“PRSRT.STD.”US

POSTAGE PAIDNO. 486

PRINCETON, IL 61356SHAW MEDIA

Thursday, December 4, 2014 Vol. 9 No. 20

1

Greenfield

Call 815-872-2261 for more information or visit us at508 Park Ave. East Princeton, IL • www.greenfieldhome.org

Comforts of Home and

Security of CommunityHome for the Holidays!CALL ABOUT OUR

APARTMENT OPENING!With Licensed Sheltered Care & Senior

Apartments you can enjoy our caring staff,delicious meals & plenty of activities!

A splash of colorA sea of poinsettias waits at

Color Point in Granville. Many of these flowers will receive homes in Putnam County when the county’s Rotarians deliver poin-settias to seniors and in-bound residents on Dec. 6. Poinsettias have long been associated with Christmas, with an estimated 80 percent of poinsettias sold each year being purchased during the six weeks prior to Christ-mas. An estimated 34 million poinsettias are sold each year, making it the most popular holiday flower. Leonard Van-Wingerden at Color Point said the florist ships about 900,000 poinsettias during the holiday season to locations throughout the world. The flower is native to Mexico where it is known as “La Flor de la Nochebuena,” or Flower of the Holy Night. It is Mexican Holiday mythology which ties the poinsettia to the Christmas holidays. Contrary to popular belief, the poinsettia plant is not poisonous. A study at Ohio State University con-cluded a 50-pound child would have to eat 500 leaves before any ill effects would take effect. The leaves also taste awful to humans. The leaves can induce diarrhea and vomiting in ani-mals, so it’s best to keep the flower out of Rover’s reach.

IV Scene photo/Ken Schroeder

2

Big and Tall Comfort

Vlastnik’sMENSWEAR

815-223-0695Route 6

Downtown PeruOpen Fri & Mon. until 8PM

All the SizesYou Need• Work Clothes• Casual Clothes• Dress Clothes

FREEIn-House Tailoring

Rich, Bill & Dale Vlastnik

Family owned & operated since 1925

Securities and advisory services offered through SII Investments, Inc.® (SII), member FINRA/SIPC and a Registered Investment Advisor. SII and Cyr Financial are separate and unrelated companies.SII does not provide tax or legal advice.

220 E High St · Hennepin · (815) 925-7501 · Cyrfinancial.com

Joe Business Tax, CPA

Jamie Personal Tax

Andrea Insurance

Lisa Investments

Chris Financial Advisor, CPA

2 • Thursday, December 4, 2014 Illinois Valley Scene

Circa ‘21 presents ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’

ROCK ISLAND — While evening audiences are currently delighting to the joys of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas,” the Circa ‘21 Dinner Playhouse is set to present additional holiday stage magic with the venue’s new family musical “’Twas The Night Before Christmas.” Run-ning through Dec. 27, this hilarious and heartwarm-ing show – one making its area debut – will be filled with colorful costumes and seasonal merriment, and is being brought to life by a sensational cast.

Circa ‘21 will offer morn-ing and afternoon pre-sentations of “’Twas The Night Before Christmas” on scheduled Tuesdays through Sundays through Dec. 27. Noon brunch per-formances will take place Dec. 7, 14, 21 and 27; 10 a.m. show-only perfor-mances will be held Dec. 5, 6, 12, 13, 16, 20 and 27.

Tickets for the brunch shows are $20 for adults, $18 for ages 6-18 and $15 for ages 5 and under, with discounts avail-able for groups of 12 or more. Show-only tickets are $10.50 per person and $9.50 each for groups of 12 or more, with extra dis-counts available for school groups during weekday performances.

To reserve tickets, con-tact the Circa ‘21 ticket office at 1828 Third Ave., Rock Island, or call 309-786-7733, ext. 2.

“’Twas The Night Before Christmas” takes its title from the first line of the timeless holiday poem “The Night Before Christ-mas,” which tells us that all through the house, “not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.” But in this fresh and funny take on the traditional Christmas story, a mouse is indeed stirring, because Santa

Claus didn’t visit his house last year! Before you can shout “Merry Christmas!,” the show blasts off into a series of wild adventures involving that mouse Amos, his twin broth-er also named Amos, an elf and a spunky little girl who won’t take no for an answer!

The show’s author is Tony-nominated play-wright Ken Ludwig, famed for such popular stage farc-es as “Lend Me a Tenor,” “Moon Over Buffalo” and “Leading Ladies.” As with those productions, Lud-wig received wonderful reviews for ‘”’Twas The Night Before Christmas.”

Directing Circa ‘21’s hol-iday comedy is longtime venue favorite Kimberly Furness, whose previous family entertainments for

the venue include “Freck-leface Strawberry: The Musical,” “The Musical Adventures of Flat Stan-ley,” “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” and “Miss Nel-son Has a Field Day.” Aaron Randolph III sup-plies original music while Andrea Moore serves as choreographer, and the cast is composed of five talents, four of them veter-ans of the Circa ‘21 stage: Brad Hauskins, Janos Hor-vath, Allison Nock, Daniel Rairdin-Hale, and venue newcomer Emily Baker.

Circa ‘21 knows audienc-es of all ages will delight in this debuting holiday pro-duction for kids of all ages, and urges audience mem-bers to make reservations early for what is sure to a most special wintertime smash.

‘Finding Christmas!’ performance added for Dec. 6

PRINCETON — With so few tickets left, opening night quickly approach-ing and a sold out Sunday matinee, the 2014 Prairie Arts Council holiday musi-cal extravaganza, “Finding Christmas!” will add a per-formance at 3 p.m. Dec. 6.

Don’t miss your chance enjoy a massive cast of 34 area children (from Princ-eton, Tiskilwa, Mendota, Wyanet, Walnut and Shef-

field), ages 8-13, as they become fantastical crea-tures who overcome the material and commercial world of the holiday sea-son to discover the joy and love of Christmas.

