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MY SUN DAY NEWS

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Sun City in Huntley

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October 6, 2011

Kids at heart … and on stage

They say you’re only young once, but age is a relative thing, no? You’re only as old as you feel? What about saying it this way: You’re only as old as you act.

Dancin’ in the street

About nine years ago, Sandy Oldham (N. 12) started a dance group that today has grown to 77-80 Sun City residents. They are known as the Hoofers and Hunks and will present their 9th Annual Show at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday, October 2 and 7 p.m. Monday, October 3 in Drendel Ballroom.

Singers, dancers, costumes, and more

Normally an encore is a short set that happens after the main show, when the crowd cheers for more. But in Sun City, an encore is an entire show itself and an evening of unforgettable performances. It’s also, some say, the “hottest ticket in Del Webb.”

Carnivals and scarecrows

Huntley Fall Fest 2011 might just have you spinning … literally.

A streetcar named desire

“A Street Car Named Desire” has a whole different meaning for Sun City resident and history buff Fred Leznek. “When I was a little boy … my mother would always take me on the streetcar to go downtown, and I was always infatuated with streetcars,” Leznek said, referring to the gone-by public transportation service also known as the trolley.

A visit to the tropics

Are you hankering for some delicious food? Do you need a vacation from the everyday grind? Then it is time for you to head on down to Tropical Smoothie Café located at 12162 S IL Route 47 in Huntley. Mike and Terri Ward are the people behind the scenes of this amazing new restaurant.

A group of ‘Individuality’

Sporting their signature crisp, white shirts and colorful ties, the young barbershop quartet “Individuality” took the stage at the Cesarone residence this July, performing for the Birthday Group of Neighborhood 7, treating the Del Webb crowd to classic croons and modern melodies.

Just the best job in the world

SUN CITY – How would you like to be the President of your own wholesale business and work out of your home Monday through Friday? Meet Neighborhood 2 resident Diane Bell (Gustafson), an Independent Sales Representative carrying ten different lines of wholesale materials.

Model Railroad Club Open House

The Kishwaukee Valley and Eakin Creek Model Railroad Club of Sun City will sponsor their Fall Open House on Sunday September 18. The event is held in the basement and the adjoining rear yard of the Millgrove Woodshop at 13400 W. Sun City Blvd in Huntley IL.

Field of dreams

Downtown Huntley is known for its gazebo, farmers’ market, and establishments like The Village Inn and Luigi’s Pizzeria. Tom Heling, N.14, is trying to add one more item to that list.

All in the family

Has the heat got you feeling the blues? Well, prepare to turn that frown upside down, and mark your calendars. At 7 p.m. on September 8 in Drendel Ballroom, prepare to have your funny bone strummed and your ears tickled by the Doug Gabriel & Family show. Doug Gabriel has won Male Vocalist of the Year seven times, and his show was awarded Branson Missouri’s best morning show six years in a row.

Sunflower Garden Club donates big to local charities

The Sunflower Garden Club this year has chosen the Grafton Food Pantry and NICA (Northern Illinois Center for Autism) for their annual donations. The Grafton Food Pantry was incorporated in 2006 and is run by friends with a passion to help out their community. Their mission is to provide food items and household products to people in need of assistance and seek to improve lives through education on nutrition and smart shopping. Their new Huntley location is on Smith Drive, and they serve about 500 residents from the areas of Huntley, Lakewood, and portions of Lake in the Hills, Crystal Lake, and Algonquin.

If the ‘show’ fits

If the shoe fits, Sun City resident Sheila Gillis definitely wears it. As Celtic Club Member and Ted O’Sullivan Show Part II writer, producer, director, she wears a lot of shoes. But when you’re following in the footsteps of Ed Sullivan himself, it would take that to put on a big “shoe” like The Ted O’Sullivan Show Part II, staring Paul Runkel as Ted O’Sullivan, among his many famous guests, not the least of which includes Marilyn Monroe.

Drifting into town

Folks, when you talk about The Drifters at this point, you’re talking about 58 years of musical history and it’s a history that’s been marked by some of the great voices of American music including people like Clyde McPhatter, Bill Pinkney, Ben E. King and Johnny More. And I can’t tell you how cool it is for the Mojo Man to be here today with another one of those great voices of the Legendary Drifters, Chicago’s very own Jerry Hendrix. Jerry, thanks so much for joining me here today.

Ask the Woodchucks: Live and in person

On April 20, every workbench in the Millgrove Woodshop was covered with broken furniture and parts of furniture. Small teams of Woodchucks hovered around each bench, squinting at their projects and talking to the other team members, deciding on the best way to fix the problems.

