Tag: DeKalb

Ten Graduating Seniors Receive Resource Bank Centennial Service Awards

May. 24 no comments

resourcebanklogoResource Bank awarded $10,000 in scholarships to ten graduating high school seniors throughout DeKalb County. Each year, the Centennial Service Award is given to those students that exhibit a strong sense of community pride and are highly involved in volunteer work and community service activities.

Resource Bank is proud to announce the recipients of $1,000 from the Class of 2013:

Matthew Allen, DeKalb High School, dedicated his time to the Eagle Scouts and participated in many community projects including renovating the dog runs at and providing money for mobile cat carriers to TAILS Humane Society. Jacob Alstadt, Somonauk High School, dedicated his time to the Eagle Scouts and served his community through several projects including building a bridge in a local forest preserve. Dallas Boehne, Indian Creek High School, volunteered time at the N.I.C.E Center food pantry, participated in numerous fundraisers, and dedicated time to help the needs of children and elderly in her community. Jaylene Jennings, DeKalb High School, prepared meals for Hope Haven and Feed My Starving Children and dedicated many hours to beautification projects throughout her community. Beth Klein, Hinckley-Big Rock High School, worked many hours with Opportunity House, Feed My Starving Children, and spent significant time on church and cemetery beautification projects.

Maxwell Kruse, Genoa-Kingston High School, prepared meals at Feed ‘Em Soup and Feed My Starving Children and coordinated an Eagle Scout service project at Russell Woods. Jacob Marx, DeKalb High School, dedicated his time with to the Eagle Scouts and participated in a project to build a children’s activity area inside Feed ‘Em Soup called “Lexi’s Corner”. Jacob plans on majoring in Political Science and Communications in college. Lydia Moore, Sycamore High School, dedicated time to Big Brother and Big Sisters, packed meals for Feed My Starving Children, and travelled to Montana on a youth mission trip to work with children on a Native American reservation. Ariel Russell, Indian Creek High School, volunteered with the N.I.C.E Center food pantry and worked with the Indian Creek CCC (Community Concern for Children). Laura Smith, Sandwich High School, volunteered with Kendall County Operation Snowball and Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program and has been involved with the children’s ministry of her church. Congratulations to all of these outstanding graduates.

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DeKalb Memorial Day Parade & Service

May. 24 no comments

tank-dekalbThis Memorial Day, Monday, May 27th, DeKalb will host a Memorial Day Parade and Service, in downtown DeKalb at 9:00am. The program will go on, rain or shine. At 8:30am, join them for the Memorial Tank Service at the corner of North First Street and Lincoln Highway

Then at 9:00am, the Memorial Day Parade steps off at the corner of North Third Street and Lincoln Highway. The Parade route is: Lincoln Hwy. west to First Street, north on First Street to Locust Street, west on Locust Street to Linden Place, Linden Place north to the rear entrance of the Ellwood House.

At approximately 9:30am the Ellwood House Program includes a brief address by Past All American State Commander Matt Claussen; Presentation of American Legion School Awards; as well as musical selections by the DeKalb High School Chorus; Firefighter’s Highland Guard; and the DeKalb High School, Clinton Rosette and Huntley Middle School Marching Bands.

At 10:00am the Ellwood House will be offering tours, free of charge, until 12:00 Noon. Take advantage of the opportunity to see this excellent piece of DeKalb history this Memorial Day with your family!

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Motorcycle Riders Sought for Holiday Motorcade

May. 20 no comments

Motorcycle riders are wanted for a Motorcycle/Motorcade Military VIP Escort on Monday, Memorial Day, May 27, 2013 at 7:55am starting in downtown Sycamore, Illinois. Riders will meet near Route 64 and California St., by the movie theater no later than 7:45am. (2 wheelers, 3 wheelers, 4 wheelers and all wheelers welcome). The Motorcade will be escorting Major General Emile P. Bataille (USA Ret) around DeKalb County.

bataille

Major General Emile P. Bataille

Major General Emile P. Bataille United States Army Retired (MG Bataille USA Ret) retired off of Active Duty in August 2004 after 34 years of service in the US Army and Reserve Components. His last assignment was as the Director for Combat Support at the United States Strategic Command in Omaha Nebraska. He managed a staff of over 1000 and was responsible for a budget of over $150M. He  was responsible for a range of assets from multiple communication’s satellite constellations, to developing procedures for Military inter-Service computer network systems defense, to multiple security levels of computer system networks for the Command.