“Finding Christmas” is an original fast-paced, comical story suited for all ages that incorporates holiday classics like “Blue Christmas” and” “Santa Baby” and newer tunes

such as “Born to Shop” to tell a story that banishes the “gimmies” and ushers in true Christmas spirit. Tickets can still be ordered for performances at 7 p.m. Dec. 5 and 3 and 7 p.m. Dec. 6 by calling 815-875-2787. Tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and children.

The Prairie Arts Coun-cil Theater is located at 24 Park Ave. East in Princeton.

Photo contributed

‘Rounding Third’ continues through Dec. 6Robert Tobin (left) and Patrick Doolin, returning Festival 56 cast member, rehearse for Festival’s 56’s “Rounding Third.” The show is directed by another returning Festival member, Kody C. Jones. “Rounding Third” is sponsored by WZOE and runs through Dec. 6. The box office is open Fridays from noon to 2 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon and by calling 815-879-5656. Tickets are available online at www.festival56.com.

Photo contributedPrairie Arts Center cast members Bianca Lanham, Maya Martin, Mia Bowen, Savanah Sims and Vicki Tieman as gypsies and fairies singing “Santa Baby!”

3

Illinois Valley Scene Thursday, December 4, 2014 • 3

Coffee, music and

more

By Zita HenneBerryzhenneberry@bcrnews.com

PRINCETON — The Princeton Coffeehouse is a unique blend of culture and community. Once a month, people from all over come together to lis-ten to local and celebrated artists in the Open Prairie United Church of Christ at 25 Marion St. in Princeton.

Bill Beneke, Steve Gun-ning and Paul Kautz work together to provide the community with excep-tional musical experienc-es.

Beneke said he believes the coffeehouse could greatly broaden the musi-cal horizons of young peo-ple in the area. The cultur-al and musical experiences offered at the coffeehouse offer a vast variety of tradi-tional musical styles.

“I don’t like labeling music,” said Beneke. He finds music to have fused its genres over time and labeling to only reinforce stereotypes. He said folk music and other genres have expanded greatly, incorporating more than traditional stereotypes.

The creation of Rick and Lynn Reha, the cof-feehouse first opened in June of 1993 at the Anne Thomas Gallery on North Main Street in Princeton. After a brief hiatus with no music, Gunning, Kautz and Beneke aimed to breathe new life into the coffeehouse when they

reopened it in April 2003.For $15, people are

welcomed in to enjoy the musical entertainment and buy from a table of catered refreshments every fourth Saturday of the month. Volunteers supply food and refresh-ments, while Beneke, Gunning and Kautz orga-nize and facilitate the events.

Beneke said, “It’s try-ing at times,” referring to effort and unpredictable attendance rates. Beneke explained planning the events would be simpler if he could predict the crowd turnout. One event may have 40 attendants while the next has 90 to 100, said Beneke.

However, Beneke said he has great pleasure in booking and hosting the events. He has booked about a year in advance at this point. Beneke said he schedules artists that he would enjoy listening to, but attempts to offer a wide variety of genres.

“I don’t like to catego-rize music, but our prima-ry focus is acoustic music, so our audience probably would say that it is pri-mary folk music,” Beneke continued, “It’s also pri-marily American music ... but I can’t say with pre-cision we’re limited to American music.”

Beneke takes pride in offering such a unique exposure to great musical talent in this area. He said there’s really nothing like

The Princeton Coffeehouse offers up a variety

of musical entertainment in an eclectic setting

the coffeehouse in the Illi-nois Valley. Beneke is most proud of the music quality found in the coffeehouse. He has had Grammy-win-ning artists and full-time professional musicians on a regular basis.

Beneke said, while his base demographic is of an older generation, he believes certain perform-ers at the coffeehouse such as Sarah MacDougall in February or Ana Egge in the spring would appeal to a younger audience as well. Beneke also believes young people would ben-efit from the exposure to

such artists.This last Saturday, Pop

Wagner and Bob Bovee entertained the large crowd with their cowboy style music. The talent-ed musicians engaged their audience with com-ical and musical prestige. These returning musicians offered a folk and country twist, in a John Prine style of music, heard nowhere else in this area.

For more information on the coffeehouse, go to www.theprincetoncoffee-house.com.

Comment on this story at www.bcrnews.com.

IV Scene photos/Zita Henneberry

4

Gift certificatesmake wonderfulHoliday gifts forfriends & family!

Holiday Parties~large or small~

give us a call!Let us take care of

all the details!

815-872-4897 • 2205 N. Main St., Princeton • www.wiseguysgrill.com

Saralyn K. ShetterlyAsst. Vice-President

NMLS #461067

• Loans to purchase, build, or refinance

• First-Time Home Buyer Program available

• In-house servicing on all loans

MEMBERFDIC

Call Saralyn at 815-223-0700250 Marquette St., LaSalle, IL 61301www.eurekasavings.com

4 • Thursday, December 4, 2014 Illinois Valley Scene

Princeton Christian Acad-emy will present its annual Christmas program at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5. The junior high girls’ choir will present a short concert featuring Celtic songs and selections from Handel’s “Messiah.” The junior high instrumental students will present a Christmas selec-tion as an ensemble, and then the entire school will present the musical, “The Christmas Cross” by Jeff Slaughter. Acting parts will be performed by junior high students, while the choral selections will be sung by students in kinder-garten through sixth grade. The public is invited to this special production directed by Christina Batchelor, Kathey Cook and Marty Kiser, junior high choir director.

Bowl for the Cure, a 9-pin tournament, will be held Saturday, Dec. 6, at Crown Lanes in Princeton. The cost is $20 per person. The first squad will bowl at 1 p.m. and the second squad, if needed, will bowl at 3:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome. You may come as a four-person team or as an individual. There will also be a 50/50 and a silent auction. For more information, call Anna Flaig at 815-878-3521, Sherry Allen at 815-878-1230 or Holly Swanson at 815-303-3825. All proceeds will benefit the fight against breast cancer.

