I call this Pavlov parenting

Now that I’m a father, I’ve come to realize I have two “No”s. I have a “hard” no and a “soft” no. My son’s now only a year-and-a-half, so I find myself saying “no” to him a lot, but most of the “no”s throughout any given day are “soft” nos: “No, you can’t have a cookie” or “No, we can’t go outside right now” or “No, you can’t type on the keyboard.” The “hard” nos are reserved for those moments of imminent harm, like when you lose sight of your kid and find him at the top of the stairs (when only one second ago they were right by your side.)

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New pickleball courts host grand opening

Sun City’s newest sport got a major upgrade on June 8.

More than 100 residents and community leaders showed up with umbrellas to cut a ribbon (symbolically) at the formerly named Tall Oaks Tennis Center (now renamed Tall Oaks Courts). The occasion was the unveiling of eight new pickleball courts at the center. Because of rain on celebration day, the club held its inaugural event on the new facilities the next day. It was Pickleball 101, demonstrations and practice for Sun City players new to the game of pickleball.

Huntley police blotter reveals common Huntley crimes

On June 7, the Huntley Police Department conducted 21 underage liquor compliance checks at all of the licensed liquor establishments in the village.

Eighteen of the establishments passed the checks by refusing to sell liquor to the underage participant. One of these establishments is Jameson’s Restaurant and Pub, located in Prairie Lodge.

Purses worth more than what’s inside

Beverly Kenny has lived in Sun City for almost 11 years.

“I love it. I live in the best neighborhood,” she said.

A creative person is easy to spot, not only because they have great ideas, but because they work hard. Kenny finds possibilities in every piece of fabric she sees and she is constantly evaluating. And then, she creates.

The craft of beer

How do you get from supervising the construction of industrial sewing machines to owning a micro-brewery and tap room in the space of one career?

Simple, says Lance Lamb, a Huntley businessman. You think globally, travel extensively, and really like a high-quality beer.

Kick that frown away with a hearty thumbs-up

So many languages, so little time, right?

Sure, you have those moments when you get upset with yourself for not following through with your plans to learn at least one other language, or maybe even three or four. By this point in your life, you thought, you would be able to take an around-the-world trip and chat with anybody you met.

Garden walk sneak peek

Welcome! ¡Bienvenidos! Willkommen.

No matter how you say it, the idea conveyed is the same: ‘Come in and enjoy your time with us.’ What a wonderful thought and feeling.

Village summer construction updates

It’s that time of year again to make improvements and updates on the Village’s infrastructure. Here is a list of just some of the projects taking place in Huntley this summer.

Wall aboard!

The Winter Games are over in South Korea but will restart in China in 2022. With the past Summer Games of 2008 and now the Winter coming up, there has been a resurgence of visitors to the area. Most expect this to increase over the next few years, so if you want to get ahead of the crowd, now is the time to plan your trip.

Herb and Jackie of Del Webb took what they described as “an awesome trip to China in October for 15 days.” They gave such an excellent analysis of their trip, and most of the story is in their own words.

And so it went as Nick Koplos, Master Auctioneer, proceeded over the 6th Annual Stingrays Swim Club Charity Auction, aided by his wife, Joanie Koplos.

In memoriam: Jo Bestmann

It is with deep sadness that I must announce the passing of Jo Bestmann on June 3, 2018. She was a good neighbor, friend and neighborhood NB22 Representative. We will miss her but now she is out of pain.

A swing and a salute

More than 50 of the players in the Sun City Softball Club are military veterans.

At every game in in Sun City’s three softball leagues, they are introduced by name, as athletes. Most of them played in prominent slow-pitch softball leagues in their younger days, especially in Chicago, and some won championships. Some of them are in the sport’s Hall of Fame.

No problem — or is there?

Some things seem to be natural pairs: peanut butter and jelly, Bonnie and Clyde, stars and stripes, “thank you” and “you’re welcome.”

No problem here … or is there?

Board meeting: Solarium construction underway and saltwater pool discussion

Saltwater pools came up for discussion at Sun City’s Board of Directors meeting on May 23.

10 super foods for better health

Having recently volunteered at “Feed the Hungry Children of the World” in Schaumburg, I realized the value of nutrition to save human beings wracked with starvation. That day I was surrounded by volunteers (of all ages) as we packed the “manna,” or staple food items, consisting of dried (often in powder form) vitamins, vegetables, soy (bean), and rice in an effort to save the one in eight world humans living in poverty countries that only eat every other day.

Lawn citation brings out neighborhood heart

According to the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions for Del Webb’s Sun City, “All portions of a dwelling unit outside of enclosed structures shall be kept clean and tidy at all times.”

When two neighbors found themselves in violation of a Sun City ordinance when their lawn went uncut, Sandra McCollum was alarmed.

Oh, the places a little T-bird roadster can take you

I saw a sweet little black ’57 T-bird ragtop roadster tooling down the street the other day, and I couldn’t help but think of my Uncle George.

I guess nobody in the family was all that surprised when my Uncle George pulled up to the curb in front of our house in his shiny new Ford Thunderbird that Sunday long ago when I was eight or nine years old. He was, after all, my mother’s brother, and he often came to visit.