Put your money where your aspiring president is at fair

If you've ever said you wouldn't give two cents for this or that president -- and, please notice I didn't only say "this" president -- here's a chance to put your two cents to work.

Just stop by the McHenry County Fair, which opens today, and look for the McHenry County Democrats' booth. They're conducting a straw poll -- and raising a little cash -- by asking folks to drop some coin for their favorite potential presidential candidate. Whether you like Hillary, Barack or any of the others, here's your chance to ante up.

Lest anyone think I'm taking sides, I'm not. I'd be very happy to give Republicans my two cents as well.

Going to the fair!

Ever been to a county fair? Come on, you city folks. Head on up to Woodstock and pet a goat, slurp a cold lemonade, chomp on a funnel cake or take one of the many carnival rides at the McHenry County Fair.

Don't forget the bull riding, truck and tractor pulls and always-popular demolition derby which is, thankfully, not on local roads. Go to www.mchenrycountyfair.com for details.

Just head up Route 47 north past Route 14 to Country Club Road. Turn right and go east. You'll quickly spot the fairgrounds and parking on your left.

Now running ...

Saying the congressman now representing the bulk of McHenry County is "... not a listener ... not a learner ... and not a leader," Barrington Hills Village President Robert Abboud on Monday announced his run to oust Egan Republican Don Manzullo right in the middle of Manzullo country in Rockford.

Abboud will run in the Feb. 5 Democratic primary. If he wins his party's nod, he'd run against Manzullo in the general election in November 2008.

Abboud likely doesn't need to hold a two-cents fundraiser. He has plenty of financial backing, which could make his bid against the GOP incumbent pretty interesting. Although running as a Democrat in any McHenry County race has always been a challenge, don't dismiss this candidate out of hand.

What's the deal?

In case you're confused by all the political jabber, here's the deal. Candidates are positioning themselves now to run in their party's primary -- that's the election where each party picks a person to run in the November 2008 general election. Those candidates first have to pass petitions to collect signatures to get on the ballot. They can start Aug. 7. They'll file those petitions with their county clerk by Nov. 5. You'll find their names on your ballots when you go to the polls Feb. 5, more than a month earlier than previous Illinois primaries.

You have to decide if you want to vote Republican or Democratic in the primary, but you can vote for either party in the general election. That's when the winner of each party's primary takes on the other party's candidate.

Hope that helps a bit. If you're baffled by anything, give me a call or send me an e-mail and I'll try to get you an answer. Just make sure you vote this time around, OK? We all know what happens when others make the decisions for us ...

What's that buzz?

Just when he thought the great non-appearance of cicadas in 2007 was over, Mike Dimatteo of Cary found a lone cicada hanging out on the edge of his pool Saturday morning. "Methinks he must be the last remaining cicada out there," Mike said. I still haven't seen one!

Mike, by the way, is the new head football coach at Hinsdale Central High School. Some of you may recall him as the gridiron leader for Lake Zurich High. He thinks his new squad should be "in the thick of the race" in the West Suburban Silver conference and had only nice things to say about our great Fox Valley Conference coaches.

Found some winners!

And ... noooowwwwww ... it's time to announce the winners of our "Found her at Founders' Days" contest. Thank you to all of you who took the time to find me at that enjoyable festival, and a special thank you for your great suggestions. It was a pleasure to meet you and to hear from you.

Winning one pair of tickets to a Kane County Cougars' game is Larry Johnson of Algonquin! Winning the other pair is Nancy Karbo of Crystal Lake! Congratulations and enjoy!

In addition, they'll get a nice poster of Wrigley Field. Also winning posters were: Anthony Ebel of Crystal Lake, Ellen Capobianco of Sleepy Hollow, and Marilyn Unruh, Mark Lind, and Kelly Hedmark of Algonquin.

Thanks again for playing!