OTT_Enjoy the Outdoors this Summer_062621

Enjoy the Outdoors this summer

THE TIMES Saturday, June 26, 2021

• Visit Matthiessen’s renowned sunflower field • Jump for joy at Skydive Chicago • A chance to try rock climbing in Illinois

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• Summer events in DeKalb and Lee counties • Playgrounds abound on Fox River Trail

Debo Ace Hardware: Your Summer Fun Headquarters!

Debo Ace Hardware: 1713 4th St. Peru, IL 61354 • (815) 223-0461 • Monday - Friday 7:00 AM - 5:30 PM • Saturday 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM • Sunday CLOSED

Shaw Media • June 2021

| ENJOY THE OUTDOORS THIS SUMMER

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SUMMER EVENTS ARE BACK IN DEKALB COUNTY u u u

Jessi Haish LaRue u Photos provided

JUNE uuu “MUSIC IN THE PARK” CONCERT SERIES Downtown Shabbona Free live music will be featured at the gazebo near Sandwich’s Opera House every Wednesday through August 25. Food trucks will be available during the concerts.

“MUSIC IN THE PARK” CONCERT SERIES Dee Palmer Band Shell, Hopkins Park in DeKalb DeKalbMunicipalBand.com Every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. from June through August 17, the DeKalb Municipal Band will perform concerts for its 167th summer season. Concerts include the “Star Spangled Spectacular” on July 4 and “Night at the Movies” on July 13.

“MUSIC AT THE MANSION” CONCERT SERIES Ellwood Mansion, DeKalb This concert series program will be featured on the grounds of the Ellwood House on June 23, June 30, July 14, July 21, July 28 and August 4. The main act begins at 7 p.m. each date. Local talent will be featured shortly before the main act. Craft shows, classic car shows and other events will be new this year. For sponsorship info contact FunMEevents@ aol.com. Concerts sponsored in part by: The Ellwood House Museum, Steve & TJ Irving, Claesson Carpet Cleaners, Katherine Gannon Realtors, Michael Embrey, and others.

JULY uuu KIRKLAND LIONS CLUB 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION July 2 - July 4 • Kirkland4thofJuly.com This annual three-day event features carnival games and rides, a beer tent, flea market, and fireworks.

The event’s music headliner is country start Lainey Wilson, who will perform July 2. Other events include friendly rivalry games between the local fire and police departments, as well as a magician and other live entertainment for all ages.

WATERMAN LIONS SUMMERFEST & ANTIQUE TRACTOR & TRUCK SHOW July 17 • WatermanLionsTractorShowandSummerfest.com Waterman’s annual festival features a morning tractor parade, a drive-thru meal, raffles, fireworks, and outdoor movie. Families and children of all ages will enjoy this all-day event.

TURNING BACK TIME CAR SHOW DOWNTOWN SYCAMORE July 24 & 25 • DiscoverSycamore.com Hundreds of classic cars will be on display in downtown Sycamore for this year’s annual Cruise Night on Saturday, July 24th and the Fizz Ehrler Memorial Car Show on Sunday, July 25th. Saturday’s event will feature hundreds of hot cars, live music and cold beer.

Sunday’s event will feature close to 1,000 antiques, classics, street rods, rat rods and more. Enjoy a day strolling through downtown Sycamore and enjoying various food and oldies music.

AUGUST uuu DRUM CORPS SHOW - NIU- DEKALB August 6 - 7 p.m.

Drum & Bugle Corps contest at Huskie Stadium This event, in its 35th year, features six Drum Corps.

For ticket information contact regiment.org. For local information contact FunME Events at 815-756-1263.

RIBS, RHYTHM & BREWS FEST DOWNTOWN SYCAMORE August 28 • DiscoverSycamore.com This annual event features award-winning rib vendors, craft beer, and live music from The Party Doctors who will open for Back Country Roads. This year promises “more ribs, beer and music,” and one food vendor will be crowned RR&B Fest Champion.

SYCAMORE STEAM SHOW & THRESHING BEE August 12-15 • SycamoreSteamShow.com The Northern Illinois Steam Power Club will hold its annual steam show and threshing bee on the Taylor Marshall Farm property in Sycamore. The sprawling event features a large flea market, antique displays and demonstrations, fresh produce, and exhibits for adults and children of all ages to enjoy.

DEKALB COUNTY BARN TOUR August 14, Sandwich Township DeKalbCountyBarnTour.com Embark on this year’s barn tour with your own map and see 8 historic and architecturally unique buildings in the Sandwich township area. This year’s tour includes multiple barns and the historic Somonauk United Presbyterian Church. Tour is self-guided and admission is $25 per carload.

