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Library News
2 POLO TRI-COUNTY PRESS BE AT POLO TRI-COUNTY PRESS TRI-COUNTY PRESS
Tri-County Press / ShawLocal.com • Friday, Jun 3, 2022 OFFICE 113-115 Peoria Ave. Dixon, IL 61021 SUBSCRIPTIONS $39 in Ogle County, and $52 outside Ogle County. Singlecopy price is $1 To subscribe, make a payment or discuss your delivery, call 1-866-979-1053 Monday-Friday or send an e-mail to subscriptions@ oglecountynews.com. You also can subscribe online by going to oglecountynews.com and clicking on Subscribe. CLASSIFIED SALES 815-220-6942 apicco@shawmedia.com OBITUARIES 815-632-2534 phartman@shawmedia.com Deadline for obituaries is 2 p.m. Tuesday for Friday’s edition
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news@oglecountynews.com Publisher
Jennifer Heintzelman
815-632-2502 jheintzelman@shawmedia.com
Polo library seeking board member
The Polo Public Library is looking for a community minded individual to serve on the Library Board. The Board meets monthly, except for December, at 5 p.m. on the second Tuesday each month. Potential trustees must be a qualified elector of the library district (Buffalo Township) and must have resided in the library district for at least one year at the time of appointment.
BRIEF
In addition, if a person is in arrears in payment of taxes or other indebtedness due to the library district or has been convicted of a felony they are not eligible to serve as a library trustee for a library district.
Anyone interested in this appointment is asked to email Ellen Finfrock, Library Director, ellenf@ pololibrary.org or call 815-946-2713.
POLO LIBRARY
Children’s Programs
Summer Reading Program “Reading Beyond the Beaten Path” will kick off on Saturday, June 11. Introducing Beanstack as our new reading challenging website and app to help you kiddos achieve your reading goals while earning badges in fun exciting ways!!
Register for any of the programs by calling 815-946-2713, emailing melaniew@pololibrary. org, or clicking the Google form link on the Polo Library Facebook for the program.***
Adult Programs
Coffee & Community Conversations - Polo Library is excited to announce that, starting June 8th, Coffee with a Cop will change to Coffee and Community Conversations! The date (2nd Wednesday of each month) and time (10:30am) will remain the same, but the format will be slightly different.
General Manager Earleen Hinton 815-632-2591 ehinton@shawmedia.com
News Alexa Zoellner 815-632-2590 azoellner@shawmedia.com
Advertising Sales Alexandria Shields 815-632-2502 ashields@shawmedia.com
The Tri-County Press, Ogle County News and oglecountynews.com are a division of Shaw Media. Ogle County Newspapers also prints the Mt. MorrisTimes , Forreston Journal, and OregonRepublicanReporter.
The TRI-COUNTY PRESS (USPS No. 638-530) is published weekly by B.F. Shaw Printing Co., Shaw Media. Periodical postage paid at Polo, Illinois.
POSTMASTER Send address changes to TRI-COUNTY PRESS, 113 N. Franklin, Polo, IL 61064. Phone 815-732-6166, ext. 2516.
All rights reserved. Copyright 2021
PINE CREEK NEWS
BY KAREN MERLAK
The unofficial start to summer is starting to feel more official. The bright sunshine and warm breezes fill our days like God’s love fills our hearts. In all of nature, we see and feel our Creator’s touch. He is always with us. For His presence, we are truly grateful.
T h i s m o r n i n g i n c h u r c h , w e w e r e greeted by Martha Johanssen. Pastor Suzanne Hall Stout was taking time off today. Our guest, Pastor Ken Zuithoff, brought the message of “Supreme Love” for the morning. We are always happy to have Ken and his wife, Sally, visit with us.
The special music of the morning was a recording of Eric Hopkins Ellingsen, son of James and Nancy Hopkins. Eric sang the hymn, “I’ll Be On My Way,” with the help of his community choir in the background. The hymn was to honor the life of Sharon Hopkins Altman.
After the church service, family and friends of Sharon Hopkins Altman, Lyle and James Hopkins’s sister, gathered for a Celebration of Life service at the cemetery. Our visiting pastor, Ken Zuithoff, spoke briefly. Everyone was invited for lunch at our church hosted by the Hopkins family.
Don and Vicki Hay celebrated the 63rd wedding anniversary of Don’s sister and brother-in-law, Jayne and Bill Cates on Sunday afternoon. It was a beautiful day to celebrate a wonderful occasion.
This evening, my son, Clint, and I joined my brother, Ben Bittinger, his wife, Jo, and their sons, Hayden and Garrett for dinner and a movie in Freeport. Hayden has returned home for the summer and will be working in Sterling. As always, we had a wonderful visit and night out.
