NewsTribune_Boomers magazine_122819

ILLINOIS VALLEY

Boomers TODAY

December 2019

TO RETIRE, OR NOT TO RETIRE? The Boggios contemplate retiring from a lifestyle they’ve loved

ALSO: n PHOTO TOUR: Remembering when

dozens of grocery stores were just around the corner

n

Fabulous fireplaces

n

Pick up a good book this winter publication

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NOW AVAILABLE AT IVCH WOUND CENTER Outpatient treatment for vascular disease of the vein is now available at Illinois Valley Community Hospital.

“The IVCH Vein Center uses a minimally-invasive laser treatment in an outpatient setting to deliver a higher level of care in a more convenient manner,” according to Jill Smoode, the wound center’s program director.

The vein services include: • Screening for venous reflux - a medical condition affecting circulation of the blood in your body’s lower extremities.

• Endovascular laser treatment - an ultrasound-guided technique for treating symptomatic varicose veins.

• Duplex ultrasound - a non-invasive evaluation of blood flow through your arteries and veins.

Vascular disease of the vein affects millions of people each year and is often a factor in the development of chronic, non-healing wounds.

Vein care is especially important for patients with limited access to local care or for those who have limited mobility or transportation issues.

Vascular disease – including peripheral artery disease (PAD) - also contributes to 80 percent of all non-traumatic limb amputations in the U.S. annually.

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The new vein services are being offered through Healogics, IVCH’s wound care management partner.

For more information, call 815-780-3834.

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1403 6th St., Peru, IL • ivch.org 2 December 2019 | Illinois Valley Boomers | A NewsTribune Publication

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A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Boomers | December 2019 3

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s

contents

The Corner Store The staff at Arboit’s grocery in Oglesby pauses and poses for a photo. Small, neighborhood grocery stores abounded throughout the Illinois Valley in the first half of the 1900s and still dotted La Salle, Peru, Oglesby and other towns, with many of them frequented by baby boomers until the 1970s and ’80s. Page 12

Boomers Today 426 Second Street La Salle, Illinois 61301 (815) 223-3200 (800) 892-6452 www.newstrib.com Publisher Dan Goetz Editor Craig Sterrett Advertising Director Jeanette Smith

jmsmith@shawmedia.com

Hobbies

6

Here are some great reads for those who find winter the best time to curl up with a good book.

Volunteering 10

The Better Fishing Association has accomplished a lot through the years for local recreation and preservation and for youth, but the organization needs some new blood, too.

Leisure 18

The simple pleasure of relaxing by a crackling fire or lovely fireplace in your home. Don’t have one? Check out the massive fireplace anytime in the Great Hall at Starved Rock Lodge.

Writers Tom Henson Brett Herrmann Peg Schulte Craig Sterrett

Humor

Photographers Scott Anderson Tracey MacLeod

22

Even making a positive change can be tough and confusing.

Designer Liz Klein

Coming next month in Dream Weddings:

Published by:

Tips on gifts, makeup, honeymoons and more.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT ANDERSON

On the cover Putnam County produce farmers and orchard owners Denise and Keith Boggio worked long and hard to build their business. They aren’t ready to completely retire — especially not from growing sweet corn — but if the right buyer comes along to work the fields and run the bakery and take care of customers, they’re willing to sell. Page 8

est. 1851

4 December 2019 | Illinois Valley Boomers | A NewsTribune Publication

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www.starvedrocklodge.com A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Boomers | December 2019 5

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HOBBIES

Great Winter Reads

By Tom Henson

T

he weather outside is frightful, but the something-something-something.

You know the rest.

And you probably know that, as delightful as the fire may be, even the rawest of Illinois winters won’t touch you if you’re immersed in a great read.

But what to pick out?

Visiting websites for recommendations is one way. But a better way is to talk with the staff at your local library — people who know what’s hot and why, and, even better, can ask simple questions to figure out what just you’re after.

Oglesby Public Library’s Jill Shevokas was quick to answer a reporter’s question: What’s hot this winter?

“The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena.

No question. It went like hotcakes,” she said.

“It’s a mystery that no one can figure out. It’s very interesting; very well-written.”

Author Lapena seems to have caught lightning in a bottle.

According to the New York Times best-selling author’s website, she had been a lawyer and an English teacher before turning her attention to writing fiction. The success of the 2016 novel led in quick succession to “A Stranger in the House” in 2017, “An Unwanted Guest” in 2018 and this year’s “Someone We Know.”

As enthusiastically as Shevokas recommended Lapena’s new work, Emily Schaub at the Peru Public Library came up with a list of reads that would consume four or five winters.

But, she was able to whittle them down by category:

Find a warm fireplace and a hot beverage while you read these popular hand-picked books by the Oglesby Public Library this holiday season. Or read further for other suggestions for pages worth turning.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT ANDERSON

6 December 2019 | Illinois Valley Boomers | A NewsTribune Publication

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FLYING OFF THE SHELF: n “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens: Two 1960s plotlines slowly intertwine in the swamps of North Carolina. n “Before and After” by Lisa Wingate: Great for anyone who has read “Before We Were Yours” by the same author, this nonfiction work tells the stories of victims of a Tennessee adoption scandal. n “Starved Rock Murders” by Steve Stout: A nonfiction account of the infamous crime for which convicted killer Chester Weger has recently been granted parole.

William W. Johnstone: A western/political thriller that mixes bullets and ballots as the protagonist helps his sheriff friend take on an underhanded senator.

GREAT READS THAT HAVE HIT THE SCREEN: n “The Art of Racing in the Rain” by Garth Stein: A loyal dog helps his loving owner overcome difficult personal challenges, while striving to prepare for what he hopes will be his next life as a human. n “Outlander” by Diana Gabaldon: A World War II combat nurse is mysteriously transported back in time 200 years, where she finds adventure and romance.

NEW: n “Call the Midwife” by Jennifer North: n “The Other Mrs.” by Mary Kubica: A family relocates from Chicago to a small island off The true stories of a midcentury midwife in the coast of Maine, where a murder consumes London’s East End, this book mixes true-life drama and humor. the community. n “Run Away” by Harlan Coben: In this It’s quite a list of books, and not a bad one work of psychological suspense, a father tracks in the bunch. “Check out” your local library for more information on these titles to help down his drug-addicted daughter and her junkie boyfriend, only to scare her off and face whittle your choices to a manageable number.

