MY SUN DAY NEWS
Every year around Christmas, the women, and even a few boys, of Sun City resident Linda Dungey’s family merge to bake holiday cookies. Dungey said, “My sister, Joan, and her friend, Debby, started baking cookies for Christmas forty-two years ago. They were both teachers, and after school for several days, they would get together and bake cookies in the evening. The tradition grew to include family members. Later, an annual date was set to help with the planning. It is scheduled for the first Saturday in December. We have only skipped one, 2020.”
Every year around Christmas, the women, and even a few boys, of Sun City resident Linda Dungey’s family merge to bake holiday cookies.
Dungey said, “My sister, Joan, and her friend, Debby, started baking cookies for Christmas forty-two years ago. They were both teachers, and after school for several days, they would get together and bake cookies in the evening. The tradition grew to include family members. Later, an annual date was set to help with the planning. It is scheduled for the first Saturday in December. We have only skipped one, 2020.”
Like all hectic Christmas seasons, plans can be dashed in an instant. Sadly, dear readers, this was the case with this review. The allure of a Barbenheimer experience with Wicked and Gladiator II is just not in the cards. And unfortunately, some of the latest awards hopefuls were a week or two away on streaming to catch in time for deadline. But, regardless of those setbacks, no fear here. Upon browsing through the annals of Netflix, I found a couple appropriately themed movies and specials just in time for a night-in with friends or a slow evening alone.
As the holidays are fast approaching, I’m struggling to find the perfect gifts for my aging parents. Although they are still independent, they are not thriving as much as they used to. My mom has a passion for gardening, and my dad loves to tinker with various projects. They used to be avid adventurers, but they’re not traveling as much these days.
Welcome, December! Hopefully everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Many new and exciting things are happening in and around the Huntley areas! Create lasting memories during this wonderful season. Wishing everyone safe and happy Holidays!
Another year bites the dust. It is a time for reflecting on old times and fond memories. Being the foodies that we are, our thoughts go to past tasty dishes. We remember the good old days, when breakfast cereals didn’t try to hide the sugar, such as Sugar Pops and Sugar Smacks. We remember past food fads, such as when anything and everything could be encased in a Jell-O mold. We reminisce about food favorites from our childhood such as fried baloney on Wonder Bread. Since Wonder bread is no longer available here, our neighbors Mary and Bruce on their trips back to the East coast bring us a loaf. And if that’s not enough, even our son sends us loaves by Fed Ex from Florida.
Note: The views expressed in these political submissions do not reflect those of the Sun Day, its staff, or those associated to the Sun Day.
Letters for the week of December 19.
Many Sun City residents fondly recall the train display at Prairie Lodge. This year, the Model Railroad Club has a special gift for all. “Our Christmas surprise to the community will be a train layout set up under the tree on Friday, November 25. It will be a G-scale train layout, a project we’ve all been eagerly working on, Joe Vavra announced. The project coordinators, Dale Svoboda and Mike Nicholson, planned this year’s display and the train’s return.
Many Sun City residents fondly recall the train display at Prairie Lodge. This year, the Model Railroad Club has a special gift for all.
“Our Christmas surprise to the community will be a train layout set up under the tree on Friday, November 25. It will be a G-scale train layout, a project we’ve all been eagerly working on, Joe Vavra announced.
The project coordinators, Dale Svoboda and Mike Nicholson, planned this year’s display and the train’s return.
I am fortunate to still have both my parents, who have been married for 66 years. Mom is 89 and Dad just turned 95. Back in November, finishing up Dad’s birthday cake at my sister’s large dining room table, we reminisced about our childhoods.
I am fortunate to still have both my parents, who have been married for 66 years. Mom is 89 and Dad just turned 95.
Back in November, finishing up Dad’s birthday cake at my sister’s large dining room table, we reminisced about our childhoods.
Let’s face it, there’s really no excuse, is there? If you want to get from point A to point B, just follow the directions and everything will come out alright. That turkey you want to roast? Just buy the right bird, season it according to the recipe, check the temperature and the time, and you’ll be fine.
Let’s face it, there’s really no excuse, is there? If you want to get from point A to point B, just follow the directions and everything will come out alright.
That turkey you want to roast? Just buy the right bird, season it according to the recipe, check the temperature and the time, and you’ll be fine.
Food traditions can connect family members across generations. Traditional Christmas foods worldwide include Italy’s Feast of Seven Fishes and England’s Christmas pudding. Another family food tradition might be rising before the sun and making frybread or tamales for hundreds of others, or simply eating a particular food or beverage together over conversation. Food connects us, and its preparation and consumption are activities that can bridge members of multiple generations.
