1Dec. 25-31, 2013THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENT

INDEPENDENTTheWoodstock Dec. 25-31, 2013

Serving Woodstock, Wonder Lake and Bull Valley, Ill. $1.00www.thewoodstockindependent.comPublished every Wednesday Est. 1987

EDUCATION

PAGE 8

D-200 superintendent candidate

slated for public forum Jan. 21, 23

ENTERTAINMENTWNHS’ Slomski selected for state

theater production

MARKETPLACE

After 39 years, Angelo’s era ends

PAGE 9

OBITUARIES 5OPINION 6EDUCATION 8 A & E 9MARKETPLACE 11IND

EX

The Woodstock Independent671 E. Calhoun St.,

Woodstock, IL 60098Phone: 815-338-8040Fax: 815-338-8177

www.thewoodstockindependent.com

O B I T U A R I E S E N D Q U O T ECOMMUNITY 12CALENDAR 17CLASSIFIEDS 18PUBLIC NOTICES 20SPORTS 24

Robert Dale Watkins, WoodstockDoris C. Martine, North Wilkesboro, N.C.Lillian Marie French, WoodstockMeredith E. TromGordon Lohmeyer, WoodstockMaria Volmer, Woodstock

“I wish they wouldn’t cut it for those who really need it ...”

— Virginia Peschke, Page 4

PAGE 11

City says it could be stuck with sergeantBy KATELYN STANEK

The Independent

As criticism of the handling of an

embattled Woodstock police sergeant grows, city officials say they sympathize with angry residents and activists, but contend there is little anyone can do to

remove him from his post.�e Woodstock City Council called

a special executive session Dec. 17 to discuss the future of Sgt. Charles “Chip”

Amati, part of an emotional council meeting that stretched more than four-and-a-half hours and featured impassioned speeches from residents and visitors demanding the sergeant be fired.

Although city officials wouldn’t discuss the specifics of the closed-door executive session, many members of the

Bruce Killips loads food boxes into cars for Christmas Clearing House’s delivery day Dec. 21. INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY KATELYN STANEK

NO SLEIGH, BUT THEY DELIVERChristmas Clearing House brings the spirit of the season to area families in need

Volunteers keep

a decades-old

Woodstock

tradition aliveBy KATELYN STANEK

The Independent

It took more than eight tiny reindeer, but in the end, 1,200 volunteers were enough to bring Christmas cheer to 1,200

Woodstock families.With assembly-line precision, workers

scurried like elves to empty a warehouse of boxes filled to overflowing with turkeys, oranges and other foods and bags stuffed with children’s toys. �e packages were hauled into a line of waiting trucks and vans, which ferried them to low-income families throughout the Woodstock area Dec. 21.

It was all part of Christmas Clearing House, an event founded by area Girl Scouts and taken over by the Woodstock Noon Rotary Club 41 years ago. Planned over the course of about half a year, Christmas Clearing House truly harnesses the power of its 1,200 volunteers in the weeks leading up to Christmas, when

people assemble to pack boxes and deliver gifts to needy residents living within Woodstock School District 200’s boundaries. On delivery day, in a warehouse at the corner of Route 47 and Highway 14 that once housed Farm & Fleet, a constant stream of volunteers hurried to match boxes with space in

Please see Deliveries, Page 5

By LISA KUCHARSKIThe Independent

�e Woodstock City Council approved a $9.4 million property tax levy, an increase of about $400,000 – or 4.5 percent – over last year’s c o l l e c t i o n . As approved, the city’s tax rate will rise from about 1.87 percent to about 2.14 percent.

D e s p i t e approving the increased levy, City Manager R o s c o e Stelford said the total tax bill will likely decrease.

“We expect it to be a little less,” Stelford said. “We think it’s going to be similar to the past two years when, in actuality, even though the city has extended and asked – from a layman’s perspective – for more money, we know, in essence where it’s going to be reduced, and it’s going to probably be below what we actually received last year.”

Finance Director Paul Christensen said although the city asked for a slight increase in it’s property tax levy, it will likely stay flat or decrease because of limitations put in place and levies requested by each taxing jurisdiction, like schools – receiving the bulk of the property tax bill

City Councilapproves newtax levy

Please see Tax levy, Page 5

» CITY COUNCIL

Please see Sergeant, Page 3

HOW THEY VOTEDTo approve a property tax levy of $9.4 million:

YesJoe StarzynskiMark SaladinMaureen LarsonBrian SagerJulie DillonRB ThompsonMike Turner

TO DONATERotary accepts monetary donations for Christmas Clearing House all year long. Checks can be mailed to P.O. Box 53, Woodstock, IL 60098 or deposited at BMO Harris Bank.

Following a special executive session, the City Council asserts its options are limited

2 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTDec. 25-31, 2013 NEWS

3Dec. 25-31, 2013THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTNEWS

Residents blast city on police issueBy KATELYN STANEK

The Independent

A group of residents packed into City Hall Dec. 17 to ream city officials over the handling of an embattled Woodstock police sergeant.

About 40 people gathered at a heated and often emotional meeting of the Woodstock City Council, where council members heard a series of charged speeches from residents and their out-of-town allies demanding the firing of Sgt. Charles “Chip” Amati, a veteran officer who recently was the subject of a state police investigation.

“If you are not concerned with your citizens paying this man in uniform who will abuse his power whenever he sees fit, then you are not concerned enough,” Tara Jenkins, a Woodstock resident, told the council.

Amati faced allegations he sent a text message to a 12-year-old girl asking her to send him “sexy pictures” and also illegally used a state police database to conduct a background check on

the girl’s mother, whom he had been dating at the time. Although prosecutors have declined to press charges against Amati, the sergeant was given a 30-day unpaid suspension from the force, a punishment recommended to the Board of Police and Fire Commissioners by Police Chief Robert Lowen and other city administrators.

Many of those assembled said Amati’s punishment was too lenient and argued he should be fired. Others said the actions of the police department and the city made them fear for their safety and the safety of their families.

“Just this last Halloween, we all went trick-or-treating, and I said to my daughter, ‘If anything happens, you find a police officer, you tell him Mom’s phone number and you have him call me,’” Morgan Bykowski told the council. “Well, I’m glad we weren’t separated that night, and I’m glad she didn’t find Mr. Amati.”

Mayor Brian Sager issued an impassioned rebuke of the sergeant’s alleged behavior and called the handling of the officer’s discipline “an ongoing

process.”“You have a right to be disgusted,

outraged and angry,” said Sager, who appeared to be holding back tears.

Other members of the council echoed

Sager’s statement but said the appointed police commission is the ultimate arbiter of police discipline, not the City Council. Still others said they had hoped the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office would press charges against Amati for either alleged crime, saying failure to do so made dismissing the sergeant more difficult.

“I was pained by the process and the failure of the state’s attorney to take action,” said Councilwoman Maureen Larson.

Included in the group assembled were a few people wearing Guy Fawkes masks, the calling card of the group of computer hackers and social activists called Anonymous that brought international attention to the Amati situation on various social media platforms. �e City Council meeting was temporarily interrupted when a group of people in masks appeared outside the chamber’s doors, prompting Woodstock’s Gus Philpott to issue a warning to the council about their safety. Following a few moments of commotion, they were escorted away by police.

A member of Anonymous peers into the Woodstock City Council chambers Dec. 17. INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY LISA KUCHARSKI

Hacktivist group Anonymous makes an appearance at City Hall as people demand Amati be dismissed

council said they were left feeling hamstrung by state law and the refusal of the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office to press charges against Amati.

Amati was thrown into the spotlight late last month, when the Chicago Tribune revealed he had been the subject of an Illinois State Police investigation into allegations he sent a text message to a 12-year-old girl asking her to send him “sexy pictures.” In the course of the inquiry, state police said they found Amati had illegally used the Law Enforcement Agencies Database — itself a felony — to run a background check on the girl’s mother, whom he had been dating. Amati oversaw use of the database at the time. He has since been removed from that position.

Prosecutors chose not to press charges against Amati for either alleged offense and said the text message didn’t constitute criminal behavior, but the city’s Board of Police and Fire Commissioners handed him a 30-day unpaid suspension, the strongest sanction it could issue short of terminating him. �e board acted in accordance with a recommendation from Police Chief Robert Lowen and city administrators, including City Manager Roscoe Stelford.

But prior to the executive session,

Mayor Brian Sager told the crowd of about 40 people — most of whom were there to demand the sergeant’s firing — the council would look to enact sanctions “up to and including termination” of Amati.

“Nobody feels as much disgust, outrage, betrayal and anger as the members of this City Council,” Sager said.

In the days that followed, however, officials indicated there was little chance of removing Amati from the department. Although state statute allows police commissioners to discharge officers, and although his rank means Amati is not covered by a union contract, they said prosecutors’ refusal to bring the sergeant to trial has complicated an already complex process of removing an officer.

“It’s really hard when you have a prosecutor who won’t press charges,” Councilman Joe Starzynski said.

Councilman Mark Saladin echoed Starzynski on that point and added the city’s initial recommendation to suspend the sergeant also may have confused the issue.

“Unfortunately, I think we’re going to be bound by the state statute with respect to the recommendations already made to the police and fire commission,” Saladin said, later adding,

“You get the sense that you can’t try a guy twice for the same crime.”

Still, council members said they were exploring other avenues to remove the sergeant from his post, a decision Saladin said came partly in response to the outpouring of anger he and other elected officials witnessed from residents.

“We don’t make decisions in a vacuum, and certainly when you feel the pulse of the citizens and the emotion that was apparent at the council meeting, you have to take that into account,” Saladin said.

Councilman Mike Turner said he is hopeful the city isn’t out of options when it comes to handling Amati’s punishment.

“We’re exploring what other options may exist,” Turner said. “We went into that session to kick around ideas and to talk about things that we might be able to consider to meet our own desire for something more than is currently in place.”

Woodstock Police and Fire Commissioner Lawrence Howell — himself the chief of police for the village of Lakewood — declined an opportunity to comment. Commissioner Ron Giordano did not return calls seeking comment. A three-person board, one seat is currently vacant.

Sergeant Continued from Page 1

By SANDY KUCHARSKIThe Independent

�e city of Woodstock Public Works Department has added the pond at Hennen Conservation Area as a new site for public ice skating this winter. A portion of the pond has been cleared of snow, and the ice has been inspected and deemed safe for skating.

Located at 4622 Dean St., Hennen is the only city park outside the corporate limits of the city of Woodstock. A cooperative effort between the city and �e Land Conservancy of McHenry County ensures the park is open daily from 8 a.m. until sunset and the grounds are regularly maintained.

�e pond is located in a partially wooded area.

“We have been talking with the city for a few years about doing this, but it’s never been cold enough. �is is our fourth winter here, and we finally had a hard freeze,” said Lisa Haderlein, executive director of TLC.

To be considered safe for skating, the ice needs to be frozen to a depth of 5 inches. Jeff Van Landuyt, assistant public works director said, “I’m sure if it’s safe now, it’ll be safe all winter.”

If temperatures this winter rise above freezing for an extended period or if the weather is in question, skaters should look for a red or green flag to indicate whether the ice is safe or not.

Van Landuyt said the public works staff is excited to make Hennen available for skating this year. �e ponds at Emricson Park also will

be open for skating, pending ice conditions. Van Landuyt said, “It’s hard to have skating at Emricson, because the park ponds are so shallow that the ground temperature prevents the water from freezing.”

�e city receives several inquiries each season about ice skating. “If there’s interest, we’ll do it,” said Van Landuyt.

Currently the only amenity at Hennen is a portable toilet. Parking is limited. However, a larger gravel parking lot is in the city’s capitol improvement plan.

�e 25-acre park is mixed-stage woodland that has been reforested with more than 2,000 hardwood trees. Winter visitors also can hike or cross-country ski on 3 miles of trails.

Ice skating comes to Hennen Conservation AreaChristmas display featured at historical society

The McHenry County Historical Society and Museum, 6422 Main St., Union, is featuring its 1950’s Christmas display now through Jan. 10 during special museum hours, 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, except for Dec. 24, 25 and 31 and Jan. 1.

The display, meant to re-create the feel of a 1950’s streetscape includes rare, vin-tage radios, a working 1951 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer model and Frosty the Snowman and Bozo the Clown memora-bilia. An old-fashioned Christmas tree lot stocked with real pines is also part of the display. Several paintings from area artists will be on sale with half the proceeds ben-efiting the historical society.

For more information, visit gothistory.org.

IN BRIEF

ABOUT POLICE COMMISSIONS

In Illinois, boards of police and fire commissioners exist as third-party en-tities appointed by municipalities to oversee matters pertaining to police of-ficer discipline, among other things. By state statute, they are made up of three members who live within the boundar-ies of the areas their boards serve.

In cases of discipline, commission-ers hear charges against officers during a hearing conducted by the board. Cities and departments submit recommendations to the commission-ers as to what sanctions should be enacted against employees. Accord-ing to the Illinois Compiled Statutes, “The board of fire and police com-missioners shall conduct a fair and impartial hearing of the charges, to be commenced within 30 days of the filing thereof, which hearing may be continued from time to time. In case an officer or member is found guilty, the board may discharge him, or may suspend him not exceeding 30 days without pay. The board may suspend any officer or member pending the hearing with or without pay, but not to exceed 30 days.”

4 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTDec. 25-31, 2013 NEWS

Average gas price

$3.29 /GAL.

Reflects average price of regular unleaded gasoline at Woodstock gas stations the morning of Dec. 16.

0.01

STREET SMARTSThe city of Woodstock’s curbside Christ-

mas tree collection runs from Thursday, Jan. 2 to Friday, Jan. 24. All live Christmas trees will be collected at the curb on regularly scheduled garbage days.

Visits to the food pantryusually increase at Christmastime

By LISA KUCHARSKIThe Independent

Although the benefit cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition and Assis-tance Program started this November – reducing federal food-stamp spend-ing around the country by about $5 billion during the next year – Virginia Peschke, president of the Woodstock Food Pantry said she has not yet seen a dramatic increase in need at the pantry.

