HAPL’s Doug Cataldo speaks at Computer Club

Doug Cataldo, the Huntley Library Marketing Director, was the guest speaker at the March meeting of the Sun City Computer Club.

Cataldo spoke of the enhancements found in the library since it’s complete renovation. According to Cataldo, “New seating areas, conference room, private study rooms, a recording studio, and a creative studio have been added.”

Pub 47 new management hosts special event for SC residents

Sean Hand, the managing partner of Pub 47, sent a resident appreciation invite to Sun City for an event that included a free buffet with sweet treats from the local bakery, Blessed Little Kitchen. The event held on Thursday, March 3, invited residents to try their updated menu.

Hand said, “We filled up quickly, in a couple of days we had our limit of 100. I took down names and emails of those we couldn’t accommodate this time. I am hoping to do this again soon for the residents we couldn’t fit in.”

Slava to Ukraine

Sun City residents Joseph and Mila Kacher are watching the unbelievable footage of an invasion of their birth country. The Kachers immigrated to the United States in 1978, and although they left their country 44 years ago, the Russian invasion deeply affects them.

Mila said, “We decided to come to the United States in 1978 when the USA opened the borders. We were lucky. Seven of us left. My husband and I with our 3-year-old daughter, my mother, his parents, and my sister-in-law. We had a friend from Kyiv living in Chicago, and he took us in for 6 months. My husband was a Tool and Die Maker and found a job quickly. I became a nurse, getting a bachelor’s degree from the University of St. Francis.”

Regency development revisited

A lengthy portion of the February 24 Huntley Village Board meeting was a presentation by Lynd Living and the proposed development of Regency Square. Before the presentation could begin, Village Trustee Niko Kanakaris announced his partial ownership of BO2 Investments, the present owners of the property, and recused himself from any discussion or votes regarding the property. Kanakaris left the meeting.

Sun City Board discusses Whisper Creek, finances

The February 2022 Sun City Board meeting began with a bombshell announcement that Whisper Creek Golf Course is for sale. Whisper Creek General Manager, Dominic Flood, confirmed the report and further replied with a “No comment” when asked about the announcement.

Board members made reports on the Advisory Committees that they support. Dottie Harrison reported that the Charter Club Presidents Council is meeting on Friday, March 4, and that the Charter Club Expo will be on August 30.

One Sun City FB group can’t get enough of popular word game

One of The Wildflower Lake Neighbors’ Facebook Group Page Administrators, Mark Schinler, introduced a new challenge on Facebook: “Wordle, A Daily Word Game Click the NY Times link below to play. You have six tries to guess a target five-letter word. All players have the same target word to solve. Get bragging rights for the best score in this fun and simple-to-play, yet challenging game.”

Wordle is a simple online game that’s gained traction in the world and has captured Sun City residents’ interest also. It’s free, fun, and feverishly addictive.

Adams said, “I’m excited to share my passion for FUN ART with residents of Sun City.”

Do you ever wonder if there’s anything you could do with an empty wine bottle? Adams does.

COVID chaos on the roads

THE WEEK, January 21, 2022, Volume 22 Issue 1062, admonishes the pandemic for having caused a great deal of the dramatic increase in speeding, reckless driving, and deadly crashes on America’s highways, city avenues, and even residential streets. The trusted magazine states these amazing and tragic facts: “In 2020, despite millions of workers staying home and traffic plummeting, there were an estimated 38,680 U.S. auto-related deaths – a 7 percent increase from 2019.”

Online word game spells out L-O-V-E for transatlantic couple

Rose DeMay wasn’t looking for romance. But an online word game laid the groundwork for an unlikely friendship with a gentleman in Australia which, over time, developed into a second chance at love.

Today, she wears a shiny new engagement ring given to her by Don Pritchard, who hails from Nambour, part of the Sunshine Coast Region in Queensland, Australia. At the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, while visiting her in Huntley, Don asked Rose to marry him.

Kreutzer Road improvement project officially begins

It’s officially the beginning of the end of Huntley’s love/hate relationship with the Kreutzer Road’s “curve.”

According to a village press release, the purpose of the January 20 open house was to “present the transportation needs, a description of the proposed improvements, and solicit input from the public.”

Village Board meeting highlights include 2022 special-events calendar

Barb Read, Special Events coordinator for the Village, received authorization to proceed with the implementation of the 2022 Special Events and Special Event Banner program.

The events calendar includes the Indoor and Outdoor Farmers Market, a Fun Run for Special Olympics, a May 5 Ladies Night out on the Square, the Annual Memorial Day Parade, the Independence Day Fireworks, National Night Out, Huntley High School Homecoming Parade, Veteran’s Day Ceremony and Wreaths Across America.

Behind The candelabra

Ed Richard, a retired music teacher and Sun City resident, began his musical career at the age of four.

Richard said, “I started playing the accordion. In the fourth grade, I started playing the organ, and in fifth grade, I joined the band. In high school, I was the lead percussionist. I played all percussions. I sang in the choir. I have perfect pitch.”

A marriage 50 years in the making

This love story began over 50 years ago in 1963 at Luther High school in Chicago. Why? That’s where Sun City residents Bill Kamphausen and Sue Schroeder first met.

“You never forget your first love,” Bill said.

However, the relationship had a few twists and turns.

Lighthouse Acedemy coming to Huntley

A 10,400 square-foot childcare center by Lighthouse Academy will be coming to Huntley in the near future. The building will be located directly east of Culver’s and Sherwin-Williams and south of Powers Road on Lot 9 in the Huntley Crossing subdivision.