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1102 Meriden Street • Mendota 815-539-9341 A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Boomers | December 2019 7

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They Built The Business Boggios take pride in the orchard, garden and entertainment business they created

By Craig Sterrett NEWS EDITOR

E

verybody knows Boggio’s Orchard’s for sale and closed for the season, but the owners have absolutely no intention for it to cease operations.

And, while they’re willing to retire, somewhat, they certainly weren’t behaving like inactive retirees last month.

In fact, they’re planning for their planting and products for their next year in business.

Keith and Denise Boggio rested at lunchtime before he climbed back into the combine to finish picking corn and before Denise headed out with her crossbow to hunt deer.

If they receive the price they’re seeking, and more important, find a buyer who wants to operate the orchard and entertainment business, then they would sell.

“I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t wish this was the last year. But the last year isn’t going to come until that right person comes along,” Keith said.

“We’ve worked too hard to just let it go by the wayside,” Denise added.

Denise is a four-year breast cancer survivor, which made her think more about what she and they want.

“We want to start living our lives a little bit. Every summer we watch people go by with all their boats and all their toys and we’re working our butts off in the fields,” Denise said. “Keith wants to spend more time with the grandkids.”

He interjects: “They won’t be thrilled if it sells.”

“It’s like their own playground,” Denise noted.

It took years of hard work and sweat and callous-building to turn Boggio’s Orchard into what it is today In addition to selling sweet corn, pumpkins, squash, apples, mums, apple cider, cider

Who’ll take over?

doughnuts and pies, the Boggios turned their land between Mark and Granville into a major tourist and family attraction.

On weekends from Labor Day through Halloween they draw their biggest crowds — 10,000 to 12,000 people sometimes. In addition to selling everything from produce to jam, they set up many scenes for children’s photo opportunities, have a pedal-car track and other activities for the kids, and run a petting zoo with everything from unusual chickens to Carmel the camel.

Keith says he knows the previous camel owner broke Carmel to ride, but he doesn’t even have the camel pull a cart or carry anything.

At 1,800 pounds and as strong as a draft horse, he just worries about keeping Carmel fed. The camel’s a star for photo sessions in the petting zoo. Though the Boggios closed for the season after Halloween — cold temperatures and snow caused crowds to decline remarkably — Carmel still has a professional gig this year, taking part in a live nativity in Walnut.

“He plays a camel,” Denise notes, chuckling.

Keith said there was a time when he told Denise he “didn’t want any part of” offering activities and attractions in addition to selling apples, pumpkins, Indian corn and the like.

“Actually I said I didn’t want my farm turned into a circus,” Keith said.

However, one winter Denise persuaded Keith to travel with her to a convention in Canada, to share ideas and learn from people who added entertainment at their farms. They continued to travel to North American Direct Farmers Marketing Association events for about 12 years, and continued to add attractions that drew bigger crowds of shoppers.

Keith wound up loving those trips, mining for ideas and implementing them.

Looking back, Keith wished they had built their original sales floor larger, and a larger bakery and processing area when they did expansions.

But, the decisions they made helped them make a living without a mountain of debt, and helped them send their kids to school.

“The only limitation in this business is your imagination and your drive,” Boggio said.

Keith said they’re selling, in part, because they’re fortunate enough that their kids have good jobs and don’t need or have the time to operate the orchard business.

HOW IT STARTED Keith’s dad, Joe, noticed an apple shortage in the early 1970s and decided to plant some of his ground as an orchard.

“This was the only farm ground he owned, so he came up here and planted trees on corn-and-bean ground. At that time, everybody considered him the goofiest person in the county because he was planting apple trees on black dirt.

Anyway, he planted the orchard with the understanding that someday we would be partners with him,” Keith said of himself and his siblings. Then, “the bad economics of the ‘80s nearly bankrupted him.”

So, Keith and Denise pretty much have a self-made business.

“The bank was going to take the farm away from him (debt interest was in the 14 percent range), so we worked out a deal where we would buy 50 acres of farmland from him and the bank and he would get to retain 50 acres from the bank. So that’s how we ended up here,” Keith said. “We were taught how to farm, but we didn’t inherit anything.”

Joe had gone into the farm-

ing business with his dad, Keith’s grandfather, in the 1950s, helping to operate a vegetable farm on Boggio’s Hill west of Mark as well as sweet corn and other produce fields along old Route 26 on the north side of Hennepin.

Keith and Denise quietly launched their business in 1989, selling apples from a tent and also selling to local grocers such as Ferretti’s, Denler’s and EconoFoods.

They did not start selling right away at their Route 71 location because they agreed to not compete against the Boggio’s Country Market produce business at Hennepin. They opened their first building to serve customers in 1992.

Now Keith and Denise have about 1,800 apple trees in an orchard that’s a half mile long. He is planning to plant a high-density orchard for guests who increasingly ask to pick their own apples. Adding a high-density plot with 400 trees per acre instead of 100 should make the property more attractive and valuable to a buyer, as it should get into production quickly and satisfy visitors’ request for “you-pick.”

Denise and Keith don’t need to fertilize for their trees to flourish, and actually they employ a lot of help to rake up clippings and branches when they trim excess growth off the trees in the orchard in late fall.

“Our land is so fertile that the trees grow twice as many branches,” Denise says.

A SOURCE OF FRUSTRATION The Boggios plant produce on land near the business on Route 71 as well as the large gardens in Hennepin south of Old Highway 26 and west of Route 26 near Keith’s sister’s restaurant. This year, deer ate almost all of their beet plants and almost 1,500 of their muskmelon plants at the Hennepin garden — they

8 December 2019 | Illinois Valley Boomers | A NewsTribune Publication

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Denise and Keith Boggio chat and look through scrapbooks at their business, Boggio’s Orchard (formerly Boggio’s Little Mountain Orchard). The Putnam County couple plan to keep running the farm market and entertainment business next year and perhaps beyond that, if they can’t find a buyer to maintain the business they built.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT ANDERSON

left the watermelon alone.

“The deer in town are horrible. They know where to go,” Denise says.

