op l! Sh ca Lo
Your Better Quality of Life Magazine • 95¢ • December 2021 • No. II
Right in Our Region
Happy 40th Year, Discovery Center! See Page 16
Remember to “Shop Local” this season! All of us at Smart Living and
Northwest Quarterly Magazines Wish You
a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Best of Life Information for Our Region’s Residents & Visitors Proudly Serving the Needs of 326,000 Neighbors - For Your Home, Health & Fun!
Tell them you saw it in ... Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II
53
54
Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II To advertise call 815-316-2300
Tell them you saw it in ... Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II
3
4
Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II To advertise call 815-316-2300
(608) 313-0600 408 E. Grand Ave. Downtown Beloit
(Expires: February 5th, 2022)
In This Issue Right in Our Region .................Cover & p. 16 Discovery Center Celebrates 40 Years Inspiration & Worship ................................ 12 Christmas: The Dawn of Grace
Check out the many local businesses in this issue that are ready to serve you during the holidays and all year long!
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Bill Hughes Executive Editor/Web Editor Chris Linden Managing Editor Jermaine Pigee Editor Emeritus Janine Pumilia Multimedia Editor Jim Taylor Graphics Director Samantha Behling Graphic Designer Ashley Smith Contributing Writers Peggy Werner General Sales Manager Brent Hughes Sales Manager Brad Hughes Advertising Sales Representatives Brian Hughes, Jeremy Jones, Lisa Brandt, Nita Lasky Administration & Circulation Manager Lisa Hughes Distribution Kelly Fairbairn Website www.SmartLivingWeekly.com Published by Hughes Media Corp. 222 Seventh St., Rockford, IL, 61104 (815) 316-2300, Fax: (815) 316-2301 lhughes@northwestquarterly.com Smart Living. Copyright 2021 by Hughes Media Corp., 222 Seventh St., Rockford, IL, 61104. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part of any text, photograph or illustration without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited.
6
Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II To advertise call 815-316-2300
Thank You, Maestro!
O
ne thing I've learned, in the course of writing about mid-sized cities, is how rare it is to have a top-notch resident conductor leading the local orchestra. Many cities have fine conductors, but they generally live elsewhere. Rockford has been a lucky exception for 30 years, as RSO Music Director Steven Larsen raised his family here while improving our orchestra, not only musically, but in other ways, too. He expanded the number of concerts, broke down barriers that prevented new listeners from being introduced to classical music and, very importantly, increased the symphony’s annual budget from $250,000 to nearly $1.6 million. The latter feat is directly related to living in the community and gaining the trust of donors. Larsen earned his master’s degree in conducting from Northwestern University and became the principal conductor and music administrator for the Chicago Opera Theatre. He stood out against 175 competing applicants in 1991, some with more experience, because he had educated himself about our community and our orchestra’s needs. Larsen told Northwest Quarterly’s Lindsey Lucas in February: “I knew the problems that the orchestra was facing, and I had an idea as to what I could do to help.” You certainly did, Maestro, and we’re grateful. We will miss you terribly. The Dec. 18 Holiday Pops concert will be bittersweet as Larsen winds up his tenure here. RSO’s 2022 Music Director Finalists Season will consist of nine concerts, each with a different guest conductor. Larsen had planned to retire at the end of the 2020/21 season, but graciously extended his contract due to the pandemic. Find Lindsey’s article about the muchloved maestro by googling “A Time of Transition for Rockford Symphony.” Remember to shop and dine local this season and Happy Holidays from all of us at Smart Living and NWQ to you and yours! ❚ Janine Pumilia SLW Editor
Tell them you saw it in ... Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II
7
8
Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II To advertise call 815-316-2300
10
Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II To advertise call 815-316-2300
Get two years of TV with a price that’s guaranteed. BEST VALUE
190 Channels
America’s Top 120
190+ Channels
America’s Top 120 Plus
240+ Channels
290+ Channels
Plus More!
Plus More!
Plus More!
Plus More!
$69.99/mo.
$15 more/mo.
$25 more/mo.
$35 more/mo.
(Compared to America’s Top 120).
America’s Top 250
America’s Top 200
(Compared to America’s Top 120).
(Compared to America’s Top 120).
All packages include a 2-Year TV Price Guarantee, local channels, ESPN, FREE HD for Life®, FREE Standard Professional Installation, FREE Premium Channels for 3 months and 99% signal reliability.
1
Get better TV and a $100 prepaid card. Courtesy of named DISH Authorized Retailer.
Discover a Smart Home powered by DISH.
