1

Barry’s Beat

was approached by more than several fellow members

following the August meeting and again at the Fall

Banquet questioning why I was moving to downtown

Chicago. I was happy to tell all that this represents one of

several lifelong dreams. I have been an active gardener

since I was a young boy. I recall, at the age of six, asking

a neighbor for starts of strawberry plants that she was

thinning and throwing away from her huge strawberry

patch. I thought it a waste to not see those little plants find

a new home. She agreed, and gave me about fifty plantlets

that I took home. I asked my father to till and mound up a

bed, and then I planted and watered them, tending them for

years and enjoying their fruits every June. Long after I had

gone away to college, Vietnam, and eventually moving to

Illinois, my parents continued to enjoy “my” strawberries.

I also recall that at the age of, maybe four, while visiting

my grandpa, I walked next door to an older lady’s house to

admire a bush that sported the loveliest pink flowers in the

spring. (My siblings would not go next door with me, as

they were convinced that she was a witch. Funny how kids

make up things.) Anyway, this lovely lady, who usually

chased kids away, took a liking to me. When the family

returned to visit grandpa a few weeks later, she beckoned

me next door to her home, where she had waiting for me a

small pot with a start of that beautiful bush, no longer in

bloom, but promised by her to bloom every spring. I

proudly took my new gift home and, I imagine, with the

help of my father, planted it in the front yard of our house.

I never knew what the plant was named, so we all just

called it “Barry’s Bush”. Starts of that plant have gone

with me to every home I have owned over the years. I was

now faced with a dilemma. One cannot grow Barry’s Bush

on the 19th floor on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Not to

fear. My son and daughter-in-law, having heard the history

of the plant offered to take a start of the plant to grow in

their Chicago yard, with my grandchildren promising to

continue the tradition by taking starts to their own homes

when they are grown. By the way, when I became an adult,

I did some research and found that “Barry’s Bush” is dwarf

pink flowering almond Prunus glandulosa 'Rosea Plena'.

Having spent the greater part of sixty years as an active

gardener, I find myself at the point in life that I wish to pursue

some of my other interests. I am not giving up on gardening.

I am just giving up on doing the work of gardening. From my

apartment, I cross the street to a 319-acre park, called Grant

Park. It is as beautiful as any garden I have ever attempted to

maintain, and it is maintained by the Chicago Park District. I

enjoy, they work. As important as is the park, my other

interests are now steps away as well. Symphony Hall is one

block to the north. The Auditorium Theater, with its ballet

performances, is one block to the south. The Art Institute of

Chicago is across the street and one block north. Theaters

featuring Broadway in Chicago performances are within

walking distance. The Lyric Opera House is the most distant

from our apartment, but is still within walking distance in good

weather.

Given my love for

Art, Theater, Music,

Ballet, Opera, and

gardens, could there

be any better place to

retire? I think not.

I plan to continue my

volunteer work in Hosta Societies. I am just no longer

growing hostas. I will continue to serve as webmaster for

CIHS and MRHS. I am currently President of MRHS, and I

am VP Publications for AHS. My love of plants and the people

who love plants is unchanged. What has changed is that I no

longer labor physically to enjoy my love of gardens.

I thank you, the members of the Central Illinois Hosta Society,

for the opportunity to be of some small measure of service to

your organization. I may not see you as often, but I will be

behind the scenes, taking care of the website and making sure

that information you want is only a click away.

Happy to have served you.

Barry Ankney CIHS President

I

Central Illinois Hosta Society October 2017

www.cihshostaclub.org Volume 23, issue 8

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

2

Companion Corner Oakleaf Hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia

6 to 8’ high and wide

The Oakleaf Hydrangea is a stunning plant and, because of its

four season interest, a great addition to the landscape. A

dramatic, showy shrub, it is a prolific white-flowered bloomer

requiring pruning only if it gets too large for its space. One of

the few hydrangeas native to the United States, it was first

discovered in Georgia and named by John Bartram in the latter

half of the 1700s.

