July issue is now online!

 Here is the link to open the July issue's PDF.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TEXEpfCr6b92Ks0z6PDRKUSbzmTD_o5d/view?usp=sharing

May and June issues

 The May issue has been moved over to the Archived issues page and the June issue is now up in the Current issues page. 

I apologize for the late notice, but I have been trying to drive to all of our regular locations to get the issues out to the normal locations. I no longer have delivery people to help with the monumental task of getting the OCG-IL out to the many different counties in South and Central Illinois, so it is taking longer than I would have preferred.

If you know of any youngsters who might like to deliver in your home town, please let me know how to get in touch with them. I would love to give them a chance to learn more about publication, advertising, distribution, writing, editing, or any other aspect of journalism they might be interested in. Being an intern looks great on a college application. For you homeschooler's out there, there are a lot of aspects of the publication business that can translate onto a high school transcript and fill those writing intensive requirements.

April Issue is up!

 Happy April! We hope you are all enjoying the beautiful spring weather. We are out working around the farm today, but I wanted to get the April issue up on the website so you can take a look at it. 

You can either go to the menu tabs or click the link here

To find the older issues, you can click here to see past issues from 2021.

March Issue is up online!

You can click on the current issue tab or go here: Newest Issue to see the latest edition of the OCG-IL.

We have been working hard to get paper copies out to all our locations, add new locations, and continue to expand and grow.

Some of our locations didn't get February issues because my family was sick with the virus and we were stuck at home for almost all of February, so those locations should find double issues (February and March together).

Some of our newer locations received triple issues (January, February, and March all together) because I thought that might give those locations a better idea of what the OCG-IL is all about.

ALTAMONT: Altamont Public Library, The Cookie Jar, Wolf Creek Antique Mall;

ARTHUR: Yoder's Kitchen; Arthur Sale Barn

ASHMORE: I&I Deli and Gas;

BENLD: Frank Bertetti Benld Public Library; 

BREESE: Plant Land Garden Center; Moto Mart, Shell, Dairy King, Wally’s Burger Joint;

BROWNSTOWN: Brownstown Public Library;

CARLINVILLE: Nick's Pizza; Carlinville Public Library

CARLYLE: Case-Halstead Library, IGA, and Ten Pin Antique Mall; 

CASEY: Casey Township Library; Richards Farm Restaurant; Whitling Whimsy;

CENTRALIA: Buchheit, Centralia Public Library; 

CHARLESTON: Carpenter's Table/Standing Stones, Charleston Food Pantry; Rural King,

DONNELSON: JR's Mini Mart;

EFFINGHAM: Effingham Library, Equity Farm Store, Joe Sippers, and Rural King; 

GILLESPIE: Miner's Restaurant; Gillespie Public Library;

GREENVILLE: 4th Street BBQ, Buchheit, Capri IGA, Casey's General Store (Beaumont),  Espressions Coffee House, Joe’s Pizza, Moto Mart, True Value, and Wayne's Market; Will-O-Th-Wind;

HAMEL: DK Market, 

HIGHLAND: Blue Springs Cafe, Bull Dog Barber Shop, Jerry’s Tackle and Gun Shop, Lee’s Loans Jewelry and More, Korte Recreation Center, Rural King, The Tibbett House: Bed, Breakfast and Books, and TruBuy;  

HILLSBORO: Hillsboro Library, Salvation Army, Fast Flo Oil-N-Go, and Zumwalt Hillsboro Chiropractic; 

HOFFMAN: Meier Auto Sales and Gas Station;

KANSAS: Country Junction;

LITCHFIELD: Jubelt’s Bakery, Kamper Kompanion RV Park, Litchfield Public Library;

MATTOON: Joe Tuley's Family Barber Shop

MARSHALL: Whipperwill Antiques 

MT. OLIVE: Sunset Restaurant (now called Route 138 Cafe),

NASHVILLE: Bakery Nook, Country Mart, Krogers, Lee’s Variety Store, Nashville Public Library, Meier’s Deli; 

