Woodchucks bring home the blue

Woodchuck members brought back ribbons from the Illinois State Fair, which took place this year in mid-August.

The awards were quite notable.

Ed Cuttle won the prestigious “Best of Show” Best Exhibit in Crafts for the second year. Mike Shortridge, Vice-President of the Woodchucks, said, “When Ed won last year the ‘Best of Show’ we were excited, but this year’s win validates the workmanship, quality and beauty of the submitted pieces.”

Click here to read our latest edition online in PDF format.

Giving thanks to the Huntley Citizens Police Academy

Ninety-five members from the Huntley community, many from Sun City, belong to the Huntley Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association (HCPAAA).

President of HCPAAA, Pamela Cortez, said, “Our role is to create a safer community through enhanced communication and partnerships between the citizens and the police through education. All our members are required to take the Citizen Police Academy (CPA). Citizen’s Police Academy course offered by the Huntley Police Department.”

Prairie Singers ready to ring in cozy season

The Prairie Singers are back again to help ring in “The Warmth of the Holidays.”

The renowned Sun City Prairie Singers, a large bass, tenor, alto, and soprano choral group with a membership of 85, will perform their holiday concert on December 14, at 1 p.m. at the Huntley High School auditorium. This is a rare opportunity to witness their biannual performance.

Carol Finckle reprises the role of Golde, the brusque and long-suffering wife of Tevye. Finckle portrayed Golde on the Sun City stage before, 18 years ago. She says she is thrilled to return to the role for Fiddler, which she considers a timeless, timely, and important staple of musical theater.

Is it possible to care while not caring?

It was a weeknight, and I was chopping vegetables for dinner when my husband burst through the door. “I thought of a new concept for my students,” he told me.

As I continued chopping, he described that during band rehearsal, he wanted his students to “let go” and get a louder, fuller, freer sound.

“I told them, ‘I need you to care while also not caring,’” he said.

I stopped chopping. My knife hovered mid-air, while I tried to make sense of this phrase.

Sun City resident shares Honor Flight experience

This year, Sun City resident Dino Micheli was one of several veterans on the Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.

Micheli shared, “My trip was four days and three nights, and it was the trip of a lifetime. It was an experience that moved me to tears, a journey that touched my heart in ways I never thought possible.”

Micheli recounts his transformative journey to Washington, D.C., with other veterans on the honor flight.

Living the piecemeal life, well into the future

Spoiler alert: I just had my first-ever long-overdue colonoscopy, and because this column is an open-window drapes-pulled-wide account of my life, of course I had to write about it.

If you’ve endured colonoscopies before and never want to hear another gruesome word about it, I urge you to turn the page, enjoy the rest of your chocolate pudding cup, and read the Dining Duo column, which always examines meals as entrées and never as exits.

Equine therapy for veterans

Sun City Veterans Charter Club visited the BraveHearts facility in Harvard on this October. Since 2007, BraveHearts has been nationally recognized for providing equine-assisted services to veterans, primarily in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, and extends beyond the local community serving veterans nationwide. Equine services provide veterans emotional, cognitive, social, and physical benefits. Veterans at BraveHearts have reported benefits including increased self-esteem, self-worth, trust for others, and community integration and decreased depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder attacks, and self-inflicting thoughts.

Ken Kalscheur, President of the Veterans Charter Club, shared his enthusiasm.

Spotlight on Huntley Rotary

The Huntley Rotary Club was chartered on May 17, 2000, and has contributed to many worthwhile projects locally and worldwide.

Jim Uszler, Sun City resident and member of the Rotary Club, said, “Just recently, we held a coat drive for the Grafton Food Pantry patrons who need coats.”

Sit tight

Really? Any activity is better for your heart than sitting — even sleeping.

The headline above was the title of a Nov. 2023 research study on the relationship between health and exercise which has since been collaborated by other studies this year. The study provided some surprising, but reassuring, news about heart health and exercise. It turns out that indeed replacing sitting with as little as a few minutes of moderate exercise can definitely improve heart health — and it doesn’t take much!

Heaven and hell

Secret societies have always held a special place within our imagination. The notion of something being withheld, that denial ignites curiosity. Countless movies and TV shows expound on these subjects ranging from the CIA to the Illuminati (the thirst is there whether it is real or not). But recently the papacy, in particular the Vatican, has been the target of increased fictional interest. With “The New Pope” and “Spotlight,” these sacred cloisters have been opened up to us in a multitude of ways.

Ask an Angel: November 7, 2024

Hi there, I’m a senior veteran reaching out for some guidance on how a homecare company might be able to assist me with my unique situation.

I’m currently managing several health issues, including mobility challenges and the need for careful medication management. While my family does their best to support me, I’m finding it increasingly difficult to manage everything on my own. I’m in need of more consistent and professional help to handle daily activities, monitor my health, and provide personal care.

On the right track

Huntley has been selected as a stop on the new Chicago to Rockford train line. Since our “station” in life is to be your timely restaurant critics, we “engineer” our articles and try to keep them “on track” even if we have to “blow the whistle” on some of the restaurants. Our “next stop” will be near the Cary “depot” and dining at the Tracks Bar and Grill.

Counteracting a drought: The importance of fall watering

Have you ever been in a situation where you just pretend things are a bit better than they actually are? Perhaps a doctor’s appointment was delayed and you are really hungry because you haven’t had anything to eat for hours. When the doctor comes into the room to apologize, you, of course, say “It’s ok. I’m fine.” Perhaps after taking your dog for a walk, your knees ache a bit and your neighbor asks if you are ok. “It’s ok. I’m fine” is of course the answer. As humans, we always try to put our best foot forward but don’t always let everyone know the price we pay for those actions. The plants in our yards are putting their metaphorical best feet forward with an abundance of fall color and gorgeous fall flowers. They are paying an incredibly high price though because what they are not telling us, yet, is that their roots are surrounded by dry soil.