The ‘oakleaf’ part of its name reflects the shape of its large leaves which resemble those of the

red oak. The leaves are yellowish green on top and downy-white underneath. The leaves turn

colors of red, orange, bronze and burgundy in the fall and remain on the shrub through most of

winter. The Oakleaf Hydrangea sprouts shoots from underground stolons. The young stems are

covered in a felt-like light brown bark, while the older stems have attractive cinnamon-tan-orange

bark that shreds and peels in thin flakes. The large ice cream cone-shaped blossoms open white

then acquire a pink tint in middle summer and remain attractive even after they turn golden brown

in winter. Unlike Bigleaf Hydrangea Hydrangea macrophylla, the flower color does not vary

with the soil pH. The Oakleaf can be purchased in two forms: single blossom types such as the

native variety or cultivar ‘Snow Queen’ or the double blossom types such as cultivar ‘Snowflake’

or ‘Harmony’. The blossoms make attractive arrangements in both summer and winter.

The Oakleaf tolerates more sun than some other types of hydrangea – morning sun with afternoon

shade is best. However, the shrub does not tolerate ‘wet feet’. Good drainage is needed so root

rot does not develop. Plant in early summer or late fall; transplant when dormant and leaves have

mostly dropped. Oakleaf hydrangea blooms on old wood. Prune, if necessary to maintain size,

in summer before August as bloom buds for next year set during June and July. Consider placing

this carefree shrub among your hosta and enjoy its eye appeal all year long. Reprinted from

the July 2009 issue of the St. Louis Hosta Society Newsletter

______________________________________________________________

2018 CIHS Calendar If you are interested in opening your garden

for a meeting in 2019, please contact Janette Smith,

Deb McCollum or any board member. We’d love to

visit your garden.

March 20

Speaker: Barb Schroeder Hosta Leaf Contest-Preparation

of leaves and how they are judged

Freedom Hall, 349 W. Birchwood Morton, IL

April 17

Potluck/Member Meeting

Freedom Hall, 349 W. Birchwood Morton, IL

May 15

Joan Ruppman’s Garden

212 S Main Street Washington, IL

June 19

Brian & Kathy Bauernfeind’s Garden

2832 Black Oak Drive Pekin, IL

June 20-23

2018 AHS Convention

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

www.ahs2018philly.org

July 12-14

Midwest Regional Hosta

Convention

East Peoria, Illinois

July 17

Roger & Kathy Becker’s

Garden

6328 S. Navajo Drive,

Peoria, IL

August 21

Auction

ICC, East Peoria, IL

September 18

Banquet

Location to be determined

Officers President

Barry Ankney

cihshostaclub@gmail.com

Vice Presidents

Janette Smith, Deb

McCollum

309.387.6549, 309-361-4284

cjsmith119@gmail.com

debmccollum@gmail.com

Second Vice Presidents

Susan McCabe, Deb Schoedel

Jmsm228@gmail.com

parttime94@aol.com

Third Vice President

Wendy Kamischke

kamisgh@yahoo.com

Recording Secretary

Fran Stroemer

Corresponding Secretary

Maggie Keesey

309.264.2253

magskeesey@gmail.com

Treasurer

Dan McConnell

309.360.4188

drdtm@mtco.com

CPC Convention Co-Chairs

Deb McCollum, Penny

Bocelli,

debmccollum@gmail.com

penelopebocelli@gmail.com

To Join: Central Illinois Hosta Society

$10 or $15/year, form on

back

Midwest Reg. Hosta Society

$20/2 years, Send dues to:

Barbara Schroeder,

Treasurer

1819 Coventry Drive

Champaign, IL 61822-5239

American Hosta Society

$30 individual, $80/3 years

$34 family, $90/3 years

Send dues to:

Sandie Markland

AHS Membership Secretary

Post Office Box 7539

Kill Devil Hills, NC 27948

3

We would like to extend a

warm welcome to our newest

member: Becky Smith of

Morton

Congratulations to Janis and Willard Mauerman and

Tricia Zuercher! They were chosen as our membership

door prize winners.

I hope everyone had as much fun at the banquet as I did!

This is the first time we have done a drawing based on if

you renewed/joined at the banquet, did it work out well?

Is it something you would like to see at future banquets?

Please let us know what you thought!

Need to renew your membership? We offer access to

the electronic newsletter for $10/year OR a paper copy

mailed to you for $15/year. If you have any questions

regarding your membership, please contact us. CIHS

Membership Co-Chairs: Kaeli McIntire

(kmac1342@yahoo.com) Debbie McCollum

(debmccollum@gmail.com) or (309)361-4284.

elcome to the

Convention

Corner where

you will find the latest news and updates regarding the

2018 MRHS (Midwest Regional Hosta Society)

Convention, sponsored by CIHS, which will be held July

12-14, 2018 at the Par-A-Dice Hotel in East Peoria, IL.

