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“Wait Until Dark,” is now behind me. The production went well and I truly enjoyed working with the Jacksonville Theatre Guild and all the actors who participated. I accidentally left my rug there which was used as a prop and I still need to venture back to Jacksonville to get it.

I am now beginning work in earnest on the Soybean Lincoln.  Ayn Owens of Ayn Productions wanted me to document the progress so I am taking a bunch of pictures and am doing FaceMic updates to my FaceBook profile which consist of a short audio clip and a single picture each plus I am taking extra pictures with my phone and posting them on FaceBook as well. I am also taking pictures with my regular camera and will end up posting them in my Coppermine image gallery on The Spectra, which will be available at http://www.LincolnPaintings.com

Here is the article in Decatur’s Herald and Review that relates the story of the Soybean Lincoln: http://www.herald-review.com/news/local/article_57e03e76-e614-5ae4-9ba7-ebe7dc902f11.html

The gigs for Hot Bag O’ Donuts all went well. We made more money in three gigs than Black Ops made in eight years. I never made as much since I was playing with elevator_shoe at Second Street Pub back in 2000. We have another gig coming up which is a freebie as they say, helping to add to the entertainment at Caitie Girl’s restaurant for the next Access 4 Producers group fundraiser on Monday, May 17th, you can view the details on the Press release included with the article on the Producers group website here:

Main website: http://www.access4.tv

Artice and press release for the event: http://www.thespectra.net/a4pg/a4pg.html

The Producers Group is also holding an election for its Board of Directors as part of the process for becoming a 501 c3. The election is being held on Saturday, May 8th at Lincoln Public Library Bicentennial Room on the third floor at 2:00 P.M.

Activities are mounting even more!

Since I wrote my last quick update here I have been asked to join the cast in Jacksonville of the thriller, “Wait Until Dark;”  I was also asked to perform in “New Salem Harmony,” at New Salem by the man who wrote it, Mark Mathewson;  I was invited to speak before “The People Speak,” at the Liberty Brew and View showing of that documentary at Capitol City Bar & Grill;  our electro-acoustic combo, “Hot Bag O’ Donuts,” was asked to perform at “A Rally for Nonintervention,” on the Capitol steps in Springfield;  I was asked to host an open mic at Broadway Nites;  and I was asked to create a portrait of Lincoln using soybeans which will be auctioned off at the Macon County Fair to rival the Butter Cow at the Illinois State Fair.

Add to this the previous work of Access 4 Producers Group organizing and website maintenance;  my other music project I am working on, Rebel Bass, is working to release the recording we made last Fall and preparing for a mini tour this Summer;  the radio shows;  and trying to finish up my portrait of Mary Todd Lincoln.

See my website at http://www.TedKeylon.com for dates and times of these events if you are interested.

There seems to be a situation that recurs now and again where when events amp up, my time is taken by them so as to leave little for blogging about those events. Since I last blogged, Access 4 has shut down, Hot Bag O’ Donuts has come up, and I have started hosting an open mic at Broadway Nites (formerly On Broadway).

Here are some websites relating to these events:

http://www.access4.tv

http://www.thespectra.net/ghostlight

Last weekend Lisa and I visited Bill Crook Jr. on his land in Wisconsin. Bill has mentioned his land many times to me in the past but this was the first time I got the chance to go and stay there. I added a vacation day to my two contingent days off so that i would have a three day weekend to stay there.

It took us around six hours to get there and we left Saturday morning and came back Monday afternoon, giving us two evenings, one day, and a morning to take in the surroundings.

The land is near Plum Creek. Bill has built two differentr cabins on the land in the time that he has owned it. The first one eventually fell apart and the second one is evidence of his imporved abilities at building design since then. from what i can tell, I think it likely that the second cabin will remain standing for quite some time.

It is not a log cabin, but made of boards and lumber, much of which has been recycled. Monday morning I helped him dig some more post holes to extend the deck. t is a very cute little house with a wood burning stove inside, many recycled old windows, and even a small attic. It has cedar shake siding and is painted very colorfully on the front porch columns and inside.

Lisa took all the pictures while we were there on her nicer camera and she has posted them on her FaceBook profile. You will have to log into FaceBook to see them:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2022096&id=1424315406

IDOT held a public info forum at Crown plaza the other night and are taking comments at their website here:

http://www.idothsr.org/

I got an e-vite from Michelle Higgenbotham, but it is in picture form so I couldn’t copy and paste it here and on the website very easily. It asks that you post comments on IDOT’s website about the 3rd Street proposal. I suggest you let them know how you feel, especially since they are asking.

