INA, IL– Join Rend Lake College’s Community and Corporate Education Division this spring on three day tours through St. Louis, St. Charles, and Southern Illinois. Each trip offers participants the chance to see unique sides of these local sites.

In April, enjoy a Taste of St. Louis with stops at several popular restaurants and cafés. Begin at Gus’s Pretzels and Urzi’s Italian Market to pick up treats such as pretzels, cheese, and pepperoni. The tour will also stop at the Missouri Baking Company to partake of homemade cookies. Lunch will be at Pappy’s Smokehouse for a buffet of pulled pork, beef brisket, pulled chicken and much more. After lunch, enjoy dessert at the Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Factory and Ted Drewes Frozen Custard.

The Taste of St. Louis tour costs $113, and is scheduled for Tuesday, April 18. Tour fees, samples at all locations, lunch, gratuities and charter bus transportation are included. Pre-registration is required by Monday, March 20. The bus departs from the Ina campus at 7:30 a.m. and will return by 6:30 p.m. The bus also stops at the RLC MarketPlace at 8 a.m. with a return time of 6 p.m.

Also in April, explore the wonders of Southern Illinois with a tour of the Ancient Native American World. Kick off the day with lunch at Giant City Lodge for the famous family-style dinner. After lunch, dive into the ancient Native American world with the Environmental Education staff at Southern Illinois University’s Touch of Nature Environmental Center for a presentation about the pre-Columbian occupation of Southern Illinois. Discussion of cultural periods and peoples, regional sites to visit, and connecting to ancient peoples through experimental archaeology will be covered, including a demonstration of making yucca cordage.

The Ancient Native American World tour costs $69, and is scheduled for Thursday, April 6. Lunch, gratuities, presentation fee and charter bus transportation are included. Pre-registration is required by Thursday, March 23. The bus departs from the Mt. Vernon MarketPlace at 9:45 a.m. and will return by 5:30 p.m. The bus also stops at main Ina campus at 10 a.m. with a return time of 5 p.m.

The final trip will put participants in the shoes of a famous folk hero during the Daniel Boone Home & Historic St. Charles tour. Start the day on historic Main Street in St. Charles as a costumed guide provides a tour of the cobblestone street and stops in several quaint shops along the way. Enjoy lunch at the Mother-In-Law House, featuring their famous homemade soup, salad and chicken salad bar. After lunch, journey back in time to relive the adventures of American longhunter Daniel Boone. Visit the home where he lived and learn the history of this legendary pioneer.

The Daniel Boone Home & Historic St. Charles tour costs $109, and is scheduled for Thursday, May 18. Tour fees, lunch, gratuities, and charter bus transportation are included. Pre-registration is required by Monday, April 3. The bus departs from the Ina campus at 7:30 a.m., and will return by 6:30 p.m. The bus also stops at the RLC MarketPlace at 8 a.m. with a return time of 6 p.m.

To learn more about this class, or any others this spring, call 618-437-5321, Ext. 1714. Pre-registration may be done in person, via phone call, or by emailingcommcorped@rlc.edu.

Please view this pamphlet from Illinois Emergency Management Agency to go over as a severe weather checklist.  It is 15 pages long.  We have the potential to experience hail, high winds, and tornadoes tonight.  

 

TORNADO WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WT 41 NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 215 PM CST TUE FEB 28 2017 TORNADO WATCH 41 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CST FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS ILC003-005-013-027-047-051-055-059-061-065-069-077-081-083-087- 117-119-121-127-133-135-145-151-153-157-163-165-181-185-189-191- 193-199-010300- /O.NEW.KWNS.TO.A.0041.170228T2015Z-170301T0300Z/ IL . ILLINOIS COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE ALEXANDER BOND CALHOUN CLINTON EDWARDS FAYETTE FRANKLIN GALLATIN GREENE HAMILTON HARDIN JACKSON JEFFERSON JERSEY JOHNSON MACOUPIN MADISON MARION MASSAC MONROE MONTGOMERY PERRY POPE PULASKI RANDOLPH SALINE ST. CLAIR UNION WABASH WASHINGTON

The threat of severe weather for tonight has been discussed for the last 48 hours or so.  Most of the models that I have looked at this morning will show some cells that will from in front of the main squall line after dark.  Most models show the squall line coming through around 3:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.

Those cells that form in front of the line

have the potential to become super-cells with the greatest risk of any tornadic activity in front of the line.

The greatest threat in the squall line will bed damaging thunderstorm winds.  Large hail and an inbedded Tornado can not be ruled out.

I am not saying things to alarm anyone, or scare anyone.  This system really had my attention since about mid day yesterday.

The potential does not mean it is going to happen, however preparedness is vital in an actual event.

Soon, there will be a Tornado preparedness guide posted on the website produced by FEMA, that Franklin County Emergency Management Agency Director Ryan Buckingham posted through the agency’s media sources.  Please review this for a refresher.

As long as there is a severe weather threat for Franklin County,  I will be up all night monitoring the situation to keep you informed.  Warnings from 75-100 miles out that any part of the county is potentially in the path of the storm, will be posted on the franklincounty-news.com’s Facebook page.  There will be updates on the website from time to time however.