The Illinois Valley Community College Wind Ensemble, directed by Gene Montgomery, will offer a free concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7, in the Cultural Center. The ensemble includes IVCC students, local and region-al music educators and community members ded-icated to the promotion of quality wind and percus-sion music.

The Mineral-Gold Fire Department will host a breakfast with Santa from

7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7, at the Mineral Community Center.

The Princeton High School Guidance Depart-ment will hold its annual financial aid meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10, in the Sally Skinner Coun-cil Auditorium. Parents of PHS junior and senior stu-dents are encouraged to attend. Federal, state and local financial aid oppor-tunities will be discussed. For more information, call 815-875-3308.

Stage 212 will kick off the holiday season with their special production of “The Best Christmas Pag-eant Ever.” Performances will be Dec. 11-14 at Stage 212, 700 First St., LaSalle. Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening performances begin at 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sun-day matinees begin at 1 p.m. Tickets are currently on sale for $8 each. Box office hours are Monday from 4 to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. Tickets may also be purchased online by visit-ing the Stage 212 website at www.stage212.org or reserved over the phone.

The Prairie Wind Ensem-ble will present its second concert of the season at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12 at the Grace Presby-terian Church, Route 91, Peoria. The ensemble is directed by Joseph Man-fredo. Joining the Prairie Wind Ensemble for the concert are organist Kristin Stewart, the Peoria Civic Chorale Youth Chorus, soprano Leslie Manfredo and Lee Wenger. Tradi-tional music of the holiday season will be performed.

The Snowman Parade will take place at 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, as part of “There’s Snow Place Like Ladd” 2014 Ladd Christmas Walk. The parade will begin on North Main Street and end at Ladd Memorial Park.

For more information, call 815-894-2092 or email hocking4@comcast.net.

The 2014 Ladd Christ-mas Walk will take place from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, in Ladd. Activi-ties include horse drawn wagon rides, kids’ crafts and activities plus pictures with Santa. Winners of the holiday lighting contest will be announces and maps of Ladd’s best lit holiday homes will be available. The walk also includes a holiday prize hunt at Ladd businesses and a 50/50.

The St. Lucia Festival at the Evangelical Covenant Church, 24 N. Main St. in Princeton, will be Satur-day, Dec. 13. The annual breakfast will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the vestry of the church. The Women’s Ministry of the church is sponsoring this annual event. Malena Wheeler will portray Saint Lucia. Elise Blocki, Anna Rosen-dal, Hailey Schultz and Mallory Wheeler will serve as Lucia’s attendants during the breakfast. Lim-ited tickets are available and reserved seating is required. Tickets are $8 per person and must be paid for and picked up by Dec. 12. Reservations can be made by calling Joan Eggers at 815-875-2168. A bake/craft sale will begin at 9 a.m. in the Happy Hands Preschool room and will continue after the program.

St. Bede Academy will hold its Breakfast with Santa from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 13. The cost is $12 per person and includes the break-fast meeting Santa, make and take crafts, movies, readers and a ride on the Starved Rock Trolley. For an additional $5, Valley Photo will be taking pic-tures with Santa. This event is sponsored by the St. Bede Bedan Club. For more information or tick-ets, see any Bedan Club

IVSO holiday concert scheduled for Dec. 13

OTTAWA — The Illinois Valley Symphony Orches-tra is pleased to present Dane Suarez, tenor, and Sue Gillio, flute, as soloists for its holiday concert to be held on Saturday, Dec. 13, at 4 p.m. in the Ottawa High School auditorium.

Under the direction of Lucia Matos, music director and conductor, Suarez will perform Mille Cherubini in Coro, Maoz Tzur, “O Holy Night” and “White Christmas,” and Gillio will be featured soloist in John Rutter’s Suite Antique. Additional holiday favorites will com-plete the program.

Suarez is a graduate of Princeton High School, where he was a member of various band and choral ensembles and performed in a number of musicals and plays. He has been seen in Homestead Fes-tival musicals and Prairie Arts Center productions and was involved in the premiere season of Fes-tival 56. He is a 2014 National Semi-Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Audi-tions. In summer 2014, he made his role debut as Don José (Carmen) at Aspen Music Festival. For the 2014-15 season, he stars as the Duke of Man-tua (Rigoletto) at Opera in the Heights and will make his main stage debut with Fort Worth Opera in Thomas’s Ham-let. Currently residing in Washington, D.C., this season he will also per-form the roles of Tsar Ber-endey (The Snow Maiden) and Paolo (Francesca da Rimini) with Bel Cantanti Opera.

Last season, Suarez was the tenor artist-in-res-idence at Opera Mem-phis and joined Mae-stro Lorin Maazel at the Castleton Festival in Virginia where he sang Henrik (A Little Night Music) and appeared with the Castleton Fes-tival at the Royal Opera House Muscat in Oman, where he performed in La Bohème. He was also seen as Rinuccio (Gianni Schic-chi) in the inaugural pro-

duction of La Casa Lirica Opera Venezuela.

He holds a bachelor’s degree from Butler Uni-versity, where he per-formed with Butler Opera Theatre, and a master’s degree from the Univer-sity of Illinois at Urba-na-Champaign, where he was active in the UI Opera Studio.

Sue Gillio is the owner of Music Suite 408 in Peru, flute instructor and direc-tor of the Illinois Valley Flute Choir. She is a grad-uate of LaSalle-Peru High School and Western Illi-nois University, where she studied with Gerald Carey and earned both a bache-lor’s and a master’s degree in flute performance. She is principal flute of the Illinois Valley Sympho-ny and has performed in the Quad City Symphony, Heartland Philharmonic, Knox-Galesburg Sympho-ny and Peoria Symphony. She has been a guest solo-ist with members of the Chicago Symphony and Northwest Indiana Sym-phony, performing Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 and has performed in Italy as part of the Rome Festival Orchestra, Opera, and Ballet.