John Zingale, a Sun City resident, was in New York on September 11, 2001. “I was at work, and I always had on the radio. Over the airways came the news that the first tower was hit. I knew that this was no accident; no plane could accidentally fly into the building,” he said.
John Zingale, a Sun City resident, was in New York on September 11, 2001.
“I was at work, and I always had on the radio. Over the airways came the news that the first tower was hit. I knew that this was no accident; no plane could accidentally fly into the building,” he said.
With the holidays here, many Americans experience escalating stress, crowded calendars, and increased demands–leading to decreased hours of sleep and less opportunity to get that coveted “long winter’s nap” mentioned in The Night Before Christmas. Is that a problem?
Jim is the king of all procrastinators. We have a fluorescent light fixture in our closet that has been flickering and probably sending out Morse Code from some alien civilization. The messages finally stopped when the last bulb burned out. Time to get Jim’s lazy butt up on the ladder to replace it. First step is to go to a big box store on Randall Road to buy light bulbs.
Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving as we head into the thick of holiday season. Gift shopping and festive gatherings mingle and jostle for our attention amid a flurry of friends, family, and significant others. And with the shortened time span between the last shindig and the next, it’s enough to leave your head spinning. Plus with the polar blast we had this past week, you might not want to leave the house in the bitter evenings. For that, I have some viewing recommendations that are both entertaining and seeking some awards attention.
About seven years ago, Sun City resident Ken Kenny started seriously looking into his ancestry and meticulously following the trail where documents led him. Kenny said, “I started in 2017, and when I retired, I devoted much time to it. It was like fitting puzzle pieces. I was cautious. You can’t trust everything. It gets complicated with marriages, but it’s satisfying when it’s right.”
About seven years ago, Sun City resident Ken Kenny started seriously looking into his ancestry and meticulously following the trail where documents led him.
Kenny said, “I started in 2017, and when I retired, I devoted much time to it. It was like fitting puzzle pieces. I was cautious. You can’t trust everything. It gets complicated with marriages, but it’s satisfying when it’s right.”
The old adage says that if we love something, we should set it free. That saying runs through my mind these days, as I take my high school daughter to tour prospective colleges. For one day, she tries each campus on like an outfit, checking to see if it’s the right fit.
The old adage says that if we love something, we should set it free.
That saying runs through my mind these days, as I take my high school daughter to tour prospective colleges. For one day, she tries each campus on like an outfit, checking to see if it’s the right fit.
I blame the good people at Empire Flooring for sucking all the joy out of vacuuming. To be clear, I found the Empire team all to be good people when they came to rip out the carpets in my house and replace them with laminate flooring. Those weary, well-weathered carpets were long overdue to be replaced, and just watching the Empire team pull them up made me want to call a hazmat team as a backup.
I blame the good people at Empire Flooring for sucking all the joy out of vacuuming.
To be clear, I found the Empire team all to be good people when they came to rip out the carpets in my house and replace them with laminate flooring. Those weary, well-weathered carpets were long overdue to be replaced, and just watching the Empire team pull them up made me want to call a hazmat team as a backup.
Woodchuck members brought back ribbons from the Illinois State Fair, which took place this year in mid-August. The awards were quite notable. Ed Cuttle won the prestigious “Best of Show” Best Exhibit in Crafts for the second year. Mike Shortridge, Vice-President of the Woodchucks, said, “When Ed won last year the ‘Best of Show’ we were excited, but this year’s win validates the workmanship, quality and beauty of the submitted pieces.”
Woodchuck members brought back ribbons from the Illinois State Fair, which took place this year in mid-August.
The awards were quite notable.
Ed Cuttle won the prestigious “Best of Show” Best Exhibit in Crafts for the second year. Mike Shortridge, Vice-President of the Woodchucks, said, “When Ed won last year the ‘Best of Show’ we were excited, but this year’s win validates the workmanship, quality and beauty of the submitted pieces.”
Ninety-five members from the Huntley community, many from Sun City, belong to the Huntley Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association (HCPAAA). President of HCPAAA, Pamela Cortez, said, “Our role is to create a safer community through enhanced communication and partnerships between the citizens and the police through education. All our members are required to take the Citizen Police Academy (CPA). Citizen’s Police Academy course offered by the Huntley Police Department.”
Ninety-five members from the Huntley community, many from Sun City, belong to the Huntley Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association (HCPAAA).
President of HCPAAA, Pamela Cortez, said, “Our role is to create a safer community through enhanced communication and partnerships between the citizens and the police through education. All our members are required to take the Citizen Police Academy (CPA). Citizen’s Police Academy course offered by the Huntley Police Department.”
The Prairie Singers are back again to help ring in “The Warmth of the Holidays.” The renowned Sun City Prairie Singers, a large bass, tenor, alto, and soprano choral group with a membership of 85, will perform their holiday concert on December 14, at 1 p.m. at the Huntley High School auditorium. This is a rare opportunity to witness their biannual performance.