SEPTEMBER uuu

CRUISIN’ TO GENOA CAR SHOW August 21 • GenoaAreaChamber.com While there will be no Genoa Days festival this year, the “Cruisin’ to Genoa” car show will be held, along with the Roger Watson Memorial Tractor Show.

More than 30 trophies will be awarded to car show participants this year.

MAPLE PARK FUN FEST September 4-5 • MapleParkFunFest.com This festival bills itself as a “classic small town festival geared for big time entertainment.” It began in 1998 as a local softball tournament, but has since blossomed into a two-day event with a parade, fireworks, food vendors, a kid zone, and live entertainment.

CORN FEST - DOWNTOWN DEKALB August 27-29 • cornfest.com DeKalb’s Corn Fest is one of the last remaining free admission festivals in the state. Held in downtown DeKalb, the annual festival features live music, food, games, carnival, corn boil and much more.

SANDWICH FAIR September 8-12 • SandwichFair.com This multi-day fair has been held annually in Sandwich since 1888. The event features truck and tractor pulls, a concert, culinary competitions, and an antique car show, along with festival food, rides and games.

Indoor gyms provide chance to try rock climbing

By Allison Bills • Photos by D’Lara Photography

I

t’s no secret: No one travels to the Midwest or Chicago suburbs to summit mountains or scale mountain walls.

But for some, the natural geographical landscape isn’t stopping them from pursuing a love of a vertical challenge — in the form of rock climbing and bouldering. Rock climbing typically consists of traversing walls with a rope support system, while bouldering is on smaller rocks without any sort of rope or harness.

Garcia got his first taste of rock climbing at 12 years old. He was camping at Devil’s Lake in Wisconsin and saw people scaling a wall.

“I remember seeing that and thinking, ‘Wow, that’s insane,’” he says. “It was the first time I’d ever heard of it and I didn’t know people did that.”

For a lot of Midwesterners, rock climbing is not something that’s easily accessible like biking, hiking or even swimming. Garcia admits the first time he saw someone rock climbing, he wanted to try it, but he didn’t even know how to get started.

In the Chicago suburbs, the simple answer is indoor rock climbing gyms.

Garcia found his way into the climbing world around five years ago through the North Wall Rock Climbing Gym, which he now owns. His gym has options for all ages and skill levels but is also a goto spot for people training for traditional rock climbing and bouldering.

“It can absolutely be intimidating to start out,” Garcia says. “But people should always go and feel the wall and take some falls. Some people go and try

The North Wall Rock Climbing Gym offers 1,600 square feet of bouldering and an additional 800 square feet of an auto-belay climbing wall. The auto-belay machine, which lowers climbers to the ground when they let go on the wall, is a new commercial side of climbing that a lot of large gyms provide.

Garcia teaches top rope, lead climbing, belaying and bouldering classes as well as private coaching sessions. “We want people to try climbing,” Garcia says.

“That’s what we’re here for. If you don’t have a place like this to try it out, you’ll never know if you like it.”

For anyone looking to expand beyond a climbing gym, a new climbing opportunity, The Forge: Lemont Quarries, opened its doors last summer in Lemont. While this adventure park offers so much more than just climbing on its 300 acres, rock climbing and bouldering are a huge part of the experience.

“At our park, you get different elements than what you would get anywhere else in a climbing gym in Chicagoland,” says co-founder Jeremie Bacon, noting they have three main climbing towers: the Skyscraper Tower, which caps out at 120 feet, and the East and West X-Towers, two 90-foot climbing towers.

“From a climber’s perspective, it’s a really unique experience,” adds Byron Bell, general manager of The Forge. “You won’t find climbing anywhere else up to 90 feet and you’re climbing outside in the real elements and exposure.”

Unlike most typical climbing gyms, the Forge doesn’t use an auto-belay system.

Their system mimics lead climbing, where climbers will clip and pull up rope as they go. “It’s a unique feel and helps make it an extra challenge,” Bell says.

There are also three custommanufactured concrete structures for bouldering, two that are 10 feet tall and one at 12 feet.

“Boulders are easy for people to overlook and they really shouldn’t,” Bacon says. “These boulders are as close to the real thing that you can get; they’re hand-sculpted by expert climbers, so if you’re a pro or wicked good you can just boulder using the natural rockscape.”

One thing is for sure — The Forge is unlike anything climbers have seen before.

“If you’re a climber and you think you’ve experienced everything there is to experience in climbing and the community, we have a special treat for you here,” Bacon says. “There’s a whole new world that opens itself up to you as a climber when you experience these things outside.”