On Friday, I met with my students for the last time this school year. Their excitement could not be contained. After an awards ceremony, we had a day of fun and making memories. I have truly loved teaching this first year and can’t wait to get started again in a few months.
On my first weekend where I did not need to make lesson plans, I rested. That only lasted a short while. The rest of the time, I have been reviewing strategies, organizational tools and classroom management styles. Basically, I have already set my mind to next school year.
When I was raising my children, I really looked forward to having the summers “off.” The kids were involved in their summer activities, but for the most part, we were relaxing at home together.
After my first year of teaching, the feeling is a bit different. Of course, my circumstances are different since my children are now raised. My excitement for teaching keeps growing and I want to learn more. I want to keep improving.
It reminds me of when I first became a new Christian. As I learned more and more about Jesus, my excitement about this new life grew. I wanted to know more and make improvements in myself.
I remember seeking out information from bible studies, friend groups, church services and reading the Bible. Over time, other live events filled my time and I spent less and less time learning about Jesus. Yes, and my excitement began to diminish.
Even in those moments when our learning slows, Jesus still loves us. When we pull away to spend our time in other ways, He still cares and looks after us. We will never understand all the ways He is here for us.
Because of that type of love, my excitement for Jesus builds all over again.
I hope to see you next Sunday in our little church that is overflowing with His love. We invite you and your family to join us for a time of worship and praise. Next Sunday, we ask everyone to wear red as we celebrate Pentecost together. Come and share His love.
Join us on June 8 at 10:30 a.m. to see what it’s all about!
Coffee will be provided, registration is not required.
Yoga with Becka - Monday, June 27 - 6 p.m.
To register, call 815-946-2713 or visit pololibrary. org
What we’re reading and discussing in June
Friday Book Discussion Group will meet at Polo Senior Center on June 10 at 1 p.m. to discuss The President and the Freedom Fighter by Brian Kilmeade.
Wednesday Book 2 Movies Group will gather at the library to discuss the book and movie The Princess Bride by William Goldman on June 15 at 5 p.m.
Join us on Monday, June 27 at 1:30 p.m. to discuss The Huntress by Kate Quinn.
Copies of these titles are available to checkout. All are welcome. 2022 Outdoor Concert Series - Thank you to everyone who came out for the first concert of the season! Please join us at the Polo Library pavilion for the next concert on Saturday, June 18 as we welcome back Turas, an Irish/Celtic folk band from Peoria. The concert will start at 7 p.m. and will last approximately two hours.
Save the date for the rest of the series: July 16 Project Nostalgia (Classic Rock and Oldies), Aug. 13 - The Lone Canary (Folk/Americana), Sept. 17 The Beaux (Classic Rock 60-90s). The 2022 Outdoor Concert Series is funded by a grant from the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois.
Online Catalog - Did you start a series and can’t find the next book? Are you wanting to watch a specific movie? If we don’t have what you’re looking for at Polo Library, visit our online catalog to search other libraries.
Alex T. Paschal/apaschal@shawmedia.com The Rev. Jim Miller of East Jordan Methodist Church sets out crosses Wednesday, May 25, outside of the rural Sterling church. The crosses were built to recognize the war in Ukraine and are free to anyone.
Free crosses are offered by church in support of Ukraine and its people
NOTICE OF GENERAL PRIMARY ELECTION
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that at the General Primary Election to be held on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, the following proposition will be submitted to the voters of the Polo Community Unit School District Number 222, Ogle, Lee and Whiteside Counties, Illinois:
The polls at the election will be open at 6:00 a.m. and will continue to stay open until 7:00 p.m. on June 28, 2022.
Dated this 19th day of May, 2022. Laura J. Cook, Ogle County Clerk and Recorder Nancy Petersen, Lee County Clerk and Recorder Dana Nelson, Whiteside County Clerk
By ALEXA ZOELLNER azoellner@shawmedia.com
For the last couple of months, a sign outside East Jordan Methodist Church has welcomed anyone passing by to stop and take one or more of the white crosses set nearby.
“We started making the crosses about the same time [Russian President Vladimir] Putin started hurting and killing and doing all these atrocities in the Ukraine,” the Rev. Jim Miller said. “We decided we wanted to do something.”
The crosses, which are meant to be placed in a yard, are free. Each comes with a one-page printout that includes a prayer for Ukraine and a brief story about an incident in Frankenmuth, Michigan, where people rallied around the Christian cross.
“People want to rally around something in Ukraine,” Miller said, noting that part of the human condition is to constantly be on a crusade, although which crusade often changes week-toweek.
“[A particular crusade] will be our weekly theme,” he said. “But by the next Monday, that becomes old hat and we have a new event, a new normal. I don’t think the people of Ukraine have been able to establish any semblance of normalcy.
