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The walls can talk, thanks to a local artist

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Publisher/Ad Director Jennifer Heintzelman Magazine editor & Page design Rusty Schrader Published by Sauk Valley Media 113 S. Peoria Ave. Dixon, IL 61021 815-284-2222 Have a story idea for River City Living? Let us know ...

Call 815-632-2531 or e-mail news@saukvalley.com Articles and advertisements are the property of Sauk Valley Media. No portion of Small TownLiving may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Ad content is not the responsibility of Sauk Valley Media. The information in this magazine is believed to be accurate; however, Sauk Valley Media cannot and does not guarantee its accuracy. Sauk Valley Media cannot and will not be held liable for the quality or performance of goods and services provided by advertisers listed in any portion of this magazine.

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Small Town

inside These walls can talk

... and thanks to a local artist, they have a lot to say, not only about the people and places portrayed in her larger-than-life pieces, but about the person who created them.

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The family that sows together grows together The Gilmores of Lee County know the lay of their land pretty well, and they should — they’ve been reaping the rewards of it for nearly200 years.

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Generations of the Gilmores have been farming the land for nearly 200 years.

Today, Steve Gilmore (far left) and his brother Scott (far right) oversee the family operation. Seen here with the brothers are, from left, Edward Kofoid, 5, Maverick Schoenholz, 4, Ella Schoenholz, 6, Marianne Gilmore, and Evelyn Kofoid, 1.

ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

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By Cody Cutter | Sauk Valley Media

COMPTON – If it wasn’t for a deep hole in the mud, Lee County’s oldest family farm wouldn’t be in business right now.

It was 1835 and Illinois had only been a state for 17 years when John Gilmore’s wagon was slogging through the still-young state when he became bogged down on Chicago Road.

Instead of giving up, he dug in and ended up striking paydirt in that muddy mess, putting down the roots of what would someday grow into one of the state’s oldest family farms.

GILMORE cont’d to page 6

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GILMORE cont’d from page 5 Today, 186 years later, what started as a family farm has grown into a 1,500-acre operation – and while tractors have replaced wagons, a Gilmore is still in the driver’s seat. John’s great-great-great-grandsons, Scott and Steve, oversee the farm.

The Gilmore Farm has been in the same family for six generations, and the seventh is being prepared to carry on the family legacy, and maybe an eighth generation will follow, too — at least that’s what brothers Scott, 68, and Steve, 66 are hoping for their grandchildren.

Mail call ... If you weren’t sure whether a farm family lived here or not, you need look no further than the Gilmore’s mailbox in front of their farm at 2853 Chicago Road, between Compton and Paw Paw. ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

GILMORE cont’d to pages 7-8

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Irish immigrants John and Hannah Gilmore, the first generation of Gilmores to farm in Lee County.

BELOW: Alexander Gilmore (second from left), son of John and Hannah Gilmore, represented the second generation of the family to tend to their farm. He is pictured with his wife Louise (fourth from left), and (from left) Fred – who would represent the third generation of Gilmores at the farm – and his siblings Harry, Josephine, Carrie and Arlo.

LEFT: In addition to farming, John and Hannah Gilmore operated the Gilmore Inn for travelers on the Chicago Trail, which was the first road leading out toward Lee County from Chicago. It was built in 1848 and operated for 18 years before it was sold. By the time this picture was taken in 1952, the building had seen better days, and had been converted into a storage shed for farm equipment.

LEFT: The Gilmore Farm north of Compton as it looked circa 1907.

including photos of history is on display in a makeshift museum on the farm, The Gilmore family ’s history is rooted in farming, and that thing,” joked Scott. every saved souvenirs keepsakes and more. “The Gilmores the earliest relatives to the youngest grandkids, trinkets,

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GILMORE cont’d from page 6-7 Steve has been on the farm all of his life; Scott, too, other than for a short time for school.

“Dad needed help, and he was helping his dad as he was getting older,” Steve said. “My grandpa liked to go to Florida during the winter, so dad was stuck here and I’d help him, and it just kept on going and I never got out of it.”

Other members of the Gilmore family tree have also put down roots on farms nearby, including many cousins and uncles.

“I can be next to my kids and my grandkids,” Scott said. “My grandkids, especially the little ones, want to ride in the machines for ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM hours. That makes it enjoyFarming has been part a part of Steve Gilmore’s life for as long as he can remember. “Dad needed able. You can be with your help, and he was helping his dad as he was getting older,” Steve said. “My grandpa liked to go to family.”

