This week I had the opportunity to study art with a renowned visiting artist from Santa Barbara, Ca. I traveled south down Randall Road to Batavia to the artist’s studio who was hosting the workshop. I passed mile after mile of the same strip malls and chain stores from Algonquin all the way to downtown Batavia. The carbon copy retail landscape was depressing. Each city I passed had the same “town center” stores lined up next to strip malls. The same restaurants, clothing stores, coffee shops and big box stores selling products not produced in the United States. After a day of amazing …
It is local election time in Huntley with three seats open for village trustees. I hear that local elections usually have a low voter turnout. The April 5 election affects us closest to home – not in Washington or at the state capital. I can see the Village of Huntley complex from my window. What happens there affects me very personally. Smarter Cities A few weeks ago the brightest minds in emerging technology and the best innovative ideas from the international community were showcased at the SXSW interactive conference. The South by Southwest is the most influential technology and media …
The Huntley community have joined a global movement and embraced an ancient Chinese form of exercise know as Qigong (Chi Gong). It is an easy-to follow combination of deep abdominal breathing, gentle movements and mental focus that has help over 80 million people a day achieve calm energy. Qi or Chi (pronounced chee) means energy and Gong means practice and literally refers to “energy exercise.” I was first introduced to Qigong by Dr. Pam Fernandes, a Huntley chiropractor, who leads a free one hour class at the American Community Bank. Dr. Fernandes began studying this ancient preventive …
A few weeks ago I stopped by Thyme to Share to chat with owner Sharon Host. Sharon is a Huntley business owner who provides fresh meal kits to be cooked at home combining family meal time with a healthier way of eating. Sharon told me about a meeting she attended that had her excited. The McHenry County Agricultural Conservation Easement (ACE) and the Farmland Protection Commission are working to form the McHenry County Food Council. The goal of this Food Council is to unite members of the agricultural, business, educational, government and health communities in a common venture to build a …
My name is Gloria and I play Bunco. It is now my once a month addiction. Bunco is a very easy dice game. Mix rolling dice, socializing, food and a sampling of cocktails with a group of wonderful women and you have a delightful evening of fun. New Friends This dice game has long history since the mid 1800’s but today it is a great way to engage and create a network of friends. I have built many new meaningful relationships this past year. Many of us have moved to Huntley leaving our friends and family. At first I found it hard to build new friendships. The Bunco group has made that so easy. …
The snow stopped on Wednesday and the buzz of snow blowers filled the air as neighbors began the process of digging out. James and I were out early tackling the mounts of fresh snow. The light snow was surprisingly not so bad. We had upgraded our snow blower to a powerful two stage beauty a few seasons ago. It is the kind of machine Tim the “Tool Man” Taylor from the 90’s TV show “Home Improvement” would grunt about. It inhaled the drifts on our driveway and the sidewalk on our corner lot. We were finally all dug out. One of our neighbors just started his driveway. It was one huge drift. You …
It may appear to be quiet around town with snow and cold winds keeping our Huntley community indoors. But there are many people gathering to plan great things for 2011. FAbulous, Inc are the Fine Art Booster For months the Fine Art Booster of Huntley High School has been meeting up at Culver’s most Monday nights planning a Broadway experience here at the Performing Arts Center (PAC). The former Jersey Boys have regrouped as Under the Streetlamp and will be performing this weekend. Saturday night is sold out but Sunday matinee tickets are still available. Contact Kim Skaja at 815-923-8810 or …
Under The Streetlamp Saturday Jan 29th performance is sold out! But that is not stopping the Fine Arts Boosters (FABulous) from planning another performance of the former Jersey boys here in Huntley. The UTSL committee lead by Kim Skaja is collecting names to fill seats for a Sunday Matinée on Jan 30th. Kim is hoping to have her phone ring off the hook with people interested in experiencing an incredible line up of songs from the 60’s. Lots of Seats That is a lot of seats to fill in two weeks so the committee hopes the Huntley community can help spread the word of another show. Please call, …
The New Year is but one week old and I have not gotten around to reviewing and setting my goals. Goal setting is a powerful process for reaching success in life. I actually do not like calling them New Year’s resolutions because I think you can at anytime engage in goal setting. Why only motivate yourself to turn your vision of the life you want into reality at the start of a new year? Many times we get off road from our goals then feel guilty for getting distracted. I don’t think that way. Just find your way back and get going in the right direction. If only there was an “OnStar” service …