Gillio is on faculty at Illinois Valley Community College. She was a guest clinician at the 2006 West-ern Illinois University “Living Legacy” tribute to Gerald Carey, presenting a lecture on “Developing a Successful Music Studio,” and has been published in Flute Talk magazine. She founded the Annual Sum-mer Flute Retreat in 1999 and is on the faculty at flute camps in San Diego and at Westminster Choir Conservatory in Prince-ton, N.J.

Sue began flute stud-ies at age 9 and her first teacher was Ruth Moyle, now retired band director of Oglesby schools.

Admission to the con-cert is by season subscrip-tion or individual ticket, available at the door or online at ivso.org. Adults tickets are $15 and stu-dent K-college are $5 with ID.

member or visit the St. Bede Academy Develop-ment Office.

Arc Light Productions will present “Christmas on the Green” — a madrigal din-ner feast — at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, and at 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, at Coyote Creek Golf Course, Bartonville. Tickets are $35 per person or $265 for a table of 8. Reserve tickets by Dec. 8 by calling 309-455-4095.

Auction Calendar

Dec. 6 – Farm machin-ery consignment, 9:30 a.m., 401 W. Main St., (The Shed), Wyanet, Redi-ger Auction Service, auc-tioneers.

Dec. 6 – Bonnie and Howard Doty, real estate, 10 a.m., 406 N. East St., Dover, Tumbleson Auction Co., auctioneers.

Dec. 6 – F&A Kett-man Trust, recreational real estate, 10:30 a.m., 11711 Holiday Fin Road, McNabb, McConville Real-ty, auctioneers.

Dec. 9 – Cheryl Lind-ner Trust, farmland, 10 a.m., auction held at 401 W. Main St., (The Shed), Wyanet, Rediger Auction Service, auctioneers.

Dec. 12 – Ruth Straw Estate, farmland, 10 a.m., auction held at 10684 W. Edgewood Road, (Edge-wood Golf Club), Polo, Rediger Auction Service, auctioneers.

Dec. 13 – Peter and Dar-lette Mathisen, two prop-erties (three buildings), 10 a.m., 106 W. Washington St. and 406 & 408 S. Bloomington St., Streator, Tumbleson Auction Co., auctioneers.

Dec. 18 – Bill Wiggins, farm machinery and equip-ment, 10:30 a.m., 14321 Rt. 26 S., Princeton, Redi-ger Auction Service, auc-tioneers.

5

We would like to say...

Thanks!NIE Retail Partners

PRINCETONBeck’s ExpressPrinceton GasRoad RangerShell Express

Somewhere ElseSullivan’s FoodSullivan’s Gas

Wal-Mart

LA MOILLEFast Stop

PERUAnkiewiez’s Deli

Hyvee Gas Station

SHEFFIELDRoyal Supermarket

SPRING VALLEYJohnson Pharmacy

Thompson Drug StoreValley News

TISKILWAValley Market

When you purchase the Bureau County Republican from one of these retail partners, a portion of the purchase price is donated to the Bureau County Re-publican’s Newspapers In Education program.

North Main Commercial Building

$95,000 - Business space on the 1st floor Plus 2 apt

on the 2nd floor. Great location in the “Art District”.

Call for info. #08751674

New Listing! $97,900Princeton w/ large room sizes, amazing gardens,

back patio fantastic FR w/ FP. Newer windows. 2 car

detached garage. #08789021

$239,000 - Country Home!4000 sq. ft. home, 5 acres w/ 6 Outbldgs. Huge LR

w/ FP. Deck. Well & septic 2008. Fenced feedlot.

Fenced pasture. #08590511

$284,900Built 2004. Stunning 4

BR w/ in-law suite. 3032 sq. ft. on .64 acre lot. Full

basement w/ egress window. Wrap around porch. Paver

patio. #08737373

New Listing! $40,000 Walnut! Sold as-is! Large

4 BR home w/ garage (addn storage area), patio,

vinyl siding, Call office for more information.

#08791687

$44,900 - Princeton! Opportunity for a buyer

or investor. New roof 2014. Corner lot. Enclosed

front & back porches. Full basement. 2 - 3 BR.

#08736156

New Listing! $89,900LaMoille - 4 BR & 2

baths. Work is needed. Huge yard (1.32 acre) w/ shed, patio & upper level deck. Walkout basement.

#08789810

Price Reduced! $140,000Tiskilwa. Immaculate 3 BR home built in 1997.

Roof 2011. heated garage. Screened porch 12’x12’. Move in Ready!

#08696294

$179,900 - Princeton!Georgian beauty! 4 BR,

4.5 baths, partially finished basement. Sunroom.

Patio. 2 gas FP. Salvaged hardwood library floor.

#08738764

New Listing! Dalzell$61,000. 2 BR home

w/ large living spaces. Stamped concrete patio, fenced yard 7 detached

garage. Needs work. Shed. #08790447

Price Reduced! $144,900Sheffield! Corner lot, open floor plan, breakfast bar w/ 4 stools, deck, appliances

stay. FR w/ built-in bookshelves. 3 Baths.

#08738639

Country Home! #285,000Additional acreage plus outbuildings included

with the house. Original well pump. Call for more info - featured sheet. #08739626

New Listing! $79,500!Princeton- Great Home & price! 3 BR, 13’x27 LR, eat in kitchen w/ panty. Fenced back yard, shed, deck 2014, Siding 2008.

