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FORRESTON Journal April 14, 2016 Volume 153, Number 51 - $1.00
Fourth Place
Drug Take Back
Two Car Chases
The Polo-Forreston boys track team finished fourth at the Gebhardt-Worley Invitational. B1
Safely return all unwanted medications on April 30. A6
Officers responded to a pair of car chases over the past week in Ogle County. A7
Students shine in talent show By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@oglecounty news.com
The musicians at Forrestville Valley were demonstrating their skills Saturday night during the annual talent show. Jackson VanBrocklin started off the evening setting up the sound system for the Forrestville’s Got Talent. He then started off the show as the first performer. “My performance tonight was only 30 percent of my stress,” VanBrocklin said. “I thought my performance went well.” He only had a few moments to relax as he had to make his way back to the sound equipment to run the show. Depending on the instruments being used, VanBrocklin had to make several subtle changes to the equipment throughout the The annual Forrestville’s Got Talent show was held Saturday night. Above, Forreston High School freshman Dan show. “The system is complicated Watter drums to the song “God’s Not Dead” by Christian rock band Newsboys. Below, left, Sophomore Hailey and I did my best because this Kruse performs “I Dreamed a Dream” from the musical Les Misérables Saturday night. Below, right, Elisabeth was the first time I operated Gronewold performs “American Honey” Saturday night. Photos by Chris Johnson the entire system on my own,” he said. “Everyone else was able to do their act then relax. I finished my act and I
had an entire night of work.” Overall the sound system worked as he planned. There were only some minor issues which were almost instantly corrected. Having the quality sound system allowed the performers on stage to shine. Freshman Dan Watter, showcased his sticks on the drum set. He twirled his sticks and tossed them throughout the performance of Newsboys “God’s Not Dead.” “Newsboys drummer Duncan Phillips does a lot of cool stuff and I decided to play this Christian song tonight,” said Watter. “The band is coming to Rockford and I sent them an email to see if I could play a song with them.” The audience appreciated the drumming talents Watter displayed. “I liked performing tonight,” Watter said. Songs in the first act were part of the competition showcase. The solo and duo performances were judged and the favorite act was selected based on dollar votes during the intermission.
Area recovers after tornado By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@oglecounty news.com
New book details Oregon’s art legacy By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com An Oregon woman who set out in 2013 to make a list of art works ended up writing a detailed history of art in her community and its impact. “The goal was to do a catalog of the art in the gallery [at the Oregon Public Library],” said Beth Simeone. “That’s all it was supposed to be.” Once she started her research for the library on the art works and artists, though,
it soon became apparent the project could not stop there. “I soon realized the story was far more,” Simeone said. “The initial catalog grew into a broader survey of art and its influence in this community.” The result of 3 years of painstaking research is “The Art of Oregon,” a 180-page book filled with information and colorful illustrations, reaching back to Margaret Fuller’s visit to Oregon in 1843 to the formation of the Eagle’s Nest Art Colony in 1892 to the creation of the iconic Black Hawk Statue in
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1910-11. Photographs for the book were taken by Bob Logsdon, and the design was done by Colleen Logsdon. “It’s about telling the story that’s in this town,” Simeone said. “It’s right in front of us, and it’s authentic.” Simeone’s research has revealed information either unknown or long forgotten about Oregon’s artistic legacy and the artists themselves. One section of the book focuses on John Prasuhn, the young German sculptor and engineer who built the Black
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Hawk statue envisioned by sculptor Lorado Taft. Included are letters Prasuhn wrote to his brother and sister in 1946 while he was making repairs on the statue. The more Simeone uncovered, the more she became concerned that the history easily could be lost for good. “Soon it became clear that the art story of Oregon was much broader than the 1918 Eagle’s Nest Art Collection in the Oregon library gallery
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Residents impacted by last year’s tornado turned out Saturday to remember the day, the recovery efforts, and to thank everyone who helped out. Homeowner Reuben Capen was one of the residents directly impacted by the storm. His home on Fowler Road by the Cherry Hill subdivision northwest of Rochelle was destroyed by the April 9, 2015 EF4 tornado. Capen and his wife Lilly were not home when the storm leveled their home. “We were in Rockford with family while it happened,” he said. “We received a call to let us know the house was gone. The couple lived in the home for 46 years and in an instant it was gone. However, the memories they have of the home were spared. “I thank God that we recovered 85 percent of what money can’t buy,” said Capen. “Volunteers found old photo albums and other items. A refrigerator can be replaced.” Some of his wife’s instruments were also recovered, but the owner of a riding lawnmower that dropped on the property was not identified. Knowing memories are
important to the family, Capen and his daughter started a scrapbook of the tornado cleanup. This scrapbook contained photos of the home before the storm and had a day by day account through the rebuilding of the home. He brought it to the community event at Rochelle Township High School April 9 to share his story of the tornado. “My brother helped out with the rebuilding,” said Capen. “He works at Anderson Plumbing and Heating in Rochelle. With his help and all the volunteers we were able to clear everything from the property.” Less than a week after the storm, plans to build a new home on the property were underway. Capen credits all the volunteers for the quick recovery. “We built the home on a different part of the property which allowed us to get moved in only 40 days after the storm,” he said. “Without the volunteers we would not have gotten the property cleaned.” In the months following the storm, Capen was amazed by the generosity of strangers. He received cancelled checks that were swept away by the storm. Some were found in Wisconsin. “This lady that I did not know sent us the checks and
Deaths, B4 Georgeanne F. Donegan, Margaret J. Reichenbach, James E. Samsel
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com
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