NewsTribune_Holiday Life_102823

Holiday Life ILLINOIS VALLEY

A SIMPLER TIME

Embracing vintage-inspired holiday decorations

INSIDE

• Planning the perfect cheese or charcuterie board • A look at the Quesse Christmas Light Show • Punch recipes that will liven up any party

2023

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2 October 2022 | Illinois Valley Holiday Life | A NewsTribune Publication

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Contents

Sharing the Christmas Spirit 6 The Quesse home is a Christmas staple.

Holidays of Yesteryear 12

Find a vintage feeling at Meadows Home Décor and Gifts.

Niche Editor Shannon Serpette sserpette@shawmedia.com

Say Cheese! 16

Cheese plays a starring role at holiday parties.

Writers Brandon LaChance Shannon Serpette

Making Merry 20

Photographers Scott Anderson Brandon LaChance Shannon Serpette

Put some punch into your holiday party.

Designer Liz Klein

On the cover: This merry caroler, sold at Meadows Home Décor and Gifts in Princeton, is a Christmas decoration that evokes a simpler time.

Published by: est. 1851

PHOTO BY SHANNON SERPETTE

A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Holiday Life | October 2022 3

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4 October 2022 | Illinois Valley Holiday Life | A NewsTribune Publication

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Debo Ace Hardware 1713 4th St Downtown Peru (815) 223-0461 acehardware.com A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Holiday Life | October 2022 5

If you want to see a high tech Christmas display, check out the Quesse Christmas Light Show at 3 Hidden Grove Lane in Spring Valley. The lights are simultaneously synchronized to Christmas theme music.

PHOTO BY SCOTT ANDERSON

Sharing the Christmas Spirit The Quesse home is a Christmas staple Editor’s note: The Illinois Valley area has many gorgeous Christmas light displays to see, including the Celebration of Lights in LaSalle and Home for the Holidays at the Bureau County Fairgrounds in Princeton. Whether you’re in the mood for a big light show or prefer to look at homes with outstanding displays, you’ll find plenty of lights to watch throughout the region.

By Brandon LaChance When you hear the word Christmas, what do you think of? For Billy Quesse, a 2006 LaSalle-Peru graduate, it is lights.

6 October 2022 | Illinois Valley Holiday Life | A NewsTribune Publication

“I’ve always been a tinkerer with electronics. My dad got me into it when I was a young kid. When I first made a circuit that I could push a button and an LED (light emitting diode) would come on, man, it was a magical moment. You could control things with buttons. You could make light,” Quesse said.

“As I was growing up, LEDs got a little better. There was finally a blue LED, which wasn’t a thing for a long time. And then they made RGB (red, green, blue) LEDs, which happened to have a red, green, and blue LED in the same package,” he said. “You could vary the strengths of each color and make any color. That was fascinating. I loved it. I started to think, ‘You could do some really cool stuff with this.’”

See LIGHTS page 8

“I’ve always been a tinkerer with electronics. My dad got me into it when I was a young kid. When I first made a circuit that I could push a button and an LED (light emitting diode) would come on, man, it was a magical moment. You could control things with buttons.

You could make light.”

Billy Quesse

The sun sets over the Celebration of Lights display on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2022 at Rotary Park in La Salle.

PHOTO BY SCOTT ANDERSON

A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Holiday Life | October 2022 7

This home has Christmas decorations in the front and back on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, located at 225 28th Street in Peru.

PHOTOS BY SCOTT ANDERSON

Christmas decorations fill the yard and home on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, located 926 Fulton Street in Peru.

Milk jugs glow around the perimeter of a home located at 623 Calhoun Street on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022 in Peru.

Lights FROM PAGE 6

Quesse graduated from high school and attended the University of Illinois to study computer science. While he was in college, lights progressed and so did his thoughts of how he could use them.

“While I was at college, I started to see the first of the home Christmas light shows show up on YouTube,” Quesse said. “They were using traditional lights – incandescent strands of bulbs or average Christmas lights. They were just using a control board that would turn entire outlets on and off in sequence. An entire strand of lights would turn on and another entire strand of lights would turn off.

“At the time, although how basic it was, I thought it was so, so, so cool. I knew right then that I wanted to do a light show someday. But I knew I could do it with RGB LEDs and get so much more resolution out of them,” he added.

After he graduated from college in 2011, he moved to Reno, Nevada, for a job. Quesse decided to get a couple hundred RGB LEDs to mess around with. Sooner rather than later, his work cubicle became the scene of his first

8 October 2022 | Illinois Valley Holiday Life | A NewsTribune Publication

light show where a button was pushed on a cube, music would start, and lights would illuminate.