The Prairie Singers are back again to help ring in “The Warmth of the Holidays.”
The renowned Sun City Prairie Singers, a large bass, tenor, alto, and soprano choral group with a membership of 85, will perform their holiday concert on December 14, at 1 p.m. at the Huntley High School auditorium. This is a rare opportunity to witness their biannual performance.
It was a beautiful fall afternoon. The leaves on the trees were changing colors and the air was fresh and crisp. We just finished taking down our Halloween decorations and our stomachs started to grumble. Our friends told us about a restaurant in Sycamore. We sped off to Nat’s on Maple to have lunch and check out the fall colors.
Hello, dear readers, I expected to be writing a very different topic this week. But due to events out of my control I wasn’t able to get to the subject I had in mind. That being said, the emotionally heavy story of Disclaimer also became a deterrent. However, I may get back to it in the future. But, for now, I would like to touch on something that has been speculated over and over again: the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
I’m an elderly husband caring for my wife, who has dementia, and I’m facing a challenge that I hope you can help with. Her condition seems to be worsening, and one of the difficulties we’re encountering is getting her dressed each day.
Happy Fall Y’all! Have fun exploring some of the most exciting fall treats inspired by social media buzz!
Recently, I visited the home of my niece and nephew. Their home is full of love and vibrancy. They have two children under the age of two, a handful of chickens running around in their backyard, both work full time and still found time to host a party. As is frequently the case, we spent much of the time talking in the kitchen. While in the kitchen, I couldn’t help but notice a beautiful vegetable garden. Yes, inside the kitchen. As our outdoor gardens have stopped producing vegetables, fruits and herbs their hydroponic gardening system provided us cherry tomatoes for lunch.
The Theatre Company of Sun City will bring the beloved musical, Fiddler on the Roof, to the Drendel Ballroom stage this month. Through humor, warmth, and hauntingly beautiful music, Fiddler transports the audience to the Russian shtetl of Anatevka in 1905, where Tevye, the Jewish milkman, tries to make ends meet while doing his best to keep his family together, trying to balance heading up a household with five daughters and a headstrong wife without casting aside long-held traditions. As the daughters grow up and reach marrying age, Tevye must pick his battles. Carol Finckle reprises the role of Golde, the brusque and long-suffering wife of Tevye. Finckle portrayed Golde on the Sun City stage before, 18 years ago. She says she is thrilled to return to the role for Fiddler, which she considers a timeless, timely, and important staple of musical theater.
The Theatre Company of Sun City will bring the beloved musical, Fiddler on the Roof, to the Drendel Ballroom stage this month. Through humor, warmth, and hauntingly beautiful music, Fiddler transports the audience to the Russian shtetl of Anatevka in 1905, where Tevye, the Jewish milkman, tries to make ends meet while doing his best to keep his family together, trying to balance heading up a household with five daughters and a headstrong wife without casting aside long-held traditions. As the daughters grow up and reach marrying age, Tevye must pick his battles.
Carol Finckle reprises the role of Golde, the brusque and long-suffering wife of Tevye. Finckle portrayed Golde on the Sun City stage before, 18 years ago. She says she is thrilled to return to the role for Fiddler, which she considers a timeless, timely, and important staple of musical theater.
It was a weeknight, and I was chopping vegetables for dinner when my husband burst through the door. “I thought of a new concept for my students,” he told me. As I continued chopping, he described that during band rehearsal, he wanted his students to “let go” and get a louder, fuller, freer sound. “I told them, ‘I need you to care while also not caring,’” he said. I stopped chopping. My knife hovered mid-air, while I tried to make sense of this phrase.
It was a weeknight, and I was chopping vegetables for dinner when my husband burst through the door. “I thought of a new concept for my students,” he told me.
As I continued chopping, he described that during band rehearsal, he wanted his students to “let go” and get a louder, fuller, freer sound.
“I told them, ‘I need you to care while also not caring,’” he said.
I stopped chopping. My knife hovered mid-air, while I tried to make sense of this phrase.
This year, Sun City resident Dino Micheli was one of several veterans on the Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. Micheli shared, “My trip was four days and three nights, and it was the trip of a lifetime. It was an experience that moved me to tears, a journey that touched my heart in ways I never thought possible.” Micheli recounts his transformative journey to Washington, D.C., with other veterans on the honor flight.
This year, Sun City resident Dino Micheli was one of several veterans on the Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.
Micheli shared, “My trip was four days and three nights, and it was the trip of a lifetime. It was an experience that moved me to tears, a journey that touched my heart in ways I never thought possible.”
Micheli recounts his transformative journey to Washington, D.C., with other veterans on the honor flight.