Florida during the winter, so dad was stuck here and I’d help him, and it just kept on going and I GILMORE cont’d to page 9 never got out of it.”

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GILMORE cont’d from page 8 Riding in the tractors also was fun for Scott and Steve growing up – though the machines didn’t quite measure up to today’s mammoth rides. The brothers recall when their grandfather, Ralph, would let them ride along through the very fields they now oversee.

“If we wanted to drive a tractor, we’d go to grandpa,” Scott said. “They were just a small B or an A, and I don’t think mom or dad ever knew that.

The B had a seat next to it. The axle was flat so that he could put a box next to it to ride on. It was still really dangerous because you didn’t want to get underneath of it.”

The Gilmores farm corn and soybeans these days. Livestock used to be part of the operation – hogs, cattle, sheep, chickens – but through the years, livestock became less and less a part of the farm, with the family getting out of the hog business a few years again when market prices went south.

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M is for the many things she gave them ... Scott has many memories of growing up on the family farm, but one his fondest is of his mom, Donna’s, role in the operation. “She loved the farm,” he said. “She would always make us lunch every day and brought it to the field. You never went hungry. The machinery dealer and the seed dealer always knew when to stop, too; they’d stop at noon and Mom was like, ‘You might as well eat!’ She’d feed everybody.”

GILMORE cont’d to page 10

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GILMORE cont’d from page 9 The Gilmore’s hog operation started as a farrow-to-finish – farrowing was done in the field in little huts – and they graduated to farrowing in a barn and then converted a chicken house into a farrowing house and had one of the first farrowing nursery buildings in the area by the 1960s.

“Everyone thought it was good to do hogs out in the wilderness like that, but not with a 2- or 3-inch rain and the little ones are floating down the hill,” Scott said. “That wasn’t a very good scene.”

When a 500-pound sow generated just around $20, however, it became too much.

“I always liked the livestock part of it, but it just got too much,” Steve said. “You can’t find much help on the livestock end.

Everyone wants to get in a nice, clean tractor and a combine.”

GILMORE cont’d to page 11

ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

Steve and Scott’s father, Edward, was an avid collector of farm toys. It started with a replica of his first tractor and kept on growing (and growing) from there. “It became an obsession,” Steve (above) said. “If a new one was about to come out, he wanted to be the first one on the list to get it.”

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GILMORE cont’d from page 10 The farm’s footprint has changed through the years, too.

It once encompassed 2,500 acres but operates on 1,500 now.

About 800 acres are set aside for corn and the remaining 700 for soybeans.

Operations, technology and life on the family farm have changed a lot over 185 years, but some things remain the same, like the family behind the farm and their commitment to helping feed the nation.

John Gilmore traveled to northern Illinois with William Guthrie, a friend who once fought in the Black Hawk War that raged in northwest Illinois and southern Wisconsin only 3 years prior. The only other white man around Lee County at the time was Zachariah Melugin, who had established the small settlement of Melugin’s Grove – which would eventually become Compton – in a large grove of trees just a few miles west of the future farm, also 3 years prior. Native Americans were the only other people around.

“The horses got stuck and the horses quit pulling,” Steve said. “It was all swamp, and it was just miles and miles of swamp and people couldn’t get around.”

Because the area was so swampy, it made the soil around fertile ground for farming. Eventually the swampy areas would become improved during the Great Depression for better farming, but remnants of swamp-like areas still exist in small pockets throughout the eastern part of Lee County.

For a brief time, John Gilmore’s father, John Sr., also lived on the farm. The younger John passed the operation to his son, Alexander, who would in turn pass it along to the next generation of Gilmores. Fred came after Alexander. Then Ralph took over in the early 20th century. Ralph then passed it on to Scott and Steve’s parents, Edward and Donna, who turned it over to their sons a few decades ago.

While Edward was in charge of the fields, Donna was in charge of the kitchen, and they both had their hands full.

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GILMORE cont’d to page 12 A plaque from the Illinois Department of Agriculture recognizes the Gilmore farm as being a sesquicentennial family farm.

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The tractors may have changed, but kids are still having fun on the farm.

Here, Steve poses for a photo with a tire full of smiling kids on. his birthday. Riding in the tractors was fun for Scott and Steve growing up – though the machines didn’t quite measure up to today’s mammoth rides. The brothers recall when their grandfather, Ralph, would let them ride along through the very fields they now oversee. “If we wanted to drive a tractor, we’d go to grandpa,” Scott said.

