SVM_Lake Lifestyle_May 2024

Also

Lake Carroll’s Brayden Jackson is a good guy to have in your corner A local pantry has some little shoes to fill, and Lake Carroll residents are helping fill them Lake Carroll’s Yacht Club (and their lucky Lady) are happy to bring people together to have a good time

Riverboat cruise lets you see nature in a whole new light

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ou don’t need a yacht to become a member of the Lake Carroll Yacht Club. Heck, you don’t even need a boat. All you need to do is follow the skipper’s order: Have fun. Everyone at Lake Carroll is welcomed aboard the Yacht Club, whether as a member of club itself, or someone who simply enjoys attending one of the events it organizes throughout the year. It’s all part of the club’s goal of helping strengthen the community through social functions.

Since 2007, the Lake Carroll Yacht Club has given community members opportunities to spend time with old friends and make new ones at special events and monthly get-togethers. They’ve helped folks have a ball at Robbers Bingo, put on the venerable Venetian Night boat parade on the lake in the summer, and given cuisine connoisseurs a Taste of the Lake.

By

Cody Cutter Sauk Valley Media

Building that sense of camaraderie among the crew that calls Lake Carroll home is part of what makes a community thrive, said Jeff Oliver, who has been the club’s commodore since 2019.

“You can talk to me and ask about Lake Carroll, and I’ll tell you that this is my happy place,” Oliver said. “It became our happy place once we bought out here. The one thing that everybody in this community has in common is this place, and maybe they don’t realize it. It’s the lake, it’s the golf course, it’s the clubhouse, it’s the lodge, that’s the one thing we all have in common: we all do and enjoy the same things within our community.

“When we do these kinds of events, and when other clubs do events, it reminds everybody that this is the stuff that’s important, this is the stuff that memories are built off of with your families and your friends. It doesn’t matter what your job title is, doesn’t matter what your bank account is, or what car you drive; when it comes to this stuff, everybody’s on the same page and everyone has the same desire to have an enjoyable time. As long as we keep doing that, we’ll be successful.”

Jeff Oliver

Lake Carroll Yacht Club commodore, at left with his wife, and club secretary, Tia.

The two have been members of the club since 2018 and enjoy how the its events bring Lake Carroll residents together.

As club commodore (a title that’s a nod to naval history) Jeff leads a board that continues the club’s traditional events and comes up with ideas for new ones. His wife Tia is also is on the board, and like Jeff she enjoys the social benefits of being a Yacht Club member.

“When he took over, we had just moved out here full-time and so a great way to meet people was going out to these clubs,” Tia said. “The Yacht Club was great because at the time it wasn’t too big, and you got to know people more.”

Club members help out at its events, which are open to all Lake Carroll property owners. This year’s lineup kicked off with Robber’s Bingo on March 16 at the Clubhouse. Up next, the club will coordinate with the Campground Social Club to host the Memorial Day Kickoff celebration May 25 at Plumtree Lodge. The club also hosts a monthly potluck breakfast, typically on the first Saturday; as well as a summer luau on the West Marina beach.

Mary Ann Gibus, seen here with husband Steve Gibus.

The former Lake Carroll Yacht Club commodores helped establish the club in 2007 and remain charter members to this day.

The gifts that keep on giving, and taking ... The Yacht Club’s annual Robber’s Bingo has been a big hit in the community.

To play, participants bring a “white elephant” gift that are given out as prizes — but they might not want to get too attached to them, because other prize winners can snag them if they want them. As this year’s game wrapped up, players were already looking forward to next year’s game.

Other events on the club calendar include a summer “Floatzilla” on the lake, a poker run, and the Crazy Bowl — that’s bowling, not football — in the fall. Details on club events are still being ironed out and will be advertised on social media and online events calendars. Taste of the Lake, where boats cruise to different piers to enjoy a bite to eat, occurs in August during odd-numbered years.

Though you don’t need to be a member of the club to enjoy its events, one of the benefits of membership is being able to have a say in how to make those events fun.

“Our meetings are very open, with a lot of conversation back and forth, and we’ve listened to what people have to say,” Jeff said. “It’s a club that’s about community and people enjoying each other. Everybody’s not going to like everything I come up with, so having all of the input from all of the people who come to the meetings, it’s been great. We got some great ideas out of it, and it’s worked out well.”

Not only has it worked out well for the group, but the community, too. The club and its calendar of events do more than just fill the days with fun, they also help foot the bill for improvements throughout Lake Carroll — installation of 33 lighted buoys on the lake, a fire pit at the West Marina, ceiling fans at the back deck of the Clubhouse, to name a few — and its members have helped with the upkeep of the West Marina’s beach. Along with other social clubs, it also helps collect food and care supplies for the Shannon-Lanark Food Pantry.

“It’s a club that people can get together and enjoy the community we have out here, and enjoy each other,” Jeff said. “That’s all it’s about. You don’t even have to have a boat.”

The idea of having a social club that combined a love of boating and socialization was inspired by a similar concept that the Yacht Club’s founding commodores, Dave and Ruth Hilt, came across nearly 30 years ago during a visit to Lauderdale Lakes, another homeowner’s association in southeast Wisconsin. The visit helped the Hilts put together the framework for a similar club in Lake Carroll, and the Yacht Club shoved off in January 2007.

Steve and Mary Ann Gibus were friends of the Hilts and recall Ruth’s determination to start the club. After gathering its first members, the club put on its inaugural event, a hog roast, that July. The Gibuses, who moved to Lake Carroll in 1996, continue to be charter members.