This just in from Steve:

To Rail Rally Participants

The House Railroad Industry Committee originally scheduled to review HB 4626 this Wednesday, October 7th, has been postponed by Speaker Madigan at the request of Chairmen Van Meter and Mayor Davlin. The county and city are providing IDOT and UP time to put together a Memorandum of Understanding that will confirm an Environmental Impact Study will be initiated on the 10th Street corridor and mitigation money allocated for 3rd Street will be used to mitigate 10th Street if the EIS shows it is the better place to consolidate all railways (3rd and 19th Street).

In place of the hearing, we are encouraging all of our friends to join us at the IDOT Open House, Wednesday, October 7, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 3000 South Dirksen Parkway. We plan to get together at 5:30 p.m. however you can go on your own anytime between 4 and 7. They will have comment forms available for you to let IDOT know how you feel about their support of UP’s second rail on 3rd Street for increased freight. Organizers of the open house have indicated that “the public meetings will be an open house format, so you may visit the event at any time. There will be a continuous PowerPoint presentation and exhibits that provide an overview of the Environmental Assessment, purpose and need, summary of improvements and constraints, and next steps. Representatives from IDOT will be available to discuss the study and answer your questions.”  They could not confirm whether or not officials from UP would be present.

Let’s make sure IDOT knows that no matter how late they are holding a meeting to tell us what they have already decided to do, we are a well educated group, we know the main issues, and we resent having been talked down too and insulted by the Secretary. Remember (9/5/09) “This is the only alternative (Third Street) that’s going to work. The other alternative is walking away,” Hannig said in a conference call with the editorial board of The State Journal-Register. “We have to ride the horse that we have, and that’s Third Street,” he said. And then again (9/9/09) SJ-R summed up Hannig’s view from an second conference call in two sentences: 1.) This is the only plan we’ve got so get used to it. 2.) Hey, Springfield, shut up about this and don’t blow our chance at $2 billion in federal money. Well the only thing to shut up in Springfield will be the train whistles once we get the tracks consolidated and create a 5 mile quiet zone with a surrounding green way and a bustling multimodal center for travel and commerce.

Steve Combs on behalf of the Grassroots Coalition for Consolidation

Michelle Higgenbotham was able to get a word with Governor Quinn in Chicago yesterday! Also we were able to break into Chicago media on two TV stations and a radio station . . .AND . . .

Two big victories with the City Council and the State of Illinois! This from President of the Enos park Neighborhood improvement Association, Steve Combs:

“City Council will not sell city property to Union Pacific! Madigan wants State to withhold state money from Union Pacific and IDOT if second rail goes down 3rd Street corridor! Who would have every believed those headlines 8 weeks ago!”

This just in from Steve Combs:

“Monday night, 7 p.m., at the Dove Auditorium, Prairie Heart Institute, St. Johns Hospital, the Coalition for Consolidation will host the first, and only, public forum to which Senator Durbin, Gov. Quinn, IDOT Secretary Hannig, and Mr. Payette (Union Pacific) have been personally invited. None of our state or federal representatives will attend but County Chairmen Van Meter, Mayor Davlin, Chamber President Plummer, and both the City/ County lawyer Ed Gower and the Coalition lawyer Clayton Harris III will be available for your questions. In addition approximately 20 other special guest including the CEO’s of both St John’s Hospital and Memorial Medical Center will be present.

On Tuesday, September 29th, 5:15 p.m. the Coalition will be present at a special session of the City Council called to vote on a resolution to confirm that the aldermen will not allow city property to be sold or transferred to Union Pacific for the construction of a second rail line on the 3rd Street corridor.

On Wednesday, September 30th, 4:15 p.m. we will meet in the Lincoln Home parking lot to walk or be driven on the Springfield Trolley Tours trolley to Durbin’s office at 825 S 8th Street. We will hand deliver the petitions signed at our rallies and collected in the neighborhoods. If you have some of the petition sheets please bring them with you to any of the next three meetings. A big thanks to all of you. Together we have helped change the topic from “it’s a done deal” to “the railroad and IDOT are having trouble justifying their application to FRA”!

Steve Combs

Grassroots Coalition for Consolidation

494 6668″

I was on the Fly Over Zone on WQNA this morning talking about the Railroad Issue and the town hall meeting this Monday.

They want to have a person from each side of the issue come on and debate it on their show. I wonder if they will be lucky enough to get someone from Union Pacific to talk.

http://www.flyoverzone.com

OK! I have an info site up now at:

http://www.SpringfieldRailroaded.net

Also Job Conger took some photos of the rallies that you can see in his SpringfieldSeen album on FaceBook here (you will need to log in to FaceBook to see them):

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2306&id=1384850080

Also, If you are on FaceBook, you can join our group here (again, you will have to log int to FaceBook):

http://www.facebook.com/inbox/readmessage.php?t=1039582047207&f=1&e=0#/group.php?gid=165181427315