ALEX T. PASCHAL/ APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

GILMORE cont’d from page 11 “She loved the farm,” Scott said. “She would always make us lunch every day and brought it to the field. That was her contribution. You never went hungry. The machinery dealer and the seed dealer always knew when to stop, too; they’d stop at noon and Mom was like, ‘You might as well eat!’ She’d feed everybody.”

Edward passed away in 2017 and left behind plenty of antiques and collectibles, including a large toy tractor collection he had built up his entire life.

“It became an obsession,” Steve added.

“If a new one was about to come out, he wanted to be the first one on the list to get it.”

The family ended up converting a storage building into a sort of family museum, with a fleet of farm toys and family heirlooms filling the shelves.

“We decided to bring all of his toy tractors over here, and found out he had a lot more toy tractors than we thought,” Scott said. “We call this his museum to display what he collected over the years.”

The grandchildren will play with the tractors sometimes when they visit, too.

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The Gilmores are proud of not just their history, but that of the area they are from. Old post cards and collectibles from about a 20-mile area also adorn the inside of the farm’s office building, as well as signs and logos of the Gilmore Oil Company, which was based in California.

Also on the farm is a restored Compton Fire Department truck from the 1940s; the brothers also volunteer with the department.

The Gilmore property not only has its local historical claim to fame, but also boasts the two highest points in Lee County. According to peakbagger.com, which documents high points throughout the world, the apex of their driveway is slightly higher than a point on the western edge of their property next to Compton Road.

The farm will remain in the family for at least one more generation for sure, but it won’t be run by a Gilmore, as the brothers never had a male child. Steve’s son-inlaw, Matt Schoenholz is set to take over when Scott and Steve retire.

This won’t effect their long-running status as a sesquicentennial farm as the farm would remain in the same generational lineage, and thus, if it continues

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for another couple of decades, will be eligible for bicentennial status. There are only a handful of bicentennial farms in Illinois; the closest one to the Gilmores is owned by the Sturtevant Family in Carroll County west of Shannon, established in 1820.

Several buildings have come and gone from the Gilmore farm, as has the raising of animals, but both Scott and Steve are optimistic that the land tended to by multiple generations of the family will continue to provide for the family.

“We’ve had real good yields for quite a while,” Steve said. “Corn yields have really been increasing. Only recently have the prices come around on the crops.”

There’s on thing, though, the Gilmores can’t put a price on: family. It’s what’s kept the farm going for nearly 200 years, and what will keep it going for years to come.

“The good part about it is that you don’t have to drive far to work, but the bad part about it is that you can never get away from your work,” Scott said, but ultimately, “the good parts override the bad parts, being with the family and trying out new things, the new technologies and planners and combines.”

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By Cody Cutter | Sauk Valley Media

AMBOY – All it took for Loreen Mead to find her niche was a chance to do something she never did before – and a dining room wall.

It was 30 years ago and she wanted to do something different in her dining room. That “something different” turned out to be rural mural filled with larger-than-life flowers. It was her first time tackling a mural, and her talent just kept blossoming from there.

MEAD cont’d to page 16

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Loreen Mead said her painting depicting medical evac copters in Vietnam has struck a chord with local veterans of that era.

“I know a lot of guys that age, they just want to talk about it,” she said. “They’ll say that they were either on that stretcher, ‘I flew that helicopter,’ ‘I cut down those trees,’ ‘I was in the Dustoff operation.’ It was amazing just how many people wanted to talk about it.”

MEAD cont’d from page 15 “I had a beautiful farmhouse, and I knew I wanted a mural in it but couldn’t afford to have it done,” she said. “I thought, ‘Maybe I could do it’” — and she did. After that it didn’t take long before drawing and painting went from being a hobby to being a passion. Mead went from being a full-time mom raising three children on a sesquicentennial farm to being in-demand for her work turning walls into a canvas for her creativity.

Today, the Sublette native’s talents can be seen throughout Amboy. If it’s a painting on a wall, and it’s in Amboy, chances are Mead had a hand in it – and in that hand, a brush.

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MEAD cont’d to page 17

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MEAD cont’d from page 16 Her journey as an artist didn’t begin in earnest until well into her adult life, so she knows what she’s talking about when she tells people it’s never too late to answer their calling. No matter what stage of life a person may be in, she said, they’ll find their purpose at some point.

