Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS August 11, 2016 Volume 49, Number 24 - $1.00
Hangar Dance
New License
Hammer In
A classic 1940s era Hangar Dance will be held at the Ogle County Airport Aug. 13. A6
Security upgrades include a new Illinois driver’s license design. B3
Visitors learned basic blacksmithing skills at the John Deere Historic Site. B2
More than 18,000 come to the fair By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@oglecounty news.com
Landon and Mason Zabran, Mt. Morris, ride the dragon rollercoaster Friday afternoon at the Ogle County Fair. Unlimited carnival rides were included in the fair admission. Photo by Chris Johnson
A carnival, grandstand shows, and varied exhibits drew an estimated 18,000 to 19,000 people to the 163rd Ogle County Fair last week. “The fair went very well. Overall it was a good fair,” said fair board president Harlan Holm Monday. “We don’t have exact numbers yet but attendance was a little higher than last year.” The only glitch was a power outage Thursday afternoon when equipment at the ComEd substation in Mt. Morris failed, taking down electricity not only at the fairgrounds, but also to the entire village of Mt. Morris, part of Oregon, and the rural area in between. “We’re starting generators,” Holm said. “We’ll be fine.” With the temperature
hovering near the 90-degree mark, generators were already powering large fans to keep the animals cool in the livestock barns. Power was restored by 5 p.m., just in time for food vendors to gear up for the suppertime crowd. A fast-moving storm late Thursday evening cooled things down for the final three days of the fair. Holm said the biggest crowd was Saturday under clear skies with low humidity and the mercury just under 80 degrees. “It was a perfect day for going to the fair,” Holm said. The big draws at the fair included the Big Hat Rodeo on Friday night and the demolition derby Saturday night. Youngsters of all ages lined up all five days of the fair for the unlimited carnival rides that came with the $8 Turn to A8
Project PLAY is no more By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Project PLAY is no more. Benesh & Sons, Oregon, brought in their heavy construction equipment and demolished the large playground complex in a matter of minutes on Monday morning. The popular playground was located just outside Oregon Elementary School. On Monday evening, the Oregon School Board unanimously voted to “condemn Project PLAY as it is no longer useful for school purposes.” Superintendent Tom Mahoney said school district’s attorney advised the board to condemn the playground complex. “This is to protect the district from liability,” he said. Mahoney said the attorney advised the board to take the action in case someone who took lumber from the playground is injured by it. He said the attorney also advised the district not to directly give or sell the materials to anyone, but
rather those transactions should go through Benesh & Sons. Two board members, Stephanie Haugh and Bryan Wills, said they were in school when Project PLAY was built. “It was awesome,” Wills said. Mahoney announced two weeks ago that the 27-yearold all-wood playground with its castles and twisting walkways would be demolished before school starts for safety reasons. “We’ve had an increase in kids getting injuries on Project PLAY, mostly splinters,” he said then. “There’s no way to maintain it and guarantee no injuries.” The unique playground was built by volunteers in 1989. A committee, chaired by Nancy Ryder and Deb Wuebben, spent months raising the needed $45,000 Spectators take pictures of the demolition of Project PLAY Monday morning. Photos by Chris Johnson and planning the playground with the help of the Leathers Company that designed it. Hundreds of volunteers turned out at the school grounds on Oct. 11-15, 1989 Turn to A9
County sued over zoning By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Three rural Forreston residents have filed a lawsuit against Ogle County and their neighbors over a recent zoning decision. Walter Paul and his daughter and son-in-law Linette and Curtis DeHaven are suing the county as well as Mike and Colleen Stukenberg and STKE LLC, a company owned by the Steve and Kevin Moring.
The county board approved a special use permit May 17 requested by Mike Stukenberg and the Morings to allow a Class 2 Motor Carrier Facility on property zoned for agricultural use. The property, at 11123 W. Ill. 72 just east of Forreston, is owned by Stukenberg and being purchased by STKE LLC. Paul and other nearby property owners, including the DeHavens, objected Jason Mudge removes bolts from a metal brace that Turn to A8 held up a swingset.
In This Week’s Edition...
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B5-B19 College News, A4 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B4
Marriage Licenses, A4 Pine Creek News, A3 Police Activity, A3 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B4
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, A10 State’s Attorney, B3
Mike Mudge uses a chainsaw to cut down a tower on Project PLAY Monday morning.
Deaths, B4 Nancy A. Greenfield, Alan D. Jones, Pearl A. Myers
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com