IVL-06-28-2014

Living Illinois Valley

Summer 2014

‌making cent$ with scents See our story on Page 4

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Summer brings hot times and cool memories to the Illinois Valley!

I

love summer. More than that though, I love most everything summer represents. I drove past the park in Ladd the other day, and I don’t mind telling you I found myself pulling over to the curb, where I closed my eyes for a few moments and just listened ...

What I heard was area children giggling, laughing and having the time of their lives. You know what I’m talking about — that carefree attitude of children playing, completely oblivious to the woes of the world. For a moment or two, I found myself feeling a bit jealous of that happy-go-lucky attitude of summer, when the biggest problem you had was what the next day’s agenda held.

But we’re adults now, and even though the woes of the world tend to find us, I hope you’ll take some time this summer to enjoy the season. Invite some friends and/or family over for a cookout. Attend a baseball/softball game. Head to one of the wonderful parks in the Illinois Valley. Make time for a leisurely evening on your backyard deck or patio. Life is short; find time for you and those you love.

And when you find yourself with a bit of time to relax, we hope you’ll do so with a cold drink and this copy of Illinois Valley Living Magazine. Our staff has created another edition of this popular magazine filled with the people, places and things in our own backyards. Inside this edition, you’ll see familiar faces and ones you’ve yet to meet, but I guarantee you’ll enjoy the stories they bring to the Illinois Valley.

Please feel free to contact me with your story ideas. I can be reached at tsimon@bcrnews.com. Your input is integral to the success of this product.

Have a wonderful and safe summer. You are important to me and Illinois Valley Living.

With warm regards, Terri Simon, editor Illinois Valley Living Magazine

Living Illinois Valley

PUBLISHER Sam R Fisher EDITOR Terri Simon SALES DEVELOPMENT Pam Pratt-Marsh PAGE DESIGN Greg Wallace PUBLISHED BY The Bureau County Republican 800 Ace Road Princeton, Illinois 61356 (815) 875-4461 MAIN COVER PHOTO Kath Clark

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Kristine’s Shower Scent List

Something for everyone ...

Best sellers: Citrus Safari - Orange, lemon, lime and grapefruit.

Get Fresh - Cucumber and melon.

Girly Girl - Cotton Candy, lemon drops and caramel.

Island Vacation - Plumeria.

Lavender Dreams - Lavender and vanilla Fun and fruity: Appleberry - Apple and black cherry.

Pink & Purple Paradise - Blackberry and sage.

Cherry Berry - Cherry, raspberry and strawberry.

Peach Fuzz - Peach.

Fruit Tingle - Pears and wild berries Fresh and clean: Jumpin’ Juniper - Juniper berries.

Peaceout (aka Lush) - Green clover and aloe.

Splish Splash - Clean spa type.

Sweet Cotton Breeze - Cotton blossom.

Sensual and romantic: Jungle Love - Amber musk with ginger and warm hints of vanilla.

Kiss Me All Over - Strawberries and champagne.

Lick Me all Over - Raspberry, peach and citrus.

Gingamber - Ginger and amber.

Vanilla Sugar - Vanilla, brown sugar and musk.

Tropical getaway: CocoVan - Creamy coconut.

Congo Bongo - Mango, coconut and banana.

Malibu Baby - Coconut and banana.

Orange Dream - Orange and vanilla.

Sunny Days (aka Spellbound) - Mandarin orange, bergamot, tangerine, fresh peaches, strawberries, raspberries and white musk.

Can’t miss favorites: Enchanted Apple - Green, red and yellow apples.

All That Jazz - White lily and jasmine.

Pink Cupcakes - White cake with strawberry icing.

Sweet Pea - Sweet pea.

Rasouli - Wild black berries, vanilla and a touch of patchouli.

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Jenny Hoehn stirs up a batch of Bath Bombs in the basement of her LaSalle home. Hoehn started the business 12 years ago, and she’s never looked back. Her business, dubbed Kristine’s Shower, offers a wide variety of scents and products.

When scents

make cent$ KRISTINE’S SHOWER COOKS UP A WINNING RECIPE OF SKIN CARE PRODUCTS

Story by Terri Simon Photos by Kath Clark

aroma that not only fills your head but one that lingers in your memory.

Twelve years ago, Jenny Hoehn opened Kristine’s Shower, a family he minute you open your car business that focuses on a variety of door in front of Jenny Hoehn’s richly-scented skin products for your home in LaSalle, you know you daily pleasure. Products like Bath are somewhere special. At least your Bombs, Bubblecakes, Body Sorbet, nose does ...

Aloe Vera Body Whips, Body Frosting There’s a fragrance in the air. One that automatically makes you feel good, and more line the shelves of Hoehn’s special. At first one can’t quite put your basement — each one crafted by hand with much enthusiasm. It’s truly a finger on what the scent is, but when you open the door to the Hoehns’ home labor of love. and make your way to the basement, See Kristine’s Page 6 you are immediately consumed in an

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Illinois Valley Living

At first glance, one might think they are seeing trays of colorful Easter eggs. But your nose will tell you otherwise. Kristine’s Shower produced Bath Bombs in a variety of scents and colors. Stacked in their basement and waiting to be shipped, the aroma is wonderful. Bath Bombs are just one of the products made in Jenny Hoehn’s LaSalle home.

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Above, the best utensil for mixing up skin products is a huge mixing bowl and a gloved hand. Below at left, Kristine’s Shower owner Jenny Hoehn (right) and her mother-in-law RaeJeanne (R.J.) Newell display a gift basket of sweet-smelling skin products.

Kristine’s

batch, I knew this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life!”

Since that initial experiment, Hoehn Hoehn works the business with her is up to her elbows in recipes, prodmother-in-law, RaeJeanne (R.J.) New- ucts and orders. While she does admit ell, and husband, Jason Hoehn. she and R.J. do schedule pool time to “We’ve got what your skin needs, take a break from the demands of the and we make it fresh for you!” said business, she also said they often end Hoehn. “Your skin will freak out!” up talking about different aspects of Hoehn got into the business because their products while they relax in the of her personal skin situation. pool.

“I’ve had eczema all my life, and I But Hoehn loves working at home. thought, “This is just the way it is,” The couple bought their LaSalle home until I tried some handmade soap with a 1,250-square-foot unfinished off a freebie website,” Hoehn said. “I basement, which her brother helped loved it so much that I researched it to turn into their studio, where they and started to make it. After the first cook up all their products.

From Page 4

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6

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Illinois Valley Living

Hoehn said she likes to use as many local ingredients in her products and estimates 90 percent of what she uses come from Illinois. She does use oils that come from their country of origin, but they are purchased through her supplier in Chicago.

“I do like to use organic sustainable products as much as possible, but my company is not certified organic,” she said.

“Our products are 97 percent natural; the 3 percent is fragrance, and I do use fragrance oils instead of essential oils.

I feel like essential oils are too medicinal and when blended incorrectly can be offensive instead of pleasing to the nose.”

Kristine’s Shower has products for everyone, and while she says her target market is for those who are 18 to 25 years old, senior citizens are her biggest consumers.

“I think they like quality products that won’t hurt them or give them any kind of allergic reaction,” she said.

Hoehn said her most popular products are her Bath Bombs.

She said she sells about 15,000 of them a month during their off season and up to 48,000 a month during the holidays. The most popular scent is Citrus Safari, but Peaceout seems to be taking over. Peaceout is a very fresh aloe scent that works well for both men and women. In regards to new products, she said they are working on a new shower item.

While Hoehn admits it’s sometimes challenging to stay motivated every day, she appreciates owning her own business.

“It’s nice to say that you’ve built something out of nothing!” she said. “Being self-employed is very challenging though. You do have to be very disciplined, but when you are, the benefits are amazing. For instance, in the summer, we have scheduled pool time. Scheduled pool time! Now that’s a great job where you can have meetings in your pool.”

Kristine’s Shower products are available locally at the White Trash Gallery, Seeds of Change, Simply Fresh and the IVAR store. You can also order all her products and get more information about them online at www.kristinesshower.com.

The HEGELER

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July 25 70’s Rewind

August 1 Henry Torpedo Boys August 8 Rich Selquist

August 15 Bag Shot Row

August 22 Steve N’ Steve 7

Unofficially speaking ...

MARK CROSS TALKS ABOUT LIFE OUTSIDE THE SUPERINTENDENT’S OFFICE Town of residence: Mark.

If someone asked you to name a memorable moment, what first comes to mind: Many things with my own kids, as well as many years around school kids, all too numerous to mention!

Where did you grow up: Emden, Illinois.

Family: Wife, Ronda, and children, Andrew and Hailey.

Pets: Gracie, our cat.

How do you spend your spare time: My wife and I love to travel, particularly to anyplace with a nice beach.

Occupation: Superintendent of Schools, Peru Elementary School District 124.

What is the last book you read: “Sycamore Row,” by John Grisham.

What is your favorite TV show: “Game of Thrones.”

What is the last movie you saw: “Noah.”

What is your favorite kind of music: I have a wide range of musical taste that includes just about everything but country.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could have only one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be: Sushi. It’s my favorite, and it kind of fits the deserted island theme.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take one thing with you, what would it be: My iPhone, although it definitely does not fit the deserted island theme.

the programs we implement will long outlast my time here as a superintendent. Also, in Peru I am very blessed to work with a phenomenal group of teachers, support staff, administrators and board members.

We have an incredible team, which makes my job enjoyable.

a CFO or a facilities manager, so it can’t just be a “job.” You have to embrace the many challenges that come with it.