For Mead, she found hers in her dining room.

“I didn’t know I could do it, but I just walked up to the wall and just started,” Mead said. “It just snowballed, and every time I would do one, it would get better and better.”

While her works have kept getting bigger through the years, so has her audience. In fact, she has a Legion of fans who appreciate her recent series of works: paintings that pay tribute to members of the military at Amboy’s Legion Park.

In 2017, Mead commenced work on a painting honoring those who served in World War I. It depicted a service member paying tribute to a fallen soldier, capped with the phrase, “In war, there are no unwounded soldiers,” penned by Argentinian author Jose Narosky.

The painting was an important piece of the revitalization of the park in recent years; the triangular parcel was established in 1919 by the newly opened American Legion post, PothsLavelle No. 403. It honored World War I soldiers from the area who lost their life either in France or from the Spanish Flu, said Loreen’s husband, Jack, 71, who also is commander of the local Legion.

MEAD cont’d to page 18

Mead was especially moved by a quote she found while researching her piece honoring WWI soldiers, and included it under one of the paintings.

Mead incorporated a composite of images from battles for her D-Day piece.

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MEAD cont’d from page 17

MEAD cont’d to page 19

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Murals used to adorn a building at the edge of the park, but those was destroyed in a fire. The park has since doubled in size, while retaining its triangle shape, and Loreen’s artwork looms over the park, hanging on the side of Becker Auto Body.

“It was like that for a long time, and there was a minor expansion, but we felt like we needed a better flag area,” he said. “That was the kick start of getting this going, and working with several area landscapers, now it is what you see. We made a lot of progress.”

The paint used for the pictures is a weather-resistant, outdoor acrylic, and the metal canvas came from Turnroth Signs in Rock Falls. That initial painting drew enough interest to persuade her to do two more, with World War II and Vietnam War themes.

Those were unveiled in 2020.

“I only planned on that one,” Loreen said. “Then they liked it and asked for another, but I couldn’t do just one more, there needed to be two to flank that.”

The World War II work depicts a scene at Omaha Beach, where American troops landed to launch the Invasion of Normandy. The Vietnam one pays homage to the dustoff medevac operations in the heat of battle. Dustoff is the military’s tactical call sign for the emergency patient air evacuation of casualties from a combat zone. The procedure was a quicker method of recovering and treating the wounded from the battlefield, as opposed to a MASH unit near the front line.

Vietnam was the first war where wounded soldiers were

evacuated directly from the battlefield and whisked to an aid station for treatment before being transported to a base hospital.

“In Vietnam, they flew in right in the midst of battle,” Jack said.

“It made much people live and survive wounds because they got them out of there while they could still be saved.”

The scenes, like the other two, come from a mix of images Loreen sees in recollections and a mental image of differing vantage points, so what is seen in a painting isn’t necessarily an exact replica of a published photo.

“The Vietnam one, because I know a lot of guys that age, they just want to talk about it,” Loreen said. “They’ll say that they were either on that stretcher, ‘I flew that helicopter,’ ‘I cut down those trees,’ ‘I was in the Dustoff operation.’ It was amazing just how many people wanted to talk about it.”

People liked them so much, Loreen said, that it elicited several memories from these events.

“After I did those and they were hung this past fall, I cannot believe the guys that come up to me that thank me for doing it, and that want to talk about being there,” Loreen said. “There are only a few left of the older guys, they want to come and look at the D-Day one because either they were there, or they were in that war. They want to talk about that and thank me for representing them.”

Such moments, as numerous as they are, still come as a surprise for Loreen.

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MEAD cont’d from page 18

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“If you’re talking to them at a wedding, or somewhere else, none of that is in their mind. When it’s there, it’s like, they talk about it and they talk about it – it’s kind of surprised me and really got me in the heart.”

A lot of people are talking about her work. It can found in homes, businesses, schools and churches, wherever her talent takes her – even all the way to Africa. One of her recent creations was work an a wall depicting an African safari; a friend recently went on one and showed Loreen pictures to help give her an idea of what to draw.

“I think I’ve done a lot of fun stuff over the years,” Loreen said. “I wish I could just keep doing it all of the time.”

Some of her creations have an added dimension, such as the nature dioramas at Woodhaven Lakes Nature Center, where her murals take on a life of their own, with stuffed animals and streams to add a sense realism.