Denise is aggravated because the village enacted a rule against anyone shooting a bow and arrow within village limits between Coffee Creek and Old 26. Denise says year after year, deer bring their fawns to eat in their vegetable gardens, and then those fawns grow up and bring their fawns, and so on.

Keith says they’ve gone from having six deer in the garden at night to 20.

Deer also eat some of the sweet corn, but nothing like the destruction of the melon plants.

The Boggios are preparing to plant again next year, no matter what.

“This will be my 42nd year in farming, and when you plant something, you know the animals are going to eat some of it and you can tolerate that. But when they wipe

out an entire crop …”

Even if the business sells, Keith does not intend to get out of the sweet corn business. He said he worked for years to develop his techniques for growing and picking what he thinks is the best sweet corn, and he’d like to keep going to shows.

He said he was at a farmers market in La Salle County once when one vendor was dealing with a buying frenzy, and he wasn’t selling much sweet corn.

Boggio still laughs, because the vendor had purchased Boggio’s corn to sell.

A SOURCE OF PRIDE The Boggios also take pride in lessons they’ve taught employees through the years. Denise said they pay their employees a good wage, and “most of them come back every year.”

They both said they like to start employees when they’re entering high school so they

can train them and they can learn and become proficient by the time they stop doing season work after high school graduation or a year at college.

“You teach them things that school doesn’t,” Keith says, mentioning tasks that take a bit of math, such as calibrating a sprayer. Their employees also can get an informal, hands-on taste of some of the trades.

“They can learn everything,” Keith says, listing a few such as how to do some wiring, how to grease equipment, some mechanical skills, even concrete work. “You have to be willing to learn.”

Both Keith and Denise say it’s harder to find high school-age help today than it was 20 years ago — many of the hard-working kids are heavily involved in sports and activities. Some of their returning workers lately have been involved in FFA, such as, this year, Carter Trone,

who’s one of the Putnam County FFA officers.

Denise takes great pride when former employees come to see her after growing up. She also has had parents tell them they were good influences on their son or daughter.

She leafs through a scrapbook filled with photos from constructing buildings, to Keith’s dad, Joe Sr., on the antique Allis Chalmers G rear-engine tractor they still use for cultivating.

Denise comes across a letter from Sean Egan.

Egan had worked for four years for the Boggios and was in Iraq, finishing a box of apple juice. It made him think of apple cider and the Boggios. So, the member of The Banshees (Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squad) requested that the U.S. flag be flown over camp that day in the Boggios’ honor. He then shipped the flag to them.

A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Boomers | December 2019 9

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VOLUNTEERING

Better Fishing Association seeks boomers, youngsters to join their cause

By Craig Sterrett

involved in the BFA’s annual Kids Fishing Expo at Baker embers of the Better Lake in Peru and the annual Fishing Association of Kids Fishing Tournament at Northern Illinois want Lock 14 on the Illinois and some younger people to join Michigan Canal. Welbers them in their efforts. said Farmer’s son is out of And when they say high school now, and she has “younger,” they mean anyone stayed deeply involved. from teens to baby boomers.

“We have been successful “There are a few that in finding younger volunteers are younger than me at to help us in the spring … this point, a small number and we hope that they will though,” said Barry Welbers integrate into the club acof rural DePue, BFA prestivities as times,” Welbers ident. “It’s largely a group said. Among those volunthat’s older than me, and I’m teering to help with youth NEWSTRIBUNE FILE PHOTO 64.” fishing events last year was Better Fishing Association member “Our members do still an Amboy group that came Fred Reutner of Mendota teaches have energy. They are still down to help. Welbers rea youngster to filet a panfish at a committed to advancing ciprocated by volunteering outdoor fishing and activities youth fishing tournament. The BFA at one of the Amboy group’s is hoping to find more and younger events on the Rock River. in the area,” Welbers said, noting they traveled this year volunteers and members to help He also said one of the teach similar lessons. to Springfield and met with youngest members, Craig state representatives and senArbet of Peru, has been trying ators, asking for an increase traveled with a private propto recruit more people in his in funding to cure a lack erty owner and Welbers to age group or even in their of staffing and equipment see a severe levee break (now 50s. to maintain the Hennepin repaired) on the Hennepin “I’m one of the youngest at Canal.

Canal east of Tiskilwa.

37 years old and we’re having They also met with the Some funding and equipquite a struggle getting anynew director of the Illinois ment has been arriving in body my age,” he said. “We Department of Natural recent months to help DNR need more help trying to proResources. She was supposed workers keep up on mowmote (our) activities.” to meet with them for 10 min- ing and make preventative Arbet has been getting inutes or so. Instead, in a meet- repairs along the more than volved with the BFA because ing set up at Starved Rock 100-mile state parkway. he cares about the outdoors, with help from state Rep. Welbers noted that the vice and also because members Lance Yednock (D-Ottawa), president Alicia Farmer of La helped teach him to become Colleen Callahan not only Salle became deeply involved a better fisherman. met with board members, she in the club while her son was Founded in 1957 with the

M

main purpose of preventing the Hennepin Canal from being abandoned, neglected and running dry, the organization founders and members spent years traveling to Springfield, lobbying legislators and talking to conservation officials to try to save the canal.

In 1951, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers basically declared the canal dead and stopped maintaining it. The BFA had regular meetings that drew big crowds who wanted to preserve as a natural resource the canal that runs from Bureau to the Quad Cities and the feeder that comes down from Rock Falls.

“Those people way back when had concerns that it would be allowed to deteriorate,” Welbers said.

Rather than 10, 20 or 30 people attending meetings, some BFA meetings in the 1950s at places like the Knotty Pine Tavern on 11th Street in La Salle or Art Giese’s in Peru would draw hundreds of people, says Tom Wall, former BFA president and longtime member. Other groups joined forces with the BFA for the cause, such as the Izaak Walton League in Geneseo. Chicago TV crews showed up to at least one meeting to document the an-

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10 December 2019 | Illinois Valley Boomers | A NewsTribune Publication

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glers’ passion for their cause, Wall said.

In 1969, the BFA finally celebrated the Corps turning over ownership of the canal to the DNR, and the state founded the Hennepin Canal State Parkway in 1970.

