Effingham's News and Sports Leader, 979XFM and KJ Country 102.3

Road Trip Adventures - VBS with Centenary United Methodist and First Presbyterian Churches
2025-05-27, 2025-05-28, 2025-05-29, 2025-05-30, 2025-05-31
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(Vacation Bible School)
Saturday’s Breakfast is served at 9am.
Ages: 3 years old to 6th Grade
To register, contact either Centenary United Methodist Church or the First Presbyterian Church of Effingham, or register online at https://tinyurl.com/RoadTripVBSParticipant25

Tuesday's Schedule
2025-05-27
PrintHIGH SCHOOL
Softball
Class 1A Casey-Westfield Sectional
Game 1 – Edwards County (Albion) vs. Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg4:30 p.m. (LISTEN ON KJ COUNTRY 102.3)
Game 2 — Casey-Westfield vs. South Central, 6:30 p.m. (LISTEN ON KJ COUNTRY 102.3)
Class 2A Vandalia Sectional
Game 1 – Columbia vs. Robinson, 4 p.m.
Game 2 – Newton vs. Gillespie, 5:30 p.m.
Class 2A Tolono Unity Sectional
Game 1 – Tolono Unity vs. Marshall, 4 p.m.
Game 2 – Macon Meridian vs. Normal U-High, 5:30 p.m.
Class 3A Marion Regional
Game 1 – Marion vs. Herrin, 4:30 p.m.
EFFINGHAM PARK DISTRICT
Baseball
Tomorrow’s Stars Khoury League
At Mike Sehy Field
Game 1 — Dan Hecht Chevrolet Toyota vs. Russ Braunecker Cadillac, GMC, 5:30 p.m.
Game 2 — Effingham Noon Rotary vs. Kiwanis, 7 p.m.
Softball
Girls Prep League
At Community Park, West Diamond
Game 1 — J&R Collision Center vs. Sarah Bush Surgery Center, 5:30 p.m.
Game 2 — Joe’s Pizza & Pasta vs. Fonner Oral Surgery, 7:15 p.m.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Colorado at Chicago Cubs, 7:05 p.m.
St. Louis Cardinals at Baltimore, 5:35 p.m.

Sports Physicals at SBL locations
2025-05-28
Print$20 Sports Physicals will be offered at various Sarah Bush Lincoln Clinic locations and dates:
– Each $20 fee will be donated to the school’s athletic booster clubs.
– Physicals at the SBL Neoga Clinic are free to students in the Neoga school district.
– Immunizations will not be given.
– Cash or check only will be accepted. Insurance will not be billed, nor will insurance co-pays be collected.
– Parent or guardian must sign medical history form or be in attendance.
– Call clinic for appointment.
– Sports physicals DO NOT meet the kindergarten, 6th or 9th grade physical requirement.
SBL Newton Clinic
1 to 5 pm • Wednesday, May 28
807 West Jourdan St. • 618-783-3800 – Call to make an appointment
SBL Sullivan Clinic
8 am to noon and 1 pm – 4:00 pm • Wednesday, June 4
7 Hawthorne Lane • 217-728-8441 – Call to make an appointment
SBL Toledo Clinic
4 to 6 pm • Wednesday, June 11
104 Courthouse Square • 217-849-3151 – Call to make an appointment
SBL Altamont Medical Center
4 to 7 pm • Monday, June 16
5 East Cumberland Road. • 618-483-6151 – Call to make an appointment
SBL Family Medical Center, Mattoon
5 to 7 pm • Tuesday, June 17
PARENTS MUST BE IN ATTENDANCE
200 Richmond Avenue East • 217-234-7000, option 1 or 2 – Call to make an appointment
SBL Charleston Family Practice
5 to 7 pm • Tuesday, July 8
PARENTS MUST BE IN ATTENDANCE
116 W. Buchanan Ave. • 217-345-7700 – Call to make an appointment
SBL Altamont Medical Center
4 to 7 pm • Monday, July 14
5 East Cumberland Road. • 618-483-6151 – Call to make an appointment
SBL Neoga Clinic
8:30 am to noon and 1 pm – 3:30 pm • Wednesday, July 16
650 Oak Ave • 217-895-2222 – Call to make an appointment
NO CHARGE AND OPEN ONLY TO STUDENTS IN THE NEOGA SCHOOL DISTRICT
SBL Shelbyville Clinic
5 to 7 pm • Tuesday, July 22
5 to 7 pm • Wednesday, July 23
1215 W. Main St. • 217-774-4305 – Call to make an appointment
SBL Toledo Clinic
4 to 6 pm • Wednesday, July 23
104 Courthouse Square • 217-849-3151 – Call to make an appointment
SBL Newton Clinic
7 to 11 am • Wednesday, July 30
807 West Jourdan St. • 618-783-3800 – Call to make an appointment
SBL Sullivan Clinic
8 am to noon and 1 pm – 4:00 pm • Wednesday, August 6
7 Hawthorne Lane • 217-728-8441 – Call to make an appointment