#08791237

$98,500 - Tiskilwa!21’x11 deck, well

maintained home, vinyl siding, tilt in windows,

natural woodwork, spacious rooms, R/O system

included. #08570067

1221 North Main Street, Princeton, IL 815-875-1221

www.illinoisvalleyhomeshow.com

OPEN HOUSESSaturday - Dec. 6th

11 AM - 12 PM422 W. Clark - Princeton435 E. Lincoln - Princeton

12:15 PM - 1:15 PM805 North Main - Princeton

Illinois Valley Scene Thursday, December 4, 2014 • 5

How about some differ-ent potato dishes to pre-pare for your Christmas dinners? Try something new to keep everyone guessing.

Easy German Potato Casserole1 10 3/4-ounce can cream

of potato soup1 1/2 cups sour cream3 tablespoons white

vinegar1 32-ounce package

southern style hash browns, thawed

1 8-ounce package shredded Swiss cheese

8 slices cooked Oscar Mayer bacon, crumbled, divided

6 green onions, sliced, divided

2 cups french fried onionsHeat oven to 350°. Mix

soup, sour cream and vinegar in large bowl until blended. Add hash browns, cheese, half of the bacon and 1/2 cup green onions, mix lightly. Spoon into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 50 minutes or until heated through, topping with French fried onions after 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining bacon and green onions. Can use any other white cheese such as white American or Mozzarella cheese.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

with Honey & Cinnamon

4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling over potatoes

after cooked1/4 cup honey2 teaspoons ground

cinnamonSalt and freshly ground

black pepperPreheat oven to 375°.

Lay the sweet potatoes out in a single layer on a roasting tray. Drizzle the oil honey, cinnamon, salt and pepper over the pota-toes. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes in oven or until tender. Take sweet pota-toes out of the oven and transfer them to a serving platter. Drizzle with more extra virgin olive oil.

Mashed Potatoes5 pounds Yukon gold

potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces

1 cup whipping cream1/4 cup butter2 ounces white chocolate1 tablespoon finely

chopped fresh rosemaryPlace potatoes in a

6-quart Dutch oven. Add water to cover and 1 table-spoon salt. Bring to boil-ing, reduce heat. Simmer 18 to 20 minutes or until tender. Drain completely return to pot. Cover to keep warm. In a small sauce-pan stir together cream, butter and chocolate over low heat until butter and chocolate begin to melt. Add to hot potatoes. Mash with a potato masher until desired consistency. Stir in rosemary, 1 tablespoon sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Executive Sweet Tator Casserole

3 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes

1 cup sugar2 eggs1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup milk1/2 cup oleo1 cup brown sugar1/3 cup flour1/3 cup oleo1 cup pecans

Combine potatoes, sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk and 1/2 cup oleo. Beat until smooth. Turn into casserole. Combine brown sugar, 1/3 cup oleo and flour. Mix until crumbly. Crumble mixture over potatoes. Sprinkle pecans over the top. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Caramelized Onion Scalloped

Potatoes1 tablespoon butter2 ponds sweet onions,

sliced1/2 cup all-purpose flour1 12-ounce can

evaporated milk, divided

1 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

5 pound russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick

1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheesePreheat oven to 350°.

Spray a 13-by-9-inch bak-ing dish with cooking spray. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stir-ring occasionally for 1 hour or until golden brown. In a small bowl, whisk flour

into 1/2 cup evaporated milk in a medium sauce-pan. Combine remain-ing milk, chicken broth, pepper and salt; bring to a boil over medium high heat. Whisk in flour mix-ture reduce heat to medi-um and cook whisking constantly for 5 minutes or until thick. Arrange one fourth of potatoes slices in the bottom of the baking dish. Spread one-fourth milk mixture over potatoes. Sprinkle one-fourth onions over sauce. Repeat layer 3 more times. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes; uncover and bake 45 minutes longer or until casserole is bub-bly and potatoes are ten-der.

If you need to reach me, my email is judyd2313@frontier.com or you can drop a line to my attention to the BCR, P.O. Box 340, Princeton, IL 61356.

JudyDyke

‘Leaving Time’A good mother loves her

child unconditionally.She cares for her little

one, making sure the baby is dry, safe, and comforted. She feeds her child and tends to him, no matter what time of day or night.

You can add to this list at will, because we all know what a good mother does. But, as in the new book “Leaving Time” by Jodi Picoult, a good moth-er does not abandon her child.

Thirteen-year-old Jenna Metcalf had a routine that she kept every morn-ing: she got dressed and logged on to the Depart-ment of Justice website to see if her mother had been found yet.

A decade before, after one of the caretakers at their elephant sanctuary was trampled by accident, Jenna’s mother, Alice, was found nearby, uncon-scious, and was taken to the hospital. When she regained her wits, Alice bolted from the building and disappeared.

It haunted Jenna ever since.

What kind of moth-er abandons her little daughter? Was Alice hurt or killed? That was some-thing Jenna absolutely needed to know — and so, old enough to have saved money from babysitting and birthday gifts, she

hired a psychic and a detective.

Once upon a time, Virgil Stanhope was proud of his career.

He’d been one of the lead detectives on the death of the elephant caretaker and the disap-pearance of Alice Metcalf — but he was having sec-ond thoughts. He knew back then that he’d done a hack job. Why hadn’t he dug further into this case?

It had been a long time since The Dead had spo-ken to Serenity Jones, and she missed it. Ever since a brash, egotistical mis-take ruined her TV career, she couldn’t get a human to talk to her, much less a spirit. So when Jenna showed up on Serenity’s doorstep, asking for help, and messages began whis-pering in Serenity’s head, what could the seer do but listen?

For most of her life, Alice Metcalf was devoted to the study of elephants. They were fascinating to her, and the ultimate reason her life had turned out as it had. She saw so many parallels between pachyderms and humans: love, joy, grief.

Especially grief …Got a calendar?

TerriSchlichenmeyer

Leaving Page 6

6

FREE ESTIMATES!

StayWarm This Holiday Season!Have your furnace checked and

cleaned before it gets really cold.Or replace that old unit with an

efficient Carrier furnace!

PLUMBING & HEATING, INC.

