Your Resource for Life Volume 3 Issue 3 - Resource Bank

vol. 3, ISSUE 3
NOCTURNE
PRODUCTIONS
A global company with a local legacy
TEE JAY SERVICES
Take a peek inside their doors
Marilyn Donoho
An artist who “seams” at home in Lee
• • • D e K a l b C o u n t y ’ s F i r s t B u s i n e s s t o B u s i n e s s M a g a z i n e • • •

CONTENTS
XX
INTRODUCING...
26 Farm Boy Services
SEASON’S FEATURE
Farm Boy Services is a key partner in Resource Bank’s
Extreme Green Landscape Makeover
2

Autumn 2009
CONTENTS
6
14
10
5 Reverend Leroy
THEN & NOW
What I wanted to be when I grew up...
6 Tee Jay Services
FEATURE
Customer service is their key to automatic success
10 Marilyn Donoho
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Dressmaker to the world
14 Nocturne Productions
SUCCESS
Rock and roll is here to stay in DeKalb County
4 President’s Desk
20 Achievement
4-H
24 Community
Andi Andree
26 Season’s Feature
Farm Boy Services
27 Event Calendar
28 Fall Color
24
5 5 5 B e t h a n y R o a d
D e K a l b , I L 6 0 1 1 5
• • •
D e K a l b C o u n t y ’ s F i r s t
B u s i n e s s t o B u s i n e s s M a g a z i n E
• • •
© 2009 Resource Bank
3

From the Desk of the President
Dear Friends,
One look at our cover and you might recognize a local company that
lights the way to the stars. We’re pleased to feature Nocturne, an
innovative, cutting edge provider of show stopping eye candy to the
likes of Paul McCartney, KISS, Tina Turner, and Tim McGraw, just to
drop a few names.
For many of our friends featured in this issue it’s been a long and
winding road to their present calling. Please enjoy our talk with
Reverend Leroy Mitchell, whose life mission has blessed so many. And
meet Andi Andree, a gifted and giving teacher in the Sycamore schools.
We have also brought you a view of the DeKalb County 4-H clubs as
they continue to create opportunity for students of all ages; to expand
their talents and interests. Marilyn Donoho is our unusual artist, who
got her start as a 4-H’er more than fifty years ago.
As these mentors have opened the eyes to new possibilities for so many,
we present Tee Jay Services, who continue to engineer and service
automatic doors, which open all day, every day, for people throughout
the Chicagoland area.
We have some exciting news…
speaking of opening doors.
New doors are planned for our
Malta Branch as we develop
the corner of North Second
Street and Route 38 in Malta.
Not only will our handsome new facility offer you a more convenient
location, it will also include a 24 hour ATM and multiple drive-up lanes.
We look forward to serving you there in the coming months.
We’d love to see you on these pages. If you have an interest in sharing
your story with our community, please feel free to contact us.
Finally, we hope you find our magazine interesting, informative, and
most of all, fun. Enjoy!
4

The Reverend Leroy Mitchell
It seems impossible to write an
account of the interview with the
Reverend Leroy Mitchell without
diminishing the experience.
Listening to him, you cannot
help but be caught up in his
rich ministerial voice, which so
readily communicates gentleness,
kindness, and affection for other
people. That voice is the perfect
vehicle for his personal story--a
story that leads you to wonder not
only what Leroy Mitchell wanted
to be when he grew up, but to
consider how remarkable it was
that he grew up at all.
Words and laughter mingle as
Mitchell recounts the story of
sharing a two-bedroom cold-water
flat in White Plains, New York
with his adoptive parents, the two children born to
them, and eleven other foster children. “We had one
bathroom for all these kids,” he remembers. “Even
so, my father didn’t believe in being late for anything.
Here we have two bathrooms, and we’re late for every
blessed thing. I always say my father wouldn’t stay
with us. He’d move, because he couldn’t stand to
be late.”
Like thousands of other African-Americans,
Mitchell’s parents had moved north from the
southern states in search of a better life. Though
neither of them had more than a third-grade
education, they saw it as their calling to provide a
family for children who had none. His father worked
as a handyman, and his mother worked as a maid.
“They took in all of these children on faith,” Mitchell
says. “They believed that somehow they would be
able to provide, and they did. In fact, it wasn‘t until
I took a sociology class in college that I realized we
were really poor.”
The church was a central part of the family’s life, but
so was school. It was in the classroom that Mitchell’s
first ambition took root. “Even as a second- and
third-grader I saw teaching as something I wanted
to do.” Mitchell credits the great teachers he had
during this period for his desire to teach one day, but
he confesses that he wasn’t always a model student.
He recalls that his mother had to take him in hand
once when, in a surprise visit to his classroom, she
caught him standing on his desk. “If you wanted
‘instant death’ in our family, you
acted the fool in school.”
Mitchell says that this was the last
time he ever misbehaved in school,
but he does confess to having had
a wilder side in college. “I knew I
was called to the ministry when I
was only eighteen, but I ran from
God for a long time. I drank. I
partied. I figured if I acted crazy
enough, God would leave me alone.
Of course, he didn‘t.”
Mitchell went on to receive several
advanced degrees, including a
Doctor of Ministry, and at one
point, for a year, he did teach
middle school. “I have to say that
a year of teaching was enough for
me to discover that it wasn’t for
me. But I respected what teachers do even more
after that experience.”
Fortunately, Mitchell’s turn from teaching in the
classroom led ultimately to his career at Northern
Illinois University as director of the CHANCE
program, a position from which he recently retired
after twenty-eight years. CHANCE provides the
opportunity each year for 500 students from the
worst performing high schools in the state to attend
college at NIU. “These are schools with the lowest
average ACT test scores,” notes Mitchell. “Other
universities simply don’t recruit from these schools.
But NIU has shown an extraordinary commitment
to these students. Where you are born and the
quality of the school system available to you are
accidents of birth, and they shouldn’t determine the
course of your entire life.”
Mitchell is now a full-time pastor at New Hope
Baptist Church in DeKalb, where he and his wife,
Drue, have raised four children, three of them
adopted. They have also cared for over fifty foster
children. Reverend Mitchell is clearly carrying on
the legacy of caring for others that he inherited from
his parents.
As for the future, he plans to retire from preaching
in a couple of years and perhaps write a book about
his parents. “Maybe I’ll quit talking about it some
day and write their story.” Write the book Reverend
Mitchell, but please, don’t quit talking.
5

