McHenry County News FRE
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Volume 6 Issue 42
OCTOBER 13, 2016
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General Ulysses S. Grant, his future wife and provost guard in a typical 1800s unsmiling pose during the 2016 Cider Fest at the McHenry County Historical Museum. STORY & PHOTOS BY
Anne Eickstadt
CORRESPONDENT
The Cider Fest marches on Sam Johnson has been a blacksmith since the age of 15. He demonstrates his craft at the MCHS Cider Fest.
“The Cider Fest is 39 years old,” says Kurt Begalka, McHenry County Historical Society & Museum Administrator. “It is older than the Heritage Fair.” As a fall festival, the event does have a focus on apples, apple cider and baking with apples. This year is the 3rd Apple Cider Bake-Off with categories in Apple Pie, Apple Cake and Apple Bars. However, the judging is interrupted by the sound of gunfire outside the door. The Civil War Encampment on the other side of the wall is doing a musket demonstration. New this year, the encampment holds the 36th Wisconsin Voluntary Infantry. Joining them for the day is General Ulysses S. Grant [as portrayed by Wayne Issleb] and the future Mrs. Julia Boggs Dent Grant [as portrayed by Margot Jackson]. The encampment holds the General’s provost detail, the men on guard duty, which is comprised of Daniel Lobbdell of the 46th Illinois Regiment [Austen Bower], Sgt.
Billy Neil of the 45th Illinois, a member of the 36th Wisconsin [Hilario Deleon] and William Munt of Virginia [Marc Reed]. These reenactors are quite willing to talk with festival guests about the Civil War, how it tore families apart, pitted brother against brother, and about reenacting as well. “I got involved in reenacting in 1989 as an infantry soldier in the 36th Wisconsin,” says Wayne Issleb [General Grant]. “At the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, we started doing an infantry guard with General Grant. We have been doing that for six years.” Reenactors help tell the story of the Civil War in a way that brings the conflict to life in a very personal way. “You will be able to see our infantry drilling and listen as they talk about muskets and the weapons that were used,” he says. “The load-and-fire demonstration really gets people going. The 36th Wisconsin was formed at Camp Randall in Madison, Wisconsin in 1864. It participated in many of the largest battles during the last year of the Civil War. The
regiment suffered 342 fatalities. As the reenactors patrol the grounds of the festival, blacksmith Sam Johnson demonstrated his craft to a very interested audience. “I make my own tongs,” he tells them. “The hammers are antiques.” As a member of the Northern Illinois Anvil and Hammer Club, Johnson has been a blacksmith since he was the age of 15. “I think everyone should do blacksmithing or something like it,” he says. “You gain an appreciation for what we have today. You see the progress from horse and buggy to the cars we have today.” [Northern Illinois Anvil & Hammer club has a Facebook page if you want to learn about them.] Coming back into the 21st century, the Cider Fest offers a Pokemon Go! Scavenger Hunt for game fans, a White Elephant Sale, a Fabric Sale for quilters, Mums on Main Street, and the James Mobile Museum
See CIDER FEST, Page 2
Sage Parkway vacate request approved by board By Samantha Fetzner REPORTER
After Sage announced their plans to acquire additional land and expand their facilities in September, the Village Board voted on whether or not to vacate Sage Parkway to allow for the proposed expansion plans. The Cary Village Board approved the request to vacate unanimously at the beginning of October. Sage is in the process of acquiring 27 acres of land to the East to build a larger facility and ultimately adding approximately 350 additional jobs in the process. The company employs nearly 700 people at this time.
Located on Three Oaks Road between Route 31 and Route 14 at the Cary/Crystal Lake border, the only other neighboring roadway at this time is Sage Parkway. Vacating the roadway was noted as being not only non-detrimental to the community, but actually could improve safety measures by directing traffic to an alternative entrance to the Cambria and nearby subdivisions. Community members present during the vote were not as quick to give their support, and a group even presented a petition to the board discouraging the vacation request. Over 35 signatures were on the document at the time of the vote.
Vacating Sage Parkway would drive traffic further east to Georgetown Road where there is a four-way intersection with a traffic light. Georgetown connects the subdivisions to Three Oaks Road, and provides access to Industrial Drive leading to Cary-Algonquin Road as alternatives to Route 14. By vacating the road, Sage would be able to attach new construction to the existing structure. They proposal is for an additional 200,000 square feet of warehouse space and the re-location of the company’s shipping and receiving docks. The first phase of the project could begin next year.
The next step in the process is for the village to approve zoning requests necessary for Sage’s expansion on the proposed land. Without closing Sage Parkway, equipment and vehicles moving within and going to/from the Sage plant would have to cross public roadways, creating hazardous conditions for commuters both in vehicles and on foot. The first zoning review will take place on October 13. The board’s decision will determine whether the board can vote on zoning requests at their November meeting or if changes are necessary to the existing plans.