Neighborhood 18 celebrates ten years
On Oct. 10, Neighborhood 18 (Monarch Ridge) celebrated their 10th year as neighbors. Known as The Neighborhood That Cares, approximately 90-plus residents attended this special event in the Drendel Ballroom. Our Activity Committee planned this special event, inviting all our neighbors and included former neighbors who lived here and moved.
The room was beautifully decorated, using our “Monarch Butterfly” motif. Entertainment was provided by Mario, as he provided entertainment for us for our Holiday Parties in the past.
A special encore performance of our N-18 Flashmob that was originally performed in the Prairie Lodge on August 19 was a surprise treat! We had so much fun doing it originally, and again on this special night.
A DVD on a very large screen played all night showing so many of our past events.
It was a wonderful evening!
Marlene Pilger
Neighborhood 18
Neighborhood 18, a.k.a. Monarch Ridge, received its largest wave of new residents in 2004. Earlier this year, its Activities Planning Committee, under Barbara Helzing, began working on a ten-year anniversary celebration. Conveniently, October 10 was an ideal date for the planned “10/10 Banquet”. Drendel Ballroom and Jameson Catering were available on that date. Although it could not have been predicted back in February, the weatherman also cooperated with a cool, calm, and dry atmosphere. We can thank the main coordinator Kitty Bell and her helpers for all but the weather.
Neighborhood chairperson Ken Kalscheur was the master of ceremonies for this event attended by almost 100 current and former residents. He emphasized that the celebration was for the neighborhood and not those who had been living in it for ten years. Ken coordinated the orchestration of the group for a picture of all.
The backdrop for the evening was a slide show prepared by Georgann Humpa. She received a few thousand pictures from various N18 photographers. The show rotated through several hundred pictures of residents at prior activities and events in the Monarchs’ active history, as well as scenes from the construction phase ten years ago.
The food was, as expected, delicious and was downed with the aid of wine provided to each table. A very nice touch was a cookie showing the outline of a monarch butterfly decorating each place setting. Joni Riley deserves credit for obtaining this nice memento. Some of these may get eaten but most likely they will be saved as souvenirs.
Mario once again provided the musical entertainment and those still able danced to the music he played, from the Macarena and electric slide to a polka, with oldies and current hits scattered through the night.
Attendees began talking, half-humorously, of doing this again in ten years. Wiser ones said “why wait ten years — let’s do it again in five.”
Herm Faubl
Neighborhood 18
A Stingray Visit to Naperville’s Centennial Beach: A Humorous Adventure Story
On Aug. 3, five brave Stingrays set out early, about 9 a.m., for a “Two Hour Adult Float Program” at Naperville’s huge municipal swimming pool set in a former abandoned (double in shape and size) stone quarry.
Susan Koprowski, Sandy Sterling, Margarete Liedtke, and Nancy Cihlar all arrived in quick succession at Joanie Koplos’ home. Nancy had excited the group with her idea, and now it was time to discover what this float “thing” was all about!
After the Nissan Rogue’s rear trunk door had successfully stuffed all of the ladies’ belongings in enough to allow the hatch to shut, the Sun Citians were ready to take-off. And take-off they did!
Crammed into a single car with floats inflated and spread throughout the mid-size car, the Stingray ladies were courageous indeed! Just outside the security area of Sun City, as the Sting driver, J.K., made her turn onto Highway 47, a roaming police car was sighted by the group. The vision of the Huntley “cop” auto sent shivers up and down our seniors’ spines. All that was needed by the officer was a glance in the direction of the red 2011 auto. The idea of a possible ticket coming their way for blocked driver vision was on the mind of each five-some present.
Luckily, no infringement of safe driving was noted by our Huntley official and the group proceeded to the Northwest Tollway. Instead, after arriving one hour later at the spectacular-sized outdoor pool, a fabulous time was had by all with near-perfect weather to boot!
The water temp was great, but due to Centennial Pool’s minimum circulation and filtration, our swimmers did have lots of difficulty seeing the pool’s bottom.
Oh well, for almost all of the allotted time, most of our tankers had planned to take time off of swimming and float after all! Not having guided swim lines centered and painted at the bottom of the two swim lanes also tested the few Stingrays who managed to attack their laps.
Well we did say that they were a wild and adventurous group! After eating a delicious outside meal in the downtown area of Naperville, our Lady Stings arrived home grateful at last for Prairie Lodge’s and MeadowView’s aquatic pools!
Joanie Koplos
Stingray Member
A Rocky Mountain autumn high!
Perhaps there is no more breath-taking display of fall foliage then when Aspen trees illuminate the Colorado Rockies with their brightly tinted golden leaves each autumn season. The thickly forested mountains of Vail, Beaver Creek, and Arrowhead Ski areas, located in the central part of the state, contrast the Aspen’s leaves brilliance in color with the deep green hues of the neighboring evergreens.
A few weeks ago, my husband and I were privileged to enjoy this magnificent sight for the first time since purchasing our Vail/Edwards condo twenty-five years ago. Though the deep orange/red/rust-colored leaves of the fall Midwest red maple and white and red oaks are absent, Mother Nature’s regal golden velvet cloak worn in the region each October is not to be missed! Next fall, do consider a trip to Colorado’s high country, just west of Vail Pass. Experience for yourself a Rocky Mountain Autumn High! You won’t be disappointed!
Joanie Koplos
Sun City resident