Older Americans Funding Advocacy in Vandalia
2025-05-28
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Wednesday's Schedule
2025-05-28
PrintHIGH SCHOOL
Baseball
Class 1A Altamont Sectional
Game 1 – Nokomis vs. Casey-Westfield, 4 p.m.
Game 2 – South Central vs. Pawnee, 6:30 p.m.
Class 2A Teutopolis Sectional
Game 1 – Breese Central Regional vs. Teutopolis, 4 p.m. (LISTEN ON KJ COUNTRY 102.3)
Game 2 – St. Anthony vs. Columbia, 6:30 p.m. (LISTEN ON KJ COUNTRY 102.3)
Class 3A Salem Regional
Game 2 – Effingham vs. Charleston, 4:30 p.m.
Softball
Class 3A Marion Regional
Game 2 – Effingham vs. Carbondale, 4:30 p.m.
EFFINGHAM PARK DISTRICT
Baseball
Tomorrow’s Stars Khoury League
At Mike Sehy Field
Game 1 — Effingham Elks Lodge vs. .Russ Braunecker Cadillac, 5:30 p.m.
Game 2 — Brown’s Drug Store vs. Heritage Builders, 7 p.m.
Little League
At Dave McDevitt Field
Game 1 — Schumacher Orthodontics vs. Tingley Insurance, 5:30 p.m.
Game 2 — Kemper CPA vs. Arrow Pest Control, 7:30 p.m.
Softball
Girls Junior League
At West Softball Diamond
Game 1 — Whitetails Unlimited vs. Teutopolis Thunder, 5:30 p.m.
Game 2 — Teutopolis State Bank vs. Dieterich Flyers, 7:15 p.m.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Colorado at Chicago Cubs, 7:05 p.m.
St. Louis Cardinals at Baltimore, 5:35 p.m.

Aging in Place Clinic: Pilot Program
2025-05-29

Memorial Butterfly Release Ceremonies
2025-05-29
PrintHSHS Home Care invites community members to join them for butterfly release ceremonies celebrating loved ones at locations throughout central Illinois at these Hospital Sisters Health System hospitals:

HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital, Effingham

Thursday, May 15 at 5:30 p.m. in the Healing Garden.

HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital, Decatur

Tuesday, May 20 at 5:30 p.m. in the Cancer Center Garden.

HSHS St. Francis Hospital, Litchfield

Wednesday, May 28 at 5:30 p.m. in the circle drive by St. Francis statue.