He led his staff to formulate and implement  Joint policies, concepts, and readiness for the Command’s command, control communications, and computer systems, The US STRATCOM mission is to provide the means for the National Command Authority to command the Nation’s strategic forces. General Bataille was also the Command’s senior logistics officer responsible for all logistical operations plans and procedures. On 9/11, he provided communications support to President Bush’s critical visit to US STRATCOM to assess the National situation after the morning attacks. He was the first Army General Officer to serve at the US Strategic Command in over 30 years.

The route of travel and approximate start times for the Memorial Day Motorcade are as follows: (7:55am) from downtown Sycamore to the Joiner Cemetery, (8:30am) to the DeKalb Memorial Day Parade line-up, (9:00am) DeKalb Memorial Day Parade starts, (9:20am) to the Malta Memorial Day Parade, (11:00am) to the Genoa Memorial Day Parade line-up, (11:30am) Genoa Memorial Day Parade starts and (1:00pm) the Genoa Veterans Home Hamburger buffet. For more information contact Frank Beierlotzer at ffb66@juno.com or by phone at 815-758-5788.

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Car Shows in DeKalb Saturday, May 18th

May. 16 no comments

The 2nd Annual Lincoln Highway Car Show will be held in Franklin Grove on Saturday, May 18th, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It is not too late to register on site for $12! Find the Website here and the registration form as a PDF.

Lincoln Highway Car Show Trophy, for the Saturday, May 18th, 2013 event

Lincoln Highway Car Show Trophy, for the Saturday, May 18th, 2013 event

Also, there will be a Lincoln Highway 100th Birthday Bash Car Show in DeKalb on the same day in DeKalb in the Frank Van Buer Plaza parking lot beginning at 6:00 p.m. The parking lot is across from the Egyptian Theatre on the corner of Locust Street and North 2nd Street, in the 200 block of Locust. The parking lot will be reserved beginning at 4:00 p.m. Registration for the 100th Birthday Bash Car Show will be free! The audience attending the Switchback / MahaRa concert at the Egyptian Theatre at 7:30 p.m. will choose the winning entries! The winners will be announced on stage, immediately following the music.

carshow3KraftModelAThe DeKalb Car Show is timed so that everyone can participate in both! There will be plenty of time to travel from Franklin Grove to DeKalb and stop for dinner!

Cars,trucks, and motorcycles of all years are welcome. Because Carl Fisher, the mastermind behind the Lincoln Highway, got his start racing, repairing, and selling bicycles, those are welcome, too! Click here for the DeKalb Car Show Registration Form. Registration for the DeKalb Car Show is free and on site.

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It’s Storage Auction Time Again!

May. 16 no comments

dekalbcoselfstorageThis Saturday, May 18th, 2013, the DeKalb County Self Storage facilities will be the sites of public auctions: There will be five separate auctions at each of the locations in DeKalb, Sycamore, Cortland and Malta. See below for times at each facility and see the website linked above for facility location maps.

As you may know, these auctions are the final step in a long process through which they have tried to collect past due rent from some of their delinquent tenants. They undertake auction of a customer’s stored goods only as a last resort, and then only in scrupulous compliance with the self-service storage statute enacted by the Illinois Legislature.

If you are interested in attending the auctions, you are most welcome. They appreciate you understanding the necessity to purge the facilities of these non-paying tenants. DeKalb County Self Storage requests that you avoid trying to access your storage unit(s) that Saturday, due to the likely congestion. You will not be allowed access during the auction time.

Read more →

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What Time Are You Open?

May. 09 1 comment

What Time R U OpenDon Burkett, in his DeKalb Blog, asks a question many have, for a long time now. Why aren’t the downtown DeKalb stores open after work when customers can actually shop there? Read on below and more at the ‘Read More’ link for an outsider’s perspective:

Merchants of DeKalb, want to increase your revenue? I have 2 tips for you.
1) Be Open for Business when your customers want to shop.
2) Get together and develop some consistent store hours.

What you have now is one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen.

Before I go any further, let me explain, I don’t really care what hours you’re open or even why you choose the crazy business hours some of you keep.

I’m guessing most of you own your own businesses and you are entitled to be open whenever you want.

But, I will make an observation that can’t be refuted, The inconsistency impacts business for all of you. It thwarts people who would otherwise go Downtown after work to walk around and browse.