The CPC (Convention Planning Committee) is actively

working to bring the BEST Hosta Convention to Peoria.

We are delighted to see everything taking shape as ideas

are discussed and decisions are made to make this

convention worth attending. We hope you will plan to be

a part of this next year.

On Sunday, July 15 we will be hosting Optional Garden

Tours for are guests and the public to attend. If you are

interested in being part of this Tour, please contact me

(debmccollum@gmail.com) at your earliest convenience.

These free tours are from 8 am – 1 pm on Sunday. Your

garden doesn’t have to be perfect; just available for people

to experience more of the gardens we love here in the

Peoria area. Consider it a wonderful opportunity to invite

your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers to see

your lovely garden and to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Beginning in January 2018, Convention Registrations and

Hotel Registration will be available online. Be sure to

check out our website for the latest information at

www.cihshostaclub.org).

And now that you have learned about each of the

convention committees, we hope you will take the

opportunity to invest an hour or two before and/or during

the convention to volunteer to help. If, at any time, you

are interested in serving on a committee or participating

as a volunteer, please contact Bob and Golda. In future

editions of the newsletter, we will be presenting specific

tasks for each committee that will require volunteer help.

We appreciate any and all consideration as to how you

might assist to make the 2018 MRHS Convention a huge

success. If you have any questions, please feel to contact

us.

Debbie McCollum & Penny Bocelli 2018 CPC

Convention Co-Chairs

__________________________________________

ecently I read an article in the American Hosta

Society Journal addressing this very issue, and

I had to ask myself, which one am I? I’ve been

running the question through my head for the last few

weeks, and haven’t come up with any definitive

answers. So when in doubt, make a ‘pro and con’ list.

In my mind, a hostaphile has numerous hostas, all

neatly displayed and professionally labeled in their

weed-free gardens. He or she knows them all by name,

their parentage, their sports, how big they get, the size

of their leaves, the vein count, what colors they display

at any given time of year, including flower color, the

name of the originator, etc., etc., etc. They can take you

through their gardens and expound the virtues of each

and every plant. They have hundreds of hostas, know

them all by name without looking at the tags, and are

forever on the lookout for new and exciting hostas. Part

of the thrill is in the knowledge. If you need a hosta

identified because so-and-so’s grandmother gave you

this hosta, this is the type of hosta expert you need to

find. They can help you out. The downside is that when

you were really only after the name of the hosta, you

will get a twenty minute dissertation on where to plant

it for optimum performance, what to expect at any

given time of year, make sure you do this and make sure

W R

Membership Memo

Convention

Corner

Hostaphile vs.

Hostaholic?

4

you do that. A hostaphile cannot fathom that your

interest in these plants is not the same as his or hers.

A hostaholic can have all their hostas neatly displayed

and labeled in their gardens, but can make do with

venetian blinds for tags, quickly scribbled names using

permanent marker, which is only permanent for a

couple of years. He or she knows them all by name, and

how big they get, but doesn’t necessarily know their

parentage, their flower color or any pertinent factors

that identify that hosta. They can also take you through

their gardens and expound the virtues of each and every

plant, but if you are lucky enough to get the tour,

chances are that the hostaholic will be pulling weeds as

you go. While they definitely love hostas, their minds

are not 100% focused on showing their gardens. And

even though they know each by name, if you were to

take a picture or a leaf of a hosta to that person for

identification, chances are good that they don’t know.

In their minds, they have a memory of where they are

placed in the garden, rather than the plant itself. They

have hundreds of hostas as well, probably more than a

hostaphile, and not only are they forever on the lookout

for new and exciting hostas, but they can move

mountains in their efforts to acquire same. The thrill is

in the acquisition, especially if the hosta is really new

to the industry, or not yet available in Canada. Nothing

is more satisfying in knowing that no one in the country

has this hosta.

In purchasing a hosta, a hostaphile will consider a

particular hosta, check out its parentage, its size, its

merits, and after careful deliberation, decide where it

will go into their carefully prepared hosta beds should

they be fortunate enough to acquire it. They can be

quite meticulous in their choices. If a hosta has a certain

parentage that the hostaphile knows does not do well in

their area, they won’t buy it. Move on to the next one!

