1Nov. 4-10, 2015THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENT

INDEPENDENTTheWoodstock

Serving Woodstock, Wonder Lake and Bull Valley, Ill. $1.00www.thewoodstockindependent.comPublished every Wednesday Est. 1987

NEWS

PAGE 4

Farmers market sets up winter

home at the fairgrounds

MARKETPLACE

Red Barn Market is set to close

this weekPAGE 11

EDUCATIONGeocaching catching on at

Creekside Middle School

Nov. 4-10, 2015

OBITUARIES 5

OPINION 6

EDUCATION 8

A & E 9

MARKETPLACE 11IND

EX

The Woodstock Independent671 E. Calhoun St.,

Woodstock, IL 60098Phone: 815-338-8040Fax: 815-338-8177

www.thewoodstockindependent.com

O B I T U A R Y E N D Q U O T ECOMMUNITY 12

CALENDAR 17

CLASSIFIEDS 18

PUBLIC NOTICES 20

SPORTS 24

Steven E. Stanger, WoodstockMargarethe “Margaret” Riesinger, WoodstockHenry Jahn, Delavan, Wis.

“We’ve helped all kinds of veterans. I love hearing their stories.”

— Sonia Castaneda, page 12

PAGE 8

By STEPHANIE PRICEThe Independent

Jeremy Boswell has taught Wood-

stock High School students valuable

lessons beyond the basic math cur-

riculum; he’s also taught them about

commitment and sacrifice.

Boswell, 29, is a captain in the Illi-

nois Army National Guard Reserves,

and his unit is being deployed to Af-

ghanistan. �e math instructor is tak-

ing a leave of absence from his posi-

tion at Woodstock High, where he is in

his third year of teaching in order to

serve his tour of duty. Boswell’s final

WHS TEACHER TO DEPLOYWoodstock High School’s Jeremy Boswell will serve in Afghanistan

Woodstock High School math teacher Jeremy Boswell talks with fellow staff members Oct. 29 during a farewell recep-tion at the school. Boswell is a captain in the Illinois Army National Guard Reserves and will soon be deployed to Af-ghanistan. INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY KEN FARVER

By STEPHANIE PRICEThe Independent

�e Woodstock City

Council recently approved

a measure dedicating a

softball field at Bates Park

to longtime resident Barb

Hathcock, a founder of the

Woodstock Girls Softball

League.

�e council unanimously

voted Oct. 26 to rename

Field No. 4 at Bates Park,

1500 N. Seminary Ave., as

“Barb Hathcock Field.” �e

WGSL and league board

member Erich �urow had

requested the dedication as

a way to honor Hathcock.

Hathcock founded the

league in 1969 along with

Police release more details in murderinvestigationAuthorities say Branden M. Napolitan, accused of murder, had sought mental health treatment and is not speaking to investigators

By STEPHANIE PRICEThe Independent

Branden M. Napolitan and Daryl K.

Fox were roommates, but not lifelong

friends.

Napolitan, 26, and Fox, 53, shared

apartment 1-A at 680 Leah Lane, for

the past couple years, but they were

not close friends, according to Wood-

stock Police. Police aren’t certain how

the two men came to live with one an-

other, but by Sunday, Oct. 25, some-

thing had gone terribly wrong.

“�ere is still

s p e c u l a t i o n

among MIAT

(McHenry County

Major Investiga-

tions Assistance

Team)” regard-

ing a motive, said

Woodstock Depu-

ty Chief John Lieb.

On Monday,

Napolitan was

charged with first-

degree murder,

theft over $500 and aggravated bat-

tery after Fox was found dead by po-

lice at about 12:30 p.m. the afternoon

of Oct. 25 in the apartment located in

the Prairie View Apartments complex,

situated southeast of Route 47 and

Country Club Road.

Authorities have not said how long

they believe Fox had been dead at the

scene as the result of the apparent

stabbing.

An autopsy conducted by the

McHenry County Coroner’s Office

Monday afternoon determined Fox

died from multiple injuries including

Bates Park field honors league founder

Please see Field, Page 3

Please see Deployment, Page 4

Please see Investigation, Page 3

Softball field will be named after Barb Hathcock of Woodstock Girls Softball League

A Woodstock High School staff mem-ber signs a farewell banner dedicated to Capt. Jeremy Boswell. INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY KEN FARVER

Branden M.Napolitan

School hosts reception for Army

National Guard captain

2 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTNov. 4-10, 2015 NEWS

3Nov. 4-10, 2015THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTNEWS

The Woodstock Independent (USPS #001287) is published weekly at 671 E. Calhoun St., Woodstock, IL 60098-3213. Periodicals postage paid at Woodstock, Illinois.POSTMASTERS: Forward address changes to The Woodstock Indepen-dent, 671 E. Calhoun St., Woodstock, IL 60098-3213.

The Woodstock Independent

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blunt-force injuries to his neck and a

sharp injury to his lung.

Napolitan remained in custody Oct.

27 at the Dane County Jail in Madison,

Wis., awaiting an extradition hearing,

Lieb said.

Woodstock Police had never re-

sponded to the men’s apartment for a

domestic disturbance, Lieb said. How-

ever, police had just been at the apart-

ment Friday, Oct. 23, to provide the

Woodstock Fire/Rescue District with

medical assistance.

“Napolitan had asked to go to the

hospital for mental issues,” Lieb said.

“We assisted with the transport.”

Napolitan was transported by ambu-

lance to Centegra Hospital-Woodstock,

but privacy laws prevent authorities

from releasing any additional informa-

tion about whether or not he received

treatment. Two days later, an acquain-

tance of Fox called police and request-

ed a well-being check on Fox. Police

discovered Fox’s body in the apart-

ment, and eventually determined Na-

politan had fled the scene in Fox’s car

instead of driving his own red pickup

truck.

By Sunday evening, police received

credible information Napolitan was in

the Madison area, Lieb said. Napolitan

was apprehended by members of MIAT

and the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task

Force after they located him at a Metro

Market grocery store in Madison.

Lieb said some facial scars and inju-

ries visible in Napolitan’s mugshot, one

by the temple and another above his

eyebrow, were already present when he

was captured by police. However, the

red scrape on Napolitan’s cheek was the

result of his apprehension, Lieb said.

As of Oct. 27, the yellow police cau-

tion tape had been removed from the

exterior of the Leah Lane apartment.

Investigators had returned to the

Woodstock Police station and were

processing evidence collected at the

crime scene.

Napolitan continues to sit in the

Madison jail, where he has exercised

his right to remain silent, Lieb said,

and therefore is not speaking to inves-

tigators. Once his extradition hearing

is held, he will be transferred back to

McHenry County.

Both roommates have a history of

arrest. Napolitan was convicted in Feb-

ruary 2007 for retail theft and received

supervision in September 2005 on tru-

ancy charges filed by Harvard Police,

according to court records. Fox was

convicted of DUI in October 2013, re-

cords show.

�e Oct. 25 crime was the second

stabbing in recent years at Prairie View

Apartments. In April 2014, Christopher

M. Hayes twice stabbed a 28-year-old

Wonder Lake man while the two were

attending an event at the apartment

complex. �e victim survived, and

Hayes was convicted of aggravated bat-

tery with a deadly weapon.

Prior to Sunday’s event, the most

recent homicide in Woodstock was in

September 2013 when Victor M. Lo-

pez, 48, Woodstock, was charged with

murder after allegedly stabbing and

killing his stepson, Mark Medina, 34.

Lopez is awaiting trial.

Investigation Continued from Page 1

WL police still searching for ‘Drano bomb’ suspectBy KATELYN STANEK

The Independent

Wonder Lake po-

lice say they’ve made no arrests

and are continuing to search

for leads in connection with

a homemade bomb that was

tossed into a resident’s yard

Oct. 21.

�e “Drano bomb,” as Chief

John Crilly called it, was found

unexploded in a yard in the

3000 block of Greenleaf Drive.

It was built from a plastic bot-

tle, chemicals and aluminum

foil, he said, and was likely

based on designs easily found

online.

“�e fire department defused

it and basically destroyed it

once they were done, so it had

no evidentiary value,” Crilly

said. Police interviewed the

homeowner and neighbors but

have no suspects at this time,

he said.

“�ere’s nothing the home-

owner could think of that

would indicate he was singled

out for this,” Crilly said.

�ere have been no other

similar bombs reported, ac-

cording to Crilly.

People with information re-

lated to this investigation are

asked to call the Wonder Lake

Police Department at 815-728-

0535.

a group of friends at a time when

there were no sports leagues for girls.

Hathcock had three daughters who

wanted to play the game. Her now-

grown daughters, Lanna Einspahr

and Sandy Peterson, of Woodstock,

were present at the meeting when

the council approved the dedication,

�urow said.

Hathcock, 76, was not at the city

council meeting as she spends her

winters in Florida. However, she was

notified of the pending honor during

a special ceremony held in July dur-

ing the league’s All-Star tournament,

�urow said.

“We thought naming a field after her

would be appropriate given Sullivan

Field [at Emricson Park] and Roskie

Field [at Bates Park] are named af-

ter Little League volunteers,” �u-

row said. “Barb founded the softball

league over 45 years ago.”

�e WGSL began with four teams

in 1969, and fees to play on a team

were just $5. �e four teams shared

equipment. �e league doubled in

size by 1970, and eventually grew to

more than 20 teams with as many as

250 participants. �ere are currently

about 175 girls playing in the league,

�urow said.

Hathcock served as the league

president for several years. She also

started an annual All-Star Tourna-

ment in the 1970s, now called the

Woodstock Invitational Rec League

Tournament. �e tournament is a

weeklong event that draws upward of

40 teams to Bates Park.

�is spring, the WGSL plans to erect

a sign designating Field No. 4 as Barb

Hathcock Field. �e sign will be paid

for by the league. �e league will like-

ly hold a formal ceremony dedicating

the field to Hathcock, �urow said.

FieldContinued from Page 1

I’VE GOT MY EYE ON YOU

A home on Yasgur Drive is lit up for Halloween the night of Oct. 29. INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY KEN FARVER

GET RID OF ALL YOUR JUNK?

Call today! 815-338-8040

DO YOU WANT TO

4 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTNov. 4-10, 2015 NEWS

Farmers market expands to fairgrounds for winterBy KATELYN STANEK

The Independent

At a time of year when most farmers

markets are closing up for the winter,

the Woodstock Farmers Market is ex-

panding.

�e Winter Market, now in its fifth

year, has moved to more spacious digs

at the McHenry County Fairgrounds,

11900 Country Club Road. Previously,

the cold-weather farmers market had

been located at the McHenry County

Farm Bureau, 1102 McConnell Road.

“We needed more room,” said Keith

Johnson, manager of the Woodstock

Farmers Market. “�e farm bureau was

a wonderful location and they were

very good to us, but we needed to ex-

pand.”

The Winter Market features more

root vegetables and other wintry pro-

duce than does its warm-weather

cousin on the Square, which closed for

the season Oct. 27. The Winter Market

also showcases products such as beef,

pork, chicken, turkey, bakery items,

cheese, honey, eggs and popcorn in

addition to goods like pottery and jew-

elry. In total, the Winter Market has

about 30 vendors.

“We’re trying to become a full-time

market,” said Johnson. “It’s mainly be-

cause we have a lot of producers who

have product in the winter, and we’ve

had people asking how they can get

that product over the winter.”

Organizers are providing free coffee,

tea, cider and hot chocolate to custom-

ers, and the market will feature story-

telling and music as well.

“We’ve kind of become the regional

farmers market. �at’s our goal,” John-

son said.

�e Winter Market opened Oct. 31. It

will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays,

Nov. 14 and 21, and then continue the

first and third Saturday of the month

through April. �e market is located in

Building D of the fairgrounds.

day at the school was Oct. 30, and he

anticipates being gone for six to nine

months.

“We’re at such a crucial point,”

Woodstock High School principal

Justin Smith told staff members who

gathered Oct. 29 in the school learning

center to bid Boswell farewell. “We’re

so fortunate to have Jeremy at Wood-

stock High School. He also has a wife

and young child at home, so he’s mak-

ing a huge sacrifice to go overseas and

protect our country.”

In order to show their appreciation

of Boswell’s service to the country,

staff members made buttons that read

“WHS Supports Capt. Boswell.” �ey

ordered two cakes for the farewell re-

ception decorated like the American

flag. Dean of Students Jon Grell read

a special announcement to students

over the school’s intercom, detailing

Boswell’s deployment and the personal

sacrifice.

Staff members also created a large

banner, which was available in the

school cafeteria last week. Students

were invited to sign the banner and

wrote words of gratitude and well-

wishes.

“At least one-third of our student

body signed the banner,” Smith said.

“Obviously, Mr. Boswell doesn’t have

all those students in his classes, but I

think it’s really important that many

students understand the commitment

he is making to his country.”

