Smart Living Weekly September 24, 2020

Smart L iving Your Better Quality of Life Magazine • Rockford Region/Beloit/Freeport 95¢ • September 24, 2020

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Right in Our Region

Plenty of Fall Fun at Midway Village See Page 16

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AFTER

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In This Issue Right in Our Region ........................Cover & p. 16 Autumn Fun at Midway Village Museum Inspiration & Worship .....................................12 Love, Not Hate Your Technology ..............................................13 How to Free Up Money in Your Budget

Smart L iving ™

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Bill Hughes Executive Editor/Web Editor Chris Linden Managing Editor Lindsey Gapen Lukas Assistant Managing Editor Jermaine Pigee Editor Emeritus Janine Pumilia Multimedia Editor Sara Myers Graphics Director Blake Nunes Graphic Designer Samantha Behling Contributing Writer Peggy Werner, Paula Kalivoda Furniss General Sales Manager Brent Hughes Sales Manager Brad Hughes Advertising Sales Representatives Brian Hughes, Jeremy Jones, Nita Lasky, Sherri Cassedy Administration & Circulation Manager Lisa Hughes Distribution Kelly Fairbairn Website www.SmartLivingWeekly.com Published by Hughes Media Corp.

222 Seventh St., Rockford, IL, 61104 (815) 316-2300, Fax: (815) 316-2301 lhughes@northwestquarterly.com Smart Living Weekly.

Copyright 2020 by Hughes Media Corp., 222 Seventh St., Rockford, IL, 61104. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part of any text, photograph or illustration without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited.

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History Matters W

hen I traveled the USSR in the 1980s, I noticed something missing: Men in their 60s. An entire generation gone. Soviets lost 26 million soldiers and civilians in WW II, about 14 percent of their 1939 population. Total human loss from the war was 60 to 85 million.

We can’t fathom that kind of loss today, especially in the U.S., where so little civilian blood has been spilled. WW II was the most deadly war in human history and leaders were desperate to prevent a third world war.

This need for war prevention resulted in the formation of NATO in 1949. The idea behind the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is that if Country A invades Country B, all NATO members will rush to Country B’s aid and have its back. This causes aggressors to think twice before invading neighbors.

Invasions inevitably escalate and force other countries into the mess, as happened in both world wars.

NATO’s mission also includes promoting democratic values. Several countries have moved from dictatorship to democracy over the decades, in part to meet requirements of NATO. This has been celebrated by both of our U.S. political parties. Ronald Reagan affirmed NATO’s importance to peace and democracy.

Today our leaders are flirting with the idea of withdrawing from NATO. Before Americans can intelligently decide if this is a good or bad idea, they must first understand what NATO is and does. NATO is just one example of World War II topics that are very relevant to us today.

A democratic republic like ours depends upon an informed population that understands basic U.S. civics and basic history.

History matters. It helps us to understand our today more accurately and to shape our future more wisely. Thankfully, Rockford has Midway Village Museum to teach us about our local history and the way world events have impacted our homefront. For more than two decades, the museum has hosted World War II Days, attracting visitors from across the world.

Although the pandemic forced that event’s cancellation this year, the museum is offering a digital version of World War II Days, beginning this week, through Oct. 25. I can’t wait to sign up! Learn more on p.16 and have a great week!

Janine Pumilia SLW Editor

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I  W

Love, Not Hate L

et’s be clear. Hatred is from Satan, not God. If we’re arrogant enough to hate others for any reason, we’re forgetting the mercy God has shown to us. God loves us not because we are good, but because he is good.

Transforming our thoughts to an attitude of love is not a request – it’s a commandment.

Therefore, it must be possible. With God, all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26) Matthew 22:36-40 (NIV) states: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Loving a person does not require loving or condoning their sins; it means viewing them as a child of God, made in God’s image. One of the best ways to love a person is to pray for them.It’s difficult to hate the subject of our prayers. We can also ask God to help us transform our minds to an attitude of love.

In I John 4:7-21, NIV, we read: “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

“This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his son to be the savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.” ... ....“We love because he first loved us.

Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.

And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.” ❚ – Janine Pumilia 12

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Y T

How to Save Money on Your Tech Bills

By Peggy Werner

T

he COVID-19 pandemic has forced many of us to live on smaller incomes, but there are ways we can free up money in our budgets. One of the best is to make sure we’re not paying too much for tech services like phone, Internet, TV and home security. It’s easier than you think, says Charles Zambrano, owner and general manager of EZ Satellite & Wireless in Loves Park.

“I make sure the customers know exactly what they’re getting and aren’t paying for services they don’t want or need,” says Zambrano. He asks customers about the number of TVs and phones they have, favorite channels, streaming and recording habits, how they use high-speed internet and so forth.

