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CARY’S HISTORY
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By ALLISON GOODRICH agoodrich@shawmedia.com CARY – The home of Cary’s founder still is standing strong after years have passed and new inhabitants have occupied it, much like other area buildings important throughout the village’s history. One of the earliest white settlers, the village’s founder William Dennison Cary, initially built his home on West Main Street. It was moved in 1963 to its present location on Ross Avenue, where Annette and Dennis Byrne have lived for the past 20 years. “There was just something about the home when we first walked in,” Annette said, adding she and her husband were not aware at the time that Cary was the area’s founder. “I felt like it hugged me.” The home stands as one of several buildings that have been recycled over time as the village, more than 120 years old, has developed and transformed. The village originally was called Cary Station, named after the founder and its place on the railroad tracks. He purchased several acres of land in 1844 that was bounded by the tracks, west to High Road, south to Charlotte Street and back to the railroad, according to “Cary Me Back,” a 272-page product of the Cary Historical Group from 1993. Cary arrived to the area in the 1840s with his wife, Lodemia, according to information from Pam Losey, founder and president of the Cary-Grove Historical Society. Cary Station served as the end of the line for the Illinois and Wisconsin Railroad for some time, providing a crucial connection between Cary and Chicago. “Some of those buildings that dated back to the 1800s still exist now,” Losey said about the downtown area, much of which Cary owned in the village’s early life. Meyer’s Drug Store, a 72-year-old fixture of the community, was housed in one such building, she said, her research indicating it also housed several more businesses over the years, including the most recent, Buddha Bean, which opened in 2011 but is listed as closed. There’s also the old office building used by John D. Hertz, one of Cary’s earliest and most influential residents, that eventually became part of the building that now houses the village hall, Losey said, adding he made a fortune starting the Yellow Cab Co. in Chicago before moving to Cary. “When he was here in the 1920s, everyone thought it was just so phenomenal,” Losey said, describing him as a household name with whom everyone was familiar in Cary. Hertz’s treasured enterprise, Leona
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When Cary was first settled, it was Cary Station, as the last stop on the train line from Chicago.
Cary: By the numbers A look at facts and figures about Cary based on the 2010 census: POPULATION: 18,271 PEOPLE UNDER 18: 30.8 percent PEOPLE 65 AND OVER: 6.8 percent VETERANS: 931 HOUSING UNITS: 6,258 HOMEOWNERSHP RATE: 88.9 percent MEDIAN HOUSING VALUE: $233K HOUSEHOLDS: 5,870 PEOPLE PER HOUSEHOLD: 3.09 MEDIAN INCOME: $101,786 Farm, which produced thoroughbred horses, two of which went on to win the Kentucky Derby, left fewer remnants than the offices he used, she added. The farm was established on land now considered Trout Valley, just south of Cary’s village hall. Another commonly mentioned piece of the town is Northwood Fur Farm, which began at the hands of Otto H. Grosse in the 1930s. However, unlike the Hertz offices, the mink fur farm structure was not main-
tained, but rather converted into what is now known as Foxford Hills Golf Club. Still, both men who started the endeavors, as well as several other key figures, have been remembered well in local history books for various contributions throughout the Cary’s history. Since moving into the William D. Cary home, Annette and Dennis Byrne, members of the local historical society, have done extensive research on the village’s past as well as that of the founder. Dennis Byrne said it was their historic home that prompted their want to explore. While he enjoys the hand-hewn beams in their basement and the tall windows and ceilings on both floors, Annette said her love for the home stems from everyday encounters with history. “When I use my gas stove and oven, I think how Mrs. Cary had to bring in wood (that needed to be split by her husband or sons) and start a fire before she could even start cooking,” Annette wrote in an email. “How simple it is for me to get hot water from our faucet; and yet Mrs. Cary had to go out to a well and get the water, then heat it on a fire – that is unless she was lucky enough to have a hand pump in her kitchen, but then she would have to put it in a pot and still have to heat it up.” Living in a piece of the past, she said during an earlier interview, helps her appreciate how far the community has come.