Do you suggest young people enter the field of education: Why: Despite the obstacles put before us in this field, I have no problem recWhat is the biggest chalommending a career in educaWhat is your favorite local lenge of being a superintention if a young person wants to restaurant, and what do you dent: The outside mandates go into it for the right reasons, order there: Mark Allen’s in from the state and federal and if they know what they Peru. I love about everything government are by far the are getting into. Many people on the menu. worst part. Also, the long work think that because they went hours and the fact that there to school, they understand When you were a small boy, are so many pieces to the job, education. The reality is they what did you want to be when and you have to be able to don’t, any more than someyou grew up: A Chicago Bull! manage them all. I absolutely one understands the medical look at my role as running field just because they go to a What is the most enjoyable a fairly large business, and I hospital. We lose a lot of good, aspect of being a superintendeal with personnel, finances, young people in our business dent: While my job is not work- health care mandates, taxes, if they don’t buy in and engage ing directly with the kids every state and federal regulations, in the profession early on, and day, I very much enjoy knowworkers compensation and there are many possibilities in ing and watching the decisions everything else as business the private sector as well. We we make and the things we do does, as well as being respon- are very fortunate in Peru that ripple throughout the school sible for the safety, welfare we are able to retain such a district. The great people we and education of 1,000 kids. I high percentage of very quality hire, the schools we build and don’t have a vice president or young educators.

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What do you consider to be your greatest achievement so far: While I certainly don’t take credit for such a team effort, professionally speaking it is probably the planning, design and construction of Parkside Middle School, and we are now doing the same thing with the addition and renovation of Northview Elementary School. When I came to the district in 2005, we had three aging, overcrowded buildings that averaged about 65-70 years of age. After we complete this next step in 2015, we will have two new, very efficient buildings that have plenty of space for students and programs and will functionally average about 5 years of age. You just don’t get to do something like this every day, and I am honored to have been a part of a complete reinvention of our school district from top to bottom.

What is the best advice you can give to others: Decide exactly what you want to accomplish, and then do whatever it takes morally and ethically to make it happen. There is no substitute for hard work.

What three words best describe you: I would like to think that people who know me would describe me as genuine, hard working and that I always do what I think is best for kids.

What is your favorite thing to do on summer vacation: Superintendents don’t have summer vacations, but I will take a week or so off around the Fourth of July to spend some time in Florida with my wife and daughter.

Illinois Valley Living

43

RD ANNUAL

HOMESTEAD FESTIVAL PRINCETON,IL

FRIDAY, SEPT. 12 SATURDAY, SEPT. 13 SUNDAY, SEPT. 14

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12TH

Window Display Contest Museum Tours Owen Lovejoy Homestead Tours Pulled Pork Barbecue Dinner and Ice Cream Social Princeton Community Band Twilight Horse-Drawn Wagon Rides Those Funny Little People Black Top Hop Richard Widmark movie “The Trap” at the Apollo Theater Jaycees Beer Garden

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13TH Underground Railroad 5K Race Children’s Fun Fair Princeton High School Tours Pie Baking Contest Stamp Cancellation Arts & Crafts Show Owen Lovejoy Homestead Tours Prairie Arts Center Exhibit Bureau County Pork Producers BBQ Helicopter Rides Homestead Festival Parade South Shore Drill Team Blues Concert Bags Tournament Jaycees Beer Garden

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Pancake Breakfast Flea Market Car Show Arts & Crafts Show Bureau County Pork Producers BBQ Children’s Tractor Pull Petting Zoo Prairie Arts Center Exhibit Owen Lovejoy Homestead Tours Homestead Talent Showcase BBQ Rib Cook Off 50/50 Raffle Drawing 9

of WOMEN Illinois Valley Living’s

distinction

Honoring the women of the Illinois Valley — the Women of Distinction Awards focus on those ladies who make a difference in the lives of area citizens.

The Illinois Valley Living Women of Distinction Award is given to women who have made a difference in the Illinois Valley and who are representative role models as leaders in their fields and communities. Illinois Valley Living is excited to offer this annual event to honor those women who make a difference in the lives of others.

What woman do you know who has gone that extra mile to benefit others? Who has taken a stand; made a difference; and/or been a role model for others? We want to hear about these wonderful women from you.

Nominations are currently being accepted for the annual Women of Distinction Award. Honorees will be chosen by a selection committee of the 2013 Women of Distinction Award winners.

In the fall of this year, a welcome reception will precede a luncheon and awards ceremony, where multiple Women of Distinction Award winners will be honored and given the opportunity to share their stories.

To nominate a Woman of Distinction, go to www.illinoisvalleyliving.com and click on the ad on the right side of the page to complete the nomination form. You can also fill out the nomination form on the adjoining page and mail it to Women of Distinction, c/o Bureau County Republican, Attention: Editor Terri Simon, P.O. Box 340, Princeton, IL 61356.

Nominations will be accepted until 5 p.m., Aug. 1. For questions or more information, contact Simon at 815-875-4461, ext. 229.

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Illinois Valley Living

Women of Distinction identifies women who have made a difference in the Illinois Valley and who are representative role models as leaders in their fields and community. Honorees will be profiled in the Illinois Valley Living Magazine’s September issue and recognized at an awards luncheon on October 16th.

Please fill out this form completely (use additional paper if necessary) and return by August 1, 2014. Additional forms can be downloaded by visiting www.illinoisvalleyliving.com.

Today’s date:__________________________________________ Education:

A. Nominee’s Personal Information Name ___________________________________________________________ Organization/company/corp. _______________________________________ Title _____________________________________________________________ Phone ___________________________________________________________ City of residence __________________________________________________ E-mail __________________________________________________________ Hometown (childhood) ____________________________________________ Date of birth _____________________________________________________

______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ Family: ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________ Please include bio/résumé/vita

B. Achievements In the space below, please describe the nominee’s greatest personal, professional or job-related achievement. Honors or awards can be included as well as examples of a challenging problem solved, a major project completed or a product produced. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ C. Nominator *Name _____________________________________________________ Title _______________________________________________________ Organization _______________________________________________ Phone ______________________________________________________ *Email: _____________________________________________________ *Must include to be informed if your nominee has been selected

Presenting Sponsor

DEADLINE FOR NOMINATION: August 1, 2014 Mail: Women of Distinction % Bureau County Republican P.O. Box 340 Princeton, Illinois 61356 Attn: Terri Simon or Email: tsimon@bcrnews.com Subject line: Women of Distinction

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Illinois Valley Living

11

Kiley (left) and Hannah Herro of rural Tiskilwa gather the family’s eggs on their farm. The Herro children, along with brother, Charlie, have a variety of chores to do everyday — a different lifestyle to what they were accustomed to when they lived in an upscale suburban Chicago neighborhood. A few years ago, the Herro children’s parents, Mike and Aileene, decided they wanted to make some severe changes in how they were raising their children and have chosen the more wholesome way of life on their rural farm.

‘Life’s short!

Be happy! Live it!’

A REAL LIFE GREEN ACRES

Story and photos by Goldie Currie

“Third-graders carried new iPhone 4s; 16 year olds got brand new BMWs for their birthdays; and our kids complained hree years ago, Mike and Aileene about being the only ones who had to do Herro made the biggest decision of their lives when they gave up a chores, and it’s possible that could have comfortable Chicago lifestyle and moved been true,” Mike explained.

As he and Aileen looked around them, to the country. they didn’t like the sense of entitlement The Herro family was your typical suburban family, living within a wealthy kids in the area were getting; they didn’t neighborhood in Elmhurst. Mike worked like the rat race that surrounded them; they realized they were living a very as the corporate controller of his comdependant lifestyle; and quality family pany, making six figures. Aileen was a time was in no one’s schedule. full-time pharmacist and manager for Aileene said she began to realize if she Walgreens. Their three children were died the next day, she’d be mad at herbeing raised by a nanny, and a cleaning self. service was hired to tidy their home.

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“I thought to myself you spent the last several years of your life with you and Mike working like crazy and living in this big house. Couldn’t you get by with a smaller house and spend more time with your kids?” she said. “Once I had that thought I couldn’t say it was OK to continue what we were. From there I thought we don’t need this stuff; we don’t need this house. If we’re going to say our family is what really matters, we have to walk the walk.”

After much discussion and pondering, Mike and Aileen began seeking out a more wholesome lifestyle — one that would be healthy, self sufficient,

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Illinois Valley Living

Above, the Herro home is situated in rural Tiskilwa, and at right, the family’s chickens appear right at home with their city occupants. minimal and teach their children what a real work ethic meant.

“Our kids were raised by their nanny … They ate what they wanted, when they wanted; they had unlimited, unsupervised Internet time, unlimited TV time; friends on every corner; the list of luxuries went on and on,” Mike explained. “We didn’t think that was reality. Those kids grow up thinking everyone owes them something, and we wanted to get away from that.”

So they picked up and moved into a farmhouse in rural Tiskilwa in June 2011.

It was decided that Mike would quit his job to run the farm and raise the kids while doing freelance consulting work on the side, and Aileen would continue working full-time. With this decision, it meant the family’s income would be cut in half.

2nd Annual

Having no background on everyday farm life, the Herros had to, in a sense, learn a new way of life. From building a chicken coop to repairing a barn to bailing hay and caring for a yard that took six hours to mow.

The family also went from raising no pets in the city to, in one year, gaining the responsibility of five cows, 25 chickens, four cats and a dog.

“To say the least, my first impression and thought process was buzzing with excitement about the potential and simultaneously was afraid. I thought, where do we start? I don’t know how to do any of this stuff.

How is any of this going to get done?”

Mike said.

See Herro Page 14

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13

Mike Herro takes a moment out of his busy farming day to pay attention to one of the calves on his Tiskilwa farm. Formerly a corporate controller, he and his wife, Aileene, left the hectic and chaotic city lifestyle for one on the farm. While the Herros admit it hasn’t always been easy, they feel the change has shown them how to be better parents and live on much less. Quality versus quantity is integral to how the Herros live their lives on the farm.

Herro

From Page 13 The Herros admit the new experiences brought along hardships they greatly underestimated before dipping their toes into the stream of a new lifestyle.

“Anytime you take a cushy, comfy lifestyle like the one we had in Elmhurst, and completely flip it on edge so that most everything has changed, that’s a lot to digest. And it comes pre-packaged with hardships you didn’t even know existed,” Mike said.

