Kiwanis members Amber and Joe Johnson and family rang bells for the Salvation Army’s Kettle Drive Saturday.

Special aprons held candy canes for the kids.

Crystal Lake’s Kiwanis Club staffed the Salvation Army kettles at Walmart Saturday.

It was a great day.

Not 10 degrees above zero and no snow.

A man in his 40’s, accompanied by an older teen and a younger one, came up to me and said,

“I want to thank you for helping me.”

Not that I had anything to do with whatever help the Salvation Army provided besides ringing a bell for an hour.

Then the man put a $20 bill in the kettle.

Crystal Lake South High School Key Club members were at the other door at Walmart on Saturday.

The woman behind hear him, put in a large bill and said,

“Pay it forward.”

Made my day.

This energetic group was singing at Sam’s Club when I went looking for books (which haven’t be re-stocked in two weeks).  I believe they were at Sam’s the same day last year as well.

In other bell ringing news,

• McHenry County’s first South African Kugerand was dropped in a kettle in Fox River Grove Saturday (the first Kugerand donated in the nation was place in a Crystal Lake kettle)
• $31,240.27 was donated, the largest kettle day on the books in McHenry County
• Colonial Cafe pledged to match all contributions made yesterday up to $30,000 for the entire Fox River Valley
• the Salvation Army is over halfway over its goal of $200,000 in donations
• Christmas program just crossed over the 1,000 children mark on Saturday (not financed through kettle drive)