FEATURE
Tee Jay Service Company:
Doors to
Success
Perhaps no part of a building is more taken for granted than
the door. A window welcomes in sunlight and the summer
breeze; a wall may even become a canvas for great art.
But a door merely covers an opening, right Wrong! Where
others see an opening, Brian Smith, Tom Safran, and Scott
Pierce, owners and executive management team of Tee
Jay Service Company, see an opportunity.
Tee Jay Service Company, an automatic pedestrian-door
equipment and service business based in Batavia, has the
close-knit atmosphere of a family business, although Brian,
Tom, and Scott are not related by blood. What binds them
is an intense devotion to the historic business philosophy of
Tee Jay: relentless focus on their customers and loyalty to their
employees. Each understands and is totally committed to
these core values of the 45-year-old company.
Tee Jay President, Brian Smith, is a grandson of the company’s
founder, Horton A. Smith, who started a simple door service
business with his brother, Thomas Judson (Tee Jay) Smith,
in 1964. Thomas left the company after a few years, but
Horton saw new doors opening for the enterprise. I n 1978
he entered into a distributorship agreement with Horton (no
relation) Automatics, inventor of the automatic sliding door
and manufacturer of a full line of state-of-the-art automated
doors. Today, Tee Jay is the nation’s top distributor of
Horton doors, earning Horton’s first and only Eagle Award for
achieving three-million dollars in sales in 2008.
Horton Smith retired in 1986, leaving Tee Jay in the hands of
his sons, Russell and Leland, and a third partner, longtime
employee Alan Henningsen. Russell, Brian Smith’s father,
was the driving force behind Tee Jay’s growth over the next
several years. His innovations in computer systems, drafting,
and coordination of service with their supplier are still the
foundation of Tee Jay’s operations and company philosophy.
6
Alan Henningsen’s story is perhaps as revealing as any with
respect to the values that have made Tee Jay Service
a success. He was in the insurance business when he
made a sales call at Tee Jay. Day after day, he waited
outside Horton Smith’s office, determined to talk with
the company president. Horton was so impressed with
Henningsen’s persistence that he eventually offered him a

job, recognizing in him qualities that Tee Jay still values and
rewards in all of its 48 employees.
The Smith family seems to have always understood that
employees are a service company’s greatest asset.
Today, Tee Jay’s stable, loyal workforce is a hallmark of
the company, one that pays big dividends in customer
satisfaction. “Over the years, I can count maybe a handful
of employees who have left us voluntarily. Our current
workers represent over 300 years of experience.” A lot
of those workers live “west of 47”: “We find very good
employees in DeKalb County. Those farm guys can rip
a door out pretty quickly,” says Brian with a smile. Brian
is himself a native of DeKalb County and today lives in
Big Rock. He says, “I think Dave Maroo (Resource Bank
commercial advisor) actually made my dad his first home
loan. Dave and Tee Jay go back to the 1980s.”
FEATURE
Left to right: Tom, Scott, and Brian
In 2003, the third generation of Smiths was ready to take the
reins of the company, and like Grandfather Horton, Brian
chose to partner with longtime employees. Brian describes
their relationship as “tag-team management.” Thomas
Safran, executive vice president for sales, brings 25 years
of expertise in the automatic door industry to the contract
sales division, the heart of Tee Jay’s business, accounting
for 60-70% of sales. Tom has been with Tee Jay since 1998.
Scott Pierce, executive vice president for operations and a
graduate of Northern Illinois University, was recruited to Tee
Jay in 1992. Over the years, Scott has had responsibilities
in nearly all departments of the business, from sales and
estimating to scheduling and supervising installations. Now
he oversees all production operations.
Tee Jay’s primary product supplier, Horton Automatics,
is a division of Overhead Door Corporation. Automatic
pedestrian doors were introduced in the 1950s, using
simple hydraulic systems to open and close otherwise
conventional swing doors. Then in 1960, Dee Horton
and Lew Hewitt devised a major design innovation—the
automatic sliding door. They had seen how the automatic
swing doors in use along the Gulf Coast of Texas sometimes
failed in the high winds that often hit the area. Automatic
sliding doors, on the other hand, could withstand even
hurricane winds much better than any swing door, and the
rest, as they say, is history. By the middle of the decade,
other entrepreneurs, like Horton and Tom Smith, recognized
We do
the jobs
others won’t touch
7

