McHenry County Blog

Poster from one of the many supporters of the Raue Center grant.

I’m sitting in Crystal Lake City Council Chambers waiting for the passage of the resolution asking McHenry County government to recognize the importance of the city watershed protection ordinance and what should occupy the minds of most in the audience, but distribution of proceeds from the Hotel/Motel Tax.

Mayor Aaron Shepley had a staffer put up a spreadsheet on the overhead projector. It contained last year’s allocations and a row for this year.

$302,000 in the till, it appeared.

Final Crystal Lake Hotel/Motel Tax Distribution (click to enlarge)

Then he started filling in numbers.

• $15,000 for the Independence Day fireworks which the Crystal Lake Gala used to finance after the Crystal Lake Jaycees stopped sponsoring them when a youth found an unexploded one and severely injured his hand. (The Jaycees collected donations at Veterans Acres in bags.)
• $2,000 to the Crystal Lake Babe Ruth League
• $10,000 to the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce for the 4th of July Parade.
• $6,000 for the Chamber’s Shopping and Dining Guide.
• $35,000 for Historic Downtown Crystal Lake
• $3,600 for the Music Center
• $50,000 for Youth Sports (the baseball tournament)
• $150,000 for the Raue Center for the Performing Arts
• Volleyball – zero
• McHenry County Convention Bureau – zero at Shepley’s guidance, suggesting the money could be found elsewhere in the city budget
• $25,000 for Lakeside Center with Councilwoman Ellen Brady Mueller pointing out whatever was allocated was in addition to $8,000 in donated police services
• $2,500 for the Crystal Lake Rowing Club

The total awarded was $299,100.

Audience files out of the council chambers after the cutting up of the Hotel/Motel Tax pie. Most were supporters of the Raue Center's application.

Having received $150,000 the Raue Center supports left satisfied, even though they didn’t get the $44,000 they sought for repairs to the old movie theater.

The money collected from the Hotel/Motel Tax could be spent for any purpose.

And I don’t mean. “Look up to the right.”

An emotionally distraught young woman abandoned her car at Lakeside Center last night.

The search for her included a helicopter flying a search pattern over Crystal Lake (the lake) and environs that woke the adults in the Skinner family.

I thought about going out and taking a photo, but that’s as far as I got.

She was found this morning.

Today’s tee shirt was found two years ago at Lakeside Center.

It’s a long one I found almost two years ago at one of the Crystal Lake Gala.

8. HE WHINES EVERY
TIME HE LOSES.
7. HE TALKS LIKE A GIRL.
6. HE LOOKS LIKE A GIRL.
5. HE IS TOO DAMN LUCKY.
4. HIS CAR LOOKS LIKE
A GAY PARADE FLOAT.
3. HE AIN’T FROM THE SOUTH.
2. HE HUGS HIS PIT CREW A LITTLE TOO MUCH.
1. HE AIN’T # 8.

To the right of the countdown is the number “24″ with the universal circle with a line through it indicated “No.”

OK, race car fans, what is this tee shirt all about?

This one was swinging in a blizzard-like wind across the street from the northeast corner of the Dole Mansion, also known as Lakeside Center when I picked up my son from his Mad Scientist rocket building class this afternoon at 4:40.

The wind was so hard that the tire was swinging back and forth, back and forth…seemingly all by itself.

Like a pendulum in a grandfather clock.

Enlarge the photos by clicking on them and you can see the angle of the rope.

This one was swinging in a blizzard-like wind across the street from the northeast corner of the Dole Mansion, also known as Lakeside Center when I picked up my son from his Mad Scientist rocket building class this afternoon at 4:40.

The wind was so hard that the tire was swinging back and forth, back and forth…seemingly all by itself.

Like a pendulum in a grandfather clock.

Enlarge the photos by clicking on them and you can see the angle of the rope.