Clinton County prepares to celebrate America's 250th birthday
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- Written by: Kelly Jo Ross - Breese Journal News Editor, and Matt Wilson - Breese Journal Reporter
Patriotic spirit will be on full display across Clinton County in the coming weeks as communities, organizations and local volunteers host a variety of events celebrating America’s 250th birthday.
From parades and fireworks to historical exhibits, veterans tributes and community festivals, residents will have numerous opportunities to commemorate the nation’s semiquincentennial.
Albers
Celebrating America250 ... fallen local heroes Coxswain Harold Stukenberg and PFC Alphonse Eilermann are the grand marshals at the 2026 Albers Blast-Off Parade on July 3. Pictured are (above, from left) Jenna Kueper, Albers Commercial Club president; with Jim Stukenberg, nephew of Harold Stukenberg and Jim Lampe and Jerry Lampe, nephews of Alphonse Eilermann; and Steve Schomaker, Albers Village president. The Albers Blastoff Parade and Fireworks will be on July 3. The parade begins at 6:30 p.m. Fireworks will be at 9 p.m.
Food and drinks at the Albers American Legion begin at 4 p.m. Music by The Buzzards will be from 7:30 to 11 p.m.
The Village of Albers and Albers Commercial Club proudly announce fallen local heroes Coxswain Harold Stukenberg and PFC Alphonse Eilermann as their 2026 Albers Blast-Off Parade grand marshals.
The families of Stukenberg and Eilermann accepted the honor on behalf of the men at Stukenberg-Eilermann American Legion Post 1026.
“There is no one more deserving of this privilege on America’s 250th anniversary,” Albers Village President Steve Schomaker said. “The Village of Albers is very honored to recognize the outstanding service of these hometown heroes.”
Everyone is invited to the Blast-Off Parade and Fireworks! in Albers on Friday, July 3.
Members of the Stukenberg and Eilermann families will be leading the Blast-Off Parade, starting at 6:30 p.m.
Prizes will be awarded to the best entry in the following categories: Overall, Family, Business/Organization, Tractor, Vehicle and Mayor’s Choice.
Contact Gina at 618-567-4349 or email:
Keep up on all the news about Albers on Facebook at www.facebook.com/villageofalbers.
There also are America250 banners hung throughout the Village of Albers to get into the patriotic spirit.
Aviston
The Clinton County Celebrates Freedom event will be July 5 at Aviston American Legion Post 1239. Doors open at 2 p.m. The ceremony honoring the heroes begins at 6 p.m. and will last about an hour.
Members from American Legions throughout the county have been planning the event and they hope to make it a county-wide event. They are sending invitations to all of the towns.
Ivan Markus, Bob Ottensmeier and Dale Rakers from the Aviston American Legion and Joe Langenhorst from the Germantown American Legion, along with others, are spearheading the event. Bob Eversgerd also has been key in providing displays and information for the event.
They are going to be placing 250 flags, about 10 feet apart, up and down Aviston/Albers Road. During the ceremony, they are going to be talking about LeRoy Raeber and Vince Rolves. At 105 years old, Raeber is a World War II veteran and is believed to be the oldest living male in Breese. Rolves is a former World War II prisoner of war and is thought to be the only surviving World War II prisoner of war in Illinois.
They are unsure if Raeber or Rolves will be able to attend the ceremony on July 5, but they will still recognize them.
There will be posters listing all of the Clinton County soldiers who died during World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Civil War and the Middle East wars. Names were found at the Clinton County Courthouse and online. All of the posters will be put in frames and they are looking for tripods to stand them on.
Members will be speaking about the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Black Hawk War, Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War and major U.S. wars, conflicts and interventions since 1989.
There will be framed maps of the different wars. They are going to fire three canons off and there will be a 21-gun salute. The canons will be back in the trees behind the Legion, and there will be a path that people can follow to look at the canons.
Military items and uniforms will be on display. They are hoping to get a lot of items on display so people can walk around and look at them.
Father Von C. Deeke from St. Francis Church in Aviston will give the opening prayer.
“Taps” will be played following the gun and canon salute.
Two America 250 quilts will be raffled off at the event.
The Sons of the American Legion is taking care of all the food outside. The bar at the Legion will be open.
The event also will feature a 50/50 raffle and a band/DJ.
Those attending are asked to bring lawn chairs.
Carlyle
For America250, Carlyle in Bloom is having a Carlyle Blooms in Red, White & Blue Contest available to all Carlyle residents and businesses. Carlyle in Bloom is having a Carlyle Blooms in Red, White and Blue contest.