page
FEATURE
tab
The success
of our work
is in how little you notice it.
the business potential in maintaining and repairing these
new “high-tech” doors.
Nowhere is the value-added potential of automatic doors
more apparent than in the health care industry.
Tee Jay Service Company installs and services all types of
pedestrian doors, including large-diameter revolving doors,
automatic swing doors, and even non-automatic doors, but
their niche specialty is custom automatic applications. “We
do jobs others won’t touch,” Tom says. Tee Jay can take on
those challenges with confidence because of a business
model unique in their industry. Scott explains, “If we get an
engineering problem, we work it out as a team, let people’s
skills and creativity work for the benefit of the project. Our
sales people may bring in an idea or a customer may have
an idea, and we’ll engineer it up.” You never hear “that’s not
my department” at Tee Jay.
The business model of Tee Jay works because it is grounded
in accountability and responsiveness. Tee Jay outsources
nothing. Drafting, shop prep and parts, billing and
purchasing, and customer service, are all in-house.
Because the service call stays local, something their
competitors cannot claim, Tee Jay builds enduring
relationships with customers. Tom sums it up: “We’re local.
We’re accountable. Our word is our bond.” These are
statements that Horton Smith could easily have made 40
years ago as well. What has changed for Tee Jay over the
decades is technology and volume.
The Tee Jay sales and service region encompasses all of
northern Illinois, from the Wisconsin border south to I-80.
They complete 700 new installation projects per year, but
that figure doesn’t include the 300 service calls Tee Jay
logs every month. “We are, by far, the largest automatic
pedestrian door distributor in the Chicagoland area and one
of the premier distributors in the entire country,” Tom states
matter-of-factly. But he’s perfectly clear about why: “We
take care of our customer. We try to instill in our employees
that a custom challenge is not a problem but an opportunity
to assist our clients. It’s fun to come up with a highly custom
application that works.”
Tee Jay earned Horton Automatics
first and only $3 million Eagle Award
for orders in 2008.
And some custom applications are more unique than others.
In 2003, Tee Jay automated the doors in the Great Ape
House at Lincoln Park Zoo. These specially designed doors
8

are 2 inches of glass engineered to withstand extraordinary
use—an understatement, to say the least. Tee Jay was
called in to design and install the automation required to
move these doors safely for both animals and zookeepers.
“The apes were not in the enclosure during installation, but
the maintenance visits are pretty interesting,” Brian jokes.
“We have to give the apes lots of notice that we’re coming.”
page
FEAURE
tab
A door reflects something of what or who is behind it.
Other custom application challenges include historic
preservation projects. Chicago’s world-famous architecture
poses some special problems in the 21st century. For
example, the Americans with Disabilities Act requires
accessibility to public buildings, which automatic doors easily
provide, but historic and avant-garde façades cannot be
marred by exposed mechanicals. Tee Jay’s answer is a
specially designed below-the-floor operator, a solution no
other company in the area can offer. You can “see” this
invisible innovation in action on Mies van der Rohr buildings
at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Other demanding
applications involve extremely high-volume locations, such
as the seven Oases along the Illinois Tollway System.
Tee Jay has installed literally tens of thousands of Horton
doors in northern Illinois, but ironically the success of their
work is in how little you notice it.
Door users depend on the fact that the door they are
approaching will do what it is supposed to do, effortlessly
and safely. We all know the convenience of the automatic
door in retail contexts, where users often have their hands
full. But nowhere is the value-added potential of automatic
doors more apparent than in the health care industry. Tee
Jay’s greatest growth area is in nursing homes, hospitals,
and laboratories. In these applications, the automatic door
not only represents greater accessibility, but because no
one ever touches the door, the door itself plays a role in
suppressing communicable diseases like the flu.
Doors also must provide a level of security in the 21 st century
that was unheard of when the automatic door industry was
born. The engineering challenge today is that an effective
door must keep out a variety of threats at the same time
that it allows people in the building to get out safely in case
of emergency. To meet these circumstances, Tee Jay offers
custom designs that include pneumatic panic exits and
even explosion-proof pneumatic operators. But safety is not
found only in technology. Every Tee Jay employee—from
receptionist to the most experienced technician—is certified
in automatic door safety by the American Association of
Automatic Door Manufacturers. The AAADM estimates that
automatic doors open and close 50 billion times a year in the
United States, and Tee Jay Service Company works hard to
see that every Horton door does so safely and reliably.
Doors are useful and keep us safe, but they are also a
powerful metaphor of opportunity and welcome. As a first
impression, a door reflects something of what or who is behind
it. At Tee Jay Service Company headquarters, visitors are
greeted at the door by employees who are valued by the
company and take pride in the business. The conference
room is lined with photo montages of employees and their
families at office parties over the years, but the hundreds of
snapshots have the look of family reunions more than office
parties. In that sense, Tee Jay Service Company is a thriving
family business in every sense of the term.
9

