If situations such as the above happen to you, be very skeptical of any claims, as scammers operate year-round — not just during the December holiday season. Hang up on a suspicious phone call, double-check to verify the identity of a suspicious door-knocker and — above all — constantly educate yourself about scammers and their ever-changing methods. In 2021, reported fraud losses increased more than 70 percent over 2020, to more than $5.8 billion, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Casey said, “Having had a grandfather and father in the Chicago Police Department, the choice of becoming a police officer was relatively simple.”

Cliff and Linda Dungey, Sun City residents, were high school sweethearts. Then, they spent a lifetime apart. Now, they’ve found their way back to each other.

Linda said, “We met in high school. I was in the choir, and he was in the orchestra. I was on stage performing in Annie Get Your Gun and I looked down at the boy playing the cello and thought he’s kind of cute.”

There are village squares from small-town America to the sparkling wonderland of the North Pole. Lydecker kept on building and creating the town of Bethlehem, a haunted village, a medieval village, and even a basketball court.

He was not new to this kind of project.

But why?

Semancik said, “One of my neighbors encouraged me to attend a Quilt Guild meeting. I was wowed by all the beautiful quilts that the members had made. I decided to give it a try.”

The Charter club started in 1999, with its first president, Jim Barron.

Barron said, “We had a sign-up sheet in the Library at Prairie Lodge, for anyone interested in joining the club. The woodshop was not even constructed at the time.”

Happold said, “We are introducing Project Based Learning to the students.”

Project Based Learning is a teaching method in which students learn by actively engaging in real-world and meaningful projects.

Happold said, “When I was teaching, I asked the students to think of five topics that they were passionate about and research them. One of the students chose the New York Black Out in 1977.”

Some might think that teenagers have outgrown the magic of holiday traditions. But Addie Freimuth, 15, and Alex Freimuth, 17, still enjoy celebrating the Christmas holiday with its traditional games, cookie decoration, and projects on Christmas Eve.

Starting at 9 a.m., residents were able to shop around in the Kris Kringle Market located in the Fellowship Hall (11628 E. Main Street), with more activities becoming available as the day progressed.

Organized by the Huntley Rotary Club, this event benefited local groups: Grafton Food Pantry, Huntley High School Scholarships, International Scholarships, and Veterans Path To Hope.

Bosi, like most mothers, was asked to bring a treat to her child’s class. Bosi said, “At the time Star Wars characters were popular. I decided to make chocolate R2-D2 lollipops.”

Piotrowski said, “A Life Well Fished isn’t just about fishing. There are plenty of fishing tales, but it also chronicles a successful life journey, success not measured in dollars and cents but rather, as one of my readers stated, ‘Celebrates the triumph of family, friends, and fishing … though not necessarily in that order!’”

Larry Rostis, at a Charter Club’s Presidents Meeting earlier in the year, had asked what avenues were available to help with rebuilding and maintain the club’s outdoor G-scale train display.

Alan Scott, Sun City resident, has a tradition of attending the event every year with family, friends, or even alone.

Freeman said, “I planned my routes and started walking, but only got through about 90 percent of the community. I decided to start fresh in 2022. I got a new map and started walking.”

How did she do?

Once more, another Sun City Club volunteered to work together to make this event special.

Many Sun City residents know her from her beautiful sculptures that have been displayed outside the ClayGround studio. She also was a golfer until a few years ago.

Rohr said, “When we first walked down the hallway of the Prairie Lodge and saw all the activities, my husband, Charles, said ‘Amy is going to be a very busy bee here.’”

Ardito said, “During the sixties, the United States battled with controversy over the Vietnam War, cultural values, and race. The country was polarized. It was a difficult time in our history.”

Ken Kalscheur, president of the new club, said, “We currently have over 100 members.”

What is the goal for the club?

He collects all kinds. In fact, Silva has been collecting hats from different parts of the world for years.

“As a child, I was always drawing. In high school, my drawing got some recognition and I took Saturday classes at the Art Institute. It was so exciting. I decided to apply for the Bachelor of Arts Program at the Art Institute and I was accepted and earned the degree with an emphasis in art education,” she said.

How did Tepper go about adopting that area of land?