One of Mike’s biggest challenges in the process has been learning how to be a fulltime parent to his kids.

“This part has been tough on a number of levels. I think the kids are having a hard time shifting gears … Now there is no nanny letting them do what they want, when they want. It’s just me, trying to implement the very changes we see to be beneficial to their minds, like limited exposure to electronics, eating healthy and actually having to do housework and animal chores,” he said.

Taking on the full-time farm responsibilities has also shown Mike the hard realization that, although he comes from a well educated, strong financial back-

14

Hannah Herro cuddles with one of the family’s barn cats. Young Hannah has adapted well to life on the farm. She is a student at Princeton Elementary. ground and holds a CPA and MBA, he somehow missed out on the critical list of life skills necessary to survive and thrive in the country. Things like operating a zero-turn radius mower, attaching a snow plow, raking hay, learning to ride an ATV, stringing an electric fence and much more were all new types of challenges he had to overcome. He admits there were a lot of mistakes made in the learning process, but those mistakes brought along knowledge, skills, an increased level of self confidence

and self sufficiency, and the sweet satisfactory feeling of accomplishment.

The Herro family has fielded many questions about their life change, and they have good reasons they share to those who ask.

“Having to live on less and to make do with what you have leads to understanding true value. It instills appreciation for the little we do actually have. It teaches patience and a greater awareness for treating the things we own properly and caring greatly for things so they last forever.

It teaches resourcefulness, thrift, to use less and make a smaller footprint on this infinite earth we all have to live on,” Mike explained If there’s one big insight this change has taught the Herro family, it’s happiness is anywhere a person makes it.

“Happiness is not found by moving from Elmhurst to Princeton. Happiness was in Elmhurst; happiness is here in Princeton, and I’m quite sure happiness would be where we decide to go next, if that ever happens,” Mike said. “Happiness is not achieved by having tons of money.

We were happy with a lot of money, but guess what, we are still happy with much less. Life’s short! Be happy! Live it.”

Illinois Valley Living

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Illinois Valley Living

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15

A blast from the past ROUTE 34 SERVES UP CINEMA WITH A SIDE OF NOSTALGIA Story and photos by Ken Schroeder

I

t’s been 81 years since Richard Hollingshead patented and opened the first drive-in theater in Camden, N.J. On June 6, 1933, Park-In Theaters showed “Wives Beware,” starring Adolphe Menjou to eager motorists who paid 25 cents per head and 25 cents per car.

Drive-in movies peaked in popularity in the 1950s but have declined to a shadow of their former numbers, and it’s a rare area that’s fortunate enough to have one.

The Route 34 Drive-in in Earlville is a relative newcomer to the business, being built in 1953. The current owner, Ron Mignone Jr., bought the theater in 1994.

Movie theaters are in Mignone’s blood; his father managed the Illinois Valley Twin Cinemas in LaSalle during the early 1980s.

“What else would I do?” Mignone said.

“I can’t see myself working at Walmart.”

A drive past the ticket booth to the viewing area is like a step into the past.

Rows of viewing slots fill the lot, each on the traditional raised hill that tilted the vehicle for a better view of the screen. A wide expanse of grass sits between the front row and the screen for children (and adults) to play before the movie.

There’s room at the theater for 350 cars, and the season normally runs from early April to the end of October (weather permitting).

“I opened late this year,” Mignone said. “In April, we still had snow out here.”

The old-time speakers are still there

Above, the Route 34 Drive-in screen stands majestically in the Earlville countryside. Built in 1953, the current owner, Ron Mignone Jr., bought the place in 1994. At left, a group of teenagers get ready to enjoy a movie at the drive-in theater, a journey to the past that still does well in Earlville. with their infamous tinny sound, but the theater also broadcasts the sound on a low power radio frequency, giving you the quality of sound your radio has to offer.

Movies start at dusk and are usually double-bills unless the main movie is long enough to make a second impractical. The theater is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

No drive-in is complete without a concession stand, and Route 34’s does it right with almost everything you might get at a mom-and-pop fast food diner.

Nachos, shrimp, hot dogs, big bubbly drinks, and of course, popcorn. A pool table is also there, in case the person driving the family to the theatre would rather not see the movie.

The concession stand at Route 34 shares space with the projection room, where two mammoth projectors send their image across the lot to the big screen.

Like many other drive-in theaters these days, Route 34 is facing a large problem in technology; movie studios are starting to switch to an all-digital format, which will make projectors obsolete (The projectors in the drive-in are from the ‘40s.). The cost for a digital system is not cheap, and Mignone is fighting an uphill battle to buy one.

“I’ve raised $22,000 out of $75,000,” Mignone said. “So far, only Paramount has made the switch, and Sony will stop after ‘Spider-Man 2,’ although that isn’t in stone yet. Everybody else is making film, just not as many prints, so it’s hard to get much.”

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According to the Smithsonian Institute, the number of drive-ins peaked in 1958, with just more than 4,000 licensed theaters. Today, that number is somewhere between 350 and 400.

Illinois boasted 154 at one time; now the Route 34 is one of 11 still open, according to Drive-ins.com. The main reason for the drop is one of economics.

“It costs a lot more to run an outdoor theater than it does an indoor,” Mignone said. “An indoor, you can have 12 screens, one concession stand with two or three people behind it.

There’s nobody upstairs running the machines. It’s run off your iPhones.”

Drive-ins have enjoyed a slight renaissance of late, striking a chord with new viewers and the people who remember their youth.

“We go to theaters like this mostly for nostalgia,’ Erwin Dammirs said, sitting in a ‘60s convertible. “The first movie is always the better one, but you don’t really get a good picture until way after dark.”

“It was a thrill when I was a little girl to go to the theater in your pajamas and go out in public in your pajamas,” fellow theater-goer Kimberly Bratis said. “Then you could sit in the car and sleep. It was always ‘the thing.’ In high school, I owned a Lincoln Town Car, and I admit I packed most of the girls in my trunk.

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Above, the projection room at the Route 34 Drive-in theater boasts projectors from the 1950s. At left, a drivein theater wouldn’t be complete without a good old-fashioned concession stand, which sells a variety of treats to enjoy while watching the double features at the drive-in.

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Duane Paulsen has written a historical book (above)on the Green River Ordnance Plant, a place where several thousand people worked to assemble ammunition during World War II. Here, he stands before an igloo, a storage facility for the ammunition where it was kept until it was delivered.

Helping to win the war GREEN RIVER ORDINANCE PLANT IS FILLED WITH WARTIME MEMORIES Story and photos Donna Barker Photos contributed

S

pread over 8,342 acres of land northeast of Amboy in southern Lee County, the Green River Ordnance Plant was once the site of focused energy, with several thousand employees working around the clock to assemble ammunition for use during World War II. Local historian Duane Paulsen has compiled the history of the Green River

Ordnance Plant into a 60-page book filled with information gleaned through local newspapers, photos and personal interviews with some of the remaining workers alive at the time of the book, published in 1995. The project was done at the request of the Dixon Public Library which had received a grant for the project.

The story of the Green River Ordnance Plant is a fascinating one, “a living remnant of World War II right in this area,” Paulsen said.

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At its peak, the Green River Ordnance Plant was like a small city, with its own hospital, cafeteria, fire station, newspaper and radio station, 12 power plants, administration building and communications building, a housing development, railroad classification yard and a weather station, Paulsen said. There were 420 structures of various kinds, along with all the necessary services of sewer, water and telephone.

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Throughout its three-year operating period, Green River employed a total of about 13,000 workers, who came from near and far to assemble ammunition like artillery shells, naval shells, bombs, rifle grenades, fuses and rockets. Green River was the first, and possibly the only, plant in United States to produce rocketpropelled bazooka ammunition, Paulsen said.

As would be expected, the workforce was primarily male when it opened its doors in 1942, but by the end of the war, the workers were primarily women because the men had gone to war. Some workers came out of a sense of patriotism; others came for the good wages.

It is the stories of the workers themselves that have been the most amazing part of his research for the book, Paulsen said.

As an example, there was the woman who came back to work the day after she learned her son had been killed in battle, saying she knew her son would want her to do what she could to hasten the end of war, Paulsen said. There was the 22-yearold woman who took off only one day after learning her husband of a year had been killed in action. There were women in their 50s and 60s who worked there, some with 10 or 11 kids. There were college kids who worked at the ordnance plant during their summers home. There was the pharmacist

This aerial view of the Green River Ordnance Plant above shows the massive acreage it consumed near Amboy. At left, one of the original buildings still remains, despite years of isolation since the plant was vibrant and full of workers. Today, the property is privately owned.

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The building and operation of the Green River Ordnance Plant (Information from “Memories of The Green River Ordnance Plant, 1942-1945”, by Duane Paulsen • The Green River Ordnance Plant was one of five ordnance, or ammunition assembly, plants in Illinois during World War II. The other plants were located in the Illiopolis, Marion, Elwood and Kankakee areas.

• The Green River Ordnance Plant was built in eight months time, with construction beginning in April 1942.

The cost estimate for the new plant was $24,433,000. An estimated 12,000 workers were employed during the construction time, including about 200 draftsmen and engineers. Construction work was done 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

• A factor in site selection was the fact that the soil was sandy as opposed to rocky. Therefore in the case of an explosion, the shock would be absorbed into the ground rather than radiating out and damaging other structures.

Also, the Illinois Central and C.B. & Q. Railroads were nearby. The needed manpower was available, described as “loyal, patriotic Americans who will work earnestly and safely at the plant,” according to a local news account.

• Workers came from a distance, in car pools and buses.

Private homes in numerous communities were transformed into rooming houses. Other home owners rented out spare bedrooms. Local businesses thrived. Restaurants and taverns did a booming business at all hours of the day because the Green River plant ran 24 hours a day.

• Workers not only worked hard, but also formed lasting friendships. They established bowling and baseball teams, a band and an orchestra. Many celebrated birthdays and holidays together. Others met while working at the plant and married.

