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Regional Raich, booth omen Voters. Schaffer tips hat to volunteers SPRINGFIELD - Sen. Jack Schaffer, R-32, was the featured speaker recently at a luncheon honoring Legislative Information Booth volunteers in Springfield. The volunteers staffed a booth at the Capitol throughout this year's General Assembly session to answer questions from visitors, lobbyists and at times even the legislators themselves. "We depend entirely on volunteers to handle the informa­ tion booth each year. We count on you to be there with the answers, and this luncheon is to show you we don't take your work for granted," Sen. Schaffer told the luncheon guests. He is a co- chairman of the Legislative Research Unit (LRU) which is in charge of arrangements for the in­ formation service. Anna Mae Goss of LRU manages the booth. The League of Women Voters and the Retired State Employees Association have supplied the volunteers to staff the booth this year. Sen. Schaffer presented ceramic coasters with state designs to the volunteers as tokens of thanks. "Your real 'pay' is the thanks and appreciation of all the Capitol visitors who rely on you for information on committee meetings, bill introductions, bill status and floor agenda," he told the volunteers. The information booth was in­ itiated by the Legislative Council in 1967 to serve as a central loca­ tion for the public to get informa­ tion. Losing sometimes sure bet at track Steve Metsch Herald staff writer The last time I visited Arlington Park, I was 5 years old. Just for fun, my father let me pick a horse in one race. I later burst into tears when the man sitting in front of my parents and me turned around and yelled, "You won, you won!" How was I to know that selecting winners was such an easy business, and that crying was reserved for losers? My long hiatus recently ended when two friends and I made the pilgrimmage via train to Arlington, the Mecca of thoroughbred racing fans in Chicagoland. It was a bright, sunny, warm day -- a perfect Sunday afternoon for the track. A glass of lemonade was ice-cold, freshly-squeezed and tasted great. It was a good bet. In fact, it was the day's safest wager. While entering the park, my buddy, Moose, assured us that his presence would lead to bulging wallets and a happy ride home. "Don't worry," Moose said as he plunked down his $2 admittance fee. v "My uncle knows the brother-in-law of a cousin of some guy whose best friend's girlfriend is engaged to this dude who used to room with a guy whose father used to deliver hay to the track. We've got it made." A cloud of doubt passed overhead. But I quickly put it out of mind and concentrated on the upcoming first race. "Oh, no! We left the paper in Crystal Lake," I said. The newspaper -- whose astute predictions usually help me lose money on harness racing at Sportsman's Park in Cicero -- was my ace in the bullpen, my Bruce Sutter. We finally found a newspaper machine, poured four quarters into it, and then scrapped the comics, Sunday magazine and Ann Landers in favor of the aports page. With that and the track's Green Sheet, there'd be no stopping our intrepid trio. Feeling cautious, I followed the sages' advice and put $2 on their Daily Double favorites. Both horses failed to crack the top three, and I started to fidget. "Don't worry, pal, there's plenty of races left," Moose said. "Heck, you've only lost $4." A quick calculation brought my losses to at least $18 if such good fortune continued. Dont worry. Uh-htA. After our lemonade break, it was time to get serious. 'Two dollars, win, No. 3," I barked at the teller. He couldn't have been too impressed. In the first race, Moose overheard a better put $100 on a horse to win. Last seen, the big spender was stuffing five c-notes into his pocket. t But this was the big time for an apprentice gambler like myself. The horse lived up to its name, Beautiful Ending, and finished a nose ahead of second place. "Not bad, not bad at all. But, after all, it did have the best odds," Moose smirked. "OK, so I didn't go with a longshot. I just needed a confidence booster. I'm gonna need a Brink's truck to bring home all the loot I win," I bragged. Well, folks, my crystal ball needs repairs. The fourth race was another loss. In the fifth, only one-third of my Trifecta finished in the money. But that was a bad sign, since I had it tabbed for first and it was second. My luck changed in the sixth race. I went with the same jockey who brought me $9.60 in the third race, one Randy Romero, who started the day second in jockey standings at Arlington. But my confidence had been sapped earlier and I bet only $2 to show. Of course, Romero won and I collected a mighty $2.80. Wow. "Hey, you can buy a six-pack with that," Moose snickered. "Forget it. This will be our last race. The train leaves in half an hour, so let's get all the ammo out and put together a great finish." Fine. 1 sat down with the track program in one hand, a pencil in the other, the Trib on my left knee and the Green Sheet on my right. I furiously scanned the predictions, past performances, most-recent times, jockey's weights, their hair color, favorite foods and political preference -- anything that would give me an edge. That