AHS Grads Newest Distinguished Alumni - Arcola Record

www.arcolarecordherald.com
Volume 153 — Number 47
THURSDAY, JULY 2, 2015
ONE SECTION — 12 PAGES
Classic Autos Overtake
Downtown Arcola
A record 112 classic automobiles were registered for last Saturday’s Pop the Top Car
Show in downtown Arcola. Proceeds from
the “Coolest Car Show of the Summer” go
to support the ongoing efforts of the Arcola
Beautification Committee. Shown at left are
Arcola residents Eugene “Rocky” Rothrock
(background) and Dr. Robert Arrol admiring
a 1999 Corvette on a comfortable, sunny
day. Mark Smith, who helps organize the
annual car show, said entries were up nearly 30 automobiles from 2014. Awards were
presented in several categories, including
Walldogs Choice, Stan and Melinda Wright
of Shelbyville, 1959 GMC 100 Series; Most
Likely to Attract Unwanted Police Attention,
Terry Franklin of Tuscola, 1935 Ford Street
Rod; Best Pop Top, Shirley Lambdin of
Sullivan, 1960 Nash Metropolitan; Coolest
Thing You’ve Ever Seen, Wayne Hood of
Tolono, 1930 Ford “A;” Unsafe at Any
Speed, Maynard Clough of Hindsboro,
1971 Honda Heavily Modified Motorcycle;
Closest to Spirit of Hippie Memorial, Melvin
Werner of Dana, IN, 1951 Ford F1;
People’s Choice, Stan and Melinda Wright
of Shelbyville, 1959 GMC 100 Series; and
Best of Show, Troy Todd of Urbana, 1912
Maxwell Mascotte.
PORTERS PURCHASE NEWSPAPER, BUILDING
New Leadership Takes Reins Of Record-Herald
Chris and Cindy Slack, co-owners and copublishers of the Arcola Record-Herald,
announce the sale of the newspaper and
building at 118 E. Main St. to Douglas County
native David Porter and his wife, Jennie.
The sale is expected to be finalized by the
end of this week, and Porter plans to take
over management of the newspaper by about
mid-July.
The Slacks entered into a lease-purchase
agreement on July 1, 2002, with the newspaper’s previous owners, Don and Linda
Rankin, and have published 52 issues a week
for the past 13 years. The Slacks’ tenure as
publishers is the second longest in the last 60
years of the Record-Herald’s 150-plus year
history. The Rankins published the RecordHerald for 25 years.
Chris
Slack,
president
of
Slack
Publications, is thrilled that a deal could be
worked out — not only with a seasoned,
award-winning journalist, but with an individual whose roots run deep right here in
Douglas County.
“I had been familiar with David’s work for
nearly two decades and when Cindy and I
heard he was interested in the Record-Herald
and returning to Douglas County, we thought
it was a great fit,” said Chris Slack. “David
understands what it takes to produce a quality community newspaper and I have all the
confidence in the world that he will step in
and continue what Cindy and I have tried our
best to do over the last 13 years. And it is also
exciting to hear about his plans going forward
to boost readership and, in general, continue
to be a consistent presence in the outstanding
and ‘amazing’ community we call Arcola.”
The Slacks moved to Arcola in December
1997 from Rantoul. Chris Slack served nearly
five years as editor of the Record-Herald and
trade publications owned by Rankin
Publishing before he and his wife became the
newspaper’s publishers in July 2002.
Chris and Cindy Slack are Monticello High
School graduates. They have two daughters,
Melissa Blackwell and Laura Chancellor,
both of whom are Arcola High School graduates in 2003 and 2005, respectively.
Melissa and her husband, Josh, have a oneyear-old son, William Christopher, and Laura
and her husband, Bryan, are parents to a
seven-month-old daughter, Ava Jo. Josh
Blackwell (2002) and Bryan Chancellor
(2004) are also graduates of AHS.
The Slacks will continue to reside in Arcola.
See Record-Herald Sale...p. 3
David and Jennie Porter, new owners of the Arcola Record-Herald, are pictured above on
their wedding day. Photo courtesy of Roberta Porter Brennan
WHAT’S ON THE COMMUNITY AGENDA?
City’s Freedom
Celebration July 5
The city of Arcola will sponsor the annual
Freedom Celebration Sunday, July 5, at Moore
Park. The evening will feature free bingo, sponsored by the Arcola Rotary Club, in the pavilion of
the park at 7 p.m. There are also expected to be
food vendors, including a corn dog stand, popcorn
and nachos. Capping the evening will be the fireworks display shortly after dark.
Free screenings will be available for ages 10 and up.
Masonic Lodge Meeting
Arcola Masonic Lodge 366 will meet at 7:30 p.m.
on Tuesday, July 7, at 299 Egyptian Trail. All
Master Masons are welcome to attend.
MAN UP Men’s Bible Study
Lions Club Hearing Bus
MAN UP — the community men’s Bible study
and fellowship group, continues to meet at
Sweepers the first and third Tuesdays of the month
at 5 a.m. Starting with the July 7 meeting, MAN
UP is beginning some new materials and welcomes
any guy — teenager and older — to attend. It’s
time to check it out and see what God is going —
even if it does mean getting up early once in a
while.
The Arcola Lions Club will sponsor the Hearing
Bus from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday, July 3. The bus will
be located at the corner of Locust and Main streets.
First Christian Church of Arcola is sponsoring a
three-day Vacation Bible School, “Jesus Club,” at
Additional announcements are included below:
Christian Church VBS
Moore Park Monday through Wednesday, July 1315, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day. VBS will be
for kids ages preschool through entering fourth
grade.
The event will be held rain or shine. Games,
Bible lessons from the life of Jesus, and a picnic
lunch will be offered. No early registration is needed. Just show up and participate.
Class Of ‘36 Planning Reunion
The Arcola High School Class of 1936 has begun
planning for its 80th year reunion next year. For
more information, please contact Beryl Dillman at
309-826-8281.
Jaycees Regular Meetings
The Arcola Jaycees have their meetings every
first and third Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at
It’ll Do. All persons age 21 to 41 are invited to
attend.
IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE
Classifieds ........................................10
Courthouse News..........................4, 5
Down Memory Lane ........................8
HOW TO REACH US
• To fax news and advertising materials to
the Record-Herald, please call 217-2684938. The deadline is 5 p.m. each Monday.
Find the R-H on the web at
www.arcolarecordherald.com
• The newspaper’s mailing address is
118 E. Main St., Arcola, IL 61910.
Phone 268-4950.