While she does commissioned work, Loreen has donated many of her pieces – especially those for children. She enjoys all of her work, and demand for it has kept her busy, but she has a soft spot in her heart for bringing a smile to children’s faces.

One of her current projects is at Sweet Pea’s Pediatric Therapy center in Bettendorf, Iowa, a facility that cares for autistic and special needs children.

“I wish I could just stay out there and do it, but I can only do 4 hours a day and have to come home,” she said. “I love my job – It’s not even a job, I could stay up all night painting if my arm would let me do it. I absolutely love what I do. It’s just so fun for me.”

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yM ed ia Cutter | Sauk Valle

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For Sue Pascarella (seen here with husband Bill), creating barn quilts isn’t just about the hobby, it’s about the happy. “I think that’s what we need is to spread a little happiness, because there seems to be a lot of unhappiness throughout this world nowadays.”

ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

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ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

Only a few years after discovering the joy of barn quilts, Pascarella has already become skilled enough to teach the occasional quilt class herself. She recently hosted a class April 17 in Rock Falls that drew about 20 budding barn quilters, and also has done “paint-and-dine” events in Chicagoland. Here, Vicki VanNatta of Prophetstown paints a pattern on her barn quilt during the Rock Falls class.

ue Pascarella doesn’t mind seeing a few strangers in her front yard, just as long as they’ve got a smile on their face and quilt in their eyes.

Colors and patterns fill the barn quilts that adorn the front of Pascarella’s duplex on First Street, the main drag through Ashton, courtesy of the quilts she paints and sells. They’re propped up on the front lawn where they stand ready to brighten up a barn, and people’s day.

Pascarella’s place is a welcoming one, which is fitting for what she says barn quilts represent. They’re like a wooden welcome mats that dot rural America.

“I’ve read several different things,” Pascarella said of the origins of the quilts that aren’t really quilts – not the kind you snuggle up in bed with anyway. “But most people say that the Amish, because they couldn’t hang their quilts outside, and wanted to put some color out, they started painting them and hanging them on their barns as a sign that it was a welcome place to come to.”

QUILTS cont’d to page 24

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QUILTS cont’d from page 22 A typical barn quilt is like getting a lesson in geometry, but only a lot more fun. People who create quilts come at them from all angles — squares, triangles and other shapes create a patchwork of color, some bright, some more subdued, some simple, some exquisite, all a treat for the eyes.

The ones that sit outside are either 1-foot or 2-foot squares, but Pascarella, 60, has made bigger ones on occasion, some up to 8 feet. Those come once in a blue moon, though, as they’re more time consuming. The smaller squares can take anywhere between 6 or 8 hours to perfect. When she’s not working her day job as a client services specialist at the Senior Helpers elderly care facility in Rockford, she’s in her basement for up to 2 hours a day, and about 8 hours on weekends, making quilts.

Most barn quilts have a symmetrical design in the center square, which is repeated for the four corners, or “quarters,” to fill out the rest of the wood.

“I love to do it because it’s relaxing,” Pascarella said. “I think it gives people an opportunity to buy something that they like without spending an arm and a leg.”

Looking at her quilts, you might think they’re the work of a lifelong country gal who’s been at it for a long time. But she originally hails from Chicago and she’s only been at the quilts for a few years. The Windy City native moved to Ashton nearly 20 years ago and enjoyed whipping up the occasional craft for friends and family. When Sauk Valley Community College offered a 1-day adult education course on making barn quilts, just down the street at the Mills and Petrie Library 5 years ago, it got her attention.

“I called up a couple of my girlfriends and asked them, ‘What do you think?,” Pascarella said. “So we took this class and I painted one to go on my porch, but when I brought it home, it matched my kitchen.”

So she made another one. The next thing she knew, she had more wood to work with and kept going, and she hasn’t stopped since.

As her piecework passion grew, she thought, “Let’s see if anyone wants to buy one,” Pascarella said. “That was the start” of Barnquilts by Sue. Her husband, Bill Barnhart, helps out, too. He buys the wood – which has become more expensive recently – cuts the 4 x 8 sheets down to size, draws the patterns, primes them, frames them and once they’re painted puts on a coat of polyurethane.

“It’s been interesting to see just how many people are buying them,” Barnhart said. “She’s got barn quilts all over the country now.”

At first, Sue used the design knowledge she got from the Sauk class as inspiration. These days, social media art websites such as Pinterest serve as inspiration for design patterns.

