Serving the Forreston area since 1865
FORRESTON Journal March 8, 2018 Volume 155, Number 46- $1.00
All Conference
Spring Ahead
Primary Profiles
Forreston and Polo basketball players are named to All-Conference Team. B1
Set your clocks one hour ahead at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 11.
Learn about the candidates for county offices in the March 20 Primary Election. B2
Ag secretary will speak at Toy Show & Craft Fair on Saturday Poe will talk at 11 a.m. at FHS during FFA event Illinois State Secretary of Agriculture Raymond Poe will be on hand on Saturday, March 10 at the Forreston FFA Alumni’s 30th annual Toy Show & Craft Fair. Poe will speak about FFA and local agriculture at 11 a.m. The public is encouraged to come and hear his remarks. Mia Cox, age 9, of Baileyville, tosses a potato at “Feed the Pig” game as Megan Buttens supervises at the Blackhawk The event will be held from Crossing 4-H Club’s game at the Penny Carnival on Saturday. Photo by Earleen Hinton 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Forreston Junior and Senior High School. The toy show will be held in the Forreston High School gym, and the craft fair will be and wagon around a circle held in the Forreston Junior picking up plastic cowpies High School gym and cafeteria. at the “Git ‘R Done” booth. A wide variety of items will A sign reading “Every Kiss be available from vendors at Begins with Cowpie” was one By Earleen Hinton this event. of the clever signs at the event. ehinton@oglecounty The Toy Show & Craft Fair For a mere 25 cents a ticket news.com was created to help people or 50 for $10, participants ages spend a day with friends and Herding pink balloon pigs 5-18 could test their skills at families as well as provide with a flyswatter or tossing similar farm-themed games. funds to support the Forreston The Carefree 4-H Club made plastic cowpies into a wagon High School agriculture and were just two examples of Ogle a giant Holstein cow where County 4-H Club members’ kids could try their hand at creativity at the “Down on the “Cow Surgery” fashioned after the iconic Operation board Farm” Penny Carnival. The event, housed on skill game. At the Pine Creek Valley both floors of the Oregon Ogle County Residents are booth, kids tried to lasso a Coliseum March 3, showcased invited to join an initiative wooden cow while mounted booths created, constructed, to create a Community and operated by 4-H Club on a wooden horse and at the Organization Active in Disaster Grand Detour Greens booth members. (COAD). kids plucked cotton balls out of “The kids came up with A public meeting will be laundry baskets at the “Shear the ideas. The kids plan held on Tuesday, March 20 at 7 the Sheep” booth. everything,” said Carmen p.m. at the Byron Fire Station. Conderman, a leader with the A COAD is an organization For more information about Elias Bergeson, age 2, of Rochelle, carries a plastic cow pie By-Y Badgers Club. composed of representatives Ogle County 4-H Clubs and to his tractor at the “Git R Dung” game by the By-Y- Badgers At the Badgers’ booth, kids from public, private and notpedaled a John Deere tractor programs, call 815-732-2191. 4-H Club. Photo by Earleen Hinton
Creativity shines “Down on the Farm” Penny Carnival had fun chores
FFA programs. The toy show will feature toy tractors, farm equipment, memorabilia, and collectibles. The event features more than 100 tables of vendors who come from all over the Midwest. The Forreston FFA Alumni will also have special 30th anniversary Oliver 1650 toy tractors for sale. The craft fair will have a large number of vendors offering crafts, food, candles, and other items. On the day of the event, the Forreston FFA Alumni will raffle off gift certificates for Eickman’s Processing in Seward. Lunch will be available from the FFA Alumni as well. more specific For information, log on to www. forrestonffaalumni.org, email FFA Advisor Robert Nelson at rnelson@fvdistrict221.org, call Rick Garnhart for the toy show at 815-238-3044, or Cathy Kohlbauer for the craft fair at 815-275-6710.
Ogle residents invited to disaster meeting
for-profit agencies that will come together to mitigate, prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from disasters. Ogle County groups such as churches, service organizations, and clubs are encouraged to attend the meeting. The COAD will be a Turn to A2
Ownership of Blackhawk Center set to change Park district to transfer facility to school district By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com The Blackhawk Center in Oregon will change hands later this year under the terms of an agreement between the Oregon School District and Oregon Park District. The boards of both districts are expected to approve an intergovernmental agreement this month which will transfer ownership of the facility from the park district to the school district as of Sept. 1. The park board meets on Tuesday, March 13 and the school board meets on Monday, March 19. The decision will be made
based not only on the facility’s proximity to Oregon High School, but also on the fact that most of the building’s current use is school-related. “It just seems to make sense that we should own the facility that we use 90 percent of the time,” School Superintendent Tom Mahoney said. “The school district is pleased to work hand in hand with the park district to provide our students the best possible facilities. We believe Blackhawk Center is a tremendous asset for our students and schools.” Park district Executive Director Erin Folk agreed. “The school and park district both feel they are in a good position financially for the transfer to take place,” she said. “Besides that it just makes sense.” Both said the change will not affect real estate tax bills. The park board approved the construction of the Blackhawk
In This Week’s Edition...
Center to address overcrowding at the high school in 1996, Folk said. The building is on school grounds and is connected to the high school by a corridor called the “link”. “This building serves as a premier facility in our area for athletic events, recreation, and academic programs,” Folk said. “Fiscally, this was the right time for both organizations to consider a transfer in ownership due to the facility being mainly utilized by the school district.” Since its completion the school and park districts have shared usage of the building, with the park district maintaining and staffing it and the school district paying rent annually. Under the terms of the agreement, the park district will make some needed repairs The Blackhawk Center is located just west of the Oregon High School and is connected to the building before the Turn to A2 with a fully-enclosed walkway called the link. Photo by Earleen Hinton
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B5-B8 Entertainment, A6 Oregon Police, B4
Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B3 School Menus, A8 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3
Social News, A4 Sports, B1 State’s Attorney, B4
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com
Deaths, B4 Richard R. Voss, Lyle D. Wright