Free!
www.McHenryCountyNewspaper.com
McHenry County News DISPLAY ADVERTISING & CLASSIFIEDS: 815-654-4850 • CIRCULATION: 815-654-4854 • E-MAIL: McHenryNews@RVPublishing.com
VOLUME 7 • ISSUE 43
11512 N. 2nd ST. • MACHESNEY PARK, IL 61115
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2017
Woodstock mural highlights stars of yesteryear BY ANNE EICKSTADT REPORTER
The Woodstock Mural was conceived and championed by longtime resident RB Thompson, who served for over 38 years on the Woodstock High School faculty and as an elected Woodstock City Councilman for 18 years. RB’s heartfelt contributions to our community are undeniable. A collaborative effort among a group of volunteers, in cooperation with the City of Woodstock, brought Mr. Thompson’s idea of a grand mural to life. All funds were raised privately through contributions made by many generous donors. Welcome to historic Woodstock, Illinois Quaint brick streets surround our lovely Park-in-the-Square, where generations of families have gathered to enjoy parades, art fairs, farmers’ markets, and summer City Band concerts going back 130 years. Woodstock was founded in 1844 as Centerville, located in the exact center of McHenry County and designated as the seat of county government. In 1845, the name was changed to Woodstock, honoring the hometown of settlers from Vermont. The Chicago & Northwestern Railroad arrived in the mid 1800s, giving farmers access to Chicago markets for cattle, grain, pickles, and milk attracting the Borden Dairy plant, one of the world’s largest at the time. The early 1900s brought both Emerson and Oliver Typewriter companies to town. By 1922, nearly half the world’s typewriters were made in Woodstock. Legendary actor, director, and playwright Orson Welles spent his formative years at Woodstock’s Todd School for Boys and performed his first play on the Opera House stage. Summer stock theatre at the Opera House launched the career of acting legend Paul Newman and many others. In addition, Woodstock was “home” to the world’s greatest
crime fighter, Dick Tracy, as his creator Chester Gould lived here for 50 years, commuting to Chicago six days a week to work on his beloved cartoon strip. The Four Mural Concepts: Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy Beginning in 1939, cartoonist Chester Gould drew many of his world-famous Dick Tracy detective adventures from his home in rural Woodstock. When not working from home, Gould made the 60-mile trek from Woodstock to the Tribune Tower, in the heart of Chicago, by train or, most often, by car. This was an almost inconceivable commute given that no expressways existed and Midwest winter conditions were often harrowing. Stars of the Opera House A galaxy of stars has appeared at the Opera House over the years. Included among many Hollywood notables are Oscar winners Paul Newman and Geraldine Page. As a young aspiring actor, Newman lived in Woodstock for several years while perfecting his craft on the stage of the Opera House. Many other future celebrities went on to gain fame in theatre, film, and television productions. Orson Welles Actor, director, and master filmmaker, Orson Welles spent his formative years living in Woodstock as a boarding student at the Todd School for Boys. Orson made his acting and directorial debut on the stage of the Woodstock Opera House. He became world-famous as a result of his radio broadcast of H.G. Well’s thriller ‘War of the Worlds’. At age 23, Welles made what many consider to be the greatest film of all time, ‘Citizen Kane.’ Groundhog Day Woodstock is known nationwide as the setting for the 1993 movie ‘Groundhog Day’, starring Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, and Chris Elliott. Today, the classic film by director Harold Ramis is acknowledged by critics and film
ANNE EICKSTADT PHOTOS McHenry County News
Mark Adamany, RB Thompson, Michael Stanard, and Woodstock’s Mayor Brian Sager cut the ribbon during the mural’s dedication ceremony.
buffs alike as one of the finest comedies ever made and one of the best screenplays ever written. “I’ve been involved since last August,” said Mark Adamany, mural painter. “We had to sandblast the wall to get the right stucco on it. What I paint is only as good as the wall it is painted on, if the wall flakes, my mural flakes. “I started painting three months ago. Early on, it was all rain. Then it was all heat and mosquitos. Then it was all wind. I would spend hours marking the wall with tape, the wind would shift and I would hear ‘rrriiiiiippppp’ and I would watch the tape tear off the wall and fly across the street. An entire seven hours of work would blow off.”
