Carroll county living fall winter 2017

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Take a look at tractor pull, more fun at fair

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See what’s in stock at Silver Moon Winery l i v i n g

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Publisher Don T. Bricker Advertising Director Jennifer Heintzelman Editor Jeff Rogers Magazine Editors Lucas Pauley Rusty Schrader Page Design Lucas Pauley Published by

Sauk Valley Media 3200 E. Lincolnway Sterling, IL 61081 815-625-3600 Articles and advertisements are the property of Sauk Valley Media. No portion of Carroll County Living Magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Ad content is not the responsibility of Sauk Valley Media. The information in this magazine is believed to be accurate; however, Sauk Valley Media cannot and does not guarantee its accuracy. Sauk Valley Media cannot and will not be held liable for the quality or performance of goods and services provided by advertisers listed in any portion of this magazine.

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Little library seeing success in Shannon

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More inside 5 Silver Moon Winery

16 Hickory Hideaway

Lanark establishment offers quality products in beautiful environment

Shannon campground provides a little bit of luxury in the woods

8 Frances Wood Shimer Memorial Arboretum

20 Plain Jane’s Vintage Shop Mount Carroll shop sells to patrons from next door and many more

Take a walk through historic campus in Mount Carroll

24 Carroll County Fair

10 Straightaway Productions

Take a look back at the good times had by many in Milledgeville

Mount Caroll grad offers space for local musicians to create, practice

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WESTON & LAURA BURKHOLDER, OWNERS

Over the

Silver Moon

Lanark winery aims to please with good drinks, good cheese

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hen pulling up to Silver Moon Winery, guests can know what to expect.

Nestled among the hills of northern Carroll County, the winery’s tasting room features a brass relief of a satyr from Greek myth on one side of its front door, and a cherub with grapes on the other.

Continued on page 6

Kathi Enzenbacher, owner and operator of Silver Moon Winery, poses in the winery’s entryway.

STORY BY PHILLIP HARTMAN & PHOTOS BY PETER BALSER FOR CARROLL COUNTY LIVING

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Continued from page 5

Entering the building gives the impression of walking into a wine barrel, with a welcoming series of tables giving views of the landscape. The back area of the tasting room features a room with a fireplace, burgundy walls, books, wine bottles and glasses, and a gift area.

When owners Ron and Kathi Enzenbacher purchased the 55-acre estate in 2004, they planted 6,000 vines by hand to work toward producing their own wine and, according to the winery’s website, “set out to make the Silver Moon estate a special destination for handcrafted wines and warming hospitality in northwest Illinois’ wine country.”

Or, as Kathi said during a recent afternoon at the tasting room, “I’m a foodie and I like to feed people.”

The couple comes out on weekends, from April through December, to care for the estate, producing an array of white, red, blush, and fruit wines. They also have a gift shop, and work with Ropp Jersey Cheese from Normal to create different kinds of cheese.

“We have a red velvet cheddar with wine in it. We also have a tomato basil garlic cheddar and a green onion cheddar,” Kathi said, displaying the different cheeses.

An example of a wine, meat and cheese spread from Silver Moon Winery featuring Moonstruck, a red wine called Fire Moon, and Moon Shadow Moscato.

Silver Moon Winery

Address: 21305 Zier Road, Lanark Phone: 815-493-6888; leave a message Hours: Noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 3 p.m. Sunday in April, May, and September through December; and noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m.

Sunday in June, July and August.

Email: email@silvermoonwineryinc.com Online: silvermoonwineryinc.com and Facebook

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Dip mixes to go with the cheese are made locally, and just need mayonnaise or sour cream to be ready to serve.

The Enzenbachers became interested in winemaking after visiting the Tabor Hill Winery & Restaurant in Michigan.

They retired from a commercial heating and air conditioning business, and Ron learned winemaking and grape cultivation. They produced their first wine in 2010. Today, their five daughters help with the business.

Kathi said they get a lot of people from nearby Lake Carroll, as well as visitors from Iowa and Wisconsin.

