The book entitled Route 66 in Madison County by Cheryl Eichar Jett is available for purchase on her website.

#10 Illini Face #11 Missouri
No. 10 Illinois will open the season with a dual against No. 11 Missouri for the second-straight year when the teams square off on Friday, Nov. 12. The match will be contested at the Jon Davis Wrestling Center in Edwardsville, Ill., home of Illini sophomore Daryl Thomas. The Illini are 19-9 all-time against the Tigers, but Mizzou has won the last two meetings in 2009 and 2000. The 950-seat wrestling center is sold out for the event.

The probable starters for both teams indicate that there may be only one repeat match-up from last year’s dual, and that will happen only if Dorian Henderson wrestles at 174. He and Patrick Wright will man the 174- and 184-pound classes, but it is not known which wrestler will compete at which weight. No. 3 Jordan Blanton defeated Henderson 7-4 in last year’s dual and 5-1 at the 2008 Midlands tournament. The only other previous meeting between probable opponents was Zach Toal’s 6-3 win over Conrad Polz at the 2009 Lindenwood Open.

Assistant Sports Information Director Ben Taylor will be providing live updates throughout the match on the Live Blog.

Description and live blog from FightingIllini.com Official Site

The 6th Annual Maryville Turkey Trot will be held November 13, 2010 at Drost Park in Maryville, IL (view map)

REGISTRATION: 8:00-8:45 A.M. for 5K Run
8:15-8:50 A.M. for 1Mile Accuracy Walk/Run (Participant accurately predicts 1 mile time). Participants may enter only one event.

START TIME: 9:00 A.M. for 5K Run
9:10 A.M. for 1 Mile Accuracy Walk/Run
1 MILE ACCURACY Walk/Run will be held on the Drost Park Walking Path.

DIVISIONS: 5 K Run Age Groups for Male and Female 9 & under; 10-15; 16-19; 20-29; 30-39; 40-49; 50-59; 60 and over.

1 Mile Accuracy age divisions are Youth (13 and under); High School; Open (19-54) ; Senior (55 and up).

AWARDS: Overall winners Top Male and Female Finisher in the 5K & Overall 1 Mile Accuracy winner will a receive certificate for a turkey.
5K Division winners ribbons/medals.
1M Division winners will receive long sleeve T-Shirt All 5K entrants will receive a long sleeve T-shirt at registration.

ENTRY FEE: 5K Entry Fee is $15. Race day entry will be $20.
NO ENTRY FEE for the 1 Mile Accuracy Walk/Run Event
Return the 5K entry form with check payable entry form to
Village of Maryville Parks, 2520 North Center St., Maryville, IL 62062
Pre-registration deadline is Thursday, November 11 at 4:00 P.M.
Simply bring form for 1 Mile Accuracy

Find more information and application at http://www.vil.maryville.il.us

Who: Mountain Bikers, Hikers, Joggers, Walkers, Nature lovers, and anyone who wants to help out!

What: Creating and maintaining multipurpose singletrack trails at SIUE

When: November 13, 2010 from 9am-1pm

Where: SIUE main parking area north of the remote control airplane field on SIUE campus

Wear sturdy shoes, bring drinking water, and your love for the great outdoors. GORC will provide tools, training and even a free lunch! After lunch all will be invited to ride the trails.

Visit GORC website to get more details, directions, and check status if weather conditions look unfavorable.

SIUE Chancellor Vaughn Vandegrift delivered his annual address on Thursday, October 28, highlighting the important role SIUE is playing in enhancing the economy, attracting students and increasing the diversity of its student body. Vandegrift’s address, Achieving National Recognition During the National Recession, was presented in SIUE’s Meridian Ballroom this morning. He said that since 2005, the University has increased the size of its incoming freshman class by 18 percent – from 1,748 to 2,065 students – while maintaining an average ACT score of 22.5.

Video and description from SIUE News

Pint-sized ghouls and goblins, and perhaps a few Lady Gaga’s, will roam the streets of Edwardsville next weekend. Aside from trick-or-treating, there are several other family-friendly events happening around town and on campus.

10/23

Relleke Pumpkin Patch in Granite City, IL will provide entertainment with a massive pumpkin cannon and special visit by Fred Bird of the St. Louis Cardinals from 12pm-1pm. The Pumpkin Chucker is capable of shooting pumpkins up to 200mph and over a half mile! RX Blues Band will perform live.

10/24

St. John’s Church will be hosting a Trunk or Treat and Chili Supper from 3pm-6pm. Trunk or treat is an alternative way for kids to trick-or-treat. The St. John’s parking lot will be filled with cars for the kids to go up to each in a safe and supervised environment. The church will also have games, craft, and chili for sale. All proceeds go to St. John’s Missions.

10/28

SIUE Athletics, Campus Recreation, and the Alumni Association are teaming to host the First Annual SIUE Haunted House of Hoops. The event marks the start of the SIUE Cougars 2010-2011 basketball season. 5:30pm will begin the festivities with trick-or-treating and live games at the recreation center. At the same time, the SIUE Volleyball team will face Murray State in the Vadalabene Center. At 7pm the basketball teams will take the court for a scrimmage, 3-point contest, and slam dunk contest. Don’t forget to bring your costume as prizes will be given out for best costume and door prize drawings.

10/30

City of Edwardsville Parks Dept. and local Lions Club will present the Costume Content and Trick-or-Treat walk. The event registration will begin at 11:30am at City Park Bandstand, with judging at 12pm. The age categories will be; baby-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12, and a special category for group costumes. Afterwards, families will be open to explore Main Street for trick-or-treating at the local businesses.