In addition to his position at Wood-

stock High, Boswell, of Poplar Grove,

is leaving behind his wife, Lisa, and

their two-month-old son, Grant. �is

is his second deployment with the Na-

tional Guard, for which he has served

12 years. In 2005, he spent one year in

Iraq.

While abroad, he will work as a com-

munications liaison officer and will

work closely with members of the Pol-

ish Army. �eir work will assist with

the United State’s effort to decrease its

presence in Afghanistan.

Boswell said he was touched and

surprised by the Blue Streaks’ show of

support.

“I think it’s great,” Boswell said. “I was

kind of in awe of how much they did. I

think it made the kids reflect on their

country and the people who serve.

Boswell said he hopes to stay in

touch with friends and family via

Skype and other technology. He hopes

to be back at Woodstock High School

next fall teaching students in the class-

room.

Deployment Continued from Page 1

“We’re so fortunate to have Jeremy at Woodstock High School. He also has a wife and young child at home, so he’s making a

overseas and protect our country.”

— Justin Smith, WHS principal

WINTER FARMERS MARKET

Where: McHenry County Fairgrounds, Building D, 11900 Country Club RoadWhen: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, Nov. 14 and 21, then the first and third Saturday of the month December through AprilWebsite: www.woodstockfarmers-market.org

5Nov. 4-10, 2015THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTNEWS

OBITUARIES

Steven E. StangerSteven E. Stanger, 64, Woodstock, died

Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015, at his home.He was born Aug. 26, 1951, to Elmer

and Ruby (Carlson) Stanger in Woodstock.He worked in construction and was a

member of the Fox Valley Laborers Union Local 1035. He was a member of the Woodstock Moose Lodge. He could fix any-thing and was a jack-of-all-trades, and he enjoyed cooking. He lived life to the fullest and enjoyed spending time with his fam-ily and friends. He also enjoyed his dog Emma.

Survivors include a son, Troy E. Stanger; and a brother, Terry (Kathy) Stanger.

He was preceded in death by his parents.Visitation and funeral were held Oct. 29

at Schneider-Leucht-Merwin & Cooney Fu-neral Home. Burial was at McHenry County Memorial Park Cemetery, Woodstock.

Memorials can be made to any charity of the donor’s choice.

Margarethe ‘Margaret’ Riesinger

Margarethe “Margaret” Riesinger, 99, Woodstock, died Sunday, Oct. 25, 2015.

She was born Oct. 6, 1916, to Johann and Christine (Jung) Mussar, in Tchestereg, Austria-Hungary, a predominately German village in what is present-day Serbia.

In 1933, she married Wilhelm Riesinger, and they had two children, Wilhelm and Su-sanna. Wilhelm was a tailor, but like most

people in the region, they were subsistence farmers who grew crops and livestock for their use, and sold some for cash. The vil-lage did not have elec-tricity, running water, or gas, which meant daily life was very labor intensive. They carried water from the town well, cooked and baked using a fire they made themselves, worked in the fields by hand, milked their cow, had horses with a wagon, sewed their own clothes and much more.

In 1945, Tito, the ruler of Yugoslavia, cleared the German speaking people from the region and put them into concentra-tion camps. Margaret was sent to Crimea to work in the coal mines. Her children were sent to state-run children’s homes in the south of Yugoslavia (present-day Mace-donia). Margaret never saw her husband again and never knew of his fate.

In 1949 she was released from Crimea and went to Austria where her sister and family were living. She got a job as a cook/maid and begin trying to locate her chil-dren, who she had not seen or heard from in five years. Once found, Willie and Susie came to live in Austria and attended school, relearning German, while Margaret worked to save money for the trip to America.

In 1951, Margaret, Willie and Susie came to Chicago to begin a new life. At first they lived in a very basic cold-water flat in Old Town. Margaret found a job at the Stewart Warner factory, where she worked

for 26 years. Willie and Susie attended school and learned English.

In 1979 Margaret retired and moved to Woodstock to be closer to her daughter, Su-sanna Zachari, and her family. She lived in the same house on Madison Street for 36 years, until her death. She was a wonderful cook and made traditional German dinners every Sunday for her family. She was also an excellent baker and was known for her flourless hazelnut chocolate “Nuss Torte.” She also loved gardening and flowers.

The tenacity and determination which saved her throughout her life was also ap-parent in later years, as she fought her way back from three major health crises after age 75: Guillaume Barret, hip-replacement and open-heart surgery.

The family would like to thank the ladies at the Hairitage 119 Salon, where she went every Friday morning for 35 years; the staff at Jewel and Osco who always made her feel special on her weekly shopping trips; and her neighbors, the Fawkes family, who looked after Margaret as their own family for over 25 years.

Survivors include three grandchildren, Matt W. Zachari, Maria Zachari and Su-sanna (Tina) Zachari; and a great-grand-daughter, Sofia Zachari, as well as many loving nieces, nephews and cousins in the United States and Germany.

She was preceded in death by her hus-band; two children, Wilhelm and Susanna; a sister, Katherina; and a brother, Johann.

Visitation was Oct. 30 at the Schneider-Leucht-Merwin & Cooney Funeral Home, and the funeral Mass was Oct. 31 at St. Mary Catholic Church, 312 Lincoln Ave-nue, Woodstock. Interment was in Calvary

Catholic Cemetery in Woodstock.

Henry JahnHenry Jahn, 91, Delavan, Wis., died

Oct.18, 2015.He was born April 28, 1924, in Germa-

ny to William and Helen Jahn. On Jan. 19, 1949, he married Georgia

C. Brabec in Bridgeview.He served as an Army medic in World

War II. He worked for General Motors for thirty years. After retiring from General Mo-tors, he worked for ten years at the Green-wood School. He enjoyed the outdoors and living in Wisconsin.

Survivors include a son, James (Linda) Jahn, Wonder Lake; a son-in-law, George (Pat) Taylor, Wonder Lake; six grandchil-dren, Sherri (Lew) Daniels, Wendi (Greg) Sorensen, Michele (Guy) Busch and Heidi Ciskowski, all from Wonder Lake, Jason Jahn, Lake Zurich, and Kristen Jahn, Brook-field, Wis.; eight great-grandchildren; and five great-great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife; a daughter, Sharon Taylor; and two brothers, Frank and William.

A memorial gathering will be held from 9 a.m. until the memorial service at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at Schneider-Leucht-Merwin & Cooney Funeral Home, 1211 N. Seminary Avenue, Woodstock. Interment will be private. Military honors will be pro-vided by the Woodstock VFW.

Memorials can be made to the Alzheim-er’s Association, PO Box 96011, Washing-ton, DC 20090-6011 or a charity of the donor’s choice.

POLICE BLOTTER

Montez Michael Moses, 20, 100 S. Seminary Ave., Woodstock, was charged Oct. 13 with two counts of domestic bat-tery at his home. Moses was turned over to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office. Bond and court date are to be set.

Arthur William Anderson, 62, tran-sient, Woodstock, was charged Oct. 16 with littering in the 200 block of North Benton Street. Anderson was turned over to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office. Bond was set at $1,500. Court date was set for Nov. 12.

Thomas J. Riff, 44, 416-1/2 Lake Ave., Woodstock, was charged Oct. 16 with driving under the influence, driving while license revoked, failure to yield when turning left and squealing tires at 315 N. Madison St. Riff posted $300 bond. Court date was set for Nov. 19

Crystal Mae Freeman, 29, 2022 Rexford Drive, Rockford, was charged Oct. 18 with theft at Highway 14 and Rose Farm Road. Freeman posted $150 bond. Court date was set for Dec. 5.

Michael Vance Samuelson, 24, 831 Clay St., Woodstock, was arrested Oct. 22 at 205 Todd Ave. on an outstanding

warrant from the McHenry County Sher-iff’s Office for failure to appear. Samu-elson was turned over to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office. Bond was set at $3,000. Court date is to be set.

Christopher Ryan Deckman, 26, 8709 Memory Trail, Wonder Lake, was arrested Oct. 22 at 1285 S. Eastwood Drive on an outstanding warrant from the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office for failure to appear. He was also charged with driving while license suspended, suspended registration and no proof of insurance. Deckman was turned over to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office. Bond was set at $5,000. Court date was set for Nov. 5.

Robert Michael Johnson, 33, 693 N. Sharon Drive, Woodstock, was charged Oct. 23 with two counts of criminal damage to property at 930 Lake Ave. Johnson was turned over to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department. Bond was set at $1,500. Court date was set for Nov. 19.

Jose Aguilar, 54, 670 Coventry Lane, Woodstock, was charged Oct. 23 with no driver’s license and failure to

reduce speed at 401 S. Eastwood Drive. Aguilar posted $150 bond. Court date was set for Nov. 19.

Victor Bernal, 25, 1502 Tappan St., Woodstock, was charged Oct. 24 with driving while license suspended, improper display of registration, illegal window tints, violation of drivers restrictions and unin-sured motor vehicle at Greenwood and North Seminary Avenues. Bernal posted $150 bond. Court date was set for Dec. 3.

Freddy Tapia-Lopez, 19, 121 Bloom-field Drive, Woodstock, was charged Oct. 25 with driving while license suspended

and child restraint violation at Lake and Kimball Avenues. Tapia-Lopez posted $150 bond. Court date was set for Dec. 3.

Stanley T. Nieder, 36, 603 Hickory Road, Woodstock, was charged Oct. 25 with driving under the influence, improper display of registration and no proof of insur-ance at St. Johns and Hickory streets. Nie-der posted $100 and his driver’s license as bond. Court date was set for Dec. 3.

Any charges are merely accusations, and de-fendants or suspects are presumed innocent un-less proven guilty.

Average gas price

$2.33 /GAL.

Reflects average price of regular unleaded gasoline at Woodstock gas stations the morning of Nov. 2.

.01

Weather permitting, the final leaf pickup for Woodstock city residents will be Mon-day, Nov. 9, for residents on the north side of the railroad tracks. Residents in this area must have their leaves raked to the parkway by 7 a.m. Monday, Nov. 16, will be the final pickup for residents to the south of the railroad tracks.

No vehicles should be parked within 20

STREET SMARTS

feet of any leaf pile. Call Public Works at 815-338-6118 for questions.

Margarethe “Margaret” Riesinger

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6 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTNov. 4-10, 2015

CHERYL WORMLEYPublisher, Co-OwnerPAUL WORMLEY

Co-OwnerKATELYN STANEKManaging Editor

THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENT

Woodstock, IL 1987

THE EDITORIAL BOARDCheryl Wormley Katelyn Stanek Sandy KucharskiStephanie Price

On Oct. 29, staff members and fellow faculty at Woodstock High School gath-ered to give a proper sendoff to one of their own.

�ird-year teacher Jeremy Boswell, a captain in the Illinois Army National Guard Reserves, already has a tour of Iraq under his belt; he’s being deployed to Afghanistan this time, leaving behind a wife and a young son.

We’re sure Capt. Boswell would be the first to point out he’s one of thousands of active-duty and veteran servicemen and women who deserve our recognition this Veterans Day, but it’s rare to have one of our community’s teachers called away to service. When he reports for duty, he’ll have a student body standing in support of him, too.

�e reception at WHS last week is one of a number of events taking place in Woodstock to recognize U.S. troops for Veterans Day. On Wednesday, Nov. 11, Woodstock VFW Post 5040 will host a Veterans Day ceremony and gun salute at 11 a.m., followed by a luncheon. �e observance will be at the post building at 240 N. �roop St.

Elsewhere, schools will host events for students to learn about Veterans Day and local organizations and businesses will recognize the veterans within their ranks, too. Of course, these small acts remind all of us of the importance of respecting our nation’s veterans, but they also serve to let our local veterans know their com-munity honors them.

We’re grateful for the opportunity to pay tribute to veterans on Nov. 11, wheth-er it means gathering for a ceremony at the VFW post or taking part in another event. We encourage the community to take advantage of chances to honor our veterans. Likewise, we wish Capt. Boswell and the other troops of our community the best while on their tours of duty and pray for their quick return.

This Nov. 11, take a moment

to honor troops in our community

Opinion

» OUR VIEW

weigh inEmail letters to the editor to letters@thewood-stockindependent.com or mail them to 671 E. Calhoun St., Woodstock, IL 60098.

» YOUR VIEW

Motocross noise is a bothersome summer soundtrack

With the recent decision regarding amplified sound in Woodstock, it’s an excellent time to evaluate the noise com-ing from the motocross events throughout the summer.

Everyone who lives within a 2-mile radius of the fairgrounds (which are in the center of town) knows that the inescap-able soundtrack to most Friday nights, until about 11:30 p.m., is the sound of racing dirt bikes and highly amplified event an-nouncers.

