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Pag* 12 NORTHWEST HERALD Stctlon B Tuoday, S«pt»mbr 10, l»83 Regional Majewski will address League of Women Voters McHenry County Board member Lu Anne Majewski will be the fea­ tured speaker at the September meeting of the/Crystal Lake/Cary Area League of Jwomen Voters. The League will meet Wednesday, Sept. 11, at the Cqry United Method­ ist Church on Firef^SL A potluck meal is planned for 6:3tej£Vn. Ma­ jewski will speak at 7 p.m. -Majewski has been a ieague mem­ ber for more than 10 years and has served on the county board since 1976. Majewski is chairman of the Planning and Zoning Committee, serves as liaison to the 708 Board, and serves on the Health and Agri­ culture, Public Safety and Valley High Committees. Majewski will discuss curent county issues that are of particular concern to the League of Women Voters. Some of those issues are: the airport, landfills, courthouse ex­ pansion, and county jail. League meetings are open to the public. The League of Women Voters, a national non-partisan organization, has been promoting good govern­ ment for more than 66 years, study­ ing issues, observing public boards, and educating the membership and public. Locally, the Crystal Lake/Cary chapter will be celebrating 25 years of community action and service. Membership is open to men and women who are age 18 or older and who are citizens of the United States. For more information, call Janice Prunier-King at (312) 639-8157. Former Rep. McClory to speak in Lake County (Continued from page IB) "It has to be non-stop," Scrnutz said. "If a bird stops and drinks water he won't even show up on the time sheet." The time sheet lists the top finishers for each club separately, and for the whole combine. Because of the number of flyers involved and the race times being weighted, Schultz said even a matter of seconds can make a big difference in the final results. He pointed to a recent race in which three of his birds actually returned at the same time, but one hesitated in entering the coop. That moment's hesitation cost the bird several places in the final results. . * « If a bird does hesitate, the flyers use what is known as a "Chico." The Chico is a designated bird that the flyer does not feed that morning and keeps in a cage outside of the coop. If the returning race birds do not immediately enter the coop, then the Chico is released and it immediate­ ly enters the coop because it knows there is feed waiting inside. The Other birds then follow that one in. .. Once the birds make it into the coop, the flyer then removes a special face band that each bird wears on its leg. The band is then inserted into a slot in the race clock and a lever turned that marks down the exact time and locks the band into the clock. Hie clocks have a special seal to show they haven't been tampered With, and a hole is punched in the recording tape, should the clock be opened. These measures insure that no flyer can "doctor" his results. "The only politic is the wind," Schultz said. "There is no human " element." Since the birds are flying to different locations, they each have different flight plans. The direction of the wind may work against some of the birds and work for others, but that is understood as a fact of life for the flyers. Other problems the birds fSfce are utility wires and bad weather. Because the pigeons fly at such high speeds, certain wires can be a big hazard. Schultz once had a bird that showed up two weeks later than it - was expected. When it finally arrived home, one of its legs was only hanging by a thread. Schultz believes the bird hit a wire while in flight and struggled for the two weeks to get back home. What makes a bird struggle against tremendous odds to return home? And Ih^w does it find its way? The answers to these questions have eluded" scientists for years, despite being the subject of countless studies. A number of theories have been proposed, but none completely explains the phenomenon. The general consensus is that the pigeons, at least partially, work from Visual cues, since they get lost in storms and do not fly at night. In fact, a recent race held by the NVC is the perfect example of how wrong things can go for the pigeons if they can't see clearly. Schultz recalled that, despite favorable weather forecasts, the birds hit a patch of fog during the race and many were lost. "Only 31 birds made it back that day," he said. "One guy didn't get any birds for the first three days. I sent out 17 birds and only got nine so far." When unexpected bad weather disrupts a race, it is referred to as a "smash" race. It is not always bad weather, however, that prolongs a race. On Sept. 7, the 20th Century Club had a 300-mile race, which started at 6:45 a.m. The Schultzes were out in their screened in-tent by noon, waiting for the first arrivals. Since the weather was unseasonably hot, they expected the birds to be a little late. But they were sure that the first bird should be in before 1 p.m. With their dogs at their feet and the "hotline" at their side, they settled in to await the birds. The hotline is a phone, on an incredibly long extension, that Schultz ran from the house to the tent, so he could keep in touch with other club members during the race. One o'clock came and went, with no sign of any birds. By 2 p.m. the sky was still empty, and the birds were over an hour past due. Finally, the phone rang at 2:05 p.m. It was Don Kelsey, a member from Fox River Grove. Kelsey had gotten his first bird, which meant the Schultzes could no longer take first place, since they lived closer to the release point. With the first bird reported in, it shouldn't have been long before all the members got their first birds. Usually, the fastest birds are only separated by a few minutes. But 2:15, then 2:30, then 2:45 p.m. passed without any other birds reporting in. Schultz remarked at one point that he hadn't had breakfast or supper yet, to which his wife replied, "Join the club." "The whole world comes to a stop on race