A marriage 50 years in the making

This love story began over 50 years ago in 1963 at Luther High school in Chicago. Why? That’s where Sun City residents Bill Kamphausen and Sue Schroeder first met.

“You never forget your first love,” Bill said.

However, the relationship had a few twists and turns.

Lighthouse Acedemy coming to Huntley

A 10,400 square-foot childcare center by Lighthouse Academy will be coming to Huntley in the near future. The building will be located directly east of Culver’s and Sherwin-Williams and south of Powers Road on Lot 9 in the Huntley Crossing subdivision.

Charles Nordman, of the Village offices, said that the “Lighthouse Academy will require a Special Use Permit for a childcare center and that the two-acre lot would have 70 parking spaces.”

Board meeting updates: club expo, community participation, budget, more

Wednesday, January 26, brought Sun City residents a two-fer. The required annual meeting of the Association and the monthly Board meeting were held in Drendel. The annual meeting required a quorum of residents which was easily achieved with 305 of Proxies submitted along with approximately the 150 residents in attendance.

The annual association meeting was a business meeting with reports from the Association Counsel, the outside Auditor, a representative of Northwestern Medicine and a 2021 review by First Services.

Binger steps in as new Chamber Director

On January 3, 2022, accomplished businesswoman Nancy Binger began her first day as Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce. She took an interest in the position because, as a Huntley resident since 2008, she has an invested interest in the success of the businesses in the area. Her husband is a small business owner and so, Binger has been involved near and around the Chamber for some time now.

We’ve struck oil!

The ever-vigilant Dining Duo is always on the lookout to find new restaurants for the loyal citizens of Huntley to try. Hopefully, there will be more and more new restaurants opening up to take the place of the casualties due to COVID. One such restaurant in the location previously held by Houlihan’s caught our eye while driving down Randall Road one day. We put it on our restaurant review “hit list,” and today we decided to “pull the trigger” and “shoot” for the Tap House Grill in Algonquin. SPOILER ALERT: The reason for our title will become clear at the end of our article.

Cold intolerance in pets depends on age, breed, health

Cold intolerance amongst animals varies depending on factors such as age, breed, and health, according to a Jan. 26 McHenry County Health Department news release, and should be taken into account, as well as signs of distress, to prevent frostbite and hypothermia.

The signs of distress include shivering, tail tucked between legs, whining or anxiety, reluctance to move, lifting paws, and snow or ice buildup in paw pads or coat, according to the news release.

Marijuana may offer viable autism treatment

After having read my two-part article on marijuana, one of my readers asked the question about whether I had heard about a mother in Texas having used the drug for treatment of her autistic child. The below info will inform Sun City residents of my recent exploration into this subject.

Twice on ice

Illinois native and pairs figure skater Alexa Knierim is headed to the Olympics again, this time performing with a new partner and encountering new protocols.

Knierim, of Addison, competed with her husband, Chris, in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Seoul. After Chris’s retirement, Knierim continued to skate with a new partner, Brandon Frazier.

Injured crane stranded in Huntley rescued

A rescue group called ‘Chicago Bird Collision’ did come out to the wetland containing the injured sandhill crane I photographed in early December. Unfortunately, I had not seen the cranes for three or four days prior to their arrival. We did an extensive search of the area but did not spot either the injured male bird or its mate.

Board creates Strategic Planning Advisory Committee

On Wednesday, January 12, the Sun City Board introduced SPAC to the assembled audience. SPAC, the acronym for Strategic Planning Advisory Committee, is composed of Bill Berendt, Bonnie Bayser, John Brewer, Jim Senecki, Dennis O’Leary, Nancy Fontana and Roger Lambert.

The purpose of the January 12 meeting was to give the Board the opportunity to provide the members of this new advisory committee their views on the critical functions of SPAC and provide them with an overview of the breadth and scope of the committee’s functions.

Difficulties in using medical marijuana

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association informs us that “marijuana use comes with real risks that can impact a person’s health and life.” The association continues “Marijuana is the most commonly used (often) illegal substance in the U.S. and its use is growing. Marijuana use among all adult age groups, both sexes, and pregnant women (a terrible development for the unborn child) is going up. At the same time, the perception of how harmful marijuana use can be is declining.

Huntley restaurants face off against economic woes and other pandemic-related impacts

Even as Illinois officials begin to report early signs of decline from the omicron surge, businesses across the state have had to continue modifying the way they operate just to stay afloat amid inflation of goods and services and staffing shortages.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, quit rates on the last business day of November increased to 3.0%, with the largest quit rates being seen in the accommodation and food industries.

Huntley Fire Protection district focuses on mobile integrated health

The Huntley Fire Protection District is one of the largest fire districts in McHenry and Kane County. Over 6100 Fire Suppression, Emergency Medical Service, and Rescue calls are handled by five fire stations and full-time and part-time firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs. The Department is responsible for over 55 square miles in Huntley, Lake in the Hills, Union Gilbert, and Algonquin.

Board discusses new officers, solar panels

The three recently elected Sun City Board members were introduced and new Board officers were elected at the January 5 Sun City Board meeting.