“We often have people who are repeaters,” she said. “We’ve had four generations at one table. That’s my favorite time, when the generations are here.”

The tasting room, like wine, has become better with age. It started simply enough and now includes space where visitors can buy concessions, and it’s grown to include an added-on, porch-like area.

Silver Moon does some semi-private parties, as well as birthdays and bachelorette parties.

The menu can feature a wide variety of items.

A recent meal included stuffed mushrooms, bacon-wrapped jalapeño peppers, crab cake, bruschetta with salad, beef medallion with

Silver Moon Winery offers homemade oils and vinegars.

pork and scallops, garlic mashed potato, and honey-glazed carrots.

Visitors to the tasting room shared some of their favorite wines.

“We think it’s a fun place to go. I’m a white wine fan, myself,” Donna Eisenbise of rural

Pearl City said.

Gael Will from Lake Carroll said she liked Chardonnay, and loved Kathi’s Sangria.

Both were enjoying another welcoming afternoon under one of the winery’s wall signs which sums it up perfectly: “Keep Calm and Drink Wine.” s

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See Shimer for yourself I

STORY BY ANDREA MILLS & PHOTOS BY JIM DUNN FOR CARROLL COUNTY LIVING

t’s a walk in the trees. It’s a walk in the breeze.

The self-guided walking tour of Frances Wood Shimer Memorial Arboretum will acquaint visitors with a portion of the 14-acre former Shimer College campus. The arboretum has more than 250 trees consisting of some 60 varieties and species. An added bonus is a look at the college buildings among those trees.

Several parking lots are available close to the walkways. After choosing

a spot, it’s time to consult the walk’s map, which contains tree locations.

Here’s a sample of what visitors will be looking at: American chestnut (the star of the show – one of them is on the Illinois Big Tree Register), black walnut, pecan, paper birch, pin oak, Norway maple, shellbark hickory, tulip popular, white willow, yew, saucer magnolia, Kentucky coffee tree, gingko, Douglas fir and Siberian elm.

If that’s not enough, fret not. Walkers will be able to see many more.

Trees shade Dearborn Hall, built in 1903, on the 14-acre campus of the former Shimer College in Mount Carroll.

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As they move along the path, they’ll also be stepping through history. The college’s namesake, Frances Shimer, started out with 5 acres where she planned to build a seminary.

She began to plant, with her own hands and with the help of others, 2,000 evergreens, 600 deciduous trees, 400 pears, 25 crab apples, 1,500 grapevines, 1,000 apples, 300 cherries and lots of berry canes, according to the walk’s brochure. Some of her original plantings may still be there, but no one knows for certain.

Walkers can let their imagination be their guide.

This was not a woman who sat and watched.

She got involved, even going back East to obtain large amounts of fruit to be shipped back to Illinois. More land was added and she saw to the work of more gardens. She even rolled up her sleeves and did physical work in the dormitories and on classroom buildings.

Shimer and Cindarella Gregory were co-proprietors until 1879 of the Mount Carroll Seminary, as it was first called, which had received a state charter in 1852, opening its doors in 1853.

Shimer continued with the school until retiring due to poor health in 1897. She died in 1901. The seminary went on to become the Frances Shimer Academy of the University of Chicago in 1896.

Georgian Revival architecture reigns here.

Buildings to be seen along the walk are the Music and Domestic Science Hall built in

The Frances Wood Shimer Memorial Arboretum

Address: 203 E. Seminary St., Mount Carroll Cost: Free Phone: 815-244-117 Online: shimerarboretum.org

Trees shade Hathaway Hall, built in 1905.

1903, later known as Dearborn Hall. It was modernized to have steam heat.

Here’s a brief look at other structures listed along the arboretum walk. Information was obtained from the Mount Carroll Sesquicentennial’s “Stroll Back In Time.”

