Oct. 3—MONTICELLO — Rick Ridings Chevrolet Buick, Monticello, has been recognized as a Mark of Excellence winner, which goes to dealer partners that do an exceptional job of earning customers for life, according to Mark Gilbert, Chevrolet senior zone manager for the North Central Region.

The recognition is earned by fewer than 17 percent of Chevrolet dealer franchises in the U.S., and Rick Ridings is among 19 in Illinois that exceeded their customer sales and service objectives, he said.

Rick Ridings Chevrolet Buick is part of Rick Ridings Auto Group, which also includes Chrysler, Jeep, Ford, Dodge and Ram vehicles.

'Tis the season

The pop-up seasonal Spirit Halloween store is back in Champaign this year, and it's now open at the Kohl's Plaza in Champaign.

Spirit Halloween sells costumes and accessories for all ages, accessories and decor items. The company website also mentions animatronics.

Spirit Halloween spokeswoman Nikki Balles said the store will close during the first week of November.

The hours are posted out front. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Coming to downtown

A new restaurant called Heavy Spoon, an ice cream and cereal bar, is moving into the former space of Aroma Cafe at 118 N. Neil St., C.

Construction work is well underway and nearing completion, according to Robert DeAtley, project manager for Heavy Spoon at Barber & DeAtley, Urbana, which is doing the carpentry work.

Heavy Spoon owner Sherard Brown said he's targeting a late-October opening.

Open house

The new VitalSkin Dermatology at 1111 W. Kenyon Road, U, will have an open house from 3 to 5 p.m. Oct. 6.

The open house will offer free checks for skin spots and advice on whether further evaluation or action is needed. There will also be tours, light refreshments, goodie bags and a chance to meet the team of providers.

"With our recent opening in Urbana, we're excited to hold this open house to introduce ourselves to the community," said dermatologist Dr. Jeremy Youse, one of the founders.

Wellness in Tuscola

Laura Coblentz, who recently launched 2 Herons Wellness Center in Tuscola, is a nurse on a mission to promote wellness.

In her last job as a supervisor for telehealth in a Michigan hospital, she noticed noboby had time to teach patients the foundation of health — such as eating a healthful diet, getting the right amount of sleep, stress relief and proper breathing, she recalled.

"They were just getting medication on top of medication," she said.

Coblentz is the operator and practitioner of 2 Herons Wellness Center at Jarman Plaza, Suite 104, at 704 N. Main St., Tuscola. She is a mother of seven and grandmother of five, has a bachelor's degree in nursing and is also a holistic health practitioner.

She has worked for multiple health systems, among them previously Presence Covenant Medical Center, the predecessor hospital of OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center.

Many of her nursing positions have been in labor and delivery, newborn nurseries, postpartum and antepartum care.

Her new center in Tuscola is offering the SHAPE ReClaimed program for people struggling with weight gain, fatigue, aches and pains, brain fog, blood sugar problems, hormone imbalances or "other frustrating symptoms"; aromatherapy, Raindrop Technique massage and Zyto technology using a medical device scanner to assess biological preferences of the body using galvanic skin response.

A grand opening is planned for 10 a.m. Oct. 8, but Coblentz said she is already seeing clients.

She's open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, but may be able to accommodate after-hours appointments upon request, she said.

Grants offered

Illinois American Water said it's taking applications for its Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Grant program.

The grants will go to selected community organizations for the purpose of advancing inclusion, diversity and equity initiatives.

To be eligible, organizations must be within Illinois American Water's service area, offer a new community initiative or be significantly expanding an existing program, promote inclusion, diversity and equity in the communities they serve and have a 501 © (3) nonprofit designation or be a government agency or public school.

The maximum grant amount is $2,500, and the deadline to apply is Nov. 1, the company said.