MY SUN DAY NEWS
Holiday fun in Sun City and Huntley!
Al La Pelusa has been the head elf for the Toy Makers group, making and delivering toys for eighteen years.
La Pelusa said, “We started the initiative in 2008, but we were making toys before that. The shop was there, but there was no charter club. A lot of work had to go into starting the club. Safety was the first consideration and still is.”
Iâm handling my heart with kid gloves this season. Iâm typically a newshound, but for the past month or so, Iâm choosing my news carefully. TV news is completely off the table for now, and Iâm being selective with print news, too. This wonât go on forever, but for right now, my heart is too raw, too tender to take on the pain and hurt of the entire world. Iâm giving myself a break.
With Christmas lurking just behind the next snowflake, I find myself waiting in breathless anticipation for The Arrival. No, itâs not Santaâs arrival that I find my heart a-flutter for. Itâs not the Star of Bethlehem or midnight madness sales or Bing Crosby film reruns. âItâs a Wonderful Lifeâ would have been a good guess, but itâs not that either.
With Christmas lurking just behind the next snowflake, I find myself waiting in breathless anticipation for The Arrival.
No, itâs not Santaâs arrival that I find my heart a-flutter for. Itâs not the Star of Bethlehem or midnight madness sales or Bing Crosby film reruns. âItâs a Wonderful Lifeâ would have been a good guess, but itâs not that either.
A holiday tradition that truly embodies the spirit of our Sun City community is the Holiday House Walk, organized by the Sunflower Garden Club. The event has become quite popular. Four hundred tickets are sold for the Walk. They go on sale at the yearly SC Artisan Faire, which is held in mid-October. The tickets sold out by early November. Each homeowner who participates in the Walk chooses a charity for which a portion of the sales will be donated. One of the homes featured this year belongs to June Vedder. Â
A holiday tradition that truly embodies the spirit of our Sun City community is the Holiday House Walk, organized by the Sunflower Garden Club.
The event has become quite popular. Four hundred tickets are sold for the Walk. They go on sale at the yearly SC Artisan Faire, which is held in mid-October. The tickets sold out by early November. Each homeowner who participates in the Walk chooses a charity for which a portion of the sales will be donated. One of the homes featured this year belongs to June Vedder. Â
Every year around Christmas, the women, and even a few boys, of Sun City resident Linda Dungeyâs family merge to bake holiday cookies. Dungey said, âMy sister, Joan, and her friend, Debby, started baking cookies for Christmas forty-two years ago. They were both teachers, and after school for several days, they would get together and bake cookies in the evening. The tradition grew to include family members. Later, an annual date was set to help with the planning. It is scheduled for the first Saturday in December. We have only skipped one, 2020.â
Every year around Christmas, the women, and even a few boys, of Sun City resident Linda Dungeyâs family merge to bake holiday cookies.
Dungey said, âMy sister, Joan, and her friend, Debby, started baking cookies for Christmas forty-two years ago. They were both teachers, and after school for several days, they would get together and bake cookies in the evening. The tradition grew to include family members. Later, an annual date was set to help with the planning. It is scheduled for the first Saturday in December. We have only skipped one, 2020.â
Like all hectic Christmas seasons, plans can be dashed in an instant. Sadly, dear readers, this was the case with this review. The allure of a Barbenheimer experience with Wicked and Gladiator II is just not in the cards. And unfortunately, some of the latest awards hopefuls were a week or two away on streaming to catch in time for deadline. But, regardless of those setbacks, no fear here. Upon browsing through the annals of Netflix, I found a couple appropriately themed movies and specials just in time for a night-in with friends or a slow evening alone.
As the holidays are fast approaching, Iâm struggling to find the perfect gifts for my aging parents. Although they are still independent, they are not thriving as much as they used to. My mom has a passion for gardening, and my dad loves to tinker with various projects. They used to be avid adventurers, but theyâre not traveling as much these days.
Welcome, December! Hopefully everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Many new and exciting things are happening in and around the Huntley areas! Create lasting memories during this wonderful season. Wishing everyone safe and happy Holidays!
