Stocking feats made Byron native a champ Farm taps into fluffy friends from Europe A Polo toraisesbusinessitglassgoodhealth Groups unite to help communitiestheir PRSRT STD U.S. Sterling,PermitPAIDPostageNo.440IL61081 *****ECRWSSEDDM*****PostalCustomer An business in Oregon has found its target audience in people who want to get a handle on axe throwing ownerChapman,ChrisofRusticRidgeAxeThrowing
Ogle County Living | Fall/Winter 20222 Cartons Milk, Juice, Broth, Soup & Other No Product Wrap (return clean to retailer) check with local authority for other optio ns) SM-ST2008128
3Ogle County Living | Fall 2021 Publisher/Ad Director Jennifer Heintzelman Magazine editor & Page design Rusty Schrader For Advertising Contact Jill Reyna at 815-631-8774 or jreyna@saukvalley.comPublishedbySaukValleyMedia 113 S. Peoria Ave., Dixon, IL 815-284-222261021 Have a story idea for Ogle County Living? E-mail rschrader@saukvalley.com Articles and advertisements are the property of Sauk Valley Media. No portion of Ogle County Living may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Ad con tent 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 ac curacy. Sauk Valley Media cannot and will not be held liable for the quality or performance of goods and services provided by advertis ers listed in any portion of this magazine. inside 4 Community opportunity The local chapters of an international organization have found a better Way to lend a hand to people in Lee and Ogle counties. 18 Byron’s champ Al Spalding’s Stocking feats secured him a place in baseball history, and hard work made him a well-known name on the basketball court. 30 Why buy a cow when milk is so sheep? Business is skin deep for a couple whose fluffy friends from Europe help them tout the benefits of their farm-to-table products. 38 Here’s to your health A Polo business owner is raising her glass to healthier lifestyles and giving customers a boost, shaking things up, and helping them have an ice day.onwhotargetbusinessandOnFling10bladeyourmark,getset...throw!AnOregonhasfounditsaudienceinpeoplewanttogetahandleaxethrowing. Making Your Realty Dreams a Reality www.listitwithjamie.com 815-243-4310 Call me today for a FREE Home Valuation! SOLD for $520,000 SOLD for $1 Million
Ogle County Living | Fall/Winter 20224 SM-ST2006265 Serving Older Adults and Their Families Throughout Ogle Country Caregiver 815-732-3252810www.rockrivercenter.orgEducation/RecreationServicesTrips&ToursSouth10thStreet,Oregon•800-541-5479 Community Partner Education/Recreation Senior Information MedicareTransportationServiceCounseling SM-ST2007343 OPPORTCOMM
Ogle County Living | Fall/Winter 2022 5 STOCK YOUR FREEZER WITH LOCALLY GROWN BEEF! • Quarters . Halves • $4.00/lb Hanging Weight • 100% Grass Fed • No Hormones Or Antibiotics • Non Gmo • FREE Delivery Or Pickup Tampico, IL (815) 590-3477 Call or Email Today to Reserve Yours! joshh@fairfieldam.org STORY BEGINS ON FOLLOWING PAGE
UNITED
Living | Fall/Winter 2022
Valley Media
The chapters will continue to have their separate identities — the United Way of Ogle County and the United Way of Lee County — but with a shared leadership team overseeing both counties, led by the president of its board of directors, Peter Shaw, and it executive director, Amanda Wike. The team is proud of the work it has done to serve Lee County, and wants to bring that same dedication to Ogle County: a place more similar to Lee County — rural with mostly smaller communities and one larger city (Rochelle in Ogle County and Dixon in Lee County) — than the United Way of Rock River Valley, which is more of an urban-based chapter. Cutter Sauk
Story | Cody
Ogle County’s chapter previously had been part of the Rockfordbased United Way of Rock River Valley, but this year it took on a new partner in its mission. Begin ning July 1 it switched to working with United Way of Lee County. The change was made to bring its mis sion more in line with the commu nities it serves — ones that are part of a rural landscape with a vibrant volunteer culture.
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United Way of Lee County President Pe ter Shaw and Execu tive Director Amanda Wike now are also leading the United Way of Ogle County. Wike said they’re excited about the partnership, which will help bring a more dedicated focus on local volunteers help ing local communi ties in Ogle County. “It should really open up a lot more possi bilities,” Shaw said.
CODY SAUKVALLEY.COMCCUTTER@CUTTER/ WAY cont’d to page 7 Ogle County
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ou don’t have to look far to under stand United Way’s mission. It’s the first half of its name. And you don’t have to look far to see that mission in action. It’s happening in Lee and OgleThecounties.goalof the United Way is to unite people and resources to improve lives and build stronger communities. Those communities are key to its success because that’s where the non-profit organiza tion has its volunteer boots on the ground — an estimated 1.5 million volunteers who are part of more than 1,100 local affiliates around the world.Inthe Sauk Valley, two of those chapters have united to lend a hand to help their communities.