“It was Ruth’s idea,” Mary Ann said. “We were friends. We, Ruth and Dave sat at the bar one day, and I can still remember Ruth saying, ‘We’re starting this club! We’ll be commodores and you’ll be vice commodores.’ She knew people from Lauderdale Lakes and got all of the information on it, and kind of put it together and got a small group of people interested. It went on from there.”

One of the events at Lauderdale Lakes that Ruth was particularly fond of was Taste of the Lake. Since adding it to the Yacht Club’s lineup, it’s become its flagship event, Jeff said, despite it

being held only every other year. Boaters cruise the lake and dock at different piers, where homeowners serve up various foods, followed by a vote on a favorite. Last year’s Taste theme was the Mexican food-inspired “Siesta Fiesta.”

In the club’s early days, the commodore role was shared by the Hilts, who eventually passed the title on to the Gibuses after a couple of years, who continued to build on the framework their friends had put in place — even navigating some rough waters along the way.

One year when the Gibuses were in charge of Taste of the Lake, the weather didn’t go as planned — but even Mother Nature couldn’t leave a bad Taste in people’s mouths, or memories.

“We had about 50 people on the deck at once,” Steve said. “The day started off pretty good, but then it started to hail. In the little gazebo that I had, we had people shoulder-to-shoulder because we were freezing. We had about an inch-and-a-half of hail all over all these pots we had.”

“It was crazy,” Mary Ann added. “It was a disaster, but it was fun.”

Another favorite event, Robber’s Bingo, drew 75 participants this year, each bringing a “white elephant” mystery gift that were given as prizes – game winners could either choose one of the gifts, or snag one away from someone who already won one. The game continues until all the numbers are called, giving players plenty of opportunities to yell “Bingo!” while engaging in some good-natured larceny and laughter.

Luck be a lady Jeff and Tia Oliver pose with the “Lady of the Lake,” an iconic part of the Yacht Club’s history. It has been a part of Lake Carroll lore since the 1970s, and is awarded during the annual Robber’s Bingo to a lucky person who gets to hold on to it for a year. Tia was this year’s winner.

“With Robber’s Bingo, we really don’t have to advertise — pretty much, people just ask when the date is, so they can go get their white elephant gift,” Tia said. “We had people walking out going, ‘I can’t wait until next year,’ or, ‘I’m going to wrap my gift like that.’ There’s always one gift that draws attention, and they were all excited about it.”

One of the most sought-after prizes is the club’s “Lady of the Lake,” a mannequin madam that’s become a sort of club mascot. The lucky winners gets to hold on the Lady for a year, until the next Robber’s Bingo, and next winner, comes along. The figure also has signatures of past winners. The prizewinner and the Lady also get to lead the Venetian Night Parade of boats on the lake.

Tia won the “Lady of the Lake” this year, and gets to bring her along whenever there’s a Yacht Club function.

If we’re gonna start a club, let’s go in whole hog The Yacht Club’s first event was a hog roast at the West Marina in 2007. The club was founded that January and has been a part of the community for 17 years.

“We named her Lola,” Tia said, an abbreviation for “Lady Of the Lake, Always.” Mary Ann remembers making the Lady of the Lake the big prize for Robber’s Bingo and the lead figure for Venetian Night Parade, which features boats decked out in all sorts of creative designs while floating on the lake against a moonlit backdrop.

The Lady has been a part of Lake Carroll lore since the 1970s, and was in possession of the Fishing Club before joining the Yacht Club, Jeff said.

“Nobody in the Fishing Club was doing anything with it, so we asked them if we could take it, and they gave it to us and we started the Robber’s Bingo,” Mary Ann said. “We grabbed it, and I thought the best thing to do with it was to use the Venetian Night to use her to lead it. It all kind of gelled together.”

The Yacht Club prospered for its first 10 years until membership started to dwindle leading up to 2019. That’s when a vote was called to propose disbanding the club. The Olivers, who had recently joined it, didn’t want to see it go away, so they took matters into their own hands. Jeff took over as commodore — although that wasn’t initially his plan, but he’s taken the wheel and helped put the club back on course.

“They didn’t tell me that they were going to have me step up and take it on,” Jeff said. “But honestly, that’s probably one of the best things that could have happened, because I’ve had a ball with it ever since. We have some of the originals and older members that have been with the club for a long time, and we have people who have joined in the past year that have become really active and involved with it.”

“You can form a bond and a friendship with people, and before you know it, they’ll call you by your first name,” he said. “It’s always nice to hear from people, because they’ll say, ‘When are you going to be doing that again?’ or ‘Are you going to have that again next year?’ They keep looking forward.”

The Gibuses continue to make it to some of the Yacht Club events, and are happy to see its current leadership, including the Olivers, continue to build on what they and The Hilts started almost 20 years ago.

“They have a lot of good things going,” Mary Ann said. “They’re taking it to a new level. We’re glad they took over, for sure. They saved the club. They’re making it work and finding new ideas. It’s fantastic. And with new people coming in with new ideas, that’s what we need.”

Being part of the Yacht Club and attending its events is great way to meet new people, Steve said.

Annual memberships — at $20 per year per family — are available to all Lake Carroll property owners and run from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31. Jeff is predicting a rise in membership this year from the 56 families that were members last year, with many coming to understand just how valuable of a role the club plays at the lake.

“It’s amazing with the people you get to meet and the friendships that you create,” Jeff said. “It’s been a really cool adventure.”

Cody Cutter can be reached at 815-632-2532 or ccutter@shawmedia.com.

See bikes from the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s and more!

See one of the most extensive Schwinn collections around!

See hard-to-find and unusual bicycles, like a Mini bike built for two!