guy in the funky red suit came out and played his tune, signifying that 10 minutes remained until post time. "Geez, you look like you're cramming for a final exam," Moose said. "Just pick a horse, place your bet and relax." I decided Earlie Fires, Arlington's leading jockey at the time, would ride Worth My Salt, a perfect name for a final bet, to victory. One Alexander Hamilton later, I was sitting on pins and needles. They were off, leaving my lucky No. 7 in trouble. Worth My Salt was stuck on the rail, and I glumly watched him plod into third place. Moose and my other friend were jumping up and down. They had the smarts to bet $10 to show. Not me. "Why didn't I pick you again? Why didn't I pick you again?" I hollered at Romero, who cruised in with his third victory. "Well, what'd you think," Moose asked as he thumbed through the $20 he and his friend won on our final race. I thought about it. The losses for the day were $12.60 -- not counting lemonades, betting aids, admission, a Cherry Coke, and $6 in train fare. My suntan was improved, and I enjoyed my friends' company. "I had a great time. Let's comebac^g^soflfeV Isaid. ... Until Wednesday's fire, I was1(xiM1 WwlHl - W llftlSjWjS, Arlington Million on August 25. !fs tootiaa aBoutthe blaze -- Arlington was such a nice place to visit. But who knows? Maybe we can see Bears, Cubs and Sox games under a dome there in a few years. Unfortunately for the race track's owners, I didn't go there more often. If I had, they could rebuild free of charge. M ft For the past few years, many people have cut their own wood to burn in their fireplaces or in wood burning stoves to heat their homes. Most of this wood is cut by use of a chain saw. The McHenry County Department of Health reports that every year many in­ dividuals across the nation are in­ jured by use of their chain saws : • The chain continues to rotate after the trigger is released, and the operator inadvertently touches the moving chain with part of their body. • The saw swings downward toward the body. • The chain on top of the bar jams or binds in the wood and throws or kicks the saw back toward the operator. • Losing control of the saw. • Malfunction of the saw, such as chain breakage. The following suggestions for the purchase and safer use of chain saws has been published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: 1. When selecting a chain saw, look for saws with chain brakes which stop the chain immediately after the power is turned off. 2. Look for guards over the sprocket and rear portion of the chain, and if your saw is equipped with such guards, keep the guards in place. 3. Make sure an electric chain saw is insulated against shock by double insulation or three prong grounded plugs. (For safety's sake, three prong plugs must be plugged into a three-prong socket or adapter that is properly grouactod,> 4. Motor control of an electnc chain saw should be through a dead man switch that stops the chain when hand pressure is removed. 5. With gasoline powered saws, the exhaust should be directed away from the operator. 6. When you are ready to start your chain saw, be sure the saw is on a firm surface such as the ground. 7. Keep the chain well lubricated during use to minimize chain breakage. 8. Whenever cutting with a chain saw, dress appropriately -- wear sturdy shoes, safety glasses and heavy trousers. Don't wear loose clothing or jewelry that may catch in moving parts. 9. Try to avoid working on slip­ pery, wet ground. Using an ungrounded electric saw in a damp area also can cause electric shock. 10. When using an electric saw, kedp the electric cord out of the way of cutting. Keep children away from the working area at all times and never allow children to operate the saw. If these few rules of common sense are followed, you can prepare your stock of wood for burning in your fireplace or wood burning stoves in a safe, sensible fashion so that you can enjoy the crackle of a wood burning fire this fall. SODIUM BOOKLETS The Food and Drug Administra­ tion has available two references for people who want to understand sodium better. "Sodium...Think About It" (Item 531N) is a free pamphlet that tells how sodium can help and hurt the body. A second reference, which costs $2.25, is "The Sodium Content of Your Food" the sodium con- iriy BOO'foods and many non-prescription drugs. For copies of these publications, write to the Consumer Information Center, Dept. MB, Pueblo, Colo., 81009. Indi­ cate the item number of the book­ lets wfnted. About 150 boats go through the McHenry Lock every weekday, and twice that number each day of the weekend, according to Frank Novak, su­ pervisor. Despite the great recreational opportu­ nities offered by the locks, Novak says may boaters have a fear of them. Locks making caUs to Springfield isn't all that goes on at the dam. Faced with ever-tightening budgets, the staffers do much of the maintenance themselves. From repairing lawn mowers, boat motors, trailers, copy machines, etc., to painting cabinets and let­ tering the garbage cans. Some of Novak's most trying engineering feats have been for Locksey's benefit. Locksey is a stray cat that wandered into the lock station five summers ago and adopted it. She rules the place with a regal