Serving the Mt. Morris area since 1967
MT.Times MORRIS
June 15, 2018 Volume 51, Number 35 - $1.00
Ready to Fly?
GV Days
The Ogle County Airport, east of Mt. Morris, is offering flight training. A3
German Valley Days offered plenty of family activities. B1
At the Band Shell Jim Wolber & Lariat will take the stage Friday, and Russ Senti will solo with the Kable Band June 20. A2
PorchFest was great for village & visitors
Board challenged to LFR bed races By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecountynews.com A smile, a lawn chair, and a share in musical tastes were the only cover charges for a music-filled day across Mt. Morris. Given the reception of the year before, Encore! Mt. Morris presented PorchFest once again on June 9, giving familiar faces and complete strangers the chance to get together and enjoy some live music. As the name implies, residents throughout Mt. Morris hosted a total of 19 musical acts across five hours to play right on their front porches, within an area bordered by Main Street, Ogle Avenue, Brayton Street, and Mulberry Avenue. While hosting households typically had some cooler filled with water or soda, and occasionally with Popsicles, vendors were also lined up down Mulberry, between Front and Center streets, serving food and drinks, and a couple of ice cream trucks brought the sweets to listeners who didn’t want to leave the music. The Let Freedom Ring Committee also sold sandwiches on Clark Avenue, making a stop available on either half of the area to grab a bite. PorchFest, as an idea, actually began in Ithaca, New York, in 2007. Gretchen Hildreth and Lesley Greene wanted a fun way to nurture their local music scene, while simultaneously bringing the community together. The idea was not only successful in Ithaca, but has rippled outward across the country since, making its way to Mt. Morris last year. “It really is what we’re all about: developing the community, creating and encouraging rural arts involvement,” said Jeff Bold, Encore! Mt. Morris Steering Committee chairman. “It’s such a great fit, and honestly, just a really cool event.” The sense of community was felt by onlookers all over the village. “I’m happy to see more stuff coming to Mt. Morris, Encore!’s been doing an awesome with putting on events - and improving those events, each year,” said Mt. Morris Village Trustee Jim Hopkins.
Mt. Morris Village President Dan Elsasser closes out his set as he jams out in front of Elmars and Marion Kalnins’ home on West Main Street, during PorchFest 2018 on Saturday. Photo by Zach Arbogast
“It’s nice to see this many people coming out, meeting their neighbors, and enjoying free music.” More than the free music, though, Hopkins said he appreciated the hospitality. “It’s not just music; a lot of people are offering food, drinks, some blankets to sit on in case you forgot one… really, there’s just a lot of hospitality for visitors going on,” Hopkins said. “It’s getting neighbors, who maybe don’t talk so often, or might not even have met at all, together and bonding.” Hopkins was biking around the event with his son, Connor. The first act they caught was the team of Larry Ubben and Kevin Remrey, “Acoustic Axis,” with special guest Terry Well on the cajon and cymbal. “Obviously, we have the Let Freedom Ring festival each year, but we always need more events to remind you we have a great community here at Mt. Morris,” said Connor. First timers might not fully appreciate the growth that happened in just one year. While official records aren’t really kept, estimations from property owners say that PorchFest attendance nearly doubled from the year prior.
Bold says that might be a combination of word of mouth and familiarity with the event. “It was so new last year, and a lot of people were slightly put off by it, like, ‘how are we supposed to see all the bands if they’re going on at once?’,” Bold said. “I think, having experienced it the year before, people are more receptive to the idea of picking their favorite genre and heading to a destination.” Encore! also implemented a few new quality of life changes with a year’s experience under their belts. “We started pairing up similar genres near one another during the time slot transitions, so as an acoustic act finishes up, another one takes its place at that location, or at least nearby,” Bold said. “Additionally, as details got finalized, we put together large informational packets for those involved, which was helpful not just for the bands, but especially the homeowners.” Speaking of, how weird is it for a homeowner to have strangers from all over the community plop down on their front lawns? The general census seemed to be “not at all.” Turn to A3
Riding Against Hunger Six cyclists stopped in Mt. Morris on Tuesday as part of a 120-mile ride to help end world hunger. Here, the cyclists pose for a photo in front of Trinity Lutheran Church. Pictured, left to right, are: Kent Terry, of Marseilles; Carol Erickson, of Mt. Morris; Grace Hoening, of Rockford; Steve Erickson, of Mt. Morris; Amy Hoening, of Rockford; Elijah Hoening, of Rockford; and Heide Gallagher, of Prophetstown. Photo supplied
In This Week’s Edition...