Read More

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At Any Price Opens Friday in DeKalb

May. 09 3 comments

filmingjunctionThe movie filmed in DeKalb in the summer of 2011, At Any Price, opened last week in New York and Los Angeles and opens in DeKalb at the Carmike, Market Square Theatre this Friday, May 10th, 2013.  Theatre representatives say that the movie will play at least one full week in DeKalb, while an extended play has yet to be determined. Advance tickets are now on sale at the theatre at 2160 DeKalb Ave. in DeKalb, behind WalMart. Showtimes for the movie through the weekend are 1:15, 4:15,  7:10 and 9:45pm each day.

efronincarspeedwayThe plot is described as the following:  In the competitive world of modern agriculture, ambitious Henry Whipple (Dennis Quaid) wants his rebellious son Dean (Zac Efron) to help expand his family’s farming empire. However, Dean has his sights set on becoming a professional race car driver. When a high-stakes investigation into their business is exposed, father and son are pushed into an unexpected crisis that threatens the family’s entire livelihood.

The film was shot in various locations around DeKalb County including The Junction and Sycamore Speedway.  Actress, actors and film crew all stayed in local hotels, ate from local restaurants and brought many outside dollars into DeKalb County, not to mention all the excitement!

“This is the perfect way to celebrate National Tourism Week, May 4-12,” said Debbie Armstrong, executive director of the DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau in a press release, noting the film’s crew booked more than 4,500 hotel room nights and generated nearly $950,000 in economic revenue for DeKalb County.

Below are a few pictures taken locally during the filming of the movie. Please click on the pictures for a larger view.

 

 

The San Francisco Chronicle calls At Any Price “the first really important film to come along this year.”

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Milner Receives Largest Transaction Award

May. 08 no comments

sior-conventionSteve Milner and Denise Weinmann of RVG Milner/Carpenter recently attended the SIOR (Society of Industrial and Office Realtors) convention in Palm Springs, CA.  At this convention, Mr. Milner received an award for the 2012 SIOR Member to Member Transaction Award for the Largest Dollar Volume Transaction (Other) for his 350 acre land sale for $9,650,000.

SIOR is the leading professional commercial and industrial real estate association, with more than 3,000 members in 630 cities in 33 countries.

Recently, RVG’s commercial real estate division joined forces with veteran real estate brokers Steve Milner and Mike Carpenter to form RVG Milner Carpenter. RVG’s DeKalb office is at 444 East Hillcrest Drive Suite 230 in DeKalb. RVG knows property values and the marketplace. Search properties on their website here.

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CCT’s Advanced Summer Theatre Camp Seeks Actors & Actresses

May. 08 no comments

cctgreaseCCT’s summer “Advanced Imagination Camp”, featuring a production of “Grease,” is seeking youth actors and actresses interested in being a part of a challenging summer theatre experience. Registration for the two week camp is open, and you may download registration forms by visiting www.CCTOnstage.com.

Advanced Camp is open to students entering 7th grade through 12th grade in fall 2012. Individuals who are graduating this spring may also enroll in the camp. The camp runs for two weeks, June 17th through 30th, and will conclude with four performances of the musical to the public. A full, per-day schedule can be found on CCT’s website.

“Grease” follows the famous characters of Rydell High’s senior class of 1959: the duck-tailed, hot-rodding T-Birds and their gum-snapping, hip shaking “Pink Ladies.” Head “greaser” Danny Zuko and new girl Sandy Dumbrowski try to relive the high romance of their “Summer Nights’ as the rest of the gang sings and dances its way through songs like “Greased Lighting,” “Hand Jive,” and “You’re the One That I Want.”

Students who enroll in Advanced Imagination Camp will be tasked with creating the full production from start to finish in just two weeks. All participants will receive an on-stage role in the production and will take part in daily activities and training session in this performance based experience.

“Imagination Camp” was created 8 years ago after CCT recognized a desperate need for a summer theatre education offering in our area.

Cost of the two week Advanced Camp is $125 and includes daily instruction, a “Grease” cast T-Shirt, participation in four public performances and a dinner during a dress rehearsal.

“Our camp is one of the lowest priced summer opportunities,” said Julie Breidenbach, Coordinator of CCT’s Imagination Camp. “When you divide it up, it comes out to less than $7 a day, which we think is very reasonable.” Read more →

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Mother’s Day Brunch at Timber Creek

May. 07 no comments

tcmothersdaybrunchPlan to come to Timber Creek Inn & Suite’s Mother’s Day Brunch this Sunday, May 12, 2013. Open from 11am – 2pm, Timber Creek is pulling out all the stops to make this a Mother’s Day to remember for the whole family. Visit the Fresh Omeltte Station where your omelette will be made to order. The Prime Rib Carving Station is another can’t be missed entree.