While climbing walls made by people are essentially the only option for climbers in the Chicago suburbs, some of the Midwest’s premier outdoor natural climbing is just a few hours away in Devil’s Lake, Wisconsin.

“It’s a place people from the Chicago area can visit regularly and have a great positive outdoor climbing experience and learn how to get the skills to climb across the country,” says Nick Wilkes, owner and instructor of Devils Lake Climbing Guides. “It’s the closest natural place to climb.”

There are approximately 1,800 documented climbs at Devil’s Lake sprawled across 40 or so bluffs. Some are big, others small. Some are hard to get to, others easy to access. All of it is single pitch climbing.

“I’ve never talked to anybody who prefers indoor climbing to outdoor climbing,” Wilkes says.

“When you’re climbing a rock wall, it’s real stone. The holes aren’t marked for you. You have to find the

holes with your eyes and your fingers — it feels more authentic and less contrived.”

Since many are accessible from the top, it’s possible to build an anchor and a top-rope system, similar to many climbing gyms. Lead climbing is also an option, but carries more risk and is only recommended for experienced climbers.

Bouldering has also become extremely popular at Devil’s Lake, which Wilkes credits indoor climbing gyms for. What started as 50 bouldering areas in the ’50s has exploded into around 400.

“Some people want to try climbing because it’s a fun thing to do,” Wilkes says. “There’s another group of people who are trying to learn how to go rock climbing on their own because they want to be self-guided climbers. It’s a great place to start and/or develop your climbing career.”

Rock climbing may not be for everyone, but there’s something special about maneuvering up a sheer rock face to find yourself at the apex.

“I don’t want to sell it short — rock climbing is a hard, difficult activity,” Garcia says. “Serious rock climbers fail 90% of the time and we are doing all of that falling for the 10% success that we have. It’s worth it because we got it right.”

• June 2021

“A lot of us flatlanders yearn for something like rock climbing, but there’s not a huge climbing community around here,” says Adam Garcia, owner of the North Wall Rock Climbing Gym in Crystal Lake. “It’s definitely a little harder to get involved with; you either have to know someone to bring you into it or you have to be bold enough and just say, ‘I’m going to do it.’”

it and it works and makes sense, while other people realize it’s not really for them.”

ENJOY THE OUTDOORS THIS SUMMER | Shaw Media

ROCK ON

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THIS SUMMER IN LEE COUNTY

Shaw Media • June 2021

| ENJOY THE OUTDOORS THIS SUMMER

WHAT’S HAPPENING

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JUNE 4-SEPT.3 Riverfront Yoga – Heritage Crossing; outdoor yoga, one-hour classes every Friday; bring your own mat; 7 a.m. & 9 a.m.; free; discoverdixon.com JUNE 4-SEPT.3 Music at the Square – John Dixon Park, 515 N. Galena Ave.; featuring local and regional musicians each week on Fridays; 5:30-7 p.m.; discoverdixon.com JUNE 5-OCT. 30 Haymarket Square Farmers Market – 513 W. Second St., Dixon; fresh produce and crafts; Wednesday and Saturdays 7 a.m.-12 p.m.; dixonparkdistrict.com/farmers-market JUNE 26 Rout38 performs –Amboy Bandstand in Amboy; live music; 6-9 p.m.; Find Route ThirtyEight on Facebook JUNE 30 Dixon City Market – Dixon Riverfront 87 S. Hennepin Ave.; fresh produce and artisan crafters; weekly food trucks; 5-8 p.m.; discoverdixon.com JULY 2-4 Petunia Festival – Downtown Dixon; pancake breakfast, bags and poker tournaments, tennis and soccer tournaments, car show, craft show, carnival, live music, parade and fireworks; petuniafestival.org, Facebook or 815-288-7465 JULY 2 Brush & Bloom – 200 block of West First Street, Dixon; families are invited to paint a 4-by-4 square of the street; discoverdixon. com or 815-284-3361 JULY 3 Amboy 150th Year Community Celebration – Downtown Amboy; food, music and fire truck rides; 6 p.m., fireworks at dusk; Facebook

