Centralia Now Magazine May Edition

25May 2013

Orphans win!Page 6

May 2013

ThErE’s nO pLaCELiKE hOME

Page 12

GrEEnbaLL FrEiGhTGETTinG baCK TO basiCs

Page 16

shOp wiTh a COpCar shOw

Page 18

2 May 2013

contents

From the cover

Orphans, both current and former, and even the face of

the Orphans mascot himself, Arnold Gluck, voted and

showed support for their hometown team.

Submitted Photo

6

4 Ruins of aBygone eRa

6 oRphans win!America’s best mascot2013 national champ

12 TheRe’s no placelike home

16 gReenBallfReighTGetting back to basics

18 JusTcRuisin’

22 mayfeTe

A Special Publication of the

3May 2013

Centralia

4 May 2013

Ruins of a Bygone Era

North of town, where Illinois Route 51 divides in to new and old, lies the foundations and ruins of what was once a gathering place for

those from all over the area seeking entertainment. A short ride down the hill on a street car brought you to en enchanted world of whimsy. With boat rides on the river, a skating rink, dance floors, grandstands providing seating for hundreds,

towering over baseball diamonds, many, turn-of-the-century families came out to White City for a day in the sun.

An article in a local newspaper announced in September 1892 that local businessmen Al Harding and G. P. Duncan were planning on opening a “pleasure resort” north of Central City on the Banks of Crooked Creek.

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Originally named Columbian Park because it was dedicated during the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ discovery of America, it soon came to be known as White City, just like the fairgrounds lit by electricity a the Columbian Exposition in Chicago (the official name of the Chicago’s World Fair, held in 1893). In years to come, five skiff and a motor launch were added, along with picnic tables, chairs and concession stands.

When the park was electrified in 1907, an airdome theater for vaudeville shows was erected with seating

for 1,000 as well as a penny arcade, nickelodian, and steam operated merry-go-round; a giant swimming pool completed the park.

In September 1913, more than 17,000 attended a county fair held in the park.

But the park soon fell by the wayside, due to the increasing use of motor vehicles and the ease of travel. Local citizens began to slowly lose interest in the park, which fell into decline and was eventually demolished.

6 May 2013

Orphans win!

Photo submitted

7May 2013

Orphans win! AmericA’s best mAscot2013 nAtionAl chAmp

8 May 2013

The winningest basketball team in the nation has added

yet another honor to their collection. This time it’s for their mascot.

The city of Centralia rallied together and

topped 31 million votes in the USA

Today’s High School Sports Best Mascot

competition.

A final six-day run that included late nights in the computer labs and community support added a total of 25,392,806 votes to the final tally.

Orphans, both current and former, and even the

face of the Orphans mascot himself, Arnold Gluck, voted and showed support for their hometown team.

Gluck became the model for the mascot during the 1945-46 school year, when

artists came to the

school to develop the mascot renderings. Gluck was chosen by Coach Bob Trout to play for the artists. The profile of him has been used as the mascot ever since.

But the mascot is more than one person, it’s about the community. During the contest, residents worked hard to put in the votes to win the top spot in the nation. The high school, which was on spring break at the time, opened its doors and invited residents to use its computer labs for voting purposes. Local

restaurants catered food as a show of support. People stayed late into the night, voting to push the Orphans ahead of the competition.

The contest started as the best mascot in the state before each winner was pitted against the others in their region before moving on to the final round of mascots from around the nation. The contest drew nearly 80 million votes overall, with the Carbon Dinos of Prince, Utah, coming in second with a total of 13,089,518 votes.

“The ultimate value of the contest was not that it indicated that we are unique, but that we are so much alike,” said Steve Loomis. “It doesn’t matter whether a town’s school mascot is unusual or common,

8 May 2013

Story by Chastity Courtney

9May 2013 9May 2013

loyalty and community spirit run deep in every town and are part of the fabric of the nation. Those folks in the cheering section across the way are just like us...they’re just wearing different color shirts.”

