Woodstockindependent 2 10 16

1Feb. 10-16, 2016THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENT

INDEPENDENTTheWoodstock

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

NEWS

PAGE 4

The city’s search for new a police chief begins

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

A Newberry Library curator will speak Feb. 18

PAGE 10

EDUCATION

St. Mary School celebrates its 100th year

Feb. 10-16, 2016

OBITUARIES 5

OPINION 6

EDUCATION 8

A & E 9

MARKETPLACE 12IND

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 I E S E N D Q U O T ECOMMUNITY 13

CALENDAR 17

CLASSIFIEDS 18

PUBLIC NOTICES 20

SPORTS 24

“Our members are enthusiastic and energized with this new opportunity.”

–Jolene White, page 12

PAGE 8

Donald H. Bauman Sr., MarengoRuby Denise Valentine, WoodstockElisa Mendiola, WoodstockBetty M. Anderson, Woodstock

No charges after gun found in post officeCustomer discovered loaded gun in lobby, but police say necessary sign was not posted

» CITY COUNCIL

By STEPHANIE PRICEThe Independent

Woodstock police will not file

charges against a 56-year-old

Woodstock man who mistakenly

left his 9mm handgun at the U.S.

Post Office building Feb. 5.

Police Chief Robert Lowen said

a customer found a loaded hand-

gun at about 11 a.m. in the outer

lobby of the post office at 1050

Country Club Road. �e cus-

tomer turned the black Spring-

field Armory XDS gun over to

the postmaster, and police were

called to the building. As police

were responding to the call, the

gun owner returned to the post

office and inquired if a gun had

been found, Lowen said.

“�e man keeps the gun in a

zippered jacket with deep pock-

ets and thought he heard a thud

while he was in the post office,

but didn’t notice he’d dropped

the gun,” Lowen said.

Lowen said the Woodstock

Please see Gun, Page 4

Bull Valley Ford to receive up to $470,000 from the city of Woodstock for expansion project

By KATELYN STANEKThe Independent

Bull Valley Ford will receive up to

$470,000 over the course of eight

years from the city of Woodstock, a

tax-incentive deal intended to help pay

for major upgrades to the dealership.

�e incentive, approved unani-

mously by the City Council Feb. 2, will

help the business at 1460 S. Eastwood

Drive expand its facility by about

10,000 square feet, resulting in the

hiring of 19 new employees.

�e dealership intends to spend

more than $2.2 million on the expan-

sion, which will include renovations

to the showroom, office, customer

lounge, service area and car delivery

area, said Jose Cazares, Bull Valley

Ford’s general manager.

Once the expansion is complete, the

dealership will have Ford Trustmark

status, Cazares said.

“It’s Ford branding, to make sure that

we look the same as all of their dealers,”

Cazares said. “�ey set those guidelines

of how we need to represent them.”

City OKs tax incentives for car dealership

Mayor Brian Sager reacts to Woodstock Willie during the annual Groundhog Day prognostication Feb. 2 on the Woodstock Square. INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY KEN FARVER

Woodstock celebrates Groundhog DayWoodstock Willie signals an early spring

By KATELYN STANEK The Independent

Maybe it’s El Nino. Maybe it’s the

groundhog.

Either way, it was good news the

morning of Feb. 2, when Woodstock

Willie emerged to deliver his Ground-

hog Day prognostication. Willie did not

see his shadow, a sign that portends an

early spring.

Hundreds gathered for the annual

ceremony on the Woodstock Square,

singing along to familiar tunes that took

on a decidedly local feel, “Woodstock

Willie’s Polka” and “Willie’s Winter

Wonderland” among them.

“It’s a fun atmosphere,” said Don Ew-

ing of Wonder Lake. Ewing said he loves

the film “Groundhog Day,” which takes

place in Punxsutawney, Pa., but which

was filmed primarily in Woodstock.

“�e music, meeting people with similar

interests.”

Alex and Tricia Church moved to

Woodstock from Carpentersville in May

2015 and were surprised to discover a

film they enjoy was made in their new

hometown.

“We didn’t find out until we moved

here that it was filmed here,” Tricia

Please see Groundhog, Page 3 Please see Dealership, Page 3

2 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTFeb. 10-16, 2016 NEWS

3Feb. 10-16, 2016THE 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 chang-es to The Woodstock Independent, 671 E. Calhoun St., Woodstock, IL 60098-3213.

The Woodstock Independent

60098 Phone: 815-338-8040

County liquor commission approves Plum Tree licensesCommissioners had requested more information from ownersat previous meeting


�e McHenry County Liquor and Li-

cense Commission approved two liquor

licenses for Plum Tree National LLC be-

tween Harvard and Woodstock.

�e commission approved a Class A li-

quor license for business at 19511 Lembcke

Road during its December meeting. Dur-

ing a follow-up hearing Feb. 1 before a

crowded room of spectators, the com-

mission approved a Class D liquor license

for the business, according to McHenry

County administrator Peter Austin.

Commissioners declined to approve the

Class D license in December, requesting

instead to see more detailed information

regarding the new owners’ intentions for

the former prestigious golf course and the

events they want to hold on the 268-acre

property, which has become overgrown

after the 18-hold golf course sat unused

and closed for two seasons.

Under the county's ordinances, the

Class A liquor license will allow the new

owners to sell alcoholic drinks in Plum

Tree's preexisting clubhouse. A Class D

liquor license, typically issued to allow

alcohol sales from beverage carts on the

golf course, will permit the owners to sell

alcohol on other parts of the property.

Plum Tree National LLC, which recently

changed its name to Plum Tree National

Park on its website and Facebook page,

has outlined a long list of intended uses

for the property in its most recent strate-

gic redevelopment plan.

�e news ownership was formed by

a group of friends who are concert pro-

moters and have rehabilitated other con-

cert venues. �e group owns the Portage

�eatre and Patio �eater in Chicago and

the Olympic �eatre in Cicero. �ey pur-

chased Plum Tree Sept. 9 for $1.5 million,

county records show.

From the start, the new establishment

announced plans to hold outdoor music

concerts, barbecues, bonfires, car shows,

soccer tournaments and special-event

parties on the property. �e news did not

sit well with neighboring property own-

ers, particularly some homeowners living

in Vine Gardens and the adjacent Plum

Tree Estates, which abuts the northeast

portion of the golf course.

�e homeowners expressed concerns

about the noise and additional traffic the

special events would bring to the area.

Several homeowners were also con-

cerned about the new owners’ plans to al-

low overnight camping on the land, which

appears to have since been dropped.

�e new owners held a meeting with the

neighbors in an attempt to address the

neighbors’ concerns.

Plum Tree National LLC’s updated stra-

tegic redevelopment, posted on its web-

site, proposes holding four outdoor mu-

sic events, which would need special-use

permits from the county.

�e owners’ additional plans include re-

furbishing nine golf holes; expanding the golf range and training facility; building

a miniature golf course; hosting golf out-

ings; forming nine-hole golf leagues; cre-

ating a rustic bar in a renovated pole barn;

hosting weddings and Sunday brunches;

building four regulation fields for lacrosse

and flag football; building a sand volley-

ball court; adding nature trails for hik-

ing, horseback riding, mountain biking

and 5K events; hosting mud runs; adding

a new garden and play areas; erecting a

200-foot-wide, 425-foot-long inflatable

dome/field house for indoor soccer, soft-

ball, lacrosse leagues and batting cages

for softball; and planting “you-pick” apple

orchards, pumpkin patches, organic gar-

dens and vineyards.

�e owners also plan to offer catch-

and-release fishing, family-fishing days,

kids-fishing tournaments, hay rides, an

indoor haunted house and movies in the

park.

Church said. “... It’s cool. We figured,

wake up the kids and come.”

�e prognostication is the signature

event in Woodstock Groundhog Days,

a winter festival featuring parties, con-

certs, contests and more. �e festival

started as a commemoration of the film-

ing of the 1993

comedy starring

Bill Murray.

As Woodstock

Willie emerged

— or rather, was

plucked — from

his ceremonial

stump on the

bandstand in

the Woodstock

Square at about

7:10 a.m., May-

or Brian Sager

called it “the mo-

ment of truth,”

conferring first

with the crea-

ture and then with other local dignitar-

ies before announcing the groundhog

“definitely [did] not” see his shadow.

�e crowd erupted in cheers, with

several shouting their thanks directly to

Woodstock Willie.

Mary Ryan of Woodstock was on hand

for her second Groundhog Day prognos-

tication.

“I think it’s fun,” Ryan said. “�e first

time I came, I had no idea what to ex-

pect, but it’s just so friendly.”

Groundhog Continued from Page 1

A polka band warms up the crowd at the annual Groundhog Day prognostication Feb. 2. INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY KEN FARVER

“I think it’s

time I came, I had no idea what to expect, but it’s just so

— Mary Ryan, Woodstock

She thought there might be more

than woodchuck wisdom at play when

it comes to Woodstock Willie’s weather

forecast, however.

“It’s pretty foggy today. Hard to see a

shadow.”

�e city’s payments to Bull Valley

Ford will come in the form of sales tax

rebates, said Garrett Anderson, the city’s

director of economic development.

�ree times a year, after receiving tax

disbursements from the state, the city

will refund a portion of what has been

collected from the dealership for a total

of about $58,500 a year.

Anderson said the city will issue re-

bates to the dealership only after receiv-

ing reports proving Bull Valley Ford has

collected more than that in sales tax.

“We’re not giving away all of the sales

tax that they collect. It’s just a portion of

that,” Anderson said.

�e dealership is among the highest

drivers of sales tax revenue in the city,

according to Anderson. �e city antici-

pates receiving about $25,000 a year in

additional sales tax revenue resulting

directly from the expansion. A memo

Anderson issued to City Council mem-

bers said indirect revenue resulting

from the spending of Bull Valley Ford’s

new employees and related economic

activity should add another $172,000 in

local tax revenue per year.

“It’s a win-win-win for everybody,” An-

derson said. “Yes, we’re giving away ap-

proximately $60,000 a year and receiv-

ing approximately $25,000 in increased

sales tax … but the indirect benefits are,

we feel, much more important.”

�e dealership currently has 32 em-

ployees. Following the expansion, the

d e a l e r s h i p

will hire four

new employ-

ees for the

s h o w r o o m

and 15 more

technicians,

A n d e r s o n

said. He said

new jobs

outside the

d e a l e r s h i p

also will be

created due to higher demand for con-

sumer services and local suppliers re-

sulting from the expansion.

Cazares said if the dealership had not

struck an agreement with the city, Bull

Valley Ford would not have had to close,

but “it makes it hard to keep a certain

level of customer satisfaction” without

Dealership Continued from Page 1

— Garrett Anderson, Woodstock economic development director

HOW THEY VOTED

To approve a tax incentive for Bull Valley Ford:

YesMark SaladinJoe StarzynskiRB ThompsonMike Turner

Dan HartMaureen LarsonBrian SagerNoNone

the incentive.

Construction is scheduled to begin by

June, Cazares said, and is expected to take

six to eight months. �e dealership will re-

main open during the expansion.

In addition to Bull Valley Ford, Wood-

stock Harley-Davidson and Kohl’s also

have tax rebate incentives from the city of

Woodstock.

4 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTFeb. 10-16, 2016 NEWS

1 person transported following crash on 14By STEPHANIE PRICE

The Independent

One person was transported to Cen-

tegra Hospital-Woodstock after a car

struck a utility pole on Route 14 in

Woodstock Feb. 4.

Woodstock Fire/Rescue District re-

sponded to the crash at about 3:40 p.m.,

which occurred between Lily Pond and

Doty roads, according to WFRD Capt.

Brendan Parker. �e driver of a Volvo

station wagon veered off the road for

unknown reasons and hit the pole, nar-

rowly missing a large area of standing

water.

Parker said the driver and one pas-

senger were inside the car at the time of

the crash. One person was transported

to Centegra Hospital-Woodstock with

non-life-threatening injuries and the

other person refused treatment at the

scene of the crash.

Woodstock Police closed one lane of

traffic for a short period of time while

emergency crews assisted the driver

and passenger.

A first-responder from the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District examines a car that nar-rowly missed a large body of standing water Feb. 4. The driver was taken to the hospital after the accident. PHOTO: ALEX VUCHA

City Hall starts recruitment for new police chiefChief Lowen will retire in June after


�e city of Woodstock has started the

recruitment process to hire a new police

chief following the news of Chief Robert

Lowen’s pending retirement.

Lowen, police chief for the past 10 years,

will retire in June. In an effort to find his

replacement, the city is accepting applica-

tions for the position until March 1, City

Manager Roscoe Stelford said. Candidates

will be selected from among the applica-

tions, and the interview process will be

held thereafter.