Take a ride back in time and find the bike you had as a kid!

Paul Studtmann grew up riding a bicycle like this one, hanging in his museum in downtown Elizabeth: a 1966 Schwinn Stingray, one of the company’s most popular models. Today, it’s one of more than 800 bicycles displayed in the museum. In the inset below is an ad for the bike.

emember when all you needed was a bicycle to make you happy? No video games. No cell phones. No apps. All you had to do was pump those pedals and the world was yours, a child’s first taste of freedom and adventure. Maybe you even stuck a trusty baseball card in the spokes to turn your bicycle into a motorcycle.

Paul Studtmann remembers — but then again, it’d be kind of hard for him to forget. He’s surrounded by bicycles. Hundreds, and hundreds — and hundreds — of bicycles. Lined up and leaning on kickstands, hanging on walls, waiting in his workshop. One-seaters. Two-seaters. Three-wheelers. Ten speeds. It’s a passion project of pedals that started as a hobby and turned into a museum.

Studtmann is the curator at a museum of memories in downtown Elizabeth that celebrates the history of bicycles, where the people-powered rides at Paul’s Vintage Bikes are like a time capsule on wheels.

Racing up and down the street, setting up a ramp and jumping over friends lying on the ground, exploring places that Mom and Dad didn’t want you to go — they’re all memories that the museum rekindles with its impressive collection of nostalgia and innovation — Schwinns, Raleighs, Bianchis and other cycling companies from the U.S. and throughout the world.

Paul’s Vintage Bikes houses Studtmann’s collection of more than 850 bicycles that he has acquired or restored over the past 12 years. It’s a collection that keeps growing as he continues to come across vintage bikes that need a new lease on life, working on one or two a week from the shop in the museum’s basement.

From the old-style penny-farthings with their giant front wheels and small rear wheels, to some of the first carbon fiberframed bikes of the early 1980s, Studtmann enjoys sharing the history and talking about the features of the bikes, as well as the stories of the companies that made them. He’s not doing all of the talking, though; visitors often wind up sharing their stories with Studtmann as well. No matter how long it’s been, those childhood memories of riding a bike — like learning to ride one — are something people never forget. They hold a special place in people’s hearts.

“I love listening to people and hearing their stories when they come here,” Studtmann said. “When I have people who come here and see their childhood bike, they go nuts. Then they want to buy it off me, but I don’t sell them.”

Hundreds of bicycles are lined up on the shop floor and along its walls on each of the museum’s three levels. The museum is open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., or by appointment, where Studtmann takes visitors on a journey through the bicycle’s place in history, how it played an important role in transportation, racing, and our collective childhoods — and even some that played a role in world history.

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Much of Studtmann’s collection consists of Schwinn bicycles, and one of his favorites is the same model he had as a child. Though it’s not the actual bike he road, it still hangs prominently on a wall on the top floor: It’s a blue 1966 Schwinn Stingray, one of the company’s most iconic bikes. With its banana seat, “ape-hanger” handlebars and gear shift, it was “the bike with the sports car look.” They were made from the early 1960s to the early 1980s, and Studtmann’s was bought brand new for a pretty penny – about $100, he said.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, Schwinn was the top bicycle company in the United States. Many visitors to the museum often make it a point to find a bicycle they used to have.

Some of the bikes that come into Studtmann’s museum start off looking a worse for wear, like this rare 1935 Lewis Cycle Co. bike (right), but by the time he’s done with them, they’re ready to roll —and it’s not just a spit shine and a little elbow grease. He tears them down, cleans them, replaces parts when necessary, and gets the rides road-ready.

Below are parts from a 1975 Schwinn Continental 10 speed.

“It’s usually a Schwinn, and I have just about every Schwinn that was ever made,” Studtmann said. “Chances are, they’ll find it.”

Studtmann has come across a lot of interesting bicycles in his time. There’s a 1968 Schwinn Mini Twinn — a kids tandem bicycyle made just one year; only 3,000 were manufactured. Also among the collection is a ski bike from 1961, with aluminum skis instead of wheels. Some manufacturers’ names are more often associated with other vehicles. Triumph, a maker of sports cars and motorcycles, also made bicycles, and some are on display at the museum. There’s a Shelby model, too — not made by Ford, but a small company in Ohio.

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PAUL’S VINTAGE BIKES FACEBOOK PAGE

Among the fans of Studtmann’s commitment to celebrating the bicycle’s role — and roll — in history is none other then “American Pickers” star, and fellow bike collector, Mike Wolfe, who stopped by the museum last year.

Studtmann wasn’t actually much of a bicycle enthusiast growing up. It wasn’t well into adulthood that he came to appreciate the history and innovation behind them — and it started when one man’s trash became another man’s project.

Japan made good use of the bicycle in the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II, and Studtmann has a few collapsible bicycles from that era on display.

“In World War II, the Japanese military were using these with their parachuters,” Studtmann said. “They had them on their back, and they’re 40 pounds. They conquered a good part of China using those.”

“I had a place in Florida, and I lived across the street from the recycle center,” Studtmann said. “People would bring what they were dumping, and if there was something a little nice, they’d just set it to the side. Every day, I’d look out the window and if there was a bicycle there, I’d nab it.”

About 85 bicycles in the collection come from Italy, and were rescued from destruction by Studtmann in Naples — Florida, that is.

PAUL’S VINTAGE BIKES FACEBOOK PAGE

A bicycle built for you — and you ... Among the rarest bikes in Studtmann’s collection is this 1968 Schwinn Mini Twinn; it was made just one year and only 3,000 were manufactured, and Studtmann estimates only 500 have survived.