Ogle County Living | Fall/Winter 2022 7 SM-ST1998920 “They approached us to see if we would be will ing to take on Ogle County, because our missions are matched,” Wike said. “We try to address the unmet needs of our communities through nonprofit agencies, and that’s what both counties do.” There was already some crossover between the non profit agencies served in the two counties, Wike said. “Being both rural counties, fundraising is similar, the agencies are similar, and it was a no-brainer for us to say, ‘Yeah, we’ll do it.’” Once it was decided to move forward with the change, it was just a matter of getting the details worked out. Talks began in February between the Lee and Rock River chapters to make the transition pos sible.“United Way of the Rock River Valley felt that the best impact that they could have is by focusing on a single issue, whereas we want to provide as much impact as we can to many different agencies that serve many different issues,” Shaw said. While the need to establish a presence in Ogle County was something that the Lee County United Way team was interested in, they wanted to make sure that the change was for the better and that the work of both agencies wasn’t diminished. UNITED WAY cont’d from page 6 UNITED WAY cont’d to page 9 numbers
“We wanted to make sure that Lee County was good with it, and understood how it would or wouldn’t impact [them], that it wasn’t just this huge merger and all of a sudden everything’s one pot,” Shaw said. “One of the things we’re extremely proud of, for United Way of Lee County, is that we raise dollars locally and those dollars stay local. The allocations that are made to our local agencies are all decided upon through a pretty rigorous process, but all by local volunteers who are going through this, going through our board. Does this change that? No. We’re still going to be the fiduciary for Ogle County, but we’re going to as sist Ogle County in building something similar to what we have.”
Once the details were worked out, it was time to have all the team players meet. Business leaders and volunteers from Ogle County United Way missions attended a meet-and-greet with the Lee County chapter in July at Cork and Tap in Oregon. Lee County’s team worked on recruiting volunteers and rounded up people to start building an advisory board for Ogle County.
307 First Ave., Sterling Monday-Sunday 10am-4pm We invite you to stopby and enjoy a multi-level shopping experience Embroidery & Long-Arm Quilting 306
Ogle County Living | Fall/Winter 20228
“In the rural communities, we rely on a lot of volunteerism for our United Way, whereas in a lot of the urban communities they may not be as volunteer-centric,” Wike said. “It becomes a community campaign, and everyone gets involved in one way or another, whether it’s with fundraising, giving or volunteer ing. Ogle County had not had that [with the United Way of Rock River Valley], so we’re excited to bring that rural United Way to Ogle County.” W. Washington. Oregon, IL Tues-Fri 9:00-4:00, By Appt.
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Currently, in Lee County, there are more than 300 volunteers who have accumulated more than 2,000 hours of volunteerism through the first half of 2022. Both Shaw and Wike feel they can duplicate those same numbers in Ogle County.
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“The people that were there were very interested in helping in any way they could,” Shaw said. “It was really nice meeting the people who showed up.”
Jinny Swedburg (left) of Lost Lake in rural Ogle County talks with Lee County United Way Executive Director Amanda Wike during a meet-and-greet in July at Cork and Tap in Oregon. The event was put on to tell Ogle County residents about the new opportunities that the partnership Lee and Ogle County United Way chapters will bring to local
SAUKVALLEY.COMCODYresidents.CUTTER/CCUTTER@ UNITED WAY cont’d from page 7 UNITED WAY cont’d to page 9
Creative Designs Carol BellowsCreativeinc2@aol.com
A new name for the combined chapters of Lee and Ogle coun ties’ United Ways will be an nounced at a later date. Find United Way of Lee County on Facebook, go to fleecounty.orgunitedwayoorcall815-284-3339.
UNITED WAY cont’d from page 8
“It should really open up a lot more possibilities for all of the business that do workplace campaigns,” Shaw said. “As we build in Ogle County, we’ll be able to offer to their employees to be able to mark whether they want to give to Lee County or Ogle County.”“When you’re giving to the United Way, you are giving to the local United Way — not the national organization. It goes straight here. Everything stays local,” he added.
“The benefit of United Way is that we’re assessing the com munity needs and we are addressing the unmet needs — what’s not happening for the community that would make it a healthier place for everyone to live in,” Wike said. “That’s why you give to United Way: because they’re doing the background work, and when you become a volunteer or become a board member you get to learn about all of those things about your community. So it does integrate you into your community a little bit deeper than you could ever imagine, and give in a really big way.”
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The new union remains committed to local giving and local impact. Donors can choose whether they want their dona tion allocated to Lee County or Ogle County, or both. United Way supports more than 50 programs and one of its most prominent money-raising campaigns is through workplace programs and employee donations. So, for example, some one who works in Ogle but lives in Lee can still donate to Lee County, and vice-versa.
According to the United Way’s website, it is one of the world’s largest privately funded charities, serving 95 percent of U.S. communities and 37 countries and territories by tackling tough challenges and working with private, public, and nonprofit partners to boost education, economic solutions, and health resources. Its humanitarian aid programs support 48 million people every year. United Way’s scope includes 1.5 million volunteers, 6.8 million donors, and 45,000 corporate partners. That’s the big-picture view of United Way, but as far-reaching as that familiar blue hand is, United Way’s focus still remains on the local faces and places that make up that picture — bringing people together, improving their lives and making their commu nities a better place to call home. “We’re providing them an opportunity to be involved and to better help their community,” Shaw said. n
Over the next few months, Shaw, Wike and Lee County United Way leadership will visit communities throughout Ogle County — all 40 miles wide by 20 miles long — to inform community leaders about the United Way’s mission and how it can help those in need.
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Ogle County Living | Fall/Winter 202210
STORY | CODY CUTTER | SAUK VALLEY MEDIA AXE cont’d to pages 12 & 13 Ogle County Living | Fall/Winter 2022 11
egend has it that Paul Bunyan created the Grand Canyon by dragging an axe behind Christopherhim.Chapman created a business by throwing an axe in front of him.Both those statements may sound implausible, but only one of them is a tall tale. The other is Rustic Ridge Axe Throwing, where Chapman invites customers to take a hatchet in hand and let it fly.
