Herald and Review from Decatur, Illinois • Page 4

.4 PageA4. Decatur, Illinois, Sunday, May 25, 188S Central Illinois- Small town shows it Ikas a big Heart ready. When Hands Across America's troops arrive today, they will find food, soft-drinks and, relief of reliefs, Porta-Potties. Less than two months ago, the coordinators decreed that Cisco, never before on the main line to anything, would be a staging area. The human chain was coming through Illinois 48, less than a mile outside town.

Cisco would be responsible for seven miles of the route. At 1,320 people per mile, that would be 9,240 visitors, but the more realistic estimate was 6,000. "People were absolutely petrified," says JoAnn Shafer, who eventually pulled the town together. "They were worried about vandalism and traffic going through their yards, and all sorts of things." The sign says 400 people live in Cisco, but residents say the number is inflated. Aside from good people, there is not much to the place.

McKinley's food market closed 15 years ago and is still vacant. With the innocence leave the keys in their pickup trucks at the end of the day. So they were troubled by the prospect of thousands of strangers people from Aurora, 111., and Edgar County, and other places hundreds of miles away descending on Cisco. Some considered begging the Hands Across America people for a reprieve, but they ultimately thought better of it. Instead, they got down to business.

Shafer agreed to coordinate the town's effort and assigned Seevers, whose drainage business provided him with a certain expertise, to arrange for sanitary facilities. State health officials said 60 portable toilets were required; Seevers told them the town could afford only 20 and that's the way it would be. He negotiated a discount price of $12 each and then got three companies, including his own, to contribute the money. Members of the American Legion (Women's) Auxiliary, United Methodist Church and the local women's club agreed to prepare refreshments. Reluctant farmers were persuaded to permit parking on some "set aside" or unused farmland, and other parking areas have been found in town.

Visitors will be shuttled to their assigned spots by bus. The people of Cisco accomplished this partly for self-defense. Mostly, though, they did it because they wanted to do it and to show that they could do it. Like their counterparts elsewhere, many of Cisco's farmers are enduring their own hard times. It didn't affect their contribution to Sunday's event.

"We want to demonstrate that a small town can complete the job that was set forth for it," Shafer says. Last week, with the local logistics more or less under control, Shafer and Seevers concentrated on recruiting local residents to fill out the line. Many have enlisted. -r KnJflM-RWdw News Srvk CISCO The army was out there, gathering momentum, preparing for Sunday's invasion. And the reconnaissance squad from Hands Across America approached this tiny town with a warning: We are coming.

Cooperate or suffer the consequences. r- "They told us, 'You don't have to do anything, but if you don't, they'll tramp through your front yards and break into your homes if they're hungry and urinate on your back recalls Stanley Seevers, a local The 350 residents of Cisco, facing the prospect of 6,000 discomforted invaders, found this argument persuasive, and they responded the only way they could, doing what comes naturally to people raised in a small town: They opened their arms, hearts and pocketbooks. There are no food stores in Cisco, no restaurants, no service stations, but the townspeople are ready a bit overburdened, but of youth, local children have scrawled pleas on the side of the building for McDonald's or Arby's to take over the place. No chance. The Shell station shut down several years ago, and gasoline is locally available only from the farmers' cooperative.

The grade school closed in 1984; now the children are bused to Monticello, about nine miles east. Still, it's the kind of town where residents don't have to lock their doors and can Effingham Conainity will be represented ffh ii I jj si cS 1 Hands across Golden Gate About 2,800 people got a jump on 'Hands Across the World' across the Golden Gate Bridge. A local America' Saturday, linking up to the tune of 'We Are radio station sponsored the event. (AP LaserPhoto) also stand in the Champaign line. it it it WELDON Hands participants will be greeted by Farmer City Fair Queen Julie Morton, who will be all dressed up for the event, and Illinois State Little Miss America.

13-year-old Tammy Stivers from Kirkwood, which is near Monmouth. Tammy has relatives in Weldon and asked whether she could come down. She will be there "in dress," said Ron Carper, an organizer. Tammy's reign ends in June. She will enter national competition July 5-9, he said.

it it it WELDON Judy Mix of Weldon, 44, who is paralyzed and has used an iron lung for 32 years, will be in the line today. She will travel to the line by stretcher and will use a portable lung made of fiberglass and plastic. it it it SEYMOUR A large contingent of schoolchildren, parents and friends from Seymour and Mahomet will fill in a stretch of line west of town that is now being dubbed "the Mahomet Mile," said Betsy Carper, a coordinator from Seymour. A Mahomet-Seymour chorus and band will play, and a new rock group called "Rock the Nation" will make its first public appearance. Seymour volunteers will be selling food, and the town will sport T-shirts for sale that say "I joined hands for America." At the bottom of the shirt, "Seymour, Illinois" is printed with the date of May 25, 1986.