Russ Howard, Barry Newman and Art Ryden were elected to the Board by acclamation in 2021. Marilynn Berendt was elected the 2022 Board President and Dottie Harrison was elected Vice President. Bob Wainscott was elected Treasurer and Art Ryder was elected Secretary. The new officers will be installed at the Associations annual meeting on January 26.

Fishing club offers sea of opportunity

The Sun City Angler’s Club was chartered on May 26, 2000, with 36 members on the roster. The club currently has over 140 members from all backgrounds and levels of fishing experience. Twenty-five new members have joined in just the last four months.

How different is the club now from its inception?

Medical marijuana: The legal use, part 1

This past year of 2021 saw record sales of $1.38 billion dollars in Illinois revenue from the state’s 110 recreational and medical marijuana dispensaries. One-third of the Illinois-approved purchases were made by out of state visitors.

Carol of the ‘Bell’

Where does Santa live? It’s not always the North Pole. Who would have thought that he has a residence here in Sun City?

Chip Bell is in the exclusive club of men with real beards, and a white beard at that. But is he Santa?

Bell said, “I was working at Meijer’s and I was approached to put on the red suit. That was about nine years ago, and I have been professionally playing the part [of Santa] at shopping malls, stores, Lincoln Park Zoo, and private homes.”

Upcoming HAPL closure concludes construction

The Huntley Area Public Library (HAPL) announced that from Dec. 31 until Jan. 24 they will be closed to prepare for the final stages of their two-year building program.

“Parts of the collection are being relocated, new equipment is getting set up, staff are moving into their new spaces, and the countdown is on to explore your FRESH, new library,” said the HAPL.

It takes a village

The tradition of using tiny structures as Christmas decor can be traced back to the 17th century. But it was in the 1970s that charming ceramic houses began.

Jackie Pokorny’s love for Christmas village scenes began as child.

Pokorny said, “I grew up with the tradition of having a Christmas village. I helped my mother assemble and set up the little plastic homes and stores under the Christmas tree and it always had a train circling the tree. A Christmas village was a must in our home. It’s struck me as being so beautiful.”

Clubs come together to create holiday cheer

It’s the most wonderful time of the year in Sun City. When it comes to celebrating the holidays, the North Pole has nothing on Del Webb. Soak up the magical ambiance of the holidays at the lodge, where you’ll find elegant embellishments and festive décor. Thousands of lights wrap the trees lining the main drive and many other trees, menorahs, and sculptures decorate the hallways of the lodge.

In front of the lodge, festive decorations set the scene for photos. As you enter the lodge at the reception entrance, a dove made by the Woodshop of Sun City sits on the table. The Woodshop celebrates the season by providing handmade toys to children. Woodchuck Rich Escallier said, “We’re going to deliver them to the food pantry.”

Message from Ford about Woodchucks toy donation

Over the years, we have referred to the Woodchucks as our Holiday Elves … working hard behind the scenes to ensure that all the children receive a gift to call their own and make the holidays special for them. The priority has always been to provide toys for the children.

Use caution when eating and drinking and taking meds this holiday season

The pharmacy Update in “December, 2021 – Costco Connection” gives this strong advice from Lawrence Varga, B.Sc.Phm.: “Navigate your medications this holiday season.”

He cautions us not to be tempted to overindulge in alcoholic drinking now or at any other time during the year. Health professionals are aware of seniors possibly taking certain medications that need special treatment. The following information comes from this general manager of the store’s pharmacy operations in Canada. It concerns what happens on an empty stomach, on a full stomach, or when drinking.

Bell rings in the holidays with hand-crafted ornaments

Kathie Bell helped bring a little humor last Christmas when it was especially needed. She embroidered 2020 Coronavirus ornaments to commemorate the year of toilet paper and masks. One of them had the Grinch holding a face mask and embroidered across the top were the words, ‘Stink, Stank, Stunk.’

Bell said, “I have always sewed, I think I was in sixth grade when I started.”

Mining the future

At their November meeting, George Sebastian of the Symposium Club, gave a presentation on Crypto Currencies and the various versions of this digital currency.

Sebastian explained that “Bitcoin, developed in 2008 to be a private currency, was the first digital currency.”

Injured sandhill crane stuck in Huntley

There is an update to the Sandhill Crane predicament. I have been seeing the two birds in the wetland next to my house this afternoon. Below is that little writeup you requested.

Sadly, a Sun City male Sandhill Crane had broken its wing over the summer months and still appears to not be able to fly. Normally this species of bird begins its migration to our Southwestern states of New Mexico, Arizona, Texas and as far south as Mexico between late October and mid-December.

All hail the kings and queens of pickleball

Pickleball has been around for centuries, but one Sun Citian declared a royal change to the game.

Mark Schinler moved into SunCity in May 2019. He started playing pickleball in July 2019. And then, he was hooked.

Schinler has introduced a twist to Sun City’s Pickleball Courts. It’s called King/Queen of the Court, and it is a fun and competitive game variant for all levels. The pilot program started here in Sun City, and residents have taken to the new game. It quickly became a hit.

On November 1, the Sew N Sews presented 96 pairs of mittens, 180 hats, and 100 scarves to Grafton Food Pantry.

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