Ogle County Living | Fall/Winter 202212 SM-ST2009381 Oregon Candlelight Walk Thanksgiving Weekend Enjoy a small town Christmas Saturday, November 26, 2022 3:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m. Join us in Downtown Oregon, IL for an evening of old-fashioned holiday fun! • Horse Drawn Rides • Tree Lighting • Activities on Candy Cane Lane • Winter Carnival • Visit with Santa • Holiday Gift Fair • Outdoor Food Vendors • Entertainment, Refreshments & Shopping Oregon’s 36th 815-732-2100candlelightwalk.orgAnniversary Join us in Downtow nOre foranevening of old-fashioned • HorseDrawn Rides • Tree Lighting • Activitie • Winter Car nival • Visit with Santa • Ho • “PAW Patrol” on Washington • Outdoor Food Ve • Enter tainment, Refreshments &S Saturday, November 3:00 p.m. -8:00 Oregon, Illinois Oregon’s33rd Anniv oregonil.com Sean Cole and Shanda Jackson of Dixon throw axes at Rustic Ridge Axe Throwing on Aug. 12. Owner Chris Chapman (right) said most folks can pick up the basics of axe throwing in less than a half hour, but as with anything else, the more you practice the better you get. “There’s a lot more to it than just aiming it and throwing,” he said. “Foot placement, hand placement on the axe, things like that.” PHOTOS ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM
Top: Need something to throw during your visit to RusticRidge? Axe and ye shall receive. The business sells axes forthose who want to have their own gear.
ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM
Rustic Ridge Axe Throwing in downtown Oregon is a place where people can jump on the bandwagon of a sport that’s grown in popular ity in recent years. Axe throwing is similar to archery, but you don’t need a bow and arrow, just an axe and an arm. A good eye helps, too, because the object is to hurl the hatchet at a target painted on a piece of wood. The closer to the bullseye, the better the score. Once you pick up the axe, it can be hard to put it down — just ask Chapman. He first tried out axe throwing only a few months ago. Now he and his wife, Cassandra, have made a business out of it.
AXE cont’d from page 11 AXE cont’d to page 14
Ogle County Living | Fall/Winter 2022 13
UKULELE
“They enjoy how laid back it is, and enjoy the throwing,” he said. “I actually had a birthday party recently and they left a Google re view that they can’t wait to come back because my employees made it enjoyable. We try to get as many people as we can when we’re working with them to hit the targets well, give them the pointers we can, and go let them do their thing. If we see something that we can help correct, if there’s time, we can make a comment here or there and most times it will work, and they like that.”
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Bottom: Knife throwers can also hone their skills at Rustic Ridge Axe Throwing.
“It’s very addicting,” Chapman said. The activity — fans will tell you it’s a sport — has grown in popularity in recent years, and governing bodies for tourna ments have been established around the world. Axe throwing businesses have popped up throughout northern Illinois and Chapman has brought it to Ogle County.
Ogle County Living | Fall/Winter 202214
Brandy Haynes of Oregon, who works at Rustic Ridge, shows off her custom axe. It hooked she said.
fortoodidn’ttakelongherto get
“A lot of it is power; it doesn’t take much to stick them in the boards,” Chapman said. “If you overpower it, you’ll overrotate it. If you under-power it, you’ll under-rotate it. There’s a lot more to it than just aiming it and throwing. Foot place ment, hand placement on the axe, things like that.”
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Chapman said that there are a couple of ladies in their league who never threw an axe before coming to Rustic Ridge, but now they really have a handle on Chapman’sit.own business tale with the axes started a little more than a year ago. He and Cas sandra own a ranch west of Oregon called Rustic Ridge and had thought about opening a westernthemed store in town. Then Christopher threw his first axe — and then another, and then another. He was hooked, and he figured other people could be too.
Like any sport, equipment can make a difference. Axes come in many types, and people have a preference for their favorite, whether it’s head heavy or more balanced. It doesn’t take long to pick up the basics of throwing — about 10-15 minutes — but as with anything else, practice makes perfect Chapman said, with the right coordination of stance, throwing and determining the right release point.
on throwing axes. “It’s really addict ing,”
AXE cont’d to page 15PHOTOS:\ ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM
Ogle County Living | Fall/Winter 2022 15
Rustic Ridge Axe Throwing opened May 28 and has been growing in popular ity ever since. “I looked at my wife the first time I ac tually threw one, and said, ‘Guess what we’re doing,’” Chapman said. “I’m kind of glad we did this instead of the western store.”
Rustic Ridge has seven throwing lanes — three sets of two and one all by itself — built by Chapman and a few friends. Cottonwood is used for the target boards because it holds up better to repeated throws, and Chapman goes through about a skid of them a month.
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Depends on where your axe hits shownboard,theasbelowintheWorldAxeThrowingLeague’sscoringsystem.
Rustic Ridge is affiliated with both the World Axe Throwing League and the World Knife Throwing League; Chapman is a certified coach through both leagues. Knife-based sessions also are available and leagues are being considered for the future, Chapman said.
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The historic Ogle County Courthouse in downtown Oregon, Illinois provides the back-drop for this popular festival. Free entertainment and family-oriented events and activities are offered.
