Community News: Aug. 10, 2018

Check out upcoming events in the Joliet area, as well as the awesome things people are doing.


Local arts and entertainment Aug. 10 through Aug. 17

http://www.theheraldnews.com/articles/2018/08/09/b4bdadb55c864c9db53ad1214141aa56/index.xml


IDOT's continues strategic roadside mowing to conserve monarchs 

http://www.theherald-news.com/2018/08/09/idots-continues-strategic-roadside-mowing-to-conserve-monarchs/abwmyr4/


Silver Cross Encore Shop in New Lenox plans Autumn Showcase 

http://www.theherald-news.com/2018/08/10/silver-cross-encore-shop-in-new-lenox-plans-autumn-showcase/amfd74x/


'Plant the Seed' to hold introductory meeting 

http://www.theherald-news.com/2018/08/10/plant-the-seed-to-hold-introductory-meeting/aebi2ye/


Plainfield students perform in New York

http://www.theherald-news.com/2018/08/10/plainfield-students-perform-in-new-york/aay3njg/

Around Town: The Mansard Room in Rockdale

http://www.theherald-news.com/2018/08/10/around-town-the-mansard-room-in-rockdale/apttqn1/


D. 202 students in Plainfield study and release butterflies

http://www.theherald-news.com/2018/08/10/d-202-students-in-plainfield-study-and-release-butterflies/aozukl4/


Tickets on sale for Zonta Club of Joliet Festival of Culture

http://www.theherald-news.com/2018/08/10/tickets-on-sale-for-zonta-club-of-joliet-festival-of-culture/aw947f6/


Cancer Support Center to host 27th Annual Golf Outing 

http://www.theherald-news.com/2018/08/10/cancer-support-center-to-host-27th-annual-golf-outing/acw2b1t/


Lockport Township Class of 1968 to host 50th class reunion

http://www.theherald-news.com/2018/08/10/lockport-township-class-of-1968-to-host-50th-class-reunion/a18qmgx/

Check out the following newsletters:

Sign up for the Will County Go Guide

http://www.theherald-news.com/newsletter/will-county-go-guide/#//


Sign up for the LocalLit Short Story Newsletter

http://www.theherald-news.com/newsletter/locallit/


Sign up for The Munsonville Times

https://www.bryonyseries.com/munsonville-times

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage." Follow him at www.facebook.com/artbymattcoundiff

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, July 22 through July 27

It's funny about improvement.

You work and work and work at something and don't perceive any measurable progress. And then suddenly!

There it is.

When it comes to reading my works aloud, I've improved.

For small presentations , at least, I've lost the jitteriness that comes from standing in front of a room and reading words that originated in my imagination. And I'm thankful to events like the  "Writers 15 Minutes of Fame" that the Plainfield Public Library offered last night.

I'm even getting a feel for selections that work well for reading aloud. With my drama tutor busy these last few months, I've not worked on any performance pieces, and that's still a goal I need to meet.

So last night I read one from Before the Blood I read almost three years ago at a WriteOn Joliet open mic, a piece that closed the event. My co-leader Tom Hernandez had complimented it at the time, saying he liked the "poetry" in it.

Ironically, the same piece closed last night's event, too. Plus, it shows how long I've worked on this prequel. It will be nice to finish it, read it as a reader and move onto other projects, knowing I've put the best I can into it.

And now onto other information.

Non-bylined features:

Monday through Saturday I assembled my non-bylined works - brief posts and calendar listings - into one convenient file and posting them on Facebook in the evening, so readers can easily choose the ones they want to read.

 One can also find those event listings, the Gotta Do It calendar, as well as the pets, health, faith, and arts and entertainment calendars, under the sections tab on the left hand side of http://www.theherald-news.com/. Click on "features" and the topics drop down.  Gotta Do It runs under "people."

Community news? Again, under the sections tab, under features, and by topic. Updates are posted on these days in print and web (and some only on web on other days as I have the time): Monday (pets), Tuesday (health), Thursday (faith), Friday (arts and entertainment), and Sunday (people).

