Exelon Continues as Major Paint the Town Sponsor

On behalf of Exelon, Bill Stoermer presented the corporation’s 2010 sponsorship for Morrison’s Paint the Town. Pictured with Stoermer are Paint the Town/Children’s Art Preservation Association board members Sandi Crouse and Beth Poling. The family art festival takes place on the third Saturday in September each year in Morrison’s central business district.

Harvest Hammer Coming Soon

Dust off those running shoes and start to practice for the 23rd Annual Harvest Hammer presented by Morrison Rotary Club. Scheduled for Saturday, September 18, 2010 we expect to see more than 500 runners this year. What’s new?

First, registration is now available on- line for NO ADDITIONAL FEE. That’s right, Rotary will pick up the tab to register on-line, so get in there early to register your family! www.getmeregistered.com For those who prefer paper, registration forms will be available this week at your local Morrison stores and will be sent home with the children in September.

Second, after September 13, there will be an additional $5 fee for all races including children’s, so don’t wait, get on board and register on-line or turn in your registrations to City Hall or the schools.

Third, refreshments will be available for purchase this year for the spectators courtesy of Morrison Community Hospital Foundation. All proceeds will benefit Morrison Community Hospital.

Schedule:

7:30-8:45 AM: Race day registration (add $5 to pre-registration fees above)

8:15 AM: Wee run

8:30 AM: Fun Run and Challenge Run

9:00 AM: 5K Run/Walk and Duathlon

Mark your calendar and make it a day: harvest Hammer and Paint the Town!

Want to Volunteer or have questions about the Hammer entry fees, categories, etc? Contact Kathy Schmidt@815-564-8772.

(This feature is brought to you courtesy of DQ Grill & Chill in Morrison, IL)

Farmers Market Raffle

Nadine (Deane) King of Mt. Carroll wins the Raffle at the Lanark Farmers Market on August 3, 2010, winning over $80 worth of merchandise from the vendors at the market.

Good Samaritan Society-Mount Carroll Founder’s Day Walk/Run Benefit

Registration forms are available for the Good Samaritan Society-Mount Carroll 1K or 2K Walk/Run Benefit.

The walk/run will be held at 8:00 a.m., Saturday, August 28, at the Good Samaritan Society- Mount Carroll, 1006 N. Lowden Road, Mount Carroll.

Proceeds from the walk/run will benefit the residents of Good Samaritan Society-Mount Carroll.

The registration fees are $7.00 for individuals and $20.00 for family entry and include a special T-shirt featuring the winning design by Good Samaritan Society staff member Sherrie Mueller. Persons of all ages, strollers, wheelchairs and pets are welcome to participate in the family friendly walk/run. The center’s STAR committee will provide refreshments for walk/run participants. The event will be held rain or shine.

Prizes will be awarded to the first and second place finishers for the 1K and 2K courses.

Registration forms are available at the Prairie Advocate News office in Lanark, Mirror-Democrat office in Mount Carroll, the Times-Journal office in Savanna, Shaw’s Food Pride in Mt. Carroll, and at the Good Samaritan Society-Mount Carroll.

The Founder’s Day Walk/Run will start off the day-long event that celebrates Good Samaritan Society-Mount Carroll’s 40th anniversary of service to the community. The theme for Founder’s Day is “Loved, Valued and at Peace: Building a Christian Community of Care.” A pig roast lunch, auxiliary dessert booth, entertainment, free bounce house and children’s activities, silent auction, raffle, special dedication program and more will also be offered.

For more information, call walk/run organizer Anna Gray at 815-244-7715.

Heritage Canyon Special Food Preservation Event

On Saturday August 14, 2010, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Bev Miller, a member of the Early American Crafters, will present an informative program on food preservation. This accomplished cook and baker will share her expertise in the Heritage Canyon “Town Hall,” 514 N. 4th Street, Fulton, IL.

With the increased interest in growing our own food, we can learn how to get the most from our gardening efforts. Learn about root cellaring, canning, freezing, dehydrating, fermenting, smoking, preserving dairy products, pressure and, waterbath cooking, and methods of the past.

Miller’s presentation will feature some of her favorite topics: reusable canning lids, RADA knives, and Backwoods Home Magazine.

Space is limited, so call Sherrie at 309-236-0459 to reserve your spot. Parking is available on the edge of the Mississippi River, across the road from the Canyon entrance.

There is no charge for the program, but donations for Heritage Canyon are always appreciated. All proceeds will be used towards the upkeep of Heritage Canyon.

NARFE Meeting

Chapter 604 of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) Association will hold their annual catered picnic at noon August 19th at Old Mill Park in Savanna. For info and to RSVP, please call Kay at 815-273-4750 no later than the 16th.

Come and spend an easy afternoon with your NARFE friends and neighbors. There will be no meeting, just food, friends and conversation. All active and retired federal employees, spouses and survivors are cordially invited

Straight Talk About Consumers Rising Power Costs

Jo-Carroll Energy members are seeing a rise in their electric bills as a variety of factors, led by increases in the cost of wholesale power Jo-Carroll Energy purchases for members, have forced the not-for-profit, member-owned cooperative to pass along higher costs.

“Jo-Carroll Energy has made no secret that energy prices are on the rise,” said Michael Hastings, Jo-Carroll Energy president and CEO. “Though our not-for-profit structure helps us to keep costs as low as possible, there is only so much we can do without compromising the safety and reliability of the service we provide. We’ve been telling our members for years that energy costs are going up, and we believe it will continue in the future.”

