Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS July 14, 2016 Volume 49, Number 20 - $1.00
Vintage Game
Classic Cruise
At the Band Shell
The Ganymedes took on Aurora Sunday afternoon in Oregon. B1
Classic AMC cars will cruise through Oregon July 28. A3
Pete’s Sake performs July 15; John and Beth Chase will sing with the Kable Band July 20. A2
New art gallery to open at Old Sandstone Encore! Mt. Morris, a community development group, will open an art gallery in the old Sandstone building at 122 S. Wesley Ave., on the former college campus in Mt. Morris. The first floor gallery will open to the public on Friday, July 15 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. and feature six northern Illinois artists, including local sculptor Jeff Adams and Mt. Morris alum Andria Thorngren Burchett. The gallery will be open 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on the following Fridays, July 15, 22, 29 and Aug. 5, to capitalize on the Friday night concert crowds and activity on the Mt. Morris village square. According to a press release from the Encore! Mt. Morris Steering Committee, the gallery opening is one of the most visible first steps in Encore! Mt. Morris volunteers’ efforts to develop the community – and in particular the former college campus – into a unique cultural arts center. “We’re building on the strong foundation of Wednesday and Friday night music concerts, the longrunning performing arts group, and local culinary talent that you see at the Friday Farmer’s Market,
for example,” said Steering Committee Chairman Jeff Bold in the press release. “Growing into a recognized arts center is a long-term goal, of course, but we have strong support from local businesses, the Economic Development Group and Mt. Morris Village Board to move forward. We’re very excited about the new gallery space and our first display of fine arts.” The featured artists have a breadth of experience, including exhibitions and awards in their chosen medium, Bold said. Gallery visitors can expect to see a range of work from rich, vibrant portraits, to rural scenes of Illinois and Wisconsin, and powerful, emotional moments captured in bronze, he said. The public can learn more about the artists and their work at EncoreMtMorris. com. Encore! Mt. Morris is composed of volunteers committed to developing Mt. Morris into a unique, thriving rural and cultural arts destination in northwest Illinois, Bold said. Six committees are moving forward with action plans focused on key areas of need and opportunity. Encore! Mt. Morris has
Above, artist Gail Fitzsimmons, Geneva, will be one of the exhibitors at the new art gallery at Old Sandstone. Below is one of the paintings she will display. Photos supplied
Artists exhibiting July 15 through Aug. 9 are: Jeff Adams, Mt. Morris, sculpture; Pamela Bernard, St. Charles, colored pencil and watercolor; Carol Bonick, Elgin, colored pencil; Andria Thorngren Burchett, Geneva, colored pencil and graphite; Gail Fitzsimmons, Geneva, watercolor; and Phyllis Gilliam, Sugar Grove, watercolor. the full cooperation and support of the Mt. Morris Village Board and Economic Development Group and complements other local
economic development activities, Bold said. Volunteers and donations are welcome. Learn more at EncoreMtMorris.com.
IDNR narrows its conservator search By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Another step was taken in the right direction this week for the restoration of the Black Hawk statue. Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) officials and engineer Amy Lamb Woods met Tuesday morning with two applicants for conservator on the project to repair the iconic monument. The group met at Lowden State Park near Oregon where the 105-year-old statue stands on a high bluff overlooking the Rock River. State Rep. Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) said Tuesday that he had spoken with IDNR officials, who told him they have narrowed their search for a new conservator to two candidates and were meeting with them to discuss the project. Woods confirmed Tuesday morning that she was attending the meetings as well. Previous conservator Dr. Andrzej Dajnowski from Conservation of Sculpture & Objects Studio, Forest Park, declined to sign a new contract with the IDNR for this year due to a conflict with Lamb Woods over how to proceed with the repairs. Created by sculptor Lorado Taft in 1910 as a
tribute to Native Americans, the 50-foot statue draws thousands of visitors each year. It was unveiled and dedicated in 1911. Black Hawk, as it is commonly called, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2009. The effects of time and weather have caused parts of the statue to crumble and fall off. The repair project ground to a halt earlier this year because of state budget woes and the conflict between Lamb Woods and Dajnowski. Demmer assured a group of Oregon residents at a Chamber of Commerce Lunch ’n’ Learn June 21 that he would work with the IDNR to get the project underway again. “I’ll definitely be a strong advocate for Black Hawk,” he said then. Part of the lunch discussion focused on funds raised to repair the statue. The Friends of the Black Hawk Statue, an organization formed approximately seven years ago to develop a plan and raise the funds to have the statue repaired, has raised most of the estimated $900,000 needed. All but $350,000 came from private donations that are being kept in a fund with
In This Week’s Edition...
County clerk seeks election judges By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
Staff at Lowden State Park put up orange plastic fence around the Blackhawk Statue after chain link fence and scaffolding around the 105-year-old statue was removed in June. Photo by Earleen Hinton
the Illinois Conservation Foundation, which supports IDNR programs. The rest is a $350,000 grant to the IDNR from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). The DCEO grant must be spent before the private donations can be tapped. The grant money can’t be released until the General Assembly passes budget legislation allowing it,
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 College News, A4 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
which Demmer said still hasn’t happened. “Money for the grant was not included in the stopgap budget [passed June 30],” Demmer said. “We mainly focused on keeping agencies open.” He said grants will be considered in future budget action. “Hopefully, that will happen in the next round — hopefully,” he said. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Oregon Police, A7 Marriage Licenses, A4 Property Transfers, B4 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4
Ogle County Clerk Laura J. Cook is looking for some help on Election Day. In the last several weeks, she has addressed city councils and village boards all over the county seeking individuals to serve as election judges. Cook said last Friday that judges are often in short supply for the March primary elections and April consolidated elections. “A lot of our election judges are snow birds,” she said. “So for the spring elections we are short.” Being an election judge involves overseeing the procedures at the county’s 32 polling places whenever an election is held. Each of the 52 precincts has its own judges, although several precincts may use the same polling place. They have to be there at 5 a.m. to set things up, stay all day, and then deliver the ballots and voting machines to the courthouse in Oregon after the polls close at 7 p.m. “It’s a long day,” Cook said. “It’s not a very glamorous job, but it’s an important job.” “The election judges who operate the polling places are a very important part of the electoral process,” she said. “These persons are the only contact the county clerk’s
Sports, B2 State’s Attorney, B3 Weather Forecast, A2 Zoning, B4
Laura J. Cook
office has with the general public during voting hours, and they’re responsible for administrating the actual voting procedures in each precinct. Without them it would be impossible to conduct an election.” For all the duties and qualifications of an election judge go to the clerk’s website at www.oglecounty.org. Cook said election judges are encouraged to take the training offered for the task. Judge of Election School will be held in late September of early October in time for the Nov. 8 general election. Election judges are not expected to serve without compensation, Cook said, and are paid $100 per election, and $125 if they attended a Judge of Election School. For more information call the county clerk’s office at 815-732-1110 or email elections@oglecounty.org.
Deaths, B5 Doris J. Ackerman, Gregory M. Frantz, Ewell D. Gardner, Wilma P. Pierce, Megan M. Wells
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com