ARTIST
Marilyn
Donoho
d r e s s m a k e r
10
arilyn Donoho’s
Mpersonality is as
far removed from
The Devil Wears
Prada types we
associate with Haute Couture
as is the small town of Lee,
Illinois from Paris, France.
Confident, enthusiastic, and
happy in her work, she seems
the opposite of the stereotype of
the tightly wound fashion diva.
Nevertheless, the dresses, prom
gowns and other garments she
creates in the basement of her
home on the western edge of
DeKalb County would fit in on
any European runway.
A farm girl who first learned to
sew at the knees of her mother
and grandmother, Marilyn has
been working as a professional
dressmaker for forty-six years.
In that time, she has designed
and produced dresses for
thousands of brides, bridesmaids,
and prom attendees. She has
sewn made-to-order masterpieces
for clients all over the United
States, as well as clients in
such places as Israel, Belgium,
Singapore, and the Virgin
Islands. Often, she is flown to
these locations at the client’s
expense to perform a final fitting.
Marilyn was an eleven-year
veteran of 4H programs and
competitions by the time she
entered the University of Illinois
in the early sixties. It was
during college that Marilyn’s
designs began to attract national
attention. She entered and won
the prestigious Make it Yourself
with Wool competition at the
state level and then went on
to place third in the national
competition in Salt Lake City.
She also won the National 4H
Clothing Award.
However, it may have been the
confidence shown by someone
closer to home that set the
pattern for Marilyn’s future. Her
college roommate asked Marilyn
if she would make her wedding
dress. “That’s how I got started
in weddings,” says Marilyn.
Today, wedding gowns are at
the core of Marilyn’s business.
But this wasn’t always the
case. Carroll, her husband of
forty-six years, says that he
asked Marilyn early on in their
relationship what direction she
Above: A prom gown finished with tiny Austrian crystal beads and another gown designed for a medieval theme wedding.

ARTIST
Marilyn’s niece in her wedding gown.
Photo Credit: William Dixon
11

ARTIST
wanted to take with her work. At the time, she
was probably doing as much altering and fitting of
garments brought in to her by clients as she was
designing and sewing originals.
aspect of design and fabrication. “It’s hard to find
someone that can meet my standards,” Marilyn
admits. “I decided a long time ago that I’d only do
as much as I could do by myself.”
Marilyn told Carroll that wedding gowns gave her
the greatest sense of fulfillment, and he encouraged
her to develop that
niche as her specialty.
Since then, she has
focused on this market,
now, doing as many as
forty weddings a year,
which include not only
wedding gowns but
also the bridesmaids’
dresses and even,
at times, the clothes
worn by the groom
and his attendants.
Marilyn says weddings
make up about eighty
percent of her business.
Amazingly, she spends
nothing on marketing.
“All of our business
comes strictly from
word of mouth.”
“What I’m finding out,”
she says, “is that people
want very specific
things, but they can’t
purchase them. As
a result, I get a lot of
unusual requests.”
In addition to more
traditional wedding and
prom gowns, Marilyn
has created medieval
clothing for an entire
wedding party, a
miniskirt with a train for a wedding in Hawaii,
uniforms for Civil War reenactments, a period
Victorian cloak for a carriage driver, and numerous
other specialty pieces that simply can’t be bought
off the rack. Marilyn even sewed kilts for all the
men in her daughter’s wedding party.
Marilyn’s daughter, a teacher who works full time
with hearing-impaired students, occasionally
helps Marilyn with bead work, a tedious, precise,
and time-consuming element of some wedding
and prom gowns. Apart from this help from
her daughter, Marilyn personally handles every
Marilyn fits Christina Johnson of Sycamore in her prom gown.
Considering the sheer number of dresses, jackets,
pants, and accessories that pour out of Marilyn’s
home on a regular basis, it
seems almost impossible
that she could accomplish
all of this single-handedly.
In fact, while the sewing
itself remains entirely in
Marilyn’s hands, she does
get assistance and support
from a dependable source.
Carroll, who recently
retired from a forty-year
career with Country
Insurance, says he has
become Marilyn’s “gofer.”
“I pick up fabric and pack
things for shipping,”
Carroll says, clearly proud
of the role he plays in
Marilyn’s success. “I’ll
‘gofer’ anything but lace.
I went after some lace for
Marilyn once, and I have
to tell you it all looked the
same to me. I broke out in
a sweat trying to figure out
which one I was supposed
to get.”
Carroll has figured out
that Marilyn’s business
utilizes about 45% of their
home, a fact that requires
some accommodation on
his part. During prom
season, he has to be careful
about opening doors in his own house. “We’ll have
as many as sixty gowns rotating through the house
at any time, and sometimes we even have clients
changing in the garage. I always knock before
I enter.”
The quantity of work turned out by Marilyn
is astonishing, but to appreciate how truly
remarkable her talent is, you must see, close
up, the quality of her creations. Each garment
is constructed of the finest fabrics. Facings and
linings, the parts of a dress or jacket you don’t
even see, are made from material that can cost
$20 a yard. It is not unusual for a given dress to
12

