Celebrate National Fast Food Day on Nov. 16

It’s National Fast Food Day in the United States. Food lovers in Illinois and all across the United States have an excuse to indulge at one of their favorite fast food restaurants. Whether they use the drive-thru, dine-in, or get it to go, National Fast Food Day calls for us to sample grilled, fried, and broiled menu staples. First popularized in the United States in the 1950s, fast food is considered any meal with low preparation time served to a customer in a packaged form. The meal makes for quick dine-in, take-out or take-away- and most fast-food restaurants offer drive-thru service.  In fact, there are over 300,000 fast food restaurants in the U.S. alone. The industry is also highly profitable, with U.S. consumers spending more than $110 Billion on fast food every year. One of the most iconic fast food franchises got its start right here in Illinois. Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald’s, opened his first restaurant in Des Plaines in April 1955.

Many companies are offering deals, so people should pay attention to their Twitter and other social media accounts for pending announcements. Carl's Jr. and Hardees, owned by the same parent company, are celebrating National Fast Food Day with a special prices- including a deal on the Big Carl Small Combo, according to a statement sent to Mashed.com. Hardee's is dishing up the Big Hardee Small Combo for $5.49. According to Thrillist.com, Nov. 15 is the birthday for another major fast food chain, Wendy’s. Wendy’s is celebrating its birthday as well as National Fast Food Day with a free order of fries, any size, as long as you place an order through the Wendy's app. For University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign students, the campus good eats newspaper, SPOON  UNIVERSITY, has highlighted a number of local restaurants as well as major chains along Green Street. Students can check out the full list of options by viewing their article here.  

Give a shout out to your favorite fast-food restaurant using  #NationalFastFoodDay to post on social media.  

SIU announces new partnerships with community colleges

More students from diverse backgrounds will now be able to become accounting professionals thanks to a new partnership between the City Colleges of Chicago and Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The partnership will focus on improving access for students who want to pursue accounting but don’t want to leave Chicago. Southern Illinois University Carbondale has entered an agreement with City Colleges of Chicago that will allow students in Chicago to pursue a bachelor’s degree from SIU while staying in Chicago. Both institutions of higher education say they hope it’ll help draw more students of color to the field of accounting. The National Association of Black Accountants says fewer than 9% of accountants and auditors are Black. Illinois is taking the lead in expanding professional access to historically underrepresented groups.

Students participating in the program will pay the first two years of tuition at their community college rate. Following graduation with an associate’s degree from the community college, students can go on to complete their SIU bachelor’s degrees online without leaving Chicago. After completing their first two years in their community college, students will receive a $4,000 scholarship once they transfer to Southern Illinois University for their final two years.

This recent initiative is part of a broader effort made by SIU to expand its joint programs with participating community colleges across the state.  On Oct. 4, SIU Carbondale entered agreements with Harper College, Oakton Community College and Harold Washington College, part of City Colleges of Chicago. The signing ceremonies were part of a larger SIU Carbondale initiative, called the “Saluki Takeover Tour: Chicago.” Representatives of SIU Carbondale met with school administrators, alumni groups and others to improve access for students and build partnerships in the Windy City. The agreements with Harper College and Oakton College, in suburban Cook County, will give qualified community college students the option to earn their bachelor’s degrees remotely and at a lower cost in six academic programs: accounting, business and administration, health care management, radiologic sciences, criminology and criminal justice, and psychology. Beginning next year, Illinois students will have more educational opportunities that they may not have thought were available to them before.

Belleville theater makes cinema history

• Movies
• Theater
• Belleville
• Slideshow

Lincoln Theater in downtown Belleville observed its 100-year anniversary this year. Established in 1921, the theater has entertained locals for a century, offering silent films, black-and-white movie reels, and the masterpieces that shake box offices today.

Located on 103 E. Main St., the Lincoln Theater is owned by Dave and Sandy Schoenborn after Sandy’s father, Richard Wright, bought the business in 1980 and ran it with his wife, Betty. The Schoenborn family took over management in 2007. The family will celebrate the Lincoln’s 100th anniversary with “A Century of Entertainment,” a variety show with music, dance and theater reflecting the 1920s through today. It will be performed on Nov. 12 and Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. This show will also be live-streamed. More information about the event and its live stream can be found here.

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The H-ART of Illinois

• Arts & Culture
• Tourism
• Museums

Illinois is home to a number of famous artists, including Donna Zarbin-Byrne, Teresa Cash, Tony Abboreno, and so many more. Nov. 9th is National Go To An Art Museum Day, a day dedicated to celebrating the talents of artists and content creators everywhere. More than 30,000 museums around the world participate in National Go To An Art Museum Day by hosting events and displaying their exhibits according to a theme that changes annually. Illinois museums offer a variety of ways to discover the abundance of talent in the state.

Illinois has over 1,000 museums. Each location offers unique accounts of not only Illinois excellence but also nationally recognized artistry. These locations can be found across the regions, and their displays demonstrate the influence of every corner of the state. The art Institute of Chicago, for example, is featuring Barbara Kruger, who exposes the power dynamics of identity, desire, and consumerism through animations, photos, and more until late January. The Krannert Art Museum at the University of Illinois is hosting several temporary exhibits that highlight everything from individual artists, to themes to styles of production.

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