I once wrote a book ‘this big’

Sun City’s own Ed Piotrowski is a published author, and he’s not just fishing for compliments. His latest work is A Life Well Fished: ‘Reel’ Adventures and the Stuff That Happened in Between.

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!’”

Click here to read our latest edition online in PDF format.

D158 BOE fills vacant seat

The Huntley Community School District 158 (D158) made an announcement back in October that Board of Education (BOE) member Lesli Melendy was due to resign from her position on the board as a result of her and her family’s move to an area outside of Huntley.

Garden of knowledge

As Henry Ford said, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” Spending time with nature is a very effective way to continue to learn. Gardening teaches us so much. No matter our age, the extent to which we interact with nature or the time involved, we can all stay young by spending time outdoors.

Passion plays

Hello all, I hope you had a good Thanksgiving. And now we are in the thick of the holiday season. However unfortunately, a number of entries I planned to view aren’t out yet. And, due to a slight cold, any chance of going to the theaters were thwarted. But if you are in the same boat as myself, where do you turn to but the streaming services. And now more than ever, they are providing vast oceans of content for your viewing pleasure. Well let’s grab out the remote and surf through, shall we?

How to control arthritis and its pain as we age

Healthline.com explains that there are more than 100 different types of arthritis. The three main ones being osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Each type may develop differently, but all can cause pain and joint deformity and movement loss. Age, family genes, sex (women have larger numbers of these diseases) often do not allow the prevention of arthritis.

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.

The nest just out of reach

A long time ago — maybe 1978 or so — my Brittany Spaniel puppy, Dandy, was obsessed with a robin’s nest.

The nest was tucked six or seven feet up into the crook of a maple tree, and Dandy, filled with puppy curiosity, enthusiasm, and energy, would leap into the air to go nose-to-nest. Then she would sprint around the yard and do it again.

Regrets, I’ve had a few

Elon Musk, the Tesla billionaire, recently bought Twitter for $44 billion. Since the beginning of the year, Musk began purchasing shares of the publicly-owned social network, Monopoly-style, before announcing he would buy the company outright and privatize it. By May, the deal was put on hold. By summer, Musk hinted that he might abandon the deal to buy Twitter altogether. But in October, Musk finished the deal: $44 billion for the purchase of the platform.

Folks are leaving Twitter in droves, and many who remain are mercilessly trolling Musk with fake accounts impersonating him.

Veterans Memorial Field sign finished

In June, 2022, the Sun City Board reviewed proposals for a new sign at the recently renamed Veterans Memorial Field. The initial designs were six feet tall and nine feet wide and came in at $85,000. Board President Berendt commented “I’m shocked at the price.” Board Member McGouey asked “what are our options?”

Unique Huntley turkey festival draws crowds from across the country

The Huntley Parkside Café has hosted a unique Thanksgiving Eve event since 1983: the Turkey Testicle Festival. This year it is held on November 23, from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

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

Joints and 5 common types of arthritis, part 1

Having just recently discussed this column’s Two-Part Autoimmune Diseases (AD), I thought it crucial to discuss one particular body location affected by this (AD) nemesis: JOINTS. A total of five forms of widespread arthritis are listed below, including 3 forms of non-autoimmune arthritis and 2 forms of auto-immune arthritis or AD.

Fun Adventure in Germany

What’s that saying, “you can never go home again”? A Del Webb traveler wanted to challenge that thought and just returned from a “reunion” tour of Germany.

Sun City Q3 financial report released

Bob McGouey, Sun City Board Treasurer, reported that “there was a $261,000 favorable variance to the budget in operating results due to a $166,000 favorable revenue variance accompanied by a $95,000 variable variance in lower expenses through the third quarter.”

‘Egg’-ers Harbor

The Dining Duo has been “sailing” to different “Egg” Harbors in the area for many years.

A close sight reading

“Time is the thing. Time is the essential piece of interpretation. You cannot start without me. I start the clock,” our protagonist says in the opening moments of Tár. But that is the thing, she feels she can control that beyond the music. The first ten minutes of Todd Field’s film is the key to understanding the whole thing. For whom can get through the beginning moments, those people are in for a wild ride.

Sun City resident treks all Sun City streets

Sun City residents walk around a lot, but resident Kari Freeman has taken a different stride. Freeman was motivated to walk every street in Sun City. She armed herself with a map available at the lodge, detailing all the streets and neighborhoods, and started walking in 2021.

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?

Just my type

It was as though the chocolate brown typewriter had a spotlight on it. There was no chance of passing by without admiring its beauty. I was drawn to it like a moth to a flame.

Jumping to the top of the banned book list

As a retired high school English teacher who taught the classic Ray Bradbury novel “Fahrenheit 451” several times, I cringe every time I read of efforts to ban books in our present-day America.

And the news has been pretty cringe-worthy lately.

Volunteers craft cards for Veterans

Sun City residents welcomed the New Charter Club Sun City Veterans Club. The Club has had over 150 residents join. The first event hosted by the new club is a luncheon honoring WWII & Korean War Vets on Veterans Day November 11.

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

Sun City Grafton Food Pantry drive a success

On October 13, the Sun City Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC) hosted a community wide food drive to benefit Grafton Food Pantry. This was the first time the event was held. A committee was formed and the ideas came flooding in on how to make this idea a reality. Over 40 Sun City residents volunteered and braved the cooler temperatures and wind to assist with the drive-thru operations at Fountainview.

Let’s do ‘Plants’ for $400

For this column, I thought it might be fun to have a gardening themed trivia game.

Pickleball, Tennis issues remain unsolved

At the October 26 Sun City Board meeting, the board received the report from the Ad Hoc committee that was established last June to study the usage of the tennis and pickleball courts. Board members Ryden, Lambert and Berendt were joined by staff members Loughran and O’Toole on the committee. The committee was tasked with exploring the Pickleball Charter Club’s request for more courts.

Huntley new deep-well progress

At the October 13 Village Board Meeting the Board took the necessary governmental steps forward that will lead to the new Water Well #13 and the accompanying Water Treatment Plant.

According to Timothy Farrell, Village Director of Public Works, “the new well and treatment plant will be located roughly 1,000 feet east and 200 feet north of the current terminus of Regency Parkway.”

Autoimmune disorders: Important facts to know, part 2

In October, MedlinePlus.gov provided concise and critical facts to know about autoimmune disorders. With more than 80 types of these disorders presently listed, a brief definition of the problem follows: “An autoimmune disorder occurs when the body’s immune system attacks and destroys healthy body tissue by mistake.”

Comedy with bite

Hope you all had a nice Halloween. Now that summer is firmly in the rearview mirror, the crop of awards-worthy films are ready to be reaped. After a rather dismal summer I am glad to get ready for something fresh this season. Comedy has been hard to come by, even one as intelligent as the one I just saw. Satires are even rarer; need only to read my review of Don’t Look Up. America doesn’t know how to make fun of itself as much anymore. But thanks to our European brethren we don’t have to.

Maple, no hash

Anytime a new restaurant opens up in our area, it causes quite a stir, especially when it’s not the usual fast food. We have been receiving a lot of questions and comments concerning a new breakfast/lunch venue that recently opened in Pingree Grove. To see what all the fuss was about, we headed out one morning to get the lowdown.

Proudly Serving the Community of Sun City in Huntley

Proudly Serving the Community of
Sun City in Huntley