incorporate exotic components like hand-made lace
or Austrian crystal beads. But it is the exquisite
way in which these materials are sewn and,
ultimately, the process by which they are adapted
by Marilyn to a unique human form that qualifies
them as works of art.
Marilyn never works from patterns. She says that
she sometimes mulls a design over in her head for
weeks before everything comes together during the
course of a good night’s sleep. Using the client’s
measurements, she constructs a prototype from
inexpensive muslin, which is then directly fitted to
the client’s form. Once the muslin prototype has
been fitted, Marilyn takes it apart and then uses
the pieces as guides for cutting the actual fabric.
Recently, Marilyn watched her niece walk down
the aisle in one of her creations. After flying to
Houston a week before the wedding to perform the
final fittings on the bride’s dress, as well as those
of the bridesmaids, Marilyn attended the ceremony
and reception and enjoyed what must be the
greatest imaginable reward for a maker of wedding
gowns. Strangers came up to her all evening to
tell her that they had never seen a more beautiful
dress. “A lot of these people were young fellows!”
Marilyn says, still a little incredulous. “That really
says something when young men will pay that sort
of attention to a wedding gown.”
A look at a photo of the bride in her dress is all
that’s needed to explain the fuss. The front of the
dress is richly appointed in Austrian crystal
beads. The back consists of cascading layers
of pleats, framed by gently curving wings. The
initial effect is of something simple and elegant.
As you study a photo
of the dress, however,
its complexity seems
to unfold in much
the same way the
complexity of a great
painting reveals
itself under
continued scrutiny.
Marilyn’s life
and career might
also be seen as a
convergence between the simple and the complex.
She and Carroll are both from farm families, and
farming is still part of their lives. When he isn’t
“gofering,” Carroll can be found putting up jars of
his homemade spaghetti sauce, and Marilyn still
finds time to work with the quilting circle at her
church. On the other hand, she has also learned
to mine the Internet for new ideas and fashion
trends. Instead of traveling to Chicago to pick up
her fabrics, she now orders through an 800 number
and has them shipped to her overnight, and she
has been known on occasion to go from concept to
completed dress in twenty-four hours. One day,
she is ushering local high school students into her
basement for final touches on their prom dresses.
The next, she may be jetting around the country or
the world to do a fitting for a wedding.
ARTIST
Marilyn, her daughter, and her granddaughter all took purple
ribbons at the Sandwich Fair.
Still, despite the demands of fashion to keep
things new, Marilyn’s world is characterized by a
remarkable continuity. She has remained active
as a judge and mentor in 4H, sharing not only her
skills, but even supplying high-quality fabric to
aspiring dressmakers who might not otherwise
know the pleasure of working with the finest
materials. This year marks the 56 th consecutive
year in which Marilyn Donoho has shown at the
Sandwich Fair, a record for which she was
recently honored.
As she stands proudly with her “Best Over-All
Award” for this year’s entry at the fair, you suspect
that Marilyn may push her record for consecutive
years beyond the reach of any competitors. “I
don’t plan to retire for a long time,” she declares.
“I’ve got lots of ideas for things I still want to
make. And if I need a vacation, I can always fly
somewhere to do a fitting.”
13

SUCCESS
Nocturne Productions
A Global Company
Brings it Home
The first things you notice when you walk onto the warehouse
floor of Nocturne Productions’ headquarters are the rows on
rows of “road cases,” those black rolling boxes that roadies
move from venue to venue during the course of a concert tour.
Almost immediately, though, your eye is drawn to the huge
photographs of music icons mounted on the walls and the
blowups of album covers hanging from the ceiling. Glancing
back at the gear boxes, you see that they are labeled with
names like “McCartney,” “Madonna,” “KISS,” “Eagles,” and
“Tim McGraw.” You have the impulse to reach out and touch
something—so you can tell your friends “back home.”
Nocturne would fit in as a corporate citizen in any of the
world’s great cities. Its technological innovations would
stand out in Silicon Valley, and its offices are filled with
industry awards. The company’s client list boasts such
names as American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance,
NFL Kickoff, Neil Diamond, Carrie Underwood, Elton
John, Paul McCartney, Madonna, Gloria Estefan, Bon
Jovi, James Taylor, and Hanna Montana. Over sixty such
famous clients a year turn to Nocturne for touring video
systems and services.
So why did Brigham and Proesel,
along with partners Herbie Herbert
and Paul Becher of San Francisco,
relocate this high-tech, high-profile
company to DeKalb Apparently,
they saw everything Nocturne needed
for success right here: easy access to
major highways, lower cost of living
than the West Coast, proximity
to Chicago and its airports, and a
geographically central location with
respect to the rest of the country.
Add to these benefits the fact that
Nocturne frequently collaborates with
Upstaging, a Sycamore company also
involved in the entertainment touring
industry, and the question becomes
“why anywhere else”
14
Paul McCartney looks on as Todd LePere
shows off two versions of Ron Proesel’s LED tiles.