Administered by the Department of Agriculture, SNAP was a stimulus bill initiated as part of the 2009 Re-covery Act. �e federal program costs $80 billion per year and provides aid to about 47 million Americans. When the temporary program expired last month, Congress decided to reduce benefits in order to reduce govern-ment spending. �e cuts during the next year will leave participants with an average of $1.40 to spend on each meal, resulting in a loss of about 21 meals per month for a family of four — about $36 less per month. A single individual will see a reduction of $11 each month.

“With our stats this year compared to last, we haven’t seen any jump yet, but I would expect it to happen.” Pe-schke said, regarding the commu-nity’s potential increase in need for

food. However, she said it was likely too

early to see a notable change because visits to the food pantry always in-crease slightly over the holidays since the pantry gives out items like turkey and ham.

Over the next 10 years, the Senate proposes re-ductions in spending to the program by about $4 billion, while the House Republicans plan to cut about $39 billion and tighten the re-strictions for applying for aid.

“It seems like every-thing is going to get cut,” Pe-schke said. “I wish they wouldn’t cut it for those who really need it, but I guess it’s a lot easier to just say some-thing like, ‘We’ll have a 10 percent cut,’ so it’s unfortunate.”

Jack Myers, an 18-year food manag-er volunteer at the Woodstock Food Pantry, 1033 Lake Ave., said support for the food pantry has been strong this year, which, if continued, should help the community in case of an in-crease. While the pantry takes in do-nations daily, counting just six of the largest contribution days this month, the pantry received more than 4,400

pounds of food donations. Myers also said an organization called Hunters Against Hunger hunts deer and has it processed and approved at shops like Jones Country Meat to provide veni-son to the pantry.

As someone who has experienced unemployment, Myers said he tries to make it so people don’t feel embar-rassed to have to apply for aid from a food pantry.

“I always felt belittled … like I was looked down on because I was need-ing assistance,” Myers said. “Here, we try to make people feel comfortable.”

Qualifying for assistance from the Woodstock Food Pantry is based on local referrals. For information on applying for aid, call 815-337-0375.

Also available to low-income households is a weatherization as-sistance program. �e Illinois Home Weatherization Assistance Program provides low-income households with free home repairs and renova-tions to help reduce energy con-sumption and cut utility bills. �e program provides an average of about $5,200 of service to house-holds in the area with a combined in-come at or below 150 percent of the poverty level — for example, about $23,265 combined annual income for a family of two.

Mike Isitoro, energy director for the McHenry County Housing Au-thority said the county program has helped about 400 home owners dur-ing the past four years.

“It’s kind of a win-win for every-body,” Isitoro said. “�eir house, once it gets weatherized will become more efficient, they will save on en-ergy bills, it makes the conditions of the house safer and it’s free.”

For information on how to apply for the weatherization assistance program, call the McHenry County Housing Authority at 815-338-7752.

SNAP cuts haven’t hit pantries yet,

but organizers expect they will

Stray bullet nearly hits woman, strikes cat food bag instead

A stray bullet narrowly missed hitting a Woodstock woman when it struck a bag of cat food she was holding in her arms Dec. 15.

According to a statement from the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, the woman — whom officials did not iden-tify — was walking outside in the 3500 block of Lily Pond Road when she heard gunfire and the bag she was carrying was suddenly struck. Later, a spent bul-let was found at the scene.

A 48-year-old target shooter, Kirk McDowell, Harvard, was arrested in connection with the incident. Police al-lege he was target shooting outside of a residence in the 9600 block of Highway 14 when he fired the stray bullet.

McDowell was charged with reckless discharge of a firearm, a class 4 felony. His court date was Dec. 18 at which a preliminary hearing was set for Jan. 15.

— Katelyn Stanek, The Independent

“It seems like everything is going to get cut. I wish they wouldn’t cut it for those who really need it ...”

— Virginia Peschke,Woodstock Food Pantry

5Dec. 25-31, 2013THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTNEWS

drivers’ vehicles.“It’s pretty amazing,” said Gary Riegler,

a first-time volunteer and assistant Scoutmaster from Crystal Lake who braved the cold morning with some of his Boy Scouts in order to lend a hand. “I can’t wait to see what happens when it really gets going, you know?”

�e operation was nothing new to Woodstock’s Susan Krause, a Rotarian who has volunteered at the event every year since

1994. What is fairly new, she said, is the level of need she witnessed from area families.

“We have noticed, since 2008, an increasing need. People who need food, families who are struggling,” Krause said.

Organizers have spent about $50,000 to purchase enough toys and food for the event and have collected about $40,000.

“Unfortunately, the need level in Woodstock isn’t going down,” said event chairman Joe Starzynski. “It’s going up.”

Deliveries Continued from Page 1

OBITUARIES

Robert Dale WatkinsRobert Dale Watkins, 83, Woodstock, died

Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013, at Florence Nurs-ing Home, Marengo.

He was born Sept. 24, 1930, in Belvidere to Floyd and Florence Watkins.

On April 14, 1956, he married Faith J. Jen-sen in Woodstock .

He joined the United States Army in No-vember 1951 and served in the Korean War, where he was wounded in battle and received a Purple Heart.

After his discharge, he helped his dad on the farm and also worked at Arnold En-gineering in Marengo. From 1968 until 1998 he farmed and worked at Techalloy Inc. in Union. He was a mem-ber of American Legion Post 192 in Marengo for 60 years.

He loved fishing with his son Mark and his buddies in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ohio. His favorite thing in life was spending time with his family and friends. He also loved pol-ka music, fish fries and the Cubs. His favorite food was strawberry shortcake.

Survivors include his loving wife; three chil-dren Lori (Brad) Brown, Mark Watkins and Andy Watkins; six grandchildren Jennifer (Kenneth) Knuth-Wake, Rebecca Knuth and her fiance John Reiker, Melissa Watkins, Sara (Andrew) Bourke, Heather Watkins and Daniel (Betsy) Watkins; a step-grandson, Tyler Brown; nine great-grandchildren, Chance, Parker, Kael, Jacob, Scarlett, Logan, Gregory, Addi-son and Derrick; a step-great-grandson, Gavin Wake; several cousins, nieces and nephews; and also his extended family at Florence Nurs-ing Home, especially all his “girls.”

He was preceded in death by his parents and two infant sons, Michael Floyd and Daniel Dwight.

A memorial gathering will be held from 10 a.m. until the time of the memorial service at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014, at Grace Lutheran Church, 1300 Kishwaukee Valley Road, Woodstock .

Memorials can be made to a charity of the donor’s choice.

Arrangements were made by Schneider-Leucht-Merwin & Cooney Funeral Home.

Doris C. MartineDoris Cornelius Martine, 85, died Thurs-

day, Dec. 12, 2013, at the Villages of Wilkes, North Wilkesboro, N.C.

She was born Aug. 30, 1928, in Hopkin-ton, Iowa, to Frank and Clara Wilson.

She was a gentle woman who enjoyed a hot cup of tea and visits from her friends and family.

As a young girl, she helped bake pies in her mother’s restaurant. Later on, her fam-ily moved to Woodstock where she met her husband, William Martine, who had returned from serving in World War II. The couple had three sons, raising them in Woodstock, where she was a faithful, active member of her Lu-theran church. She also worked for Guardian Electric.

After their children were grown, she and her husband traveled in their camper all over the United States. They lived in Florida for several years and then moved to Lenoir, N.C. She en-joyed gardening and shared her bountiful har-vest with anyone who walked past their house.

Survivors include three sons, John (Claudia) Martine, Milwaukie, Ore., Richard (Margaret) Martine, Lenoir and Kenneth (Sally) Martine, Owen, Wis.; nine grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grand-child.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 62 years and six brothers, Frank, Vernon, Billy Jo, Bernard, Emmitt and Bob.

A graveside service was held Dec. 17 at Blue Ridge Cemetery, Lenoir.

Memorials can be made to St. Paul Evan-gelical Lutheran Church, 323 1st Ave. SW,

Taylorsville, NC 28681.Mackie Funeral Home, Yadkinville, N.C.,

handled the arrangements. Online condolenc-es can be placed at www.mackiefh.com

Lillian Marie FrenchLillian Marie French, 97, Woodstock, died

Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013. She was born June 6, 1916.Survivors include a daughter, Norma Hell-

strom; grandchildren Richard (Patrice), Patter (Paul), Nancy Spangrud, Susan (David), Kate (Jeff) Davis and Thomas Hellstrom; 12 great-grandchildren; nieces and nephews; and oth-er relatives and friends in Woodstock.

A visitation was held at Heritage Funeral Home, Milwaukee, Wis. Interment will be at a later date at Crystal Lake Memorial Park.

Memorials can be made to Grace Luther-an Church, 1300 Kishwaukee Valley Road, Woodstock, IL 60098.

Meredith E. TromMeredith E. Trom, 88, died Thursday, Dec.

19, 2013, at Hearthstone Manor, Wood-stock.

She was born March 4, 1925, in Chicago to William and Eileen (Karsten) Matthes.

She married Staff Sgt. William V. Hoffstetter who was killed in action in February 1945.

On May 4, 1946, she married Frank Trom at St. Gilbert Church, Grayslake, and they celebrated more than 60 years of marriage.

She was a member of St. Mary Catholic Church, Huntley. She was a loving wife and mother, not to mention the world’s best cook. For years she prepared Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners that would last for hours and serve as many as 20 relatives.

She and Frank moved to Arizona in 1973, and they returned to Illinois in 2005. After moving to Arizona, Meredith discovered she had a real talent for oil painting and china painting. She taught others her arts with great pride. She also enjoyed playing bridge and

Skip-Bo.Survivors include her three sons, Dennis

(Mary Ann) Trom, Lawrence (Sandra) Trom and Kevin (Audrie) Trom; five grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and her sister, Kath-leen (Arthur) Holt.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her first husband; her second husband; and her brother, Robert Matthes.

A visitation and funeral Mass were held Dec. 23 at St. Patrick Catholic Church, Hart-land. Burial was at St. Patrick Cemetery.

Memorials can be made to JourneyCare Hospice, 405 Lake Zurich Road, Barrington, IL 60010. Arrangements were made by Schneider-Leucht-Merwin & Cooney Funeral Home.

DEATH NOTICE

Gordon LohmeyerGordon Lohmeyer, 86, Woodstock, died

Friday, Dec. 20, 2013, at his home. Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until the time

of the service at 11 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 28, at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 401 St. John’s Road. Entombment will be private.

Memorials can be made to Turning Point, P.O. Box 723, Woodstock, IL 60098 or St. John’s Lutheran Church.

Arrangements were made by Windridge Funeral Home, Cary.

Maria VolmerMaria Volmer, 83, Woodstock, died Sun-

day, Dec. 22, 2013 at her home.The visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thurs-

day, Dec. 26, at Schneider-Leucht-Merwin & Cooney Funeral Home, 1211 N. Seminary Ave. Visitation will continue at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 27, until the funeral Mass at 11 a.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church, Hartland, 15012 St. Patrick Road. Burial will be at St. Patrick Cemetery.

Memorials can be made to Woodstock Food Pantry, 1033 Lake Ave., Woodstock, IL 60098.

RobertWatkins

Any charges are merely accusations, and defendants or suspects are pre-sumed innocent unless proven guilty.

A Woodstock area juvenile, 17, was charged Dec. 3 with resisting a po-lice officer on South Madison Street. The juvenile was released to his parents. The case was turned over to court services.

Shari L. Dills-Willett, 29, 601 Car-penter St., Belvidere, was charged Dec. 4 with obstructing justice at 1275 Lake Ave. Dills-Willett posted $150 bond. Court date was set for Dec. 26.

Brandon Marc Blum, 29, 2220 Aurora Ave., Hampshire, was arrested Dec. 5 in the 300 block of North Madi-son Street, charged with driving while license revoked, uninsured motor vehi-cle and expired registration. Blum was turned over to McHenry County Sheriff’s Office. Bond was set at $1,500. Court date was set for Dec. 26.

James Edward Erickson, 53, 918 Victoria Drive, Woodstock, was charged Dec. 6 with driving while li-cense suspended, uninsured motor ve-hicle and obstructed driver’s view at Throop and Calhoun streets. Erickson posted $150 bond. Court date was set for Dec. 26.

Ramon Castillo, 33, 801 N. Draper Drive, McHenry, was charged Dec. 8 with driving without a driver’s license, driving without insurance and failure to reduce speed to avoid an ac-cident. Castillo was released with notice to appear. Court date was set for Jan. 2, 2014.

Tabitha M. Tadych, 36, 1106 N. Queen Anne Road, Woodstock, was arrested Dec. 9 for driving without a driver’s license and uninsured motor vehicle at Highway 14 and Doty Road. Tadych was turned over to McHenry County Sheriff’s Office. Bond was set at $1,500. Court date was set at Jan.

2, 2014. Jacob M. Colangelo, 20, 1007

Tara Drive, Woodstock, was charged Dec. 10 with possession of drug para-phernalia and possession of cannabis at Oakland and West Jackson streets. Colangelo posted $150 bond. Court date was set for Jan. 16, 2014.

A Woodstock area juvenile, 17, was arrested Dec. 10 for unlawful pos-session of a controlled substance at Oakland and West Jackson streets. The juvenile was released to her parents. Bond and court date are to be set.

Ryan Keith Moreano, 28, 12620 Grandview Drive, Huntley, was charged Dec. 14 with possession of cannabis and possession of drug paraphanelia at 500 Eastwood Drive. Moreano posted $250 bond and his driver’s license. Court date was set for Jan. 2, 2014.

Dwayne O. Walker, 20, 1257 W. 72nd St., Chicago, was arrest-ed Dec. 15 for retail theft at 1275 Lake Ave. Walker was turned over to McHenry County Sheriff’s Office. Bond was set at $1,00. Court date was set for Dec. 16.

Bradley Lewis Portzer, 62, 309 McHenry Ave., Woodstock, was ar-rested Dec. 17 charged with battery at his home. Portzer also was wanted on a warrant from Kane County for driv-ing under the influence. He was turned over the McHenry County Sherrif’s Of-fice. Bonds were set at $1,500 and $20,000. Court date was set for Jan. 16, 2014.

POLICE BLOTTER

– townships and the county. Equalized assessment values of properties are totaled and divided out by the county.