• Hathaway Hall, built in 1905: by 1949, a dormitory housing 38 students, bookstore and post office in basement during 1970s • Bennett Hall, 1909: first called College Hall, ground floor used by entire school, upper two floors housing • Howe Hall ,1957: three-story dorm • Tolman Hall, 1914: originally Science Hall, main floor used for home economics with five sewing machines and a glass plate to heat irons for pressing

• Maintenance building, 1906: steam plant, rebuilt in 1911 • Dezendorf Hall, 1962: With housing for 115, it was built 12 feet more to the right than planned to protect the three American chestnut trees.

• Gymnasium, 1929: 24-hour dance marathon location in 1970s • McKee Hall, 1907: kitchen at the south side until 1922 • Infirmary, 1913: two wards, seven beds, two private rooms, two bathrooms • Hostetter Hall, 1906: for 50 people, contained parlor, lodging on upper floors • Campbell Library, 1925: full height porch with Corinthian columns • Metcalf Hall, 1907: originally with chapel, offices, classrooms, assembly hall, library • Sawyer House, 1926: president’s residence The question with this trip is not what is there to see, but how to take in everything at once.

Give it a try though; one can always return. s

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Mixing it up in Morrison Mount Carroll grad has worked with dozens of local, national acts

Steve Bearsley of Straightaway Productions works the sound board at his Morrison studio. The recording engineer grew up in Mount Carroll.

STORY BY DANA FRANCIS & PHOTOS BY PETER BALSER FOR CARROLL COUNTY LIVING

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t was a quilt shop when chief engineer Steve Bearsley moved his studio gear in 5 years ago.

Before that, a restaurant, a church, and a school. But it’s the juxtaposition of quilt shop to Straightaway Productions recording studio that is most jarring – and slightly amusing.

“When we moved in,” Bearsley said, “there were baskets everywhere.”

Bearsley began removing the baskets and any other remnants of the quilt shop, and started some interior construction – when he could find the time. He closed off what for decades had been a large open space into smaller spaces, creating soundproof isolation booths and a control room.

Now, the recording studio functions as the studio that hiphop, blues, rock, and even gospel artists come to create their sound, a skill for which Bearsley is clearly qualified to assist, and in many ways, create.

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Bearsley has worked on thousands of songs over the years, from his time in Florida and Chicago, his few years in Sterling, and now Morrison, and with artists including Creed, Britney Spears, Jay-Z, and R. Kelly.

“Music, music, music; it was just music all the time,” he said, remembering what he was like as a child and teen in Mount Carroll.

After graduating from Mount Carroll High School, he and his cousin attended Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. The college opened its doors in 1979 and offers degrees in entertainment, media, arts, and technology.

After getting his associate degree in Recording Engineering, Bearsley worked as an intern at Transcontinental Studios in Orlando, then later spent time as a drummer in Conscious Pool, a Chicago band. He also spent time working for Sound Investment, a live production company.

“I’d get in my car and wouldn’t even want to turn on the radio,” he said. “You kind of get burned out on hearing the music. It turns into a job just like anything else.”

Bearsley knows that when clients come to see him now, often with something raw that they’ve recorded in a home studio, they’re often in “Now what?” mode.

So, his role as recording engineer has to be more than just a job for him. Artists and

Decor is shown atop the piano at the studio.

bands are there for his help – to edit, to mix, to master what they’ve created on their own, often to take their sound to a place that they themselves could not have conceived.

“I have to pull back and adjust to the sound and the music, to see it through their eyes,” he said.

Though he is a recording engineer with extensive experience, Bearsley describes himself first and foremost as a musician, mostly a drummer, but he also sings, plays some guitar and piano, and creates tracks with the keyboards.

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It’s his experience and skill that helps him understand what an artist or band needs from him as he sits at the soundboard or just works with them in general.

“There’s a certain cadence to a session. It’s a matter of a few seconds when an artist is ready to sing,” he said. “There’s a certain timing that you need to keep the creativity going. You definitely have to anticipate what the artist is going to do. If you’re not fast enough and the artist is waiting for you, they’re going to lose interest and lose the creativity. If the band is ready for a new take, you should already be rolling.”

Steve said he really tries to keep the timing of the session, to hit that sweet spot or that flow.

“Otherwise, it’s like dead air on the radio.”

