual Carbondale Holiday Tournament.

SIU will take on Indiana State at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 29, the same day the high school tournament wraps up in Carbondale. A couple of years ago the Salukis hosted Butler in the middle of the tourney, drawing positive reviews from fans who could attend, according to Carbondale Athletic Director Rick Moss.

“We’ll wrap up early that day and use the high school for the consolation games and the Arena

for our championship game,” Moss said. “After that the Salukis will play and it will give our fans and fans from other schools the chance to enjoy a big-time college basketball game. It’s a great thing for the fans.” www.southernillinoismag.com

Goodbye snow. Hello glow.

Southern Illinois University’s men’s basketball team will spend some of its holiday time competing in the bright lights of the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic this December.

The Salukis are slated to play against San Diego on Dec. 19 and San Francisco on Dec. 20 at South Point Arena in Sin City. South Florida is the other team in the four-squad tourney.

How does SIU even get involved in such a tournament?

Division I teams are allowed to play in one exempt tournament each season and the Salukis chose the Vegas event.

Per NCAA rules, teams can play either 29 regular season games or 27 regular season games plus no more than four games in one multi-team tournament for a maximum of 31 games.

SIU Director of Media Services Tom Weber helps coordinate the Salukis’ participation in the tournament by staying in contact with promotion company Sport Tours International.

“Every year there are a ton of tournaments that teams can choose from,” Weber said. “Coast to coast, outside the country, really wherever a team wants to play. It’s just a matter of working with that tournament and coordinating all of the details.”

Former Saluki assistant Rodney Watson, now coaching the University of Southern Indiana’s men’s basketball team, arranged for SIU to play in the tournament.

Las Vegas was an easy choice, according to Weber.

“We really don’t have any players west of St. Louis so the draw to Las Vegas really was because it’s just a location with a lot of tournaments,” he said. “It’s a popular destination and the tournament promoters will usually look for a tournament that’s a good place to draw fans and a good place to draw some sponsors to help them make money on the tournament. They’re also looking for good teams that have loyal followings.”

The Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic includes more than just the fourteam men’s event. Also in the tournament will be four of the top-ranked junior college teams in the nation

TICKETS SIU Ticket Office Location: 113 Lingle Hall, Carbondale, IL 62901 Phone: 1-877-Salukis Fax: 618-453-2602 Office Hours: Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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good eats

by Debbie Moore

C

hristmastime in America’s Heartland is filled with a potpourri of ethnic and religious traditions that date to the earliest days of immigrant settlements.

Southern Illinois is no exception.

From the Ohio on the east to the Mighty Mississippi on the west and from the northern boundaries to the confluence of the big rivers at the southern tip, Southern Illinois is filled with the holiday traditions of people from all over the world.

The list of Christmas traditional cakes, pies and cookies found on our tables is a long one. For many of us, the days of cooking for big traditional meals have been replaced with more contemporary shortcuts. However, we still find time to prepare many of those traditional sweets.

John Alongi of Du Quoin, the well-known patriarch of the Alongi’s Italian Restaurant family, said his mother and many of her Italian friends would get together every holiday season to prepare hand-rolled tortellini and wonderful fig cookies, both of which were served on Christmas Day. My father, a self-proclaimed “curr” who was actually of Irish-Scottish descent, always had a mincemeat pie on his table. Last year, I baked a dozen German Stollen to give as gifts.

That recipe is in my family heritage collection and was hand-written by my German maternal greatgrandmother, Anna Mueller, who raised her family, with husband Jacob, in De Soto.

Norka Rabinovich, a researcher and lab coordinator in

the SIUC Department of Psychology’s Integrative Neuroscience Laboratory, belongs to a very close 18-member Peruvian family. Rabinovich’s mother and father came to the United States in 1954, when her father completed his residency at Henry Ford Hospital in New York. Eventually, the family found its way to Springfield, where her father retired as chairman of internal medicine at SIU Medical School.

Rabinovich, her husband, Jon Lindt, and their son have lived in Carbondale for a few years, and their family traditions run deep.

Food is an integral part of those traditions. Three generations of Rabinovich’s family celebrate Christmas together. While they enjoy a contemporary Christmas Eve dinner with recipes never tried before, Christmas Day is filled with food traditions that never seem to disappear.

A favorite dessert is a sandwich cookie filled with a rich vanilla cream, “Alfajores de Manjarblanco.”

Augie Mowchan of Alto Pass grew up in the Midwest in the 1950s in a Russian Orthodox household. For the Russian Orthodox, Christmas was a long period of fasting leading up to the Holy Supper on Christmas Eve. The Holy Supper, also a meatless meal, consisted of 12 foods to represent the 12 Apostles. For Mowchan, the traditional meal includes Piroshki, a Russian-style dumpling stuffed with mashed potatoes, prunes, cottage cheese, sauerkraut or onions.

Hardboiled eggs, bortsch and even more beets are also on the traditional Christmas menu. Piroshki is also a very popular pastry in Greece, probably brought over with the return of the Greeks from “Pontos,” now a part of Russia.

Traditions asty

Immigrants left lasting holiday legacy with special foods

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Atole de Calabaza (Mexico) 1 medium pumpkin (about 4 pounds) 8 ounces coarsely grated piloncillo (see note) or dark brown sugar, to taste 1 quart whole milk 1 teaspoon vanilla 4 whole black peppercorns Ground cinnamon for garnish (optional)

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Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut off top of pumpkin and remove seeds and the membrane.

Cut the pumpkin into 2-inch pieces. Place pieces on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until pieces are soft, about 30 minutes.

Place roasted pumpkin pieces into a large pot along with the piloncillo, milk, vanilla and peppercorns over medium heat. Stir until the piloncillo has dissolved. Allow the mixture to come to a slow boil, then turn heat to low and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, strain and divide into mugs. Serve hot, sprinkled with ground cinnamon.

Note: Traditionally, this drink is very sweet, but the piloncillo can be added to taste. Piloncillo is available in local Mexican markets.

— Source: epicurious.com

tradition at any Eastern European table.

Koropchak, who is of Belarus descent, remembers many a day when she would leave her job as a cook at Christopher schools and head straight to the parish hall of Buckner’s Nativity of the Virgin Mary Orthodox Church to make the pastries for fundraisers and dinners.

Southern Illinoisans come in all shapes and sizes. The variety of ethnic cultures is vast and our differences are many. At Christmastime, traditions take most of us back to the same place, though, and it’s a place warmed by the spirit of family, the importance of religion and the comfort of the memories of Christmas holidays past.

From the mere bite of one moist fig-filled cookie, we are transformed to the child that watched Mother and her friends prepare for holiday feasts. A sip of a warm pumpkin-flavored drink connects us to a family that has celebrated in the same way for decades and to thoughts of a special mother and grandmother who were great holiday cooks.

— Becky Malkovich contributed to this story.

Kolachy (Eastern European) 2 to 2 1/2 cups flour 1 8-ounce cream cheese, softened 2 sticks Land O’Lakes margarine or butter, softened 2 14-ounce cans of filling of choice (apricot, prune, raspberry, etc.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix cream cheese and margarine together, then add flour until mixture is no longer sticky.

Additional flour may be added if necessary.

Roll the dough out on a floured surface, reflouring as the dough is worked. Score dough in 3-inch by 3-inch or smaller squares, then cut.

Top each square with about 1/2 teaspoon of favorite filling and pinch two corner edges of dough tightly. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 minutes, then rotate pan and cook another 5 to 8 minutes. Do not overbake.

Note: Sometimes called Polish Foldovers, these treats can be square, diamond shaped or round. They exist in most Eastern European cuisines and are spelled variously as kolaci, kolache, kolacky and kolachky. Fillings run the gamut of apricot to raspberry to prune to cheese. Some truly untraditional flavors like pineapple are sneaking into the mix.

www.southernillinoismag.com

A retired international businesswoman and former Peace Corps volunteer, Mowchan is taking long hiatus in Southern Illinois, visiting friends in Union County.

Dora Goncalez owns Cerro De La Silla, an authentic Mexican restaurant on Jonesboro’s town square. Goncalez, of Jonesboro, says no Christmas meal is complete without tamales. In fact, sometimes tamales and salsa are the entire Christmas dinner.

Every holiday meal includes Atole, which is commonly known as a thin chocolate puddinglike drink. In Goncalez’s family, Atole de Calabaza, made from fresh pumpkins, is the preferred version. The family also enjoys a hard candy made from pumpkin and piloncillo, an unrefined brown sugar with a heavy molasses content.

