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PUBLICATION • SPRING/SUMMER 2019

MA KI N G

THE M SELVES

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HOME

An early childhood development program in Mount Carroll is taking steps to help families in a bigger and better location

ALSO INSIDE A Force for good is lending helping hands around the house A Mount Carroll man went from lawman to business owner without missing a beat Pristine plots give people a peek into Prairie State’s past

Timber Lake Playhouse (TLP), the professional summer theatre of northwestern Illinois, has the shows you will love: hot new shows just leaving Broadway, great American plays, everyone’s “old favorite” musicals, and the best in country, pop, and rock-n-roll revues in our “JukeBox Series.”

Timber Lake Playhouse hires the best young theatrical talent from all over the United States, and we regularly bring back talented alumni who have gone on to stellar careers on Broadway, TV and Film. Noted past performers are Tony Winning Actress Jayne Houdyshell, Michael Gross (Family Ties), Jennifer Garner and Saundra Santiago (Miami Vice, Guiding Light, The Sopranos, and Broadway's Evita and more).

Santiago last appeared at TLP in 2016 as Rose in Gypsy.

Located just south of Mount Carroll, Illinois about 10 miles from the Mississippi River, TLP is a short drive from Fulton, Sterling and Rockford, Illinois. The current theatre building opened in 1975 with 371 seats. The building is fully air conditioned, and the nine-acre wooded campus is perfect for any other activity you and your guests desire. From picnicking on the deck overlooking beautiful Timber Lake to attending a pre-show activity in our newly acquired rustic barn, TLP is a great destination for a day of fun.

Check out our website at www.timberlakeplayhouse.org for more information about our shows and other activities.

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8215 BLACK OACK ROAD • MOUNT CAROLL, IL 61053 815.244.2035 • WWW.TIMBERLAKEPLAYHOUSE.ORG

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FEATURE • STORY

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Making themselves Right at home

Publisher Don T. Bricker General Manager/ Advertising Director Jennifer Heintzelman

An early childhood development program in Mount Carroll is taking steps to help families in a bigger and better location.

Magazine Editors Kathleen Schultz & Rusty Schrader Page Design Rusty Schrader

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Published by Sauk Valley Media 3200 E. Lincolnway Sterling, IL 61081 815-625-3600 Articles and advertisements are the property of Sauk Valley Media. No portion of Carroll County Living Magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Ad content is not the responsibility of Sauk Valley Media. The information in this magazine is believed to be accurate; however, Sauk Valley Media cannot and does not guarantee its accuracy. Sauk Valley Media cannot and will not be held liable for the quality or performance of goods and services provided by advertisers listed in any portion of this magazine.

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More inside

A Force for good

A Carroll County group gives its time and talents to people who need some helping hands around the house.

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Paws patrol

A slice of prairie life

A pair of recently discovered pristine parcels is giving people a glimpse into Illinois’ past.

A Mount Carroll man went from a longtime lawman to business owner and never missed a beat.

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A Carroll County group gives its time and talents to people who need some helping hands around the house STORY BEGINS ON PAGE 6

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STORY PHILLIP HARTMAN | FOR CARROLL COUNTY LIVING

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f idle hands are the devil’s workshop, then busy hands must be doing the lord’s work.

Just ask the folks who’ve been blessed by the efforts of The Eastland Council of Churches’ Home Improvement Task Force, a group of faithful fixer-uppers who volunteer their time and handiwork for home improvement projects big and small, mostly

in Shannon and Lanark.

The HIT Force formed about 5 years ago, after Lanark resident Penny Lauritzen, 68, approached the council with the idea. After that, several elements aligned to make the program possible and the HIT Force started as a subcommittee of the ecumenical group.

ABOVE: Volunteers with the Eastland Council of Churches’ Home Improvement Task Force work on a roofing project in July 2017. The group helps people with home repairs, and can assist in getting grants or loans for some of the projects.

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY PENNY LAURITZEN.

Continued on page 7

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Continued from page 6

“There were retired gentlemen in Lanark who had skills and were doing projects nobody knew about,” Lauritzen, a retired farm manager, said.

At the same time, Lauritzen was donating to Habitat for Humanity, but wondered whether she could do more to help locally. She looked around and found there were a number of people in Lanark and Shannon who had home improvement projects that needed done, but lacked the skills, money, or ability to get the jobs done.

