MMT-10-10-2013

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Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967

MT.Times MORRIS October 10, 2013 Volume 46, Number 31 - $1.00

Team Qualifies

Assessments

Memorial Wall

The Oregon Hawk Golf Team placed second at Regionals and advanced to Sectionals. B1

Ogle County’s 2013 property assessments are set. A11-12

A Memorial Wall honoring fallen soldiers was on display during Autumn on Parade. A3

Landmark eatery will close its doors at end of October By Vinde Wells Editor An Oregon icon will close its doors at the end of this month after more than 60 years in business. Maxson’s Riverside Restaurant and the Pride of Oregon Riverboat will serve meals for the last time on Oct. 31, owner Rich Wiesner said Tuesday. “The decision to close has been tremendously difficult, but we’ve come to realize that now is the best time for this to happen,� Wiesner said in a press release issued Structural engineers Aldo De La Haza and Daniel Schultz examine the Black Hawk Statue Tuesday afternoon. Photo Monday afternoon. by Earleen Hinton In a phone interview on Tuesday, Wiesner said he wants to retire, but hasn’t been able to find a buyer for the landmark restaurant. “I’ve had it for sale for a By Vinde Wells De La Haza said his the authority of the Illinois A large contributor was the Editor company has been hired to Department of Natural Jeffris Family Foundation, investigate the condition of Resources (IDNR), has Janesville, Wis., which gave Ogle County’s most the structure and do non- cracks and large pieces of a $150,000 matching grant. famous centenarian will be destructive testing. its concrete surface have Frank Rausa, a getting a 3-D full body scan Their high-tech scanners dislodged. The folded arms member of The Friends this week. allow them to see inside of the 50-foot monolith have of the Blackhawk Statue Structural engineers began the concrete to assess the been especially affected. Committee, said in January work Tuesday to determine statue’s condition and to The cost for the that the laser scanning the condition of the Black determine the amount and assessment and repairs has will provide a permanent Hawk Statue in order to location of steel reinforcing. been estimated at $625,000. record of the statue and By Vinde Wells decide what is the best way Another company will do More than half the money include drawings, plans, and Editor to help repair the 102-year- scanning with rotating lasers for the project came from a elevations of the statue for old concrete statue. to create an exact three- $350,000 grant the IDNR use in the current restoration Foot-dragging by a federal Aldo De La Haza and dimensional model of the received from the Illinois and in future years. agency has prompted an Daniel Schultz, who work statue, he said. Department of Commerce Created by sculptor Lorado Oregon bank to abandon for the Dynasty Group, The findings will aid in and Economic Opportunity. Taft in 1911 and listed on plans for a new building. Chicago, used technology determining what needs to be The rest came from the National Register of Roger Lehman, president to take a look beneath done to repair and preserve donations, as well as funds Historic Places, the statue is of Harvard State Bank, the surface of the statue, the statue which has been raised during the annual located on a 125-foot bluff said Monday that the lack which sits on a high bluff at damaged by the ravages of Oregon Trail Days festival overlooking the Rock River. of a decision from the Lowden State Park northeast time and weather. held at Lowden Park since It draws 400,000 visitors Federal Deposit Insurance of Oregon. The statue, which is under 2010. a year, tourism officials say. Corporation (FDIC) means

Tests underway on Black Hawk

year now, and I haven’t had one person [buyer] come through here,� he said. “I’m 66 years old; I’m ready to retire.� Wiesner said he still hopes to sell the restaurant. “It’s a good location. It’s a good banquet facility,� he said. Wiesner, who is the restaurant’s fourth owner, has owned and operated it since mid-September of 1992 when he purchased it from the heirs of Rose Jones. John Maxson and his family opened the restaurant in 1952 and operated it until they sold it to John and Peter Tsioles in 1978. Jones purchased the restaurant from the Tsioles brothers in 1985. She added the riverboat, originally Turn to A2

No decision by FDIC derails plan for new bank bank officials no longer plan to purchase the Bemis Motor Company building at the corner of Fourth Street (Ill. 2) and Franklin Street to locate a new building for Community Bank of Oregon. “It’s not going to happen,� Lehman said. “It’s gone on for a year and a half, and the FDIC couldn’t Turn to A2

Rain fails to dampen crowd at AOP festival By Vinde Wells Editor Gloomy skies and a couple of rain showers just weren’t enough Saturday to put a damper on Oregon’s annual fall festival. Although the final numbers weren’t available Monday, Autumn on Parade Committee President Marseyne Snow said attendance was high for both days of the festival. “The Farmer’s Market was very busy, even on Saturday with the rain,� she said. “People didn’t leave when it rained. They took cover until it stopped.� Sunday morning’s bright fall weather more than made up for what Saturday may have lacked. By midmorning festival-goers filled the Farmers Market and Food Court around the Ogle County Courthouse. “It was packed on Sunday,� Snow said. “�I think the vendors did very well.�

Festival-goer Penny Gentzel, Byron, said she comes to AOP every year. “I like to look at all the vendors,� she said Sunday. “And I can’t wait for the parade.� Vendor Kathy Benson, Elk Grove Village, was doing a brisk business Sunday at her booth selling fall-themed sweatshirts. She said AOP is one of her favorite events. “Everybody is so nice and friendly at this festival,� she said. “The weather is beautiful and the crowd is bigger today.� Sean Hall browsed a booth selling knitted afghans. He said he came up from the Quad Cities for AOP for the second time. “It’s a good festival,� he said with a grin. “I’m enjoying the weather.� Overall, Snow said, the festival went off without a hitch. “It went very well,� she said. “We had more than 500

In This Week’s Edition...

runners for the 5K Sunday morning, which is more than we’ve ever had before. The kids’ Fun Zone was busy, the parade brought out a huge crowd, and the post-parade show was a highlight.� The South Shore Drill Team thrilled the audience with their precision and dexterity Sunday afternoon during the post parade show as well as at the Harvest Time Parade. A new feature, the zipline, made a hit with youngsters at the Fun Zone in the N. Fifth Street parking lot. “Awesome� was the comment most made as they emerged from the attraction wearing wide grins. Snow praised the efforts of the AOP Committee and everyone else who helped with the festival. “Once again, we couldn’t have done it without all the volunteers and the help from the City of Oregon, Oregon Park District, and Ogle County,� she said.

Church Bells, A5 Classifieds, B6-B14 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4 Library News, A2

Members of the Circle M 4-H Club dressed up in Halloween costumes to hand out candy during the Harvest Time Parade Sunday at the Autumn on Parade festival in Oregon. The festival theme was Haunted Harvest. Photo by Vinde Wells

Marriage Licenses, A4 Mt. Morris Police, A2 Pine Creek News, A3 Public Voice, A9 Property Transfers, B4

Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B3

Deaths, B3 Nancy L. Bell Kenneth C. Dummer Emilie P. Keller

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