815-882-2111815-875-2540

404 W. MainMcNabb, ILwww.grassersplumbingheating.com

6 • Thursday, December 4, 2014 Illinois Valley Scene

PRINCETON — Thursday, Dec. 4, Wild with Words with Martha Burnell will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. This is a creative writing group that uses writing prompts and other intuitive, improvisational techniques to bring out the writer in everyone.

Saturday, Dec. 6, The Lions Club movie for kids will be from 10 a.m. to noon and feature a com-puter animated classic Christmas story about a young boy on Christmas Eve who boards a pow-erful, magical train that’s headed to the North Pole.

Tuesday, Dec. 9, Aman-da McNeil, author of the recently published book, “Life Sketches,” will lead a novel motivation class from 6:30 to 8 p.m. for anyone who has ever said, “Some-day I’d like to write a book.” This program could be the nudge you need to start or finish that novel.

Wednesday, Dec. 10, Widmark Wednesday will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and will feature a comedy-drama about the young son of a divorced industrialist who places the boy in a daycare center. A budding romance between his teacher and father is nearly waylaid when an ex-wife demands money in exchange for custody of their son.

Thursday, Dec. 11, Friends of the Library Book Club will meet from 4 to 5 p.m. and will discuss, “The Mockingbird Next Door” by Marja Mills. Also Thursday, family craft night will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Participants will make circle-woven friendship bracelets (ages 6 and up. All materials supplied).

SPRING VALLEY — Thursday, Dec. 4, the Richard A. Mautino Memo-rial Library will sponsor a two-part Christmas pro-gram featuring the Melikin

Puppets. The show begins at 6 p.m. in the children’s area of the library. Part one is the quaint Brothers Grimm Christmas story of “The Shoemaker and the Elves.” Part two is the ever popular, all-time Christmas classic, “The Night Before Christmas.” The Melikin Puppets are the creations of Mel and LaVerne Biske, along with sons, Neal and Jeff. They have presented puppet theater to thou-sands of children from coast-to-coast in schools and libraries for the past 46 years.

TISKILWA — Tuesday, Dec. 9, the library board will meet at 4:30 p.m. If anyone is interested in serving as a library trustee, stop by the meeting for more details. The packet of information and peti-tions for running for a trustee are available at any time the library is open.

Saturday, Dec. 13, the community of Tiskilwa will be hosting its annu-al Christmas Walk. The library will host Santa from 10 a.m. to noon. Kids will be able to have their pic-ture taken with Santa and do a craft. Library hours will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. that day.

LADD — The Ladd Pub-lic Library will be resuming preschool story times in December. Programs will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesdays in the children’s department. These pro-grams will feature a vari-ety of activities including stories, songs, crafts and much more. Come wel-come new storyteller, Anna Dempsey.

Friday, Dec. 5, the library will host a Christ-mas craft and story time from 10 a.m. to noon. Stop in and enjoy Christmas stories and make a craft to take home. Younger children should be accom-panied by an adult.

Saturday, Dec. 13, the

library will host an open house in conjunction with the Ladd Christmas Walk from 3 to 7 p.m. Storyteller Tricia Kelly will entertain with Christmas stories from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Those interested in the library book club may contact the library at 815-894-3254.

In order to make room for new selections, the librarians are working on a “weeding out” project and are adding selections to the book sale area. Patrons are encouraged to look through these selections.

BUDA — The Mason Memorial Public Library has added new books to its collection. Here is a list of just some of the new items: “The Mistletoe Promise” by Richard Paul Evans, “Private India: City of Fire” by James Patter-son and Ashwin Sanghi, “The Cinderella Murder” by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke, “The Escape” by David Balda-cci, “Revival” by Stephen King, “Gray Mountain” by John Grisham, “Peg-asus” by Danielle Steel, “Leaving Time” by Jodi Picoult, “Sidney Sheldon’s Chasing Tomorrow” by Sidney Sheldon and Tilly Bagshaw, “The Drop” by Dennis Lehane, “Burn, No. 7” by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge, “What I Remember Most” by Cathy Lamb, “The Fortune Hunter” by Daisy Goodwin, “Sweet Water” by Christina Baker Kline, “Private Down Under, No. 7” by James Patterson and Michael White and many more new books.

New DVDs at the library include: “Jersey Boys,” “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” “Maleficent,” “Planes Fire & Rescue,” “Mr. Pea-body & Sherman,” “X-men First Class,” “Transform-ers: Age of Extinction,” “The Fault in Our Stars,” “Divergent,” “X-men:

Days of Future Past,” and “Muppets Most Wanted.”

The library also has many Christmas movies for the upcoming season for patrons to borrow.

BUREAU — The Leep-ertown Township Public Library is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 2 to 6 p.m., Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The library has com-puters for patron usage, as well as copier, scanning and fax services.

Call 815-659-3283 for information. (The fax num-ber is the same as phone number).

LASALLE — The LaSalle Public Library will host a concert during the City of LaSalle’s Miracle on First Street celebration. Singer/songwriter/historian Barry Cloyd returns to the library at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6 with his musical/story performance, “A Celtic Christmas: A Holiday Celebration in Story and Song.” Along with some of the most beloved and well-known Christmas songs, Cloyd will give the audi-ence the “rest of the story” with the tales behind the songs. The program is made possible by the Alwin C. Carus Charitable Trust. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, call the library at 815-223-2341 or visit at 305 Marquette St.

HENNEPIN — Thursday,

Dec. 4, when the Henne-pin Library will host an art night for teens, highlight-ing the artwork of Jasper Johns, specifically, his painting titled, “Flag.” The fun begins at 6 p.m. After learning about the artist, participants will make a piece of art that symbolizes what each feels represents America, using the styles and techniques of Jasper Johns. For more informa-tion, call 815-925-7020.

After-school activities are held from 4 to 5 p.m. Activities are ideal for students in elementary school. For more informa-tion, call 815-925-7020.

