Looking for some WH ere to go that’s special ?

hen Bill Green decided to bring a premier destination for dining, drinks and events to downtown Freeport, he found the perfect place to do it — in a former warehouse.

But this wasn’t just any warehouse. It had a role in writing history and was once part of the rich fabric of the city’s industrial base; and while it may have looked like just another empty building to most people, to Green it was full of potential. Today, that building has lived up to its potential, as The Wagner House, a place touted on its website as classic, urban and timeless — and timeless it is. For even though its story stretches back nearly 125 years, the building is nowhere near past its prime.

The Wagner Printing Company building, built in 1903, originally housed the German newspaper in town, and later was a textile and clothing factory for many decades. The Wagner Family owned the building until Green bought it in 2013.

At first, Green didn’t quite know what to use the building for, but he knew wanted to keep it part a vibrant part of the city’s downtown scene.

He eventually landed on the idea of a bar and restaurant, with space for special events, but he didn’t want to open up just another run-of-the-mill restaurant; he wanted it be someplace special, the kind of establishment Freeport didn’t have at the time — and he didn’t want the building to lose its character either.

“I always wanted to keep it a rustic style and an industrial style building,” Green said. “That’s what it was. It would be really hard to make a building built in 1903 something other than a building from 1903. To make it some post-modern architecture and hire someone to do it, nope. I wanted to keep in style, and I looked at pictures and saw things, and tore out doors and windows and found some hidden treasures.”

The first floor retains much of its character, where the bar and restaurant are located: Hallways, windows, walls and doors all retain their original look, and original beams, posts and light fixtures remain.

“It’s a great place to come sit with family and friends,” Green said. “Our atmosphere is probably the number one compliment we get. We’ve had people walk through and be amazed that we’re able to keep things intact and together. We always strive to be a little different.

“You don’t have to come to Galena to see an old building like this; you can come here.”

The Wagner House’s bar may be called The Great Debate, but there’s no debating that it has one of the best selections of curated wines and spirits in the area — hundreds to choose from.

Even with all that’s remained the same, Green recognizes the value of change. While consistency is key, so too is mixing things up, and Green offers patrons a place where they can enjoy all their food and drink favorites, or discover new ones. During a nearly week-long stretch each January the restaurant closes so that Green and his staff can spruce things up and make menu changes. This allows them to keep the focus on the favorites while still trying new things.

At the bar — dubbed The Great Debate — it’s definitely a glass half full of choices, with more than 200 different options to pick from. The Wagner House stocks more than 60 different types of whiskeys (with brands such as High West, Pinhook and Journeyman among them), 14 Irish Whiskeys, 18 scotches, 18 rums, 16 agaves (which are like tequilas), 14 vodkas and 23 gins.

Cognacs and brandies also are offered. Normandin-Mercier Petite, ODVI Armagnac and Pierre Ferrand make up the cognac selection; and Metaxa, Journeyman, Morin Calvados, Odessa, St. George and E&J very superior old pale brandies are in stock.

The Wagner House has spacious banquet facilities for any special event, from business functions to weddings — and the rustically refined atmosphere makes a great backdrop for wedding photos.

House cocktails include concoctions such as Born with a Broom, a mixture of St. George Pear brandy, lemon, orgeat and egg white; and Fitz and Tantrums, with Monkey Shoulder whiskey, Nordan aquavit gin, sweet vermouth, orange, Luxardo cherry mix and lemon. Red, white and bubbly wines are available, as well as domestic, import, craft and draught beers.

Wondering what to pair all those drinks with? You won’t have a hard time finding the perfect culinary couple on Wagner House’s lunch and dinner menu — and if you need a hand deciding, Green’s team will be happy to help.

“Most of our staff has been here for quite a while,” Green said. “That’s saying something. We know the product we’re selling, and are very particular about our products being the same every time you come in. If you’ve been in more than once, it’s very likely they know who you are and what you like to drink. They take pride in the craft cocktails and picking the right wine for your palate.”

Appetizers include crab cakes, Caribbean fish tacos and a French Laundry Brie — a lightly whipped and airy brie cheese served with crostini bread and finished with a honey and balsamic drizzle. Dessert choices rotate on occasion, and various specials are offered as well.