See one you like? Knock on the door and either Sue or Bill will be happy to chat about the pieces. If they’re not home, there’s a drop box on the front porch where you can pay for the quilts. “Get it while it’s out there,” Sue said, having talked with people who had found a design they liked, but waited too long before someone else liked it too and bought it on the spot. They’ve even seen repeat customers who purchase them as gifts and to help spread the word about them. Prices range from $25 for a 1x1 quilt to $45 for a 2x2 quilt. If you’re interested in something bigger, give Sue a call or message her on Facebook (see page 25 for her contact information).

Pascarella has found that more customers have come to her front yard during the height of the recent COVID-19 pandemic than she imagined. Pascarella also use Facebook Marketplace to sell her barn quilts.

“I think people needed something happy,” she said. “I think that’s what we need is to spread a little happiness, because there seems to be a lot of unhappiness throughout this world nowadays.”

Some designs get very detailed, Sue said. The smaller the pattern the more detailed it is. Every pattern is different. She doesn’t shy away from the small ones, but they take a little longer.

“I look at a pattern, and if I like the style, I paint it. I may not like the colors so I’ll change it. I like to shake things up a little bit. I don’t like to have the same thing out there.”

Bill likes the variety, too.

QUILTS cont’d to page 25

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WANT A QUILT?

Barnquilts by Sue is at 500 N. First St. in Ashton, just look for the front yard full of color on the city’s main drag. Quilts can be purchased on site, or purchases can be arranged by visiting Barnquilts

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PHOTO: ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

QUILTS cont’d from page 24 “I like the challenge of drawing the patterns,” he said. “It’s very interesting doing that, and we can make something that people enjoy.”

Only a few years after discovering the joy of barn quilts, Pascarella has taught the occasional quilt class herself. She recently hosted a class April 17 in Rock Falls that drew about 20 budding barn quilters, and also has done “paint-and-dine” events in Chicagoland.

“They’re good social activities, especially in a time when people tend to be sequestered with the pandemic,” Sue said.

Every now and again, Sue or Bill will drive around and spot their quilts on local barns, and it gives them a feeling of pride.

“They’re nice because if gives your house a pop of color,” Sue said. “They’re something that, no matter who you are, you can offer it to anyone at a reasonable price. I think it brings a lot of happiness to a lot of people, and I’ve met a lot of wonderful people.”

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Life partners, and Herbalife partners, Allison Hicks and Demetri Lahman, invite you to Revolution Wellness in Amboy where they can mix up nutritious coffee, teas or shakes to suit any taste.

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By Cody Cutter | Sauk Valley Media

Life may be like a bowl of chocolates, but success is like a cup of Chocolate Chocolate.

So, too, is healthier living.

Just ask the couple behind the counter at Amboy’s

Revolution Wellness, who are whipping things up, mixing things up, and shaking things up as they help customers cut the calories and boost their energy with their menu of nutritional drinks.

REVOLUTION cont’d on page 28

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ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM

Demetri Lahman mixes up a cookies and cream protein shake. Whether you’re looking for something sweet, something to give you a bit of a boost, or both, Revolution Wellness has you covered.

REVOLUTION cont’d from page 27 “We’re all in it for the same thing,” said Allison Hicks, who opened up the shop at 205 E. Main St. last year. “We’re here to make everyone feel better and look better” – and she’s got some help in her mission: her partner in business and partner in life, Demetri Lahman.

The soon-to-bee newlyweds mix up lots of flavors to savor.

Boosted teas, iced coffees, shakes — you’ll find them all at Revolution Wellness. What you won’t find, though, is a lot of calories, despite what the names of some of the flavors might lead you to believe.

People with a sweet tooth will be flashing their pearly whites as they grin from ear to ear at shakes like Brownie Batter, Chocolate Chocolate, Chocolate Donut and Oreo Cheesecake, just some of the many that Hicks, Lahman and their crew whip up from the crack of dawn to late in the afternoon. Chocolate, cheesecake and donut may not sound like part of a balanced diet, but the drinks at Revolution won’t have you tipping the scales in the wrong direction. They clock in at only 250 calories or less.

There’s practically no limit to what can be created – just stop by the shop and take a look at the menu. Revolution Wellness features about 150 different drinks on its menu, and there’s

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about 100 more either in the works or already available for custom orders, Hicks said. Also offered is a “flavor of the day” for each tea, shake and coffee on their menu.

