Jersey County July 2023

Fishing Fair draws another big crowd to Pere Marquette

By Mark Ellebracht Big Z Media

The Two Rivers Family Fishing Fair had a little something for everyone on Saturday, June 10. A large crowd took advantage of a warm day and sunshine to attend the 34th year of the event where once again,

all activities were free.

Pere Marquette State Park hosted the event where kids and families took part in a variety of outdoor activities on the grounds in front of the lodge and visitors center. There was a catch-andrelease bluegill pond where young anglers had their

photograph taken with their catch; the One-Cast station, where everyone wins a prize; and bow-fishing stations where children could shoot at moving targets in a pool or at a 3D target. Every child who completed at least seven stations received a prize and chance to catch a trout in the trout pond.

Jason Reynolds brought his 4,000-gallon mobile aquarium stocked with many of the fish species found in the Illinois River. Jason also conducted a few shows

including dogs jumping into the water.

Camo the Clown was there again along with the Lodge Brothers band, and Wildheart. Alex Nagy of Twisted Cat Outdoors also brought his tournament rig. Big Z Media was also there with free giveaways for everyone who stopped by their tent.

Scott Isringhausen, Urban Fishing Coordinator for southern Illinois in the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said, “We want kids to get hooked on fishing and get outdoors.

Any time you can get kids and parents away from the TV, their phones, and other distractions and see what the outdoor world has to offer is a good day.”

He said, “Thanks to our generous sponsors, we are able to continue to offer this free event. We are very fortunate to have the support of the Phillips 66 Wood River Refinery as a Premier Sponsor, along with Farm and Home Supply, the Jersey County Board, Walmart, State Farm Insurance of Jerseyville and Carrollton, and many others.”

The event is hosted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge, administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and Pere Marquette State Park, administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. 3

SECRET DINER

By Bill Roseberry

Farm-to-table feel

Picking a healthy option for a place to eat isn’t always a bad thing and this salad and sandwich shop in central Madison County is a good choice.

I recently visited for lunch and had some trouble finding the small place. It’s a little inconspicuous, even though it’s right along a side road in town in front of a residential area. On further inspection the name is written in cursive on the large picture window on the front of the building, as well as in raised gold lettering above the black and white striped awning. It’s a very homey, farmto-table feel here. The warm, light colors make for an inviting and relaxing atmosphere. Behind the counter in the front of the establishment you’ll find big menu boards hanging on the walls. Drinks are available in coolers and there is even a small line of beers and seltzers available. The pricing is a little high for what it is, but you get a lot of food with your order. I even had some to go on my visit. My order consisted of hummus and pita chips as

with garlic flavor like I feel I get sometimes with hummus. It was really good and I had a decent amount left to take with me for another snack due to the size of the order. It’s easily a shareable plate.

As for the salad, the first thing I noticed was the slight kick to it. The buffalo flavor really stood out. The chicken was super tender and complemented nicely by the bleu cheese and corn mixed in. The corn, cheese and buffalo sauce drove the taste. There are a ton of other salad choices here too, including a hummus salad, barbecue chicken, cobb, Greek, mandarin orange and Caesar to name a few. You can also build your own salad with a slew of healthy choices. Toppings include goodies like apples, chickpeas, beets, strawberries and blueberries, among more

Overall:

Cleanliness:

Service:

Food:

Price:

Any idea of the name of this restaurant?

Check the puzzle solutions to see if you are right.

traditional options.

If salads aren’t your bag, grab a grilled chicken pita, a buffalo pita or a grilled cheese sandwich. Hours are short, so check before you visit. It’s open from 11am to 7pm MondayFriday and 8am to 1pm on Saturday. They are closed on Sunday. 3

TRIVIA TEST

By Fifi Rodriguez

1. MOVIES: Which movie features the line, “Where we’re going, we don’t need roads”?

2. HISTORY: Which serious disease was declared eradicated in 1980?

3. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: What color is the “black box” that is used to record data on airplanes?

4. GAMES: How much does getting out of jail cost in the board game Monopoly?

5. LITERATURE: What kind of animal is the novel “Black Beauty” about?

6. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Who was the youngest president?

7. TELEVISION: Who played the Penguin in the original “Batman” TV series?

8. GEOGRAPHY: What is the northernmost point of the United States?

9. ASTRONOMY: Which is the only planet in our solar system that spins clockwise?

10. FOOD & DRINK: Which fast-food restaurant chain claims that “We have the meats”?

Even Exchange

by Donna Pettman

Each numbered row contains two clues and two 6-letter answers. The two answers differ from each other by only one letter, which has already been inserted. For example, if you exchange the A from MA STER for an I, you get MISTER. Do not change the order of the letters.