• Though located only a mile outside of Amboy, the plant was given a Dixon address because it was thought the Amboy Post Office was too small to handle the large amount of mail that was anticipated for the plant.

M.R. Holmbeck, D.V.M. B.R. Sondgeroth, D.V.M. C.M. Schelkopf, D.V.M.

Above is what remains of the water tower and another building. The top of the water tower was disassembled, leaving the tower behind.

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From Page 19 from the Chicago area who became an inspector to make sure things were done properly, that munitions were produced up to established ordnance standards and would not cause dangerous conditions on the war front. There was the woman who died on the job when an accidental explosion killed her as she was packing a rifle grenade into its shipping container. In the plant’s three years of operation, that was the only death, Paulsen said.

For all of its bustle, for all of its activity and focus, the Green River Ordnance Plant closed down in August 1945, shortly after the war ended. Initially, the General Services Administration took control of the site. During the Cold War, which historians say lasted from approximately 1947-1991, the Civil Defense Agency used some of the buildings to store emergency supplies, such as cots, food supplies and cans of water.

When there was no longer a need to store these items, the government put the buildings up for sale.

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Today, the Green River Ordnance Plant is primarily an industrial park used by various companies. There is an expanding landfill, salvage yards, warehouses and storage buildings.

Some area landowners bought back their acres from the government, and that land is now used in farm operations. There are some areas now overgrown with grasses and lined with discarded vehicles.

But still, Paulsen said the open roads leading visitors through the former Green River Ordnance Plant site are worth traveling. There are standing storage buildings from the Green River days, some of which have been upgraded for private business use. There are sections of rail still visible, used by the Green River Ordnance Plant to carry products and materials from assembly lines to storage buildings. There are remaining igloos, the grass-covered, cement structures used to store assembled products until they could be shipped to their destination.

As visitors drive through the former Green River Ordnance Plant area, they can pull to the side of the road and imagine the day, nearly 70 years ago, when people from throughout the area came to put their shoulders together and do their part to win World War II.

At right, only the shell remains of a Green River building, like the one pictured above. A trip through the area reveals a place in time nearly 70 years ago, when 13,000 area residents worked around the clock to assemble ammunition for use in World War II. The area had its own hospital, newspaper, stores , and much more.

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Building the body Amy Johnson works out at Anytime Fitness in Princeton. Johnson, a mother of four, is new to the body building sport, but that didn’t stop her from capturing fifth place in a recent body building competition in Ottawa.

AMY JOHNSON COMPETES IN BODYBUILDING COMPETITION Story and photos by Goldie Currie

T

here’s more to aesthetic bodybuilding than meets the eye.

Aside from pumping the iron, the sport takes precision, patience, confidence and discipline to develop a near perfectly, defined anatomy for competition.

Just ask Amy Johnson, a personal trainer at Anytime Fitness in Princeton, who competed in her first ever body-

building competition earlier this year.

She will tell you the experience and training involved was more challenging than she ever imagined, but the results and opportunities that came along with it were beyond satisfying.

“It takes a lot of confidence, and a little bit of cocky goes a long way; but that’s the nature of the beast,” she said.

Johnson has always considered herself a health nut. As a trainer, she’s spends a lot of time at the local gyms

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working on her own fitness goals while motivating others to reach their own desires.

When the opportunity to train for her first bodybuilding competition landed in her lap, she hardly thought twice about it before jumping on the bandwagon. Little did she know, however, training to be an aesthetic bodybuilder would be a new animal — less pumping iron, more using science and diet to define the body.

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When she agreed to compete, she had 12 weeks to prep. She hired a coach, who put her on a diet and fitness routine designed specifically for bodybuilders. This included eliminating her beloved endurance training routines, like Crossfit and boxing, which she admits was tough.

She was switched to a highprotein diet that included six meals a day and aimed to burn and shed as much body fat and water weight as possible.

She explained her goal was to stop building muscle and work on techniques that better sculpted and toned the muscle mass she already had built.

Like all fitness training, the process sounded easier than actually doing it. Johnson admits to having her rough days.

“The diet itself can be very isolating because you can’t eat out and can’t go out with friends and have a drink,” she said. “But I just had to do what my coach was telling me and trust in him that he knew best. “

Amy Johnson has always been a self-described “health nut,” but she says body building is a whole new experience. Between fitness training and a strict diet, Johnson said she had to be very disciplined in order to achieve the results for which the body building judges were looking.

When her body began about working to look strong, transforming, she noticed not actually being strong. her endurance dramatically “Most bodybuilders are at decreased. their very weakest the day Before training she could of completion,” she said. run six miles with no prob“You’re tearing down your lem, but now she had a hard body for three months to look time finding energy for the good for one day. It’s a very treadmill. An interesting fact, disciplined hobby. You have aesthetic bodybuilding is a new appreciation for the

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people who do it.”

Through the hardships and crazy demands from her coach, what motivated Johnson to push through to competition?

“So I could look someone in the eye and say I’ve been through that, and I know where you’re at,” she said.

Johnson competed in Ottawa in March and placed fifth place in her division — her original goal was to make the Top 20.

Johnson now has an interest in working to become a trainer for fellow area aesthetic bodybuilders.

“I want to motivate other people. They say it takes a village to raise a child. It’s a group effort thing,” she said.

Johnson admits that if it hadn’t been for the support she received from her fellow trainer friends, she might have not made it to competition.

“I’ve got strong support here. We were all doing the same thing and I’m lucky that I had that,” she said. “For my first rodeo, that support encouraged me all the way.”

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Rene (left) and Lynn Noble of Malden have led the Kids Klub ministry for the past 25 years. The Nobles are the third directors for the Kids Klub program, which began in 1953. According to Lynn, Kids Klub is “more than just learning Bible stories; it’s learning how to use that knowledge this week in their lives.”

A ‘Noble’ labor of love

LEADING THE CHILDREN TO JESUS Story and photos by Donna Barker

“Let the little children come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of God.”

R

ene and Lynn Noble of Malden have followed that Bible verse year after year as they have led the Kids Klub ministry for the past 25 years.

A not-for-profit, non-denominational ministry, Kids Klub Inc. is dedicated to reaching children with the Christian gospel of belief in Jesus Christ. The program includes weekly “klub” meetings and summer camps. This year, Kids Klub completed its 2013-14 school year with 19 club programs reaching an estimated 450 children.

At the end of each club meeting and each club year, Rene said he wants the children to take home with them some Bible verses and knowledge that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

“The Bible stories give principles that God wants the children, all of us, to live by,” Rene said.

24

Volunteers are an asset for Kids Klub as they help prepare materials for club meetings and camps. Rene (above) and Lynn (at right) work with some of the volunteers who help with the program.

His wife agreed, saying she really stresses application of the Bible stories with the kids and how those stories can make a difference in their lives.

“It’s more than just learning Bible stories; it’s learning how to use that knowledge this week in their lives,” Lynn said. “Lots of kids are facing hard times, and we hope what we are saying is helping them.”

Also, hopefully, the children will leave the Kids Klub program having

seen a difference in the lives of the leaders and also knowing their leaders care for them, Rene said. For the Nobles, that means going to lots of ball games and school programs, so the kids know they matter to them all the time — not just when they are at “Klub,” Lynn said.

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History/trivia on Kids Klub Inc.

Area Kids Klub members participate in a variety of activities, including camps, club meetings and more, like the ones pictured here. The weekly Kids Klub programs are geared for children kindergarten through eighth grade. Members enjoy a club atmosphere. No dues are collected. Members sing Bible songs, learn and recite Bible verses, and participate in a variety of other fun activities.

The Nobles are actually the third directors for the Kids Klub program, which began in 1953 under the leadership of Lillie Noakes and Ruth Attebery. In 1971, Rex and Geneva Stanley became the second directors. After Geneva’s death, Rex later remarried, and he and his second wife, Arlene, continued as directors until their retirement in 1988.

At that time, the Nobles were living in Dallas, Texas, where Rene was studying for a second master’s degree, having already received a master of theology degree. When visiting Lynn’s relatives in Ottawa, they learned about the ministry of Kids Klub and the need for a director.

The rest, as they say, is history.

The Kids Klub ministry and directorship seemed like a great fit for them, the Nobles said. The couple had always worked with children and planned to work with either children or young people after Rene finished seminary.

They had seen how the Holy Spirit of God

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had worked in the lives of kids and liked the fact that the Kids Klub program was evangelistic, reaching out into communities, Rene said.

Through the years, the Kids Klub program has impacted hundreds of children, but it has also impacted the lives of the adults and young people working with the program, including themselves, the Nobles agreed.

“You think you know the Bible, but when you are teaching it, the Bible has as much an impact on me as on the kids,” Lynn said. “It helps in your own spiritual growth as a person. Also, I’ve made some wonderful friends through Kids Klub.”

Rene agreed.

“It’s been a great privilege to have an impact on the lives of children. You get to have a part in their lives. You follow them along and see what God does with them.

When you see what God has done in the lives of children, that’s the most rewarding part,” he said.

• In May 1962, Kids Klub was incorporated under the state of Illinois as non-profit, religious and educational organization under the name of Kids’ Klubs Inc. A six-member board of laymen along with the directors handle the business of the organization. A constitution, by-laws and doctrinal statement are published on the Kids Klub web site.

• The weekly Kids Klub programs is geared for children kindergarten through eighth grades. Each meeting seeks to create a club atmosphere, but without dues, and includes singing Bible songs, learning and reciting Bible verses and saying the pledges to the Christian flag, the United States flag and to the Bible.

There is a missionary focus as well. Offerings are taken which go to a different missionary project each year.

• The Kids Klub weekly meetings run through the school year, ending in early spring. Summer programs include overnight and day camps, where high-schoolers and college kids are among the volunteers serving as helpers and cabin counselors.

• For the past 14 years, Kids Klub has rented a camp site near Streator for its summer camp program.

• The Kids Klubs ministry is housed in a property in Malden.