HSHS Good Shepherd Hospital, Shelbyville

Thursday, May 29 at 4 p.m. in the Healing Garden (east side of hospital)

HSHS St. John’s Hospital, Springfield

Thursday, June 5 at 5:30 p.m., Pavilion Garden
Family and friends are invited to celebrate and remember the life of a loved one who has passed. The ceremonies will include the reading of the names of those being honored in addition to the butterfly release.
Valerie Engelbart, Bereavement Services Supervisor for HSHS Home Care, said, “These butterfly release ceremonies provide a special time for families in our communities to honor their loved ones. The butterfly represents the transformation of the spirit as our loved ones transition from this life. As we release butterflies together, we celebrate the lives that have touched our hearts and find comfort in our shared experiences of love and loss.”
In addition to attending to honor a loved one, you are invited to personally release a butterfly for your loved one by reserving a butterfly for $15 to be paid prior to the ceremony. To purchase a butterfly and/or RSVP for the ceremony, contact Engelbart by calling or texting 217-685-0702 or emailing valerie.engelbart@hshs.org.
You may also reserve a butterfly online by visiting giving.hshs.org/sae/donate and following these steps:

Select “Hospice/Everlasting Memories/Butterfly Release” under the Designation section.
Select “This gift is in honor, memory or support of someone” under the Tribute Gift section and fill in the name of your loved one.

For more information about HSHS, visit hshs.org.

Thursday's Schedule
2025-05-29
PrintHIGH SCHOOL
Baseball
Class 3A Salem Regional
Game 3 – Mattoon vs. Salem, 4:30 p.m.
Boys Track
Class 1A State Meet
At EIU, Charleston
St. Anthony – Noah Flaig, Camden Bloemer
Altamont – Hayden Summers, Brock Wendling, Ben Roedl, 4×400 relay (Johnson, Bridges, Tedrick, Summers)
Brownstown/St. Elmo – Trenten Monnet
Cowden-Herrick/Beecher City – August Cosart
Cumberland – Reid Carlen, Logan Gerhardt
Dieterich – Trevor Crutcher
Neoga – 4×800 relay (Keller, Hanfland, Bryant, Matusus)
Newton – Owen Schackmann, Wade Wickham 4×800 relay (Jackson Sornberger, Parker Harris, Tanner Whitaker, Hayden Borgic
North Clay – Mason Byers
Teutopolis – Karson Zerrusen, Anthony Roley, Brant Niebrugge
Boys Tennis
State Meet
Hosted by Palatine High School
St. Anthony (Manaya Mossman/Joey Trupiano in doubles), Teutopolis (Colin Habing in singles, Noah Thompson/Oliver Lee in doubles), Newton (Isaac Street in singles)
EFFINGHAM PARK DISTRICT
Baseball
Tomorrow’s Stars Khoury League
At Mike Sehy Field
Game 1 — Kiwanis vs. Taylor Law, 5:30 p.m.
Game 2 — Dan Hecht Chevrolet vs. Effingham Noon Rotary, 7 p.m.
Little League
At Dave McDevitt Field
Game 1 — Kemper CPA vs. Schumacher Orthodontics, 5:30 p.m.
Game 2 — Arab Pest Control vs. Tingley Insurance, 7:30 p.m.
Softball
Girls Prep League
At West Softball Diamond
Game 1– Joe’s Pizza & Pasta vs. J&R Collision Center, 5:30 p.m.
Game 2 — Sarah Bush Surgery Center vs. Fonner Oral Surgery, 7:15 p.m.
Girls Minor League
At East Softball Diamond
Game 1 — Dieterich Bank vs. Bahrn’s Equipment, 5:30 p.m.
Game 2 — REMAX vs. New Heights Crane Service, Inc., 7 p.m.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Cincinnati at Chicago Cubs, 1:20 p.m.

