GALENA?Galena Cellars Vineyard & Winery, at the hand of winemaker Christine (Chris) Lawlor-White, was honored with 19 awards, including the prestigious Governor's Cup for its Vineyard Rosé produced from Illinois-grown fruit, two Top Awards for Wines from any Appellation and seven "Best of Category" designations at the recently held 2012 Illinois State Fair Wine Competition.

Sponsored and coordinated by the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association (IGGVA), the Illinois State Fair Wine Competition was held June 25-27, 2012 at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield where nearly 400 local wines (266 commercial entries) were presented to the panel of twelve judges.

Galena Cellars had five varietals that received a double gold award (consensus gold when all judges award the wine a gold medal) and were also rated best in their category for their Blackberry, Vineyard Rosé, Eric the Red, Daffodil and Traminette wine.

In total, Galena Cellars earned one Governor's Cup, two top-awarded wines from any appellation designations, seven best of category awards, five double gold, one gold, eight silver and two bronze awards.

"We are excited and honored to receive these awards, and are especially proud of our Illinois-grown grapes and fruit," said winemaker Chris Lawlor-White.

According to IGGVA, in total, the commercial competition awarded 40 gold medals, 99 silver medals and 87 bronze medals. A ceremony and public tasting of the award-winning wines will be held Tuesday, August 14^th at the Illinois Wine Experience during the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, Illinois.

IGGVA, established in 1992, is a non-profit organization dedicated to developing the viticulture and enology interests of Illinois through information exchange and cooperation among Illinois grape producers and vintners.

The Illinois wine industry has exploded in recent years, growing from just 12 wineries in 1997 to nearly 100 today. During this time, the acreage devoted to grape production has grown at a tremendous rate, and today Illinois is consistently among the top 12 wine-producing states. Today the Illinois wine industry creates a direct economic impact of more than $319 million annually on the Illinois economy.

Galena Cellars Vineyard, established in 1990 in rural Galena, Illinois, is home to 22 different specialty grapes, many of which are hybrids developed by universities throughout the country in an effort to create a vine and grape with the hardiness needed to grow in this region. The vineyard is open to the public April through November for tours, tastings and special events. Galena Cellars also offers tasting rooms, wine patios and gift shops in downtown Galena and Geneva, Illinois.

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2012 Illinois State Fair Wine Competition Results for Galena Cellars Vineyard & Winery

Category	Wine	Vintage	Award
Hybrid Blush/Rosé	Vineyard Rosé	NV	Governor's Cup, Double Gold (Consensus Gold?all judges awarded a gold medal), Best of Category
Traminette	Traminette	2011	Top Awards for Wines from any Appellation + Double Gold (Consensus Gold?all judges awarded a gold medal) + Best of Category
La Crosse	Daffodil	2011	Double Gold (Consensus Gold?all judges awarded a gold medal), Best of Category
Marechal Foch	Eric the Red	2010	Top Awards for Wines from any Appellation + Double Gold (Consensus Gold?all judges awarded a gold medal)
Blackberry	Blackberry	2011	Double Gold (Consensus Gold?all judges awarded a gold medal), Best of Category
Sparkling, Carbonated	Frizzante di Muscat Canelli	2010	Gold
Seyval Blanc	Seyval Blanc	2011	Silver
Chardonnel	Britt White	2011	Silver
St. Croix	Vineyard Red	NV	Silver, Best of Category
Interspecific White Blends	General's White	2011	Silver
Interspecific White Blends	Oktoberfest	2011	Silver
Flower / Vegetable	Rhubarb	2012	Silver, Best of Category
	Late Harvest Riesling	2011	Silver
Flavored Dessert	May Wine	2011	Silver
Interspecific Red Blends	Vintage Red	2011	Bronze
Other Fruits	Cranberry	2011	Bronze

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Temperatures to Rise Over 100 Degrees; Governor Encourages Visits to  Cooling Centers, Wellness Checks

CHICAGO - July 5, 2012. With temperatures throughout Illinois at historic highs and surpassing 100 degrees for several days this week, Governor Pat Quinn again urged Illinois residents to take precautions to stay safe and cool. The Governor also encouraged residents to visit cooling centers and to check on family members and neighbors who are vulnerable to hot weather, including the elderly and children.

"Illinois is experiencing record-high temperatures and it is critical that people take the necessary steps to stay safe and cool during this extreme heat," Governor Quinn said. "We are all in this together and people should regularly check on their children and elderly neighbors and relatives to make sure they are safe, hydrated and keeping cool."