But while EAVs are expected to drop by an average of about 8 percent, a rising tax rate means residents who see their home values reduced by that average or less could pay more in city property taxes. As the tax levy stands now, the owner of a home that was valued at $200,000 last

year could pay $49 more in taxes, even if the house’s value is reduced to $184,000 in accordance with the average drop in property values.

“Every taxing body could ask for less money and a person’s tax bill could go up if their piece of pie gets bigger … their value either goes down less or goes up more proportionally to everyone else’s piece of the pie,” Christensen said.

Tax levy Continued from Page 1

Russ Olsen, AAMS®Financial Advisor1114 North Seminary Ave. (Rt.47)Woodstock, IL 60098815-337-0777

www.edwardjones.com

Which IRA is best for you?Let’s talk.

6 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTDec. 25-31, 2013

CHERYL WORMLEYPublisher, Co-OwnerPAUL WORMLEYCo-OwnerJOHN C. TRIONE

General ManagerKATELYN STANEKManaging Editor

THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENT

Woodstock, IL 1987

THE EDITORIAL BOARDCheryl Wormley John C. TrioneKatelyn Stanek Jay SchulzLisa KucharskiSandy Kucharski

On earth, peace, good will

toward men“And it came to pass in those days,

that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men.”

— Luke 2:1-14

weigh inEmail letters to the editor to letters@thewood-stockindependent.com or mail them to 671 E. Calhoun St., Woodstock, IL 60098.

Opinion

» OUR VIEW

» YOUR VIEW

‘Picture This’ differentlyI have been getting �e

Independent for quite a while now and always enjoyed the “Picture �is” segment. I really enjoyed the old pictures, history and variety of views (people, places, events, scenery, etc...). Kudos to Ace Hardware for sponsoring this segment. I always look forward to it. It has been very interesting and informational. I hope it stays for a long time.

But lately I’ve been really disappointed in it. Mostly the pictures have been from the ’90s and mostly of people. I would really like to see more of the older, historical pictures. It would be nice to see a variety of periods and scenes. I understand it’s difficult now with the passing of Don Peasley. But I am sure the McHenry County Historical Society must have a large collection of pictures. It would be nice if you could work with them to see what pictures they may have to offer. And what happened to all the pictures that were used in the Woodstock Sentinel from its beginnings?

I think it would also be nice if people in the community, would submit any pictures they might have. I rarely see any from the community, and I’m sure that many out there have some

interesting pictures they could share. Maybe you could run a contest and have weekly prizes for the chosen picture, like a T-shirt or gift certificate for a local store and then have a yearly prize of a free subscription from all pictures chosen throughout the year. I know one picture I’ve been desperately trying to find is one of the Polka Dot Drive-In that used to be in Woodstock in the ’60s and early ’70s. It was where �ree Brothers is right now and just before the A&W moved in there. I have talked to many people, and nobody seems to remember it. My uncle and a friend of his used to work there, and it was infrequently mentioned in the phone directory, so it was there. Maybe someone out there can help me. I’d really appreciate it. �anks, and I look forward to seeing what you do with the “Picture �is” segment.

Tyler Walker,Woodstock

Taxpayers’ rights deserve progress

Property taxes in McHenry County are among the highest in the state and the entire country. Last year, more than 10,000 homeowners appealed their assessments. In comparison, 10

years ago this number was less than 700. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the property owner had their assessment lowered. �is indicates that property assessors routinely overvalue property.

Because of this, I am anxious to see the progress of state Rep. Jack Franks’ Property Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights during the next legislative session. �is bill shifts the burden of proof in an assessment appeal from the homeowner to the assessor, and I believe this is a long overdue protection for residents of Illinois. Even now, the homeowner wins the majority of the time, so if this bill passes, it would seem that the assessor’s judgment will be sustained with even less frequency. �is should drive assessors to issue more realistic assessments, reduce the cost of processing so many appeals and, ultimately, slow the growth of property taxes.

Rep. Franks has tried to pass legislation prohibiting any increase in property taxes when home values fall. I hope that he continues to press for the passage of that law in conjunction with his new legislation. Coupled together they could make a huge difference for the homeowners and families of McHenry County.

Jeff Lichte,McHenry

“Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.” — Calvin Coolidge

QUOTABLE

7Dec. 25-31, 2013THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENT

Although this edition of �e Woodstock Independent was on the newsstands Dec. 24, subscribers who receive the paper via the US Postal Service are seeing it Dec. 26. So, as I write, it’s not yet Christmas. As you read, Christmas is past.

What will we remember about Christmas 2013?

I will remember: Christmas Clearing House taggers

who stood in front of local businesses on the cold, cold, cold Wednesday before �anksgiving accepting donations from passersby;

�e Square filled with people for the annual lighting of the Square on the blustery cold Friday after �anksgiv-ing. �e beer was quite good at the Ale Fest preview sponsored by Adult & Child �erapy Services and the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce & Industry;

�e staff at Read Between the Lynes helping me select books for our nine grandchildren and others and then wrap-ping each age-appropriate gift;

Our family Christmas celebration Dec. 15 with 21 adults and 13 children, ages 2 months to 11 years. Grandsons J.T.

and Calvin, 11, carried on their Great-Grand-mother Smith’s tradi-tion of making pecan rolls for all to enjoy;

Visiting my Un-cle Virgil Smith at Val-ley Hi. He’s doing well and seems to thrive on the friendships he’s made with staff and fellow residents and rekindling relation-ships with people he’s known for years;

Gathering with Independent and Harvard Main Line staff members for our Christmas party at Stage Left Café. It’s one of the few times each year we’re all together for the purpose of eating, talking and having fun. �e food, catered by Porkies, was amazing – delicious appetizers, especially the shrimp que-sadillas, tender, well-flavored pork, soft potato rolls, salad and potatoes;

�e handwritten message in the Christmas card we received from Don and Nan Fabian, friends from our days

at Menaul School in Albuquerque, N.M., more than 30 years ago. Don wrote, “How long can I keep sending greetings? Maybe I’ll quit when stamps reach a dollar.” I’m certain Don remembers the 3-cent letter postage of the ’40s and ’50s.

�e beauty of our surroundings after a 4- to 6-inch snowfall. Snow is quiet, and it compels us to slow down. It invites us to pause and enjoy its artistic decorating of everything as far as the eye can see;

�e distinctive Nambe nativity my husband, Jim, gave me;

Advent services at First Presbyte-rian Church, including the cantata, chil-dren’s program and candlelight services; and

�e many, many ways people gave to others.

I regret having missed the Woodstock High School choral department’s Christmas concert, elementary school holiday programs, school band programs, Christmas Clearing House packing and delivering, Santa in his hut, carriage rides on the Square, the several productions at the Opera House and on

and on. It’s not possible to take in everything

that happens in Woodstock at Christmas – and that’s a joy.

Peter Anderson sent the following thoughtful poem as part of his Christmas message. He was principal at Northwood Middle School in the 1990s and is now retired in Derry, N.H. �e poem is by Howard �urman, 1899-1981, a civil rights leader and theologian:

“When the song of the angels is stilled,When the star in the sky is gone,When kings and princes are home,When the shepherds are back with

their flocks,�e work of Christmas begins:To find the lost, To heal the broken,To feed the hungry, To release the prisoner,To rebuild the nations,To bring peace among the people,To make music in the heart.”

OPINION

The Woodstock Independent (USPS #001287) is published weekly at 671 E. Calhoun St., Woodstock, IL 60098-3213. Peri-odicals postage paid at Woodstock, Illinois.POSTMASTERS: Forward address changes to The Woodstock Independent, 671 E. Calhoun St., Woodstock, IL 60098-3213.Subscription rates/year: $35 in Woodstock and Wonder Lake, $37 in McHenry County, $42 for snowbirds and $50 out-side McHenry County.Letters to the editor: We welcome letters of general inter-est to the community and reserve the right to edit for clarity or length. Letters should be fewer than 400 words, and writers are limited to one letter per month. Letters are due at noon Wednes-day and must be signed and include the writer’s address and a telephone number for verification purposes only.Corrections: The Woodstock Independent strives for ac-curacy. To suggest corrections or clarifications, email news@thewoodstockindependent.com.

INDEPENDENTTheWoodstock

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Cheryl Wormley PUBLISHERc.wormley@thewoodstockindependent.com

John C. Trione GENERAL MANAGERgm@thewoodstockindependent.com

Katelyn Stanek MANAGING EDITORkatelyn@thewoodstockindependent.com

Jay Schulz EDITORIAL ASSISTANT/SPORTS EDITORjay@thewoodstockindependent.com

Lisa Kucharski ASSOCIATE EDITORlisa@thewoodstockindependent.com

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Display Advertising Melissa Knight, melissa@thewoodstockindependent.com

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Columnists John Daab, Lisa Haderlein, Dick Hattan, Lisa Kelly, Paul Lambert, Debbie Skozek, Tony Casalino, Laura Witlox, Paul Lockwood, Nick Weber

Editorial Cartoonist Jim Pearson

Photographers Michelle Krenger, Ken Farver, Alisa Ellegood

Proofreaders Tricia Carzoli, Don Humbertson

Reporters Tricia Carzoli, Elizabeth Harmon, Megan Ivers

Administrative Assistant Sonia Castaneda

Sports Intern Mykalea Dycus

s ta f f dead l ines

contact

Cheryl Wormley is publisher of The Wood-stock Independent.

The work of Christmas begins» COLUMN

Declarations

CherylWormley

Coming: A Pun,

a New Year“A pun does not commonly justify a

blow in return. But if a blow were given for such cause, and death ensued, the jury would be judges both of the facts and of the pun, and might, if the latter were of an aggravated character, return a verdict of justifiable homicide.”

— Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

Many of you are probably nodding your heads after reading this quote; you feel the pun is beneath you, that it’s truly the lowest form of humor. I beg to differ. As a notorious — and sometimes nonstop — punster, I believe it’s an art form that has, for far too long, been undervalued. As we come a-pun a new year, allow me to point out “I am not an animal! I am a humor being!” OK, fans of “�e Elephant Man,” I know that’s a misquote — it’s to prove a point. Substituting a similar word (“humor” for “human” in this case),

or using a word with multiple meanings, can bring a smile to one’s face; it doesn’t have to bring a groan. (And this is coming from a groan — er, grown — man.)

My first punWhen I was

growing up, my parents were big fans of the Christmas letter. As the youngest of four boys, the odds of my getting more than a sentence in the letter were pretty slim — except that one December in the mid-1960s when I accidentally received a long paragraph or two, “accidentally” being the key word here. I was struck by a car on the north side of Chicago, breaking my arm and requiring stitches above an eye. In addition to details about the accident, the letter included an anecdote about something cute I said in the hospital. Mom was helping me do a crossword puzzle; the answer was supposed to be “camels.” She tried to give me a hint and asked what they ride on in the desert. Mishearing one word, I piped up, “Scrolls!” I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was o-punning a door to wordplay

… a door I have never shut and I, well, adore.

Let me make one thing clear. While puns are irresistible to me, I do know they’re inappropriate in some environments. Outer space is one, although I hear there may have been too much gravity in “gravity.” And if you’re snorkeling and try a pun, things may not go swimmingly.

Puns and entertainmentOne thing that’s always bothered

me about the old “Batman” TV series — there was a Joker and a Riddler, but no Punster? With all the episodes and crazy villains they came up with (King Tut? Egghead? Mad Hatter?), why not? I finally figured out — it’s because the writers used puns all the time (e.g., Catwoman: “I’m not just pussyfooting around this time, Batman!”).

Shakespeare himself was clearly a fan of puns. Mercutio, a character in “Romeo and Juliet” — after being knifed — truthfully says “tomorrow … you shall find me a grave man.” Maybe not the funniest pun, but he took a stab at it.

Puns in an average dayIf you’re aware of your surroundings,

a fan of words and a keen listener, you, too, can follow in my footsteps (if you wear a size 9 1/2 men’s shoe, that

is). If you want to be seen as a witty individual, heighten your awareness. Earlier this month, a Metra passenger sat down near me, bringing on board a large metal bucket (honestly!). My first attempt at humor: whispering to the passenger next to me, “Just don’t kick it.” My second thought: that I was feeling OK, but I was looking a little pail. My third thought: maybe he was giving it to a co-worker so they’d pail in comparison. You get the idea, but I had many similar thoughts — this is just a drop in the bucket.

A final thoughtIn the New Year, make a resolution

to let humor into your life on a daily basis. If someone makes a pun, stifle the groan and, instead, come back with one of your own. It’s the equivalent of a secret handshake we can share “wit” each other.

» COLUMN

A Musing

PaulLockwood

Paul Lockwood is an active member of Grace Lutheran Church, the vice president of the Woodstock Public Library Board of Trustees, a frequent community theater ac-tor, and the immediate past president of TownSquare Players. He works in Chicago as RFP Manager for The Vitality Group. He and his wife Diane have lived in Wood-stock since 2001.

8 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTDec. 25-31, 2013

delivered to the local VFW Ladies Auxil-

iary.

�is year the theme for the NMS and

VFW contests was the same: “What Pa-

triotism Means to Me.”

�e contest winners were Abigail Hart-

mann, sixth grade; Jeffrey Massman, sev-

enth grade; and Lyka Canto, eighth grade.

Each winner won an encased Ameri-

can flag that had been flown over the

Capitol in Washington, D.C.

For the NMS contest, all student es-

says were collected and narrowed down

by teachers and library media specialists.

�e top five essays were then numbered,

copied and sent to outside judges. Sixth-

grade essays were judged by the VFW La-

dies Auxiliary. Seventh-grade essay judg-

es were Woodstock Fire/Rescue District

personnel. Eighth-grade essays were

judged by the Army National Guard, lo-

cated in Woodstock.

“�e Veterans Day essay contest is an

opportunity for students to understand

patriotism, freedom and pride in our

country,” said NMS special education

teacher and Veterans Day chairwoman

Gail Vanderpoel. “�is writing experi-

ence is often a vehicle to raising aware-

ness. When the finalists receive their

flags, they feel honored to be getting a

true symbol of America.”

Education

HIGHLIGHT

News of recognitions and milestones can be sent to Janet Dovidio at fetjetjd@aol.com.