“We don’t want to wane away from the responsibility we all have to one another,” Miller said.
E a s t J o r d a n M e t h o d i s t C h u r c h Administrative Council Board Chairperson Kevin Deets is the one who cuts the wood for the crosses. Others then help assemble them.
“ W e ’ r e v e r y s u r p r i s e d a t t h e amount of crosses we’ve been able to give out,” said Deets, who uses leftover wood he has from his woodworking business. “I’ve got a sense that the work we put in is not for nothing. I don’t mind doing work if it’s fruitful, and it seems to be, so I’m happy to do it.”
More than 300 crosses have been picked up, Miller said. They plan to continue making and offering the crosses “until people get tired of taking them,” he said.
“It’s like feeding the hungry and tired,” Miller said. “You feed until the hungry is gone.”
East Jordan Methodist Church is located at 22027 Polo Road, Sterling. It’s at the corner of Polo and Pilgrim roads.
Public Question PROPOSITION TO ELECT BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS AT LARGE
Shall the members of the Board of Education of Polo Community Unit School District Number 222, Ogle, Lee and Whiteside Counties, Illinois, in accordance with Section 10-10.5(b) of the School Code of the State of Illinois, be elected at large and without restriction by area of residence within said School District rather than in accordance with the provisions of Section 10-10.5(a) of the School Code of the State of Illinois, as amended, which require mandatory board representation according to congressional townships? YES NO
SM-ST1987709
Ogle Count y Health Depar tment gathering donations for community baby shower
Donations accepted in Oregon, Rochelle through July 8; event set rain or shine for July 15
By ALEXA ZOELLNER azoellner@shawmedia.com
The Ogle County Health Department is collecting items for a community baby shower.
“As a health department, we do an IPLAN – Illinois Project for Local Assessment of Needs,” said Anisa Torres, county public health services coordinator. “We had identified the top three priorities as access to care, mental health and chronic disease. This baby shower was a quick and easy way to address access to care for moms and families in need with everything going on.”
The event is scheduled for July 15 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the main Ogle County Health Department office’s parking lot. It’s located at 907 Pines Road, Oregon. Donations are being accepted up until July 8.
There are no specific qualifications one must meet in order to receive items, Torres said. The community baby shower will be set up similar to a garage sale, with items laid out on tables for people to shop through.
“We’re keeping it open to the community as a whole,” she said. “Obviously, we’re trying to target people who are in desperate need of it, but we’re not excluding anyone.”
I t e m s t h a t c a n n o t b e a c c e p t e d include food items (infant formula, baby food, etc.); used sleep spaces (cribs, bassinets, swings); used car s e a t s ; u s e d s t u f f e d a n i m a l s ; a n d opened hygiene items.
Items that can be donated include diapers; wipes; diaper cream; baby lotion; baby soap and shampoo; feminine products such as pads, tampons, panty liners, depends, etc.; breastfeeding supplies such as milk storage bags, breast pumps, nipple cream, etc.; household items such as baby-safe laundry soap, dish soap, paper towels, etc.; toiletries such as shampoo, condit i o n e r , b o d y w a s h , t o o t h b r u s h e s, toothpaste, hair ties, hair brushes and deodorant; baby clothes; maternity and nursing clothes; linens such as blankets, crib sheets, burp clothes, swaddle blankets, etc.; baby toys and books; and other postpartum and baby items.
The following items may be gently used: baby, maternity and nursing clothes, linens and baby toys and books.
All hygiene items must be purchased new and be unopened.
Donations can be dropped off at the main office on Pines Road in Oregon, or at the branch office located at 510 Lincoln Highway, in Rochelle.
For more information, call the Ogle County Health Department at 815-5626976, ext. 176 or ext. 299.
Chana School sale June 3 - 4
The Chana School Foundation will have its 24th annual Rummage Sale at the Oregon Coliseum in the lower level on Friday, June 3, from 8 to 5 p.m. and Saturday, June 4, from 8 to noon.
Proceeds from the sale are used to s u p p o r t t h e 1 8 8 3 C h a n a S c h o o l Museum.
T h e C h a n a S c h o o l i s t h e o n l y wooden two-room schoolhouse in Illinois on the National Register of Historical Places.
The historical 1883 Chana School Museum is funded entirely by donations, grants and fundraisers. The historic Chana School is located along River Road in Oregon Park East.
Scholarship open to r unners
Rockford Road Runners is accepting applications for its Founders scholarship.
The scholarship is for area high school students who participate in a running program eith er in their school or in their community. It was established in 2018 as part of the club’s 50th anniversary celebration.