• The Kids Klub teaching program is a seven-year cycle through the Bible, with four years in the Old Testament and three years in the New Testament.

• A total of about 125 volunteers were helping with this past year’s club program.

There’s also a group of about 10 regular volunteers who come to the Kids Klub office building to prepare materials, badges and awards and small gifts for the children. The volunteers have a heart for kids and that’s why they do what they do, Director Rene Noble said.

25

No Illinois Valley beer can collection would be complete without a Star Model beer. Haws holds a steel can from the former Peru brewery.

Hiking through hops history A COLLECTION BY CHANCE

Story and photos by Ken Schroeder

S

ome people will go to great lengths in order to build a collection.

That’s both true and not-so-true when it comes to Marge Haws. Throughout the years, Haws has accumulated a rather impressive beer can collection with national and regional breweries well-represented. True, she did a bit of walking to get them, but she was already in the neighborhood.

“Most of them I picked up along the side of the road, but once people found out that I had some, they’d save them for me. My husband and I traveled a lot with another couple, and as we traveled, we girls sat in the backseat, and your legs get stiff,” Haws said. “So the guys would dump us out and go down the road a mile, and we would walk down the road and pick up beer cans.”

From the New York state area — where Genesee beer is an inexpensive favorite — to along the western United StatesCanadian border — home of the out-

26

Gettleman’s Beer cans make more than a few appearances on Haws’ wall.

One of many beer companies which vied for consumers’ taste buds in the early 20th Century, the company tapped its last keg in 1954.

A Pittsburgh beer that started as a joke by a local radio personality, Haws has several collectible cans of Olde Frothingslosh, marketed as the “stale pale ale.”

Most of the cans featured a photo of Fatima Yechbergh, a 300-pound woman Inspired by a running gag on a Pittsburgh in a swimsuit who ostensibly won a local radio station, Olde Frothingslosh was pro- beauty contest. The beer was brewed off duced off and on for 30 years and marketed and on between 1954 and 1985. as the “pale stale ale.”

No local beer can collection would be complete without some Star Model cars. Haws’ treasures are steel cans that door-themed Schmidt cans — to New required a can opener.

Orleans — home of Dixie Beer — Haws Haws will still add the occasional can has marked her travels on large sections to her walls of fame, although lately her of two walls in her basement. grandson has been keeping the collecHaws can’t place an exact date on when she started collecting but knows it tion going, or accumulating as Haws was sometime during the ‘70s. However, puts it.

“I don’t collect,” she said. “I accumuseveral cans in her possession are much late.” older than that.

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27

Martha Mareta supervises in the room at the Leonore business, where the family’s popular brands of sauces are made. Mareta Foods is well known for their spinach, cheese and beef ravioli, as well as their spicy marinara and spaghetti sauces.

‘It’s how we do business’ MARETA FOODS: THE LEGACY CONTINUES ... AND MORE

Story and photos by Dixie Schroeder

Fishery and asked him about possibly selling some of their product. McGrath told her he would take 125 bags. ne of the area’s hidden treasures is “My mother thought, ‘How on earth Mareta Foods, a multi-generation will we ever make 125 bags?’” Martha family business located in Leonore. said. “Being a very good Catholic, she Mareta is known for its spinach, cheese and even asked the priest if they could work beef ravioli as well as its sauces, both spicy on Sundays.” marinara and spaghetti.

The family business continued upon Started in 1956 in the kitchen of JenMartha Mareta’s purchase of it. She was nie and Peter Mareta, the business then joined by sons, Steve and Michael was purchased in 1994 by daughter, when they went federal, which means Martha, who now runs it with sons, Mareta Foods’ recipe for pasta includes the they could distribute their product Michael and Steve Villarreal. Martha’s use of fresh ingredients, which translates beyond Illinois state lines. third son, Joseph Villarreal, teaches to a tasty and wonderful product that is a Fresh ingredients are used in a big welding at the Area Vocational Center legacy for the company. portion of the creation of the products in LaSalle “There was a time when over 20 high Mareta Foods sells. The family believes in The first 20 years the business was school girls would come in,” she said. “It quality and honesty in all they do, Martha mainly run by family. Martha said an said. older sister and her friends helped out. took a lot to hand wrap the ravioli and “I’m really glad I continued it, and my “My sister had two friends who were bag them.”

For the first 20 years, the ravioli were sons are just as persnickety, which is twins. They would come over every great,” she said. “We don’t vary the make day, so my sister could go out to play,” hand wrapped, but in 1975 the family purchased their first automated up of the product because of the price Martha said. “There wasn’t much for machines. There was a machine which of flour or the meat or the eggs. We even kids to do back then, and pretty soon made the dough and a machine which crack all our eggs fresh.” sales started to pick up as frozen food wrapped the ravioli. As the business Today there are three full-time and was just getting big at that time.” began to sell more product, Jennie Mare- three part-time employees at the main The three girls as well as others in ta approached John McGrath of McGrath location in Leonore. the community had work.

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Staff members bag and box Mareta Foods’ raviolis for delivery to local restaurants and grocery stores throughout the Illinois Valley. The family recently spread their culinary wings and opened Mareta Pasta and Deli in LaSalle. The deli features Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches, fresh homemade salads and much more.

Michael and Steve have taken their mother’s philosophy and life lessons to heart as they have expanded into a fresh foods deli in LaSalle. Mareta Pasta and Deli is located at 148 Gooding St. The restaurant features fresh, homemade salads, subs and sandwiches.

“The only thing we buy is produce, deli meats and cheese; otherwise we make everything,” Michael Villarreal said. “We make the breads; we make the desserts, the cheesecake, cinnamon rolls, soups

everything. It’s either made here at the deli or at Mareta Foods.”

Mareta Pasta and Deli features Chicagostyle Italian beef sandwiches, making the Italian beef up almost every day. They don’t deep fry anything. Pork tenderloins for sandwiches are large cuts of meat, hand pounded out before being cooked.

Sandwiches are amply portioned, and customers usually don’t finish them because they are so big. Food is served quickly.

“It’s fast, but it’s not fast food,” he said. “If there is an opportunity for an idea that works and we like what we are doing and having fun, and we are able to bring a good product to our customers, then we’re the manufacturer. There is nothing more stopping us from having more than one (business),” he said.

“Businesses come, and businesses go.

Friendships come, and friendships go. But you have to remain true to yourself; It’s part of the way I was raised. It’s how we do business,” Martha said.

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This vintage photo is of Dominic Sandretto, a watchmaker. The rack on the left appears to have pocket watches that he may be calibrating. The photo is compliments of Jim Piacenti.

What time is it?

LADD AND PERU MEN HAD AN IMPACT ON THAT QUESTION Story by Charles Byvik Photo contributed

I

n the decades surrounding the 1900s, few homes had clocks. Large cities erected clock towers like London’s Big Ben to provide time for their citizenry. Factory whistles would provide notice of a work shift. Church bells chimed to announce services. School bells alerted students the start of classes.

Cities, towns and villages relied on their local railroads for the time of day. Accurate time and clock synchronization were critical to the operations of railroads. Dependable timetables were important for passengers and freight shipments. Arrival and departure schedules for trains on single track systems required synchronized time between stations to avoid collisions. All stations on a rail line had pendulum driven Standard Clocks that were synchronized every hour by telegraph.

Prior to leaving the station, the conductor and engineer were required to set their watches with the train dispatcher to within 30 seconds. These railroad approved pocket watches were regularly calibrated by certified watchmakers. In these early days, teen-aged boys in Ladd and other Illinois Valley communities were employed by the railroads as “Call Boys,” alarm clocks, to roust the railroad crews from their homes to get them to work on time.

Clocks and clock synchronization were popular technology challenges in the United States and Europe in this period. In cities around the world, time was determined by observatories with telescopes that, for a fee, would track the sun across the

30

sky and provide a signal at solar noon. Of course this meant that noon varied from city to city, even if the cities were only a few miles apart. For example, solar noon in Chicago is eight minutes earlier than noon in Ladd.

The Harvard College Observatory in 1875 made $2,500 selling time. Parisians could purchase clocks to attach to city steam pipes and synchronized pneumatically every 15 minutes to within 15 seconds by pressure pulses from a central master clock. By the early years of the 1900s, clocks throughout Bern, Switzerland, were set to the same time by telegraph links.

Einstein was immersed in this clock technology craze. As a patent clerk in Bern, he reviewed patent applications related

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Illinois Valley Living

to clocks and their synchronization. Key to his famous Special Theory of Relativity published in 1905 is this idea of synchronized clocks. Clock patents proliferated worldwide in these days.

Citizens in the Illinois Valley were not to be left out of this technology field.

Dominic Sandretto, a watchmaker in Ladd, was certified to calibrate watches for the railroad. A consummate tinkerer, Sandretto designed a mechanism that electrified mechanical clocks and was awarded two patents in 1908.

Remarkably in the same year, Peru resident George Kern patented the design for an alarm clock. Based on his patent, the Western Clock Co. (Westclox) began production of the Big Ben alarm clock. The Big Ben alarm clock sold for $2.50 in 1910, and was marketed worldwide and ultimately sold millions around the world. Westclox was a major industry in the Illinois Valley employing thousands of residents until closed in 1980.

Gone are the railroads connecting the once coal mining villages in the Illinois Valley. Gone are the telegraph lines synchronizing the Standard Clocks at railroad stations. The clock towers like London’s Big Ben are remnants of horological history and now tourist attractions.

Telegraphing time has been replaced by radio transmissions from satellites and cell phone towers. Time everywhere on the earth is standardized to Universal Time determined by analyzing astronomical observations of the motion of stars and extragalactic radio sources. Pendulum driven Standard Clocks have been replaced by atomic clocks. Time keeping and clock synchronization of the 1900s have been replaced by advances in technology.

So, what time is it?!

Look at your phone; smart or not. Your friend’s phone 100 miles away shows the same time! These clocks are synchronized to a 100th of a second! Unimaginable a century ago!