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ALL ABOUT CARY & FOX RIVER GROVE SECTION EDITOR Jason Schaumburg COVER DESIGN R. Scott Helmchen STAFF WRITERS Katie Dahlstrom, Allison Goodrich, Joan Oliver and Joe Stevenson CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Julie Beaulieu, Stephen DiBenedetto and Nicole Franz
KEY PEOPLE IN CARY ELECTED OFFICIALS Village President Mark Kownick Village Trustees David Chapman Jim Cosler Kimberly Covelli Duane (Rick) Dudek Jeffery Kraus Ellen McAlpine Village Clerk Nancy Bragg VILLAGE ADMINISTRATION Administrator Chris Clark
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUESTS All notices and other communications relating to a request to inspect, copy, or certify public records, all requests for copies of the FOIA rules, and all requests for any other information relating to the village’s implementation of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act must be directed to: Jacob Rife Assistant to the Village Administrator 655 Village Hall Drive Cary, IL 60013 Fax: 847-639-2761
Finance Manager Mary Ventrella
CARY FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT
Police Chief Patrick Finlon
Fire Chief Jeffrey Macko
Public Works Director Erik Morimoto
Board of Trustees Ernest Carlson (president) Ronald Raupp (secretary)
Mark Guerra (treasurer) Patsy Frits William Hauck
Scott Coffey (president) Chris Christensen (vice president) Julie Jette (secretary) Jennifer Crick Brian Hauck Josh Howell Ben Washow
SCHOOL OFFICIALS SCHOOL DISTRICT 155 Superintendent Johnnie Thomas
Briargate Elementary Principal Chadd Nass
School Board Ted Wagner (president) Gary Oberg (vice president) Amy Blazier Adam Guss Rosemary Kurtz Dave Secrest Ann Somers
Deerpath Elementary Principal Thom Gippert Three Oaks Elementary Principal Natalie Wishne
Cary-Grove High School Principal Jay Sargeant SCHOOL DISTRICT 26
Cary Junior High Principal Linda Goeglein (8th Grade) Cary Junior High Assistant Principal Erick Jones (7th Grade)
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Assistant Principal Sara Elfering (6th Grade) SCHOOL DISTRICT 47 Superintendent Kathy Hink School Board Jeff Mason (president) Rob Fetzner (vice president) Ryan Farrell Betsy Les Eileen Palsgrove Donna Ricci Curt Wadlington SCHOOL DISTRICT 300 Superintendent Fred Heid School Board Anne Miller (president) Joe Stevens (vice president) Dave Alessio (secretary) Kathleen Burley Stephen Florentino Kim Garcia Susie Kopacz
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KEY PEOPLE IN FOX RIVER GROVE ELECTED OFFICIALS Village President Robert Nunamaker
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUESTS
Finance Manager Jennifer Menz
Requests and other communications regarding village records relating to a request to inspect, copy, or certify public records, all requests for copies of the FOIA rules, and all requests for any other information relating to the village’s implementation of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act must be directed to: Freedom of Information Officers Donna M. Brouder Barbara A. Majkrzak Cathleen Bava
Police Chief Ron Lukasik
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Village Trustees Thomas Anderson Suzanne Blohm Jennifer Curtiss Steve Knar Andrew Migdal Patrick Wall VILLAGE ADMINISTRATION Administrator Derek Soderholm
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SCHOOL DISTRICT 3 Superintendent Tim Mahaffy
Fire Chief Robert Kreher
School Board Devin Bright (president) Gerry Blohm (vice president) Sara Brubacher Tim Hatfield Tom Mollet Steve Pickering Pat Riley
Michael Kunz (president) Karen Quid (secretary) William Yocius (treasurer) SCHOOL OFFICIALS SCHOOL DISTRICT 155
Algonquin Road Elementary Principal Sandy Ozimek
Superintendent Johnnie Thomas School Board Ted Wagner (president) Gary Oberg (vice president) Amy Blazier Adam Guss Rosemary Kurtz Dave Secrest Ann Somers Cary-Grove High School Principal Jay Sargeant
Fox River Grove Middle School Principal Eric Runck BARRINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT 220
Penny Kazmier (vice president) Sandra Ficke-Bradford (secretary) Wendy Farley Christopher Geier Joseph Ruffolo Angela Wilcox Countryside Elementary Principal Jennifer Barnabee Barrington Middle School Prairie Campus Principal Travis Lobbins Barrington Middle School Station Campus Principal Craig W. Winkelman Barrington High School Principal Stephen A. McWilliams
Superintendent Brian Harris School Board Brian Battle (president)
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FOX RIVER GROVE’S HISTORY
By ALLISON GOODRICH agoodrich@shawmedia.com
Photo provided by Cary-Grove Historical Society
Grove Theater in downtown Fox River Grove along Northwest Highway in 1923. tos, some which eventually became cottages, said Shea and Gene Brown, Fox River Grove: corresponding secretary of the Norge Ski Club. By the numbers “People would start coming in on Tuesday or Wednesday [for the weekA look at facts and figures about end event],” Shea said. “Fox River Fox River Grove based on the Grove had a high number of liquor 2010 census: licenses, and those places were always jumping and alive until that Sunday, when the ski jumping happened.” POPULATION: 4,854 In its prime in the early 1930s, PEOPLE 65 AND OVER: 7.9 Brown said the ski jump brought up percent to 30,000 people to the area, effectively HOUSING UNITS: 1,857 “putting the grove on the map.” The publicity chairman for the club, Charlie Sedivec, echoed Brown’s account, saying many people who jump brought more diversity to the area, namely people from Sweden, Fin- came to the event never had heard of Fox River Grove beforehand. land, and Norway. He also said the event’s economic The event prompted skiers and ski benefits still are felt by businesses tojump-goers to erect tents and lean-
day and added it likely inspired some residents to move to the area, referencing some current members who he thinks moved from Chicago to Fox River Grove, or at least have cottages for periodic stays. As far as what Sedivec is sure of, there is at least one man he knows was prompted to make the Cary-Grove area his home after seeing the international event in its earlier years. “The ski jump was tremendous advertising for what was to become the future village,” Sedivec said, adding his grandfather moved to Cary and opened a Fox River Grove butcher shop after he was introduced to ski jumping in 1918. “That’s how my father got into it. He was raised in Cary, then, around 1957 or so, he moved to Fox River Grove.”