A hostaholic will buy hostas willy nilly, doesn’t care

about maturity size because they plant their treasures

far too close together, working on the premise that there

is always room for another hosta. If they know that a

certain family of hostas hasn’t done well for them in the

past, or doesn’t do well in their area, they buy it

anyway, thinking for some reason that ‘this time will

be different’. It rarely is! How many times have they

bought “White Feather” or “Tattoo”, thinking they will

be the ones to have perfect specimens in their gardens,

and be the envy of the hosta world at large? Too many

to count!

So again, I have to ask myself, Which one am I? The

answer is, both! At one time, toward the end of the

summer season, I would take a day for myself

travelling to every nursery and garden centre within a

hundred-mile radius. If I saw a named hosta that I

didn’t have, I bought it. If I loved the look of it, I bought

it. If it was on sale, I bought it. I would tell myself that

it was okay to spend like this, because after all, we are

seasonal collectors and have a very small window of

opportunity to purchase.

Several years ago, I actually came home with the same

hosta in triplicate. I bought it one place because I liked

the look of it, and at the next garden centre, I didn’t

even consider what I had already packed into the truck

before buying it again. And again! Definitely shades of

hostaholic here! At the end of the day, I would unload

my new treasures into a shady spot, thinking of all the

planting I had ahead of me, and move on to something

else for the time being. They were safe and snug where

I had dumped them, and I would get to them sometime.

I am ashamed to admit that I currently have about 100

hostas ... no, honestly, more than 150 ... that are

currently awaiting a new home in my gardens. I tell

myself that I am looking for the perfect spot, and that

is partially true, but the fact of the matter is that my

gardens are near over-flowing and I don’t know where

to put them. New gardens are obviously needed! That

is a hostaholic for you.

Age and wisdom has pushed me from being a total

hostaholic who has to have them all, to being a partial

hostaphile. I spent last winter researching the parentage

of each and every hosta I own, and incorporated the

information into my carefully detailed charts. What I

was surprised to discover was that over the years, I have

gravitated toward a certain family or two of hostas. It is

amazing how many of the Halcyon sports I own, totally

by chance, and they do very well for me. I have made a

concentrated effort on getting as many of the Striptease

sports that I can acquire, but who knew I was doing it

unconsciously with other hosta families. And by the

same token, I own only one hosta in the montana

family. Has not done well for me in the past, and the

others that I have purchased have gone to ‘hosta

heaven’. Who knew?

So, hostaholic or hostaphile? Which one am I? Neither.

I am of the new breed of hosta collectors. We are not

defined by a title, but by a condition (no, IT IS NOT A

DISEASE). There is no cure and we don’t care. The

Latin term is wackohostitis and I wear the badge

proudly. Continued on page 5

5

PS. Other Latin terms to consider that I have jotted

down over the years. I never got around to making the

garden signs I wanted to do:

‘Insectum Devourum’

‘Et tu Insectus?’

‘Plantaholica Incurablis’

‘Plantum Whydibuyum’

‘Costa Fortunii’

‘Gardenitis Uncontrollus’

By Jayne Christiani; reprinted from the Ontario Hosta

Society Newsletter, Fall 2017, Volume 23, Issue 3

any of us have tried our luck at growing hostas

in containers. Maybe it’s because we’re slowly

running out of space in the garden or maybe we’re

just looking for some attractive foliage on a shady patio or

deck. The concept of planting hostas in containers seems

simple enough. Unfortunately there is very little written

information on the subject. What I’ve learned (the hard way

I might add) from growing hostas commercially in one

gallon containers and then over-wintering those same

containers can be applied by any shade gardener attempting

to do the same on their own patio or deck. Getting hostas to

thrive during the growing season in a container is actually

the easy part. The hard part is successfully over-wintering

them. Hostas love water during the growing season and

basically hate it during the winter dormancy period. That

makes a huge difference in the choice of potting mix we use.