10/31

Halloween in Edwardsville is largely known for the Chamber of Commerce Halloween Parade which typically has over 100 floats and loads of creative costumes. As many as 25,000 people gather to see the spectacle and collect candy. The theme for 2010 is Harvest Homefest, in celebration of the wonderful gifts that mother earth has provided to us this fall. The parade begins at 6:30pm at Lincoln Middle School and follows St. Louis Street to turn left on Main Street at Walgreens.

The St. Louis Unions will take on the Brownstockings in a 9 inning baseball game played by 1860 baseball rules (vocabulary). This is a gentlemen’s game which means there is no yelling at the umpires, the players play without gloves, and the players will play in vintage baseball uniforms from the 1860 era.  Since baseball started as strictly a recreational sport, there are no modern twists to slow the game down and matches take less than 1.5 hours to play.  There will be historic information regarding changes in baseball available, as well as pictures of the Historic Leclaire Field.

When: October 17th, 2010 at High Noon (12pm)
Where: Jaycee Field at Winston Brown Recreation Complex
Address: 1325 Schiller Avenue, Edwardsville,  IL 62025 (view map)

Admission is Free. Concessions will be available during the event.

This is a great opportunity to bring the family out and enjoy a day of historically correct baseball as well as learn about the changes in baseball throughout history.  Plus, stick around because after the game will be an opportunity for kids to take a few swings at bat!

For more Information call the City of Edwardsville, Parks and Recreation Department at (618) 692-7538, Monday through Friday 8am-5pm.

The 19th Annual Leclaire Parkfest will be on Sunday, October 17, 2010 from Noon until 5 PM. Friends of Leclaire host the annual Leclaire Parkfest on the third Sunday in October as a way to promote the unique history of the Leclaire National Historic District.

• Food booths run by local non-profit organizations and offer a wide variety of choices, typically Italian beef, steak kabobs, chicken and dumplings, hot dogs, walking tacos, curly fries, funnel cakes, lemonade, and more.
• A booth serving wine and beer is also on site.
• DAR hosts their annual used book sale with thousands of books and very low prices and there are a variety of craftsmen selling their wares.
• Children’s activities include an art activity booth, games and pony rides.
• There is also a narrated trolley tour of the historic district that runs throughout the afternoon on the half hour from the Friends of Leclaire booth.
• A display of vintage tractors and farm equipment can be found on the Madison Avenue side of the park.

Parking for Leclaire Parkfest is available at Leclaire School on Franklin Avenue (2 blocks east of the festival), at the Historic Nelson Campus of LCCC (3 blocks north of the festival) or on the streets of Leclaire.  Learn more about the event at the Historic Leclaire Website

FAQ: Why is part of Edwardsville known as Historic Leclaire?

Leclaire was founded in 1890 by N.O. Nelson as a model
cooperative village.  The village was a sort of middle-
ground between capitalism and  socialism. N.O. Nelson
Manufacturing employed the village and had profit sharing,
employee benefits, free education, and affordable homes.
Leclaire was incorporated by the City of Edwardsville
in 1934.

Lively sprites and one with attitude, lovely lovers, a duke, a king and queen of sorts, silly men, silly women, and a man transformed into a donkey. That about sums up one of William Shakespeare’s most popular comedies—A Midsummer Night’s Dream—and it will open Wednesday, Oct. 13, on the mainstage at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

The show opens at 7:30 p.m. that Wednesday and continues at the same curtain time through Saturday, Oct. 16, and then plays at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 17, all in the theater at Katherine Dunham Hall. The SIUE Department of Theater and Dance also is planning a 10 a.m. matinee performance for high school students on Friday, Oct. 15, and the public could attend that for the price of a ticket. This wonderful show abounds with great characters and a delightful plot that celebrates magic, young love, old love, and also comments on the foibles of the human race. As Puck, the mischievous fairy, states: “Lord, what fools these mortals be.”

Tickets for all performances are $10; senior citizens, SIUE faculty and staff, non-SIUE students and SIUE alumni, $8; SIUE students with a valid Cougar ID, no admission charge. For ticket information, call the SIUE Fine Arts box office, (618) 650-2774. Visit the website for more information: www.siue.edu/artsandsciences/theater.

The photo includes members of the cast: Ryan Wiechmann, of Bloomington, as Lysander; Dana Szarzynski, of Roscoe, as Helena; Carrie  Dougherty, of O’Fallon, as Hermia; and Spenser Greentree, of Lawrenceville, as Demetrius. (SIUE Photo by Bill Brinson) — Article blurb from SIUE News Page

Make plans now to join the SIUE Alumni Association for Homecoming 2010 October 8th-9th!  You won’t want to miss the chance to come back to campus and participate in an exciting, event-packed weekend.  From the SIUE soccer game and Chili Cook-Off to Cougar Fest and the Alumni Hall of Fame Dinner, we’ll have something for everyone!

Current Schedule of Events:

Friday, October 8th
6:30-8pm – Homecoming Pep Rally – Woodland Hall WR
6:30-9pm – SIUE Alumni Hall of Fame Banquet – SIUE Morris University Center

Saturday, October 9th
8am – Cougar 5k Run/Walk (registrations begins at 7am at University Park)
10am-12pm – 9th Annual Chili Cook-Off – Korte Stadium
11am – SIUE Club Football vs Ohio State – Korte Stadium
2pm-6pm – Cougar Fest – SIUE Soccer Fields
7pm – SIUE Men’s Soccer vs Bradley University – Korte Stadium