

While waiting for the start of the annual Good Old Days festival rubber ducky race in Winfield, I spotted this rubber ducky sporting a sailor's hat and a mischievous look on it's face. Shallow depth of field and framing help it stand out from more than 350 others. I don't know where this duck placed in the race, but I do know the winning duck did not have a sailor hat. Better luck next year my friend. This photo was published in the weekly Perspective column in the print edition.
Mark Black | Staff Photographer

Jackie Hart, 8, jumps off a mini trampoline during an after school obstacle course challenge at Mill Creek Elementary School Monday in Geneva.
Rick West | Staff Photographer

A 1939 Nimbus motorcycle is reflected in the chrome gas tank of another Nimbus parked at the Scandinavian Festival in South Elgin. The Denmark made bikes did not have valve covers, so the inner movements of the 4 cylinder engine could be seen as it ran. An estimated 250 still exhist in North America, with 50 of them registered in the Chicago area. This photo was published in the weekly Perspective column in the print editon.
John Starks | Staff Photographer

A praying mantis occupies the sidewalk outside the Hampton Inn Suites at Randhurst Village in Mount Prospect. I had just finished taking a photo of the Mount Prospect Chamber of Commerce board of directors when I saw the 6-7 inch long insect. I remember reading about these usual insects as a kid growing up in the early 1970's, but this is just the third praying mantis I recall seeing in my lifetime. This photo was published in the weekly Perspective column in the print editon.
JOE LEWNARD | Staff Photographer





Bill Plumb, of Libertyville, plays with his German Shepherd, named Kate, after successfully tracking a piece of fabric during Schutzhund training Tuesday at Lakewood Forest Preserve near Wauconda. Plumb is a member of the United Shutzhund Clubs of America, which stresses training that involves tracking, obedience and protection by German Shepherds.
Gilbert R. Boucher II | Staff Photographer

The Warren Township High School marching band performs during an event called Fill the Drum. Bands from Woodland Middle School, Viking Middle School and Warren Township High School performed at the O'Plaine Campus stadium on Wednesday. Cash donations went to raise funds for the Warren Township Food Pantry.
Steve Lundy | Staff Photographer

Charles Fox, of Elgin, who served in the Army 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry, from 1967-68, looks for the names of some of the 18 friends that were killed on one day during his service. Fox was there also for the opening ceremony for the Wall that Heals at The Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin Thursday.
Brian Hill | Staff Photographer

Two-year-old Nalani Alvarez, of Waukegan, dresses as a flying monkey while she walks by Dorothy and the Wicked Witch as Gurnee Mills celebrated the 75th anniversary of "The Wizard of Oz" movie Thursday. The event featured crafts, stories, pictures with cutout characters, and children dressed in costumes.
Gilbert R. Boucher II | Staff Photographer












Veterans Rick Grimm, center, and Jack Darr, help erect the traveling Wall That Heals display at Civic Center Plaza in downtown Elgin Wednesday morning. The half-size replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a traveling exhibit. Grimm served in the U.S. Air Force from 1963-1967, and in Vietnam in 1965. Darr also served in the Air Force, from 1969-1973, and was in Vietnam from 1971-1972. Both men live in Elgin.
Christopher Hankins | Staff Photographer