Dorothy (Pelak) Koropchak of Buckner remembers receiving a call from a friend.

“She asked me if I was making my kolachy. She said it just wouldn’t be Christmas without it,” she said.

While the spelling of the fruitfilled flaky pastry varies according to region, kolachy is a holiday

— Source: Dorothy (Pelak) Koropchak and about.com

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Alfajores de Manjarblanco (Peru) Manjarblanco (Make it with recipe below or buy Dulce de Leche) 2 cups sifted flour 3 /4 cups soft butter 4 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar Mix the butter, flour and sugar. Blend it with a fork and finish kneading the dough with your hands until it is smooth and uniform. Roll the dough on a floured surface. Cut 2-inch circles with a cookie cutter. Transfer them to a greased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool. To assemble the cookies, spread one round with manjarblanco and cover with another cookie round. Sprinkle with sifted confectioner’s sugar.

— Source: Norka Rabinovich

4 cups whole milk 1 1/4 cups sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 /4 teaspoon baking soda

Combine the ingredients in a heavybottomed sauce pan and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, then reduce the heat to very low. Simmer and stir frequently until the mixture thickens and caramelizes, for 1 to 11/2 hours. Cool completely before using.

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Manjarblanco Filling

Christmas Stollen (Germany)

Soak the candied fruit in the cognac for 10 minutes. Proof the yeast with the teaspoon of sugar in the warm water and let it set until it doubles in volume. Drain the fruit and pat it dry, but reserve the cognac. Dust the fruit with a couple tablespoons of flour.

Melt the butter and add the milk and reserved cognac, bringing it to 110 degrees. Add the yeast mixture and all the other ingredients, a cup of fruit at a time. Knead until you have a soft dough. Form it into a ball in a bowl; cover it and let it rise in a warm place for two hours until it is double in size.

Punch the dough down and let it rest 10 minutes, then divide it in half. Form each portion into an oval size loaf by patting it into a thick circle then folding it over like a taco.

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3 cups of candied fruit including raisins, orange, lemon and cherries 1 /2 cup cognac 2 packages active dry yeast plus 1 teaspoon sugar 1 /2 cup warm water (80-110 degrees) 6 cups all purpose flour 1 cup of butter 1 cup milk 1 /2 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs, beaten 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon rind

This shape symbolizes the Christ Child wrapped in “swaddling clothes” and is an important part of the tradition. Place the loaves on greased baking sheets. Brush them with additional melted butter, cover again and let rise another hour.

Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 40 minutes. When the bread is cooled, sprinkle it generously with confectioner’s sugar.

— Source: Debbie Moore

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Cucidati (Italy)

Ingredients for the glaze: 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice 1 /4 teaspoon vanilla extract Colored sprinkles Whisk together the flour, sugar, and baking powder. Cut in the butter or shortening to make an evenly crumbly dough. In another bowl, whisk together egg, vanilla and 3 tablespoons cream. Stir into dough until incorporated. Dough should be soft and slightly sticky; if necessary, add 1 to 2 additional tablespoons cream. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour; dough should firm up slightly and lose some of stickiness, but still be soft. While dough is chilling, make the filling: Place all ingredients except liqueur and nuts in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, just until fruits are warmed through and sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and stir in liqueur and nuts.

Place mixture in a food processor (or food grinder) and grind on high speed to make a thick paste. If mixture is too thick to puree, add a little water, a tablespoon at a time. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. To create the cookie: On a floured board or pastry cloth, roll out dough very thinly, about 1/16 inch thick. Cut into rounds with a 2 1/4- to 2 1/2- inch biscuit or cookie cutter. Reroll scraps only once. Arrange half the rounds on ungreased cookie sheets, leaving 1 1/2 inches between cookies. Place about 1 tablespoon filling on top of each round; you want a fairly generous amount of filling in proportion to cookie size.

Top with remaining dough rounds. Press each cookie gently with the palm of your hand, then press edges with the tines of a fork to seal (if fork sticks to dough, flour the fork). Bake in the center of the oven for about 10 to 11 minutes, or until cookies are golden. Remove immediately to wire racks. While cookies bake, make the glaze: Whisk together sugar, orange juice and vanilla until smooth and a bit thinner than normal icing; this is a glaze. Spoon glaze over warm cookies and sprinkle with colored sprinkles.

Let icing dry completely before stacking. Store in air-tight containers up to two weeks.

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Ingredients for the Filling: 6 ounces dried figs, stemmed and coarsely chopped 1 /4 cup seedless raisins 2 teaspoons grated orange zest 1 /4 cup sugar 1 /4 cup hot water 1 /2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon hazelnut or walnut liqueur, or rum 1 /2 cup toasted, skinned hazelnuts (or walnuts), coarsely chopped

Piroshkis (Greek and Russian) Pastry 3 /4 cup unsalted butter, chilled 2 cups flour 1 /4 teaspoon salt 4-6 tablespoons ice water 1 egg yolk (for egg wash for pastry) Meat Filling 2 tablespoons butter 1 large onion, chopped 3 /4 pound ground beef 2 hard-boiled eggs, minced 3 tablespoons minced fresh dill (or 1 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed) Salt and pepper 1 egg 2 tablespoons water For meat filling: sauté onion in 2 tablespoons butter until soft. Add ground beef and sear until light gravy forms.

Let cool. Mix in egg, dill, salt and pepper. Refrigerate.

For pastry: Cut butter into pieces.

Combine flour, butter, and salt using a knife or pastry blender. Sprinkle with 4 tablespoons ice water. Form into ball as you would pie dough. You might need to add remaining 2 tablespoons water. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Place pastry dough on floured board; roll out into rectangle. Fold over into thirds. Roll out again into rectangle.

Continue rolling and folding five times. Rewrap in plastic; return to refrigerator for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease baking sheet.

Roll dough out to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut dough using 3 1/2-inch round cutter. Place about 1 tablespoon of filling on each pastry circle. Fold dough over making half moons; press edges together using ice water to seal.

Place pies on baking sheet. Whisk together egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of water; brush pies with egg wash.

Bake about 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.

www.southernillinoismag.com

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art services

2 cups all-purpose flour 1 /3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 /4 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces 1 /4 cup cold vegetable shortening, in small lumps 1 egg 1 /2 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 to 5 tablespoons cold cream or half-and-half

— Source: Norka Rabinovich

— Source: www.makegreatcookies.com

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natural beauty

by Les O’Dell

Cheer

Plant some Poinsettias, Paperwhites and Christmas cacti are among our favorites

The Christmas season is a time filled with many customs and traditions: songs that we sing only one time a year, holiday parties, special seasonal foods and stories that are told and retold with each passing year. Another traditional mark of the season comes from the natural beauty of the plants and decorations in our homes. From poinsettias to Christmas cacti, these plants make for a beautiful time of year.

The king of all Christmas plants is the poinsettia.

“It’s the most widely recognized plant at Christmastime,” said Margie Rehagen, garden center manager at Plantscape Nursery and Landscape Service in Herrin. “They’re very popular. They come in a variety of colors, but the dark red ones are the most popular.”

Toni Englehardt, owner of The Flower Patch in Pinckneyville said that poinsettias are the first plant people think of during the holiday season.

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Changing Seasons manager Ron McCollom checks the tag of a Colorado Blue Spruce, one of several living Christmas trees offered at Changing Seasons in Marion and other local landscape businesses.

uninterrupted darkness for 12 hours every day,” she said.

She said this process goes on for weeks up until the Christmas season begins.

“Once the leaves begin to get their full color, you don’t have to put them in the dark anymore,” she added.

Judy Winkeler, owner of Pickford’s Flowers and Gifts in Harrisburg, said there are some newer varieties of poinsettias that are easier to maintain.

“Some of the older varieties still need darkness, but the new hybrids, when in

the right window, will do fine the next year,” she said.

Winkeler, whose husband is The Southern Illinoisan sports editor, Les Winkeler, recommends a window with an eastern exposure.

“With just the right light and darkness, they’ll bloom at the right time next year and bloom a lot,” she said.

Another popular holiday plant is Christmas cactus, given that name because the plant’s pink flowers traditionally bloom during the Christmas season.

www.southernillinoismag.com

“I’ve found that just as soon as they’re available, people want a poinsettia in their house. It’s phenomenal how many we sell in a season, and we’re just a small shop in a small town. People think they make their homes more festive and a lot of people give them as gifts,” she said.