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B5-B8 College News, A4 Entertainment, A6
Library News, A3 Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B2 Property Transfers, B2
A unique challenge Tuesday evening drew chuckles from the Mt. Morris Village Board. Let Freedom Ring Committee member Sara Morris challenged the board to form a team and compete in the bed races on Saturday, July 7 during the annual 4th of July festival. “We’ll take that under advisement,” joked village president Dan Elsasser. Trustee Jeff Pennington appeared to be at least a little bit intrigued. “What does this involve?” he asked. Morris explained that fiveperson teams , one riding and four pushing, compete in the race with stations along the way. The beds, she said, can be homemade or purchased, decorated or plain, and must have wheels and no motorized mode of propulsion. In village business, the board unanimously approved a joint storm sewer agreement
and easement with Pinecrest Community. Elsasser said Pinecrest officials are installing new storm sewers and a new driveway and parking lot on their property. The new storm sewers will not be connected to the village’s system, he said. In another matter, Pennington said tanks at the wastewater plant recently became clogged with sand, silt, and pea gravel, making it necessary to hire Benesh & Sons, Oregon, to clean them. He said the materials infiltrated the system through the manhole covers and breaks in clay tiles. Part of the problem, he said, is that the wastewater plant does not have a grit separation system. “It took Benesh a day to clean it out,” Pennington said. “It was costly to remove it.” In other business the board approved the purchase of a 2018 Ram 1500 pick-up truck at a cost not to exceed $29,000 for the police department to replace a squad car.
Ogle County may have to change workforce district By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Ogle County may be forced by state officials to join a Local Workforce Innovation Area it already rejected. County board chairman Kim Gouker said he is concerned about the impact the change could have on local job seekers. He was contacted in early May by Illinois Workforce Innovation Board officials who informed him that the county is out of compliance because the LWIA of which it is a member does not match its Economic Development District. Ogle County is currently part of a LWIA that includes JoDaviess, Carroll, Whiteside, Lee, Bureau, LaSalle, and Putnam Counties. The change would force the county to join another LWIA with Winnebago, Stephenson, and Boone Counties. LWIAs are part of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which is under the authority of the U.S. Department of Labor, which provides the funding through grants. The state governor has the responsibility to designate and re-designate LWIAs that administer public workforce programs. Ogle is one of five Illinois counties determined by
Senior Center News, A3 Sheriff’s Arrests, B2 Social News, A4 State’s Attorney, B4
Department of Labor officials to be out of compliance. In 2010, Gouker said Ogle County rejected the LWIA that included Winnebago, Stephenson, and Boone Counties. and instead chose to join the current one. The law was revised in the last couple of years, he said, to require LWIAs to match the Economic Development Districts. “The crux of it was we didn’t want to get thrown in with these [Winnebago, Stephenson, and Boone] counties because they aren’t the same as we are,” Gouker said. “They all have large metropolitan areas and we don’t. We chose not to join with them.” However, the county remains in the state-mandated Economic Development District with Winnebago, Stephenson, and Boone, and that, state officials say, cannot continue. Their solution is for Ogle to change LWIAs. Gouker, however, disagreed. He said a better solution is for the state to change the Economic Development District map to coincide with LWIAs. “I’m saying change the Economic Development maps,” he said. In fact, he recommended Turn to A2
Deaths, B3 Margaret E. Ashbaugh, Harold F. Best, Evelyn M. Brown, Karen M. Dorcey, April L. Roos
Published every Friday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com