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POLO
Tri-County Press October 26, 2017 Volume 159, Number 44 - $1.00
Seasons Ends
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PAG Production
The Marcos’ football and volleyball seasons end with losses. B1
Local 4-H clubs invite youth ages 5-18 to become members. A8
Tickets are now on sale for the PAG’s November performance of “The Way Home.” A6
Polo native becomes winner on “Jeopardy!” By Leichan Stoerger lstoerger@saukvalley.com A Polo native fulfilled a lifelong dream last week when she appeared on “Jeopardy!” and became a returning champion. Joanna Kimmitt unseated a three-time winner Oct. 18 and returned the following day, only to be tripped up by the final “Jeopardy!” question. Kimmitt, 38, daughter of Daniel and Muriel Messer and now of Long Beach, California, won $9,999 during season 34’s 28th episode, which was taped in August and aired last Wednesday. “A 1796 medical experiment with an English farm girl ultimately led to this breakthrough announced in Geneva May 8, 1980.” “What is the eradication of smallpox?” With that answer, Kimmitt Though she didn’t get to meet “Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek until the cameras started rolling, Polo native earned her spot as a returning Joanna Kimmitt was able to pose for a picture with Trebek, who’s hosted the show since it began airing in champion. syndication in 1984. Now a librarian at California
State University in Dominguez Hills, she attended Polo High School until her sophomore year, when she transferred to the Illinois Math and Science Academy in Aurora. “I had been a fan of ‘Jeopardy!’ since I was a little girl,” she said in a phone interview Oct. 18. “It was on at 4:30 p.m. in the Sauk Valley area, so we would go home after school, do a chore and then watch the show. I grew up playing it with my brother and sister.” Kimmitt took the online test a year ago – along with 20,000 to 30,000 other people – was invited to audition in January, then auditioned in San Diego in February. Only 1,600 people are invited to audition nationwide. “It all aligned for me,” she said. Kimmitt did several things to prepare for the show. “I watched a lot of episodes that Turn to A2
Personal achievement and service honored at banquet By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecounty news.com
Volunteer Adrienne Hiatt stands in front of Second Hand Rose in downtown Polo. The used clothing store is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Photo by Vinde Wells
Second Hand Rose going
strong 30 years later By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com A downtown Polo business is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and still going strong. Second Hand Rose, a used clothing store now at 107 E. Mason St., held its grand opening in June 27, 1987 at its first location on North Franklin Ave. Operated by the Polo Council of Churches, the store pays its own way and donates several thousand dollars each year to community organizations. The store is staffed completely by volunteers from the six or seven churches that participate, store manager Sharon Miller said. Second Hand Rose sells used clothing for men, women, and children, not to mention shoes, toys, small appliances, and books, all at modest prices. Donations of good, clean items are dropped off at the Polo Church of the Brethren and St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, as well as at the store, Miller said. Besides waiting on customers, volunteers donate numerous hours to sort the clothes and other items, price them, and put them out for display.
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The store is noted for its inviting window displays. For many years it was located across the street at 104 E. Mason St. Miller said she enjoys the time she spends working there. She started several years ago, she said, when the store was getting ready to move. “I just stopped in one day to see if they needed some help to move,” Miller said. “I’ve been here ever since.” Second Hand Rose’s history extends further back that 1987. It grew from a used clothing store operated by Polo ambulance drivers for nine years until they were unable to continue. At that point the Council of Churches agreed to take on the project. Recipients of the proceeds from the store include the Polo Fire Department, Polo Public Library, Town & Country Days Parade Fund, Ogle County Crop Walk, Serenity Hospice, Village of Progress, Polo Area Community Theater, Polo Historical Society, Polo Lifeline, and others. Store hours are Tuesday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 1 to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. For more information or to volunteer, call the store at 815-946-2529.
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B6-B10 Entertainment, A6 Marriage Licenses, A4
The Village of Progress took a night out on Oct. 18 to celebrate community service and generosity, personal accomplishment, and recognize a few special individuals at their yearly event. VOP consumers, volunteers, board members, families, and appreciative citizens gathered inside St. Mary’s Learning Center for the 48th Village of Progress annual banquet. Each year at the banquet, VOP gives out eight individual awards, each highlighting different yet important criteria, including personal improvement, persistence in overcoming obstacles, selfless volunteer service, consistent employment and quality work, a love for athletic programs, being exceedingly friendly and encouraging to others, and both individuals and businesses who have served the village. The award structure allows a variety of different individuals to be recognized for different strengths, like Stacy Mitchell, of Chana, winner of the John Herrmann Personal Achievement Award. She was recognized for her enthusiastic spirit and constant efforts to overcome challenges. “Despite Stacy’s daily challenges, she persistently makes the effort to succeed and try new opportunities available to her,” said Tom Wadsworth, emcee for the banquet. “These efforts are an inspiration to all of us.” Stacy’s face was pure joy
Polo Police, A2 Pine Creek News, A3 Public Voice, A7 Property Transfers, B4
as she received her award, but these awards mean just as much - if not more - for friends and family members. “[The Village of Progress] emboldens virtue in her, and it’s a special part of her life every day,” said Brett Carlson, Mitchell’s stepfather. “It’s special to her parents as well.” For others, like Rob Zimmerman, of Oregon, recognition comes not from being a consumer who’s grown up within VOP, but as someone whose services helped it to flourish. Zimmerman received the Robert Stouffer Special Recognition Award for his hard work and expertise in restaurant design, which made him the perfect candidate for building the Village Bakery, Oregon. Zimmerman, humbled, didn’t wish to say much about winning the award, but did offer one statement to sum up his feelings: “It was only the right thing to do, to help them.”
Along with recognition awards, VOP gives out scholarships every year to Ogle County high school seniors or full-time college students who either are majoring in areas that serve people with disabilities, or have disabilities themselves. Scholarships worth $500 were awarded to Melinda Egli and Addison Kitzmiller, both of Oregon, and a $1,000 scholarship to Anakin Weston, of Rochelle. “I’m so glad we can put on the event each year,” said Brion Brooks, Village of Progress Executive Director. “It really means a lot to those enjoying it, but it also means a lot to us to be able to celebrate everyone involved.” The banquet provides a beef dinner, cooked and served by the men and women of St. Mary’s Parish, for anywhere between 200 and 250 guests on average, and also brings out some community praise with awards for select stand-outs.
Stacy Mitchell, of Chana, was elated to be presented the John Herrmann Personal Achievement Award by emcee Tom Wadsworth. Photo by Zach Arbogast
Sheriff’s Arrests, B3 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B4
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com
Deaths, B5 Conny L. Reints Eleanor E. Ruter