It's that time of year when national media communication channels (TV, print, internet) are proclaiming their list of "The Best of 2010." Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg graces the cover of the annual Time Magazine Person of the Year issue. He is the "Connector." Mark and I have one thing in common. I am a connector too. I like to learn and educate Web 2.0 ways of connecting. As an emerging technology strategist, I think about ways to connect a lot. Maven I met a Huntley top connector just two years ago. Village Trustee Pam Fender is a "maven" to use a social media term. She is involved in …
Last week I wrote about how "A Christmas Carol" inspired trip down memory lane and my current Huntley Christmas. Christmas collections, family traditions, toys and food are part 2 of my holiday story. Christmas Collections Dickens houses, Santa collections, snow globes, snowman, and nutcrackers are what I am talking about. It was an easy purchase to select a new piece for the collector on my shopping list. I would purchase these gifts the day after Christmas at great savings and store them for the following year. I personally collected Santas for many years. I had to switch to snowmen …
I just watched "A Christmas Carol" and I thought it might be fun to visit my Christmas Past and Present. There is no Scrooge here, only stories of growing up in the 60's, when my daughter was young and now my Huntley holidays. Thank goodness a traditional Christmas is still in fashion. A nostalgic interest in family customs, decorating, greeting cards, and family gatherings are still part of our holiday sometimes with a new twist. Holiday Invites I always enjoy getting a holiday party invitation! The past few years they arrive via an online service called Evite. It's environmentally green (…
"The Nutcracker" is alive and very different in Huntley! "The Nutcracker: Clara and the White City" opens tonight at Huntley High School and runs until Sunday featuring the talents of over 60 Marlowe Middle School students. This original play written by Holly Burkhalter is not your typical production of the classic holiday ballet. Actually it is not a full ballet production at all but a radically unique comedy version set in 1893 at the Chicago World's Fair. Classical Ballet The Nutcracker has been an American classic since George Balanchine and the New York City Ballet staged a version of …
Did you hear about the first national Small Business Saturday? It's received media coverage all across America including an article on our Huntley Patch. Here is the short story – American Express launched a campaign to boost small businesses by declaring the Saturday after Thanksgiving a day to "patronize local, independently owned small businesses in your neighborhood". American Express launched the first Facebook Small Business Saturday post on Nov. 7 announcing this new annual event and within three weeks over 1 million people "like" it. That is not much time to ramp up for a big …
Did you grow up with the sounds of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons? Are you crazy about the Tony Award winning musical Jersey Boys? Are you looking for some fun entertainment you can enjoy with your whole family? Then you need to mark your calendar for January 29, 2011 and make the Huntley High School Performing Arts Center the place to see Huntley's Under the Streetlamp! Under the Streetlamp will be performing an incredible line up of popular songs circa the 1960s. This musical show is a fusion of Rat Pack Vegas showroom mixed with a doo wop boy band musical harmony production. The …
It's time for "Wheeeeeeel of Meat" live at the Barley House! The Huntley Jaycees are back again as the producers of a popular parody game show/fundraiser where the audience wins lots of meat. Think of it as a cross between the Frozen Food Network meets (or should I say meats) Wheel of Fortune. The upcoming Wheel of Meat fundraiser to benefit Huntley families in need is Saturday, Nov 20th from 6:30 to 9:30 pm. An assortment of meats, seafood and other tasty delights will be raffled off at the Barley House restaurant at Algonquin Commons on Randall Road. Gather up all your friends and be part …
I am just returning a few books on happiness to the Huntley Library. They were used for research for articles I wrote about a business book called "Delivering Happiness". Inspired by author Tony Hsieh's mission to deliver global happiness, I began to look at Huntley's Community of Happiness. Scientists and psychologists have concluded that happiness can spread through traditional social networks. Studies report picking happy people to connect with fosters the spread of happiness within a circle of friends. It is no surprise happy people like spending time with other happy people. It's like …
Welcome to the Huntley Patch! I have been hoping for a central calendar of events and news about Huntley for some time. I ran into Huntley Patch editor Gloria Casas at the first Green Tree Apartments Paint-A-Thon. We connected and now I am a columnist for this hyperlocal online newspaper. I began to research Patch.com communities already up and running. That led me to think about the word patch. It can mean a scrap, a piece, area, plot of land, a badge or award. My free association exercise came up with my view of Huntley as a crazy patchwork quilt. A crazy quilt is many patches of various…