Many of his clients prefer to work at night, often around 10 p.m. or later.

“They have completed their obligations for the day, and now they can come to the studio and just focus on the music,” he said.

Others prefer different times, such as first thing in the morning. Whenever they have the time, but also when they feel most creative and energetic. Steve tries to accommodate his clients’ wishes in that regard.

“This is not a 9-to-5 job,” he said with a smirk.

Bearsley estimates that he’s had 30 to 40 steady clients over the past 5 years, as well as some “one-timers,” artists or bands that may seek his services only once.

Current clients – who come from all different areas – include The Dirty Beet Brothers, The Rotten Drapes, Robbie LeBlanc and the Real Live Show, High Five Sinners, Frank F. Sidney’s Western Bandit Volunteers, A.Rem, and Matt J. As far as the future goes, Bearsley has some plans for expansion.

“I want to start holding events here, for people to come see the bands, to watch live music,” he said. He also has an idea to stream

live music from his studio to other destinations, such as bars or clubs either in or outside Morrison.

Ultimately, though humble about his work, Bearsley is aware of the critical role he plays with those who come to him.

“You can take five different mix engineers and have them work on the same song and it’ll sound five different ways – at least that’s my experience,” Bearsley said. He tries to make it sound good to his own trained ear, “but the input from the artist is huge.”

“I try to get them from the start to the finish of the project, to make sure they’re comfortable the whole time.” s

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Members of The Dirty Beet Brothers – shown here and on page 12 – rehearse at the studio.

They are one of the many area acts that uses the space professionally.

For more information

Find Straightaway Productions, 13690 Lincoln Road in Morrison, on Facebook for more information, and check out allmusic.com to see a list of Bearsley’s credits.

Call 773-355-0669 with questions or to set up a session appointment.

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STORY BY PHILLIP HARTMAN & PHOTOS BY MICHAEL KRABBENHOEFT FOR CARROLL COUNTY LIVING

LIT

A little goes a long way

Little Free Library inspires kids to read, officials to build more ABOVE: Dawn Barr stands next to the Little Free Library with her grandchildren, Sawyer Schoeny, 1, and Audrey Schoeny, 6, both of Shannon. LEFT: Artwork decorates the outside of the library, which encourages visitors take a book and leave a book to keep the library stocked with good stories.

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n idea created to honor a teacher is helping promote literacy in Shannon.

Dawn Barr, 52, and her husband, Brian, 55, have set up a Little Free Library outside their home at 601 S. Hickory St. The decorated wooden box contains about 44 books, some for children and some for adults.

A Little Free Library is a free book exchange.

The guidelines are simple: “Take a book, return a book.”

“They come in many shapes and sizes, but the most common version is a small wooden box of books. Anyone may take a book or bring a book to share,” according to littlefreelibrary.org.

Dawn said she first saw a Little Free Library in November or December 2015 in Rochester, Minnesota, while her mother, Betty Slick, was undergoing cancer treatments.

“I got lost on the streets, and saw Little Free Libraries on each street corner,” Dawn said.

According to the website, Todd Bol of Hudson, Wisconsin, started the program in 2009 by building a model of a one-room schoolhouse to

honor his mother, a teacher who loved reading.

Rick Brooks with the University of Wisconsin at Madison saw the schoolhouse, and the two set out to create 2,508 “take a book, leave a book” libraries by the end of 2013, to echo philanthropist Andrew Carnegie’s creation of 2,508 free public libraries across the English-speaking world.

They wound up exceeding that goal in August 2012, a year and a half before their target date, according to the website.

To create her Little Free Library, Dawn Barr turned to James Wall of Wall to Wall Woodworks on etsy.com and spent about $275 for the pre-assembled box.

In May, Dawn thought of Rachel Todd, an art teacher with the Eastland School District, and asked her to paint designs on the box. The library is decorated with “Tom Sawyer,” “Hamlet,” and other books.

The project took about a year and a half to finish, and the Barrs set it on a post in mid-July.