“And they continue to make contacts toward that cause to raise awareness. It’s a great natural resource, a great state park,” Welbers says.

Anglers from La SallePeru, Oglesby, Spring Valley, Princeton, Kewanee, Geneseo and beyond had become big fans of fishing at the canal, and, Welbers notes, through the years the manmade canal turned into quite a natural resource.

Tom Wall grew up fishing at the canal, and so did his dad. He said his dad used to ride the interurban streetcar and had a deal with the conductor or motorman to let him off at Lock 4 near where Interstate 180 crosses the canal today. Carrying a jointed bamboo rod, minnow bucket and minnow seine, he’d capture minnows from a nearby creek, fish in the canal and catch the streetcar for the ride home.

When Wall was young, he, his dad and uncle would buy minnows and scoop them themselves from enclosures in the Illinois River at the foot of Pike Street in Peru, and then they’d ride to Bureau and fish between Locks 2 and 4. His dad didn’t travel farther west, because he wanted to save on gas.

Still, the fishing was good, and they made a day of it.

Wall said his dad would leave a container of fried chicken or other hot dish at Kurtz’s

to catch a fish, cast or bait or issue at Oglesby — there’s a nice park and takeout ramp tie on a hook. near the Ed Hand Highway Over the years, they’ve bridge now — the BFA has seen fewer families fishing together. Wall says he thinks backed La Salle Lock 14 the BFA should give a fishing canal preservation efforts through the years. rod to every participant, as Membership in the BFA is many households have just cheap, and you don’t have one fishing pole or less. He to be a member to attend a figures, if two are available, meeting, anyway (the next family members may fish together or kids might take a is in February after a winter break). Welbers gives Wall neighbor fishing. credit for, in the past, coming Wall noted he lobbied up with the idea that a lifeSpringfield for years for bettime membership in the BFA ter stocking of Lock 14 on only cost $1. At the La Salle the Illinois and Michigan VFW, the BFA keeps files of Canal at La Salle, and he records, including a massive received the greatest support list of members. from longtime DNR official Wall gives past presiand former fisheries director dents credit for their efMike Conlin. forts through the years, “He cared,” Wall said of including Don Troglio, Don Conlin.

INVOLVEMENT IN BFA CAN When safety issues became Spayer and the late Bill OPEN UP MORE OPPORTUNITIES Schweigert, John Tregoning, critical at the Buzzi Unicem Members want to see Ed “Jago” Jagodzinski, Mel dam and also anglers and North Central Illinois resiHuettemann, Sylvester rafting enthusiasts got into dents remain active in the “Babe” Anglavar, Bart Crabb a dispute with the La Salle BFA’s causes for decades to and Syl Kastigar, County Board when the come. In addition to efforts More information is at board banned parking near for the Hennepin Canal http://www.better-fishing-asthe Vermilion River on Ed — protecting the resource soc.org/ Hand Highway, Conlin “was remains in the BFA bylaws, up here 12 times that year,” says Welbers — the BFA Craig Sterrett is news editor works to protect existing fish- Wall said. In addition to the at the NewsTribune. ing and recreation areas, pro- kayak, canoe and raft access motes more public access to outdoor recreation sites and exposes more children to fishA Wealth of Resources for You & ing and outdoors activities.

Your Next Generation Wall said the crowds at the annual Kids Fishing Expo in May and Kids Fishing Tournament in June have dwindled in recent years, from a high of up to 500 or 600 several years ago. The Expo — in which the BFA, DNR and others teach children about fish and fishing and more — came into being when BFA members noticed boys and girls at the tournament who did not know how tavern in Bureau in the morning, and the bar operator would keep it warm on an old stove until they took a break for lunch. The proprietor knew they’d come back for some sodas or a beer or two before heading back out to fish.

The communities have changed through the years, but Wall still considers the canal and other fishing spots and outdoor experiences invaluable.

Wall hopes kids will get involved in a healthy hobby they can enjoy for their entire life, and they in turn will work to preserve recreation areas and teach fishing skills to others.

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A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Boomers | December 2019 11

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Ryszard “Richard” Bednarz of Peru cuts steaks at Hy-Vee. Bednarz, originally from Poland, opened, and closed, one of the last small, neighborhood grocery stores in the Illinois Valley in the 1990s. La Salle, Peru and Oglesby had a huge number of small grocers, many of them serving ethnic neighborhoods, but they’ve vanished. Bednarz misses running a store, but says he loves his job and loves not being responsible for, well, absolutely everything.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT ANDERSON

Vanished from the neighborhood Remembering when tiny grocery stores dotted Illinois Valley cities

By Craig Sterrett and NewsTribune staff

T

he corner tavern has not quite disappeared from residential neighborhoods in La Salle, Peru and Oglesby, but Ryszard “Richard” Bednarz locked up the last of La Salle’s neighborhood grocery stores about a decade ago.

Still today, he says he feels ashamed that he closed his small grocery store on Ninth Street, east of 9th St. Pub. At the tiny store, he highlighted meats and Polish products and his wife, Bozena, helped with

prep work and brought in pierogi (Polish dumplings) every day.

“She’s a wonderful cook. You try her pierogies, you’d never go to anything else. She can cook anything and everything,” said Bednarz.

Prior to starting his store, he set out from Poland to Chicago when he was in his 20s, worked at a Chicago bakery and then helped with the launch of an industrial bakery northeast of DePue. Bednarz’ store — which still had a

circular conveyor at checkout from its days in the Royal Blue chain — attracted a loyal following partly for the meat counter, ethnic foods and the Polish proprietor.

“Richard” honed his meat-cutting skills while on the job at his new business, and enjoyed most things about running the store.

He relied heavily on an older clientele, and it became difficult to compete with the grocery store chains.

Plus, running the business felt like

12 December 2019 | Illinois Valley Boomers | A NewsTribune Publication

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Then

Now

PHOTOS EDITED BY TRACEY MACLEOD

a 365-day, 24-hour job. The building he rented was older and needed updates. If equipment broke, he might have to be there until midnight, making repairs. If there was a problem, he had to solve it.

Now he and his wife have more time to spend with their massive garden, where they grow most of the vegetables they need, plus some unique items, such as celery, parsley, gooseberry and goji — “one of the healthiest little fruits.”