Centralia, a city of 14,000 with a high school enrollment of 1,000 walked away with the America’s Top High School Mascot Award, a check for $2,000, and a banner to hang in

the gym at the high school.

It wasn’t just local Orphans that rallied behind the mascot, former Orphans and Orphan fans from all around the country showed their support and helped add to the overwhelming number of votes that poured in.

There is a banner to be hung, a parade to be planned and an award to be celebrated.

“Congratulations to the Centralia Orphans for such an honor to be named America’s Best Mascot,” said Brandi King, “Thank you to all of the other teams for a fun competition! Everyone involved in this contest has been absolutely awesome! Again, thank you everyone! And thank you USA Today for bringing us all together!”

10 May 2013Photos submitted

11May 2013

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12 May 2013

There’s no placelike home

Story by KIRSTIN GRIMES

13May 2013

All over the country people are taking their homes back to a simpler time in

decorating by way of the growing trends of primitive and retro decorating. While the coasts have seen a small resurgence, no where has it been felt the most than the Midwest, with St. Louis and its surrounding communities being the epicenter. Never one to be left out, Centralia has its share of citizens jumping on the vintage bandwagon.

Vintage decorating can be seen all over in town on the small and large scale. Along with the classics such as metal shell-styled gliders and chairs, rusting milk jugs bearing the family surname and the passed-down odds and ends that graced grandma’s yard, more imaginative uses for everyday vintage finds pop up: Rusty Schwinn bicycles with a banana seat as garden accents, old porcelain over cast iron drain board sinks as backyard dry bars, even Magic Chef stoves turned into gardening benches grace the yards of Centralia residents young and old. Smaller touches include unusual pots and pans as unique decorative planters, chandeliers transformed into the most magnificent candle luminescent’s turn even the most humid of summer gatherings into a cool occasion. Simple reclaimed boards of painted wood welcome guests with quaint sayings and verses; any and everything can be worked into your very own vintage style. Diana Jacobs,of Many Needful Things in downtown Centralia says that items in the Primitive style sell quickly in her shop. Based on nature and filled with

neutral earth tones and natural materials, primitive items evoke the feeling of warmth and being safe, happy and reminiscent. A cotton doll sitting on a distressed bench under a hand painted sign bearing the phrase “Welcome To Our Home, Come In And Rest Your Heart” welcomes everyone to a home.

Local thrift stores and flea markets are a treasure trove of primitive décor and more and more styles, made by local artists are readily available in locally owned shops.

Shabby chic is also a very popular style in the Centralia area, Jacobs said. Jacobs, who refinished objects to sell at her shop,

says that shabby chic furniture is a draw for local residents.

“Every piece gives a quick change to a room,” she said. More feminine than primitive, shabby chic brings a romantic feel to a room by surrounding you in soft pastel colors, florals and lace in a combination of antiques and modern pieces sanded and

distressed to look antique. French regency furniture distressed in sky blue and paired with rococo light fixtures and a large rose print rug are sure to bring about a cottage feel and seems to be especially popular with female Baby Boomers looking to get back to a simpler, less-tiresome feel, Jacobs explained. More and more people are opting to have furniture that they have owned for years distressed to give a well loved piece a new

finish and a treasured place of honor in their homes.

Retro decorating has taken on a following all its own, according to Jacobs. From the Baby Boomers looking to recreate the feel of Mom’s kitchen, to the younger generation looking

14 May 2013

for a ‘green’ way of decorating their family rooms, the retro style has made a comeback. Done mostly in reclaimed or found materials, this style can incorporate styles for the 1940s through the 1960s. Jacobs said there is something for everyone in this retro look, from those looking for nostalgia to those looking for a crisp, clean modern lines. Pieces can be found everywhere, from attics, flea markets, local antique shops and the rummage sale down the block. Jacobs said the style can be incorporated into any type of house known in the Centralia area. A chrome-legged formica table and a checkerboard floor, a Danish modern-styled dining room, a pink tiled bathroom, all these were rooms commonly found in homes built from the 1920s on, Jacobs explained. Jacobs, a lifetime Centralia resident, is hoping the styles are here to stay. She feels that to we have to preserve our past to embrace our future. “I remember downtown the way its used to be. The sidewalk sales and the stores; downtown was the place to be,” Jacobs said. “You get that down-home feeling, and that is what I’m trying to bring back.”