air, tolerating the hustle and bustle of the humans around there. - Locksey figured out how to push down on the water dispenser and watch the steady stream of water and the large bubble. "It was annoying as heU when she did that so we had to figure out a way to stop it," Novak said. Her former window entrance to the building has been replaced so the guys ran a tube through the foundation at ground level. It works fine. "Now we just have to fix it to keep the ground squirrels out," Novak sakLThe plans are in the works. On any given day, some of the crew might be called to Elgin, for example, to replace floating buoys or some other project. After the locks close to boat traf­ fic, usually in October, there are other projects to keep the staff busy. This year, Novak said more than 2,000 feet of rip-rap will be replaced or installed along the shoreline of the two islands. Rip­ rap is stone or gravel placed along a shoreline to prevent erosion. "The islands actually make up part of the dam and we don't want to lose them...," Novak said. During the day and on^ the weekends, there is always so­ meone at the lock. On busy days, aU the tenders do is work the locks, Novak said. Strangely enough, Novak said, many boaters have a fear of the locks. "Lock horror stories circulate every year," he said. Last year, for example, one boater lost con­ trol of his craft and rammed the gate mechanism, putting it out of action for three days. Operating the mechanism manually from the time of the ac­ cident, the tenders were able to get everyone home that night. The lock was closed for three days and reopened July 4. However, the stories that circulated among the boating public had the gate com­ pletely off, in one instance, and the lock closed for two months in another. "I don't know how many boats won't even try because of the wait," Novak said. "For all that sit, there might be 10 that don't." There are a fair number of boaters from north of the dam that have never been through the locks. "They're missing out on an en­ joyable experience," Novak said. "And it's educational." He noted that just going through the lock at McHenry dam can give a child a good idea of what much larger locks are like and how they operate when they read about the Panama Canal, for example. The lockmaster commented that many first-timers through the lock said they did so only after "getting up the nerve." Boaters have suggested that we buUd something atop the lock building so that we don't have to walk back and forth to open or close the two gates, Novak said. "If we did that we'd miss the social contact," Novak said. "This (Continued from page IB) way, we're right out there with them. It's safer and it makes it more fun for us." But sometimes strange things happen. Once, when Novak was just a young lock tender, a boat with three guys came through the lock. The only problem was, none of them were wearing clothes -- any clothes. "I was so concerned that some little old ladies might stop by to watch boats going through the locks," Novak said. As it happened, the three had gotten themselves in a somewhat inebriated state and decided to take a swim -- fully clothed. But the return trip became chilly and they stripped to dry out their clothes. Every year, though, there are boating emergencies to be dealt with and a lot of boaters, par­ ticularly out-of-towners, know that help is available at the locks. The lock crew has been involved in a number of such situations; like the time a woman grabbed a towel and dropped a spare pro­ peller on her leg, creating quite a cut. Or the time a boat pulled up and a man asked, "How are you at get­ ting fishhooks out? " "Fish, people, dogs...what?" replied Novak. "The trick is to work the barb through and then cut it off." The man's son had a treble hook imbedded in his eyelid, just above the eye. "That's when we call the rescue squad," Novak added. Many veterans of boating the Fox River are familiar with the friendly face and outgoing nature of Novak and his crew. A friend to boaters and master of the gates, it's a job he obviously enjoys. Sen. Jack Schaffer, R-32, was the featured speaker at a luncheon recently in Springfield for Capitol Legislative Information Booth volunteers. At left is Ruth Raich, booth chair­ man for the League of Women Voters. Anna Mae, right, manages the information service. Award-winning photos on display Award-winning Larry Buescher of Lincolnsnire are currently being exhibited by the Gallery (Auxiliary of Good Shepherd Hospital) in the Mini- Gallery, located on the first floor across from the chapel in the hospital. Buescher is a display designer by profession and is trained in watercolor and printmaking. His photographs reflect the many cultures that he and his wife have visited around the world, in­ cluding the Amazon region of Brazil and, most recently, Papua, New Guinea. The New Guinea photos and others are part of the Gallery ex­ hibit and are available for pur­ chase through the volunteer of­ fice. Twenty-five percent of each purchase price goes to the Aux­ iliary of Good Shepherd Hospital and is tax deductible as a dona­ tion. For further information, call Good Shepherd Hospital at (312) 381-9600, extension 5104. Safe use of chain saws helps prevent injuries