Every day is a Funday at a downtown Rock Falls restaurant
Here comes the fun — and it’s right here in The Twin Cities
Sterling contractor wants to be a one-stop shop for construction
Women’s golf club members all chip in and have a good time
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Just what the Docks ordered
Feeling boxed in? Stressed out? Need to unwind? The couple who own a Rock Falls marina have the perfect prescription: Immerse yourself in nature and spend some time on the Rock River.
14 Where everydae is a fundae
When the owners of a new restaurant in Rock Falls decided to dress up their menu, they put on their Sundae best, creating dishes and desserts with a big helping of Mexican tradition.
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Here comes the fun
Looking for something to do this summer? You don’t have to go far to find a lot under the sun, and it’s right here in the Twin Cities.
30 At your services
Whether you need a new door to walk through or a new house to walk into, a Sterling contractor wants to be your one-stop shop for construction projects.
38 Let’s all chip in and have fun
Diamonds aren’t a girl’s only best friend, there’s an Emerald they’re pretty fond of too, where golf is the game and fun is the aim.
Registration sheets now available.
Nellie and Jamison Burke’s back yard isn’t all that big, but oh what a view it has.
The couple find themselves between a Rock and a nice place, where they couldn’t be happier — and why wouldn’t they be? They’ve got a river practically a stone’s throw from their back door, and they get to share a special part of their lives with people every day they’re open for business
The husbandand-wife team are the new owners of Docks on the Rock, a marina that sits just across the driveway of their Rock Falls home, where they offer boaters a place to pull in, fill up, head out, and enjoy the same kinds of views that they’re treated to every day from their gateway to the Rock River.
“I’m hoping this place serves people who maybe can’t afford to, or don’t want to, live on the river; they can still buy a boat and enjoy the river,” Jamison said. “They can bring it here, have a dock that they don’t have to maintain, not have to worry about bringing their own gas out on the river. It can be easy for people who don’t live out on the river to have that same experience.”
For Jamison, having not spent as much time on the river growing up as his wife, it’s been more of a learning experience, but it didn’t take long for him to go with the flow and enjoy it as much as she does.
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Jamison and Nellie Burke are the new owners of Docks on the Rock boat marina in Rock Falls. The couple took over from Nellie's parents, Terry and Pam Papoccia, in January.
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For Nellie, being able to combine business with pleasure has been a dream come true.
“I like looking at it,” Nellie said. “The view is my favorite part of it. I can sit outside, look at it, and I’m like, ‘I live here.’ It was always a dream to live on the river. That’s why it became our goal to buy it and make it our home.”
Nellie loves being able to share her love of river life, something she got from her parents, Terry and Pam Papoccia, who the Burkes took over the business from in January.
The area between the Upper Dam in Rock Falls and the one in Dixon offers some of the river’s widest points and most open areas, the perfect place for some R and R ... and R: Rest and Relaxation on the River.
This summer is the first for the Burkes as owners, but thanks to being able to learn the ins and outs of running the marina from Nellie’s parents, the transition has been smooth sailing. Now they’re putting that wealth of information to good use as new entrepreneurs in the local recreation scene; the first docks were put on the water on April 14 to kick off the boating season, which runs through October.
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Rock Falls Electric Utilities
River life is the good life for Docks on the Rock owners Jamison and Nellie Burke. “Some of my best memories of meeting [my wife] is being out on the river and going out on it with her parents and having a good time. The river is a special place,” Jamison said.
CODY
CUTTER/CCUTTER@SHAWMEDIA.COM
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The business has 22 slips, marine fuel service, an enclosed river viewing room, and indoor storage for up to 50 boats (depending on their size).
Boaters who come and go from the docks get to enjoy cruising around an area from the start of the Hennepin Feeder Canal, just down the road from the marina, all the way to the Galena and Peoria Avenue bridges in downtown Dixon. It’s a span of about 15 nautical miles with only a handful of areas along the shore open to public view; nearly all of the rest of the shoreline is private property.
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If you’re out on the water and low on gas, a run to Docks on the Rock is in order: The marina is the only place between the dams from Rock Falls to Dixon where boaters can fill up. Fuel also can be purchased on a walk-in basis for customers who have boats elsewhere.