A key to keeping poinsettias looking their best all season long is to keep the soil moist, but not too wet, according to Drew’s Landscaping and Greenhouse owner Drew Kueker in Evansville.

“A lot of people will overwater poinsettias, but you just need to keep the soil moist, not wet,” he explained.

The plants can even be kept all year long in order to bloom for the next Christmas, but it is a process that takes some effort, said Trent Mohlenbrock of Changing Seasons Landscape Center west of Marion.

“For most people, they are a oneseason thing,” Mohlenbrock said. “The process of getting them to bloom again can be tricky. You have to carefully control the light and it requires remembering to move them in and out of the light a lot.”

Rehagen said in order to have color on a poinsettia next year, she recommends transplanting it outside for the summer, then bringing it back into the house in September.

“It will need to go through a dark period where it is in complete and

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“We usually treat the wreaths with a natural, vegetablebased preservative, but even then the fresh ones won’t last in the house much longer than the Christmas season. Outside, they’ll last into the new year,” she said.

Kueker said not only do fresh evergreen arrangements such as wreaths and swags make the whole house smell good, the products are very low maintenance.

“If they start drying out, just mist them with water and they’ll be fine,” he said.

Keuker said that potted holly and dwarf spruce trees are also popular for the Christmas season.

“The dwarf spruces are a great size for setting on top of a table. People often call them ‘little Christmas trees’ because that’s what they look like,” he said.

photo by BECKY RASMUSSEN

“Christmas cactus is very popular because it blooms during the holidays. They’re very easy to take care of and often get passed down through families. I’ve had people tell me that they still have their great-grandmother’s plant,” Rehagen said.

Mohlenbrock added many area residents enjoy Paperwhite, a plant from the narcissus family. These plants, which grow from a pre-chilled bulb, feature white flowers.

“All you have to do is have a saucer of rocks and you set the bulbs on top of the rocks. You add water and watch them grow,” he said. “You’ll have white flowers in two weeks.”

He suggested that growers also spread grass seed on the rocks, to provide a grass carpet look for the plants. With a unique aroma, Mohlenbrock said that some people really like the smell of Paperwhite, while others find it unpleasant.

“I think they smell kind of spicy. I love it,” he said.

Of course, one of the traditional smells of the season is that of pine or other evergreen trees. Even with an artificial Christmas tree, the same smell can be achieved through the use of fresh wreaths, swags or pine roping. Some florists and greenhouses make available small, fresh green arrangements for as little as $5. These arrangements feature cuts of spruce or pine and still give “the real Christmas smell.”

Elizabeth James, co-owner of Allen Farm near Buncombe makes wreaths from fresh pine cuttings. The products are very popular, but they will last only one season.

Embedded flower seed cards make it easy to plant holiday flowers; just plant the entire card and watch what happens.

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How do you say that? More about poinsettias Even though it is among the most popular of Christmas-season plants, the poinsettia is one of the most misunderstood plants. Take these myths for example: Misconception 1: Poinsettias naturally bloom at Christmastime.

Wrong. Poinsettias are photoperiodic, which means that the time of blooming is affected by patterns of light and darkness. Christmastime poinsettias are forced to bloom during the winter following a 10-week cycle where growers put the plants in complete darkness for 14 hours followed by 10 hours of full sun. Without this process, the plants would not bloom at Christmas.

Misconception 2: Poinsettias are poisonous.

Wrong. “They are not poisonous. Any plant has a toxicity level for small children and dogs, but you’d have to eat a ton of it even to get ill,” explained Judy Winkeler, owner of Pickford’s Flowers and Gifts in Harrisburg. “While you could eat enough to make you very sick, it would take you a very, very long time to do it.”

Misconception 3: How do you pronounce it?

Which is it? POYN-set-ee-uh or POYN-set-ah? Winkeler said the pronunciation varies from place to place, but she uses the version without the “I” sound in the middle. The truth is, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, both pronunciations are equally acceptable.

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— Les O’Dell

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in our backyard

by Kelley Gustave

Winter

stargazing Photo by Art services

Photo by Art services

How to find your way around the winter sky

The easiest constellation to find is Orion.

This time of the year he should be rising in the east around 9 p.m. Looking for his three-star belt (center of photo) is the easiest way to orient yourself in the night sky.

The Little Dipper and Big Dipper are found in the north sky. The three stars forming a curve are like the handle of the dipper, the four others are the dipper themselves. The Big Dipper is useful to find Polaris, the North Star. Spot the two stars forming the right edge of the dipper and extend the line they are forming upward. The first relatively bright star along that line is Polaris; it also forms the end of the handle of the Little Dipper.

From Orion’s belt look up and to the right. The bright star is Aldebaran, the brightest star in the Constellation Taurus, which looks like a “V.” Within the stars of Taurus sit the “Seven Sisters” (Pleiades); the constellation looks like a mini-Little Dipper.

Why is it upside down?

The Big Dipper sometimes appears upside down because of Earth’s rotation. The Big Dipper is near the North Star or Polaris, the point in the northern sky around which all of the other stars appear to rotate as Earth spins. As Earth rotates, the Big Dipper appears to circle around the sky near the North Star, causing it to appear at different angles to us on the ground.

At mid-evening, go back to Orion’s belt look left and down to find the star, Sirius, the main part of Canis Major. The distance to Sirius from Orion’s belt is about eight times the length of Orion’s belt.

— Sources: Dr. Joseph Masden, associate professor in physics, SIUC; and various Web sites

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round is the

Winter Solstice Since the end of the summer humidity, we Southern Illinoisans have stepped out, spending our mornings hunting, afternoons hiking and nights beside campfires.

And as the winter solstice approaches, days get shorter, putting an early end to pick-up football games.

Even though no one can determine when exactly winter begins or ends, the solstice can be calculated down to the second. It is the moment when Earth is tilted furthest from the sun; after that moment, the days get longer, and spring is on its way.

Festivals for winter solstice have been taking place long before the written word. Cave paintings illustrating the celebration and structures designed to unite the earthly with the astrol plane tell us that even before there was a name to describe it, we were aware of the connection between that which is here on earth and what is above.

Some ancient festivals took place to ease the fear that light was taking its leave from humans for eternity; others were in celebration of the unconquered sun.

Newgrange, a megalithic site in Ireland, allows the suns rays to penetrate into the central room at first light on the winter solstice. In California, there are Native-American rock-paintings, evidence of the celebration of winter solstice by the Chamush long before the arrival of Europeans. In the Northern hemisphere, the winter solstice takes place between Dec. 20 and Dec. 22.

Today, we generally recognize it as the shortest day of the year, allowing it to sink us deeper into our dreary winter depression, but then immediately drawing us out of it with the promise of spring to come.

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— Sources: http://home.ccil.org www.candlegrove.com/solstice.html; www.farmersalmanac.com/astronomy and www.britannica.com

ght on

Southern Illinois is not ideal for star viewing due to high levels of light pollution, as evidenced in this picture taken 45 minutes north west of Carbondale. Even with the light pollution, thousands of stars are still visible on a good night.

photo by JAMES DURBIN

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quick hits

by Becky Malkovich

For the pampering of pets, ’tis the season.

Not that there needs to be a particular reason, since, according to the American Pet Products Association, an estimated $45.4 billion will be spent on pets in the United States this year alone.

Holiday spending is expected to make up a big chunk of that figure. No longer content to just offer scraps from the holiday dinner table, pet lovers spend big on toys and other treats for their four-legged friends.

“The holidays are a very busy time for us,” PETCO’s Jackie Graff said. “We add staff for the holidays, just like everyone else. We have a huge ad, just like everyone else.”

Top trends in holiday giving this season include all-natural, healthy treats, especially organic and holistic goods for cats and dogs.

The store even offers edible cards and non-toxic wrapping paper so dogs can open — and eat — their own holiday tidings, said Graff, the Carbondale store’s assistant manager.

Christmas-themed toys are in stock and are also topsellers, Graff said.

Also popular for dogs are heated animal beds, both indoor and outdoor, ranging in price from $20 to $120, while cat beds and towers remain popular items in about the same price range.

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Photos by CHUCK NOVARA

pamp e r e d p e ts

Jackie Graff, an assistant manager at PETCO in Carbondale, shows a Ham Trac, an exercise toy for hamsters. Buy the car, ‘encourage’ the hamster to get in and take off. As the hamster runs, the car moves around the track.