This Chopper really flew down the street ... One of the more unusual bikes Studtmann has worked on is this 1973 Raleigh MK2 Chopper. This model was built from 1973-85.

War and pieces of history

... Some pieces at the museum have wartime backstories, like the World War II-era Road Puppy at left, a Japanese folding bicycle (this one is the civilian version of their military paratrooper bike); and a passenger bike (right) Studtmann believes was brought to the U.S. after the Vietnam War.

Once the bicycle bug bit him, it was hard for Studtmann to shake it. Today, his museum boasts an impressive collection manpowered machines on three floors, more than 850, and counting. So if it’s bikes you like, it’s bikes he’s got — rare ones, novel ones, ones you’ve never seen before. It’s quite a ride through history.

Nothing rides like a Deere

... Even John Deere got into the bicycle business. Seen here is a 1970s model at Studtmann’s museum.

3 wheels, 2 wheels, no wheels ... Most of Studtmann’s collection consists of bicycles, but he’s also made room for some other pieces, like a 1930s skip tooth, chain-driven Taylor tricycle he found at the same bicycle shop that sold it 85 years ago; a scooter; a 1980s Schwinn Air-Dyne Exercisor exercise bike; and a circa 1960s Worksman frontloading utility bike (believe it or not, this durable little workhorse has a quarterton payload capacity).

PHOTOS: PAUL’S VINTAGE BIKES FACEBOOK PAGE

You ain’t got a Swing if you ain’t got that spring ... Here’s an interesting twist on bicycle design: the Swing Bike, which allowed for steering of both the front and rear wheel. It hit the market in 1975 and stuck around until 1978 — and if you ask Osmond brother Jimmy, it’s the most incredible bike he’s ever ridden.

Speaking of Italy, one of the most legendary European films of all-time involved a bicycle in that country: Vittorio De Sica’s 1948 drama “Bicycle Thieves.” Italy is just one of about 30 countries represented in Studtmann’s collection, including a Flying Pigeon, a cycle that became one of the most sold due to its popularity among residents in China during the rule of Mao Zedong.

“Bicycles would change every couple of years,” Studtmann said. “They would make them cheaper, lighter, faster. So to find parts to bring them back to their original, there’s not too many out there.”

Studtmann routinely shares his projects on the museum’s Facebook page, complete with information on the make and model and what it takes to restore it to working condition. He keeps to his own work — he only restores his own bikes — and he doesn’t plan on selling his collection anytime soon.

At first, he hadn’t planned on opening a museum. The bikes were just something to tinker with when he wasn’t at his day job as president of First Galena, a real estate and home building company. But the collection kept growing and in March 2023, he opened the museum in a building that — like the bikes it houses — is part of history, too.

The downtown building used to be home Bishop’s Busy Big Store, a popular department store that was in business for just over 100 years; and its upstairs once was the Lyric Theater, which showed movies from 1916 to 1931.

Even with being open only a few hours a week, the museum still manages to draw its fair share of visitors. Bicycle enthusiasts from all over the world stop by and share their knowledge and stories with him, and vice-versa — including Mike Wolfe, star of The History Channel show “American Pickers.”

a spin to Elizabeth ... Paul’s Vintage Bicycle Museum, 137 N. Main St. in Elizabeth, is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, or by appointment. Admission is free. Find it on Facebook, email paul@firstgalena.com or call 815-238-0930 for more information.

“The history of it, the stories behind it, the parts and mechanics, and the artwork with the high-end chrome and good paint, it’s exciting to have something no one else has,” Studtmann said.

Cody Cutter can be reached at 815-6322532 or ccutter@shawmedia.com.

uring a mid-April baseball game last year at Eastland High School in Lanark, Aquin Central Catholic High School catcher Brayden Jackson went 2-for-3 to lead his Bulldogs on offense, but his team failed to score any runs in a 7-0 loss to the host Cougars.

Fast forward one year later, and Jackson has switched schools and jerseys for his junior year: He’s now leading the Cougars to success both at the plate and at a new fulltime position on the field: third base.

Jackson transferred to Eastland this past summer when his family moved from Freeport to Lake Carroll, and that gave him an opportunity to make new friends with his onetime rivals on the diamond. He’s also been able to spend time with those new friends playing basketball and football, sharing the emotional highs and lows of wins and losses on the court and on the field.

With his new Eastland-Pearl City football teammates, Jackson played on a Wildcatz squad that struggled at the season’s beginning, but ended it by winning three out of its

last four games. Jackson and his classmates transitioned from the gridiron grass to the basketball boards, where it took another midseason slump to catapult the Cougars to much greater success the rest of the way. Jackson, who suited up as a reserve guard and forward for the Cougars, helped lead it to winning 75 percent of its games after Dec. 28 to finish with a 26-10 record (9-1 in Northwest Upstate Illinois South Division play) and an appearance in the Illinois High School Association Class 1A sectional final game. The 26 wins were the team’s most since 2013. Baseball, however, is Jackson’s favorite sport. After experiencing a rough couple of seasons at Aquin, he’s hoping to put more games in the win column with his new team. The Cougars are looking to improve on last year’s

Eastland Cougars’ third baseman Brayden Jackson.

Lake Carroll’s Brayden Jackson has enjoyed playing third base for the Cougars’ baseball team this season, having moved over from his usual confines as catcher for his former school, Aquin Central Catholic in Freeport. Of playing third base, he says: “You just got to be ready on every pitch, and you should be good,” he said.

