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\ Public Hearing On Transportation At MCC Sept. 16 Page 21 I r i • i i FREE TV Guide In Today's Edition Autumn Tour Time For Browsing Buffs Page 18 Musin9 and Meanderin * ; "There must be bats in this neigh­ borhood because there are so many mosquitoes". s / It was a friend talking, and the Words sent chills up our spine. We have more than a passing Acquain­ tanceship with the little flying mon­ sters and the mere mention of their species is sufficient to send us into hiding. But like most on-the-spot im­ pressions by humans, ,we are now told ours was wrong - very wrong. Scientists say that on the contrary, "bats deserve tp be known as in­ telligent, gentle and entertaining animals with an enormous appetite for insects". Someone should have told us a few years ago when we were playing hide and seek with the bed sheet as one of the little critters few from wall to wall over our bed one warm summer night. Possibly it was just the wrong time to get acquainted. We have always considered 3 o'clock in the morning a time to sleep, not to develop new friendships. The bat thought other­ wise, and we had no intention of giving him an argument. He was in charge! He showed up the following night in another bedroom, leading to a fumigation of the entire house and a search for the smallest openings where he might have sneaked in. We were sure there was no brass band out to extend a welcome. And we didn't remember even a brief, "Come in". That was the end of Part I of The Tale of the Bat, but it was not the conclusion of the story. In 10 degree below zero weather the following January, a feathered creature few the span of our combined TV-living room as we took cover under the Sunday newspaper. It was in the days of Bonanza but none of the television gunfire evoked the fear we experienced from the appearance of one small bat. So it was another fumigation and back to the drawing board for a look at other nooks and crannies where it. might have entered. A recollection of the previous day's activities disclosed a revealing fact. We had been looking through an old cabinet in the basement and evidently disturbed its winter hibernation. Selecting just the right moment, it set out to even the score by disturbing our Sunday night TV. It wftft 100 percent successful. Unfortunately for the bat, the expert technique of two of McHenry's finest, each a 6-foot 4-inch policeman, dispatched the tiny flying mammal as it rested on a front room blind. One of his species returned three years ago, apparently having gained entrance through a cold air register in the garage that entered onto a sun- porch. His end came amidst the furor of fists beating on newspapers placed over the tiny bat by two members of our advertising staiff. In the interim, bats have been only a vivid memory we would like to destroy. We would never harm one of them (our killings are confined to flics and mosquitoes) and have en-" tered into a period of belated mour­ ning for the dismal end that befell those that ventured out of their caves and into our home. . In view of the scientific information that has reached us we feel conscious bound to reveal what are given to us as facts about bats: ...They are not the frequent carriers of rabies that people think they are. ...Barts are not by nature aggressive. Healthy bats do not attack people. ...Bats are not dirty animals likely to infect homes with dangerous parasites. Like many mammals, bats work at keeping themselves clean. ...Poison is the worst possible (Continued on pogo 20) THE MCHENRY PLAINDEALER " S E R V I N G T H E C H A I N O L A K E S R E G I O N S I N C E 1 8 7 5 " VOLUME 107 NUMBER 13 . FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1982 1 SECTION 22 PAGES 25' J ...l tiey Let The Sun Shine In When the Kiwanis clowns come to town, or in this case the Chicago Club Camp for the Physically^Handicapped, it's a day of fun and excitement for the youngsters. Horses were the main attraction (above) one afternoon this summer. A camp counselor supports one youngster as he takes a ride on the »ny. Above right, Ed Guettler, wearing a face on top of his head as well, ites a point with one of the campers. " STAFF PHOTOS-ANTHONY OLIVER by Anthony Oliver Offering a moment of brightness in what otherwise is a very difficult life, the Chicago Club Camp for the Physically Handicapped has been helping, teaching and providing fun for youngsters since 1945. The camp, located on the shores of Pistakee lake at 4512 N? Riverdale, is funded through the efforts of the Chicago club, a private, not-for-profit organization. Camp Director John DeJulio said the camp is targeted at physically handicapped youngsters in the 3-year- old to 10-year-old age bracket. "This is one of the few camps that offers speech