“The first cubicle set-up was 250-300 lights.

The next year was 500,” said Quesse, who works at CL Enterprises in Peru as a solution architect managing the technology through different companies such as Starved Rock Wood Products, Tangled Roots, an aviation company, and a chemical company. “I moved back to the Illinois Valley in 2014 and did it on my house with 1,000 lights. Now we’re up to north of 5,000 lights, approaching 6,000 – all animating in harmony. It’s my nerdy, creative endeavor.”

Quesse, his wife Gracelyn, and their dogs, Della and Ruby, live in a house well known in Spring Valley and in the Illinois Valley because of its Christmas light shows – the Quesse Christmas Light Show.

Located at 3 Hidden Grove Lane, the Quesse home displays a mixture of Quesse’s love for lights, the family holiday spirit, and the delight of seeing joy in others.

“I’ve always been a fan of Christmas. It’s a good holiday to attach a light show to, and it gets us into Christmas. I’d say we’re average Christmas enthusiasts,” Quesse said. “I think the thing that really touches me the most is

seeing the joy that the lights spread. People come and tell us about their kids begging to come to the light show. Some parents have told me they have to come once a week. I feel bad for the parents, but it’s those personal stories that show how this project has the potential to create happiness and spread joy, especially in a season where that’s the whole point.”

Ruby is new to the home within the last year, so she won’t be able to tell any Christmas light show stories yet. However, Della has been around and is known to bark or growl a few times when visitors’ headlights can be seen or the lights on the side of the house’s doorway begin.

With Billy and Gracelyn enjoying the show, the dogs becoming content, and people parking in front of the home to watch the lights, there was only one base to worry about – the neighbors.

“There hasn’t been one problem whatsoever. Thankfully, our neighborhood is perfect for the lights. It’s a subdivision that sits on a cul-de-sac, with only four of the 12 lots occupied. There isn’t a house directly across the street. The neighbors that are here, they just love it,” he said. “It’s gotten to the point where my wife and I will introduce ourselves to someone we meet and the first question is, ‘Are you the ones who do the light show?’

Ring in the Holidays with Style

It’s fairly known now, which is a challenge because you have to get bigger and better every single year now.”

With the lights and animation, music is a must. Quesse found a device on Amazon that projects music onto any radio station as long as it’s set up correctly. This is a standard item among the Christmas light show community.

“Every year, I’ll typically choose three or four songs to animate to. I try for at least three of them to be brand new songs,” said Quesse. “Then one or two of them will be songs that I bring from years past to give a little remaster to and put them in the rotation.

You’re seeing something new every single year.”

And just in case you were worried, the Quesse family doesn’t have to ask a bank for a loan to afford their electric bill.

“That’s the No. 1 question, and most people are surprised,” Quesse said. “That’s the first thing people think of, ‘Hey, Griswold, what’s the power bill look like?’ First of all, they’re all LEDs and they don’t take much power. If you think about it in the scope of animated-to-music Christmas lights, they spend most of the time off. They’re not always on during the show. Really, we don’t see a noticeable increase in our power bills. It’s not much more than plugging in a couple of computers for the season.”

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A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Holiday Life | October 2022 9

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A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Holiday Life | October 2022 11

Holidays of Yesteryear Find a vintage feeling at Meadows Home Décor and Gifts Story & Photos by Shannon Serpette

W

hen shopping for holiday decorations, it can feel like once you’ve seen one shop, you’ve seen them all. They all carry the same popular ornaments of today or focus on cheaply-made items that don’t appear as if they’ll last more than a season or two.

Walking through the doors at Meadows Home Décor and Gifts in Princeton is different. You’ll feel as if you’re relieving the holiday seasons of your childhood, with the thoughtful displays and carefully placed vintage pieces.

That feeling is no accident, according to shop owner, Shellee Monier.

“We spend a lot of time during the year locating vintage items,” Monier said.

When the Covid pandemic hit, travel stopped, which meant no going to shows to see new items or having vendors stop by Meadows Home Décor and Gifts. At the same time, there was a renewed interest in a simpler way of life or decorating to reflect the idyllic time many people remembered from their childhoods.

“We learned to use the old,” Monier said, adding that they really began embracing retro and vintage items. “People want something that reminds them of their childhood.”

For many people, childhood was a magical time – when anything seemed possible. Coming up with a decoration or display that mimics that time of life brings happiness to people.

“That’s why we do what we do. It’s to inspire and provoke joy in the Christmas holiday,” Wanda Galloway, chief designer and floral engineer at Meadows Home Décor and Gifts, said.

Small clocks like this one can give a classic old-time feel to your holiday display.