“The biggest challenge is single women who live alone, with no family close or who have no church family. How you do this when you don’t have grandsons locally?” Lauritzen said.

Since it formed, the group has tackled numerous projects, including reroofing and residing houses, hiring a licensed contractor to install a handicappedaccessible shower, and cleaning and painting at the Carroll County Help Center’s Thrift Shop.

The number of volunteers varies per project. One roofing project that took 2 days had as many as 70 volunteers.

Volunteers range in age, from school students on up to retirees. Lauritzen said students in the Eastland FFA spent time after school one day on a project, and Cub Scouts also helped.

Donations help fund HIT Force, and the group also writes applications for federal grants or loans for larger projects deemed health and safety needs by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Agency. Lauritzen helps with the grant writing, bringing her experience from her work in farm management.

Continued on page 8

SVM FILE PHOTO

Thanks to a $7,500 USDA grant, and volunteers’ elbow grease, the Eastland Council of Churches Home Improvement Task Force fixed up Sally Grove’s home in Lanark in June 2015. That’s Rod Grove on the roof, and Cory Grove and his son Josh at right, and Gerry Bower and the Rev. Rodney Caldwell under the roof panel.

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Continued from page 7

One of the group’s first projects, in 2015 at Sally Grove’s home in Lanark, was made possible by a USDA Single Family Housing Repair Loans and Grants program. Also known as the Section 504 Home Repair program, it provides loans to very-low-income homeowners to repair, improve or modernize their homes, or grants veryWANT TO HELP? low-income Financial donations will elderly homebe accepted. They can be owners to made out to HIT Force and dropped off or sent to Exremove health change State Bank, 126 N. and safety Broad St., Lanark, IL 61046. hazards. The People interested in volunteering, or wanting to ask Grove project for HIT Force’s help, can received the email Lauritzen at lauritzen@ maximum farmestate.com or 815-5354141, or email Pastor Rodamount ney Caldwell at cherrygrove$7,500. pastor@yahoo.com or call Lanark’s him at 815-275-4196. mayor at the time, John Huggins, said “The USDA is a huge asset to rural areas. They are not just about farming, but all aspects of small town and rural quality of life and economic well-being.”

While the group’s focus is on Lanark and Shannon, members will take on projects else-

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY PENNY LAURITZEN

Volunteers in The Eastland Council of Churches’ Home Improvement Task Force range in age, from school students on up to retirees.

where in Carroll County.

“We will put people on a list [of projects],” Lauritzen said.

With an impressive list of projects already under the group’s toolbelt, there’s little doubt

that the task force will continue to help their neighbors tackle more projects, living up to the legacy of a certain other carpenter who knew a thing or two about loving thy neighbors. n

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PAWS

Patrol Mount Carroll man went from a longtime lawman to business owner and never missed a beat

Joseph Avila and Cleobell take a walk in Mount Carroll. Avila owns Bonnie May Pet Services.

STORY BEGINS ON PAGE 10

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STORY PHILLIP HARTMAN PHOTOS ALEX T. PASCHAL | FOR CARROLL COUNTY LIVING

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uring his time as a cop, Joe Avila’s collars used to come with handcuffs. Now they come with a leash.

After nearly 25 years as a beat cop with the Chicago Police Department, Joe Avila has found a new home in Mount Carroll, where he’s parlayed his passion for pets into a business, Bonnie May Pet Services.

He started the dog training and boarding business in 2011 in Chicago, then moved to Arizona, where he sold pet products and provided pet boarding services for horses, goats and rabbits.

Avila later moved to the Carroll and JoDaviess county area, working for 2 1/2 years with Safe Haven Humane Society in Elizabeth.

Now 60, he lives in Mount Carroll with his Belgian Malinois dogs, Cleobell and Simba.

Continued on page 12

Joseph Avila and Cleobell take a walk around Mount Carroll. Avila owns and operates Bonnie May Pet Services. He says he has a special connection with his pets – “I call them my kids” – and he strives to give that same kind of care to his clients’ pets.

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Joseph Avila, shown here with Cleobell, stands by a display at the Kraft Building in Mount Carroll with some of the pet food products he sells.

He had been selling items out of Bald Guyz Coffee & Bistro, but switched to selling via his website, bonniemaypetservices.com, after the restaurant closed. Avila has found that many of his clients want to feed their dogs quality dog food, such as Bobbi Painter, BilJac, Taste of the Wild, Fromm Family Pet Food, Pro Pac, Merrick and others.