The marina offers both slip and in-andout service. The slip arrangement has boats docked on the water during the season, and its users can board and unload from there. The in-and-out process is for boats stored in the indoor dry dock; owners can call the marina 24 hours in advance to have their boat hauled by the Burkes from land to dock before they arrive. Winterization service also is offered for boats stored during the winter.
The marina’s indoor area offers seating and tables, and a place where people can buy boating accessories such as buoys, fire extinguishers, dry boxes and ropes. Bags of ice, ice cream treats and small bags of chips also are sold, as well as T-shirts with the marina’s logo on it. Cash, check and the Square mobile app are accepted.
The Rock River’s geological makeup between Rock Falls and Dixon is favorable for pontoon and speed boats due to its width and depth, as opposed to parts north of Dixon where the river is more shallow.
“It’s a lot easier to navigate,” Nellie said. “I have a friend who lives on the other side of the [Dixon] dam, and I know it’s shallow. We’ve kayaked and canoed up there, but if you get a big fishing boat up there, it kind of makes me nervous; it’s harder to navigate. This here is kind of like my comfort zone; we have wider areas here, we have deeper areas, and it’s a lot easier to use.”
Nellie’s family has owned a summer cabin along the river near Nelson for nearly 50 years, and it was where she came to enjoy zooming along the river on the family’s speed boat and jet skis, or skimming the current on water skis and inner tubes. When Jamison became a part of her life, Nellie’s parents were more than happy to teach him the ropes of river life.
Both the cabin and river also became the setting for a special moment in the Burkes’ life: It’s where they got engaged in 2015 — with some help from her family. They got married later that year.
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Ready to Rock? Head to the Docks
Boaters heading out on the Rock River will find everything they need at Docks on the Rocks. The marina has 22 slips, marine fuel service, an enclosed river viewing room, and indoor boat storage. The marina also sells boating accessories, ice, and some munchies.
“I was on the boat, and she was up on the shore when I drove up,” Jamison recalled. “Her nieces made a big banner — ‘Will you marry me?’ — and they were holding it up on the boat as we came up to the shore.”
“The river has always been a special place for us,” he said. Jamison grew up in Dixon, and most of his experiences on the river when he was young had always been upstream from the Dixon Dam, seeing areas such as Lowell Park and Grand Detour from the river. Now, thanks the his bond with Nellie, and her family’s love of the Rock, he’s been able to appreciate it in a whole new way.
“I was always out playing sports when I was younger, and then I met my wife,” Jamison said. “Some of my best memories of meeting her is being out on the river and going out on it with her parents and having a good time. The river is a special place, I think there are some beautiful homes on this stretch that you don’t really see. You meet river people all of the time and they’re just die-hards, they’re out every weekend.”
The Burkes are writing the newest chapter in the story of the Shore Acres neighborhood institution that’s been around for decades. From the 1950s to the 1970s, it was owned by former Rock River Boat Club president Arlie Thompson under the name Thompson Marina. It later became Inland Marina, then South Shore Marina and finally Docks on the Rocks, when the Papoccias bought it in July 2015.
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here’s more than one way to make nachos.
Sure, there’s the traditional way, the recipe that people like Jorge Brito and his family have enjoyed since they were kids: chips and cheese topped with some veggies.
But they’ve got another way to make them that’s pretty good too and it’s not just another chip off the old block. How about waffle cone chips and scoops of ice cream, topped off with Oreos and whipped cream?
Sounds pretty fun, doesn’t it?
And there are more nummy nachos where that came from, at the latest addition to the lineup of downtown Rock Falls’ dining options: Sundae Funday.
That’s because fun is the added ingredient that helps set the eatery apart from others, giving it its own distinct flavor. It’s a recipe
that’s proving successful for Brito and his crew as they put their own twist on traditional Mexican food and desserts.
Jorge and his family own Sundae Funday, where Mexican food is the specialty that they like to make even more special by spicing things up and cooling things down. Customers can start off with tacos or burritos and top it off with something sweet, like the dessert nachos. Another fun taste twist: the Churro Split — like a banana split, with a pair of churros instead of bananas. Those are just a few of the items to come out of the kitchen and behind the counter since Sundae Funday opened last May.
