Who’s Up for an Adventure?
By Chris Streetman
Have you ever wished that time travel or teleportation would become realities during your lifetime? Well, they are. Every library has thousands of portals to different places and different times, more commonly known as books. Before you stop reading, I have another secret to share with you: it is okay to love books, and you are not alone. There is a group on campus dedicated to the love of literature called the Literary Interest Society (LIS). You may have seen the baskets of books auctioned off last month, or perhaps you saw Dr. Zanelotti being pied in the face last spring.
All of these activities come from our love for books and help us raise funds for our Shakespeare trip. Every spring, LIS embarks on an adventure to see Shakespeare’s work performed live in Chicago. The students, along with their literary guides Drs. DeWall and Greenfield, travel by train to the Windy City on a Friday. From our arrival in Chicago until we go to the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, we have ample time to explore the city.
In previous years, the literary lovers have sought out a Friday night movie with any connection to literature. Saturday night, the students regroup to share a pizza at Geno’s East and proceed to Navy Pier to take in a live performance of Shakespeare. This year, the Chicago Shakespeare Theater will present Henry V.
On Sunday morning, the tradition is to meet up at West Egg for a final brunch in the city. Then the train takes you home and your adventure has completed. But fear not, for as long as you attend McKendree, you can attend this trip. The Chicago trip may seem intimidating or daunting, but LIS works with you through fundraising activities, such as t-shirt sales or silent auctions, to make the trip affordable. As someone who’s been on this trip three times, I can vouch that it will be one of your best experiences at McKendree University. LIS also has other mini-adventures throughout the year. I believe their next adventure is to explore the world of Suzanne Collins in the next Hunger Games movie: Catching Fire (Saturday, November 23rd at 3:30 PM at O’Fallon 15 Cine).
So what are you waiting for? Join LIS and embark on the adventure of a lifetime. For more information on joining LIS or attending their next movie adventure, please contact one of the LIS officers listed below.
2013-2014 LIS Officers:
President: Lindsay Handsard (llhansard@mckendree.edu)
Vice President: Kimberly Bennett (kmbennett@mckendree.edu)
Secretary: Allison Barrows (arbarrows@mckendree.edu)
Treasurer: Justin Kennon (jpkennon@mckendree.edu)