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Continued from page 10

“I call them my kids. I’ve got a special connection with dogs,” Avila said.

The company is named for Bonnie May, one of Avila’s dogs that passed away. In addition to boarding dogs – only small ones right now – Avila trains dogs and sells specialty pet items.

He had been selling items out of Bald Guyz Coffee & Bistro in Mount Carroll, but switched to selling via his website after the restaurant closed. The website, bonniemaypetservices.com, also features a blog with pet food recalls, tips, MORE INFORMATION and pet product news.

Find Bonnie May Kennels “The majority of what I do is selling on Facebook, go to bonpet products and classes for dog obediniemaypetservices.com ence. The dog walking and dog obedifor more information. Call 815-590-2440 to schedule ence classes come in spurts,” Avila said. and appointment or for Avila has found that many of his more information. clients want to feed their dogs quality dog food. He orders products from Bobbi Painter, BilJac, Taste of the Wild, Fromm Family Pet Food, Pro Pac, Merrick and other companies. Many of foods he orders are grain-free. He also can get items for cats.

“A lot of them, they’d have to drive to Freeport or Sterling to get these products,” Avila said.

He’ll also set up appointments with dog owners for obedience training sessions, and can help housebreak pets.

It may seem like a long way, from serving and protecting to serving and training, but in some ways it’s not all that different. As a beat cop walking the street, somedays Avila’s dogs would start barking. These days, the dogs are still barking, but that’s just fine by him – it’s music to his ears. n

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Jayce Wiest, 1 1/2, points toward toys hanging from the ceiling, and checks out the play area (inset on facing page), at Right Steps Family Center in Mount Carroll.

The 28-year-old program recently relocated from West Carroll Primary School in Savanna to a larger location in West Carroll School District’s business office.

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MAKING

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An early childhood development program in Mount Carroll is taking steps to help families in a bigger and better location STORY PHILLIP HARTMAN PHOTOS ALEX T. PASCHAL | FOR CARROLL COUNTY LIVING

STORY BEGINS ON PAGE 17

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growing need to help families meant the Right Steps Family Center needed to grow as well.

That’s why the staff decided it was time to move up – and down – in the world.

The 28-year-old program recently relocated from West Carroll Primary School in Savanna to a larger location in the basement of the West Carroll School District’s business office, at 642 S. East St., Mount Carroll.

The program, aimed at children 3 and younger and expectant mothers, partners with families to help promote early childhood learning and development.

“We’re at our caseload of 54 families, but families graduate out of the program all the time,” Roberta “Bert” Smith with Right Steps said.

Ryker Robinson, 3 1/2, sits in a bean bag chair at Right Steps Family Center in Mount Carroll.

Continued on page 21

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Logan Schultz, 7 1/2 months, checks out an interactive floor pad at Right Steps Family Center in Mount Carroll.

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Charlotte Robinson, 2 1/2, plays with a peg board at Right Steps Family Center in Mount Carroll. The early childhood development program’s new, more centrally located site, features table work stations, a toy closet, a kitchen area and more.

Continued from page 17

Right Steps is mainly a home visit program, with members helping parents learn how to be their child’s first teachers. Smith, along with home visitors Jillian Naples, Tara Francke, and Michelle Bashaw, also provide information to families on children’s brain development, screening for developmental delays, prenatal activities for pregnant

mothers, resource assistance, and other services.

All services are free to qualified families, Smith said, thanks to grant funding from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Prevention Initiative.

Qualification is determined using a point system calculated during interviews and based on a number of factors, including income, risk factors, special needs and other criteria.

The program also offers family nights and workshops at the office. The new site includes a reading nook for literacy nights.

“We’re helping kids get used to reading and being read to. We have the literacy nights quarterly. We’ll have the parents having lap sits with the kids, and I’ll read to the group,” Smith said.

Continued on page 22

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Becky and Logan Schultz play with an interactive pillow at Right Steps Learning Center in Mount Carroll. The program, aimed at children 3 and younger and expectant mothers, partners with families to help promote early childhood learning and development.

Continued from page 21

The new, more centrally located site, also features table work stations, a toy closet and a kitchen area. There’s also a Caring Closet with donated items for infants, with gently used clothes and other items.

