News briefs
City manager to speak at emeritus faculty meeting
Carbondale city manager Gary Williams will be the guest speaker at the emeritus faculty spring program April 25 at SIU Carbondale.
Williams will give a look at recent developments in the city. The program is at 9 a.m. at the university's Trasportation Education Center. The event is free to the public.
Williams has more than 20 years of experience leading public and private economic and community development operations.
For more information about the presentation, email csnyder@siu.edu.
Science Center to look at the Mars Curiosity mission
The Science Center of Southern Illinois, located at University Mall in Carbondale, will present a Science Café event entitled "Exploring Mars with Curiosity" at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 26.
Roger Wiens, Space Remote Sensing Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory, will discuss the rover Curiosity and discoveries it has made. Curiosity landed on Mars in 2012.
Admission to Science Cafés is free. Those who come early can enjoy a complimentary cup of Gloria Jean's coffee.
Police to hold women's safety class April 28
The Carbondale Police Department will hold its final personal safety for women class of the spring from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 28 at the Public Safety Center.
The classes are designed to teach women prevention and precaution methods and how to escape from an attack should one occur. The classes are geared toward sexual assault prevention, but the class topics can be applied to other areas of crime prevention.
The class consists of a lecture and two hands-on workshop sessions. Classes are taught by officers from the Carbondale Police Department.
Participants must be at least 13 years of age. Those under 17 must be accompanied by a parent or other adult, and have a release signed by a parent. Class size is limited to 20 people. The classes are free.
To sign up for a class, call 618- 457-3200 ext. 402 or send an e-mail to rmathis@ci.carbondale.il.us.
'Hobbit' auditions begin April 30
The Stage Company will hold auditions beginning April 30 for its summer children's show, "J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit," adapted by Patricia Gray and directed by Susan Harrocks.
Auditions will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. April 30 and May 1 at the Varsity Center in Carbondale. Callbacks will take place May 2.
Available are roles for men and women of all ages, as well as roles for children ages 10 and up. Sides from the script will be given for audition. Rehearsals will begin June 1, and performances will be July 13 to 15 and July 19 to 22.
For more information, visit stagecompany.org.
Play to recount birth of Memorial Day in Carbondale
The cities of Carbondale and Murphysboro, Carbondale Tourism, the Jackson County Board and the General John A. Logan Museum will present a live performance of the play "The First Memorial Day," written and directed by Carbondale resident Betsy Brown, Saturday, May 5.
The production will be held at 2 p.m. at Carbondale Community High School. Admission is free.
The production focuses on two former Civil War soldiers in April 1866 who speak of the need to remember their fallen comrades. So begins the First Memorial Day. The cast includes Carbondale youth playing the real characters, including Gen. John A. Logan and Carbondale founder Daniel Brush, who brought the idea of a Memorial Day to fruition.
Historic village open for public tours
The Harrison Bruce Historical Village at John A. Logan College is open for spring and summer
tours.
The village will be open Tuesday, May 1 and May 15. Public tours will be held the first and third Tuesdays of the month April through October. All tours are free.
Five structures are open for viewing. Private tours for any size group may be arranged by calling JALC at 618-985-2828 ext. 8425.
Special events planned for 150th of Memorial Day
The Jackson County Board, the cities of Carbondale and Murphysboro, and the General John A. Logan Museum are teaming up to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Memorial Day in the United States May 28.
Local festivities will include the Memorial Day service with guests Gary Ecelbarger and Brian Ellis at 10 a.m. at Woodlawn Cemetery in Carbondale; a wreath-laying ceremony at 12:30 p.m. at the General John A. Logan Monument in Murphysboro; lunch from 1 to 2 p.m. at 17th Street Bar and Grill in Murphysboro; and a book-signing event with authors Daniel Bellware and Richard Gardiner from 2 to 3 p.m. at the General John A. Logan Museum in Murphysboro.
Tickets for the luncheon are available through May 27. The cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 5 to 12.
For more information, contact Michael Jones at 618-303-0569 or director@loganmuseum.org.