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PUBLICATION • SPRING/SUMMER 2020

A couple’s lumber business is more than just a way to earn a living, it’s an extension of their love of art and desire to have a hand helping nature create its masterpiece

ALSO INSIDE

A pioneering businesswoman’s investment in a Mount Carroll home is still paying dividends for the women who live there If your destination is dining, a cafe in Milledgeville is a good place to stop Don’t judge a book by its cover, or a library by its size; little libraries are a big part of their communities

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

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Their root cause

Magazine Editors Kathleen Schultz & Rusty Schrader

A Carroll County couple has logged a lot of hours at their lumber business, helping customers bring out the best that their forest has to offer, and giving back to the land that provides them a living.

Page Design Rusty Schrader Published by Sauk Valley Media 113 S. Peoria Ave Dixon, IL 61021 815-284-2222

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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.

We are your family, neighbors and friends, so you can rest assured knowing that your money is safe with us.

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More inside Contents continued from page 3

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Leaving her Mark A pioneering businesswoman made an investment at the turn of the 20th century that’s still paying off today for the women who call it home

Check us out You can’t judge a book by its cover – or a library by its size. Carroll Counties’ libraries have a lot to offer, from local history to world news and everything in between

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STORY PHIL HARTMAN PHOTOS MICHAEL KRABBENHOEFT | FOR CARROLL COUNTY LIVING

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n an age when information on anything and everything is only a click or a tap away, some people have wondered what kind of shelf life libraries have. If the world is at people’s fingertips, what sort of role do libraries play?

An important one – just ask the people who work at Carroll County’s libraries.

Residents still come to their local library to let their fingers do the walking, be it through historic tomes, genealogy records, newspapers, or, in a nod to changing times, e-books.

Each of the county’s half-dozen libraries has its own story to tell, but they all have one thing in common: They’re committed to providing a place where patrons can ask questions and find answers, surf the web or take a deep dive into local history, borrow a film or read the latest movie review, and much more.

CHADWICK PUBLIC LIBRARY roll r a C y nt Cou ies ar r b i L DIRECTOR JONELL CASTELLANI SAID THE FIRST CHADWICK LIBRARY was in a hotel in the village’s downtown, some time in the 1900s. Later locations were next to the post office and down near the railroad tracks.

The current library building was built in 1994, through the efforts of a Chadwick women’s group.

“The Women’s Club were involved. They kept having bake sales and bake sales and bake sales. They finally got the loan through (the U.S.) Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development,” Castellani said.

What the library at 110 Main St. lacks in size, it makes up in drive. Castellani said she does her best to give patrons what they want.

The library has an adult reading program running until March 28; find Chadwick Public Library District on Facebook for more information.

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110 Main St.; 1:30 -6:30 p.m.

Monday, Tuesday, We dnesday, and Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Satu rday; 815-684-5215 ; chadwicklibrary.org and Chadwick Publ ic Library District on Fa cebook, email rene walscpld@yahoo.com for item renewal or jonell_castellani@ya hoo.com for more information.

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LANARK PUBLIC LIBRARY roll r a C y nt Cou ies ar r b i L

LANARK’S LIBRARY BEGAN IN 1886, THROUGH A DONATION OF $1 EACH FROM 40 PEOPLE, with the books available above a downtown drugstore, according to the library’s website.

The first dedicated library building was built in 1957 at 110 W. Locust St. It would move three more times before settling in the city hall building at 111 S. Broad St. “We have a lot of tourists who stop by. We’ve worked really hard on local genealogy,” library director Janie Dollinger said.

111 S. Broad St.; no Donors are recognized with a spot on the Tree of Knowledge art on-5 p.m. Tuesday, Wedn esday, Friday, display in the lobby, with leaves that feature donors’ names. The noon-7:30 p.m. Thur sday, 10 a.m. to library also features monthly artwork by Eastland Junior High 3 p.m. Saturday, clo sed Sunday and and High School students.

Monday; 815-4932166; lanarkil.

Dollinger said the library’s current initiative is weeding outgov/lanark-public-lib dated books from its catalog, and planning for National Library rary and Lanark Public Libra Week in April. ry on Facebook.

“We’ve also united with other small libraries, like Polo and Mount Carroll, and we talk about ideas,” she said.