Hang Your Hat: November 7, 2024

Letters for the week of November 7.

Sun City resident crafts a boo-tiful Halloween home

Lucy Tracy, a Sun City resident, loves Halloween. What she loves even more is decorating for Halloween with specific items and designers she loves.

“I can’t resist Mary Engelbreit, a favorite for Halloween and other holidays,” Tracy said.

Mary Engelbreit is a famous artist and illustrator known for her whimsical drawings and inspirational quotes that have appeared on various products for over 40 years. Tracy is a supportive fan.

Is parenting hazardous to our health?

The U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, recently issued an advisory about the mental health and well-being of parents. Research shows that 33% of parents reported experiencing high stress in the last month compared to 20% of other adults.

This got my attention. The only other Surgeon General’s advisory I can think of is the one on cigarette cartons. But parenting? Is it true that parenting is hazardous to our health?

Back to school

Todd Ary, a teacher at Heineman Middle School, invited Sun City residents to sit down with students and discuss how things were different or similar when they were beginning their teen years.

Ary said, “We needed 10-12 men or women for a two-day interview commitment to a new project at Heineman Middle School.”

Among the Sun City residents who generously shared their unique experiences were Jill McCarron, Todd Kate, Esther Skeggs, Alex Schank, Adrianne Kaplan, Kenn Ellis, Ken Such, Duane Fontana, Bob Olesen, and Nedra Reeves.

Living the piecemeal life, well into the future

I went to the Department of Motor Vehicles in Woodstock to renew my driver’s license last week, and I asked the young lady behind the desk a question I had never asked before: “My license says I’m an organ donor, but do organs ever ‘time out’ past a certain age?”

I thought it was a logical question to ask, because if there is such an age, I must surely be creeping up on it — if I hadn’t already slid past it.

Sun City’s movie stars

 Bob Geiss and Cynthia Church, residents of Sun City, are actors with the Theatre Company of Sun City. Recently, they received an opportunity to play minor roles in a short feature film, The Vision, set in the Delavan, Wisconsin, area. The film is produced by The Creative Wisconsin Filmmakers, a group trying to encourage more filmmaking in southern Wisconsin.

Geiss was introduced to the producer, Mark Roling, through a friend. Roling has worked with Hollywood stars, including Clint Eastwood, on films like The Bridges of Madison County. Roling was interested in casting Geiss in the movie.

Unhappy Anniversary

The following story, sadly to say, is absolutely true. It is not exaggerated or fabricated. Please read on.

Our 50th wedding anniversary was almost upon us. We decided to go “all out” in celebrating this momentous occasion. After much reflection, we chose to book a river cruise, mainly because we fit their passenger demographics and there is an abundance of beautiful scenery to view while sailing. The location for this dream cruise was to be in Europe and start in Prague with a two-day hotel stay, and then bussed to Nuremburg to set sail down the beautiful Danube River all the way to Budapest, stopping in Regensburg, Passau, Engelhartszell, Krems, Vienna and Budapest. We reserved the cruise, booked our flights, (we were even able to use our mileage points on our flights) and visions of Medieval Castles and old European architecture danced in our heads.

Climb every mountain: taking on the trails in Utah

In early September, Eileen and I traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah for a special reunion. We gathered with family we hadn’t seen, some for 15 years to celebrate a 60th birthday. Since it was a special occasion, we decided to stay a few extra days and sightsee. Boy were we glad we did!

The flight out was uneventful except for it being a full flight and we were at the “back of the bus.” We flew into the SLC airport and that’s when everything started going sideways. I used Indeed.com to book our car rental and hotel. When we arrived at the rental location, they said they could not find our reservation and couldn’t honor the rate quoted. We eventually got a car but paid a higher rate. On to the next issue, our hotel. When we arrived at the hotel quoted by Indeed, it was there but we didn’t have a reservation. It was for a different hotel, fortunately, it was right next door but was being remodeled. We moved everything there, and got a room, again at a higher rate. Finally settled, we were ready to start our next adventure.

Winter garden: Creating color during the cold months

Whether the discussion revolves around food or plants, there are some things we just don’t like. For me, it is sushi and junipers. Junipers are an evergreen shrub that have a coarse texture and for many cause a slight rash when touched. Years ago, we had some junipers left over at the end of the season and I made the spur of the moment decision to plant them in the back of our yard. Each January for over 20 years, I enjoyed looking at those junipers as they were partially covered in snow. Honestly, I never really noticed them in the summer, but in the winter, they were one of the few plants in my back yard that actually looked good as the temperature dropped below zero. Although I don’t advocate planting something in a yard that the homeowner doesn’t like, I do advocate at least considering what plants may provide some winter interest. As the leaves fall, the vast majority of the branches in our landscaping will be bare for five long months. This column will focus on evergreen trees and shrubs that provide winter interest and stability in our landscapes.

Ask an Angel: October 17, 2024

My mother-in-law has a habit of staying up very late, often until 11 pm or midnight. While I deeply respect her independence and understand her desire to maintain her routine, I am increasingly worried about her safety when she is alone at night.

I’m seeking advice on how to balance respecting her autonomy with ensuring her safety. Should I consider alternative caregiving options, or are there other strategies to address this concern?

Ego trip

The problem with passion projects is they tend to go stale if held on too long. I am as old as Megalopolis is. In different publications, Francis Ford Coppola would give commentaries about how far along he was. But no film came about…until now. However, I am sad to say that this is not a misunderstood masterpiece; to put it mildly, ambitious but flawed.

Proudly Serving the Community of Sun City in Huntley

Proudly Serving the Community of
Sun City in Huntley