Also inside ... Pizza place lets people have a blast with the past Colton Boelkes is happiest when there’s a lot on the line
Chiropractor: It’s good to be back home
UI is happy to extend a hand to local folks
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Josh Holbrook and his wife, Molly, have created a retro restaurant vibe that gets customers in the door, and pizza that keeps them coming back. “I hope that they get a pizza that they really love,” he said. “I think people come not realizing that the pizza’s good, too; they’ll get here and say the place is awesome, and then they say that the pizza is awesome.“
By Cody Cutter | Sauk Valley Media
he days of eating pizza at school are back again.
So is shooting for the high score on a game of Galaga or clowning around with ping pong balls and buckets. Everything old is new again — and still just as much fun — at Old School Pizza in Malta, where kids at heart can be a kid again, with a smile on their face and a slice of pizza in their hand. And even if you’re not old enough to remember those old school days, you’ll still have fun.
But fun isn’t all you’ll have; you’ll have some good pizza, too.
“I hope that they get a pizza that they really love,” said Josh Holbrook, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Molly. “I think people come not realizing that the pizza’s good, too; they’ll get here and say the place is awesome, and then they say that the pizza is awesome. I also want them to go, ‘That brought me back to my childhood’ with something that they haven’t seen since the ’80s, and that happens all of the time.”
As for the name, it’s not just a play on words. Old School Pizza really is in an old school.
Only a decade ago, the retro-themed restaurant’s dining room was full of grade-schoolers running around in gym class in Malta Elementary School, but after the school closed and the Holbrooks moved in, it was Josh’s imagination that was running wild. The couple transformed the 1937 school into a place where people could enjoy a slice of life from the good old days. Old School Pizza opened its doors in 2020, and while its vibe draws people in, the pizza keeps them coming back.
Josh worked in several pizza shops in the Elgin area for about 20 years before coming to Malta six years ago, bringing with him the best of the recipes he’d run across and combining them into a pizza he perfected in Old School’s kitchen. His pizzas have earned him not only a loyal following, but first place in the DeKalb County Visitors Bureau’s March Madness pizza bracket contest on April 6.
As he refined his recipe, Josh had an idea of how he wanted the toppings on his pizza pies to be, but needed to find the perfect crust. He didn’t have far too look. Josh got pie with a little help from his friend, Andy Moyer, owner of Mel’s Pizza in Elgin, a staple in the city, Josh said.
“I knew I wanted to have a good crust, so I called up Andy. Being a good friend that he is, he gave me his crust recipe,” Josh said. “You start with a great crust that everyone loves, that’s been around for years and years, and then I pretty much built the pizza off of that with top-shelf ingredients, with all of the vegetables fresh every day, and shredding the cheese.”
Lava lamps, a leg lamp, and a Kodak moment from the past. If there’s something that can spark someone’s memory, chances are you can find it at Old School. The Kodak lamp came from another light in owner Josh Holbrook’s life: his wife. “When I saw that, I thought it was really cool,” Josh said. “I bought it for her, and after a while she was like, ‘Nah, I don’t need it,’ so I put it in the pizza place.”
Pizzas come in 12-inch small or 16-inch large; there’s also a 10-inch gluten-free option. Crusts come in regular, ultra thin, or double-dough. In addition to pizza other menu items include Italian beef and breaded chicken tenders. Some of the specialty pizzas have fun names inpired by pop culture. “The Chuck Norris” is a barbecue chicken pizza; “The Eastwood,” named for Clint, is a barbecue bacon variety; “The Godfather” is an Italian beef pizza with red marinara sauce and hot giardinera; and there’s a supreme pizza named “The Diana Ross.” Another speciality pizza has a Malta twist to it — but not Malta the town, Malta the small island republic off the southern coast of Italy. This amore pizza pie is “Malta’s Sweethaven Pizza,” inspired by the Malta village of Triq Tal-Prajjet, where the 1980 Robin Williams movie “Popeye,” was filmed; it comes with spinach, tomato and olive oil. Pizzas can also be ordered for carryout.
Appetizers even have their own fun and retro twist: “Lord of the Onion Rings,” “Garlic Knotts” (in honor of Don Knotts), “Love Me Tenders” (some hunka hunka chicken strips), and “Scrappy-Doo’s” (a basket of mini corn dogs — zoinks!). A kids menu also is available, and adults can grab a seat at the bar and wet their whistle with a cold beer or mixed drink.
When it came to coming up with a vibe for his new place, he went old school — and to his own collection.
Josh has built up an impressive collection of childhood memorabilia and memories through the years — toys, board games and more — and brought many of his pieces to the restaurant, where they trigger all sorts of comments and smiles.
For some of the toys, this isn’t their first go-around in a restaurant, like the vintage 1972 McDonald’s play area train ride that Josh loaded up with passengers from “The Simpsons,” including Homer Simpson holding a pizza box in his hand.
Elsewhere, there’s a large, concrete King Tut statue (born in Arizona, moved to Babylonia and now living in Malta), and Bozo’s famous Grand Prize Game (and you don’t even have to wait to be picked by the Bozoputer to play). Also on display is an animatronic Elvis Presley, designed by the original “Bozo Show’s” Cooky the Clown, Roy Brown, that used to be a staple at the former Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles.