The shirts will cost $7.50 and hats will cost $5. The money is to help pay for staging the event. it -it it CISCO The "Cisco Kids" are coming to town. Actually, they are from Aurora and Edgar County. Estimates are fluctuating wildly on just how many "hombres" are going to show up.

The town got its 25 portable toilets delivered Friday, said Joanne Schaffer, chairwoman of the town's staging area activities. She said a concession stand on the school grounds would serve beverages today for about 4,000 to 6,000 expected arrivals. it it it DELAND About 18 ham operators have volunteered to do their part in forming a special nationwide radio network to link the airways as participants link hands. The air waves will keep mobile units along the human chain in contact with law enforcement officers, event coordinators and emergency personnel. Some of the operators came from miles away and some are local, said Ron Carper, an area coordinator.

EFFINGHAM Effingham County will be represented in two locations along the Hands Across America line today. About 500 people had signed up by late in the week to stand in line at DeLand, said Michael Fortner of Teutopolis, the Effingham County cordinator. But Fortner expected to meet the goal of having 1,500 people there with last-minute support and sign-ups. The group will meet at 9 a.m. today at the Effingham Armory to drive to DeLand.

Another group of 71 people from the Beecher City area will be head-. ing to the line near the Decatur Holiday Inn. Bradley and Richard Donaldson of Donaldson's Standard Service in Beecher City became interested in the project before a county coordinator was named and began a sign-up. "We saw it in Newsweek magazine and called the '800' number to get information and then asked around to see if any other guys were interested," Richard Donaldson said. "We even got a call from a lady near Chicago.

The line will be going about two blocks from her home (in a Chicago suburb), but she will be coming here to visit and wants to join us." it it Vz SHELBYVILLE Participation has been slow in Shelby County, where only about 100 people had signed up by late in the week to stand in line near Harristown. "They wanted us to fill a mile (1,300 people), but I think we will be going for a half mile," said Janet Heiserman, county coordinator. Advance registrants and those who have not registered should meet at the Main Street School at noon today to travel as a caravan. Several church buses, vans and private cars will make the trip. Heiserman said the national effort inspired a food drive on Saturday to restock several area food pantries.

National Honor Society students were at Shelbyville grocery stores, asking customers to buy one additional item for the food pantries. In Cowden, 4-H'ers did the same. it it it MATTOON Members of the Lake Land College Dental Assistants Club cleaned up their college campus to raise enough money to stand in the Decatur segment of the line. The club's 10 members decided to participate, but didn't have enough money for each member to donate $10. The club decided to bid on cleaning up the campus after the annual spring carnival.

"I've been club adviser for 14 years, and I never had a club bid it," Rochelle Boyd said. They won the bid, and we cleaned the campus." The group earned $65 for the job and was awarded a $50 bonus for its work. "They've spent their money on other people all along," Boyd said, adding that Hands Across America is one of several charity events the group has participated in this year. it it it BLOOMINGTON The sign-ups skyrocketed to 4,000 in the final, week in McLean County, said Kurt Prenzler of Bloomington, county co-chairman. "Our goal is 6,000, and we are getting tons of calls," he said.

The registrants will meet in four staging areas in Bloomington and Normal about 10 a.m. today for a caravan to the Niantic area. it it it MOUNT PULASKI A husband and wife team have helped organize 200 to 300 Mount Pulaski residents who will be standing in line south of Niantic. Mount Pulaski Methodist Church Minister Wally Carlson and his wife, Debby, a teacher, have shown the promotional videotape to elementary-school children in the town. The schools have sponsored poster and essay contests and, one day last week, held a noon-hour "Hands Across the Playground" during which about 350 children and teacher linked hands.

it it it LINCOLN Young and old will be traveling from this Logan County community to participate near Niantic. "I had a 92-year-old woman call me. If somebody helped her she wanted to go stand in that line," county organizer Ruth Matthews said. The county will be bringing four buses and four vans filled with 400 to 500 participants. It costs $1 to ride the bus.