But through owning the store, he gained valuable experience.

Plus, many of his customers followed him to Hy-Vee, where they can find their friend, the assistant meat department manager.

“I love it. Great place. It’s a lot easier. That doesn’t mean it’s easy, but it’s easier,” he said.

Bednarz’ store attracted a customer base similar to what Peru stores including Ankiewicz Deli and Monte’s had at the end of the 20th century and beginning of this one.

Customers would drive in from out of town to buy steaks or sausage or just to visit.

But during the 1800s and most of the 1900s, city residents could easily walk to a store.

Bob Foltynewicz, who ran Folty’s in Tonica, once one of the biggest stores in the Royal Blue chain, says Oglesby may well have had the most grocery stores per capita in the 1950s and ’60s. He thought Oglesby had 16 at one time, but his wife, Diane, put it at closer to 24.

“Every corner, every block had an ethnic grocery store,” Folty said.

Foltynewicz said the Gregorich family ran two Royal Blue stores in Oglesby, as well as the Royal Blue that became a deli and then Bednarz’s in La Salle. Alteri’s — the same name as the folks who sold roast beef for the deli at Ferretti’s and IV Food Center in recent years — operated a Royal Blue store near La Salle-Peru Township High School, and the Bonucchi family had a Royal Blue store in Granville, Folty said.

Foltynewicz experienced the same type of relief as Bednarz when he stopped

1916 — Piggly Wiggly chain began, first self serve grocery, Clarence Saunders, an entrepreneur, opens Piggly Wiggly Supermarket in Memphis, Tenn., the nation’s first supermarket, where customers can choose their own groceries

DID YOU “SHOP THE PIG”?

Nov. 3, 1965 — Piggly Wiggly, Carr’s Department Store and May Drug were coming to the new Park Plaza at the southeast corner of Shooting Park Road and U.S. 51 to occupy buildings to later become Eagle and Jewel groceries and Osco Drug. Piggly Wiggly burned down at Peru’s Midway Shopping Plaza and reopened in the mid-1960s at Park Plaza, southeast corner of Shooting Park Road and Route 251, later become Eagle and Jewel groceries.

See Stores page 14

A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Boomers | December 2019 13

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Stores

addition, the store does a lot of catering for factories’ luncheons and events, and he In 1841, life on Peru’s Water Street waterfront was described by FROM PAGE 13 is in a partnership with the a local resident: “The farmer would bring in a load of grain and running the store in 2002. He Hennepin Boat Store to sell take away with him a load of groceries or other supplies.” Putting went into the wood, door, meat to commercial shipping groceries close to the busy Illinois River in the 1800s was a sure window and RV-parts salvage employees on barges on the way to increase business. The levee and canal district in La Salle business after closing the Illinois River. also had a grocery. store. He enjoyed being able As for the smallest neighto lock the doors and have no borhood grocery store build“I don’t miss the responsibility.” years, Hennepin Food Mart, worries at the end of the day, ings, many of them throughwhich has been in his family Many of the larger stores rather than not going home out the area have become for 60 years. He says while changed brands rather freuntil making sure “all the resingle-family residences. it’s tough to compete with the quently — over 40 years his frigeration was refrigerating.”

Bruce Farneti of Oglesby bigger stores on many items store received supplies or He recalls times when he recalls going to the tiny store displayed the name Scrivner, — “people will drive 10 or 15 run by his relatives, Rudy and worried how people would miles to save 10 cents on a Roundy’s, Consolidated, handle food at picnics. He Mildred Farneti on Clark Street can of chicken broth” — he Chris Hoerr and Red Fox. always knew everything that when he was young, and later has found a niche.

Today, his store building needed to be hot or cold it became Harrison’s. He reSupplier Nash Finch helps went out hot or cold, but how houses the large Aces and calls stopping there to get his keep many of his items’ Eights Bar and Grill. safe that food would remain lunchmeat each week, until the prices fairly competitive, Anton Dzierzynski has while sitting out on a hot day Harrisons went out of business. plus he draws customers operated one of the region’s worried him.

“They just closed it up and smallest grocery stores for 20 to the meat department. In “I miss the people,” he said. turned it into a big living room.”

DAYS GONE BY:

LONG-GONE GROCERIES OF L-P-O Then

PHOTOS EDITED BY TRACEY MACLEOD

Now

A&P

A&P, formerly managed by Harold “Duke” Schorn, on Second Street in downtown La Salle where the Illinois Valley Banquet Center is now located.

A&P, 519-521 First St., La Salle, 1928-1932 A&P in Oglesby, also managed by Harold “Duke” Schorn A&P in Peru Aaron’s grocery store, Fourth and Peoria streets, Peru, in the Anton Meyer building, managed by John Aaron.

Adolph Cantergiani grocery, Oglesby Alicki grocery, 1730 Pulaski St., Peru Alteri’s Grocery Store, Peru, one block north of La Salle-Peru Township High School, owned and operated by Herman and Catherine Alteri.

Amsler & Gisler, 1517 Peoria St., Peru Ankiewicz Deli and Dairy, Peru, from about 1977 to 2016 Arboit’s grocery, Oglesby August Gilio Grocery Baird’s grocery, La Salle Beutler Groceries, 2320 Main St., Peru, operated

by Carl. E. Beutler Blum grocery, Main Street, Peru, operated by O.C. Blum Bradleys Market, 1927 Fourth St., Peru Brent Brothers, Oglesby Breuning Grocery, 1604 Fourth St., Peru Bruder’s Grocery, Oglesby Bulfer’s grocery store, Fourth and Peoria streets, Peru, managed by August Bulfer Burch Groceries, 2125 Main St., Peru, operated

by F. L. Burch Cherney’s Grocery and Meats, Oglesby Cigolle Grocery in La Salle, run by Cigolle family

14 December 2019 | Illinois Valley Boomers | A NewsTribune Publication

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Then

Venturelli’s Grocery

Now

PHOTOS EDITED BY TRACEY MACLEOD

Cleary grocery, 525 First St., La Salle, 1892-1906 Cumming’s grocery, 1021 First St., La Salle Curatolo’s Grocery in Peru, owned and operated by Philip and Melvina Curatolo, Czarnoski’s Grocery, Oglesby D&D grocery, La Salle De Crona’s Grocery, Oglesby Denler’s Food Center in Peru, owned and operated by Warren “Bud” and Shirley Denler for many years at Route 251 and Shooting Park Road. NewsTribune records from 1965 and advertisements from 1969 make reference to a Dennler’s Supermarket — double Ns — also at Route 251 and Shooting Park Road.