Today, digital clocks are found in automobiles, home appliances, agricultural equipment, telecommunication devices, medical appliances, manufacturing production lines, traffic control systems, heating and air conditioning systems — smart electronics with clocks are ubiquitous. The Internet and cell phone connections would not be possible without precision time and synchronized clocks. How is this precision possible?

More than two dozen Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites are in 12,000 miles high orbits. Each of these satellites with two atomic clocks on board transmit high accuracy time back to receivers on earth, to cell phone towers and to personal GPS devices enabling worldwide synchronization of clocks. Interestingly, the time transmitted by these satellite borne atomic clocks must be adjusted to account for the satellite’s relative speed and gravitational effects predicted by Einstein’s Relativity theories. Without these relativistic corrections, the position reported by GPS devices would be in error by six miles in one day.

A hundred years ago, a watchmaker in Ladd, an inventor in Peru and a patent clerk in Bern, Switzerland, contributed to advancing the clock technology of their day. As a result of their contributions and the efforts of many other innovators throughout the decades since, we are able to communicate wirelessly worldwide and, with the Internet, transmit huge data files and stream videos via the Internet — all enabled by accurate clocks and precision time synchronization.

Want to learn more? For the role GPS plays in providing precision and synchronized time see www.gps.gov/applications/ timing/. To view an animation of the GPS Constellation see www.schriever.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-070914069.mpg.

Charles Byvik is the son of Andrew and Kathryn Byvik, native Ladd residents and owners of Byvik’s Grocery Store that closed in 1975. He is a graduate of Ladd Grade School and St. Bede Academy. He has a PhD in physics, performed research at NASA, and recently retired form his position as associate director for electronics in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

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Sommer launches moonshine alternative FORMER RESIDENT IS BREWING COMPANY’S CEO AND FOUNDER Story and photos by Lyle Ganther

A

man who left Bureau County to pursue a dream in the racing business came back recently to promote an alternative moonshine product his company creates in his own brewery in North Carolina.

Cody Sommer, who grew up in Sheffield and was born in Kewanee, is CEO and founder of Stout Brewing Co. of Kings Mountain, N.C. A 20,000-square-foot brewery and warehouse were built just outside Charlotte, N.C., and Sommer then became one of the youngest brewery owners in the country.

Great America is the name of a substitute and alternative for moonshine customers brewed by Sommer’s company. It comes in two flavors and is packaged in Mason jars.

“It is much more affordable because the way we make the product,” he said. “I was able to create something not only unique, but make it affordable for everyone. We are now in seven states.”

After getting a license to sell in Illinois, Sommer wanted to get the product to the state because he grew up here.

“It was very important for me to get the product here,” he said.

He recently came back to Illinois to launch the product in Galesburg, LaSallePeru and Princeton markets. Sommer said he normally doesn’t come to a state to participate in a kickoff event with distributors selling the company’s products.

Cody Sommer, who grew up in Sheffield in western Bureau County, is the CEO and founder of the Stout Brewing Co. of Kings Mountain, N.C. One of the youngest brewery owners in the country, Sommer has developed a “moonshine” type of brew, which is packaged in Mason jars and sold in seven states.

“I literally wanted to come here. It was home for me. I know a lot of people when I am walking around. Running into those people when you are selling is fun,” he said.

Sommer credits his aunt, Tracy Braddy, who operates Skoonerz in Princeton, as a big supporter.

Great America is now being sold in Bureau County businesses. It is being distributed by Euclid Beverages.

Sommer graduated from Bureau Valley High School in 2005 and attended Illinois Valley Community College for one

year before taking the opportunity to work in the racing industry.

“I literally dropped everything I had and left. I know for my family it was quite a surprise at the time, but it was a decision I wanted to make,” he said. “I have a brother and sisters, and most of my family still lives in Bureau County.”

Sommer was big into racing in his earlier years and raced at the Bureau County Speedway.

“Racing was my passion, but after awhile, I realized I had to find something to do as a career. I had an opportunity

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to go to Charlotte, N.C., where racing is everything. All the big people are there, Hendrick, Earnhardt, Gibbs.

“I didn’t drive a car, but worked in the sport for almost five years. I worked for all kinds of teams, doing all kinds of stuff.

I was living my dream, a small-town boy traveling up and down the road.

Change in career “In 2008, the market crashed in NASCAR, and teams were folding. Sommer and others were laid off by racing teams. Sommer worked for Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, who laid off 200 of its 400 employees in the company.

“I thought my career was done because I thought that what was what I was going to do for the rest of my life. It was kind of a shock. I thought I had it figured all out what I was going to do. My dream from when I was in Sheffield was carried all the way done there. Unfortunately, I had to make a change,” he said.

Sommer and many others in the racing industry then were unemployed and trying to find a job.

Sommer decided to enter the beverage industry after talking to someone he knew who offered him a job. Sommer worked for this company for two years, learning a lot about the packaged goods industry.

“It is kind of like racing, ironically. It is very competitive and cutthroat. You have people trying to knock you off the top, just like racing. I fit in very well with the whole

Cody Sommer’s Stout Brewing Co. makes two products — Stout 21 and Great America, which is a “moonshine” brew that comes in two flavors. Formerly involved with NASCAR, Sommer decided to enter the beverage industry after teams started folding when the economy went bad in 2008. beverage industry,” he said.

“I just realized that if I really wanted to make it big, I would have to create it on my own. I started going to the drawing board of consumer package products.

I didn’t know what I was going to do. I didn’t know if I was going to be in potato chips or tea or water or whatnot. But I did know that if you could create something innovative and creative, that the sky was the limit.

“So I wanted to be very different. I wanted to take certain things and flip it on its head and innovate in the category. The

business wasn’t started yet. I had the ideas on paper. I went up and down the road for two years, again unemployed, and finally met some investors who were willing to give me a shot. They really believed in me and my story and where I came from.

They thought I was very genuine. They gave me a chance. This wasn’t a small investment.”

Stout Brewing Co. makes two products called Stout 21 and Great America. Its websites are www.drinkgreatamerica. com, www.stout21.com or www.stoutbeverages.com.

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Ellen (from left), Anna and Dennis Zehr are the owners of Coneflower Farm, a 13-acre expanse which produces a plethora of fresh vegetables and more. Regulars at the Farmer’s Market in Princeton, the Zehrs are well-known for their wide variety of tasty produce. The family’s other two children, Luke and Simon, also help on the farm.

Farming the land at Coneflower Farm ZEHR FAMILY OPERATES PRODUCE FARM

Story and photos by Lyle Ganther

D

ennis Zehr and Ellen Davis-Zehr have toiled many hours to grow 50 different types of vegetables and other produce on their 13-acre Coneflower Farm in rural Tiskilwa.

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It is an organic (not certified) produce farm owned and operated by the Zehrs throughout the last 24 years. The couple’s three children, Luke, Simon and Anna, have grown up to help on the farm, which has almost been the sole income of the Zehr family throughout its existence.

The farm consists of 13 acres, which includes about 3.5 acres currently gardened, with some land for pasture and hay, a few fruit trees, several beehives, a wooded hill, a very small stream, a small building for livestock (dairy goats and laying hens) and a storage building.

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Illinois Valley Living

A 2,160-square-foot hoop house was erected several years ago.

The gardens get planted with about 50 different types of vegetables, in addition to melons, strawberries, raspberries and herbs. Some work is done by tractor and fossil-fueled implements, however, hand labor is a primary method for cultivation and harvesting.

The Zehrs have developed a marketing community-supported agriculture plan where a family gets a box of produce each week for 24 weeks from late May to October. They have also been selling their produce at the Princeton Farmers Market.

“We figure we have been there 800 times in the last 23 years,” said Dennis.

“We have very clear memories of the first time at the Farmers Market; one of the vendors whom had been there for awhile would help us out.”

The Zehrs now have an established customer base and encourage younger vendors to sell at the market.

“Last year, we had two high school age vendors sell. We hope they will come back this year because we want to make sure we have enough vendors and produce to sell to customers. We encourage

customers to patronize other vendors as well,” he said.

Regular days for the Princeton Farmers Market are 3 to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. It is held at 935 N. Main St. in Princeton at the intersection of Elm Place and North Main Street.

The community support for farmers market has grown to establish a Princeton Farmers Market Corporation, of which Ellen is a board member.

“This is a great development to have a number of people support the market which is good for the community and nearby businesses,” added Dennis.

Dennis and Ellen both moved to the Tiskilwa area in 1982 and got married in 1985. Dennis worked at Menno Haven while Ellen attended Plow Creek Church.

After getting married, they went to the southern African country of Lesotho to work with the Mennonite Central Committee for three years.

“We worked in a rural village without running water or electricity,” remembers Dennis. “While there, we developed a plan to come back to start a small farm like this. That was in 1991, and we raised our family here.”

Our family serving your family and the greater Princeton community since 1903

The Princeton Farmer’s Market draws shoppers from all around the Illinois Valley, and the Zehr family greets guests like they are long-time friends ... and many of them are.

The Zehrs have been growing and selling their produce, which includes about 50 different items for many years.

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Patty Smith loves animals, and if you do too, you’ll want to visit the Bow Wow Boutique in downtown Utica, where pets are welcome to browse along with their owners. Smith opened her pet store last year, and when you walk through the door, you’ll immediately be taken by all the products to help enhance your pet’s life.

A haven for pet lovers BOW WOW BOUTIQUE CATERS TO YOUR FURRY FRIENDS

Story and photos by Goldie Currie

Owner Patty Smith opened the doors to the shop just last year with a fresh career on her horizon. relatively new shop along the Along with the inspiration of her own main drag in downtown Utica is devoted to all the furry friend lov- two dogs, which she calls the loves of her life, Smith took a chance with trying out ers out there. her business owner skills.

Step into the Bow Wow Boutique, Smith holds a background in the located at 142 Mill St., and you’ll instantmedical field, as she worked more than ly be surrounded by fun, unique gifts 30 years in the records department at a and homeware items that will suit any hospital in New York. pet lover’s fancy.

