Farming is a tenuous business
One of my first jobs as a reporter in this area 30 years ago was to cover news west of Randall Road, which meant I spent a lot of time talking to farmers.
Their livelihood was based on the federal agriculture programs at the time, the weather, and the whims of county development directors and developers.
The federal subsidies program and recent rains remind me of why stressed-out farmers sometimes sell their property to be bulldozed for subdivisions or commercial development. A string of bad weather years, in particular, certainly would make one think of selling land and moving on to something else.
Still, those of us living in the Tri-Cities area are only minutes away from a drive through a rural countryside, thanks in part to a county program that wants us to have that option for years to come.
It saves the land
The county's Farmland Protection Program has permanently protected more than 4,000 acres spread over 30 farms.
And it's been protected through riverboat revenues and federal matching grants, not through local taxpayers' pockets, County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay said.
The federal program that provides those funds expires this year and may not continue, McConnaughay added, so it has been even more vital for the county to operate one of the top farmland preservation programs in the country the past six years.
Farmers in the program get paid for the development rights to their property, designating it for agricultural use only.
"The incentive for many of these farmers is that they can then use that money and invest it, most likely in more farmland," McConnaughay said.
When the program first started, McConnaughay said, it was difficult to convince farmers that the county could operate such a program and eventually garner more than $9 million in federal money.
"Today, we have a list of names waiting to get involved in the program," she said.
Soda Jerks rule
With a name like The Grape Soda Jerks, how can they go wrong?
A group of Geneva High School students and a singer from St. Charles teamed up to form this band, which has suddenly propelled itself to a national contest.
The Grape Soda Jerks marched through the Geneva Park District Battle of the Bands competition and a regional contest in Glendale Heights before winning a first place at the state fair in Springfield.
It now sets the Jerks up for representing the Geneva Park District in an upcoming national competition.
When they hit the stage, onlookers will be watching Genevans Zack Osborne on drums, Matt Augustine and Tom Kennedy on guitar, Sean Diller on bass, Nico Casasanto and Matt Green on tenor sax, Dan Dalpiaz on trumpet, and vocalist Cassie Hawthorne of St. Charles.
A (100) grand surprise
It's certainly not impossible to double your money on a wager. But it's less risky and feels so much better to double your money with hope and a prayer.
That's basically how organizers feel after the fabulous results of the Aug. 17 "Concert for a Cure" to raise money for Parkinson's disease research.
With a goal of $50,000 in mind, those looking to raise money for the Paul Ruby Foundation had their socks knocked off when the final tally came in at more than $100,000.
The rock 'n' roll music of the Ides of March certainly didn't hurt, but other donations and festivities at the Mill Creek Golf Course event also added up to the big figures.
"There are no words to express my gratitude and, frankly, astonishment," said the 44-year-old Ruby, who was diagnosed with early stages of Parkinson's last year. "It was a day, an effort I will never forget. I just hope everyone involved feels the same pride in our accomplishment.
"Of all the neurological disorders, Parkinson's is closest to being cured," Ruby, the general manager of the Herrington Inn, added. "Hopefully, our contribution will help achieve that goal to the benefit of all current and future Parkinson's patients."