Another year bites the dust. It is a time for reflecting on old times and fond memories. Being the foodies that we are, our thoughts go to past tasty dishes. We remember the good old days, when breakfast cereals didnât try to hide the sugar, such as Sugar Pops and Sugar Smacks. We remember past food fads, such as when anything and everything could be encased in a Jell-O mold. We reminisce about food favorites from our childhood such as fried baloney on Wonder Bread. Since Wonder bread is no longer available here, our neighbors Mary and Bruce on their trips back to the East coast bring us a loaf. And if thatâs not enough, even our son sends us loaves by Fed Ex from Florida.
Note: The views expressed in these political submissions do not reflect those of the Sun Day, its staff, or those associated to the Sun Day.
Letters for the week of December 19.
Many Sun City residents fondly recall the train display at Prairie Lodge. This year, the Model Railroad Club has a special gift for all.  “Our Christmas surprise to the community will be a train layout set up under the tree on Friday, November 25. It will be a G-scale train layout, a project we’ve all been eagerly working on, Joe Vavra announced. The project coordinators, Dale Svoboda and Mike Nicholson, planned this year’s display and the train’s return.Â
Many Sun City residents fondly recall the train display at Prairie Lodge. This year, the Model Railroad Club has a special gift for all. Â
“Our Christmas surprise to the community will be a train layout set up under the tree on Friday, November 25. It will be a G-scale train layout, a project we’ve all been eagerly working on, Joe Vavra announced.
The project coordinators, Dale Svoboda and Mike Nicholson, planned this year’s display and the train’s return.Â
I am fortunate to still have both my parents, who have been married for 66 years. Mom is 89 and Dad just turned 95. Back in November, finishing up Dadâs birthday cake at my sisterâs large dining room table, we reminisced about our childhoods.
I am fortunate to still have both my parents, who have been married for 66 years. Mom is 89 and Dad just turned 95.
Back in November, finishing up Dadâs birthday cake at my sisterâs large dining room table, we reminisced about our childhoods.
Letâs face it, thereâs really no excuse, is there? If you want to get from point A to point B, just follow the directions and everything will come out alright. That turkey you want to roast? Just buy the right bird, season it according to the recipe, check the temperature and the time, and youâll be fine.
Letâs face it, thereâs really no excuse, is there? If you want to get from point A to point B, just follow the directions and everything will come out alright.
That turkey you want to roast? Just buy the right bird, season it according to the recipe, check the temperature and the time, and youâll be fine.
Food traditions can connect family members across generations. Traditional Christmas foods worldwide include Italyâs Feast of Seven Fishes and Englandâs Christmas pudding. Another family food tradition might be rising before the sun and making frybread or tamales for hundreds of others, or simply eating a particular food or beverage together over conversation. Food connects us, and its preparation and consumption are activities that can bridge members of multiple generations.
John Zingale, a Sun City resident, was in New York on September 11, 2001. âI was at work, and I always had on the radio. Over the airways came the news that the first tower was hit. I knew that this was no accident; no plane could accidentally fly into the building,â he said.
John Zingale, a Sun City resident, was in New York on September 11, 2001.
âI was at work, and I always had on the radio. Over the airways came the news that the first tower was hit. I knew that this was no accident; no plane could accidentally fly into the building,â he said.
With the holidays here, many Americans experience escalating stress, crowded calendars, and increased demandsâleading to decreased hours of sleep and less opportunity to get that coveted âlong winterâs napâ mentioned in The Night Before Christmas. Is that a problem?
Jim is the king of all procrastinators. We have a fluorescent light fixture in our closet that has been flickering and probably sending out Morse Code from some alien civilization. The messages finally stopped when the last bulb burned out. Time to get Jimâs lazy butt up on the ladder to replace it. First step is to go to a big box store on Randall Road to buy light bulbs.
Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving as we head into the thick of holiday season. Gift shopping and festive gatherings mingle and jostle for our attention amid a flurry of friends, family, and significant others. And with the shortened time span between the last shindig and the next, itâs enough to leave your head spinning. Plus with the polar blast we had this past week, you might not want to leave the house in the bitter evenings. For that, I have some viewing recommendations that are both entertaining and seeking some awards attention.
About seven years ago, Sun City resident Ken Kenny started seriously looking into his ancestry and meticulously following the trail where documents led him.  Kenny said, “I started in 2017, and when I retired, I devoted much time to it. It was like fitting puzzle pieces. I was cautious. You can’t trust everything. It gets complicated with marriages, but it’s satisfying when it’s right.”