And I just discovered that they are planning to increase the number of events next year, pos-sibly doubling them.

Several neighbors have ex-pressed concerns about the ongoing noise. Is this a problem worth addressing? We’ve devel-oped an online survey to assess how many locals are bothered by the noise. Let us know what you think at: www.surveymonkey.com/r/HYD2CMH.

Dawn Zehr,Woodstock

When it comes to townships, why change what works?

For a long time, I have been following letters in this space which advocate township con-solidation. �ese letters claim that consolidation will result in lower taxes, but are silent on where that savings will come from.

�e biggest township expense that I see, and the one which touches the most people, is roads. In winter, it costs a cer-tain amount to clear snow and provide ice control for a mile of road. Outside of winter, it costs a certain amount to patch the surface and maintain the ditches and shoulders for each mile of road. �is is regardless of whether that mile is in an existing township or in a larger consolidated township. Since most expenses are per mile of road and consolidation will not reduce the total miles of road, where is the savings supposed to come from? �e only possible savings that I see in consolidat-ing two townships is in eliminat-ing one road commissioner posi-tion. However, with a township twice the size, the remaining

road commissioner may have to hire a management-level em-ployee to assist in the supervi-sion of twice as big a township staff, and there goes most of the savings.

Even if there is a very small tax savings to be realized from consolidation, the past letters do not address what would be lost in consolidation. What would be lost is local control and account-ability. No matter how talented, no township official can be as familiar with the jurisdiction if the size of the jurisdiction is arbitrarily doubled. My personal experience is that my township’s road commissioner is familiar with the territory and knows what the staff is doing. Under the current system, things get taken care of in a timely manner and I hesitate changing a system that works.

Chuck Cain,Unincorporated Greenwood

Township

“What is right to be done cannot be done too soon.”

— Jane Austen

QUOTABLE

7Nov. 4-10, 2015THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENT

Next Wednesday, Nov. 11, our coun-try officially honors veterans – every-one who has served in United States Armed Forces.

If someone were to ask you to describe a veteran, how would you respond?

I think my first thought would be someone who served in World War II. As I was growing up, World War I veterans were aging. �e veterans in honor guards and who marched in parades had served in World War II. And though approximately 400,000 women served as WACs, WAVES and Army and Navy nurses, in my young mind, veterans were men. Until a few years ago, honor guards represent-ing Woodstock’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5040 were mostly made up of World War II veterans. So, many school children probably would say veterans are old men. World War II veterans are old – now in their late 80s and 90s.

Certainly some of us, when asked to describe veterans, would visualize servicemen, and possibly women, who served in Vietnam – now in their 60s and 70s. �eir return didn’t prompt parades and welcomes like the World War I, World War II and Korea veter-ans received. Many Vietnam veterans

were able to pick up where they left off when they vol-unteered to serve or were drafted – like my child-hood friends who were Marines and my college friends who became offi-cers. Sadly, others struggled. Maybe the ones who struggled are who you think of when asked to describe a veteran.

Or do you think of the men and women who served in Desert Storm? Many of that generation of veterans now are in their 40s or 50s.

�at’s not all; there are new veterans every day – many in their 20s or 30s. �ey have been part of today’s all-volunteer Armed Forces. Some have served on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq. Others have served aboard Navy ships, in the Air Force or Coast Guard or on other Marine and Army assignments.

An increasing number of them are women. Today, 14.9 percent of active duty military personnel are women. Today’s servicemen and women, as

in the past, are young. Approximately half are younger than 20 when they enlist. Even if they serve more than one tour of duty, they might still be in their late 20s or early 30s when they become veterans. �ey have whole lifetimes ahead of them.

Veterans Day is always Nov. 11. Until 1954, Nov. 11 was called Armistice Day, remembering the end of World War I at 11 a.m. Nov. 11, 1918 – “the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.” Between 1918 and 1954, U.S. military personnel had served in World War II and in the Korean War, too, so a day honoring all veterans was in order. Memorial Day memorializes the fall-en. Veterans Day honors all veterans for their “patriotism, love of country, willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.” It is fitting to have a day set aside to honor veterans.

But I believe there’s more. We need to stand by veterans as they strive to assimilate to the rigors of living as civilians in a country that has changed during their years in the military.

Last week, I read a book by Her-man Buffington remembering his days as a young 18-year-old infantry-man on Okinawa as the U.S. fought to eliminate the Japanese hold on the island’s southern end. �e battle

stories were riveting. I didn’t expect the pages about what it was like when he returned to the states just two years after leaving. He wrote of trying to catch up with friends and family after a two-year absence; of calling girlfriends, only to find out they had married and were now mothers. He didn’t write about how he transi-tioned from returning veteran to be-coming a newspaperman in Georgia. I can only imagine he used the same determination and intelligence that kept him alive on Okinawa to go to college, and I believe he had support of friends, neighbors and business associates.

Do take time to honor veterans next Wednesday, but don’t let that be all you do. Find ways to stand by veter-ans, the young ones and those who are aging. Talk with veterans and help and support them, especially those you know. Volunteer in or donate to programs that assist them. Need a starting point? To learn about finan-cially supporting veterans programs in McHenry County, call the McHenry County Community Foundation at 815-338-4483.

OPINION

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Letters to the editor: We welcome letters of general interest to the community and reserve the right to edit for clarity or length. Letters should be fewer than 400 words, and writers are limited to one letter per month. Letters are due at noon Wednesday and must be signed and include the writer’s address and a telephone number for verifica-tion purposes only.

Corrections: The Woodstock Independent strives for accuracy. To suggest corrections or clarifications, email news@thewoodstockindependent.com.

INDEPENDENTTheWoodstock

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Cheryl Wormley PUBLISHERc.wormley@thewoodstockindependent.com

Katelyn Stanek MANAGING EDITORkatelyn@thewoodstockindependent.com

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Columnists John Daab, Paul Lockwood, Lisa Haderlein, Dan Chamness, Debbie Skozek, Tony Casalino, Erich Thurow, Kathleen Spaltro

Editorial Cartoonist Jim Pearson

Photographers Michelle Krenger, Ken Farver, Alisa Ellegood

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Administration Rebecca McDaniel

s ta f f dead l ines & contact s

» COLUMN

Honor veterans and stand by them

Cheryl Wormley is publisher of The Wood-stock Independent.

Declarations

CherylWormley

After the harvest, soil protection

is keyI love this time of year. Crunchy

leaves, a few remaining purple aster blooms, the deep blue sky and crops coming in off the fields.

OK, I don’t enjoy the dust so much, but the fields are beautiful after harvest. �e natural rolls of the land are no longer obscured by crops, but display themselves openly again.

One sight that concerns me this time of year are fields that are tilled. Turning the soil over in the fall without add-ing a cover crop – winter wheat or rye, for example – means that the soil is exposed to the elements all winter long and there will be less soil on that field come spring planting time.

Sun, wind, rain and snow all take their toll on soil exposed to the air. Sun dries the soil. Wind blows the soil away. Rain and melting snow cause soil erosion.

Would you believe that the Missis-sippi River carries 300 million tons of top soil to the Gulf of Mexico each year? In contrast, about 60 million tons of food and farm products (pri-marily corn and soybeans) travel by

barge past St. Louis each year.�ink about that. We are “export-

ing” five times as much top soil as grain down the Mississippi River every year. And we receive nothing in return. Nothing good, that is.

Prime farmland is a rare commod-ity that is determined by a combina-tion of good soils, the right climate and water availability. �e Upper Midwest, including McHenry County, has some of the best soils, climate and access to water in the entire world.

But that status will not last if we continue to squander the rich top soil that the prairies left us.

In the U.S., on average, soil loss from erosion occurs at a rate ap-proximately 10 times the rate of soil formation. In other words, we are letting soil wash away faster than nature can make new soil.

Additionally, the soil running off farmland carries high levels of nutri-ents from the fertilizers and manure spread onto the fields to boost crop yields. When this nutrient-rich soil

enters the Gulf of Mexico, it creates an area the size of Connecticut called a Dean Zone through a phenomenon called hypoxia.

Hypoxia is a condition where oxy-gen levels are so low that virtually nothing can live.

�e oxygen level is so low because there are high levels of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous flowing into the gulf. �e higher-than-normal nutrients cause excessive algae and phytoplankton growth. When the algae and phytoplankton die, the process of decomposition consumes the oxygen in the water.

Fortunately, there are alternatives. �e easiest way to reduce erosion is to reduce the amount of bare ground that is exposed to the elements. Cover crops, no-till or low-till farm-ing are just a few of the ways to help keep soil in place and also build new soil to keep the land productive for future generations of farmers.

» COLUMN

Lisa Haderlein is executive director of The Land Conservancy.

The Nature of Things

LisaHaderlein

8 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTNov. 4-10, 2015

EducationCreekside students embrace geocaching

Creekside Middle School sixth-graders read clues and study coordinates Oct. 30 during a geocaching program on the school grounds. INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY STEPHANIE PRICE

By STEPHANIE PRICEThe Independent

Equipped with hand-held GPS de-vices and several clues, sixth-graders at Creekside Middle School embraced the sport of geocaching Oct. 30.

All 260 sixth-grade students partici-pated in a special geocaching program that aimed to teach students about the local history of several organizations and challenge them mathematically. Creekside sixth-grade teacher Miriam Berg organized the program.

“I was asked to plan a field trip,” Berg said. “But I wanted to plan something that integrated what I was teaching. I teach students about latitude and longitude, and thought geocaching would be perfect.”

Instead of leaving the school grounds, Berg, with the help of her fellow teachers, set up four separate geocaching courses on the grounds of Creekside Middle School. �ey needed four courses in or-der to accommodate all 260 participat-ing students, she said. �e challenges for each course were similar.

Prior to hitting the cache course, stu-dents had to solve puzzles in the class-rooms. �e answers to the questions provided clues and coordinates students would need on the geocaching course. Berg reached out to several represen-tatives in the community to get details about the history of the Opera House, the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District, the

Woodstock Library and School District 200. Once they had solved the puzzles, students took the information outside.

Using hand-held GPS (global position-ing systems) loaned to the school by the Crystal Lake Nature Center, the students plugged in their longitude and latitude coordinates to find the cache sites.

While many avid geocachers use cell-phones and an app to find hidden caches throughout the United States, the online geocaching sites are prohibited from us-ing school grounds, Berg said. Using the hand-held devices allowed staffers to improvise and create their courses.

“�is is completely different than

anything we’ve done before,” Berg said. “We wanted to do something fun, but didn’t want the same old field trip. �is lets the kids have a lot of fun doing something creative and challenging while applying skills from our cur-riculum – math, reasoning, geography, problem-solving, etc.”

�e staff members hid the caches in some very creative places, providing somewhat of a treasure hunt for the stu-dents. One cache was made using a fire-man’s boot strapped to a tree from a piece of firehose. A couple others were hidden in the tall grass areas near the school. Yet another was tucked away under a light post at the school.

�e sixth-grade classrooms divided the students into several small teams, and each team had the opportunity to find one cache. Inside the cache were clues and two coordinates for the final cache site. One cache even included a treat bag of candy. Just as in regular geocaching, the students signed a small notebook inside the cache container to let others know they stopped by. All classrooms were timed to see who could finish their course the fastest.

Students seemed excited by the chal-lenge and a chance to break away from the classroom and get outdoors.

“I like the challenge of finding things,” said sixth-grader Damien Urbina.

“I like how everyone has to figure out the clues,” said Natalie Le, another sixth-grader.

9Nov. 4-10, 2015THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENT

A & EFormer Woodstock mayor pens new book

By STEPHANIE PRICEThe Independent

Former Woodstock Mayor Bill Ander-son has written a follow-up novel to his first autobiography, “�e New Kid.”

Anderson, now 66 and living in Cla-remore, Okla., released a fictional book, “Secrets from the Strongbox,” Sept. 15. �e book is published by Xulon Press in Maitland, Fla. �e plot of the new book focuses on a 13-year-old boy named Andy Moss who lives at a children’s home and dreams of becoming a crime reporter for the Woodstock Daily Senti-nel newspaper.

“�e book is a collection of papers, deeds, and incidents committed by children living in the children’s home,” Anderson said in a telephone interview. “�e premise is that Andy was somehow involved in these capers and somehow observed them. From each caper, he ob-tained a souvenir and put it in a strong-box.”

Anderson said most of the stories in “Secrets from the Strongbox” are amus-ing, but a few deal with more serious is-sues.

While the new book is fictional, it has strong ties to Anderson’s first book, “�e New Kid,” published in June 2014 by Xlibris of Bloomington, Ind. Ander-son described that book as an autobio-graphical memoir based on his real-life experience growing up in the Wood-

stock Children’s Home. �e home was located on Route 47 north of Route 120, where Hearthstone Manor now stands. Anderson wrote the “�e New Kid” un-der the pen name of Andrew Moss.

