Indian Creek Newsletter March, 2007 on the web at frontiernet.net/~indiancreek compiled by Helen Mogill, hmogill@frontiernet.net, 728-2048
	Daylight Savings Time Begins Sunday, March 11 at 2:00 a.m. Set clocks ahead 1 hour
Towanda Lions Club - Ham & Bean Supper Friday, March 9, 2007, 4:30 pm - 7:00 pm Towanda Community Building Cost $4.00 per person - in advance $5.00 at door Menu: Ham & Beans (all you can eat) Corn Bread Coffee & Juice Dessert - Pie/Cake Hot Dogs, Chips & Bun (for kids)
Towanda Library News (on the web at towandalibrary.org) Friends of the Towanda District Library Wed., Mar 14, 6-7pm Next regular meeting at the library.  All are welcome! TOWANDA READS book discussion group Wed., Mar 14, 7pm. The next book for Towanda Reads is The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck. The book discussion will be held Wednesday, March 14 at 7:00pm at the library.
Spring Break Spring Break in Unit 5 begins with the dismissal of school on Friday, March 23 and ends when school resumes on Monday, April 2. There will also be No School for students and staff on Good Friday, April 6.
Classifieds For Sale Ben And Mary Daily, 728-2496 v 2 matching wing chairs - Bradington Young brand. v twin size head board v white iron day bed Greg and Carol Beneze, 728-2941, E-mail to request photos: gbeneze@frontiernet.net v Oak, traditional-style bedroom furniture. Lexington brand. Especially suitable for teen. Double bed, chest of drawers, night stand, and wonderful desk unit with desk, low-boy with drawers, and bookshelf units for each - can be put together or used separately. Practically new condition. $1,475. Bob Herman, 728-2621 v Woodstove, $175 Free Brian Kause, 728-5567 v 25" Sharp console color TV w/remote v Solid wood, vinyl-sided, shingled-roof doghouse v Ornate black wire birdcage w/removeable bottom - used for a canary for a few months 9 years ago Kathy Dumler, 728-2009 v Gateway 2000 computer with a Vivitron monitor and keyboard.
Nature Club The next Nature Club Meeting will be held at Kay Liebenow’s home at 33 Candle Ridge Road, on Thursday, March 29, at 7:00 pm. The topic will be shady area lawns and gardens and will be presented by a Master Gardener from the McLean County branch of the University of Illinois Extension office. See http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/mclean/mg for information on master gardeners.
Towanda PTO Update by Karen Showalter Despite the blizzard, we had another successful Chili Supper and Basket Raffle. Over 350 people attended, and initial estimates indicate that we raised over $6000! We are greatly appreciative to all of the community for their support! Thank you! We will soon be making our last submission of Box Tops for this school year. Please send yours in to the school office or the Towanda library asap! Remember you no longer need to clip the entire Campbell's label--just the UPC code. On V8 Beverages & Prego Pasta Sauces the lid should be saved. Please save the entire end flap from Tyson Chicken products that says Project A+123. Each label is worth 24 cents!
Towanda Area Historical Society / Towanda District Library Grant By Gail Briggs
Gail Briggs and Pat Pulokas organizing historical artifacts in preparation for scanning		We are excited about the response for our request for artifacts and help with entering data and writing descriptions of the artifacts. However, MORE help and artifacts are needed!! Training is being provided for data entry by Helen Mogill, 728-2048. Needed are: information about railroads, Route 66, histories of clubs, organizations and businesses, community events through the years, and photographs (with people identified).
Posters have been developed to advertise the project (stop at the Library and get a 'sneak' preview). Website design work will be unveiled soon. A brochure is in the final stages and will be available soon. Need a program for your organization? Contact us to be scheduled!! Please call the library 728-2176 or Gail Ann Briggs 728-2187 Thank you! The next TAHS regular meeting will be held Tuesday, March 27 at 7:00 p.m. at the Community Building
High Speed Internet Access by Faith Russell Some friends who live closer to Lake Bloomington are trying to get high speed Internet access to their area. Frontier said they'd be more willing if others in the area wanted it too. When we got ours, Frontier almost couldn't provide it. They said we were "on the edge" of their service area for high-speed. Any neighbors who want high speed access, don't have it, and are interested in combining with others to make a request to Frontier, please send their names and email addresses to Faith Russell, 728-8042, email jf3b@frontiernet.net .
4^th of July Planning Suggestions are needed for Towanda’s 4^th of July, 2007, parade theme and grand marshal. A list of former themes and grand marshals is posted at the Community Building, Post Office and Library.
Theme: Please include: · theme suggestion · your name. address, and phone number			Grand Marshal: Please include: name of person being nominated information about the nominee
Suggestions are requested by Monday, March 26 to: Towanda 4^th of July Parade Committee, 112 Hunt St, Towanda IL 61776
Women's Bible Study By Cindi Lockhart A women’s bible study entitled "Becoming Women of Purpose" is for women new to or mature in their faith. As women, we undergo many life challenges and they can become more difficult without a "purpose" in life. Join this 7 week bible study to help discover God's purpose for you in work and home life, so that you may create a purposeful life. MEETS TUESDAYS from 1:30 - 2:30 pm at Cindi Lockhart's home. Intro meeting on Tuesday, 3/20 and then the 7 week series starts Tuesday, 4/3. $6 for materials. Call Cindi at #728-2042 to register.
Towanda Lions Easter egg Hunt Saturday, April 7th @ 10:00 The Egg Hunt is open to youth all ages thru 5th grade; bring your own basket and register for prizes. Meet at the community building. The egg hunt will be held in the city park. Baked goods, donuts, juice and coffee will be for sale too.