Most potting mixes contain a large percentage of peat which

holds moisture really well and reduces the amount of

watering during the growing season. But that same moist

peat will easily cause rot during the winter months. So we

need to compromise a bit by using a pine bark based mixture

that will keep us more on the dry side during the winter

which then requires more frequent watering during the

summer months. The other key to over-wintering hostas is to

make sure that once they freeze, they stay frozen. What we

don’t want is a repeated string of freeze-thaw cycles. That

means we need to get those containers out of any direct

sunlight during dormancy. Unheated detached garages will

work fine as long as they provide the 700 hours of

temperatures below 40 degrees. Outside we can take

advantage of the earth’s insulating capacity by getting the

containers on the ground and covered with an insulating

layer and then covered with plastic. You can see that growing

hostas in containers during the summer is a breeze. The

challenge is managing the winter months. But with proper

care it can be done successfully.

By Rob Mortko

AHS Newsletter Coordinator and owner of Made in the

Shade Gardens, near Kansas City

ore information from Rob Mortko, this

information came from hostaguy.com, the

website of his nursery in Kansas called Made

in the Shade Gardens.

Is it too late to plant??? We've discussed before that

fall is a great time to be planting hostas. What's more,

by planting in the fall you can gain nearly a full

growing season as compared to waiting until next

spring. This will be more readily apparent next spring

as you will most likely have multiple eyes or pips

emerge simply as a result of planting now. But how late

can you plant? The answer really depends on Mother

Nature, but with a little extra mulching to prevent

winter heaving, you can safely plant up until frost time.

Planning a bed for next year? If you're planning a

new hosta bed (or any annual or perennial bed) for next

year, why not complete the soil prep work this fall?

Then let Mother Nature further refine the soil structure

with the natural effects of freezing and thawing. The

hard work will be done and you'll be ready to plant next

spring. Remember to add plenty of organic matter to

our typical clay soils.

First Frost Date! Our average first frost date in Kansas

City is October 26th (Peoria is October 15th). However

when do we ever see anything "average" about the

weather? Anything can happen in the month of

October as our days get shorter and our average high

temperature drops 13 degrees over the course of the

month. The good news relative to hostas is there's really

nothing to be done in advance of that first killing frost.

Just rest assured that you've chosen a very hardy

perennial that is now ready for a winter sleep. Hostas

actually welcome the cooler weather as they require a

cold dormancy period of about 700 hours at

temperatures below 40 degrees. (That's why they can't

be grown as house plants - a question that arises

frequently.)

Getting hosta beds ready for winter

There are differing opinions on whether to clear away

the dead hosta foliage following our first killing frost.

Continued on page 6

M

M

Growing Hostas

in Containers

Hosta Tips for

October

6

If you've had any problems this year with fungal

diseases (which can overwinter on dead foliage) or with

voles, then I'd recommend you clear away this foliage

before winter sets in. The same applies if you'd simply

like to maximize your fall chores while minimizing

spring chores. Otherwise feel free to just let the dead

foliage sit for the winter which does provide some

additional insulation during the winter months ahead as

well as for late spring frosts. Even if you do opt to clear

away the foliage, I like to leave a bloom scape or two

in place to help mark the plant location to avoid

trampling the hosta before it begins to emerge next

spring.

ood Question. The most

ever paid was about

$4,100 for ‘My Child Insook’

at the 1998 American Hosta Society

convention in Peoria, Illinois. Tissue culture had not

yet come of age and fancy hostas could still bring hefty

prices. The plant was a sport of, ironically enough,

‘Outrageous’. It was registered by Dorothy and Herb

Benedict in 1995. Purchased by Van Wade, the legend

goes that it died in his display garden. I think that’s not

quite right, because I’ve seen it offered since then. But,

certainly, it was not a good grower.

Here are the top ten money earners in the recent 2017

AHS On-Line Auction. Not inexpensive, but

considerably more affordable.

‘Dear Mom’ OS, $360

‘Gunther’s Prize’, $320

‘Brother Stefan’ OS, $255

‘Silver Platter’, $190

‘Commander Cody’ OS, $185

‘Mito-No-Hana’ OS, $175

‘Prairie Spring’ OS, $150

‘Frilly Frolic’, $120

‘Allegan Gent’, $120

‘Indian Feather’ $116

(Correction: H. 'My Child Insook' did sell for about

$4,200 at an AHS auction, but the buyer was Wagner

Thielens of Wilton, CT, not Van Wade. Wagner passed

away this year, but the plant was alive the last time we

visited his garden a few years ago. It is indeed a

difficult plant to grow, but if the one in Van Wade's

display garden died, it wasn't the one purchased for this

exorbitant amount of money.)