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MILLEDGEVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY roll r a C y nt Cou ies ar r b i L MILLEDGEVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY, AT 18 W. FIFTH ST., STARTED WITH A DONATION FROM A MILLEDGEVILLE RESIDENT. “It was built in the 1920s by a mother who gave her estate in honor of her daughter. While we look like a Carnegie, we’re not a Carnegie library. It was the Fletcher family; originally, the Mary Fletcher Library. They gave us Mary Fletcher’s collection of books, and we will never give it up,” director Jennifer Garden said.

Among the highlights at the facility are a first edition of Ulysses S. Grant’s memoirs. The Milledgeville library also features an extensive local history collection that crosses the county line into northern Whiteside County.

The library features a collection of more than 10,000 books, as well as books on CD, DVDs, copy and fax services, and interlibrary loan access.

Garden said the library board is looking to start some more programs this fall, with a speaker coming in once a quarter.

“We’ve completed putting in air conditioning in the entire building, and perking up the landscaping. In the spring, we’ll be repaving and expanding the parking lot,” Garden said.

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18 W. Fifth St.; 1-8 p.m. Monday, 1-6 p.m. Tuesda y and Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Th ursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, clo sed Sunday and Fri day; 815-225-7572 or milledgevillelibrary@yahoo.com; millegevillelibrary. com and Milledgev ille Public Library IL on Facebo ok.

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MOUNT CARROLL DISTRICT LIBRARY roll r a C y nt Cou ies ar r b i L

ONE OF TWO ANDREW CARNEGIE LIBRARIES IN THE COUNTY, the Mount Carroll District Library faced something of a challenge from the philanthropist.

According to the history on the library website, Carnegie gave $10,000 to build the library at 208 N. Main St., but doubted if a two-story library could be built for that much money.

“The library was started in 1907 and was completed in May 1908, within the $10,000 budget. Mr. Carnegie was so pleased that he sent an additional thousand dollars for the purchase of desks, chairs, tables, and book stacks. And it was reported that Mr. Carnegie said ‘It is one of the few libraries I have given in which there was no graft in building,’” the history read.

After classifying and cataloguing the library’s 1,250 books, staff opened the library to the public in August 1908. Before Mount Carroll’s City Hall was constructed, the city council met in the library’s basement.

Much as it did in the past, the library’s main floor features general use books, as well as newspapers and current magazines. Internet access also is available, while the children’s books are on the second floor, as is a reference room and space for special programs.

326 S. Third St.; 9 a.

Director Pam Naples said they’ve had a lot m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday, Tuesda of diverse programs in the past year or two. y, Wednesday, and Friday, 9 a.m. to “We’ve had (local resident) Lauren Ber7 p.m. Thursday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.,m. Satu gren doing an arts and history series. Ernst rday, closed Sunday ; 815-244-1751, em Nemetz spoke about the local history and ail through mountcarrollpubliclibrary. architecture of Mount Carroll, and that was org or Mount Carroll District Libra highly attended, ” Naples said. ry on FaceThe library also offers use of the photocopibook. ers and fax machine, access to interlibrary loan and the OMNI e-book digital library, and much more.

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SAVANNA PUBLIC LIBRARY roll r a C y nt Cou ies ar r b i L

THE SECOND CARNEGIE LIBRARY IN CARROLL COUNTY, vacation plans,” director Mary Meyers said. the building at 326 Third St. was completed in 1905, The library recently had some renovations done through after Alice Bowen wrote Andrew Carnegie asking if a grant, with the ceiling restored to its original height. he’d commit $10,000 for every $1,000 raised by “We got new energy-efficient windows that look 110 Main St.; 1-7 p. m. MonSavanna residents. like the ones from 1905,” Meyers said. day and Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Among the newer initiatives at the library is an The library offers books, Internet access, speWednesday, 1 to 5 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. cial programming, and a dedicated genealogy all-ages Lego club, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on to 1 p..m. Saturday , closed Thursday room run by volunteer Anne Haleotis that features the fourth Monday of the month. and Sunday; savann alibrary.com The library’s small size is an asset. a wealth of Carroll County obituaries and newsor Savanna Public Lib rary on “We are able to get to know our patrons personpapers.