Amboy Depot Days Car Show JULY 7 Dixon City Market – Dixon Riverfront 87 S. Hennepin Ave.; fresh produce and artisan crafters; weekly foodtrucks; 5-8 p.m.; discoverdixon.com JULY 14 Dixon City Market – Dixon Riverfront 87 S. Hennepin Ave.; fresh produce and artisan crafters; weekly foodtrucks; 5-8 p.m.; discoverdixon.com JULY 21 Dixon City Market – Dixon Riverfront 87 S. Hennepin Ave.; fresh produce and artisan crafters; weekly foodtrucks; 5-8 p.m.; discoverdixon.com JULY 22-25 Lee County 4-H Fair and Junior Show – Lee County Fairgrounds, 1196 Franklin Road, Amboy; 4-H exhibits, truck and tractor pulls, mud bogs and dirt drags, carnival, music, food and more; leecounty4hcenter.com; Facebook or 815-857-2603 JULY 27 Dixon City Market – Dixon Riverfront 87 S. Hennepin Ave.; fresh produce and artisan crafters; weekly food trucks; 5-8 p.m.; discoverdixon.com AUG. 6-8 Summer Harvest Festival – Chaplin Creek Historic Village, 1715 Whitney Road, Franklin Grove; family-friendly celebration with activities for all ages; Facebook AUG. 4 Dixon City Market – Dixon Riverfront 87 S. Hennepin Ave.; fresh produce and artisan crafters; weekly foodtrucks; 5-8 p.m.; discoverdixon.com

AUG. 7-8 Living History Antique Equipment Show – 1674 Whitney Road, Franklin Grove; lhaea.org AUG. 8 Car, Truck & Motorcycle Show – Woodhaven Lakes, 509 La Moille Road, Sublette; see an array of vehicles on display; see website for details; woodhavenassociation.com/events/ car-truck-motorcycle-show AUG. 11 Dixon City Market – Dixon Riverfront 87 S. Hennepin Ave.; fresh produce and artisan crafters; weekly food trucks; 5-8 p.m.; discoverdixon.com AUG. 14 Masquerade Mystery on the Riverfront – Heritage Crossing, Dixon; new magical-themed event, magicians, food, music, more being planned; discoverdixon.com or 815-284-3361 AUG. 18 Dixon City Market – Dixon Riverfront 87 S. Hennepin Ave.; fresh produce and artisan crafters; weekly food trucks; 5-8 p.m.; discoverdixon.com AUG. 25 Dixon City Market – Dixon Riverfront 87 S. Hennepin Ave.; fresh produce and artisan crafters; weekly foodtrucks; 5-8 p.m.; discoverdixon.com AUG. 26-29 Depot Days – Downtown Amboy; car show, tractor show, arts and crafts show, garage sales, music, carnival and parade; depotdays.com, Facebook or 815-857-3814 Grand Detour Arts Festival – John Deere Historic Site, 8334 S. Clinton St.; juried art show, student art, music and food; admission is free; 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; thenextpictureshow.com and Facebook

Skydive Chicago brings new meaning to “jump for joy” Hannah Hoffmeister • Photos by Tom Sistak

I

n her bright yellow jumpsuit, Danielle Flannigan’s self-described appearance hits the mark.

“Look for the banana in the sky!” she jokes as she heads to the plane.

Flannigan and her boyfriend, Sean Fitzgerald, are at Skydive Chicago to celebrate the 23rd birthday of their friend Adrianna Dedmond. “I’m feeling cool as a cucumber right now,” says Fitzgerald before his jump. “He’s the adventurous one,” quips Flannigan.

With that thrill comes safety as a priority.

SKYDIVE CHICAGO 3215 E. 1969th Road, Ottawa 815-433-0000 www.skydivechicago.com (At left) Danielle Flannigan, along with instructor Tim Koeppen, descends from the sky while completing her first jump.

(Below) Koeppen walks Flannigan to the plane before her first jump.

“We consider the guest a student, and not just a passenger,” says Josh Reuck, marketing manager at Skydive Chicago.

“At the end of the day, they’re with highly experienced tandem instructors who have thousands of jumps. They’re in really good hands.”

A tandem instructor is a professional who is harnessed to the student, helping with the safety of the skydive. After their jumps, both Fitzgerald and Flannigan agree: Their instructors were “really professional and fun,” and did a good job making them feel safe. “I would go again,” Flannigan says.

Skydiving at the facility first involves some paperwork and a short video.

An employee walks the students through what to expect and do during the jump (how and when to activate the parachute, what to expect from their tandem instructor, etc.). After donning an optional jumpsuit and undergoing thorough safety checks of their equipment, it’s time to head to the plane, which ascends to 13,500 feet for the jumpers.

“There’s essentially two parts of the skydive,” Reuck says. “One is the physical falling through the air … and the other part is being under canopy.

And then comes the landing. “You get to see families and friends out there on the ground, cheering on the student,” Reuck says. “That’s a lot of good energy, a lot of fun to watch.”

