Video gaming in Huntley by the numbers

The Huntley Village board approved video gaming licenses for six new video gaming terminals at the Pinecrest Golf Club. The video gaming terminals would be located in one corner of the restaurant and within the line of sight of the bartenders. The required $500 per machine, or $3,000 total, has been received by the village and deposited. An application for a video gaming operator license was submitted by J&J Ventures Gaming, LLC of Effingham, Illinois.

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Sun City Board update, new members

The Sun City Board held their first meeting of 2023 on January 4th and welcomed three new board members. Bill Niemasz, Jim Sanecki and Al Brewer all began their first terms on the Board.

Personal Histories

Well, I hope all had a good holiday and a happy new year. As we careen head-first into our resolutions maybe we should take this time for some reflection. What do you want out of our time here? To be perfectly honest, 2022 was a lot for me. Some films currently in theaters I have avoided due to personal reasons. Amazing as I have heard Brendan Fraser’s performance is in The Whale, the idea of it is still too raw for me. Same goes for Spoiler Alert. A great many filmmakers mine their own lives and history for their art. Here are a few that affected me during the break.

Some might think that teenagers have outgrown the magic of holiday traditions. But Addie Freimuth, 15, and Alex Freimuth, 17, still enjoy celebrating the Christmas holiday with its traditional games, cookie decoration, and projects on Christmas Eve.

It’s the holidays but here I am talking about goblins

A number of years ago, I wrote a Happy Trails about accepting some slang into our daily language. I thought it was a pretty sound argument. Our language is constantly evolving. Words take on different meanings. They become colloquial. And, despite what they teach in school, there are very few rules that govern our printed word. It’s a good thing when new ideas bloom from old ones.

Until it’s not.

Santa Claus came to town!

Despite frigid temperatures, a good number of residents came out to celebrate a whole day of festivities during Huntley’s annual “Christmas on the Square” celebration that took place on Dec. 3.

Starting at 9 a.m., residents were able to shop around in the Kris Kringle Market located in the Fellowship Hall (11628 E. Main Street), with more activities becoming available as the day progressed.

Delight is everywhere, if you look

My word of the year for 2022 was Delight. Instead of traditional New Year’s resolutions, I’ve tried to focus on one word to shape how I approach another year of life. So this year was about finding delight in the ordinary: being more spontaneous, tuning in to the world around me, searching for good things that might go unnoticed.

Did Santa just say, “On Billy, On Nanny…”?

Once upon a Christmastime, almost a half-century ago, a hundred heads swiveled in our direction to cast angry stares at us, with that “what kind of a monster are you?” look that no parent ever wants to see. And all because our cute little daughter picked just the wrong time to get it all wrong.

We had taken little Jenny to the Woodfield Mall to see Santa Claus so she could sit on his lap and tell him about all the toys that were on her Christmas list. She had heard of Santa all her short life, of course, and had seen him on television and on posters at the store, but she had never met him in person. This would be her first time.

The running of the elves

The Running of the Elves, held on December 3, became a new event in Huntley this year.

Organized by the Huntley Rotary Club, this event benefited local groups: Grafton Food Pantry, Huntley High School Scholarships, International Scholarships, and Veterans Path To Hope.

Five healthy eating habits for the holidays

Here is The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recipe for helping all of us to stay on track for eating healthy during December, especially for those of us who have diabetes. Here then are 5 tips to meet the challenge of keeping your diabetes meal plan safe from seasonal interference.

Giacomo’s favorite restaurant

If you are a regular reader of this column, you know that we sometimes have a habit of overdoing things. Since we live on a corner lot, we feel it’s our duty to honor Chevy Chase in the movie “Christmas Vacation” by filling up our yard with every imaginable blinking, flashing, and twinkling light decorations. They can take the shape of snowmen, Santa Claus, or elf figures. This is a four-day process which includes taking anti-inflammatory medications, drinking a half bottle of Fireball Whiskey, and smoking several Cuban cigars by our fireplace.

Holiday whodunnits

As we are about to settle into the Christmas season yet again, we will meet with family and friends and share good times. Some of us listen to festive music, while others decorate the home in order to get into the mood. I, personally, like to watch movies that fill me with holiday cheer. Unfortunately, there aren’t that many new ones to recommend.