Facebook. ally, to call them by name and talk over things. We “We are a genealogy center for Carroll County. We have quite a personal relationship with our patrons,” get phone calls from all around the country. As they are Meyers said. traveling through, sometimes they make us their stop in their Continued on page 12

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YORK TOWNSHIP PUBLIC LIBRARY, THOMSON roll r a C y nt Cou ies ar r b i L

WHILE NOT A CARNEGIE LIBRARY, THOMSON’S LIBRARY’S BEGINNINGS STARTED DURING THE CARNEGIE HEYDAYS. The Thomson Civic Association established a library in 1912 in a store building on Main Street.

The current building’s story started in 1918, when resident Tillie Dugard donated two lots for the library. The public voted in 1919 to OK the library, and construction was finished in 1920.

A judicial election in 1939 renamed the library York Township Public Library. Today, it continues to grow, especially in its children’s department, which had to be moved to the basement. An addition with a wheelchairaccessible ramp was added in 1981.

In 1996, the library board of trustees and current librarian Deeann Kramer started a building fund, and village trustee Arthur Donart wrote to then-state Rep. Mike Boland and then-state Sen. Denny Jacobs for state funding for the building project.

The efforts generated $325,000 in state funds for an addition, and another $25,000 for furnishings, adding an additional 3,317 square feet to the library.

The library’s growth has been rewarded with a lot of use by the public. Kramer said the library has four book clubs, and a chair yoga group that meets once a week.

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“We’ve had a large turnout for summer reading, 45 to 55 children, plus adults each week. We have a euchre group and a dominoes group,” Kramer said.

The library also features DVDs and books on CD, and access to an interlibrary loan program.

“We also have York Township High School yearbooks from 1922 to 2005, and a genealogy room with Thomson-area newspapers and yearbooks,” Kramer said.

DETAILS

1005 N. Main St., Th omson; 815-259-2480; 3-7 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, 9 a. m. to 4:30 p.m.

Tuesday and Thursd ay, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, close d Friday and Sunday; thomsonlibr ary.org or Thomson Public Lib rary on Facebook.

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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 with our new expanded “Concert Series”. Join us for “Christmas in July” with our World Premier of What a Wonderful World.

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 fifteen-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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A couple’s lumber business is more than just a way to earn a living, it’s an extension of their love of art and their desire to have a hand helping nature create its masterpiece

Michael and Patricia Johnson, own and operate Johnson Creek Hardwoods in rural Mount Carroll. Their dog, Roxie, works there, too, as a customer greeter.

STORY PHIL HARTMAN PHOTOS MICHAEL KRABBENHOEFT | FOR CARROLL COUNTY LIVING

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hen a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Yes, and it sounds like opportunity L I V I N knocking. Just ask a rural Chadwick couple who found a silG ver lining in the storm clouds that opened the door to what would grow to become a successful lumber business, and an extension of their belief that giving back to the planet should come naturally.

The husband-and-wife team behind Johnson Creek Hardwoods, Michael and Patricia Johnson, bring artistic sensibilities to their lumber business.

Michael is a fine art landscape photographer who admires the likes of Ansel Adams and other artists, and Patricia writes about their family and gardens. Many of their customers are fellow artists, too, who use the lumber the Johnsons supply to create their own works of art.

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Michael Johnson stands among bookmatched, live-edge slabs in the board room at Johnson Creek Hardwoods in rural Mount Carroll. Johnson produces quality lumber from locally sourced trees.

Continued from page 15

“One of the most fascinating things is all the fantastic woodworkers we’ve met,” Patricia said.

Visitors to the Johnsons’ home at 6480 Daggert Road west of Chadwick may find themselves greeted by Roxie, the family’s dog. Inside, the home features photographs by Michael and other artists, as well as a coffee table made by a customer, and other items made from wood processed at the mill.

Michael, 70, grew up about 40 miles northwest of Chicago, and followed his interest in art to Shimer College decades ago when it was still at the Mount Carroll campus.

“My aesthetic is more 17th-century Dutch and Flemish,” Michael said. He found that the Driftless Area of the upper Midwest – a region in parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois, including Carroll County, that escaped glaciers’ flattening effects during the Ice Age and which features steep, forested ridges and deep river valleys – fits his aesthetic.

Continued on page 17

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tops (sawing the wood so two pieces match, like an open book), and live edge lumber (in which the rough edge of the lumber, bark and all, is kept) on hand, and will open by appointment for customers to view their stock.

They also process yard and town trees for customers.

According to their website, the Johnsons try to match the species and kind of wood they harvest for specific needs. They trim knots, splits and other flaws from butt logs, or logs from the tree’s base, and trim sapwood from cherry and walnut to get at least one clear heartwood side from the logs.