as well as physical therapy as a regular part of the program," DeJulio said. Ovef the years, the director pointed out, the camp evolved from a more passive program to a more active one -- requiring the direct participation of the camperk in a myriad of activities. All is not fun and games, DeJulio noted, as the morning activities are more structured and instructional than the afternoons, which are primarily for fun and recreation. Therapeutic swimming, arts and crafts, games, field trips, and other activities are all part of the Chicago club camp experience. DeJulio said the "Christmas In Summer" activity has really become a big event at the camp, especially since the Lions club of Fox Lake has become involved in the last couple of years. "For some of the kids, Christmas in Summer is bigger than the real thing," DeJulio commented. On other- days, the campers may be visiting the Milwaukee zoo, or other {daces of interest to childreri of this age group. Special events are held, like Halloween night, skit night or "camping" in large tents on the grounds of the camp. On. one day during the four-week session, the McHenry Kiwanis organization sponsors a day of fun, with clowns and horses or boat rides on Pistakee lake. DeJulio said most of the campers come from the Chicagoland area because that is where the greatest population of handicapped children exists. But, children from McHenry, Woodstock, Fox Lake, Joliet, DuPage county have all taken part in tne camp activities. The director added that out-of-state kids have also attended the camp. (Continued on pag* 20) Approve Parking | Farmers Set To Voice Concerns For Handicapped by Anthony Oliver A request for handicapped parking and extended hours on Park street at the site of the Knights of Columbus hall met with some questions and eventual approval from the City Council Wednesday evening. The request was for four-hour parking on the street, between Elm and Pearl, and handicapped stalls Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in front of the K of C hail. The hall is the new location of the senior citizens Meet and Eat program. ' Representing" the Senior Citizens council, Joseph Strojny said seniors were concerned about losing the site, due tp- inadequate parking? He noted that the onl^ other alternative was the Methodist church, on Main street, but this was not available five days a w Aid. Jack* Pepping (l4t ward) said he was sympathetic to the request but did not want to restrict parking for other businesses on the street. "I have no problem with the four- hour parking," Pepping said. Strojny commented that the han­ dicapped parking areas would only be in front of the K of C hall. "I don't see where that would hamper the businesses," Strojny said. Pepping also voiced the concern that the street really is not wide enough to accommodate diagonal parking on both sides. McHenry Police Chief George Pasenelli commented that complaints had been received and some of the cars at the hall were parked over the sidewalk, obstructing the flow of pedestrian traffic. "The figure I was given was a minimum of 35 cars and I don't know if we could fit all those cars using both sides of the street," Pasenelli said. Strojny said the figure of 35 cars was not appropriate. "Right or wrong, that's the figure I was given," the chief said. "The question is do we want to make some accommodation to these people?" Mayor Joseph Stanek said. Aid. Raymond Smith (3rd ward) (Continued on page 20) Amid growing concern among farm leaders - concern that sometime ago penetrated those working today's farms--McHenry County Farm Bureau members will weigh resolutions proposals when they gather for their 70th annual meeting at all levels-national, state and local- are too high, and expenditures are out of control," said Olbrich. "This was reflected repeatedly as the committee tabulated responses to the questionnaire. These policies are keeping interest rates high. McHenry county farmers are angry with the burgeoning mountain of dairy products in federal storage. A proposed resolution calls for government action to dispose of surplus dairy products. "This would save taxpayers money and lessen the "Beauti ful Farm" Contest The McHenry area has three of the five finalists in the Farm Bureau's "Most Beautiful Farm" contest. The winner will be announced during the 70th annual meeting Sept. 13 at Richmond. Mrs. Pat Beard, Hebron, chairman, said finalists are among those submitted by Farm Bureau members throughout the county. Judging focuses on the attractiveness of the farmstead, fences, ' landscaping and maintenance. Following are the finalists: The farmsteads of Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Hansen, 11801 Allendale road, Woodstock; Mr. and Mrs. Henry Tomlinson, 2505 N. Martin road, McHenry; Mr. and