Fall Fest heats up Huntley despite the chilly temps

Huntley trustee Pam Fender is sleeping better this week after another successful Huntley Fall Fest, held last Saturday at Deicke Park.

Attendance figures nearly matched last year's, despite record-low temperatures for Saturday night's outdoor entertainment.

"We had approximately 4,300 people that came throughout the day, " Fender said.

"It would have been higher, but (after dark) it got really cold, so I think lot of people stayed home. You're just not going to drink that much beer when it's cold out."

This week, she is resting up and already making plans for next year.

With over a hundred volunteers working in dozens of booths and attractions, Saturday's Fall Fest packed a huge variety of activities into a single day. The Lions Club pancake breakfast, classic cars and antique tractors, fine arts, crafts, and quilting shows all drew big crowds.

The Gazebo Quilters raised more than $2,000 for the family of local war veteran Jeremiah Homuth with their handmade quilt raffle.

"I still don't have a total, but I know we did extremely well," said raffle chairwoman Mary Lou Harp. "We sold 300 tickets on Saturday alone."

The group also held a collector quilt show in the Rec Center gym that drew more than 2,500 visitors.

"It was wonderful," Harp said. "We had a little contest for judging the public's favorite quilts, and people couldn't choose because they were all so lovely!"

Especially popular were two antique quilts and several one-of-a-kind masterpieces made by Gazebo guild members.

First place went to "My First Quilt," a red-and-white counted cross-stitch coverlet owned by Mary Kay Schrieber, which was sewn by members of her family over a period of 40 years.

Another winner, Harp said, was Jan Crabill's "State Birds and Flowers" quilt with hand-embroidered panels in a 1940s style. She thanked all who bought raffle tickets to help the Homuth family, and the FNB Marengo's Huntley Banking Center (now Castle Bank), which helped promote the raffle and is handling the funds.

The Friends of the Huntley Area Library made around $1,800 from their used book sale at the Huntley Fall Fest, said Joanna Woodruff, the group's president, who wants to thank Genevieve Hochwarter, Jan Schadt, Mary Kobylinski, and Rita Stohs for setting up and staffing the sale.

Pat Bachara of Mount Prospect was the lucky winner of their raffle for a seven-day Princess Caribbean cruise.

Next year, Huntley Fall Fest organizers are considering a two-day event, Pam Fender said.

"People have said they'd like it, but it would be a lot more work," she explained.

"At this point, we need to put out the 'Help Wanted' sign, because we're going to need a lot more people to help us."

She won't chair the event again, but Fender is eager to work with other volunteers to make Huntley's third Fall Fest the best ever.

One new idea is a Sunday afternoon show with entertainers from area churches and religious groups.

"They have a lot of musical performers -- choirs, guitars, bands, and so on -- and we are a music-performing festival, so it would seem to fit right in," she suggested.

"What we do need are some very organized, capable people who want to help out their community, to step up and take charge of some of these events.

To learn about participating in the 2008 Huntley Fall Fest committee, you can reach Fender at (847) 302-6772 or leave a message for her at the Huntley village hall, (847) 669-9600.

National Merit seniors: Congratulations go to Huntley High School seniors Jacob Walker and Robert Wascher, who were recently named semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship program. The two are among 16,000 students nationwide who scored highest among the 1.4 million high school juniors in 21,000 high schools who took preliminary college entrance exams last spring. The National Merit Semifinalists will now be entered in a competition for one of 8,200 National Merit scholarships, totaling $33 million.

As a former semifinalist (who did not, unfortunately, win the money) I can tell you that it takes a lot of hard work and determination to advance this far.

Good job, Jacob and Robert, and good luck to you both!

Plant puppets star in play: It's a little early for Halloween, but Huntley High School's theater students will get you in the mood this weekend with their campy performance of the pop musical "Little Shop of Horrors." Performances are set for 3 and 7 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday in the Huntley High . Performing Arts Center on Harmony Road.

This perversely delightful little comedy includes toe-tapping tunes, a little romance, and some horticultural tips for nurturing houseplants that … well, you might not want to try at home.

The play follows the story of Seymour Krelborn, a nerdish flower shop assistant who tries to impress his skid-row sweetie, Audrey, by growing a new kind of plant with disastrous -- and hilarious -- results. Think "Sweeney Todd" meets "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes," with a little be-bop thrown in.

The show is fun for kids ages 10 and up, but maybe not for the very young, director Nancy Cross said.

"I probably wouldn't bring the little ones, because you know, the plant eats people," she advised.

"Everyone knows their own children, but I think really small kids could get a little upset."

MCCD archaeology hike: Do you ever wonder about those long-ago native tribes and settlers who once called this land their home?

You can learn to identify clues about our own area's early inhabitants at a hands-on program called "Archaeology In Your Backyard," hosted from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sept. 29 by the McHenry County Conservation District at the Prairieview Education Center, 2112 Behan Road in Crystal Lake.

Guest presenter Rochelle Lurie, president of Midwest Archaeological Research Services in Marengo, will explain how to identify significant sites where artifacts may be found.

The Prairieview property itself contains five different archaeological sites dating from between 4,000 and 8,000 years ago. Participants will take a guided nature walk to these sites, and discuss the types of plants and animals that might have been used by their inhabitants. Also included is a hands-on examination of prehistoric stone and ceramic artifacts, and later pioneer artifacts.

This adults-only program is free, but pre-registration is required. Call (815) 479-5779 or visit MCCDistrict.org .

Get your "Eleanor" ticket: Tickets are on sale for "Hats Off To Eleanor," the Eleanor Roosevelt birthday luncheon set for Oct. 7 at Niko's Grill & Pub.

The event, hosted by the Huntley Area Branch of the American Association of University Women, includes a choice of lunch entree, a silent auction, and a visit with Margaret Rung, director of Roosevelt University's Center for New Deal Studies.

Tickets are $25; Men, women, and children ages 10 and up are invited, and you do not need to be an AAUW member to attend. Profits will support local programming and AAUW's Eleanor Roosevelt Fund.

To order tickets or donate a prize, call Elaine at (847) 669-2513 or e-mail to: huntleyaauw@ameritech.net.

Red Hot news: Here's a hot news flash! Huntley village trustees recently approved a sign variance for Teddy's Red Hots, a new sandwich shop that will open soon in the Covington Lakes shopping center at 9754 North Route 47.

That's a departure from the Cold Stone Creamery, which previously occupied the space, but I'm betting it will be popular year-round with folks in the neighborhood.

The new Huntley store will be the first leased franchise of the Verven family's popular Teddy's Red Hots chain, a longtime fixture in Downers Grove, Westmont and Darien.

• Send your Huntley area news and events to huntleynews@ameritech.net or phone (847) 669-0848.