Moving on the main course, you’ll find a variety of dishes — chicken, seafood, burgers and sandwiches, London beef tenderloin broil, a Cajun-style gulf shrimp and gnocchi, and a pot roast served over garlic mashed potatoes, along with soups and salads.

And, of course, with Freeport the Wagner House’s home, a pretzel item is a must on the menu. The pretzel crusted fish grouper is a buttery pretzelcrusted Asian grouper served over cranberry wild rice with a creamy champagne sauce.

“It’s really unique,” Green said. “It’s not a fried grouper. We don’t have a fryer here — everything is either baked or air-fried — so it has a very unique flavor.”

If you’re looking for a bit of revelry instead of a restaurant, you can find it at The Wagner House, from top to bottom.

The second and third floors serve as event centers that can host parties, business functions, concerts, weddings and other events. Both floors have bars, and like the rest of the building, the upper floors retain much of the building’s vintage look.

The third floor is called The Green Room, but after the owner. It’s the room’s distinctive green paint that gives it its name. The room offers ample space for concerts, banquets, and other events, and can accommodate up to 300 people.

The second floor is home to The Back Room, for smaller gatherings. Groups of up to 100 can gather in comfortable surroundings with both tables and a seating area with couches. The second level also includes a business suite meeting room which can be modified into a bride’s room for weddings.

The basement can be rented out too, for more intimate gatherings. Percy’s Speakeasy bar in the basement can handle up to 30 people. While the brides and bridesmaids are hanging out on the second floor prior to a reception, the groom and groomsmen often use the speakeasy as their own hangout.

The Wagner House is also home to Swank and Mercier Boutique on the first floor, in space Green has set aside to serve as a business incubator, where up-and-coming entrepreneurs can find a place to get their business off the ground. The boutique carries women’s fashions — hats, gloves, jewelry and more — and is open afternoons Thursday through Saturday.

Whether it’s a dinner for two or a party for two hundred, Green’s House is your house, and he hopes customers will feel right at home when they stop by for a visit — and that their first visit won’t be their last.

“You don’t invite people to your house just for the sake of having people at your house,” Green said. “You invite people to your house because you want them to come back.”

BY CODY CUTTER | SAUK VALLEY MEDIA

he issue of Lake Lifestyle you hold in your hands (or read online) marks the third anniversary of Lake Carroll’s monthly magazine.

During the three years we’ve been bringing you this magazine, we’ve brought you stories about places you can go and people you know. We’ve visited with clubs and attended events. We’ve taken you on Day Trips and brought you back home. We’ve shared your photos. We’ve told you about businesses you can visit and we’ve shared your photos and celebrated your milestones.

They’re the stories of you and your community, and there’ve been a lot of them — more than 200 and counting so far. To those we’ve written about, thank you for letting us share your story. And to those who read us, thanks for inviting us into your homes these past 3 years.

In April 2020, the first copies of Lake Lifestyle were delivered to mailboxes throughout Lake Carroll, and made available at the Association Office and surrounding businesses. Designed as a publication to highlight people in the community, regional businesses and unique destinations a short drive from home, Lake Lifestyle has helped locals get a better feel of the area they live in, whether it’s full time or part time.

During its 50 years as “Northwest Illinois’ best kept secret,” Lake Carroll has evolved into the gem it is today, and that evolution will continue — and as long as it does, there will always be new stories to share, new places to visit, new events to enjoy and adventures to take. It has been our hope that members, residents, staff and campground vacationers have become more connected to Lake Carroll through the articles featured in Lake Lifestyle.

In addition to stories, Lake Lifestyle also lets you know about businesses that offer products and services you can use through ads found in our pages. And a real estate section wraps up each issue, with home and lot listings in and around Lake Carroll. We thank them for their continued support we couldn’t do Lake Lifestyle without them.

If you’re a part-time resident, chances are you’re reading this magazine from the comfort of your primary home away from the lake. In that respect, we hope Lake Lifestyle gives those you know close to home a look at the community you enjoy being a part of, and what it and the surrounding area has to offer.

For those who prefer pixels over paper, you can read Lake Lifestyle from your computer or mobile device. Just go to saukvalley.com/enewspaper and click on the Lake Lifestyle button. Each issue is there, all the way back to the first one, available anytime, anywhere.

