Serving the Forreston area since 1865
FORRESTON Journal November 7, 2013 Volume 151, Number 28 - $1.00
First Round Loss
New Recycling
The Forreston Cardinals lost for the second time this season to Le-Win. B1
Two electronic recycling drop-off sites will open on Nov. 15. A11
Recognition
Ogle County 9-1-1 coordinator Sandy Beitel has been named president of a NENA chapter. B4
Pamela Lee’s Soy Pod
was dedicated on Nov. 2 By Vinde Wells Editor
Walking through soybean fields as a youngster gave artist Pamela Lee the idea for “Soy Pod,� the ninth addition to the Community Art Legacy’s series of 10 sculptures. “I got my inspiration for ‘Soy Pod’ from living in the community and having my father take me into farm fields,� she said Nov. 2 at the unveiling and dedication of her sculpture on the Oregon Public Library’s lot west of the Oregon Post Office. She grew up on the rural edges of Chicago suburbs and said now she often observes the soybeans growing in the field outside the windows of her home in Grayslake. The bronze sculpture is a large open soybean pod with farm animals emerging from the beans inside. The Community Arts Legacy (CAL) was founded nearly a decade ago with the goal of erecting 10 new sculptures in the Oregon area in 10 years. Artists were then invited to enter sculptures in an annual contest at the Art Festival
sponsored each June by The Fields Project. The overall theme of the festival and contest is the blending of art and agriculture, both part of Ogle County’s heritage. “Soy Pod� was selected as the winner of the contest for 2013. Jeff Adams, owner of inBronze Foundry, Mt. Morris, where the statue was cast, said he was pleased that Lee’s submission was chosen. “Pamela has been in the contests for three years, and she has had dynamite pieces all three years,� he said. “I was really glad one of Pamela’s was finally number one instead of number two.� CAL member Doug Wean told the crowd of approximately 30 people who gathered for the dedication that the goal of 10 statues is near. “My friends, we are almost there,� he said. He stressed the importance of art to the community. “I believe art is not what you see but what you allow others to see,� Wean said. Library board president Scott Stephens said library officials are pleased to be
chosen as the recipients of a second CAL statue. “We are honored to be chosen,� Stephens said. “We feel the location here is great place for a future library. Right now it’s a great place for a statue.� The fourth CAL sculpture “The Bountiful Bench� by Christina Murphy, the 2008 contest winner, is located on the library’s front lawn. The first sculpture, “From the Waters Comes My Bounty� by Ray Kobald, was placed at Kiwanis Park in 2005. It was later relocated across the Rock River to Oregon Park East. Other CAL sculptures are: 2006 “Agriculture, Mother of Civilization� by David Seagraves at the Ogle County Judicial Center, 2007 “Cornball� by Howard Russo at the Oregon Coliseum, 2009 “Solar Reef� by Andrew Langoussis at Oregon Park West, 2010 “Making Hay� by Daniel Ingebrightson at Stillman Bank, Oregon, 2011 Harvest Hunter by Matthew Village of Forreston employee Mike Gaston tightens up the bolts on a new street sign Donovan at Nash Recreation Nov. 1. New signs were installed throughout the village to meet state standards for Center, 2012 “Working the reflectivity and the size of the lettering. Photo by Vinde Wells Land� by Robert Pulley at the Oregon Park District’s Community Garden.
New Signs
Decorated veteran was laid to rest at Arlington By Vinde Wells Editor
An Oregon veteran, decorated for his bravery while serving in Vietnam, was laid to rest last summer at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va. Philip F. Hart, who earned a Silver Star, was buried with full military honors Aug. 12 at a ceremony attended by his family and friends. Hart, 66, died unexpectedly from heart complications on Jan. 7 this year. His service record qualified him for burial at Arlington. “Standing at his gravesite (#3971 in section 55), as you look across the Potomac River Sculptor Pamela Lee talks about her piece “Soy Pod� that was dedicated Nov. 2 near towards Washington D.C., the Washington Monument the Oregon Post Office. Photo by Vinde Wells is directly in your view,� said his wife Myrna, who attended
Mysterious American Flag has disappeared from Oregon dam By Vinde Wells Editor The American flag that waved in the breeze on the Rock River dam in Oregon for the last two months has disappeared as mysteriously as it appeared. Oregon Police Chief Darin DeHaan said Tuesday that he noticed the flag was gone approximately a week ago, but has no idea how or where it went. “I’m not sure if it got knocked loose or if someone made their way out there,� he said. The flag mysteriously appeared in late August, on
a pole securely fixed near the center of the dam. DeHaan said he still has received no tips on who put it there or how. He said that with all the mostly positive attention it has received, he is surprised no one has come forward. At the time it appeared, both DeHaan and Oregon Fire Chief Don Heller stressed the danger of getting too near the dam for any reason. “I wouldn’t encourage it,� DeHaan said then. “Doing anything around the dam is dangerous.� The Oregon dam has been the site of several accidental drownings over the years.
In This Week’s Edition...
Reyes Perez, 37, Chicago, drowned July 4, 2012 when he waded off a small island just below the dam. His body was recovered the following day. Fifteen-year-old Damiam Folwarkow, Chicago, got too near the dam while fishing at Oregon Park East on July 29, 2007 and was swept under the water by the strong current. He also drowned. Samir Zukanovic, 29, Chicago, drowned Aug. 13, 2006 when he was fishing from the east bank of the river just below the dam and tried to wade to an island. The current also knocked him down.
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B12 College News, A4 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
the ceremony with their two sons Adam and Ryan. Myrna said the family had visited Arlington many times over the years and it seemed like the appropriate place for her husband to be buried. “It’s been a special place for our family,� she said. “No other place felt right.� Army chaplain Captain Matt Madison presided over the graveside service. He spoke of Hart’s gallantry in action during the Vietnam War, his 32-year teaching career, his family, and his travel adventures. A gun salute, flag folding ceremony, and military bugler playing “Taps� were distinctive parts of the military ceremony. Friends, neighbors, and former colleagues attended from the local area were also
in attendance. Two dozen family members from various locales were present as well. Hart served as an infantryman in Vietnam with Delta Company 2/8 of the First Cavalry Division in 1967 and 1968. During his tour of duty he was awarded the Silver Star for valor displayed on the battlefield as a Private First Class. Myrna said he enlisted rather than waiting to be drafted, partly because it meant a shorter stint in the Army. “He also felt very strongly about serving his country,� she said. Hart earned his Silver Star for gallantry in action on Sept. 16, 1967. His commendation Turn to A2
Army Chaplain Matt Madison presents a folded American flag to Myrna Hart Aug. 12 at Arlington National Cemetery. Seated with her a her sons, Adam and Ryan and his wife, Elizabeth. Photo courtesy of Myrna Hart
Forreston Police, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B5 Public Voice, A8 Property Transfers, B4
Sheriff’s Arrests, B5 Social News, A4 Sports, B1-B3 State’s Attorney, B5 Weather, A3
Death, B4 Tressa L. Willstead-Sheely
0UBLISHED EVERY 4HURSDAY BY /GLE #OUNTY .EWSPAPERS A DIVISION OF 3HAW -EDIA s WWW OGLECOUNTYNEWS COM