T h e R o c k f o r d R o a d R u n n e r s Founders Scholarship commemorates the club founders and those following in their footsteps who share their passion and vision for a healthy and active lifestyle through the sport of running.
The $1,000 scholarship is available to a graduating senior who is committed to attending college/accredited trade school and has been active in a running program. Applicants must be residents of Winnebago, Boone, Ogle or Stephenson Counties, have a 3.0 or higher grade point average, and have a history of community service or volunteer work.
Those applying also must submit an essay and two recommendation letters. Application deadline is June 30. RRR was organized Sept. 17, 1968, with the prime objective of promoting and encouraging running and walking. For application forms visit www. rockfordroadrunners.org.
SPECIAL EVENT
Leaf River Summer Daze June 3-5
After a pared down year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Leaf River Summer Daze is set to be back as big as before.
Events are at the River Valley Complex and Bertolet Memorial Library unless otherwise noted. Here are just some of the events.
Friday, June 3
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Historical Museum open on Route 72; Noon to dusk: Antique Tractor/ Engine Show; 6-8 p.m.: Tractor Rodeo; 6-9 p.m.: 6:30-8:30 p.m.: Music by Grass Attack, bring lawn chairs and blankets; 8:30 p.m.: Citizen of the Year award;
Dusk - Fireworks, rain date is Sunday; 9 p.m. to midnight: Route 38 Band downtown at Fibbers
Saturday, June 4
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Historical Museum open on Route 72 — bake sale and quilt raffle; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.: Lions Club Car Show; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Merry Martha Club Quilt and Mystery Raffle; 9 a.m. to dusk: Antique Tractor/Engine show; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Free kids games with the Leaf River Lions, face painting and helium balloons, Barrel Wagon Rides by Kenney; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Sparky’s Kid Zone at Leaf River Fire Station; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.: Food near tractor pulls — Busy Beavers 4-H ice cream; Leaf River Fire Department serving brats, hotdogs, chips and water; Moose Truck serving hamburgers, sloppy joes, corn dogs, fries, cheesy fries, onion rings, pop and water; Crazy Cajun serving a variety of Cajun food; LRUMC Italian beef sandwiches (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.); LRUMC/Ogle County Pork Producers serving pork sandwiches (after 4 p.m.) 11:30 a.m.: Antique Tractor Parade at the tractor pulls track
Noon: FFA Alumni Tractor Pulls — antique class; $15 admission at gate 2 p.m.: Car Show winners announced 2 p.m.: FFA Alumni Tractor Pulls — farm class 4 p.m. Diesel and Street Truck Pull 7 p.m.: Badger State Tractor Pulls
Sunday, June 5
9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Antique Tractor/Engine Show 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Merry Martha Club and Quilt Mystery Raffle at Bertolet Building 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Leaf River Lions Club pork chop BBQ at Bertolet Building 11 a.m.: Corn bag registration downtown at Fibbers
Noon: Corn bag tournament downtown at Fibbers
Noon to 5 p.m.: Historical Museum open on Route 72 1 p.m.: Parade judging 2 p.m.: Grand Parade (Sponsors: Leaf River Communications and Constellation — Byron Station) 4 p.m.: Raffle drawings at Bertolet Park — Leaf River Lions Club raffle drawing; Merry Martha Club Quilt and Mystery raffle
Alexa Zoellner/Shaw Media ABOVE LEFT: Valedictorian Taryn Zell (left) and salutatorian Madissen Allen practice their senior class remarks before the commencement ceremony. ABOVE RIGHT: Members of the Polo Community High School Class of 2022 turn their tassels near the end of the ceremony. Thirt y-five celebrate and reflect on years at PCHS
By ALEXA ZOELLNER azoellner@shawmedia.com
Thirty-fiv e studen ts graduated from Polo Community High School the afternoon of May 29.
“Our class has pushed through COVID starting in sophomore year, masks and peers being at home junior year and, of course, senioritis senior year,” Class of 2022 valedictorian Taryn Zell said.
Zell and Madissen Allen, the salutatorian, recapped some of the Class of 2022’s memorable moments during their joint senior class remarks.
Among the memor ies were the recess dance competitions the girls held; “playing” Family Feud at a talent show and getting into “the biggest fight ever” that led to everyone getting counseling; watching movies and playing bags and kickball at the senior camp out; and when classmate Denesy Lackland became “Mr. L” and teaching Mrs. Schlegels’ class.
“Our class is more like a family than anything, and we wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Zell said. “We will always look back on the funny memories and how we all shared moments of joy.”
“It is a bittersweet day, but let’s celebrate how far we have come,” Allen said. “It hasn’t been easy, but we did it together, as a family.”
This year’s event was held indoors in the high school gym following two years of outdoor events because of the pandemic.
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