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January 11, 2023

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Dear Village Resident,


The Village of Spring Grove believes local events help define our community, but in order to make these community events successful and continue to happen, we are in need of volunteers who have an hour to two to give.

 

How can you participate? Sign up to volunteer at one or more of the below 2023 community events. Email us here and let us know which event you are interested in and a time you are available to volunteer. We will then email you with those tasks that are still in need of being filled.

 

Volunteers are needed to sell tickets, park cars, set up and take down, monitor and keep the grounds clean, beverage service, monitor games or silent auction tables, and register vendors, just to name a few.

 

  1. Kick Off to Summer – June 2 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
  2. Fish Boil – June 23 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
  3. 4th of July Celebration – July 3 and 4
  4. Craft Beer Festival - August 5 2:00 - 7:00pm
  5. Oktoberfest – September 30 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm
  6. Trunk or Treat – October 28 2:00 – 4:00 pm
  7. Tree Lighting Ceremony – December 2


Our fun committees, the Community Engagement Committee and Recreation Department are always looking for volunteers, please email us if you are interested! We can’t wait to hear from you!

Tree Trimming


The Village of Spring Grove Public Works will be out on Winn Road this week trimming trees in the Village's Right of Way to improve line of sight. Please slow down and be cautious when you see them on the roads.

Snapology Winter Wonderland Workshop


Let’s build all things winter! Join Snapology on MLK Jr Day, Monday, January 16th at the Spring Grove Village Hall located at 7401 Meyer Road from 9:30-11:30am for a morning of socializing and creativity with LEGO® for kids ages 5-11. We'll also make a fun project to take home.

Grab a friend and sign up today here! Questions? Contact mchenry@snapology.com

Join the Venturing Crew!


Spring Grove Venturing Crew 340 is looking for youths to join the adventure of Venturing. Venturing is a branch of the Boy Scouts of America for both male and female youths ages 14 -21. Venturing is modeled around 4 pillars - Adventure, Leadership, Personal Growth and Service. It is a flexible program to deliver fun, peer engagement and create opportunity for leadership and service. Adventures Crew 340 has experienced backpacking in the New Mexico mountains, canoeing in the Minnesota Boundary Waters, camping, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, shooting sports, and many more activities. There will be an informational and registration meeting on Sunday, Jan. 8 at 7:00 pm at the Community Church of Richmond, 5714 Broadway Rd, Richmond, IL. If you have a son or daughter who is 14 or older or know someone that might be interested in this program, please come to the meeting and hear about the activities the Crew is planning! For more information, please contact Ken Wisniewski - sgcrew340@gmail.com

Paint and Sip at Magic Moon


Sign up for the January Paint and Sip event at Magic Moon's Gaming & Wine Bar on Sunday, January 22nd from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Enjoy a creative afternoon out with this beginner level painting class that is customizable. Fee includes all painting supplies. Paint safe clothes are recommended. Sign up here, Magic Moon is located at 2020 Route 12.

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Community Food Pantry


The Community Food Pantry of Richmond/Spring Grove sends a sincere thank you to all who made donations this past year. Your generosity and support enabled them to assist many families in the area throughout the year. Donations are accepted at the Village Municipal Centre in the foyer.

Photo of the Week

Enjoy this winter photo of Hatchery Park from 2016 taken by Pamela Eisele. If you have a photo you would like to share email it here.

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House Cleaning


Need help cleaning around the house? Contact Integrity Cleaning Service, see the flyer here.

WAG Health Clinic for Dogs


WAG Agility Center, located at 2807 Route 12, is offering a Dog Health Clinic on March 5, 2023 from 9:00 a.m. tp 2:00 p.m. Registration and payment must be received by February 24, 2023. For more information visit their website.


Police Department Press Release


For information on the holiday traffic enforcement campaign, click here.