“Most customers are paying too much, $250 or more for phone, TV and internet,” he says. “I can save them $50 to

$100 per month by offering them the best deals each company has to offer.

“A lot of people are not happy with their tech services, but are afraid to change or don’t have time to do the research. But it’s not that hard to start saving money.”

Zambrano also helps people to make better use of their smart phones to enhance their particular lifestyles. Products like the Google Nest Hub, Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa are ideal for those who want to monitor and access their homes and businesses remotely or with voice commands. Especially in the age of COVID-19, it’s useful to monitor package delivery and speak to people at your door remotely.

You can also switch lights on and off, change the thermostat settings and unlock doors remotely.

EZ Satellite & Wireless is licensed to offer services from any provider using dish, cable, internet and home security, including Rise Broadband, Comcast, HughesNet, DirectTV, Digitenna, Vivint, ATT and Nest products.

Zambrano’s store is regularly sanitized, social distancing is observed, masks are worn and interactions are contact-free.

Call (815) 957-4335 or stop by to see him at 6239 N. 2nd St. in Loves Park. ❚

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R  O R

Fall Fun & Learning at Midway Village

By Peggy Werner

F

or a change of pace, why not turn back the clock and explore 19th century life and culture in northern Illinois?

Events at Midway Village Museum make it possible this fall.

The museum will extend its Victorian Village tours through Saturday, Oct. 31, to give people more opportunities to visit the museum grounds, says Marketing and Social Media Director Lonna Converso. The tour season normally ends in August.

“We decided to look at all our programming and see how we can offer people in our community history education while adhering to the COVID-19 modifications. Every part of our operation was looked at and modified for public safety, without minimizing the quality experience people have come to know and expect,” she says.

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In addition to following all State of Illinois and local government mandates, the museum also is taking part in a community-wide initiative titled “Clean Hands,” to help protect staff and visitors from COVID-19 infection. Tour groups will be limited to nine or 10 people and all visitors must wear face masks and practice social distancing while on the grounds. Hand sanitizer will be available; all staff is undergoing daily temperature and wellness checks; and guides will be wearing masks and gloves.

Costumed history interpreters in period clothing will lead small groups through the 13-acre Victorian Village with its 26 historic buildings representing northern Illinois from 1890 to 1910.

The tours begin on the hour, with the last one at 3 p.m., from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. most Saturdays and Sundays through

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October and on Fridays Sept. 18 and Oct. 16. There will be no tours on Saturday, Oct. 17. Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for children (3-17) and free to members and infants. Purchase them online at midwayvillage.com or call (815) 397-9112. Reservations are required. Walk-ins will be served on a first come, first served basis.

All Hallows’ Eve will be a drive-thru event this year from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17. Each car will visit up to 20 trick-or-treat stops hosted by local businesses and other organizations. Visitors must stay in their cars and are encouraged to dress up in family-friendly costumes and decorate their cars. Cars will enter at the recreation path on Guilford Road and be directed by staff. Halloween tunes will play on 100 FM radio. Admission is $5 at the gate, with no pre-admission sales, and includes three trick-or-treat

R  O R

bags. Additional bags can be purchased for $2 each. Volunteers will place candy only into the museum bags. Join an Instagram costume parade for a chance to win a Sock Doll Monkey and tune into a Halloween Spotify playlist during the event.

Experience the darker side of Victorian life at An Evening of illumination, from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30. Learn how “dying to be beautiful” was true in the Victorian era; attend a Victorian mummy unwrapping party; visit a Victorian wake and learn about mourning customs; join an Emily Dickinson re-enactor and hear some of her darkest poetry; learn about the history of the casket industry and how it had developed by the late 19th century; and try to contact the dead with true believer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and debunk seances with his friend Harry Houdini. The event for those 16 and older will be guided by lantern light and participants will walk the village and visit seven 15-minute interactive stations.

Cost is $12 per person and $10 for museum members.

New this year is a digital version of the popular World War II Days military re-enactment, available Sept. 25 through Oct.25. Access to 20 videos, each about seven minutes long, cost $5 per person

and $2 for students, and are delivered on a private Facebook page once you register. If you’re not on Facebook, YouTube video links will be emailed after payment. The videos produced by museum staff and re-enactors will highlight many aspects of World War II, including information about artifacts, military units, uniforms and interviews with re-enactors.

“We hope people will learn about the different aspects of World War II and how it impacted life for the soldier and the civilian,” says Converso.

Also new at the museum is an affiliation with Amazon’s Smile program. People can show their support for Midway Village by choosing the museum as their charity of choice on Smile.Amazon.com, where a percentage of all sales go to designated charities.

For more information about upcoming fall events, call the museum at (815) 397-9112 or go to its social media pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or YouTube. ❚

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