Red Carpet Corridor Weekend Event A coalition of communities and private business have developed the "Red Carpet 90 Mile Family Fun Experience" to be held May 5 and 6, 2007. From Towanda to Joliet, the weekend will feature a self-guided driving tour of towns and rural areas along the "Mother Road" - Route 66. Historic sites, flea markets, hand-crafted items, museums, displays and demonstrations, car shows, good country cooking, antiques, hospitality, entertainment and garage sales are just some of the activities. This will become a yearly event. If anyone is interested in being a vendor or wants to be on the committee, please contact Jim or Sharon Arteman at 728-2169.
Garage Sales Garage Sales will be held in conjunction with the Red Corridor event planned for May 5 & 6. Plan on sales to be held Thu.-Sat. with information to Gail Ann Briggs by April 27, 728-2187.
Towanda Busy Bees 4H Club Meeting Notes By Brandon Bonner, Club Reporter The Towanda Busy Bees met on Tuesday. February 20th. They had a short business meeting where the minutes of the January meeting were approved and the financial statement for the club was accepted. The Club voted to send $25 to the Champion Showcase to help pay for Awards that are given out at the McLean County Fair. Following the business portion of the meeting, they established Mentor Groups to help up and coming members. Allison Korty gave a "Talk and Demonstration" on Visual Arts. The Clover Buds met to discuss Dinosaurs. Upcoming opportunities for the club members include: An International Studies program on Germany, Monday, March 5, from 6 to 8 p.m.; Swishes for Wishes March 31, more details to come; and a Blood Drive on June 26th from 3-7. The Busy Bees conduct their meetings on the third Tuesday every month @ 7:00 p.m. at the Towanda Community Building. The next meeting will be Tuesday, March 20th at 7:00 p.m. The program that night will be Theatre. A "Talk and Demonstration" will be given by Sarah Morris and Kelcey McKeon. The refreshments will be provided by the Cheathum's. Please contact one of the organizational leaders for more information. They are: Tom and Janet Morris, 664-0360 or Phillip and LeAnn Korty, 663-8014.
Scam/Burglary Alert From Leroy Police Dept by Bob Hancock, from a Lion Club contact A company called "Executive Marketing Concepts" went door-to-door calling in Minier, and made 8 sales calls, selling an array of junk. Seven of the eight were subsequently burglarized and the 8th was a church where the solicitors had negative contact. The Minier chief of police states that he has not been able to link the burglaries to these solicitors however he is convinced they are casing the jobs. The same company came through Colfax. They drove an older gray Lexus with temporary plate 311H687.
McLean Country Home/Community Education from Pat Pulokas The McLean County HCE presents an International Study program, "Germany", on Monday, March 5, 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the U of I Extension Auditorium, 402 N. Hershey Rd., Bloomington. The guest speaker will be Lauren Karplus, a Bloomington resident who spent a year in Germany taking part in the 05-06 Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange. Her presentation will cover German lifestyles, politics, customs and foods. She will also demonstrate the preparation of some German dishes, with samples and recipes included. Since her return to Bloomington-Normal, she has graduated early from Normal Community West High School and is now a student at Heartland Community College. Area high school students are encouraged to attend this program to learn more about the exchange programs available to students in McLean County. The program is free and open to the public. For more information, call (309) 728-2118. www.mcleanhce.org. Registration and Hostessing will be the Money Creek and Normal HCE Units.
Paper & Mail Box from Bob Hancock While this reminder may be too late for this year, but, in addition to cleaning your drive and/or walk after a snow fall, you need to clear a large path for the paper/mail route. If they cannot reach your mailbox, your paper and/or mail may not be delivered.
Septic Systems These are some interesting fact and tips about Septic Systems from Zechke Septic Cleaning, 530-4282. Keep trees and shrubs at least 35 feet away from your field to prevent roots from plugging or breaking pipes. The roots of a tree will go out as far as the branches. Limit the water entering your septic tank, and give your system time to rest after heavy use. Use water saving fixtures, repair leaky toilets and dripping faucets. Do not connect foundation sump pumps or other ‘clean water’ discharges to your septic system. Driveways, patios, aboveground pools and other structures should not be built over the absorption field. As much as 1/3 of the water in septic fields evaporates up through the ground over the absorption field. Avoid using garbage disposals. They add tremendously to the volume of solids entering a septic tank. Use toilet paper that decomposes easily. Purchase brands labeled ‘safe’ for septic systems. Keep water softener discharges out of your septic system. Read product labels. Use low phosphorus detergents and cleaning products. Avoid anti-bacterial products and chlorine bleach. See http://jsplumber.com/Septic.htm for products to use and to not use. Never flush things like disposable diapers, bones, sanitary napkins, tampons, coffee grounds, plastic band aids, dental floss, and cigarette butts. They will not break down. Route surface water drainage away from your absorption field. Snowmelt, rain, and other surface runoff can temporarily inundate your field. Additives are not needed because there are enough natural bacteria in the tank. No additive can alleviate the need to regularly pump your septic tank; some may actually promote clogging of your absorption field or contaminate groundwater. Save your money. Maintain scheduled cleaning. Replacing the system is expensive and inconvenient. A septic system is about the most expensive part of your home and yet is the most neglected (out of sight, out of mind). The main way to avoid septic system failure is periodic tank pumping. You HAVE to do this. When a tank is not pumped often enough, there is less settling time for waste entering the tank. Small bits of floating solids are then carried out into the leach field and begin clogging the soil. This will shorten and eventually end its life. The frequency of pumping depends on tank size, the volume of wastewater (number of occupants), and the amount of solids in the wastewater (garbage disposal). A family of four, without a garbage disposal, would need to have a 1000 gallon tank cleaned every 2.5 years; 4 years for a 1500 gallon tank. See http://handymanusa.com/articles/septiccare.html for estimates of needed septic tank pumping frequencies.