“We’re looking for the best candidate

to do the job,” Stelford said. “We’re not

focused on whether that candidate is an

internal or external hire.”

Stelford said an interview committee

comprised of Stelford, the city’s human

resource director, possibly an out-of-de-

partment police chief and other individu-

als will review the viable candidates. �e

selected applicants will undergo in-person

interviews, a group exercise among the

candidates and individual written exer-

cises. Finalists will be introduced to senior

city staffer members and will undergo ex-

tensive background and reference checks,

city officials said.

“We are looking to have a new chief

hired by the time Chief Lowen retires,”

Stelford said.

�e search for a police chief requires a

thorough and process, city officials said.

Interested candidates must submit a job

application, cover letter, resume, three

professional references and salary history.

�e selected applicants must then com-

plete a written self-assessment. �e inter-

views will be conducted based upon the

candidates’ responses, city officials said.

�e police chief oversees all aspects of

the Woodstock Police Department includ-

ing a staff of 50 full-time, three part-time

and eight limited part-time employees

and a $4.7 million departmental budget.

Minimum qualifications for the position

include a master’s degree in criminal jus-

tice, police administration, public admin-

istration or a related field; a minimum of

five years of progressively responsible

command-level experience; and a mini-


A McHenry man was transported

to Centegra Hospital-Woodstock af-

ter he experienced a medical inci-

dent, drove through a guard rail and

sheared off a traffic signal pole at the

Highway 14 and Kishwaukee Valley

Road intersection.

Woodstock Fire/Rescue District

and police responded to the crash at

12:48 p.m. Feb. 5. Initial reports said

the 45-year-old man suffered a sei-

zure, lost control of the 2007 Ford 500

he was driving, hit the guard rail and

leveled the traffic signal. �e car came

to a stop in the ditch on the northwest

side of the intersection, WFRD Capt.

Brendan Parker said.

“�e patient was able to walk up

the embankment, and he had non-

life-threatening injuries, but we trans-

ferred him to Centegra just to be safe,”

Parker said.

�e Illinois Department of Trans-

portation was on the scene shortly

after the accident to repair the traffic

signal. Woodstock Police Chief Rob-

ert Lowen said no charges were filed

against the driver.

No major injuries reported in crash at Kishwaukee, 14

man, whose name was not released,

has a valid concealed-carry permit and

a firearm owners identification card.

While the gun was loaded, the round

wasn’t chambered.

�e police chief said he didn’t plan to

file charges against the Woodstock man

because the post office does not have

the necessary sign posted by the front

entryway, notifying visitors of the ban

on guns on federal property as required

by state law. A sign warning of the fed-

eral law banning guns from the federal

building is posted on a back wall near

the post office boxes, Lowen said.

“We don’t feel comfortable charging

this guy with the state law because that

post office is not posted with the no-

gun sign,” Lowen said.

Woodstock police have turned the

case over to the U.S. Postal Inspection

Service to investigate. �e Woodstock

postmaster was not on duty Feb. 8, and

the supervisor said she could not com-

ment on the investigation. As of Mon-

day afternoon, the gun was still in the

custody of Woodstock police, who were

waiting for federal authorities to pick

up the gun.

GunContinued from Page 1

The article “District 200 halts health clin-ic opening” appearing on page 1 of the Feb. 3 issue of The Woodstock Indepen-dent contained an incomplete quote from a Woodstock resident. Megan Cloherty said to the School District 200 Board of Education, “Mercy in Woodstock offers free services from A to Z, everything un-der the sun. Why does the city need or desire another free clinic to be hidden in a high school in a parent-free zone?”

mum of three years supervisory experi-

ence with solid communication, leader-

ship and team-building skills.

�e position will pay a salary range

between $87,690 and $136,117 based

upon the new chief’s qualifications and

will include a benefit package, accord-

ing to city officials. More details about

the police chief role and the materi-

als needed to apply for the position are

posted on Woodstockil.gov under the

jobs/employment tab.

Lowen joined the Woodstock Police

Department in 2005 from Carpenters-

ville, where he served in a similar capac-

ity. Over the years, he was instrumental

in developing and improving numer-

ous programs in Woodstock including

several community policing initiatives.

Such initiatives included the permanent

beat officer program, where officers are

assigned to one of four quadrants of the

city to build relationships with residents

and become familiar with problems and

concerns.

During his tenure, Lowen increased

community service officer and bike pa-

trols, particularly on the Square, and

oversaw a canine officer program. To

develop stronger ties with the commu-

nity, Lowen held monthly Coffee with

the Chief and Coffee with the Merchants

meetings. He also managed community

policing programs such as Neighbor-

hood Watch, Senior Citizen Call In, AARP

Driver Safety, Boy Scouts of America Ex-

plorer Post and a college intern program.

“We don’t feel comfortable charging this guy with the state

not posted with the no-gun sign.”

— Police Chief Robert Lowen

CLARIFICATION


Rachel Quin, 41, 521 N. Madison St., Woodstock, was charged Jan. 25 with retail theft at 2200 Lake Ave. Quin posted $150 bond. Court date was set for Feb. 25.

Jeffrey C. Salerno, 44, 849 Washington St., #A, Woodstock, was charged Jan. 31 with improper signal, no insurance and driving while license suspended at South Eastwood Drive and McConnell Road. Salerno was turned over to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Of-fice. Bond was set at $1,500 and court was set for March 3, 2016.

Carlos A. Umana, 19, 1774 Pow-ers Road, Woodstock, was charged Jan.

31 with failure to signal, possession of cannabis and possession of drug para-phernalia in the 800 block of Carol Av-enue. Umana posted $150 bond. Court date was set for Feb. 25.

Ambrocio J. Avitia, 37, 900 Irving Ave., was charged Feb. 1 with failure to signal and driving while license sus-pended in the 800 block of Carol Av-enue. Avitia posted $150 bond. Court date was set for Feb. 25.

NEWS

OBITUARIES

Donald H. Bauman Sr.Donald H. Bauman Sr., 87, Marengo,

died Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016, at his home with his loving family near.

He was born Jan. 5, 1929, to Hugo and Esther (Diedrick) in Union.

On Nov. 5, 1949, he married Irene Kast-ning at St John’s Lutheran Church, Union.

He grew up farming with a team of hors-es. He graduated eighth grade with two students in the class, a favorite memory of his. His classmate was his dear friend Paul Dumproff.

He was a 20-year veteran in the Illinois National Guard and served as a master sergeant in the Korean War, thereby inherit-ing the nickname of “Sarg” to his close friends and comrades. He was awarded a Bronze Star. He was a lifelong member of the VFW and the Amer-ican Legion, an elder at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Woodstock, and a proud member of the Woodstock Lions Club, where he played Santa Claus at Christmas for chil-dren.

He owned Bauman Real Estate in Wood-stock and Marengo for 40 years before retiring. He then spent some of his later years working part time for Sears, where he enjoyed working with the public.

He loved hunting, fishing and the North-woods of Wisconsin where he could spend time with his sons, grandchildren and many friends. He shared crappie fishing experiences with Al Mansfield.

His size, smile, and laughter would brighten every room and the people in it. He was a man of respect, honor and hard work who truly loved and was loved by his family and friends.

Survivors include his wife; three sons, Donald Jr., Craig Sr. and Lee Bauman; sev-en grandchildren, Donald III, Danielle, Car-rie (Tom), Craig Jr. (Rachelle), Leah (Brian), Cameron (Michelle) and Jacquielynn Bezik Bauman; two great-grandsons, Adam and Alex; and many nieces, nephews and an aunt, Betty (Diedrick).

He was preceeded in death by his par-ents; a brother, Richard Bauman; and his very close brother-in-law, Delbert Kastning.

Visitation and memorial service will be held at 9 a.m. until the 11 a.m. memorial service Saturday, Feb. 13, at St John’s Lu-

theran Church, 8821 Main St., Union. A luncheon will follow the service.

Memorials can be made to St John’s Lu-theran Church, Union.

Arrangements were made by Schneider-Leucht-Merwin & Cooney Funeral Home, Woodstock.

Ruby Denise ValentineRuby Denise Valentine, 59, Woodstock,

died Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016, at her home surrounded by her loving family.

She was born July 17, 1956, to Frank L. and Annie L. (Hunter) Melvin in Orange, N.J.

She worked in the payroll planning department at Sears Holdings. She also owned and operated Ruby Red Embroi-dery. She loved to sew and make quilts. She was a member of the Friendship Bee Quilting Guild. She enjoyed reading and listening to recorded books. She worked hard to raise her two children. She was a fantastic singer and Chicago stepping dancer. Most of all, she enjoyed spending time with her loving family, especially her grandchildren, and she was an inspiration to those who knew her.

Survivors include her mother; a son, An-thony Jerome “AJ” (Lisa) Valentine Jr.; a daughter, Andrea (Marquis) Landon; three grandchildren, Colleen Valentine, January Valentine and Valerie Landon; two broth-ers, Lenward Barber and Tony Melvin; two nieces, Nneka Edwards and Charmaine Chisholm; five nephews, Terrance Pounds, Lenward Barber Jr., Brian Barber, Frank Peacock III and Seythe McCoy; three great-nieces, Tayla Chisholm, Arianna Edwards and Olivia Haynes; three great-nephews, Nolan Haynes, Jayden Barber and Jordan Baber; five aunts and uncles, Gloria Hunt-er-Brown, Dr. Sam Hunter, Alonzo (Joann) Hunter, Joenathan (Joyce) Hunter and Han-nah Hunter-Butler; a close friend, Jacquez Chillis; and many cousins, extended family and friends.

She was preceded in death by her father, Frank L. Melvin; a grandson, Anthony Je-rome Valentine III; a brother, Frank Melvin Jr; and a sister, Cerestine Melvin-Chisholm.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, at New Life Chris-tian Center, 5115 Dean St., Woodstock. All other services will be private.

Memorials can be made to the American Cancer Society.

Arrangements were made by Schneider-Leucht-Merwin & Cooney Funeral Home, Woodstock.

Elisa MendiolaElisa Mendiola, 72, Woodstock, died

Feb. 5, 2016, at JourneyCare Hospice leaving this world with a fight to the very end.

She was born June 14, 1943, in Texas and moved to Chicago.

She was the widow of Jose Mendiola II, who died July 24, 2008.

She made the biggest mark on so many lives and in people’s hearts. She was a kind, amazing, strong, stubborn but most of all beautiful person in-side and out. She was one to be the first to give a helping hand, and her famous saying was “Where there is a will there is a way.” She loved cooking for whoever would visit her and enjoyed spending time with all her family. She was a devoted wife, mother, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend with a strong passion for life and people.

Survivors include her mother, Delia Vasquez; two sons, Jose (Maria) Mendiola III and Al Mendiola (Melissa Nowman); a daughter, Evelyn (Stephen) Garrelts; two brothers, Louis Vasquez and Jose Vasquez; two sisters, Irene Pena and Rosa (Arman-do) Herrera; 10 grandchildren, Celina (Angel) Torres, Jose (Shannon) Mendiola IV, Eliza Mendiola, John David Mendiola, Alexandria Mendiola, Jessica Mendiola, Stephen Garrelts II, Gabriella Garrelts, Marcus Garrelts and Vannessa Garrelts; two adopted grandsons, Jake and Brock Bernhardt; 10 great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; and an abundance of cherished friends.

She is preceded in death by her hus-band; a sister, Erlinda (Eddie) Villarreal; and two brothers, Rueben Vasquez and John Vasquez.

A visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9, at Schneider-Leucht-Merwin & Cooney Funeral Home, 1211 N. Seminary Ave., Woodstock. A funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10, at Christ the King Church, 5006 E. Wonder Lake Road, Wonder Lake.

Betty M. AndersonBetty M. Anderson, 90, Woodstock,

died Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016, at her home surrounded by her loving family.

She was born March 23, 1925, to George and Elizabeth (Norton) Meyer Sr. in Woodstock.

On Sept. 1, 1951, she married Ray-mond C. Anderson in Woodstock. He died May 9, 1982.

She graduated from Woodstock Com-munity High School. She was a member of Grace Lutheran Church, Woodstock. After her husband’s passing, she visited and traveled with her children. She also babysat for a number of children, many of whom still visited her and sent her birthday cards, Christmas cards and gifts.