Deer Park grocery, Oglesby Doan Bros. Grocery, La Salle.

Dominic Berta Grocery, Oglesby Donatt’s grocery, Oglesby E&M Grocery Store in La Salle, owned and operated by Edward and Mary Mrowicki, E&F Grocery, Oglesby Eagle Foods, in Peru, aka Eagle Country Market, later became Jewel store Ebener’s Grocery Store in Peru, owned and operated from 1953-71

by Lewis and Dolores Ebener.

Erjavsek’s Grocery, Oglesby Farneti’s Economy Store, Oglesby, operated by Rudolph and Mildred Farneti.

Felde’s grocery, Peru Ferretti’s grocery store in La Salle, owned and operated for 30 years

by Richard and Suzanne Ferretti. It became Ferretti’s Food Center and then Illinois Valley Food Center, as it remains today at 235 Third St. Foley’s grocery, La Salle, operated until 1975 on East First Street by John and Josephine Foley Fraternity Grocery and Market, Oglesby Gedraitis Grocery, Oglesby Gerace’s grocery, La Salle Gregorich’s Royal Blue Grocery Store, La Salle. Operated by Frank W. Gregorich for 41 years until his retirement in 1974.

Gregorich’s Royal Blue in Oglesby, Ann and her husband Bill Gregorich owned and operated for more than 50 years until their retirement in 1976, also owned from 1934-1952 (1952 her family began farming) by Louise “Jeanne” Gregorich.

Gress Grocery, Third and Peoria streets, Peru O.W. Haage grocery, La Salle, established in the late 1800s, it had several locations, including 141 Marquette St. Hageman Groceries, 1402 Center St., Peru, E. Hageman Halm & Amsler Bros., 2400 Second St., Peru Harrison’s grocery and liquor, Oglesby Helen Urban grocery, 1611 Pulaski St., Peru Helmig Grocery, 1527-29 Water St., Peru Janko Bros. Grocery and Meat Market, La Salle. It operated from

1914 to 1976.

Johnny’s Grocery Store, Peru Piano’s grocery, Oglesby Kastigar’s Grocery in Peru, owned and operated by George and Mae Kastigar Kastner grocery store at 1005 Fourth St, Peru, Frances and John Kastner Kaszynski’s Cash Market, 2230 Main St., Peru Kaszynski Grocery, 422 E. Fifth St., Peru, Leonard Kaszynski took over the family business in 1937 and sold it in 1956 after 60 years of family ownership.

Kinnegar’s — Grocery store, bar and gas station at U.S. 6 and

Rockwell Road, La Salle. Kinne-gar’s showed free movies projected onto the side of its building and operated an ice cream parlor in a railroad car.

It later became Sever’s.

Koenig Korner — Grocery store on Rockwell Road, La Salle, known to be operating in 1929.

Kotar’s grocery, Oglesby Kozel’s Market, Oglesby Kreiss grocery, 2129 Fourth St., Peru Kroger in Peru and Oglesby La Salle Super Market, at 153 Marquette St., La Salle, managed

by Peter Reviglio See Stores page 16

A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Boomers | December 2019 15

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Stores

Then

Kastner Grocery Store

FROM PAGE 15

Now

PHOTOS EDITED BY TRACEY MACLEOD

Lemler Grocery, 1813 Fourth St, Peru Levan Grocery, 1320 Main St., Peru Liberta’s Market, La Salle, managed by Ross Liberta Lindenmeyer Groceries, 302 Cross St., Peru Lou’s Super Market, Oglesby and Peru Lushina’s Market, La Salle, managed by Rudy Lushina Maple Lawn Grocery, 2702 Sixth St., Peru Marini Grocery, 304 Peru St., Peru Marini’s grocery, La Salle Mattiucce Grocery, 314 Peru St., Peru Mid-City Food Mart, La Salle.

Mills Grocery, Oglesby National Tea Co. Food Center, Eighth and Joliet streets, La Salle.

This chain preceded Urbanowski’s Supermarket at this location.

National Tea Co. grocery, 193032, 515 First St., La Salle Park Grocery, Oglesby Pete’s Super Market in La Salle Venturelli’s grocery, Oglesby Pete Miller’s Cash Grocery, 1928 Ninth St., Peru Piggly Wiggly, Peru, Oglesby P.K. Cash Grocery, 1517 E. Fifth St., Peru, I.J. Pyka and Thomas Kujawa Potthoff and Kuehn grocery store, owned 25 years by Kenneth Kuehn, Peru. P&K Grocery Store in Peru, co-owned by Lottie Kujawa.

Ray’s grocery, Peru Rodi’s Super Mart in Oglesby Rogalla’s grocery, Peru Schott’s Grocery, La Salle Schweitzer’s Blue Ribbon, 1525 Peoria St., Peru Senica’s Grocery and Meats, Oglesby, operated by Frank Senica, Adolph Senica and their father, Frank Senica.

Sperber’s Saloon and Grocery Store, Fourth and Calhoun streets, Peru, operated by William Sperber.

Story’s Food Shop, 1309 Fourth St., Peru Tauraza’s grocery, Oglesby Terando Grocery, John and Catherine Terando operated on Seventh Street in Peru from 1951 until 1969.

Ulan’s grocery, Oglesby

Urbanowski’s IGA Supermarket La Salle at Eighth and Joliet streets, La Salle. Francis and Patricia Urbanowski owned and operated Urbanowski Supermarket in La Salle for more than 50 years.

Virzi’s Market Basket, Oglesby Washkowiak grocery, La Salle

G.A. Weller grocery, 753 First St. and 753 First St., La Salle West End Grocery and Service Station in Peru, owned and operated by Paul Giacomini.