Ogle County Living | Fall/Winter 202216 Leagues run for 6 weeks and are on Tuesday nights. The one that ended in August had 26 participants, more than double what Chapman was expecting. Though Chapman isn’t able to coach much — he’s busy keeping score — he enjoys seeing the helpfulness and camara derie that comes with axe throwing. “It’s a great group of people, and they’re very helpful with each other,” Chapman said. “I told them from the get-go that I can’t coach since I’m scoring and can’t tell you what to fix, but I have no issue with other players doing it. If other players want to give pointers, I encourage it. They want to see everyone get better and do better. They hit bulls eyes or kill shots and are whoopin’ and hollerin’. They make it fun.” Want the axe throwing experience to come to you? No problem. Chapman has a trailer set up for axe throwing that’s made appearances at corporate and church events, the Oregon Farmer’s Market, and festivals such as Let Freedom Ring in Mount Morris, Sauerkraut Days in Forreston and a Big Rig truck show in Franklin Grove in August — even a couple bridalBrandyshowers.Haynes of Oregon is one of two employees at Rustic Ridge, and like her boss, it didn’t take too long for her to get addicted to axe throwing. “It’s really addicting,” Haynes said. “You’re going to be a little anxious about trying it out because it’s something sharp and something you haven’t done before, and new things are scary. Having a safe, controlled environment to do something like that, you can get thelineadrenaandgetthepridewhenyouactuallyhit a areWhenbullseye.”thelanesfull,there’sa waiting area with tables where people can sit and chat, and maybe even sharpen their bragging rights. Snacks and bever ages are sold at the front counter, and outside food can be brought in, but outside beverages aren’t allowed. Chapman plans to have arcade games in the waiting area, and maybe a pool table, too. The waiting area also has a small kid-safe toy target for anyone to try.
2022 Theme: Fallin’ for Oregon AXE cont’d from page 15 AXE cont’d to page 17
Chris Chapman Rustic Ridge owner
Arts & Crafts Farmers’ Market - Crafters and artisans offer an array of handmade, homegrown and collectible items including antiques and garden produce. Located on the Courthouse Square Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Axes are available on site, and customers can bring their own, too — but only certain types. They must be World Axe Throwing League approved and looked over by Chapman.
The cost is $20 per person per hour, or $35 for 2 hours, with discounts available for large group reserva tions or parties. Reservations are encouraged to ensure availability of a lane for a specified time.
Ogle County Living
Axe throwing is a niche business that often is found in a larger towns, but Chapman is glad to have it in Oregon alongside the town’s other host of unique businesses and activities.
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In order to throw, participants must wear close-toed shoes and fill out a liability waiver before throwing their first axe. Those ages 14 to 17 must be accompanied by an adult; those 10 to 13 must also be approved by Chapman personally before they can heave one at a target.
One way Chapman gets the word out about Rustic Ridge is through the sale of T-shirts — and they come with a perk. Wear it to the next throwing session and get a discounted rate.
“Being in a small town kind of makes it fun,” Chap man said. “I have a lot of regulars who have come back several times. It’s kind of a middle ground with other people where you can be buddy-buddy with everybody here and not have to worry about it. I grew up in a small town and I love seeing stuff like this.” n
18 Ogle County Living | Fall/Winter 2022
By CodySaukCutterValleyMedia
SPALDING cont’d to page 19 19Ogle County Living | Fall/Winter 2022
early 20,000 people have played professional baseball in the United States. Only a fraction of them have experienced the thrill of winning a season championship, be it the World Series or its predecessors, during the nearly 190 years since the game was first played.An even smaller fraction have been enshrined in the game’s hall of fame. A Byron native can lay claim to both of those impressive feats: Albert Goodwill “Al” Spalding. Of the 268 plaques of players in Coo perstown, Byron’s famous native son is forged in one. It was while growing up in Byron that Spalding — baseball player, manager, executive, sports equipment pioneer, businessman and former U.S. Senate candidate — learned his ABC’s, 123’s and the three R’s of reading, ’riting and ’rithmetic that would help him become the success that he was. He would go on to tap into his talent for baseball and hone those skills to become one of the “fathers of baseball,” and lead to victory in the many professional baseball games he played.
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The ultimate prize in professional sports, a championship and the honor of being among the best players in their competition, was something Spalding first achieved 150 years ago, in 1872, as a hard-working pitcher for the Boston Red Stockings of the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, then the top-tier professional league in the country. This year marks the sesquicentennial of Spalding’s achievement, but there would be plenty of more championships to come during his baseball career. Summerical references to Spalding’s career in various sources often lump in the 1872 title with the many he ac complished, not giving any special mention to one specific year. However, the one his team won 150 years ago proved to be the spark that would ignite a career on the diamond that would see many more accomplishments come Spalding’s way, mak ing him one of the game’s early greats. Little is known today about Spalding’s time in Byron, but that’s only because he lived there for the first 13 years of his life, during a time when young people’s lives weren’t documented the way they are today, in an online world of social media posts and tweets. Many famous people of the time tended to place more importance on the place where they grew from child to adult. For Spalding, that place was Rockford. Al Spalding is shown here on a 1871 Boston Red Stockings Wright Cabi nets trading card. According to trad ing card appraisal company Beckett Media, the card is worth $30,000, one of the most expensive Reconstruc tion-era baseball cards in existence.21
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What is known about Spalding’s life in Byron was that he was born there on Oct. 2, 1850, the son of James and Harriet Spalding. He was 4 when his sister, Mary, was born and 6 when his only surviving brother, James, was born; an older brother, Henry, died in infancy in 1849. When Albert was born, baseball was still relatively unknown to most Americans, and even then, its popularity was mostly in the New England region. Knowing little of the sport that would come to define him, Spalding would spend his childhood in Byron enjoying the friendships he formed with classmates. He could claim that he had the shortest walk to school among his peers: The Spald ings lived on the northwest corner of Second Avenue and Chestnut Street, just kitty-corner from the Byron Free School. Life would change for young Albert when his father died in 1859. Har riet, now widowed, wanted to make sure her children would get the best education possible. She must not have believed that Byron was the place to do that, so she turned to the big city to the north, Rockford, where the family moved in 1863.