Part of the Johnsons’ secret is air drying logs, down to between 20 to 25% equalized moisture content. The wood is then kiln dries to between 6 and 8%.

Photos on page 18, story continued on page 19

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In 1973, he bought 40 acres of timber on Daggert Road and started building a house there. A short time later, he met Patricia and they married in 1974.

The couple developed a deep interest in stewardship of the natural world, and began planting trees and studying sustainable forestry. They started their lumber business in 1996, after a storm snapped off 50 to 60 trees.

“We could either call loggers or do it ourselves,” Michael said of the cleanup.

The Johnsons built a kiln and a small mill, and their lumber business grew from there. Today, they have about 24 types of trees on 70 acres, with about 16 to 20 types for sale.

Michael said they’ve planted about 30,000 to 40,000 trees since they moved in, though none of them are available yet for harvesting.

“We don’t know what will be valuable in 80 years. Our first thing is stewardship, with the second being diversity,” Michael said.

The Johnsons have planted a wide variety of tree species, among them Southern trees such as tulip poplar, Shumard oak, Kentucky coffee trees, and some sycamores.

Of the trees the Johnsons do harvest, they currently have a large amount of ash due to the number of trees killed by the emerald ash borer. They also have cherry, white oak, walnut and other species.

The Johnsons divide their labor. Michael works in the forest, runs the mill, and manages the equipment, while Patricia works with the customers and manages the office.

Michael said his experience in the lumber business comes from reading, making mistakes, and reading more.

Johnson Creek Hardwoods keeps a selection of boards, bookmatched

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From bandsaw to board room Some businesses can crank out inventory in a matter of minutes; for lumber dealers, it can take decades. The journey from sprig to tree is a long one, but once the tree is felled, things start to speed up. Logs are transported to the mill, where a giant bandsaw (far left) slices them. The wood makes its way to a kiln (seen at left, where Michael checks on boards), and eventually, to the Johnson Hardwoods sales floor, otherwise known as the board room. The lumber is handled about 27 different times during the process.

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The customer is always right at home at Micheal and Patricia’s house. Their home is furnished with a number of pieces made by their customers, including, from left, a dining room table; a bookmatched live-edge coffee table and a shelf full of knick-knacks. The Johnsons take their work home with them, too, using products from the mill, from the heat in their house to their furniture to the maple floor.

Continued from page 18

MORE INFORMATION Johnson Creek Hardwoods is at 6480 Daggert Road, Mount Carroll. Hours are by appointment.

Call 815-684-5411, email patiandmichael@gmail.com or go to johnsoncreekhardwoods.com to make an appointment or for more information, including directions.

The wild weather of the last couple years hasn’t been lost on Michael.

“This has been the wettest 18 months I’ve ever lived through. The main challenge with the moisture is getting out into the timber and working.

Also, usually you have storms that break the trees off. Lately, they’ve been coming out of the ground by the roots because the ground is just kind of like soup,” he said.

Once the wood is dried, the Johnsons surface it with a 24-inch planer to a uniform thickness and smoothness. They also trim the ends to eliminate splits before it’s placed in the boardroom for sale.

One feature that sets Johnson Creek Hardwoods apart is that they don’t sell overseas, ship wood, or deliver wood. Customers have to come get their wood and choose it themselves, and often travel long distances. Michael said they get customers from Peoria, Chicago, and Madison, Wisconsin.

When they’re not busy with lumber, the Johnsons grow vegetables and flowers, manage an heirloom apple orchard, and help their son and daughter-inlaw, Ben Johnson and Molly McDonough, with their restaurant, Molly’s Kitchen & Bar in Mount Carroll.

“I also own the building where Molly’s is located, and run a couple of bed and breakfast rooms, called The Inn at Molly’s,” Michael said. n

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Leaving

Mark her

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A pioneering businesswoman made an investment at the turn of the 20th century that’s still paying off today for the women who call it home

Caroline Mark

When it’s time to make your next move...

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ESS REALTYINC.

Experienced in:

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102 E. Market Street, Mt. Carroll, IL SM-ST1505341

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JILL BESS Managing Broker/Owner s p r i n g / s u m m e r

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815.244.BESS www.jillbessrealtor.com

STORY PHIL HARTMAN PHOTOS MICHAEL KRABBENHOEFT | FOR CARROLL COUNTY LIVING

In many ways, Caroline Mark was a woman ahead of her time.