Pet portraits are popular this year, with or without Santa, and the store has several dates arranged for photo shoots.

Haute dog couture is always a hot seller and the store has racks of casual clothing, holiday outfits with bling, outerwear and booties.

Gifts can also be found for the more exotic members of the animal kingdom, Graff said. One of her favorites is in the hamster aisle, where a hamster-sized race car or carriage can race along a “Ham Trac.”

“I’d buy a hamster so I could get this,” Graff said with a laugh. “It’s just so cute.”

The cars retail for $19.99 as does the track.

The store also carries a line of gifts for the pet lover such as coffee mugs and calendars, as does One Hot Cookie in Marion, although Fido would most likely prefer his master bring home some of the specialty cookies the popular store sells.

Homemade with the same quality ingredients used in the store’s people-treat line, One Hot Cookie has gourmet snacks such as cheese or peanut butter puppy pastries, doggy breath biscuits and snickerpoodles.

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“We use all-natural ingredients like peanut butter, parsley, mint, apples and carob,” said Sarah Lavender-Brashear, owner of One Hot Cookie.

The store also has specialty items during the holidays for both pets and owners.

“You never know what you’ll find here,” she said.

“We have dog and cat bowls, toys and gifts for the pet owner as well.”

For pets ready to party, good grooming is essential during the holidays, and Southern Illinois has pampering aplenty provided by its many pet groomers.

At Central Animal Inn in Herrin, for instance, pets enjoy a spa treatment that can include hydrosurge bathing and fluff drying, said Stephanie Cox, manager.

The treatments come with all the bells and whistles, too, such as scented soaps, whitening and brightening formulas, deshedding therapies and moisturizing potions. Manicures, er, pedicures can also liven up even the most tired of nails.

“We’re sort of a one-stop shop,” Cox said. “We can give vaccines and provide grooming, boarding and day care. It’s very convenient.”

The inn employs three groomers, who work their magic on both cats and dogs.

A full line of gifts are also available for both pets and pet lovers, she said.

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where we live

Home for the

by Debbie Luebke Metro

Bringing the world

Holidays Global collections blend with family’s history in English-style country home in Carbondale

The scent of cedar means Christmas to Bill and Pam Wright.

Each year, they decorate the foyer of the English country-style home they built in Carbondale with a 12-foot (or taller) red cedar tree.

“That’s what we had when we were kids,” Pam says. “To me, that cedar smell is Christmas.”

The aroma draws family and friends around the tree to view the wide assortment of ornaments that hold memories and meaning for the couple, who are both retired teachers. He taught computer science at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and she was an elementary school teacher.

Among the ornaments are walnuts that Bill and his brothers painted with finger nail polish when they were boys, things their son Nathan made as a child and the glittery bells that decorated a wedding gift.

Some provide memories of travel to other countries — glass ornaments from Italy, silk from China, woven ornaments from Mexico, a memento from a White House Christmas visit, another from a Rockettes Radio City Music Hall holiday show in New York City.

A gingerbread village adorns a kitchen counter, and an olive wood Nativity set the Wrights purchased in Jerusalem, with camels they bought in Bethlehem, is on display. A collection of Hummel ornaments and Santa nesting dolls from Russia are also part of the decor.

“We decorate with things that represent special events in our life or places we visited,” Pam says.

Nathan and his family now live near Chicago, but they visit over the holidays. Usually about 15 relatives come for Thanksgiving, when the decorating begins with selecting a tree, usually from their own 44 acres of land. The tree goes into a large red and green steel stand that Bill bought the first Christmas after they married.

In addition to the tall two-story cedar tree in the foyer, there are several other trees in the house. The living room features a tree decorated with dried oranges, pears and glittering poinsettias. Gingerbread, dried oranges

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and tin stars that Pam made adorn the tree in the den, and birds are featured on the one in the dining room.

White lights glow on deer in a flower bed and a single tree in the woods. Large wreaths decorate the front door and the red barn in the backyard that Bill built himself.

The brick home, with lots of wood paneling and trim, and wood floors throughout the home reflect the natural surroundings and add to the warm ambiance year round.

Four-legged family members, Clyde, the dog, and Bonnie, the cat, appear to appreciate the comfort.

“I think it feels warm and cozy, and when people come here they feel comfortable,” Pam says.

Bill adds, “We both certainly enjoy the house; we’re really happy with it. We were happy to build our dream house when we were young, and we’re still enjoying it.”

The Wrights bought 13 acres of land in 1976, and had to clear it of overgrowth, junk and other debris, including two large underground gas tanks, before construction could begin. Bill drew up plans for the home, which included a recessed front door, a garage on the north side as a buffer in cold weather, lots of attic insulation and an energy-efficient heating system.

“We wanted a new house that looked old,” Pam explains.

“We wanted the feel of an older home, with none of the problems. We were very conscious of making it energy efficient.”

Many antiques, some inherited and others purchased during travels, add to the home’s warmth.

The two-story foyer has a floor of brick pavers and contains a Tiffany lamp and marble table that belonged to Bill’s grandmother. Opposite the door is a pier mirror, with a shelf for gentleman’s calling cards.

Another of Bill’s grandmother’s treasures, a side-by-side secretary and bookcase, is against a wall in the living room.

The piece features a bookcase with glass doors topped by a mirrored shelf on one side and a desk with drawers topped by a leaded glass mirror on the other side.

With a friend’s help, Bill put in the maple floor with a cherry finish in the living room. He also installed the pine wall frames, chair railing and baseboards on the forest green walls of the room, which is dominated by a large brick fireplace.

In the den, he built bookshelves and installed wood paneling on the walls. The room features an oak floor, bay window and antique light fixture.

The hallway leading to the kitchen contains a primitive cabinet they inherited from Bill’s aunt, which belonged to a relative who served as a scout for Col. George Armstrong Custer.

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The dining room table is set with special china for family and friends who return every year for Christmas at the Carbondale home of Bill and Pam Wright. The dining room also contains the oak china cabinet (right) that belonged to Bill’s grandmother.

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where we live

The dining room contains Bill’s grandmother’s oak china cabinet, a hotel bed stand, an Aladdin oil lamp Pam’s parents received as a wedding gift and a uniquely shaped antique reproduction sideboard.

From a table in the kitchen surrounded by windows, the couple can watch the wildlife in the backyard, including deer, and the many birds that visit their feeders. They put up owl houses deeper in the woods. Stenciled

along the top of the kitchen wall are the words, “Every day is Saturday, Every night is Friday night,” Bill’s definition of retirement.

The basement features a guest room with pine log paneling and a fireplace made from rock the Wrights retrieved from a creek bed. Some of the stones contain fossils.

Upstairs there are three bedrooms.

Off the master bedroom is a screened sleeping porch, which was a compromise “because Bill likes to camp, and I don’t,” Pam explains. “It’s nice in the spring, and we can hear owls and coyotes at night.”

In the upstairs office Bill built bookshelves and installed wainscoting and chair rails. They got the huge partner’s desk from the post office in Pam’s hometown of Woodlawn. From an open balcony, they can see into the foyer and living room below.

Pam says she has many fond Christmas memories from the 30 years

Holiday displays in the home include an olive wood Nativity set the Wrights purchased in Jerusalem.

Father Christmas watches over a tree in the home’s den (right). It is decorated with gingerbread people, dried oranges and tin stars that Pam made.

Photos by ALAN ROGERS

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they’ve lived in the house, but her favorite is one of their son, Nathan, when he was about 5 years old. He wrote Santa a letter asking for a kitten.

After a lengthy search, they found one in a distant town and asked a neighbor to keep the little cat until Christmas morning.

“Nathan opened a box with a kitten, and he was thrilled,” Pam says. “Thanks to our neighbor, we pulled it off.”

Bill’s best Christmas memory is also of Nathan a few years later, getting a dirt bike.

“We opened everything, and he thought there were no more gifts,” Bill says. “Then we led him to the dining room where the bike was. I could hear him catch his breath.”

Bill says they enjoy the serenity of their home year round.

“We’re close to nature. It’s peaceful and secluded. We have the best of both worlds; we’re in the country but close to town.”

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quick hits

by Les O’Dell

L E D

lig h ts

Photos by STEPHEN RICKERL

In the classic holiday film, “Christmas Vacation,” Chevy Chase spends countless hours working to decorate his home for the holiday. By his character’s own count, he uses 250 strands of lights, each with 100 individual bulbs for, as he puts it, “a grand total of 25,000 imported Italian twinkle lights.”