Survivors include three children, Ginny (Gary) Hansen, Sandy (Kevin) Sheahan and Todd (Indira) Anderson; a son-in-law, Ed Wettig; seven grandchildren, Christo-pher Hall, Amy (Tony) Alessi, Monica (Ian Hall) Sheahan, Nicole (Mike) Czerwinski, Rayanne (Noah Hardt) Sheahan, Jessica (Kurt) Galera, and Nathaniel Anderson; seven great-grandchildren, Austin and Aiden Alessi, Hunter and Brenna Hall, Lilyana Espina, and Addyson and Austin Czerwinski; a sister-in-law, Audrey Meyer; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her par-ents; her husband; a daughter, Cindy Wet-tig; two grandsons, Calin and Nathan Sheahan; and six siblings, Lucy Wienke, Mildred Meyer, Mabel Merwin, June Christopherson, George Meyer Jr. and Lyle Meyer.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10, at Schneider-Leucht-Merwin & Cooney Funeral Home, 1211 N. Seminary Ave., Woodstock. The visitation will continue at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 11, until the funeral service at 11 a.m. at the funeral home. Burial will be at McHenry County Memorial Park, Woodstock.

Memorials can be made to JourneyCare-Hospice or Angels By Your Side.

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

POLICE BLOTTER

STREET SMARTS

Average gas price

$1.45 /GAL.

Reflects average price of regular unleaded gasoline at Woodstock gas stations the morning of Feb. 8.

.05

Donald H. Bauman Sr.

Elisa Mendiola

Members of Woodstock’s parks mainte-nance staff recently replaced the sign at Mary Ann Street Park. The new sign resembles those at other park sites throughout the community and is part of an effort by the city to properly maintain the appearance of its 24 park loca-tions.

6 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTFeb. 10-16, 2016

OpinionCHERYL WORMLEYPublisher, Co-OwnerPAUL WORMLEY

Co-OwnerKATELYN STANEKManaging Editor

THE EDITORIAL BOARDCheryl Wormley Katelyn Stanek Sandy KucharskiStephanie Price

�e curtain has fallen on the Wood-stock Mozart Festival.

�e festival’s board recently decided not to continue the celebrated concert series which brought classical music to the Woodstock Opera House every July and August for 29 years. �e decision signaled the end of a summer tradition for many of the area’s classical fans.

At issue were a number of factors: the uncertainty of the budget for the state of Illinois, which had provided grants for the event, a diminishing audience, and a larger trend that has seen symphonies and orchestras around the country shut down.

�e Woodstock Mozart Festival was highly regarded, attracting the talents of Grammy-winners Igor and Vesna Gruppman, Arthur Arnold and others. It received attention from a wide variety of musical authorities, including �e New York Times.

Following the announcement, people on social media expressed disappoint-ment. It was a sentiment similar to those of the festival’s board members, who called the decision to end the concert series difficult and tearful.

�e Woodstock Mozart Festival’s long run was a testament to the region’s cul-tural values and to the dedication of its small group of organizers. Its end, how-ever, should remind us of the importance of supporting our local cultural events.

Woodstock has the great privilege of hosting a variety of concerts, plays, lecture series and more that, like the Mo-zart festival, draw crowds from through-out McHenry County and beyond. But they need the continued support of local fans and regional arts patrons to survive. If you value our local theater, music and cultural scene, please consider buying a ticket — or better yet, a season pass — to one or more of Woodstock’s arts events, whether a community theater produc-tion, a music festival or something else. Don’t take our tradition of great cultural events for granted.

Mozart departs,

breaks arts hearts

» OUR VIEW

weigh inEmail letters to the editor to [email protected] or mail them to 671 E. Calhoun St., Woodstock, IL 60098.

THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENT

Woodstock, IL 1987

» YOUR VIEW

Great Groundhog Day could be even better

My wife and I just returned from visiting your Groundhog Day event. We were highly impressed with all that we experienced, including everyone we met. We are both re-tired and fortunate to have planned out our financial situations well in advance, so taking trips is fun for us both. Noticing it was sunny and 46 degrees here in Valparaiso, Ind., on Feb. 1, I suggested we take a short trip. My wife, Carol, was on the internet, and being aware that Feb. 2 was Groundhog Day, she looked up to find that your city was where the movie was filmed.

We booked a room, got in the car and arrived just before 5 p.m. in time to go to the library and learn more about the film. We also were fortu-nate to purchase a few of the remain-ing breakfast tickets at the Moose Lodge. We enjoyed walking around with the walking tour brochure.

I’m glad to see that your city is carrying on a great tradition. Our neighboring city (Chesterton, Ind.) was once noted for having the annual “Wizard of Oz” festival. Although everyone in attendance loved it, just a few local complainers found a way to stop the event due to cars parking in front of their houses. (Reminds me of the people in Chi-cago who put chairs, etc., in order to keep the parking in front of their houses for themselves exclusively).

I do have just one suggestion on how to make a great event even greater: Have a race on the Sunday before Groundhog Day. It can be a 5K, 10K, half-marathon or full marathon, but it will definitely bring in many more people.

I am a very serious runner and usually travel to race almost ev-ery weekend. I drove to Danville a few weeks ago to run the Siberian Express Trail Run, flew to Phoenix in December to run the Buckeye Marathon and am going to Tokyo in three weeks to run in the Tokyo Marathon.

�e city of Grand Rapids, Mich., had a Groundhog Day marathon and half-marathon last weekend. You certainly would bring in many more runners than Grand Rapids. �e sights and sounds of your city will bring them back again, year after year. Just contact a local running club or running shoe store. Someone would surely be happy to assist you.

John Kosmatka,Valparaiso,Ind.

Blazier’s endorsement speaks well of Kenneally

It’s a rare person who embodies an entire community and Bob Bla-zier is one of them. Whether it was in the field of education or commu-nity service, Bob Blazier was there to serve as he lived in the Crystal Lake area.

I mention Bob Blazier in this way because his endorsement of Patrick Kenneally for the office of McHenry County state’s attorney confirms my impression of Patrick Kenneally.

Bill Bolger,McHenry

Regna’s roots, experience make him the best candidate

Our next state’s attorney should be a highly experienced attorney with deep roots in McHenry County. Only one candidate matches that criteria.

Dan Regna is a 23-year Wood-stock resident with 21 years of legal experience in the McHenry County court system. Dan is deeply in-volved in his community as a Cub Scout leader, Little League baseball board member, member of veterans organizations and active St. Mary parishioner. For nearly 10 years, Dan served as a criminal prosecutor, earning the respect of court per-sonnel, lawyers and police officers throughout McHenry County. For the past 11 years, Dan has represent-ed local clients and small businesses

in diverse areas to include adminis-trative, business, criminal, employ-ment, family and real estate law. Further, Dan is a West Point gradu-ate with 18 years of military service.

Dan Regna is the only highly qualified attorney from McHenry County on the ballot.

Robert A. White,Woodstock

Check your tagsFolks, check your vehicles for

expired tags. You are responsible. �e Secretary of State’s Office isn’t sending out notices anymore.

�e “coppers” are writing hard copy and the “brethren” in the courthouse are more than happy to fine you an exorbitant amount for letting your tags expire.

Don’t give the money-changers in the courthouse a reason to smile; check your license tags.

Tom Hoppe,Bull Valley

Excessive spending signals public officials’ contempt

Woodstock’s property tax rate is 4.6 percent of total home value. �is compares to national average of 1.4 percent. (�e differential is $6,400 per year on a $200,000 home.)

Median-income households liv-ing in median-value homes must pay over 12 percent of household income in property tax. �is com-pares to a national average of 3.6 percent of household income spent on property taxes.

(Look at Bureau of Labor Statis-tics on household expenditures. How do you suppose a household comes up with that extra 8.4 per-cent for property taxes? �ey have to give up savings for college and retirement. �ey have to give up Christmas gifts and family pets and eating out, and they have to give up spending on school “extras” like

Please see Letters, Page 7

7Feb. 10-16, 2016THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTOPINION

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s ta f f dead l ines & contact s

Sometimes a topic for Declarations is,

as some would stay, dropped in my lap.

�at’s exactly what happened this week.

It all began late last Wednesday

afternoon as my husband, Jim, and I

were driving from Chicago to Cham-

paign so I could attend the two-day

winter meeting and annual planning

retreat of the Illinois 4-H Foundation

Board. On our way south on I-57. I

thought about my good friend Merri’s

mother, Lois Meier. Her home is in

St. Anne, a small town in Kankakee

County just east of I-57 With a bit of

time to spare, I wanted to stop and see

her. Not knowing her phone number

or address, I searched the internet. In-

stead of a Whitepages listing, the first

result was her obituary. She had died

three days earlier, Jan. 31, at age 95. I

was shocked and saddened.

“�e funeral is Saturday,” I said.

“We should go,” Jim responded.

Within minutes, we had decided to

stay in Champaign Friday night and

attend Lois’ funeral on our way back

north.

For the next two days, I focused on re-

ports about the growth of 4-H in Illinois,

increases in the number of donors to

the foundation and

expansion of 4-H

programs as a direct

result of its fund-

ing. My fellow board

members and I spent

an afternoon and

morning looking to

the future and mak-

ing plans to commu-

nicate with current

donors and identify

and cultivate new

donors. Many of us

are products of 4-H,

having been members in our growing-

up years. All of us are passionate about

the knowledge and opportunities young

people ages 5 to 18 gain from their 4-H

experiences.

Saturday, Jim and I gathered with

Lois’ family and friends at Clancy-Ger-

non-Houk Funeral Home in St. Anne. As

is the custom at funerals, her pastor, the

Rev. Mike Seed, read her obituary. She

was an English teacher, authored two

books, was a Pillsbury Bake-off finalist,

traveled, read, worked puzzles, played

cards and enjoyed being with family and

friends. And, she empowered “everyone

with her wit, wisdom and encourage-

ment.”

�e description of her in the obituary

rang true, but what the pastor spoke

of as her greatest legacy reverberated.

“Lois,” he said, “chose to invest in the

next generation.” He read a stewardship

letter she had written, inspiring sup-

port of the community’s young people.

As others spoke, they told of how she

encouraged and mentored them.

I knew I had my topic for this week’s

Declarations – Investing in the next gen-

eration. I’ve long been an advocate for

young people. I’ve written of them being

our most valuable resource. It takes

no effort to say youth are a valuable

resource, but investing in them requires

action.

Once back in Woodstock, Jim and

I spruced up a bit and headed to the

Woodstock School District 200 Educa-

tion Foundation Groundhog dinner and

auction. Each year at the dinner, the

foundation announces the recipient of

the Sue Palmore Award of Excellence,

which is given to a person who has

shown exemplary service to the stu-

dents and staff of District 200.

Joy Aavang, who is well known for her

veterans advocacy and her books shar-

ing their stories, was chosen for her vol-

unteer work at Northwood and Creek-

side middle schools. In the schools, she

gives World War II and veterans presen-

tations and participates in Love to Read

Week, judges eighth-grade projects and

serves as a stand-in grandparent for the

sixth-grade grandparent project.

As Joy accepted the award, she spoke

of the “wonderful students” and her

“love for them.” As I listened, what was

ringing in my head was “Joy is investing

in the next generation.”

So how does one invest in the next

generation besides mentoring, volun-

teering in schools or serving on founda-

tions focused on youth? Be a spectator

at their sports events, attend their recit-

als and plays, coach, teach, advocate for

them at church, buy Boy Scout popcorn

and Girl Scout cookies, donate and rein-

force their efforts by talking and listen-

ing to what they have to say. �ere’s no

better investment.

» COLUMN

Investing in the next generation

Cheryl Wormley is publisher of The Wood-stock Independent.

Declarations

CherylWormley

school plays and athletic participa-tion.)

All nonemergency spending by the city of Woodstock and Woodstock School District 200 is evidence of the mayor, council and board members’ contempt and disregard for the well-being of the community at large.

Public statements by well-paid public officials expressing pride in accom-plishments and alleging frugality are obscene reminders of how their priori-ties are aligned: feed their own needs and desires, pander to developers with public funds and ignore the the surviv-al needs of homeowner taxpayers.

Specific statistics about school spending belie generalized excuses about “state spending formulae” of-fered by a disinterested board.

Specific statistics about the devas-tating effect of 4.6 percent property-tax rates are ignored by city officials in favor of generalized platitudes about “growth promotion.” Unjustified expenditures in pursuit of “develop-ment” have been the cause of the 4.6 percent property-tax rate.

�e negative feedback loop cre-ated by our 4.6-percent property tax rate will only make things worse for existing properties and homeown-

ers as public tax money is funneled to projects chosen by well-fed rulers oblivious or indifferent to the fate of the community at large.

Stay away from meetings and let them do their jobs? We can’t survive them doing that kind of job on us any longer.