• Wednesday, September 30, 2015
FOX RIVER GROVE – The ninth village to incorporate in McHenry County, well-known for a couple large-scale attractions, began after one family purchased a bulk of land for roughly $1.25 per acre. Fox River Grove was incorporated in 1919, about 50 years after Frank Opatrny and his family settled in the area and bought 80 acres of land, according to historical research from Pam Losey, founder and president of the Cary-Grove Historical Society. The riverside resort community in McHenry County, populated by about 4,800 people as of 2010, historically has been known for a popular picnic grove south of the Fox River and the Norge Ski Jump, which still brings in thousands of visitors today, Losey said. As an entrepreneurial venture, Frank Opatrny’s son, Eman, in 1900 developed a section of the land into the Fox River Picnic Grove, a popular tourist attraction for years, featuring several cottages and a restaurant. “It was just huge in its heyday,” Losey said, adding it became a destination for corporations and other organizations to host picnics. “People would come by the hundreds.” Homes have since been developed on the picnic grove land, but not before it served as a vacation hotspot for years, eventually owned by a family named Cernocky, connected to the Opatrny family by marriage. Historical research shows Cernocky, like Opatrny, is a token name throughout the village’s past, the family’s business featuring another community fixture, Louis’ Crystal Ballroom, which was located where Route 14 meets Lincoln Avenue. Present-day resident and former Fox River Grove Village President Dan Shea said he couldn’t speak directly about endeavors of that time or the attention they brought to the area as they came before he was born in 1939. However, he does remember the massive crowds drawn by the Norge Ski Jump, which began in the area in 1905, 14 years before the village was incorporated. It still attracts crowds between 5,000 to 10,000 people. While the land in its early years was highly populated by Czech settlers, often called Bohemians, the ski
ALL ABOUT CARY/FOX RIVER GROVE | Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
Picnic Grove, Norge Ski Jump played key role in Fox River Grove
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Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Wednesday, September 30, 2015
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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Looking for a local Civil War veteran The history of Fox River Grove is well known for its development around the famous Picnic Grove Park started by the Opatrny family and later run by the Cernocky family. This park became so popular that it had its own railroad spur off the Chicago and Northwestern main line. This road bed still can be seen today by visitors to the park. Very few people, however, know about our Civil War veteran or where he is buried and why. The story goes way back – before there was a Fox River Grove. At that time, there was no bridge
VIEWS Robert Nunamaker across the Fox River by the end of Northwest Highway. Because of this, the road curved south, following the route of today’s Algonquin Road so travelers could cross the river at Algonquin. This trail was intersected by the trail bringing travelers from the Barrington area toward the river. The
trail is the present day Plum Grove Road, and the intersection exists today at the crossing of Spring Creek Road. The trails and the creek caused a small community to form called North Algonquin. The community had a one-room schoolhouse, tavern, church and burial ground, among other buildings – all the things needed to complete a life at that time. These pieces of history still are standing today and can be seen at the intersection. The schoolhouse is now a private residence, as is the tavern. The tavern, called “The Spring Creek
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Tavern,” was the center of social life for the surrounding settlers. The burial ground is called Chunn’s Burial Ground, and this tree-shaded spot is where the grave of Private John J. Kelly was discovered just a few years ago. Fox River Grove thus honors our first veteran, as we do all those who followed him. Today, Fox River Grove is a fast-moving town continuing its metamorphosis once again to a new future. Come on down and see us.
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CAR-RENTAL NAMESAKE
(Note to readers: This story was published originally in 2008.)
