“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. 

“I 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,” he said.

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 awards were quite notable.

Ed Cuttle won the prestigious “Best of Show” Best Exhibit in Crafts for the second year. Mike Shortridge, Vice-President of the Woodchucks, said, “When Ed won last year the ‘Best of Show’ we were excited, but this year’s win validates the workmanship, quality and beauty of the submitted pieces.”

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 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.

Carol Finckle reprises the role of Golde, the brusque and long-suffering wife of Tevye. Finckle portrayed Golde on the Sun City stage before, 18 years ago. She says she is thrilled to return to the role for Fiddler, which she considers a timeless, timely, and important staple of musical theater.

Micheli shared, “My trip was four days and three nights, and it was the trip of a lifetime. It was an experience that moved me to tears, a journey that touched my heart in ways I never thought possible.”

Micheli recounts his transformative journey to Washington, D.C., with other veterans on the honor flight.

If you’ve endured colonoscopies before and never want to hear another gruesome word about it, I urge you to turn the page, enjoy the rest of your chocolate pudding cup, and read the Dining Duo column, which always examines meals as entrées and never as exits.

Ken Kalscheur, President of the Veterans Charter Club, shared his enthusiasm.

Jim Uszler, Sun City resident and member of the Rotary Club, said, “Just recently, we held a coat drive for the Grafton Food Pantry patrons who need coats.”

The headline above was the title of a Nov. 2023 research study on the relationship between health and exercise which has since been collaborated by other studies this year. The study provided some surprising, but reassuring, news about heart health and exercise. It turns out that indeed replacing sitting with as little as a few minutes of moderate exercise can definitely improve heart health — and it doesn’t take much!

“I can’t resist Mary Engelbreit, a favorite for Halloween and other holidays,” Tracy said.

Mary Engelbreit is a famous artist and illustrator known for her whimsical drawings and inspirational quotes that have appeared on various products for over 40 years. Tracy is a supportive fan.

Ary said, “We needed 10-12 men or women for a two-day interview commitment to a new project at Heineman Middle School.”

Among the Sun City residents who generously shared their unique experiences were Jill McCarron, Todd Kate, Esther Skeggs, Alex Schank, Adrianne Kaplan, Kenn Ellis, Ken Such, Duane Fontana, Bob Olesen, and Nedra Reeves.

Geiss was introduced to the producer, Mark Roling, through a friend. Roling has worked with Hollywood stars, including Clint Eastwood, on films like The Bridges of Madison County. Roling was interested in casting Geiss in the movie. 

Bill Niemasz, Sun City Board President, said, “The Lifestyle Committee seems to have put together an action-packed event that is worth the twenty-five-year wait.”

Leopold moved into Sun City in 1999. He said, “We were interested in Del Webb since [wife] Gini’s parents bought a Del Webb home in Arizona where we planned to buy. Then we heard that Del Webb was building in Huntley. We selected our house from an artist’s conception at the Outlet Mall. We were the third to close on our home on April 19, 1999.”

Nearly half of adults over the age of 50 report knee pain in a one-year period with osteoarthritis (OA) being the most common cause. OA happens when the cushioning (cartilage-lining of joints) breaks down faster than your body can build it back up. Outside of knee replacement, medical treatment has focused on methods to relieve pain and stimulate the cushioning that the body’s cartilage naturally provides.

Schwan recently won two gold medals in two Illinois Senior Olympics competition singles for age 75 plus. Illinois Senior Olympics conducts the games, offering with many sports for ages 50 and above.

Lakomek, a Sun City resident, is not just a cookbook collector, but a dedicated one.

“I have been cooking from my cookbooks since the 1980s, although the collection part didn’t start until 2003,” she said. “But once it did, there was no turning back.”

Busboom said, “My claim to fame is that out of the 350 castles in the United States, I have a working drawbridge. Disney has a drawbridge that was raised once, but has not been used since. My drawbridge is 10 1/2 feet tall, 5 feet wide, 4.5 inches thick, weighs 660 pounds, and is held together with 180 stainless steel bolts. The ‘portcullis’ is the counterweight and picks up 700 pounds of scrap iron when it reaches the halfway mark. A trumpet fanfare plays when the drawbridge is lowered.”

Nelson said, “Because our parish is relatively small, we used to join with a larger parish hosting the walk, but only 10 or 12 people from our parish would travel from Hampshire to walk with us.”