While only a few of our region’s residents use thousands of lights for their holiday decorations, new developments and advancements in holiday lighting are finding their ways to the rooflines and exteriors of many area homes.

Over the years, strands of large colored lights have given way to new technologies including mini-bulb strands, bubble lights, net lights, rope lights and icicle lights. The latest advancement pairs energy conservation with increased safety through the use of light emitting diodes, or LEDs, for Christmas lights.

“LEDs are the new big thing and they’re revolutionizing our business,” said Ronnie Brown, president of Blachere Illumination USA. Brown’s Christopher-based company is one of the largest designers and manufacturers of Christmas lighting products for commercial applications in the Ronnie Brown, president of Blachere Illumination, poses for a portrait in front of one of nation. The company works to light civic buildings, the company’s creations, which is destined for a casino in Florida. theme parks, casinos and shopping malls for the holidays. In fact, Blachere is responsible for the Christmas lighting on Cinderella’s Castle at Walt Disney World.

“There is very little chance of shock with LEDs, and I think “You can’t buy what we do in a home-improvement that at some point in the future, we’ll probably see legislation store,” Brown said. “I call our products industrial fairy lights.” ending all incandescent lighting in favor of LED because of the Yet, some of the same LED technology used in commercial energy conservation and the safety,” he said. applications is now available for residential applications. ReEven before that, Brown said he expects LED lighting to thrive gardless of home or industrial use, Brown said that LED Christfor holiday decorating. mas lights are, in some ways, revolutionary.

“I expect that LED will take over the consumer Christmas “They are so low in power consumption, about 10 percent of lighting market in just a few years,” he said. traditional Christmas lights, it’s unbelievable,” he said.

Brown and Sheffer both said that LED Christmas lights are Brown said that not only do LEDs require less energy, they more expensive than traditional holiday lighting, but LEDs are also perform better than other lights. worth the extra cost.

“They last a lot longer. Most LED lights will burn for 70,000 “Even though they are more expensive, there are fewer probhours,” he explained. “By my calculations, that’s between 60 lems with them,” Brown explained. “Maintenance issues are and 70 Christmases.” much lower.”

The LED lights are already appearing on retailers’ shelves, Sheffer said that consumers need to look at LED lighting in according to George Sheffer, owner of Murdale True Value in terms of value over many holiday seasons.

Carbondale. He calls LED the big thing this year.

And with all of the new LED technology and resources avail“Everyone’s talking about the LED lights,” he said. “They are such an improvement and they last a lot longer. Plus, they don’t able, does Brown decorate his home in the “Christmas Vacation” style? create the heat that the other bulbs do and don’t use near the “I actually didn’t do anything last year to decorate. We’re same level of energy as the other bulbs.” obviously pretty busy just before Christmas, but this year I just Brown said in addition to less heat creation, the LEDs are might,” he said. safer for other reasons.

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Be bright: Keep lighting safe

Avoid overloading electrical circuits. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Always keep the wattage of electrical products below 1,500 watts per circuit,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;More than that and you might trip a breaker or blow a fuse.â&#x20AC;? Davison said to avoid the temptation of putting in a bigger breaker or larger fuse. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everybodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always adding Christmas lights, but they never seem to add any electrical circuits,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Remember that you can have as many as nine outlets on a single circuit.â&#x20AC;?

Davison said that the cost of adding additional circuits to your homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s electrical service could be $100 to $200. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cheaper than rebuilding your home if it burns down, and a lot of people spend much more than that on Christmas decorations.â&#x20AC;?

Be safe outdoors Outdoor lighting and Christmas displays often mean lots of extension cords running to outlets on the house. Davison said outdoor cords should be elevated off of the ground. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That way theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not laying in water, which could lead to an electrical shock,â&#x20AC;? he said.

He also said that outdoor electrical receptacles should have ground fault circuit interrupters at either the outlet or breaker.

Additionally, Davison recommends consumers use adequately-sized extension cords that are in good repair. He suggested a cord rated for at least 10 amps with both an â&#x20AC;&#x153;SJâ&#x20AC;? rating and a weatherproof jacket.

Remember your pets Davidson said that indoors the Christmas season often includes extra extension and other power cords being present that are not usually there. These extra cords can be tempting to household pets. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Watch for cats or dogs chewing on the cords,â&#x20AC;? he explained. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The animals are naturally curious, so theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to want to investigate and chew on the cords.â&#x20AC;?

He said that extra lengths of cord should be secured together and pets should be trained to leave the cords alone; otherwise, your four-legged friend could be in for a shock.

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618.253.4711

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Even with all of the advancements in Christmas lights, electrical holiday decorations need to be approached with safety, said area electrician Mike Davison, owner of Davison Electric in Du Quoin.

He said that a few simple precautions can prevent a Christmas tragedy:

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entertainment John Tesh’s holiday show will feature traditional carols and new standards, a light show and lots of interaction with the audience.

by Brent Stewart

Sometimes we become overwhelmed by the holiday hullaboo;

keeping you I

Merry

t used to be that the Christmas season didn’t begin until the day after Thanksgiving. The pumpkins, the horns o’ plenty and all the other fall decorations were put away in favor of greenery, snowmen, Santas and Nativity scenes.

These days, it begins weeks before December. There are trees and reindeer and pre-holiday sales. Is it any wonder people are more like Ebenezer Scrooge than Tiny Tim when Dec. 25 finally rolls around?

But that’s really no reason to completely lose the spirit of the season. There are plenty of Christmas pageants and performances by churches and schools, and there are several big seasonal shows from local colleges, theater companies and entertainment venues. You can plan a date night with Mrs. Claus and, hopefully, avoid a Clark Griswold meltdown when the season begins to overwhelm you.

The biggest of these shows would be multi-talented musician and television personality, John Tesh, who

is performing at Shryock Auditorium and presented by Southern Lights Entertainment.

“John Tesh is the type of performer who really gives 110 percent on stage,” said Bryan Rives, director of Southern Illinois University Event Services. “His Christmas concert production is a great combination of highquality production values with music we all cherish during the holiday season. Individuals, families and church groups who attend the concert will certainly get their holiday season off to a great start.”

The former “Entertainment Tonight” co-host will be performing his first set of holiday shows in 15 years. It will feature traditional carols and new standards arranged with a big band feel, complete with Tesh’s trademark light show and interaction with the audience.

“A good holiday production in my mind is one that has

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both high production values and appeals to the entire family or community,” Rives said. “If I see families in the audience with several generations in attendance, that really gets me into the holiday mood.”

The Concert: “A Christmas with John Tesh” takes the stage at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6. For ticket prices and information call 618-453-6000 or go online at www.

SouthernLightsEntertainment.com.

Also: At Shryock, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3, Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra will present Poulenc’s “Gloria” in the first half of the concert. The second half will feature Ralph Vaughan Williams “Fantasia on Christmas Carols” and several other holiday selections. The orchestra will be joined by a 130-voice choir, featuring SIUC Concert Choir and Choral Union. For more information, go to http:// symphony.siuc.edu.

THE CARSON CENTER IN PADUCAH will host two holiday events. The first is a nationally touring production of “A Christmas Carol” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8. The Nebraska Theatre Caravan has been on the road with this adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic tale for 28 years.

At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, you can sing along to your favorite Christmas songs with Paducah Symphony Chorus, Children’s Chorus, and Paducah Pops Orchestra.

For more information on these events, go to www.thecarsoncenter.org.

PARADISE ALLEY PLAYERS, the official theater company of Marion Cultural and Civic Center, will present “Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus” at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec 4 and 5, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6.

“Virginia” is the story of a little girl whose friends tell her that Santa Claus isn’t real, so she writes a letter to the newspaper to find the answer.

SOUTHEASTERN ILLINOIS COLLEGE will present a Madrigal Feaste. This catered dinner features Madrigal

singers presenting traditional holiday music. Show dates are Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 4, 5 and 6.

To make your dinner reservations or for more information, contact the box office at 618-252-5400 ext. 2486 or online at boxoffice@sic.edu.

JOHN A. LOGAN COLLEGE in Carterville last year presented a wildly popular holiday show, “A 1940s Radio Christmas.” This year, they’ll veer away from that concept slightly to present “Holiday Hop — A Tribute to Rock and Roll” at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 11 and 12. It will actually be the sixth time JALC has presented this type of show, said Nathan Arnett, choral director and instructor of music at the college.