Zimmerman Grocery, La Salle Zurinski Bridge Grocery, 422 E. Fifth St., Peru

16 December 2019 | Illinois Valley Boomers | A NewsTribune Publication

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pd adv

A Novel Way to Naturally Rejuvenate Your Skin with Your Own Plasma Some of you may remember when Kim Kardashian West famously posted her selfie after a Vampire Facial™ on Instagram in 2013. Back then her shocking picture of her own blood smeared all over her face raised brows and started a frenzy of aging women looking for doctor’s offices to go for their Vampire Facial™. Since 2013 this technique has evolved and changed to be an even more effective anti-aging procedure.

The actual blood product applied to the skin is plasma.

When blood is drawn from a vein in the arm, it is then spun in a centrifuge and the top yellowish layer (plasma) is siphoned off. There are two types of plasma that can be utilized for medical purposes, PRP and PRF. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is what has classically been used in a Vampire Facial™ and contains our own platelets.

Now there is also Plateletrich fibrin (PRF). PRF is rich in platelets, fibrin and interleukins. These cells are the healers of the skin and produce new skin more rapidly and effectively than platelets alone. In order to get the plasma into the skin a procedure called microneedling is done first to make tiny openings in the skin of the face.

Microneedling causes a mild injury to the skin and the plasma (PRP or PRF) heals the skin, stimulating new skin to be made. Microneedling with Platelet-rich fibrin is the newest plasma procedure to naturally rejuvenate the skin.

We decided to ask Dr. Nicole Norris of Nicole Norris MD Medical Spa in Peru, Illinois more questions about this intriguing procedure.

What results can I expect after Microneedling with PRF? Our patients are in love with the results of Microneedling with platelet-

rich fibrin (PRF). After this procedure, our patients report improved appearance of wrinkles, improved skin texture and tightness, reduced pore size, improved plumpness of skin, reduced visible acne scars, lighter brown spots, and a markedly youthful glow. Immediately after the procedure, patients are a little red and dry. By the next day, you can return to your normal skin care routine and wear make-up.

Patients continue seeing results for a month or more.

Is it a painful procedure?

Not at all. We use topical numbing medicine on the face prior to microneedling.

My nurse is an expert phlebotomist and uses a small butterfly needle for your blood draw.

Who is a good candidate?

I would say anyone in search of better skin and a younger look is a good candidate for

Microneedling with plateletrich fibrin. It is important that you are not a smoker to get good results. If you do not tolerate having your blood drawn or everyone has trouble drawing your blood, you may need to consider other options.

We ask patients to be very well hydrated prior to their procedure so that we can obtain enough plasma.

Are there any special instructions after Microneedling with PRF? After your procedure, we will ask you to wait one hour before washing your face gently with cool water. Then you will apply hydrating products such as hyaluronic

acid and moisturizer. The more hydrated your skin is when it is healing, the better results you will get. We ask patients to wear a hat and sunscreen, if they will be in the sun. We find that patients who have three to four Microneedling with PRF treatments per year get the maximum skin rejuvenation benefits.

If you are intrigued and would like to learn more about natural skin rejuvenation using your own plasma, call for your consultation with Dr. Norris in January 2020 and mention this article to apply your $99 consultation fee toward your procedure! 815-780-8264

A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Boomers | December 2019 17

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LEISURE

Maze Lumber hearth specialist Chad Errio lights the wood-burning stove in the Peru store. Maze has been selling fireplaces since the 1970s and deals in a variety of options including wood-burning, gas and electric fireplaces.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT ANDERSON

Come on baby, light my fire A good fireplace is not out of reach, and there are plenty of options

By Brett Herrmann

used to have a fireplace growing up come in because they want to add one to their home,” Errio said. t happens every year when the merThe discovery of fire may very cury on the thermometer begins to well be the first major technological drop. advancement in human history. But The need for heat. The need for fire. over the past several decades, other “The first cold snap it gets crazy,” technologies have caught up to help said Maze Lumber hearth specialist in-home fireplaces burn cleaner and Chad Errio. “That’s when the HVAC more efficiently. There are a lot more companies get the calls and it’s when bells and whistles now than there we get the calls.” were about five decades ago. And The Peru business has been selling most fireplaces don’t really even fireplaces to local residents since the require a chimney. They can get by 1970s. The days of a fireplace being an with a vent that goes out the side of a important fixture in local homes has home, Errio said. come and gone, but the nostalgia they “You don’t normally have a full evoke is a strong selling point for a lot chimney anymore,” Errio said. “It’s of customers. hard to believe people would build a “We’ve seen a lot of Boomers that new home without having one.”

NEWSTRIBUNE REPORTER

I

THE WOOD BURNERS Errio said some people just prefer a wood-burning stove for the aesthetics it brings — the snap and crackle as a piece of timber burns to ash.

“They hold wood close to their heart,” he said.

But wood-burning stoves come with work. The wood has to come from somewhere, and unless you are buying precut logs it takes effort in the summer months to maintain your supply for an entire winter.

“There is a lot of work with cutting and splitting and stacking it,” Errio said. “Then you can go trudging through the snow to get your wood.”

And that’s just fine for many people.

Wood burners also come with some maintenance, including sweeping and

18 December 2019 | Illinois Valley Boomers | A NewsTribune Publication

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scooping out ashes around the fireplace and bringing in a chimney sweep about once a year. Errio said a properly drafted fireplace won’t have any issues of making a house smell like a fire.

“You really don’t get a smoky smell,” he said.

And new models are designed to improve air quality, along with clean-burning logs and better air filters.

And for those who have trouble getting those logs on fire, wood-burning stoves now have the option of an igniter that gets the fire rolling without the use of matches or kindling.

THE GAS FIREPLACES For simplicity, the gas burning fireplace is the best way to get heat in your home without any fuss.

“You’re just flipping a switch or hitting a button on your remote,” Errio said.

Modern gas fireplaces are really more like a thermostat than a fire that needs to be poked and stoked. Controls allow you to regulate how much heat you are getting or how much flame is showing.

Gas fireplaces can actually produce more heat than a traditional wood burning stove and circulate it better through a home. And the maintenance is minimal.

“You don’t have to get a

Errio shows off some of the gas fireplace options on display at Maze Lumber in Peru. Fireplaces are an option for helping cut down on heating costs during winter months, and Errio said the first cold snap of the year typically draws in a lot of customers.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT ANDERSON

chimney sweep in every year like you do with a wood burner,” Errio said.