The NORTHWEST HERALD Chicago gangsters controlled the unions, and for one union-busting tycoon, Leona Farms in southeastern McHenry County was a summertime getaway and fortress. John Hertz, owner of the Yellow Cab Co. and founder of the namesake car-rental company, made enemies in Chicago because he employed nonunion cab drivers, said Lisa Damian Kidder, author of the book, “Trout Valley, the Hertz Estate, and Curtiss Farm.” Damian Kidder said she read newspaper reports of gangsters shooting at Yellow Cabs in Chicago. The 900-acre Leona Farms, named after Hertz’s eldest daughter and owned by Hertz from the early 1920s to the mid-1940s, was a safe haven that allowed the tycoon to unwind and recreate during Prohibition and the Great Depression. About 600 acres of the Hertz estate became the village of Trout Valley,
Shaw Media file photo
and 300 acres became the village of Cary, Damian Kidder said. “My father and my uncle worked for him,” said Robert Harper of Trout Valley. “Hertz would land on the Fox River in a seaplane, and my uncle would pick him up and drive him to his mansion. “... When he was in town, state police would guard the front gate [at Cary-Algonquin Road]. He had about 100 people working for him on his estate.” Damian Kidder said the Hertzbuilt barn, where the Trout Valley Homeowners Association now holds its meetings, has gun turrets in the third-story loft. Hertz lived on Leona Farms with
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local restaurants. “One large fishing hole is called ‘Tom Sawyer Pond,’ stocked with big bass,” Damian Kidder added. “You often see little boys fishing there. It’s very Americana.” Leona Farms was the grist for Hollywood gossip. Hertz threw large parties attended by the well-known. Guests included Walt Disney, Eleanor Roosevelt and Will Rogers. Hertz’s son, John Hertz Jr., was married for a short time to Myrna Loy, a Hollywood actress who told the tabloids she divorced her husband because she could not stand he was in his father’s shadow. The Hertz show ended in the 1940s, when John Hertz and his horses moved to Kentucky. He sold the farm to Otto Schnering, founder of the Curtiss Candy Co., inventor of the candy bar. Schnering created the Butterfinger candy bar. His Baby Ruth was named after “Baby” Ruth Cleveland, daughter of President Grover Cleveland. Schnering raised prize bulls on the property and renamed it Curtiss Farm.
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his wife, Fannie. They threw big summertime parties, which Damian Kidder called “Gatsby parties.” Hertz’s mansion had been turned into a high-end restaurant, Villa d’este, which mysteriously burned to the ground about 40 years ago before the new owner took possession of it. But still standing is the slightly smaller mansion that Hertz built for his daughter, Leona. What now is Cary Village Hall was Hertz’s farm office. Next door stand the brick stables that once were home to thoroughbred Reigh Count, winner of the 1928 Kentucky Derby. The former stables now are a private residence. The amenities of Hertz’s summertime playground still are being used today by residents of Trout Valley. “There are many Hertz-era landmarks still standing, including a Roman-style swimming pool with stone balustrades and a stone stairway, open to residents,” Damian Kidder said. “Many of the polo fields and bridal paths Hertz built are still here, and so are the trout ponds.” Hertz-bred trout were served in
ALL ABOUT CARY/FOX RIVER GROVE | Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
John Hertz ties to the area run deep
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DEFINING FEATURE
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Photo provided by Cary-Grove Historical Society
The bridge between Fox River Grove and Cary (postmarked 1912).
Fox River the lifeblood for 2 towns By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com From the time she was about 3 years old, the Fox River defined summer for Betty Welisek. Water lilies dotted the river while the water was clear enough to see as fish darted about while they crossed from Cary to Fox River Grove, she remembered. It was the 1930s, and Welisek was one of many children whose families traveled from Chicago to spend their summers on the river. “I just figured that was how life was,” Welisek said. “You came out here during the summer and you went home when school started.” A defining feature in Cary and Fox River Grove, the Fox River has fostered transportation, recreation and development since it first attracted the settlers who would form the two river towns more than a century ago. The importance of the Fox River hasn’t wavered much during that time, with village leaders now contemplating the best ways to harness the power of the natural amenity. The Fox River flows between Cary, founded in 1833, and Fox
River Grove, founded in 1919. Along with the towns’ first settlers, homesteaders who started to settle along the river were drawn by the scenic beauty and bountiful water supply, Cary-Grove Historical Society President Pam Losey said. Fishing and travel were two of the most common uses for the river during the warmer months, but a group of Chicagoans also found use for the river in the winter: ice harvesting. Losey said ice harvesters from Chicago would trot horses onto the frozen river to haul chunks back to the city in the late 1800s. By the 1920s, the area had become renowned for recreation, bringing thousands of tourists to the river annually, Losey said. The Picnic Grove in Fox River Grove offered fishing, boating, dining and entertainment. Losey said it also included a Ferris wheel, marina and a pavilion. “Forty acres of paradise was the nickname for the Picnic Grove,” Losey said. “A lot of people from Chicago would come to their summer home in Cary or Fox River Grove. Sometimes the wives and the children