Other pop culture icons populate the pizza place: KFC’s Colonel Sanders, Archie and Edith Bunker from “All in the Family” — even the Bunker’s grandson, Joey, courtesy of a 1970s doll that taught kids about caring for a baby. It’s a fitting collectible for a hobby that runs all in the family for Josh.
“My whole family collects stuff,” Josh said. “I just kind of got into where I collect a little of everything. I still have all of my toys from when I was a kid, and anything that reminds me of when I was a kid, I want to re-get. It’s mostly ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.”
Even the front lobby is fun, with nods to nostalgia on display and arcade games. Off to the side is a smaller room with more games, pinball machines, an air hockey table, and shelves of classic boom boxes.
“Since I opened the place, and people see that I collect, I’ve had many people give me stuff to add to my collection,” Josh said.
“’You want this?’ ‘Sure!’ I get a lot of stuff that way, too. Almost once a week I have someone bringing me something cool and awesome.”
Josh continues to add to his collection and likes to mix things up at Old School. He has items tucked away in storage that he plans to rotate out, giving customers something new, and old, to discover when they come in.
Business has been good for the pizza pied piper whose customers find the fun atmosphere and signature pizza are like music to their ears, and it didn’t take long for him to attract his fair share of followers.
“I didn’t plan on it being so busy, but then it just picked up,” he said. “I realized it the second day we were open because we were so busy and I wasn’t ready for it, but it’s been busy ever since. It stays constant, and every week is pretty consistent. I try to put out good food, but many people will say all of the stuff is cool, too.”
Bringing the past and pizza together has proven to be a winning combo for Josh and his wife. Good food, good times, good memories — for the Holbrooks and their customers, it’s a restaurant with all the toppings.
or Colton Boelkes, winning comes with a catch, and that’s just fine with him.
The 18-year-old senior at Hononegah High School in Rockton and Lake Carroll resident is on his high school fishing team and he’s hoping to cap off his final prep season at the Illinois High School Association sectional and state meets in May with a lot on the hook.
Lake Carroll has proven to be a perfect place to prep for upcoming meets. Even though he’s only a part-timer at the lake, he’s managed to find the best places to cast his line. In early October, Colton and longtime friend Joshua Hayes won the Lake Carroll Fishing Club’s annual Classic Invitational, with 34.3 pounds collected over the two-day event. On the heels of his final high school fishing season, Colton and his Hononegah Indians teammates are looking for a repeat as sectional champs and are hoping to improve upon a 20th place finish at last year’s state final at Lake Carlyle in southern Illinois.
Being out on the water is like a second home to Colton, who owns his own boat and competes in fishing tournaments around the country.
Traveling and hauling a boat doesn’t come cheap, though, but Colton is backed by sponsors who offset some of his costs in exchange for a shout out on his boat — you may have seen it out on the lake: a bright yellow job decked out in business logos.
Colton also competes in golf at Hononegah, and has played hockey in his spare time, but he’s hooked on fishing bass fishing especially. After graduation, he’ll attend Southeastern University in Lakeland, Florida, and compete on the bass fishing squad, which will begin its inaugural season this fall.
Colton is the son of Jeff and Lisa Boelkes, and they live in Roscoe full-time. Lake Lifestyle recently caught up with Colton to talk to him about his time out on the water ...
Colton Boelkes has fun fishing, but he takes it seriously, too. The part-time Lake Carroll resident, who lives there with his parents, Jeff and Lisa Boelkes, is in his final year on his high school fishing team, has already lined up a spot on a college team, fishes competitively, has sponsors, and even bought his own boat — this Triton TRX21-X2. “I’ve worked my way up [with boats] every couple of years, and this one is about as big as they get for bass fishing.”
I like that it’s a sport where something always changes. It’s something different. I like being outside. It’s a fun experience. I’ve liked it forever; there’s not any certain thing I like about it, but just like it all together. It grew into something you came to enjoy, how did that happen?
I started when I was really young fishing with my parents. I kind of developed it into my own thing. Now it’s become a lifestyle, and I’m going to go to school for it.
What’s your earliest fishing memory?
began to like it because it’s a whole mental thing, and I just liked the competitiveness of something fun.
How often are you competing in tournaments? In the spring, probably every other weekend. In the summer, I try to shoot for every weekend when I can. I’ll travel pretty much anywhere. The farthest I’ve gone is to Georgia and Alabama. Down south, it’s completely different and a totally different ballgame: There aren’t a lot of smallmouth, and there’s way more smallmouth up here. It’s fun everywhere.
Colton Boelkes is seeking sponsors for his bass fishing boat for competitions throughout the nation. Call him at 815-721-4603 for more information.
Probably when I was 5 or 6 years old, being along the Rock River in Roscoe and fishing for bass on it.
What’s your favorite fish to catch?
Definitely bass, but I like smallmouth more than largemouth. Smallmouth is a little more harder to find, so there’s more of a chase to it more than anything else. When you’re starting out, fishing is more of a hobby, but you’ve graduated into competitive tournaments and such. How did you first discover them?