Carlyle in Bloom is inviting all residents and businesses to celebrate America250 by decorating their front porch, yard, and/or storefront.
Those participating are encouraged to decorate a spot in their yard using live plants or flowers and a United States flag. They are to display a provided yard sign for judging.
Registration forms are available at Carlyle City Hall or Case-Halstead Public Library.
One participant each week will be recognized as the “250 Bloomer of the Week.”
Weekly winners will be entered into an end-of-the-summer drawing for prizes.
Carlyle Lake
Carlyle Lake will celebrate the annual Carlyle Lake Dam Jam on Saturday, June 27, from 1-9 p.m. at Dam West Recreation Area.
The annual music festival celebrates America’s 250th birthday with all-day events and fireworks at night. Bring your coolers, lawn chairs and swim suits and enjoy the whole day at the beach. Music with live bands starts at 1 p.m. and continues until the fireworks around 9 p.m.
Clinton County Fair
The Clinton County Fair parade showcases agriculture, the reigning Clinton County Fair Queen Amanda Brink, queen contestants, Little Miss participants, local school bands, organizations, and many local businesses with a fun theme every year!
Huegen part of law enforcement torch run for Special Olympics USA games
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- Written by: Matt Wilson - Breese Journal Reporter
Alex Huegen of Germantown will take part in the Special Olympics USA games opening ceremony this Saturday. He is pictured here giving a speech in Pittsburgh. A Germantown resident is currently on the national stage for the law enforcement torch run.
Alex Huegen will be a part of the Special Olympics USA games opening ceremony this Saturday. The Special Olympic USA games will be June 20-26 in Minneapolis. Representing all 50 states, nearly 3,000 athletes supported by 1,500 coaches will compete in 16 Olympic-type team and individual sports.
A range of the Special Olympic events will stream on ESPN+ on the ESPN App. The opening ceremony will be streamed on ESPN+ and Disney+ from 7:30-10:30 p.m. Saturday.
The torch run will feature a national team of 73 participants, including 53 law enforcement officers and six Special Olympic athletes. Huegen was chosen as a guardian of the flame and will participate in the final leg for Special Olympic USA Games 2026. 
Alex Huegen, FRONT, LEFT, holds the flame as the groups from Route 1 and Route 2 of the law enforcement torch run come together in Minneapolis. Beginning on May 29 at Soldier Field in Chicago, which is the birthplace of Special Olympics and home to the Eternal Flame of Hope, law enforcement officers and Special Olympic athletes have united to carry the torch side-by-side across the nation. Along the way, the Flame of Hope will be carried through 13 states across all time zones and will cover about 10,000 miles.
From Chicago, the Flame of Hope split into two national routes before reuniting in Minnesota. Route 1 headed west and south through Los Angeles (June 1), Sacramento (June 3), Seattle (June 5), Wichita (June 7) Dallas/Fort Worth (June 9), Atlanta (June 11) and Nashville (June 13). Route 2 took place on the East Coast and Great Lakes with stops in New York City (June 5), Point Pleasant (June 6), Philadelphia (June 7), Harrisburg (June 8), Pittsburgh (June 9), Cleveland (June 11) and Detroit (June 12).
Huegen gave a speech in Pittsburgh. Huegen said his light didn't always shine bright. In junior high he was bullied and struggled in school. He felt like his flame was going out until he found Special Olympics. He had teammates, friends, and a place where he belonged.
Huegen became an athlete leader, his grades improved, and he joined cross country and track. He went from running a 5K in about an hour to running a 5K in 16 minutes. He earned a college cross country scholarship, competed nationally, won gold medals, and spoke to congress.
"Special Olympics didn't just change my life, it gave me purpose," Huegen said.
Both teams reunited at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on June 14 to embark on a homecoming tour that includes stops in Duluth (June 16); Hibbing, Brainerd and Alexandria (June 17); and Watertown, Rochester and Red Wing (June 18). Following a final push through the Mall of America and Stillwater on Friday, the Law Enforcement Torch Run final leg will arrive on Saturday at National Sports Center in Blaine. The flame will cross the Mississippi River by canoe before arriving later that evening at Huntington Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus. There, the torch will ignite the cauldron to open the USA Games.
The Special Olympic USA Games are a national celebration of inclusivity, changing perceptions and the ability of the human spirit rising above limitations.
Express earns top four finish in Metro-East Play 9 Tournament
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- Written by: Jeremy Chawgo - Breese Journal Sports Editor
The Aviston Senior Express took part in the Metro-East Play 9 Tournament last weekend with a top four finish in the 28-team field.
The Express dropped their first and last game while being victorious in their middle four games.