Rec Basketball Skills and Drills


Skills and drills is an opportunity for 6, 7 and 8th graders to work on their basketball skills. Beginning Friday, January 13th through March, the evening will mostly consist of pick up games with some skill building instruction. View the flyer here, you can pay online at this link or come into the Village Hall located at 7401 Meyer Road.



Adult Basketball

Come enjoy a Sunday evening scrimmaging other local adults at the Spring Grove Elementary Gymnasium. Get a good workout in and have lots of fun. Attendance is not mandatory every Sunday. View the registration form here, you can pay online at this link or come into the Village Hall located at 7401 Meyer Road.

Recycle Christmas Lights


If your lights have lost their twinkle, don't throw them away - recycle them at the Municipal Centre! Located at 7401 Meyer Road, Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Click here to see which kinds of lights and cords are accepted.

Blast from the Past - Clarence & Elmer Orvis

Clarence and Mabelle Orvis 1906

E.V. Orvis in 1904

Ella Ahart in 1904

 

Willard “Skunk” Orvis, who we met last week, may have enjoyed his life just fine…or maybe he felt some sibling inadequacy because of the success of his younger brothers. Today, we touch on the lives of two of those brothers: Charles Clarence and Elmer Victor.

 

Charles Clarence, who went by Clarence in this vicinity, was one year younger than Skunk. Born in 1869, he married his first cousin, Flora Mabelle Sanborn, who went by Mabelle, at Geneva Lake in Wisconsin in 1896. Clarence’s mother, Levina Sanborn Orvis, was the sister of Mabelle’s father, John Winthrop Sanborn.

 

Clarence studied law and the couple soon moved to Iowa where he became a city attorney in Oskaloosa. In Iowa, he went by Charles C. When their first child, a daughter, was born in 1901, they sentimentally named her Geneva Lake Orvis. And surprisingly, their son, born four years later was named John Winthrop Sanborn Orvis. This was a surprise as Charles’ father-in-law, John Winthrop Sanborn, hated his father, Sam Orvis, and feelings were mutual…

 

Soon, another son was born, Charles Campbell, on April 8, 1908. Two years later, when he was playing around the supper table, he pulled over a tea urn filled with scalding fluid, burning himself around the head and neck. Shockingly, he died the next day. At the time, four-year-old John Winthrop, was seriously ill with typhoid fever and was not expected to live. And on top of that, Mabelle was four months pregnant with their future son, Robert Walker Orvis. Fortunately, John Winthrop survived his illness, although he only lived until age 35. Geneva and Robert both lived long lives. Charles died in 1933 at age 64 and was buried in Oskaloosa with Mabelle who died in 1942 at age 69.

 

Brother Elmer V. (E.V.) Orvis, born in 1874, was a veteran of the Spanish-American war in the Philippine Islands and traveled the world. He was a graduate of Iowa State University and became a Waukegan city attorney, a city Commissioner and the Sergeant Commander of Battery C, an artillery organization in Waukegan. A half page article in the Chicago Tribune written about him in 1904 described him as the most enthusiastic member of Battery C who wanted the organization to be “top notch in drill, accouterment, and military behavior.” To be ready for active duty, he felt there was no room for any entertainment or “serious regard for woman”. He eschewed the men to quit getting engaged and married! They promised dutifully to obey, but their promises came to naught.  And soon afterward, the drilling lawyer-sergeant fell for cupid’s arrow himself and fell in love with his secretary, Ella Ahart. He knew how his battery would react after his lectures on the affairs of love, so instead of publicly announcing his engagement and wedding, one night he and Ella were quietly married, and left for parts unknown on an extended wedding trip.

 

They had a happy life in Waukegan where they raised two daughters. He was popular among the militiamen as well as all who knew him. He died at the age of 63 at the Veterans hospital in North Chicago after an illness of about three years. He and Ella, who died in 1965, are buried in Northshore Garden of Memories in North Chicago.

 

Next week, one more Orvis sibling to learn about – Frank Orvis, editor of the Spring Grove Journal. 


Story by Laura Frumet

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