I learned a lot about them online and I wanted to try them. I
Tell us about your boat.
It’s a Triton TRX21-X2 from 2007. There’s not a lot of yellow boats. I’ve had other boats in the past, and started out a lot smaller with a little aluminum boat. I’ve worked my way up every couple of years, and this one is about as big as they get for bass fishing.
What is it like competing on a high school bass fishing team?
It’s fun. I like the fact that it’s with other kids who are around your age, and it can be easier to talk with people. I try to take a lot of other kids out and show them around, and help them get involved with it. It’s just fun to get out and learn a lot of fishing stuff, and there’s a lot of opportunities to learn.
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Colton Boelkes (left) and fishing partner Joshua Hayes show off some of their winning catch during the second day of competition at the Classic Invitational bass fishing tournament in Lake Carroll on Oct. 2, 2022. The teen duo won with 34.3 pounds collected over 2 days.
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Lake Lifestyle’s question-andanswer series has featured students from Lake Carroll who participate in sports and activities in high school, with one feature in the fall, winter and spring sports seasons. We are looking to continue and expand upon our series for the 2023-24 school year — and you can help.
As Lake Carroll is in the Eastland School District, we have so far featured athletes who’ve suited up for the Cougars, but the series isn’t just for Eastland students. We’d like to talk to Lake Carroll residents who are students at other high schools, too.
This spring's feature on Hononegah bass fishing senior Colton Boelkes is our first to feature someone from outside Eastland.
Do you know an athlete, or someone in other extra-curricular activities, who would make a good feature for our Q&A series? Send an email to Lake Lifestyle reporter Cody Cutter at ccutter@shawmedia.com with the student's name and the sport or activity they should to be featured in.
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What does it take to be a good bass fisher?
You have to have a good mindset. It’s a big mindset deal. You have to trust your decisions and go with it, otherwise it’ll never work out for you.
Do you have any favorite fishing spots?
I like Lake Carroll a lot. I probably fish at Lake Carroll more than anything else. Lake Summerset is fun, there are a few lakes in Minnesota that I enjoy, like Lake Mille Lacs and Lake St. Clair. Lake Erie is a lot of fun, and Lake Michigan is a lot of fun. The northern lakes are a lot of fun.
How often are you out fishing? Probably once a week, but I’ll also be doing something related to it at least two or three times a week.
What do you like about fishing in Lake Carroll, and the community in general?
It’s a good place to learn a lot of different things because there are so many different setups here. There’s a lot of nice people, and it’s fun meeting a lot of them. I like it a lot. For anyone that doubts it, is fishing a sport?
I think it’s a sport because the whole mindset is really challenging. I’ve played a lot of sports, and I’m not going to say this is more challenging, but it’s definitely up there. You may go out there one day and not do well, but then the next day you can succeed. It’s not so much of a physical sport, but a mental one.
When Clayton Ruter was deciding where to open up his chiropractic clinic, he didn’t have far to look. The former Eastland High School student and Savanna native set up shop in Lanark. “I grew up here and loved the area, so anything that I could do to give back to the area was my ultimate goal.”
ALEX T. PASCHAL/APASCHAL@SHAWMEDIA.COM
hen Clayton Ruter opened up his chiropractic clinic in Lanark last year, he didn’t have to worry about muscling in on anyone else’s action. The town had been without a chiropractor for a few years, after the previous one retired, so it was good place for him to hang out his shingle — and even better? It wasn’t far from where he grew up.
Today, the Savanna native and 2015 Eastland High School graduate is helping patients at Primal Chiropractic and Rehab, where he treats aches and pains and guides patients on their road to recovery and rehabilitation. And all it took to get him to help people flex their muscles was a bum steer.
By Cody Cutter Sauk Valley Media
Dr. Ruter grew up on a farm and showed hogs and steer for Eastland’s FFA chapter. During that time, one of his steer slipped on a patch of ice and couldn’t walk. He enlisted the aid of an animal chiropractor and became fascinated with the treatment, sparking an interest in chiropractic’s role in the healing process. Ruter would go on to graduate from the Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa, in October 2021, earning his doctorate in chiropractic medicine from an institution that was the first of its kind in the nation. A few months later, in January 2022, he opened his practice.
Having his own clinic back in his old stomping grounds has been nice for Ruter, and his patients are happy to see him, too. Since opening, his clinic has drawn people from Lanark, Shannon, Milledgeville and Pearl City. That shorter ride is not only more convenient for patients, but when you’re suffering from muscle and joint pain, less time spent in a car can mean less discomfort.
Ruter kept all that in mind as he was wrapping up his schooling and thinking about where he wanted to start his practice. He also decided that he wanted to start out on his own so he could develop his own methods at his practice, as opposed to getting into the business as a junior partner.
