The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

t SECTION 2-PAGE 3 PLAINDEALER It s A Man's World f * * -A j ' X. 0** •I?*'• Ken Schopp It may be a man's world, but the world of Ken Schopp cannot be captured solely with black ink on gray newsprint. After all, how does one ex­ plain, solely with words, the sixty-six (that's right-66) children which he and his wife, Bonnie, have takfen into their home as foster children? That can only be appreciated and understood by actually seeing the bright, hopeful faces of the children, some now grown, who found renewed faith through living in the Schopp household. And how can "Uncle Kenny," Ken Schopp the clown be captured and explained without actually seeing the smiling, laughing faces of all the children who have been charmed by him and his family ' at parades and counties^ charity functions? And how does one explain the deep religious commitment which spurs Ken Schopp on, without being able to take the* reader into his home so he or she can see, and feel, the spirit for himself? Finally, how does one un­ derstand and appreciate the uncanny sense of humor of Ken Schopp without actually hearing his anecdotes and stories, where his expressions and his delivery are just as vital, if not more so, than the words themselves? The answer is--it can't be done. To appreciate and un­ derstand the good this man has done, one has to go into his home and talk with him and his family, and find out that this family is for "real." Sadly for us, Ken Schopp, Uncle Kenny the clown, is taking his "show" on the road next month, with the family moving to Arizona. When he leaves, there will Staff photo by Wayne Gaylord Story series by Jeff Bonato still be clowns to entertain children, there will still be persons willing to be foster parents, and there will still be persons around with a great sense of humor. But make no mistake about it, when the Schopps move to Arizona, there, is going to be something much bigger to fill than the house they're leaving behind. One thing Ken Schopp won't be leaving behind is the baby pictures of all sixty-six foster children which he and his wife took in. Their pictures are all mounted and each is identified. Oh yes, don't forget about the three children Ken and Bonnie had themselves. Add to that, one nephew that they raised, and the scoreboard reads an even seventy children. "We simply love kids," he said in answer to the obvious question. "We had our three children first, and our kids lielped raise the foster children. "We kept the foster children anywhere from one week to nine years," Ken added. "We'd mostly keep the children from birth until parents were found for them." "We've had all colors-black, white, and yellow," he laughed, "and we've gotten forty-seven of the children from the Lake Bluff Children's home." While the Schopps found a special place in their hearts for all the foster children, three of them obviously were really something special, for Ken and Bonnie have adopted two of the boys and one of the girls. A McHenry Shores resident for twenty-three years, Ken is a tool and die maker by trade and Bonnie works as a housewife and mother. Both parents, and all six children, work (or play) as clowns. "I've beef clowning for thirty years," he said. "Halloween is my anniversary. For seven years I was Ronald McDonald, and Fair Diddley (held last weekend) was my farewell appearance in McHenrv." Fiesta day parade-goers will remember "Uncle Kenny" as the clown who walked the skunk--and also the clown who spent hours long after the parade was over entertaining the children along the parade route. As clowns, the Schopp family works together with several other area residents, doing benefit shows for un­ derprivileged groups. "This is all charity work," he said. "We even do the parables in clowning." Ken began his clowning while he was a member of the Moose lodge in River Grove. "They asked if anyone would volunteer to be a down for a Halloween 'party, and I volunteered. I had one week to get a costume." Bonnie took over from there, and despite really having no vague notion of how to proceed, somehow, after much travail, put together his first clown costume. Times change, Ken's clown costumes change, but one thing always remains the same. "I had rheumatic fever when I was nine years old," he said. "I was taken to LaRabida Children's hospital, and I was cured. Now, every Halloween we go to LaRabida to entertain the children. Ken has a couple of trademarks as a clown, one being the skunk he walks. Another is his "different" kind of magic show. "I perform magic that doesn't work. Any magician can perform magic that works. Another trademark for "Uncle Kenny" is his balloons. On this day, dressed in a business suit, he reached into his coat pocket and drew out a fistful of balloons. "We can make 100 different animals out of the balloons," he joked. "They all look the same." "I have blown up over 400 balloons in one day," Bonnie said. "You can buy books on balloon blowing." While on the subject, the entire family then proceeded to give a demonstration of balloon blowing, turning a "lot of hot air" and a deflated balloon into the most extraordinary con­ figurations one can imagine. < In fact, they can't be imagined--they have to be seen to be believed--just like the Schopp family themselves. Ken Schopp-it's a man' world-and mostly, it's a children's world. Environmental Council To Hear Defenders Member Sherry Anderson of the McHenry County Defenders will, during a one-hour address, speak on: "How to Get Politically Active", "The Gravel Pit Seminar", "What's Happening to the "Bottle Bill", and "How to Reclaim Our Natural Resources" at the May 18 program of the County Environmental Education council. The program will be held at 7 p.m. in the Band room of Central school, 131 Paddock street, Crystal Lake. The programs of the County EE council are open to all in­ terested citizens. District EE Coordinators, teachers, and school administrators are encouraged to attend. Courthouse Squares Some Blindness Can Be Avoided With Surgery Extension Comments (By George J. Young, Extension Advisor, McHonry County, University of Illinois) Cataract has claimed the sight of one of every seven blind persons in the United states today. And the puzzling and tragic aspect of this statistic, ac­ cording to the Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness, is that most of such blindness need never occur. A contributing factor to cataract's tragic toll is the fallacy that loss of sight is an inevitable consequence of the aging process, and that nothing can be done. Not so, says the Illinois society. Surgery to remove cataract is one of the most successful operations performed today. Among those who undergo this operation, 90 to 95 percent have useful vision restored. Even very elderly patients can have cataract surgery if .their general health is good and they have no other eye conditions which could interfere with the operation or its outcome. . During the past decade, according to the National In­ stitutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., many technical im­ provements have made cataract surgery safer and more successful. Unfortunaely, though, many people with cataract often fear surgery unnecessarily. Many are afraid of suffering pain or fear that the surgery itself will cause permanent blindness. Others may doubt that the operation will restore vision. Elderly patients may fear hospitalization, and patients of all ages may refuse to accept the fact they are losing their sight. Although these fears are usually unfounded, they ac­ count in considerable part for the fact that although a suc­ cessful treatment exists, cataract^ remains a major cause of blindness and visual disability in our nation. Cararact is a clouding of the transparent lens of the eye which interferes with vision. The lens is that part of the eye just behind the colored iris which plays an important role in focusing light onto the retina, the tissue which transmits visual impulses to the brain. As a cataract forms, the lens changes from clear to milky white and blocks the passage of light. Cataract occurs most often among people over age 55 and is associated with aging. However, conditions other than aging can also cause cataract. Children are sometimes born with cataract as a result of genetic defects or other factors occurring before birth. Diabetes and other metabolic disorders, radiation exposure, and injuries to the eye may also cause cataract. At present, surgery is the Consider Solar From the research done, and the on-the-farm solar collector experiences, University of Illinois agricultural engineers are saying, "Don't build any building today without con­ sidering incorporating into the building a solar-energy- collection device." The main application for agriculture is the use of solar for grain drying since it is possible to increase outside air temperatures as much as 30 degrees for drying use. Using principles developed from research might also decrease home heating costs by two- thirds. "Harnessing the Sun" will be the topic of the May 25 meeting only method for treating this disease. There is no medical treatment available that will dissolve a cataract or prevent its development and progression. Nor is there any scientific evidence that dietary supplements such as vitamins or other nutrients can prevent or reverse cataract formation. A free brochure on cataract is available from the Illinois society. To obtain a copy write, Prevention of Blindness, 53 W. Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, 111. 60604. to be held at DeKalb and open to farmers, contractors, builders, suppliers and financial personnel. A lot of "do's" and "don'ts" will be offered as well as "how to" information on building and remodeling structures to utilize solar energy. This University of Illinois meeting will be at the Farm bureau building in DeKalb from 9:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. Local Plots Following is a summary of the local plots work. Fourteen varieties of wheat were seeded near Union by Bob Berschet on Sept. 30. On April 1, eight varieties of oats were seeded at Hughes Seed farm near Woodstock. They put in a university research soil- fumigant plot on April 7 at Len Schultz's. Woodstock This was on commercial vegetable soil. The university's corn research plot, with approximately ninety varieties, will be planted soon at Hughes Seed farm and the soybean-variety plot will be planted soon at Dick and Don Stoxen's, Harvard. It will have twenty-seven varieties. They plan to have twilight meetings at these plots later in the year. Food This capitol update program for the University of Illinois agricultural research capacity -WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 1977 includes some money to build an Extension support center at the Downers Grove research field. This support center is scheduled for 1980 and will service county programs in nine northeastern Illinois counties, including McHenry Weather Forecast The U.S. Weather services' thirty-day forecast predicts about two and five tenths in­ ches of rain for McHenry county during May. This is just slightly less than average. With most areas of the county receiving about three-fourths of an inch on May 4, the county is on its way. CONSUMER GUIDELINES / Keep Copies Keep a copy of your in­ come tax return and all sup­ porting information jn case of an Internal Revenue Ser­ vice inquiry Tax laws place 4-f-j I -4 ^ the burden of proof on the individual to prove his re­ turns are correct. Returns and supporting documents should be kept for at least three years. -y COV- C ®°0^ *6S-3l0° MAN CAN'T LIVE BY BREAP ALONE, BUT SOME 00 WELL WITH A LOT OF CRUST' 8 5*9 a Sale Beer Not Iced We Reserve The Right To Limit Quantities On Sale Items # $ :',c 55c 5jc yfi yfi jjc 5 No Sales To Minors OF FINE WINES AND LIQUORS MAY 18 TO MAY 24 4610 W. RTE. 120, McHENRY, ILLINOIS WALKER'S VODKA FULL HALF GALLON DOOR BUSTER OF THE WEEK! •PEPSI •D ET PEPSI TABASCO BLOODY MARY MIX 60 OZ. BOTTLE PEPSI LIGHT 1SCMMMIM MM 8-16 OZ. BOTTLES FULL HALF GALLON GALLO'S E&J BRANDY $T99 WITH ANY VODKA PURCHASE PLUS DEP. CANFIELD S QUART MIXERS 4 FOR 89* FULL HALF GALLON SWEET OR DRY GALLO VERMOUTH EARLY TIMES W&houtx •j£k± PLUS DEPOSIT FULL HALF GALLON OUR PRICES ARE McHENRY'S LOWEST! co,,e®e " * cOV>*S . ,«t »«* p . it*» •ot ~ t,v\ ** $2 9 9 GALLON k- • / \fh<irn£*£L CRIBARI 1 ANDRE'S WINES J ÎHAMPAGNES $ 1 6 9 FIFTH BUDWEISER or MILLER 6-12 0Z. CANS % $1 39 PABST i 12 PAK 12 OZ. CANS $959 rovermo, IMPORTED ITALIAN ROVERATO LAMBRUSC0 $ 1 3 9 FIFTH MEISTER BRAU 24-12 OZ. BOTTLES $429 PLUS DEP. VISIT OUR CHEESE SHOP 4610 W. Rte. 120 Ph. 815 385-3200 i