As with any new restaurant, there’s always bound to be those first-year jitters — finding out what people like and adjusting the menu, hoping what they have to offer will pass customers’ taste test. So far, Sundae Funday has gotten high marks.
“It’s been really good,” Jorge said. “Being our first year, we had been testing things out to see what works and what doesn’t so that we have a set schedule and see
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what the response from the community was.”
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Don’t forget the toppings ... Sundae Funday offers a colorful selection of sweet treats to go with your ice cream.
The core of the staff includes Jorge, who is managing owner, business partner Ruben Tapia, and Jorge’s brother Jerry. Several other family members also help from time to time, including the Britos’ mother, Eloise; she and her late husband Efrain started the Brito’s Grill food truck 11 years ago in Sterling, which the family continues to operate.
The business is new, but the idea for it isn’t. The elder Britos had wanted to open an ice cream-themed business for some time, and Sundae Funday is the long-awaited result of that. “My mom and dad wanted to expand to have ice cream, and we’ve made their dream a reality,” Jorge said.
So far, things have been hot and cold at Sundae Funday, which is how customers like it: If your taste buds are up to it, you can try the Flamin’ Elote, Mexican street corn served on a stick and seasoned with “flamin’ hot” Cheeto dust. Then you can cool off with a couple of scoops of ice cream. Spicing things up and cooling things down has proven to be a good balance.
It’s all about finding what customers like — and introducing them to things they may not have even known they liked until they tried them.
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Your New Local Neighborhood
Sundae Funday opened in downtown Rock Falls in May 2023, serving unique desserts and Mexican treats. The restaurant is owned by the Brito family, represented by Jorge (center) and Jerry (right) and assisted by business partner Ruben Tapia.
We invite you to stop by and enjoy a multi-level
Unique among the businesses in downtown Rock Falls, Sundae Funday is tucked away off Second Street, and the patio area out front offers the perfect place for food and fun. Customers can borrow games from the business and play them out front — board games, bags, giant Connect Four, and more. Jorge Brito is seen at left organizing some of the games.
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“We wanted it to have a unique blend,” Jorge said. “We like to test things out and see what works and see what staples people are asking for, and to have new things come in and try to give them enough attention to keep it on the menu.”
When it first opened, Sundae Funday started out with 16 different ice creams, some mainstays and others rotating in and out. Today, the counter is full of colors inside and out — swirls of sweetness in ice cream containers, and jars of colorful candy lining the top: gummies and goodies waiting to turn the ice cream into something really cool. They’ve also added eight more blends to choose from. When the Britos wield their scoops, they’re sure to put a little more oomph into it: They sell thick varieties from the Madison, Wisconsin-based Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream Co., a company known for its specialty flavors.
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Whiteside County FAIR
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Along with the usuals — vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and butter pecan — others offered on a rotating basis include, but aren’t limited to: Super Human, a blend of cherry, blue moon and vanilla that looks like Superman’s suit; Fat Elvis with sweet banana ice cream, salty peanut butter ripple and rich chocolate chips; Mackinac Island fudge with vanilla with chocolate fudge ripple and chunks; and blueberry and strawberry cheesecake flavors — when one runs out, the other flavor replaces it.
When searching for an ice cream vendor, the Britos wanted to find one that was popular, but wasn’t available locally.
“We wanted to go with something that wasn’t available at the freezers at the gas stations in the little pints, or something you could get
at Walmart,” Jorge said. “We wanted to bring in a type of ice cream that wasn’t available around here, but go with something that was recognized. We chose this brand because we felt people know about it, and it’s really popular up in Wisconsin. That, and the fact that they’ve won awards, is what we liked about it and chose it.”
Also among the rotating flavors are those suited for vegans and people on a gluten-free diet. “There’s something for everyone,” Brito said. “We try to keep at least a flavor for someone who is lactose intolerant and those who watch out for allergies.”
Some flavors have the adults in mind, and Exhausted Parent is one of them; it consists of bourbon-spiked espresso ice cream swirled with bittersweet chocolate chunks.
“The name is so catchy it entices the parents to actually try it,” Jorge said. “We like to have some flavors for both kids and parents.”
As far as the Mexican menu goes, the Britos didn’t have to look far for ideas — they just had to look at their own family recipes.