“There’s a lot of pros and cons to either route, but ultimately I just decided that Lanark really needed the resource here, as well as communities like Lake Carroll, Pearl City, and a few more that I felt could utilize a chiropractor closer to home,” Ruter said. “I grew up here and loved the area, so anything that I could do to give back to the area was my ultimate goal, so it was kind of a no-brainer for me.” Ruter performs joint manipulation treatments on the spine, wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles. He’s also equipped the clinic with the tools to perform soft tissue treatment. As part of his treatment plans, Ruter also develops exercises and routines that patients can work on at home to aid in recovery.
In rehab, Ruter maps out a road to recovery for patients’ musculoskeletal injuries and issues. He’s also found himself involved with his old alma matter, Eastland High School — just a short walk from his office — where he treats student athletes’ injuries and gets the Cougars back in the game.
When outfitting the exam rooms at his clinic, Ruter opted for the adjustable power lift treatment tables, as opposed to the typical drop tables. “On a drop table, part of the table is sectioned off differently and there’s a spring mechanism underneath of it where it just pops up and drops out,” he said. “You use that in the adjustment, but instead I will use my body and different biomechanics to manipulate without that spring mechanism. It increases speed to the adjustment.”
“I treat a fair amount of high school athletes and work with them on certain lifting techniques and different strategies that might be helpful,” Ruter said. “We have free weights, we have foam rollers, we do a lot more than just adjusting here. We have a lot of tools at our disposal.”
Most of Ruter’s patients are people who simply want a nagging pain to go away. With pain, the most important thing is finding out where it’s coming from and why, he said.
“My job is to do a really thorough exam, and if we can identify that the pain is derived from a musculoskeletal injury, that’s what I can treat and work with,” Ruter said. “Commonly, if you have aches and pains, sharp pains, pains radiating out into the arms or leg, and if it’s affecting how you move, or sitting versus standing — those are questions that I ask all of the time — and if any of those things are affecting it, then it’s most likely a musculoskeletal injury.”
Making an appointment with Ruter is as easy as calling him at his office — and he’s the one setting up the appointments. Ruter is a one-man operation: He not only cares for patients, but also handles phone calls, maintenance work, the books — you name it, he does it. As his practice grows, he’ll delegate those duties to someone else, but for now he’s learning how to make it on his own, and in the process, getting to know his patients a little better than a typical doctor would.
The first visit with Ruter lasts about an hour, with a thorough exam and documentation of the patient’s health and injury history.
“An hour long is probably more than what some people are used to when they visit a chiropractor,” he said, “but I really want to get the know the patient and really take a deep dive on their evaluation so that treatment can become very easy.”
In each of his two exam rooms, Ruter has adjustable power lift treatment tables for patients. These are more advanced than the typical drop tables that many chiropractors use. During his studies, he came to realize that these newer treatment tables were better for him than the standard model.
“On a drop table, part of the table is sectioned off differently and there’s a spring mechanism underneath of it where it just pops up and drops out,” Ruter said. “You use that in the adjustment, but instead I will use my body and different biomechanics to manipulate without that spring mechanism. It increases speed to the adjustment.”
A good chiropractor, Ruter said, is someone who not only knows his trade, but who’s compassionate and a good listener.
“When I walk into the treatment room, everything else gets out of my head,” Ruter said, and his focus is on the patient. “It’s about what the person who’s sitting in that room needs. That’s important, walking in and clearing your head and being there for that patient, and that patient only, in that moment.”
Ruter said that as hones his chiropractic craft, he’ll add to his current offerings — and that might even entail patients with a tale. With his farming background, he’s thought about studying to treat animals, like maybe a slippery steer, perhaps.
Wherever his journey takes him, he’s off to a good start.
“Starting a new business can be a gamble and an unknown,” Ruter said. “With something like chiropractic it’s more of specialty, and so in a smaller town you just kind of wonder, but it’s everything that I could expect. We’ve been open just a little over a year now, and it’s been fast and exciting. The community really has given us some great support. There’s a lot of positive feedback, and they’re happy to have us in town.”
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hile Lake Carroll residents think the community’s story began 50-plus years ago when machines transformed the terrain from farmland into a premier private community, its story goes back a lot longer than that. About a million years ago. That’s when glaciers first began to crawl across the land, shaping and reshaping the terrain through the centuries. In much of the Midwest, when all those ice sheets were finally pulled back, they left behind a rich, and mostly level, land that would one day help feed the world — but it’s what they didn’t leave behind that made another part of the region so special, creating some of the most beautiful landscapes in this part of the country, and a perfect home for a lakeside community.
Water streams down a moss-covered bluff in April, on state Route 84 north of Mississippi Palisades State Park. Sights like this owe their beauty to thousands of years of nature’s handiwork, and an ice sheet that decided to take a detour. The northwest corner of Illinois is a topographical feast for the eyes, thanks to its spot in the Midwest’s Driftless Area. The land is characterized by towering bluffs, gently rolling hills, deep valleys, streams and rivers that make it unlike any other place in the world.
Rolling hills and lush prairies, dense forests and wide open fields, deep river valleys and towering bluffs, a mighty river and gently winding streams — if you’re looking for a change of scenery, Carroll County is a good place to start. It’s like nature decided to create the best of all worlds. But what transpired and conspired to create the variety of vistas that’s come to be known as The Driftless Region?
In short, a lot of time and a lot of ice.