Susan Handelsman,Woodstock

‘Just If Someone Believed In Music Again’

It was to be the best day ever All was ready, just go and chooseBut who would have known it was to

be the worst day ever It was time to chooseBut it said that music could not be

taken anymore

No one helped, no support at all It was sad, no music meant nothing

at allAs amazing as I asked nothing

seemed to helpJust a feeling that I had to yelp But of course no one helps the musi-

cian As if music is a dangerous expedi-

tion But who could blame people nowa-

days �ey don’t understand music like in

the olden days

No music at all meant a sad and empty and sad world

No instrumental songs means the end of the world

Just if someone believed in music again

Just if someone believed again

But something replaced music Technology took the place of music Technology could never replace

music in a million years But people are so lost that it took

them an instant instead of years

Nowadays they want us to do engi-neering or technology stuff

If for one day technology left, every one would believe in music again

But of course that could never hap-pen

If it did it would be the best day ever

Technology blinded us, it took out the instrumental instruments

Replacing it with engineering I mean, really who would do that

Just if one day again symphonies returned

It would give us the opportunity to enjoy them again

But all people care about is techno-logical stuff

�ey have forgotten that music ex-ists

All people do is deny that it exists�ey give grants to technology and

stuff But what if you gave a grant to

music

If someone remembered the impor-tance of music

It’s an universal language A way to relax World’s existence most wonderful

giftBut if someone believed in it, it

might be to late Because at that time it might be too

late or it won’t existExpect one person of course Just if someone believed in music

again.

Luis Palma Rodriguez,Creekside Middle School Eighth-Grader,

Woodstock

Letters Continued from Page 6


EducationSt. Mary School marks centennial


When construction of St. Mary School

was completed, the first students were

welcomed to the Catholic school in Janu-

ary 1916.

�e parochial school was built at 313 N.

Tryon St. on the site where the original St.

Mary’s Catholic Church stood. �at old

church was leveled when the new church

was built. Six Sisters of the Holy Cross

served as the school’s founding faculty

members.

“�e first graduating class was in spring

1916,” Principal Brenda Baldassano said.

Over the years, the school expanded.

St. Mary School built the addition for St.

Mary High School in 1951, which had a

large gymnasium, auditorium and cafete-

ria. �e high school served area Catholic

students until Marian Central Catholic

High School opened in 1959. When the

high schoolers moved over to Marian,

St. Mary utilized the former high school

space for its junior high students, accord-

ing to the church’s history.

St. Mary faculty, staff, current and

former students are celebrating the

school’s 100th anniversary with several

special events this year. Last month, the

school held the Celebration of a Cen-

tury Gala at the Grand Geneva in Lake

Geneva, Wis. �e dinner dance included

entertainment by �e BoDeans, a popu-

lar rock ‘n’ roll band with roots in Wis-

consin, and was attended by several St.

Mary alumni.

“�e gala sold out at 300 tickets,” Bal-

dassano said. “It was great. �e enter-

tainment was underwritten by one of our

parents.”

St. Mary staff and volunteers have

planned a year’s worth of special centen-

nial celebrations to commemorate the

school’s anniversary. Current St. Mary

students will bury a 100th anniversary

St. Mary School students gather in the gymnasium to form “100” in honor of the school’s centennial celebration. COURTESY PHOTO

time capsule on the school grounds

Sunday, April 24, Baldassano said.

�e school also will host an upcom-

ing open house for the public and will

hold a fun 5K Color Run in Woodstock

Saturday, May 21. Plans also are in the

works to hold a Christian music concert

in July, the date and entertainment for

which will be announced when plans

are finalized, Baldassano said.

In August, the St. Mary congregation

will welcome Bishop David Malloy of

Rockford for a special Mass and dinner

recognizing the school’s centennial.

LEADING THE WAY

Creekside Middle School’s Sophia Wicker picks up a book off the floor from a wheelchair as part of an engineering project at Woodstock High School Feb. 4. Challenge Corps students from CMS visited WHS to learn about the high school’s Project Lead the Way program and perform simulations as students who live with the need for assistive technology. INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY KEN FARVER

COLLEGE CURRENTS

Columbia College announces dean’s list

The following students were named to the Columbia College, Crystal Lake Cam-pus, dean’s list: Linda Bauer and Sabrina Niespodzianski, of Wonder Lake, and Rosemary Arnold, Jose Cruz, Fernando Diaz, Alex Karlin, Lilliana Klay, Timothy O’Leary, Samantha Stelford and Andrew Todd, all of Woodstock.

Iowa State announces winter graduates

The following students recently gradu-ated from Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa:

Kathleen Mathison, Woodstock, with a Bachelor of Science in kinesiology and health, and Candace Schaper, Wood-stock, with a Bachelor of Science in man-agement.

School holds sell-out gala featuring The BoDeans, will host color run May 21

Promote Woodstock Talent

Get Your Company’s Name Out...

BE A SPONSORThe Woodstock Independent is looking for sponsors of weekly features such as:Student of the Week, Athlete of the Week, and The College Report.

Call for details 815-338-8040


A & E‘Sleeping Beauty,’ anything but a snooze

Woodstock North High School theater students practice for the upcoming produc-tion of “Sleeping Beauty.” Pictured, from left, are Jackson Emmons (Twinkletoes), Avery Keesee (Rose Petal) and Ariella Simandl (Moonbeam). COURTESY PHOTO

‘SLEEPING BEAUTY’When: 7 p.m. Feb. 13, 19 and 20; 2 p.m. Feb. 20Where: WNHS Performing Arts Cen-ter, 3000 Raffel RoadTickets: $10 adults, $5 students and senior citizens

Woodstock North High School theater group will stage a modern take on the classic children’s tale

By SANDY KUCHARSKIThe Independent

Billed as “Sleeping Beauty” with a rock ‘n’

roll twist, Woodstock North High School

theater students exercised creative liber-

ties with the script to produce a show full

of a variety of musical genres and dance.

�e production will be the third in the

school’s �eater for Young Audiences se-

ries. While enjoyable for children-at-heart

of all ages, the young audience series of-

fers a child-friendly storyline and addi-

tional activities such as an opportunity to

dress as a favorite prince or princess and

play games at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, or

attend the 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, eve-

ning performance dressed in pajamas.

�e cast also will host a free perfor-

mance for Woodstock School District

200’s Life Skills program, and they will

have a special daytime performance for

a group of McHenry elementary students.

“It’s an incredible opportunity to have

these children’s activities,” said senior

Julia Slomski, who stars as Belladonna.

She has been so influenced by this facet

of her four years of experience in WNHS

theater that she will be pursuing a degree

in theater for young audiences in college

in the fall.

Also acting as the choreographer

for the show, Slomski said, “We have a

strong group of dancers this year. �is

was my favorite show to choreograph …

it has more dancing than any of our other

children’s shows.”

Stage manager Anna Gabrielson has

designed a minimalist set that she said

works well and leaves a lot of room for

the dances. As a graduating senior in her

last season of theater at the high school,

Gabrielson said, “I’m super-bummed.”

But she added, “It was nice to have been

here when it started.”

�is year’s seniors are the first stu-

dents to have been in the program for a

full four years. Tech leader Sue Lewis said

they started the theater program in 2012

with two techs and nine actors. �e pro-

gram currently involves 60 students.

New commission member brings

energyIn late October, Opera House Com-

missioner Ed Hall resigned from the

commission. �e commission members

wished Ed the very

best and joined me

in passing a resolu-

tion honoring his 30

years of performing

and producing at the

Woodstock Opera

House. A copy of the

resolution was pre-

sented to Ed before

his Christmas Guitar

Night in December.

In January, Mayor

Brian Sager appoint-

ed a new at-large member to the com-

mission to fill the vacancy. Woodstock

native and resident Brandon Pacyna is

the newest member of the commission,

and I’d like to introduce him to our read-

ers.

Brandon and I first crossed paths in

the halls of Woodstock High School.

While I didn’t have him as a student, he

graduated from WHS in 2005, the same

year I retired.

Brandon went on to college and gradu-

ated in 2009 from Illinois State Univer-

sity. While at ISU, where he majored in

marketing, he began to focus on his pas-

sion for music and the business end of

that career path. While performing folk

and pop music, Brandon also worked

with a music business organization in

Bloomington. As president of the orga-

nization, he planned programs, concerts

and field trips for the college group.

Following his graduation, Brandon

worked as a marketing intern for Plat-

form One Entertainment, where he creat-

ed press kits for emerging artists and did

a variety of promotional work. �at led

to work for a year as a conference man-

ager for a medical group, but his passion

for music was strong and after getting

some advice from various local profes-

sionals including Mayor Sager, Brandon

and a partner planned and presented

eight concerts at the Opera House and

Stage Left Café to fundraise for Friends

of the Fox River.

In the last few years, this Energizer

Bunny planned and produced local

music festivals including the Wasted

Plains Rock ‘N’ Roll Revival, did market-

ing for festivals as well as stage manage-

ment, worked as an event coordinator,

wrote a freelance column for this paper,

launched new-market telesales for a mu-

sic organization, wrote a music industry

blog and consulted with several organi-

zations and businesses. It makes me tired

just thinking about all he’s done!

Currently his day job is with Big

Screens on the Go, a company that spe-

cializes in mobile LED Jumbotron setups

and projects. He works out of the Algon-

quin branch of the Texas-based organiza-

tion where he does project management

and hiring (and probably a dozen other

things that don’t show up on a resumé).

He also continues to be involved with

local music festivals and, starting last

month, brings his energy and expertise to

the Opera House Commission.

Coming soon to the Opera House �e Legendaires Show Band will

present the Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio Show at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14, and at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20.

Friends of the Opera House will present “�at’s Amore,” a dinner/fund-raiser, at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13.

�e Fine Arts Association’s Cre-ative Living Series will present Paul Gehl at 10 a.m. �ursday, Feb. 18.

» COLUMN

Now Playing

TonyCasalino

Tony Casalino is chairman of the Wood-stock Opera House Advisory Commission.

“Sleeping Beauty” has a cast of 26 and a

crew of 28. “It allows everybody a chance,”

said Lewis. “It’s what we’re all about.”

A large freshman class is a good indi-

cation that the program will continue to

thrive. “�e parents have given me a gift,”

said director Tish Lyons. She stressed the

need for theater as a medium for children

to express their imagination.

�e show will open at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb.

12 at WNHS Performing Arts Center, 3000

Raffel Road. Children are invited to a char-

acter meet, greet and autograph session

following the show.

Additional performances will be at 7

p.m., Feb. 13, 19 and 20, with a 2 p.m. mati-

nee Feb. 20. Ticket prices are $10 for adults,

$5 for students and senior citizens.

10 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTFeb. 10-16, 2016 A & E

Print historian explores credentials of collectiblesBy STEPHANIE PRICE

The Independent

Library curator Paul Gehl has an eye

for literary treasure.

Gehl’s formal title is custodian of the

John M. Wing Foundation on the Histo-

ry of Printing at the Newberry Library

in Chicago.

Gehl will share insights about the New-

berry Library’s hidden treasures and the

collectibles he has helped accumulate

when he appears at the Woodstock Op-

era House, 121 Van Buren St., �ursday,

Feb. 18. Gehl will speak at 10 a.m. as the

next guest in the Creative Living Series,

which is hosted by the Woodstock Fine

Arts Association. Coffee and conversa-

tion will begin at 9 a.m.

“I will concentrate on what we col-

lect and why we collect it, and I will talk

about some of the personalities along

the way,” Gehl said.

�e Newberry Library was founded in

1887 through a bequest from the estate

of Walter Loomis Newberry, an early

Chicago resident and businessman who

died in 1868. �e Newberry Library, 60

W. Walton St., Chicago, is an indepen-

dent research library that specializes in

the humanities. It is a non-circulating

library, but has offered free admission

and been open to the public since its

founding.

Gehl’s research focuses on the his-

tory of the print culture of Italian and

French Renaissance, English literacy

maps and the history of American In-

dians who lived in North and South

America, he said. His work involves

studying how textbooks were writ-

ten, designed, printed and marketed

throughout history.

“My speciality is the history of print-

ing,” Gehl said. “My presentation will

include a slide show of some very good

pictures (of the Newberry’s collectibles).”

An expert in his field, Gehl has pub-

lished several articles on the history

of printing, along with modern fine

printing and artists’ books. In Janu-

ary 2015, Gehl received the American

Printing History Association’s annual

APHA Award for his contributions to

the study of printing and printing his-

tory, according to the Newberry Li-

brary’s website. Gehl “has guided the

research of scholars and type designers

from around the world in addition to

producing scholarly work of his own,”

according to Newberry Library.

Gehl is currently overseeing a ma-

jor Newberry project to process al-

most 30,000 items within the Wing

Collection that had been filed but not

indexed and, as a result, were unavail-

able to library patrons, according to the

Newberry Library. Many items are type

specimens or other marketing materi-

als demonstrating the printer’s abili-

ties.

Gehl was born in Wisconsin, grew up

in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., but made his way

to Illinois when he attended the Uni-

versity of Chicago, where he obtained a degree in medieval history. After his

graduation, he remained in Chicago to

teach classes and eventually found his

place at the Newberry.