New year will bring new superintendentMore than 60 people have applied for District 200’s top job

By ELIZABETH HARMONThe Independent

Woodstock School District 200 stake-

holders made a list, and school board mem-

bers are checking it twice, as the search for

a new superintendent enters its next phase

in January 2014.

At that time, members of the board will

interview candidates and identify finalists

who will participate in a second round of

interviews and a public forum.

Executive search firm, Hazard, Young, At-

tea and Associates, is assisting the board in

the recruitment process. �e firm worked

with the district 13 years ago, when current

superintendent Ellyn Wrzeski was hired.

“�e last update I received from HYA

was that they had received over 60 appli-

cants and are currently screening potential

candidates for the position,” said Board of

Education President Paul Meyer.

�e board intends to interview six can-

didates during the second week of January.

�e top three will be invited back for a sec-

ond interview, school tours, reception and

public forum, in which the candidates will

answer questions from the audience.

�e forums will be held at Woodstock

North High School from 3:45 to 5:00 p.m.

Tuesday to �ursday, Jan. 21 to 23.

“I feel confident that we’ll have a good

slate and get a good individual,” Meyer said.

�e search for a new superintendent be-

gan in the spring of 2013, when Wrzeski an-

nounced she would retire at the end of the

2013-2014 school year. �e board hired Illi-

nois-based HYA, which sent consultants to

Woodstock this summer to determine the

most important qualities for a new district

superintendent.

To compile a list of important qualities in

a superintendent, consultants interviewed

123 people while another 334 took part in

an online survey. Respondents included

district administrators, professional staff,

support staff, school board members,

community residents without children in

the district — including those present at a

public forum — parents of children in the

district and students.

�e results were presented to the

board in September and summarized on

the district website.

“�e board members are currently

working on interview questions based on

the qualities and characteristics indenti-

fied in September, and creating questions

specific to running D-200 schools,” Mey-

er said.

�e qualities include being able to

work with unions and an ethnically and

economically diverse population and

the ability to communicate well with the

board and community.

“In Woodstock, our community likes

to have things open and transparent, and

the new superintendent must be com-

fortable with that,” he said.

Meyer said the board hopes to select

a top candidate by the end of January

but will not announce the candidate’s

name until members have visited the

candidate’s home district and received

confirmation she or he will accept the

position.

�e target date for the new superin-

tendent to assume responsibility is July

1, 2014.

SURVEY RESULTS

Respondents said they want a new D-200 superintendent to:

Foster a positive professional climate of mutual trust and respect among faculty, staff and administrators

Listen to and effectively represent the interests and concerns of students, staff, parents and community members

Effectively plan and manage the long-term financial health of the dis-trict.

Be visible throughout the district and actively engaged in community life

By JANET DOVIDIOThe Independent

Northwood Middle School conducts an

annual essay contest in correlation with

the Veterans of Foreign Wars Patriot’s Pen

contest. Students in all three grades write

an essay. �e VFW essays are collected and

Northwood students win patriotism essay contest

Molloy makes UW-Whitewater musical groups

Anna Molloy, Woodstock, was selected as a member of the University of Wiscon-sin-Whitewater 2013-2014 Jazz Ensemble I and the 2013-2014 Symphonic Wind En-semble. She is a senior music major.

Tilstra initiated into gold key society

Joanna Tilstra, Woodstock, was in-ducted into the Western Illinois chapter of the Golden Key International Honour Society. She is a senior elementary edu-cation major.

Reilly earns PhD from UC-IrvineMaureen Reilly, Woodstock, recently

earned her doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of California, Irvine.

Lorr named to dean’s listBradley Lorr, Woodstock, was named

to the Milwaukee School of Engineering dean’s list for the 2013 fall quarter. He is

pursuing a Bachelor of Science in mechai-cal engineering.

Juhlin serving as Augustana ambassador

Sophia Juhlin, Woodstock, is serving as a student admissions ambassador for Au-gustana College, helping recruit new stu-dents. She is a junior majoring in creative writing and French.

St. Olaf Christmas Festival names participants

Lark Meiners and Phillip Meyer, Wood-stock, were named as performers in the annual St. Olaf College Christmas Festival in Northfield, Minn. Meiners is a chemis-try major, and Meyer is a music education major.

Emricson named to North Central College dean’s list

Katelyn Emricson, Woodstock, was re-cently named to the 2013 fall dean’s list of North Central College.

COLLEGE CURRENTS

9Dec. 25-31, 2013THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENT

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WNHS student selected for all-state castBy SANDY KUCHARSKI

The Independent

When 16-year-old Julia Slomski au-

ditioned for the cast of the Illinois High

School �eatre Festival All-State produc-

tion of “�e Grapes of Wrath” in June,

she was just looking for a good learning

experience, but she got much more than

that. �e Woodstock North High School

sophomore landed a role in the produc-

tion – the only underclassman to do so.

�irty students out of the 250 high

school theater enthusiasts who audi-

tioned, were selected for the cast. �e

cast members from all over the state

began rehearsals and set construction

during four intensive three- to four-day

sessions starting in August at Glenbard

East High School. �e entire produc-

tion now has moved to Braden Audito-

rium at Illinois State University where

the cast and crew will reconstruct and

rehearse the play �ursday to Sunday,

Jan. 2 to 5.

�e performance

will be �ursday and

Friday, Jan. 9 and 10,

as part of the High

School �eatre Festi-

val, attended by 5,000

high school students,

sponsors and work-

shop instructors, all

of whom attend the

festival will see the

production.

Eighteen of Slomski’s WNHS class-

mates along with several theater students

from Woodstock High School will travel

to attend the festival and watch the pro-

duction.

�e performance at the festival will be

Slomski’s largest. She started perform-

ing with Woodstock Children’s �eater as

a seventh-grader, and she has been cast

in various community theater and high

school productions the last several years.

“I had only done musicals until high

school, and then ‘�e Diary of Anne

Frank’ was my freshman fall show. I re-

ally liked it. I’ll always love musicals, but

I love the focus you have in a straight

show,” said Slomski.

Originally staged at Steppenwolf �e-

atre in Chicago, “Grapes of Wrath” was

chosen for the All-State production to

fit into this year’s theatre festival theme,

“Explore the Extraordinary.” In the course

of rehearsals, the cast has researched and

reported on how the main theme in the

play parallels what’s happening now with

the nation’s economy.

“�e experience with All-State is one

of the biggest things ever,” said Slomski.

“�e amount of love and dedication to

the show is amazing. I’m getting to work

with kids that are the top of their pro-

gram in their school. Just to have a group

that’s working so hard toward something

has been incredible. �ey are all the nic-

est people. No one has an ego. We all just

want to work toward a good show.”

Slomski’s selection came as no surprise

to her teacher Sue Lewis.

She’s a dynamo!” said Lewis, the WNHS theater technical director. “It’s so fun to

see where this kid is going. I expect to see

her standing on the stage in New York for

the Tony Awards some day.”

As talented as Slomski is, Lewis also

commend her for her unassuming nature.

“She’s so down to earth,” Lewis said.

“No pretention.”

Regardless of her role in a show, Sloms-

ki actively participates in set building for

each theater production at WNHS, devel-

oping her relationships with her peers as

well as developing her stage character.

As a sophomore, Slomski is still unde-

cided about what she will pursue in col-

lege, but she said, “I can’t see me not be-

ing involved in theater post high school.”

Referring to the weekends that her

daughter attends practice for the All-

State production, her mother, Shannon

Martin, said, “She comes home happy ev-

ery weekend from there. It kind of makes

me feel like maybe this is what she should

be going into.”

JuliaSlomski

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION

Woodstock filmmaker Chris Parrish, left, oversees production on his movie “A Night at the Amusement Park” during filming Dec. 16 on the Woodstock Square. INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY KEN FARVER

10 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTDec. 25-31, 2013 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

WOODSTOCK’S ENTERTAINMENT HIGHLIGHTSThe Entertainer

» MUSICLIVE MUSIC AT EXPRESSLY LESLIE’SDec. 27, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.Expressly Leslie Vegetarian SpecialtiesWoodstock Square Mall110 S. Johnson St.Freeexpresslyleslie.comThe Kishwaukee Ramblers will perform.

OPEN MIC NIGHTDec. 27, Jan. 10, 7 p.m.Stage Left Café125 Van Buren St.$3 donationoffsquaremusic.orgOpen Mic is sponsored by Off Square Mu-sic. Various artists will perform in 15-min-ute slots.

WOODSTOCK FARMERS MARKETJan. 4, 9 a.m. to noonMcHenry County Farm Bureau1102 McConnell RoadFreewoodstockfarmersmarket.org9 a.m. to noon -The Off Square Music Carolers

FIRST SATURDAY MUSICJan. 4, 7 p.m.Unity Spiritual Center of Woodstock225 W. Calhoun St.$3 donation815-337-3534unitywoodstock.orgVisitors can participate in the open-mic night or enjoy the show. Doors will open at 6:30.

JAZZ JAMJan.17, 8 p.m.Stage Left Café125 Van Buren St.$5815-338-4212jazzonthesquare.comJazz Jam is hosted by musicians Billy Denk and John Nelson.

LEE GREENWOODJan. 18, 8 p.m.Woodstock Opera House 121 Van Buren St.$65815-338-5300Grammy winning American country mu-sic artist Lee Greenwood, best known for his single “God Bless the USA,” will perform.

» LECTURECREATIVE LIVING SERIESJan. 16, 10 a.m.Woodstock Opera House 121 Van Buren St.$24815-338-5300Dr. James Phillips, of the Chicago Field Museum, will share stories from the mu-seum and explain why continuing to col-lect artifacts is important.

» MOVIESPreviews by Jay Schulz of films currently playing at the Woodstock Theatre unless otherwise noted.

‘SAVING MR. BANKS’ Tom Hanks (“Big”) and Emma Thompson (“Dead Again”) star in the story of how Walt Disney convinced author P.J. Travers to let him turn her novel “Mary Poppins” into a movie.

“Saving Mr. Banks” is directed by John Lee Hancock (“The Blind Side”) and also stars Colin Farrell (“Tigerland”), Paul Gia-matti (“Sideways”) and Jason Schwartzman (“Rushmore”). RATED PG-13, 125 MINUTES

‘WALKING WITH DINOSAURS’ When the dinosaurs ruled the earth, an un-derdog dinosaur triumphs to become a hero. “Walking with Dinosaurs” is directed by Barry Cook and Neil Nightingale and stars the voices of Karl Urban (“Dredd”), John Le-guizamo (“Moulin Rouge”), Justin Long (“Ac-cepted”) and Charlie Rowe (“Pirate Radio”). RATED PG, 87 MINUTES

‘FROZEN’Anna (Kristen Bell) and Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) team up with a snowman Olaf (Josh Grad) to release their kingdom from an ever-lasting winter. “Frozen” is directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee and also stars the voic-es of Idina Menzel (“Rent”) and Alan Tudyk (“Serenity”). RATED PG, 108 MINUTES

‘THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG’Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), Gandolf (Ian McKellen) and the dwarves continue on their quest to reclaim Erebor from the drag-on Smaug. “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” is directed by Peter Jackson (“King Kong”) and also stars Richard Armitage (“Robin Hood”), Orlando Bloom (“Troy”) and Cate Blanchett (“I’m Not There”). RATED PG-13, 161 MINUTES

‘ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES’ Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) and his crew re-turn to take over cable news in the sequel to the 2004 film “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.” “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” is directed by Adam McKay (“Step Brothers”) and also stars Christina Applegate (“Married with Children”), Paul Rudd (“Role Models”), Steve Carell (“The 40-Year Old Virgin”) and David Koecher (“Get Smart”). RATED PG, 108 MINUTES

‘GRUDGE MATCH’ (Starts Dec. 25)Sylvester Stallone (“Rocky”) and Robert De-niro (“Goodfellas”) star as two over-the-hill boxers who decide to get back into the ring for one last rematch. “Grudge Match” is directed by Peter Segal (“Get Smart”) and also stars Alan Arkin (“Little Miss Sunshine”), Kevin Hart (“The End”), Kim Bassinger (“Bat-man”) and Rich Little (“One Crazy Summer”). RATED PG-13, 113 MINUTES

From Beauty SalonTo

Water HeaterRepair

AndEverything

In Between

It’s all online.TheWoodstockIndependent.com/Marketplace

YOUR TRULYLOCAL NEWSSOURCE

671 E. Calhoun St. Woodstock, IL 60098

(815) 338-8040thewoodstockindependent.com

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Call (815) 338-8040 to receive The Independentevery week.

11Dec. 25-31, 2013THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENT

Happy Holidays!QUALITY FLOORING! GREAT PRICES!

AFFORDABLE FLOORING LTD.Family Owned and Operated1690 South Eastwood Dr.Woodstock

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Marketplace

One of the great advantages of liv-

ing in a small town is that everybody

knows everybody. You may think, “�at

is what I don’t love about this town.”

I believe there is

no better way to

do business than

to know and trust

who you do busi-

ness with especially

if it is a friend. As

a small business

owner, if you are

aware everybody

knows everybody, it

keeps you account-

able to your cus-

tomers, neighbors

and especially your

friends.

I have other

contractor friends who have told me,

“Don’t do business with friends.” �ey

don’t live in a small town and may have

had a bad experience doing business

with a friend. But the smallness of

Woodstock is what I love most!

I recently created a conflict with a

friend who is a good customer. I had

made many assumptions that left us

both hurt. Because I am a friend, I had

assumed my friends should tell me

they were going to get estimates from

other contractors for another project

instead of only asking me to complete

the job. I panicked and assumed they

did not like my work, thought I was

too expensive or not a good value. I

chose not to give an estimate (which

is my job) because I assumed a friend

shouldn’t compare my cost to some-

one else. I was only thinking about

myself and didn’t ask about their

needs.

My friend ended up having some-

one else do the project. After the fact,

I found out the friend was on a time-

line and had been been given a gift of

money for the project by another fam-

ily member. �e other family member

requested estimates. All of my assump-

tions were wrong, and it wasn’t at all

about any of my negative thoughts.