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“I was so burned out and just wanted to do something I was passionate about,” she said.

She moved to the Illinois Valley about four years ago when her husband got a job transfer.

So when the store front opened up a little more than a year ago, she snagged it, despite her husband’s skepticism

See BowWow Page 38

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If you cannot afford the cost of private medical care, we may be able to help. Please call us at 815-879-8794 for more or stop in and pick up a new patient information packet at 500 Elm Place, Princeton. Must be a resident of Bureau County and provide proof of income.

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Illinois Valley Living

Treats, collars, leashes, food, toys ... whatever your pet wants can be found at the Bow Wow Boutique in Utica. Plus, there are plenty of fun things for pet lovers themselves to enjoy, as well.

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People see Bow Wow Boutique and think the store caters only to dogs, but one foot inside the fun store, and you’ll see plenty of fun items for your feline friends too. Below, a display of mugs depicting different dog breeds is a favorite spot among customers.

Bow Wow

From Page 36 about turning a space once used for a doctor’s office into a boutique.

“It worked out beautifully,” Smith said. “If you are a pet lover, you will love my store. If you are not into pets, I’m not for you.”

The shop holds all sorts of things — from designer collars and leashes to artwork and collectibles to handmade gifts and gourmet dog cookies. Homewares, glasswares, jewelry, home decor, all natural grain treats and food, toys for cats and dogs and other unique gifts can also be found on the shelves.

Before dipping her toe into the business world, Smith admits she did tons of research on the types of things she wanted sell to customers. She calls herself “choosy” when it comes to her inventory.

“I knew I didn’t want to be a PetSmart or a Petco. They are a dime a dozen …

I wanted to have something a little bit different,” she explained. “And I try to be as safe as I can to owners and the pets. I stay away from things made in China and even only sell one brand of

38

dog food just because it’s never had a recall.”

With one successful year under her belt, her next goal is to develop a website where people can purchase her items online.

“I’m like the crazy dog lady of Utica,” she laughs. “My mom would tell you I’ve had this passion since I was a 5 year old. I’ve always been a dog lover.”

If you ask her what she loves about dogs so much, she’s quick to give you a passionate, genuine answer.

“There is nothing better than a dog.

They’re loving, loyal, soulful; they will die for you; they don’t ask for anything but companionship. You don’t get better than that; you just don’t,” she said. “”They don’t care if you’re fat, skinny, old or ugly. They’re always happy to see you. They are just amazing.”

Check out the website at www.bowwowboutique.net or find the Facebook page at Bow Wow Boutique-Utica. The store can be reached at 815-667-5025.

The hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. The store is closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Illinois Valley Living

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Behind the scenes

SPRING VALLEY TASTEE FREEZ OWNER ANNIE ABRAHAM TALKS ABOUT LIFE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE POPULAR ICE CREAM STAND Town of residence: Spring Valley.

Where did you grow up: Spring Valley.

Pets: Vinnie (Boston Terrier) and Tigger (cat).

Occupation: Registered nurse, massage therapist and Tastee Freez.

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream: I love it all!

What is your favorite treat you make at the Tastee Freez: Raspberries are one of my favorite toppings, so the Dustyrose or an Orange Freez, tastes like a push-up.

Is there any one treat you just don’t care for: I like peanut butter, but not on ice cream.

How often do you eat ice cream: Haha! Everyday!

What is the most popular ice cream or treat you sell at your stand: Up-side-down banana splits or our Flurries.

What is the last book you read: “The Complete Book of Juicing.”

What is your favorite TV show: I don’t really watch TV but, the History Channel and the Discovery Channel are what I like to watch in the winter.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be: Haha ... hmmm, ice cream and booze!

What is your favorite local restaurant and what do you order there: Verucchi’s — chicken piccata, extra house dressing on the salad and bread.

What did you want to be when you were a little girl: Veterinarian or a marine biologist .

How do you spend your free time: Haha, well there’s not too much free time while we’re open at the Tastee Freez, but I like to sleep, eat, work out and travel.

What is the best thing about living in Spring Valley: One stop light and it’s quick and easy to get whatever you need in town.

“Just seven money saving minutes from the Peru Mall!”

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Illinois Valley Living

Ringside with Rios RIOS BOXING CLUB OWNER SPEAKS OF LEGENDS, KIDS AND ADVENTURES Story by Eric Engel Photos by Kath Clark

A

hundred photographs staring back at him, Louis Rios rests in an office that seems more like a boxing museum than anything. He drums his fingertips on the desk, deep in thought, as if he has a thousand stories to choose from. This is the one he shared ...

He was out in Colorado Springs many years ago at a national amateur boxing event when he saw a kid crying in a hallway. Louie, as he’s known by all he comes across, walked up to the kid and asked what was wrong.

The kid said, “I was in a fight, and I knocked somebody out.”

“Don’t worry, kid. That’s what we’re here to do. What’s your Louis Rios holds an autographed boxing gloved signed by the legname?” asked Louis. endary Jack Dempsey. Not only is Rios’ office a miniature museum “Mike Tyson,” the kid responded. of the sport of boxing, but the man has a wealth of stories from days See Rios Page 42 gone by.

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41

Louis Rios doesn’t mind giving you a tour around his office at the Rios Boxing Club in LaSalle. Rios works with many young people as they strive to develop their boxing skills. But times have changed. Rios said boxing used to be a very popular sport when he was younger, but now, most kids don’t want to do the exercises and remain disciplined to perfect their skills. The ones who do put in the effort though, see great rewards.

Rios

From Page 41 Rios, a man of instinct and education, has tutored the boxing world for half a century. The owner of Rios Boxing Club in LaSalle, Rios has been training children and teenagers for decades on how to use their mind as much as their might.

“At one time I worked on a farm for 10 cents an hour, and a buddy of mine had a boxing show coming up in Sterling,” said Rios, who grew up in DePue. “I asked what’s boxing, and it sounded pretty good to me. I asked him what do you get, and he said $15 per fight. And I said ‘You think I could get a bout there?’

So that’s where I started.”

Rios said he’d never seen a pair of boxing gloves in his life before his first fight.

Ultimately, he just jumped into the ring and “beat the guy,” so he started learning the sport while making some money.

Even after joining the service, Rios said he stayed involved in the sport, training soldiers who boxed in Japan while

42

he was stationed there. That was simply Round 1 for Rios, though, as he realized after getting back to the States the fight needed to continue.

“When I got home, there were a lot of kids just running around doing nothing,” said Rios, a database of boxing knowledge who still has a mean right hook at 86 years of age. “If you didn’t play football or basketball in those days, you weren’t in any sports. But not all the kids could play football or basketball, so I started the boxing club and went from there.”

Rios talked about scouting the area for opportunities throughout the years and building up clubs wherever he could get in, as he has trained fighters from all over Central Illinois and to an extent the entire Midwest. Rios has been the president of the Illinois Amateur Boxing Association for many years, and he has a major hand in the proceedings of the amateur circuits in Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska and Kansas, let alone his responsibilities at his boxing club in

LaSalle. Rios said there’s little financing in the sport on the amateur level, but that there are still good kids out there who want to learn the art of the punch.

“Boxing was a very popular sport back in my day, but as it goes along, you don’t get too many kids who come out because they don’t want to do the exercises and all that stuff that goes with it,” Rios stated, adding the club’s current location on the north end of LaSalle doesn’t allow for some of the kids to catch a lift or ride their bicycle to the club. “But we’ve always had good kids who come in and work hard.”

The boxers who Rios trains vary in age from 8 to 15, and each one has to have the proper licensing and insurance to participate. But more importantly to Rios, they have to have a willingness to learn and grow while listening to his instruction, so they sharpen their muscles not only as athletes, but as individuals.

“I think boxing teaches discipline, good behavior and respect,” said Rios, a veteran of both the Navy and the Marines, whose

Illinois Valley Living

pride in his many pupils rings soundly within every statement he makes. “A lot of the older boys I’ve had join the service and tell me, ‘Louie, I joined the Army or Marines’ ... In boot camp they’re going to ask you what sports you have ever played, and if you can get on a boxing team, you’re in a pretty good position.”

Rios has heard many people speak of an up-and-coming boxer that he or she is a “natural,” but after five decades on the clock, Rios has come to recognize that each child is different in their ability and endurance, but has yet to meet one who doesn’t benefit from the guidance of their peers and elders.

“There are no naturals in boxing. You have to be in shape and work for it if you want to succeed in this sport,” he added, indicating that although it pleases him when his boxers desire to come in and train on their own time, he doesn’t allow them to develop bad habits.

“I showed a kid who was running all over the ring that he can’t hit anybody if he’s backpedaling the whole time, so we did it again and bam, I nailed him five or six times,” said Rios, smiling throughout each recollection. “He said ‘Hey, what’s going on’, and I just wanted to show him the difference between running and standing. All you have to do is step aside when the punches come at you; you just move your head a little bit.”

Rios has been a man of accomplishment throughout his personal adventure.

“

“Fathers, grandfathers and kids, they all recognize me, and it makes you feel good because you’d be surprised how many people you’ve affected.”

Louis Rios His professional positions include justice of the peace, alderman and policeman in DePue, sergeant in the Marine Core and gunner’s mate in the Navy. Pictures on his office wall keep Rios shoulder to shoulder with Evander Holyfield, Sugar Ray Leonard, Joe Louis and countless others. He has autographed Jack Dempsey gloves on one shelf, trophies from the Boxing Hall of Fame on another, but the recognition that Rios relishes is from those whose lives he has affected in such a positive way.

“We always tell the kids that their parents come first, so if we tell you something here and your parents tell you something different, you listen to your parents,” he said. “A lot of times, the parents don’t want their kids to box until they see them

box and see that there’s a change for the better taking place in them. Especially the fathers — they like to say that their kid is a boxer. I’m glad people recognize it.”