The first was in 1989, when choir professor emeritus Karen Sala conceived the tribute, taking popular standards and performing them, giving choir members a chance to put their voices out front. As a JALC choir member, Arnett had the opportunity to perform in one of the shows and has kept the tradition going as choral director.

“It is not our attempt to emulate all of the great artists of the past,” Arnett said. “It’s our goal to sing some familiar tunes and conjure up many pleasant memories. We will not only focus on the pop music of the 1950s, but we will feature some of the great holiday hits of that era. There will be chances for the audience to participate in the production and the show will be accompanied by a live 50s-style band.

“I thoroughly enjoy the music of the holidays. Whenever I hear bells jingling or the see the regular breakout of hats and scarves, I turn into a wide-eyed 6-year-old hoping Santa makes it to my house,” Arnett said. “I think people who attend these holiday musical events come for the great music, the opportunity to see and hear their family and friends perform, but most of all for the memories. Good or bad, the holidays make an impression on the stories of our lives.

I’m hopeful that our audiences come expecting and leave fulfilled.”

For more information on “Holiday Hop,” call 618-9852828, ext. 8287, or e-mail activities@jalc.edu.

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quick hits

by Marleen Shepherd

Hanu k k a h Each night of Hanukkah, Jews light a new candle in the menorah. The simple act is a sacred one for Sara Faye Marten of Congregation Beth Jacob.

Like many Jews, her love of this tradition has led to collecting the special candleholders that come in a variety of shapes, sizes, materials and themes.

In the Marten house, not only is a new candle lit each night, but new menorahs are introduced.

“We add at least one or two more and light as many candles per menorah for each night. When we get to the end, it is quite a bright light and it’s really fun.”

Light and oil and are the principal ingredients in this happy holiday that

celebrates the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem by Judah Maccabee in 165 BC after the temple had been profaned by Antiochus, the Greek king of Syria.

Maccabee and a small group of soldiers cleaned and repaired the temple, including the golden menorah.

For their dedication ceremony, the Maccabees wanted to light the menorah but found only enough oil to light it for one day.

“They prayed for help to get through, and lo and behold, the oil lasted for eight days and eight nights,” Marten said.

The annual Jewish festival begins at sundown on Friday, Dec. 11, and Jews will spend the next eight days at

worship services and parties that include sharing the Hanukkah story, singing and dancing, and eating foods made with oil such as potato latkes and doughnuts.

Children receive gifts every night of the eight-day holiday and play the popular game of dreidel, a four-sided spinning top. The Hebrew letters on each side of the dreidel represent the beginning of the words “Great Miracle Happened There.”

Kwan z aa An estimated 4 million African-Americans will celebrate Kwanzaa alongside their religious observances this holiday season. Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa, which runs from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, are dedicated to seven principles that represent “the best of African thought and practice in constant exchange with the world,” according to the holiday’s founder Maulana Karenga.

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to introduce and reinforce the basic values of African culture, “which contribute to building and reinforcing family, community and culture among African-American people as well as Africans throughout the world African community,” Karenga writes at OfficialKwanzaaWebsite.org. The seven principles are: Umoja (Unity): To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.

Kujichagulia (Self-Determination): To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.

Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility): To build and maintain our community together and make our brother’s and sister’s problems our problems and to solve them together.

Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics): To build and maintain our own stores, shops, and other businesses and to profit from them together. l i v i n g ,

Nia (Purpose): To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

Kuumba (Creativity): To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

Imani (Faith): To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

During Kwanzaa, families will light one candle in the kinara, the traditional candle holder symbolic of African-American roots, representing each of the principles. While Kwanzaa is a cultural and not religious observance, often the kinara will share space with the Christmas tree or other symbols of the faith practiced by the family.

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trends

Green

by Les O’Dell

the new

color of

From the tree to the wrapping, celebrating with a focus on the environment makes the merriest holidays

Christmas

Ask any first-grader what color most symbolizes Christmas and, thinking of Santa’s suit, poinsettia leaves and candy canes, she will most likely tell you that red is synonymous with the season. However, for a growing number of Southern Illinoisans, the color of emphasis during the holiday season is green.

Environmental concerns are causing many people to celebrate holidays in a simpler, more Earth-friendly way. For them, not only is a green celebration more sustainable, it is a way to live economically and to focus on friends and family.

“I’ve found that you definitely don’t have to sacrifice being green to celebrate, and it’s actually more enjoyable to focus on people and not things at Christmas,” said Sorrel Kunath of Carbondale, who also said green living is a year-long value.

At the center of many people’s environmental-friendly Christmases is the tree, perhaps one of the most common of symbols for the season.

“One of the biggest things is the tree and the decorations,” Kunath said. “When you go about choosing the best option for the environment, I’d say that the live trees are definitely best, especially when you remember that the artificial trees are a petroleum-based product.”

There are two options for non-artificial trees: traditional fir or pine trees that have been recently cut or “living trees,” which are dug from the ground and have a ball-andburlap root system. These trees, which go in a large tub or basin instead of a traditional Christmas tree stand, can be replanted just after Christmas.

“The ‘greenest’ tree is a living tree,” said Margie Rehagen, garden center manager at Plantscape Nursery and Landscape Service in Herrin. “It’s a tree you don’t have to throw away after Christmas. You just plant it in your yard after the holidays and enjoy it for years to come.”

Many people are choosing to leave their Christmas trees outside, according to Trent Mohlenbrock, owner of Changing Seasons Landscape Center in Marion. He said he

often encourages people to put a living Christmas tree on their back porch or deck until planting.

“A lot of young people don’t want all of the work of taking it in the house for such a short time,” he said. “On the patio, it’s never going to be too cold or too hot for it, and you can light it just like you would inside. You can even decorate with pinecones covered in peanut butter and birdseed, so it’s good for nature.”

Freshly cut trees can also be returned to nature. The Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Rend Lake encourage residents to drop off Christmas trees at an announced location. The trees are bundled together and then sunk in lakes, where they improve fish habitat and provide places of refuge for smaller fish to hide from predators.

“With environmental concerns, we just feel that real Christmas trees are better,” said Elizabeth James, co-owner of Allen Farm, a 255-acre tree farm near Buncombe. “The average life span of an artificial tree is six years in your home and a million years underground; they’re plastic, they won’t biodegrade.”

A choice to celebrate a green Christmas impacts presents and gift wrapping as well.

“We try to take the environment into consideration in gift giving. Rather than buying all new gifts, we try to get gifts at thrift stores,” Kunath said. “I often will give things such as flowers or houseplants that I’ve propagated at home. They’re especially good things to give in the winter.”

Lauren Reedy of Carterville said she also likes to give — and receive — green gifts.

“I like handmade things and what I call ‘thrifted’ things like antiques,” she explained. “Even if it’s second-hand or used, to me it means so much. When people use their talents to make a gift or take the time to think of me when they find something unique, that makes me feel really special.”

Reedy also said she tries to find ways to reuse or remake the wrap used to conceal presents.

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Lauren Reedy recycles fabric by using it as holiday gift wrap for homemade jams. With children Claire and Ashton looking on (below), Lauren creates a natural holiday decoration for her home in Carterville.

Photos by CHUCK NOVARA

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“I haven’t purchased a gift bag in more than six years; they’re easy to reuse,” she added. “I also use fabric scraps and make fabric bags to give gifts in. It’s all very simple and it becomes part of the gift itself.”

Another form of recycled wrapping for gifts is the use of newspaper. The bright colors of the Sunday comics section has been popular as inexpensive gift wrap for many years.

“Growing up, I always thought the North Pole had to be close to Carbondale, because at my house, Santa always wrapped presents in The Southern Illinoisan,” said Russ Ward of Murphysboro.

“I guess my mom was ‘green’ way before it was fashionable,” he said.

The Sierra Club suggests old maps, towels and scarves also can all be used as gift wrap.

Other Christmas traditions are also undergoing eco-makeovers. Reedy said rather than adorning her home with Christmas lights, her family uses candles or luminaries to welcome December guests.

Many people are turning to telephone calls or emails instead of mailing Christmas cards. However, those still wanting to send traditional greetings may want to look for cards made from recycled paper or consider cards designed to be put in the ground.

“We have ‘plantable’ Christmas cards that have seeds embedded in them,” Mohlenbrock said. “The cards are made from a particular plant that grows in Africa that is processed into paper and on the card is an ornament with seeds implanted into it. The ornament can be planted and it will grow flowers.”

The decision to have a green Christmas has not lessened the enjoyment of the holidays for people with concerns about the environment such as Reedy. In fact, going green has been simple for her.

