Social News

Ronald and Janice Olson of Fulton, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Thursday, Sept. 3.

Ronald Olson and the former Janice Porter were married Sept. 3, 1960 at the First Presbyterian Church in Clinton, Iowa.

Ronald was employed at International Paper and Janice was a cosmetologist.

The couple are the parents of three children, Cheryl McRoberts of Clinton, Iowa, Eric (Nancy) Olson of Phoenix, Arizona and Lance (Jeri) Olson of Las Vegas, Nevada. They are the proud grandparents of seven grandchildren.

FAMILY REUNION Cox family reunion

The descendants of Clay and Florence Cox gathered at the home of Raymond and Karna Wood in Erie on Aug. 23. There were 20 family members present.

Danny Martin traveled the greater distance coming from Tennessee and Nicole and Justin Besse of Erie were the closest.

The oldest member was Anne Johnson, age 87, from Erie and the youngest was Soren Hoover, age 2, from Rock Island.

The towns that were represented by family members included Cordova, Erie and Rock Island in Illinois and Ashland

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Gene Bonneur celebrated 95thbirthday

Gene Bonneur of Morrison, celebrated his 95th birthday on Sept. 11.

He was born in Fulton to Ann and Evert Bonneur. He attended high school in Erie and farmed in the Morrison area.

He and his wife of 68 years, Mary K., had four children: Diane Sexton, Karen (deceased) Dave Rose, Brian (Cindy) Bonneur, and Janice (Scott) Webster. He has nine grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.

Gene Bonneur

City, Tennessee.

Food and conversation was enjoyed by all.

This year’s hosts were Shad and Charla Wood from Cordova and Nicole and Justin Besse from Erie. Next years hosts will be Terry and Kris Cox and Travis and Tiffany Cox, both couples are from Erie.

ERIE GARAGE SALES

Erie will be holding their all-town garage sales Saturday, Sept. 19, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Map and lists are available on Revitalize Erie’s Facebook page and in local Erie businesses starting Thursday, Sept. 7

FIGHT AGAINT COVID Local health officials: Bettercooperationwith contact tracing helps slowCOVID’sspread

‘Contact tracing is not the same as tracking’

BY ERIC INGLES eingles@saukvalley.com

One of the biggest weapons local health departments have in the fight against COVID-19 is contact tracing – but sometimes, they’re not getting the ammunition they need.

With contact tracing, a health department can retrace the steps of a COVID-positive person, giving officials the chance to warn those who have come into contact with that person.

But that process depends on the cooperation of those involved, something that is not always happening.

“It’s just lately, more and more often, we are not being able to make those connections to other cases,” said Cory Law from the Whiteside County Health Department. “It could be because people are being not as forthcoming, or it could be that it is the result of community spread, as we know it is throughout the community and you could be exposed to someone you did not even realize was sick.”

Law said that if people know where they have been and are honest with contact tracers, it is one way health departments can either slow or stop the virus.

“Our goal is if we can identify everyone who’s at risk for developing COVID-19 and everyone who currently has it and just isolate them, we don’t have to roll back restrictions and close establishments,” Law said. “If we’re unable to identify where cases are coming from, there’s always the chance we might have to impose restrictions.”

That is exactly what happened in Region 7, which covers Will and Kankakee counties, where capacities were limited to 25% and party buses were shut down.

In Lee County, infectious disease coordinator Jennifer Whisenant said that she has seen people actually becoming less nervous about sharing that information as time goes on.

“It’s more open,” she said. “There was a period of time where it felt that way [that people were less open], but I think we got over the hump and people have opened up a little bit. Maybe it’s hitting closer to home for some people.”

But Lee County Health Department administrator Cathy Ferguson-Allen admits that people are getting tired of the pandemic, which can cause issues.

“We definitely have two camps right now; we have those who are concerned and are following recommendations and then we have those who think it’s a joke or a hoax,” she said. “I don’t know if more people are just over it or just don’t think it’s as much of an issue.”

Contact tracing is not something new to combat COVID-19. It has been a tool health departments have been using for infectious diseases for years.

Eric Ginnard - eginnard@shawmedia.com

Medical professionals can be seen administering COVID-19 tests to students an faculty of Lewis University on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, in Romeoville.

“Contact tracing starts with a positive case, so any information we get on close contacts with that positive case comes from that person who is positive,” Whisenant said. “And then we go from there, and we contact people they identify as being close contacts.”

When a person is exposed, the Lee County Unified Leader ship Team will quarantine them for 14 days from that point of contact. A lot of times, Whisenant said, the next person to develop symptoms will have already been quarantined before symptoms develop, stopping them from spreading COVID-19 to someone else.

“I think educating relieves some of the fear that people have that their privacy will be invaded or their rights will be taken away,” Whisenant said. “I think it’s really important to understand that contact tracing is not the same as tracking; we’re not following anyone around, we’re not spying on anyone, we’re just trying to find out where this illness is spreading.”

White Oaks Therapeutic Equestrian Center (WHOA) of Morrison is set to host its 7th annual benefit horse show on Saturday, Sept. 19 at the Whiteside County Fairgrounds.

The show runs from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. with 28 classes including halter, riding, English and western pleasure, plus speed events throughout the day. Entry to the grounds is free.

It will be the first public benefit for WHOA this year after other events were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Program Director Tawny Wiersema invites the community to come on out for a day of food, fun and watching horses and their riders.

“The show is all ages, so come out and show your horse, or find a spot on the bleachers,” she said. From the backyard horse to a top show horse, the programs are “fun to watch” with a competitive edge to them.

Due to COVID-19 cancellations, the organization lost out on their biggest fundraiser earlier this year during the Whiteside County Fair. With ongoing restrictions still in place, this show will also be different with seating for spectators spaced out, less menu options, and no popular “show” class for WHOA students. www.rideatwhoa.org

White Oaks provides recreational, educational, therapeutic, and social horseback riding opportunities for persons with disabilities. WHOA programs improve physical capabilities and functional skills as well as furnish students the opportunity of added leisure time, physical activity and social interaction .

Still, its’ a “great show for kids, and it’s casual,” Tawny notes. “It’s not a super serious horse show, but the judge from Wyoming, Iowa, is fabulous with the kids.”

The morning schedule includes halter, handling, and showmanship classes, and after lunch there will be riding, costume, and Engl ish and western pleasure classes.

The afternoon wraps up with “Ride a buck” with participants riding bareback while sitting on a dollar bill, and then riding with an egg on a spoon, which is a challenge with the reins in one hand. “The kids get competitive,” Wiersema said.

For the speed courses, riders will race through barrels and poles and a cloverleaf pattern, which are all

timed and competitive.

While the horse show is going on, WHOA will also be hosting a grilled cookout lunch from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. in the Livestock Pavilion inside the fairgrounds. Pulled pork, hot dogs, chi ps , bot tl ed wa ter , an d coo kie s from Harvest Bakery & More of Erie will be available for sale as meal deals.

The cookout is open to all members of the communit y. There will be limited and spaced seating due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Wiersema said WHOA is thankful for their generous horse show sponsors who help keep the programs operating while providing the best possible therapeutic riding experience for the students: Red Barn Stable - Bob and Mary Black, Stephanie Deckro Interiors, Morrison Rotary, Vegter Steel Fabrication, Cornerstone Agency, River Valley Coop, 123 Tees, 1st Gateway Credit Union, JB Electric & Communications, Tegeler Accounting, Morrison Vet Clinic, John and Carol Crady, Happy Joes, Veterinary Clinic of Prophetstown, DQ Grill and Chill, and BesWick Home Builders, LTD.

For weather cancellation inquiries, call 815-535-6208.