12 October 2022 | Illinois Valley Holiday Life | A NewsTribune Publication

A stroll through the shop shows they have a large variety of items to choose from, including ones that won’t be found at other stores in the Illinois Valley.

“We want to get unique items,” Galloway said.

They also offer a huge selection of floral arrangements for the holidays, and they can do custom creations as well. For those shopping for holiday decorations, it’s important to note

that Meadows will be closed from Nov. 12 to 16. After that, the shop, which can be found on Facebook under Meadows On Main, will be open seven days a week for the holiday season.

When you’re trying to decorate your home for the holidays, Galloway offers some advice.

“Don’t overthink it. Make it a part of who you are,” she said, adding that items don’t have to match as long as you love them and they mean something to you and your family.

s

These eye-catching ornament trees are designed and built at Meadows Home Décor and Gifts in Princeton.

s Santa is always a popular holiday decoration that never goes out of style.

s

Carolers like these can be found throughout the Christmas displays at Meadows Home Décor and Gifts.

s Meadows Home Décor and Gifts in Princeton has plenty of Christmas decorations to choose from.

s

This rustic design would look gorgeous on a fireplace mantel or as part of a larger table display.

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This lighted decoration can help provide warmth and ambiance in a room.

A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Holiday Life | October 2022 13

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A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Holiday Life | October 2022 15

Say

CHEESE!

Cheese plays a starring role at holiday parties Story & Photos by Brandon LaChance

W

hen it comes to holiday dinners, for the most part, guests know what is going to be on the table. There are the favorites, such as ham, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, and cranberries. However, there is another item that has become popular at both dinners and parties – cheese.

While simple cheese boards are one way to keep people fed at parties, you can also offer a more varied selection by including the cheese on a charcuterie board instead. Many stores in the Illinois Valley area carry fancy cheeses and other items for this popular centerpiece, including Sullivan’s Foods in Mendota, The Cheese Shoppe and Deli in Ottawa, and Hy-Vee Grocery Store in Peru.

“Charcuterie boards are becoming quite popular all of the time. Of course, during the holidays, but they’re also a hit at graduation, anniversary, birthday, weddings, and BBQ events,” said Jake Burch, the charcuterie specialist in the deli department at Hy-Vee.

16 October 2022 | Illinois Valley Holiday Life | A NewsTribune Publication

“People are asking for entire tables, not just a board, to be made. Every holiday party I go to with my girlfriend, we always do a board with her family and my family. They’re just fun. Everyone loves them. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t.”

Their variety is one of the reasons for their popularity.

“I’ve had people order custom boards, ones from our catalog, and I’ve walked people through the different meats, cheeses, jams, spreads, olives, fruits, crackers, bread, and you name it. There really isn’t a right or wrong way to do it. It’s more about what you like, and it’s fun to be creative with it,” Burch said.

Burch has been with Hy-Vee since October 2022, but spent seven years working for a deli in Milwaukee where he sharpened his craft.

Through Hy-Vee, he is taking classes to become a certified specialist.

“My boss in Milwaukee taught me presentation is key because a charcuterie board is

“Every holiday party I go to with my girlfriend, we always do a board with her family and my family. They’re just fun. Everyone loves them. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t.”

Jake Burch Charcuterie Specialist at Hy-Vee Deli

Traci Ruppert, the deli manager at Hy-Vee in Peru, is thankful for charcuterie specialist Jake Burch being on her staff. Burch has worked in a deli for almost eight years, creating meat and cheese trays and charcuterie boards. When the holiday season comes around, the duo gets excited to create art in the form of a charcuterie board for a dinner or party table. the centerpiece of any table since it’s nice to look at. Once you get all of the items you’re going to have on the board, you have to work with placing to see what looks the best. I always recommend a lot of good colors. The purple or green of a grape and red strawberries look nice,” Burch said. “When I start, I envision what I think is going to look good.

Sometimes it works out and for others I move stuff.”

One rule of thumb Burch lives by is not putting all meats and cheeses on the same side of a wooden board or a plastic tray.

Symmetry is just as important as the food on the charcuterie presentation since the boards provide art and a sense of creativity.

“They (charcuterie boards) have certainly evolved over the last year. They’ve really taken off,” said Traci Ruppert, Hy-Vee’s deli manager who has been at the Peru location since it opened 24 years ago. “Whenever I go to my holiday party, they always ask me to be in charge of the charcuterie because they know I work at Hy-Vee. Dylan Inman, who has been with Sullivan’s See CHEESE page 18

A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Holiday Life | October 2022 17

Cheese FROM PAGE 17

Foods for 11 years and took over as store manager this summer, also recognizes meat and cheese boards as a major seller during the holiday season.