More than 60 percent of a typical Jo-Carroll Energy electric bill is related to purchased power. Although some fuel costs, such as natural gas, have declined, Jo-Carroll Energy’s power suppliers rely heavily on coal for power generation. Environmental controls on coal-fired plants are one of the drivers behind cost increases.

“Based on government regulatory requirements, our wholesale electric providers are adding very expensive environmental control equipment to several of their coal-fired power plants,” Hastings said. “Power suppliers are upgrading existing facilities to meet state and federal environmental laws and EPA regulations.”

At the same time, wholesale power suppliers are making large investments in renewable energy - primarily wind generation. New renewable energy sources are currently more expensive than other traditional energy sources such as coal and natural gas.

The problem is further compounded by reduced demand caused by a combination of the national recession and growing popularity of various energy efficiency programs. Despite the decline in sales, power suppliers must still cover their fixed operating expenses, and with fewer kilowatt hours to spread those costs across, they are forced to increase rates to make up the difference.

“We’ve cut our distribution costs where possible without compromising reliability, and are studying other options to help stabilize power costs,” Hastings said. “We encourage our members to do whatever they can to make their homes and businesses more efficient and lower their energy bills.”

Jo-Carroll Energy has a number of resources to provide members with energy efficiency and conservation information to help members find ways to lower their energy costs. Members can contact Jo-Carroll Energy about a home energy assessment, currently available through the HomE program, or check out a kill-a-watt meter to measure how much energy their appliances are using. The cooperative’s website has an area devoted to energy efficiency and offers links to other sites such as Touchstone Energy Cooperatives’ Together We Save website.

The increase is found in the power cost adjustment (PCA), a separate line item on energy bills. Expressed in dollars per kWh, the PCA is an adjustment that goes up or down depending on the cost of power each month. The PCA is determined by how much the monthly power cost per kWh is above or below the power cost included in the base rate. Since the acquisition of the former Alliant Energy service territory, Jo-Carroll Energy has two power suppliers for the electric service area, one for each formerly separate service area. These two areas currently have different PCA rates, due to the power cost differences of the two power suppliers.

Free Movie Evening Hosted by First UMC

First United Methodist Church (FUMC) in Savanna invites you to join us for Movie Evening! We will be showing 1 FREE movie on August 14th, 2010. The movie, Pete’s Dragon, will be shown at 7:00 pm.

This Disney musical about a boy and his dragon centers on Pete, an orphan who has been sold to an abusive backwoods family. Pete is befriended by Elliott, a rotund, friendly, and often mischievous dragon. Together they run away to a small Maine town, where they meet Lampey the lighthouse keeper and his daughter Nora. Of course the bad backwoods family comes looking for Pete, and there is another complex subplot involving a quack doctor and his often-drunk sidekick who have their own plans for Elliott. There is a disastrous first day of school for Pete (in which his hands are hit with a stick by his teacher), many mishaps involving the mayor and some wet cement that gets mucked up over and over again.

Come rain or shine, as the movie will be viewed in our youth room. Seating is available, but feel free to bring a lawn chair, blanket or pillow to make your seat a little more comfortable. FREE popcorn and beverage, too!

Spend the evening with your friends and have some fun for FREE!

This is round three of our FREE Movie Evenings.

FUMC is located at 2100 Chicago Avenue in Savanna. Feel free to call (814) 273-2345 or e-mail office@firstumcsavanna.org with questions. We look forward to seeing you Saturday night, August 14th, 2010.

ALL ages welcome. Movie Evening is sponsored by FUMC.

Special Events at Whiteside County Fair

LogHoggers Chainsaw Sculpting will be making carvings daily Tuesday through Saturday with the auction on Saturday at 4 p.m. This event will be sponsored again this year by Five Star Enterprises. Make sure you stop by each day and see what kinds of sculptures are being made. This will be located close to the secretary’s office or just follow the sound of the chainsaw. Next-Level Pro-Bullriding will be showing the crowd some exciting Bull Riding. Get ready to watch the bulls blast out the shoots with the riders hand tied down to the bull and trying to stay on for 8 seconds.

Textile Demonstrations will be going on again this year the week of the fair. Tuesday, Aug. 17th from 12:30-2:00 p.m. Basic Quilting Techniques, and Food Safety with the time to be announced.

Wednesday, Aug. 18th from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Basic Crocheting, 1:00-2:00 p.m. Traditional Rug Hooking with wool. Learn to create an artistic wall hanging with hands on demonstration, 3:00-3:45 Questions and Answers on Framing with small demonstrations.

Thursday, Aug. 19th from 1:00-2:00 p.m. Cake Decorating, 1:00-2:00 p.m. Knitting Basics with hands on demonstration, 2:30-3:15 p.m. Flower Arranging.

Friday, Aug. 20th from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Shuttle Tatting, 1:00-2:00 p.m. Home Pest Control. Diseases and insects that are bothering homeowners, 2:00-3:00 p.m. What’s an Antique?

Grandpa Cratchet puppet show will return to the Fair again this year.

Wilson Family Rides will provide the midway entertainment that will delight fair-goers this year. Only $12 gets a rider unlimited rides from 2-6 p.m. on “wristband days”—Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. “Midway Madness” takes over Wednesday from 1-9 p.m. when a rider can ride to his or her content with the purchase of a $20 wristband.

For more information about these, or any other fair events, check out the fair’s website at www.whitesidecountyfair.org