Had I simply done my job by providing

an estimate in the first place without

worrying if they trusted me, I am sure

I would have had the job. It was not a

good business decision to assume a

friend wouldn’t want other estimates.

Besides, it is not my business who my

friends choose to do their work.

When you create loyal customers,

they not only give you their money but

something far more valuable, trust.

Every business is in the trust busi-

ness. I have since apologized to my

friend for all of my assumptions, and

I still believe in doing business with

friends even if they want estimates or

chose someone else. �at is their busi-

ness. In the meantime, I will continue

to build trust with my customers. If you

can be trusted as a friend it will flow

into your business. What do you do to

promote trust?

To do business, go with the

people you know

» COLUMN

Minding YourBusiness

Rodney “Pags” Paglialong

Rodney “Pags” Paglialong is the owner of Wall-Pro Painting Services and is a mem-ber of the Woodstock Historic Preservation Commission. He also is an active member of the Painting and Decorating Contractors of America. He can be reached at rod-ney@wallpropainting.com.

Angelo’s Restaurant to closeBy LISA KUCHARSKI

The Independent

After 39 years, the families of Angelo’s

Restaurant are retiring from the busi-

ness. �e diner at 117 E. Van Buren St.

has changed hands and will undergo

remodeling once more to become Papa

G’s Restaurant.

In 1975, brothers-in-law Peter Moure-

latos and Dennis Paloumbis opened

Angelo’s Restaurant on the Square. Be-

ginning in a space half the size of the

present day restaurant, the area was ex-

panded in the mid-’80s by purchasing

the neighboring building space – which

formerly housed a women’s clothing

store – and Angelo’s was able to wel-

come more customers.

“It was just the typical breakfast,

lunch, dinner diner; a place for the com-

munity to gather,” said Mourelatos’ son

Angelo Mourelatos. “[My parents] were

just trying to make a living.”

By the mid-’90s, Paloumbis’ son An-

gelo Paloumbis assumed his father’s

role and ran the restaurant with his un-

cle. When his father became ill, “Little”

Angelo Mourelatos helped out his fam-

ily and became more involved with the

business.

Eventually, however, the restaurant

came to need some revitalizing. Angelo

Paloumbis’ wife, Marianna, wrote a let-

ter to “Restaurant Impossible” — a res-

taurant restoration show on the Food

Network - in hopes the show could help

renew the place.

In April, Chef Robert Irvine and his

Restaurant Impossible crew overhauled

Angelo’s in two days, on a $10,000 bud-

get, changing the restaurant’s look, feel

and food. However, Mourelatos said the

community and his family had lost a

connection with Angelo’s after the reno-

vation.

“Once the ‘Restaurant Impossible’

show and everything came by, I think

my family realized the restaurant wasn’t

theirs anymore,” he said. “It kind of

changed their perspective, I think. Both

families came to the agreement that it

was time to move on, retire.”

Last week, the Angelo’s families sold

their restaurant to family friend and

fellow restaurateur, George Kanakaris,

“Papa G.” Kanakaris, a native of Trip-

oli, Greece, opened the first Papa G’s

in Huntley 25 years ago, with a menu

including hot beef, roast turkey, roast

pork, burgers and Reuben sandwiches.

Now that Papa G’s is in Woodstock,

Kanakaris said he can participate in

some friendly competition with his son

Niko Kanakaris, owner of Niko’s Red

Mill Tavern, 1040 Lake Ave.

“It’s the same food business,” George

Kanakaris said. With more of an empha-

sis on breakfast specialties instead of

big burgers, like at the Red Mill, George

Kanakaris said customers “can come

here for breakfast and go there for a

burger. It’s still the same people.”

Kanakaris said he looks forward to

being a part of the community and wel-

coming in former Angelo’s customers.

He said he plans to give the place some

“new makeup,” new booths and chairs

and a new setup, including plans to

move the front door back to its original

location.

“I know my family – my mother and

my father, my sisters, myself, my uncle’s

family, my cousins – they wanted to

just thank the community for 39 years

of support,” said Angelo Mourelatos. “I

hope they continue for another 39 in

supporting George.”

Angelo Mourelatos said his parents

Peter and Kelly Mourelatos and uncle

Dennis and aunt Nitsa Paloumbis will

miss seeing their customers but look

forward to retiring from the business.

“Changes that needed to be done after

‘Restaurant Impossible,’ I think, it was

just too many changes too quickly,” he

said. “It was time for someone else to

come in and redo it again with their vi-

sion.”

REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS

Filed in the McHenry County Record-er’s Office Nov.28 to Dec. 4:

Residence at 7314 Hancock Drive, Wonder Lake, was sold by Heartland Bank and Trust Company, Bloomington, to Michael Lovergine, Wonder Lake, for $25,550.

Residence at 2712 Verdi St., Woodstock, was sold by Margaret Morrissey, Crystal Lake, to John Tuz-inkiewicz, Woodstock, for $127,000.

Residence at 2440 Aspen Drive, Woodstock, was sold by William and Melissa Hughes, Woodstock, to Book-er Family Trust No. 1, Marengo, for $65,000.

Residence at 1750 Woodside Drive, Woodstock, was sold by Centex Homes, a Nevada general partnership, Schaumburg, to Maria and Francisco Salmeron, Woodstock, for $129,945.

Residence at 1757 Yasgur Drive, Woodstock, was sold by Centex Homes, a Nevada general partnership, Schaumburg, to Karen Schloeman and Jack Reed, Woodstock, for $191,480.

Residence at 3819 E. Wonder Lake Road, Wonder Lake, was sold by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Atlanta, to David and Linda Caudle, Wonder Lake, for $21,800.

Residence at 8714 Alden Road, Greenwood, was sold by Mary O’Steen of Erhardt Estate, Crystal Lake, to Austin Delamora, Wonder Lake, for $119,900.

Residence at 7611 Brook Drive, Wonder Lake, was sold by The Bank of New York Mellon, Irvine, Calf., to Leon Laureys, Island Lake, for $25,200.

Residence at 1035 Wicker St., Woodstock, was sold by Roland Leisch, Trustee, Normal, to Donna Howard, Machesney Park, for $35,000.

Residence at 608 Bunker St., Woodstock, was sold by Darin Klatt and Heather Mills, Woodstock, to Gra-

ham Hodgson and Cynthia Beach, Wood-stock, for $86,000.

Residence at 1131 Greenwood Circle, Unit 6A, Woodstock, was sold by Citibank, N.A., Jacksonville, Fla., to Sabine and John

Reitenback, Crystal Lake, for $44,000. Residence at 628 Handel Lane, Wood-

stock, was sold by Maples at the Sonatas, LLC, Plainfield, to Therese and Margaret Morrissey, Woodstock, for $238,807.

The Square staple, recently the subject of a TV renovation show, will become Papa G’s

12 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTDec. 25-31, 2013

CommunityProtect your house while on vacation

By LISA KUCHARSKIThe Independent

Coming home from a relaxing winter

vacation, the last thing anyone wants

to deal with is frozen water pipes or a

break-in. Area authorities offer sugges-

tions for residents when preparing for

a trip away from home during the holi-

days and winter months.

Prepare your homeAlthough you may be packing swim-

suits and sunscreen for your vaca-

tion, your house needs to be properly

bundled up for the cold. When leaving

for an extended period of time, Sam

Acerbi, co-owner of Air Management

Services in Woodstock, recommended

the temperature in your house should

not be set below 50 degrees. He said

some older houses, especially farm-

houses, might have a faucet or drain

on an outside wall. Although it is a

little wasteful, he said leaving water at

a slow drip or trickle does help pipes

in older homes avoid freezing. Acerbi

said another trick is to leave cabinet

doors under sinks open and to leave on

a lamp or light under the sink to help

keep pipes warm. Acerbi said he turns

off the water in his home when vaca-

tioning to avoid water leakage caused

by damaged pipes.

Frozen pipes are often damaged.

Acerbi said repairs and replacement can

cost from $500 to $5,000, not including

covering water-damage costs. Acerbi

said he has seen many water problems

with foreclosed homes.

“�ey come back in, turn the water

on, and it’s like a sprinkler system in the

house,” he said. “You’re talking $4,000

to $5,000 in damage there just to re-

place the pipes.”

Acerbi said there are newer technolo-

gies that can help monitor a house’s

temperature or alert a neighbor of a

malfunctioning furnace. For around

$200 to $400 and a Wi-Fi connection in

your home, you can control thermostats

instantly from your smartphone. Acerbi

said another helpful device is a Honey-

well Winter Watchman, a thermostat,

retailing at around $25, designed to

switch on a lamp when the temperature

falls below its setting. He said neighbors

can alert you of heating problems with-

out even setting foot in the house.

Absence draws attentionOn behalf of the Woodstock Police

Department, Tamara Reed, adminis-

trative office manager, sent an email

of security tips for residents to con-

sider before packing up for a vacation.

In the email, WPD said “Traditionally,

the police department finds that the

crime rates go down during the winter

months, however, this does not mean

that all crime rates go into winter hi-

bernation. In fact, during the holidays

we typically see an increase in the inci-

dence of theft.”

To help guard your house from bur-

glaries, WPD recommended the follow-

ing: Keep doors and windows locked,

including all garage doors; have an au-

tomatic timer for lights and radio; and

ask a neighbor to watch over the house,

to shovel snow, pick up the mail and to

park in the driveway from time to time.

Piles of newspapers, unshoveled drive-ways and a lack of footprints in the

snow call attention to your house. Also,

don’t display gifts where they can be

easily seen from a window or doorway.

Aimee Knop, public information of-

ficer at the McHenry County Sheriff’s

Office added: Make sure all alarms are

in proper working order; destroy boxes

of gifts you received during Christmas

so you don’t advertise to burglars you

have a brand new, flat screen TV; and

don’t put outgoing mail in your mail-

box because the flag is a signal you’re

not home. Instead, have your mail held

at the post office.

Finally, request a vacation house-

watch from the sheriff’s office by ap-

plying at www.mchenrysheriff.com

or calling the nonemergency number

815-338-2144. Additionally, it is recom-

mended you wait to share your vaca-

tion on Facebook or on other social

media until you have arrived home, so

potential thieves don’t have a timeline

for when to rob you.

IN BRIEF

ACTS, CASA and NISRA partner on bunco bash

Three McHenry County nonprofit organi-

zations – Adult & Child Therapy Services, Court Appointed Special Advocates and Northern Illinois Special Recreation Asso-ciation – are hosting their 5th Annual Royal Bunco Bash Jan. 17, 2014, at the Holiday

Inn, Crystal Lake, 800 S. Route 31.Check in begins at 6 p.m., and bunco

starts at 7 p.m. Bunco is a dice game and no prior experience is needed to play. The evening begins with a practice round with

instruction for beginners. The cost is $30 per person, which in-

cludes three games of bunco, desserts and several different raffles. There will be a cash bar.

Golden Tables are available for groups of 12 for $600, including pre-miere seating, a dedicated server for the table, two drink tickets per person, two bucket raffle tickets per person and a special raffle, only available to Golden Table attendees.

For more information, visit royalbun-cobash.org.

United Methodist hosts open Bible study group

The Woodstock United Methodist Church hosts a weekly Bible study from 10:15 to 11:45 a.m. each Wednesday morning at the church, 201 W. South St. The Bible study is open to adults with an open-door policy with other faith groups in the area.

The study group, The Fellowship of the Living Word, is led by the Rev. Jim McClarey, a retired United Methodist pastor, trained in leading Bible studies. The sessions generally include a time for gathering and sharing; moments for meditation; gathing of joys, con-cerns and hopes; and exploration of the scriptures, concluding with a prayer circle.

For more information, call 815-308-5840 or email jamesmcclarey1819@comcast.net.

Historical society hosts fundraiser at William D. Hall house

An open house at the historical Wil-liam D. Hall house 201 Garfield St., Harvard, will be hel from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 5. The admission fee, $7 a person or two for $12, will benefit the McHenry County Historical Museum.

The Prairie-style home is more than 100 years old.

Local experts offer tips on avoiding break-ins, freezes and more

13Dec. 25-31, 2013THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTCOMMUNITY

14 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTDec. 25-31, 2013

according to Pack-

aged Facts. On the

other hand, I won-

der if many of us go

gluten-free think-

ing it’s healthier but

choose “substitutes”

that are not only

more expensive but

nutritionally inferior.

Two years ago I

first heard the term

“value-added prod-

uct.” I wasn’t familiar

with this term so did

a little research. “Value added” refers

to any step in the production process

that improves the product for the

customer and results in a higher net

worth. I suspect the operative words

are “production process,” which in my

experience results not in added value

for the customer, where value should

be defined as enhancing health, but

for the food industry, where value is

defined as profit.

�ose rice crackers I bought might

be considered “value added.” �ey are

simple grains of rice subjected to a

series of steps involving water, heat,

expensive machinery and sprayed on

seasoning. Chicken McNuggets would

also be an example of a “value-added

product.” A few months ago, a report

in the American Journal of Medicine

revealed the real content of a Chicken

McNugget, renaming it “Chicken

Little.” �e nuggets turn out to be no

more than half chicken “meat” and the

rest fat, cartilage, bone, blood vessels

and nerves.

While the real content of Chicken

McNuggets may disgust some of us,

there is nothing inherently wrong with

using otherwise unusable parts of a

chicken to create tasty food. People

have always found ingenious ways to

make the inedible edible: witness chit-

lins (chitterlings) and gribenes. Chit-

lins are the intestines of a pig, stewed

for several hours and sometimes fried

into what some consider a delicious

treat. Gribenes are a byproduct of

schmaltz making. Excess chicken skin

is cut into small pieces and sautéed

in a pan until the schmaltz (fat) is

rendered. �e “cracklings” are re-

moved and caramelized onions and

seasonings added for a treat that in

pre-low-fat diet days was well-loved

by many Jews. Now that we know that

fat, even animal fat, is not the cause

of weight gain, diabetes and sickness

in our American diet, who knows?

�ese items may become popular once

again. Coming soon to a summer near

you: Gribenes and chitlin stands!

What we do know is that when a

“value added” product comes to us

via the food industry, we can assume

the way the product was turned into

something that will “add value” for

the industry probably decreases value

for us. We can expect the raw food

is subjected to heat and/or speedy,

mechanized processes that result in

undesirable changes in the food prod-

uct (from the health standpoint), or

cheap oils high in omega 6s are used

or sugar or undesirable chemicals are

added.