Massive ice sheets covered much of the northern continent through the millennia, scouring and reshaping the land, but during the last ice age, known as the Pleistocene Ice Age, part of the Midwest was left out of the cold — about 15,000 square miles. As a result, the area wasn’t transformed by the glacial deposits known as drift — the clay, gravel, silt, sand and boulders left behind creating an area marked by significant differences in topography, The Driftless Region.
In a 2021 article in the Illinois DNR’s Outdoor Illinois Journal (at tinyurl.com/a8whzxuy), Duane Ambroz, Northwest Illinois District Natural Heritage Biologist for the DNR, said of the region: “There’s no other place like it in the world.”
It was in these surroundings that developers saw untapped potential, a place where they could create an idyllic community surrounded by a landscape thousands of years in the making. Anyone who’s ascended to the top of Lake Carroll’s ski hill and witnessed the stunning views can attest to the fact that the area is truly one of a kind.
The Driftless Region is geology’s window into the past, reveal-
ing a picture of what this area looked like long ago. It encompasses northwest Illinois, southwest Wisconsin, northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota; with the mighty Mississippi River running through the middle.
The first well-known glacier to crawl across Midwest was the Nebraskan Glacier, approximately 1 million years ago, followed by the Kansan Glacier 600,000 years ago and the Illinoisan Glacier 250,000 years ago. The Wisconsonian Glacier made its mark on the land about 22,000 years ago, and it was at this point, scientists believe, that the high altitude of the upper Wisconsin area caused the polar ice to arc around the Driftless Region and into the rest of the Midwest.
As that ice age thawed, people began to settle the land — Native Americans, namely the Sauk and Fox, Winnebago and Ho-Chunk tribes. When White settlers took over the land in the early 1800s, they saw it as a haven for mining and lumber, carving out minerals and toppling trees. Communities were formed to serve as homes for miners, foresters and fishers, creating bustling pockets of population and economic growth. By the 20th century, those industries had moved elsewhere, leaving behind communities that would retain their classic, rustic look for many decades. In recent decades, preservation of both the natural area and its communities have been undertaken to preserve the look and feel of what life was like long ago.
Today, the area is a popular tourist destination, with scenic sights and attractions from Savanna, Illinois, to Winona, Minnesota.
The Mississippi River serves as the “Main Street” of Driftless Region, with bustling community centers such as Winona, Minnesota; LaCrosse, Wisconsin; Dubuque, Iowa, and smaller towns such as Savanna. Connecting the communities involves three trips over the big river, with amazing views along the way. Each of the four states has a Great River Road system to help tourists navigate their way along the parallels of the river. Along the way, they’ll come across vintage towns, hilltop views and ravines that make people crane their head skyward as if they are at the bottom of a canyon.
Some early settlers found the pockets along the bluffs to be picturesque enough to form towns within them. Potosi, Wisconsin — perhaps best known for its namesake brewing company — is a town of 650 residents with room for only a few streets of houses due its unique topography. Potosi’s busiest street, state Route 133, consists of 3 1/2 miles of road with houses lined up along it with just one major intersection with Main Street in downtown. McGregor, Iowa, and East Dubuque, Illinois, also have
downtown buildings situated along edges of bluffs.
In Lansing, Iowa, the Driftless Area Education and Visitors Center has informative displays of geological history, flora and fauna, and details the river’s role in local commerce. The center caters to both children wanting to learn more about animals, and researchers looking into the lay of the land. In addition to displays, the center also has a small library with books about pre-history, ecosystems and progress in the region. The center is the only museum dedicated solely to the Driftless Region, but other museums in the region feature information on a more local level.
But as well as those museums tell the tale of the Driftless Region, there’s nothing like seeing it in person. Head across Carroll County to Savanna, following the long and winding roads, and make your way up north along a path to the destinations on the following pages, and you’ll see what we mean — just make sure you drive faster than a glacier, or it could take you quite awhile to get there.
ILLINOIS: travelartsy.com/illinois-road-trip-touring-the-driftless-area-in-northwest-illinois/ IOWA: traveliowa.com/areas/driftless-area/21/ WISCONSIN: driftlesswisconsin.com/ MINNESOTA: onlyinyourstate.com/minnesota/rolling-hills-region-mn/ DRIFTLESS AREA MAGAZINE: driftlessareamag.com/
CARROLL CREEK — once called the Wakarusa River in the 1800s — flows within a narrow area between two hills northwest of Mount Carroll. When it passes under Scenic Ridge Road, the water flows through several rocky areas, creating the signature, and relaxing, sound of a babbling brook that can be heard from the bridge.
MISSISSIPPI PALISADES
STATE PARK in Savanna offers some of the most stunning views in the Driftless Region. Here, high atop the bluffs, Sunset Lookout provides a sweeping view of the Mississippi River. Go to dnr.illinois.gov/ parks/park.mississippipalisades.html for more information on the park.
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The Driftless Region is a topographical potpourri, with highs, lows and everything in between. The area is characterized by deeply carved river valleys and towering bluffs, spring-fed waterfalls and coldwater trout streams, and forested ridges and rolling hills, like this view from the STAGECOACH TRAIL in Jo Daviess County.