Through the years, Spalding’s place in baseball history has been honored on various trading cards and
Rockford was no Byron: Even during the Civil War the city was an im portant regional railroad hub, and booming with agriculture and furniture production. Being the new kid from a small town coming to a big city wasn’t easy for Spalding, as he recounted years later in several interviews — but it was there that he found an escape from those growing pains, and it was one that would come to define him: baseball.
honorissuedcollectibles,otherincludingacombinationcollectorcoinandcardsetin1992tofive“Fathers SPALDING cont’d from page 20 SPALDING cont’d to page 22
Ogle County Living | Fall/Winter 202222
Byron’s first game was an exhibition affair with Albert’s Forest Citys, where the Rockford squad came away victo rious. The Byron squad fared much better after that, having compiled the best record among other baseball squads in Ogle County that year. By 1871, the talents of Spalding and Barnes were good enough to be noticed by the new Boston Red Stockings team of the new National Association of Pro fessional Base Ball Players, and they both headed east where the competi tion was much greater.
The Red Stockings’ first season saw them finish in third place in the new league, with a record of 20-10, finishing two games behind the champion ship-winning Philadelphia Athletics (a team with no relation to today’s Major League Baseball Athletics franchise).
SPALDING cont’d from page 21
Spalding was the starting pitcher in all of the team’s games, and led the nine-team NAPBBP in wins with 19. The Red Stockings had plenty of good offense as well, with Barnes (.401 average, 63 hits, 34 RBI) and future Hall of Famer George Wright (.413 av erage) leading the way on a team managed by George’s brother and fellow future Hall of Famer Harry Wright. In 1872, the Red Stockings were poised madeJulyscorecard.1871SpaldingisseenhereinarareMortRogersAccordingtoanarticleinthe3,1871,CincinnatiDailyGazette:“Anewinventioninthescorecardline,andonethatisdestinedtosupersedeallothersucharrangementsnowinuse,itsappearanceontheUniongroundsinthegamesofMondayandTuesday.Itisanordinarylargesizedscorecard,withaphotographofsomeprominentballplayerpastedonthe outside of each. The whole arrange ment is very neat and complete. Mr. Mortimer Rogers, of Boston, and a member of the Boston base ball club party, is the originator of the device.”
What started as just a game soon became a job during Spalding’s teen age years. He would improve upon his skills to the point where he joined the Rockford Forest Citys in 1867. The team was one of the first few in the Midwest to play professional baseball, with its players being paid for their work and performance. Another early baseball star, Ross Barnes, also played for the Forest Citys. (Side note: Some sources, including Macmillan’s “The Baseball Encyclopedia,” erroneously had Barnes as having been born in Mount Morris, Illinois — he was actually born in Mount Morris, New York.)
Just 3 years after Spalding came to Rockford, Byron established a local baseball team of its own. One of its founders was Dave Spalding, a cousin.
SPALDING cont’d to page 23
The team’s first game proved to be a statement to the rest of the league, as they defeated the Washington Nationals 26-3 on April 30, with Spalding pitching — and they just kept winning. They were victorious in 21 of the next 22 games, with the only loss in that stretch coming on May 4 in a 10-7 defeat against the Athletics. The team outscored opponents 304-88 in that stretch and seemed unstoppable until back-to-back losses in July against — again — the Athletics, and the Troy (New York) Haymakers. Even after those defeats, the Red Stockings won their next 20 games and were never less than 4.5 games ahead of anyone else for the rest of the season.
SPALDING cont’d from page 22
In 2014, a collection of rare baseball memorabilia was brought to PBS-TV’s “Antiques Roadshow.” Among the images and autographs of the Boston Red Stockings was a letter written by team members to the owner of their local boarding house while they were on the road. Players told her how much they missed her cooking. Spalding’s entry, (third down) in part, read “Would that we were home again.”
In 1872, the Red Stockings were poised to take their place among the upper echelon of the league once more, with a championship in their sights. Unlike the Athletics, the Red Stockings had all of its star players back that year and proceeded to tear through the now 11-team circuit.
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SPALDING cont’d to pages 24 & 25
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SPALDING cont’d from page 23 SPALDING cont’d to pages 26 & 27
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Spalding, who threw with his right hand, was a pitching workhorse that year, putting up statistics that today’s ma jor league pitchers would never reach due to advancements in the game, but perhaps by professional and amateur softball players. Back then, pitchers could only throw underhand, and there were as many as four games a week. The ball was made of yarn and melted rubber with a leather cover sewn on. Spalding started all 48 games and posted a record of 38-8, having thrown in 404.2 innings, 41 complete games, struck out 28 batters and posted an earned run average of 1.85. He even carried his pitching successes to the batter’s box, where he led his team with 47 RBI and was second to Barnes in batting average (.354), slugging percentage (.447) and on-base per centage (.471). When he wasn’t pitching, he traded spots with Harry Wright in the outfield. Boston and its star pitcher weren’t done writing those early chapters of baseball’s record books after that. What came next was the flourishing of one of the game’s earliest dynasties.
