How to control arthritis and its pain as we age

Healthline.com explains that there are more than 100 different types of arthritis. The three main ones being osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Each type may develop differently, but all can cause pain and joint deformity and movement loss. Age, family genes, sex (women have larger numbers of these diseases) often do not allow the prevention of arthritis.

Model Railroad Charter Club receives support for outdoor train display

Kishwaukee Valley & Eakin Creek Model Railroad Club Charter Club has a lot to give thanks for this year.

Larry Rostis, at a Charter Club’s Presidents Meeting earlier in the year, had asked what avenues were available to help with rebuilding and maintain the club’s outdoor G-scale train display.

Veterans Memorial Field sign finished

In June, 2022, the Sun City Board reviewed proposals for a new sign at the recently renamed Veterans Memorial Field. The initial designs were six feet tall and nine feet wide and came in at $85,000. Board President Berendt commented “I’m shocked at the price.” Board Member McGouey asked “what are our options?”

Unique Huntley turkey festival draws crowds from across the country

The Huntley Parkside Café has hosted a unique Thanksgiving Eve event since 1983: the Turkey Testicle Festival. This year it is held on November 23, from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Alan Scott, Sun City resident, has a tradition of attending the event every year with family, friends, or even alone.

Freeman said, “I planned my routes and started walking, but only got through about 90 percent of the community. I decided to start fresh in 2022. I got a new map and started walking.”

How did she do?

Jumping to the top of the banned book list

As a retired high school English teacher who taught the classic Ray Bradbury novel “Fahrenheit 451” several times, I cringe every time I read of efforts to ban books in our present-day America.

And the news has been pretty cringe-worthy lately.

Volunteers craft cards for Veterans

Sun City residents welcomed the New Charter Club Sun City Veterans Club. The Club has had over 150 residents join. The first event hosted by the new club is a luncheon honoring WWII & Korean War Vets on Veterans Day November 11.

Once more, another Sun City Club volunteered to work together to make this event special.

Sun City Grafton Food Pantry drive a success

On October 13, the Sun City Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC) hosted a community wide food drive to benefit Grafton Food Pantry. This was the first time the event was held. A committee was formed and the ideas came flooding in on how to make this idea a reality. Over 40 Sun City residents volunteered and braved the cooler temperatures and wind to assist with the drive-thru operations at Fountainview.

Pickleball, Tennis issues remain unsolved

At the October 26 Sun City Board meeting, the board received the report from the Ad Hoc committee that was established last June to study the usage of the tennis and pickleball courts. Board members Ryden, Lambert and Berendt were joined by staff members Loughran and O’Toole on the committee. The committee was tasked with exploring the Pickleball Charter Club’s request for more courts.

Autoimmune disorders: Important facts to know, part 2

In October, MedlinePlus.gov provided concise and critical facts to know about autoimmune disorders. With more than 80 types of these disorders presently listed, a brief definition of the problem follows: “An autoimmune disorder occurs when the body’s immune system attacks and destroys healthy body tissue by mistake.”

Huntley new deep-well progress

At the October 13 Village Board Meeting the Board took the necessary governmental steps forward that will lead to the new Water Well #13 and the accompanying Water Treatment Plant.

According to Timothy Farrell, Village Director of Public Works, “the new well and treatment plant will be located roughly 1,000 feet east and 200 feet north of the current terminus of Regency Parkway.”

Icing on the cake

Sun City resident Amy Rohr celebrated her 95th birthday on September 23.

Many Sun City residents know her from her beautiful sculptures that have been displayed outside the ClayGround studio. She also was a golfer until a few years ago.

Rohr said, “When we first walked down the hallway of the Prairie Lodge and saw all the activities, my husband, Charles, said ‘Amy is going to be a very busy bee here.’”

The tamale man and a surplus of riches

Autumn is here. The evening air is cool, fragrant and inviting, and it reminds me of those October walks that I took with Dad when I was just a kid.

Dad was an outdoorsman, and October marked the passage between the summer’s fishing trips and November’s hunting outings. Sometimes after dinner, he would walk the mile or so from our house to a pair of sporting goods stores—Mages and Klein’s, right across the street from each other on Harlem, a block or so north of Grand Avenue.

Street-level discipline

Sun City resident Frank Ardito worked with the Chicago Commission on Youth Welfare, where he became involved in many of the leading social issues in Chicago.

Ardito said, “During the sixties, the United States battled with controversy over the Vietnam War, cultural values, and race. The country was polarized. It was a difficult time in our history.”

Autoimmune disorders and more research needed, part 1

Current research on how the body’s immune system can go wrong is now being studied in research labs across the world. The labs’ discoveries are teaching the medical field the changing way medicine can understand everything from Covid-19 to heart disease.

McHenry County officials voice disapproval for IL House Bill 3447

For those unfamiliar with House Bill 3447 (HB 3447), one of its goals would be to reclassify small amounts of drug possession, including heroin and cocaine, from a low-level Class 4 felony to a Class A misdemeanor.

Sun City Softball honors vets

Glenn Groebli began a tradition in 2016, honoring Sun City veterans at Eakin Field with a softball game. As with other events, the event skipped a beat in 2020. The tradition marked its fifth year on Saturday, September 25.

Groebli kicked off the event by giving thanks to the people who prepared and put the event together: Wayne Wagner, Phil Haugens, Gary Krewer, Jim Czysz, Phil Miller, and Leo Ouellette. Recognizing the veterans in attendance, Groebli said, “We call them heroes because today, as we look around the problems of the world, we are still and will always be, the best country in the world due to the heroes you will meet today. May we never forget the men and women that served our country.”

It’s a ‘Shore’ thing audiences will have a blast watching ‘Anything goes’

Tickets for the Sun City Theatre Company’s fall production of Anything Goes will once again go on sale starting on Oct. 17 and on Nov. 7 from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Cedar Room located in Prairie Lodge/Fountain View.

How one Sun City resident became a color consultant

The post-coronavirus pandemic time has seen an increase in entrepreneurial activity. A record 5.4 million applications were filed to form new businesses in 2021 based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Business Formation Statistics; the biggest increase in the last ten years. QuickBooks projects “As many as 17 million new small businesses could be set up in 2022.”

The advantages and limitations of the antiviral, Paxlovid

The October 2022 Consumer Reports, On Health, gives us a brief report on the effectiveness and limitation of the antiviral Covid-19 drug treatment of Paxlovid.

The Healthcare Savvy article tells explains, “For people at high risk of severe COVID-19, including seniors and those with chronic health issues, Pfizer’s Paxlovid – a prescription antiviral authorized for emergency use in December 2021 – has been a game changer.”