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16 May 2013

Greenball Freight

GettinG back to basics

Story by KIRSTIN GRIMES

17May 2013

Going organic is more than a catch-phrase for Chad Henry, of Greenball Freight.

“Everyone should be willing to eat like this and save money,” Henry said. “You wonder how our ancestors and grandparents and great-grandparents saved money when they only made, like, a dollar a day. They grew all their food and they didn’t have a food budget.”

Organic farming aims to avoid the use of synthetic and harmful pesticides by using methods such as crop rotation, animal or green ma-nure and integrated pest manage-ment methods to keep soil healthy, produce healthy plants while keep-ing them pest free, and it’s become mainstream — and available in Centralia. As a distributor for Cool-ey Farms, a self supporting family farm that goes back more than 60 years, Henry plans on selling ‘shares’ of the farm on a weekly basis.

“Its basically a subscription to the farm,” Henry explained. “You get a box once a week or every two weeks, depending on how much you think you’ll go

through. It’ll be a little bit of every-thing that the farm produces for that week. Every time you get a bas-ket of produce through here, there will be gardening tips and recipes. You have to be an adventurous eater but I think when people try it, they will like it.”

Henry said the food is not only fresh, but healthy. “It’s always nat-ural, always chemical free,” Henry said. “No genetically altered seeds, always heirloom or other top qual-ity seeds. The basic concept of what we’re doing is we want someone to know where their food comes from.”

The farm grows most common fruits and vegetables to the area such as asparagus, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, eggplants, green beans, hot peppers, okra, onions, potatoes, pumpkin, radishes, squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, turnips, zucchini, black-berries, currants and grapes. In ad-dition, local residents will also find fresh chicken, eggs and dried herbs, all as Henry describes as, “farm to table. Nothing

will be cleaned or cooked, as soon as its picked, it starts to decay so if you leave some of the dirt on it thinks it’s still growing.”

As a nod to Centralia’s past, Greenball Freight was chosen as the name because of its origins as a railroad term. Green ball freight was literally, green cargo such as fruits and vegetables. It came in second to red ball commodities, which were live stock and such, in case of delays in shipping, Henry explained. If a train was delayed, workers would know what had to get to its destination most quickly by its designation as ‘red’ or ‘green’ freight.

“We’re working towards a common goal in keeping it local,” Henry said. “It excites people and gets them excited about the area and shows them its really not that bad here. ... 60 years ago they went downtown and bought here, and they kept it local.”

17May 2013

18 May 2013

Each year, it’s a sight to behold — classic cars, trucks and motorcycles lined up with the sound of tires squealing, and

motors revving.

It’s the Shop With A Cop Car Show, which is now in its 12th year.

“I started managing (Expert Tire) in 2002,” said organizer Bob LoGrasso. “A couple of the guys ... thought it would be a good idea if we had a car show

out here. I said, ‘Okay, let’s do it. Now what do we do?’”

What they did was get other area businesses involved

and choose a local charity to support.

“From there, it has expanded over the years,” LoGrasso said. “We had

100 some vehicles that first year. I remember we were worried if

anyone would show at all, but then

they all started coming.” LoGrasso

said finding a charity wasn’t that hard.

Story by TESA GLASS

Just Cruisin’

19May 2013

“We pulled Sonic in, then we talked to Joe Phoenix, who was in charge of the Shop With A Cop program at the time,” LoGrasso recalled. “It’s a really good thing. It helps the kids in the community at Christmas time. A lot of them not only buy things for themselves, but for grandparents or mom and dad. It’s a neat thing. We put a lot of joy into kids’ lives at Christmas time. We’re very proud of that.”

