I just watched in amazement as young people, old people, middle aged people, bankers, realty agents, engineers, retired teachers, current teachers and construction workers all came together for one purpose last week– to build Kids Ground.
Bless those construction crews. They knew how to do the technical work of assembling a massive playground while people like me were more than willing to follow their directions, or move mulch, or concrete or pick up debris.
And I can’t ignore the high schoolers who worked like crazy hauling mulch by the wheelbarrow and spreading it throughout the playground. They never stopped, never complained.
I don’t remember who looked at me and said, “If anyone ever says to me Rochelle people don’t care, I’ll punch them in the nose.”
I was a teacher when the original Kids Ground was built.  I imagine some of the students who helped wash tires and bolt things together then were out there again last week as adults.
For some people, it meant giving up their day jobs to do this, which would cost them income.  

I could go on and on, because it was that impressive but I won’t, except to say thank you to everyone who helped, in any way.
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Is that a bad road repair on IL Route 38 by the hotels or a speed bump?  It seems every time I am sitting at a red light on IL Route 38 at Dement Road, I see a huge truck roll through a red light as they make a right turn onto 38. Sometimes it is a slow roll, but one the other day was moving pretty quickly. It’s a matter of time folks befor there is an accident, so be careful out there.
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I enjoy the murals being installed around town. I know I am not the only one who wonders about the next subjects. Recently, reader Sandy suggested Joan Allen as a mural topic, or even Jeptha Noe or Lloyd Chauncey Ingraham. Wait, who is he? Well, he was Joan Allen before Joan Allen.
 Ingraham was born in Rochelle in 1874 and became a movie star, appearing in more than 280 films and directing 100 more.  Many of them were silent films, but he was on the ground floor of the movie industry.

So, who would you like to see as a face on the town? Drop me a line and let me know.
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No complaining about the heat… we asked for it. If you need to cool down, take a dip in Spring Lake Pool.

Terry Dickow is a retired elementary school teacher with lots of opinions, some you will like, some you won’t. He can be contacted at terrydickow@gmail.com.