Anderson lived in Woodstock from 1956 to 1999. He and his four sisters went to live at the Woodstock Children’s Home when he was in second grade be-cause his father was an alcoholic and his mother was committed to a mental institution. He stayed there through his high school years.

Anderson wrote the first book, he said, to share his first-hand account of what it was like to grow up at a chil-dren’s home. He particularly wanted to reach townspeople who may have had the wrong impression about the facility, run by the Free Methodist Church.

“I never in my life thought about be-ing a writer, but I always had a story to tell having grown up in a children’s home,” Anderson said. “So many people in Woodstock were involved with the home, and there were some misconcep-tions about it.”

For example, the church didn’t ap-prove of dancing, Anderson said, prompting some people to think the church was too strict with the children.

“I don’t think people realized what a good home it was,” Anderson said. “We had rules, and a lot of my friends’ par-ents thought the rules were too strict. But actually we got very good care. �e

house parents cared about us. �at’s one of the things I wanted to get across in “�e New Kid.”

Anderson said the response from “�e New Kid” was so good people began asking if he intended to write another book. While he hadn’t planned to write a follow-up story, eventually the idea of the Andy Moss child character and the strongbox popped into Anderson’s head. �e ideas for the second book de-veloped quickly, he said, and he wrote the piece in six months.

“I think there’s a lot of appeal for a young person to read this book,” An-derson said. “At the end of each chap-ter, there is a moral to the story. It’s also good for older people because it takes place in the 1950s and 1960s, and I use some of the people’s names who lived in Woodstock back then.”

As an adult, Anderson worked at AM-CORE Bank in Woodstock as a commer-cial banker for 25 years before retiring. He served on the Woodstock City Coun-cil from 1981 to 1989, and was mayor from 1993 to 1997. He and his wife, Deb-orah have lived in Claremore, Okla. for four years now. �e couple’s two grown children and seven grandchildren also live in Claremore. Anderson’s only sur-viving sister, Mary Lou Swanson, 67, lives in Woodstock, as does her two children.

�e former mayor last visited Wood-stock one year ago when he attended several book-signing sessions for “�e New Kid” at Read Between the Lynes bookstore, the Woodstock Public Li-brary, Hearthstone Village and the Woodstock Morning Rotary Club.

Anderson said he hopes to visit his hometown again to promote “Secrets from the Strong Box.” Both books are available for purchase at Read Between the Lynes and the Uptown Salon, which is owned by Anderson’s niece Gayla Rentin. �ey can also be found on Ama-zon.com and Barnes & Noble.

Former Woodstock mayor and author Bill Anderson holds a copy of his newest book, “Secrets from the Strongbox,” re-leased Sept. 15. COURTESY PHOTO

Bill Anderson releases new fictional book ‘Secrets from the Strongbox’

10 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTNov. 4-10, 2015 A & E

» MUSICLIVE MUSIC AT EXPRESSLY LESLIE’SNov. 6, 13, 6 p.m.Woodstock Square Mall110 Johnson St.FreeNov. 6: Northwest Highway will perform.Nov. 13: Pam Kaye will perform.

WOODSTOCK FARMERS MARKETNov. 14, 21, 9 a.m. to noonWoodstock SquareMcHenry County Fairgrounds Building DFreewoodstockfarmersmarket.org.Performers: Nov. 14 - Guys with Bad Eyez at 9 a.m; Nov 21 - Northwest Highway at 9 a.m.

WHS VARIETY CABARETNov. 6, 7, 7 p.m.Nov. 8, 3 p.m.Woodstock High School Commons501 W. South St.$10 adults, $5 students815-338-4370Various WHS musicians and vocalists will perform.

JAZZ JAMNov. 6, 20, 8 p.m.Stage Left Café125 Van Buren St.815-337-1395$5 donationJazz Jam is sponsored by Jazz on the

Square. Artists will perform jazz music.

FIRST SATURDAY MUSICNov. 7, 7 p.m.Unity Spiritual Center of Woodstock225 W. Calhoun St.$3 donation815-382-5264Visitors can participate in the open mic night or enjoy the show. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

STAGE LEFTOVERSNov. 11, 7:30 p.m.Stage Left Café125 Van Buren St. FreeThe Stage Leftovers, consisting of Rich Prezioso, Joe Pesz, Brian Murphy, Laurel Palma, George Koester, Pete Jonsson and Les Urban, will perform.

OPEN MIC NIGHTNov. 13, 28, 7 p.m.Stage Left Café125 Van Buren St. $3 donationoffsquaremusic.org815-338-5164Open Mic is sponsored by Off Square Mu-sic. Various artists will perform in 15-minute slots.

LORIE LINE CHRISTMAS IN THE CITYNov. 20, 7:30 p.m.Woodstock Opera House121 Van Buren St.$49

815-338-5300Pianist Lorie Line will present a show with music and special guests.

» THEATER‘WHITE CHRISTMAS’Nov. 6, 7, 13, 14, 21, 8 p.m.Nov. 8, 15, 21, 22, 3 p.m.Woodstock Opera House121 Van Buren St.$23 A seating, $18 B seating, $13 C seat-ing815-338-5300TownSquare Players will present Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas,” the tale of two showbiz buddies who put on a show in a picturesque Vermont inn and find their per-fect mates during the show.

» SPOKEN WORDSPOKEN WORD CAFÉNov. 7, 7 p.m.Stage Left Café125 Van Buren St. 815-382-5264Professional and amateur storytellers will share tales with the audience.

» LECTURECREATIVE LIVING SERIESNov. 19, 10 a.m.Woodstock Opera House121 Van Buren St.$24815-338-5300Food stylist and recipe developer Libbie Summers will talk about her food-inspired life.

MOVIESPreviews of films currently playing at the Woodstock Theatre unless otherwise noted.

‘BURNT’Adam Jones is a chef who destroyed his career with drugs and diva behavior. He cleans up and returns to London, deter-mined to redeem himself by spearhead-ing a top restaurant that can gain three Michelin stars. “Burnt” is directed by John Wells (“The West Wing”) and stars Brad-ley Cooper (“The Hangover”) and Sienna Miller (“American Sniper”).

‘THE BRIDGE OF SPIES’Set during the Cold War, the CIA recruits an American lawyer to help rescue a pi-

lot detained in the Soviet Union. “The Bridge of Spies” is directed by Steven Spielberg (“Jaws”) and stars Tom Hanks (“Castaway”) and Mark Rylance (“Jeru-salem”).PG-13, 142 MINUTES

‘GOOSEBUMPS’ 2D AND 3DThe daughter of young-adult horror au-thor R.L. Stine teams up with a teenag-er after Stine’s imaginary demons are turned loose on a small town in Mary-land. “Goosebumps” is directed by Rob Letterman (“Shark Tale”), and stars Jack Black (“School of Rock”) and Odeya Rush (“The Odd Life of Timothy Green”).PG, 103 MINUTES

‘OUR BRAND IS CRISIS’An American wom-an, well-versed in political cam-paigns, is sent to the war-torn lands of South America to help install a new leader but is threat-ened to be thwarted by a long-term rival. “Our Brand is Cri-sis” is directed by David Gordon Green (“Pineapple Express”) and stars Sandra Bullock (“The Blindside”) and Billy Bob Thornton (“Sling Blade”). RATED R, 107 MINUTES

‘THE MARTIAN’On a manned mission to Mars, astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a violent storm and left behind by his crew. He’s alone and stranded on Mars, trying to find a way to signal Earth for a rescue. “The Martian” is di-rected by Ridley Scott (“The Good Wife”) and stars Matt Damon (“Good Will Hunting”) and Jessica Chastain (“The Help”).PG-13, 141 MINUTES

‘PEANUTS MOVIE’Snoopy embarks upon his greatest mis-sion as he and his team take to the skies to pursue their arch-nemesis, while his best pal Charlie Brown begins his own epic quest back home. “Peanuts Mov-ie” is directed by Steve Martino (“Ice Age: Continental Drift”) and stars Noah Schnapp (“Bridge of Spies”) and Hadley Belle Miller (“Sofia the First”). RATED G, 93 MINUTES

‘SPECTRE’A cryptic message from James Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret ser-vice alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth be-hind SPECTRE.”SPECTRE” is directed by Sam Mendes (“Skyfall”) and stars Daniel Craig (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”) and Christoph Waltz (“Django Unchained”). RATED PG-13148 MINUTES

WOODSTOCK’S ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTSThe Entertainer

11Nov. 4-10, 2015THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENT

MarketplaceRed Barn, ‘a fixture’ since 1969, will close its doors

Decorations stand outside Red Barn Farm Market. The business along Route 47 will close Nov. 8. INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY STEPHANIE PRICE

Business at 3500 S. Route 47 will shut down for good Nov. 8

By STEPHANIE PRICEThe Independent

Back in the 1960s, the Skerke fam-ily parked a truck along Route 47 just south of Woodstock and began sell-ing homegrown fruits and vegetables to raise extra money to pay their chil-dren’s college fees.

�e roadside stand did so well, par-ents Harvey and Norma Skerke and their children, John and Susan, even-tually built a store on their property at 3500 S. Route 47 and opened Red Barn Farm Market in 1969.

In addition to selling homegrown sweet corn, tomatoes, onions, sug-ar snap peas, pumpkins, decorative gourds and other vegetables, the Sker-kes started selling fresh baked goods, such as pies and doughnuts, and home décor and giftware. Customers were drawn to their flowers and hanging baskets in the spring and to the Red Barn’s colorful mums in the fall. As the years passed by, they added a fall fes-tival which had a corn maze, Spooky House, petting zoo and hayrides for guests, many of whom became loyal patrons over time.

Now, after 46-plus years in business, the Red Barn Farm Market is closing its doors for good Nov. 8. John Skerke and his wife, Cathy, have been running the business for several years along with his sister, Susan Skerke Klehm. �e trio said it’s time for them to retire and en-joy more time with their children and grandchildren.

“I am retiring,” said Cathy Skerke, 63. “My husband is semi-retiring. He will continue to do grain farming, but we aren’t going to do vegetable farming.”

Although the business is closing, the family is not selling the store or their 300-acre property.

Skerke, who married into the fam-ily business and has been part of the owner/managing team for the past 40 years, said vegetable farming is ex-tremely labor intensive. In addition to running the Red Barn Farm Market store site, the family also brought their homegrown produce to 10 farmers markets every week during the sum-

mer months. �ey traveled to markets in Grayslake, Ravinia, Libertyville, Schaumburg, Lake Bluff, Lake Zurich, Northfield, Crystal Lake, Deerfield and Arlington Heights.

�e work was hard but rewarding, Cathy Skerke said.

“It was a very nice occupation,” Cathy Skerke said. “And it was always chang-ing. With every season, we had some-thing new. And the fun part was that you got the winters off.”

News of the store’s closing has hit some loyal customers hard. After post-ing a going-out-of-business notice on the Red Barn Farm Market Facebook page Oct. 12, 66 people posted com-ments that ranged from good luck wishes to stating how sad they were. Many recounted childhood memories and family traditions of visiting the Red Barn, particularly during the au-tumn season.

“You were a fixture of my childhood and a landmark on the long drive from

the toll road to my parents’ house in Woodstock,” former resident Sarah Peasley posted on the page. “�anks for all the great years.”

“�is news made me very sad,” Max-ine Kamick wrote. “My family and I have come to the Red Barn every fall for as long as I can remember, which is at least 25 years. It’s a family tradition I had hoped to carry on with my own

children. �ank you for the wonderful memories and best wishes on your re-tirement. - �e Nenn Family.”

�is past weekend, hundreds of cus-tomers stopped by for a last chance to shop at the Red Barn and say their good-byes.

“�e response from the community has been so good,” Cathy Skerke said. “We were so crowded last weekend. �ere were people in here crying ... because we’ve been around for such a long time.”

In order to empty their shelves, the Red Barn Farm Market is running a 75-percent off sale on merchandise purchased through Sunday, Nov. 8, in-cluding lamps, baskets, kitchenware, giftware and gourmet food.

�e store hours for the final week will be from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. All tables, display pieces, cash registers and four freezers also will be sold. �e family is donating two freezers to the Wood-stock Food Pantry, Skerke said.

“We were so crowded last weekend. There were people in here crying ... because we’ve been around for such a long time.”

— Cathy Skerke, Red Barn Farm Market

REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

Filed in the McHenry County Recorder’s Of-fice Oct. 13 to 16:

Residence at 4317 East Lake Shore Drive, Wonder Lake, was sold by Thomas Prendergast, Concord, Calif., to Joseph Lep-kowski, Forest Park, for $155,000.

Residence at 334 Kimball St., Wood-stock, was sold by Eric and Melissa Thorn-burg, Woodstock, to Keith Montanye, Wood-stock, for $137,500.

