Serving the Polo Area Since 1857
POLO Summer Ball
Tri-County Press June 15, 2017 Volume 159, Number 27 - $1.00
Porchfest
The Polo and Forreston summer baseball games are underway at area parks. A10, B2
Milestone
A unique festival was held in Mt. Morris on June 10. B1
A benefit yard sale has raised $150,000 for the American Cancer Society . B4
Town & Country Days offers family fun By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com From Thursday’s fireworks to Sunday’s grand parade, Polo’s Town & Country Days offers four days of oldfashioned family fun this weekend. “Polo Pride” is the theme of the festival which will be held Thursday, June 15 through Sunday, June 19. Festival committee chairman Jon Miller said family entertainment is the focus of the 51-year-old festival that started back in 1966 as a fundraiser for a community outdoor swimming pool. Appropriately, the festival actually began Wednesday evening with Swimming Games & Races at the Polo pool, an event that was new last year. “It’s all about the kids. That’s why we do it,” Miller said. The Little Miss & Mister
Contest will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday in the festival tent. As always, the festival gets off to a start with fireworks at dusk Thursday at the high school football field. Great American Shows will once again provide carnival rides beginning at 5 p.m. on Thursday. Carnival mega-passes for $40 per person can be purchased until noon Thursday at First State Bank Shannon/Polo and Knie Appliance & TV, Polo. The mega-passes offer unlimited rides throughout the entire weekend. Kids Day is Friday from 12 to 5 p.m. Armbands for unlimited carnival rides until 5 p.m. will go on sale at noon for $20 apiece. Besides the carnival, a Kids Fun Fair, open until 3 p.m. offers face-painting, games, and prizes, along with a petting zoo from 1 to 3 p.m. Spaghetti-eating and JellO-eating contests and an
Crew members work hard to get the attractions set up in time for Polo Town and Country Days. Photo by Zach Arbogast
Oreo-stacking contest will take place in the festival tent at 2 p.m. New this year will be a mechanical bull offered Friday and Saturday from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. in the grassy
area near the food booths. Also new is Quartermania on Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Festival Tent. Alumni Night in the beer garden on Friday night at 5 p.m. offers an opportunity to
renew acquaintances. “People like to come back for that and see old friends,” Miller said. Other Friday events include Merchandise Bingo, a dunk tank, a 5K run, and a
deejay and karaoke. Crossroads Community Church will serve breakfast on Saturday from 7 to 10:30 a.m., and the Polo Car Show & Swap Meet will run from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m Registration for a volleyball tournament begins at 8:30 a.m. on the PHS football field with the games starting at 9 a.m. Youngsters can keep cool at the Kids Water Fights on Saturday starting at 10 a.m. at the Polo Fire Station. Other Saturday events include a bags tournament, a variety show, Twilight Bingo and music by Lyle Grobe and the Rhythm Ramblers at the beer garden. The Father’s Day Grand Parade will step off at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday. The festival will wrap up with more events for youngsters — pedal pull tractor races for kids age 5 to fourth grade at 2 p.m. and a pig scramble at 3 p.m. for kids ages 5-12.
Third committee votes for denial of dog kennel request
Carrying a message for everyone By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecounty news.com The Special Olympics torch made its way through downtown Oregon, carried by a Village of Progress athlete and escorted by local law enforcement last week. Law enforcement from Oregon, Mount Morris, Byron, Rochelle, and the Ogle County Sheriff’s Department joined Jake Werner, a village of progress worker and basketball player, at 10:15 a.m. on June 7 as he ran from the old Silo Restaurant at 1490 North Illinois 2 to Illinois 64, and downtown Oregon before heading on to Daysville Road. A pit stop was made on the lawn of the Ogle County Courthouse at the corner of Washington and Fourth streets. More than 20 VOP members held colorful signs of encouragement for the runners, thanking them for their support. “I’m thrilled to see our members and athletes downtown, watching the
By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
Teresa Vaughn, Tammy Sigler, and Cloceal Holman hold encouraging signs and cold water for the torch runners. Photo by Zach Arbogast
runners,” said Dawn Todd, Village of Progress coach. “It means so much for them to see our local people devoting time and energy to this cause.” Illinois’ first law enforcement torch run was in 1986, and included less than 100 runners. It raised a little over $14,000. Thirty-one years later,
“I’m thrilled to see our members and athletes downtown, watching the runners. It means so much for them to see our local people devoting time and energy to this cause.” Dawn Todd, Village of Progress coach Illinois raised $4.2 million, making it among the highest rated torch runs in the country.
Each run is organized by local law enforcement personnel, with liaisons from Special Olympics.
Jake Werner, village of progress worker and athlete, carries the torch on the run towards Oregon’s Old Courthouse Lawn. Werner was escorted by law enforcement from Oregon, Mt. Morris, Byron, Rochelle, and the Ogle County Sheriff’s Department. Photo by Zach Arbogast
In This Week’s Edition...
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B7-B10 Entertainment, A6 Marriage Licenses, A4 Public Voice, A7
Oregon Police, B5 Property Transfers, B4 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4
A DeKalb County dog breeder’s request for a special use permit to expand her business into Ogle County hit another setback Tuesday. The Ogle County Planning & Zoning Committee voted 7-0 to recommend denial of a special use request from Christie Hardt, owner of B&C Kennel, Clare, and her husband Robert DeCosta. Hardt and DeCosta have requested the special use permit to operate a commercial dog kennel on property they own at 14189 E. Dutch Rd., northeast of Kings. The site is zoned for agricultural use, and the request asks for a special use permit to allow dog breeding, import and sale of puppies, dog grooming, and dog obedience training at the kennel. Planning & Zoning is the third committee to recommend denial to the Ogle County Board, which is expected to vote on the matter on June 20. The Zoning Board of Appeals recommended denial by a 3-2 vote on April 27, and the Regional Planning Committee voted 4-1 for denial on March 23. Planning & Zoning Committee member Ron Colson said Tuesday that he sees inconsistency in the ZBA decision because they denied it on the basis that the requested special use would be incompatible with the zoned agricultural use in that
Sports, A10, B2 State’s Attorney, B6 State Police, B5 Weather, A3
This sign against puppy mills “or their affiliates in Ogle County!” is located on South Fourth Street in Oregon. Petitions with 2,500 signatures were presented to county officials during a zoning hearing on the proposed kennel in April. Photo by Earleen Hinton
area. “It would seem that standard was met,” he said. Committee chairman Dan Janes asked if other committee members shared Colson’s concern, but none did. All seven are also county board members. Several county residents spoke in opposition to the kennel at the ZBA hearing, voicing concern that it is a “puppy mill,” and 2,500 signed a petition against it. Hardt read a statement refuting allegations that she runs a puppy mill, and several people also testified in her behalf during the 5-hour ZBA hearing. Hardt and DeCosta have also run into road blocks with their DeKalb County facility, which was found to be in violation of their permit there. The DeKalb County Zoning Board voted last month to limit the number of dogs they can keep on their Turn to A2
Deaths, B5 Eva M. Cline, Helen R. Jones, Glenn G. Van Raden
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com