day," Schultz pointed out. By 3 p.m., the extreme heat and the long waiting was taking its toll. The birds were now over two hours late. Schultz said he had other things he should be doing, like fixing the truck he drives for a living; but he wouldn't give up on the race. "The birds have been flying their hearts out for you, so that wouldn't be fair," he explained. So there they sat. Waiting, watching and hoping. Anyone interested in getting im^eiMjrplfseon racing, or simply wanting more information, can call the Schultzes at (312) 669-3141; or Don Kelsey at (312) 639-9816. "A Congressman Remembers" will be the topic of former U.S. Rep. Robert McClory at the 1985 member­ ship meeting of the Lake County Republican Federation on Saturday, Sept. 14. The meeting will be held at the Northern Chalet, 1706 N. Milwaukee Ave., in Libertyville. For 20 years, McClory represent­ ed the former 13th Congressional District. He was elected to the Illi­ nois House in 1950 and the State Senate in 1952, 1956 and 1960. He resigned in 1962, following nomina- t i o n t o t h e U . S . H o u s e o f Representatives. McClory was born in Riverside, and studied in Switzerland and at Dartmouth College and Chicago Kent College. In Congress, he was the second-ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee and permanent member of the U.S. dele­ gation to the Interparliamentary Union. The Saturday morning session will start with'coffee and rolls at 9:30 a.m., and includes financial and membership reports, election of board members ana officers, and the presentation of'the Bob Milton Memorial Award to an outstanding Republican. Guests are welcome. Seminar set on eyelining Area beauticians, cosemetologists and beauty professionals are invited to attend a free seminar (Hi the Ac­ cents Permanent Eyeliner, spon­ sored Monday, Sept. 16 by Midwest Eye Surgeons, DeKalb. The eyeliner seminar will be from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the DeKalb office of Midwest Eye Surgeons, 8 Health Services Dr., next door to Kishwau- kee Community Hospital. Detailed information about the new permanent eyeline procedure being performed by opthamologist Lynn Hauser, M.D., will be present­ ed along with beauty considerations relating to the permanent eyeliner. To register, call l-756-8574, or toll* free 1-800-892-2437, Sue Gravenhorst of Lake Forest will report on membership and will introduce her successor, Mrs. B.C. Masters of West Deerfield, as mem­ bership chairman. Ron Strahand, federation treasurer who lives in Wadsworth, will review finances. William E. Brook of Antioch, the federation's past president, is chair­ man of the nominating committee, which includes Michael Jaroch, Lake Villa; Suzanne Meyer, Shields; Wayne Miller, Cuba; and Bernard Wysocki, Libertyville. For more information, call (312) 623-0235. Tri Delta alums kick off season Alumnae of Delta Delta Delta, so­ rority will begin their new season with a Get Acquanited Dessert and program on Wednesday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. in the home of President Denise Benjamin Buten. Tri Deltas new to the northwest suburban area are invited to this gathering at the Buten residence, 130 N. Regency Drive East, in Ar­ lington Heights. Following dessert and a brief meeting, a speaker will discuss "How to Stop Your Bad Hab­ its Through Hypno-Theraphy." . For directions or more informa­ tion about the Chicago Northwest Suburban Alumnae Chapter of Delta Delta Delta, call Buten at (312) 394- 5390, Debbie Berger at 255-5083, or Carol FoerStner at 658-9129. The chapter has also scheduled its 10th annual garage and bike sale on Saturday, Sept. 21, from 9 a.m. p.m., at the Buten residence. Donations of home-baked goods and household items for the sale may be brought to the Wednesday, Sept. 18 dessert meeting, or on Thursday and Friday evenings, Sept. 19-20. Alums are also needed to help with the sale. Volunteers may sign up on the 18th, or call one of the officers listed above. Herald News Service photo by Amy K. Brown Schultz displays his top racing pigeon from last season which was named the "The Best Young Bird" for 1984 in the North Valley Combine. The bird is also in the running for the national racing pigeon Hall of Fame. According to Schultz, some top flyers and special breeds have sold for $1,000 or more at auctions.> Pigeons 1-- \ ' ' \ * The distance each bird travels may vary. The races are not one set distance, but rather each flyer's coop must be within a set distance range. For example, the range for a 300-mile race is no shorter than 250 miles and no longer than 350 miles. The race results are then weighted for the different distances. Preparations for each race begin the previous day. In the NVC, each of the flyers is allowed to ship up to 20 birds for each race. The birds are shipped out the night before to the designated release point on a special truck, owned by the combine. Each of the different length races has a set release point that satisfies the distance requirement. NVC primarily uses release points in Iowa and Indiana. On the morning of the race, the driver checks in with the race weather committee to make sure conditions are acceptable for the race. Before race begins, all of the flyers must synchronize their special race which are used to document when their birds arrive. everything is OK, at the designated time the driver pulls a lever, raises the entire side of the truck at once, releasing all the birds, average NVC rate, 1,000 to 1,500 birds will be entered in the race. Since the flyers must be home waiting for the birds to return, they are unable to witness the spectacular sight of that many birds being released at once. Mrs. Schultz, however, once watched the release at r another combine's race. , "All you could see was just dust when it opened," she said. "All those wings beating at once created a huge dust cloud." While pigeons have been clocked at 75 miles per hour, flyers generally figure on the birds flying at an average speed of 50 mph over the length of the race, non-stop.