| President of ILGS | Bonnie Cox | ilmidwife@aol.com |
| Vice-President | Glenn Swenson | gcswen@webtv.net |
| Secretary: | Sue Cutter | cutterms@prairieinet.net |
| Treasurer/Membership | Rhonda Adair | jkadair@adams.net |
| Newsletter Editor: | Karen Caldwell | klcaldwell@comcast.net |
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The
Illinois Gourd Society was formed in July, 1998 by a small group
of gourd artists and growers who wanted to promote this craft in Illinois.
The goals of this Society are directed towards the education and instruction
of individuals within the state of Illinois who are interested in gourd
culture, uses, history, and/or crafting. This Society continues to grow
in numbers since its inception.
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The fall festival of the Illinois Gourd Society was in Clinton and was a big success. Thanks to the many members who worked to make it all come together. Our competition of fresh gourds and crafts was outstanding as were the vendor displays and workskhops. Ralph Irish won the most blue ribbons for his creative entries which included many musical instruments. Ralph uses the gourd percussion instruments with his special education students. We're hoping next year he will have a workshop for teachers with CME's on Use of Gourds in the Classroom. Our fall festival for 2009 will be at the Chicago Botanic Garden on Sept 11-13. On a good day the Chicago Botanic Garden may have l0,000 visitors, so we're looking forward to an exciting time! Plans are already well under way for workshops and vendors for this exciting event. The 2009 fall festival workshop chairman is Barb Cesal (barb.cesal@yahoo.com) and the festival vendor chairman: Joyce Dankowski (lady_jd@att.net) During the next few months we are going to work on strengthening the seven regions of the state. A membership list will be developed for each region and patch formation in each will be a priority. We are having a membership meeting and brainstorming session the end of the month in Jacksonville. Your ideas and participation are encouraged! Bonnie Cox, ILGS President. ilmidwife@aol.com |