Nocturne’s set for Faith Hill.
SUCCESS
But Bob Brigham’s most compelling reason for bringing
Nocturne to DeKalb may be that, for him, it is home.
Bob grew up in DeKalb, and his parents still live
here. His father, Bob Brigham Sr., served for many
years as NIU’s Athletic Director. Brigham Field,
the Huskies home turf, is named for Bob’s dad. The
younger Brigham learned to love music and golf here.
As a golfer at DeKalb High School, he finished third
in the state, which won him a golf scholarship to the
University of Texas. But it was his love of music that
took him to San Francisco and led, ultimately, to his
current position as co-CEO of Nocturne.
While the company may today be a perfect fit for
the Midwest, its roots are undeniably West Coast.
Nocturne was founded in San Francisco by legendary
band manager Herbie Herbert, who was responsible for
bringing together the mega-group Journey. Herbert’s
success was built on his ability to assemble the perfect
mix of talented musicians and then bring out their best
as a group. As it turns out, this ability wasn’t limited
to the world of music.
In 1982, while managing Journey, Herbert
was faced with the challenge of creating a more
intimate experience for both the artists and their fans
in the giant venues that had become the common
staging grounds for rock concerts. He came up with
the idea of projecting the concert live, via video feed,
to huge video projection screens to the left and right of
the performers on stage. The screens would bring the
performance in all its intensity to every ticket holder in
the largest venues, no matter where they were sitting.
Herbie hired Bob Becher and his brother Paul, a video
director, to create a video system and hire the crew
for the first live large-screen displays in the history
of the touring business. Nocturne was born, and the
way rock concerts and other entertainment events are
staged was changed forever.
In 1991, Brigham, then a partner in Herbert’s
management company, was asked by Herbert to move
over to a sales position at Nocturne. Clearly in his
element, Brigham helped bring many top clients to
the company, and in 2001, Brigham and Paul Becher
became co-CEOs of Nocturne. They have run the
company ever since with the continuing advice and
council of Herbert.
That same year, Brigham formed Nocturne’s sister
company, Vidicon, with Ron and Nancy Proesel. Prior
to the founding of Vidicon, Ron was one of the owners
of MicroSolutions in DeKalb, where he did pioneering
work in computer parallel-port technology. Today,
Ron’s innovations in LED technology keep Nocturne
and Vidicon firmly in the forefront of their industry.
Brigham’s office is a compact space, made more so
by a drum set situated in one corner and dozens of
autographed photos from celebrities hanging on or
leaning against the walls. When we arrive, he is
fielding emails and taking a phone call, but he stops
what he is doing to greet us. You naturally wonder
whose conversation you have interrupted, but if it’s
15

SUCCESS
Gloria Estefan
Dancing With The Stars
WrestleMania
John Mellencamp
Metallica
Superbowl XLI Pepsi
Smash
NBA Allstar Game 2009
Morrissey
Josh Groban
Elton John
Linkin Park
Billy Squier
Van Halen
Black Eyed Peas
Eagles
Michael Buble
Stone Temple Pilots
Bon Jovi
Aerosmith
Carrie Underwood
James Taylor
Journey
Panic! At The Disco
Fall Out Boy
Spice Girls
Killswitch Engage
Hannah Montana
Miley Cyrus
Def Leppard
2009 Solheim Cup
The Fray
Neil Diamond
Simon & Garfunkel
Avril Lavigne
Jane’s Addiction
Paul McCartney
2009 Solheim Cup
16
somebody important (and you just know it is),
Bob doesn’t let on. He has a way of making
you feel absolutely sure he would have put
Madonna on hold to welcome you.
Apologizing for being unable personally to
show us around, Brigham puts us in the
hands of Todd LePere, Nocturne’s Touring
and Logistics Manager. LePere has just
returned from Pittsburg, where he oversaw
Nocturne’s role in the staging of the NFL
pre-game show at the season opener between
the Steelers and the Tennessee Titans.
He tells us that the show featured two of
Nocturne’s clients, Tim McGraw and Black
Eyed Peas, and that it took place on a single
stage that could be “flipped” to accommodate
both bands. “They had entirely different
setups, and the stage was designed to rotate
during the live performance.”
As he guides us through a maze of equipment,
LePere begins by explaining the importance
of Ron Proesel’s role in Nocturne’s success:
“Ron has done amazing things with LED.
He’s made the components about 75%
lighter than they used to be and much more
roadworthy. This has made it much easier for
designers of shows to realize their visions.”
To understand the challenges Proesel’s
designs must meet, imagine a video display
the size of a large billboard, or even several
billboards, composed of hundreds of
thousands of tiny diodes about the size of
“
You see that the gear boxes
are labeled with names like
“McCartney,” “Madonna,”
“Kiss,” “Eagles,” and “Tim
McGraw.”
”
those little bulbs you’d find in a Light Bright kit.
These huge displays must be capable of being
broken down, moved, and reassembled by a few
people in a very short time. Proesel has reduced
the primary components of these displays down
to interchangeable tiles about the size of a loaf of
bread. These tiles, covered with the little diodes,
are snapped into lightweight frames, which are
then connected to each other to form the big
displays, or walls, as they are sometimes called.
LePere says Proesel’s improvements have
not only led to new artistic possibilities, but
to huge savings for Nocturne’s clients. It has
also given the company a tremendous edge over
its competition.
“We had an experience last year that really
illustrates what we can do with the new
generation of LED equipment,” LePere recalls.
“We were moving gear through Europe for one of
our clients, Metallica, ‘leapfrogging’ two sets of
equipment. While Metallica was playing at one
venue, we’d break down and move the set from
the previous venue to the next city. That way,
the new venue was always ready to go when the
band arrived.”
“The band The Police was also in Europe and
booked to play an outdoor show in Belgrade,
Serbia for an audience of 50,000 people. The
band had a logistical problem getting their
touring system to Belgrade in time for the
show. Their Production Manager called us

