This year's Friday Night Fish Boil fundraiser for Hatchery Park will be held at Horse Fair Park on Friday, June 25. 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. (Serving until 8 p.m.) Three 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. View the flyer with more information.
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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. View the schedule of events. 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 or meet new ones!
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Summer Reading 2021 at Nippersink Library |
The 2021 Summer Reading virtual program will run from June 5 - July 24. Follow the Nippersink Library on Facebook or visit their website for more information. Weekly craft kits for kids are available throughout the summer, too. Located at 5418 Hill Road in Richmond. View the flyer.
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Solicitors in Spring Grove |
Solicitors need a permit to solicit in Spring Grove. If one comes to your door, please ask to see their permit, which should be dated for that day. If they don't have one, please contact the non-emergency dispatch number 815-338-2145 while the solicitors are still in your neighborhood. If possible, make a note of the make and model of their vehicle and license plate number. Solicitation hours are 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Monday - Saturday. "No Solicitors Invited" signs for your front door are available at the Municipal Centre located at 7401 Meyer Road.
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State expands business navigator program |
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Photo of the Week
A recent chilly morning photo of the Nippersink Creek shared by Paul Fionda. If you have a photo of Spring Grove you would like to share, email it here.
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LifeSpring Community Church Vacation Bible School |
It's VBS time! Come to Mystery Island to hunt for clues and uncover the truth about our amazing Creator God! Children kindergarten - those entering 5th grade. Runs June 21 - 25 from 9:00 a.m. to noon at LifeSpring Community Church, 2503 Spring Ridge Drive. Register for this free event on their website under events. Registration ends on June 17. Contact susan@lifespringefc.org with any questions.
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Orchard Bluff Neighborhood Garage Sale |
Orchard Bluff's neighborhood garage sale will be on Thursday, June 10 - June 12 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Sponsored by Peggy Raynor with Coldwell Banker Real Estate Group and her Assistant Ray Wojciechowski. Please contact them if you would like to participate, or if you have any real estate inquiries. They are also looking to help sponsor other Spring Grove neighborhood garage sales. Call Peggy at (224) 587-6666, or email her here, or Ray at 815-451-8881 or email him here
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2021 Summer Recreation Guide Brochure |
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Illinois is on track to go to Phase 5 of the Restore Illinois Plan - which means an end to all capacity restrictions - on June 11. If you want to keep your vacation plans local, check out Visit McHenry County's events calendar at for an outstanding list of activities for kids, families, and adults.
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Blast from the Past - Solicitors in the 1930s |
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Irene Pierce Borre around 1936 |
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Main Street looking east where Irene lived.
Her house was on the far right
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Alvina Freund Miller around 1915 |
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Farm location where Alvina Freund grew up |
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Gypsies were kind of like solicitors who traveled around rural areas in the 1930s. Alvina Freund Miller who jotted down little stories from her life, (including her story last week describing "the cavalry" moving through here on foot in uniform in the early 1900s), had a little memory about her grandparents farm, describing the big house, wooden sidewalks and the well with a pump where they got their water. She said there was a stack of straw and underneath they had a little hut built for the hogs. And strangely enough...this was also where her "grandma used to hide from the gypsies".
Gypsies traveled in covered wagons pulled by horses. They'd park to feed the horses, eat along the road and camp. Sometimes they would come up to people's houses to get something to eat, and the women might offer to tell fortunes or try to sell jewelry or baskets. The men would trade horses and mules.
Irene Pierce Borre, who lived at 1911 Main Street in the early 1930s, also had memories of gypsies. She said her mother was very afraid that they would try to steal little Irene and when they would come around she would order her to hide behind the curtains in the living room. Irene would be shaking behind that curtain as she tried to peek outside to see them. Parents heard stories of gypsies stealing children and thought it was a real threat.
In May of 1931, the McHenry Plaindealer published an account of gypsies that were camping near Johnsburg and how they were ordered away. In October of the same year, the people of Harvard said gypsies passed through their town but made "no attempt to fleece local residents." In Marengo, they did get away with $31 taken from Ella Daily. Ella was a bookkeeper in an office who was counting the days receipts when two women entered and "one of the gypsies grabbed a handful [of the cash], saying she wanted to tell [Ella] her fortune." Although she thought she got all the money back, after their departure, she recounted the money and found some missing.
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