Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS August 7, 2014 Volume 47, Number 23 - $1.00
Rodeo Action
Fair Scenes
At the Band Shell
The rider carrying the American Flag enjoyed the honor at the Ogle County Fair. A12
More Ogle County Fair photos at oglecountynews.com.
Tribute band June’s Got the Ca$h will wrap up the Friday Night Concert series Aug. 8. A6
Motorcyclists killed in crash By Vinde Wells Editor
Two men are dead and a woman critically injured Aug. 3 when two motorcycles collided on Ill. 64 east of Mt. Morris. Ogle County Sheriff’s Police said Richard Zimmerman, 67, Lanark, and Michael Gonzalez, 50, Chicago, were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash in the 3,000 block of West Ill. 64 less than a mile east of Mt. Morris. Rosarita Gonzalez, 52, Chicago, was transported by Life Flight helicopter to St. Anthony Medical Center, Rockford, where she remained in critical condition Tuesday afternoon. A portion of Ill. 64 was
closed for more than two hours due to the crash. Police said Zimmerman, a former Oregon and Mt. Morris resident, was riding a 1992 Harley Davidson eastbound in his lane when a westbound 2009 Kawasaki, ridden by Gonzalez, attempted to pass other west bound traffic and pulled into the east bound lane of travel. Gonzalez’s motorcycle collided nearly head-on with Zimmerman’s motorcycle in the east bound lane of travel. The crash occurred at 11 a.m. After the impact, Zimmerman and his motorcycle skidded into the ditch embankment on the south side of the roadway. Gonzalez, his passenger Mt. Morris firefighters and Emergency Medical Technicians attend on of the victims of a nearly head-on motorcycle Turn to A2
crash Sunday morning on Ill. 64 east of Mt. Morris. Several members of a motorcycle club assisted emergency workers. Photo courtesy of the Mt. Morris Fire Department
Historic Preservation Agency approves statue plan By Vinde Wells Editor It’s one down and one to go for Black Hawk. One of the two state agencies whose approval is needed has given the goahead to a plan to restore the world-renowned statue. “The IHPA [Illinois Historic Preservation Agency] did finally approve the plan, and it’s now on to the IDNR [Illinois Department of Natural Resources],� Frank Rausa, Sterling, said Tuesday. Rausa is a member of the Friends of the Black Hawk Statue, the organization spear-heading restoration efforts and fundraising for the project.
He said he expects to get approval from the IDNR in the next few days. Once that happens, the scaffolding can go up and the work on the landmark can begin. Created by sculptor Lorado Taft in 1910 as a tribute to all Native Americans and located at Lowden State Park near Oregon, the statue draws thousands of visitors each year. It was unveiled in 1911. Testing and evaluations done recently by Thornton Tomasetti, Chicago, an architectural firm that provides engineering design, investigation, and analysis services to clients worldwide, showed that three areas of the statue greatly need repairs.
Chunks of the concrete have fallen from the folded arms of the statue, and more areas are loose and ready to fall. Preparation work began in mid-July when a crew removed the bushes and limestone blocks from around the base of the statue and put up a fence around it. Once the scaffolding is in place, Rausa said, the team will begin doing “mock-ups� or testing various mixtures of concrete and other materials to see which one will work the best to restore the areas of the statue damaged by time and weather. Four to six different mixtures will be applied to the statue and allowed to cure for approximately a month.
The crew will determine which is the best match for 103-year-old statue. A rededication ceremony will be held once the work is done, probably next July. So far, approximately $725,000 has been raised toward the repairs. Rausa an additional $75,000 to $100,000 will likely be needed to complete the project. To donate, checks can be made out to the Illinois Conservation Foundation and marked for the Black Hawk Statue. Donations can be mailed to Illinois Conservation Foundation, One Natural Resources Way, Springfield IL 62702.
A fence was put up around the Black Hawk Statue in July. Photo by Earleen Hinton
Weather perfect for the Ogle County Fair By Vinde Wells Editor
Lucky had to have surgery Thursday night at the Ogle County Fair grounds. Lucky is pictured here with Lilly (right), and Lina (on the fence) Friday monrning. Lucky is doing well according to his owner Evan Kosick, Circle M 4-H. Photo by Chris Johnson
Lucky was lucky By Chris Johnson Reporter
Lucky may need to change names. While Lucky is lucky to be alive and healthy, this pygmy goat has been Evan Kosick, a member of the Circle M 4-H club, walks anything but lucky at the his goat Dolly Friday morning at the Ogle County Fair. Ogle County Fair. Photo by Chris Johnson Owner Evan Kosick, 10,
In This Week’s Edition...
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B7-B12 College News, A4 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
a member of Circle M, and his dad had to treat Lucky for a ruptured urethra. “He is doing better now,� said Kosick Friday morning. “He needed to have minor surgery to get him healthy.� This was more excitement
Marriage Licenses, A4 Mt. Morris Police, A2 Property Transfers, B6 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3
Turn to A2
Social News, A4 Sports, A9, A10 State’s Attorney, B6 Zoning Permits, B6
The numbers aren’t all tallied yet but organizers are pleased with the attendance and everything else about this year’s Ogle County Fair. “There were just people all over the place checking everything out,� said fair board president Harlan Holm. “The fair was excellent. It was beautiful weather, and everything ran pretty smoothly.� Although the crowd wasn’t quite as large as last year’s all-time record of 18,500 over the five-day run, Holm said all the events drew lots of people. The 161st Ogle County Fair was held Wednesday, July 30 through Sunday, Aug. 3 at the fairgrounds just west of Oregon.
The most popular event, as usual, was the Demolition Derby on Saturday night. “The Demo Derby is always number one,� Holm said. The rodeo, tractor pulls, and carnival also drew large crowds and the free shows — Galaxy Girl and free-style motocross — were also wellattended. “The free carnival rides are hard to beat,� Holm said with a chuckle. “The lines were long at all the rides.� A paid admission at the gate included a wrist band for unlimited carnival rides. Wrist bands were a different color for each day of the fair. Holm couldn’t say enough for the weather. “I cannot remember the last time we had temperatures in the 70s and no rain for the Turn to A2
Deaths, B2 Veda May Cole, Susan M. Jorgensen, Aileen Personette, Darrel L. Strite
0UBLISHED EVERY 4HURSDAY BY /GLE #OUNTY .EWSPAPERS A DIVISION OF 3HAW -EDIA s WWW OGLECOUNTYNEWS COM