"We have contracted to make sure we have insurance and a driver," Matthews said. Although the county is bringing a large group, Matthews said she's a little disappointed about the event. "I thought I'd have more than that," she said, adding that she bought her own copy of the promotional videotape to drum up local support. it it it CHAMPAIGN Local organizers are anxiously awaiting word from Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton, who has already bought his mile in Champaign. Payton and some of his teammates had indicated they would like to stand in line in the town where they trained for the 1986 Super Bowl.

However, local organizer Maria Reeder said the Bears are in training camp in Wisconsin and had not confirmed their plans by Friday morning. Reeder said University of Illinois football coach Mike White might Parking available near route WHY LUG OTTLES? GET CULLIGAN ON TAP FTYier rx 4 CALL FOR FREE WATER Decatur Memorial Hospital Physicians Plaza lot (154), 2300 N. Monroe St. Trueblood Memorial United Methodist Church (20), 1768 Maple Ave. Mueller Co.

(56), 500 W. Eldorado St. Central Christian Church (76), 650 W. William St. West Side Star Market (49), 553 W.

Wood St. Dr. Charles Downing office (31), 1067 W. Main St. Lock Stock and Barrel (63), 129 S.

Oakland Ave. Millikin University (835). 1184 W. Main St. Westminster Presbyterian Church (82), 1360 W.

Main St. Decatur Auction (100), 2601 W. Main St. Tabor Seed (75), 4246 W. Main SL Taylor Pharmacal 150 S.

Wy-ckles Road. Our Lady of Lourdes Church (250 to 300), 3850 Lourdes Drive. Federal Kemper Insurance Co. (380), 2001 E. Mound Road.

1520 W. Sunset Ave. (16). Scovill Golf Course (150). Scovill Driving Range (20).

Fairview Park. Dennis School, 1499 W. Main St. Decatur Holiday Inn. 4191 U.S.

36 West. All rnmrvimintr TEST fit under sink THE CULLIQAN REVERSE OSMOSIS DRINKING WATER SYSTEM Rejects nitrates makes water so clean, so convenient you will wonder why you ever paid more to lug bottles. No Bottles, No Deposit, No Routemen, No Running Out of High Quality Drinking Water. A number of places near the Hands Across America route in the Decatur area are designated as parking areas for participants. The number of parking spaces available, if known, is listed in parentheses.

Decatur Skate North (100). 3710 Greenswitch Road. Greenswitch Church of God (25 to 30), 2550 E. Mound Road. Adolf Meyer Mental Health Center (570), 2310 E.

Mound Road. Moundford Free Methodist Church (55), 1803 E. Mound Road. Temple Baptist Church (60), 1818 E. Mound Road.

Medcenter of Decatur Ltd. (60), 1353 E. Mound Road. Mound Road Christian Church (70), 790 E. Mound Road.

Holy Cross Lutheran Church (25), 3778 N. Water St. Mound Chapel Church of God (60), 109 E. Manchester Drive. First Church of the Nazarene (120 to 140).

530 W. Mound Road. Unitarian Fellowship of Decatur (40), 3773 MacArthur Road. First Congregational United Church of God (120), 3464 N. MacArthur Road.

Progress Resources Center (40), 3474 N. Maple Ave. GMAC (30). 440 N. Monroe St.

Jim Masey Realty (36), 535 W. Eldorado St. Decatur Electronics, 715 Bright St. Employees Credit Union (40), 3130 E. Mound Rd.

Stephen Decatur High School. Stevenson School, 3900 Neeley Ave. Mound Middle School. 3789 N. Water St.

Sunnyside School, 303 W. Mound Road. Parsons School, 3591 MacArthur Road. Peoples Church of God (108). 833 W.

Pershing Road. Dr. Michael Murphy office (19), 2485 N. Monroe St. mm a I If II mJUmmA mm Dig up some Systems, Drinking Water LI bantams: 877-3561 2767 N.

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UJCITfi I LUCITE fy rr: And when they cry, I cry. And when they need me, I'll be right there by their side. Hands across America, hands across this land I love. Divided we fall, united we stand. Hands across America.

We are the, river of hope that runs through the valley of fear. And there's a lady whose smile shines upon us saying, "All are welcome here." So we must learn to love each other. See that man over there, he's my brother. And when he laughs, I laugh. And when he cries, I cry.

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