“It brings people in,” Hicks said. “We’ll post it on Facebook the night before, and people will tell us that it looked good and so they came in.”

The business has been open less than a year – it opened in June – but it’s already building up repeat customers. The couple is excited to see how business will fare when camping season opens up, as people flock to area campgrounds around town.

The regular customers they’ve garnered so far are about a 50-50 mix of people who either want the same product all of the time, or a something different each time. One local made it through every single boosted tea on the menu, and when word got out, Lahman said, it inspired others to try new drinks.

The couple say that each tea helps burn calories, boost metabolism, increase energy and improve digestion. The tea selection is categorized by Super Heroes (Batman, Harley Quinn, Wolverine and Wonder Woman, for example), Candy Lovers (such as Gummy Bear, Nerds and Starburst), On The Beach (such as Fruit Punch, Mermaid and Shark Bite), or in a wild card category.

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REVOLUTION cont’d from page 28 They even have a tea with a local flavor. The Amboy Clipper, named after the town’s high school mascot, is a combination of cherry and grape flavors, and it’s their top-selling tea.

If you’re in the mood for a shake, they’re grouped into themes such as Coffee Addicts, Chocolate Lovers, Sweet Tooth, Tutti Frutti, Mint-aholic, Cookie Monster and Cake Cake Cake.

If you go for a cup of Joe, there are about 15 kinds of iced coffees available; and they transition from iced to hot in the winter.

Got a hankering for an Amboy Clipper, but you’re not in the neighborhood? Chances are, if you visit a place that also sells Herbalife boosted teas, the staff can call Revolution Wellness and get the recipe.

There are several shops like Revolution Wellness throughout northern Illinois that use Herbalife products, including Rockin’ Nutrition in downtown Dixon and Purpose Nutrition in Mendota. In fact, Hicks, 21, of Amboy, used to work at Rockin’ Nutrition before she decided to open her own place close to home. She started there 3 years ago while studying for a career in law enforcement, but business boomed and she switched gears and decided to go into business for herself.

An occasional feature of Small Town Living highlighting local landmarks and locations off the beaten path. We’ll feature a photo and it’s up to you to guess where it was taken.

This isn’t just any patch of land in western Lee County. What makes this sand prairie unique is the presences of wildflower species, including pale purple coneflower, purple prairie clover, Culver’s root, rough blazing star and rosin weed. It’s just off the side of the road. Where is it? Answer on page 31 CODY CUTTER/CCUTTER@SAUKVALLEY.COM

REVOLUTION cont’d to page 30

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With enhanced cleanings and face coverings required, we’re keeping you safe!

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REVOLUTION cont’d from page 29

Take a sip

Once she found a spot, it took 6 months to get everything arranged before opening day – a day that came in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Not wanting wait until the uncertainty passed, she decided to go all in, and it paid off. Business was “double better” than she thought after the first three-quarters of her first year.

“When I was in Dixon, I enjoyed seeing how much happier people were when they started a healthier lifestyle,” Hicks said. “I knew how well they did, and I thought that if I did half of what they’re doing, then I’m doing very well.”

Lahman, 22, of Franklin Grove, has a passion for fitness and health. The certified National Academy of Sports Medicine personal trainer became involved with Revolution Wellness about a month after it opened, and he and Hicks put their healthy minds together to help grow the business. Plus, he said, having a say in what goes on while working also beat his previous job in manufacturing.

“There’s a lot of people that are really thankful that we’re here,” Lahman said.

“We’ve been blessed with the community and the amount of support,” Hicks said. “People have been really supporting it.”

Revolution Wellness, 205 E. Main St., is open from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 7 a.m. to noon Saturday.

Military and first responders get 25% off their purchase.

Find them on Facebook, where a complete menu is posted, or Instagram (@revolutionwellness—amboy); or call 815-857-7021 for more information.

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The Foley Sand Prairie Nature Preserve is on Hamilton/County Line Road, 7 miles south of U.S. Route 30 and 5 miles west of the Green River State Wildlife Management Area. The triangle-shaped prairie has dry mesic and dry sand prairie, which were common throughout most of northern Illinois when the first Europeans settled here more than 300 years ago. More than 150 native species can be found in the preserve.

According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, June grass and little bluestem are the most common plants of the dry sand prairie while big bluestem and switch grass are common in the dry mesic prairie. This area was grazed by cattle until the IDNR discovered and purchased the 15-acre parcel in 1988.

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