Serving the Polo Area Since 1857
POLO Take Back Event Properly dispose of used oil and motor oil Saturday, Aug. 22 during a take back event. A7
August 6, 2015 Volume 157, Number 46 - $1.00
Green Iron
Farm Heritage
Antique tractors in mostly shades of green were on display. B3
Save the date and plan to attend the ninth annual Farm Heritage Festival on Aug. 29 A6
Thrills, spills at the fair
Residents voice opposition for a fifth officer
By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@oglecounty news.com Thrilling shows, costumed animals, and perfect weather were some of the highlights of the Ogle County Fair. The grandstands were the place to be each night at the fair for tractor pulls, a rodeo, and the metal crunching demolition derby. Rose Walton, Forreston, was one of the local competitors in the antique tractor pulls July 29. “The competition is fun and I get to beat the men. These guys show no mercy,” she said. In a tractor pull, the competitors are hooked to a weighted sled and try to pull for the longest distance. As the distance increases the weight on the sled increases resistance. “To get a good pull you need to pay attention to what you are doing and what everyone else is doing,” said Walton. “The track conditions can throw you off. You need to pay attention to the entire track.” During the antique tractor pull there were two divisions, antique and farm. The antique tractor is usually stock tractors with no modifications. The farm tractors are right off the farm. “Sometimes people put oversized pistons in them to increase power,” said Walton.
Tri-County Press
By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com Polo residents didn’t have much to say about hiring a fifth police officer at a recent town hall meeting, but apparently several have not minced words since then in private conversations with aldermen. Three aldermen told the city council Monday night that several residents have contacted them since the July 23 town hall meeting to say they see no need for the additional full-time police officer. The city council scheduled the town hall meeting, held at the fire station, for the purpose of getting public input on the hiring a fifth officer. Approximately 80 people attended the meeting but none voiced opposition to the proposal. Alderman Randy Schoon said several people told him right after the meeting that they see no need for the additional policeman. “They just aren’t going to say anything in a meeting like that,” he said. Alderman Jim Busser said he has also heard from residents since the meeting with the same message. Alderman Troy Boothe, who chairs the Police Committee, said he has been contacted by residents as well.
Above, Kayla Blume, Pine Creek Valley 4-H, sheers her sheep during the fair. Photo by Chris Johnson At right, Camryn Cox, 8, Polo, screams and holds onto the wheelbarrow as Courtney Bushman, 10, Polo, and Breanne Cox, 10, Polo, work to get the wheelbarrow out of the mud at Sunday’s Barnyard Olympics at the Ogle County Fair. Photo by Sarah Zuniga.
Turn to B1
“People have said ‘why do we need another cop when the ones we have already don’t do anything?’” he said. Resident Andy Dewey said he does not believe that’s a fair assessment of the officers. He said he has been pleased with the officers when he has called them. “I don’t think it’s a performance issue. I think they do a good job,” he said. “I think it’s a perception issue.” Schoon said he has been hearing from residents who recently saw a Polo officer sitting in a squad car at an intersection two miles outside the city limits. “What were they doing there?” he asked. Boothe said he checked into that and learned that the officer was on his way back to town from a mutual aid call with the Ogle County Sheriff’s Department and pulled over to answer his cell phone. “I think it’s a perception issue,” Dewey reiterated. “I think some people would rather complain than try to do something about it,” Boothe said. Schoon said he has also heard from residents who remember when Polo had only two officers, although the population was similar to what it is now. City Clerk Susie Corbitt said at that time the police Turn to A2
Crowd turns out for Reckmeyer’s final concert By Sarah Zuniga Correspondent Not only was Wednesday’s Kable Band concert in Mt. Morris the last one of the season, but it was the last one for a long-time director.
Ninety-one-year-old Warren Reckmeyer, who began directing in 1957, is putting away his baton after directing the Mt. Morris Kable Concert Band for the past 59 years. Before the conclusion
of the concert, Kable Band Council members Roy Keebler, Bev Binkley, Sylvia Saunders, Ellen Miller, and Andy Eckardt honored Warren and his wife Carol by sharing memories and wellwishes at the conclusion of
the concert. “I’ve known Warren for about 45 years,” Keebler shared with the concert audience. “I’ve always enjoyed working with him.” Keebler was honored
by Reckmeyer for having perfect attendance in the Kable Band for the past 25 years. Keebler joined the band after he retired from directing for the Oregon school district in 1990. “We can really appreciate
Warren for 60 years of directing this band,” said Keebler. Binkley told the crowd, “It’s been both a pleasure and an honor to be a part of this tradition.” Turn to A2
Delicate work to restore 104-year-old sculpture By Chris Johnson cxjohnson@oglecounty news.com Tadeusz Mlynarczyk leaned in close to the side of the Lorado Taft creation using small tools to carefully remove dirt and grime from its 104-year-old surface. His light taps with a petite hammer and chisel provided a steady rhythmic clinking that softly filled the air nearly 50 feet above the Rock River Valley. Such was a typical work morning on the painstaking restoration of what is commonly know as the Black Hawk Statue. Mlynarczyk, a technician with Conservation of Sculptures and Objects Studio, Inc., Forest Park, sat on the sixth level of scaffolding July 30 performing the delicate tasks as he worked on a small three foot square
section of the sculpture. “All right, the calcium was really really hard and thick,” said Mlynarczyk. “It was a lot of work to get to this point. We have to clean and remove the stuff. It is looking like it is original.” Work is being done in sections with a spray bottle of solvent, a wire brush, a chisel, and a small hammer. “We are getting some solvents to do more cleaning,” Mlynarczyk said. “Some parts I can not touch because they are too fragile.” Time and weather have damaged the statue to the point that portions of the exterior have crumbled and fallen off. The folded arms of the statue, especially the elbows and underneath the arms; the middle of the robe; and the vertical fold in the robe from armpit to toe are the critical areas.
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Mlynarczyk picked up a hammer and lightly tapped on Black Hawk. Most spots had a solid ring to them when struck, but when he got to a damaged section of the elbow the sound was more of a hollow thud. “That is not fine,” Mlynarczyk said. “We will have to inject and make it solid before we can clean it. The work being done was for conservation of the statue. “Usually restoration is ‘let’s take and make a beautiful new one and strong forever,’” said Mlynarczyk . “The work done previously was ‘don’t worry about it.’ Because of that, it makes it hard for us to do this right. Cheaper and faster, is what they did.” Mlynarczyk showed portions of the statue that still had rotten pieces of wood from where scaffolding from Andrezij Dajnowski, director of Conservation of Sculpprevious restoration efforts were left. tures and Objects Studio, Forest Park, talks about the cracks in the head of the Black Hawk Statue. Photo by Turn to A10
Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B4 Pine Creek News, A3 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B5
Earleen Hinton
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Deaths, B5 Evelyn J. Bolen, John W. Butler