During the 1800s, the widow grew her estate from $90,000 to $600,000 through banking and farm investments after her husband, James, died crossing a river.

While being a savvy businesswoman during a time when women weren’t even allowed to vote was impressive enough, it was her

generosity that left the longest lasting legacy.

Upon her death in 1900, she willed threequarters of her estate to create a home for low-income senior women in the Carroll County area.

The Caroline Mark Home was established in 1906 on 5 acres of land and took in its

first resident in 1908. More than 110 years later, the house continues to provide a home for older women who aren’t ready for assisted living.

“We have a safe downstairs full of paperwork (from Mark). People will be surprised,’” Robin Kelley, the home’s manager, said during a recent tour of the facility.

Continued on page 22

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Robin Kelley is the manager of the Caroline Mark Home in Mount Carroll. A staff of six care for the grounds and provide meals at the home.

Continued from page 21

The home was built specifically to meet the needs of lowincome women. It can house up to 18 residents; nine currently live there.

One of those women is Ruth Barr, 75, formerly of Dakota.

She moved to the Mark Home after a heart attack ended her work as a school bus driver. While Barr found it hard to leave her own home at first, she’s come to enjoy the Mark Home.

“It’s an awesome place. The food and the people are wonderful,” Barr said.

Barr hasn’t let her retirement slow her down. When she’s not visiting with her fellow residents, she works at the Freeport Pregnancy Center once a week and speaks at area schools on sexually transmitted diseases, sex trafficking and other topics.

Like Barr, other women don’t have to be retired to live at the Mark Home. Any woman who meets an asset cap, who can take care of herself, and who has lived for 6 or more months in Carroll or an adjoining county, can stay at the home for free.

Public donations are accepted to help with costs.

One retiree at the home, Cathy Musser, 66, is formerly of Stockton. She moved to the Mark Home more than a year ago after she gave her son her home, so he and his family could live in a lead-free environment.

“It’s starting to feel more like home. I take part in a game night once a month here, and I’ve been doing a little volunteer work for Extension,” Musser said.

Photos on page 23; story continued on page 24

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All the comforts of h me While the Mark home was “built to last, with iron, steel, brick and concrete,” it was also built with comfort and class in mind. The palatial home gives tenants like Joyce Schubert a good reason to say “it really feels like home.”

LEFT: A tiled floor – personalized for its founder – and grand staircase welcome people to the main lobby at the Caroline Mark Home in Mount Carroll. ABOVE: Many of the original architectural elements can still be seen throughout the house, which opened in 1905, like this last remaining gaslight in the house.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Rock, swing or sit, the porch offers tenants a relaxing place to sit and enjoy the outdoors. The guest room, for tenants who have female visitors.

The dining room features a large table, fireplace and original woodwork.

On this day, it was decked out for a tenant’s birthday. Touches like this make tenants feel right at home. The library at the Caroline Mark Home offers guests a place to relax and read.

Cozy, comfy and bright, the living room at the Caroline Mark Home is a good place to watch some TV or catch up with friends.

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Continued from page 22

The sense of community at the Mark Home is part of why Joyce Schubert, 85, enjoys living there. She moved to the facility 7 years ago from Lanark, after her second husband died.

“I do not want to live alone. I love it here. It took about a year, but it really feels like home. We have freedom to come and go, and the meals are good,” Schubert said.

She stays active as a member of the Carroll County Senior Center board, and attends a Bible study.

The Mark Home may not be for everyone. Pets aren’t allowed, and bathrooms are communal. But a staff of six care for the grounds and provide meals, with a buffet breakfast, a full meal for lunch and leftovers for supper. Laundry facilities are available on the first floor, with more accessibility than when the home opened in the 1900s.

“When the home started, the ladies were allowed 12 pieces of laundry a week, not counting their linens,” Kelley said.

Another attraction is the facility itself, which retains many historical features and amenities. A screened-in porch offers a view of the woods. Various outbuildings, including an old smokehouse, pump house and coal house remain on the grounds.

A number of transom windows above the doors remain, while some of the rooms still have the low ceilings typical of the time when it was built. The home’s last original gaslight remains, and the library features books with accounts of the home from years ago. All of these features, and more, led to the Mark Home being placed on the National Historic Reg-

TO VISIT OR DONATE

Cathy Musser (left) Ruth Barr (right) and Joyce Schubert are residents at the Caroline Mark Home in Mount Carroll. “It’s an awesome place. The food and the people are wonderful,” Barr said.

ister in 1983.