“We get a lot of business during the holidays. They bring a lot more people in, and we get eyes on what we have to offer. We get the chance to show all of our products and services to the customers in the area,” Inman said. “We have three different sizes of meat and cheese trays.”

Darla Kleckner, Sullivan’s deli manager, offers customers a price sheet with a variety of options in terms of food items and price tags.

“We do all kinds of different trays with cheeses, meats, fruits, veggies, sandwiches, and other items. Around the holidays, we sell a lot of them,” Kleckner said. “The meat and cheese trays are very popular. We do probably ten a week when the holiday season starts and 15 to 20 a day during Christmas.”

“The meat and cheese trays include three meats and three cheeses. If there are crackers with the tray, we’ll put salami, and we include roast beef if it’s for sandwiches. We have fruit and cheese, gourmet meat and cheese, cheese lovers, shaved meats, mini sandwiches, salami and cheese, shrimp trays. If there is something you want and you don’t think that we make it, please ask. We do just about anything, and we’ll make just about anything,” Kleckner said.

Another alternative for cheese shopping is

Darla Kleckner knows slicing cheese will be a frequent task for her during the holidays. The deli manager at Sullivan’s Foods in Mendota said they make ten meat and cheese trays a week during the holiday season and have been known to make 15 to 20 a day during Christmas.

The Cheese Shoppe in Ottawa, which opened in 1970 as a cheese factory. In 1988, it became a restaurant, a deli, and a cater.

Matt Ruhland, the third-generation owner following his grandfather Norb Ruhland and his father Marty Ruhland, sees firsthand the charcuterie board and meat and cheese tray sales spike during the holidays.

“We’ve been around here for a long time,” Matt Ruhland said. “I grew up in Grand Ridge, and I just kind of knew this is what I was going to do. People would always ask,

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I went to culinary art school for a while and have been doing this for 30-plus years.”

Ruhland said The Cheese Shoppe can help customers customize their boards.

“We have around 40 to 50 different types of cheese and different kinds of salamis and meats. We have the strange things also. People have put circus peanuts or gummy worms on their boards to add color,” Ruhland said.

The Cheese Shop has three charcuterie board sizes listed on their counter – small, medium, and large. Although, just like Sullivan’s and Hy-Vee, other options are available.

“We have the different sizes for different budgets, but customers are not limited to these options. They can go as big as they would like,” Ruhland said. “We have the actual wood boards, plastic trays, and there are people who purchase the meats, cheeses, and items they would like and create themselves on their tables, countertops, and other ideas like those.”

GIVE A GIFT CERTIFICATE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON! GIFT CERTIFICATES MAKE A GREAT GIFT

CHECK OUT OUR HOLIDAY MENU! Spring Valley • Mendota • Princeton

VLASTNIK’S MENSWEAR SM-LA2110852

DOWNTOWN PERU • 815-223-0695

A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Holiday Life | October 2022 19

MAKING MERRY Put some punch into your holiday party

By Shannon Serpette

Whether you’re hosting a party full of children or an adult-only gathering, creative and tasty drinks are always needed. Punch is easy to make and can provide a pop of color and flavor at your holiday parties. It works equally well for formal or informal gatherings, and there are so many punch recipes out there that you’ll easily find one that goes well with your menu.

When I was a child, my family’s favorite holiday punch was simple to make but amazingly delicious. We took a standard-sized container of lime sherbet and mixed it with a 2-liter bottle of Sprite. The color of this beautiful green punch is ideal for Christmas or St. Patrick’s Day parties. If you’ve never tried it, you should – it’s a crowd-pleaser. If you’re not a fan of lime, here are some other punch recipes for you.

Moscato Punch INGREDIENTS 2 cups cranberry juice 1 cup pomegranate juice 12 ounces of ginger beer 4 ounces triple sec 1.5 liters of Moscato wine Orange slices, cranberries, and rosemary for garnishing, if desired DIRECTIONS Stir together the juices, ginger beer, triple sec, and wine in a large pitcher. Fill a wine glass with ice, and then add some of the punch. If desired, add an orange slice, cranberries, and rosemary to the glass.

20 October 2022 | Illinois Valley Holiday Life | A NewsTribune Publication

Classic Party Punch INGREDIENTS 64 ounces of Hawaiian Punch 12 ounces of pineapple juice 1 liter of ginger ale DIRECTIONS Mix all the liquids in a punch bowl and serve over ice.