By Kathy Miller, reprinted from the

Delaware Valley Hosta Society Newsletter, Summer

2017

g

ost hellebores

are native to

mountainous

regions of Europe, in

open oak and beech woodlands, scrub areas, grassy

meadows and on rocky slopes. They are best viewed on

a hillside but even on flat land, they can be greatly

enjoyed. They are shade loving evergreen perennials

that bloom in early spring.

Hellebores are happy with other shade-loving

perennials including ferns, hosta, gingers, short shade

grasses, snowdrops, aconites, woodland phlox,

primroses and hepaticas. They are grown in sandy or

clay soils as long as plenty of humus is added when

planted. Freezing and thawing do not usually damage

the flowers.

Hellebores likely arrived in North American shores

early in the continent’s colonial history. The earliest

cultivation may have been for use as an insecticide to

treat other plants rather than ornamentals in their own

right. John Bertram first mentioned them in his

writings. Interest in hellebore was strong after WWII

and they were valued for their foliage, flowers and ease

of culture.

In late winter, the flowers emerge from the barren

ground to provide a prelude to spring. Elizabeth Strong-

man states in The Gardeners Guide to Growing

Hellebores, 1993, “The Christmas Rose and Lenten

Rose are nature’s gift to gardeners in the dismal months

after Christmas when the weather is cold and

discouraging and spring seems a long way off. At a

time when few other flowers brave the elements, only

Snowdrops in their prime whiteness and fascinating

variety of forms can compete with the hellebores.”

Continued on page 7

G

M

Hellebores: Prelude to

Spring

How Much Would You

Pay For a Hosta?

7

They bloom for two months or more – longer when

spring arrives slowly and nights stay cool. Elegant

simplicity describes their fantastic foliage, precocious

bloom and beautiful flowers, singles, doubles and

anemone centered in many lush colors.

Once new foliage emerges in February–March, cut

away carefully last year’s foliage so plants look tidy

and display flowers to the best advantage. By and large,

hellebores are pest free. Do not plant hellebore too

deeply nor bury the crown of the plant. They come

close to being the perfect perennial with long-lasting

blooms, hardiness, durability and a few are fragrant.

By Anne Randall,

MVHS Member

Reprinted courtesy

of the AHS

Newsletter

Exchange

CIHS

Officers

President: Wendy Kamischke 1st Vice-president: 2nd Vice-president: Susan McCabe, Deb Schoedel

3rd Vice-president: Debbie McCollum, Deb Schoedel

Treasurer: Dan McConnell

Parliamentarian: Jennifer Bass

Corresponding Secretary: Maggie Keesey

Recording Secretary: Fran Stroemer

Membership Co-Chairs: Kaeli McIntire, Debbie

McCollum

Publicity Chair: Shelly Baldini

Ways and Means: Carolyn Jones

Convention Co-Chairs: Deb McCollum, Penny

Bocelli

Hospitality Chair: Gloria Smith

Librarian: Ella Maxwell

Education Co-Chairs: Ella Maxwell, Bob S.

Webmaster Barry Ankney

Garden Walk Chair: TBD

Newsletter Editor: Bob Streitmatter

8

CIHS Membership Form (please print)

Name(s)_____________________________________________________

Address_______________________________ City__________________

State__ Zip_______ Phone__________ E-mail______________________

How did you find us?

Friend/Word of Mouth Website Newsletter Event/Presentation

Facebook Newspaper (which one)____________________________

Other________________________

Dues (circle one): $10/year for electronic newsletter or $15/year for paper

newsletter: New Renewal Amount enclosed__________________

Make check payable to CIHS and mail check/form to: Central Illinois

Hosta Society, P.O. Box 3098, Peoria, IL 61612-3098

Central Illinois Hosta Society

P.O. Box 3098

Peoria, IL 61612-3098

First Class Postage

Check us out!

www.cihshostaclub.org

Newsletter Deadline:

20th of the preceding

month

Submit items for

publication to: Bob

Streitmatter

309.264.4813

goldaandbob@hotmail.

com

For information regarding dues or membership,

contact: Deb McCollum, 309.361.4284

debmccollum@gmail.com or Kaeli McIntire

kmac1342@yahoo.com