Back then, there was no World Series — that wouldn’t begin in 1903 — and championships were won solely on a team’s win-loss record. Having been the team to beat all year, the Red Stockings clinched the championship Oct. 4, 1872, with a 10-8 win over the Athletics, and with the then-second-place Baltimore Canaries’ 18-8 loss to the New York Mutuals on the same day. Just 2 days prior, the Red Stockings beat the Canaries 8-3.
Not only did Spalding, Barnes and the Wright brothers come back to Boston for the 1873 season, they also added another future Hall of Fame player in Jim O’Rourke. An even more star-studded Red Stockings team cruised to the 1873 NAPBBP championship with Spalding starting in 54 games and winning 41 of them. In 1874, the result was the same: another championship. This time, Spalding won 52 games and had an ERA of 1.92. The next season saw the pinnacle of the dynasty, a season that baseball historians contend was one of the greatest in professional baseball history. That remarkable 1875 season saw the Red Stockings win 71 of its 79 games played, with Spalding hurling a 54-5 record and posting a 1.59 ERA. Spalding became the first pitcher to win 200 professional baseball games during the season.
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Spalding found success off the diamond, too. He and his brother, Walter, opened a sporting goods store in Chicago in 1874. By 1901 one store had become 14 and they eventually expanded into a manufacturing and distribution business for sporting equipment, including the balls that have become synonymous with basketball. The 1896 die cut advertising piece at right touted the benefits of Spalding’s baseballs. Today, the Spalding company makes basketballs, apparel, and arena and gym equipment.
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The 1876 White Stockings, which also featured future Hall of Famer Cap Anson, went 52-14 and captured the league’s first championship. Spalding continued his success at the pitcher’s rubber, finishing 47-12 with a 1.75 ERA. After a disappointing fifth-place league finish in 1876, Spalding transitioned into full-time managing. His pitching legacy remains strong, even while many players have since surpassed his statistics, as he still owns the best winning percentage for a pitcher in his career, at .795. In all, Spalding finished with a career win-loss record of 252-65, had a 2.13 ERA, completed 279 of 325 games started, hurled 24 shutouts, saved 13 games, and tossed 2,886.1 innings from 1871 to 1877; his statistics from his playing days in Rockford have not been documented. At the plate during his time with Boston and Chi cago, Spalding hit .313 with 613 hits, 86 doubles, 19 triples, two home runs and drove in 338 RBI. After his playing and managing career, Spalding moved into the team’s front office and was its president for 10 years.
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While the mighty Red Stockings were winning, the NAPBBP wasn’t. The league folded after 1875 and many of its players joined the new National League in 1876; this league continues today after 146 years. The Chicago White Stockings, who played in the NAPBBP and brought its entire franchise to the new NL, hired Spalding as its player-manager. Barnes came over to the Chicago club as well — and so did success.
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Al Spalding’s plaque at the Baseball Hall of Fame museum in Cooperstown, New York. He was inducted in 1939. Go to alhall.org/hall-of-famers/spalding-baseballtoreadhisHallofFameprofile.
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The Byron Museum of History has an exhibit on Spalding’s career and his time in the town. Centered between downtown Byron and recent business development on state Route 2, the museum is at the former Lucius Read House, built in the early 1840s. Other exhibits include ones on the Read Family and its role in the Underground Railroad, local railroads, downtown businesses and local farming.
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Address: 110 N. Union St. Phone: 815-234-5031 Online: JanuaryWednesdayOpen:byronmuseum.org10a.m.to3p.m.throughSaturday,hoursbyappointment
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SPALDING
As for the Red Stockings and White Stockings, they would go on — but not as the teams that some might think; they didn’t become the Red Sox or the White Sox, rather, the Red Stockings became what is today’s Atlanta Braves and the White Stockings became the Chicago Cubs. The Braves and Cubs are baseball’s oldest series, dating back to 1871 (the White Stockings, how ever, did not play for two seasons after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871).Evenas he aged, Spalding remained an active presence in American sports through the sporting goods company he established and that bears his name, which continues today. You’d be hard pressed to find a basketball game without a Spalding ball bouncing down the court. The spike of the coun try’s population in the late 1800s, with the rise of immigration, gave rise to the popularity of a greater variety of entertain ment and sports options, including football, basketball, boxing and hockey. As their popularity grew, so too did the Spalding company’s role, cranking out sports equipment that made Spalding a wealthy man.
SPALDING cont’d from page 27 cont’d to 29
Grit. Passion. Support. We understand what it takes to make big dreams a reality. Let’s talk about the protection your farm deserves. His business success led to political ambitions, and an unsuccessful bid for a U.S. Senate seat in 1910. When Spalding died of a stroke 5 years later, on Sept. 9, 1915, he lived in a huge man sion near San Diego — a far cry from his modest beginnings in Byron, but his contribution to the game he loved wasn’t forgotten. He was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939, the year its museum in Cooperstown, New York, opened. His time in Byron wouldn’t be forgotten either. The Byron Museum of History has an exhibit about Spalding’s career and his time in the town, and his parents and the older brother he never knew are buried in the town cemetery. Though his place in Byron’s history puts him in a league of his own among those who’ve called the city their home, Spalding found a place in sports history as a team player, from baseball to the boardroom. n
SPALDING cont’d from page 28 Through the years, Spalding’s place in baseball and sports history has been honored on various trading cards and other collectibles.
