Back-2-School

Here in Boone County, the kids are back to school. Some, who attend the new magnet school, started last week. They were spotted around town in their cute new uniforms, which includes Khaki shorts for this warm weather. This week, the rest of the area got down to business, once the Boone County Fair wrapped up.

The fair is something that we look forward to greatly every year. There are so many things to do, foods to taste, rides to ride, games to play, animals to admire (and some to pet, or if your timing was right like ours, to see born first-hand) and cool acts to watch, like the Kid Fiddlers and Galaxy Girl, to name a couple. The first were very talented and cute. The second was talented and funny, with a touch of scary thrown in for good measure!

Now that we're back into our pre-autumn groove, it's time to give thought to what you want to enjoy at this year's Harvest Festival. We have more music than last year, and hope to include the winners of the battle of the bands from fair week! We have more vendors with unique items that we did not see last year. True Colors Alpaca Farm will have a booth, and will be bringing some of their alpacas to meet you.

We have some favorites returning, like the popcorn guys, and Woodfire Brick Oven Pizzas. I can't say enough good things about either of them! Great food to say the least!

Also returning, we will have George Thomas giving guided tours of the Historic Baltic Mill. Downstairs in the mill, on the side facing the river, there will be a newcomer, Libbie Rodakowski. Libbie is providing kids, and those young-at-heart, with some scary stories and we can't wait to be entertained! And, for the grownups, there will again be a wine tasting area with many local wineries highlighted.

There will still be many family-friendly activities, including the pumpkin patch and build-a-scarecrow, which will again be no charge. There will also be many more activities for the kids, at a reasonable price, like face paintings, inflatables, crafts, and more.

And, we hope you already have something in the works, because the Scarecrow Walk will be bigger and better than EVER! We had so many wonderful entries last year. Some folks in the community were surprisingly creative, like the surveying scarecrows (I chuckled several times) and the Girl Scouts (just cute). We are looking forward to even more this year. Remember, entry is free, and the top three entries selected by the Boone County Arts Council will win cash prizes. There will also be a ribbon for the People's Choice Award. And, for the businesses, clubs, and organizations in the community who wish to partake in our special event, there is the TRAVELING TROPHY contest! Entry in this contest is $25 for original creations, and $50 for a scarecrow supplied by the Harvest Fest. (Don't worry, they're not judged on looks, only on the amount of money they can raise before the Harvest Fest for the Kishwaukee Riverfront Path development)

If you, or someone you know, is interested, please check out our website or pop into the Belvidere Park District offices for entry forms and information.

We will have more fun and entertainment lined up for the evening, as with last year, in the Conservation District at Spencer Pavilion. Bonfire, s'mores, hayrides, and more details to come... have to give you a reason to come back in a couple of weeks to find out more! Until then, take a deep breath (before the ragweed gets here) and enjoy the quiet of kids at school for a few minutes... before band practice, and football practice, and swimming practice, and soccer... oh, you get the idea!!!

Busy work

Plantings are done, or almost done. The summer heat is here, making the corn rise higher every day. Knee-high by the Fourth of July? I think so!

That doesn't mean the hard part of gardening is over. We still have months of tending, weeding, and watering to make sure our bounty is full. Thinking about canning already, and wondering, can set up a pressure cooker on the grill?

We had a successful foray into grill-baking with a skillet brownie. The verdict: a well-seasoned cast iron skillet, a grill with a thermometer and multiple adjustable burners, a watchful eye, and a few bittersweet chocolate chips thrown in make for an amazing dessert! And, when you haven't heated up the house cooking either supper or dessert, it is that much sweeter.

If you've had a grilling adventure, or grill-tastrophe, share your tale with us. When we laugh together, we know we're all OK, if not perfect.

Summertime, here at last?

Summer is upon us, it seems with a sense of humor. We have boomeranged between hail and sweltering heat that could melt the paint off your car with wild abandon. We seemed to finally be in the grips of some hot and humid weather, when this cold front jumped up to remind us that, if anything is certain, it is that Mother Nature is unpredictable.

We sure found that out last October, when the rain poured and the wind whipped, just long enough to see who could stick it out, then as a reward for those of us who stayed, the sun burst through the clouds, and the remainder of the day was quite enjoyable. The scarecrows held up their end of the bargain, being "all-weather" materials, more or less. At least enough so to last out the day. The Wood-Fired Brick Oven Pizza chef was in high gear, cranking out delicious pie after delicious pie.

Music drifted through the air with the sounds of guitar and banjo keeping an up tempo while patrons visited the wine tasting area. Visitors listened to interesting tales of the history of our Baltic Mill and Boone County from local historian George Thomas. Shoppers picked up nifty items from our vendors and local artisans, including the wildly popular Socks-That-Rock, from our own Joelene Chinn (her work can be found locally at The Brick Cafe and Art Gallery, as well as the Rockford Art Museum gift shop).

Children and families had fun "shopping" at our Pumpkin Patch, building their own scarecrow, and other make-and-take crafts provided. The inflatable rides for the kiddies had to be scrapped due to the windy weather, but we hope to get a "do-over" this year!

As the daylight began to turn to gold, folks moved over to the Spencer Pavilion where s'mores were waiting to be made around our campfire, Fireside Music entertained with great sing-a-long tunes, and a storyteller shared "spooky" stories that were safe for children's ears! The Wood-Fired Brick Oven Pizza chef moved into the pavilion, despite a trickle of rain, and sold desert pizzas like peach pie and s'mores, which were so tasty and delightful!

Mother Nature brought us back to reality, with a splendid display of her own brand of fireworks, and the sparks nearly got us... thank goodness for that large and sturdy pavilion, we were all safe! With a boom, a crack, and a flash we knew it was time to bid farewell to our friends and to the harvest season with gratitude in our hearts.