Rios has undeniably earned the respect and admiration of most every person that found him ringside throughout his life’s work, and those individuals have helped him financially and otherwise because they know he is a man worth having around for as long as he can stay.

“Fathers, grandfathers and kids, they all recognize me, and it makes you feel good because you’d be surprised how many people you’ve affected,” Rios said, adding he got the invite to be an assistant coach for the United States Olympic Boxing team but turned down the opportunity because he believes in connections made through hours in the gym and one-on-one relationships, instead of randomly-assigned wisdom.

“That’s all politics. Those assigned coaches don’t know the kid’s moods or what the kid does, so I’ve never agreed with that,” Rios said, adding his passion as an agent of combat will always keep him occupied in some way in teaching the area children how to fight, how to duck the uppercut and how to move on two feet.

“I work with kids, and I’ve been working with them for years. I know what kids are, so I’ll never leave it. I may not make it in every day any more, but I’ll always be involved in some way.”

Visit

Mark Your Calendars For • • • •

2014

Festival 56: June-December Ztour Bike Ride: July 19 Homestead Festival: September 12-14 Shadows of the Blue and Gray: October 11-12 • Princeton Annual Christmas Open House: November 21-23 • W.Z.O.E. Ag Expo: November 22

www.visitprinceton-il.com Illinois Valley Living

2013 CONFIRMATION CLASS

Weekend Mass Times 4:00 p.m. Sat.; 8:30 a.m. Sun.

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING and watch the Mass LIVE on-line at www.CherryHolyTrinity.org 43

Hot off the grill FIRE UP YOUR OUTDOOR KITCHEN TO CREATE SOME TASTY MASTERPIECES

By Illinois Valley Living Recipe Columnist Judy Dyke

Grilled Herb Vegetables

C

ooking on the grill has a lot of perks.

Besides heating up your kitchen, the mess stays outside, and the clean-up is minimal.

I always enjoy a good meal cooked on the grill — whether it’s over charcoal or a gas grill.

Judy Dyke For some reason, the food tastes better, and the company seems happier. Why not try one of these tried and true outdoor recipes! There’s not much better than food served ... Hot off the grill!

3 1/2 cups frozen California blend vegetables, thawed 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1/4 teaspoon salt In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients.

Transfer to a double thickness of heavy duty foil (about 14-by-12-inches). Fold the foil over vegetables and seal tightly. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 6 to 7 minutes on each side or until vegetables are tender. Open foil carefully to allow steam to escape. Serves 4.

Campfire Taco Salad

Grilled Sirloin Steaks

6 snack-size bags corn chips (1 1/2 ounces each) 1 15-ounce can chili without beans 3 cups (12 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese 3/4 cup sour cream 1 8-ounce jar mild salsa 1/2 medium head iceberg lettuce, shredded

2 tablespoons prepared mustard 1/4 teaspoon pepper 4 boneless beef petite sirloin steaks (5 ounces each) 1/4 cup butter, softened 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Cut the top off each bag of chips, set aside.

Place the chili in a saucepan, cook on a grill over medium heat for 10 minutes or until chili is heated through, stirring occasionally. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of chili into each bag of chips. Top with cheese, sour cream, salsa and lettuce. Just a fun snack to enjoy around the camp fire.

Marinated Pork Chops 1/2 cup canola oil 1/4 cup lime juice 4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar 2 teaspoons sugar 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon paprika 1 garlic clove, minced

Combine mustard and pepper, rub over 6 boneless pork loin chops (4 ounces each) both sides of steaks. Grill, covered, over In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes on each first eight ingredients; add the pork chops. side or until the meat reaches desired doneSeal bag and turn to coat, refrigerate for 8 ness (for medium rare, a meat thermometer hours or overnight. Drain and discard marishould read 145°, medium 160°, well done nade. Grill pork chops, covered, over medium 170°). In a small bowl, combine the butter, EALTH ARE AND EHABILITATION parsley, garlic and cumin.

Serve with steaks. ENTREheat for 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160°. Serves 6.

Serves 4.

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Illinois Valley Living

Bacon Wrapped Hamburgers

Stuffed Grilled Zucchini

Mayonnaise Lovers Chicken

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1 small onion, chopped 1 egg 2 tablespoons ketchup 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper 1 pound ground beef 6 bacon strips 6 hamburger buns, split In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Crumble the beef over mixture and mix well. Shape into 6 patties. Wrap a bacon strip around each pattie and secure with a toothpick. Grill, covered, over medium hot heat for 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 160° and juices run clear. Discard toothpicks. Serve on buns.

1/2 cup Italian salad dressing 1 1/4 cup mayonnaise, divided 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)

6 slices deli ham 6 slices Swiss cheese 1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard 1 1/2 teaspoons honey

In a small bowl, combine salad dressing and 1/2 cup mayonnaise. Pour 3/4 cup into a large resealable plastic bag, add chicken.

Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate remaining marinade for basting. Drain and discard marinade. Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat, basting frequently with reserved marinade. Top each piece of chicken with a slice of ham and cheese. Grill, covered, 1 to 2 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

In a small bowl, combine the mustard, honey and remaining mayonnaise. Serve with the chicken. Serves 6.

P

erhaps you have a passion for those old porcelain coffee pots that you used to see on Grandma’s stove. Or maybe your collection of old tools, salt and pepper shakers or shot glasses has a prominent place in your home. Old furniture, sleds, watering cans, thimbles ... yesterday’s treasures are abundant in the Illinois Valley. Whether you take an hour here and there or dedicate an entire day to antique hunting, you’ll want to make time to visit one or all of the antique dealers listed below.

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4 medium zucchini 5 teaspoons olive oil, divided 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs 1/2 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese 1 tablespoon minced fresh mint 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese Cut zucchini in half lengthwise, scoop out pulp, leaving 1/4 inch shells. Brush with 2 teaspoons oil, set aside. Chop pulp. In a large skillet, sauté pulp and onion in remaining oil. Add garlic, cook 1 minute longer. Add bread crumbs. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat. Stir in the mozzarella cheese, mint and salt. Spoon into zucchini shells.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until zucchini is tender. Serves 4.

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45

Illinois Valley Living Journal

By Terri Simon Photo by Kath Clark

G

rowing up on a farm in Bureau County, I have many, many wonderful memories of days gone by.

Like many of you who grew up swallowing the dust which followed every vehicle down those dusty gravel roads of yesteryear, all one has to do is open a vein and your heart to take yourself back to a place in time that seemed a whole lot easier than the lives we lead today.

When that final school bell rang after Memorial Day, our days were consumed with so many adventures it would be difficult to name a particular favorite. From pajama-clad mornings eating Frosted Flakes in front of Captain Kangaroo ... to long afternoon hours playing in the forbidden Big Bureau Creek ... to quiet evenings on the porch, where the adults spoke in hushed whispers and the kids attempted to catch every lightning bug using glass mayonnaise jars with holes punched in the top.

When I think about farm life now, visions of home-cooked meals — heavy meals with potatoes and gravy, savory stuffing and pan-fried chicken — always come to mind.

Freshly-sliced tomatoes from the garden, sweet strawberries and raspberries plucked from the berry patch out back, and corn on the cob so sweet and tender it made your mouth water when you sat on the side porch, peeling away husk after husk, were always on the menu.

My grandmother could cook up a storm — a meal fit for any farmer and a brood of hungry children and grandchildren. There would be meals on the table that engraved good, old homestyle eating into your memory — ones that dripped with the Holy Trilogy: Sugar, fat and salt ... all mixed with the homegrown fruits, vegetables and meats of your farm existence.

One problem: Grandma really didn’t like to cook. I know ... A farmer’s wife who didn’t give a hoot about being in the kitchen is like talking about a preacher who doesn’t like his pulpit! But it was the truth.

Standing behind a hot stove or peeling potatoes over a bowl of water just wasn’t her cup of tea.

Don’t misunderstand. Grandma could cook and bake like nobody’s business. She just didn’t want to do it.

Instead of kitchen duties, Grandma would have rather had her nose in a book, reading about adventures she’d never take.

She spent hours chasing lambs, piglets and colts — laughing like a school girl the entire time. Cooking and cleaning would always take a backseat to a rowdy game of Scrabble or Dominoes or Rummy with her grandchildren, and an afternoon nap seemed to always take precedence over thoughts of an evening meal.

46

Since Grandma was our primary caretaker during the summer months, the issue of preparing lunch for us was really just a non-issue. The last thing she wanted to do was be cooped up in a hot kitchen, and the last thing we wanted to do was stop whatever fun we were having to sit around a table and eat. Grandma found the perfect solution: What better lunch could she prepare for us than a Popsicle? That’s right.

The perfect lunch on a hot, sultry Midwestern day was a frozen treat from the freezer.

Sure ... there were occasional peanut butter and cracker sandwiches and maybe a carrot stick, an apple or a peach, but by and large, Grandma invested in Popsicles. We were thrilled.

Dripping down our arms and oozing between flip-flopped toes, many an afternoon was spent on the porch or under the old maple tree slurping on a frozen treat ... finishing by dunking our sticky hands and toes in the fresh water spring or a bucket of

water meant for the horses. It was as easy ... and as memorable as that.

Grandma was fun, and to her grandchildren, she hung the moon. She created occasions that ultimately turned into memories. Fun was on the top of her itinerary, and a new adventure was sure to be found around every corner. When Grandma was around, we were never those kids who longed to live in town where we could have ridden our bikes to the swimming pool and hung out with friends. Grandma made every day an adventure, and more important, she made every adventure a memory ... even with her Popsicle lunches on a hot, sultry Midwestern summer, where a cloud of dust from the gravel road hung in the air.

Illinois Valley Living Editor Terri Simon is an Illinois Press Association award-winning writer, columnist and photographer. Enjoy more stories like this in her book, “Grandma’s Cookie Jar,” at www.boxingdaybooks.com.

Illinois Valley Living

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Illinois Valley Living