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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.
SaukCutterCodyByValleyMedia
“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 com pletely all-natural, from-the-farm product.”
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 andAndsoap.they owe it all to ewe.
SHEEP cont’d to page 33 31Ogle County Living | Fall/Winter 2022
Darci and Todd Eisele of Leaf River discovered the health benefits of East Freisian sheep milk and have turned it into a line of skin care products, made on their farm. “Com pared 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. SAUKVALLEY.COMCCUTTER@CUTTER/
Ogle County Living | Fall/Winter 202232 Specialty Magazines These magazines are totally free and will be sent to you in the mail. To request your FFREE copy, simply call us at (815) 632-2566 or email your requests and address to: knull@saukvalley.com Above this cover: Page 4
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The sheep are finding new homes in the U.S., but so far, they’re still fairly far and few between. But with people like the Eiseles spreading the word, that could change. Since milking their first one about 3 years ago, the couple has enjoyed hearing from customers who tell them how beneficial their lotions, balms, body but ters and soaps have been. Sheep milk is rich in vitamin D and E, along with 10 amino acids that help with its moisturizing abilities. The lotion the Eiseles make from it tends to be on the thicker side, and the couple say their customers have told them it’s helped with dry skin, eczema, sunburn and callouses. They’ve been selling their goods at farmers markets and pop-up markets, and have been doing their homework on the milk so they can pro mote its benefits.
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“It’s a question that we get at the markets: What is it about the sheep?” Todd said. “They’ve heard of goat milk soap and goat milk lotion, but not sheep milk. So we did a lot of research about the benefits and the vitamins and minerals in them.”
SHEEP cont’d from page 31 SHEEP to page 34 Ram-eo PAGEFARMWALDENflock.lambspartandearlierjoinedWoodramestmeoEwe-liet?andRoisthenewEastFriesianonWaldenFarms.Hethefamilythisyear,isdoinghistoaddmoretotheWOODSFACEBOOK
Among skin.terthatthingsnutrientsmoremilksaysThebeardbuttermilkwithEiselesproductsthethemakesheeparebodyandbalm.couplesheep’shasfatandandinitarebetforyour WALDEN WOODS FARM FACEBOOK PAGE SHEEP cont’d from page 33 SHEEP cont’d to page 35
The Eiseles’ endeavor began a few years ago when they dedicated their farm to animal rescues, providing a safe haven to neglected animals. Among those saved were a few horses and a couple of pigs and goats — then they had an East Freisian sheep come to the fold. They found they not only enjoyed having the sheep with them, but when they learned more about the breed and its unique attributes, they also found out more about the benefits of its milk.
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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 nu trients 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.”
The Eiseles enjoy educating people about what they do on their farm. “Many people don’t understand farm-to-table,” Todd said. “They’re so used to going to the store and that’s where you get things. 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.”
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 could 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 Farmers Market. Educating is right up their alley: both Todd and Darci also are teachers at Rockford Public Schools. “Many people don’t understand farm-to-table,” 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 real ize what we’re doing, so I think it’s an educational thing, as well as getting the product out there.” These two cuddly critters were born at Walden Woods Farm this spring, and when they’re old enough to be milked, they’ll be able to help out with the
Find Walden Woods Farm on Facebook, 815-222-2275waldenwoodsfarm.com,(@waldenwoodsfarm),Instagramorcallformoreinformation.
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SUBMITTEDbusiness.familyPHOTOS
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.
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SHEEP cont’d from page 36
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.
“We get a lot of contacts from people who want to pur chase 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 ben efits of sheep milk, the more popular they’ll be.” n
Todd and Darci’s grandsons, Owen and Wyatt, play with twin rams on the farm.
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.
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 some thing new. A solar kiln is used to dry the wood.
Ogle County Living | Fall/Winter 202238
MARCO cont’d to page 40
In a time when maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be a challenge — with carbonation and corn syrup and mega-sized fountain drinks all around — Lefevre is doing her part at Marco Nutrition to help people find healthy alternatives to all the unhealthy ingredients out there, and she’s doing it with boosted teas, shakes and iced coffees.
PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SAUKVALLEY.COMT.ALEX
By Cody Cutter | Sauk Valley Media
“I’ve met a lot of people that I wouldn’t have known otherwise,” she said. People of all ages have come in to try a healthy drink, including, of course, the students whose school mascot inspired the business’ name. Like clockwork, when she opens at 7 a.m. on four of the five school days — she’s closed Wednesday — a fair number of Polo Marcos are already there, wait ing to get their fix of her nutritional mix on their way to school.
“I enjoy helping people when they come in and want to be healthier, or do better things with their health,” she said, and in her first year of business, she’s met a lot of like-minded people.
Marco Nutrition’s Rene LeFevre likes to think of her role as more than just a business owner. She looks at it as a way to do her part to encour age healthier lifestyles, too. “I enjoy helping people when they come in and want to be healthier, or do better things with their health,” she said.
Ogle County Living | Fall/Winter 2022 39 ou say Marco, you hear Polo. When Renee Lefevre says Marco, she hears Nutrition.Lefevre is the mixmaster behind the healthy drinks and hometown pride at her Polo busi ness, Marco Nutrition.