“It was built to last, with iron, steel, brick and concrete,” Kelley said.

Some heart and soul went into building the home, too, a generous spirit that remains today, a testament to Caroline Mark’s belief that there’s no place like home. n

Free tours of the Caroline Mark Home, at 222 E. Lincoln St., Mount Carroll, are available by appointment.

Donations to help with the home’s upkeep can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays at the home’s office, or made out to the Caroline Mark Home and mailed to 222 E. Lincoln St., Mount Carroll, IL 61053.

Call 815-244-3862 or find Caroline Mark Home on Facebook for more information.

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g n i din

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iners are coming from all over to grab a dish at the Route 40 Café and Ice Cream Parlor.

Owners Mike Dalipi, 45, and his wife, Judy, opened the restaurant at 14 S. Was hington St., Milledgeville, in April 2019.

“We looked at it (the building) and thought it’d make a nice little restaurant for the community. We get a lot of locals who support us, but we also get a lot from Sterling, Rock Falls, and Dixon,” Dalipi said.

Continued on page 26

STORY PHIL HARTMAN PHOTOS MICHAEL KRABBENHOEFT | FOR CARROLL COUNTY LIVING

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Mike Dalipi owns Route 40 Café his wife, Judy, shown here at left with cook Oscar Brito (in the kitchen), Alyvia Woodard, Aleena Hammelman and Mina Finney.

MORE INFO

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Ken Duncan owns the building and is renting it to the Dalipis. It formerly housed Nana’s Pizza until a fire closed it last year.

The Dalipis have been in the restaurant business in the Sauk Valley for 15 years. Previously, they owned Kopper Kitchen at Northland Mall in Sterling from 2015 until it closed in July, and Mike and his brother, Dan, owned The Corner Spot Bar & Grill in Dixon for nearly 10 years.

Mike’s not the only member of the family in the restaurant business; his cousin, Mili, co-owns Basil Tree Ristorante in downtown Dixon.

Route 40 Café has about 14 employees, with a decor and atmosphere reflecting its rural location. Displays of farm animals can be seen

Route 40 Café is open from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Call 815-225-5837 or find Route 40 Cafe on Facebook.

throughout – a cow, chickens, and other critters. Photos of tractors decorate another wall, and old window frames help give the restaurant a taste of country living.

The setting helps give the impression of a country kitchen, with a menu that offers plenty

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of variety.

“Our breakfast is big. We do homemade pasta bread rolls, personal pizzas that are very big.” Dalipi said.

Other breakfast offerings include omelets such as meat lovers, Denver, vegetarian, cheese lovers, and others. Toast or pancakes, hash browns, American fries, cheddar tater tots and fruit are among the side dish options.

The skillets are just as varied, with many of the same styles as the omelets and a corned beef hash skillet as well. Eggs Benedict come in a Hawaiian version with pineapple, a cordon bleu variety with Swiss cheese, and the Route 40 version, with a sausage patty, poached eggs, and country gravy.

Continued on page 27

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Customers feel right at home in the rustic, rural setting at Route 40 Café and Ice Cream Parlor in Milledgeville. Among the dishes served up at the café: Spaghetti and meatballs with a side of Texas toast, a juicy burger, a salad, and you can’t go wrong with a grilled cheese sandwich.

Continued from page 26

For those who prefer their morning menu more on the basic side can get two or three eggs with bacon, sausage, ham, toast and other side dishes; a meat, egg and cheese sandwich; or a meat-lovers croissant.

For lunch or dinner, Route 40 has a variety of wraps, including chicken bacon, tuna salad, steak and chipotle. Looking for something to melt in your mount? The restaurant serves up patty, cheesy beef, chicken bacon, and other melts.

If you’re in the mood for a sandwich, Route 40’s got you covered, from Monte Cristos to ham and cheese clubs, paninis and croissants, open face sandwiches, and classic burgers, with or without cheese.

Steak, pasta, catfish and other options round out the lunch and dinner offerings.

A number of different desserts are available to top off the meal: strawberry and turtle shortcakes, Belgian or Alaskan waffles, and even a Nutella shortcake featuring Australia’s favorite hazelnut spread. n

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