Hang Your Hat: June 15, 2017

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Waterfall finally restored

After a six-month repair job and the spending of more than $580,000, the rear waterfalls feature behind Prairie Lodge was reopened on June 2.

My husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. His memory has declined quite a bit and I’m constantly answering the same questions over and over and it doesn’t take much for me to feel frustrated. What can I do to help us both?

Theatre Company donates to Food Pantry

Theatre Company members presented Mary Hardy a $200 check for the Grafton Food Pantry.

Was Kilroy here?

Gather ’round, Sun Citians, and I’ll tell you a tale from World War II.

If you were a GI in the early forties, you no doubt remember one of the war’s most famous phrases – Kilroy Was Here. On this 46th anniversary of Memorial Day, let us reminisce a little.

So much venom.

So much disrespect.

And at the heart of it all are the American media outlets, which both feed from and generate all the bad blood between us.

Route 47 corridor continues expansion

Huntley’s Route 47 corridor continues to be a popular place for developers and businesses.

Two projects – a Panera Bread restaurant and a luxury senior apartments facility – are in various stages of review by village officials.

New policies affect which positions CAM Board members can hold

At the Sun City Association board workshop on May 10, the agenda topics were concealed weapon carry rules, election candidate guidelines, tennis courts resurfacing, and Wildflower Lake’s shoreline.

All’s fair at the Arboretum: An interview with Wojtowicz

The Klehm Arboretum, located in Rockford, is a local treasure for all types of gardeners. Their 155 acres is filled with beautiful flowers, shrubs, and trees. One of their premier events, The Garden Fair, occurs June 3-4.

For this article, I have asked Jim Wojtowicz to give us some insight about not only Klehm Arboretum itself, but also about their annual Garden Fair Weekend.

Setting the water heater temperature

How to I correctly set the water heater temperature? I believe it should be set around 120 degrees.

Setting the avocado record straight

A tropical fruit that grows on trees, native to South America and dating back to Inca Indian times, the avocado requires a tropical climate for growth. If temperatures fall below freezing for only one day, its tree will die. As a result, U.S. avocados are grown in the states of California and Florida.

A real hidden hideaway

There’s an expression that has been around forever, namely, “You can run, but you can’t hide.” For the last 20 years, Galati’s Hideaway has moved from three different locations in Cary. They ran, but they couldn’t hide from the Dining Duo!

Not much treasure in Pirates 5

Tough choices (sometimes) abound when trying to pick a movie worth seeing and writing about. You, dear reader, stay home until there is a film you want to see. I don’t have that option, as my column deadline comes every two weeks, like it or not. I worked hard to narrow the choices and ended up with two possible picks.

Ask an Angel: June 1, 2017

How is dementia different from Alzheimer’s? Aren’t they the same thing?

Belle Aire

Just how brutal is war? Consider this: you report for combat duty in the army air corps in 1942, and you’re told 82% of you won’t make it back.

Clarence “Bill” Winchell and 10 of his crew mates beat those odds and came home to tell their harrowing World War II stories when they flew on the legendary “Memphis Belle” B-17F bomber in Europe. Even their plane survived, although it absorbed a few machine gun and flak shells.

Relay for Life offers historic sports memorabilla raffle to raise money

Cancer doesn’t sleep. Likewise, at the annual Relay For Life event, set for the Huntley Park District on June 3 and 4, participants will walk throughout the evening and into the morning to raise money and awareness about a disease that has touched so many Americans, including many in the Huntley and Marengo areas.

Celebrating the end of the Great Depression in our kitchen

As I was pushing my shopping cart through the grocery store yesterday, getting ready to head to the checkout line, a strange sensation came over me. It led me to the “paper and plastics” aisle, where I grabbed a total of eight food storage containers of various sizes, but with the same size lids to fit them all.

Prostate cancer risk factors, part 2: Controversial screening debate and cancer/non-cancer treatments

In April, 2017, the Wall Street Journal, AARP Bulletin, and Northwest Herald reported on the latest positive recommendation from the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force concerning the use of P.S.A. (prostate specific antigen) testing for men 55 to 69 years of age of average risk and higher risk for developing cancer.

The Guardians of the Galaxy are back

First things first. Why would an old (very old) codger like me go to a movie like this one, designed exclusively for millennials and younger? The answer is simple: grandchildren, three of them in their teens.

Sun City Huntley’s Prairie Singers Spring Concert

A great afternoon of fun and exhilarating entertainment are yours to enjoy at the Sun City Prairie Singer’s Spring Concert. More than sixty residents of Sun City Huntley join together to produce the exciting and harmonious music. This group has been a part of the entertainment activities of the Sun City community for more than …

Ask an Angel: May 18, 2017

I feel overwhelmed. I know I am supposed to take care of myself so I have energy to care for my family, but I can’t even begin to think of how to do that. Help!

Score: Bulldogs – 1, Marzanos – 0

Another one bites the dust! Restaurants seem to come and go. We come to a restaurant, review it, and a year or so later, they go. Was it something we said?

Ask the Woodchucks: May 18, 2017

We’re new residents in Del Webb that are replacing our hardware. However, I’ve been unable to find a supplier of the garage door “spring” hinges (locally or online)!

B and B with a Q & A

While walking with a homeowner around their yard a few days ago, I spotted a butterfly. I tried to continue to be professional, but the little kid in me was so very excited to see the beautiful creature.

Step into spring

The Concert Band of Sun City has a spring in its step this season as the performers prepare for their upcoming performance.

According to Rose Kundich, President of the Concert Band, the concert will be an uplifting ode to the season.

Laboring with Centegra

My son was born at the newly opened Centegra Hospital Huntley on November 15, 2016. In terms of labor and delivery, my wife’s was a breeze, delivering a healthy baby with a 9.9 apgar. Little did we know the true labor wouldn’t begin until after his birth.

I’ve had a professional media relationship with Centegra for almost ten years, either reporting on their various advancements/events (primarily their efforts to open a hospital in Huntley) or working with them on an advertising level, as they were once a Sun Day client (their advertising has since been ejected from the Sun Day). In that time, I’ve learned that Centegra is really good at marketing.

And they have an excellent rally cry.

Prairie Lodge updates slated for 2017

Several areas in Sun City’s Prairie Lodge are being remodeled or updated this year, but residents probably are most interested in three of them.

Trump budget cuts may eat up local Meal on Wheels funding

On November 8, 2016 and March 16, 2017, a lot of things changed for one of America’s most successful welfare programs – Meals on Wheels.

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