“We’ve never had a problem with people

defacing it or putting inappropriate materials in,” Dawn said. “Someone did pin a missing cat flyer to it, but I think it’s a community nexus.”

The Barrs live across the street from Eastland Elementary School, and children have been using the library.

The Little Free Library has even inspired officials at the school to put up more Little Free Libraries throughout Shannon.

Principal Angela Mahoney noticed it one day when she was coming to work, and school staff received permission from Village President Bonnie Foust to set up more libraries.

Mahoney said they think they can set up probably three more libraries.

The school library will also help the Barrs keep their library stocked.

Seeing the effort grow has been nice, but just knowing the library is being used regularly has been the best reward for Dawn.

“I like to look out the window, and see a customer.” s

Brody, 4, and Audrey, 6, both of Shannon, check out the book selection.

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Sherry and George Vidinich own and operate Hickory Hideaway in rural Shannon.

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Creature comforts – and critters, too Hickory Hideaway near Lake Carroll a hidden gem Story By Phillip Hartman & Photos By Michael Krabbenhoeft For Carroll County Living

A

tranquil view, the occasional fox roaming the landscape and wireless Internet. It’s like the best of all worlds at Hickory Hideaway.

The 10-acre campground on Payne Road near Lake Carroll is the creation of George and Sherry Vidinich, former Chicagoland residents who acquired the property in 2004.

“A lot of people don’t even realize we’re here,” Sherry, 54, said as she looked out over the

12-cabin campground that wraps around a central fire area and a clubhouse with a hot tub and nautical theme.

Variety and comfort are major themes at the year-round campground. The Vidiniches offer four one-room luxury cabins and four tworoom cottages, each with two-person whirlpool tubs, and four extended-stay country cottages with two rooms.

Part of what sets Hickory Hideaway apart is its

service. The cabins have private baths, heat, air conditioning, linens, running water, towels, coffee, sugar, and the aforementioned Wi-Fi. The duplex country cottages have fully equipped kitchens, and the other cabins have country kitchenettes.

“We even have a toothbrush if you forgot yours,” Sherry said.

About the only amenity not available is cable TV, but you can pick up local channels.

Continued on page 18

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The duplexes also features a door between them, which comes in handy for some guests. Sherry cited the example of a mother staying in one cottage and a daughter in another.

Look aroud and you’ll see little touches that make guests feel more at home. In one of the cabins, a Scrabble game spelled out “Welcome” and “Relax.”

Barbecue grills, picnic tables and benches, a volleyball court, disc golf, bean bag tosses, other yard games, and the occasional stargazing night are other features. Sherry said the night sky at Hickory Hills is one of the darkest in the Midwest.

A masseuse can even be scheduled by request.

Family reunions, church retreats, golf outings, road trip stopovers, fall color viewing trips, bachelorette parties, and weddings all take place at the campground. A motorcycle group was scheduled to stop the weekend of Aug. 6.

While Hickory Hills doesn’t really have theme days, it does have a New Year’s bonfire, and work with other area businesses to make guests welcome.

“We work with Silver Moon Winery and Dollinger’s Christmas Tree Farm,” she said. “We also grow produce on site.”

Just want to get away and enjoy nature? There’s a walking path that goes around the south side of the property, and a variety of animals can be seen.

“We have owls, rabbits, opossums, eagles, deer, fox, and coyotes. We don’t allow hunting, but we do have hunters stay,” Sherry said.

For the most part, the Vidiniches themselves maintain the property.

George, 64, snowplows the drives, and does lawn care and other maintenance, both inside and outside.

Despite being relatively hidden in the Carroll County hills, Hickory Hills has had at least one set of visitors from far away.

“We had a family come in from India,” Sherry said. The family got an Uber from the airport, so the couple drove them to a grocery store.

That’s the homespun hospitality people can expect at Hickory Hills. s

Hickory Hideaway

Address: 24336 Payne Road, Shannon Phone: 815-8642099 Online: hickoryhideaway.com and Facebook

ABOVE: The Hickory Hideaway luxury cabins offer a whirlpool tub and a cozy feel.