Tickets to see Gehl are available by

calling the Opera House Box Office at

815-338-5300 or visiting WoodstockO-

peraHouse.com.

�e Creative Living Series was start-

ed in 1964 by members of the Wood-

stock Fine Arts Association as a way

to bring entertainment and the arts to

the residents of Woodstock. Over the

years, the series has hosted writers,

chefs, philosophers, artists, musicians,

television personalities, astrologers,

photographers, decorators, historians

and poets.

CREATIVE LIVING SREIES

When: 10 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 18Where: Woodstock Opera House, 121 Van Buren St.Tickets: $24, 815-338-5300 or visit WoodstockOperaHouse.com

11Feb. 10-16, 2016THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTA & E

WOODSTOCK’S ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTSThe Entertainer

» MUSICSTAGE LEFTOVERSFeb. 10, 24, 7:30 p.m.Stage Left Café125 Van Buren St. FreeThe Stage Leftovers, consisting of Rich Prezioso, Joe Pesz, Brian Murphy, Laurel Palma, Pete Jonsson and Les Urban, will perform.

OPEN MIC NIGHTFeb. 12, 26, 7 p.m.Stage Left Café125 Van Buren St. $3 donationoffsquaremusic.org815-338-5164Open Mic is sponsored by Off Square Music. Various artists will perform in 15-minute slots.

LIVE MUSIC AT EXPRESSLY LESLIE’SFeb. 12, 19, 26, 6 p.m.Woodstock Square Mall110 Johnson St.FreeFeb. 12: Big Fish will perform.Feb. 19: Tricia Alexander will perform.Feb. 26: Jim Fine and Marian MacNair will perform.

JAZZ JAMFeb. 19, 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.

WOODSTOCK FARMERS MARKETFeb. 20, March 5, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.McHenry County Fairgrounds Building DFreewoodstockfarmersmarket.org.Feb. 20 performers 9 a.m. to noon: North-west Highway.March 5 performers 9 a.m. to noon: Kish-waukee Ramblers

MASTERWORKS PROJECT CHOIR CONCERTFeb. 21, 3 p.m.Grace Lutheran Church1300 Kishwaukee Valley RoadWoodstock High School and Woodstock North High School will participate togeth-er to perform the American masterpiece “Chichester Psalms” by Leonard Bernstein.

FIRST SATURDAY MUSICMarch 5, 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.

» THEATER‘SLEEPING BEAUTY’Feb. 12, 7 p.m. with character meet and greet after the showFeb. 13, 19, 7 p.m.Feb. 20, 1 p.m. Children can come dressed as their favorite prince or princess and enjoy activities before the show at 2 p.m.Feb. 20, 7 p.m. Attendees can wear paja-mas to watch the show.Woodstock North High School3000 Raffel Road$10 adults, $5 students and senior citi-

zens 815-334-2127The WNHS theater department will pres-ent the children’s classic “Sleeping Beauty” with a rock ‘n’ roll twist.

‘OKLAHOMA’Feb. 12, 13, 19, 20, 7 p.m.Feb. 14, 2 p.m.Marian Central Catholic High School1001 McHenry Ave.$10 adults, $5 students and senior citizens815-338-4220, ext.100The classic turn-of-the-century western love story, “Oklahoma” will be the first musical in Marian’s new auditorium.

ROCK ‘N’ ROLL RADIO SHOWFeb. 14, 3 p.m.Feb. 20, 7 p.m.Woodstock Opera House121 Van Buren St.$38The Legendaires Show Band will present a live musical performance based on a radio broadcast station, performing hits of the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s.

» DINNER SHOW‘THAT’S AMORE’ OPERA HOUSE FUNDRAISERFeb. 13, 6 p.m.Woodstock Opera House121 Van Buren St.$35815-338-5300Friends of the Opera House will host a unique evening featuring an Italian buffet and entertainment by The Jerry Armstrong Show.

» LECTURECREATIVE LIVING SERIESFeb. 18, 10 a.m.Woodstock Opera House121 Van Buren St.$24815-338-5300Paul Gehl, curator at Chicago’s Newberry Library, will discuss how generations of li-

brarians have addressed “useful learning” versus “rich men’s rarities.”

» MOVIES

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

‘HAIL, CAESAR!’A Hollywood fixer in the 1950s works to keep the studio’s stars in line. “Hail, Caesar!” is directed by Ethan and Joel Coen (“Fargo”) and stars George Clooney (“Ocean’s Eleven”) and Josh Brolin (“Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”).RATED PG-13, 100 MINUTES

‘THE CHOICE’Travis and Gabby first meet as neighbors in a small coastal town and wind up in a relationship that is tested by life’s most de-fining events. “The Choice” is directed by Ross Katz (“Lost in Translation”) and stars Benjamin Walker (“Flags of Our Fathers”) and Teresa Palmer (“Warm Bodies”).PG-13, 111 MINUTES

‘KUNG FU PANDA 3’ 2D AND 3DPo continues his “legendary adventures of awesomeness.” “Kung Fu Panda 3” is di-rected by Alessandro Carloni and Jennifer Yuh (“Spawn”), and includes the voice tal-ents of Jack Black (“School of Rock”) and Dustin Hoffman (“Kramer vs. Kramer”)RATED PG, 95 MINUTES

‘DEADPOOL’A former Special Forces operative turned merce-nary adopts the alter ego Deadpool.”Deadpool” is directed by Tim Miller (“Rockfish”) and stars Ryan Reynolds (“Green Lantern”) and Morena Baccarin (“V”). RATED R, 108 MINUTES

‘BROOKLYN’An Irish immigrant lands in 1950s Brook-lyn. ”Brooklyn” is directed by John Crowley (“Closed Circuit”) and stars Saoirse Ronan (“The Grand Budapest Hotel”) and Emory Cohen (“The Place Beyond the Pines”).PG-13, 111 MINUTES

‘HOW TO BE SINGLE’Lonely hearts seek a match in New York City. “How to be Single” is directed by Christian Ditter (“Love, Rosie”) and stars Dakota Johnson (“50 Shades of Grey”) and Rebel Wilson (“Pitch Perfect”). RATED R, 110 MINUTES

‘ZOOLANDER 2’Derek and Hansel are back in action, modeling again when an oppos-ing company attempts to take them out from the business.”Zoolander 2” is directed by Ben Stiller (“Zoolander”) and stars Ben Stiller (“Zoolan-der”) and Owen Wilson (“Wedding Crashers”). RATED PG-13, 102 MINUTES


MarketplaceREAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

Filed in the McHenry County Recorder’s Of-fice Jan. 20 to 27:

Residence at1509 Seneca Court, Woodstock, was sold by Michael and Gail Mengeling Family Trust, Cumming, Ga., to David and Susan Forner, Woodstock, for $295,000.

Residence at 664 Verdi St., Wood-stock, was sold by Christopher and Renee Marvel, Woodstock, to Gary Castaldo, Woodstock, for $260,000.

Residence at 605 Schumann St., Woodstock, was sold by Maples at the So-natas LLC, Burr Ridge, to Judith Doyle, Wood-stock, for $250,281.

Residence at 4603 Greenwood Road, Woodstock, was sold by State Bank, Wonder Lake, to Stuart and Marie Given, Woodstock, for $18,000.

Residence at 8706 Riley Road, Won-der Lake, was sold by Sharon Jacobson Trust, Woodstock, to Vito and Dawn Abbinante, Wonder Lake, for $193,000.

Residence at 816 S. Valley Hill Road, Woodstock, was sold by Redwood LLC, Woodstock, to Darick and Andrea Franzen, Woodstock, for $303,500.

Residence at 407 Forrest Ave., Wood-stock, was sold by LaManna Declaration of Trust, Island Lake, to Home State Bank, National Association, as trustee under trust agreement, Crystal Lake, for $105,000.

Residence at 2318 Mustang Trail, Woodstock, was sold by Steven and Michelle Schmidt, Woodstock, to Roger and Annette Willis, Woodstock, for $260,000.

Residence at 812 N. Concord Drive, Woodstock, was sold by McHenry Savings Bank, McHenry, to Brian and Sandra How-ard, Woodstock, for $360,000.

Residence at 4206 E. Wonder Lake Drive, Wonder Lake, was sold by the Lori Kathryn Brabec Trust, McHenry, to Jacob Williams, Wonder Lake, for $62,000.

Residence at 1501 Bull Valley Drive, Woodstock, was sold by Lloyd Tate and Cri-sencia Liwag, Inverness, to Paul and Angela Johnson, for $485,000.

Residence at 8707 Memory Trail, Wonder Lake, was sold by Kenneth and Do-rine Reinert, Harvard, to Ian and Sarah An-derson, Wonder Lake, for $167,000.

Residence at 8607 Ramble Road, Wonder Lake, was sold by The Judicial Sales Corporation, Chicago, to House Account LLC, Crystal Lake, for $15,500.

Res. and orchard, row, 11802 Charles Road, Woodstock, was sold by Donald Bur-da, Woodstock, to McHenry County, Wood-stock, for $19,000.

Residence at 701 Lawndale Ave., Woodstock, was sold by Sierra Invest-ments LLC, Woodstock, to Warren and Kay Wascher, Woodstock, for $60,000.

Residence at 7625 South Drive, Won-der Lake, was sold by the estate of Mara Doherty, Genoa City, Wis., to Laurie Ken-nick, Wonder Lake, for $80,000.

Lot at South Cedar, Wonder Lake, was sold by the estate of Mara Doherty, Genoa City, Wis., to Thomas Henely, for $5,000.

Residence at 557 W. South St., Wood-stock, was sold by Mary Foley, Woodstock, to James and Kari Mongold, Woodstock, for $150,000.

Networking group aims to expand Woodstock Network Pros recently separated from Chamber of Commerce


Woodstock realtor Jolene White knows the value of creating strong business relationships with other pro-fessionals in the community. For that reason, White founded the Woodstock Network Pros in June 2014.

“Woodstock Network Pros is a life-line to Woodstock businesses to work smarter, not harder, in working by re-ferral,” said White, an associate bro-ker for RE/MAX Plaza in Woodstock. “Working by referral essentially is an endorsement of your character and

“Working by referral essentially is an endorsement of your character and competence from someone you trust.”

— Jolene White, Woodstock Network Pros

competence from someone you trust.”White said the networking group is

unlike others in that there are no fees to join and business owners don’t have to invest large sums of money in order to earn their next sale. Also, the organi-zation provides members with a non-competing benefit, meaning only one representative from any given industry is permitted to join.

Presently, the group has six mem-bers representing local legal, insur-ance, financial investment, banking, accounting and real estate firms. �e group is seeking to double its size and is actively seeking members represent-ing personal and commercial banking, estate planning, family law, photogra-phy, building and trades and construc-tion as well as a florist and a hair styl-ist, White said.

While the membership is small, the rewards have proven to be beneficial for all involved, White said.

“Within the last 18 months, 60 re-ferrals have been exchanged to date amongst members, resulting in 22 transactions of new, closed business,” she said. “�e membership prides itself in being able to report a conversion rate of approximately 37 percent, clos-ing one out of three referrals, proving the group follows a mindset of quality, not quantity.”

Woodstock Network Pros origi-nally was aligned with the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Ef-fective Jan. 1, however, the organiza-

tion broke away from the chamber to operate independently. �e move allows interested individuals to join the Network Pros even if they are not chamber members, as previously re-quired.

“We are kicking off the new year with new strategies to increase mem-bership and visibility throughout the Woodstock business community,” White said. “Our members are enthu-siastic and energized with this new opportunity.”

Woodstock Network Pros meets from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. the first and third Wednesdays of each month. �e group is currently working to secure a permanent meeting place.

For more information about the network, call White at 815-363-2472 or email [email protected].

13Feb. 10-16, 2016THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTCOMMUNITY

CommunityHIGHLIGHT

A novel idea for Northwood kids

By JAN DOVIDIOThe Independent

“An Afternoon of Writing Danger-

ously” is the title used by Northwood

Middle School teacher Katie Spaldon

in her application for a District 200

Foundation grant for this school year.

She was awarded $158 for this project.

Spaldon’s sixth-grade students and

teacher Ryan Schmidt’s seventh-grade

students participated in a writers pro-

gram called “NaNoWriMo.” �e letters

begin the words of the project – Na-

tional Novel Writing Month. �is chal-

lenge is for interested students and

adults to begin writing a novel on Nov.

1 and finish it by Nov. 30. �e word

count for adults is 50,000 words, while

the young students can set their own

reasonable word count.

Spaldon’s sixth-graders set a goal of

5,000 words. Schmidt’s seventh-grad-

ers’ word counts ranged from 3,000 to

30,000 words. �e sixth-graders wrote

during their lunch period. �e sev-

enth-graders wrote during their daily

language arts class.

