Serving the Forreston area since 1865
FORRESTON Journal December 1, 2016 Volume 154, Number 32 - $1.00
PACT Performs
Earth Angels
Christmas Concert
“It’s A Wonderful Life” will be performed in Polo Dec. 2-4 at the Buffalo Town Hall. A3
Volunteers are needed to assist with a Christmas tradition. A6
“Behold The Star!” will be performed at Trinity Lutheran in Mt. Morris Sunday afternoon. A6
Holiday event planned Christmas in the Country will be held in Forreston By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
Cardinals bring back 1A state title! 35-7 win over St. Teresa caps 14-0 season Above, Forreston’s Justin Lampe (72), Steve Christensen (55), Brittan DeVries (34), and Lane Henneman (43) celebrate with the home crowd after winning the 1A state championship in Champaign on Nov. 25. At right, Steve Christensen (55) cheers as his teammates dump the contents of a water cooler on head coach Denny Diduch as seconds tick off of the clock in the Cardinals championship win. A story and more pictures appear on B1. Photos by Earleen Hinton
Forreston is decked out and ready to welcome residents and visitors to Christmas in the Country this weekend. The annual holiday event will be held on Friday, Dec. 2 and Saturday, Dec. 3. The festivities kick off Dec. 2 at 9 a.m. with rolls and coffee at the United Methodist Church. The annual bazaar and Christmas Corner will also be held at the church. Church is again the place to be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. when the United Methodist Women serve their lasagna, soup, sandwich and dessert luncheon. While you are in town, stop at the local businesses to sign up for drawings and to enjoy some holiday goodies. Many of the businesses have extended hours on Friday and will be open until 8 p.m. The high school and middle school choruses will carol in local businesses and around downtown from 4 to 5 p.m. The Faith Lutheran Cookie Sale will start at 4 p.m. downtown in the building next to Sweetwood Interiors. The sale will last until the cookies are gone; get there early for the best, most delicious selection. No holiday celebration would be complete without a visit from Santa. He will make his appearance at the Forreston Public Library for Cookies and Cocoa with Santa from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The Forreston PTO will host a Christmas Extravaganza from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Forreston Grade School. A variety of handcrafted item for anyone will be offered. The Christmas Extravaganza is also open on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Something new this year is the first annual Christmas Turn to A3
Jerry Brooks honored for 53 years service to county By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Longtime sheriff and county board member Jerry Brooks was honored recently for his half-century of service to Ogle County. The county board approved a resolution Nov.
15 naming Brooks, 84, Oregon, an honorary Ogle County Board member for life. According to the resolution, Brooks has served the county for 53 years, beginning as a deputy sheriff in 1963. He went on to serve 20 years as sheriff from 1970
In This Week’s Edition...
to 1990, the longest of any sheriff, and then served on the county board for another 21 years. Brooks said he did not expect the award that came at his final board meeting. He did not seek re-election this year. “I was surprised,” he said Friday. “I felt very honored
Bertolet Library, A2 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 Entertainment, A6
that the board would do that for me.” Brooks also served on the National Sheriff Board of Directors for 17 years while he was sheriff. According to the resolution, Brook’s name has appeared on 44 different ballots without a single loss. Over the years, he ran for
Fines, B4 Guest Columns, A7, B3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, A7
sheriff, the National Sheriff Board of Directors, county board, and Republican precinct committeeman. He said he enjoyed his years on public service. “I want to thank the residents of Ogle County for allowing me to serve them all those years,” Brooks said. “This is a good county, and it
Property Transfers, B4 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, A10, B1, B2
has good people.” Born and raised in the county, Brooks said he really didn’t set out to be a police officer. His career started with Ogle Service Company where he sold farm supplies. He then took a job in Dixon
Deaths, B4 & B5
Turn to A4
Richard W. Bentley, Helen E. Borneman, Michael C. Greve Sr., Grant G. Groenewold, Kenneth I. Heeren, Virginia L. Schnorr, Arlen C. Wright
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com