Some of the other food you’ll see are fresh waffles, blackened filet of sole, honey glazed pit ham, bacon, sausage, chicken breast with tomato vodka sauce, assorted baked goods, fresh fruit and a completely decadent dessert buffet.

Timber Creek Inn & Suites is located at 3300 Drew Ave. in Sandwich. For questions and reservations call 630.273.6000. Visit their website to learn more.

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Shabbona Lake Bass Contest Weekend

May. 03 no comments

bassbigfishThis weekend, May 4th and 5th, 2013 is the Shabbona Lake Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass Contest Weekend. Shabbona is full of very large Bass. The Lake record is 23”, 7.85 Pounds. Over the years they have heard several unverified reports of 8+ pound Bass.

You must sign up at Lakeside Bait, Tackle & Boat Rental and donate $5 To the Walleye Restocking Fund prior to your catch to qualify. Fish must be alive when measured. Shabbona Lakeside encourages catch and release, as soon as the fish is measured. One witness must be present to verify your catch, when you enter your catch. Determination of winning qualifying fish will be by weight. Weigh In at Lakeside Bait, Tackle & Boat Rental.

Prizes include: 1st Place – Choice of $100 gift certificate at Lakeside Bait, Tackle & Boat Rental or an all-day weekday Pontoon or all day weekday Bass Boat Rental; 2nd Place – Choice of $50 gift certificate at Lakeside Bait, Tackle & Boat Rental or an all-day weekday Motor Boat Rental and 3rd Place – Choice of $25 gift certificate at Lakeside Bait, Tackle & Boat Rental or an all-day Weekday Kayak or Canoe Rental.

All entrees must be caught at Shabbona Lake between 6 AM Saturday, May 4th and 6 PM Sunday, May 5th.  Sponsored by Lakeside Bait, Tackle & Boat Rental www.shabbonalake.com 815-824-2581.

Early Spring Bass fishing techniques at Shabbona Lake include the following:
1. White Spinner bait –Work the shorelines & fallen logs
2. Chatterbaits – Work the rock piles
3. Rattle Traps – Work the bays in 5-8 feet of water
4. Rapalas – Work the stumps
5. Craw Papi – Work the drop offs
6. Baby 1 Minus – Work the earthen pier shorelines
7. Live Bait – Try a nightcrawler with no weight against a tree stump & leeches on a slip bobber next to wood.
8. Shad Raps – Work the 3-6 foot range

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Preschoolers to Receive Donated Bookcases Saturday

May. 01 1 comment

bookcaseprojectFifty-two local preschoolers will receive personalized bookcases and starter libraries on Saturday, May 4, at the DeKalb-Sycamore Bookcase Project’s second annual awards ceremony. Volunteer craftsmen constructed 50 solid-oak bookcases, each with a brass nameplate bearing the name of a disadvantaged student at Two Rivers Head Start. Two bookcases will be shared by sets of siblings. Each bookcase will be filled with donated preschool-level books.

The public is invited to gather with the children and their families from 3 to 5 p.m. this Saturday, May 4, at Huntley Middle School, 1515 S. Fourth St. in DeKalb, for a special ceremony in which the children will receive their bookcases.

The purpose of the Bookcase Project is to instill a love of reading at a young age. Research has shown that the more young children read and are read to, the more their literacy skills improve, which has benefits from better grades and college prospects in youth to higher adult income and more engagement as a citizen in adulthood.

“The more that you read to a child at that age, and the more they learn to love books, the easier it is for them to love to read,” Head Start center supervisor Lisa Annen said at the 2012 awards ceremony.

The speaker at this year’s ceremony will be Sycamore Mayor Ken Mundy. Storyteller Phyllis Horst will engage the children in the audience with interactive stories, and Cub Scout Pack 131 of DeKalb will perform a flag ceremony. After the ceremony, cookies and punch will be served while volunteers read stories aloud to small groups.

A new feature in this year’s bookcase distribution is hand-painted book bags. DeKalb-Sycamore Bookcase Project steering committee member Katherine Cessna had her art students at Serena High School decorate plain canvas bags with a literary theme; each child will receive a one-of-a-kind painted bag filled with books for their bookcase. Volunteers sorted through thousands of donated books collected over the past three months. Books at higher reading levels will be donated to other local nonprofits. The funds for the materials used in the bookcases are raised through the project’s annual literacy banquet in February.

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