In addition to tacos, burritos and elotes, there are tamales and beef nachos, as well as dishes such as gazpacho moreliano, doriloco and chicharon reparado that mix vegetables and hot sauces. Shrimp ceviche appears on the menu weekends only, Friday to Sunday; it’s cooked shrimp with tomato, cucumber, shrimp, avocado, onions, cilantro and jalapeños, all with a citrus flavor to it.
As for drinks, there’s plenty of eclectic flavors to pick from: Mangonada is a Mexican dessert drink made of mango sorbet chunks and chamoy topped with chili powder. Jarritos brand sodas also are available along with bottled water, Gatorade and other sodas.
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With warmer temperatures returning, air conditioning units and pool heaters will be running to help with those hot summer days. That means
electric bills could shoot up alongside those
The Britos also like to keep their menu fresh, with new and limited-time foods and drinks introduced on a regular basis on Sundae Funday’s Facebook page, giving customers something different to try and another reason to come back.
Even the location of the business is something different. It’s sets back from the other downtown businesses, tucked a distance from the street with an iron gate separating the sidewalk from the patio area, where outdoor seating is available. Indoor seating is available too.
The setup gives them room to put even more fun into the Funday. With music playing in the background, yard games such as bags and giant versions of Jenga and Connect Four can be played, as well as card games available at the counter. It’s a set-up that’s proven a popular draw for customers.
Jorge has seen customers come back with not just their food in mind, but also to continue to be challenged with the games, he said.
“What I like the most about this is the patio,” Jorge said. “We added furniture to the patio so that people can enjoy and relax. We want it to be a family-focused establishment that people can come in and enjoy themselves. I’ve seen people take selfies with whatever they’re eating, and I love seeing people engage in conversation with their phones away or down. That’s how we wanted the space to be.”
The patio didn’t get much use when winter came around, but even with the weather being as cold as it was, it didn’t stop hungry people from wanting their ice cream then the mercury dipped below zero at times.
“People were still coming in, even when it was cold outside; one day we opened and it was negative-30 and we just wanted to give it a try and see how it goes,” Jorge said. “I was surprised how many people showed up for ice cream.” n Cody Cutter can be reached at 815-632-2532 or ccutter@shawmedia.com.
Sundae Funday, 315 W. Second St. in Rock Falls, is open from 3 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Find it on Facebook or call 779-2458700 for more information. Go to chocolateshoppeicecream.com/ flavors for a full list of available blends of ice cream sold at Sundae Funday, 24 of which are sold on a rotating basis.
ow that summer is in full swing, there’s a lot more to see and do under the sun in both Sterling and Rock Falls.
So the next time you hear someone say “There’s nothing to do here,” tell them to swap “nothing” for “something” — there is something to do here, a lot of somethings in fact.
The summer months have plenty of activities on both sides of the Rock River, and on the river, that will appeal to people of all ages — hometown memories just waiting to be made. Some events have been longtime staples, and some are on their way to becoming one. Creating more local events has been a mission of the Twin Cities’ two top tourism arms: Sterling Main Street and Rock Falls Tourism. If folks who haven’t lived here since the years began with a “19” came back home, they might be surprised to see all the things going on.
Flavors to temp the taste buds and whet the whistle, performers who are music to your ears, and vehicles with “Vroom!” to grow make up much of the fun, and are all great opportunities to connect with friends, share a laugh, or just dance the day and night away — but those are just a few of the things to do in The Twin Cities.
A list of others is only a computer click or a finger tap away. Go to shawlocal.com/sauk-valley/localevents to see a roundup of events, or submit one of your own (click the “Promote Your Event” button just above the calendar). You can also check visitrockfalls.com/calendar-of-events/ and sterlingmainstreet.org/events/ for upcoming events.
On the following pages are just some of the events coming up in late June through August. So get out the calendars and cars, and fill ‘em both up, and get ready to have some fun in the sun ...
f you add up all the years Troy Hernandez has been in construction, the Total is pretty impressive: A gutter business he started on his own that’s grown into a full-service contractor with dozens of employees who can tackle just about any project, whether it’s building something from the ground up or the roof down.
During those decades, he’s had a hand in building projects big and small: from doors and decks to roofs and remodels — he’s even built up goodwill in his community. He can take a trip around town and point with pride to places where his business has set up shop and turned people’s plans into reality.
