Think rooster romp is a nonstory? Poppycock!

Apparently, some readers were less than impressed with last week's story about a rooster in East Dundee.

Sure, it's not what you would call a "hard news" story, but it is a story nonetheless. Many residents in the small community were awakened in the early hours of the morning.

Some people were seen trying to catch the rooster on the run.

The story may not have affected all East Dundee residents, people of the Fox Valley or the state, but a group of readers who live on Scott Drive on the village's east side were part of the story. Even so, some comments on the article seemed to think it was a "non-story." What is a 'non-story," anyway?

If a dozen residents on a street can relate to a story, doesn't that define the article as a story? If a story posted online can generate almost 50 comments, shouldn't it then be considered a story?

If you can't see the humor in a story about a rooster waking residents up at the crack of dawn - 4:15 a.m. to be exact - you need to lighten up.

There's enough news about the economy, family murder-suicides and other heinous acts each day to fill a week's worth of newspapers. But who wants to read that? And quite frankly, reporters cannot continually cover the doom and gloom of the world. We need a break from those stories, too.

Of course, we're not going to cover every rooster that flies the coop, or every missing pet that returns home, but if there are unusual circumstances, like a rooster that starts waking up the neighbors in a residential area at 4 a.m., or the dog that found its way home after a cross country journey, then yes, we are more than likely going to write something.

It's human interest and not intended as an earth-shattering expose. It's intended to create lighthearted dialogue, bring a few chuckles.

If you had watched the accompanying video, you would have realized the lightheartedness of the situation. The police who were there moments after the rooster's first crow made light of the fact that backup was on the way. Backup. Is backup really needed to catch a rooster?

Then Michael Ruffulo, the village trustee who made mention of the rogue rooster in his yard during a break in a village board meeting, ribbed the police officers about their seemingly quiet night. It was all just plain fun.

And the reason there were two bylines on the article was because Brian Hill was the photographer who went to the Scott Drive area at 4 a.m. to capture the rowdy rooster on film. His firsthand account, coupled with Jim Baumann's writing skills, embraced the amusing nature of the tale.

New trustees: Welcome to the new members of the Carpentersville and West Dundee village boards. I look forward to working with each and everyone of you to ensure your village receives fair and accurate coverage of all topics pertaining to your residents and town.

Feel free to call or e-mail me any time you have a question or a news tip that you think will be valuable to your residents, readers of this publication.

Reminder: Don't forget the Dundee Farmers Market is now open and ready to sell you the freshest locally grown produce in the area.

You can find the stalls near the Dundee Visitors Center, also referred to as the Depot, on River Street. They have everything from farm fresh food and flowers to arts and crafts. It's the perfect place to stop as you stroll down the river front path on a beautiful Sunday morning.

The market runs now through October.