Ask an Angel: December 15, 2022

I am having a hip replacement in a few weeks. While I’m looking forward to being able to walk around with less pain, I’m not looking forward to the necessary therapy after surgery. My orthopedic surgeon recommends that I go to a short-term rehabilitation facility after being discharged from the hospital. I know I’ll benefit from the extensive therapy. However, I’m dreading the many unknowns of what to expect.

The sweet life of Pat Bosi

Sun City resident Pat Bosi excelled in her professional life as an executive in Human Resources at Shell Oil and later as the executive of Operations at AIG Insurance Companies. Now, she finds herself excelling in a sweeter arena.

Bosi, like most mothers, was asked to bring a treat to her child’s class. Bosi said, “At the time Star Wars characters were popular. I decided to make chocolate R2-D2 lollipops.”

It’s a cold, it’s sinuses, it’s COVID…it’s…it’s everything!

Has anyone else been sick a lot lately?

No, I’m not joking. It’s a serious question. Because everyone in my house this year has been sick seemingly nonstop.

Scenes from the Big House

It was about 26 degrees the day I went with my daughter, son, and best friend to watch a football game at the University of Michigan, where my son is a freshman. This was my first football game watching the Wolverines at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. Nicknamed “The Big House,” the stadium is the largest stadium in the United States; the third largest in the world. It boasts over 107,000 seats. I only know this because my friend, the ticket holder, was kindly sharing her knowledge of sports trivia with me.

Village presents new options for property tax levy

Cathy Haley, Village Director of Finance, presented three options to the board at the November 10 Board meeting for the 2022 Property Tax Levy for taxes payable in 2023.

When a Supreme Court decision hits home

Like everyone else, I had strong feelings about the Supreme Court’s controversial decision regarding abortion, even though there was no way it would ever affect my body directly, for reasons too obvious to mention. But the Supremes are currently mulling over a decision that could strike to the very heart of my identity.

I refer, of course, to the suit filed by the Jack Daniel’s Whiskey company against an Arizona company named VIP Products, which makes doggy chew toys.

Sun City resident age verification progress explained

Unless 80% of Sun City residents validate their birthdate by the end of December the community will lose its 55+ housing status. If Sun City loses its 55+ status it would mean that the community could no longer prevent a buyer younger than 55 from buying a property in Sun City.

I once wrote a book ‘this big’

Sun City’s own Ed Piotrowski is a published author, and he’s not just fishing for compliments. His latest work is A Life Well Fished: ‘Reel’ Adventures and the Stuff That Happened in Between.

Piotrowski said, “A Life Well Fished isn’t just about fishing. There are plenty of fishing tales, but it also chronicles a successful life journey, success not measured in dollars and cents but rather, as one of my readers stated, ‘Celebrates the triumph of family, friends, and fishing … though not necessarily in that order!’”

D158 BOE fills vacant seat

The Huntley Community School District 158 (D158) made an announcement back in October that Board of Education (BOE) member Lesli Melendy was due to resign from her position on the board as a result of her and her family’s move to an area outside of Huntley.

Garden of knowledge

As Henry Ford said, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” Spending time with nature is a very effective way to continue to learn. Gardening teaches us so much. No matter our age, the extent to which we interact with nature or the time involved, we can all stay young by spending time outdoors.

Passion plays

Hello all, I hope you had a good Thanksgiving. And now we are in the thick of the holiday season. However unfortunately, a number of entries I planned to view aren’t out yet. And, due to a slight cold, any chance of going to the theaters were thwarted. But if you are in the same boat as myself, where do you turn to but the streaming services. And now more than ever, they are providing vast oceans of content for your viewing pleasure. Well let’s grab out the remote and surf through, shall we?

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.

Cooked sushi

Old habits and recipes die hard, especially with Nancy. Truth be told, she is actually an excellent cook. This was evident when we were younger and had a houseful of people over for holiday dining. Now our family is dwindling and the kids and grandkids have all moved away, but the recipes stayed the same. As a result, Nancy always cooks for the holidays a meal that would easily feed 12 people even though it is just the two of us. I made the mistake of mentioning that maybe she could cut down the recipes, but to her, change is evil. The recipes have been handed down from generation to generation, and must not be tampered with. Such was the case during the recent Thanksgiving holiday.

Political Place: December 8, 2022

Note: The views expressed in these political submissions do not reflect those of the Sun Day, its staff, or those associated to the Sun Day.

Hang Your Hat: December 8, 2022

Letters for the week of December 8.

Proudly Serving the Community of Sun City in Huntley

Proudly Serving the Community of
Sun City in Huntley