CODY CUTTER/CCUTTER@SHAWMEDIA.COM

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Program Goals:

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• Teach positioning, mobility, transfers and walking skills

• Reduce pain through use of modalities and adaptive equipment

• Improve cognitive and communication skills

• Promote safe swallowing

What do you like and enjoy about baseball?

I’ve been playing it my whole life. I like being with my friends, and it creates a new family for me. I like going out there and having fun.

What are your first memories of baseball?

I watched my dad play growing up, and I like following in his footsteps. I wanted to be like him.

What have you come to enjoy about coming over to Eastland?

They are very accepting. It was a very easy transfer here. They are very friendly. With the transfer, getting into a lot of sports has gotten me a lot of friends and people to talk to.

What have been some of the best moments of the season for you so far?

We’ve really been coming together. Our fielding has done real well, and we’re really putting it together. Our hitting is still coming around, but it will get better. Any particular goals for you and the team this season? We definitely want to win our conference. We feel like we have a good chance at that. Then for individual goals, I’d like to make all-conference.

It’s been a cold start to this season weather-wise, do you enjoy playing in the warm or cold?

Definitely warm. I don’t like being cold. You’re still kind of rusty. Once you get deep into the season, you’ve seen a lot of pitchers, and so you’re not that caught off-guard.

Have you always played third base?

I’ve played catcher growing up and bits of third base at Aquin also. Cole [Huber] does a pretty good job behind the plate now.

What do you like about playing third base, and what does it take to be good at it?

It gets quite a lot of action. When you’re playing catcher, you get the ball all of the time, but at third base, you still get a lot of action. You just got to be ready on every pitch, and you should be good.

What does it take to be a good hitter? You have to have good reaction time, and you should have a lot of confidence when you’re at the plate.

Do you like playing offense or defense better than the other? Personally, I think I like playing defense. We have a lot of fun out there, and we interact out there a little bit different than some other teams.

PHOTOS: CODY CUTTER/CCUTTER@SHAWMEDIA.COM

SPORTS EXTRA

Hitting a home run in a game is cool, but having two Lake Carroll players hit home runs on the same day? Even cooler. That happened on April 6 when the Eastland High School baseball team took a long road trip across Illinois to play at Tuscola, and the softball team traveled to Ashton-Franklin Center.

Lake Carroll’s Brayden Jackson (No. 9), along with teammate Trevor Janssen (No. 1), hit homeruns in a 13-6 win in their game against the Warriors. About 200 miles closer to home, Lake Carroll’s Olivia Klinefelter (No. 34), along with teammate Izzy Ames (No. 24), both homered in a 15-5 win over the Raiders.

Both Jackson and Klinefelter had three RBI’s in their respective games.

Lake Lifestyle featured Klinefelter in an Athlete Q&A two seasons ago. Go to issuu.com/shawmedia/ docs/ll_050422/14 to read the story.

— Cody Cutter | w Valley Media

What has been the biggest improvement in your baseball play since your freshman year?

Probably my fielding. I feel like I’ve always been somewhat of a good hitter, but my fielding has really come along.

Want to catch an Eastland High School baseball game this season? Go to eastland308.com/ calendar for an up-to-date schedule.

Do you have a favorite high school rival?

Probably Pec [Pecatonica]. It was that way for our sports when I was at Aquin.

What is your favorite subject in school?

ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SAUKVALLEY.COM

I like most of the science classes. Maybe history on a good day. I feel that I’m just naturally good at the sciences. I’m taking a physics class this year.

Baseball and physics go hand-in-hand, have you learned anything about physics from playing baseball?

I watched a guy on YouTube and he talks about the science of a lot of things. It makes sense and clicks sometimes. It just helps you see what’s behind it.

What do you like about living in Lake Carroll?

It’s a lot quieter than in Freeport. I feel like I was always out and going. Now, I enjoy settling down with my friends and family when I’m out on the lake. It’s more isolated.

Cody Cutter can be reached at 815-632-2532 or ccutter@shawmedia.com.

Brayden Jackson bench presses at a weight lifting session at Eastland High School during football season. Jackson transferred to Eastland this school year from Aquin Central Catholic High School in Freeport, and said he’s enjoyed his new school, and new friends he’s made.

a parent, there’s nothing quite like hearing the pitter patter of little feet, but that joy can be tempered with concern when those little feet need a new pair of shoes, but the family can’t afford it.

Fortunately for those struggling to make ends meet in Carroll County, help is close by, and some of that help is coming from Lake Carroll.

Pitter Patter Pantry in Mount Carroll is a nonprofit organization that helps mothers of young children receiving aid through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) by providing access to important staples such as clothes, diapers, baby care products and other items. The pantry utilizes a system that combines compassion and education to help low-income families in Carroll County provide for their children ages 5 and under, in a “warm, secure and healthy environment,” according to its mission statement.

Michelle Bashaw serves as its president and helps keep the pantry focused on its mission.

“We have diapers and wipes, all of the toiletries, bottles, clothing, shoes, new cribs and mattresses, really anything you can think of for kids,” she said. “It’s basically any essentials they need.”

Bashaw knows firsthand what a lifesaver the pantry can be, having gone there while she was starting her own family a few years ago.

“We were very grateful to have this place where we could get those things, and now I’m giving back by helping to run it,” Bashaw said. “It was better than suddenly having to buy formula and baby food and not having any money left over for blankets and clothes and things like that.”

CODY CUTTER/CCUTTER@SHAWMEDIA.COM

The pantry works in coordination with the Carroll County Health Department, which serves as the liaison for those in the county who receive WIC assistance. Monetary donations and grants help fund the pantry’s operation, and several churches in the county also lend a hand, crafting blankets and quilts for the pantry.