“It all seems very normal to me. I don’t even realize that ‘Oh, yeah, that’s green,’ anymore,” she said. “It’s just pretty simple when you start getting creative and have fun with it.”

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SI George Whitehead isSanta Claus profile

by Stephen Rickerl

George Whitehead has been many things throughout his career: director of Carbondale’s Park District, production assistant at the Du Quoin State Fair, a consultant providing financial advice to park districts and even a faculty member at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, teaching in the Department of Health Education and Recreation. But there is one role that Whitehead plays every holiday season that he is perhaps most recognized for.

Since the 1970s, Whitehead has been appearing as Santa at schools and Christmas gatherings, and in 1990, the first year of Carbondale’s Lights Fantastic Parade, he donned the red and white suit and has been doing so ever since.

But Southern Illinois’ own Santa very easily could have never been.

Whitehead was born in a farmhouse in Southwest Missouri in the village of Ava. Whitehead was raised in the Church of Nazarene, which coincidently doesn’t recognize or celebrate Santa Claus. At age 5, Whitehead’s father left farming and took a job with Caterpillar in Peoria. In his third-grade year, Whitehead made his first appearance as Santa when he recited “The Night Before Christmas” at the school’s holiday pageant.

Whitehead came to Carbondale and enrolled at SIU after serving in the military. Whitehead said he was welcomed to the university with open arms and has been here since the fall of 1971, earning both his bachelor and master degrees in community park and recreation services and public park and recreation administration respectively.

Whitehead talks about his experiences as Santa and what the Christmas season means to him.

Q

Is there someone who encouraged you to continue to play Santa?

It’s just something I love to do. I love doing it to see the smiles, to see the quizzical looks. And sometimes I even get the opportunity to make a point with a child. I’ll say, “What do you want for Christmas,” and the child will say, “I want everything!” I’ll say, “Oh Santa can’t do that.” “Well why not?” “Well if Santa gave you everything, then no one else would get anything.” Then they’ll say “Oh, oh,” and all of a sudden they have a list. I have to qualify a lot of things, any electronics, major electronics; I say I will have to get permission

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from mom and dad. And all live animals, I have to get permission.

Q

What are some of the more challenging aspects to playing Santa?

You get the difficult question of “I’d really like to see Grandmother again,” you know where this is going. I say ask where Grandma is; well, Grandma died. I have to tell them Santa can’t do that, but Grandma’s up there. She’s watching; she’s watching over you. You know you’ve got Grandma in your heart; you have memories of Grandma.

Q

That must be the most difficult thing to explain to children.

Or can we get mom and dad back together. I have to tell them that mom and dad are going to have to give me a lot of help.

Q

What do you like best about being Santa?

In addition to children, I really enjoy catching the eye of adults. And especially when an adult seems to be all consumed in this kind of fog of stress, and they’re coming in the door, and they’re not really looking around and may even have a frown on their face, and I can get their attention by saying Merry Christmas! And they look at me, and in that moment they’ll smile, and all that weight on their shoulders is lifted just for that moment. I’ve made a difference just for that moment. As long as I can make a difference, that’s what I want to do.

Q

Have you always had the white beard?

I haven’t always had the white beard, as it is now. I didn’t let the beard grow until after I took retirement from public service.

And that’s when I decided I’m really going to concentrate on doing something I really enjoy doing, and that’s Santa during the season.

Q

How many kids pull on your beard when they see you?

Very few. Once they’re on my lap, it becomes very apparent; it’s not fake. I’ll say, go ahead, grab a hold of it, and I’ll grab it myself and say it’s not going anywhere.

Q

Do you have a most memorable child’s reaction to seeing you?

The one time that probably touched me the most in my heart and brought tears to my eyes, and even when I think about it

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s I get a little choked up. An autistic child was brought to me every year that I was at Illinois Centre Mall.

And it was either the second or third year that mom came with him, he came in, and before he would just kind of bounce around, jump around right in front of me, never came up close to me. This time, this child walked right up to me and put his arms around my neck and hugged me. I wasn’t sure what to do. I was fearful to try to reach out and do the same because I know a little bit about autism. So I just did very quickly, and the gal that was on the camera took the shot. Then I looked over and mom is crying, and I asked what I did. Mom’s crying because she’s never seen this child express any emotion like that ever before.

This child has never hugged mom or dad, ever. It was all I could do to keep from just crying right there on the set.

Q

photo by Stephen Rickerl

George Whitehead of Carbondale is Santa at schools and Christmas gatherings.

He also appeared in the first Lights Fantastic parade in Carbondale in 1990 and has done it every year since.

www.southernillinoismag.com

What is the one idea about Christmas that you want to convey to people most?

That Christmas should be 365 days a year, because we try to take this whole thought of giving and pack it into one day or one time of the year. We should be giving of ourselves everyday and should not be looking for something in return. Give so that others may give, also.

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SI

history

Linda MacDonald of Ellis Grove serves hot cider to Nicolette Gremaud of Perryville, Mo. at Fort de Chartres State Historic Site.

Randolph County In some areas, the historical traditions of Southern Illinois run deeper than the Mississippi River.

As the western corner of our area lines up against the mighty waterway, there are a number of towns of great historical significance.

In the colonial era, when strategic placement along the river was of utmost importance, France built several settlements in what would become Southern Illinois. Prairie du Rocher was founded in 1722; a few miles outside the settlement, Fort de Chartres was built between 1753 and 1756. It was the third such attempt at a large port station; the first two being made of wood, had deteriorated rather quickly in the river bottom.

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PHOTO BY MARY THOMAS LAYTON

by Brent Stewart

New Year

Prairie du Rocher has been ringing it in the same way for 285 years the area, although they didn’t reach Fort de Chartres for two years. A handful of French troops were left for a peaceful surrender. It was renamed Fort Cavendish. The British stayed in the fort until the river threatened to destroy the front wall. The fort was abandoned and left for nature to occupy in 1772.

After the Revolutionary War, in 1778, George Rogers Clark went to a dance in Prairie du Rocher while securing the area for the United States.

Clark evidently also viewed the ruins of Fort de Chartres.

Despite Prairie du Rocher’s occupation by two other countries, some of the French traditions managed to survive throughout the years. La Guiannee, the traditional French New Year’s celebration, has been continuously celebrated since the same year the town was founded. l i v i n g ,

Gerry Franklin of Prairie du Rocher’s La Guiannee Société said some people believe the ceremony has its roots as Druid tradition.

La Guiannee is actually the same name as the song sung by those who participate in the celebration. The lyrics describe the tradition of the poor of the town visiting the homes of the wealthy and asking them for items to be able to celebrate the New Year.

“What it has become in the 21st century, is basically, you go to your friends’ house, a group of people, go from house to house and then move on,” Franklin said.

In recent years, La Guiannee has become more family friendly, but in the past, you might have received a shot of whiskey at each house.

“They usually invite us in to have a little bite to eat,” Franklin said.

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wine country

La Guiannee

The Twelfth Night Ball

There’s a wine that fits every type of celebration

This year’s holiday meal may need a little something extra to divert attention from the football game or the inevitable afternoon nap, and wine may be your answer. George Majka of Pomona Winery suggests picking a wine that would “spark up the meal.”

Karen Hand, the winemaker for Blue Sky Winery in Makanda, would stick with a fullbodied red that would compliment the usual lighter meat of a holiday meal by contrasting it with a robust flavor.

Some feel the standard to use when thinking of coordinating your wine choice is: the heavier the meat the darker the wine.

“Bigger food, bigger flavors,” said Brad Genung of Owl Creek Vineyard.

Elissa Hopkins-Renzaglia of Alto Vineyards recommends a dry or semi-dry white wine for turkey, a semi-dry red for ham and a heavier red for beef.

When serving a family, some wine drinkers will be less experienced than others and may not have the taste for a particular flavor.

With this in mind, Tim Waller of Inheritance Valley makes a good point that compromise may be key.

“Some families like dry; some like sweet,” he said, adding that he would pick a semisweet white wine.

“You pretty well want to choose whatever you like,” says Paul Jacobs of Von Jakob.

Wine recommendations of the local vineyards from their own stock: Alto Vineyards: Traminette, semi-dry white wine Blue Sky Vineyard: Cabernet Franc pairs well with a variety of meals Hedman Orchard and Vineyard: Villard Blanc, a dry white wine, pairs well with white meat.