Social media:

Daily updates: I do post the briefs and calendars on Twitter during the week, so you're welcome to follow me at @Denise_Unland61.

BryonySeries stuff: I post curated content relating to the BryonySeries at @BryonySeries. And assorted related content at www.facebook.com/BryonySeries. And of course, please follow the adventures of Bertrand the Mouse on Instagram at bertrand_bryonyseries.

If you're a writer anywhere in the world, you're welcome to jon WriteOn Joliet's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/writeonminooka/?ref=bookmarks. We're based in Joliet, Illinois, but we love to meet and interact with writers outside our area, too.

Upcoming events: 

These are listed here: https://www.bryonyseries.com/fetes-and-feasts

Books and Such

Information on my books (including where to buy) along with upcoming events is at www.bryonyseries.com.

Thank you for reading The Herald-News. And for reading this blog. And if you've read (or plan to read) any of my books. Your support is greatly appreciated.

'Journalism gave me a purposeful outlet for my writing'

10 questions with Herald-News intern Sydney Czyzon

Czyzon said: "Once I realized I could make a career out of my passion, I ran with it, and I’ve been writing ever since. I love that my career choice gives me the opportunity to make a positive difference in the community by empowering the voices of others."

http://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2018/07/16/1c951d73f49b4731925c30f9cb102c40/index.xml

'I want to get as much experience as I can'

10 questions with Herald-News intern John Nudera

Nudera said: "Once it was time to decide a major, I went with what I enjoy and that’s writing. I like having a voice that people can listen to regarding certain subjects, I just felt like journalism was the best for that."

http://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2018/07/16/94c8e771b44b4e23a41cbe10cc14075e/index.xml

An Extraordinary Life: 'We called him our king'

Joliet man modeled servant leadership

Martha and Edith recalled the time Isaac decided to tear down the dilapidated garage at their Iowa Street home and build a better one. But Isaac didn’t keep his skills at home.

“Every house on our street had some of my dad’s work,” Martha Rucker of Joliet said about her father Isaac McDaniel.

http://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2018/07/22/6ba7361ddbad4d6b8d4a1b9428a80faf/index.xml?page=1

Joliet steak house has vintage atmosphere

Since Al’s is a steak house, I was curious to try something other than steak, just to see if the other food would be just as good. Not just steak.

So I ordered spaghetti and meatballs and was not disappointed.

http://www.theherald-news.com/2018/07/24/joliet-steak-house-has-vintage-atmosphere/aqpvw1v/

'I go as the Lord leads'

Living Water church in Morris transitioning to Crossbridge Community Church
By Jeanne Millsap

 “We’re not closing,” Pastor Steve Cook said. “We’re transitioning.”

http://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2018/07/25/ca2159455891421e88e0f4507cae116e/index.xml


Lockport Poetry Project creates art from poetry, workshop on Saturday

"I'm not against graffiti," Sam Love said. "But what people are submitting on the cares and at the workshops is beautiful. People really understand this community and their love for it. Visitors will see the beauty of it, too."

http://www.theherald-news.com/lists/2018/07/24/e30efc9060cd465ba7c722cf63aec0ff/index.xml?page=1


Plainfield teen performs at Carnegie Hall as part of an honors band

"There were thousands of applicants from all over the word. What are the chances I would make it?'" Amelia said. "But my family believed in me. They knew I could do it."

http://www.theherald-news.com/2018/07/24/plainfield-teen-performs-at-carnegie-hall-as-part-of-an-honors-band/afv3mas/

LocalLit author spotlight: Ken McGee of Plainfield is back

McGee sums up his featured short story this way: "Don't bother to negotiate with your wife because though you might think you win the battle, you always lose the war."

http://www.theherald-news.com/2018/07/17/locallit-author-spotlight-ken-mcgee-of-plainfield-is-back/aut2poq/

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage." Follow him at www.facebook.com/artbymattcoundiff

Story Round-Up: Features in The Herald-News, Dec. 4 through Dec. Dec. 9

Here's an awesome thing: I made deadlines for the week by yesterday. That's always my goal, so I can spend Fridays with interviews and making briefs, but lately the goal has eluded me. Happy Friday!