Unlike pantries where people simply pick up what they need, Pitter Patter uses Baby Bucks, a sort of currency system in which parents earn Baby Bucks in $1 or $5 increments by making routine care and personal enrichment visits with their children.

Some of the ways parents can earn Baby Bucks include making doctor visits, attending routine WIC appointments, going to Right Steps or Early Steps activities or workshops, volunteering in preschool classrooms, donating items to the pantry, attending church and vacation bible schools, and maintaining good grades in school or college (a complete list of qualifying activities is available at the health department). Families keep a logbook of their activities and bring it to the health department to be reviewed and get their Baby Bucks.

Amy Field, HID

Lydia Sitter, Au.D

Carolyn Awender, Au.D

Michelle Bashaw, president of Pitter Patter Pantry in Mount Carroll.

Pia Malloy of Lake Carroll is Pitter Patter Pantry's volunteer coordinator, a job that involves scheduling workers for its store in Mount Carroll. “It is a great feeling to help the children of Carroll County, and to see how happy the moms are when they find the perfect [item] for their child,” she said.

It’s a set-up that encourages WIC participants to take a more active role in parenting, Bashaw said.

“Moms can earn Baby Bucks (photo inset below) by doing positive things for their kids,” Bashaw said. “Anything that someone can sign off on that they’ve done positive for themselves or their child, they can get Baby Bucks.”

The pantry also offers seasonal incentives for its shoppers, such as a raffle for Christmas toys or books before the school year begins, and occasionally has buy-one-get-one sales. Another perk at the pantry: toys and books are free.

“We don’t want a child to come in here and fall in love with a stuffed animal, and the mom doesn’t have the Baby Bucks and have to leave them behind,” Bashaw said. “Whatever toys and books they want, they can just have, so we try to have enough of those around.”

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Check donations to the pantry can be mailed to Pitter Patter Pantry, c/o Carroll County Health Department, 822 S. Mill St., Mount Carroll, IL, 61053. Lake Carroll residents can donate new or gently used items to the pantry by coordinating with volunteers Marvelene Feucht at 815-493-9104 or Ruth Thede at 815-864-2307.

smeti

NEW ITEMS routinely needed include:

• Diapers (Papers, Huggies and Luvs brands preferred)

• Baby wipes

• Baby bath

• Baby shampoo

• Baby lotion

• Baby powder

• Teething rings

• Diaper rash creams

• Humidifiers

• Brush and comb sets

• Thermometers

• Baby spoons

• Sippy cups

• Bottles and nipples

• Cribs & crib mattresses

Gently-used items routinely needed include:

• Clothing (from birth to 5 years)

• Blankets

• Crib sheets

• Baby monitors

• Boppies

• Bibs

• Sleepers

• Burp cloths

• High chairs with a security belt

Pitter Patter Pantry, open to those who receive WIC assistance in Carroll County, is located at 855 S. Mill St. in Mount Carroll. It is open every other Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. starting May 14, and from 4 to 6 p.m. on the first Tuesday of each month.

Packages of diapers are limited to two per child per visit, and wipes limited to one per child per visit. Moms-tobe are asked to wait until a month before their baby’s due date to get diapers and wipes.

Find Pitter Patter Pantry on Facebook or call the county health department at 815-2448855 for more information.

Those who want to donate items can get in touch with a designated pantry volunteer from their town in Carroll County to see whether the items are needed and are in acceptable condition (see page 35 for a list of some needed items). Clothing should have no stains, rips or missing buttons. New or gently used furniture is accepted as long as there is room at the pantry and the items aren’t in need of repair are or missing parts.

Baby Bucks can also be used for gas vouchers, redeemable at the Citgo station next door.

“We were noticing during the pandemic that it was really hard for them to afford gas, and many people were off from work,” Bashaw said. The vouchers help “them get to the doctor’s appointments, or the library.”

Keeping Pitter Patter Pantry stocked takes a lot of helping hands, and among them are members of the Lake Carroll Women’s Club, who play a big part in the pantry’s success; eight of its 30 volunteers live at the lake.

clothes for the pantry with donations it gets.

It’s proven to be a fulfilling activity for her in retirement, and she encourages additional volunteers to join her.

“I really enjoy seeing the young families, and knowing you are helping the children of Carroll County,” Malloy said.

“When I retired I was looking for some way to give of myself to help others. Helping children through Pitter Patter is perfect. It doesn’t require a lot of time, I can always find a way to give 3 to 4 hours out of the month to a good cause.”

Pia Malloy of Lake Carroll is the pantry’s vol unteer coordinator, and is in charge of schedul ing staff at the store, which is open every other Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. from May 14 on, and from 4 to 6 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month. She also buys

The clothes shelves and racks recently transitioned from winter wear to spring and summer items, T-shirts, shorts and the like. Come Halloween and Christmas, seasonal outfits will be in stock as well.

Summer shoes, gym shoes, flip flops, and sandals are in big demand during the summer. When winter rolls around, boys and girls pajamas for ages 3 through 6 are in great need, Malloy said.

Beyond the Lake Carroll Women’s Club, many lake residents also help by making donations, Malloy said.

“The community is very generous with clothing and monetary donations, and we are thankful for that support,” Malloy said. “It is a great feeling to help the children of Carroll County, and to see how happy the moms are when they find the perfect dress for Christmas or T-shirt and jeans, or maybe a Halloween costume for their child.”

About 175 low-income families in Carroll County receive WIC assistance, and the number of children in the county living in low-income households increased in 2023 from the year before, according to the most recent Illinois State Board of Education Report Card data.

