Weekend 2Do: May 17-19

SMALL AXE FUNK • May 17, 10p-1a, Watson's Shack & Rail, 211 North Neil, Champaign. Check out the groovy music. Limited kitchen menu available. Cost: No Cover.

90's DAUGHTER "UNPLUGGED" • May 17, 9p, Boomerangs, 1309 East Washington, Urbana. Intimate acoustic set featuring covers from audience requests. Black Eye Peas, Stone Temple Pilots, Maroon 5 covers and more. Cost: $5 cover at the door.

NELLY, TWISTA, AND FUTURISTIC • May 17, 7p, Champaign County Fairgrounds, 1302 North Coler, Urbana. Grammy award winning, multi-platinum recording artist Nelly headlines event at the Fairgrounds. Cost: $28.00-$45.00 Information: Buy Tickets

HOME-GROWN COTTON SPINNING DEMONSTRATION • May 18, 10a-12p, Common Ground Food Co-op, 300 South Broadway #166, Urbana. Members of the CU Spinners and Weavers Guild will be on the Co-op porch spinning home-grown local cotton into yarn. Learn more about spinning, weaving, and fiber arts. Cost: FREE

PRAIRIE CYCLE CLUB METRIC CENTURY AND FAMILY FUN RIDES • May 18, 8:45a-2p, Weaver Park, 2205 East Main, Urbana. Choose from a self-supported ride of 35 or 65 mile routes or a 13 mile ride to St. Joseph and back on the Kickapoo Rail Trail. Information: www.prairiecycleclub.org.

BLOCK OF THE MONTH CLASS • May 18, 10a-12p, Everyday Quilting Company, 1717 Philo Road, Urbana. Limited space available. Cost: Call for details. Information: (217) 693 7917 - www.everydayquilting.com

BEHIND THE SCENES TOUR & TASTING • May 18, 2p and 3pm, Prairie Fruit Farm & Creamery, 4410 North Lincoln Avenue, Champaign. Guests will learn a brief history about the farm and the owners, raising goats, how the farm functions day-to-day and how the creamery transforms goat milk into delicious cheese and gelato. Cost: Adults $10, Kids 12 and under $6. Information: www.prairiefruits.com

R&B SOUL YOGA • May 18, 10a, Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center, 202 South Broadway, Suite 1, Urbana. This class is open to all levels. Participants welcome to submit songs/artists they would like to flow to during the session. Cost: Donation based, pay what you can. Information: R&B Soul Yoga

WOOD TYPE POSTER WORKSHOP • May 18, 1p-4p, Lisa Kesler Studio, 117 East Main, Tolono, IL. Get hands on experience working with antique wood letter type. Cost: $75, includes all materials. Information: Lisa Kesler Studio, 217-721-4738.

JAPANESE TEA CEREMONY • May 18, 2p-3p, Japan House, 2000 South Lincoln Avenue, Urbana. Chado, or the Way of Tea, is one of the most ancient and revered arts of Japan, and is at the very heart of Japan House. Learn about Japan House, tea ceremony and the history of this 500 year old art form. Cost: General Public $12, Student/Tomonokai Members $10. Information: More info and order tickets.

THE CHRIS MONDAK JAZZ QUARTET LIVE • May 18, 6p-8p, Neil Street Blues, 301 North Neil, Champaign. Chris Mondak, a veteran of the Nextgen Jazz Quartet, the Jazz Band of America, and the Brubeck Institute plays a night of high-energy jazz featuring a mix of standards and compositions from his new album. Cost:

THAI YOGA MASSAGE POP-UPS • May 19, 10:15a-12p, Hatha Yoga & Fitness, 2109 South Neil Street, Champaign. Thai Yoga Massage is a partner practice that combines gentle passive stretching, acupressure, and breath work to encourage release of tension. This is a shared experience that is mutually beneficial to both the giver, and receiver. Cost: $20 per person, $35 per couple. Information: Thai Yoga Massage.

TENNIS IN THE PARKS • May 19, 3p-4:30p, Clark Park, 900 S McKinley Ave, Champaign. Free introductory tennis lessons taught by the Champaign Park District tennis staff. 3-3:30p Adult Beginner (ages 16+), 3:30-4p Pre-Teen Future Stars (ages 10-15) and 4-4:30p Young Future Stars (ages 6-9). Cost: Free

SJO Alumni Assocation Banquet on June 8

This year's Annual SJO Alumni Association Banquet will be held on June 8 at the Community Building in Royal.

The mission of SJOAA is to promote the community and Spartan heritage. In addition to the banquet held each year, the association also holds an alumni meeting and provides scholarships to students.

This year's cocktail hour is set to begin at 5:00pm with a dinner to be served at 6:00p. Dinner is priced at $20.00 per plate.

This year's Honor Class is the Class of 1969 celebrating their 50th. The theme for the gala is "Summer of Love" and appropriate dress - bell bottoms, sandals, love beads, tie-dye attire - is enthusiastically recommended.

Graduates from the Class of 1959 will be also be honored at this year's banquet.

For more information contact Eric Buzzard at 469-2373 or visit the SJO Alumni Association website at www.sjoalumni.org.

