Herald and Review from Decatur, Illinois • Page 11

Decatur, Illinois Sunday, June 1, 1997 CENTRAL ILLINOIS B3 in insMnna 'Afoot' could use a hand nouni limn aoai. PC Aviation is a dy 1 Children's Museum display focuses on the facts of flight By SCOTT BOEHMER Staff Writer DECATUR Connie Fa-thauer says the recently completed re-creation of Amelia Earhart's historic flight around the world is more than just an aerial accomplishment. It's also a unique opportunity to inspire children to learn about aviation, said Fathauer, the education coordinator of the Children's Museum of Illinois. Fathauer was at the museum Saturday to help celebrate the opening of its "Soar into Summer" exhibit, which focuses on airplanes and other aspects of aviation. The exhibit was inspired in part by Linda Finch, who completed the path of Ear-hart's flight.

It will run until Sept. 1. Carolyn Wiesemann, 10, of Decatur agreed with Fathauer that Finch's accomplishment was exceptional and said the exhibits at the museum are as well. After viewing the museum's exhibits and designing and trying out a paper airplane, Carolyn said flying interested her enough that a career in aviation is "definitely a possibility." Jim Smiley, president of Decatur Aviation said getting children like Carolyn excited about flight is one of the keys to helping revitalize the industry. Decatur Aviation is a full-service aviation support facility.

It contributed to the exhibit financially and through used airplane parts. "For aviation (the exhibit) is very important," Smiley said. "Aviation is a dying industry and to get children exposed to it at a young age is critical for the industry." Cody Flanders, 8, of Decatur, said while the exhibit and paper airplane design portion of it are neat, his previous flight experience makes him want to stay on the ground. Cody's grandmother, Melody Pickrel, said she expects her grandson's phobia will not last. She said his past flight was bad only because it was in a four- DECATUR "Something's Afoot" can't quite decide what it wants to be.

On one hand, it's a fairly entertaining mystery. It's the old formula guests at a remote English inn are killed one by one, with both the suspect pool and the number of survivors dwindling. On the other hand, it's a mildly entertaining comedy. The characters have some comic spirit, and the ways they die get more and more ludicrous. On yet another hand (or is that the show also tries to be a musical.

It has a few entertaining musical moments, with the cast singing to some taped music. And although Millikin University's second and final show of the summer is entertaining and not a waste of the audience's time, it has the potential for much more. Each individual component of the show is done well, but in combining them there's a bit of an identity crisis. To work better, perhaps the oddball element could have been played up, almost like the movies have accomplished with a "Naked Gun" or "Airplane!" In each, the lines are played straight but receive a ton of laughs. The songs do have a quirki-ness that could back up that idea, especially one where the inn's Caretaker waxes philosophical about his "little dinghy" or another ing industry and to get children exposed to it at a young age is critical for the Jim Smiley, president, Decatur Aviation Inc.

seat plane and an upcoming flight to Walt Disney World in a larger plane will probably change his mind. Ellen Wiesemann, 8, said her favorite part of the exhibit was a section linking together a weather tower and airplane mockup and giving information on the conditions at Decatur Airport. She said she especially liked that it allowed people in the two setups to talk to each other. The museum is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $3 for children 3-16 and seniors and $3.50 for adults.

Vandalia to act 0 Prospect of power outages prompts Photo courtesy Millikin UniversityRay Baltes Adam Ziegler, left, Stacy Matulis and Brandon Zale play the servants in Million's mystery-comedy, 'Something's By SCOTT PERRY Effingham Bureau Chief 'Something's Afoot' Leidner, who is completing her first month as mayor, decided to acquaint herself with the emergency response plan after Illinois Power Co. announced the possibility of power outages during the summer months. Illinois Power officials say electricity could be in short supply this summer depending upon the weather and the status of its power generating stations. Power company officials are cautiously optimistic there won't be a need for power interruptions to reduce the load on the system. However, cities and businesses are being encouraged to be prepared if an outage is required.