But the biggest point of pride when it comes to the things he’s built? His business.
Hernandez is in his 10th year owning Total Construction Services, a general contractor, and his first year as owner of Sterling Fence and Deck, both in Sterling, and while running two businesses that help homeowners inside and out is quite a handful of handiwork, it’s been worth it.
“I like seeing how the hard work we’ve done over the years has been paying off,” Hernandez said. “A few of our workers have been with me for quite a while, and I remember where we were back then to where we are now. I enjoy my job. I’m there every morning, I don’t miss work, and I enjoy seeing the camaraderie with the guys and stuff like that. We’re like a big family.”
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Hernandez had been working in the local construction field since he was a high school student in the late 1990s until he decided it was time to make the leap from employee to business owner — and it turned out to be a seamless transition, as well as the beginning of a business that’s still growing today. He started out as Twin City Seamless Gutters, but over time the business grew beyond gutters, and he began to offer more services. After earning his roofing license in 2014, he decided a name change was in order, to Total Construction Services — and “we’ve been expanding ever since,” Hernandez said, including the acquisition of Sterling Fence and Deck in December.
Between TCS and Sterling Fence, Hernandez employs about 40 people, both on the job and behind the scenes. It’s become a family business, too, with his brother Eric and son Troy Jr., working for him, as well as his fiancee Megan Wilson; the couple plans to get married this fall.
“We pride ourselves on being a family owned-and-operated business,” Hernandez said. “We pride ourselves on doing quality workmanship at an affordable price. About 75 percent of the work we do is local. We’re not knocking on doors or storm chasing or stuff like that, we kind of pride ourselves on being the area’s No. 1 roofing and construction company.”
Hernandez and his crew strive to live up to the business name — when he says Total Construction Services, he means the total package: roofs, gutters, storm restorations, door and window installation, siding, home and garage additions, remodeling, concrete driveways, sidewalks and patios. Sterling Fence and Deck offers chain link, wood, vinyl and ornamental fences, along with decks and railings. They can also dress up your yard with pergolas and arbors. TCS also offers dumpster rentals and snow removal.
“With Total Construction Services, we’re a general contractor and a roofing company, so we can basically do anything from the ground up, from building additions to new homes; and decks, windows, sidings, gutters, doors, interior remodels and fences,” Hernandez said. “There’s nothing that we can’t do. We kind of made that our thing. We’re a one-stop shop, and you can give us a call for anything.”
Roofs and exterior work make up about 80 percent of TCS’s business, Hernandez said, with roofs in particular keeping the business busy. Crews — sometimes three at a time — installed more than 300 roofs last year, a number Hernandez expects to increase to around 400 this year.
If you don’t even have a roof over your head to repair, TCS can help with that, too. In addition to garages and additions to buildings and homes, TCS can build new houses from the ground up. It’s a part of the business that doesn’t get as much visibility right now because of the soft state of the home construction market, Hernandez said, but if you’re in the market for a new home, TCS can help, from traditional-style homes, custom-frame cabins, and even log cabin-style projects.
Profit isn’t TCS’s only goal — there’s pride, too, in being able to help the community it calls home. The business has given back to various projects throughout the community. Above right: TCS helped Daniel and Noriene Mercer (seen here with the TCS crew) of Sterling by installing a fence after Noriene found out she had cancer (see page 35 for details). Below right: Phillip Griffith (left), project manager for TCS, consults with Whiteside Area Career Center’s building trades instructor Matthew Hicks at the Twin Cities Homeless Shelter in Sterling on April 19. TCS donated time and labor to WACC’s building program to help put a new roof on the shelter. Left: TCS owner Troy Hernandez (right), was honored with a Local Business Highlight certificate, presented by State Rep. Brad Fritts in January, for his commitment to community. “That kind of spirit is what a small town community is all about — helping our neighbors when they need us most,” Fritts said.
“We do a lot of custom work, and we’ll work with local vendors to help them with designs and to get their visions onto paper, and then from paper to the build,” Hernandez said. “We’ll work with them and we can make stuff happen.”
As TCS’s business has grown, it’s also become more diversified. TCS Total Property Management is another part of Hernandez’s portfolio, established a couple of years ago; it purchases “fixerupper” houses and gets them ready for to be rented or flipped. It also provides general maintenance for rental properties.