As we’ve said from the beginning, Lake Lifestyle is a magazine devoted to you, the people who make Lake Carroll the unique residential resort that it is. Do you know someone who is worthy of a shout-out, has an interesting hobby, or brings something new to the community? Is there anything unique about the surrounding area that you would like to learn more about? We would love for you to share your story ideas with us. Do you have any interesting pictures of life on the lake? We also feature your photo galleries on occasion.

You can send your ideas and photos to Lake Lifestyle editor Rusty Schrader at rschrader@shawmedia.com or reporter Cody Cutter at ccutter@shawmedia.com; Cody also can be reached via Twitter — where he also previews upcoming Lake Lifestyle stories — at the handle @CodyCutter35.

If you’re new to Lake Carroll, or Lake Lifestyle, and want to see some of what we covered in past issues, an index appears on the following pages. ...

APRIL 2020 Features on Lake Carroll’s Prairie Club, Fishing Club and golf course; what’s playing at Timber Creek Playhouse in Mount Carroll; Havencrest Castle in Savanna; and JJ & Freddie’s restaurant at Sievert’s in Mount Carroll.

MAY 2020

A look at Lake Carroll’s trail system and ATV safety, getting to know the duties of former Lake Carroll lake manager Joe Rush, local antique and pop-up market road trips, Johnson Creek Hardwoods in Mount Carroll, and MSK Golf Carts in Amboy, which designs customer carts — including some like classic cars.

JUNE 2020 What’s in store at Trailside, Sugarbakers Wine and Boutique in Lena, keeping pests away with Sauk Valley Pest Control, finding the right barbecue grill at Prescott’s BBQ Shop in Sterling, a look at outdoor kitchen trends, and all about boating on Lake Carroll.

JULY 2020 Cabinetry at Mullet Custom Cabinets, what’s brewing at Wishful Acres Farm and Brewery in Lena, scrumptious baked goods and more at Molly’s in Mount Carroll, Lake Carroll’s Surf Club, a visit to Elizabeth’s Grand Antique Company, and reader photos.

AUGUST 2020 Savanna’s honor of being named one of USA Today’s “Best Small Towns for Adventure,” including the natural beauty of Mississippi Palisades State Park north of town; summer wellness tips; what’s in the bottles at Massbach Ridge Winery; Illinois’ largest tree at Bald Hill Nature Preserve in rural Oregon; a trip through Ulysses S. Grant’s home in Galena, and reader photos.

SEPTEMBER 2020 Martinis at Pub 225 in Milledgeville, a Q&A with Eastland High School golfer Andy Anderson of Lake Carroll, the history of Lake Carroll’s Women’s Club, what’s growing at Straddle Creek Gardens in Lanark, and life and times at Lake Carroll’s Clubhouse (as it was in 2020), and reader photos.

OCTOBER 2020 Controlling soil and runoff at the lake, deep cleaning with SteamGenie of rural Shannon, a profile of local comedian and former Clubhouse worker Curt Strauss, keeping food fresh with the Galena Canning Company, golf highlights from the 2020 Lake Carroll Club Championship, and reader photos.

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NOVEMBER 2020

Life at Heritage Hollow Farm in rural Stockton, Abraham Lincoln’s presence in Lake Carroll area almost 200 years ago, a Q&A with Eastland High School cross country runner J.J. Prowant of Lake Carroll, all about Lake Carroll’s Quilt Club, and a look at First State Bank of Shannon, Polo and Lake Carroll.

DECEMBER 2020

What’s growing at West Point Tree Farm in rural Mount Carroll, Christmas lighting with Extreme Lighting in Amboy, the wit and wordplay of Kaus Seed in rural Shannon, getting to know Clubhouse chef Chris Choquette, and reader photos.

JANUARY 2021 Fishing from the new handicapped-accessible pier at the East Marina, getting to know former Carroll County Board member Barb Anderson, cheese and more cheese at Barrel and Brie in Eleroy, getting to know Lake Carroll front desk supervisory Cindy Lemm, and reader photos.

FEBRUARY 2021

What’s new with Lake Carroll’s Ski Club, fun on the tube hill, what’s to eat and drink at the Slurp ’N Burp in Loran, introducing Lake Carroll general manager Calvin White, crystals and more at Nature’s Treasures in Woodbine, and a bobcat sighting.

MARCH 2021 A look at Lake Carroll’s fish hatchery, treasures at Franklin Street Uniques and Antiques in Scales Mound, how Eastland’s basketball players from Lake Carroll dealt with a pandemic-shortened season, getting to know former Lake Carroll accounts receivable supervisor Mary VanRaden, and reader photos.