“I was with the Walldogs in Belvidere when they painted the murals 20 years ago. I did the Seed Co. wall. I redid the Walldog wall in 2007 because the original painter could not come because of cancer. I sent her pictures and she loved it. She passed away a month later. “I have worked with the Walldogs off and on over the years. My schedule has not allowed me to do much with them lately. I did the mural on the ceiling of the Blackhawk Bank, now the First Bank, in Machesney Park, in tribute to Machesney. Mural designer Mike Stanard said, “There is a retired Woodstock math teacher, an 18 year veteran of the Woodstock City Council. He and I spent time at Starbucks drinking
coffee. Over the course of a year, he would casually mention that this would be a good place for a mural. The wall was nasty-looking, it would be good to have a mural there. “I am a designer,” Mike continued, “I do branding, trademark designing. I branded the Louisville Slugger. I did the McHenry County Conservation District. I branded Lionel Trains and national accounts. I mulled the idea over and decided that if it was ever going to happen, I needed to take it on. “I approached four people - Tina Hill, John Puzzo, Sue Stafford, and Terry Willcockson. We decided on four themes. We found images and
See MURAL, Page 8
McHenry County Sheriff makes heroin-related arrests
On Thursday, Oct. 5, the McHenry County Sheriff’s Police Narcotics Task Force (which includes Officers from Lake in the Christopher Hills Police Cappello Department and McHenry City Police Department) arrested three persons on drugrelated charges, including selling heroin and prescription pills. The investigation following multiple complaints of suspected drug activity in the 3900 block of Main St. in McHenry. Subsequent investigation resulted in traffic stops on vehicles coming from the area. One stop led to the arrest of Christopher Cappello, 32, who had 88 bags of heroin, 8 clonazepam pills and drug paraphernalia hidden in his vehicle. Another stop led to the arrest of Dion MacMeekin, 33, who had needles, heroin bags, cocaine bags and cash on his person. The passenger in his vehicle, Mural designer Michael Stanard and mural painter Mark Adamany are very pleased with the support they received from the City of Stephanie Phillippi, 31, was arrested for having 11 tramadol hydroWoodstock and its residents.
chloride pills and 2 clonazepam pills on her person. A search warrant was served on an apartment in the 3900 block of Main St. and Dion MacMeeklin detectives recovered needles and empty residue baggies that matched the types of bags recovered from all the traffic stops. In total, detectives recovered approximately 9 grams of heroin, 0.2 grams of cocaine, 10 clonazepam pills, 11 tramadol hydrochloride pills, multiple needles, multiple residue bags, packaging materials and $743 in currency. The total street value of the narcotics seized is approximately $1,200. Members of the community are encouraged to report suspected drug dealing and other suspicious activity to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office at 815-338-2144 or anonymously to Crime Stoppers of McHenry at 800-762-7637. Christopher Cappello, 32, of Lake Geneva, Wis., was charged with Unlawful Delivery of a Con-
trolled Substance within 1000 feet of a Park- (class x); Unlawful Delivery of a Controlled Substance (class 1); and Unlawful Pos- Stephanie Phillippi session of a Controlled Substance (class 4) He was held with no bond and a court date was set for Oct. 7. Dion MacMeekin, 33, of McHenry, was charged with two counts of Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance (class 4) and Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia (class a) His bond was set at $45,000 and was scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 19. Stephanie Phillippi, 31, of Crystal Lake, was charged with two counts of Unlawful Possession of a Controlled Substance (class 4). Her bond was set at $20,000 and her court date is Oct. 25. The charges against these individuals are merely allegations against them. All defendants are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.