“A Century of Lithuanians in Springfield, Illinois: Best of the Blog,” is finally available for $15.95 plus shipping on Amazon.com and at this link: https://www.createspace.com/5493567 .  However, I request that people in Springfield buy the book directly from me for $15 a copy to save shipping costs for themselves and boost my earnings per copy. Just contact me at:  sandybaksys@gmail.com

Brought to life by ceaseless toil–and a $1,725 professional page design sponsored by more than 30 donors–the book will soon be reviewed in Draugas News (monthly) and the Lithuanian language Draugas newspaper.

I will present the book publicly for the first time 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23, at the Elijah Iles House in downtown Springfield. It’s a free public event, but registration is requested at:  http://ileshouse.org/event-2035661

I am also scheduled to present the book to the Sangamo Club Literary Circle at a luncheon on Nov. 10 (cost is $22, R.S.V.P. to 544-1793).

A chapter from the book, “Who Put the Mack in McDonald’s, Springfield?” will appear in the September-October issue of Lithuanian Heritage magazine.

So many readers of this blog participated in the creation of the book in so many ways that if the final product receives anything like that same support, “A Century of Lithuanians in Springfield” will become a treasured keepsake of our individual families and our collective history for years to come. At least that is my hope. So, please don’t hesitate to introduce the book to members of your family or anyone whom you think would not come to it on their own.

With lots of images and topics broken down into brief chapters and even sub-chapters, the book is designed to be an easy read for those with limited interest who may want to skip around or not read the entire book. It’s also designed to be a good read start to finish.

Please join me in extending thanks to the generous donors who made the book’s professional page design possible:

Platinum
Ben & Grazina Zemaitis

Gold
William Cellini, Jr.
Kathleen Farney
Betty Gedman
Maria Race
John (Steve) White
Terri White
August Wisnosky, Jr.

Silver
Cindy Baksys

Terry Baksys and Bill Byrd
Regina Buedel
The Chepulis Family
Linda Gladu
Amy Green
The Lithuanian-American Club
Tom & Mary Mann
Kent & Susan Massie
Irena Ivoskute Sorrells

Bronze
Elaine Alane
Diane Barbour
Nancy Chapin
Joyce Downey
Draugas Publishing
David Grimm
Careen Jennings
Mike Kienzler
Elaine Kuhn
Georgeann Madison
Glenn Manning
Dan Naumovich
Barbara Pelan
Patty Shillington
Patricia (Chepulis) Wade
Samuel Wheeler