and asked if there was something we could
do. We told him that they could use the
Metallica “A” system, which was on break.
This system had just been used for Paul
McCartney’s outdoor show for 500,000 in
Kiev and had been
sent to Germany for
shows with Linkin
Park. The Metallica
system featured
an LED display
25’ high x 74’ wide
— about twice the
size of the wall The
Police were using.
We told them we
could set it up and
have it ready for
their show within an hour of arrival. The
Production Manager’s first response was
‘thanks, but that’s humanly impossible.’
He didn’t even believe we could fit all of
the components into a small 45’ European
trailer, much less get the LED display up in
time for the show.”
“The smaller wall The Police were touring
with took seven or eight crewmembers about
eight hours to set up. When we got to the
Above: Nocturne’s set for Radiohead.
venue, people were literally standing around
with stop watches and making bets that
we weren’t going to be able to do what we’d
promised. We had the wall up and signalready
in thirty-seven minutes. And then we
had it broken down
and packed up
in about an hour
“
People were literally standing
around with stop watches and
making bets that we weren’t
going to be able to do what
we’d promised.
”
after the show.
They just couldn’t
believe it.”
As we move
through another
area of the
warehouse, we
stop beside a
workbench covered
with video equipment. LePere introduces
us to Bryan Venhorst, the engineer
responsible for maintaining the cameras
and lenses that feed images to the video
walls, and technician John Schaeffer, who
is helping him prep equipment for a tour.
Bryan keeps working while he talks, but he
happily answers our questions about the
video cameras and lenses he is checking
out. John, LePere notes, is a DeKalb native.
“John has been with us for three years.
SUCCESS
Keyshia Cole
So You ThinkYou Can
Dance
Pepsi Smash Superbowl
Bash
Disney Imagination
Movers
Radiohead
Creed
Lady Ga Ga
American Idol
Madonna
Enrique Iglesias
WTTW Soundstage
Chicago
Tim McGraw
KISS
Z-100
Robin Williams
Metallica
Williams Gerard
Corporation
The Police
Nine Inch Nails
Bollywood
Thievery Corporation
Pussycat Dolls
Radio City Christmas
Spectacular
New Kids On The Block
NFL Kickoff
Nickelback
Rockband
Tina Turner
Live Nation
Avenged Sevenfold
Lil Wayne
Christina Aguilera
Yanni
17

SUCCESS
Recently he got to run camera on the Faith
Hill/ Tim McGraw tour, but he also works
here in the warehouse, helping to prep the
camera systems.”
Unlike John,
many of Nocturne’s
employees reside in
places other than
DeKalb. LePere
says that he draws
on a pool of as many
as 175 people from
locations around the
U.S. and the rest of
the world to meet his
clients’ needs.
“This is unquestionably a team effort,”
LePere emphasizes.
“I couldn’t do my job without the support of
people like Steve Adam, our Controller, and
Damian Walsh, our Operations Manager.
These are people you don’t see on the floor
right now, but they make a tremendous
contribution to our success.”
At the end of our tour we meet up with Jim
Laskowski and Abe Main. Jim is Nocturne’s
Head of LED Operations. Abe is one of the
“
Bob Brigham’s most
compelling reason for
bringing Nocturne to DeKalb
may be that,
for him, it is home.
”
technicians responsible for putting up and
taking down the video walls with the speed
of an Indianapolis 500 pit crew. The two are
pre-testing and troubleshooting a 60’ wide
x 19’ high wall that
will be going out on
a Kiss tour in the
next few days.
As a final favor,
Todd has arranged
for Jim to project
Nocturne’s logo on
the wall for our
cover shot, and he
and Abe obligingly
interrupt their work
to accommodate us.
For a few heady minutes, we have the stateof-the-art
system at our disposal, and it feels,
well, pretty cool.
The courtesy and enthusiasm shown us by
the Nocturne staff during our visit comes
as no surprise. These are qualities that,
over the past five years, have characterized
the company’s relationship with the
community at large. Through support
of DeKalb’s Stagecoach Players and the
Egyptian Theatre, Nocturne does their
Nocturne helps commemorate WrestleMania’s 25th anniversary.
Above: Head of LED operations Jim Laskowski preps an LED panel.
18

