Serving the Forreston area since 1865
FORRESTON Journal January 18, 2018 Volume 155, Number 39 - $1.00
Cardinals Win
Special Place
New Cigar Shop
The Cardinals basketball squad is on a win streak after a slow start to the season. B1
A local musician and mother will perform at the Village Bakery. A4
A new cigar shop also offers a great view of the Rock River. A2
Project coming to Warnken By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecounty news.com
Pack The Place Saturday night was “Pack the Place” at Forreston High School as the Lady Cardinals took on the Amboy Lady Clippers. Halftime featured drawings for door prizes, and the beloved “Chuck-A-Duck” contest to see who can get their tiny rubber ducky closest to a target at midcourt. Little Madison Haynes, with the help of grandfather Tim Joiner, of Wisconsin, got her duck out onto the court. She did not win the prize, but won everyone’s hearts with her efforts. A story about the Lady Cardinals’ game appears on B1. Photo by Zach Arbogast
Mt. Morris Museum expands to monthly hours By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecounty news.com The public will be getting more chances to bask in local history thanks to the interest of volunteers. The Mt. Morris Historical Museum, located in the basement of the Mt. Morris Village Hall at 105 W. Lincoln St., opened on Jan. 13 from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. for the first of what will be expanded monthly hours for public access. Visitors should use the entrance on the south side of the building.
According to curator Jerry Stauffer, the museum was previously only open during special occasions and voting days. That changed, however, when members of the Mt. Morris chapter of the Philanthropic Educational Organization approached him about being open more often. “A group of women from the P.E.O. approached me, and said ‘we’d like to see it open more’,” said Stauffer. “I told them ‘Frankly, so would I.’” Stauffer said staffing has always been the biggest issue, but with
volunteers assisting, he is moving to being open every second Saturday of the month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. “Really, it’s a trial basis,” said Stauffer. “You could see us moving up to two days a month, or maybe down seasonal. It will depend on visitor demand.” Increasing demand for a local museum can be tricky, and Stauffer, who’s been in charge of the museum for 12 years, said the key is to keep bringing in something new. “If there’s never something new, why would you ever need to come back,” he said. “And you have to mix
it in with the old, because that will keep you on your toes.” Stauffer spoke of bringing in new additions as he showed off the museum’s latest acquisition: a photograph he believes is from around 1915 of the Kable Band practicing on the lawn of the historic campus, just outside Old Sandstone. For frequent visitors, that piece may be new, but newcomers have plenty to look, including cases displaying sports memorabilia from Mt. Morris High School, Watt Turn to A3
Disc golf is one of the options discussed for a project to improve a Forreston park. A Forreston Village Board committee will meet with the Forreston Lions at the end of the month to discuss a project to benefit the community. The Buildings, Grounds, Park, Zoning and Planning Committee will be meeting with the Lions Club on Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. in Forreston Village Hall, 102 S. Walnut Ave., to discuss plans to bring a new project to Forreston’s Warnken Park, 604 E. Avon St. The meeting is open to the public. Village President Mark Metzger said the Lions approached them just before Christmas about collaborating with the village board to bring something for the community to the park. “The Lions had raised enough funds to want to bring something to Warnken Park for the kids,” said Metzger. He said the Lions originally proposed putting in a half basketball court, but the board had some input on something else. “One of the options brought up was a setup for disc golf, with that becoming more popular,” said Metzger. “It’s also less intrusive on the park itself.” The Village of Mt. Morris installed a nine-hole disc golf course at Dillehay Park last September. Metzger said he could not recall the exact amount the Lions raised, but that the offer of a half court implied they intended to pay for the project themselves. “However, if they’re short some, and are already paying the majority, I’m sure the village could step forward and help out,” he said. The village board meets again on Monday, Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. at the village hall. The meeting is open to the public.
Board greenlights Pines Road study By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com The Ogle County Board approved a study Tuesday that could mean an easier walk for pedestrians along Pines Road in Oregon. The board hired Chastain & Associates, Rockford, to determine if curbs and gutters and sidewalks can be extended on Pines Road from Ill. 2 to the city limits without causing drainage problems. The cost was limited to just over $29,000. “We’re studying it to Mt. Morris Historical Museum Curator Jerry Stauffer see it’s possible to make holds up a photo he believes is from around 1915 of the the improvements without Kable Band out on the historic campus lawn, before the making the drainage band shell was built in 1922. Photo by Zach Arbogast
In This Week’s Edition...
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B8 College News, A4 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B5
problems out there worse, or maybe if we can even improve the drainage,” county engineer Jeremy Ciesiel said. Currently curbs, gutters, and sidewalks run from Ill. 2 to South 10th Street. Because a significant number of people walk along Pines Road to reach businesses located there, Ciesiel said he hopes to extend the sidewalks on the north side of the road, as well as the curbs and gutters, from South 10th Street to the S curve at the city limits. The drainage is crucial, however, because significant flooding often occurs in the area during heavy rain
Library News, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B4 School Menu, A3
Sheriff’s Arrests, B4 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B 2 State’s Attorney, B4
storms. Just last summer, heavy rain flooded the Village of Progress on Pines Road, and led to the evacuation of residents of the Oregon Living and Rehabilitation Center on South 10th Street. In another matter, board chairman Kim Gouker said that an open house will held at the newly renovated Emergency Operations Center at 510 Lincoln Highway in downtown Rochelle on Wednesday, Jan. 24 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Besides the EOC, the former Rochelle Clinic will house the office of the Ogle County Emergency Management Agency, the
Rochelle offices of the Ogle County Health Department and Probation Department, and a University of Illinois medical clinic. The county board purchased the building and its two parking lots in 2015 for $180,000. In other business the board: • approved ordinances amending the Lee-Ogle Enterprise Zone boundaries to include portions of Mt. Morris and Amboy, • approved a resolution transferring jurisdiction over the 100 block of South Sixth Street in Oregon from the City of Oregon to the Oregon County highway system.
Deaths, B5 Lois J. Horst, William L. Ehmen
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