would come all week while the husband would be working in the city. He would come out on the weekends.” Over time, the summer or weekend residents transitioned to full-time residents. Now 88, Welisek has lived in Fox River Grove for more than 65 years. She married Ben Welisek, whose family has deep roots in the community. While the communities have changed – the Picnic Grove, for instance, is now part of a subdivision – residents and village officials still value the Fox River. The Picnic Grove Park currently hosts the village’s annual fireworks display. Meanwhile, Lions Park in Fox River Grove hosts various events, including an annual outing for Chicago-area disabled veterans. In Cary, village leaders have eyed the Jack’s Channel area as an opportunity to bolster activities near the river. The comprehensive plan village officials adopted in January shows the area is a destination, featuring a mix of commercial development, a hotel, convention center and marina. Community Development Direc-
tor Brian Simmons said the goal is to facilitate development of the privately owned land in order to provide a public access point to the river, something the village doesn’t currently have. “It opens up other amenities for the residents of Cary that there aren’t currently in the village,” Simmons said. “... It’s a nice natural amenity to have next to the community.” The Fox River boasts more than 25,000 boaters annually, according to a state report. McHenry County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Executive Director Jaki Berggren said she’s in favor of projects that could boost tourism. “I think it would be greatly needed and used,” Berggren said. “Anything the towns can do to enhance the riverfront is something we support.” Without the river, it’s hard to say how Cary and Fox River Grove would have developed, but Losey has an idea. “It would be totally different,” Losey said. “It’s a boating community. I think it’s definitely why people came out this way. People build around the river.”
BOYHOOD MEMORY
By JOAN OLIVER joliver@shawmedia.com For decades, countless children have traveled along Route 14 and dreamed of princes and princesses, knights and dragons. No doubt a few adults have, too. Up on a hill sits their inspiration: Bettendorf Castle. Of course, for Theodore Bettendorf, the idea wasn’t so much medieval fantasy as it was a desire to recreate a piece of his past. Bettendorf was born May 15, 1889, in Vianden, Luxembourg, a village near the banks of the Sauer River, according to local historical accounts. On a hillside overlooking the river sat the ruins of Vianden Castle, a place Bettendorf would explore as a child. Memories of that castle would stay with Bettendorf in the years ahead. Bettendorf came to the U.S. in 1920, settling in Chicago and finding work as a machinist. In 1931, he bought a small three-bedroom frame house on a hill overlooking Route 14 in Fox River Grove. He also found that it sat above a rich stone bed.
H. Rick Bamman
Those stones – along with ones he would collect in his travels in his Ford pickup truck – would be the raw material to change the cottage into a castle. Stones even came from the excavation of Lake Julian, according to the castle’s website. Bettendorf based his design on a postcard of Vianden Castle and from memory. It would take 36 years of work, but once he was done, Bettendorf had recreated his boyhood haunt. The castle, located at 418 Concord Ave. in Fox River Grove, has a drawbridge, a water-filled moat, towers and turrets, a winding staircase and a granite fireplace. Bettendorf, a bachelor, enjoyed
sharing his castle with the community, allowing visitors to see what he was in the process of adding. According to a McHenry County Historical Society account, Bettendorf’s efforts even were mentioned in Robert Ripley’s “Believe it or Not.” Despite his home’s regal exterior, Bettendorf reportedly slept on a mattress on the floor. Bettendorf died Sept. 20, 1967, and when his home’s furnishings were auctioned, they sold for a total of $200. In 1968, the castle was bought at auction for $81,000 by Herman Wren, an antiques dealer from Highland Park. He and his wife furnished the castle with armor and antiques, turning it into a honeymoon retreat. In 1976, a restaurant owner from Itasca, Pete Petnazos, bought the property that had been listed for $175,000 and included a half-acre lot. With the sale, the property returned to being a single-family home. In 1980, the castle’s current owners, Michael and Judy Strohl, bought the property. However, the castle has not been without controversy as the Strohls have sought to host home tours, wed-
dings and other events at the site. In February 2011, the Strohls sought a special-use permit from the village to let them run a business in the residential area. Neighbors balked at the idea, citing fears of parking problems, as well as light and noise issues. The couple withdrew their request in March. Later that year, the issue ended up in court after the village alleged the Strohls had hosted two gatherings in violation of village ordinances. A judge found Michael Strohl not guilty in January 2012. The village then changed its regulations for home tours in 2013. That caused the Strohls to file a lawsuit alleging their constitutional rights were being violated by the ordinance, which they said targeted them and their property. In August 2014, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, ruling that the village’s ordinance only required that the Strohls obtain a special-use permit before hosting tours, not that it forbade them entirely. The ruling does, however, allow for the Strohls to challenge the village’s ordinance in state court once they have applied for such a permit.