APRIL 2021 Previewing the Lake Carroll Prairie Club’s annual plant sale, fun with the Lake Carroll Women’s Bowling League and at the Mount Carroll Bowling Center, a visit to Route 73 Brew and Chew in Pearl City.

MAY 2021 Riding on cheese wheels to shops throughout the region, previewing the Women’s Golf League’s Mad Hatter golf invitational, what’s playing at Timber Creek Playhouse, photos from the annual Kids Fishing Derby, and what was going on with Lake Carroll real estate at the time.

JUNE 2021 Getting to know then-Lake Carroll board president Stephen Mack, a visit to Schneider House furniture store in Mount Carroll, residents hope to see a dog park someday, and what’s playing at the new Rhythm Section Ampitheater north of Mount Carroll.

JULY 2021 Candlelight Inn comes to Lake Carroll, riding and wining all over the region, eating healthy and getting fit with Body by Drive in Lanark, visiting a little piece of Luxembourg in St. Donatus, Iowa, enjoying a day at the annual petting zoo, and reader photos.

AUGUST 2021 Counting the college banners at the lakeside home of Mercedes and the late Larry Meyers at Lake Carroll, what’s for sale at the Lake Carroll Farmer’s Market, seeing what Lake Carroll looked like before it was Lake Carroll, what’s going on in local high school football, and reader photos.

SEPTEMBER 2021 Getting away at Hickory Hideaway near Lake Carroll, tree advice from local arborist Lant Huntley, a road trip to Dixon, getting to know Lake Carroll’s first Women’s Lincoln Highway golf team, and reader photos.

OCTOBER 2021 Learning the craft of stained art glass design with Lake Carroll’s Gary Geahos, golf highlights from the 2021 Lake Carroll Club Championship, eating at This is It in downtown Freeport, and road tripping with fall colors throughout the region, and reader photos.

NOVEMBER 2021 Lake Lifestyle’s “Salute to Veterans” edition with a look at Lake Carroll’s Veteran’s Club, reflections of service from some of Lake Carroll’s veterans, a road trip tour of veteran’s memorials in the area, and a biography of Carroll County’s only Revolutionary War veteran. Plus, a Q&A with Eastland High School volleyball player Annika Myre of Lake Carroll, and results from the year’s activity on the fishing invitational circuit.

DECEMBER 2021 Running around like a kid in a candy store at Sweetie Me in downtown Lena, an antiques road trip, what’s cooking at Krogman’s Homegrown Meats in rural Shannon, what’s on display at the annual Craft Show at the Clubhouse, and a “Happy Birthday” salute to Lake Carroll.

JANUARY 2022

Previewing Lake Carroll’s 50th Anniversary celebrations, golfing through the winter at golf simulators in the region, a tour of outdoor winter activities around the region, the Lake Lifestyle staff’s lake-themed movie suggestions, and a road trip to Savanna.

FEBRUARY 2022

Tales of love from longtime couples in Lake Carroll, a pub crawl tour of breweries in the region, a road trip to Scales Mound, and what’s cooking in the Fella’s Pizza oven in Lanark (Update: Fella’s closed its doors in April).

MARCH 2022 Playing tunes at Ukulele Station America in Oregon, a Q&A with Eastland’s J.J. Prowant about his activity on the school’s scholastic bowl team, road trips to Freeport and along the first 100 miles of Route 66, and reader photos.

APRIL 2022 Getting crafty with the Pellikan Family of Lake Carroll, a look at Lake Carroll’s watershed and streams going into and out of the lake, updates of nature’s way with the Nature Club, and links memories at the Lake Carroll Golf Course.

MAY 2022 Celebrating 50 years of Lake Carroll with the Legacy Day team, a Q&A with Eastland High School softball player Olivia Klinefelter of Lake Carroll, a transaction of its own at Fawnridge Realty, a road trip rediscovers the rails of Northwest Illinois, and highlighting a school field trip to Lake Carroll’s fish hatchery.

JUNE 2022 Stepping back in time at Freeport’s Union Dairy, riding on Bubba the party bus, a Q&A with Eastland High School powerlifter Cody Cole of Lake Carroll, and enjoying the many brews at Lena Brewing Company.