They are also more ecofriendly and safer since they are not producing toxic fumes or open flames. And because they do not need a

chimney, a gas fireplace can be easily installed in most locations in a home. And like any fireplace, Maze Lumber recommends getting some stone or tile work installed around the feature for a nice looking décor.

ELECTRIC MAKING A PUSH While gas versus wood burning is the typical debate, there are still options such as electric fireplaces, which Errio said are gaining See Fire page 21

The heat is on. A log burns in a wood burning stove at Maze Lumber in Peru. Wood burning stoves have the snap and crackle aesthetic that can’t be replicated with a gas fireplace. But they do come with more work such as cutting and splitting logs.

A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Boomers | December 2019 19

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT ANDERSON

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20 December 2019 | Illinois Valley Boomers | A NewsTribune Publication

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Fire

FROM PAGE 19 some popularity.

The flames aren’t real, but the fireplaces are easy to install and don’t require a gas hookup or ventilation.

“You’re not going to have the (same amount of) heat, but you’re going to get the look,” Errio said.

And some electric fireplaces offer a variety of displays. But mostly, there is an option for any fire enthusiast looking to help save on their heating bill during the winter months.

“We can find something that fits everyone’s budget,” Errio said.

BIGGEST IN THE MIDWEST? STARVED ROCK’S GREAT HALL HAS A GREAT FIREPLACE No matter how grand your fireplace is, it probably doesn’t hold a candle (or just looks like a can-

dle) compared to the fireplace in Starved Rock Lodge’s great hall.

About 2,000 tons of precisely stacked Joliet limestone was used to create the giant monolith, which sits right in the middle of the hall.

“As far as we know, this is the largest two-sided fireplace in Illinois — possibly the Midwest,” said Kathy Casstevens, director of marketing for Starved Rock Lodge.

One side is open for the public to sit by and the other is an area for reserved events such as weddings. The fireplace’s history goes back to when the lodge was originally constructed in the 1930s — completed in 1939 — by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Casstevens said the CCC utilized different groups of skilled tradesmen such as stonemasons and carpenters. And because the stonemasons who built the fireplace were so well practiced, there was little

margin of error when cutting and laying the stone.

“Each company became very proficient at what they were doing,” she said.

Starved Rock is the not the only state-maintained site in Illinois that features a lodge, and a fireplace, built by the CCC. Lodges at Pere Marquette near Grafton, White Pines Resort near Oregon, and Giant City Lodge near Carbondale were also all constructed by the Corps and feature fireplaces of different sizes — none of which are in the center of the build’s main hall.

“But it was the same concept,” Casstevens said.

The CCC used what is called a random Ashlar pattern for the stonework. And before completing it, the stonemasons carved their initials or nicknames in the stone on the inside. Casstevens said one name discovered after some past maintenance work was “Shorty.”

Left: All set up for the holidays, a fire burns in the large two-sided fireplace at inside Starved Rock Lodge’s Great Hall. The fireplace was constructed, along with the lodge, in the 1930s by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Some of the stonemasons who worked on the project carved their initials inside the fireplace.

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A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Boomers | December 2019 21

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HUMOR

A Change Would Do You Good hange found under the sofa cushions? Good CHaving to change a flat

sitting on a high stool with a dusty ledger and quill pen.

Don’t get me wrong — we’re thrilled with the merger and tire? Bad excited for the future with our Changing one’s underwear Peg new company. It’s just that every day? Good so much change all at once Schulte left me curled up in the fetal I once read that making litposition, clutching my old tle changes in your life keeps Windows 7, single-screen comyour brain sharp. Taking a puter workstation for comfort. new route to work or using Who knew office equipment your left hand if you’re right could be a security blanket? handed sparks new synapses in the first week.

Our daughter, Liz, changed between dendrites in the Technological changes have jobs at practically the same brain, or some such scientific been the hardest part of the time, and conversations about stuff. If that’s true, I’ve got merger. Our new office is paour new situations went someenough sparking dendrites perless and totally automated. thing like this: to rival the fireworks on the They have a different software Me, fretting. “I’ve got to Fourth of July. program for every function, the learn entirely new systems.”

My husband, Bill, and I phones are tied to the interLiz, exulting, “I get to learn owned our own business for entirely new systems!” over 30 years. After much con- net, and there are 3 computer Me, worried, “I won’t talk to sideration we decided to merge screens on my desk. Three!

That’s why the place is paperthe same people I’ve dealt with with another agency last year. less — there’s no room for paper for years.”

It was a one-way ticket on the when instruments of automaLiz, ecstatic, “I won’t talk to Change Express. We moved tion take up every inch of office the same people I’ve dealt with into their offices and changed real estate. With our old comfor years.” our office hours, our work Me, scowling. “Everything is schedules and our co-workers. puter set-up I looked like Bob Cratchet in a green eye-shade, different.”

I drove to our old office twice

Liz, beaming. “Everything is different!’

Perhaps this means I’m a glass-half-empty kind of person and Liz is an eternal optimist, but I suspect our different responses have more to do with our ages than our fundamental attitudes toward life.

Just as my aging muscles couldn’t stretch into the Hanging Lotus Dog position should I ever try yoga, my aging brain has trouble stretching to take in the new. Theoretically, I yearn to boldly go where no man has gone before. In reality, I shrink from the different.

Enough of this defeatist attitude. I AM capable of change. I can grow and not only accept the new, but actively embrace the possibilities. And to show how flexible I can be, when I leave the parking lot after work tomorrow, I’ll turn right instead of left. I can practically feel those dendrites sparking!

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22 December 2019 | Illinois Valley Boomers | A NewsTribune Publication

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Mako Robotic-arm Assisted Surgery is a new approach Mitchell Kasikfor are excited about toDrs. joint Robert replacement that and offersConnor the potential a higher level of patient-specifi c implantfor alignment and positioning. using this new technology total knee, total hip and

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A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Boomers | December 2019 23

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600 East First Street | Spring Valley 24 December 2019 | Illinois Valley Boomers | A NewsTribune Publication

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12/11/19 10:33 AM