Cherry Hibiscus Punch INGREDIENTS One 16-ounce jar of maraschino cherries without stems 2 limes, sliced thinly 1 orange, sliced thinly 6 hibiscus tea bags One 12-ounce can of frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed One 2-liter bottle of ginger ale Two 12-ounce cans of seltzer 1/4 cup grenadine DIRECTIONS The night before the party, bring five cups of water to a simmer in a pan on the stove. Add the hibiscus tea bags and continue to simmer for five minutes. Throw away the tea bags and refrigerate the tea overnight.

Just before your party, put the tea, orange juice, ginger ale, seltzer, and grenadine in a punch bowl and serve.

Add the whole jar of cherries without draining the juice. Then add the limes and oranges and gently stir again. Serve over ice.

Festive Green Punch INGREDIENTS 1/3 cup sugar 3 tablespoons water 1/3 cup evaporated milk 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 12 drops bright green food coloring 1 bottle of Sprite 2 pints vanilla ice cream DIRECTIONS In a pan, combine sugar and water and cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in evaporated milk and extract.

Let it cool before putting it into a covered bowl and refrigerating it.

Right before your party, put the milk mixture in a punch bowl. Stir in the food coloring and soda.

Top with the ice cream.

See more punch recipes on pages 22-23.

A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Holiday Life | October 2022 21

Cranberry Pineapple Punch Editor’s note: To make an alcoholic version of this, add three to four cups of champagne to this recipe.

INGREDIENTS 3 cups pineapple juice 3 cups cranberry juice 4 cups cold ginger ale 1/2 cup frozen cranberries 1/2 of a lime, sliced thinly Ice DIRECTIONS In a large punch bowl, stir together the juices, ginger ale, and the alcohol, if you’re adding any. Add the cranberries, slices of lime, and ice.

Join us Saturday, December 2nd for City of Peru’s Christmas Celebration!

Lighted Parade 5 p.m.

Parade starts at Centennial Park with Holiday events to follow.

Check our Facebook page, City of Peru, Illinois Parks and Recreation, soon for a listing of events!

Brought to you by CITY OF PERU and the PERU RECREATION BOARD www.peru.il.us 22 October 2022 | Illinois Valley Holiday Life | A NewsTribune Publication

Mulled Wine INGREDIENTS 1 bottle red wine 2 cinnamon sticks 2 teaspoons whole cloves 2 teaspoons whole allspice berries 1 large piece orange peel 1 large piece lemon peel 4 tablespoons sugar DIRECTIONS Place all the ingredients into a big pot on the stove. Put a lid on the pot and warm on low heat. Avoid letting it come to a simmer or boil because it may turn bitter. Let it heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ladle the wine into cups, removing the whole spices and peels. You can reduce the heat to low and leave the mulled wine on your stove for hours if you’d like.

UTICA INVITES YOU TO CELEBRATE

THE START OF YOUR HOLIDAY SEASON WITH AN

“OLD FASHIONED CHRISTMAS IN THE VILLAGE” SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25TH | 11 A.M. - 5 P.M.

• Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides • Strolling Barbershop Quartet • Free Trolley Service • Children’s activities including Cookie Decorating, Crafts, Games, Snacks, a visit from Santa (at the Heritage Center) 2-4:30 pm • Christmas in the Canal vendor show • Small Business Saturday specials at businesses throughout town

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 26TH | 11 A.M. - 5 P.M.

• Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides • Strolling Barbershop Quartet • Free Trolley Service • Children’s activities (at the Community Building) 2-4:30 pm • Santa Parade (4:30 p.m.)

• Christmas in the Canal vendor show • Shopping, Eating, Drinking, and Tasting specials at local businesses!

VISIT WWW.UTICA-IL.GOV FOR FULL DETAILS SHOP SMALL, SHOP UNIQUE, SHOP UTICA THIS HOLIDAY SEASON! A NewsTribune Publication | Illinois Valley Holiday Life | October 2022 23

November 9 Spring Elves Valley Night Out

is bringing back the Light! presented by

November 25 A Day of Fun

Santas on the Run 5K Shop Small Saturday Lighted Santa Parade begins at 6:00 pm

Christmas Tree Lighting directly after Parade

Ladies! Grab your fellow elves for some fun!

5:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Deals, Food & Drink Specials throughout Spring Valley

November 11 Christmas in the Valley

Breakfast with Santa 10 am to 2 pm Performances by Harmony Guaranteed Barbershop Quartet Trolley Rides Specialty Shopping & Sales Vendor Fair Silent Tree Auction to benefit local charities Hot Cocoa Bar •Photos with Santa Christmas Crafts, Face Painting Food Trucks

Check us out for info on these events and more!

SM-LA2109518

24 October 2022 | Illinois Valley Holiday Life | A NewsTribune Publication