FLASHBACK

By Mick Harper

1. On which album does Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” originally appear?

2. “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” was penned for which 1969 film?

3. Who released “Baby Don’t Forget My Number”?

4. What is Juice Newton’s real first name?

5. Name the song that contains these lyrics: “Wednesday morning at five o’clock as the day begins, Silently closing her bedroom door.”

(answers in puzzle solutions)

DIFFICULTY H

CryptoQuip

This is a simple substitution cipher in which each letter used stands for another. If you think that X equals O, it will equal O throughout the puzzle. Solution is accomplished by trial and error.

Go Figure

Arrive at the figures given at the bottom and right columns of the diagram by following the arithmetic signs in the order they are given (that is, from left to right and top to bottom). Use only the numbers below the diagram to complete its blank squares and use each of the nine numbers only once.

Word

What’s The Difference?

DIFFICULTY

Find

empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each small 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.

Vanilla Ice and other ’90s stars to perform at Alton Amphitheater in August

The Alton Amphitheater Commission is excited to announce initial events for the 2023 season, highlighted by the I Love The 90s Tour on Friday, August 4, at 8pm.

The I Love The 90s Tour invites attendees to reminisce about the trend setting decade of the 1990s with some of the most iconic, indelible names in rap, hip hop, and R&B.

The evening includes performances by iconic ’90s artists Vanilla Ice, Rob Base, All-4-One, and Tag Team.

“A Friday night on the Alton Riverfront with an exciting lineup of iconic ’90s artists will be a great night for Alton and the region,” said Dan Herkert, Alton Amphitheater Commission Chair. “The Amphitheater Commission is excited to bring yet another national act to our riverfront to anchor the 2023 season.”

Tickets for the I Love The 90s Tour are on sale at metrotix.com and through MetroTix outlets. VIP tickets will sell for $120 per person, reserved tickets for $79 per person, and general admission tickets for $37.50 per person. A local ticket outlet will be established and announced in the near future.

A VIP ticket includes entry to the concert, assigned seating in the VIP area, reserved parking, and access to the VIP tent on the side of the stage with private concessions. A reserved ticket provides entry to the concert and assigned seating at the amphitheater while general admission tickets include entry to the venue and seating in the lawn area.

“The buzz around this concert is going to be loud and we’re confident that VIP tickets will sell quickly,” said

Amphitheater Commission

Vice Chair Michelle Brooks. “The I Love The 90s Tour will provide an exciting Friday night of unforgettable music on the Alton Riverfront.”

With the I Love The 90s Tour anchoring the 2023 season on Alton’s riverfront, the Alton Amphitheater Commission is also proud to announce the return of popular favorites Fireworks on the Mississippi (July 3), The Alton Food Truck Festival (August 26), The Alton Jazz & Wine Festival (September 2), and the Alton Expo (September 7-10).

“We’re looking forward to another great summer on the Alton Riverfront, highlighted by the I Love The 90s Tour,” said Herkert. “We’re grateful to all of our generous sponsors, without whom we wouldn’t be able hold great events such as this.” 3

Free Friday night summer concerts at Alton Godfrey Rotary Park

Alton Main Street and Great Rivers & Routes

Tourism Bureau along with presenting sponsor

Simmons Hanly Conroy are pleased to announce two summer concerts at the new Alton Godfrey Rotary Park, located across the street from Alton City Hall at 101 E. 3rd Street in Alton. Both concerts are free to attend

and will be held from 7-9pm.

Funky Butt Brass Band will perform on Friday, July 14. The band was formed in 2008 by six talented musicians who respect and revere the New Orleans brass band tradition.

Aaron Kamm & the One Drops will perform on Friday, August 18. AKOD

merges flavors of roots reggae and Mississippi River blues and infuses them with improv-laced jams, and soulful vocals.