“We also have some new items. If families are in need and can’t get into the Pitter Patter Pantry, they can come here,”

Smith said.

Right Steps also offers a book and toy lending program, with a cabinet full of books, toys, puzzles, and other items for kids in the program.

Grant money was also used to buy new appliances for the kitchen area, which, Smith said, could open the door to family cooking nights/classes.

Continued on page 23

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MORE INFORMATION Upcoming Right Steps programs include: • A music and movement fun day the last Friday of each month; the next session will be from 9 to 10 a.m.

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• Preschool screenings from 1:30 to 6 p.m. Feb. 28 in Chadwick, March 7 and 8 at Eastland schools, and March 14 and 15 for West Carroll schools.

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Ryker Robinson (left) and Jackson Bashaw share a bean bag chair at Right Steps Family Center in Mount Carroll.

Continued from page 22

All of the home visitors are certified in properly installing car seats. They offer car seat checks from 10 a.m. to noon the first Monday of every month at the Savanna Fire Station, 101 W. Main

St. The next session will be March 4.

Children in Right Steps transition automatically to the Early Steps preschool program at the primary school, a plus for families, given that there can often be a waiting list to get into

Early Steps, Smith said.

Go to facebook.com/RightStepsFamilyCenter or call 815-273-7532 for more information.

Call the above number for appointments for the program or the car seat checks. n

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prairie life A slice of

A pair of recently discovered pristine parcels is giving people a glimpse into Illinois’ past STORY PHILLIP HARTMAN | FOR CARROLL COUNTY LIVING STORY BEGINS ON PAGE 25

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AKE CARROLL – Plants such as Illinois flowering spurge, whorled milkweed, and blue lobelia once covered 60 percent of the Prairie State.

Then came pastures, and invasive species, and now, more than a century later, less than 0.1 percent of that original prairie remains.

A remnant of natural prairie was discovered in May at Lake Carroll, and one that was planted in the ‘80s was rediscovered soon after. Both cover 5 to 10 acres, and both have been adopted by a trio of caring Lake Carroll residents.

Becky Janopolous was riding her ATV when she spotted some unusual plants on Lake Carroll’s northeast side, and told fellow residents Jim and Pam Richards about her find.

Pam Richards knows about prairies – she’s a University of Illinois Extension Service master naturalist.

Continued on page 27

SUBMITTED PHOTO

A monarch butterfly sits atop bee balm plants in one of the recently rediscovered Lake Carroll prairie remnants.

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SUBMITTED PHOTOS

ABOVE: Signs warn mowers and sprayers to stay away from a remnant of original pristine prairie found in May at Lake Carroll. One that was planted in the ‘80s was found soon after, and both are being nurtured by local residents and prairie enthusiasts, who have formed a club to help preserve the find. LEFT: Jim Richards found this green milkweed, one of the plants specific to prairie remnants.

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Continued from page 25

She and her husband met Janopolous about 4 or 5 years ago, when they were working with Lake Carroll facilities manager Don Aleksy and AmeriCorps personnel to remove invasive plants.

When he investigated Janopolous’s find, Richards found a plant he’d never seen before.

He showed a photograph to Jim Rachuy, president of the Northwest Illinois chapter of Prairie Enthusiasts, which works with landowners, farmers and others to preserve prairie remnants.

“It was green milkweed, almost exclusively

found in remnants,” Richards said.

“The pristine prairie has unique plants, like Illinois flowering spurge, whorled milkweed and blue lobelia, which we don’t have here, and cup plant, which isn’t at the planted prairie.”

The other plot was planted in 1989 by Lake Carroll, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and Stephenson County Pheasants Forever.

“They forgot about it,” he said.

Aleksy put up signs to alert groundskeepers and residents not to spray or mow the native plants, and the Richardses and Janopolous formed the Lake Carroll Prairie Club to help

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take care of the prairie sites. The group’s mission is “To preserve and maintain the prairies and woodlands of Lake Carroll to improve the quality of the community’s ecosystem.”

“There’s lots of woody invasives. Our task this fall and through the winter is to start removing those invasives,” Richards said. The trio has already worked on eliminating honeysuckle, sumac and black locusts, and they collected seeds from the prairie to dry out and plant.

The group also is working on recruiting more members. Lake Carroll residents are invited to join the club by calling 815-9312972. n

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