Visit us to experience the best entertainment and technology for your home or business!
EZSATELLITE & WIRELESS INC
(815) 994-7336
6239 N 2nd St, Suite B, Loves Park | www.ezsatellitenow.com Offer for new and qualifying former customers only. Important Terms and Conditions: Qualification: Advertised price requires credit qualification and 2-year commitment. Upfront activation and/or receiver upgrade fees may apply based on credit qualification. Offer ends 4/13/22. Offer requires 2 year commitment: Early termination fee of $20/mo. remaining applies if you cancel early. Included in 2-year price guarantee at $69.99 advertised price: America’s Top 120 programming package, local channels, HD service fees, and Hopper Duo Smart DVR for 1 TV. Included in 2-year price guarantee for additional cost: Programming package upgrades ($84.99 for AT120+, $94.99 for AT200, $104.99 for AT250), monthly fees for upgraded or additional receivers ($5-$7 per additional TV, receivers with additional functionality may be $10-$15). NOT included in 2-year price guarantee or advertised price (and subject to change): Taxes & surcharges, add-on programming (including premium channels), DISH Protect, and transactional fees. Premium Channels: 3 Mos. Free: After 3 mos., you will be billed $30/mo. for Showtime, Starz, and DISH Movie Pack unless you call or go online to cancel. Remote: The DISH Voice Remote with Google Assistant requires internet-connected Hopper, Joey, or Wally device. Customer must press Voice Remote button to activate feature. Google Assistant Smart Home features require Google account and compatible devices. Google is a trademark of Google LLC. Other: All packages, programming, features, and functionality and all prices and fees not included in price guarantee are subject to change without notice. After 6 mos., if selected, you will be billed $9.99/mo. for DISH Protect Silver unless you call to cancel. After 2 years, then-current everyday prices for all services apply. For business customers, additional monthly fees may apply. Free standard professional installation only. Some features, including mobile alerts, remote control, video streaming, video recording, remote control and custom schedules, require the Nest app, working internet and Wi-Fi, and Nest Connect or Nest Guard. Google, Nest Hello, Nest Thermostat, Nest Cam (battery) and other marks are trademarks of Google LLC. IND_28118
Tell them you saw it in ... Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II
11
Inspiration & Worship
Christmas The Dawn of Grace
W
hile many details related to Jesus’ birth are murky, scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments couldn’t be clearer about his purpose for coming: to bring light and love to a dark world and everlasting life to those who choose to believe on him as their lord and savior. In Luke 4:16-21, shortly after Jesus began his ministry, we read that he went to his hometown synogogue in Nazareth, opened the scroll of the prophet Isaiah (part of the Old Testament, written some 700 years before he was born) and read: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Then Jesus closed the book, gave it back to the minister and sat down. Everyone stared at him, and he told them, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” While many religions recognize Jesus as a prophet, only Christianity celebrates him as the son of God and the messiah prophesied in the Old Testament. Christianity is entirely unique in its message of grace. “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God,” writes Paul, the apostle, in Ephesians 2:8. John 1:17 tells us, “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” Spiritually, Jesus Christ ended all inequality by extending the option of salvation to all people, Jew and nonJew, male and female, slave and free (Galatians 3:28). Shortly before his death by crucifixion, Jesus prayed not only for people who already believed on him, but for “all those who shall believe on me through their word” (John 17:20) – and that is us. Why not take time this season to read for yourself the scriptures that describe Christ’s birth? You’ll find them in the first chapters of the gospels of Luke and Matthew. ❚
12
–Janine Pumilia
Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II To advertise call 815-316-2300
Tell them you saw it in ... Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II
13
14
Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II To advertise call 815-316-2300
Tell them you saw it in ... Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II
15
Right in Our Region
40 Years of Playful Learning By Jim Taylor
W
hen the Discovery Center Museum first opened in 1981, it was housed in Rockford’s old post office building and had just 20 exhibits. It was only available for school field trips. About 2,000 students visited that first year, welcomed and guided by volunteers. Today there are more than 300 science-inspired exhibits. In 2019, the museum served almost 275,000 people from across the U.S. and world. Boasting 23,000 square feet of exhibit space, with another 18,000 square feet dedicated to a multi-level outdoor science park, today’s Discovery Center, 711 N. Main St., is still growing. It has earned a staggering amount of acclaim from the likes of TripAdvisor and many national publications. It’s also garnered support from many local companies that appreciate its positive influence on the re-
16
Smart Living Live
