Please join us on Memorial Day, Monday, May 31, to honor and remember those who died while serving in our Armed Forces. The ceremony starts at 9:00 a.m. at Horse Fair Park, located at 8105 Blivin. Afterwards, come to the pavilion for free coffee and donuts donated by the Spring Grove Fire District, and a chance to chat with your friends and neighbors!
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ComEd Payment Assistance Program & More |
ComEd is offering payment assistance programs that may help customers with past-due balances now and energy-saving tools that can lower bills in the future. These options include LED bulb distribution, Energy Savings Kits, Home Energy Upgrades and Home Energy Assessment. For full details, click here. |
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Nature's Feed Charity Bake Sale & Garage Sale |
Nature’s Feed will be hosting a Charity Garage Sale and Bake Sale to help raise funds for Stardust Animal Sanctuary in Richmond. In-person donations of $5.00 or more will receive the option of a bag of free pet food or a gift card from a local business who have graciously donated to this cause. Stardust is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is a refuge, rehabilitation center, and retreat for at-risk animals with urgent medical and emotional needs. Nature's Feed is thankful to be in such a giving community, especially in times of need and appreciate your support! The multi-day event will be held at 2440 Highview Street on May 20 & 21 from 9:00 - 4:00 p.m. and May 22 from 9:00 - 3:00 p.m.
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2021 Summer Recreation Guide Brochure |
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Mark Your Calendars for the Friday Night Fish Boil |
This year's Friday Night Fish Boil fundraiser for Hatchery Park is at Horse Fair Park on June 25, starting at 5 p.m. Serving all-you-can-eat Boiled Cod, BBQ Chicken & Ribs, red potatoes & onions, bread, coleslaw & dessert prepared by Fitzgerald's of Genoa City. Kid's meals available, too. Silent Auctions and live music by the Judson Brown Band from 6:30 - 9:30 PM. All proceeds go to the upkeep and beautification of Hatchery Park.
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Photo of the Week
Nick Petska snapped this picture of his dog Knox checking out the first calf of the season, a 72-lb
little girl from a first time mother at Thread & Gage Co. Farm on Richardson Rd. If you have a photo of Spring Grove you would like to share, email it here.
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Recycling Event this Weekend & the 2021 Green Guide |
McHenry County residents can bring their old documents, clean Styrofoam, textiles, light bulbs and electronic recyclables to McHenry County College, 8900 Route 14 in Crystal Lake, this Saturday, May 22, from 9:00 a.m. to noon. View more information on this event here. The 2021 Green Guide will answer all your questions about hard-to-recycle items and reducing single-use plastics.
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RB Helmet Club Golf Outing |
The RB Helmet Club is holding a Golf Outing and Dinner/Fundraiser in support of the Richmond Burton Rockets Football Team on Friday, June 25 at the Fox Lake Country Club. View and download the registration with more information here and the Sponsorship Donation Form here!
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Summer is hair at Salon Jevee! Call today to book with your stylist. Salon Jevee also has a chair rental available. Call Renee at 815-675-600 for details. Located at 2207 Route 12 in the Spruce Point Mall. View the flyer here.
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2021 Cheerleading Registration |
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The CDC has endorsed the safety and effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for 12 -15 year-olds and recommends this vaccine for them.
Primary care physicians can now administer COVID-19 vaccines directly to their patients. The MCDH is now accepting walk-in appointments
The Illinois Department of Health has FAQs regarding COVID-19 vaccinations. View information about getting tested here. View more information here.
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The CDC recently announced those who are fully vaccinated can resume activities done prior to the pandemic. Illinois will follow the CDC guidance that fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, although some restrictions will still apply during travel, including use of public transit. Governor Pritzker said last Thursday he will revise executive orders in line with those CDC guidelines.
Illinois has moved into the Bridge Phase (transition period between Phases 4 and 5 of the Restore Illinois Plan) and the state could move into Phase 5 (Illinois Restored) as early as Friday, June 11. This could change if a resurgence of the virus occurs.
If you have health questions, call the COVID-19 hotline at 800-889-3931 or email questions here.
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Blast from the Past - Christina Freund and Fordyce Hanford |
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Fordyce Hanford in WWI uniform |
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Christina (center) and her parents and siblings.
Alvina is at bottom right.
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Milk can found recently that has tag which says Ford G. Hanford Spring Grove, ILL |
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Headstone for Christina, Ford and their baby in St. Peter Cemetery |
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Last week we learned about Elizabeth Mayer (Meyer) and her marriages to the Schmitt brothers. She had ten sisters and two brothers. One of sisters was Margaret, who married William N. Freund in 1896 and had seven children, including Christina. Their farm is still standing on Route 12 across from Nottingham Woods. Christina Freund was born in1901 and grew up on the farm there.
Fordyce Goram "Ford" Hanford was born in Lansing, MI in 1898. His mother died in 1906 when he was 8 years old. He ran away from home when he was 16, as his stepmother was a "tough" woman. His sister Lois worked for the Freunds and he found a job at the Shotliff farm in Spring Grove.
Ford served in the army in WWI and left New York on November 2, 1918 on the Aquitania, a British ocean liner which was taken over for military use. He was part of the 81st Field Artillery Regiment which was originally constituted as a Cavalry unit. The main method of transportation of supplies at the start of the war was still by horse. The war ended 9 days later on November 11, 1918, but it took two years to get all the troops home. He and Christina were married in 1921.
They first moved in with Christina's grandparents on a farm where the main highway from Wisconsin to Chicago came by. Christina's sister Alvina shared this story from that time: "The army would move from Wisconsin to Fort Sheridan in Illinois and they would come by the farm in covered wagons and a lot of horses and mules and hundreds of men walking in their uniforms. I think they called it the Calvary. We kids really thought it was great. Peb (Ford) was in an outfit like that during WWI."
The Handfords had a dairy farm on Route 12 which went all the way from Meyer Road to Spring Grove Road and halfway up the hill to Sunset Road, where the milk can, shown above, was unearthed. They had five children, but life wasn't without hardships, as their 5th child, Alan, only lived for eight days in 1937. Ford was a very handy friend to have with his mechanical skills and fine tools. He was also big Cubs fan. They had ten grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. Ford died in 1983 and Christina lived until 1987.
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