A new year, a new you, a new year’s resolution … or maybe not!

The Merriam-Webster definition of New Year’s resolution: a promise to do something differently in the New Year. About 40% of American people make New Year’s resolutions to make themselves better people.

This tradition did not originate here in America. Historical documents show that the Babylonians made promises to the gods for the New Year hoping to get a favor in return for their promise such as getting out of debt.

Deck the…

“Music and merriment go right together,” according to Ed Richards. This is evident from the very first step into the Richards’ holiday house, known for its extensive holiday happiness.

Suddenly a Star

Joe Nitti knows how to entertain.

“I can do the Fox Trot but not show dancing,” he said. He continued to explain his success: “I thank Barbara O’Neil, she is a gift from God,” Nitti praises. “She is patient with me.”

Huntley historical rumors explained

Every once in awhile, the Sun Day must crack some cases. Following is the result of our most recent research.

SSA

A few times a week, Joe Marmion picks up the phone and talks to his friend Lorraine, an 85-year old resident of Sun City. He checks in with her and they chat; once a week, the two of them get together and go somewhere, or just spend time together.

60 years together: A New York love story

The love story of Lewis and Carole begins at a train station in New York.

“We used to see each other casually because, for some reason, we used to take the same train home. I used to see her on the platform, and she used to see me on the platform,” said Lewis. “Every Friday, I would get flowers for my mom, and she would see me with the flowers. So we got to talking, and I made a date with her.”

From here, Lewis and Carole’s story took a strange turn down an unexpected track.

Little Free Library ‘opens doors’ in Sun City

Want to shorten your trip to the Huntley public library? Want to contribute a book to the library? Take a book home to read? Return a book?

Many Sun Citians are readers, and now the Huntley Public Library, with help from an area Eagle Scout candidate, is bringing library services to a Sun City neighborhood.

Mirror, mirror on the wall

If you’re close to 60 or older, you understand the disconnect between your own perception of your age and your actual age. It’s easy being a beauty at 16, but at 60, it takes some care and work.

Sheila Osborne gave away some of the secrets for ageless skin recently in a class here in Sun City.

The Hot Air Balloon Ride: Checking it off the Bucket List

Ah, the bucket list. Don’t we all have one as we look back on our lives, and start wondering what other adventure to have while we are still able? As seniors, we start thinking about time being such a precious, limited quantity.

So, two of my brave women friends from Sun City, Jennifer Galloway and Betsy Davis, and I signed up for a hot air balloon ride with Nostalgia Ballooning Ltd. out of the Hampshire, Sky Soaring Airport just down the road.

Mason jar mania

Forget fast food and BPA-laden food storage containers for good! Joyce Lande, certified nutritionist and Kitchen coach introduced some new ideas to Sun City residents in her class presentation “Mason Jar Food Fun.”

“I want to ensure nutritional meals for families. And I will show you with Mason jars some quick and easy meals snacks and desserts,” she said.

But today, a new method of recognition has emerged – and it’s even making some of the vets cry.

Heart to heart

Margitta (Kitty) Rizzo and her granddaughter, Maddy Popp, share a certain kind of heart: a caring one.

This time, it’s Popp who is in the spotlight.

Huntley’s Angels

There is a remarkable group of women who are impacting in our community.

Sun City Pilot Honored with Prestigious Wright Brothers Award

Steven Seaman enlisted for the United States Air Force straight out of high school, before he had ever even taken a plane ride. It was 1965, and Seaman remembers boarding the plane that would take him to bootcamp.

“I thought to myself, ‘This is pretty neat, these airplane things,’” he said. “I remember the sound of the gears and the flaps coming up.”

A Duck Tail

As spring begins, mother Mallard ducks lay eggs in parks, planters, and other usual spots.

This year, Sun City resident Gilberto Raffanti and his dog, Basil, discovered a duck nest with six eggs in their own back yard. That discovery was the beginning of an adventure that dominated Raffanti’s life for almost a month.

Was Kilroy here?

Gather ’round, Sun Citians, and I’ll tell you a tale from World War II.

If you were a GI in the early forties, you no doubt remember one of the war’s most famous phrases – Kilroy Was Here. On this 46th anniversary of Memorial Day, let us reminisce a little.

In a heartbeat

In the middle of the night, 28 year-old Cindy Heigl found herself having emergency surgery without anesthesia to replace a faulty pacemaker. Awake, bruised, and scared, she uttered the only prayer she could muster: “Help me, help me, God,” Then, “Fix me, fix me…”

Now, Heigl’s book, In a Heartbeat: My Miraculous Experience of Sudden Cardiac Arrest recounts her experience in 2014 when a wire in her pacemaker broke, causing her to flatline twice, for nearly 5 minutes.

No milling around

Practicing extravagant tap dancing, incorporating live music, and sustaining a vibrant crew and cast, the Theatre Company of Sun City is as determined as Millie herself as they take on their spring production.

Radioactive

You’ve seen them onstage, but now you can enjoy their performances from anywhere in the world.

The Radio Players are a new extension of the Sun City Theater Company, and their show, Vintage Voices, debuted its second season on Huntley Community Radio this month.

Refresh button

Social media is a popular way to keep up with friends and relatives, near and far. But while sharing photos and status updates and other information is a fun way to keep in touch on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, the Huntley Police Department reminds residents to be mindful about the information you post online.

How to outsmart common computer repair scams

In the last six months, we have had a steady flow of members come into the computer club reporting that they have been the victim of a computer scam. In this scam, they receive a phone call or they get a pop-up on the computer screen telling you that a problem has been detected, and they should call the number they display.

Sun City resident takes aim at domestic violence in the workplace

While sitting in the break room, a co-worker confides in you that she is being beaten at home by her boyfriend. Even worse, he may show up at her job, and she is scared.

Fight or Flight

On December 1, Delta Airlines announced that it is resuming flights to Havana, Cuba, as part of the thawing of relations between the United States and its close Caribbean neighbor.

What does this have to do with anything in Sun City?

It is the final chapter in a story that started for a Sun City resident in 1984.

Do you hear what I hear?

Sun City residents share unique Christmas memories.

Booking it in advance

Huntley residents will be invited to “Take a Book, Return a Book,” when three new Little Free Libraries are installed in spring of 2017.

Once a Marine, always a Marine

You’ve heard the well-known mantra of a famous American military branch – “Once a Marine, Always a Marine.” It’s almost as prominent as “Semper Fi.”

One of the best examples of this legendary tradition is right here in Sun City, and she is still living it, at the age of 93. She started her journey in the Corps in 1943, and it reached an exciting climax in 2016, this past August.

Time to get in line

There’s going to be a Halloween party at Drendel Ballroom on October 25. Starts at 6 p.m. Costumes are optional.

Chances are, most folks will probably show up as Dracula, Frankenstein, a Ghostbuster, goblin, skeleton, or a famous entertainer or politician, with fake beards and noses, and maybe “extreme” face painting. Someone will probably put cemetery and haunted house noises on the PA system.

So, what’s the occasion?

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