News Headlines & Chapel Report 10/8/25

Every year, mid-October brings a spirited weekend to Pike County, IL as Fall Pickin’ Days lights up towns across the region. From Saturday to Sunday, vendors set up shop from yard sales to vintage finds, antiques to handmade crafts, with the hub of activity around the Pike County Courthouse in Pittsfield. Local shops, restaurants, and historical sites join in, offering special sales, food booths, and music to entertain shoppers. At Midwest Vintage Company alone, more than 20 indoor and outdoor vendors will display treasures, and visitors can grab treats like kettle corn, barbecue, and baked goods while browsing.

To help visitors make the most of the experience, printed brochures will be available at spots around the county—places like The Picket Fence, Pike County Collectibles, Duke Auction House, Midwest Vintage, Summer Hill Antique Mall, Judi’s Country Store in El Dara, and more. You can also find copies in Jacksonville at The Peddlers Antiques and Home Decor Shoppes and South Jax Antique Mall. Here’s to a fun, safe, and successful 2025 Fall Pickin’ Days!

Illini Community Hospital will host a food distribution event on Thursday, October 9, at John Wood Community College’s Southeast Education Center, located at 39637 260th Avenue in Pittsfield, Illinois. The distribution begins at 2:00 p.m. and food will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis. The event aims to assist approximately 200 Pike County families and is open to Pike County, Illinois residents only.

Racing fans will have a rare opportunity to see a true piece of motorsports history on Thursday, October 9, when the Fike Plumbing Special comes to Bowler’s Universe in Pittsfield, accompanied by racing legends Al Unser, Jr. and Mike Lashmett. This iconic Chevrolet-powered USAC Sprint Car, built by Hank Henry and sponsored by Fike Plumbing of Phoenix, Arizona, was driven by the great Parnelli Jones between 1959 and 1963. Known for its dominance on dirt tracks across the Midwest, the 1961 #1 car helped launch Jones’s storied career and remains one of the most celebrated sprint cars of its era.

Jones’s accomplishments are legendary—six IndyCar wins, 25 Sprint Car victories, 25 Midget wins, 13 Stock Car triumphs, plus major successes in off-road and sports car racing. He won the Indianapolis 500 in 1963 after becoming the first driver to top 150 mph in qualifying the year before. Notably, he raced right here in Pittsfield in 1962, between those two historic milestones. After retiring, Jones went on to own cars that captured back-to-back Indy 500 titles in 1970 and 1971 with Al Unser behind the wheel—making this local appearance a special homecoming for two generations of racing greatness.

Today's Chapel Report

Dianne Noble, 70, of Mt. Sterling, passed away Sunday, October 5, 2025, at her home. Born December 17, 1954, in Beardstown, she was the daughter of Virgil and Betty Hiles. Dianne retired from Walmart in Beardstown in 2021 after 13 years and had also operated a daycare, worked for Brown County Mental Health, and provided home health care. Dianne was a member and trustee of the First Baptist Church of Mt. Sterling. Survivors include her husband, Mark Noble; children Robert McKinney of Spokane, WA, and Katie Forbis of Nebo, IL; six grandchildren; and a brother, Joe Hiles. Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, October 9, at Hebron Cemetery in Brown County. Memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church of Mt. Sterling or Brown County Against Cancer.

Delmar William Henry Jennings, Sr., 89, of Curryville, Missouri, passed away Sunday, October 5, 2025, at SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital in St. Charles. Born February 27, 1936, in Louisiana, MO, he was the son of Ether Bert and Mary Ellen Rarden Jennings. He married Darlene Marie Gibbons on December 21, 1957, and they shared 67 years together before her passing in 2024. Survivors include four children, numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren, along with several siblings. Visitation will be held from 12:00–1:30 p.m. Thursday, October 9, at Bibb-Veach Funeral Homes & Crematory in Bowling Green, followed by graveside services at 2:00 p.m. at Fairview Cemetery in Frankford, with Rev. Jerry Gamm officiating. Memorials may be made to the American Lung Association.