Huntley invited to 90th birthday party for well-liked resident

Once upon a time in Huntley, a little gas station next to Marlowe Feeds bustled with cars, and customers could always count on good service and a smile from its owner, Bill Seiler.

"It was called 'B & B Service,' and he was there every day," recalled Mary Ellen Moerke, who grew up in a house across the street on Route 47, or Vine Street as it was known back then. "Those were the days when you really had to work to get ahead."

"Bill worked on cars, and sometimes he'd still be there at 11 p.m. His wife, Aletha, would bring her ironing board over and do her work there, too. They had two little boys (twins Don and Dick) and on nice days you'd see them out in the playpen under a tree in the (neighbor's) yard."

Over the years, the Seilers' family grew to include daughters Linda and Mary Sue, then grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The gas station closed years ago, but the well-liked couple stayed active in their community. Bill Seiler was a hard worker and an early member of the Huntley Lions Club, said Chuck Olson at the Huntley American Legion.

"Bill has been a friend and patron of the Legion for many years," Olson told me. "I remember when I got my first car, I was having problems with it and I took it to his station there on (Route) 47. He did a good job for me, and after that I always went back."

This Sunday, the Seiler family will celebrate Bill's 90th birthday with an open house from 1 to 4 p.m. at the American Legion hall on Coral Street. Everyone is invited to attend, and Moerke says she'll be there.

"He was a nice man. I always enjoyed running into him at the post office or around town. I'd really like to see him again."

Brainstorming:ŒLast week, I wrote about Betsey Warrington, the Huntley Park District's former recreation director, and her longtime dream to develop the old Stowell-Deicke Farmstead (now Betsey Warrington Park) into a living-history tribute to Huntley's agricultural heritage.

Over the years, the old farmhouse has been renovated but its 1830s-era barn, one of the oldest in McHenry County, is still in good condition, Betsey recently told me. Now, it seems that this once-neglected project may finally be revived.

This Sunday, the Huntley Park District Foundation will hold an informational meeting about possible uses for the old farmstead, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Cosman Cultural Center on Mill Street. The public is invited and light refreshments will be served.

Suggestions include restoring the house and barn, creating a small-animal petting zoo, or building a living-history museum centered around local farming traditions. A question-and-answer session will follow the short presentation. Invitations were mailed last week to area residents who are interested in local history, but everyone is invited to attend. For details, call park director Thom Palmer at (847)669-3180, ext. 15.

Dictionary donations:ŒSome local students got a special gift this month from the Huntley Rotary Club. Special assemblies were held Nov. 13 at Leggee, Conley, and Martin Elementary Schools, where local Rotarians presented new dictionaries to every third-grader in Huntley Unit District 158. The annual project is part of a national Rotary program to encourage childhood literacy.

Since it was started here several years ago, Huntley's student population has grown and so has the cost of the project. This year, the Huntley Rotary purchased 735 dictionaries through local fundraising efforts and matching funds from Rotary International.

Now they're looking ahead to next year by selling 2008 Entertainment Books. The $20 coupon books offer discounts at dozens of restaurants, stores, salons, and more and they make great stocking stuffers. To get yours, contact Chad Binger at (847) 515-2655 or chadbinger@msn.com; Pat Jagman at (847) 669-3333 or pjagman@mchenrysavings.com ; or Leigh Ann Porsch at (847) 669-5386 x35, laporsch@huntleylibrary.org.

Remembrance:ŒHuntley's Trinity Lutheran Church will hold a "Service Of Remembrance" at 7 p.m. Saturday to honor deceased loved ones during the holiday season. The free, short service is open to the entire community and all denominations. A candlelight ceremony is included, and light refreshments will be served. Trinity Lutheran is at 11008 N. Church St. in downtown Huntley. Call (847) 669-5780 for details.

Organ recitals:ŒFirst Congregational will hold three Friday afternoon concerts in their Advent Organ Recital Series, held in the church sanctuary on the corner of Main and Church Streets. Each recital starts at 12:10 p.m. and refreshments will be served in the fellowship hall following each performance. A free-will collection will be taken. The schedule includes:

Dec. 7: Guest organist Michael Surratt, director of music ministries at the Union Church of Hinsdale and a former dean of the Fox Valley Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Surratt has performed at churches throughout the U.S. and abroad.

Dec. 14: Vernon Studt, First Congregational's own organist and a past director of music at Chicago's Hyde Park Union Church. Studt has performed organ and carillon recitals across the nation, and also served at organist at several other Illinois churches and synagogues.

Dec. 21: Phyllis Connelly, organ and piano instructor at McHenry County College and Elgin Community College, who is also a well-known area performer and chairwoman of the Dundee Area Lenten Recital Series.