Fireside Chats at War Museum
The second installment of the Vermilion County War Museum’s First Saturday “Fireside Chats” will be “Letters Home.” It will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 3 at the War Museum, located 307 North Vermilion in Danville. Correspondence written during the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam will be featured.
Melanie Stevenson will share some of the more than 100 letters which she transcribed that were written by Vermilion County Civil War officer Frances Allhands. The typewritten versions of the letters are in the Museum’s library and the original letters are in the archives.
Other participants featuring letters from later wars and conflicts will be Ron Bolser, Robert Hous, Susan Miceli-Green and Ron Roark. Museum President Larry Weatherford will host the program held beside one of the downstairs fireplaces at the Museum. The War Museum is currently closed for tours during renovation, but the downstairs area will be open for the event. Admission is free to the “First Saturday” events.
For more information contact Weatherford at 217-474-7256
Barbershop Chorus reschedules concert
Danville Barbershop Chorus will be recalling “Christmas Memories” at their rescheduled Christmas benefit concert. The concert — originally scheduled for Dec. 13 — will be held on Saturday, Jan. 10. It will begin at 3 p.m. at St. James United Methodist Church in downtown Danville.
“We’ll have nearly 30 barbershoppers sharing some of their favorite Christmas carols,” said Tom Fricke, chorus director. “They will sing a number of traditional Christmas favorites, such as ‘Deck the Halls,’ ‘Winter Wonderland,’ and ‘I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.’ The chorus will also be performing ‘Go Tell It on the Mountain,’ ‘Mary Did You Know’ and ‘Somewhere In My Memory’ among others.
Unfortunately, the Westville High School Chorus, scheduled to join us during our Christmas concert, will not be available to join us on this rescheduled date.
“Our Christmas concert is traditionally a benefit concert for a local charity,” said Fricke. “This year, the proceeds will benefit Wreaths Across America.” This organization strives to honor those buried at the National Cemetery on the Illiana VA grounds in Danville by placing a wreath on their grave for Christmas.
Tickets previously purchased are good for this rescheduled concert. Tickets can also be purchased at the door for $10 for adults and $5 for children K-12.
MLK Celebration set for Jan. 19
The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee is pleased to announce that the Community-Wide Service for the 2026 MLK Celebration will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 19 at St. James United Methodist Church, 504 N. Vermilion Street, Danville. The theme for the 2026 MLK Celebration is “Equals in Humanity”.
This event is open to the public.
The Reverend Dr. Dwight Ford will serve as the speaker for the service. Rev. Ford is currently the President/CEO of Project NOW, which is a community action agency that serves low-income families and seniors in Rock Island, Henry, and Mercer counties. Also, he is the founder and pastor of Grace City Church in Rock Island. The service will also include the presentation of the $6,000 MLK Scholarship to a Danville graduating high school senior who plans to pursue an education at an institution of higher learning. In addition, an ensemble of singers, under the direction of MLK Music Director Brett Dupree, will perform at the service.
For additional information, email: Elder Tyson Parks, Chair, at eldert.parks@comcast.net or Sandra Finch, Program Chair, at sandrafin28@gmail.com.
Winter Wellness series in Catlin
The University of Illinois Extension and family life educator Emily Harmon is offering a Winter Wellness miniseries at the Catlin Public Library, located at 101 Mapleleaf Dr. in Catlin.
The next session, Dementia Friends, will be from 10 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 7. Participants will learn how dementia affects communities and how to make a difference in the lives of those living with it.
The session is free, but registration is required.
To register visit go.illinois.edu/DementiaFriendsCatlin.
If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate, contact Emily Harmon at ebaine@illinois.edu or call 217-333-7672.
VCCD to take 2026 shelter reservations
The Vermilion County Conservation District will soon start taking 2026 reservations for Kennekuk County Park and Forest Glen Preserve.
Both venues offer building and shelter rentals for your next gathering — a wedding, a birthday party, a reunion, a graduation celebration or just a family gathering.
The first day to make those 2026 reservations is Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, starting at 7:30 a.m. at the Kennekuk Administration Building or the Forest Glen Staff Office. Phone call reservations will begin at 8 a.m.
To reserve a shelter at Kennekuk, call 217-442-1691 and for Forest Glen, call 217-662-2142.
For full details on available shelters, including pricing, capacity, and photos, visit https://vccd.org/services/.
Kennekuk County Park is located at 22296 Henning Road in Danville. Forest Glen Preserve is located at 20301 E. 900 North Road in Westville.
Expo set for March 21
The Covington Business Association will be hosting its 4th annual Home, Garden and Business Expo on Saturday, March 21 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. (Eastern) at the Fountain County Fairgrounds, in Veedersburg, Ind.
Potential vendors may reach out to Brad Smith at 217-213-1055 (bsmith9@farmersagent.com) or Amy Thompson at 765-585-5945 (amyjothompson18@gmail.com) to request a booth space. Spaces are $60 for non-Covington Business Association members.
St. Joseph Library used book sale
The St. Joseph Township-Swearingen Memorial Library is holding a winter used book sale starting Jan. 5 and running through Jan. 28.
Available items will include adult fiction, non-fiction, mysteries, science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance, adventure, biographies, crafts and cookbooks as well as children’s fiction, non-fiction and picture books. There may also be DVDs, music CDs, audiobooks and large print books. All items are for sale by donation — pay what you want to pay.
The sale will run during normal library hours, which are: Mondays from 1 to 8 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Wednesdays from 1-6 p.m.; Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Please call to set up a time to bring in donations for the book sale. No donations will be accepted after Jan. 15.
For more information please call 217-469-2159.