Dowling breaks IHSA record

It was bound to happen this season and it finally did. Yesterday, St. Joseph-Ogden shortstop Bailey Dowling became Illinois' most prolific softball home run hitter in IHSA history.

After tying the record of 60 set by Benet Academy's Stephanie Abello in 2015 on Thursday, Dowling hit a pair of dingers to raise the career home run bar to 62.

In her first trip to the plate against visiting Charleston, the Alabama commit crushed the ball over the right field fence. The second shot, her 19th home run of the season, soared over the left field fence pushing the all-time record to 62 by the future Olympic junior national player.

She is now one home run shy from being the first Illinois prep softball player to hit 20 home runs in three consecutive seasons. She pummeled 22 her freshman season at SJO and 21 last spring as a sophomore. Heading into the postseason semifinal against Monticello later today, chances are she will add at least one or more to the total she now commands.

With another season left in her prep career, Dowling could very well hold the career record for ... well, like former Spartan head coach Randy Wolken's career 1,043 win total, ... forever.

Despite her historic, record-making performance, the Spartans (20-9) fell 15-4 to the Trojans in their last regular season contest on the 2019 season.

Hannah Dukeman, also a junior, contributed two RBI in the non-conference loss.

Spartans to make another run at state track title

Fourteen athletes from the St. Joseph-Ogden girls track team advanced to this weekend's Illinois High School Association state track and field finals in Charleston.

Leading SJO's bid for a back-to-back team title are three gold medalists from the 2018 Class 1A championship squad. Atleigh Hamilton, who won the long jump title, along with senior Maclayne Taylor and junior Hailey Birt return to the blue oval at O'Brien Stadium in search of another championship trophy.

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Ashlyn Lannert heads toward the finish line during the Class 1A race at the IHSA Cross Country State Finals on Saturday. She finished 84th overall with a time of 19:16.11 in this year's title race. Lannert and the Spartans look to win another state trophy at this weekend's state track and field meet in Charleston. (Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)

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Runners and field event specialists qualifying for this weekend's state meet include: Grace Schmitz (pole vault), Jenna Albrecht, Kailyn Ingram (4x800), Addie Allen (4x800), Rylee Sjuts, Hannah Rajlich, Danie Kelso, Cassidy Bagby, Hannah Rajlich, Ashlyn Lannert and Jillian Plotner.

Rajlich and Sjuts medaled in 4x800 relay last spring. Sjuts also picked up a silver medal in the 400-Meter Relay with Taylor, Hamilton and then senior Zea Maroon.

In a marquee worthy, storybook performance last year, Hamilton won her first of three state medals starting with the long jump. She went 18 feet-2 inches past the board to secure the title and a career best performance. The sophomore will see some familiar faces on the runway on Thursday. Six of the nine jumpers in last season's top ten return with a legitimate shot at the title.

Despite her sectional mark of 17 feet-4 inches, which was identical to her 2018 distance, Hamilton will be a solid bet as one of the top three medalists come Saturday evening.

Peaking at just the right time, Jenna Albrecht set a new personal record in triple jump in the sectional meet. The junior landed 34 feet-1 inch away from the launch point to finish third and put a lock on her spot in this Thursday's state prelims.

Prior to Friday, Albrecht's previous PR was 32 feet-11 and half inches.

The sprint foursome of Kelso, Taylor, Birt and Hamilton in the four-by-one looks to be an exciting race. Running a 50.52 in the sectional meet, the Spartans will be challenged by squads from DuQuoin, Fulton and Bureau Valley if all four teams make the finals on Saturday as expected.

Distance specialist Cassidy Bagby could make some noise in Saturday's 3200-Meter championship race. It will be her second state appearance - the first in 2017 in the same race - and her last as a varsity athlete for SJO. She will have 35 equally capable runners to push her to a memorable finish and beyond her sectional time of 12:17.34.

Speedster Maclayne Taylor qualified for the state prelims in the 100-Meter and 200-Meter dashes as well as the 4x200 relay. A couple of top eight finishes by Taylor will be essential in the Spartans' quest for a team trophy.

Hannah Rajlich will join teammates at state after finishing second in the 1600-Meter sectional race at 5:42:37. The junior faces strong opposition from Latin's Ava Parekh, who will be heading into Thursday's prelims with sectional time a mere five seconds away from a sub-five minute mark.

Less than eight seconds separate the Spartans from the top of the list of Class 1A qualifying time courtesy of DuQuoin's at 4:07.59 in the 4x400-Meter Relay. The SJO relay advanced to state thanks to the combined speed of Ashlyn Lannert, Rylee Sjuts, Jillian Plotner and Danie Kelso, who fought tenaciously to win the sectional race by a nose, seven-tenths of a second ahead of Uni High. The Indians and the Spartans will face stiff competition for the state title in this race from perennial challengers Byron, Taylor Rockridge and Knoxville.

Admission is $10.00 per day and parking near the stadium is $5.00 per day. Tickets for Thursday's preliminary round go on sale at 9am at the O'Brien Stadium box office. Tickets for Saturday's finals will be available starting at 8am.