Each student chose a topic. �ere

were 32 writers in all between the two

classes. All 13 seventh-graders met

their word count goals. Ten sixth-grad-

ers met their word count goals by the

end of November. �e sixth-graders’

novels presented an added challenge

because they were written outside of

class time.

“I really enjoyed talking with the

students about their progress,” said

Schmidt. “Several students increased

their goals because their plots were

still unfolding. All of my students are

planning on having their books pub-

lished.”

�e grant money was used to cre-

ate a dry-erase board table for brain-

storming, prizes for the writers and a

pizza party to celebrate.

“�e students were very successful

in producing creative stories,” Spaldon

said.“Many students expressed an in-

terest in doing NaNoWriMo next year.

It was a great experience. I can’t wait to

see the program grow next year.”

News of recognitions, milestones and other community events can be sent to Janet Dovidio at [email protected].

Patrons show the love for ‘That’s Amore’Popular Valentine’s dinner theater returns to the Opera Housefor a second year


�e Friends of the Opera House will

host the second annual “�at’s Amore”

Valentine dinner set in the historic Op-

era House and Stage Left Café.

“�at’s Amore” is scheduled for 6

p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, at the Opera

House, 121 Van Buren St.. Tickets for

the event are $35 each and can be pur-

chased by calling the Opera House box

office at 815-338-5300 or by visiting

WoodstockOperaHouse.com.

John Scharres, managing director of

the Opera House, said the Friends of

the Opera House hosted the first “�at’s

Amore” dinner last year. �e Valentine

dinner was a sell-out success, so it is

being brought back for what appears

to be a repeat performance.

“It was well-received last year, and so

they decided to do it again,” Scharres

said.

Already, the Friends of the Opera

House has sold 96 tickets for the up-

coming evening and is close to selling

out. Tickets are limited to 120 due to

occupancy restrictions, Scharres said.

“�at’s Amore” will feature an all-

you-can-eat Italian buffet dinner made

by Rosati’s. Entertainment will be pro-

vided by �e Jerry Armstrong Show, a

Las Vegas-style performer from Mar-

seilles, Ill. �e Jerry Armstrong Show

has been entertaining crowds in the

Midwest for the past 25 years, and its

lead singer mimics the vocal stylings

of Frankie Valli, Frank Sinatra, Dean

Martin and Neil Diamond along “with

a touch of humor,” according to its

webpage.

�e performer will move back and

forth between the community room in

the Opera House and Stage Left Café

during the evening. A professional disc

jockey will play music in between sets,

Scharres said.

“It’s a nice evening, and they deco-

rate the place really nice,” Scharres

said.

�e dinner fundraiser offers resi-

dents a unique opportunity to cele-

brate Valentine’s Day in the romantic,

Victorian setting of the historic Opera

House. Proceeds from the event will

benefit the Friends of the Opera House

Foundation.

�e Friends of the Opera House is a

nonprofit organization that works to

increase community awareness and

involvement with the Opera House. By

hosting several fundraisers through-

out the year, the nonprofit strives to

support the Opera House financially

with the goal of preserving the build-

ing for future generations.

'THAT'S AMORE'

When: 6 p.m. Feb. 13Where: Woodstock Opera House, 121 Van Buren St.Tickets: $35, 815-338-5300, Woodstockoperahouse.com

IN BRIEF

Historical society brings local ‘roadshow’ to county

The McHenry County Historical So-ciety and Museum will host an antique appraisal day from 1 to 4 p.m. Satur-day, Feb. 27, at the museum, 6422 Main St., Union. The public can reserve a 10-minute slot in advance by calling the museum at 815-923-2267. Visitors must arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled time to confirm the ap-pointment and pay. Walk-ins also are welcome on a first-come, first-served basis, pending time and scheduling con-straints.

The cost is $5 for each object with a maximum of three appraisals per indi-vidual. Thanks to the generosity of the appraisers, all proceeds will benefit the nonprofit historical society.

Antiques will be appraised by the fol-lowing area professionals: Debbie and Jim McArdle, owners of Iron Horse An-tiques & Appraisers in Crystal Lake, will appraise art, photography, textiles, holi-day items, documents, country store ad-vertising and pre-1920 American flags; Lynne Eltrevoog, Union, will appraise china and glass; Pat Brutchin, Lake in the Hills, will appraise ceramics; Dave

Harms, Crystal Lake, will appraise Christ-mas memorabilia; Daniel Ring, Bull Valley, will appraise stamps; Barb Peterson, Prairie Grove, will appraise dolls; David Krieg, Har-vard, will appraise toys; and Bret Dougherty and Michael Halvey, Studio 2015, Wood-stock, will appraise jewelry.

Admission to the museum will be free for those bringing an object in for appraisal. For information, visit www.GotHistory.org.

Heritage Quilters to raffle ‘Pieceful Garden’

The Heritage Quilters from the McHenry County Historical Society are conducting a quilt raffle. “Pieceful Garden,” is reminis-cent of the 1930s and features a a simple nine-patch block with a consistent yellow center, a Jacob’s ladder block of white and pastel colors and a center medallion of ap-pliqued flowers. True to its name, it consists of a whopping 856 blocks! Early quilts often had many scraps of coordinating fabric, and

this was the norm during the Depression and 1930s. While this is not a true charm quilt of the period, where every piece is of a different fabric, it gives the impression of great variety.

Tickets cost $1 each or six for $5. The draw-ing will be at around 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, at the McHenry County Historical Society Mu-seum in Union. The winner need not be pres-ent. For information, call 815-923-2267.

Wonder Lake softball registration opens

Registration for the Wonder Lake Girls Softball league will be conducted from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday in February at the Jacobson Park Office, 4150 Thompson Road.

The league is open to girls ages 6 to 12 for a season to run from April through June. Anyone referring a friend who is new to SLGS will receive a $10 refund. Online reg-istration is available at wlgirlssoftball.wix.com/wlgs.

14 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTFeb. 10-16, 2016 COMMUNITY

Marian students selling Jeep raffle ticketsDrawing will be held March 12


Woodstock residents may have seen a 2015 Jeep Patriot with the words “WIN ME” written on the windows around town.

�e Jeep was parked near the Square on Groundhog Day, where Woodstock

Willie had a chance to sit behind the wheel. It also has been parked at Marian Central Catholic High School, which has a direct connection with the promotion.

Marian students are selling raffle tick-ets as part of a schoolwide fundraiser, and one lucky person will win the SUV next month. �e winning ticket will be drawn Sunday, March 12, at Marian’s annual din-ner and auction held at the school, 1001 McHenry Ave., Woodstock. �e winner of the SUV does not have to be present at the dinner.

All proceeds from the ticket sales will go toward providing tuition assistance for current and prospective Marian stu-dents. Josh Binder, director of develop-ment at Marian, said the fundraiser has been a hit with Marian students, families and friends.

“�is has been going really great,” Binder said. “Tickets are flying in.”

Binder said the Jeep giveaway is com-pletely volunteer-driven. Only students who want to sell tickets are participating, he said.

�e brand new Jeep is valued at $22,000, Binder said, and the car was partially donated by Benoy Motors, 1790 S. Eastwood Drive, Woodstock.

�e prices of the raffle tickets are: one ticket for $5, five tickets for $20, 15 tickets for $50 and 40 tickets for $100. Tickets can be purchased at www.Marian.com or at the school from 7:30 to 8 a.m. and from 2:30 to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday.

Tickets for the Marian Central dinner and auction are $40 per ticket and can be purchased at the school or online.

IN BRIEF

Retired educators offer college scholarships

The McHenry County Retired Teachers As-sociation Future Educator scholarship appli-cation for current seniors attending McHenry County public high schools is available for the 2016-17 school year. The $1,000 MCRTA scholarship is awarded to McHenry County resident high school seniors based on scho-lastic abilities, community contributions and commitment leading to a degree in educa-tion. Applications can be found in scholar-ship listings at each McHenry County public high school or on the MCRTA website, www.mcrta.org. Applications must be postmarked

by March 15.The Illinois Retired Teachers Association

scholarship, available to college sophomores or juniors who are residents of Illinois or grad-uates of an Illinois high school, is available for the 2016-17 school year. Applications are on the IRTA website at www.irtaonline.org under the Foundation tab.

Woodstock Theatre to host trib-ute to Harold Ramis

The Woodstock Theatre will host “A Tribute To Harold Ramis” Sunday through Tuesday, March 13 to 15, in the Harold Ramis Audi-

torium at the Woodstock Theatre, 209 Main St. The Ramis tribute will feature the comedy classics “Ghostbusters,” “Stripes” and “Ani-mal House.” Tickets are $6 per person and can be purchased at the Woodstock Theatre box office.

The Harold Ramis Auditorium at the Wood-stock Theatre was dedicated in 2015 to hon-or the writer/director, who died in 2014. He directed “Groundhog Day,” which is shown annually and features many locations in the community of Woodstock including the Woodstock Theatre.

“Ghostbusters,” rated PG, will be shown at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 13. “Stripes,” rated R, will be shown at 7 p.m. Monday, March 14. The R-rated film “Animal House” will be shown at 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 15.

Sheriff’s Office offers $500 scholarship

The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, through the Illinois Sheriff’s Association, will be awarding one McHenry County resident a scholarship for $500 to assist in pursuing higher education during the 2016-17 aca-

demic year. The scholarship is to be applied to tu-

ition, books and fees only. The student must be enrolled fulltime at a certified insti-tution of higher learning within the state of Illinois. There will be no restriction on any applicant by reason of race, age, creed, color, sex or national origin.

All applicants must be permanent Illi-nois residents and applicants applying to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office must be residents of McHenry County. Appli-cations are now available at the sheriff’s office or online at www.ilsheriff.org. Ap-plications must be returned to the Sheriff’s Office by Tuesday, March 1

The Illinois Sheriff’s Association will be awarding more than $54,000 in college scholarships throughout the state. The scholarship is to be applied to tuition, books and fees only.

McHenry Co. teachers show support for school improvement

On Wednesday, Feb. 17, the McHen-ry County Federation of Teachers will join the Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools, a national coalition of school person-nel, education reformers and student advocates, in promoting awareness and support for quality public schools in com-munities and across the nation. Parents, teachers, students and other champions of public education will wear their school colors outside of schools across McHenry County before the school day to show their support. Communities throughout the country are joining together in the movement to draw attention to their lo-cal education issues. The specific chal-lenges and concerns vary by state and community.

The Independent has a garage

sale package!

Only $15! Call

15Feb. 10-16, 2016THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTCOMMUNITY

16 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTFeb. 10-16, 2016 COMMUNITY

RELIGION NOTESFLASHBACKS25 years ago

Woodstock police personnel consid-ered adding a symbol of the American flag as a permanent part of their uniforms.

Family Alliance changed its quarters from Throop Street to a renovated Peet Frate warehouse in the new Centerville Commons, 670 S. Eastwood Drive, Woodstock.

Bohn’s Ace Hardware and Bohn’s on the Square moved the businesses under one roof on Route 47.

20 years ago Mississipians Vivian Dixon, Kevin John-

ston and Al Dixon traveled 12 hours to at-tend Woodstock’s annual Groundhog Days festival.

Dean Street Elementary School students collected $2,806.73 in pennies to buy com-puter equipment for the school’s music de-partment.

Candace Klinzing Brasile, Wood-stock, was inducted into the University of Wisconsin-Superior Hall of Fame. Brasile set the 80-meter record for hurdles in 1970 and placed first at state for UW-Superior in 1969 and 1970.

15 years ago Woodstock Willie predicted six more

weeks of winter at the annual Groundhog Days prognostication in Woodstock.

A wall was built to separate construc-tion activity at the new Challenger Learn-

ing Center for Science & Technology, 222 Church St., from the temporary quarters of the Woodstock Public Library.

People for Woodstock announced en-dorsements of Woodstock City Council can-didates Jim Prindiville and RB Thompson, as well as mayoral candidate Alan Cornue.

10 years ago Woodstock Willie predicted an early

spring at the annual Groundhog Days prog-nostication in Woodstock.

The Woodstock Plan Commission’s Uni-fied Development Ordinance, proposing a new zoning district for 10,000-square-foot lots, neared completion.

Spike O’Dell broadcast his morning show at Stage Left Café as part of WGN Ra-dio’s “Hometown Voices Tour.”

5 years ago Marian Central graduate and Green

Bay Packers rookie Bryan Bulaga, 21, made NFL history by being the youngest starter in Super Bowl history. The Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 to win Super Bowl XLV.

The Woodstock City Council voted 4-2 to approve amendments to a special use per-mit associated with Merryman Excavation’s gravel operation off Highway 14.