PARIS: Rural King (outside by the exit door)

POCAHONTAS: Fainting Goat Bar & Grill, Funderburk's Restaurant, Pocahontas Antique Mall, Rampart Range; 

SALEM: Bryan Bennett Library, Deuel Veterinary Services, Five Brothers Cafe, Hunting Stuff, and Strong Arms Crafts and Creations; 

SHELBYVILLE: Ace Hardware,

SULLIVAN: Ace Hardware,

ST. ELMO: Driftstone Pueblo, Mary Ann's Restaurant;

TRENTON: Trenton Public Library

VANDALIA: County Market, Kaskaskia Supply, Rural King, Sunshine House Health Food Store; 

January Issue is moved to Archives tab and February Issue in Current Issue Tab!

 January has been so full of twists, turns, changes, and unexpected situations. Some of these things have been good, others have been heartbreaking.

As we were working on the Feb issue, Don Stover, my sweet friend and mentor, started to grow weaker and weaker. Jan, his sweet and devoted wife, rushed him to the hospital in the middle of the night. From there he was transferred to two other hospitals, eventually ending up at Barne's in St Louis. Sadly, on Jan 21st 2021, Don passed away with Jan and their 2 sons at his bedside.

There has been a Go Fund Me page set up to help pay medical and final expenses. If you can help in any way, please consider helping out.  https://gofund.me/a0dcc848

We have gotten the February issue out to several places, but weather turned slippery and dangerous on us, so I had to cut one of my deliver routes short the other day. I still have to go back over to Litchfield, Carlinville, Hillsboro area, and places in Christian, Shelby, Moultrie, Douglas, Coles, Cumberland, Jasper, Edger, Clark, and Crawford counties.  I had hoped to get those places done by this weekend, but after a little mishap on an icy hill this past Wed, being stuck out in the cold, damp snow for an hour, trying to dig my car our of a snowy ditch, I have been dealing with a sore throat and no voice. So just to be on the safe side, I have stayed at home away from people. Hopefully Monday I will be back out making deliveries, taking precautions, and staying well away from people.

If you are in the Gillespie area, Miner's Restaurant does have about 40 copies. I know they would also very much appreciate the business, as they are open for indoor dining as well as curbside pick up. You can call ahead and request a copy of the Owl Creek Gazette with your take-out order! What a great way to support a local business owner, and grab your favorite reading material all at the same time!

For a list of other places you can find the Owl Creek Gazette-IL this month you can check out our facebook page as well as the list on page 15 of the online gazette. Just go to the Current Issue Tab to find the Feb PDF.

A Meeting Of The Minds!

Today we had a gathering of friends of the Owl Creek Gazette and the NEW Owl Creek Gazette - Illinois. Bill and I (Shanan) gathered at Espressions Coffee Roasting Co in Greenville, IL today to organize the delivery of the OCG-IL January 2021 issue. These friends (along with a few others not pictured here) will graciously be serving as a volunteer delivering team of sorts, helping to bring the publication to locations (and readers) far and wide!

We mapped out delivery routes, loaded up cars, trucks, and Jeeps and headed out to many former locations to see which locations are still open for business. We started in Bond County and worked our way out. 

A few former locations (mostly our Metro East locations) do not yet have volunteers to help with distribution, but we are working on it, and hope to find new volunteers soon.

Bill and I deeply appreciate these sweet souls willing to help us get the January issue out to folks.

Bill and I dropped off copies to a volunteer in Litchfield on our way back home, and he will be getting his bundles delivered over the next few days.

You can find copies at Yoder's Kitchen in Arthur, IL and I will be dropping off copies at Country Salvage in Arcola as soon as my new magazine racks are made.

 

The January issue is hot off the press!!

 

My car is still full to the brim of the January issue, as I begin the process of distribution. 

I have several towns/businesses that are brand new locations for the Gazette, so this is really exciting!

If you are not local, and want a hard copy mailed to you, you can order hard copy subscriptions, or grab a gift subscriptions for someone you know!

The online version will be available after Christmas.

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!!!