As for the latest addition, Hernandez made that big leap this past December when he bought Sterling Fence and Deck from Dan Crownhart. Hernandez decided to keep the two separate entities, and Sterling Fence and Deck, which has been around since 1975, has an indoor showroom at its office on North Locust Street, on the outskirts of town, where customers can see the different types of fence and deck materials and styles, along with pergola and gazebo designs.
Crownhart is the owner of Cordova Dragway in Rock Island County, and when he sought to concentrate more time on the racing industry, he approached Hernandez about the future of the fence and deck business.
“In this area, we were already doing a lot of decks and fences, and we were kind of his competition,” Hernandez said. “[Crownhart] approached us — he had just bought the Cordova Dragway and that’s his passion and wanted to focus on that. It
only made sense to us because we were already doing fences and decks, and a lot of pergolas and gazebos.”
Hernandez knows that all of his success couldn’t have come without the support of the community, which is why he’s happy to return the favor when he can.
Just before the start of Sterling Junior Tackle Football’s season last fall, TCS remodeled its press box and concession stand at Harry Kidd Field at no cost to them.
In March, Noriene and Daniel Mercer of Sterling bought a new house and hired TCS to fence in an area for their dog, but shortly after moving in, Noriene found out she had cancer. Though they had already put down a deposit with Sterling Fence, healthcare costs forced them to put the fence work on the back burner, and they had to ask for their deposit back.
When Hernandez and his crew learned what had happened, they decided to do one better than simply return the money: They installed the fence for the couple — no charge.
The good deeds continued into April, when they donated time and labor to help the Whiteside Area Career Center’s building trades program put a new roof on the Twin Cities Homeless Shelter in Sterling.
“We’re able to give back to a community that gives to us,” Hernandez said. “The Sterling, Rock Falls and Dixon area, they’ve been great to us. They keep us in business. It’s just the right thing to do to be able to give back and help out.”
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Total Construction Services, 2701 Woodlawn Road in Sterling, has office hours from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Find it on Facebook, go to totalconstructionservices.us or call 815-213-7250 for more information.
Sterling Fence Co., 2704 N. Locust St. in Sterling, has office hours and a showroom open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Find it on Facebook, go to sterlingfence.net or call 815-625-2201 for more information.
Over the years, Hernandez and the TCS team also have been involved with giving away turkeys for Thanksgiving and donating to Sterling High School athletics programs. TCS’s commitment to community even garnered some attention from a local lawmaker, state Rep. Brad Fritts of Dixon, who chose TCS as his office’s Local Business Highlight for January.
Fritts applauded TCS’s effort to give back, pointing out the shelter work in particular: “The one thing that really stood out to me about Total Construction Services is their donation of free labor to re-roof a local homeless shelter. That kind of spirit is what a small town community is all about — helping our neighbors when they need us most.”
While the accolades are nice, for Hernandez and his crew, lending a hand and hammer is simply the right thing to do.
“We’ve been able to help several families out with different donations because they’re in need of some help,” Hernandez said. “We have a team of people that are willing to donate their time to help different people. They like doing it, and I think it’s the right thing to do.”
Going from putting up gutters to putting up homes, TCS’s growth and involvement in the community is something Hernandez takes great pride in, and he’s not done yet.
“We’re in it for the long haul,” he said. “We’re not going anywhere. Being able to give back in any way that we can to a community that gives you so much, we feel it can come back to us tenfold. It’s beneficial for us, and for the community, that we are giving back.”
His business journey is something Hernandez sees only getting bigger and better.
“We have goals, and we have things that we foresee this company going to. As we get bigger, we’ll give back more.” n Cody Cutter can be reached at 815-632-2532 or ccutter@shawmedia.com.
No matter the game, sports brings people together.
For a group of local women, golf is the game, and the place where it brings them together is Emerald Hill Golf Course in Sterling, where they meet Tuesday mornings during the summer for a game and good times.
From top: Emerald Hill Women’s Golf Association members Vicki Carlson, Connie Wolber, and Meta Rastede enjoy a round of golf at Emerald Hill Golf Course in May.