Residence at 1920-22 Sheila St., Woodstock, was sold by Home State Bank Trust, Crystal Lake, to Antonio and Rosio Tapia, Woodstock, for $72,000.

Lot at 1400 Savannah Lane, Wood-stock, was sold by American Community Bank & Trust, Woodstock, to Ismael Cano and

Araceli Cortes, Elgin, for $30,000. Residence at 1005 Wintu Court, Wood-

stock, was sold by Margert Vaccaro and James Vaccaro, Woodstock, to Frank and Mi-chelle Palazzo, Addison, for $287,500.

Residence at 7708 Howe Road, Won-der Lake, was sold by Richard Mroz and Den-nis Mroz, Wonder Lake, to Eugene and Janet Gulgren, McHenry, for $60,000.

Residence at 721 Elm Lane Unit 101, Woodstock, was sold by Randall and Wayne Robinson, Woodstock, to Daniel and Patricia Wneberg, Woodstock, for $48,000.

Residence at 7725 Gene Drive, Won-der Lake, was sold by the Federal National Mortgage Association, Dallas, to Kelly Burke, Wonder Lake, for $89,000.

Residence at 719 W. Donovan Ave., Woodstock, was sold by Joshua and Kristina Paluch, Woodstock, to Brian and Robin Mey-ers, Woodstock, for $123,500.

Residence at 1371 Wood Drive, Wood-stock, was sold by Lauren Kogler, Woodstock, to Matthew and Jamie Weger, Woodstock, for $185,000.

Residence at 509 Stewart Ave., Wood-stock, was sold by the Judicial Sales Corpora-tion, Chicago, to Sandust LLC, Crystal Lake, for $85,401.

Residence at 1945 Tappan St., Wood-stock, was sold by the Judicial Sales Corpora-tion, Chicago, to Sandust LLC, Crystal Lake, for $41,000.

Residence at 111 Cairns Court, Wood-

stock, was sold by Krzysztof Pilawski, An-tioch, Calif., to Rasberry Ice Inc., Crystal Lake, for $92,000.

12 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTNov. 4-10, 2015

CommunityHIGHLIGHTS

Rec department sets next year’s Touch a Truck

By JAN DOVIDIOThe Independent

�e Woodstock Recreation Depart-

ment hosted its annual Touch a Truck

event at Emricson Park in late summer.

�e first Touch a Truck event took

place in 2001 at the Woodstock Fire De-

partment on Judd Street. �e parking

area eventually became too small, and

so the activity was moved to Emricson.

Recreation Program Coordinator

Becky Vidales arranged for the par-

ticipating vehicles. �is year’s crowd of

over 600 people climbed in and out of

19 trucks. Next year’s event is already

set for Sunday, Aug. 28.

“�e kids love all of the trucks, but I

think the fire truck is always a favorite,”

said Vidales. “�e kids are allowed to

sit and climb in and out of each vehicle

and honk the horns.”

Touch a Truck 2015 included vehicles

from Interstate Battery, Mark Mitchell

State Farm Insurance, McHenry County

Sheriff’s Department, Mecuum Auction,

Whitey’s Towing, Woodstock District

200, Woodstock Fire Rescue District,

Woodstock Police Department, Wood-

stock Public Works and the Woodstock

Recreation Department.

“It’s a great free community event,”

said Vidales. “Each year we hope to get

more vehicles than the year before and

make it bigger and better.”

Grace members join service day

Members of Grace Lutheran Church

participated in the third annual “God’s

Work. Our Hands” service day in Sep-

tember. �ey joined congregations

from across the country who are also

members of the Evangelical Lutheran

Church in America. It is a day of service

and partnership in local communities.

Fifty-seven volunteers from Grace

gathered for worship, lunch and an af-

ternoon of service. �ey performed

tasks for four volunteer efforts.

Volunteers prepared 100 school kits

for Lutheran World Relief, sorted do-

nated items at Turning Point, repaired a

fence and stained a playground set and

picnic bench with Home of the Sparrow

and cleaned windows at Pioneer Center.

“We are grateful to Volunteer Center

McHenry County for helping Grace to

partner with two of our volunteer sites this

year,” said the Rev. Amanda Bergstrom.

Grace’s team leaders for the different

sites were Andy Bellavia, Jon Bergstrom,

Denise Klabunde, Mary Beth Martin-

Bellavia, Paul Meyer and Lynn Nattress.

“I love Grace’s day of service,” said

Bergstrom, “because it gathers people

together with fellow sisters and brothers

in Christ to celebrate God’s work through

our hands.”

News of recognitions and milestones can be sent to Janet Dovidio at fetjetjd@aol.com.

By SANDY KUCHARSKIThe Independent

One of the most common ques-

tions that Veteran Service Officer So-

nia Castaneda gets from clients who

visit her at the Veteran Assistance

Commission of McHenry County is,

“Who served in the military in your

family? Was it your father or hus-

band?”

�e 26-year-old then explains that

she is the veteran, having served ac-

tive duty in Afghanistan in 2008.

�is exchange usually opens up a

conversation and an opportunity to

share experiences.

“We all understand each other,”

said Castaneda, “because we’ve all

been in the service.”

For this reason, the Veteran’s As-

sistance Commission – located in

the Annex Building of the McHenry

County Government Center, 667

Ware Road – is staffed entirely by

veterans. Castaneda began working

there in the summer of 2014, bring-

ing nine years of military service to

the position.

A Harvard native, Castaneda said

she knew she wanted to join the

Army since she was in eighth grade.

“I wanted to challenge myself and

do something greater than what I

could accomplish on my own,” she

said.

At age 17, near the end of her ju-

nior year in high school, she enlisted

in the Army National Guard, despite

some resistance from her family.

A month later she found herself in

boot camp. Upon completion of boot

camp, she returned to Harvard to

finish her senior year of high school

and graduate with the class of 2007.

She trained with her unit – the

135th Chemical Company with the

33rd Combat Brigade – one weekend

a month, and completed her Mili-

tary Occupational Specialty training,

earning the title of Chemical Bio-

logical Radiological Nuclear Warfare

Specialist.

In the fall of 2008 Casteneda re-

ceived word that her unit had been

deployed to Afghanistan, but her pla-

toon wasn’t going to go. Shortly after,

she got a call while she was at work

at the TCF Bank in the Woodstock

Jewel, instructing her to, “Go home,

pack, and meet the unit.”

“My family didn’t like it, but I was

excited!” Castaneda said.

She spent about a year at Camp

Phoenix, Kabul, Afghanistan, doing

security for the base, manning tow-

ers, guard gates, personnel checks,

vehicle inspections and convoy pa-

trols.

Her unit included several members

from Harvard. Upon their return

home, they were escorted in a pro-

ASSISTING VETERANS

Local veteran service officer defiesexpectations, charts new territory

cession through town and introduced at

a rally at Harvard High School.

Spending the better part of a year away

from home was no problem for the then-

19-year-old, but it has become consid-

erably tougher for her to accommodate

the monthly weekend and annual two

weeks of National Guard drill status now

that she is a wife and the mother of two

young boys. Already with 10 years under

her belt, Castaneda has an eye toward

hitting the 20-year mark.

“With a family, it’s really different,” she

said. “It’s harder to leave. No one takes

care of my children like I would.”

Castaneda charted new territory dur-

ing her first pregnancy, taking on the

responsibility of setting policies for her

unit regarding what a woman recruit can

and can’t do while pregnant.

“Prior to me, no other female had been

pregnant [in my unit],” she said. “Now

I’m still in charge of family care plans

and pregnancy counseling.”

Establishing these guidelines is im-

portant with more than half the unit now

being made up of women. Still, Castane-

da said there are very few mothers in the

service, since they have to accept that

duty to the military comes first.

Her dedication is reflected daily in her

position with the Veterans Assistance

Commission of McHenry County, where

employees help veterans with needs

such as advocacy and claims, arrang-

ing weekly transportation to the Cap-

tain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care

Center in North Chicago and tracking

down financial assistance.

“We’ve helped all kinds of veterans,”

Castaneda said. “I love hearing their sto-

ries.”

She said many veterans are not aware

that they are entitled to some of the ser-

vices the VAC offers. She does, however,

find it very rewarding when they connect

with someone and are able to help get a

claim awarded.

Referring to her career in the military,

Castaneda said, “I am extremely proud

of what I’ve done, being involved in

something bigger than I am.” She credits

her family – which has grown to be very

supportive of her – with contributing to

her success.

Sonia Castaneda serves with the Army in Afghanistan. Castaneda works for the Veteran Assistance Commission and is still in the Army National Guard. COURTESY PHOTO

“We all understand each other, because we’ve all been in the service.”

— Sonia Castaneda, Veteran Service Officer

IN BRIEF

Art installation opens at Old Court House Arts Center

An art installation that debuted on the Square Halloween weekend will be on

display during the month of November at the Old Court House Arts Center on the Square. Titled “the END is the beginning” leveille art installations is viewable from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m.

Bert leveille has created several art instal-lations exploring an alternative world. In March, she had an installation “Connecting” at Starline Gallery. She has also had several solo exhibits and has been juried into sever-al art exhibits including the Chicago Show.

13Nov. 4-10, 2015THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTCOMMUNITY

» COLUMN

It has been awhile since this column

addressed the basics of an estate plan.

I believe the essential elements of an

estate plan are:

making sure your assets are dis-

tributed according to your wishes;

making administration of your es-

tate as easy as possible, which usually

includes avoiding probate and minimiz-

ing estate taxes;

setting up mechanisms to allow

another person to step in and manage

your assets for your benefit, and make

health care decisions for you, if you are

disabled; and

providing for minor and disabled

family members.

It is still a common belief that the

will is the cornerstone of an estate

plan. When naming a guardian for

minor children is not an issue, the

will is a “just in case” document. It is

included in the plan, but it should not

be used to transfer title to assets after

a death. If it is being used in this way,

then the goal of avoiding probate has

been missed.

Remember, a will is a set of instruc-

tions for the probate judge. It also

waives costly surety on the executor’s

bond, a valuable savings. However,

if a client so desires, in most cases,

probate can be avoided. �is means a

substantial savings in time and money.

Each asset owned by the client must

be considered to see if it is a probate

asset. If title is held in such a way that

an asset will transfer automatically at

death, then it is not a probate asset.

We all own some probate assets and

some non-probate assets.

A house in joint tenancy is not a

probate asset – at the

first death. If nothing

is done, it will be a

probate asset at the

second death when

there is only one

owner.

A life insurance

policy naming a ben-

eficiary is not a pro-

bate asset, because

the beneficiary des-

ignation makes the

asset transfer auto-

matically.

A checking ac-

count or CD with a P.O.D. designation

(“pay on death”) is not a probate asset

because the P.O.D. designation makes

the asset transfer automatically.

Assets held in the name of a trust

are not probate assets. Trusts do not die.

When their grantor dies, the successor

trustee can follow the instructions in the

trust for distribution of the assets with-

out the intervention of any court.

Any financial account, or stock

in a family business, or any other as-

set owned by the decedent in his name

alone, is a probate asset.

A will that names persons or organi-

zations to whom you would like your

assets given after your death is a valu-

able instruction for the probate judge,

but unless the combined value of the

probate assets is less than $100,000, a

probate lawsuit will be necessary to ac-

tually collect and distribute those assets.

In estate planning, we use strategies

to avoid probate on each asset. Many

assets can have a beneficiary, but the

house could not. A trust could be set

up to hold title to the house, but that

can be expensive. Within the last few

years, Illinois has allowed the use of a

transfer on death instrument, which,

in effect, names a beneficiary on your

house. It is a simple and inexpensive

document, and it makes the house a

non-probate asset.

Naming the beneficiary on your IRA�e IRA account is often the largest

asset in an estate. Naming the ben-

eficiary is critical, and deserves some

additional attention. When a person

inherits an IRA, he can defer the re-

ceipt of the funds in the account if he

successfully keeps the account as an

IRA. �is allows deferral of payment

of tax on the funds, perhaps for many

years. When naming your beneficiary,

consider the following:

If the beneficiary of an IRA is the

spouse, he or she can create a “rollover

IRA,” which has all the benefits of that

person’s own IRA account. �is is the

best result.

If the IRA beneficiary is one or more

individuals who are not the spouse, each

can create an “inherited IRA” account,

which enjoy some deferral of receipt of

the funds.

Naming a charity in a group of

IRA beneficiaries unfortunately can

prevent the individual beneficiaries

from having the opportunity to set up

inherited IRAs. If you desire to benefit

a charity with IRA assets, consider

splitting the account during your life

into two IRAs and leaving one entire

IRA to that charity.