JULY 2022 Road tripping to drive-in movie theaters in the region, catching up with the Lake Carroll Women’s Club, going Down on the Farm with toys in Lena, exploring worldly art at Majestic Skyscape in rural Lanark, memories of fireworks on the lake from former resident Sue Cox, and reader photos.

AUGUST 2022 Learning golf with youngsters at Lake Carroll’s annual Kids Golf Camp, getting to know the Misiewicz Sisters of the West Marina, a road trip to Clinton, Iowa, and Fulton, Illinois, decorating drink tumblers with the Driftless Zone, and reader photos.

SEPTEMBER 2022

Having fun during Lake Carroll Days in celebration of the lake’s 50th anniversary, enjoying activity at Lake Carroll’s campground, a road trip of history museums in the region, and drinking healthy with Marco Nutrition in Polo.

OCTOBER 2022

Golf highlights from the 2022 Lake Carroll Club Championship, cruising through rows of cars at the Lake Carroll Car Show, a Q&A with Eastland High School football player Maddux Hayden of Lake Carroll, a road trip to Sterling and Rock Falls, and Halloween memories at the lake.

NOVEMBER 2022

What’s growing at Sweitzer Nursery near Lake Carroll and at DeVoe Floral in downtown Lena, Fishing highlights from the 2022 Classic Invitational on the lake, a day trip to Oregon, and checking out the new golf carts at 3D in Fulton.

DECEMBER 2022

We love Lake Carroll: a tribute to life on the lake from its residents, including Christmas memories; activity at the Shannon-Lanark Food Pantry, getting to know a technical handyman at The Kings of Connections in downtown Lanark, and what’s cooking at Custom Catering and BBQ in Lanark.

JANUARY 2023 Cleaning up your home with Savanna house cleaner Lonnie Hubbard; a Q&A with Eastland High School wrestler Wyatt Doty of Lake Carroll; a road trip to Monroe, Wisconsin; and winter art in the region.

FEBRUARY 2023 Riding with the Pearl City Sno-Pearls snowmobile club, talking fishing tackle at Tom’s Tackle Box, what’s in the aisles at Lanark Food Center, meddling with mushrooms with Meddling Sheep Gourmet Mushrooms of Amboy, and a road trip dedicated to presidential connections in the region.

MARCH 2023 Whooping axes at Rustic Ridge Axe Throwing in Oregon, painting with Chadwick artist and Lake Carroll art camp director Laura Readdy, a look at Carroll County’s homegrown food products, what’s on the shelves at the Lanark Public Library, and a baseball-themed road trip throughout Northern Illinois.

By Cody Cutter Sauk Valley Media

t’s a question most every child has heard: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

A Freeport museum can help them find an answer.

Maybe there’s an aspiring farmer who wants to know more about the field of agriculture, or a budding young banker who wants to see how things add up. Or maybe an airline pilot is waiting in the wings. Who knows: There might even be a future doctor in the house. Whatever their future holds, they can get a preview of it at the Children’s HandsOn Museum of Northwest Illinois, an interactive museum staffed by retired teachers who volunteer their time to help engage, enrich, educate and excite young minds — all while making learning fun.

Gwynne French, a retired middle school music teacher, missed seeing kids get excited about learning, and got involved in the museum as a way to continue doing what she loved for many years.

“A bunch of us on our board and our volunteers are retired teachers,” French said. “We feel that’s part of our legacy, to continue.”

The museum started life in 2017 as a traveling pop-up format at schools, parks and community events. By 2019, it had become popular enough that it got its own home, in the Lincoln Mall.

French and fellow volunteer Shirley Jordan are among the few who’ve been involved with the museum since it began.

Jordan, also a retired teacher, knows how effective interactive learning can be — she’s seen firsthand how kids can get a better grasp of a subject when they can get their hands on it.

“I like hearing the kids having a good time,” she said. “Where learning and playing go hand-in-hand is our mantra, and we hope they learn something.”

The museum has numerous play areas depicting different settings, all complete with toys and props to help stimulate young visitors’ minds. They can work on a farm or build a house or fly an airplane or run a restaurant. All it takes is a little imagination and they’re off and growing in a grown-up’s world.