A fear of heights shouldn’t keep one from considering a skydive, in Reuck’s mind.

“In my experience in talking to tandems who have been extremely nervous, as soon as they get out of the airplane, they seem to be very relaxed and excited,” he says. “It builds a lot of confidence. Once you’ve gone skydiving, you have this kind of confidence about you that you’ve conquered something, especially if you had a high fear about it. You’ve conquered something that was so monumental to you internally, and it kind of opens you up to a new world.”

There’s plenty to do, though, if you’re visiting Skydive Chicago in support of someone else. The venue’s full-service cafe has an indoor seating area, and there are outdoor picnic tables when the weather is nice.

Tent camping is $5 per day, while the nine available cabins vary in price. “I want to explore other parts of the area,” says Fitzgerald after his jump. “I’m a big camping fanatic.”

The grassy area in front of the landing area provides an open vantage point to watch jumpers cross off their bucket list item. Out of almost nowhere, it seems, little specks in the sky become a person and a parachute, floating to the ground.

“You’re not used to seeing people in the air,” Reuck says.

For him, it’s the community that makes the sport. And to him, that community is one where everyone is welcome.

“Everybody is very approachable.

Everybody here is living life to have the fullest, biggest life possible. It’s an extremely inclusive community,” he says. “If you’re friendly, if you’re a good person, you’re going to be accepted.”

• June 2021

Skydive Chicago is a premier skydiving facility northeast of Ottawa. In addition to the skydiving itself (complete with large landing zone and professional instructors), the venue offers a fullservice cafe, campsites and cabins for overnight stays, and the space to just hang out and watch jumpers experience the thrill of jumping out of a plane.

Once you’re under canopy — once you’re under the parachute — it gives the tandem student a chance to catch their breath, really look around.”

ENJOY THE OUTDOORS THIS SUMMER | Shaw Media

BIRD’S-EYE VIEW

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Shaw Media • June 2021

| ENJOY THE OUTDOORS THIS SUMMER

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SUMMER

Sunflowers

Head to Matthiessen State Park this summer to see its renowned sunflower field

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Photos by Tom Sistak

ou’ve heard of amber waves of grain, but what above golden waves of sunflowers? The sunflowers at Matthiessen State Park in Oglesby — 60 acres of them — usually bloom in mid-July or toward the end of the month. Last year, the park announced the field was done for the season Aug. 10.

Audree Tanas of Sheridan enjoys the view as she strolls through the 60 acres of sunflowers at Matthiessen State Park in Oglesby.

A growing destination for photos and exploration, the sunflower field has walking trails throughout to provide a better look at the gorgeous flowers. Be careful not to pick them, though, so others can have the same experience you did.

Last year, Starved Rock Country photographer Tom Sistak went to the sunflower field to capture their beauty. Here’s just a glimpse of what you may see this summer.

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ENJOY THE OUTDOORS THIS SUMMER | Shaw Media

Playgrounds abound on the Fox River Trail Melissa Rubalcaba Riske • Photos provided by Fox Valley Park District

Warmer weather can only mean it’s time to get out and explore.

Check out these fun playgrounds and parks located along the Fox River.

SEBA PARK

POTTAWATOMIE PARK

LIPPOLD PARK

HUDSON CROSSING PARK

The South Elgin Business Association Park is located along the Fox River and is a great place to enjoy the natural beauty, stroll the trails and chat with the locals fishing. The best feature is the playground, which even has additional covered areas and shade. You’ll want to schedule a play date here.

Looking to play along the Fox? There’s nowhere closer than Pottawatomie Park, located right on the riverbank. You can watch the butterflies flutter through the Native Plant Demonstration Garden or plan ahead and purchase tickets for a paddlewheel riverboat cruise, where you experience the river from a whole new view. And for the little ones, there’s an expansive playground next to the community center.

This park is conveniently located between the Fox River and Route 25, just north of the Red Oak Nature Center. This park allows visitors to soak up the natural beauty, and children will enjoy climbing on the naturebased playground and the shelter, designed to look like a treehouse.

No need to pack a picnic when you visit this park. Located just off the downtown area, you can easily order from the restaurants and take your food to the park to enjoy it alfresco as you watch ducks and canoes float on the Fox River. There’s a great playground for children to enjoy — or better, bring your bicycles and head off on the Fox River Trail.

151 Water St., South Elgin

8 North Ave., St. Charles

2001 S. River St., Batavia

65 N. Harrison St., Oswego

• June 2021

OUTDOOR ADVENTURES

Shaw Media • June 2021

| ENJOY THE OUTDOORS THIS SUMMER

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