Preschool story times are every Tuesday at 2 p.m. and Friday at 10:30 a.m. Join the library for stories, crafts, games and more. This program is ideal for children ages 3-5 years.

GRANVILLE — Join the library for stories and crafts. The preschool pro-gram is ideal for children ages 3, 4, and 5 years old. The more, the merrier – bring friends on Tuesday mornings at 10 a.m.

Join the library on Thursdays at 10 a.m. for 30 minutes of stories and songs. This program is ideal for little ones under 3 years of age. For more information, call 815-339-2038.

MCNABB — Children in elementary school are invited to the library

every Saturday morning at 10 a.m. at the McNabb Branch Library. November will be filled with proj-ects that include musical instruments, wacky sci-ence experiments and awesome art projects. Come join them.

Preschool story times are ideal for children ages 3, 4 and 5 years old, with adult participation. Enjoy stories and make a small craft to take home. The program is at 11 a.m. on each Saturday. For more information, call 815-882-2378.

MAGNOLIA — Magnolia Branch Library will have homework hour from 4 to 5 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday nights through-out the school year. Chil-dren have the opportunity to have their completed homework checked or help them understand homework in progress. The library provides materials and equipment for help with school homework and projects. For more information, call 815-869-3038.

CONDIT (PUTNAM) — Winter is in the air. Enjoy winter with seasonal books on a variety of topics — stop in at the Condit library. The Condit Branch Library is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays, from 2 to 6 p.m. Thursdays and from 9 a.m. to noon Sat-urdays. For more informa-tion, call 815-437-2811.

Clear it. Cancel your plans. Once you’ve got “Leaving Time” in your hands, you won’t want to do anything but spend time with this book.

Through the voices of four main characters, author Jodi Picoult gives readers the kind of novel they’ve come to expect, but with a twist: there’s some mystery in this book. We aren’t sure what happened to Alice, if she’s a killer, a victim, or something else. That keeps-you-guessing factor appears in every Picoult novel, but in this book,

it’ll make you page back to see how you didn’t catch the clues and to marvel at where you went in the meantime.

And I’m going to stop there. I can’t bear to ruin your enjoyment of unwrapping the layers in this excellent book. Just know that if you’ve got “Leaving Time,” you’ll

only want everyone to leave you alone to read.

Terri Schlichenmeyer is a book reviewer from West Salem, Wis. She may be contacted at bookworm-sez@yahoo.com.

Cliffnotes“Leaving Time” by

Jodi Picoult. 2014, Ballantine Books. $28/$30 Canada. 416 pages.

LeavingFrom Page 5

7 Sports

Call 815-643-2354 for more information or installation.

Don’t be leftin the dark!

Be prepared...Get a Winco generator!

Electric 815-643-2354HVAC 815-643-2631

Electrical Contractors Heating & A/C Contractor• Farm • Commercial • Residential • Industrial • Maintenance

Illinois Valley Scene Thursday, December 4, 2014 • 7

Name: A.J. GaetaSchool: Hall High

School.Date/place of birth:

Dec. 4, 1996; St. Marga-ret’s Hospital in Spring Valley.

Hometown: Spring Val-ley.

Family: Dayna, mom; Angel, dad; Ricky, broth-er; and Elena, sister.

Sports: Football, bas-ketball, baseball.

Favorite sport and why: Baseball because that’s the sport I have been playing the longest, and I love every aspect of the game.

Favorite food and where to get it: Pizza. Little Sici-ly’s in Spring Valley.

Likes: Sports, hanging with friends, exploring the outdoors, watching movies.

Dislikes: Reading, los-ing.

Person with the great-est influence on my athletic career (and why): My brother, Ricky, because I was always watching him play sports as I grew up.

Person with the great-est influence in my life (and why): My mother, Dayna, because she’s always been there for me and always supports me in everything I do.

The last song I listened to: “The Boys of Fall” by Kenny Chesney.

People would be sur-prised to know: I’m a quick person off of the field.

I stay home to watch:

“Dexter.”When I need luck for

a big game, I: Listen to motivational music.

The funniest person I’ve ever met (and why): Grant Garland because everything he does or says is hilarious.

What they’ll say about me at school after I grad-uate: I hope they would say I was a good stu-dent, a good leader and a good athlete.

Most embarrassing moment: Tripping over my own feet on the pitcher’s mound during my sophomore year.

Most unforgettable moment: Winning first home football playoff game since 2006.

Ultimate sports fantasy: Being drafted into the MLB.

What I would like to do in life: Graduate college with a major in account-ing and later start a fami-ly and raise my kids.

Three words that best describe myself: Outgo-ing, athletic, humble.

Senior spotlight • A.J. Gaeta

IVS photo/Kevin HieronymusA.J. Gaeta keeps busy year round at Hall, playing football, basketball and baseball. He says the person with the greatest influence on is athletic career is his brother, Ricky, because “I was always watching him play sports as I grew up.” The person with the greatest influence on his life, is his mother, Dayna, because “she’s always been there for me and always supports me in everything I do.”

Here’s a look at the upcoming area sports slate:

Thursday, Dec. 4Boys basketball: Junior

high — Princeton Logan at LaSalle Lincoln, 4:15 p.m., El Paso Gridley at PC, 5:30 p.m., Lostant at PCA, 6 p.m.

Girls basketball: Amboy at Princeton, Hall at BV, DePue at Roanoke-Benson, St. Bede at Newman, Midland at PC, 6 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 5Boys basketball: High

school — Hall at Bureau Val-ley, Princeton at Byron, PC at Depue, 6 p.m.

Wrestling: Morrison, Erie at Princeton, 5:30 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 6Boys basketball: BV,

Princeton, PC at Eastland Shootout, TBA; LaMoille-Ohio at Amboy Shootout, TBA.