The percentage of low income students at each of Carroll County’s three elementary schools has been on the rise in recent years: 49.6% of Shannon Elementary School students are classified as low-income, up 7.4% from the previous year; West Carroll Primary School in Savanna had 60.4% of students as low-income, a rise of 13.4%; and 43.3% of Chadwick-Milledgeville Elementary students were low-income, up 4.5% from a year ago.

According to an informational flier published by the pantry, children born into poverty are susceptible to low birth weight, can have health problems such as asthma or anemia and substandard nutrition, and are more likely to have poorer motor skills, lower cognitive test scores and lower school achievement than others.

Pitter Patter’s roots go back 20 years, when Leigh Ann Piper , who was pursuing a master’s degree at the time, saw a need to help children and parents in the community. She founded Pit-

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Pitter Patter Pantry president Michelle Bashaw bags up items for a customer at the pantry.

ter Patter Pantry as part of her master’s studies, and served as its president for its first few years. She continues to serve on its board of directors. Today, others like her are helping carry on the pantry’s mission, like Bashaw and Malloy, who enjoy watching the children as they grow, from the day when they arrive in Mom’s arms to the day when they’re walking beside her.

“I like getting to know everybody, and it’s fun to see the kids grow up,” Bashaw said. “They come in as babies in carriers, and then pretty soon they’re buying clothes, and that’s always fun.”

“You see them as a newborn come in, in their car carriers, and over the years they walk in with Mom or Dad,” Malloy said. “As they grow, the families grow too and there will be a brother or sister with them.”

Cody Cutter can be reached at 815-632-2532 or ccutter@shawmedia.com.

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Mississippi River helped make a name for Mark Twain. For the Stier family of Scales Mound, it’s helped them make a living.

The Stiers are the crew that keeps the Riverboat Twilight cruising the waters of the one of the world’s most famous rivers. Carrie and Kevin own the riverboat that takes passengers on river cruises, and son Jacob and daughter Emily help with the family business.

A livelihood isn’t all they have in common with Twain. Like the legendary author, Kevin is a riverboat pilot, taking the Twilight’s wheel most of the

time, with son Jacob also piloting the boat occasionally; and while Carrie and Emily don’t write books like Twain, they make sure they’re in order, as the business bookkeepers, reservation coordinators, and marketers.

As for the boat itself, it’s one that Twain would have been proud to pilot: It’s a Victorian-style vessel measuring 126-feet long, 30-feet wide and three stories tall, and it can carry up to 150 passengers on a leisurely trip on the river, where they’ll take in sights and sounds unlike others anywhere else, the kind that make the river live up to its reputation as the Mighty Mississippi — not just as a force of nature, but a mighty nice way to sit back, relax and soak in all the sights and sounds along the way.

The Stiers are the family crew behind the Riverboat Twilight, taking tourists on Mississippi River cruises from their home port in LeClaire, Iowa. Kevin and Carrie Stier (center) have owned the boat since 2006, and their children, Emily and Jacob also work on the boat: Kevin and Jacob are captains, and Carrie and Emily handle all of the other logistics.

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“It’s an opportunity to step back from dayto-day life,” Emily said. “You get to be on a historical replica vessel similar to what people from that time period would have traveled on — obviously now we have some modern accommodations — but you can still step back from life and talk to people that you’re traveling with, or if you’re traveling alone, meet someone new. You can have space to roam around, but it also kind of creates a small community.”

The boat takes tourists on cruises of several types, ranging from LeClaire, Iowa, upstream to Guttenburg, Iowa. Two-day cruises, daylong cruises and short tours are offered. Cruises are full of entertainment and education through captain’s narrations about the area from wildlife to history.

READ OWNER’S MANUAL AND ALL ON-PRODUCT WARNINGS. ALWAYS WEAR PROTECTIVE GEAR APPROPRIATE FOR THE USE OF THIS VEHICLE. NEVER OPERATE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS OR ALCOHOL. PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT. THE KAWASAKI MULE™ SIDE X SIDE IS AN OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLE ONLY, AND IS NOT DESIGNED, EQUIPPED OR MANUFACTURED FOR USE ON PUBLIC STREETS, ROADS OR HIGHWAYS. OBEY THE LAWS AND REGULATIONS THAT CONTROL THE USE OF YOUR VEHICLE. ©2019 KAWASAKI

The boat was built in 1987 by Dennis Trone, and the Stiers bought it in 2006. Indoor and outdoor seating is available on three levels (the upper levels are accessible only via stairways), and it has a large dining room, cash bar and gift shop.

While manning the wheel, the captain — usually Kevin, who brings more than 40 years’ experience piloting boats on the Mississippi — also shares information about the area with travelers, as well letting them in on how he helps the boat keep its course.

“He’ll explain about the towns they’ll pass by, some of the landscape that they’ll see and how it got to be that way, what kind of wildlife lives in the area,” Emily said. “We’ll go through two locks and dams during the two-day trip, and one during the oneday trip, and he’ll explain that process.

Three types of cruises are offered: a two-day trip from LeClaire to Dubuque with a visit to the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium; a single-day excursion from Dubuque upstream to Guttenberg, Iowa; and 90-minute sightseeing cruises from LeClaire to Princeton, Iowa. Reservations are required for each cruise.

The two-day cruises are the most popular, Stier said. They take place Tuesdays and Thursdays from May 28 to Oct. 22, and on Sundays from Sept. 8 to Oct. 20. Boarding begins at 7:30 a.m. for each cruise, with departure at 8 a.m. In addition to the museum visit, each cruise also has live entertainment and activities, meals, off-site lodging, and shuttle service around Dubuque. Cruises return to LeClaire at 6 p.m. on the second day.