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Bettendorf Castle one man’s labor of love
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NORGE SKI CLUB
Still soaring after all these years By JOAN OLIVER joliver@shawmedia.com Fox River Grove does not seem to be the likely place to find world-class ski-jumping competitions. After all, this is the Midwest, and hills, much less skiing venues, are hard to come by. However, that didn’t stop the founders of the Norge Ski Club in 1905. A group of Norwegian immigrants led by Haakon Lehn, Laurits Larsen and Meinich Skau wanted to continue pursuing their love of ski jumping and cross-country racing in their new country, according to a McHenry County Historical Society account. Having settled in Chicago for work, they went about trying to find like-minded fellow immigrants. So they put an ad in the “Chicago Daily Scandinavian” to invite others to join in forming a ski club. They received 18 responses the first day. When the group met Nov. 12, 1905, the 28 charter members present decided on Norge Ski Club for the name. “Norge” means “Norway” in Norwegian. The club was the first urban club of its kind in the Midwest, according to the Chicago History Museum. That inaugural year saw the club put on its first competition in Chicago, using Chutes Park at Jackson Boulevard and Kedzie Avenue. Later, in 1908, the club put on a public contest on a slide set up in Humboldt Park, according to the museum. Still, club members wanted to find their own hill, one that would be high enough and face north, yet be sheltered from the sun. Just such a hill was found near Cary in an area that eventually would become Fox River Grove. The property was owned by a farmer, Ed Welleck. He leased the hill to the club for three years at $15 a year, according to the historical society. That lease continued for 20 years. The club bought the 38-acre site in 1925 for $38,000 and then 30 more acres about 35 years later. In 1907, the club held its first competition on the ski hill at 100 Ski Hill Road in Fox River Grove. Weather has long been something the club has had to deal with – too much snow, not enough snow and even damaging winds in the summertime. For instance, the club in 1911 was awarded the National Championship Tournament for 1912, according to the county historical society. In preparation for the event, club members that July began building bigger scaffold-
Tryg Gessner jumps off the 40-meter hill during the 104th annual Norge Ski Jump Tournament in 2009.
Northwest Herald file photo
ing. About a month into the project, a windstorm knocked it down. Fortunately, club members were able to raise enough money to rebuild in time for the competition. Despite the weather, the club still can boast it has never canceled an event in 110 years – although it came close this past January, when the international competition was scrapped because of 35 mph winds. That makes it the only club in North America that can say that. Over the years, a lack of snow also has proved challenging, but not insurmountable. Early on, club members would have to haul snow to the hill from nearby snowdrifts. In 1922, snow was imported by boxcar from Wisconsin. Other times, the Jefferson Ice Co. would grind up 40 to 50 tons of ice and spray it on the hill, according to the county historical society. With the advent of plastic mats, the club now sports a year-round jumping hill. In addition to its annual winter competition, which typically takes place in January and draws worldclass international competitors, the club also has an autumn jump. These days, the club isn’t just for Norwegians, and it isn’t just for adults. Children as young as 3 are invited to learn how to ski jump. Training classes take place Tuesdays and Thursday nights.
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TOP BUSINESSES
By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com From major manufacturers to small retailers, hundreds of businesses call Cary and Fox River Grove home. Some older companies trace their roots in the area decades ago, while newer companies start to see opportunities for growth. Many businesses in Cary and Fox River Grove also are active with the community, sponsoring and organizing events for the public and employees. This overview looks at some of the fresh and familiar manufacturers in the area that provide numerous jobs and a foundation for the local economy in Cary and Fox River Grove.
Sage Products
Now a recognizable name throughout McHenry County, Sage Products initially started in Hebron in 1971 after Vince Foglia and Paul Hills founded the company, which makes various health care products. By 1980, Sage Products moved its operation to Cary, and the company seemingly hasn’t stopped growing
since. Marking its 45th anniversary this year, Sage Products employs more than 800 people, including more than 125 sales professionals scattered throughout the United States, Canada and Europe, said Mike Nygren, director of marketing communications. In 2014, Sage added more than 100 new jobs. The medical manufacturer is on pace to add the same number of jobs in 2015, to go along with several new products introduced this year. “Sage Products is a rapidly growing international business that serves the needs of health care professionals and the patients they care for,” Nygren said. “The company’s mission, which was refreshed in 2015, is to solve real problems in health care through innovative products and services that deliver extraordinary outcomes.” Currently headquartered along Three Oaks Road, Sage Products still manufactures most of its health care products in Cary. Most of the company’s products, such as Sage 2 Percent CHG Cloths for Presurgical Skin Preparation and
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H. Rick Bamman
For most banks, success is about how many accounts they can open, how quickly they can move customers through the teller line, or how many loans they can close. We’re different than most. And, we have different measures of success. Did we do all we could to make every customer interaction a pleasant one? Are we
making this community better? Are we making a difference to this area? These are lofty goals, but they are ones we’re always striving for because, as a true community bank, we know these are our responsibilities. You’ll get great financial tools when you bank with us, but we don’t stop there. We’re more than just a bank.