Naming a trust as beneficiary of

your IRA usually is not recommended

because complicated rules dictate

whether the trust beneficiaries can

set up inherited IRAs or whether they

must receive a short-term payout

of the funds. However, in your fam-

ily situation, there may be important

non-tax reasons to name your trust

as IRA beneficiary, including disabled

or financially immature beneficiaries.

�is may supersede the tax reasons.

Families with small children often

name the spouse as primary benefi-

ciary and name the trust as contingent

beneficiary. When the children reach

financial maturity, that beneficiary

designation can be changed to the

children, outright. If your trust might

be beneficiary of your IRA, make sure

it is a “qualified trust” per IRS rules.

�e worst results: naming no benefi-

ciary or “my estate.” �en the IRA is a

probate asset.

Note: This column provides general information related to the law designed to help readers understand their own legal needs. This column does not provide legal advice. Please consult a lawyer if you want legal advice. No attorney-client or confidential relationship exists or will be formed between the reader and the author of this column. Previous columns can be seen in the author’s blog at www.patri-ciakraftlaw.com.

Estate PlanningDemystified

Patricia C.Kraft

Patricia C. Kraft, attorney at law, has more 20 years of experience in general practice, including estate and succession planning. She offers a free initial estate planning con-sultation at her office at 131 E. Calhoun St., Woodstock. Contact her at 815-206-2200 or at Pat@PatriciaKraftLaw.com.

A quick review — and naming the beneficiary of your IRA

CELEBRATIONS

WEDDING

Petrie and Janquart wedGemma Petrie and Nicholas Janquart

were married in a small ceremony in front of their immediate families on June 20 at the Chi-cago Cultural Center, followed by a dinner at Nightwood.

The couple honey-mooned at Rancho Pacifico in Uvita, Costa Rica. On Aug. 15, the bride’s parents hosted a backyard wedding reception for the couple in Woodstock.

The bride is the daughter of Nancy Schwab and Landon Petrie, Woodstock. The groom is the son of Victoria Nelson, Ixonia, Wis., and Jerry Jan-quart, Ravenna, Ohio.

The bride is a graduate of Woodstock High School. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from Reed College and has a master’s in library science from the Uni-versity of Illinois. She leads design research for Mozilla Firefox Mobile.

The groom graduated from Johnsburg High School and earned his Bachelor of Arts

in English from the University of Illinois. He is employed as a product manager at Well-spring.

The couple live in the Logan Square neigh-borhood of Chicago.

ANNIVERSARY

Pierces celebrate 50th anniversary

Steve and Sandra Pierce celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Sept. 4.

They marked the oc-cassion with their im-mediate family with a trip to Arizona in Au-gust and had a party for extended family and friends Sept. 5 at Pine Crest Golf Club, Huntley.

Sandra Casey and Steve Pierce were mar-ried Sept. 4, 1965, at First Baptist Church, Woodstock. The couple have two children, Brett Pierce, Asheville, N.C., and Rebecca Anderson, Forreston;

six grandchildren, Si-erra Pierce, Liza Pierce, Audrey Pierce, Jessica Anderson, Amanda Anderson and Aaron Anderson; and a spe-cial nephew, Josh Pierce.

Both Steve and Sandra were born in Woodstock and gradu-ated from Woodstock High School, where they met. Steve is a retired chief engineer for a plastic injection molding company. San-dra owns Phoenix Woodworking, Wood-stock.

BIRTH

Madigan Icefire Fanizzo

A 6-pound, 13-ounce, 19-1/4-inch girl, Madigan Icefire Fanizzo, was born Aug. 10 to Di-ana Allen and Haesi Fanizzo, Woodstock.

Madigan Icefire Fanizzo

Gemma Petrie and Nicholas

Janquart

Steve and Sandra Pierce

today

Steve and Sandra Pierce,

1965

14 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTNov. 4-10, 2015 COMMUNITY

125 years and counting

1891 was a relatively nondescript

year, on a national scale. �e U.S.

president was Benjamin Harrison,

and while he did have electric lights

installed in the White House, he never

turned them on. �e U.S. Court of

Appeals was established. Carnegie

Hall opened, and the Hormel Com-

pany introduced the world to Spam.

�at’s about it. Locally, however, was

a slightly different story — in 1891,

the Woodstock

Library, previously

a privately-run,

subscription-based

institution, official-

ly became a public

library. So 2016 will

mark our 125th an-

niversary!

Our actual birth-

day/anniversary

date is March 23,

2016, but we’re

planning on cel-

ebrating being a

part of the Woodstock community

for the entire year — and we want the

community to join us! So, we’ll have

anniversary events and fun things to

do starting in January and going all

the way through December 2016.

�e big year kicks off with a brand

new logo for the library! We’ve been

working on the logo for awhile now,

and it’s finally just about ready for

prime time. Hopefully, you’ll like it,

since you’ll see it a lot in the future,

starting with our winter newsletter,

which should arrive soon after the first

of the year.

On Saturday, Feb. 20, the Friends

of the Library will be hosting a trivia

contest at the library. If successful, the

event may become an annual tradi-

tion. �ere will be four rounds covering

topics like history, current events and,

naturally, Woodstock and the library.

�is will be a team event, 6 to 8 per

team, so get some friends to join you

and set aside the day — it should be a

lot of fun. And there will be some prizes

for the top teams.

We’ll have our birthday party on

Wednesday, March 23, complete with

cake for everyone. It will be a celebra-

tion of not just how long we’ve been

part of the community, but also how

much both the library and Woodstock

have grown and changed. In 1891, we

had barely 1,000 books. Today we have

nearly 200,000 items, including DVDs,

CDs, electronic materials, magazines,

newspapers and more. In 1890, Wood-

stock had fewer than 1,700 residents,

while today we have over 25,000. It has

been an honor and a pleasure for the

library to grow along with the com-

munity, so our festivities really are for

everyone.

National Library Week is in April,

and we plan on putting a personal-

ized touch on that for our anniversary.

�ere will be much more throughout

the year, including staff in 19th century

clothing at various events and pro-

grams. So stay tuned to our website,

watch for our newsletter, and read our

fascinating columns in �e Independent!And, of course, even before our

125th anniversary celebration begins,

there are lots of other exciting things

happening at the library this fall, so

check it all out on our website at www.

woodstockpubliclibrary.org. See you at

the library!

» COLUMN

Nick Weber is director of the Woodstock Public Library, 414 W. Judd St.

Check It Out

NickWeber

IN BRIEF

McHenry County College to host open house for prospective students Nov. 11

All prospective adult students — as well as high school juniors, seniors and their parents — are encouraged to attend MCC Night, McHenry County College’s annual open house event, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11. The event will take place in the commons area in Building B on the main campus,

8900 Highway 14, Crystal Lake.More than 40 programs will be rep-

resented, including nursing, automotive technology, criminal justice, fire science, digital media (including game design), robotics, horticulture, and culinary and graphic design. Information on MCC’s as-sociate degrees and certificates, financial aid and athletics also will be available.

The event will feature workshops on fi-nancing a college education, how to ap-ply for scholarships, college classes for high school students (dual credit), how to transfer college credits and services for students with disabilities.

Other highlights include sweet treats made by MCC baking and pastry stu-dents and pottery-making and jewelry-making demonstrations, along with weld-ing demos, giveaways and a remote radio broadcast from Star 105.5.

MCC Night is free and open to the pub-lic. No registration is required. During this event only, the application fee will be waived for all high school seniors and pro-spective adult students who apply to MCC for the summer and fall 2016 semesters.

For information, visit mchenry.edu/mcc-night, or call Kellie Carper at 815-455-8670.

15Nov. 4-10, 2015THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTCOMMUNITY

City employees recognized for years of service

By JAN DOVIDIOThe Independent

Mayor Brian Sager and the Woodstock

City Council recognized employees cel-

ebrating special anniversaries of city

service.

�e recognitions were for five-year in-

crements of service.

�is year’s recognitions took place at the

Oct. 20 City Council meeting, with friends

and families in attendance.

�e City Council honored two five-year

employees, eight for 10 years, six for 15

years, two for 20 years, three for 25 years

and two for 30 years.

“Mayor Brian Sager and Council mem-

bers do a fantastic job of recognizing the

service of dedicated employees who are

true public servants,” said Deb Schober,

the city’s human resources director.

�e 20-year honorees were Mary Sugden, li-

brary desk assistant; and Rebecca Vidales, recre-

ation coordinator.

Recognitions for 25 years of ser-

vice were awarded to Shawn Parker,

public works superintendent; Carolyn

O’Leary, library desk assistant; and

Robin Karolewicz, police department

telecommunicator.

�e longest-serving honorees, rec-

ognized for 30 years, were Jeffrey Bur-

gess, public works crew leader for street

maintenance; and Mark Greenleaf, Opera

House building manager.

Schober continued, “Publicly recog-

nizing these periods of continued ser-

vice is truly a testament to the dedica-

tion and commitment of each of these

employees. Such longevity reflects our

provision of a high-quality workplace

where employees feel both appreciated

and challenged.”

Each honoree received a floating

holiday certificate to use this calendar

year and a choice of a gold award pin or

a $50 Chamber of Commerce gift card

redeemable at Chamber member orga-

nizations. �e pin is the design of the

Woodstock Square. Jewels are embed-

ded in the pin for the higher numbers of

years of service.

Girl Scouts hold recruitment, kickoff event

�e Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois,

Potowatomi Service Unit, held a special

event for the recruitment of new Scouts

and enjoyment by current Girl Scouts.

�e event, called “I can’t wait to be a Su-

per Hero . . . Be a Girl Scout!” took place

Oct. 23 at Woodstock North High School,

although the event was not sponsored by

District 200. It was also a kickoff for the

2015/2016 year for all currently registered

Girl Scouts.

Activities included games, a simple ser-

vice project crafts to make, and refresh-

ments that naturally included Girl Scout

cookies.

For information on Girl Scouts, contact

Jean Henn at 815-962-5591, ext. 7154, or

email jhenn@girlscoutsni.org.

Students restore prairie area, plant native species

Prairiewood Elementary School fifth-

grade teacher John Girard and his stu-

dents have worked to clean up the area

around the Prairiewood/Creekside cam-

pus for many years.

�e campus improvement projects

started because the prairie area was very

sparse and had many non-native species.

“With the help of Woodstock High

School science teacher Bill Donato,” said

Girard, “we learned about the plants that

belonged. With the help of my classes and

other school classes, we pulled the non-

native species and did yearly seed collec-

tion to plant in the fall.”

�e effort grew with funds from Prai-

riewood’s Parent Teacher Organization,

which were used for the purchase of new

plants. For several years, high school se-

niors came to help on their annual service

days. �e students in Girard’s class and

Steve Bridges’ fifth-grade class built a prai-

rie trail that the school district now main-

tains for use by any community member.

Creekside Middle School teacher Todd

Clements helped to build box gardens

for the planting of vegetables and herbs,

which are used regularly in the school

kitchens. Clements obtained an education

grant for the initial construction and soil

of the box gardens.

Girard and his students planted oak

seedlings on the property in September.

Natural prairie plants and grasses will

flourish in the restored area.

“�ere are others to thank,” said Girard.

“Erin Nielsen has provided manure to help

with the quality of our soil. Rob Mecklen-

burg helped to get soil for the gardens. Da-

vid Ziegler was instrumental in the plant-

ing of oaks on our facility. “

Girard concluded, “My goal has always

been to take education out of the class-

room and provide rewarding goals for the

students. �ey can learn how to do some-

thing to help our community and the envi-

ronment we live in.”

HIGHLIGHTS

News of recognitions and milestones can be sent to Janet Dovidio at fetjetjd@aol.com.

16 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTNov. 4-10, 2015 COMMUNITY

RELIGION NOTES

BLUE LOTUS TEMPLE & MEDITATION CENTER

Meditation: 10 a.m. Tuesday, Saturday;

CHRIST LIFE

EDEN BAPTIST

FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN

FIRST UNITED METHODIST

FREE METHODIST

GRACE FELLOWSHIP

Wednesday

GRACE LUTHERAN

HERITAGE BAPTIST

MCHENRY COUNTY JEWISH CONGREGATION

Saturday

REDEEMER LUTHERAN

RESURRECTION CATHOLIC

ST. ANN’S EPISCOPAL

ST. JOHN’S LUTHERAN

ST. MARY CATHOLIC

THE BRIDGE CHRISTIAN

THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

THE VINE

UNITY SPIRITUAL CENTER

WOODSTOCK ASSEMBLY OF GOD

Wednesday

WOODSTOCK BIBLE

Note to churches: Please notify The Woodstock Independent with any changes in service times, programs, etc.

FLASHBACKS

25 Years ago

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20 Years ago

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15 Years ago

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10 Years ago -

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5 Years ago

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1 Year ago

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The Independent -

County.