Historic National Road Yard Sale Festival
2025-05-29, 2025-05-30
PrintThe Historic National Road Yard Sale Festival has stops in Illinois from Marshall to Pocahontas. Local spots include:
CASEY has some nice little shoppes for you to get something good to eat – ice cream, candy, pretzels. Casey is home to 12 World’s Largest items as certified by Guinness Book of World Records. Mail a letter from the World’s largest mailbox. Get your picture taken by the world’s largest rocking chair. Casey has a new mini-golf right in downtown. Casey offers a lot to visitors!
GREENUP will have city-wide yard sales May 29-31. Maps are available at the Greenup Municipal Bld. Saturday is the Homesteader’s Market from 8-12 along with Food Trucks at the Municipal Building; the Military Museum is open; the Historical Society, and Greenup Depot will be open. On Friday and Saturday there will be a yard sale of donated items that just won’t fit in the three museums. See the well that Abraham Lincoln dug in downtown Greenup. Visit Cameo Winery on your way to travel across Greenup’s covered bridge, Illinois’s longest! Visit Greenup, the Village of Porches, with the downtown designated as a Historic Business District.
TOLEDO is offering the Barnyard Market Craft Market on May 30, 31, & June 1st, from 9-4 at Allison’s Acres Farm 1546 Co Rd 750 N.
JEWETT could possibly have some individual sales.
MONTROSE will have individual sales – look for their signs.
TEUTOPOLIS – Catholic Charities Second Hand Rose Resale Shop is a Treasure Trove worth exploring.
EFFINGHAM has the Old Effingham Courthouse which is now the Effingham County Cultural Center and Museum, and it is open Saturday from 10 am – 2 pm.
– St. Anthony of Padua Parish will hold their Treasure Sale on Friday, May 30th from 8 am – 6 pm and Saturday, May 31st from 8 am – 12 pm at the Grade School. Note the change of location this year. They are just a few blocks off of Rt. 40. This is a MUST STOP with TREASURES GALORE at modest prices!
– The Silk Purse Resale Shop is right on Route 40 – full of those special finds.
– Follow the signs to get to The Cross at the Crossroads. Enjoy a walk around the base of the cross, visit the Visitors Center and sign the guest book. It is the second largest cross in the country.
Between Effingham and Altamont is the Ballard Nature Center. It offers a great opportunity to stretch your legs, observe nature up close, and take plenty of nature photos.
ALTAMONT is having city-wide garage sales May 28 – June 1. Maps will be located at the 4 way stop at Rt. 40 and Main St. in front of the Sarah Bush Lincoln Medical Center.
– There are multiple vendors, food, and bathrooms at the Effingham County Fairgrounds in Altamont – May 28th – May 31st, from 8 am – 6 pm, and Sunday, June 1st from 8 am – 4 pm. Antiques, collectibles, a wide array of hand-made crafts, and a large assortment of good ole yard sale treasures will be available. Food will be provided by Effingham Smok-N-Hot Mexican Food.
– The Dr. Charles M. Wright House, one of two sites in Effingham County to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is on the north end of Main Street in town. Tours can be arranged by calling Scott Beal at 217-343-1191. Wolf Creek Antique Mall downtown at the four way stop of Main and Division unfortunately will not be open due to a city water main project in front of its store. Make a trip back to leisurely visit each shop within the Mall.
– There will be food on the Triangle on Saturday provided by the Legion.
– Fresh Finds Resale, 3 S Main will be open Thurs. 7 am – 8 pm; Fri. 7 am – 5 pm; Sat. 7 am – 2 pm; and Sun. 10 am – 3 pm. Antiques, tools, hunting gear, audio equipment, and so much more. New items added every day!
– Country Blingz Boutique is new in town or rather 1+ miles south of the 4-way stop on Rt. 40. Sophia Grace Boutique & Consignment Shop. 8589 N 300th Street Altamont, corner of Empire in the Power Up Plus Building.
ST. ELMO will have individual sales.
BROWNSTOWN will have city-wide garage sales on May 30th from 8 am – 5 pm and May 31st from 8 am – 2 pm. Maps will be located at the Village Hall, First National Bank of Brownstown, Brownstown Lumber, Marks, The Cabin, and Victory Lane Gas Station. Look for Rt. 40 Flea Market on the north side of the road. If you are warm, you will enjoy the air conditioning inside. The building is nicely laid out, and FULL of treasures of all kinds, including bakery items. There should also be Junque in the Trunk in the parking lot.
VANDALIA – Illinois’s 2nd state capital, with Treasures in the Trunk happening on May 31, from 8 am – 4 pm, presented by The National Road Interpretive Center in the parking lot at 106 South 5th Street.
MULBERRY GROVE posted city-wide garage sales on their Facebook page.
For more information, please contact Yvonne Flanigan at yflanigan301@gmail.com, or call or text 815-954-0450, or visit the official Facebook page “Historic National Road Yard Sale – US 40 Sales“.

