McHenry County Blog

In one of the first county board fund raisers of the year, McHenry County College Board member Donna Kurtz gathered supporters at The Cottage at the corner of Crystal Lake Avenue and Brink Street Thursday night.

Kurtz is running to replace either incumbent County Board Chairman Ken Koehler or member Lyn Orphal in the early February Republican primary election.

Crystal Lake City Councilman Jeff Thorsen introduced the candidate.

“I am very, very, very enthusiastic supporter of Donna Kurtz,” he said. “We need someone with her honesty and integrity in county board government.”

Kurtz said she was inspired by her mother former State Rep. Rosemary Kurtz’ concern for environmental protection and former State Rep. Cal Skinner’s fiscal conservativeness. Rep. Kurtz defeated Rep. Skinner in the 2000 GOP primary election.

“As many of you know, the world goes full circle.”

Kurtz said she running for the board of directors of a $260 million organization, McHenry County government.

Reflecting on her service on the McHenry County College Board, Kurtz said it had taught her this lesson:

“You gotta do your own research. Everyone’s got their own agenda.”

She didn’t say she was reflecting on her support of building a minor league baseball stadium on college property and, then, changing her mind with the announcement being at the Crystal Lake City Council meeting the night re-zoning was being discussed, but that might be a good guess.

“My courage was driven by my thought I couldn’t stand not to do the right thing,” she stated.

Besides Thorsen, City Council members Carolyn Schofield and Brett Hopkins were in attendance, as were park board members Mike Walkup and Richard Sexton.

McHenry County Recorder of Deeds Phyllis Walters, who actually lives in District 2 in the tiny bit of Algonquin in the district was also in attendance, as was Nunda Township Supervisor John Heisler.

Members of A-LAW, the Alliance for Land, Agriculture and Water were in attendance. The group recently proposed strict potential conflict disclosure rules for county elected and appointed officials.  The Alden Road Alliance was also represented. District 3 county board candidate Craig Steagall, who actively opposes the location of the proposed Ridgefield Metra station on Country Club Road, also was present.

Touchdown Sponsor

• Tamara Kurtz

Field Goal Sponsors

• Erv & Louise Lecoque
• Dr. Robert & Carol Minkus

Safety Sponsors

• Jeannine Thoms
• Connie Zukowski
• Scott Summers
• Jewel Hahn
• Jill Hartman

Extra Point Sponsors

• Keith & Marge Nygren
• Phyllis Walters
• Bill & Alice Howenstine
• James & Diane Gesler
• Lou Ann & Jerome Majewski
• Jean Plews
• Patricia Floeter
• Brett & Tina Hopkins

Good Friday is a holiday that popular society hasn’t hijacked yet.

That’s what First United Methodist Church of Crystal Lake Senior Pastor Dave Seyller pointed out last night before the cantata began.

“The greeting card companies don’t know what to do with it,” he said.

The choir and many instruments performed “Once Upon a Tree.”

It’s a quite moving rendition of what happened almost 2,000 years ago.

Soloists were

• Richard Rowland for “Gethsemane,”
• Sue Elliott for “Guilty of Innocence,”
• Mike Fraser for “Crucify Him,” and
• Sue Irvin for “Now It’s Time to Rest.”

Katrina Jackson was the director of the cantata.

I took a photo of her, but, without a flash, her arms were moving much too fast to capture.

Dave Hill played the physician Luke.

Tim Pontius played Jesus, a reprise of his role in last year’s Lenten series “Hannah” at the 11 o’clock service

Easter services at the church at the corner of West Crystal Lake and Dole Avenues are at 8, 9:30 and 11.

The 11 o’clock service, the one we attend, is the most contemporary.

The service usually held at 5 PM on Saturday will not be held this week.

All pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Obviously the one of the sign in front of the church was taken before the snow covered our part of the world.

Good Friday is a holiday that popular society hasn’t hijacked yet.

That’s what First United Methodist Church of Crystal Lake Senior Pastor Dave Seyller pointed out last night before the cantata began.

“The greeting card companies don’t know what to do with it,” he said.

The choir and many instruments performed “Once Upon a Tree.”

It’s a quite moving rendition of what happened almost 2,000 years ago.

Soloists were

• Richard Rowland for “Gethsemane,”
• Sue Elliott for “Guilty of Innocence,”
• Mike Fraser for “Crucify Him,” and
• Sue Irvin for “Now It’s Time to Rest.”

Katrina Jackson was the director of the cantata.

I took a photo of her, but, without a flash, her arms were moving much too fast to capture.

Dave Hill played the physician Luke.

Tim Pontius played Jesus, a reprise of his role in last year’s Lenten series “Hannah” at the 11 o’clock service

Easter services at the church at the corner of West Crystal Lake and Dole Avenues are at 8, 9:30 and 11.

The 11 o’clock service, the one we attend, is the most contemporary.

The service usually held at 5 PM on Saturday will not be held this week.

All pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Obviously the one of the sign in front of the church was taken before the snow covered our part of the world.