Whether they’re playing the full 18 holes or only the front nine, being in the Emerald Hill Women’s Golf Association is about more than just swinging their best drives on the fairway or tapping in putts on the green. It’s about getting out, getting together and having fun with friends. The social aspect of the group — getting to know one another, chatting about recent events or catching up on old ones, or improving on a skill or two — is one of the things members enjoy most about the group. Feeling a bit blah? Having a bad game? Some time with friends on the greens can chase away the blues. Some weeks, the game almost feels secondary to the camaraderie, and this year marks a milestone for the group. As the group heads into its 75th year, Jane Minard is at the helm, as the group’s president. She’s been part of the association for about the past 15 years, but this isn’t her first go at a golf group: She has been a part of similar groups at the former Lake View Country Club in Sterling and Rock River Country Club in Rock Falls. During her time with the Emerald Hill group, she’s seen members come and go, and even saw its membership dip down to only a handful of women before recruitment efforts the past few years pushed it back up — but through all that change, one thing has remained constant: “They can get to know new people and form new friendships,” Minard said, and these days the group feels even friendlier.
“We have a renewed interest in our association,” she said. “Although competition will never disappear, our attitudes now are just to enjoy ourselves out there on the golf course. We stress meeting other players to become good friends, whether we’re skilled at golf or not.”
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Emerald Hill Women’s Golf Association president Jane Minard (right) holds court over a meeting of the group during its first week of activity in late May. She leads a group of dedicated golfers each morning at 9 a.m. on the Sterling golf course who enjoy playing the game and having fun.
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The group meets at around 8:45 a.m. each Tuesday from May to early September, weather permitting, and the first tee time is at 9 a.m. Groups are determined by a random draw. Membership dues are $10 for the year, and all who participate must pay Emerald Hill’s green and cart fees for the day.
The current season began on May 21, delayed
a week due to inclement weather, with nearly 25 women having paid dues in time for the first round, most of whom are between 50 and 85 years old. New members are always welcome, as long as they have some experience playing the game, Minard said. Don’t worry though, you don’t have to be a pro, or even a past team member in the local competition circuit: Membership is open to women of any skill level.
Longtime member Julie Pratt has seen many members join with varying skill sets, some of whom have been driven to improve their game and others who were happy to just putter along and enjoy the company on the course. When she tells others about the group, she’s sure to let them know that you don’t need to be a golf pro to join.
“That’s a thing that they need to know: A lot of people won’t come because they don’t think they’re skilled enough,” Pratt said. “Skill doesn’t have anything to do with it anymore. We would love to have people come out and join. There’s a lot of socialization, and it’s just a fun day.”
For Sue Nestor, who has been a member for around 20 years, being in the association is a way to enjoy her favorite sport with like-minded women.
“There are not a lot of women who play a lot of golf that I know, unless it’s here, so this is my chance to play golf with them,” Nestor said. “I enjoy the friendships and meeting the new ladies. It’s been great.”
The group likes to keep things fresh on the course, bringing a variety to the game. Each week has a “Play of the Day,” with either a certain goal in mind to shoot for, such as guessing one’s score before they play or beating your average score; or a twist to typical play, such as “Three Blind Mice,” where scores from three holes are nullified after a drawing at the end of the round.
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In addition to keeping track of scores, members also make note of certain performances for random holes each week — “flag events” as they’re called — as well as chip-ins, putts, birdies and long drives.
New this year is the opportunity to purchase mulligans, which are do-overs on a poorly played stroke. For $1, a maximum of one mulligan can be used for any stroke other than putts.
“With some of the stuff that we do, I don’t know of any other club that does them,” Minard said. “We have a lot of different things going on.”
On the first week of play this year, the “Play of the Day” was for each golfer to guess her score at the end of the round. Sandi Ivey had the closest guess for those who played 18 holes that day, and Becky Dieterle and Sherry Wells guessed the closest among those who played nine holes; Vickie Carlson and Karla Anderson tied for second place for closest guess for 18 holes. Carlson had the most chip-ins, Pat Twining and Sue Nestor had the lowest number of putts for 18 holes, and Cheryl Allen had the least among nine-hole golfers. Ivey and Allen achieved the lowest gross scores for the day. The week’s honorees for top performances in the flag events were Carlson, who was closest to the pin on No. 2, and Connie Wolber for the longest putt on No. 8.