CARY’S COMMUNITY BANK 60 E. Main St. | Cary, IL 60013 847-462-8881 | www.carybank.com
PROUD TO BE A WINTRUST COMMUNITY BANK. We are nearly 3,500 community and commercial bankers, home loan officers, financial advisors and specialty lenders focused solely on our customers and the communities where they live. We all have the same mission: To provide best-in-class financial services to all of our customers, be the local alternative to the big banks, and to improve the communities which we call home. Cary Bank & Trust is a branch of Crystal Lake Bank & Trust Company, N.A.
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• Wednesday, September 30, 2015
COMMUNITY BANKING AT ITS BEST!
ALL ABOUT CARY/FOX RIVER GROVE | Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
Familiar manufacturers continue to thrive
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Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com • Wednesday, September 30, 2015
| ALL ABOUT CARY/FOX RIVER GROVE
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Duraflex grows into 5 divisions; Coilcraft expands in Cary Continued from page 13 Comfort Bath Washcloths, are used to prevent infections and skin injuries in high-risk intensive care and surgical patients, Nygren said. Sage also strives to “keep it personal” within the community, he said. Sage employees actively participate and financially assist numerous nonprofit organizations and events throughout the county. The company’s community-first mindset, Nygren said, is why the name Sage appears on several organizations, including Sage YMCA, Family Health Partnership Sage Center for Care, NISRA Sage Therapeutic Recreation Center, Centegra Sage Cancer Center and the Sage Learning Center at McHenry County College.
Duraflex
A manufacturer of metal and rubber bellows, Duraflex started in Cary in 2004 after owner and President Dean DellaCecca decided to branch out independently and form his own company, relying on relationships with clients he established over the years. Duraflex, located at 765 Industrial
“Coilcraft has benefited from an excellent local workforce, and the company participates in a variety of local civic activities and charitable projects.”
Coilcraft
Debbie Dufield Coilcraft, payroll and facility manager
Drive, has grown each year since and evolved into five divisions, employing 124 people. It’s the manufacturer’s workforce that drives the company’s success, said Jennifer Jones-Reynolds, vice president of marketing. “Our people work as a team, continuously educate and redefine their jobs every day, and have created a culture within our company of zero defects, 100 percent on-time delivery – the highest level of customer service within and outside of our industry,” she said. “The employees have made this company better each day.” Operating within 150,000 square feet of office and manufacturing
Cary, she said. The manufacturer also has a presence in the community, working with the Cary-Grove Chamber of Commerce and McHenry County Economic Development Corporation on employment and technical opportunities within the county, Jones-Reynolds said.
space, Duraflex primarily assembles metal bellows and expansion joints for clients in numerous industries, including aerospace, agriculture and the military. The company also provides engineering, design and testing services for bellow components. “The business is extremely strong and growing,” Jones-Reynolds said. “Customers are seeking more and more technical expertise from their suppliers. ... Duraflex seeks to always under-promise and over-achieve.” As business continues to grow, Duraflex is working to purchase and develop two additional buildings in
Headquartered in Cary since 1951, manufacturer Coilcraft makes magnetic components for businesses located across the world. The company continues to thrive in the decades since Coilcraft opened for business in Chicago in 1945 as a supplier of components to Zenith Radio, said Debbie Dufield, payroll and facility manager at Coilcraft. Coilcraft has operated at its current headquarters along Silver Lake Road since 1961 – 10 years after relocating from Chicago to Cary. The company’s growth has allowed Coilcraft to expand its headquarters in stages throughout the years, Dufield said. “Coilcraft has benefited from an excellent local workforce, and the company participates in a variety of local civic activities and charitable projects,” she said.