Passengers on the Riverboat Twilight can relax in comfort and style, surrounded by the opulence of the Victorian-style decor; outdoor seating on all three levels is also available. If you want to whet your whistle, there’s a cash bar on the third deck.

MONDAY - FRIDAY: 8:30 AM-5:30PM • SATURDAY: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM (ALSO OPEN BY APPOINTMENT)

PHOTOS: RIVERBOAT TWILIGHT - MISSISSIPPI RIVER CRUISE FACEBOOK PAGE

Double occupancy rates begin at $439 a person, and they sell out fast; placements on waiting lists are available. In addition, hotels in LeClaire offer special rates for Twilight travelers before or after the cruise.

The two-day adventures have a new feature this year: Travelers can also take a 90-minute narrated trolley ride through Dubuque from Trolleys of Dubuque. The cost is $20 and the trip starts upon the boat’s arrival in Dubuque.

Along the way, the boat passes through two of the river’s lock and dams, No. 13 in Fulton and No. 12 in Bellevue. The part of the river north of Lock and Dam No. 13 around Thomson is 3 miles wide from shore to shore, providing sweeping views of the river. Wildlife habitats along the cruise can be seen near Princeton, Clinton, Green Island, Bellevue and Dubuque.

The two-day trip is an all-inclusive experience: The hotel stays are booked by the Stiers, and travelers don’t have to haul their luggage to and from the boat; the boat staff takes care of that

“Typically, the two-day cruises are popular with those who are retired, have more time to spend during the week, or have a little more expendable income,” Emily said. “The sightseeing trips are really popular with families, and we’ll get a lot of kids and teenagers, and family groups and friend groups, go to those; they can be a short thing that they can do while doing something else on the rest of the day.

Riverboat Twilight’s one-day cruises head further upstream, to the scenic Driftless Area. Cruise dates are Aug. 8-11, Aug. 30 through Sept. 1, and Oct. 25-28, and depart from the Port

Relax

Unwind

of Dubuque. Cruises include live entertainment, a continental breakfast, lunch and snacks, and an opportunity to explore Guttenberg when weather permits. Boarding begins at 7:15 a.m. for each cruise, with departure at 7:30 a.m. Cruises return to Dubuque at 5 p.m. The cost is $189 for adults and $89 for children 12 and younger.

In addition to the scenery along the way — rolling mounds, stunning bluffs, charming river towns — travelers can also get a glimpse of the Cassville Ferry loading or unloading. The ferry between Cassville, Wisconsin, and North Buena Vista, Iowa, is the only one on the Mississippi River north of the St. Louis area. The trip also takes passengers through Lock and Dam No. 11 in Dubuque.

“On the one-day trips, we get a lot more local people than we would typically get on our two-day overnight one,” Emily said. “We get a lot of people from the tri-state area, and it’s something that’s in their backyard, that they can spend a single day doing, and enjoy a day to explore some local history.

Dining tables for the two-day and daylong cruises are reserved for each party of travelers.

If you just want to dip your toe in the riverboat experience, a shorter sightseeing cruises are available. They run May 25-27, and every Sunday from June 1 to Aug. 24 (except for Aug. 10); departure times are 11 a.m., 1:30 and 4 p.m. The cost is $22 for adults and $15 for children 12 and younger. Reservations are best, but a limited number of tickets are sometimes available dockside, as room allows.

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“We get a lot of people who have never seen the Mississippi before,” Emily said. “Sometimes it’s a big deal for them. For someone who’s grown up by it their whole life, they may not see it like someone else would. I think people can enjoy that it’s a short getaway, but you get a lot in that amount of time.”

When it’s not tourist season, the boat docks in LeClaire — and it’s not the only that sits along the shore of the historic river town: The City of Baton Rouge is used as Twilight’s boarding wharfboat. It was in service on the river from 1911 to 1971, and has been docked in LeClaire since 1987.

Exploring the Mississippi River by boat also gives peoplea chance to see nature from a new perspective, and at a speed of about 8 1/2 knots — 10 mph to us landbound laymen — there’s plenty of time to take it all in. They can see bald eagles perched in trees along the river as they scan for food below, or pelicans bobbing up and down on the water. Though large enough to carry more than 100 people, the boat can still get close enough to islands along the way, places few people step foot on that are prime destinations for members of Mother Nature’s family.

Passengers particularly enjoy the captain’s narration, Emily said.

“People love understanding what they’re looking at,” she said. “They may want to know what a bird is, or why some trees are losing leaves in an area even though it’s the middle of summer. They love learning about the history and what they’re seeing.”

The Stiers have met people taking the cruises for all sorts of reasons — birthdays, anniversaries, family reunions, retreats, or just a simple getaway.

Even though they’ve made trips up and down the Mississippi for decades, the Stiers still enjoy seeing the river through the eyes of their passengers, taking joy in watching them interact with each other.

“It’s not just about seeing scenery and learning, which is an integral part of it,” Emily said, “but it’s also about the little community that it makes.”

Cody Cutter can be reached at 815-632-2532 or ccutter@shawmedia.com.

Riverboat Twilight, docked at 199 Front St. in LeClaire, Iowa, offers 1- and 2-day cruises, as well as 90-minute sightseeing journeys from May to October. The 1-day tour goes from Dubuque to Guttenburg, Iowa, the 2-day tour from LeClaire to Dubuque, and the short sightseeing tour from LeClaire goes to Princeton, Iowa. Find it on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, go to riverboattwilight.com or call 1-800331-1467 for an up-to-date cruise schedule and an interior boat tour.

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