McHenry County Blog

I don't drink wine, but the food at this $25 Norge Ski Club fund raiser was so,so good.

Saturday afternoon while Congressman Joe Walsh was holding a Town Hall Meeting at the Village Inn Restaurant in Huntley, my wife and I were enjoying some great food at the Norge Ski Training Center’s Wine Tasting Party.

One of the four wine stations Cardinal Liquor set up for the Norge Ski Club fund raising event.

OK.  She liked the wine, too.

Some of the young jumpers demonstrated their prowess, but the wind was blowing so hard the ski jump was swaying back and forth enough that their coach called a halt to the activity after two rounds of jumps.

The young men perfomed after dark and there wasn't enough lilght to catch their 40-60 MPH jumps.

And, unfortunately, it was too dark for my camera to catch the action.

One of the young men who jumped came inside and mixed with the crowd.

So, you’ll just have to look at the mast head of McHenry County Blog to get an idea what was going on.

Meanwhile, as I was frothing about the four $16,000 Virginia Street TIF project pillars to those from Crystal Lake, Congressman Joe Walsh was having his second public appearance (the first being earlier in Oswego) in Huntley at the Village Inn Restaurant.

People filled the Huntley Village Restaurant for Congressman Joe Walsh's Town Hall Meeting Saturday afternoon. Photo credit: First Electric Newspaper.

Both the First Electric Newspaper and Algonquin/Huntley Patch covered the event.

First Electric Newspaper’s Pete Gonigam wrote this about Walsh’s appearance:

“”‘Yeah, I lost my temper,’ said Walsh.  ‘I’ve done it before.  I’ll probably do it again.’ Walsh told the Sun City-heavy crowd he apologized for being angry but, in a Barry Goldwaterish vein, he said he had a lot to be angry about.”

The room was full, as one can see in a photo from Patch, which reported this about how Walsh handled the video:

“‘Alright, please pay attention; I don’t want to lose my temper’” quipped Walsh, whose recent heated exchange with a constituent has gone viral on the web. Walsh’s remarks drew laughs from the capacity crowd…

“‘I came here because of the way (Walsh) talks,’ Huntley resident [Frank Briguglio] said. ‘He says it like it is.’”

Briguglio is 80 and was attending his first political meeting.

Walsh noted that the Republican Establishment will back Randy Hultgren, if the Democrats’ reapportionment map is not overturned, noting that that GOP Establishment doesn’t control his vote.

The Norge crowd was tasting and talking.

Meanwhile, after Walsh was home with his wife Helene, the ski lodge full of people in Fox River Grove were “tasting” Crystal Lake’s Cardinal Liquor’s wine.

The live auction participants competed for trees, a night on the town in Chicago, and other high end goodies.

Auctions, silent and live, were held.

" Save Water. Drink Wine." That's the message of this woman's sweater. And for most Saturday afternoon and night.

And good deals were available at both auctions.

Since a Norge skier is featured on the masthead of McHenry County Blog (because it is unique to McHenry County…I couldn’t think of anything else that is), it’s appropriate that I promote the event.

The proceeds from the $25 event help defray expenses of training the kids who take up the sport.

While I am not one for wine, my wife and friends find what is served good enough to want to order bottles for later consumption.

This year Crystal Lake’s Cardinal Liquor is providing the wine.

The event is not until November 12th, but reservations are due the 7th, as you can see in the flyer below. Upon further examination, people who don’t RSVP can gain entry for an extra $5.

However, for an extra $5

Bonnie Karp shared her background with Kiwanis members. Former Kiwanis Presidents Joe and Amber Johnson.

Crystal Lake Kiwanis had its second to last meeting at the current location of Colonial Cafe.

Notice to Colonial patrons of the coming switch in locations and pending addition of wine and beer to the offerings.

That’s where I met my wife at the now-defunct Crystal Lake Kiwanis Breakfast Club. The noon club has been meeting in the same room.

The sign on the Colonial Cafe door says that those wishing to visit the current spot have until Sunday, June 5th, to do so.

Then, it will be closed for five days to re-open on Friday, June 10th.

Moving into a remodeled Baker’s Square will allow Colonial Cafe to serve more people.

There is also a new feature being tested.

Wine and beer will be served.

Chief Chef Grant Werner was in Crystal Lake today. He told me the wine will be Fetzner, of which I am pleased to report has my wife’s approval.

Colonial Cafe Chief Colonial Chef Grant Werner preparing for the pending move to a new location.

That means I’ll be able to dine with her and have my favorite citrus tango salad and she can have a glass of wine.

In addition, about a month after the new location across Route 14 opens, Chef Werner says rib eye steak and bourbon glazed pork chops will be added to the menu.

I’m planning to take my wife to the old location this Thursday night, when there will be a “Colonial Cafe Cares“night to benefit the family of Brandon Peters, the Crystal Lake Central High School student who died of cancer last Thursday.

Colonial Cafe will donate 20% of the proceeds from 4:30 to 10 to the Peters’ family to defray the inevitable expenses that go with any long illness.

Brandon Peters

A place to donate sits on the check-out counter. Click to enlarge.

Most restaurants require those benefiting from such programs to have a not-for-profit status.  It seems that Colonial does not.  Now, that is true charity.

Those whose schedules will not allow them to dine at Colonial Thursday night, can donate in a big ice cream container on the

Today’s message comes from Galena Cellars, which is located right next to the locks that keep the river out of downtown Galena during floods.

You can buy this tee shirt at Galena Cellars.

It says,

IF FOUND

PLEASE RETURN

TO NEAREST

WINERY

Galena Cellars is right next to the flood gate next to Route 20.

First, it’s a Huntley School Board member saying that Tea Party participants are prone to toss Molotov cocktails at Federal buildings.

I thought only radical left wingers were trying to scare people away from events like the legislative forum being held by the new Huntley Tea Party next Monday night at the Park District’s Cosman Cultural Center.

Now what has appeared is private label Sheriff Keith Nygren wine bottles from Galena Cellars. You can see the entire article on McHenry County Sheriff’s Department Exposed, Zane Seipler’s blog.

White or red.

Grand Reserve White or Country Red.

Take your choice.

And, you will notice that there is a seven-pointed star.

Red or white wine bottled by the Galena Cellars. My wife likes both, but we've never had any private label.

On April 25, 2005, Citizens to Elect Sheriff Nygren bought $992.58 worth.  It for “campaign gifts.”

The seven-pointed star on the label is the same one in the article below. The one linked to above shows on an endorsement letter for Nygren’s choice to eject McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi from the office he held.

Here you see the same seven-pointed star on the wall just inside the entrance of the McHenry County Jail.

It’s the same seven-pointed star on the wall of the Sheriff’s Department at the entrance of the McHenry County Jail.

Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa Merlo

One question being raised by Seipler in his request that a special prosecutor be named to investigation whether Nygren is using tax dollars in his campaigns for public office is whether the seven-pointed star is the official star of the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department or his campaign star.

On his chest, Nygren wears a five-pointed star.

Sheriff Nygren is not the only one with a private label wine. We discovered that Eagle Ridge Resort has one, too.

Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa Merlo.

It’s bottled by Rutherford Wine Company in St. Helena, California.