Girls Basketball: Somonauk

at PC, 1 p.m.Monday, Dec. 8

Boys basketball: Junior High — PC at Marseilles, 5 p.m. Freshman — Marquette at PC, 6 p.m. High School — Hall vs. Chicago Alcott (Colmone Classic), 6:30 p.m.

Girls basketball: HIgh school - Princeton at St. Bede, Kewanee at BV, Hall at Amboy, LaMoille-Ohio at Somonauk, DePue at Henry, 6 p.m.

Wrestling: Mendota at Princeton, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 9Boys Basketball: Junior

high — Princeton Logan at Spring Valley JFK, 4:15 p.m. High school — ROWVA at St. Bede, Henry at LaM-oille-Ohio, Princeton at Rochelle, Paw Paw at DePue, 6 p.m. Colmone Classic: Hall JV vs. Mendota, 6:30 p.m., Hall vs. Stark County, 8 p.m.

Girls basketball: PC at Wethersfield, 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 10Boys basketball: High

school — BV at Annawan, 6 p.m. Colmone Classic: Hall JV vs. Longwood, 5 p.m.

Wrestling: Amboy and PC at Alleman, 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 11Boys basketball: Freshman

— Henry at PC, 6 p.m.Girls basketball: High

school — BV at Princeton, Hall at Ottawa, La Moille-Ohio at Hiawatha, St. Bede at Kewanee, Midland at DePue, PC at Henry, 6 p.m.

8 Sports

8 • Thursday, December 4, 2014 Illinois Valley Scene

BasketballColmone Classic

SPRING VALLEY — The Colmone Clas-sic starts up Monday, Dec. 8 at Hall High School, bringing eight teams to Red Devil Gymnasium.

The White Pool consists of Hall, Field-crest, Chicago Alcott and Stark County.

In the Red Pool will be Mendota, Mooseheart, Chicago Longwood and the Hall JV.

Hall is the defending champion, defeat-ing Mendota in last year’s title game 56-54.

The schedule for Monday, Dec 8 is: 5:00 - Mendota vs Chicago Longwood6:30 - Hall vs Chicago Alcott8:00 - Fieldcrest vs Stark CountyThe schedule for Tuesday, Dec 9 is: 5:00 - Mooseheart vs Longwood6:30 - Hall (JV) vs Mendota8:00 - Hall vs Stark CountyThe schedule for Wednesday, Dec 10 is:5:00 - Longwood vs Hall (JV)6:30 - Fieldcrest vs Alcott8:00 - Mendota vs MooseheartThe schedule for Friday, Dec 12 is:5:00 - Stark County vs Alcott6:30 - Hall (JV) vs Mooseheart8:00 - Hall vs FieldcrestThe schedule for Saturday, Dec 13 is:3:00 - 4th place White Pool vs 4th

place Red Pool4:30 - 3rd place White Pool vs 3rd

place Red Pool6:00 - 2nd place White Pool vs 2nd

place Red Pool7:30 - 1st place White Pool vs 1st

place Red Pool.

Running Rebels BasketballOTTAWA — Registration is now open

for the Running Rebels third annual Winter Boys Basketball League which starts in January. There will also be three competitive tournaments (Jan. 3, March 7, March 27).

Rebels events are open to feeder teams, school teams and travel teams. Teams from Aurora, Bloomington, Dav-enport, Ladd, Jacksonville, Joliet, LaSal-le-Peru, Lincolnway, Marseilles, Mendota, Morris, Naperville, Newark, Normal, Orland Park, Oswego, Ottawa, Pontiac, Princeton, Putnam County, Rockford, Sterling, Streator, Tinley Park, Winnebago and Yorkville have participated in Run-ning Rebels competitive events.

To register your team(s), visit http://www.runningrebelsbasketball.com/team-registration-form.html . Entry into one of our events will be confirm upon receipt of team entry fee. For more information, call Eric Rombach at 815-326-1527.

Met Youth basketballPRINCETON — The Princeton Park

District youth basketball league for Grades 1-6 runs Saturday mornings through Dec. 6. Emphasis will be on teamwork and sportsmanship. To sign up for both activities, call the Metro Center at 815-872-0840.

YMCA Youth basketballPERU — The Illinois Valley YMCA

Youth Basketball will be held Saturday mornings through Dec. 21. Practices will be held Thursday evenings. Players may sign up individually or as a team.

Cost is $30 for Y members and $40 for non-members. For more information, contact the Y at 815-223-7904, ext. 40, or by email at moorej55ymca@yahoo.com.

SoccerMet soccer league

PRINCETON — The Bureau County Metro Center will be the site for an indoor soccer league for all ages to run Tues-days and Thursdays, Dec. 2 through Jan. 29. To sign up, call the Metro Center at 815-872-0840.

YMCA soccer leaguePERU — The youth soccer league at

the Illinois Valley YMCA will be held Sun-day afternoons through Dec. 22. Players may sign up individually or as a team.

Cost is $40 for Y members and $50 for non-members. For more information, contact the Y at 815-223-7904 ext. 40 or by email at moorej55ymca@yahoo.com.

EtceteraSports of all sports

PRINCETON — Eleni Leigh, a former British soccer camp instructor, will teach children ages 3-8 on how to play a vari-ety of sports at the Bureau County Metro Center. The class will be held on Tues-days, Wednesday and Thursdays.

Swim lessonsPRINCETON — The Princeton Park

District will offer swim lessons for all ages and levels at the Bureau County Metro Center.

Weight trainingPRINCETON — Beginning adult weight

training is available at the Bureau County Metro Center. Call the Met at 815-872-0840 for more information.

Karate lessonsPRINCETON — The Princeton Park

District is offering karate lessons for all ages at the Bureau County Metro Center. Lessons will be taught on Mondays and Thursdays. Call the Met at 815-872-0840 for more information.

Photo contributed

Malden Tournament champsLaMoille Allen Grade School opened the boys basketball season by winning the annual Malden Tournament.