gion’s future workforce. One factor has remained constant through the museum’s evolution: the leadership of Discovery Center Executive Director Sarah Wolf. “If I had known, when this was getting started, where it was going to end up, I probably would have chickened out,” she says with a laugh. Fortunately for the Rockford region, she didn’t. Wolf was a member of Junior League of Rockford, which, in partnership with the Rockford Area Arts Council, decided to create a hands-on learning space dedicated to physical science. She served on the committee charged with making it happen, taking the helm as the committee’s director in its second year. The group visited museums like Exploritorium in San Francisco. It was dur-
Dec 2021 • No. II To advertise call 815-316-2300
ing a trip to the Magic House, a children’s museum in St. Louis, that Wolf was truly inspired. “When I saw the Magic House, I thought, ‘This is it. This is what we’re thinking about.’” Discovery Center opened to the public in its second year. By the third year, attendance had almost doubled to 11,750. By its fifth year, it almost doubled again, and by then Wolf had been appointed the museum’s director. It wasn’t long before the Discovery
Right in Our Region Center needed a new home. A decision to host a dinosaur exhibit in the National Guard Armory was a pivotal moment. “Around 80,000 people came that summer,” Wolf says. “I was forever having to explain what Discovery Center was until we did the dinosaurs. Then I could say, ‘We’re the group that did the dinosaur exhibit.’ That put our name on the map.” That attention, and Wolf’s persistence, led to a $300,000 grant from the Build Illinois program, funds that could be used to find a new home. In 1988, after a brief stay at the former Garrison School, the Discovery
Center moved to its current location, a former Sears store that was donated to the Rockford Art Museum, which then formed a consortium with the Discovery Center, Rockford Symphony Orchestra and Rockford Dance Company. Rockford Park District now owns the building. Much more than a tourist destination, Discovery Center is an important hub for students, teachers and citizen scientists. “For a city our size to have a museum that has such a national reputation is pretty incredible,” says Ann Marie Walker, marketing director. “We’ve been very fortunate to have phenomenal staff who understand what it takes to be successful in an informal science setting.” Unlike some museums, nothing in the Discovery Center is under glass or behind a rope. Everything is designed to be played with while teaching core science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) concepts. “The way that children learn is through play,” Walker says. “When
you’re playing with your child, it’s not just about having fun. There’s learning going on. There are neurons firing. Connections are being made.” In addition to hosting tens of thousands of visitors per year, the Discovery Center offers classes for school groups of all ages as well as home-schooled students. Discovery Center’s Tot Spot classes offer opportunities for parents and young children to interact, focusing on concepts like turn-taking and sharing. “We love parent interaction,” Walker says. “It’s incredibly important to spend time interacting with your child. We really try to talk about that in our classes and provide opportunities for it to happen.” It’s hard to imagine just what the next 40 years will look like, but Wolf is confident about what’s to come. “We’re always trying to meet the needs of our own community,” Wolf says. “If you lose sight of that, then you’ve lost a big reason to be.” ❚
Tell them you saw it in ... Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II
17
Shop the ReStore this holiday season. great deals | unique finds | new & gently used furniture, construction materials, housewares & more 7141 Harrison Ave, Rockford IL | 815-713-3184 | rockfordhabitat.org @restorerockford
18
Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II To advertise call 815-316-2300
20
Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II To advertise call 815-316-2300
Tell them you saw it in ... Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II
21
22
Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II To advertise call 815-316-2300
Tell them you saw it in ... Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II
23
SWEET STREAMS.
WATCH 23 NEWS ANYTIME. ANYWHERE.
24
Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II To advertise call 815-316-2300
Tell them you saw it in ... Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II
25
26
Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II To advertise call 815-316-2300
Listening to you is where we start every visit. Accepting new patients
(815) 242-0678
Tell them you saw it in ... Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II
27
28
Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II To advertise call 815-316-2300
20%
OFF* Christmas Sale Rockton, IL
www.gemshop.jewelry
Mon-Sat 10a-5:30p Sunday 12-4p
20% OFF Any One Item*
*Valid in-store at the participating store(s) listed. Not valid on Optics, Gift Cards, Coffee, and DSC Memberships. Expires 12/24/21
4902 Hononegah Rd., Roscoe, IL 61073 (815) 623-1407 631 S. Perryville Rd., Rockford, IL 61108 (815) 484-9281 HOURS: Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun: 12pm-5pm
30
Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II To advertise call 815-316-2300
Tell them you saw it in ... Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II
55
52
Smart Living Live
Dec 2021 • No. II To advertise call 815-316-2300