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HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
By JOE STEVENSON jstevenson@shawmedia.com
Shaw Media file photo
The Cary-Grove team celebrates in the alumni building after beating Geneva in the Class 7A football quarterfinal game last year. Trojans to state championship games two of the past three seasons. Andrew Lorman, a 2007 C-G graduate, was a sophomore on the 2004 team and helped lay the groundwork for the remarkable 11-year playoff streak. “It set the foundation,” Lorman said. “The season before, they were under .500. The seniors really took it upon themselves to completely change the work ethic and the way we approached working out, practice, everything. No one wanted it to fall off, everyone wanted to keep it going. We outworked people. Just the seriousness of all of it. I felt like people took it more seriously my junior and senior years.” The triple-option offense and 3-3-5 defense became C-G’s trademarks. Few teams run the option better, while the 3-3-5 allowed the Trojans to use smaller, quicker players who fleetly pursue ballcarriers, often giving them little room to run. Kay said defensive coordinator Don Sutherland has added to the defense to contest the array of spread offenses they see, although many basics remain. “It’s a great sense of pride,” Kay said. “I’m relieved that I don’t have to keep being in charge of it. It’s a lot. There’s a lot that goes on that people don’t see or understand that can be wearing. I told Brad, ‘You’re never not
the head coach.’ That’s a big ball to keep pushing every day.” Kay still catches some C-G games. He consults with three football teams on HUDL, a computer service that shares game and practice videos. Kay said C-G’s coaches run everything so efficiently they rarely need much of a critique. Seaburg said the common denominator for everything C-G does goes back to work ethic, adding that parent support also is vital to the success. “Our kids work extremely hard in the offseason and during practices, so the results on Friday nights are the by-product of tremendous work ethic,” Seaburg said. “Our parents know the demands necessary for our kids to be great. Without the support from the parents and the work from the kids, we could not be where we’re at.” Seaburg was the sophomore coach in 2004, and was on the field through the state championship game run. “The 2004 group had a core group of players who were all-in,” Seaburg said. “They bought into the system and had success on the field that was observed by the rest of the school. The classes that followed were talented and saw what happened when a group of guys have a common goal and work hard to achieve it.”
In 2009, C-G reached the pinnacle, beating Providence, 34-17, for its first state football championship, just two weeks after the girls volleyball team won the Class 4A state title. The Trojans trailed, 17-14, in the third quarter when Kay made a gutsy play call that changed the game. On fourth-and-1 (a long one), on the Trojans’ 36-yard line, Kay went for it. He called a sweep around left end for Hembrey. “The entire timeout I was looking at coach Kay, and he was confident,” Hembrey said. “This was the play we were going to run, and it was going to work. That’s pretty risky, a sweep, and he was putting it in my hands. [Running back] Steve Hapanovich made a tremendous block and got three guys on the outside, and I happened to get by them.” Sixty-four yards later, the game was in the Trojans’ hands. Providence’s next drive ended with a Chad McCarron interception in the end zone. C-G was in complete control with two fourth-quarter touchdowns. “To finally bring it home was what we were waiting for as a program,” Hembrey said. “It felt like any team from that point could get it done. There’s definitely going go be another one in the future.”
• Wednesday, September 30, 2015
As a wide-eyed seventh grader, Alex Hembrey sat in awe on a late Saturday night in November 2004 at Chicago’s Gately Stadium. Hembrey and his buddies watched the likes of Brian Mitz and Andrew Bures and Ray Anderson and Will Yocius and Vince Fillipp and Alex Kube send Cary-Grove to a state football championship game for the first time in school history. The Trojans knocked off Morgan Park, which had five NCAA Division I athletes, 21-14, in a Alex thriller as Mitz faked Hembrey a pass, then tucked the ball and ran 65 yards for a touchdown in the final three minutes. “We came away with that victory and it was like, ‘Holy Cow! We can compete with anybody in the state,’ ” Hembrey said. “From that point on, when I went into high school, you could tell the program was so serious. Everything we did was so fundamental, we were so disciplined. It sparked a sense of belief in the program we could compete with anybody.” C-G had been a strong program under head coach Bruce Kay before 2004, but that season sparked something that went beyond special. Although the Trojans lost the Class 7A state title game to Libertyville, 13-3, expectations changed. Players followed the 2004 team’s lead, developing a pride and attitude driven toward more success. The Trojans are 28-10 in the playoffs since 2004 and have been to four state championship games, winning the Class 6A title in 2009, with Hembrey and his classmates who were sitting in the stands six years earlier. C-G has become the standard by which other area teams measure their programs. “That [2004] created an awareness that we could be at the state championship level,” said Kay, who retired after the 2010 season with a 168-68 career record in 22 years. “What happened was the kids started driving the bus instead of the coaches. They saw what it took to get it done, and the program has really become a kid-driven program. The coaches have to monitor it, but the kids set the tone.” C-G won the 2009 Class 4A state volleyball title. The boys cross country and baseball teams also have made trips to state finals, but football is the sport for which C-G is best known. Head coach Brad Seaburg, who took over for Kay in 2011, has taken the
ALL ABOUT CARY/FOX RIVER GROVE | Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
’04 Trojans built foundation for success
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