For the first time in more than 15 years, Woodstock Willie did not make his weath-er prognostication Feb. 2 after a blizzard

dropped 17 inches of snow on Woodstock. Former Woodstock High School teach-

er, coach, mentor and community member Harlow “Bud” Swartout was awarded the Woodstock School District 200 Award of Excellence during the District 200 Education Foundation’s annual fundraising dinner.

1 year ago Woodstock police investigated three

armed robberies that occurred over the previ-ous weekend at two gasoline stations and a liquor store.

The Independent featured an article about Marian Central Catholic superinten-dent Tom Landers, who announced he would retire after serving 34 years at the school.

The City Council approved the reor-ganization of the Community and Economic Development Department and created the Economic Development Department and a separate Building, Planning and Zoning De-partment to clearly define the focus for eco-nomic development in the city.

A recent outbreak of measles in the Chicago suburbs prompted McHenry County Department of Health officials to encour-age adults, family and friends providing care to children younger than 12 years old to be vaccinated. The warning was issued because children younger than 1 year old can’t be vaccinated, thereby placing them into the “highest risk” category for catching the illness.

BLUE LOTUS TEMPLE & MEDITATION CENTER

Meditation: 10 a.m. Tuesday, Saturday;7 p.m. Monday, Wednesday

CHRIST LIFE

Worship: 10:30 a.m. Sunday

EDEN BAPTIST

Worship: 3 p.m. Sunday (Spanish)

FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST

Worship: 10;00 a.m. Sunday

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN

Worship: 9 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday

FIRST UNITED METHODIST


FREE METHODIST


GRACE FELLOWSHIP


Wednesday

GRACE LUTHERAN1300 Kishwaukee Valley Road 815-338-0554 Worship: 5 p.m. Saturday (casual); 8:30 a.m. (traditional), 10:45 a.m. (contemporary)

HERITAGE BAPTIST4609 Greenwood Road

Worship: 10 a.m. Sunday

MCHENRY COUNTY JEWISH CONGREGATION8617 Ridgefield Road, Crystal Lake815-455-1810Worship: 6:30 p.m. Friday, 9:30 a.m. Saturday

REDEEMER LUTHERAN

Worship: 8 and 10 a.m. Sunday

RESURRECTION CATHOLIC2918 S. Country Club Road 815-338-7330Worship: 8 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday; 5 p.m. Saturday; 8 a.m. weekdays

ST. ANN’S EPISCOPAL

Worship: 8:30 and 10 a.m. Sunday

ST. JOHN’S LUTHERAN

Worship: 6 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m. Sunday

ST. MARY CATHOLIC

Worship: 7:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday; 5 and 6:30 p.m. (Spanish) Saturday; 7:30, 9 and 10:30 a.m., noon (Spanish), 5 p.m. Sunday

THE BRIDGE CHRISTIAN


THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS


THE VINE


UNITY SPIRITUAL CENTER


WOODSTOCK ASSEMBLY OF GOD

Worship: 9 a.m. Sunday prayer service, 10 a.m. worship service

Wednesday

WOODSTOCK BIBLE


through fifth grade)

p.m. Sunday

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


10 | WEDNESDAY

STAGE LEFTOVERSStage Left Café125 Van Buren St. 7:30 p.m.FreeSee The Entertainer, page 11.

11 | 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.

LEGO NIGHTWoodstock Public Library414 W. Judd St.6:30 p.m.815-338-0542LEGOs and Duplos are available for builders ages 2 years and older.

12 | FRIDAY

CANDLELIGHT HIKE/CROSS COUNTRY SKIHarrison Benwell Conservation Area7055 McCullom Lake RoadWonder Lake5 to 9 p.m.815-338-6223mccdistrict.orgMcHenry County Conservation District will host a candlelight hike and cross country skiing outing on a solar-lit trail.

LIVE MUSIC AT EXPRESSLY LESLIE’SWoodstock Square Mall110 Johnson St.6 p.m.expresslyleslie.comSee The Entertainer, page 11.

OPEN MIC NIGHTStage Left Café125 Van Buren St.7 p.m.$3 donation815-338-5164See The Entertainer, page 11.

‘OKLAHOMA’Marian Central Catholic High School1001 McHenry Ave.7 p.m.$10 adults, $5 students and senior citizens815-338-4220, ext.100See The Entertainer, page 11.

‘SLEEPING BEAUTY’Woodstock North High School3000 Raffle Road7 p.m.$10 adults, $5 students and senior citizens 815-334-2127See The Entertainer, page 11.

13 | SATURDAY

WOODSTOCK MODEL RAILROAD GROUPWoodstock Public Library414 W. Judd St.9 a.m. to noon815-338-0542The monthly meeting of model railroad enthusiasts is open to the public. Basic DCC operation will be discussed.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS ROCKETRY CONVENTIONWoodstock North High School3000 Raffel Road, Room D1879 a.m. to 5 p.m.815-337-9068foxvalleyrocketeers.orgA rocketry convention will be held.

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 restor-ing native habitat for this McHenry County Conservation site.

CANDLELIGHT HIKE/CROSS COUNTRY SKIHarrison Benwell Conservation Area7055 McCullom Lake RoadWonder Lake5 to 9 p.m.815-338-6223mccdistrict.orgSee Feb. 12.

‘THAT’S AMORE’ OPERA HOUSE FUNDRAISERWoodstock Opera House121 Van Buren St.6 p.m.$35815-338-5300See The Entertainer, page 11.



14 | SUNDAY

YONDER PRAIRIE WORK DAYYonder Prairie14401 Trinity Court10 a.m. to 1 p.m.conserveMC.orgThe Land Conservancy is seeking volunteers to help clear invasive

plants at the restoration site.


ROCK ‘N’ ROLL RADIO SHOWWoodstock Opera House121 Van Buren St.3 p.m.$38See The Entertainer, page 11.

16 | TUESDAY

WOODSTOCK CITY COUNCIL MEETINGCity Hall121 W. Calhoun St.7 p.m.

17 | WEDNESDAY

WOODSTOCK LIONS CLUB MEETINGMain Street PourHouse214 Main St.6:30 p.m.815-236-4759The meeting is open to the public. Prospective members are welcome.

18 | 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.

CREATIVE LIVING SERIESWoodstock Opera House 121 W. Van Buren10 a.m.$24815-338-5300See The Entertainer, page 11.

KIWANIS WOODSTOCK MEETINGGolden Eagle Bank975 Country Club RoadNoon to 1 p.m.An open meeting of the Kiwanis Club will be held.

19 | FRIDAY

CAREGIVERS SUPPORT GROUPFamily Alliance2028 N. Seminary Ave.1 to 2:30 p.m.815-338-3590An open support group meeting will be offered for anyone giving care to an older person.

LIVE MUSIC AT EXPRESSLY LESLIE’SWoodstock Square Mall110 Johnson St.

6 p.m.expresslyleslie.comSee The Entertainer, page 11.



JAZZ JAMStage Left Café125 Vam Buren St.8 p.m.$5 donation815-3387-1395See The Entertainer, page 11.

20 | SATURDAY

WOODSTOCK FARMERS MARKETMcHenry County FairgroundsBuilding D9 a.m. to 1 p.m.The market will feature a variety of food and craft items produced di-rectly by the vendors. See The Entertainer, page 11.

BARK FOR BOOKSWoodstock Public Library414 W. Judd St.10 a.m.Children can practice reading to Kalani, the therapy dog.

‘SLEEPING BEAUTY’Woodstock North High School3000 Raffle Road1 and 7 p.m. $10 adults, $5 students and senior citizens 815-334-2127See The Entertainer, page 11.


ROCK ‘N’ ROLL RADIO SHOWWoodstock Opera House121 Van Buren St.7 p.m.$38See The Entertainer, page 11.

21 | SUNDAY

HELPING PAWS NEW VOLUNTEER ORIENTATIONHelping Paws Shelter2500 Harding Lane

1 p.m.815-338-4400helpingpaws.netHelping Paws will offer a monthly orientation to new volunteers.

MASTERWORKS PROJECT CHOIR CONCERTGrace Lutheran Church1300 Kishwaukee Valley Road3 p.m.See The Entertainer, page. 11.

24 | WEDNESDAY

STAGE LEFTOVERSStage Left Café125 Van Buren St. 7:30 p.m.Free

26 | FRIDAY

LIVE MUSIC AT EXPRESSLY LESLIE’SWoodstock Square Mall110 Johnson St.6 p.m.expresslyleslie.comSee The Entertainer, page 11.

OPEN MIC NIGHTSTAGE LEFT CAFÉ125 Van Buren St.7 p.m.$3 donation815-338-5164See The Entertainer, page 11.

27 | SATURDAY

HABITAT RESTORATIONBoger Bog2100 Cherry Valley Road10 a.m. to 1 p.m.815-455-1537Individuals, students, small groups and families with children older than age 6 can participate in re-storing habitat for this McHenry County Conservation site.

4-H TACK SALEMcHenry County Fairgrounds11900 Country Club Road9 a.m. to 1 p.m.815-790-4460The sale will include anything horse-related, with more than 28 vendors with new and used tack. Call for booth space.

28 | SUNDAY

HOT COCOA & STORY HOUREthereal Confections113 S. Benton St.10:30 a.m.815-575-9315Children’s stories will be read aloud around the fireplace, and every child will receive a free chil-dren’s hot cocoa.

Feb. 10 to 28

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

For ongoing events, visit www.thewoodstockindependent.com

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To submit calendar items, e-mail [email protected] or visit

thewoodstockindependent.com

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PHOTO: MORGUEFILE

20 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTFeb. 10-16, 2016 PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICEASSUMED NAME

Public Notice is hereby given that on January






Public Notice is hereby given that on

PUBLIC NOTICE

ASSUMED NAMEPublic Notice is hereby given that on



PUBLIC NOTICE





PUBLIC NOTICE
















Public Notice is hereby given that on February

PUBLIC NOTICEPublic Notice is hereby given that on



Member, National Hockey LeagueBoard of Governors

■

Former president, Chicago Cubs

Inductee, Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame

Lecturer, Northwestern University

Graduate, St. Mary's University,Winona, Minnesota

■

■

■

■

"I'm proud to say that I'm a

'newspaper guy!' I read four

papers each morning and that

prepares me for my day.

I always feel informed, as that

is essential with my job. It's

not just sports, it's everything

cover to cover."

John McDonough, President,

Chicago Blackhawks

165.5 million people read a newspaper in print or online in the past weekSource: Scarborough Research 2010

21Feb. 10-16, 2016THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTSPORTS

MarianContinued from Page 24

have come a long way from ... last sea-

son.”

Against Nazareth, top scorers for

Marian were Vanessa Garrelts with 27

points, Nicole Rhodes with 12 points,

McKenzie Lindquist with 12 points.

�e game was the team’s Senior Night,

when senior players are recognized.

“Defensively, we were able to put to-

gether a series of stops back-to-back,

which helped us extend the lead in the

fourth quarter,” Powe said.

�e coach commended Garrelts, a

sophomore point guard, for her work

this season.

“She sets the example of what is ex-

pected from a member of the girls pro-

gram,” Powe said. “She is averaging 15.2

points per game, which is in the top

four in the county.”

MC fencer wins sportsmanship award

By KATELYN STANEKThe Independent

Marian Central fencer and women’s

foil captain Alexandra Krak received

the Karen Kenyon Sportsmanship

Award during the Great Lakes Con-

ference Championship Feb. 6 at New

Trier High School, Winnetka.

�e award is granted to one senior

female fencer each year, according

to Megan Harrison, the team’s coach.

Each school nominates a fencer, and

head coaches vote for the winner.

�is is the fifth time a Marian fenc-

er has won a sportsmanship award,

Harrison said, and the first time a

girl from the school has received the

honor. �e conference grants a dif-

ferent sportsmanship award to male

fencers.

At the conference champion-

ship, two fencers made the top 16:

Leabin Markowski, who finished in

13th place in women’s foil, and Ju-

lia Kranenburg, who took 14th. Krak

placed 17th.

In girls epee, Mary Elsinger placed

37th, Marisa Sanchez placed 38th

and Andrea Sanchez placed 39th. In

boys epee, Jacob Schuely placed

20th, David Iaccino placed 39th and

Robert Einecker placed 44th. In boys

sabre, Tyler Logsdon placed 20th,

Michael Morehead placed 37th, John

Derer placed 51st and Lukas Joosten

placed 54th.

» FENCINGBLUE STREAKS WIN CLOSE ONE OVER THUNDER

Boys Basketball Woodstock North lost to Grayslake

North 56-20 Feb. 2. Marian won in a close game against

Nazareth Academy 64-63 Feb. 5. Woodstock defeated Grayslake Cen-

tral 77-48 Feb. 4.

Girls Basketball Woodstock defeated Woodstock

North on a last-second shot to win 52-51 Feb. 3.