LEFT: The family-size, extended-stay country cottages are duplexes that feature a small kitchen, living room, bathroom and bedroom.

To learn more about our skilled nursing care and physical, occupational and speech therapy communities, call (815) 244-7715.

All faiths or beliefs are welcome.

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ABOVE: Hickory Hideaway offers a nice seating area for people who love campfires or just some relaxing time outdoors.

RIGHT: Luxury cabins offer a fireplace, whirlpool tub and a cozy feel.

FAR RIGHT: Some cabins feature whirlpool tubs.

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Store stocked with vintage items attracts all sorts of customers

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good number of shoppers at Plain Jane’s Vintage Shop make their way to the store after downing a burger and a Blizzard.

Mount Carroll’s Dairy Queen is just next door to the store, at 407 S. Clay St. “Probably 30 to 40 percent of customers come from Dairy Queen,” owner Pat Carpenter said.

After they’re done filling up at the DQ, they can get their fill at Plain Janes – of housewares, decor, antiques, and many other unique gifts.

The store, named for Pat’s aunt Jane, was converted from a home built in 1883. It retains features of its Victorian-era construction. A butler’s pantry and summer kitchen are some of the rooms that now house antiques and other items.

Pat said she bought the home from the Martin family, who owned it for about 60 years, in April 2015, and the grand opening was in April 2016.

She knows her antiques, working in the field for 39 years and running a shop in Newark, about 65 miles west of Chicago.

“We buy and sell estate sales,” Pat said.

Continued on page 22

ON PAGE 20: Pat Carptenter posing inside of her antique shop Plain Jane’s in Mount Carroll (shown above).

Plain Jane’s Vintage Shop

Address: 407 S. Clay St., Mount Carroll Phone: 815-244-0061 Hours: 1 to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday from April to December Online: On Facebook

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Continued from page 21

Plain Jane’s inventory features a wide array of items from different decades – similar to those you’d see at a great estate sale. Vintage American Spirit Tobacco and Dad’s Root Beer items, and Ball’s Mason Jars are just a few of the items you’ll see.

The home’s small rooms mean customers can find surprises around every corner. Old toys can be found throughout the home, such as a tray full of green plastic Army men – evoking memories of “Toy Story.”

There are also old dolls and children’s books, and Chinese checkerboards hang on one wall.

Families seeking a vintage tone for their kitchenware can pick from a wide selection. One set of shelves on the second floor is full of drinking glasses from across the United States.

Pepper mills, a gravy boat, earthenware, and other items for the kitchen table can be found.

One box nearly overflows with rolling pins, while a wall full of cheese graters awaits chefs looking to find the perfect utensil for their cheddar or Gorgonzola. Doilies can also be found upstairs.

Decorators can expect to find something unique when composing a living room set or looking for a conversation starter.

Old globes are visible in one of the front rooms, while coffee cans, glassware, classic lamps, old books, and drawings are just some of the decorative items throughout the home.

Knick-knacks throughout the store include a shelf full of ceramic dog statues, and another with a leprechaun peeking out from within.

Carpenter’s talent for repurposing items even

extends to her cash register, which she found at a laundromat.

Plain Jane’s also sells more modern items, postcards and goat milk soap among them. The items are endless.

So, whether you fill up at Dairy Queen before or you’re just passing through town, stop by Plain Jane’s to get your fill of antiques. s

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West Chicago native Terry Howe checks out the merchandise at the shop, which includes homemade scented candles (shown on page 22).

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Ed Casper launches his black John Deere forward Aug. 9 during the Carroll County Fair tractor pull.

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Fun at the fair Photos By Peter Balser and Alex T. Paschal For Carroll County Living

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nother year, another successful Carroll County Fair and 4-H Fair at the fairgrounds. 4-H fair projects were on display throughout the festival in the exhibit building across from the hospitality tent. There was a new carnival and children’s farm, bicycle races and more for the kids. Grandstand events included country artist Aaron Tippin and the demolition derby. Flip through page 27 for more photos.

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