The cast and crew of Clinton County Showcase's spring production of "Arsenic & Old Lace." The dark comedy opens this Friday at the Avon Theater in downtown Breese for six shows. (Photo by Bryan Hunt) The Clinton County Showcase returns live theater to the historic Avon Theater in downtown Breese with "Arsenic & Old Lace," which opens this weekend.
Performances are this Friday and Saturday, and April 16 and 17 at 8 p.m., with doors opening at 7:30 p.m.
Matinee performances are this Sunday and April 18 at 2 p.m., with doors opening at 1:30 p.m.
This is the troupe's first stage production since cancelling "Willy Wonka" in February, due to issues related to COVID-19 cases.
Showcase veteran Steve Klostermann directs this three-act production, set in the Brewster family's home in Brooklyn, New York, in 1941.
Klostermann, who has directed 13 shows in his 20-plus years with CCS, said he does not direct many comedies, but "this script is so good, when you add a great cast to it as well, it's just a phenomenal show."
He called this collection of actors, for this play, a "stellar cast."
And he didn't want to sound cliche´ but he called the "Arsenic'" cast "probably the best cast I've ever had in a show I've directed."
He said all of the 13 casts have been great.
They had a lot of people audition for this production "so I cut a lot of people; I cut a lot of very good people," but he kept the best actors for these roles.
A Carlyle high school student lost her life last week in a two-vehicle crash on Keyesport Road, near Keyesport.
The Clinton County Sheriff’s Office responded to the accident on Wednesday, March 31, at 3:25 p.m. on Keyesport Road, east of Hopewell Road.
Tessa Sanders-Bunch, 17, of Carlyle, was westbound on Keyesport Road when she crossed into the eastbound lane, striking an oncoming vehicle head-on.
The driver of the second vehicle — Holly Smyth, 18, of Keyesport and her two juvenile passengers — were transported to the hospital with injuries.
Sanders-Bunch was pronounced deceased at the scene by Bond County Coroner Anthony Brooks.
Bond County sheriff’s deputies assisted Clinton County sheriff's deputies at the scene. Greenville firefighters responded to help remove the individuals from their vehicles.
In addition, other agencies that assisted include RuralMed EMS and Breese EMS, HSHS Rescue Flight and Air Evac Lifeteam, Illinois State Police, Keyesport and Wheatfield fire departments, and the Bond County Coroner’s Office.
Sanders-Bunch was preparing to graduate early from Carlyle High School and planned on becoming a veterinarian.
Carlyle High School posted on their Facebook page on April 1 that their hearts are heavy as they are thinking of “our Tribe” families during this time.
The high school made sure to have counselors available for anyone to talk to and listen.
Survivors include her mother, Danielle Sanders-Bunch (Billi); her three sisters, Kailee (Andrew Blunt), Electra, and Lexi Sanders-Bunch; aunt and uncle, Jaye and Ray Campbell; a cousin, Morgan Campbell (Wesley Barnes); a great aunt, Wilma Tate; her dogs, Bear and Athena; her cat, Lil Bit; and other aunts, uncles, cousins, relatives, and friends.
A memorial service for Tessa Sanders-Bunch will be held at Zieren Funeral Home in Carlyle this Wednesday, April 7 at 7 p.m. Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. at the funeral home that day.
Expressions of sympathy can be made to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and will be received through the funeral home (Zieren Funeral Home, P.O. Box 276, Carlyle, IL 62231).
Employees from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Carlyle Lake Project Office deposit Christmas trees into Carlyle Lake, near the Allen Branch Boat Ramp, as part of their continuing fish habitation project. (Photo by Allen Huelskamp) Personnel from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Carlyle Lake Project Office completed their Christmas tree fish habitat project on March 16 at the lake.
The project, a joint effort of the Corps and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, helps improve the fish habitat at the lake and ensure better fishing opportunities in the future.
The Corps of Engineers began their call for the trees in late December 2020.
Trees were collected at Plant Land in Breese, the Allen Boat Ramp parking lot in Eldon Hazlet State Park, and the Little Prairie Nature Trail parking lot at the lake.
The project took about half the day, closer to four hours, according to Darren Murphy, a natural resources specialist at the Corps' Carlyle Lake Project Office.
This year's call for trees brought in about 400 specimens.
The number was a little bit less than in years past. Murphy said they did away with some of the tree drop-off points this year.
The parties involved launched from the Allen Branch Boat Ramp at the lake and distributed the trees around that area.
The Corps usually gets a larger number of trees and puts out a call to area groups and organizations for assistance.
This year, the COVID-19 pandemic limited that outside participation.
Murphy did say members of the McKendree University and Greenville University bass fishing teams took part in the event, along with employees from the Corps and the IDNR.
The volunteers have, in the past, helped Corps of Engineer rangers and staff build tree reefs, or supply boats to place the trees in the lake.
"It was a little bit smaller this year," Murphy said of the number of outside participants.
He said groups like students from Carlyle High School traditionally have helped out.
But because of COVID-19, and students having to limit their exposure reduced the students' participation.
Corps was to have conducted their 2020 project on March 28 of that year, at the Dam East High Water Boat Ramp in the Dam East Recreation Area.
It was postponed due to the early onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when a large number of activities were also being canceled, to lessen the spread of the coronavirus.
That year, the Corps of Engineers had collected over 600 trees that had been discarded after the holiday season.
| Fri., April 2 | 446.11 |
| Sun., April 4 | 445.26 |
| Tues., April 6 | 444.61 |
| March 31 | .10" |
| April 1 | .00" |
| April 2 | .00" |
| April 3 | .00" |
| April 4 | .00" |
| April 5 | .00" |
| April 6 | .00" |
