McHenry County News FRE
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11512 N. 2nd ST. • MACHESNEY PARK, IL 61115 • (815) 654-4850 • www.McHenrycountynewspaper.com Display Advertising & Classifieds: 815-654-4850 • Circulation: 815-654-4854 • E-mail:McHenrynews@rvpublishing.com
Volume 5 Issue 52
December 24, 2015
To Advertise In This Space Call 815-654-4850
Helping Paws offers holiday special on adoptions By Anne Eickstadt, Correspondent
K
ids adore baby animals and now is the purr-fect time to adopt. The Helping Paws no-kill Animal Welfare Association is running a holiday special on the adoption of kittens through the end of the year. Just imagine the joy on your children’s faces when they find kittens under their Christmas tree or playing next to the fireplace. “We would love to see all of our kittens have a home for the holidays! That’s why we are starting a special today, December 11, 2015, through the end of the month on all our babies and teens. $30 off the regular adoption fees – so all kittens under six months are now $100 and those six months but less than a year are $70. All are spay/neutered, up to date on vaccinations, microchipped and have 30 days of free pet insurance.” Anyone who has, now or in the past, pets can do the math and figure out that the costs for the services alone are worth more than Healthy Paws is asking. Plus, you are assured of the animal’s good health and safety when
See KITTEN, Page 2
photo by Anne Eickstadt
Tammy Robinett, volunteer with Helping Paws is holding Elton. Elton was born on September 10 and is waiting for a family to love him.
This family is waiting at the train station in the display this season.
Annual Holiday Train multi-level display featured in Huntley By Anne Eickstadt, Correspondent
photo by Anne Eickstadt
HUNTLEY — The model train club at Sun City Huntley is at it again. Their annual Holiday Train multi-level display opened on November 21, the weekend before Thanksgiving, and will remain open through Sunday, December 27. This elaborate display has four sizes of track gauge with 11-12 trains running at any given time. Each gauge of track has its own level so that even the smallest trains can be easily seen. “We have a few new buildings,” Don Espeseth, president of the Kishwaukee Valley & Eakin Creek Model Railroad Club says of this year’s display. “We have a house afire with fire engines.” The Holiday Train display has a huge appeal. Espeseth tells me that they anticipate about 1500 children coming to enjoy the display this year. Plus, “for every child that shows up, we have two adults.”
“We had 700 people on Grandma/Grandpa Sunday,” club member Rich Porto tells me. Two high school groups have come to Sun City to sing. Operation Life Saver has come over. “Operation Life Saver promotes railroad safety. They come out and have a lot of different giveaways.” They expect more groups to arrive throughout the holidays to enjoy the model trains. These groups will include seniors with disabilities from Deerpath and groups from the Heritage Woods Continuing Care facility by the fire station. The train display is free and the Kishwaukee Valley & Eakin Creek (KV & EC) Model Railroad Club will be giving away three Lionel Train sets again this year. “These are not cheap tin things. They will last a lifetime,” Porto says. Chartered in 2002, the KV & EC Model Railroad Club chose their name to reflect the topog-
See TRAIN, Page 12