Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS September 29, 2016 Volume 49, Number 50 - $1.00
Runners Compete
Relaxing Ride
Rabies Confirmed
The Hawk cross country teams ran at the Byron Invite last week. B2
Reporter Chris Johnson finds his 32-mile bike ride relaxing. A13
The Ogle County Health Department says a cat has tested positive for rabies. A9
Scenic ride raised money for the Village of Progress By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@oglecounty news.com Winding country roads and rolling hills greeted an estimated 300 bicyclists to Ogle County last Saturday. The overcast day brought out bicyclists from all over Northern Illinois and surrounding states to experience the Tour of Scenic Ogle County (TOSOC) a 10, 32, or 62-mile ride. “It was a fun day and it was nice to see and hear how happy the people were,” said event organizer Scott Stephens. “The weather cooperated and everyone enjoyed the area.” TOSOC was being held to
raise money for the Village of Progress’s Attendance Grants. “The reason for this ride was to be a nice fundraiser for our attendance grant program,” said Village of Progress Executive Director Brion Brooks. “The grant helps provide funding to those with disabilities who are on the state waiting list.” At the end of the ride, consumers from the village were on hand to meet with the bicyclists. There were a few minor incidents throughout the day, but they were handled quickly. Stephens was one of the support vehicles for the day Three bicyclists pass Frank Masterman, Oregon, on the Oregon Park District’s boardwalk on Saturday morning. Turn to A9 Photo by Earleen Hinton
Organizers would like fall weather for festival Staff Report
Food Collection Volunteer Minnie Freeze, from Loaves and Fish Food Pantry, Mt. Morris, helps Jackie Hollaway, Oregon, pick out food items during the Sept. 22 event. Photo by Earleen Hinton
School board approves new OES playground By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Students at Oregon Elementary School will be getting their exercise on a brand new playground in the very near future. The Oregon School Board voted last week to purchase playground equipment to replace Project PLAY behind the grade school. Superintendent Tom Mahoney said the playground will be installed and ready for kids within two weeks. The board purchased the new equipment from NuToys, the same firm that supplies playground equipment for the Oregon Park District, at a cost of $94,475, he said. “The park district has volunteered their time to install it,” Mahoney said. The design was chosen by
This artists rendering shows the new playground equipment that is being installed at the Oregon Elementary School.
elementary students, he said. The playground will be comparable in size to Project PLAY, which was demolished Aug. 8. The board decided to remove the all-wood playground in July for safety reasons. Mahoney said an increasing number of youngsters were
In This Week’s Edition...
getting injured, mostly with large splinters. Project PLAY, with its castles and twisting walkways, was built by hundreds of volunteers in the fall of 1989. The demolition, which cost $5,800, and the new playground will be paid for from the district’s Tort Fund.
Assessments, A10-A12 Church News, A5 Classifieds, B10-B14 College News, A4 Entertainment, A6
After a year of planning, Autumn on Parade officials are putting the final touches on the 46th annual Autumn on Parade festival, slated for this Saturday and Sunday in Oregon. “We just need Mother Nature to give us some nice fall weather,” said Marseyne Snow, president of the Autumn on Parade Committee. “We’ve been busy all year planning the festival and now this week we are tying up details to what we hope will be another successful year.” If visitors to this year’s festival see an object buzzing over the festival grounds, don’t worry— it is just the drone the AOP committee hired to film this year’s event. “We thought it would be really neat to have a drone shoot AOP from above,” said committee member Dave Boehle. “We hope to use the footage for promotional purposes next year.” Car enthusiasts and hot dog lovers should find this year’s Harvest Time Parade especially tasty come Sunday. Festival officials received an email verification two weeks ago confirming that Oscar Meyer’s Wienermobile will be taking part in this year’s parade. “We asked them to come and they sent an email saying they would,” said Boehle. “We’re still waiting for more details.” The iconic Wienermobile, complete with its hot dog and bun sitting on top of a yellow car chassis, has been traveling highways since 1936 and fits somewhat with AOP’s 2016 theme “Celebrating the Heartland”. “We chose this year’s theme so people could showcase what they are proud of from the heartland.
Fines, B9 Home Improvement, B5 Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B3 Public Voice, A7
Autumn on Parade volunteer Reuben Barnhart carries an arm load of cornstalks from Richard Little’s field nearh Oregon on Sunday. Little donates the cornstalks which the committee uses to decorate the downtown for the upcoming festival. Photo by Earleen Hinton
The festival this year is already promising to be one of the biggest and best yet.” said Snow. The ever-popular Farmers’ Market and Craft Show, held Saturday and Sunday, should not disappoint with more than 190 booths taking part. Through cooperation with Ogle County and city officials, booths are located on the historic courthouse lawn and on surrounding city streets. Vendors will offer a variety of arts and crafts ranging from handmade wood items to homemade baked breads. On Sunday, the Harvest Time Parade, has more than 120 entries including several bands. “Most of the favorites will be back, like the South Shore Drill Team and the Jesse White Tumblers,” said Snow, who also serves as parade chairman. “Besides that we have several high school marching bands and novelty entries like the
Property Transfers, B8 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, A12, B1 State’s Attorney, B8
Wieinermobile, Bubble Machine, Monster Truck, Rocket Cycle, 4-H and Scout groups, area businesses and many more entries.” A post parade show by the South Shore Drill Team will again be offered on Sunday, at the conclusion of the main parade on Jefferson Street in front of the Oregon library. Also back again this year will be agriculture broadcast legend Max Armstrong, a perennial crowd-pleaser, who will drive his wellknown Farmall H in the parade. Armstrong will also be available to talk to festivalgoers around noon on Sunday near the Food Court. The second annual donut eating contest, for kids and adults, will be offered on Saturday from 9 a.m. to approximately 1 p.m. There will be four-age groups: 5-7 years; 8-10; 1113; and 14-adult.The contest will be held in the parking lot
Deaths, B4 Robert A. Althoff Jr., Sara D. Coulman
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com
Turn to A3