This natural bridge at MAQUOKETA CAVES STATE PARK, west of Maquoke- ta, Iowa, was formed during the last ice age. Go to tinyurl.com/2s3abjvs for more information on the park.
Driving through the Driftless Region, it’s not unusual to find narrow roads hugging the cliffs, like this one: DIGGIN HILL ROAD BETWEEN HANOVER AND GALENA in Illinois.
Alll aboard! The FENELON PLACE ELEVATOR CO. in Dubuque, Iowa, carries people up a steep bluff in small trollies, with lookout points at the top. Also called the Fourth Street Elevator, this funicular railway (a railway system operated by cable with ascending and descending counterbalanced cars) is billed as “the world’s shortest and steepest railroad.” Go to fenelonplaceelevator.com/ for more information
Below: Many places throughout the Driftless Region offer a chance to stop and take it all in, like the BALLTOWN SCENIC OVERLOOK in Iowa. The village of Upper Balltown — there’s also a Lower Balltown — is located along Balltown Road, a few miles south of the Mississippi River, and at 1,220 feet is the second highest elevation in Iowa. While you’re there, you can visit BREITBACH’S COUNTRY DINING (left), 563 Balltown Road, Iowa’s oldest continually operating restaurant, dating back to 1852. The diner survived two fires within 11 months, in 2007 and 2008, before the current building opened in August 2009. More info: tobreitbachscountrydining.com.
The 200-acres HORSESHOE MOUND PRESERVE, located at 1679 N. Blackjack Road south of Galena, provides visitors with a scenic view of the area. Go to jdcf.org/our-preserves/ horseshoe-moun/ for more information.
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POTOSI, WISCONSIN, is home to the Potosi Brewing Company (tallest building, top right of photo), but also to views of the Driftless Region. More info: potosiwisconsin.com.
in the Driftless Area is a grotto for the
rock
CONCEPTION CATHOLIC CHURCH, 218 Main St. in North Buena Vista, Iowa.
The CASSVILLE CAR FERRY takes vehicles over the Mississippi River from Cassville, Wisconsin, to Turkey River, Iowa. For nearly 50 years, it has been the only car ferry crossing the river north of the St. Louis metropolitan area. Go to https://cassville.org/ cassville-car-ferry-rates-schedule/ for more information.
PARK in Wisconsin can camp 500 feet above the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers. The park, one of the state’s oldest, offers family and group campsites, hiking trails, a canoe trail, Native American burial mounds, bird watching, fishing, boating, bicycling and picnicking on bluff-top overlooks. More info: dnr.wisconsin. gov/topic/parks/wyalusing
A view like this is what the GUTTENBERG, IOWA, Chamber of Commerce means when it invites visitors to “come for the scenery, stay for the experience.” Among the attractions in town is the DNR’s Aquarium and Hatchery, featuring aquarium displays of native fish, mussels and turtles of the Mississippi River, streams and lakes. A butterfly garden is filled with native perennial grasses and wildflowers. Go to guttenbergiowa. net for a list of other things to do while in town.
105 S Broad St Lanark, IL 61046 rhett.coatney@countryfinancial.com 815-493-2544
HARPERS FERRY, IOWA, is located on a sand plain along the Mississippi River, along the state’s Great River Road. This treecovered bluff is located just north of town. If you’re in the area, one of the largest concentrations of Indian mounds in the Upper Mississippi River region is located nearby, at Effigy Mounds National Monument. For more info on Harpers Ferry, go to harpersferryiowa.com,
Want to take a deep dive into the Driftless Region? The DRIFTLESS AREA EDUCATION AND VISITORS CENTER in Lansing, Iowa, is the place to visit. The 10,000 square feet, 3-story facility focuses on the cultural, recreational, natural, and historical significance of the Driftless Area. It features informative displays of geological history, flora, fauna and the river’s role on commerce. More info: allamakeecountyconservation.org/driftless-center,
WISCONSIN STATE ROUTE 35
Red
Minnesota, to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.
Located in Mineral Point, Wisc., PENDARVIS is a historic site that serves as a museum of Wisconsin’s early lead mining history. The site is made up of several 19th century cabins built by Cornish immigrants who came to the area to mine lead. Those miners were known as badgers, owing to the fact that they would burrow in the earth during the day, searching for lead, and would “live like badgers” at night, sleeping in tunnels dug into the hillside. The nickname would go on to serve as the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s mascot, the Badger. More info: pendarvis.wisconsinhistory.org
THE TREMPEALEAU HOTEL, 11332 Main St. in Trempealeau, is still serving customers after more than 150 years. The hotel and restaurant remains a staple of Wisconsin’s Great River Road. The diner serves meals made from scratch using responsibly- sourced, local ingredients, and the menu changes daily based on what’s available and the chef’s inspiration. The hotel, built in 1871, offers 10 rooms on the second floor arranged in a European floor plan, which has just one bathroom for its overnight guests. More info: trempealeauhotel.com.