Attendees are strongly advised to bring a blanket to spread on the lawn or a lawn chair to place on 3rd Street, which will be closed to vehicular traffic during the event. 3

BECOME PAIN FREE THE NATURAL WAY

MLS Laser Therapy is an effective, painless treatment for all types of pain relief that has been cleared by the FDA and proven successful as evidenced by extensive and credible research studies conducted in our country’s finest institutions, including Harvard Medical School. We offer the ONLY MLS laser in the area! Our laser is a dual-waved synchronized MLS Laser. Our laser uses specific wavelengths of light that have a strong anti-inflammatory, anti-edema effect on tissues that are exposed to the laser. As a result of the MLS Laser, the cells of tendons, ligaments and muscles repair themselves faster. In simple terms, laser energy kick-starts the healing process, thereby speeding recovery. So no matter if you have long standing pain from prior surgery, injury, arthritis, or you have a new injury our laser therapy has been proven to work.

Here is what you need to do now. Call our office at 618-433-9333 to set up a FREE CONSULTATION to see if MLS Laser Therapy is right for you.

To the guy that stole my place in the line... I’m after you now.

What do you do when a banana tells you to leave their home?

Peel out.

Today I’ll be revealing the #1 tip for sounding good

when you play guitar. Stay tuned. Can someone confirm the number to the tinnitus hotline?

I call but it just keeps ringing.

What do you call monkeys who share an Amazon account? Prime-mates.

Dad Jokes.

lighting

•

items (pools, hot tubs, appliances, etc)

• Service upgrades and more!

HAWKLAND ESTATES

Now accepting applications for 2 and 3 bedroom homes in Carrollton, IL, close to hospital, grocery store and restaurant. Mini-playground area, nice neighborhood. Rent varies based on income.

Homes include: Large landscaped lots, Paved driveways, One (1) car attached garage, Patios in back. Washer/dryer hook-ups, Fully equipped kitchens (stove, refrigerator & dishwasher), Central air & Garbage removal furnished.

Applications may be obtained at the o ce of the Housing Authority of Greene County, 325 N. Carr St., White Hall, IL, or you may call 217-374-2128 between the hours of 8am and 4pm, Monday-Friday.

Shelly K. Mason • Executive Director

Walnut Estates

Now accepting applications for 2 and 3 bedroom homes in Carrollton & White Hall, IL. Mini-playground area, nice neighborhoods. Rent varies based on income. In addition, you may be eligible for rental assistance.

Homes include: Large landscaped lots, Paved driveways, Two (2) car attached garage, Patios in back. Washer/dryer provided, Fully equipped kitchens (stove, refrigerator & dishwasher), Central air & Garbage removal furnished.

Applications may be obtained at the o ce of the Housing Authority of Greene County, 325 N. Carr St., White Hall, IL, or you may call 217-374-2128 between the hours of 8am and 4pm, Monday-Friday.

Shelly K. Mason • Executive Director

STRANGE BUT TRUE

By Lucie Winborne

• When Core Design animator Toby Gard wanted to make an interactive movie starring a male character looking for treasure in Egyptian pyramids, the character was deemed too similar to Indiana Jones, so the character was switched to a South American woman named Laura Cruz. Then Core wanted a more U.K.friendly name, so employees went to the phone book for a new surname. We now know

her as Lara Croft.

• In Mexico, the first slice of your birthday cake must be given to the person you love most.

• Florida mom Geraldine Gimblet spent her entire life savings on medical treatment for her daughter’s breast cancer ... then won $2 million in the lottery just days after making the final payment.

• Japanese warriors wore their hair in a small ponytail after shaving the front of their heads, but not to make a fashion statement. Instead, it helped to keep their helmets secure.

GREENE COUNTY HOMES L.P.

• To protect the giraffe’s brain from sudden changes in blood pressure when it drinks, the animal’s jugular veins have elastic walls and large one-way valves that allow the veins to significantly expand, preventing blood from flowing back to the brain when the giraffe’s head is lowered.

• It is illegal to gamble in a library in the U.K.

• The Battle of the Oranges is an annual festival held in Ivrea, Italy, in which participants pelt each other with the citrus fruit to commemorate the town’s liberation from a cruel medieval ruler.

• It took the writers of the Oxford English Dictionary five years just to reach the word “ant.” This was partly due to the level of detail necessary to trace word origins as well as their evolution. 3

2. “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance

The song, which a few others had declined to record and which was generally disliked by those in the film, went on to become a massive hit.

3. Milli Vanilli, in 1988. It was discovered the following year that the duo was lip-syncing every song when the behind-the-scenes recording got stuck and started repeating a line during a live performance.

4. She was born Judith but in 1978 legally changed it to Juice.

5. “She’s Leaving Home,” by the Beatles, in 1967. The story, about a girl leaving home and not telling her parents, was taken loosely from a news story about a teen girl in London.