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17Nov. 4-10, 2015THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTCOMMUNITY

4 | WEDNESDAY

WRITING YOUR MEMOIRSWoodstock Public Library414 W. Judd St.10 a.m. 815-338-0542A local resident will give a motiva-tional talk on why seniors should write their memoirs and offer in-structions on how to begin.

HABITAT RESTORATIONSpring Ridge Conservation Ease-ment620 Barbary Lane10 a.m. to 1 p.m.Volunteers will work to remove in-vasive species.

POSTPONE PROCRASTINATION NOW CLASSUnity Spiritual Center of Wood-stock225 W. Calhoun St.7:15 p.m.815-337-3534unitywoodstock.oreThe Rev. Tom Wendt will facilitate a five-week class exploring the causes and remedies associated with procrastination.

5 | THURSDAY

SENIOR EXERCISE CLASSDorr Township1039 Lake Ave.9 a.m.$10 monthly exercise class fee, $2 lunch815-344-3555Senior citizens are invited to exer-cise, followed by coffee, program, lunch and bingo.

6 | FRIDAY

LIVE MUSIC AT EXPRESSLY LESLIE’SWoodstock Square Mall110 Johnson St.6 p.m.expresslyleslie.comSee The Entertainer, page 10.

WHS VARIETY CABARETWoodstock High School Commons501 W. South St.7 p.m.$10 adults, $5 studentsSee The Entertainer, page 10.

JAZZ JAMStage Left Café125 Van Buren St.8 p.m.815-337-1395 $5 donationSee The Entertainer, page 10.

‘WHITE CHRISTMAS’Woodstock Opera House121 Van Buren St.8 p.m.$23 A seating, $18 B seating, $13 C seating815-338-5300See The Entertainer, page 10.

7 | SATURDAY

FAMILY CAREGIVER CONFERENCEFamily Alliance2028 N. Seminary Ave.9 a.m.815-338-3590A free conference, “Practical Mat-ters a toolbox for family caregiv-ers,” will be presented. Topics include senior health insurance, caregiver decision and self-care for the caregiver.

MISTLETOE MAGIC BOUTIQUEGrace Lutheran Church1300 Kishwaukee Valley RoadWoodstock9 a.m. to 3 p.m.815-338-0554The public is invited to shop at the boutique for unique, handmade items. The event includes a bake sale, cookie walk, coffee nook and lunch.

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?Woodstock Public Library414 W. Judd St.10 a.m. to noon815-338-0542Volunteer genealogists from the Kishwaukee Trail Chapter, Nation-al Society Daughters of the Ameri-can Revolution will help people trace their American ancestors.

‘WHITE CHRISTMAS’Woodstock Opera House121 Van Buren St.8 p.m.$23 A seating, $18 B seating, $13 C seating815-338-5300See The Entertainer, page 10.

WHS VARIETY CABARETWoodstock High School Commons501 W. South St.7 p.m.$10 adults, $5 studentsSee The Entertainer, page 10.

SPOKEN WORD CAFÉStage Left Café125 Van Buren St. 7 p.m.815-382-5264See The Entertainer, page 10.

FIRST SATURDAY MUSICUnity Spiritual Center of Woodstock225 W. Calhoun St.7 p.m.$3 donation815-382-5264See The Entertainer, page 10.

WOODSTOCK VFW COUNTRY NIGHTWoodstock VFW Post 5040240 North Throop St.8 p.m.$5Country music will be provided by deejay Nitrous Audio. Visitors must be 21 and older.

8 | SUNDAY

FOX VALLEY ROCKETEERS CLUB LAUNCHHughes Seed FarmDimmel Road1 to 5 p.m.815-337-9068foxvalleyrocketeers.orgModel rocket enthusiasts will launch rockets. Everyone is welcome.

WHS VARIETY CABARETWoodstock High School Commons501 W. South St.3 p.m.$10 adults, $5studentsSee The Entertainer, page 10.

‘WHITE CHRISTMAS’Woodstock Opera House121 Van Buren St.3 p.m.$23 A seating, $18 B seating, $13 C seating815-338-5300See The Entertainer, page 10.

9 | MONDAY

LEAF COLLECTION WEEKWeather permitting, leaves will be collected from all Woodstock city streets north of the railroad tracks. Residents must have leaves raked to the parkway by 7 a.m.

SPOUSAL CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUPFamily Alliance2028 N. Seminary Ave.10:30 a.m. to noon815-338-3590An open support group meeting will be offered for individuals car-ing for a spouse.

WOODSTOCK GARDEN CLUB MEETINGWoodstock Public Library414 W. Judd St.11 a.m. meeting, noon demonstra-tionThe garden club will hold a meet-ing followed by a demonstration on creating a fall arrangement. The meeting is open to the public.

MCHENRY COUNTY HORSE CLUB MEETINGHooved Animal Humane Society10804 McConnell Road7 p.m.847-366-1315The general meeting of the club is open to everyone. Meetings will have various speakers and exhibits.

COFFEE WITH THE CHIEFWoodstock Police Department656 Lake Ave.7 p.m.Joni Smith and Connie Brener from the McHenry County Recorder’s Office will discuss the inner work-ings of the office, including the property fraud alert program.

10 | TUESDAY

NORTHLAND AREA ART

LEAGUE MEETINGOpera House Community Room121 Van Buren St.7 p.m.815-337-2027An open meeting for the art league will be held. Walk-ins and guests are welcome. Rolley Bateman will demonstrate three-dimensional sculpture techniques.

MCHENRY COUNTY CIVIL WAR ROUND TABLEWoodstock Public Library414 W. Judd St.7 p.m. 815-338-0542The public is invited to join the McHenry County Civil War Round Table for a presentation on the Lin-coln funeral train.

DISTRICT 200 BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETINGClay Professional Development Center112 Grove St.7 p.m.woodstockschools.org

11 | WEDNESDAY

VETERANS DAY OBSERVANCEVFW Post 5040240 N. Throop St.11 a.m.815-338-5040The post will honor veterans with a ceremony and gun salute, followed by a luncheon.

WOODSTOCK LIONS CLUB MEETINGMain Street PourHouse214 Main St.6:30 p.m.815-236-4759

POSTPONE PROCRASTINATION NOW CLASSUnity Spiritual Center of Wood-stock225 W. Calhoun St.7:15 p.m.815-337-3534unitywoodstock.oreSee Nov. 4.

STAGE LEFTOVERSStage Left Café175 Van Buren St.7:30 p.m.FreeSee The Entertainer, page 10.

12 | THURSDAY

SENIOR EXERCISE CLASSDorr Township1039 Lake Ave.9 a.m.$10 monthly exercise class fee, $2 lunch815-344-3555Senior citizens are invited to exer-cise, followed by coffee, program, lunch and bingo.

13 | FRIDAY

DINNER WITH ABRAHAMUnity Spiritual Center

225 W. Calhoun St.4:30 p.m.815-337-3534unitywoodstock.orgThe group focuses on the teachings of Abraham-Hicks on the art of al-lowing your binaural well-being.

LIVE MUSIC AT EXPRESSLY LESLIE’SWoodstock Square Mall110 Johnson St.6 p.m.expresslyleslie.comSee The Entertainer, page 10.

OPEN MIC NIGHTStage Left Café125 Van Buren St.7 p.m.$3 donationoffsquaremusic.orgSee The Entertainer, page 10.

‘WHITE CHRISTMAS’Woodstock Opera House121 Van Buren St.8 p.m.$23 A seating, $18 B seating, $13 C seating815-338-5300See The Entertainer, page 10.

14 | SATURDAY

WOODSTOCK FARMERS MARKETMcHenry County FairgroundsBuilding D9 a.m. to 1 p.m.The market features a variety of food and craft items produced di-rectly by the vendors.See The Entertainer, page 10.

FAMILY DISCOVERY DAYRyder’s Woods651 Kimball Ave.9 a.m.The Land Conservancy will lead a guided hike discussing how local wildlife prepares for winter.

HABITAT RESTORATIONDufield Pond11418 McConnell Road9 a.m. to noon815-337-9315Individuals, students, small groups and families with children older than age 6 can participate in restoring native habitat at the conservation area.

TURKEY TALKPleasant Valley Conservation Area13315 Pleasant Valley Road2 to 3 p.m.Free for residents, $5 non-residentsmccdistrict.orgMcHenry County Conservation Dis-trict will teach about turkeys with games and a short hike. Preregis-tration is necessary.

Nov. 4to Nov. 14

CALENDARUpcoming events in the Woodstock area Events are free unless otherwise noted

For ongoing events, visit www.thewoodstockindependent.comPHOTO: MORGUEFILE

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To submit calendar items, e-mail pr@thewoodstockindependent.com or visit

thewoodstockindependent.com

20 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTNov. 4-10, 2015

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21Nov. 4-10, 2015THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTSPORTS

Nicks, Miranda rep Thunder at state

Woodstock North High School's

Lulu Nicks became the first athlete

in school history to make the IHSA

girls state tennis finals, qualifying

for the singles

c h a m p i o n s h i p

bracket.

Nicks, a junior,

fell in the first

round to Abygale

Ahn of Elmhurst's

Timothy Chris-

tian. In the con-

solation bracket,

she defeated Lexi

Zowin of Dunlap

High School and

Sjana Hender-

son of Antioch

High School be-

fore falling in

the third round

to Roxana High

School's Sydney

Owsley. �e ten-

nis finals took

place Oct. 22 to 24

at Buffalo Grove

High School and

Midtown Athletic

Club, Palatine.

Also representing the �under, ju-

nior Daniela Miranda took on state-

wide competition in girls golf, quali-

fying as an individual. Miranda shot

38 over par to take 44th place out of

103 golfers in the finals, which took

place Oct. 16 and 17 at Red Tail Golf

Course, Decatur.

— Katelyn Stanek, The Independent

LuluNicks

Daniela Miranda

LADY ’CANES ADVANCE TO SECTIONALS

Marian Central’s Alex Kaufmann digs the ball in the Lady ’Canes’ regional game Oct. 27. The Lady ’Canes defeated Johns-burg High School to win the Marian Central Class 3A regional Oct. 29. They were due to play in the Woodstock High School Class 3A sectional Nov. 3. INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY KEN FARVER

SWIM TEAM HOSTS PARENT NIGHT

Woodstock girls co-op swimmer Katie Ferguson swims against Cary-Grove High School on Parent Night Oct. 29. The team is scheduled to swim in the Fox Valley Conference Invite at home Saturday, Nov. 7. INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY KEN FARVER

The Independent has a garage

sale package!

Only $15! Call

22 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTNov. 4-10, 2015 SPORTS

Santucci’s touchdown

return powers La Crosse to

victoryWoodstock High School graduate

Mike Santucci has had better games.But never on special teams. �e Uni-

versity of Wisconsin-La Crosse player returned four kickoffs for 152 yards, one of which was an 88-yard touch-down run. Wisconsin-La Crosse won the contest 27-25. It marked the sec-ond win in three games for the team.

“I had not run a kickoff back for a touchdown since 2007,” Santucci said. “I saw the lane and the double team split. I hit the hole and my lead blocker

[Crystal Lake Central gradu-ate Tyler Jenkins] did a great job of getting the last few players out of the way. It was a little tougher to do it now than when I was a grade-school player.”

Santucci also had one carry for one yard. Wiscon-sin-La Crosse is 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Lian Kirwan (Marian Central) had four tackles as his college team, Loras College, defeated Simpson College 27-9. Kirwan, who had two solos, had one quarterback sack for 11 yards of loss, one interception and two quarterback hurries. Loras is 4-3 overall and 3-1 in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Ben Medlicott (Woodstock North) had three solo tackles in the football game between Aurora University and

Lakeland College. �e Aurora Univer-sity senior had one fumble recovery and one pass broken up. With the 47-40 double overtime loss to Lakeland College, Aurora slipped to 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the Northern Athletics Col-legiate Conference.

Mason Sutter (Woodstock) had one catch for 10 yards, but it was not enough to power Valparaiso Univer-sity beyond Stetson University, which won a 37-14 decision. Valparaiso is 1-6 overall and 1-4 in the Pioneer Football League.

SoccerTess Bottorff (Marian Central) had a

goal and an assist to help Illinois Wes-leyan University defeat North Central College 4-1. Bottorff scored IWU’s third goal of the game at 61:49. It gave IWU a 3-1 lead. Illinois Wesleyan is 17-1 overall and 7-0 in the College Conference of Il-linois and Wisconsin. �ey will host the CCIW Tournament this week.

VolleyballMegan Pautrat (Woodstock) hit

.286 or more in two recent McHenry County College matches. In the 3-0

win over Elgin Community College, Pautrat had nine digs, three aces and two kills. She hit .286. In the 3-2 win over Waubonsee Community Col-lege, Pautrat had 10 digs and six kills. She hit .385. McHenry County is 34-7 overall.