"It's not something we need to panic about," said Michael Beck, Illinois Power's Hillsboro regional manager. Beck said preliminary indications are that only a small residential section on the city's east side is being targeted for an outage. That area would include the city's water plant. It was noted during Wednesday's meeting that a two-hour outage, like those being suggested, would have little impact on the distribution system. VANDALIA The prospect of being left in the dark has shined a spotlight on the need to update Vandalia's emergency response plan.

"I was very surprised when I started doing the research" and discovered the plan was last updated in 1986, Mayor Sandra Leidner said. "It's definitely time it was updated." Leidner said an updated list is needed of names and numbers of people who would be called upon to respond during any type of disaster. It was noted during a meeting last week that the Fayette County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency has recently updated its emergency plan and that much of the information being sought by Leidner already has been compiled. Also discussed was using city hall as a command center for city emergencies, since it is equipped with a generator and adjacent to the fire and police stations. It was noted that the council room should be equipped to allow for telephone communication from the command center.

The county has a command center set up in the basement of the jail. Music director Bruce Gibbons Set designer Barbara Mangrum Costume makeup Tim Milligan Lighting Chris Davis Choreographer Jenny Beck Produced by Millikin University at Albert Taylor Theatre, Shilling Hall, Millikin University. Running time: 1 hour, 55 minutes. Performances continue at 2 p.m. today and June 15; 8 p.

itk Wednesday-Thursday and June Tickets: $6 adults, $5 students and senior citizens, from the Kirkland Fine Arts Center box office, 424-6318. to have reined back a bit. Several times in earlier scenes her performers seem to flub lines, and some wait an unusually long time for a lightning and thunder sound effect. Barbara Mangrum's set looks at the outset to be rather down-scale, but later in the show it proves to be as much of a player as the performers. "Afoot" alternates with "The Foreigner" through June Review staff writer.

character's offbeat ode to Agatha Christie. The fact that the murder victims get carted off to the library doesn't get its proper comedic due, either. But the oddest point in the show is the complete transformation of a character without one bit of explanation. I don't know if it was that way in the script but it left some in the crowd scratching their heads. The performers, however, are all engaging.

Particularly so are Millikin stage veterans Jenny Beck as an Agatha She Wrote" amateur sleuth; and Brandon Zale as a lecherous handyman. The rest of the cast, all either newcomers or relatively new faces, show some promise: Stacy Matulis as the maid; Adam Ziegler as the butler (offed in the first 15 minutes, so you know he didn't do it); Jessica Magnuson as a mysterious young blonde; Mark Carter Jr. as the black-sheep nephew; An Cast Lettie Stacy Matulis Flint Brandon Zale Clive Adam Ziegler Hope Langdon lessica Magnuson Dr. Grayburn K. Wildauer Nigel Mark B.

Carter Jr. Lady Grace Angela Sapolis Col. Ryan Lawrence Miss Tweed Jenny Beck Geoffrey Bill Pacholski Crew Director Denise Myers Review BURKE yr 1 111111 i County receives funds for 15. Because of construction around Shilling Hall, audience members are asked to park in the Staley Library parking lot, and enter through the west doors of Shilling. gela Sapolis as a rich matron; K.

Wildauer as a doctor; Ryan Lawrence as a mustachioed big-game hunter; and Bill Pacholski as a collegian with the hots for Magnuson. Spaniol, education coordinator for the Macon County State's Attorney's Office. The program's aim is stop crimes in the community that are related to addicts' need for drugs. The Macon County planning team includes Associate Judge Tim Steadman, Assistant State's DECATUR Macon County has received federal funding of $20,000 to plan for a drug court an effort to keep drug-addicted offenders from committing crimes. The philosophy behind such a program recognizes that prison does not provide rehabilitation for drug users, said H.

Dianne Denise Myers, who has directed some of Milli- kin's quirkier shows in the past few years, seems David Burke is a Herald drug court Attorney Jay Scott, Assistant Public Defender Jon Baxter, probation services director Don Meyer, Tim Macken of the Decatur Mental Health Center and Spaniol. Planners will visit Rochester, N.Y., where U.S. Department of Justice drug court training is under way. 7-11 r-ta iIiffj 1 Mmq Diana DSfiBa Wass3 I in.iiim ..1 1 i 0r 1 W'T mm i I fii 3l i 1 .11. Pv MS Party Place V.

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