Ml*. Arthur Koehn, 414 S. Crystal Lake road, McHenry: Mr. and Mrs. Roland A. Bauer, 5516 Barnard Mill road, Ringwood; and Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Nerge, Harvard. All five couples will be guests at the Farm Bureau's annual meeting Monday evening. Monday evening, Sept. 13. A resolutions committee headed by Bill Olbrich has examined and^ tabulated answers to a questionnaire sent formers. The basis forHhe five resolutions comes from that analysis, Olbrich says. ^ . . Heading the list is growing rage over the continued governmental spending at all levels without sufficient concern about income to meet the expenditures. "Farmers are concerned that taxes "High interest rates rank as the No. 1 concern of our farmers. The proposed resolution will call for government at all levels to function ithin a balanced budget." Asked about the McHenry County ' board's current dilemma over finding funds to build courthouse space to meet state standards for the jail, Larry Harris, Farm Bureau manager, said he believes local government must exercise similar discipline on spending. depressing effect on milk prices," states the proposed resolution. "Public Law-480 should be utilized more fully for this purpose. McHenry County Farm Bureau supports action to increase exports of dairy products and increased promotional activities to help reduce dairy surpluses." In fiscal 1981, the U.S. Department of Agriculture purchased the equivalent of 12.7 billion pounds of milk--about 10 percent of the milk (Continued en page 20) Council Veteran Steps Down by Anthony Oliver A story that began with a decision to retire in Chicago nearly ended in Florida, but the man who made that decision neither retired nor moved south. Instead, he moved to McHenry and later moved into local government, where he was to stay as an alderman on the council of the City of McHenry. He is Alderman George Harker (2nd ward), who resigned at the last regular meeting for reasons of health. In an interview last Friday, Harker said he took an early retirement from the Chicago Fire department in 1966. < "My |ate wife and I decided, as many older people were doing in the mid-1960's, that Florida was the place to go," Harker explained. "At that time, the developer of Whispering Oaks had extensive ads in the Chicago papers. We drove out to take a look and we were enchanted. Florida was forgotten." With a laugh, Harker noted that the sign coming into McHenry said the population was 3,500 at that time. "We liked it, bought here and I have been here ever since," Harker said. "The start of my involvment in civic affairs was occasioned by an unrealistic real estate tax that applied only to the property owners in Whispering Oaks," Harker said. "At a property owners' meeting in 1971, the suggestion was made that I run for alderman. It surprised me, I didn't think I had what it took." The population was small at the time, Harker noted, but it was growing, particularly due to the development of new subdivisions like Whispering Oaks and Edgebrook Heights. "Due to the rapid expansion of the city, the mayor and the city council had to be cognizant of the fact that utilities must be ahead of develop­ ment rather than catching up," Harker observed. "It's very ex­ pensive to catch up." In the 12 years that Harker sat as an alderman of the City of McHenry, he has seen many changes, especially in the various municipal departments. "The Public Works department needed more modern machinery to accommodate the growth of the city and it was provided," Harker said. Likewise, in the City Clerk's office and the Police department, new people, equipment and training made for more efficient business. "Step-by-step. it was ac­ complished," Harker commented. He noted, however, that it seemed the city, in years past, never fully took advantage of the river frontage for use as park land. "No one seemed to care too ntuch about the existing frontage," he said. "Additional park space was indicated, especially for the young people and it has been accomplished through the Park and Recreation department." In 12 years, the people of the council have changed as well as the depart­ ments. "By and large, the city has enjoyed the services and judgment of people dedicated to the welfare of the city as a whole...they're not too parochial (Continued on page 20) With the weight of the office off his shoulders, Alderman. George Harker to able to take Ufe a little easier. Harker said he wished he could have finished his term as second ward alderiri&n, but due^o eyesight complications he "was not able to carry out the duties of the office. Serving for 12 years on the council, Harker was Instrumental in the development and modernisation of the water and sewer system of the City of McHenry. STAFF PHOWANTHONY OLIVER