Inheritance Valley: Two Worlds, a mixture of Cabernet Franc and Norton, that pairs well with red meats or chocolate Owl Creek Vineyard: Chardonowl, a dry white wine Pomona Winery: Kir, a French- style mix of apple wine and black current wine Von Jakob Vineyard: Hillside White, semidry white; or a Vidal Blanc Hickory Ridge Vineyard and Winery: Norton, a 2005 vintage bold, heavier red wine Rustle Hill Winery: Dessert Chambourcin, a port

www.southernillinoismag.com

PHOTO BY MARY THOMAS LAYTON

Along the way, the group sings songs, including theme of the event, “La Guiannee.” The carolers will bring instruments, such as fiddles, guitars and mandolins.

In modern times, there are maybe five or so houses on the evening’s route. They start out at Fort de Chartres and use a van to carry the group to each residence. Most of the group dress in period costumes.

“It has morphed through the years, but same idea is there,” Franklin said.

Another traditional French event in Prairie du Rocher is the Twelfth Night Ball. Because the French settlers were Catholic, the Christmas season really didn’t begin until Dec. 25.

“In the Catholic Church, the month before Christmas was a period of atonement, bettering yourself in time for Christmas,” Franklin said. “Once Christmas gets here we begin the season and part of that is New Year’s. The 12th day of Christmas was the Epiphany. On the 12th night, they’d have a ball.”

At the Twelfth Night Ball, cake was served to the young men, and the first one who would find a bean in their cake would become king of the ball. He would then choose his queen and the rest of his court would be chosen by the remainder of beans in the slices of cake.

The tradition of the ball continued in Prairie du Rocher until World War II, when most of the young men were at war. It was revived in 1976 and now is a very popular event happening every year since.

Just as in the old times, a string band will play reels and dances and the cake is served to determine the king and his court.

The Twelfth Night Ball is usually conducted on a Saturday close to the 6th of Ted Mueller of Chester, a member of the January. Many people dress La Guiannee Society, performs during the in period attire, although traditional French New Year’s celebration.

Franklin said that is not necessary.

Franklin has been involved with the ball since its When: 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 31 reorganization.

Where: The group starts out at He believes the current Fort de Chartres, 1350 Illinois 155, installment of the Twelfth Prairie du Rocher Night Ball is just as authentic as any other in the past.

“A lot of people re-enact history,” Franklin said. “We are not re-enacting history; When: 8 p.m. this is it. Of course, 300 years Saturday, Jan. 9, 2010 ago, they probably didn’t Where: American Legion, put glitter in their hair, but 509 Henry St., Prairie du Rocher some do now. We’re not For more information, contact really doing it to carry on 618-284-7230 a tradition; we’re doing it because it’s what we do.”

by Brent Stewart

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SI Made by hand business buzz

by Becky Malkovich

THE STORE

New Carbondale boutique features original clothing and artwork

What: Dayshift. A Handmade Boutique Where: 101 W. Monroe, Carbondale (next to the old train depot) Payment: Cash or check only

photos by Steve Jahnke

Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday Phone: 217-341-8971 E-mail: marylynn@inbluethreads. com

Mary Lynn Schroeder needed a hobby.

Online: Check out items from some When she moved to Southern Illinois from Dayshift artists online at www.

Chicago, she had enough money saved to take inblue.etsy.com www.happysolez. a few months off work. etsy.com “I needed something to do in my spare time.

I’m not too good at just sitting around, so on the drive down, I stopped and bought a sewing machine,” she said. “And then I learned to sew.”

Soon, she was making gifts for friends then selling items at festivals. She got a place in Makanda to use as a studio, and that studio soon turned into a boutique, which soon turned into a full-fledged store in downtown Carbondale filled with items made by like-minded individuals.

Dayshift. A Handmade Boutique, a collective offering a variety of goods — all handmade or vintage — opened in August.

Inside the friendly shop is an eclectic mix of artist-driven items: fashion, jewelry and other accessories, art and pottery.

Funky purses and pouches, colorful scarves, unique earrings and necklaces, soaps and lotions, greeting cards, racks of chic chemises, skirts and dresses and fun children’s clothing line the store from wall to wall, which by the way are lined with Owner Mary Lynn Schroeder (right) and seamstress/artist Katherine Accettura stand in Dayshift, a shelves of handcrafted pottery, reams of new handmade clothing and art store next to the Old Train Depot in Carbondale.

Handmade jewelry, (above), is also a big seller at Dayshift. fabric and mounted works of art.

Katherine Accettura is a seamstress and artist whose goods are sold at the store.

“I’ll take a piece and re-purpose it. I’ll embellish a t-shirt gift, whether it is a gift to self or to others. The store also or turn a onesie into a dress,” Accettura said. “I like finding does alterations. beauty in something that could otherwise go to waste.”

“We are a working studio,” Schroeder said. “We have About 25 artists contribute to the store, some from as far different artists in and out and almost all will do custom away as Alabama, but most are locals, Schroeder said. The orders.” store gives over lots of space to artists at Southern Illinois The store has also found a worldwide presence on the University Carbondale, something Schroeder said is exciting. Internet, selling their goods online. Etsy, a handmade “It’s fun to get their stuff in here, and I love their marketplace at www.etsy.com, has been hugely important, perspective,” she said. “ It’s cool to give them a venue where Schroeder said. they can sell their art.”

“It’s what allows me to have this store — a huge part of The artists also inspire each other, sharing the same my income,” Schroeder said of the sales she makes on Etsy. aesthetic and bouncing ideas off each other, Schroeder said.

“We’re like a mini-Etsy, and it’s such a neat venue for artists.”

Most artists contributing to the store are happy to do Dayshift hopes to offer classes in knitting and sewing custom work and will work with customers on that special before the end of the year.

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local events

holiday events MURPHYSBORO HOMETOWN CHRISTMAS Decorated homes, tree festival, silent auction.

When: 1-4 p.m. Nov. 24-28; 1-4 p.m. Dec. 1-4; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Dec. 5; 1-4 p.m. Dec. 6 Where: Historic district, between 16th and 17th Streets, General John A. Logan Museum Phone: 618-565-4167 or 618-684-3522 HOLIDAY LIGHTS FAIR Lighted displays throughout the fairgrounds.

The exhibition hall will be open beginning Dec. 12 on weekends only, with musical performances, holiday tree display, visits with Santa. Admission $5 per family vehicles, $8 nights exposition hall is open.

When: Nov. 28-Dec. 30; closed Christmas Day Where: Du Quoin State Fairgrounds Phone: 618-542-8338 CAROLS AT CANDLELIGHT Informal celebration in 1886 church on National Register of Historic Places.

When: 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6 Where: St. Anneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, South Main Street, Anna Phone: 618-833-9441

COUNTRY CHRISTMAS STROLL AND HOUSE TOUR Craft fair, Festival of Trees, flea market, house tours, museums, decorated surrey rides, breakfast with Santa at golf course.

When: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5; 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6 Where: Community Club Park and throughout Okawville Phone: 618-243-5694 METROPOLIS CHRISTMAS PARADE Christmas parade with floats, bands and Santa.

When: 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5 Where: Ninth and Market Streets Phone: 800-949-5740 LIGHTS FANTASTIC Holiday parade features lighted floats and marching bands. Pre-event activities begin at 4 p.m. Live reindeer at Town Square Pavilion before parade, with professional photos available for fee.

When: 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5 Where: Downtown Carbondale Phone: 800-526-1500 or 618-529-8040

CHRISTMAS HOMES TOUR Four homes decorated for the holidays with Elijah P. Curtis Home and Museum, where tea will be served. Admission is $6.

When: 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6 Where: 405 Market St., Metropolis Phone: 618-524-7203, 800-949-5740 CHRISTMAS HOUSE TOUR Tour of historic homes. Tickets at Golconda Pope County Museum for $10, refreshments available. Christmas in the courtyard begins at 6 p.m. Depart from museum for candlelight walk and caroling to courtyard for bonfire, hot chocolate, cookies and Santa.

When: 1-6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12 Where: Golconda Phone: 618-683-9702 OLDE TYME CHRISTMAS Decorations from 1700s with period music and refreshments at Fort Massac State Park in Metropolis.

When: 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13 Where: Fort Massac State Park, Metropolis Phone: 618-524-9321

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parting shot

p.s. photo by Chuck Novara The Southern

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Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a moment landscape lovers wait for every fall: A winged Euonymus plant, commonly called a burning bush, turns a vibrant red, just in time for the holidays.

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