The museum can also help kids learn how to face their fears — like a visit to the doctor’s office, where young people can sometimes feel overwhelmed. The museum’s medical exhibit gives children a chance to explore a hospital or clinic setting, where they can read an X-ray, listen to a heartbeat with a stethoscope or identify the bones of a body.

Kids can get a look inside the human body in the Children’s Hands-On Museum’s medical play area, where they can see a real X-ray, get up close with a skeleton, and try their hand at surgery in an Operationlike game.

CODY CUTTER/ CCUTTER@ SHAWMEDIA. COM

From riding horses to making them feel better, from learning about building a house to building molecules, from nest eggs to chicken eggs, there’s a lot to for kids to get their hands on at the museum. “Where learning and playing go hand-in-hand is our mantra, and we hope they learn something,” said volunteer Shirley Jordan.

CODY CUTTER/ CCUTTER@SHAWMEDIA.COM

“The son of one of our board members was not very happy about going to the doctor when he was little, and came and felt more comfortable with what we have here,” French said. “The next time he went to the doctor, he was much better. You never know how it’s going to be.”

Exhibits for grade school children include a theater area, complete with small sets and a few costumes; a music room with drums, guitars, a vintage reed organ, and rain sticks (long poles with pebbles in them to create sound); an art room to draw or paint pictures; a science room with toys to assemble displays such as molecules; and a room that resembles a bank lobby for children to learn about the world of finance. Each room includes notes on how to use or assemble items. Most of the supplies and items for the exhibits and rooms are donated by local businesses and families.

The museum features temporary exhibits too, usually running for a few months at a time. Recent themes have included space, geography and nature.

For children with Autism or special needs, there’s a separate sensory room for them to enjoy, with toys and items specially selected for their needs. The children who play in the room are supervised by an adult. Sometimes, things can get a little messy at the museum, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing — it’s just a sign of a young mind on the move. During one of her recent shifts at the museum, French found some money from the bank room next to a pile of eggs in the farm area.

“With the money and the eggs, they found something they liked and carried it with them,” Jordan said. “Then they found something else they liked, so they dropped that off and picked this up.”

About 20 volunteers in all handle the museum’s operation — planning and prep work, cleaning and supervising, and helping give guidance to their young visitors.

Additional volunteers are always being sought, and are approved by the museum’s board, which is also made up of volunteers.

Being a good volunteer at the museum, French said, “mostly takes a good personality to talk to people and make them feel comfortable here,” she said. “And we also like to have people who are willing to bend over and pick up things — because that seems to be the case. We feel like we’re pretty good at that.” odd and Darci Eisele haven’t discovered the land of milk and honey, but they’ve found something almost as good: a land of milk and lotion, balms, body butters and soap.

The museum is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Admission is $6 for ages 2 and up, and free for children younger than 2. Year-long family memberships also are available for $90, a deal that is for both a set of parents and their kids, or for a set of grandparents and their grandchildren.

Not only can children enjoy the occasional visit, but they can also have birthday parties at the museum; up to 20 children can rent the entire museum in twohour blocks either during museum hours on Friday or Saturday, or from 2 to 4 p.m. after hours on either day. Parties must be booked no later than two weeks before the event, and museum members receive a discount for party rentals.

Whatever the reason for their visit, French and her fellow volunteers hope kids’ first visit won’t be their last.

“We hope that they want to come back and see new things each time, or find something new,” French said.

The Children's Hands-On Museum of Northwest Illinois, inside Lincoln Mall at 1233 W. Galena St. in Freeport, is open Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Find it on Facebook, go to visitchom.org or call 815-990-1734 for rental opportunities or for more information.

And they owe it all to ewe.

The Eiseles raise East Freisian sheep, along with a few other animals, on their 4.5-acre Walden Woods Farm, where they’ve turned a farm chore — milking sheep — into a business. But these aren’t just any sheep; they’re a European breed considered one of the best milk sheep around, not only for the amount they yield, but the milk’s benefits, too.

“Compared to cow’s milk and goat’s milk, sheep milk is the No. 1 milk for many health reasons, not just for your skin, but for your body as well,” Darci said. “We raise our sheep, we milk them every morning, and this is a completely all-natural, from-the-farm product.”

By Cody Cutter Sauk Valley Media

East Freisians come from The Netherlands and northern Germany. According to raisingsheep.net, the breed was introduced in the U.S. only about 30 years ago, but since then its presence has grown — though still not all that abundant — as more farmers learn about the benefits of its milk.

