Barb Lincoln put the dreams and plans together, and now, it’s all coming true. Her 26-year-old hopes are coming into reality.

However, Merrell’s story extends far beyond volunteering for multiple great causes. Although at times having to deal with the occasional rocky path in life, Merrell’s remarkable spirit and passion has led to some equally as outstanding achievements.

On the morning of October 6, hundreds of people in the northwest suburbs will gather at Lippold Park on Route 176 in Crystal Lake. They’ll walk two miles at 10 a.m. after a very emotional ceremony. What you’ll see should you either participate or watch for the incredible spectacle is a sea of purple. Most if not all of the participants will wear purple T-shirts with this message, “Together We Can End Alzheimer’s.” Some will hold their Promise Garden flowers; others will plant their flowers in the Promise Garden.

The Sun City couple serves as substitute teachers, and with the district’s close proximity to their home, they find it easy to teach classes they love.

“I planted them around Mother’s Day. I bought them from Menard’s and they came with a bit of fertilizer. By the Fourth of July, they started to really bloom. They moved pretty rapidly. Now they reach to just above the windowpane. I almost need a step latter to cut flowers for the house,” Pollastrini said.

What makes Winkelman’s love of adventure so extraordinary is that even on her 100-year birthday, she continued her favorite hobby on board a cruise to Costa Rica. A birthday trip made unforgettable by the 100 flowers gifted to her and the 4,000-person chorus singing “Happy Birthday.”

This is an excerpt from a letter that was addressed to Sun City Resident Kenn Ellis. Ellis was there, in 1969, as the three astronauts readied to take their flight. Ellis had finished his shift at the Cape Canaveral Base and had the security clearance to view the historic walk of three men.

Traveling to the moon once seemed an impossible feat until the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Apollo 11 Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins made the dream a reality. The first manned trip to the moon occurred fifty years ago on July 20, 1969.

“PJ is a rescue dog,” Koziol said. “He was saved from being put down at around a year old by a vet technician who understood that he was a good dog that deserved a chance.”

Sandy Oldham, Sun City Resident and tap dance instructor, was inspired.

“We wanted to remember the history of this structure,” he said. “We found this picture and decided we had to display it.”

Higgins explains, “In the fall of 2014, my wife got me a Father’s Day gift for a four-day cycling wine trip in California. I had a conflict with a real estate closing that was scheduled for the same time. I approached the client, Steve Lattimer, to extend the closing to October and explained the situation. Steve focused on the word, ‘cycling.’ He asked me if I did much cycling. When I responded that I did, he agreed to extend the closing only if I agreed to ride in the Tri-State Trek. And that was the start of it.”

“Our neighbors in Arlington Heights convinced us to come and take a look,” Arlene Selm said. “So, my husband, Dick, and I came and saw the models by where the lodge is. We really had no interest in any of the models. Nothing really caught our attention. But we came back and we fell in love with this model. It wasn’t there the first time we came through.”

Then, suddenly, a horse came trotting into the second floor patient therapy and activity area. Strangely, nurses and patients welcomed the animal happily, and a party was held. Cell phones were quickly turned into cameras.

In this edition, we are focusing on Sandhill Cranes, which, in contrast, are migratory birds that have also made an impressive recovery from near extinction, though not as numerous as their feathered brethren, the geese.

My wife Annamarie and I had been called into action. Our Grandchildren Michael and Claire needed someone to watch over them while our son Bill and our daughter-in-law Paula went to Hawaii on a much-deserved vacation.

Watching two well-behaved young teens was a breeze; they were more than self-sufficient; a little breakfast in the morning, they were off to school, leaving us plenty of leisure time during the day. Lest I forget we also had to “care-take” two puppy dogs. One of them our little white Molly, the other their dog Jet, who true to his name, was black. Each of them weighed between 15-20 pounds, and they got along famously.

Who are the ”other residents”?

They are geese. We’re talking wildlife biology language here.

Sun City’s Helen Wiederkehr has been selected to display her miniatures in the Huntley City Hall display case this coming fall.

According to Sun City resident F. Schrauth, who is related to Wickman (his daughter married her son), Wickman recently took up a new hobby – mountain climbing.

Jordan Debbink, the Special Events & Volunteer Coordinator at the Pioneer Center is trying to make a dent in that number.