TH UR SDA Y , JA N U A R Y 5 , 20 17
COUNTY WIDE YOUR HOME AND FAMILY NEWS FROM ALL OF KENDALL COUNTY
KendallCountyNow.com
Hiking in the New Year By JOHN ETHEREDGE jetheredge@shawmedia.com Kendall County area residents of all ages welcomed 2017 by participating in the annual Kendall County New Year’s Day Hike on Sunday morning. This year’s hike was held at Hoover Forest Preserve in Yorkville. There was no charge to participate in the approximately two-mile excursion into the scenic forest preserve, but all those in attendance were asked to bring two cans of soup. Event organizers donated half the cans of soup to the Kendall County Community Food Pantry in Yorkville, while the other cans were placed in a communal pot and warmed up along with some hot dogs over an open fire for a posthike treat for all participating hikers.
Photos by Steven Buyansky for Shaw Media
TOP: Naturalist Mark Harrington explains how these oaks developed the large galls on their trunks during the annual Kendall County New Year’s Day Hike at Hoover Forest Preserve in Yorkville on Jan. 1. ABOVE: Hike coordinator Al Birdwell dishes out hot soup for 6-year-old Mitchell Kocher and his dad, Eric, of Yorkville. LEFT: Sevenyear-old Breccan Lepkowski (left) and his 10-year-old sister Graysen of Oswego play on a leftover snow pile before the start of the hike. For more photos, see page 6.