Another interesting benefit of sheep milk, Todd said, is that it’s easily digestible for those who are lactose intolerant. However, the Eiseles don’t sell milk.

“We thought about goats and researched the sheep milk, which has more fat and has more nutrients and things in it that’s better for your skin,” Todd said. “East Freisian sheep are very rare in the United States. They’re up-and-coming and they’re a dairy sheep.”

Darci and Todd spend about 3 hours each day tending to their flock of six East Freisians, one of which was born in late August, and about another 4 hours a day for 2 or 3 days a week making lotion, bottling it, and stocking their product at the four small shops where they sell their items.

Ram-eo and Eweliet? Romeo is one of the newer East Friesian rams on Walden Wood Farms. He joined the family last year, and is doing his part to add more lambs to the flock.

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Among the products the Eiseles make with sheep milk are body butter and beard balm. The couple says sheep’s milk has more fat and nutrients and things in it that are better for your skin.

Many of their products have a scent added, including, lavender, lotus blossom or blackberry vanilla for the lotions; lavender or chamomile for butters; and sandalwood or patchouli for soaps.

Their soaps, balms, butters and lotions are available at Leaf River Kutz hair salon in Leaf River, Vintage Chicks and Feed on state Route 72 between Leaf River and Byron, Elite Design Salon and Day Spa in Freeport, and naturally — Complete Sheep Shoppe in rural Belvidere.

“You don’t know when you make something at first what kind of interest there will be,” Darci said. “We’ve had a lot of interest, and I’m always scrambling to make it so that it’s pretty fresh.”

The Eiseles’ first try at selling their product at a market was at The Pec Thing in Pecatonica 2 years ago. They came across customers who didn’t know about sheep’s milk, or even the fact that certain sheep can even be milked. They not only enjoy educating people about the health benefits of their products, but also the concept of raising animals in general, and how their products come straight from the farm. Since that first show, they’ve often set up at the Rockford City Market and the Mount Carroll Farmer’s Market.

Educating is right up their alley: both Todd and Darci also are teachers at Rockford Public Schools.

“Many people don’t understand farm-totable,” Todd said. “They’re so used to going to the store and that’s where you get things. To go from a farm to a product can be way out there for some people, especially at the Rockford City Market, because you’re talking with more urban people who just aren’t familiar with farms. They don’t really realize what we’re doing, so I think it’s an educational thing, as well as getting the product out there.”

When he has time, Todd likes to head to the Walden Woods sawmill, where he makes live edge cutting boards from trees on the couple’s property to sell. It’s only a part-time project, though — he doesn’t want to get too overwhelmed with it, as the lotions, balms, butters and soaps are the couple’s primary focus.

Sheep aren’t the only ones on the farm helping the couple earn some extra money. Mother Nature lends a hand too, with a trove of trees that provide them with the lumber from their sawmill that they use to make live edge charcuterie and cutting boards from black walnut trees, which have been a big seller at the markets. There’s also oak, ash, cherry, pignut hickory and shag hickory trees waiting to be felled and finessed into something new. A solar kiln is used to dry the wood.

The woodworking endeavor only started in the last couple of years with their son, Jenner Eisele, who worked for a cabinet maker in Forreston. He made several pieces of furniture with wood from their trees, as well as other trees obtained from storm damage. Jenner recently left for the military, and Todd is using the woodworking apparatus to crank out a few kitchen boards — but not a whole lot, though, as he doesn’t want to get too overwhelmed with it, he said. The lotions, balms, butters and soaps are the couple’s primary focus.

The Eiseles’ other children help out, too: Jory Hatton designs and maintains the Walden Woods Farm website, and Jade Doan makes bags for the soap.

The Eiseles say that work like theirs is just one small part of a larger movement that’s helping make people less sheepish about raising the fluffy farm animals and discovering their benefits, and as more people count on sheep for their milk, the movement will only grow. Already, they’ve been breeding their sheep.

Find Walden Woods Farm on Facebook, Instagram (@waldenwoodsfarm), waldenwoodsfarm.com, or call 815-222-2275 for more information.

“We get a lot of contacts from people who want to purchase our East Freisians, and I think soon there will be a lot more of them readily available for people to purchase,” Darci said. “Now that more people know about the benefits of sheep milk, the more popular they’ll be.”