A real value-added product is one

made from scratch with the best,

whole food ingredients. An example

is fatoush, a way Middle Eastern

cooks found to use up stale pita. For a

gluten-free version, leave out the pita.

Although delicious with it, it is sub-

stantial, satisfying and delicious with-

out it. A few chickpeas thrown in will

replace the protein and B vitamins of

the wheat, some avocado or olives will

add fat, and walnuts will add crunch.

No designer gluten-free products

needed, just real food!

FatoushFatoush means “crushed” or “bro-

ken” and refers to the Pita croutons

that are a prominent feature of this

salad.

1 head romaine lettuce

1 quart spinach

1/2 head radicchio

4 large plum tomatoes

1 large or 2 small cucumbers

1 bunch green onions

5-6 radishes

1/4 cup chopped mint

1-2 cloves crushed garlic

1 quart Lebanese pita strips

1/4-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Juice of 1/2-1 lemon

1 tablespoon sumac

Salt to taste

Cut two Lebanese pitas into 2-inch-

by-half-inch strips and toast lightly or

dry in oven. Set aside.

Shred (slice thinly) the romaine,

spinach and radicchio. All greens

should be in 2-inch-by-half-inch

strips. Deseed tomatoes and cucum-

bers. Petite dice radishes, tomatoes

and cucumbers. Chop green onions

and mint. Crush garlic. Toss the veg-

gies, garlic and pita croutons together

gently with the sumac. Toss again with

extra virgin olive oil, freshly squeezed

lemon juice and salt to taste. Gluten-

free: leave out pita and add chickpeas,

avocado, olives and/or walnuts.

Happy, healthy eating!

COMMUNITY

ObamaCare leaving you puzzled and confused?

Don't Go It Alone!Open Enrollment Is Here

I am a Licensed Insurance AgentCertified to Sell on the Illinois Healthcare Exchange

Colleen Callahan-Dumais -Your Certified Healthcare Reform Specialist

Located in Harris Bank on the Historic Square Health Insurance Specialists, Inc. 101 S. Benton Street, Lower LevelWoodstock, IL 60098

email: cdumais@hisminc.comhealthinsurancespecialistinc.com

Because I operate the only vegetar-

ian cafe in the immediate area, I have

many health-conscious customers.

Increasingly they ask for gluten-free

products. Most of my food is, in fact,

gluten free naturally. For those who

want some kind of bread with their

meal, though, I stock gluten-free

crackers.

Recently, we ran out of our regular

product, and I had to run to a local

store to pick up a substitute: $7 for a

small box of rice crackers with just

enough in it to provide a few small

crackers to four customers. $7 for a

product that has little nutrition, no

fiber and is high on the glycemic in-

dex. �e same $7 would buy me seven

bags of whole wheat pita, each with 10

“loaves” of 6-inch pitas, from a small

bakery in Chicago that makes the

bread fresh on its premises. Enough

for 70 customers. Wheat with pro-

tein, vitamins B1, B2, B3, E, folic acid,

calcium, phosphorus, zinc, copper,

iron and good fiber content. Why does

it cost so much more to get so much

less? �is question aggravated me all

week.

I understand some of us need glu-

ten-free products — yet, I cannot help

but feel we are being duped by a food

industry that creates a health problem

and then offers “solutions” from which

it profits enormously. Gluten-free

sales reached more than $2.6 billion

by the end of 2010 and are expected to

exceed more than $5 billion by 2015,

Less is more, but for whom?

» COLUMN

Vegetating withLeslie

LeslieCook

Leslie Cook is owner of Expressly Leslie Veg-etarian Specialties, 110 S. Johnson St.

IN BRIEF

Girls on the Run gears up for 2014

Registration for the spring 2014 season

of Girls on the Run of Northwest Illinois will begin Wednesday, Jan. 8. GOTRNWIL ex-pects to be serving more than 1,000 girls. The focus right now is the end-of-year cam-paign to raise the necessary funds continue

to offering the program to families on a sliding scale. Fundraisers include a gala Feb. 22, SoleMates program, proceeds from local 5K races and donations.

GOTR is a not-for-profit 10-week pro-gram which combines an interactive cur-riculum and running to inspire self-respect and healthy lifestyles in preteen girls. The objective is to educate and empower girls at an early age in order to prevent the dis-play of at-risk activities (such as eating dis-orders and substance abuse) in the future. Lessons address girls’ physical, emotional, mental and social well-being development, and provide girls with the tools to make positive decisions.

GOTRNWIL is still accepting coach-ing applications. Dean Street Elementary School is still in need of a coach.

For more information about GOTRN-WIL, becoming a coach for the spring

2014 season or donating to the program, visit www.gotrnwil.org.

PADS offers free mental health wellness class

An eight-week mental-health recov-ery class will be offered from 9 to 11 a.m. beginning Saturday, Jan. 11, at the McHenry County PADS Day Center, 14411 Kishwaukee Valley Road, Wood-stock. The class will be facilitated by Dick Peterson, a state-certified recovery support speciallist with Pioneer Center for Human Services, Homeless Services-McHenry County PADS.

The class will meet for eight Saturdays, ending March 1. The free educational class is open to the public. Concepts can be applied to almost any aspect of life, Peterson said. Participants must be at least 18 years old. Class size is limited to 10 people.

The program is Wellness Recovery Ac-tion Planning, which is recognized as an evidence-based practice by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Ser-vices Administration. It is endorsed and promoted by the Illinois Department of Hu-man Services Division of Mental Health.

To register for the class or for informa-tion, call 815-759-7287 or email rpeter-son@pioneercenter.org.

15Dec. 25-31, 2013THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTCOMMUNITY

GONE TO THE DOGS

Officials from the village of Bull Valley and the city of Woodstock participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Bull Valley Dog Park at the corner of Bull Valley and Country Club roads Dec. 4. COURTESY PHOTO

INDE FOCUS

SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED

From left, Timothy Liebetrau, Heather Weiss, Mat-thew Oates and Fred Berg are recognized by the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District as the recipients of scholarships from the Trent Steckel Scholarship Committee. The scholarships are granted to young people seeking careers in fire or emergency medi-cal services or a related field. The scholarship honors Steckel, who was tragically killed at the age of 24 in a motorcycle accident. COURTESY PHOTO

ART ON DISPLAY

Students’ paintings, drawings and other art are on display at the Woodstock Public Library as part of the District 200 Art Show. The show runs through Jan. 7. INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY KEN FARVER

TOYS FOR TOTS

Toys for Tots volunteers Lee Totman, left, and Jerry Havens, right, collect toys at Cul-ver’s with Destinee Valenti and Cade Havens. INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY KEN FARVER

16 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTDec. 25-31, 2013 COMMUNITY

FLASHBACKS

25 years ago Woodstock Mayor Jimmie Shoemaker,

councilwoman Joan Mansfield and George Corson filed candidacy papers to run for mayor in the 1989 election.

A bridge over the Fox River that would connect Bull Valley Road to Route 120 east of McHenry neared completion.

Woodstock resident Andrea Ruge, 4, was chosen as the 1988-89 Poster Child for the Easter Seal Society of McHenry County.

20 years ago The Woodstock School District 200

Board of Education voted 4-3 to not sched-ule a referendum to raise additional money to fund the district’s current educational pro-grams.

The Woodstock Independent profiled Mayor Bill Anderson who recalled Christ-mases at Woodstock Children’s Home.

Ashely M. Pensinger, Woodstock, was one of five students from Illinois designated a James Bowdoin Scholar.

The WHS wrestling team finished fourth out of 16 teams at the Harvard Holi-day Wrestling Tournament. Blue Streaks Jim Aberle, Bob Johnson and Luke Kyle took first in their weight classes.

15 years ago The Woodstock City Council voted

to keep Emricson Park open to snowmobil-ers after a letter to the Parks and Recreation Commission called for a ban on the sport in the park.

Woodstock Public Works Director John Isbell estimated the cost to clean up the Woodstock landfill on Davis Road could be more than $5 million.

Army Pvt. Brian C. Antonou graduated from basic military training at Fort Leonard Wood, Waynesville, Mo.

The Marian Central boys basketball team defeated St. Francis 69-45 behind 17 points from Adam Szudarski.

10 years ago The Illinois Health Facilities Planning

Board denied a proposal for a 70-bed Mer-cy Health System Hospital in Crystal Lake.

The Woodstock Fire/Rescue District Board voted to place a referendum on the March ballot to fund personnel increases and a third station.

Schuberth Eye Care Center, 223 Washington St., celebrated its 25th anniver-sary.

The WHS girls basketball team won

the Woodstock/Richmond-Burton Tourna-ment by finishing 5-0. The Streaks had the same record as Larkin but won the tourna-ment because they had a better shooting percentage.

5 years ago The Wonder Lake Village Board hon-

ored Illinois State Police Sgt. Dan Smith with the Life Safety Award for saving neighbor Stormy Mossen.

The Woodstock Parks and Recreation Commission recommended plans that could bring an outdoor skatepark to Bates Park.

Marian Central basketball coach Dave Swengel was inducted into the llinois High School Basketball Hall of Fame.

1 year ago David Shinherr was sworn in as the

newest member of the D-200 Board of Edu-cation replacing Sue Palmore who recently had died.

Tina Hill was named chairperson of the McHenry County Board.

Christmas Clearing House was about $15,000 short of its goal of $46,000.

The Woodstock North High School girls basketball team defeated Richmond-Bur-ton 54-46 behind 22 points from Sami Ahr.

RELIGION NOTESCHRIST LIFE

Worship: 10:30 a.m. Sunday

EDEN BAPTIST

Worship: 3 p.m. Sunday (Spanish)

FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST

Worship: 10 a.m. SundayTestimonal Service: 8 p.m.

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN

Worship: 10:30 a.m. Sunday

FIRST UNITED METHODIST

Worship: 9 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday

FREE METHODIST

Worship: 10:30 a.m. Sunday

GRACE LUTHERAN1300 Kishwaukee Valley Road 815-338-0554 Worship: 5 p.m. Saturday (casual); 8:30 a.m. (traditional), 10:45 a.m. (contemporary) Sunday

HERITAGE BAPTIST CHURCH4609 Greenwood Road

Worship: 10 a.m. Sunday

MCHENRY COUNTY JEWISH CONGREGATION8617 Ridgefield Road, Crystal Lake815-455-1810Worship: 6:30 p.m. Friday, 9:30 a.m. Saturday

REDEEMER LUTHERAN

Worship: 8 and 10 a.m. Sunday

RESURRECTION CATHOLIC2918 S. Country Club Road 815-338-7330Worship: 8 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday; 5 p.m. Saturday; 8 a.m. weekdays

28; 8 and 10:30 a.m., Sunday, Dec. 29

ST. ANN’S EPISCOPAL

Worship: 8:30 and 10 a.m. Sunday

25

ST. JOHN’S LUTHERAN

Worship: 6 p.m. Saturday, 9 a.m. Sunday

ST. MARY CATHOLIC

Worship: 7:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday; 5 and 6:30 p.m. (Spanish) Saturday; 7:30, 9 and 10:30 a.m., noon (Spanish), 5 p.m. Sunday

a.m. Mass, 12 p.m. Spanish MassTHE BRIDGE CHRISTIAN

Worship: 10 a.m. Sunday

THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS

Worship: 10 a.m. Sunday

THE VINE

Worship: 10 a.m. Sunday

UNITY SPIRITUAL CENTER

Worship: 10 a.m. Sunday

WOODSTOCK ASSEMBLY OF GOD

Worship: 9 a.m. Sunday prayer service, 10 a.m. worship service

WOODSTOCK BIBLE

Worship: 9:30 a.m. SundaySunday school: 9:30 a.m. (3 years through 5th grade)

Sunday

17Dec. 25-31, 2013THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTCOMMUNITY

Dec. 25to Jan. 28

CALENDARUpcoming events in the Woodstock area Events are free unless otherwise noted

25 | WEDNESDAY

CHRISTMAS DAY

27 | FRIDAY

OPEN MIC NIGHTStage Left Cafe’125 Van Buren St.7 p.m.$3 donation815-338-5164offsquaremusic.orgSee The Entertainer, page 10.

28 | SATURDAY

HABITAT RESTORATIONBoger Bog2100 Cherry Valley Road10 a.m. to 1 p.m.815-455-1537Individuals, students, small groups and families with children older than age 6 can participate in restoring native habitat at the McHenry County Conservation District site.

29 | WEDNESDAY

TLC CONSERVATION WORK DAYRyder’s Woods750 E. Kimball Ave.10 a.m. to 1 p.m.conservemc.orgThe Land Conservancy of McHen-ry County seeks volunteers to help with the restoration project. Dress to work outside. Tools and refreshments will be provided.

COMPLETING OUR YEAR IN CONSCIOUSNESSUnity Spiritual Center of Wood-stock 225 W. Calhoun7 p.m.$5 donation815-337-3534unitywoodstock.orgA candelight music and medita-tion gathering will offer a time to rest, recharge and review in preparation for entering 2014. The event will be facilitated by musician and Reiki master teach-er Tricia Alexander.

1 | WEDNESDAY

NEW YEAR’S DAY

2 | THURSDAY

WOODSTOCK SENIOR CLUBSHearthstone Communities840 N. Seminary Ave.10 a.m. to 2 p.m.$2.50 for lunch815-344-3555The activities will include tai chi, coffee klatch, cooking demon-stration, trivia, bingo and card games. Registration required.

JAIL BRAKERSUnity Spiritual Center of Wood-stock225 W. Calhoun St.6:30 p.m.224-422-7431

jailbrakers@gmail.comJail Brakers is a support group that provides a safe place for children and families to express their emotional reactions to sepa-ration from a family member who has been incarcerated.

4 | SATURDAY

WOODSTOCK FARMERS MARKETMcHenry County Farm Bureau1102 McConnell Road9 a.m. to noonwoodstockfarmersmarket.orgVoted No. 1 in Illinois for mid-size markets in 2012.See The Entertainer, page 10.