Governor Quinn and the Illinois Department of Public Health are encouraging Illinois residents to be conscious of and responsive to signs of heat-related illnesses. Symptoms of may include headaches, skin that is hot to the touch, increased body temperature, loss of consciousness, seizures and irregular heartbeats.

The Illinois Department on Aging also encourages relatives and friends to make daily visits or calls to senior citizens living alone. When temperatures and humidity are extremely high, seniors and people with chronic health conditions should be monitored for dehydration and other effects of extreme heat. Additionally, seniors should eat lighter meals, take longer and more frequent rests, and drink plenty of fluids.

To stay cool, avoid illness and prevent heat-related injury or death, people should increase their fluid intake but avoid drinks with caffeine, alcohol and sugar; decrease strenuous activity; and remain in air-conditioning when possible. In addition, people should avoid prolonged outdoor activity and visit the state's cooling centers if needed.

More than 120 cooling centers are open around Illinois, in order to help those without air conditioning find respite from the heat. The cooling centers are located at Illinois Department of Human Services offices throughout the state, as well as at Illinois Tollway Oases in the Chicago area. Cooling centers are open to the public during regular business hours, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Illinois Tollway Oases are available 24 hours/day.

For more information about cooling centers, call the Illinois Department of Human Services hotline at (800) 843-6154, or visit KeepCool.Illinois.gov for locations. For information about heat preparedness and cooling centers, visit the Ready Illinois website at Ready.Illinois.gov.

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July 5, 2012

BETTENDORF, Iowa - Nonprofit organizations in Scott and Rock Island counties are invited to nominate their top volunteers for the 2012 Quad City Caring Awards. The awards are presented each year by the Community Foundation of the Great River Bend to honor a select group of volunteers who have demonstrated their commitment to the betterment of our community.

This year, five volunteers will be honored. One of the awards will be given to a young volunteer under the age of 21.

"Nonprofits depend on volunteers," said Susan Skora, President and CEO of the Community Foundation. "These generous people give the community something very valuable - their time and hard work. Recognizing them for this gift is one of the happiest events of the year."

Nonprofits are encouraged to submit their nominations. A citizen committee of community leaders will select the winners. Each nonprofit that nominates an award recipient will receive a $1,000 grant from the Community Foundation in honor of the winner.

Quad City Caring Award winners will be recognized at the Community Foundation's Annual Celebration on September 25, 2012. The event will be held at the Waterfront Convention Center in Bettendorf.

Nomination forms are available at the Community Foundation office, or on the website www.cfgrb.org. Completed forms must be submitted by Aug. 10 to the Community Foundation, 852 Middle Road, Suite 100, Bettendorf, IA.

To learn more, call 563-326-2840 or visit www.cfgrb.org.

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WEST DES MOINES, IOWA - July 5, 2012 - A love for farming and serving farmers has earned LDJ Manufacturing in Pella the Iowa Farm Bureau Renew Rural Iowa entrepreneur of the month award.

"We've always loved agriculture and it's always been a part of our lives," explained Loren Van Wyk, founder of the fuel and service trailer manufacturing business. "We've also always loved to build things and improve things to make farming a better way of life."

After farming for a number of years in Marion County, Loren and his wife, Jean, started LDJ Manufacturing in 1995; building and selling trailers that could deliver fuel to farm equipment in the field. But, after carefully listening to their customers, the Van Wyks enhanced their units to allow the trailers to deliver fuel and offer storage for generators, tools, welders and more.

"Every farmer has had a dream about having a shop in the field," said Luke Van Wyk, Loren's son and LDJ general manager. "We knew we could improve our products and meet those needs in a nice, neat package."

The company employs 61 people and is growing, bringing additional jobs and revenue to the area. The Van Wyks credit many partners with their success, including Iowa State University's Center for Industrial Research and Service.  The company was nominated for the award by the Iowa Area Development Group and Pella Electric Cooperative, two businesses assisting with LDJ's current expansion.

Mary Van Zante, a Pella-area farmer and Marion County Farm Bureau president, applauds the service LDJ Manufacturing provides to farmers and the jobs created for the county. "I believe that LDJ Manufacturing is the sort of company that any rural community would be happy to welcome," she said.

Renew Rural Iowa (RRI) is an Iowa Farm Bureau Federation initiative supporting new and existing businesses through education, mentoring and financial resources. To learn more, visit www.renewruraliowa.com.

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About Iowa Farm Bureau

The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation is a grassroots, statewide organization dedicated to enhancing the People, Progress and Pride of Iowa.  More than 153,000 families in Iowa are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve farm and rural prosperity.  For more information about Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit the online Newsroom page at www.iowafarmbureau.com.