Treasure Sale at St. Anthony Parish
2025-05-30, 2025-05-31

EARS Jeepin' For The Paws Virtual Auction
2025-05-30

Charleston Carnegie Library Book Sale
2025-05-30, 2025-05-31

Friday's Schedule
2025-05-30
PrintHIGH SCHOOL
Softball
Class 1A Casey-Westfield Sectional
Game 3 – Windsor/Stewardson-Strasburg vs. Casey-Westfield, 4:30 p.m. (championship) (LISTEN ON KJ COUNTRY 102.3)
Class 2A Vandalia Sectional
Game 3 — Columbia vs. Newton, 4 p.m. (championship)
Class 3A Marion Regional
Game 3 – Marion vs. Carbondale, 4:30 p.m. (championship)
Boys Tennis
State Meet
Hosted by Palatine High School
St. Anthony (Manaya Mossman/Joey Trupiano in doubles), Teutopolis (Colin Habing in singles, Noah Thompson/Oliver Lee in doubles), Newton (Isaac Street in singles)
Boys Track
Class 2A State Meet
At EIU, Charleston
Effingham – Maxx Kistler, Alex Gordon, Weldon Dunston, Calvin Sudkamp
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Cincinnati at Chicago Cubs, 1:20 p.m.
St. Louis Cardinals at Texas, 7:05 p.m.

Garage Sale - Effingham County Humane Society
2025-05-30, 2025-05-31

Oneighty Facility Yard Sale
2025-05-30
PrintGet ready to snag some amazing deals at New Hope Church Oneighty Facility Yard Sale!
We’ve got tables, chairs, restaurant booths, concession items (pizza, pretzels, hotdog warmers), computer monitors, and a whole lot more…
Swing by Friday May 30th or May 31st Saturday from 8-Noon.
Address: 2720 N. 3rd St, Effingham.
Proceeds will help fund more Oneighty renovations!

Masonic Lodge Auction for Shriners Hospitals for Children
2025-05-31

DCS 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament
2025-05-31
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DCS 5th Annual 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament in Effingham, is on May 31st. It is a co-ed basketball tournament, so boys and girls can play in this tournament.
There are three groups to register for. Group one consists of 5th-6th graders. Group two consists of 7th-8th graders. Group three consists of ages 16 and older.
It is a double elimination tournament.
The fee is $50 to play.

Enduring Freedom Ministries Distributions in May
2025-05-31
PrintEnduring Freedom Ministries Distribution Dates for May:
Tuesday, May 13th 4-6p.m.
Wednesday, May 14th noon – 2p.m.
Wednesday, May 21st noon – 2p.m.
Saturday, May 31st 8:30-noon
The Shumway location is at 304 S. West Street, (old grade school) mission includes: hot meal, groceries, clothing, haircuts, & laundromat.
Call 217-240-0059 or web-search “Shumway Food Pantry” and select your appointment time.