FIRST SATURDAY MUSICUnity Spiritual Center of Wood-stock225 W. Calhoun St.7 p.m.$3 donation815-337-3534unitywoodstock.orgSee The Entertainer, page 10.

5 | SUNDAY

HELPING PAWS NEW VOLUNTEER ORIENTATIONHelping Paws Shelter2500 Harding Lane1 p.m.815-338-4400helpingpaws.netHelping Paws will welcome new volunteers and offers a monthly orientation.

6 | MONDAY

FOX VALLEY ROCKETEERS MEETINGWoodstock Challenger Learning Center222 E. Church St.7:30 p.m.815-337-9068foxvalleyrocketeers.orgThe meeting is open to all model rocketry enthusiasts.

8 | WEDNESDAY

TLC CONSERVATION WORK DAYWestwood Conservation Area1158 Hillside Drive10 a.m. to 1 p.m.conservemc.orgThe Land Conservancy of McHen-ry County seeks volunteers to help with the restoration project. Dress to work outside. Tools and refreshments will be provided.

DAYTIME BOOK CLUBRead Between the Lynes129 Van Buren St.12:30 p.m.815-206-5967The group will discuss “The Edge of the Earth” by Christina Schwarz.

10 | FRIDAY

OPEN MIC NIGHTStage Left Cafe’125 Van Buren St.

7 p.m.$3 donation815-338-5164offsquaremusic.orgSee The Entertainer, page 10.

11 | SATURDAY

HABITAT RESTORATIONDufield Pond11750 Country Club Road9 a.m. to 12 p.m.815-337-9315Individuals, students, small groups and families with children older than 6 can participate in restoring native habitat at the McHenry County Conservation District site.

14 | TUESDAY

ALZHEIMER’S & DEMENTIA FAMILY SUPPORT GROUPValley Hi Nursing & Rehabilita-tion2406 Hartland Road6 p.m.815-334-2817Caregiving tips and strategies will be discussed.

DISTRICT 200 BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETINGClay Professional Development Center112 Grove St.7 p.m.woodstockschools.orgThe meeting will be on the sec-ond floor. Use the parking lot behind Clay Academy and enter via Door 5.

16 | THURSDAY

THE CREATIVE LIVING SERIESWoodstock Opera House 121 Van Buren St.10 a.m.$24815-338-5300See The Entertainer, page 10.

WOODSTOCK SENIOR CLUBSHearthstone Communities840 N. Seminary Ave.10 a.m. to 2 p.m.A fee will be charged for lunch, $2 donation for bingo815-344-3555The activities will include a cof-fee klatch and bingo. Registra-tion is required.

17 | THURSDAY

JAZZ JAMStage Left Cafe’125 Van Buren St.8 p.m.$5 donation815-338-4212jazzonthesquare.comSee The Entertainer, page 10.

18 | SATURDAY

LEE GREENWOODWoodstock Opera House 121 Van Buren St.8 p.m.$65

815-338-5300See The Entertainer, page 10.

20 | MONDAY

EVENING BOOK CLUBRead Between the Lynes129 Van Buren St.7 p.m.815-206-5967The group will discuss “Long-bourn” by Jo Baker.

VILLAGE OF BULL VALLEY PLANNING COMMISSION The Stickney House1904 Cherry Valley Road7 p.m.

21 | TUESDAY

HELPING PAWS NEW VOLUNTEER ORIENTATIONHelping Paws Shelter2500 Harding Lane7 p.m.815-338-4400helpingpaws.net

CITY COUNCIL MEETINGWoodstock City Hall121 W. Calhoun St.7 p.m.

22 | WEDNESDAY

SOCIAL SKILLS AND SELF-ESTEEM SUPPORT GROUPRecovery Outreach Center101 Jefferson St.10:30 to 11:30 a.m.815-338-3590Monthly free group meetings will be ongoing and no reservations are needed.

25 | SATURDAY

HABITAT RESTORATIONBoger Bog2100 Cherry Valley Road10 a.m. to 1 p.m.815-455-1537See Dec. 28.

27 | MONDAY

MEN’S BOOK CLUBRead Between the Lynes129 Van Buren St.7 p.m.815-206-5967The group will discuss “The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey” by Candice Millard.

VILLAGE OF BULL VALLEY BOARD OF TRUSTEESThe Stickney House1904 Cherry Valley Road7 p.m.

28 | TUESDAY

DISTRICT 200 BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETINGClay Professional Development Center112 Grove St.7 p.m.woodstockschools.orgThe meeting will be on the sec-

ond floor. Use the parking lot behind Clay Academy and enter via Door 5.

ONGOING

D-200 STUDENT ART SHOWWoodstock Public Library414 W. Judd St.Daily through Jan. 7During library hours.

COFFEE AT THE CAFÉ FOR SENIORSTuesdaysStage Left Cafe’125 Van Buren St.1 to 3 p.m.Senior citizens are invited to drop in for coffee.

DIVORCECARETuesdaysWoodstock Assembly of God1201 Dean St.6:30 to 8:30 p.m.815-338-1316divorcecare.orgThe weekly support group and seminar will be conducted by people who understand the pain of separation or divorce.

BINGOWednesdaysWoodstock Moose Lodge406 Clay St.7 to 9:30 pm.815-338-0126Games will include crossfire. Food will be available. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m.

SOBER MOMS AA MEETINGThursdaysBlue Lotus Temple221 Dean St.10 a.m.847-809-1104Moms with a desire to stop drink-ing are invited to meet with the group.

BRIDGE FUN FRIDAYSFridaysSt. Ann’s Episcopal Church503 W. Jackson9:30 to noon815-338-0950stanns@stannswoodstock.orgPlayers of every skill level are in-vited to play bridge.

LIVE MUSIC AT EXPRESSLY LESLIE’SFridaysWoodstock Square Mall110 S. Johnson St.5:30 to 7:30 p.m.815-338-2833See The Entertainer, p. 11

VFW FISH FRYFridaysVFW Post 5040240 N. Throop St.5 to 8 p.m.$8.50815-338-5040Fried fish plus additional menu choices will be served. This event is open to the public.

BEST BETSELECTION

To submit calendar items, e-mail pr@thewoodstockindependent.com or visit

thewoodstockindependent.com

PHOTO: MCCUN934

18 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTDec. 25-31, 2013 SERVICE DIRECTORY/CLASSIFIEDS

Small blocks are $40 for 4 weeks.Call 815-701-9268

and ask for Jen for details.Service Directory

AC/HEATING

Woodstock815-337-4200

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all makes & models

Boiler & hot water heating specialists!

Heating, Cooling, Plumbing and Water Heaters

Mark MitchellInsurance Agency

815-334-1000www.markismyagent.com

INSURANCEINSURANCE

CARPENTRY ATTORNEY

COLLISION REPAIR

ENGINE REPAIR

B&J SMALL ENGINE REPAIR

Authorized and stocked service center for Briggs & Stratton,

Tecumseh & Kohler Engine Co., Honda, Subaru-Robin, Engs.,Murray & M.T.D. products. Chain saws serviced &

sharpened.Call 815-648-2813

10302 Alden Rd., Alden, IL

Professional interior and exterior painting.

Fully insured. 35+ yrs exp.Free estimates. Local references. Senior discounts.Winter Rates

J.B. Decorating847-658-8512

PAINTING

TECHNOLOGY

GUTTER CLEANING HEALTH INSURANCE

ASPHALT SERVICES

FINANCIAL SERVICES

SPACE FOR RENT

Party? Anniversary? Baby Shower? Birthday? Retirement? Wedding Reception? Meeting? Woodstock Church Hall with full

kitchen available daytime or evenings. Reasonable rates.

For details, call (815) 338-9370 www.rlcw.com

Redeemer Lutheran Church

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BE A SPONSORThe Woodstock Independent is looking for sponsors of weekly features such as:Student of the Week, Athlete of the Week, and The College Report.

Call for details 815-338-8040

REMODELING

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woodstockfolkmusic.com

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$30 per hour815-338-4245

19Dec. 25-31, 2013THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENT

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CLUES ACROSS 1. Lawyer disqualification 7. Filled in harbor 13. Die 14. Expected 16. As in 17. Squares puzzle 19. Of I 20. Small depressions 22. Cambridgeshire Cathedral 23. Layout and furnishings 25. Sandhill crane genus 26. Challenges 28. A widow’s self-immolation 29. Earth System Model (abbr.) 30. Sound unit 31. A teasing remark 33. Surrounded by 34. Distinctive elegance 36. Imperturbable 38. Gulf of, in the Aegean 40. Ice mountains 41. Rubs out 43. German writer Weber 44. Tub 45. Digital audiotape 47. UC Berkeley 48. Actress Farrow 51. Epic body of poetry 53. Weight unit 55. A mild oath 56. More infrequent 58. One point N of due W 59. More rational 60. Exclamation of surprise 61. Manual soil tiller 64. 24th state 65. Surveyor 67. About ground 69. Something beyond doubt 70. Add herbs or spices

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20 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTDec. 25-31, 2013

PUBLIC NOTICEASSUMED NAME

Public Notice is hereby given that on

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICEASSUMED NAME

Public Notice is hereby given that on

PUBLIC NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICEASSUMED NAME

Public Notice is hereby given that on

PUBLIC NOTICEASSUMED NAME

Public Notice is hereby given that on

PUBLIC NOTICE

13 CH 21

PUBLIC NOTICEASSUMED NAME

Public Notice is hereby given that on

PUBLIC NOTICEASSUMED NAME

Public Notice is hereby given that on

REAL ESTATE NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

21Dec. 25-31, 2013THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTPUBLIC NOTICES

SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For

SUITE 333, NAPERVILLE, IL 60563,

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE

ASSOCIATION,Plaintiff,-v.-

THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER),

SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS

MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. For

ILLINOIS

Plaintiff,

NOTICE OF SALE

22 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTDec. 25-31, 2013 SPORTS

IN BRIEF

EN GARDE

Marian Central Catholic High School’s fencing team competed Dec. 21 in the Junior Varsity Team Tournament at New Trier High School, Winnetka. Marian finished in second place in men’s foil, third in women’s foil and fourth in men’s epee. Pictured, from left, are: Tyler Logsdon, Connor Greig, Jacob Schuely, Ben Stone, Scott Reck-amp, Alexandra Krak, Julia Kranenburg, Leabin Markowski and Sheila Sagear. Not pictured: Michael Morphew. COURTESY PHOTO

Yankees.

“I couldn’t be prouder of Aaron for

what he has ac-

complished,”

said Avalanche

head coach,

Craig Strang,

who also is an

assistant base-

ball coach at

Marian Central

Catholic High

School. “�is

is the first of

many accom-

plishments to

come for him.

He will definite-

ly have more

doors open for

him if he continues to work hard.”

Aaron works so hard that his parents,

Bill and Jennifer Montgomery, keep him

from playing year-round. In the win-

ter, he practices at SportsCity Academy

in Woodstock. But his real enjoyment

comes from the thrill of actual competi-

tion.

His earliest memory playing the game

was flying around the bases in T-ball and

sliding headfirst into home plate, only to

be told later that he’d have to wait a few

more years before trying a headfirst slide

again.

Today his continued progress, thanks

to Strang’s guidance as a former minor-

league catcher, has drawn the attention

of more than just his coaches and team-

mates. His recent success at a showcase

for the Baseball Factory Tournament led

scouts to punch his ticket to Florida.

“We are very excited about his oppor-

tunity,” said Bill Montgomery. “�is will

be a big experience for him.”

Montgomery felt positively about

his son’s chances immediately after the

showcase as the scouts commented that

they had never seen a 12-year-old with

such composure and mechanics behind

home plate. He credits much of Aaron’s

development to great coaching.

“Once I saw Aaron catch, I knew right

away that he was going to be the catch-

er,” said Strang. “As the season went on,

I was impressed with how he responded

in certain situations. He was a fish in wa-

ter at that point.”

Knowing Aaron’s strengths, Strang

said he often provides his young catcher

with advice and tips he would typically

share only with more advanced high

school players.

“Aaron will take as much information

as he can and apply it to the field,” said

Strang. “He does that very easily and that

gives him an advantage. It’s not normal

at his age.”

For Aaron, performing at such a high

level is every bit as normal as summer

baseball is for youth across America.

“When I get on the field, what the

coaches have taught me makes it easy

for me,” said Aaron. “When people are

taking big leads, I know that when the

pitch comes I can take a deep breath,

jump up and throw them out.”

Montgomery Continued from Page 24

WOODSTOCK NORTH Girls basketballDec. 21: WNHS 45, Richmond-Burton 53For WNHS, Haley Ahr scored 22 points.Dec. 20: WNHS 60, WHS 55For WNHS, Haley Ahr scored 21 points.

WOODSTOCK CO-OPBoys bowlingDec. 21: The Woodstock co-op boys bowling team finished 19th out of 24

teams with 4,274 pins at the Rockford Invitattional.

Girls bowlingDec. 21: The Woodstock co-op girls bowling team finished 9th out of 13 teams with 3,806 pins at the Rockford Invitational. For Woodstock, Kasia Mucha finished 20th with 895 pins; Rachel Lohmeyer fin-ished 29 with 832 pins; and Samantha Kunke finished 30th with 826 pins.

WHS to host regional basketball tournament

Woodstock High School will host the IHSA Class 3A boys regional basketball

tournament at the end of February. Participating teams will include

Hampshire High School, Harvard High School, Marengo High School, Marian Central Catholic High School, WHS and Woodstock North High School.

Aaron Montgomery will compete at the Baseball Factory All-America Pre-Season Rookie Tournament in January. COURTESY PHOTO

“When I get on the

me.”— Aaron Montgomery,

baseball player

SCOREBOARD

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Call for details 815-338-8040

23Dec. 25-31, 2013THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTSPORTS

FootballHe was the backup for arguably the

best quarterback playing at the NCAA

Division I-Football Championship

Series level. But Ben Krol, an Eastern

Illinois University quarterback and

Marian Central graduate, took a few

snaps this year and will be the top re-

turner at signal caller for the Panthers

next year. �is year, Krol appeared in

eight games, finishing the year with

140 passing yards on 16-of-27 passes.