MARCO
LeFevre mixes up a drink at Marco Nutrition. With so many choices on the menu to choose from, it’s hard to pick just one — but some customers do. LeFevre said about half her customers find a favorite and stick with it, while the rest like to explore what’s on the menu. cont’d from MARCO cont’d to page 41
Seeing younger customers opt for something other than mass produced energy drinks or soda makes Lefevre happy.“Ihope they’re cutting back on energy drinks,” Lefevre said. “Ours has vitamins and minerals in it, and it doesn’t have a lot of sugar. It’s healthy caffeine.”Lefevre mixes up lots of flavors to sa vor, with ingredients that come from the Herbalife brand of dietary supplements. What you won’t find, though, is a lot of calories, despite what the names of some flavors might lead you to believe. Chocolate and cheesecakes may not sound like part of a balanced diet, but the drinks at Marco Nutrition won’t have you tipping the scales. They clock in at only 250 calories or less. There’s practi cally no limit to what can be created, and Lefevre invites you to stop by and take a look at the menu. It’s right by the front door so you can decide what you want before you step up to the counter — and it might take a few minutes to make up your mind.
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ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SAUKVALLEY.COM
In all, Marco Nutrition’s menu includes almost 60 different types of shakes, each with no more than 250 calories and no more than 9 grams of sugar; 40 different sugar-free, boosted teas with plenty of vitamins and only 25 calories; and 20 dif ferent types of iced coffee, each with only 100 calories, 15 grams of protein and just 2 grams of sugar. The teas and shakes can be ordered cold or hot — the hot shakes proved to be popular in the winter months. The shakes can act as meal replacements if need be. Customers can also get their tea with a little beauty booster, too. There’s a col lagen mixture that supports strong nails and healthy hair, a CR7 with vital electrolytes and carbs that enhances hydra tion, an H3O that helps replace lost fluids, a Best Defense mix for stronger immune support, and aloe for better digestion health. Lefevre says her teas help burn calories, boost metabolism, increase energy and improve digestion. There’s even a caffeinefree boosted tea for the younger kids. Another type, a “hangover tea,” has 15 grams of protein, vitamin C and energy-supporting B vitamins. “When they come in for something that’s are about a 50-50 mix: some stick with their favorites, while others explore the menu to find new favorites.
MARCO cont’d from page 40 MARCO cont’d to page 42
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Lefevregethydrating,reallythey’llahangovertea,”said.Lefevre’sregulars
“When I first opened, there were a couple of peo ple who looked at the menu and decided they wanted to try every shake and every tea, but then they run across one that they really like and they’ll stick with it,” Lefevre said. “I’ve had people that order the same thing in the last year, maybe they only come in three times a week. Some of them get in their habit and have the one thing they like and never try anything else, and some of them try something differ ent every time they come in.”
ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SAUKVALLEY.COM There’s an art to mixing just the right drink, and LeFevre has quite a colorful palette to choose from. Marco Nutrition’s menu includes almost 60 different types of shakes, 40 different boosted teas, and 20 different types of iced coffee. Here, LeFevre mixes up a Marco Power tea, which features the high school colors of blue and yellow. Inset at left: The Fried Oreo Shake and the Marco Power tea.
Some come for the “flavors of the day,” to try a different tea, shake or iced coffee. Specials are posted on Marco Nutrition’s Facebook page before the store opens. In a hurry, and don’t want to wait in line? You can order ahead via Facebook Messenger. Sometimes Lefevre will take suggestions to help name newer creations. Some names come from a healthy helping of hometown pride. There’s a Marco Power tea, with orange, pomegranate and Herbalife’s “blue blast;” and a Marco Mayhem shake with cookies and cream, vanilla cheesecake, white chocolate, blue berry and lemon. Both concoctions feature the high school colors of blue and yellow. Marco Nutrition is one of several similar businesses throughout north central Illinois that use Herbalife products, and even have similarLefevremenus.used to work at Blackhawk Nutrition in Oregon before she decided to open her own place close to home. She took part in a DrumFIT exercise class in Oregon and found herself visit ing Blackhawk Nutrition for something healthy to quench her thirst. After a lit tle while, she wound up working there, and in the process she learned firsthand about nutritional science.
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FED UP WITH THE PRICE OF GAS?
“I got better, actually,” Lefevre said. “My blood sugar had been close to where they would have to watch it. I went there later and he said, ‘I don’t know what you’re doing, but your blood sugar is right back where it should be.’ I felt better, and I made my husband [Mark] start drinking them — he absolutely wasn’t going to do it, but now he drinks a shake every night.” Even the ice in the drinks gets a little boost. It comes from a Vevor ice machine that bathes it in blue light. The light is supposed to pre vent bacteria from growing inside, but Lefevre has seen another benefit of it: younger cus tomers think the blue light looks pretty cool.“The younger kids will come in here and point their friends out to the ice machine, and tell them, ‘Wait until she opens that, there’s a light in there,’” Lefevre said. Lefevre’s proud to do her part to promote healthier lifestyles, and she hopes more people will hear her message and say: “I’ll drink to that!” “I love what I do,” she said. “I really do.” n Marco Nutrition, 103 N. Division Ave. in Polo, is open from 7 a,m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday; and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday. Find it on Facebook or Instagram (@ marco nutrition) for more information and its flavors of the day.
PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SAUKVALLEY.COMT.ALEXMARCO cont’d from page 42
Ogle County Living | Fall/Winter 2022 43 Book your ride today! 815-288-2117 LOTSIL.ORG LEE-OGLE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IS GETTING YOU WHERE YOU NEED TO GO! Whether you need to get to work, the grocery store, a doctor appointment, or another location in Lee or Ogle Counties, we’ll help you get there! Curb-to-curb service. No bus stops!
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