Owing to the Driftless Region’s abundance of limestone deposits, many homes and buildings were built from the stone, like this impressive home in LANSING, IOWA. The city bills itself as the town where “Main Street meets the Mississippi.” The city offers activ- ities for lovers of the outdoors, a downtown business district that’s on the designated a National Historic District by the National Register of Historic Places, and more. Go to lansingiowa.com for more information.
MAIDEN ROCK, WISCONSIN, advertises itself as a city “where legend and beauty come alive on the shores of Lake Pepin.” About an hour south of the Twin Cities on Highway 35, the city offers unique shops, quaint places for dining and drinks, outdoor actives and an array of places to stay, from cottages to hotels to a country farmhouse even a renovated 1940s creamery. More info: maidenrock.org
The state’s largest university school system extends itself far beyond its campus, with UI Extension programs throughout the state, including Lake Carroll.
UI Extension serves as a link between what the college has to offer and what residents want to know, connecting people in all 102 counties with the college’s resources through educational programs and events. Among the areas the community-based outreach arm of the university focuses on are horticulture and environment, health and wellness, small business growth, nutrition, and youth development. The community-based outreach arm of the university reaches out to families, farmers, businesses, and community leaders, offering resources in horticulture and environment, health and wellness, small business growth, and youth development.
The program dates back to 1914, when Congress passed the Smith-Lever Act, which created the national Cooperative Extension Service, to make sure that land grant institutions would share technologies discovered on campus with people in rural areas. Today, the roots that took hold more than a century ago in the nation’s farmland have spread across the nation and reached into all corners of communities, rural and urban. Even if you’ve never taken advantage of an Extension program, you’ve likely seen their work. Maybe it was at a county fair, where the Extension service and 4H work hand in hands — and head, heart and health — to aid in youth development. Or you might have learned more about what’s growing in your back yard thanks to a Master Gardener. Or maybe you’ve tapped into a webinar or listened to an Extension expert on the radio.
Carroll County’s Extension office in Mount Carroll is a hub of activity, with the gardening, environmental, and personal enrichment programs it offers to residents. While programs in other areas also are part of the local Extension’s offering, growing gardens, caring for the environment and self care are the three areas that residents utilize the most. The Carroll County Extension also teams with staff in Lee and Whiteside counties to offer classes to residents.
The concept of a Master Gardener program began at Washington State University in 1972, and it began at the University of Illinois three years later. During community events and school tours, Master Gardeners share information about plants and prairies that grace the local landscape. Master Gardeners also are involved in providing information for written markers of plant and prairie areas at state parks and nature preserves.
Carroll County’s team of five Master Gardeners are a busy bunch: they logged 338 volunteer hours last year by offering classes, providing education and manning an on-call help desk to help people with issues in the garden or yard.
Extension horticulture educator Bruce Black handles the Master Gardener programs in Carroll, Lee and Whiteside counties. He said he’s enjoyed what the Carroll County quintet has accomplished with the promotion and education of gardening and plant care throughout the county and at Lake Carroll.
“We have a pretty good educational base and presence,” Black said. “We have a diverse group of Master Gardeners. We have a number of programs around different nature-related activities. There’s gardening. Pollinators has been a big one in the last few years. Deer-resistant plants is always an interesting one for the Lake because there’s a lot of wildlife there — those, and what to do with shade gardens, because there’s a lot of forested areas around the homes there.”
Master Gardeners must go through a 12-week course — plans call for the next one to be offered in the fall, Black said — and then complete a two-year internship. Once they’ve got things mastered, they put in anywhere from 20 to 100 hours of volunteer work a year, and spend at least 10 hours a year learning through continuing education. Maybe you’ve talked to one through the help desk program, which connects people with a Master Gardener to help with issues in the yard and garden. Anyone can call the Extension’s Carroll County office, where a green thumb will point them in the right direction.
The help desk, Black said, is a “best kept secret that most people don’t know about.” Master Gardeners have access to a host of resources to provide answers and information.
“It’s easy to go to your phone, type something in Google and come up with hundreds of different answers,” Black said. “With the Master Gardeners, they have gone through training and know about the different varieties of plants, everywhere from seeds, trees, perennials, and anywhere in between.”
Gardener Lea Reese gave a demonstration about gardening and using compostable pottery on March 9 during the monthly meeting of the Lake Carroll Women’s Club at Plumtree Lodge.
The presentation began while grass was still visible on the ground, but ended while a snow storm was taking shape. Reese, who has been a Master Gardener since 1996 and operates the farmers market in Lanark, showed some gardening tools and gave tips on growing. Club members also picked Reese’s brain about gardening and plant questions.
Other topics touched on by Reese included: plant hardiness and heat zone areas for Lake Carroll, her favorite plant and garden centers in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, favorite hardscape providers, and useful websites and scholarly articles.
After the presentation, Reese invited members to dig in and plant seeds in small, compostable pots, which break down after they’re in the ground, an environmentally friendlier pot than plastic or clay.
— Cody CutterMaster Gardeners helped in the formation of Lake Carroll’s Garden Club, which began in 2019 by resident and Master Gardener Lana Soldat. Master Gardeners also piloted a seed library program from 2018 to 2020 that saw seed packets delivered to local libraries to sit next to their gardening catalogs; plans are in the works the bring the program back to Carroll County soon, as well as in other counties in Illinois, Black said.
