Serving the Forreston area since 1865
FORRESTON Journal May 5, 2016 Volume 154, Number 2 - $1.00
Cardinals Soar
AJ’s Jamboree
Baccalaureate
The Forreston-Polo baseball team defeats Oregon 18-13 Monday. A9
The seventh annual AJ’s Garden Tractor Jamboree is May 14. A6
Baccalaureate for the Class of 2016 is set for May 8 in the FHS gym. A2
Ogle County Fair feels state budget crunch By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Add the Ogle County Fair to the growing list of entities feeling the pinch of no state budget. As a consequence, the fair board is reaching out to residents for donations to keep some aspects of the annual event going. In a letter dated March 21, the 14-member board asked for donations to pay the premiums paid to project winners, who are mostly
4-H club members and other youths. “The reason we are doing this is that we have lost all funding from the state, like a lot of others, due to the lack of a budget,” board president Harlan Holm said Tuesday. “We want to be able to provide the services we have in the past for kids. What it [funds collected through donations] will be used for is to pay the premiums for the projects. It will not be used for anything else.” According to the letter, the fair association paid out
“We’re trying to raise funds so we can continue what we’ve done in the past. We don’t want to cut.” — Harlan Holm Ogle County Fair board president $29,001 in premiums at last year’s fair. Premiums are paid to the top six finishers in each class. “We would like to continue this practice but without the necessary funding we cannot,” the letter read. “Without incentive to draw
the youth to compete we are afraid that the county fair could be approaching the end of an era of old tradition and quite possible the fair itself.” The letter went on to say that if every adult in the county contributed $2, the
board would have enough money to pay the premiums. Holm said the premiums will be paid this year as outlined in the fair book. “We’re trying to raise funds so we can continue what we’ve done in the past,” he said. “We don’t want to cut.” Because the fair association is a not-for-profit organization, donations are tax deductible. Individuals or businesses that make larger donations will be recognized by the fair board. Those who contribute
By Andy Colbert acolbert@oglecounty news.com
Forreston FFA member Hunter Daws arranges plants in the greenhouse April 30 in preparation for customers. Photo by Vinde Wells
Plant sale at FHS The Forreston FFA and plant science classes will soon hold their annual plant sale at the school greenhouse located on the southwest corner of the Forreston Junior/Senior High School property by the bus garage. The greenhouse will be open from 3 to 6 p.m. every day and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays. Check for the open sign on Ill. 72 for Sunday times. Future times will depend on sales. A wide variety of plants including vegetables, herbs, flowers, and perennials will be available at the sale. Students have also created planters, hanging baskets, and other plant combinations. For more information call the Forreston High School Agriculture Department at 815-938-2175, or email Robert Nelson, Forreston FFA Advisor, at rnelson@ Forreston FFA member Christian Pacheco gets flowering plants ready April 30 for fvdistrict221.org. annual plant sale which runs through May 21. Photo by Vinde Wells
In This Week’s Edition...
Oregon Police, A7 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B5 School Menu, A2 Sheriff’s Arrests, B5
This year’s fair — the 163rd — will be held Aug. 3-7 at the fairgrounds on Limekiln Road, just off Ill. 64 west of Oregon.
Gaming area has touches of home
In The Greenhouse
Church Bells, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B5 Marriage Licenses, A4
$400 for more will be listed on several signs on the fairgrounds. Donations can be sent to the Ogle County Fair Association, PO Box 142, Oregon IL 61061. “The people of Ogle County and the surrounding area have been good to us,” Holm said. “The fair is growing and that’s a plus.”
Social News, A4 Sports, A10, B1, B2 Weather, A3
Entering Ten Pennies Cafe, Oregon, is like walking into a scene from Taste of Country Living magazine. Far from being a casinotype atmosphere, it has all the touches of home, something women of taste and sophistication would appreciate. And why not? That is the demographic that Ten Pennies is geared to attract for its slot-playing business. “It is 50 years plus, female and retired,” said one of the co-owners of the business, who asked not to be identified. However, a women’s book club would be just as comfortable in the bar area of the establishment as would a slot player at Ten Pennies. A person enjoying a sandwich or drink may not even notice the area off to the side, which houses the slot machines. It’s apparent the two partners of Ten Pennies did their research before setting up shop in Oregon. They looked outside of Illinois at states like West Virginia and Oregon that had already approved slot machines and saw a great deal of potential. “We made it clear that slots were part of our business plan when we made a presentation to the city mayor and chief of police,” said the co-owner, who also has an interest in a Ten Pennies in Freeport. With a total of 10 machines on both sides of the business, Ten Pennies has been the largest revenue generator among slot machine operations in Oregon. “Slots enable you to open up the type of business you want. The games allow us to continue to grow. We have 9-10 employees. It doesn’t make us a Woods or anything, but helps with employment,” he said. In talking with the co-owner, who lives in Rockford, it was apparent he would rather be in the background and let his locally based employees be
the face of the business. A block north of Ten Pennies is a soon-to-be opened business owned by Amanda Messenger that will offer slots. In between those two is Fathers and Sons Pizza, which also has slots. Like Ten Pennies, Messenger will capitalize on the popularity of video gaming to grow her bar and grill. “It was always my dream to have a bar/restaurant,” Messenger said. “I may have started it anyway without slots. But, having slots allows a much better chance of succeeding.” Messenger made it clear that she’s is setting up shop first and foremost as a bar and grill and that the slots are an added bonus. Still, she is surprised at the amount of money that is being played in video gaming terminals around town. “Sometimes I wonder where the money is coming from,” she added. Besides the extra income slots provide, Messenger appreciates little or no overhead needed to have the machines. “The gaming company does all the maintenance and handles the payouts,” Messenger said. “All I do is provide the space.” Messenger’s bar and grill is the latest of 42 other sites in Ogle County to offer video gaming terminals. To be considered eligible to have slots, a business must first have a liquor license. The only exception is a truck stop. Recently, Oregon mayor Ken Williams turned down applications for liquor licenses from Franklin Street Pub and Charlie’s Breakfast Nook. “The Weisners have done a marvelous job, but already have two with Fathers and Sons and Franklin Street,” Williams said. “At this point we have enough in town. It’s an issue of balance.” As mayor, Williams is the liquor commissioner and makes the sole decision on approving or denying requests. The only power the Turn to A2
Deaths, B4 L. Jane Barr, Sadie Doreen Doyle, Harry W. Fletcher, Beverly A. Fry, Harold “Andy” Martin, Roman Porembski, Paul E. Shriber
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com