Garden Ramble at The Whiteside Garden
2025-05-31
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The Whiteside Garden is located at:
8422 North County Road 1820e
Charleston, IL 61920
Come out to to experience an assortment of garden-themed activities and shopping! The Whiteside Garden is a beautiful, five-acre certified botanical garden and arboretum. This event is hosted by the Douglas-Hart Foundation, a non-profit, and is requesting a free will donation admission for the event,.
Parking is limited; carpooling is recommended. Parking is on the Northwest side of 1820e and along the roadway as much as possible.
8+ Garden-Themed Vendors from fresh cut flowers, beaded decorative garden stakes, potted plants from multiple greenhouses, garden themed crafts, and more!
Vendors will be stationed in the front yard, and include: Wildwood Blooms, Bloomfield Garden Center, Doodads and Folderols, Bee Fresh Farm, Lake Land College Horticulture Greenhouse, Eloe’s Landscapes Garden and Home, ImagiNature Beaded Decor, and Primitive Upcycled Woodworking.
Guided Garden Tours at the top of every hours: 9am, 10am, 11am, and 12pm, led by The Whiteside Garden Horticulturalist, Kennedi Mullen, and Retired EIU Botany Professor, Nancy Coutant.
Attendees may also opt for a self-guided tour. Just follow the map on the brochure packet and look for the numbered plants.
Docents will be stationed at learning stations throughout the garden, with demos at 10:30, 11:30, and 12:30pm on various topics.
The Welcome Center will be open for viewing, along with restrooms and a gift shop.
Light refreshments will be available for purchase throughout the day as well.
For additional details visit: https://www.dhnature.org/gardenramble.html or call 217-235-4644.
Douglas-Hart Foundation
Douglas-Hart Nature Center, Friendship Garden, and The Whiteside Garden
217-235-4644
website: dhnature.org

"Made in Central Illinois" Fundraiser for Lincoln Log Cabin
2025-05-31
PrintThe Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site is hosting their “Made in Central Illinois Annual Fundraiser” on Saturday, May 31, at 6:00 pm.
The event will be hosted on-site, featuring locally-sourced food, as well as a silent auction with items representing Central Illinois! Join us for heavy hors d’oeuvres from local providers, Illinois beer and wine, and live music with Motherlode. Walk around the site to try different foods and experience the site after hours all while helping us raise funds for youth programming, special events, and projects!
Individual tickets are $60 or reserve a table of 8 for $420. Register by clicking here.
The Lincoln Log Cabin State Historic Site is located at 402 S. Lincoln Highway Road, Lerna, IL 62440.
For more information, call 217-345-1845, or visit lincolnlogcabin.org

Saturday's Schedule
2025-05-31
PrintHIGH SCHOOL
Baseball
Class 1A Altamont Sectional
Game 3 – Casey-Westfield vs. Pawnee, 11 a.m. (championship)
Class 2A Teutopolis Sectional
Game 3 – Teutopolis vs. Effingham St. Anthony, 10 a.m. (championship)
Class 3A Salem Regional
Game 4 – Effingham vs. Winner Game 3, 11 a.m. (championship)
Softball
Class 2A Tolono Unity Sectional
Game 3 – Tolono Unity vs. Normal University, 11 a.m. (championship)
Boys Tennis
State Meet
Hosted by Palatine High School
St. Anthony (Manaya Mossman/Joey Trupiano in doubles), Teutopolis (Colin Habing in singles, Noah Thompson/Oliver Lee in doubles), Newton (Isaac Street in singles)
Boys Track
State, TBA
EFFINGHAM PARK DISTRICT
Tee Ball League
East Softball Diamond
Game 1 — Team 13 vs. Team 11, 8:30 a.m.
Game 2 — Team 4 vs. Team 5, 9:30 a.m.
Game 3 — Team 1 vs. Team 12, 10:30 a.m.
Small Fry Diamond
Game 1 — Team 2 vs. Team 7, 8:30 a.m.
Game 2 — Team 14 vs. Team 10, 9:30 a.m.
West Softball Diamond
Game 1 — Team 3 vs. Team 6, 8:30 a.m.
Game 2 — Team 15 vs. Team 9, 9:30 a.m.
Game 3 — Team 16 vs. Team 8, 10:30 a.m.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Cincinnati at Chicago Cubs, 1:20 p.m.
St. Louis Cardinals at Texas, 3:05 p.m.
NASCAR
Tennessee Lottery 250, 5 p.m.

Cookout on the Triangle with Altamont Masonic Lodge
2025-05-31
PrintIn conjunction with the Altamont Citywide Garage Sales, The Altamont Masonic Lodge #533 will be serving Porkburgers, Hot Dogs, Chips and Drinks on the Triangle.
This will be on Saturday, March 31st, from 11 am until 2 pm.
Proceeds go towards local projects.
