I remember the bad old days when we couldn’t sleep with our windows open in Lakewood.

During weekends, one could barely see across the road in our oak-hickory forest.

Then Village President Juie Richardson had the courage to advance and gather the voted to bsn lrsf burning.

Asthma sufferers rejoiced and we now can open our windows on fall nights.

While I was in Springfield in the 1990’s, a woman from Algonquin crusaded for a leaf burning ban. The last I heard of her, she was teaching at Hannah Beardsley Middle School in Crystal Lake.

There was an open burning law passed in Richard Ogilivie’s years as Governor (during his time, Illinois passed the first Environmental Protection Agency as well), but it was largely repealed during Dan Walker’s term as Governor.

After a young girl died of an asthma attack in Algonquin, that town banned open burning.

But Johnsburg still allows it, as you can see from the follwoing information supplied by the village:

Open Burning of Landscape Waste

Landscape waste may be burned on Saturdays and Sundays from dawn through dusk during the months of October and November.  The burning of landscape waste is permitted only when winds are less than 10 mph.  The burning site must be a minimum of 100’ from any principal structure and supervised at all times by an individual at least 18 years of age.  A fire extinguisher, garden hose or water source must be available at the burning site. 

Prohibited at all times is the burning of manure, garbage, construction materials, litter, etc. on any property. 

Recreational fires and ceremonial fires are exempt but may not be larger than 3’x3’x3’ and cannot contain leaves, grass or shrubbery clippings.