Service with a smile

“We give our customers value and service with a smile,” says Mike Akiti, who co-owns the newly opened Butler’s restaurant with his identical twin brother, Lui.

In full ‘swing’

It’s not everyone that gets a personal phone call from Tony Bennett whenever he came to “Chicago,” to not only rub elbows with but personally know Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis. And it’s especially not everyone that’s one of only three radio announcers inducted into the Big Band Hall of Fame. But such is the life and career of Chicagoland radio announcer Denny Farrell.

The Peter Rabbit Lady

Do you remember a hedgehog by the name of Mrs. Tiggy Winkle? Please allow Sarah Hudgens of Neighborhood 3 to bring her to life as well as Peter Rabbit and Farmer McGregor.

Not all nest eggs have to be green

Add additional flair to your Easter table in less than 5 minutes with these super-easy-to-make birds’ nests—no special supplies needed! Spruce up your floral centerpiece or even top off individual place settings and treat each person at the table to their own nest filled with Easter eggs or candies. Supplies: — Brown paper shopping bag …

Making History

You could say that Sun City resident Fred Leznek of Neighborhood 18 has a “thing” for history. But after viewing his intricate and perfectly-crafted collages that will be on display in Prairie Lodge for ten days, from April 18th to the 28th, you may also add that he has a thing about art history or art and history. Nothing will take you back to the Middle Ages, Ancient Egypt, Native America, or many other popular time periods quite like Leznek’s detailed, colorful, and thought-out collages that prove a picture is worth a thousand words. And, in this case, hundreds of years.

Now what’s all this ‘nunsense’ about?

Who doesn’t like a little “nunsense” in their life now and then? So long as it’s fun, bold, and makes you laugh until you cry, there’s no harm. And in some special cases, it may even be better to make a habit of it.

Shamrocks, shenanigans, and … the Old West?

Fun, fun, fun, and more fun! That’s what the yearly St. Patrick’s Day Celtic Club plays are.

Majors & Minors

Nothing beats a good pairing. Abbott & Costello. Ginger Rogers & Fred Astaire. Tom & Jerry. Batman & Robin. The Lone Ranger & Tonto. Lucy & Desi. Bonnie & Clyde. Adam & Eve. (Although we know how those last two couples panned out.)

Abigail Adams live in Sun City April 1, no joke

Meet Abigail Adams! She’s the wife of the second President of the United States, and Jessica Michna brings her to life in the Willow Room of Meadow View Lodge at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 1.

Radio flyer

For years, Sun City resident Allen Pollack has taken to the air above Huntley as a pilot of small-engine aircraft, but with the Senate’s recent passing of the Local Community Radio Act on December 18, 2010, Pollack and Sun City resident Dorothy Litwin, along with a group of like-minded partners, may soon have their chance to take to the airwaves over Huntley in a different form, with HCR, Huntley Community Radio, a not-for-profit low-power FM (LPFM) station Pollack and others have been working hard to develop … and, well, get off the ground.

One key at a time

The thought of taking up a new instrument can seem daunting at first, with all the keys, notes, and chords looking like a foreign language. But one local music store is using different techniques to help students avoid getting lost in translation.

A sweet education

Are you a chocoholic? On the morning of February 3, you can look forward to taking home a box of chocolate-covered delectable delights made up of a colorful tray of assorted items that will be dipped in premium chocolate fondue.

In the bag

There may be a baseball bat hanging over the register and caricatures of strong Italian hand gestures hanging on the walls, but the only thing that should feel intimidated by walking into the newly opened Mel & Mars Bistro To-Go in Algonquin is your hunger. Owner Chef Mario Arevalo will make that go away real quick with a menu of Italian and Mediterranean dishes that, Arevalo said, will remind native Chicagoans of their favorite Chi-Town classics.

No strings attached

Huntley High School students and Sun City residents have been creating exquisite music together for the past 3 years. Residents such as Sam Geati of N.33, who is a member of a men’s tap-dance group called “The Hunks,” the Tall Oaks Tennis Club, the “Travelers” softball team, the 51-piece Concert Band, the 18-piece Jazz Ensemble titled “Lets Dance,” and his own trio, “Blue Skies,” has been working with the students at Huntley High School for the past year.

100 voices plus 2 shows equals perfect harmony

One hundred voices talking all at once makes cacophony. But 100 voices all singing in harmony makes the 2010 Prairie Singers Christmas concert.