Charles Nordman, of the Village offices, said that the “Lighthouse Academy will require a Special Use Permit for a childcare center and that the two-acre lot would have 70 parking spaces.”

Board meeting updates: club expo, community participation, budget, more

Wednesday, January 26, brought Sun City residents a two-fer. The required annual meeting of the Association and the monthly Board meeting were held in Drendel. The annual meeting required a quorum of residents which was easily achieved with 305 of Proxies submitted along with approximately the 150 residents in attendance.

The annual association meeting was a business meeting with reports from the Association Counsel, the outside Auditor, a representative of Northwestern Medicine and a 2021 review by First Services.

Binger steps in as new Chamber Director

On January 3, 2022, accomplished businesswoman Nancy Binger began her first day as Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce. She took an interest in the position because, as a Huntley resident since 2008, she has an invested interest in the success of the businesses in the area. Her husband is a small business owner and so, Binger has been involved near and around the Chamber for some time now.

We’ve struck oil!

The ever-vigilant Dining Duo is always on the lookout to find new restaurants for the loyal citizens of Huntley to try. Hopefully, there will be more and more new restaurants opening up to take the place of the casualties due to COVID. One such restaurant in the location previously held by Houlihan’s caught our eye while driving down Randall Road one day. We put it on our restaurant review “hit list,” and today we decided to “pull the trigger” and “shoot” for the Tap House Grill in Algonquin. SPOILER ALERT: The reason for our title will become clear at the end of our article.

Cold intolerance in pets depends on age, breed, health

Cold intolerance amongst animals varies depending on factors such as age, breed, and health, according to a Jan. 26 McHenry County Health Department news release, and should be taken into account, as well as signs of distress, to prevent frostbite and hypothermia.

The signs of distress include shivering, tail tucked between legs, whining or anxiety, reluctance to move, lifting paws, and snow or ice buildup in paw pads or coat, according to the news release.

Marijuana may offer viable autism treatment

After having read my two-part article on marijuana, one of my readers asked the question about whether I had heard about a mother in Texas having used the drug for treatment of her autistic child. The below info will inform Sun City residents of my recent exploration into this subject.

Twice on ice

Illinois native and pairs figure skater Alexa Knierim is headed to the Olympics again, this time performing with a new partner and encountering new protocols.

Knierim, of Addison, competed with her husband, Chris, in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Seoul. After Chris’s retirement, Knierim continued to skate with a new partner, Brandon Frazier.

Injured crane stranded in Huntley rescued

A rescue group called ‘Chicago Bird Collision’ did come out to the wetland containing the injured sandhill crane I photographed in early December. Unfortunately, I had not seen the cranes for three or four days prior to their arrival. We did an extensive search of the area but did not spot either the injured male bird or its mate.

Board creates Strategic Planning Advisory Committee

On Wednesday, January 12, the Sun City Board introduced SPAC to the assembled audience. SPAC, the acronym for Strategic Planning Advisory Committee, is composed of Bill Berendt, Bonnie Bayser, John Brewer, Jim Senecki, Dennis O’Leary, Nancy Fontana and Roger Lambert.

The purpose of the January 12 meeting was to give the Board the opportunity to provide the members of this new advisory committee their views on the critical functions of SPAC and provide them with an overview of the breadth and scope of the committee’s functions.

Difficulties in using medical marijuana

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association informs us that “marijuana use comes with real risks that can impact a person’s health and life.” The association continues “Marijuana is the most commonly used (often) illegal substance in the U.S. and its use is growing. Marijuana use among all adult age groups, both sexes, and pregnant women (a terrible development for the unborn child) is going up. At the same time, the perception of how harmful marijuana use can be is declining.

Huntley restaurants face off against economic woes and other pandemic-related impacts

Even as Illinois officials begin to report early signs of decline from the omicron surge, businesses across the state have had to continue modifying the way they operate just to stay afloat amid inflation of goods and services and staffing shortages.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, quit rates on the last business day of November increased to 3.0%, with the largest quit rates being seen in the accommodation and food industries.

Huntley Fire Protection district focuses on mobile integrated health

The Huntley Fire Protection District is one of the largest fire districts in McHenry and Kane County. Over 6100 Fire Suppression, Emergency Medical Service, and Rescue calls are handled by five fire stations and full-time and part-time firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs. The Department is responsible for over 55 square miles in Huntley, Lake in the Hills, Union Gilbert, and Algonquin.

Board discusses new officers, solar panels

The three recently elected Sun City Board members were introduced and new Board officers were elected at the January 5 Sun City Board meeting.

Russ Howard, Barry Newman and Art Ryden were elected to the Board by acclamation in 2021. Marilynn Berendt was elected the 2022 Board President and Dottie Harrison was elected Vice President. Bob Wainscott was elected Treasurer and Art Ryder was elected Secretary. The new officers will be installed at the Associations annual meeting on January 26.

Fishing club offers sea of opportunity

The Sun City Angler’s Club was chartered on May 26, 2000, with 36 members on the roster. The club currently has over 140 members from all backgrounds and levels of fishing experience. Twenty-five new members have joined in just the last four months.

How different is the club now from its inception?

Medical marijuana: The legal use, part 1

This past year of 2021 saw record sales of $1.38 billion dollars in Illinois revenue from the state’s 110 recreational and medical marijuana dispensaries. One-third of the Illinois-approved purchases were made by out of state visitors.

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