About seven years ago, Sun City resident Ken Kenny started seriously looking into his ancestry and meticulously following the trail where documents led him. Â
Kenny said, “I started in 2017, and when I retired, I devoted much time to it. It was like fitting puzzle pieces. I was cautious. You can’t trust everything. It gets complicated with marriages, but it’s satisfying when it’s right.”
The old adage says that if we love something, we should set it free. That saying runs through my mind these days, as I take my high school daughter to tour prospective colleges. For one day, she tries each campus on like an outfit, checking to see if itâs the right fit.
The old adage says that if we love something, we should set it free.
That saying runs through my mind these days, as I take my high school daughter to tour prospective colleges. For one day, she tries each campus on like an outfit, checking to see if itâs the right fit.
I blame the good people at Empire Flooring for sucking all the joy out of vacuuming. To be clear, I found the Empire team all to be good people when they came to rip out the carpets in my house and replace them with laminate flooring. Those weary, well-weathered carpets were long overdue to be replaced, and just watching the Empire team pull them up made me want to call a hazmat team as a backup.
I blame the good people at Empire Flooring for sucking all the joy out of vacuuming.
To be clear, I found the Empire team all to be good people when they came to rip out the carpets in my house and replace them with laminate flooring. Those weary, well-weathered carpets were long overdue to be replaced, and just watching the Empire team pull them up made me want to call a hazmat team as a backup.
Woodchuck members brought back ribbons from the Illinois State Fair, which took place this year in mid-August. Â Â The awards were quite notable. Ed Cuttle won the prestigious âBest of Showâ Best Exhibit in Crafts for the second year. Mike Shortridge, Vice-President of the Woodchucks, said, “When Ed won last year the âBest of Show’ we were excited, but this year’s win validates the workmanship, quality and beauty of the submitted pieces.â
Woodchuck members brought back ribbons from the Illinois State Fair, which took place this year in mid-August. Â Â
The awards were quite notable.
Ed Cuttle won the prestigious âBest of Showâ Best Exhibit in Crafts for the second year. Mike Shortridge, Vice-President of the Woodchucks, said, “When Ed won last year the âBest of Show’ we were excited, but this year’s win validates the workmanship, quality and beauty of the submitted pieces.â
Ninety-five members from the Huntley community, many from Sun City, belong to the Huntley Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association (HCPAAA). President of HCPAAA, Pamela Cortez, said, “Our role is to create a safer community through enhanced communication and partnerships between the citizens and the police through education. All our members are required to take the Citizen Police Academy (CPA). Citizen’s Police Academy course offered by the Huntley Police Department.”
Ninety-five members from the Huntley community, many from Sun City, belong to the Huntley Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association (HCPAAA).
President of HCPAAA, Pamela Cortez, said, “Our role is to create a safer community through enhanced communication and partnerships between the citizens and the police through education. All our members are required to take the Citizen Police Academy (CPA). Citizen’s Police Academy course offered by the Huntley Police Department.”
The Prairie Singers are back again to help ring in “The Warmth of the Holidays.â The renowned Sun City Prairie Singers, a large bass, tenor, alto, and soprano choral group with a membership of 85, will perform their holiday concert on December 14, at 1 p.m. at the Huntley High School auditorium. This is a rare opportunity to witness their biannual performance.
The Prairie Singers are back again to help ring in “The Warmth of the Holidays.âÂ
The renowned Sun City Prairie Singers, a large bass, tenor, alto, and soprano choral group with a membership of 85, will perform their holiday concert on December 14, at 1 p.m. at the Huntley High School auditorium. This is a rare opportunity to witness their biannual performance.
It was a beautiful fall afternoon. The leaves on the trees were changing colors and the air was fresh and crisp. We just finished taking down our Halloween decorations and our stomachs started to grumble. Our friends told us about a restaurant in Sycamore. We sped off to Natâs on Maple to have lunch and check out the fall colors.
Hello, dear readers, I expected to be writing a very different topic this week. But due to events out of my control I wasnât able to get to the subject I had in mind. That being said, the emotionally heavy story of Disclaimer also became a deterrent. However, I may get back to it in the future. But, for now, I would like to touch on something that has been speculated over and over again: the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Iâm an elderly husband caring for my wife, who has dementia, and Iâm facing a challenge that I hope you can help with. Her condition seems to be worsening, and one of the difficulties weâre encountering is getting her dressed each day.