By partnering with Shop With A Cop, the car show has raised about $53,000 for the program. Sonic was pulled into the event to help provide food, and all the concessions go to Shop With A Cop.

“Now, all our expenses are covered and trophies are covered,” LoGrasso said. “Local businesses, from body shops, auto repair, audio hearing aid places and drinking establishments give us money for sponsorships, which allows us to go out and buy awards. ... “It’s been a real community event. The Chamber has it on their pamphlets, which is a cool

20 May 2013

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thing. The city recognizes it, the mayor and everyone get behind it and we try to get as many people out to the show as possible. Every dime they spend goes to kids, and that’s what it’s all about.”

This year the show will be held May 19 at Fairview Park Plaza. Registration will be from 8 a.m. to noon, with a $10 entry fee. LoGrasso said car struts and motorcycles may be entered, with 30 car and truck classes and 10 motorcycle classes with three awards per class. Awards include the Sonic award; the Expert Tire Award; the Police Officer award; Best of Show; Club Participation Award; Longest Distance Award; Best Paint Award; Overall Best Bike for motorcycles; and the first couple hundred entries will receive a dash plaque. In addition, there will be a stereo contest, burnout contest, 50/50 drawing and a model car contest. Raffles will also be held throughout the event.

21May 2013

Additionalinformationon the showis available

by contactingExpert Tire

at 532-6787.

22 May 2013

May Fete Story by KIRSTIN GRIMES

In a rite that has gone from national and international popularity to decline, the Centralia May Fete is still going strong.

With its origins in Babylon as a rite of fertility passage, the May Fete has lost all of its original meaning. At its earliest in North America, an erecting of a May Pole was recorded by New Plymouth Gov. William Bradford in 1628.

The ceremony has evolved over the years, to include the traditional ribbon dance, a style originating in the 18th century, where the young women of the community hold colored ribbon and dance in an intricate step to wind the May Pole in celebration of the festivities. In Centralia, as entertainment to the May Court, the student body can participate in dances and skits of their choice, the highlight of the evening being the coronation of the court and crowning of the May Queen. May Fete has come to be a celebration all of its own. Senior girls feel it is their last farewell as the graduating class. Each class gets to chose a song that has special meaning to them. Selections have varied widely from all genre’s including Whitney

Houston’s “That’s What Friends Are For” Trace Adkins “You’re Gonna Miss This” Vitamin C’s “Graduation (Friends Forever)” Eve 6’s “Here’s To The Night,” and Celine Dion’s “Because You Love Me.”

Dresses were white until 1965, when they were pastels — green, lavender, yellow and pink. All colors and styles have been worn since, such as white eyelet with blue sashes, orange satin with beaded straps, black empire-waists, hot pink tea-length taffeta with a ruffle at the bottom, with cardinal red and versions of white being the most common. More recently, the decision was made to allow the girls in May Fete to wear the dress of their choice, regardless of color and style.

Jessica Culver, 2004 graduate of Centralia High School said, “it made me happy, like I was in the spotlight.”

The court is made up of two attendants and two escorts from each grade and the queen and king. The attendants and escorts are chosen by ballot, by their respective class and the queen and king are chosen by the entire school board.

22 May 2013

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Queen Alexis Holmes and King Dyman Sodsaikitch

Senior attendants Sonia Balint and Abreigh Brown with escorts Kalen Robinson and

Christopher SmithJunior attendants

Rachel Cavaletto and Devonna Martin with escorts Cole Clift

and Dakota WhritenourSophomore attendants

Katie Branon and Holly Mays with escorts River Phillips and

Dray SodsaikitchFreshman attendants

Clare Kessler and Sarah Litteer with escorts Jake Brothers and

Jace Swartzlander.

2013 May Fete Court

24 May 2013