ORR_08062015

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Serving Ogle County since 1851

OREGON Republican Reporter

Sprint Triathlon

Green Iron

Inner Strong

Sixty-eight athletes took part in the Oregon Park District’s Sprint Triathlon. B2

Tractors were on display at the John Deere Historic Site. B3

A day camp for girls helps teach them how they can be strong in many ways. A9

Police seek man who said he was a police officer

104 Years of Weather Wear

Andrezj Dajnowski, director of Conservation of Sculptures and Objects Studio, Forest Park, talks about the cracks in the head of the Black Hawk Statue. Photo by Earleen Hinton

Delicate work to restore statue By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@oglecounty news.com Tadeusz Mlynarczyk leaned in close to the side of the Lorado Taft creation using small tools to carefully remove dirt and grime from its 104-year-old surface. His light taps with a petite hammer and chisel provided a steady rhythmic clinking that softly filled the air nearly 50 feet above the Rock River Valley. Such was a typical work morning on the painstaking restoration of what is commonly know as the Black Hawk Statue. Mlynarczyk, a technician with Conservation of Sculptures and Objects Studio, Inc., Forest Park, sat on the sixth level of scaffolding July 30 performing the delicate tasks as he worked on a small three foot square section of the

sculpture. “All right, the calcium was really really hard and thick,” said Mlynarczyk. “It was a lot of work to get to this point. We have to clean and remove the stuff. It is looking like it is original.” Work is being done in sections with a spray bottle of solvent, a wire brush, a chisel, and a small hammer. “We are getting some solvents to do more cleaning,” Mlynarczyk said. “Some parts I can not touch because they are too fragile.” Time and weather have damaged the statue to the point that portions of the exterior have crumbled and fallen off. The folded arms of the statue, especially the elbows and underneath the arms; the middle of the robe; and the vertical fold in the robe from armpit to toe are the critical areas. Mlynarczyk picked up a hammer and

Ogle County Sheriff ’s Police are seeking information about a man who impersonated a police officer last week at a rural Oregon residence. Sheriff Brian VanVickle said the public has already provided several leads on the case. “We’re following up on about a dozen leads,” he said Tuesday afternoon. According to a press release from VanVickle late last week, the man arrived at the residence at approximately 10 p.m. on July 27 and identified himself as being with the Ogle County Sheriff ’s Department. The man had a deep voice with Southern accent and told the occupant of the residence that he needed to search the house to look for a missing person. After several minutes of trying to convince the occupant he needed to search the house, the man left. The man is described as being a white male in his late 20s or early 30s, 5 feet 10 inches tall, and having a very thin build. He had short dark brown or black hair and a small amount of hair on his chin. He was wearing eyeglasses and wearing an earring in his right ear. He was wearing a dark

lightly tapped on Black Hawk. Most spots had a solid ring to them when struck, but when he got to a damaged section of the elbow the sound was more of a hollow thud. “That is not fine,” Mlynarczyk said. “We will have to inject and make it solid before we can clean it. The work being done was for conservation of the statue. “Usually restoration is ‘let’s take and make a beautiful new one and strong forever,’” said Mlynarczyk . “The work done previously was ‘don’t worry about it.’ Because of that, it makes it hard for By Sarah Zuniga us to do this right. Cheaper and faster, is Correspondent what they did.” Mlynarczyk showed portions of the Not only was Wednesday’s statue that still had rotten pieces of wood from where scaffolding from Kable Band concert in Mt. Morris the last one of the previous restoration efforts were left. Turn to A10 season, but it was the last one

The Ogle County Sheriff’s Office released this sketch of man who is accused of impersonating a police officer. Image supplied

blue or black uniform with a button-up long sleeved shirt having a sewn-on badge patch on the left chest. He was wearing black dress shoes and a belt with attached flashlight and handcuff case. He was driving a white or gray older style squad car vehicle, possible a four-door Ford Crown Victoria. Anyone who recognizes the sketch of the man or has similar incidents is asked to call the sheriff ’s office at 815-732-2136. Callers can also contact Crime Stoppers at 1-888288-4488. Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest.

Reckmeyer honored for a long-time director. Ninety-one-year-old Warren Reckmeyer, who began directing in 1957, is putting away his baton after directing the Mt. Morris Turn to A2

Fun filled week at the 162nd Ogle County fair By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@oglecountynews.com Thrilling shows, costumed animals, and perfect weather were some of the highlights of the 162nd Ogle County Fair. The grandstands were the place to be each night at the fair for tractor pulls, a rodeo, and the metal crunching demolition derby. Rose Walton, Forreston, was one of the local competitors in the antique tractor pulls July 29. “The competition is fun and I get to beat the men. These guys show no mercy,” she said. In a tractor pull, the competitors are hooked to a weighted sled and try to pull for the longest distance. As the distance increases the weight on the sled increases resistance. “To get a good pull you need to pay attention to what you are doing and what everyone else is doing,” said Walton. “The track conditions can throw you off. You need to pay attention to the entire track.” During the antique tractor pull there were two divisions, antique and farm. The antique tractor is usually stock tractors with no modifications. The farm tractors are right off the farm.

In This Week’s Edition...

“Sometimes people put oversized pistons in them to increase power,” said Walton. Too much power can also cause an unexpected result. Joe Stebbins, Forreston, ended up doing a wheelie and was riding on two wheels.

The second group of tractor pulls was Thursday night with the high powered tractors that billow black smoke when pulling. A packed grandstand was the sight at the start of the Big Hat Rodeo July 31. When visitors were arriving late rodeo

clown Kenny Schappacher, Tampa, Fla., would call them out for showing up late. He did this all in good fun. The job of a rodeo clown may appear to be all fun and games but they serve an important Turn to B1

Adalyn Waldschmidt, 6, Byron, races down the slide at the carnival rides at the Cowboy Robert Klinefelter, Esmond, scrambles off the ground while rodeo clown bull Ogle County Fair. Photo by Sarah Zuniga. fighter Blaine Lamb, Archville, Tenn. distracts the bull. Photo by Chris Johnson

Birth, A4 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 College News, A4 Entertainment, A6

Marriage Licenses, A4 Library News, A3 Oregon Police, B4 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B5

Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B2 State’s Attorney, B5

Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com

Deaths, B5 Evelyn J. Bolen John W. Butler


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