The Master Naturalist program teaches people the important role the environment plays and encourages the proper care of Earth’s natural resources. The program also partners with local environmental agencies, groups and social clubs to accomplish its mission.
In Lake Carroll, the program has worked with Lake Carroll’s Prairie Club, which helps preserve and maintain its prairies and woodlands to maintain and improve the lake’s ecosystem. Mary Nelson, the Extension’s natural resource program coordinator, will often get updates from the Prairie Club on how its activities are going, and sometimes attends its outdoor work days to lend a hand or give lessons.
Nelson works with local museums, conservancies and nature clubs to put together educational programs that bring awareness of improving and maintaining ecosystems.
“We delve into a lot of different topics and information about a lot of different ecosystems that you find in Illinois,” Nelson said. “The program trains you to become a steward to the world, and a steward to the environment. You take what you want out of it, and you can find your niche.”
While taking on environmental issues may seem daunting to some, the program is designed to be user friendly and not bogged down in technical jargon. Instead, Nelson shapes the program to be a first rung in general environmental topics with the hope that someone will find something they’re interested in. She’s had people become interested in prairie restoration, wetland restoration and even herpetology, the study of amphibians and reptiles.
“We’re just trying to spark that interest,” Nelson said, “and inspire you as a Master Naturalist to do more research, to get more involved, and see what else you can find out about an area you have an interest in.”
Interested in protecting the environment? The next Master Naturalist training sessions run from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning May 23 and running through June 29. The classes will be a hybrid of independent study and field experience sessions throughout Carroll, Lee and Whiteside counties. Topics include archaeology, geology, mammals, forests and prairies. Once initial training is complete, students can continue with 60 hours of volunteer internship before becoming a Master Naturalist.
Educational programs coordinated by the Master Naturalist program are conducted on an intermittent schedule. Go to extension.illinois.edu/ mn or join the Extension’s email listserv at mnelsn25@illinois.edu to get notified of new events.
The Extension also offers webinars on a host of topics — family, finances, food, personal well-being, and more. All it takes is a computer or smart phone and an hour or two of your time.
UI EXTENSION’S CARROLL COUNTY OFFICE is at 642 South East St. in Mount Carroll. Email uie-clw@illinois.edu or call 815-244-9444 to learn more about what the Extension offers, a class schedule or for more information.
Updated program schedules and webinar information offered by the Extension’s MASTER GARDENER program is available at extension.illinois.edu/mg or call Horticulture Educator Bruce Black at 815-632-3611, ext. 204.
Updated program schedules and webinar information offered by the Extension’s MASTER NATURALIST program is available at extension.illinois.edu/mn or call Natural Resources Program Coordinator Mary Nelson at 815-632-3611, ext. 209. ONLINE: extension.illinois.edu and on Facebook at facebook.com/UIExtension/ EXTENSION PODCASTS: https://extension.illinois.edu/global/podcasts
One of the Extension’s newest gardening programs is “Learning in Lawn Chairs,” a monthly series covering general gardening, growing food in a home or community garden, and ideas for the upcoming growing season. Sessions are presented by Extension horticulture educator Bruce Black and Carroll County’s Master Gardeners, and will be at the Lanark Community Garden, 26549 U.S. Route 52, east of town — be sure bring a lawn chair to get comfortable. The first session, Garden Talk, is from 3 to 4:30 p.m. May 18, when planting in practical containers, raised beds and in straw bales will be demonstrated. Further sessions are: Growing Veggies Through the Seasons, June 15; Container Fruits, July 20; Using Fresh Produce, Aug. 17; Using Fresh Herbs, Sept. 21; Fall Garden Cleanup, Oct. 19. Registration isn’t required. Go to go.illinois.edu/learninginlawnchairs for more information.
Below are a few upcoming Extension events; learn about others, or register, at extension.illinois.edu/ clw/events.
What to Eat, When You Can’t Eat That — 2 to 3 p.m., May 18. Learn to understand labels, identify hidden allergens, and the difference between an allergy, sensitivity and intolerance. Common and uncommon food allergies as well as simple substitutions for nutritious meals also will be discussed.
Don’t Go it Alone — 10 to 11 a.m., June 8. Differences between the concepts of social isolation and loneliness will be shared, as well as risk factors for both. Strategies to help people stay connected with others also will be discussed. Emphasis on education is based on studies that more than one-fifth of adults in America identify themselves as lonely, isolated or both.
Financial Emergency Preparedness for Older Adults
10 to 11 a.m., July 11. This webinar shares tips on emergency preparedness to help plan, recover and rebuild after disasters and other sudden unfortunate situations. Financial management and organization tips, establishing resource and contact lists, fraud prevention and ways to relieve anxiety and stress also will be spared.
Guided by its mission of sharing knowledge to enable people to improve their lives, the Extension continues to help people grow, whether it’s personally, professionally, or in the garden. All you need is an appetite for knowledge and they’ll provide the food for thought.
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