Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS November 28, 2013 Volume 46, Number 39- $1.00
Season Previews
State Bound
Happy Thanksgiving!
The Oregon boys basketball team and girls bowlers prepare for the season. B1
The Stillman Valley Cardinals pull of a 2-point upset to advance to the state finals. B1
Christmas tree farms are open for business By Chris Johnson Reporter With turkeys in the oven, families may be thinking about where they plan on getting a Christmas tree this holiday season. A variety of options are available throughout Ogle County to get a freshly cut tree. Two organizations will be selling trees at the former Sinnissippi farm locations. The Oregon FFA Chapter and Eagle Bluff at Sinnissippi
Farm will open for business on Friday, Nov. 29 at 8 a.m. The tree farm is located about three miles south of Oregon at 2856 Lowden Rd. To help customers locate the farm, signs will be placed at the entrance on Lowden Road, and on the corner of Daysville Road and Lowden Road. Signs will also be located at the corner of Daysville and Ill. 64 and the corner of Lowden Road and Flagg Road. The farm has once again
expanded its selection of trees and services for the holiday season. Members of the Oregon FFA Chapter and Eagle Bluff will be on site to provide saws and assist with cutting and loading the trees. The tree farm will be open from Friday, Nov. 29 through Sunday, Dec. 22. Hours of operation are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Wednesday and Thursday from 12 to 4 p.m.; closed Monday and Tuesday.
For more information call the Oregon FFA Chapter at 815-732-6241, extension 1116. Also located in the same area, the Prairie Preservation Society of Ogle County (PPSOC), a nonprofit organization will sell trees the 82-acre Sand Ridge. Tree sales will begin sales at 10 a.m. and will be open the weekends of Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, Dec. 7 and 8, 14 and 15, and 21 and 22 with weekday sales through Dec. 23 from 2 to 4 p.m.
Workers will be at the site to help wrap and load trees. For more information visit www.ppsoc.org or call 815732-7332. Near Mt. Morris, George Poe is selling choose and cut or pre-cut trees at his farm on Ill. 64. The farm is open every weekend from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment. Poe will have varieties of fir and spruce available. For more information call 815-734-4843. The Solderholm Tree Farm
is located at 7578 W. Pines Road west of White Pines State Park. The farm is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. until dusk and Sundays noon until dusk. Trees will be available through Dec. 22. Solderholm Tree Farm will have the following varieties of trees: Douglas fir, Fraser fir, blue spruce, Norway spruce, Austrian pine, Scotch pine, white pine. Turn to A3
Rochelle considers closing call center By Vinde Wells Editor Rochelle officials are considering closing the city’s emergency call center and turning its operations over to the Ogle County Sheriff’s Department. Rochelle Police Chief Eric Higby said Nov. 19 that the proposal is in the early stages of discussion. He said city officials discussed it as a cost-cutting measure. “The city has a $250,000 deficit in the General Fund,” he said. Salaries and benefits for the six full-time and four part-time telecommunicators add up to more than $400,000 per year, he said. Higby said the call center handles 911 calls, as well as Dennis Cheatwood, Mt. Morris, reads “Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies” Nov. 21 to youngsters at the Mt. Morris other calls, and dispatches emergency personnel for the Public Library’s Family Reading Night. Photo by Vinde Wells city of nearly 10,000.
Reading Night
He said he does not favor closing the center. “I think having our own would work better for us,” he said. Currently, Rochelle is the only municipality in the county that handles its own calls. All others are answered by Ogle County telecommunicators, who also dispatch police, fire and ambulance personnel. The county does not charge the villages and cities for the services. Rochelle City Clerk Bruce McKinney, who is also an Ogle County Board member, told the county board Nov. 19 that the Rochelle call center receives 25,000 calls per year. He asked if more money should be allowed in Sheriff Michael Harn’s budget for 2014 in case the center closes. Turn to A3
Holidays get official kick-off at Candlelight Walk By Vinde Wells Editor Santa and Mrs. Santa will be chauffeured by the Oregon Fire Department to the Ogle County Courthouse Square on Saturday, Nov. 30 to kick off the Christmas season at the 27th annual Candlelight Walk. Santa will light the Christmas tree on the courthouse lawn at 4 p.m. to begin the festivities. Entertainment, good food, and giveaways are just a small part of the evening’s events which will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Oregon Chamber of Commerce. Luminaria will light the downtown, compliments of the Oregon Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and Oregon High School Key Club. A Winter Quarter Carnival for kids ages 3 to 10 is one of this year’s new features. Chamber president Debbie Leffelman said the Oregon Park District and two 4-H clubs have teamed up to provide games that youngsters
will enjoy at a cost of 25 cents in the lower level of the Coliseum. Franklin Street will between Fourth Street (Ill. 2) and Third Street will be closed to traffic and transformed into Candy Cane Lane for the evening. Businesses throughout the city will extend their hours for shoppers to find holiday bargains, gifts, and refreshments. Youngsters can visit with Santa and Mrs. Santa in the lower level of the Oregon Coliseum, at the corner of Franklin and Fourth (Ill. 2) Streets after the tree lighting until 8 p.m. and then walk down Candy Cane Lane on their way to see Santa’s reindeer at First National Bank and shop at Conover Square. A Holiday Gift Fair featuring numerous vendors will be held at the Coliseum, offering a variety of items and information. In the downstairs, the Gingerbread Kitchen and Pizza Hut will serve a variety of food. More food will be offered on Candy Cane Lane. Entertainment from music to drama to dance will be
In This Week’s Edition...
offered throughout the evening at the Coliseum. Conover Square will host live entertainment, refreshments and plenty of holiday décor. Shoppers can also sign up to win prizes and a $250 shopping spree in the Red Bow Give-A-Way. Register at participating businesses, which will display the large red Candlelight Walk Bow. Shoppers can also get involved in the Hysterical Holiday Hunt. Collect clues from designated Red Bow sponsor locations and answer the questions for a chance to win the grand prize package of dinner at LaVigna and an overnight stay at the White Pines Inn. A few of Red Bow Sponsors have hidden clues strategically placed at their businesses, and the chamber officers have created silly Holiday Hints to help participants hunt down the answers. Find the location, (listed on the form), follow the clue, and then search for the answer at each participating location. Forms to participate can be picked up during normal
Business Briefs, B6 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B7-B16 Entertainment, A6
business hours from the Oregon Chamber Office, Oregon City Hall and the Oregon Park District. They will also be available during Candlelight Walk at the chamber located inside the Oregon Coliseum. All completed forms must be turned back in to the chamber no later than 8 p.m. on Nov. 30. Horse-drawn wagon rides will be available all evening, taking riders throughout the downtown to view holiday lights and decorations. Candlelight Walk began as Oregon merchants’ way of showing appreciation to their customers. “Candlelight Walk originated many years ago inside Conover Square Mall. The business owners inside this specialty mall wanted a way to say thank you to a community that had supported them throughout the year,” said Debbie Dickson, the chamber’s executive secretary. “This much loved holiday event has blossomed into a community tradition Four-year-old Cameron Folk places ornaments on a that is now attended by folks Christmas tree at the Oregon Coliseum Monday morning. from far reaching distances.” Photo by Chris Johnson
Fines, B5 Library News, A2 Public Voice, A8 Property Transfers, B3
Sheriff’s Arrests, B4 Social News, A4 Sports, A15, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B6
PublishedeveryThursdaybyOgleCountyNewspapers,adivisionofShawMedia•www.oglecountynews.com
Deaths, B3 Darrel E. Fulton, Stone O. Hanson