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Tri-County Press April 12, 2018 Volume 159, Number 50- $1.00
It’s National Telecommunicator Appreciation Week! A9
Former OHS football coach John Bothe is inducted into the Illinois Coaches Hall of Fame. B1
Find out what Ogle County agencies are doing to help protect our children. A10
Cold hands and hot items at annual spring auction By Zach Arbogast zarbogast@oglecounty news.com An annual spring auction came with a cold spell, but that didn’t hinder attendees from having a good time. The annual Hazelhurst Spring Consignment Sale that came around again on April 7 at 17748 W. Milledgeville Rd., Polo, hardly felt like “spring.” Temperatures hovered between 30 degrees from the 8:30 a.m. opening and 50 degrees by the evening close, with wind making it feel less than 20 at times. “It looks like everyone’s smoking,” said a passerby in a group of auctioneers. It was cold enough to see your own breath most of the day. It was a stark contrast to last year, where heavy rains left the 30-acre Hazelhurst site muddy as a swamp. However, did the cold temperatures hurt attendance? “If anything, it helped it,” said Sheryl Hopkins,co-owner and operator of Public Auction Service, Polo, with her husband Lyle. “The farmers can’t get out in the field with the climate the way it is, so they need something to do for the day.” Vendors echoed Sheryl’s sentiment; when asked if the chill was hurting business for the Ogle County Beef Producers, Phil Fossler, of Polo, said “Lord, no!” The beef producers were selling their famous ribeye steak sandwiches, among other treats, to hungry patrons browsing the sales. “Since 20 minutes in, we’ve
had a line for ribeyes, which is good for us,” said Fossler. “When it’s cold, farmers eat, and they like to eat beef.” The beef producers weren’t the only grub stop, as the Polo Lions cook up burgers, brats, and other grilled meats every year in the main concession stand attached to the central office. As good as the food is, though, it’s not the main attraction. Folks come from surrounding communities, and even nearby states, to see acres and acres of one man’s junk about to become another man’s treasure. “I grew up in Oklahoma, and you had one of these sorts of things every weekend,” said Alan Harrison, of Dixon. “This is a real piece of Americana, and you just don’t see it as much anymore.” Scattered among the Americana in question was anything from fully functioning tractors, lawn mowers, and post hole diggers, to things like the front hood off of a big rig, or the back bed from a pickup. It also wasn’t a bad place for tires, with nearly an entire row filled. “There’s so much here, it’s actually a good time just seeing it all,” said Lucas Schultz, of Freeport, who was looking to grab a hayrack on auction. “I waited nearly 26 minutes in line just to get a bid ticket - this place is busy.” Hopkins expects that around 6,000 people showed up to the spring consignment auction. Not a bad turnout for winter weather in April, and for an event that’s been going strong since the 1940s.
Chilly weather didn’t hurt the crowd at Saturday’s annual Hazelhurst Spring Consignment Sale in the least. Above, Nate White, Owen Walberg, Paul Wiemken, and Henry Bocker man the grills as Polo Lions Club served up some grub to Hazelhurst visitors. Below, left: 11-year-old Kaleb McPhail rode out with a John Deere zero-turn Ztrak mower for $35. Below, right: Left to right: Lucas Schultz, of Freeport, admires an old McCormick Farmall B tractor with Louis Lavan, of Dixon, and Jim Johnson, of Miles, Iowa. Complete strangers bond over the rows and rows of rich history at the auction. Photos by Zach Arbogast
Volunteers tackle fundraising for statue repairs By Vinde Wells vwells@oglecounty news.com
Pinwheels for Prevention The Polo Women’s Club planted pinwheels around Polo Friday afternoon to spread awareness of preventing child abuse. Mayor Doug Knapp read a proclamation recognizing April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Pictured from left to right in the front row are: Adrienne Hiatt, Mary Cimino, and Louise Hall. Back row left to right: Pat Kuhn, Beth Green, and Doug Knapp. Photo by Zach Arbogast.
In This Week’s Edition...
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B7-B10 Entertainment, A6 Fines, B6 Library News, A3
Marriage Licenses, A4 Polo Police, A2 Public Voice, A6 Property Transfers, B4 Sheriff’s Arrests, B3
A new volunteer group is attempting to raise funds as well as hope for the restoration of the Black Hawk statue. Oregon Together’s recently formed Black Hawk Restoration Team has plans to raise the estimated $500,000 needed to complete the repairs to the 107-year-old landmark that stands on a 125-foot bluff overlooking the Rock River at Lowden State Park. Team chairman Jan Stilson said members of the team met March 28 with representatives from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Conservation Foundation, Lowden State Park, and the Northern Illinois University Taft Field Campus to discuss the project, which was begun in 2014. Created by sculptor Lorado Taft in 1910 and listed on the
Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B4 Zoning, B4
National Register of Historic Places since 2009, the concrete statue needs the repairs due to the ravages of weather and time. It was unveiled and dedicated in 1911. Over the years, despite numerous repair efforts, parts of the statue have crumbled and fallen off. Winter weather has been especially devastating. Before being encased in protective wrap almost four years ago, the 48-foot-tall landmark drew 400,000 visitors a year, according to state and regional tourism officials. Because it is situated in a state park, the statue is under the jurisdiction of the IDNR. At a team meeting Tuesday morning, Stilson said IDNR officials have agreed to remove the black plastic which has encased the statue for the last two winters. Ed Cross, IDNR Director of Turn To A8
Deaths, B5 Mary “Joyce” Franklin, Robert A. Gillick, Kathryn M. Laskos, Vincent P. Musso
Published every Thursday by Ogle County Newspapers, a division of Shaw Media • www.oglecountynews.com