Here's another awesome thing: Up until this week, my blog post with the most views was a link to a nineteenth century vampire story, The Vampire, by Jan Neruda. One of my story roundups has surpassed it,with 1244 views as of this morning. I'm not sure why this post received so many views, but here's the link: http://bryonyseries.blogspot.com/2016/11/story-round-up-features-in-herald-news_25.html.

The proof copy for Cornell Dyer and the Missing Tombstone arrived yesterday with random formatting errors and one cover error. So one of my projects for this weekend (among my weekend editor duties and working on Before the Blood) is to read through the book and note them.

Onto the real work:

First, the non-bylined work: the health, faith, and arts and entertainment calendars. Three of them can be found at the link below. http://www.theherald-news.com/lifestyle/ Gotta Do It, runs each Sunday and often stays on the home page throughout the week.

Feature briefs for Tuesday (health), Thursday (faith), Friday (Arts and Entertainment), and Sunday (People) are also edited (texted and photos) by the lady of this blog, but only the stories have bylines.

I also have a list of Santa Sightings in the Joliet area at https://goo.gl/Hq06Hr.

Also, a few weeks ago, The Herald-News began a weekly Mystery Diner feature, a goal of mine that was finally approved. I'll catch up on the links this Monday and begin posting these with the regular roundup.

Another option: I do post the briefs and calendars on Twitter during the week, so you're welcome to follow me at @Denise_Unland61. And of course, I post curated content relating to the BryonySeries at @BryonySeries.

FYI: videos have not been attaching to stories, although they do run for a time on the home page. If you'd like to watch a video, and it's not showing up for you, message me, and I'll manually attach it.

Thank you for reading The Herald-News.


Channahon couple decorates for cancer research (VIDEO EXTRA)
Kris and Kristen Koppers light up their homes and the lives of others

“Last year, we gave out jingle bells from his sleigh,” Kristen said. “This year, we’re not sure what we’re doing, but we will have hot chocolate again.”

http://www.theherald-news.com/2016/11/29/channahon-couple-decorates-for-cancer-research/awdvbrn/

An Extraordinary Life: Single mother of four inspired new hot dog venue in Joliet

Jeff Reid recently opened Jerrie’s Dogs & Fries in memory of his mother

Of course, the signature hot dog is the Jerrie dog, prepared the way Jerrie liked her hot dog – topped with mustard, tomato, relish, pickle, cucumber, sport peppers and celery salt.

http://www.theherald-news.com/2016/11/29/an-extraordinary-life-single-mother-of-four-inspired-new-hot-dog-venue-in-joliet/ajbjivg/?page=2

Pets of the Week: Dec. 5

The Herald-News presents this week's Pets of the Week. Click on the caption of each photo to find out about that pet, including where he or she can be adopted.

http://www.theherald-news.com/2016/11/27/pets-of-the-week-dec-5/a1q0zf0/

New Lenox church offers a drive-thru Living Nativity

United Methodist Church offers dramatic retelling of Jesus’ birth

“One of the nice things about this event is it’s calm,” Beth Darin, co-coordinator, said. “You drive through and listen to the story in this beautiful setting. It tells the story on a non-intrusive level and you get to enjoy it that way. ... You take away from it what you need to take away.”

http://www.theherald-news.com/2016/12/03/new-lenox-church-offers-a-drive-thru-living-nativity/aw7m2gx/

Lincoln-Way Area Chorale performs at Carnegie Hall

Jackie Pletsch, a soprano, said the experience “took her breath away.”

“I started to cry and then thought, ‘I can’t cry. I have to sing,’ ” Pletsch said.

http://www.theherald-news.com/2016/12/07/lincoln-way-area-chorale-performs-at-carnegie-hall/auvpo13/