He also had five carries for 15 yards.

He rushed for one touchdown.

North Central College had one of

its finest years ever, and depending

on the NCAA Division III national

title game, the Cardinals may ques-

tion themselves for a long time. �e

fourth-ranked Cardinals lost a 41-40

battle to the University of Mount

Union, who entered the game with

the top ranking in NCAA Division

III. Greg Whalen (Marian Central),

Adam Szudarski (Marian Central)

and Ryan Szudarski (Marian Central)

played in their final game as Cardi-

nals. North Central finished the year

with a 13-1 mark, a perfect 8-0 in the

College Conference of Illinois and

Wisconsin. �e Cardinals missed the

national title game by one point.

In the Mount Union game, Whalen

started on the offensive line. �e right

tackle helped North Central post 391

yards of offense – 198 passing yards

and 193 rushing. North Central had

23 first downs, five

touchdowns and

one field goal. Adam

Szudarski, who

started at line-

backer, finished the

contest with seven

tackles (six solos).

Ryan Szudarski, a

tight end, subbed

into the contest. He

caught two passes

for 16 yards.

SwimmingMatthew De-

Wane (Woodstock High School)

helped Loras win its first two dual

meets, downing Ripon College (155-

68) and Coe College (160-77). In the

win over Coe College, DeWane was

part of the winning 200-yard medley

relay (1 minute, 46.48 seconds) and

the second place 200 freestyle relay

(1:41.10). Individually, he was fourth

in the 100 breaststroke, touching the

wall at 1:09.35. Against Ripon, he com-

peted in the 200 medley relay, helping

Loras take second in 1:46.41. He was

third in the 100 breaststroke (1:09.41)

and fourth in the 50 freestyle (:24.22).

Western Illinois University swimmer

Haley Brasile (Woodstock) recently

helped her squad down Valparaiso

University (152-129). Individually,

Brasile scored points in the 100

freestyle (:58.03) and the 50 freestyle

(:26.96). She was second and fourth

respectively. She was a member of the

800 freestyle relay, which finished

second in 8:30.96, and the 200 medley

relay, which finished third in 2:01.62.

In Western Illinois’ 189-85 loss to Tru-

man State University, Brasile finished

third in the 100 freestyle, touching

the wall at :57.69. Western Illinois

took third in the 400 freestyle relay

(3:50.57).

Message from Dan ChamnessWe are looking for names for the

2013-14 school year. We are also look-

ing for names of athletes who finished

their careers this semester. If you want

to add a name to either list, please

email Dan62801@aol.com. �ere are

two conditions for being included in

this column. First, the athlete must be

a resident or a graduate of a school

covered by The Woodstock Independent. Second, the athlete must be involved

in intercollegiate athletics, meaning

his/her college/university team com-

petes against other schools. I will need

the name of the athlete, the former

high school, the college/university

and the sport. Please put “Woodstock

Independent” in the subject line of the

email.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Dan Chamness follows the college athletic ca-reers of Woodstock-area athletes.

» COLUMN

The College Report

DanChamness

tled up two classes at 170 pounds, and he

was barely over 152 pounds. He is one of

those kids who is overlooked just because

he is not intense. ... He’s a gamer. When he

shakes hands and is on the match it is go

time for him.”

Welch (17-5) lost to Blue Streak Alan Ha-

fer this past week 13-12 but won 12-10 in

overtime in the tournament.

Marian finished 12th with 66.5 points.

Woodstock WHS sent seven wrestlers to the tourna-

ment and five of them placed. Senior Jake

Hodory (132) placed sixth, Zange (145)

placed second, sophomore Nick Sundberg

(152) placed fifth, senior Ryan Plourde

(170) placed fourth and senior Alex John-

son (182) placed sixth.

Grell said the team started the tourna-

ment out strong but failed to capitalize on

the final day.

“We had a very good first day,” Grell

said. “Our second day did not turn out as

hoped. We wrestled some tough matches,

but, in the end, we didn’t place as high as

we wanted to. … Having said that, they still

performed well.”

Grell said Zange has performed well

against a very good wrestler, and it bodes

well for the rest of the season.

“So far, Kevin hasn’t beat him, but he’s

getting closer each match,” Grell said, “If

he can wrestle Remke close, he can wres-

tle just about anyone in the state close.

Remke’s an awesome wrestler, and, for

Kevin to wrestle him close, it’s promising

about the things we are doing in the room

and about Kevin as an athlete. He is really

turning it on this season.”

�e competition is fierce at the tourna-

ment, and Grell said this is the reason why

he keeps the Blue Streaks in it.

“�at’s why we stay in Harvard,” said

Grell. “Having only seven guys, it’s tough

to wrestle in the tournament because most

of the teams are pretty stacked. I want our

guys in this competition early in the year

so they can see what they are good at and

what they need to work on. It’s a good

dress rehearsal for the post season. We’re

going to win some dual meets, but our

goal as a team is to get some individual

wrestlers down state.”

WHS finished tied for 10th with 73

points.

Woodstock North Woodstock North High School sent sev-

en wrestlers to the tournament with three

of them placing. For the �under, sopho-

more Jake Fiorito (132) placed fifth, soph-

omore Randall Kline (170) placed sixth

and junior Cody Barnes (220) placed third.

First year head coach Nathan Zinter said

he was impressed with the tournament.

“I thought they did a really nice job,”

Zenter said. “It was a really smooth run-

ning tournament. Having been to a variety

of tournaments, I thought it was really run

well. �e competition was also really good.

In that regard, it was a really positive ex-

perience.”

Zenter said he was pleased with the per-

formance of his place winners.

“All the guys that did place were definite-

ly worthy of placing where they were at or

higher,” Zenter said. “At the same time, a

couple of our placers are young guys, and

that’s something to be considered as well.

I think them standing on the podium defi-

nitely showed they were above the other

half of the wrestlers. I definitely feel they

belong there.”

Woodstock North finished 14th with 43

points.

Dundee-Crown won the tournament

with 189 points.

know last year I was the guy. �is

year, we have some scorers. �is

year, there’s not as much pres-

sure.”

“�is year, Derreck is coming off

the bench, and, if he had not ac-

cepted that role, we wouldn’t have

the success we are having now,”

Price said. “When he plays, he does

a tremendous job.”

Junior Matt Ricchiuto is the

team’s leading rebounder at 4.3

rebounds per game. Price said Ric-

chiuto gives the ’Canes an inside

presence that had been lacking.

“Matt has made a huge contribu-

tion to our inside play,” Price said.

“In the past, we haven’t had that

tough inside guy.”

�e ’Canes lost the first game

of the Jacobs Tournament Dec. 21

59-58 to a very good Bartlett team.

Price said he always keeps his

team focused on improving.

“One thing we try to stress a

lot is to stay hungry,” Price said.

“Don’t be happy now because

we’re [5-4] now. Don’t be happy

because we’ve won more games

than last year. You’ve got to al-

ways be hungry. … Don’t get com-

placent because people are telling

you how good you are. Continue

to try and get better each day. …

“It’s up to me to [make sure] that

they stay hungry, that they stay fo-

cused.”

Caldez said the team’s goal is

to win a regional title and win the

SCC. For now, however, he is hap-

py the team is winning on regular

basis.

“It feels good,” Caldez said. “Ev-

eryone on the team is really ex-

cited. Last year, we were kind of

down, but this year, we are com-

peting and having fun.”

�e ’Canes will play in the Ja-

cobs Tournament �ursday and

Friday, Dec. 26 and 27.

Tournament Continued from Page 24

MarianContinued from Page 24

“Don’t be happy because we’ve won more games than last year. You’ve got to always be hungry.”

—Curtis Price, coach

Krol finishes season with Panthers

WOODSTOCKBoys basketball

Dec. 21: WHS 59, Harvard 55For WHS, Mason Sutter scored 18 points.

Boys wrestling Dec. 21: WHS placed 10th out of 16

teams with 73 points in the Sciacca/Holt-freter Tournament in Harvard.For WHS, Kevin Zange (145) finished in second place.

Girls basketball Dec. 21: WHS 64, Johnsburg 61

For WHS, Grace Beattie scored 18 points.

Dec. 20: WHS 55, WNHS 60For WHS, Cody Brand scored 24 points.

MARIANBoys basketball

Dec. 21: MC 58, Bartlett 59For MC, Matt Ricchiuto scored 15 points.

Boys wrestling Dec. 21: MC finished 12th out of 16

teams with 66.5 points in the Sciacca/Holt-freter Tournament in Harvard. For MC, Nick Remke (145) placed first.

Dec. 17: MC 24, Rockford Lutheran 48For MC, Nick Remke won his match 15-2.

Girls basketball Dec. 21: MC 57, Wauconda 43

For MC, Brie Baumert scored 12 points and Hannah Davis and Sarah Benigni each scored 11 points.

Dec. 20: MC 49, McHenry 43For MC, Sarah Benigni scored 15 points.

Dec. 16: MC 55, Richmond-Burton

41

WOODSTOCK NORTHBoys basketball

Dec. 21: WNHS 32, Wauconda 48For WNHS, Josh Jandron scored 11 points

Dec. 21: WNHS 44, Marengo 63For WNHS, Josh Jandron scored 20 points.

Dec. 16: WNHS 41, Wauconda 47For WNHS Josh Jandron scored 17 points.

Boys wrestling Dec. 21: WNHS placed 14th out of

16 with 43 points in the Sciacca/Holtfreter Tournament in Harvard. For WNHS, Cody Barnes (220) placed 3rd overall.

SCOREBOARD

24 THE WOODSTOCK INDEPENDENTDec. 25-31, 2013

Sports

PHOTO

PAGE 22

The Marian fencing team brings home some hardware

SCOREBOARD

Scores, stats and highlights from area high schools

COLUMN

Dan Chamness tracks the college careers of area athletes

PAGES 22 & 23 PAGE 23

A reversal of fortune for Marian hoops

By MEGAN IVERSThe Independent

Leading off first base is

a rite of passage for young

baseball players and so is get-

ting tagged out after taking

too much time to get back on

base. For many area baseball

players, this lesson is often

provided thanks to a ball cat-

apulted to first base by Wood-

stock Avalanche catcher Aar-

on Montgomery.

Aaron was co-captain of the

12U Avalanche team, which

is part of Woodstock Youth

Baseball and associated with

Woodstock Little League,

and recently was selected to

compete at the Baseball Fac-

tory All-America Pre-Season

Rookie Tournament in Janu-

ary. �e tournament will be

preceded by a two-day camp

at the training facility of Aar-

on’s favorite Major League

Baseball team, the New York

Please see Montgomery, Page 22

Woodstock boy makes All-America tournamentMontgomery will participate in rookie camp in January

Marian Central’s Tom Welch wrestles Blue Streak Alan Hafer in the 170-weight class at the Sciacca/Holtfreter Wrestling Tourna-ment Dec. 21. Welch won 12-10 in overtime. PHOTO: S&P PHOTO

12 area grapplers place at tourney

Woodstock North’s Jesse Cordoba wrestles in the 138-pound weight class at the Sciacca/Holtfreter Wrestling Tournament Dec. 21. INDEPENDENT PHOTO BY JAY SCHULZ

» WRESTLING SCIACCA/HOLTFRETER TOURNAMENT

By JAY SCHULZThe Independent

Marian Central’s Nick Remke took home

an individual championship and 11 other

area athletes placed at the 48th annual

John Sciacca/Richard Holtfreter Wres-

tling Tournament at Harvard High School

Dec. 20 and 21.

Second-time competitor Marian partic-

ipated in the tournament in which junior

Remke won his second title. Remke, who

won in the 138-pound weight class last

year, defeated Woodstock High School

sophomore Kevin Zange 4-1 in the cham-

pionship match of the 145-pound weight

class. Remke has defeated Zange three

times this season.

“It was good for Nick to throw some

more stuff out there and really challenge

himself,” said Marian head coach Chris

Taylor.

Also for Marian, sophomore Joe Herff

(132) placed fourth, sophomore Tom

Welch (160) placed fifth and senior Kolton

O’Neill (285) placed fifth.

Taylor, in his first year as head coach

for the Hurricanes, praised the improve-

ment he has seen from Welch.

“Tom Welch is finally becoming a

force,” Taylor said. “Last year, he wres-

Please see Tournament, Page 23

» BOYS BASKETBALL MARIAN CENTRAL

By JAY SCHULZThe Independent

�e Marian Central Catholic High

School boys basketball team has seen

a resurgence this season. �e Hur-

ricanes (5-4, 1-1 Suburban Christian

Conference) already have surpassed

their win total from last year, four,

and are looking to continue to im-

prove.

�e seeds for success this season

were planted this summer. Marian

Central head coach Curtis Price said

the team had success in summer

league games and the confidence has

carried over.

“�is year, we won quite a few sum-

mer league games, and that belief in

knowing when you play you have the

ability to win carried over into the

season,” Price said. “�ese kids want

to succeed, and they believe they

have the right pieces in place to go

out there and do it.”

�is season, the Hurricanes are av-

eraging 57.3 points per game on 36

percent shooting as compared to 44.2

points on 30 percent last season. �e

’Canes are averaging 32 percent from

the 3-point line as compared to 21

percent last season.

Price said there are two main fac-

tors to the team’s resurgence – talent

and confidence.

“Last year’s team wasn’t as talented

as this year’s team,” Price said. “Also,

I think this year’s team believes they

have a chance to go out and win every

day. I think that is one of the biggest

attributes you can have as a basket-

ball team – having the ability to know

when you walk on the court that you

believe you have a chance to win.”

Sophomore Adam Pischke leads

in scoring averaging, 14.7 points per

game.

“Alan’s a special kid,” Price said.

“He’s a difference maker. He definite-

ly makes us a lot better knowing that

you have that one player on the team

that, when you get caught in a bind,

you have that go to [player].”

Senior Derreck Caldez, who was the

team’s starting point guard and lead-

ing scorer last year and is now the

’Canes first man off the bench, said

the difference in the team is the lead-

ership he has seen from the seniors.

Caldez said he doesn’t care what role

he plays on the team as long as the

’Canes.

“I don’t mind it,” Caldez said. “I

know last year I was the guy. �is

Please see Marian, Page 23