They are currently 7-2 on the season and they played at Smithton against the 18U Bandits on Monday before playing at Alton on Wednesday. The Express will play this weekend at the Trenton Gator Classic.
Off the barrel — Aviston utility player Miles Browne sends a ball to the left side in the Express’ 6-3 loss to the Granite City Tribe in the opening round of the Play 9 Tournament. Browne is hitting .389 on the season with six of his seven hits being singles. St. Louis Legacy 6, Aviston 3: The Express outhit the Legacy, but couldn’t come up with the big hits in the semifinal in Edwardsville on Sunday.
After a scoreless first inning, the Express got on the board in the bottom of the second inning when Miles Browne singled with two outs before scoring on a Bryce Wieter triple for a 1-0 lead after two innings.
STL got two runs in the top of the third inning when Chase Zurliene hit a batter and the next two singled and doubled for a 2-1 lead.
Aviston regained the lead in the bottom of the inning when Conlan Haar tripled with one out while scoring on a double from Rowdy Sussenbach. Sussenbach scored on a single from Craig Schroeder for a 3-2 lead after three innings.
Legacy took the lead for good in the top of the fourth inning when they put the first three runners on with two walks and a hit batter. Two singles and another walk made it 6-3.
Aviston managed just three singles the rest of the way as they were eliminated in the semifinal.
Wieter was 2-for-3 with a triple, a single and an RBI while Haar was 1-for-4 with a triple. STL Legacy drew four walks while the Express had no free passes.
Zurliene was saddled with the loss as he went three innings and allowed six earned runs on five hits, three walks and no punch outs. Brady Ceto tossed four shutout innings with two hits, a walk and three strikeouts.
Win in relief — Aviston righty Ethan Wheelan picked up a victory on Sunday in the quarterfinal of the Play 9 Tournament in Edwardsville. The Express are 7-2 on the season after Wheelan pitched 1-2/3 in relief. Aviston 6, Xtreme Baseball 5: The Express walked it off with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to advance to the semifinal in Edwardsville on Sunday at The Plummer Family Park.
The Express were victorious despite getting out hit 10-5 and committing four fielding errors.
Craig Schroeder stayed hot as he went 2-for-4 with a single and two RBI. Benny Lehman was 1-for-3 with a triple, a walk, two runs scored and two batted in. Conlan Haar doubled, walked and scored twice.
Ethan Wheelan was the winner in relief with 1-2/3 innings of shutout ball with two hits and a walk allowed.
Aviston got on the board in the bottom of the first inning when Rowdy Sussenbach singled and scored on an RBI double from Schroeder for a 1-0 lead.
After the Xtreme tied the game in the top of the fourth inning, the Express took advantage of an error in the bottom of the fifth inning to take the lead.
Haar doubled with two outs before Sussenbach reached on an error in front of a two-run triple from Lehman. Lehman scored on a Schroeder single for a 4-1 lead.
The Xtreme got a big break on a bases loaded double down the left-field line to tie the contest 4-4. They added an unearned run to take a 5-4 lead.
Aviston tied things up in the sixth inning when Drake Curry walked before pinch runner Clayton Gaetti swiped second base. Gaetti scored on a grounder from Max Albers for a 5-5 game entering the seventh inning.
After the Xtreme stranded one runner in the top of the inning, the Express won it in the bottom of the inning. Haar led off with a walk before Sussenbach sacrificed him to second base. After Lehman was intentionally walked, Schroeder reached on a fielding error as Haar scampered home with the game winner.
Aviston 6, St. Louis Naturals 4: The Express never trailed in their second win on Saturday in Edwardsville.
The Express scored two times in the first and never looked back with a single tally in the third inning and three more in the fifth inning for the win.
Benny Lehman had a strong game with a triple, a homer, two runs scored and four batted in. Conlan Haar was 2-for-4 with a triple and a single with two runs scored. Max Albers walked twice.
Miles Browne was the winning pitcher with 5-2/3 innings of work where he allowed three earned runs on three hits, six walks and three punch outs.
Haar tossed a perfect seventh inning to preserve the win with the save.
Aviston got two tallies in the first inning when Rowdy Sussenbach singled with one out and scored on a triple from Lehman. Lehman scored on a ground out from Craig Schroeder for a 2-0 lead.
Haar tripled to start the third inning before scoring on a sacrifice fly from Sussenbach for a 3-0 lead after three innings of action.
The Express got three more in the fifth inning when Browne and Haar each singled before scoring on a three-run homer from Lehman for a 6-0 lead.
The Naturals were handed six walks in the sixth inning and made a game of it with a four-run frame.
Haar got a pair of ground outs and a fly out to secure the save for the win.
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