Even if someone’s game isn’t up to par, members still make sure to keep things moving. No more than 10 strokes are played on a hole, to keep the pace of play running smoothly, as any
golfer would expect. While there’s a sense of fun, there’s still some basic etiquette on the course.
“We’re not holding up people behind us,” Pratt said. “We are truly playing the game of golf like it should be played — with a little fun in it.”
At the end of each season, the group has an end-of-the-year “roundup” celebration to reflect on the summer’s memories and to present awards. Most Improved awards were given to Barb Harney for 18-hole play and Linda Giesen for 9-hole play. Low Putt awards were won by Ivey for 18 holes and Jackie Foster for nine holes; a tie for second place for 18 holes was achieved by Nestor and Mimi Boysen. Boysen also had the most birdies in last year’s rounds and Minard had the most chip-ins. Money from annual dues, mulligans and some of the weekly games help pay for the celebrations and prizes.
Members have also participated in local golf events, something that’s been easier some years and harder in others. When membership was up, it was easier to field teams for the Lincoln Highway Tournament and Rock River Classic, the two most prestigious local golf events in northwest Illinois. As recently as a few years ago, however, membership dwindled to only a few members as many aged out of the game or moved away. That’s when Minard and others spread the word to other courses about keeping the longtime association going, which resulted in more members, including several from outside the Twin Cities.
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Emerald Hill
Women's Golf Association members
Jean Hermes, Julie Pratt and Linda Giesen pose for a picture during a round last year.
SUBMITTED
“We started doing a lot of recruiting,” Minard said. “It’s a beautiful course and well taken care of, so we did some recruiting for a year or two and got some from Dixon to come over, and some more from Sterling to come.”
The association also is in the process of recruiting members to form a team to field in the upcoming Rock River Classic in August. Minard is leading a renewed interest in the association, trying to recruit more members, helping current members bring aboard newcomers, and making sure the Emerald Hill Women’s Golf Association continues to be a fun and welcoming group for golfers. Having a competitive aspect to the game still lingers in member’s minds from time to time, Minard said, but they’re enjoying the social fun regardless of how skilled they are.
While there’s still a competitive aspect to the game, Minard and her fellow members have found a happy balance between skills on the scorecard and camaraderie on the course
“Our attitudes now lean towards enjoying ourselves on the golf course,” Minard said. “We stress meeting other players that become good friends whether we are skilled at golf or not.”
The association itself is almost as old as the Hills — or rather, Hill. The course was established in 1923 as Prairie View Golf Club, a name it would have for its first 25 years. It was purchased by Paul Long 76 years ago, in 1948, and at the time he suggested members come up with a new name for the club. JoAnne Powell’s suggestion of Emerald Hills — not “Hill” — was chosen. Over time, however, the plural’s use quietly faded from the local lexicon.
The Emerald Hill Women’s Golf Association meets at 8:30 a.m. every Tuesday from the first Tuesdays of May to September at Emerald Hill Golf Course, 16802 Prairieville Road in Sterling. First tee is at 9 a.m. Membership is open to women of all ages, and annual dues are $10. Daily green and cart fees are due before each round. Call Emerald Hill at 815-622-6204 for more information.
Powell’s legacy on the course wasn’t limited to just its name: She founded the Women’s Golf Club in 1949. The club adopted a constitution and bylaws in 1957; by that time, Eileen Miller was its chairwoman and appointed a committee consisting of Winnie Jackson, Evelyn Lauff and Bertha Rutt to assist in making the club an actively prospering group. The word “club” changed when the course went public.
Pratt remembers playing with some of the group’s second generation of members when they were older and she was younger. She’s happy to see that sort of tradition continue after all of these years and see the association evolve from its early emphasis on getting the best score to today’s fun times.
“Our club over the years has become more of a social fun thing than competition,” Pratt said. “We used to have some competition, but we’ve kind of gotten away from that.”
Tuesday mornings have become a highly anticipated time of the week for group members, both to catch up with one another and to tap in to their talents on the course
“I never thought I was good enough to do it, but I did take the bull by the horn and thought, ‘The heck with it,” Nestor said. “It all worked out. Everyone is delightful.”
Cody Cutter can be reached at 815-632-2532 or ccutter@shawmedia.com.
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