Tough to get a clear smoking-ban view on a cold New Year's Day

The eggnog is gone, the parties are over, and another new year has arrived here in Huntley.

Now that the smoke has cleared (so to speak), I decided this week to see how local merchants are handling the new statewide smoking ban.

On Tuesday night, while my husband, Rusty, watched the Rose Bowl game, I bundled up, braved the sub-zero wind chill and paid a visit to some downtown pubs on that first day of the new law.

"Being a smoker myself, it's very hard -- but it is what it is," said Krista Hauptman, who works at the Parkside Pub.

"(Earlier) a couple of people had forgotten, and got out their cigarettes, but immediately somebody told them, 'Stop, stop!'

"For the most part, everyone was cool. No one gave us a hard time about it."

At the end of the bar, a half-dozen Illini fans clustered around the TV, consoling each other as the game finally -- and mercifully -- came to an end. Such disappointment might make a person crave a cigarette, I thought, but that group preferred to take it in stride. Or, at least, to stay inside.

Business was slow on Tuesday, Hauptman said, but not because of the smoking ban.

"Obviously, a lot of people are still sleeping off their New Year's Eve, and it's cold out," she said. "We'll see how it goes."

The new law has already had an effect.

"I myself am quitting smoking, just because the ban has gone on. Absolutely," said Hauptman, who admits it was hard to quit while working around customers who smoke. "Now that nobody can do it, it's going to make it a lot easier, I think."

Next, I visited with Gina and Luigi "Louie" Abdullai, across the street at Luigi's Pizza. For over 20 years, the downtown eatery has been known for its thin-crust pizza and its front-window bar, where regulars can have a sandwich, a drink and a smoke with their favorite restaurateur. I asked if the smoking ban will keep customers away.

"You can't tell yet," said Louie, a smoker himself. "It's Tuesday, it's a holiday, so it's kind of slow. We'll see what happens later on."

So how is he holding up? "Well … not too good …" he chuckled, "but …

"But a lot of the customers are happy," Gina Abdullai finished. "I should say probably about half of them said they want smoke-free. I think it's going to be much better, because we have a lot of customers come in (with children), and I'm sure they're going to really like that."

Before heading home, I stopped by Offie's Tap, a blue-collar haven where cigarette smoke is usually as plentiful as players around the pool table and motorcycles at the curb.

"Being that it's New Year's, we haven't had a big crowd today," said bartender Dawn Dibeck. "There were only three or four smokers in here, and most of them went outside. I didn't hear too much complaining about it, other than it's cold.

"Most of them already are aware of it, as everybody in the state is. None of them are happy about it … well, some of them, yes … but I would say a majority are definitely not."

Customer Bryan Demumbrum says he'll get used to the idea, but that doesn't mean he has to like it.

"I could see it more in a restaurant setting than in a place like this, that serves no food."

Now, he says, he'll probably stay home more often -- a claim disputed by his non-smoking wife, Kim.

"I don't think we'll stay home more often, just because there's no smoking in Offie's," she said. "We should stay home more, but that's got nothing to do with smoking.

"Actually, I love it," she said of the ban. "I think it's a good idea but, in my opinion, the law is wrong. As long as smoking is still legal, I don't think they have the right to tell establishments (whether) they are going to be non-smoking or not.

"The government should make up their mind -- and if they want to illegalize (sic) smoking, go for it. I am 100 percent behind them," she explained.

"But until it's illegal, I don't think that they have the right to tell a business owner what (to do) in their business."

A statewide smoking ban might "level the playing field" between businesses who allow smoking and those who don't, she agreed.

"That's understandable -- and I don't think anybody says that we're going to suffer."

Recycle that tree: Many people have resolved this year to "go green," recycling and reusing whatever they can, for a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.

This week, you can make a good start by recycling your Christmas tree instead of dumping it by the curb, says Paul Ostrander of the Huntley Park District.

The park accepts trees for recycling at its Sun Valley Farm facility on Lois Lane, located off West Main Street. Area resident may drop off trees anytime during daylight hours, Ostrander said, and there is a sign to direct people there. Tree stands, tinsel, ornaments and other trims should first be removed.

"We get probably 200-300 (trees) each year," he told me. "We grind them up and use the wood chips in our shrub beds and for mulch around plants."

Park employees will also make several "tree runs" to retrieve and recycle trees dumped on Huntley streets. Today and Monday, a park district truck will drive around town looking for discarded trees.

The truck will also run for the next two weeks, on Jan. 10, 11, and 14, and again on Jan. 17, 18, and 21.

"We don't go to individual houses and we can't guaranteed to hit every street, but we'll look for trees that are left out (for pickup)," Ostrander said. "All that we find, we will put to good use."

Register now to vote: Are you registered to vote? If you have changed your name or address recently, you might not be.

Voters who have married, divorced, or moved -- even if it's just across the street -- may need to update their voter registration, says McHenry County Clerk Kathy Schultz. Tuesday is the registration deadline for persons wishing to vote in the upcoming Feb. 5 primary election.

The League of Women Voters will hold a Voter Registration Day from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Huntley Area Public Library at 111000 Ruth Road, for residents of McHenry and Kane counties.

Voters must bring two forms of identification, including a photo I.D. One should contain the person's legal name and current address, and the second will be used to verify the name, so a library card will suffice. An Illinois driver's license or state I.D. card with photo is also acceptable.

No appointment is needed this Sunday, but you should call ahead to register to vote at the library during other hours. The Huntley library offers voter registration every day when a certified registrar is present. Call (847) 669-5386 to schedule a time.

Election judge training: Training sessions for new or continuing election judges will be held Jan. 11 at the Huntley Park District's Cosman Center auditorium, with sessions starting at 9 a.m. or 1 p.m.

Some procedures have been updated, and there is new information that will be valuable to experienced judges as well as newcomers. Call (815) 334-4242 to sign up or learn more.

Classes will also be offered within the next two to three weeks at other area sites, and at the McHenry County Clerk's office in Woodstock. Dates and information are available at www.co.mchenry.il.us; click on "county clerk."

More election judges and alternates are needed for Huntley-area polling places, Schultz says.

"We've got a lot of openings in new precincts, and Grafton Township is one of those areas," she told me.

Interested persons may get more information or apply to be a judge by attending one of the training sessions, or visiting the County Clerk's Web site mentioned above.