Woodstock fell to Prairie Ridge 55-47 Feb. 6.

Girls Bowling The Woodstock co-op team fell

2,572-2,472 against Marengo Feb. 2. Sa-mantha Kunke led with a 601 series.

The Woodstock co-op team took fourth place in regional competition Feb. 6, qualifying for the sectional meet in the process. This marks the first time the team has qualified for sectionals.

SPORTS NOTES

Above: Woodstock North students sit at a commentary desk modeled after ESPN's during the WNHS vs. Wood-stock girls basketball game Feb. 3.Left: Woodstock's Jennifer Crain drives past WNHS' Haley Ahr in the Blue Streaks' 52-51 win Feb. 3. INDEPENDENT PHOTOS BY KEN FARVER

Promote Woodstock Talent

Get Your Company’s Name Out...

BE A SPONSORThe Woodstock Independent is looking for sponsors of weekly features such as:Student of the Week, Athlete of the Week, and The College Report.

Call for details 815-338-8040

22 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTFeb. 10-16, 2016 SPORTS

more than one minute to win. “He just

scrapped and fought,” said Marian head coach Chris Taylor. “He didn’t panic.”

“�e guys that were in the wrestle-back round fought hard and finished strong,” added North head coach Tim Creighton. “We’re advancing five to the sectionals, which is outstanding for our program.”

Creighton noted Mazzanti’s third-place win. Mazzanti upset Marengo senior Bai-

ley Miller in a 7-2 decision that was 3-2 up until the remaining 10 seconds.

“I knew he was going to be good,” said Mazzanti. “He almost took me down at the end of the mat and then I just went after him.”

Staying on the offensive will be key as all three teams prepare for this week-end’s individual sectionals.

“I need to stay humble and keep mo-tivated,” said Sundberg. “I know any of these kids could beat me if I don’t stay on my ‘A’ game, which means I have to keep coming at them with new stuff everyday.”

�e Antioch, Fenton and Elmwood Park regional qualifiers will also com-pete at the Antioch Sectional. Qualify-ing matches are set for Friday, Feb. 12, with semifinal and finals on Saturday, Feb. 13.

“It feels awesome to come back on top.”

— Kevin Zange,WHS wrestler

Wrestling Continued from Page 24

Former Thunder athlete named player of

the weekTo end the month of January, Kristy

Darling, a Woodstock North graduate and McHenry County College freshman, was named the NJCAA Division II Region IV Player of the Week for women’s bas-ketball.

She earned the honor after scoring in double figures against Oakton Commu-nity College and Morton College, both MCC wins.

“I was a little bit shocked, because freshmen don’t usu-ally get those honors,” said Darling. “I love playing and it keeps the rest of my life in line as well. It helps me keep my grades up and stay orga-nized.”

Since earning the honor, she helped the Scots split their first two games of Febru-ary. �ey defeated College of Lake County 69-33, but lost to Waubonsee Community College 74-61. In the loss to Waubonsee Community, Darling finished with 14 points, going 4-of-10 from the field, which included a 3-of-7 performance from beyond the arc, and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line to finish with 14 points. She also had five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocked shots. In the win over Lake County, she finished with six points, three rebounds, two steals and two blocked shots. She started against Lake County, but came off the bench against Waubonsee Community.

Sara Crain (Woodstock North), also an MCC player, also competed in both games. �e sophomore came off the bench in both cases. Against Waubonsee Community, Crain had four points, three rebounds and two steals. She finished with three points, five rebounds and three assists in the win over Lake County. McHenry is 12-13 overall.

Damian Stoneking (Woodstock) scored 10 points, but it was not enough to power Cardinal Stritch University beyond Trinity Christian University, which won 72-68. Stoneking, who hit 3-of-4 from the field and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line, also had five rebounds. He emerged off the bench and played 22 minutes. In Cardinal Stritch’s 66-63 win over Roosevelt University, Stoneking had four points and four rebounds. He played

11 minutes. Cardinal Stritch is 10-19 over-all and 7-9 in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference.

Ross Langlois (Marian Central Catho-lic) scored seven points in Monmouth College’s 103-92 win over Grinnell Col-lege. �e Monmouth player, who played 15 minutes, also had a team-leading six assists and two rebounds. Monmouth is 12-6 overall and 9-5 in the Midwest Conference.

Rhetta Bates (Woodstock North), a Dominican University player, scored three points in Dominican’s 60-56 loss to Alverno College. Bates led the team in re-bounds (11) and steals (six). She also had three assists. In Dominican’s 72-49 loss to Wisconsin Lutheran College, Bates finished with two points, five assists and four rebounds. Dominican is 3-17 overall and 2-13 in the Northern Athletics Col-legiate Conference.

Selena Juarez (Woodstock) scored two points in her seven minutes of play as her college team, North Central College, was topped 98-85 by Wheaton College. North Central is 11-11 overall and 5-6 in the College Conference of Wiscon-sin.

Ice hockeySierra Meiners (Woodstock) had one

goal and one assist for Finlandia Uni-versity as they were topped by Concor-dia University-Wisconsin 4-2. Meiners scored Finlandia’s second and final goal of the game at the 15:58 mark of the third period. �e goal cut Concordia’s lead to 3-2. She also assisted Finlandia’s first goal of the game, which was scored at the 9:17 mark of the first. It tied the score at 1-1. Finlandia is 0-19 overall and 0-13 in the Northern Collegiate Hockey As-sociation.

Track and fieldMaura Beattie (Woodstock) took

third in the second section of the 3,000-meter run at the Jack Johnson Classic, which was hosted by the Univer-sity of Minnesota and held at the Min-nesota Fieldhouse. �e Northern Illinois University runner finished the race in 10 minutes, 40.03 seconds. Team scores were not kept.

Jon Walsh (Woodstock North) fin-ished 12th in the pole vault at the Vander-bilt University Invitational, which was held at the Recreation Center/Indoor Facility in Nashville, Tenn. �e Southern Illinois University-Carbondale vaulter leapt to a height of 16 feet, 5.25 inches. Team scores were not kept.

Tim Semmen (Woodstock) finished 14th in the 1,000-meter run at the Luther College Alumni Meet, which was held at the Regents Center at Luther. Semmen finished the race in 2:50.12. As a team, Luther finished first of the four teams, scoring 181 points.

The College Report

DanChamness

» COLUMN

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

23Feb. 10-16, 2016THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTSPORTS

Longtime starting center for the Thunder will play football for the Eagles

By LIZ STROHThe Independent

Jacob Varys, starting center on the Woodstock North High School foot-ball team for the past three years, has signed a letter of commitment to play college football at Robert Morris Uni-versity, Chicago.

Varys, who said, “I never really thought about Robert Morris until I received an invitation from the school for football camp the summer leading up to my senior year,” received a full-tuition scholarship for his undergrad-uate and master’s studies.

WNHS football coach Jeff Schroed-er said he remembers losing the var-sity team’s center at the beginning of the 2013 season and choosing Varys, then a sophomore, to take the posi-tion. Schroeder said, “Jake was able to compete right away, and I was very impressed at his willingness to jump right in and help the team at such a young age.”

Earning a college degree and playing college football has been one of Varys’ goals.

“Jacob has had this goal for a long time, and through hard work, great coaching and a strong brotherhood of teammates, he has been able to be successful,” said his mother, Amy. “We are very proud of him and are excited to see what these next four years will

North’s Varys commits to Robert Morris

bring him.”Varys started out playing backyard

football with his younger brother, John. �en he played for Woodstock �under Youth Football and Cheer and North-wood Middle School. Football also runs in the family: Varys’ father, Chuck, played for Crystal Lake Central High School and his grandfather played at

Cary-Grove High School.In addition to football, Varys excels

in track, advancing to state in shot-put in 2015. He is a member of the WNHS madrigals and the National Honor So-ciety.

“I would like to have a fun, successful football career but, my main focus is getting my degree in business adminis-

tration,” Varys said.Schroeder, who nicknamed Varys the

“world’s strongest madrigal” said, “Jake is a great all-around kid and an honor to coach.”

�e Robert Morris Colonials begin training camp Aug. 1 at Morris Field and Robert Morris University Athletic Per-formance Center in Arlington Heights.

Jake Varys signs his letter of committment to play college football for Robert Morris University. INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY KEN FARVER


Sports11 area wrestlers qualify for sectionalWHS, WNHS tie for 5th, Marian takes 7th

By MEGAN IVERSThe Independent

�e matmen from Woodstock, Wood-stock North and Marian Central were victorious in five of 14 regional champi-onships en route to qualifying 11 wres-tlers for the IHSA Class 2A Antioch Sec-

tionals. Woodstock and Woodstock North tied

for fifth place in the team standings with 85 points each. Marian Central placed seventh with 81 points.

Regional championship titles were won by Marian sophomore Anthony Randazzo (132), North senior Jake Fiori-to (152), Woodstock senior Kevin Zange (160), Marian senior �omas Welch (170) and Woodstock senior Nicholas Sund-berg (182).

North’s freshman Cole Walkington (113), and sophomores Nicco Mazzanti (138) and Chris Flores (220) placed third in their respective brackets. Marian se-nior Joe Herff (152) and sophomore Cade Bokowy (120) placed third for Mar-ian. Woodstock senior Devante Martyne (285) also won his third-place match.

Zange’s championship drew admira-tion from coaches. Zange’s season was in jeopardy last fall when he suffered a sep-arated shoulder in training. WHS head

coach Jon Grell said not many players could come back from an injury like that and succeed in the postseason and said the fact that Zange has done that is a credit to his discipline and grit.

“It feels awesome to come back on top,” said Zange.

�ird-place matches for Bokowy and Mazzanti went down to the wire. Bokowy held his opponent in one position for

» WRESTLING

Please see Wrestling, Page 22

By LIZ STROHThe Independent

�e Woodstock boys co-op swim team is preparing for home-pool advan-tage at the upcoming Fox Valley Confer-ence meet.

Woodstock North will host the event, which begins at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, and the team is taking a different ap-proach to practices.

�e team, made up of athletes from Woodstock and Woodstock North high schools, is focusing on tapering, a sys-tem in which swimmers work on their speed at shorter distances with high-intensity maneuvers. During most of the season, the team trains for endurance.

After the FVC meet, sectionals await.With a dual-meet record of 1-7, the

team will face an uphill battle in the postseason. But coach Ian Shanahan said he’s proud of his team’s recent

showing on Senior Night Feb. 4, where they fell against District 300’s co-op team but posted improved times.

“We had a really good meet where the boys had a bunch of best times,” Shana-han said.

Jeremy Wolf, a WHS junior and team co-captain, earned a personal best in the 50 freestyle. He took second place with 23.99 seconds, just squeaking to his goal of finishing in under 24 seconds.

Wolf also took second in the 100 free-style with a personal-best time of 52 seconds. Wolf was the team’s highest-placed finisher.

“[Wolf] has been working on beating his times for a month,” Shanahan said.

Mark Harter, a WHS senior and team co-captain, had his best time in the 100 butterfly at 1:04.72, beating his best time by 1 second.

Another swimmer who came on strong at the end of the season is Jus-

tin Kucharski, a WHS junior. Kucharski took fourth in the 100 freestyle with a final time of 1 minute, .03 seconds.

At Senior Night, the team honored five swimmers: Roman Rodriguez, Mitchell Wolf, Mark Harter, Danny Mendoza and Matheus Colla, an exchange student from Brazil.

Sectional competition begins at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, at Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire.

» BOYS SWIMMING

Swim team preps to host conference meetSwimmers post personal bests in loss to District 300 co-op team

“We had a really good meet where the boys had a bunch of best times.”

— Ian Shanahan, swim team coach

Marian team seeing big improvements

By SARAH KUSZThe Independent

Anthony Powe is proud of his play-ers.

�e Marian Central girls basketball coach said as much after the Lady ’Canes posted a 65-51 win over Naza-reth Feb. 2, the result, Powe said, of dedication and practice.

“I am very happy with the play of the girls throughout the season. �ey have been working extremely hard to improve each day,” Powe said.

�is is Powe’s first season as head coach. Last season, Marian Central posted a disappointing 3-26 record, but this season, they’ve already tallied 10 wins.

Powe said it has taken time for the team to adjust to his new system, but each day gets a little better and better.

“I am most happy with the camara-derie of the team,” Powe said. “�ey

» GIRLS BASKETBALL

Please see Marian, Page 21

Woodstock co-op swimmer Danny Blalock competes in the 100 breaststroke Feb. 4 at Woodstock North High School. INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY MICHELLE KRENGER

Marian Central senior Nicole Rhodes handles the ball in the Lady ’Canes’ game against Nazareth Feb. 2. Marian Central won 65-51. INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY WHITNEY RUPP

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