Caitlin Brocker (Marian Central) had 11 digs and three aces to help Mis-souri University of Science and Tech-nology defeat Quincy University 3-0. �e Miner senior had four digs in a 3-1 win over Truman State University. �e Miners are 17-8 overall and 8-3 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. �ey have won their last four matches.

Cross-countryTim Semmen (Woodstock) finished

15th at the 60th Annual Luther College versus University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Dual meet. In the four-mile run, Semmen finished the four-mile race in 22 minutes, 16.6 seconds. Luther scored 46 points. Wisconsin-La Crosse finished with a perfect score of 15 points.

Dan Chamness follows the college athletic careers of Woodstock-area athletes.

The College Report

DanChamness

» COLUMN

a three-yard touchdown run. “He got

after it today. Perimeter running was

big. When we had to make plays in the

passing game, I think we got the job

done so we could open it up.”

Senior Jarryd Cabusao (6-28) scored

the Hurricanes' final touchdown of the

game with a 9-yard run. Senior Mike

Higgins scored extra points on three of

four attempts. �e ’Canes logged a two-

point conversion with a successful 10-

yard pass from senior Kolton Rominski

(1-16) to junior Jared Churak (1-10).

Junior Zach Teegen rushed a total of

46 yards on six carries.

Marian’s defense limited Belvidere

to just over 206 yards.

�e Hurricanes face No. 3-ranked

Joliet Catholic Academy (9-1) in

the second round at Joliet Memo-

rial Stadium at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov.

7. �e winner will play the victor of

the matchup between No. 15 Solorio

Academy (6-4) and No. 7 Nazareth

Academy (8-2).

“Harding Field is a place where we thrive, and the seniors take it personally when a team comes here and expects victory.”

— Mike Maloney, Marian head coach

time of 17:14.2. Long was the only sec-

tional meet qualifier for WNHS.

Marian’s girls team ran in the sec-

tional, with junior Abigail Jones finish-

ing in 18:49, putting her in 12th place

and qualifying her as an individual

for the state meet. Marian was repre-

sented in the boy’s race by senior run-

ner Justin Santopadre, who finished in

17:44.5, in 88th place.

�e state finals will take place Satur-

day, Nov. 7, at Detweiller Park, Peoria.

’Canes Continued from Page 24

Cross-country Continued from Page 24

Woodstock Independent’s Facebook page

under a photograph post from the game.

In response to the Belvidere players’

accusations, Marian Central admin-

istrators and athletic directors called

Woodstock Police Oct. 31, and togeth-

er the officials began a search of the

school’s security cameras.

In the meantime, players and coaches

from Belvidere High School filed a po-

lice report Oct. 31, Villont said in the re-

lease. Per the report, Belvidere players

and coaches listed the following miss-

ing items: five dollars, a phone char-

ger and a jacket. �e report also listed

a pair of headphones as one damaged

item, Villont said.

Woodstock Deputy Police Chief John

Lieb confirmed the contents of the re-

port and said no charges have been filed.

A telephone call made Nov. 2 to Bel-

videre High School athletic director/

assistant principal Carl Hobbs was not

returned by �e Woodstock Independent’s

press deadline of 5 p.m. Nov. 2.

Marian Central administrators asked

Woodstock Police to return to the

school on Monday, Nov. 2, to review the

security camera footage. Marian ad-

ministrators contacted officials at Bel-

videre High School, as well, to view the

security camera footage, Villont said.

“�e Marian Central Catholic High

School administration, along with the

Woodstock Police Department, have

viewed the security camera footage and

have no available video evidence show-

ing any member of the Marian Central

football program, Marian Central com-

munity or Belvidere High School com-

munity entering or exiting the visitor

locker room used by Belvidere High

School,” Villont said.

Upon completion of the investigation,

Villont added there was no evidence to

support the charges that any Marian

Central football players entered the vis-

itor locker room used by Belvidere.

“Marian Central Catholic High School

will continue to cooperate with the

Woodstock Police Department in the

investigation,” Villont said.

Accusations Continued from Page 24

23Nov. 4-10, 2015THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTSPORTS

» COLUMN

Packers fan for a day

“What if someone asks me if I am a Packers fan?” my youngest whis-pered to me as we waited in a small group for our tour to begin. I whis-pered back, “Just tell them today we are Packers fans.” We drove three hours north early one Friday morn-ing to visit my husband’s cousin, Debbie, who is the Green Bay Packer Pro Shop store manager at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis.

Green Bay has a population of about 100,000. �is industrial town located on the southern tip of the bay that opens up into Lake Michi-gan has been home to the Green Bay Packers since 1919. Historic Lambeau Field, built in 1957, is the longest con-tinuously occupied stadium in the league and is open 363 days a year. Sports Illustrated named Lambeau Field the eighth-best facility in the world to watch sports because of its strong history and the essence of an earlier time featuring the only true “retro” look in the entire league. From the moment you drive onto Lombardi Avenue and enter the sta-dium parking lot, you know you are in Packernation.

Our stadium tour began in the five-story Lambeau Field Atrium cultural center that houses the new Packers Pro Shop, Packers Hall of Fame and

newly renovated 1919 Kitchen & Tap restaurant, formally known as Curly’s Pub. Within our small tour group were newlyweds who had been married that morning and another couple celebrating their anniversary. �ere were attendees from as far away as Hawaii and as young as three years old, all wear-ing green and gold. We were obvious impostors.

Our tour guide was very witty and knowledgeable on Packers history. �e Packers are the only nonprofit, publicly owned NFL franchise. Our tour guide Dan explained he was a Green Bay Packers shareholder and said we were very lucky, because we were receiving a tour from one of the team’s owners. Furthermore, the Green Bay Packers have remained in a small town due to the backing of its local shareholders and they are ranked as the seventh-most finan-cially strong team out of 32 teams in the league. In 1922, the Packers paid $250 to enter into the NFL. �e Pack-ers are one of three original teams left in the NFL today, along with the Chicago Bears and the Arizona Car-dinals.

As we emerged out of the tunnel onto Lambeau Field, I couldn’t help feeling nostalgic. �e plaque on the wall to our left read, “Proud genera-tions of Green Bay Packers Players,

World Champions a record 13 times, have run over this very concrete to Greatness.”

�e only thing that grows in the winter in Green Bay are snow banks, which is why Green Bay extends its turf-growing season with stadium grow lights and a sub-soil heating system. 22 million artificial fibers that resemble Easter basket grass are weaved into the stadium grass to help strengthen its roots. According to our tour guide, the stadium seat-ing is “18 inches of pure aluminum, climate controlled pleasure; heated in June, July and August and cooled off the rest of the year.” Bleacher seating at its finest. As our tour ended, Dan also announced, “�ere is an unlimited spending sale today in the pro shop.”

We received the star-studded treat-ment for lunch, when we met my husband’s cousin at the 1919 Kitchen and Tap restaurant. �e fare there was given a thumbs up by my finicky crew. Debbie gave us a behind-the-scenes tour of the pro shop stock room and her offices, which would be like Packer fan heaven for some.

We toured the newly opened Packers Hall of Fame and educated ourselves on football history. �ere was a display of painted children’s bicycles hanging from the ceiling, which represents one of the most unique traditions held during Packer training camp each year. Kids line up with their bikes at Lambeau Field in hopes a full-grown Green Bay player will ride it across the street to the training field. �is tradition has played out since the 1960’s. Players

form a bond with some of the kids and are often invited over for dinner.

�e Packer Pro Shop runs the larg-est sales out of a single NFL pro shop location. On a busy day, the Packer Pro Shop can take in $400,000 in a single day. As Packer Pro Shop store manager, our cousin Debbie attended the 2011 Super Bowl and received a Green Bay Packer Championship ring for the team’s Super Bowl vic-tory. Within the green-hued steel and post beamed Packer Atrium, the 2011 XLV Super Bowl Championship Banquet was held. Black curtains were installed on all the windows for privacy during this historic occa-sion, when all players and staff were presented with their XLV Super Bowl championship rings. �e Packer or-ganization presented the champion-ship rings to Packers football play-ers, coaches and staff in a mahogany box at this private celebratory din-ner. Debbie proudly wears her Super Bowl ring on home game days to show her Packer pride.

Guest Column

Liz Stroh

Liz Stroh is a sports writer for The Woodstock Independent.

The only thing that grows in the winter in Green Bay are snow banks, which is why Green Bay extends its turf-growing season with stadium grow lights and a sub-soil heating system.

24 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTNov. 4-10, 2015

Sports

PHOTOS

PAGE 22

Images from high school volleyball and swimming

COLUMN

What’s it like to be a Packers fan for a day?

PAGE 23

COLLEGE REPORT

Dan Chamness reports on college football, volleyball and more

PAGE 22

XC runners overcome mud to qualify for state meetWHS runners Luke Beattie and Kate Jacobs and Marian’s Abigail Jones make it to Peoria

By SANDY KUCHARSKIThe Independent

Less than ideal weather conditions

added a challenging element for run-

ners in the 2A Woodstock sectional

cross-country meet Oct. 31, hosted

by Woodstock North High School at

Emricson Park. Steady rain created

muddy footing and temperatures in

the 40s and gusty winds chilled run-

ners clad in shorts and tank tops.

Battling through the elements, three

area athletes turned in state-quali-

fiying performances.

Woodstock High School, WNHS

and Marian Central Catholic High

School fielded runners in the sec-

tional meet.

�e WHS girls and boys varsity

teams competed, but both fell short

of qualifying as a team. In the girls

race, WHS junior Kate Jacobs finished

in 18:14, earning her 10th place and a

spot in the girl’s state finals. Senior

runner Luke Beattie placed third with

a time of 15:33 in a tight boy’s race

where the top three runners crossed

the finish line within three seconds of

each other. Beattie will advance to the

state finals for the boys.

In his final high school cross-

country meet, WNHS senior Jesse

Long finished in 50th place with a

» CROSS-COUNTRY CLASS 2A SECTIONAL

Runners line up at the starting line Oct. 31 during the Class 2A cross-country sectional as spectators stand nearby with umbrellas. COURTESY PHOTO

Please see Cross-country, Page 22

By MEGAN IVERSThe Independent

Marian Central Catholic High School

(8-2) defeated Belvidere High School

(6-4) 41-7 in the first round of the IHSA

Class 5A football playoffs Oct. 31.

“Harding Field is a place where we

thrive, and the seniors take it person-

ally when a team comes here and ex-

pects victory,” said Marian head coach

Mike Maloney. “�ey did a nice job of

defending our territory, and I’m happy

for those guys to have that kind of suc-

cess in front of a home crowd in a play-

off game.”

�e Hurricanes were led by a four-

touchdown, 229-yard rushing effort

by senior Emitt Peisert (20-229). But

it was the collective effort of the team

that created scoring opportunities,

including a 13-yard touchdown run

spurred off a 17-yard completion from

quarterback Chewy Budmayr (3-6-52)

to sophomore Gavin Scott (2-34 receiv-

ing, 4-18 rushing) on a fourth down.

“I knew since we were playing in

the rain that we were going to physi-

cally destroy them,” said Peisert, whose

third touchdown was a 75-yard break-

away. “�e line of scrimmage was com-

pletely ours.”

“Definitely the strength was Emitt run-

ning the ball,” said Budmayr, who scored

» FOOTBALL MARIAN CENTRAL 41, BELVIDERE 7

Marian says theft accusations in wake of playoff victory are baseless

By STEPHANIE PRICEThe Independent

Marian Central Catholic High School

officials said there is no evidence to sup-

port claims by Belvidere High School

football players that Marian students

vandalized the visitor locker room and

stole the players’ personal belongings.

�e Hurricanes beat Belvidere Buc-

caneers by a score of 41-7 Saturday,

Oct. 31, at Marian Central in Wood-

stock in the first round of the IHSA

Class 5A division.

Following the 1 p.m. game, several

Belvidere football players approached

Marian Central’s athletic directors and

reported the visitor locker room at

Marian was in disarray and said their

personal possessions “were damaged

and/or missing,” according to a news

release issued by Marian Central Prin-

cipal Barb Villont. �e Belvidere team

was using the visitors locker room pri-

or to and after the football game.

On social media sites, some Belvi-

dere fans accused Marian players of

ransacking and vandalizing the Bucs’

locker room and accused them of bur-

glary. Several such comments were

posted on Marian Central’s Facebook

page, which were eventually delet-

ed. One comment was posted on �e

’Canes dominate BelvidereMarian Central will play No. 3-ranked Joliet Academy in next round

Zach Teegen carries the ball in the Hurricanes’ 41-7 playoff victory over the Belvidere Bucs Oct. 31. INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY KEN FARVER

Marian Central fans bear cold and rainy weather to cheer on their team Oct. 31. INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY KEN FARVERPlease see ’Canes, Page 22

Please see Accusations, Page 22