Nocturne’s handiwork forms the backdrop for a Bon Jovi concert.
SUCCESS
part in promoting two local centers for the
performing arts. Recently, Vidicon paid for
the renovation of the entrance and lobby
at “The Stagecoach Players” Theater. The
Brigham legacy of service to NIU has been
continued through the company’s support of
Huskie athletics. It’s even company policy
that clients are taken to locally owned
eateries, rather than chain restaurants.
Although Nocturne is a global company,
“keeping it local” is a high priority.
That doesn’t mean that Nocturne doesn’t
also see itself as a citizen of the world.
They are major contributors of equipment
and expertise to FilmAid International,
a humanitarian organization that brings
entertainment and education through film
to refugee groups and other disadvantaged
populations around the globe. Last year,
FilmAid reached over 250,000 people
in Kenya, Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia,
Uganda, Rwanda, Eritrea, Burundi and
the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bob
Brigham and Nancy Proesel sit on the
organization’s Board of Directors.
When the time comes to leave, we thank
Bob and Todd and head for the door. Just
then, a box labeled “Kiss” rolls by, and a
furtive hand reaches out for just one
little touch.
“
I’ve known Richard Katz forever.
I think he was two years ahead of
me in school. When we wanted to
do some different things with our
banking, it was really natural for
us to go with Resource, a locally
owned bank, instead of some
big conglomerate.
— Bob Brigham, co-CEO of Nocturne Productions
”
Left to Right: Ron Presel, Herbie Herbert, Paul Bechel, and Bob Brigham
19

ACHIEVEMENT
DeKalb County
4-H
BETTER
than
ever!
Resource Bank has been a proud supporter of DeKalb County
4-H clubs for many years, and we’re pleased to have an
opportunity to showcase some of the great projects presented
by 4-H members at the recent General Project Show, which
took place this July at the DeKalb County Farm Bureau
building. That’s an appropriate setting for this wonderful
function, since 4-H has had a long and happy connection with
the county’s agricultural community.
But did you know that 4-H is about a whole lot more than
farming and raising livestock Johnna Jennings, DeKalb
County’s 4-H Youth Educator, says that projects in our
county have included everything from belly dancing to
robotics (though not in the same project). In fact, a quick
glance through the Illinois guide to the 4-H program
reveals project topics such as Citizenship, Journalism,
Entrepreneurship, Intercultural Studies, Leadership, Theatre
Arts, Sports Nutrition, Computer Science and literally
hundreds of other equally interesting fields of study.
Study . . . hmm. That might not be the perfect word for what
4-H members do. Jennings points out that “4-H is all about
learning by doing. The projects might lead to a career, or
they might lead to a hobby. The point is to get 4-H members
to try new things in a friendly and encouraging environment.”
Photo above: Mitchel Meares of Malta being judged at the General
Project Show on a vest he entered in the sewing category.
Jennings says that kind of environment is guaranteed by
the over 150 adult volunteers throughout the county who
donate their time and expertise to 4-H clubs. Many of those
volunteers were 4-H members themselves, and it speaks well
of the 4-H experience that so many participants are carrying
on a multi-generational legacy of fun and learning under the
banner of the four-leaf clover. “Just getting the kids to sit
down and talk about their project with an adult is such an
important thing. Every year you see them developing a little
more into the adult they are going to become.”
“Service is also a very important part of 4-H,” Jennings
notes. “4-H is where a lot of people learn that ‘it’s not all
about me.’ Our clubs have donated cookies to Hospice,
provided everyday necessities to Hope Haven, given blankets
to homeless shelters, raised money for the Relay for Life
Walk, and done cemetery cleanups. Some clubs try to come
up with a new service project at every meeting. It’s good to
know that we have kids that keep up a tradition of giving
back to their communities.”
Take heart, as we do, from the smiling faces on these pages.
We have no doubt they are doing their part to live up to the
4-H motto—To Make the Best Better.
Oh yes, we almost forgot. One of the 4-H members may be
familiar to most of you. Let’s just say his project is “ongoing.”
20

“I’m a member of the Kingston Juniors. My project
for the General Project Show was to finish and paint
a ceramic duck. I used stain and a technique
called ‘chalking’ to give my duck texture and
make the details stand out. I won a Blue Ribbon
and Best in Show.”
ACHIEVEMENT
“I’ve been a 4-H member for four years, and
my favorite thing about 4-H is the sense of
accomplishment I get from doing the projects.
I also like the 4-H camps and Super Saturdays.”
KELLY
displays her
prize-winning
CERAMIC.
— Kelly Aves
Genoa Prairie Gems - Genoa | Kingston Juniors – Kingston/Kirkland | H-Bar-P – KingstonEsmond
Echoes - Esmond | Parke Victory - Sycamore | DeKalb Choreboys & Choregirls | Sycamore/DeKalb
“I was interested in wildlife and safaris,
so I did my project on Tanzania. I’m not
interested in hunting the animals. I just want
to see them. I won a Blue Ribbon for my
project.”
“I’m in 6 th grade in Sycamore, and I’m in my
second year of 4-H.”
“What do I like best about 4-H Well, going
to the meetings and doing the projects. I
always have something to look forward to.”
— Ben Smith, Sycamore
BEN SMITH’s
project would get anybody
interested in going to
TANZANIA!
21

ACHIEVEMENT
page tab
“I entered several projects in the General Project Show. One of them
was a shell frame I made from shells I collected on my vacation to
Florida. I thought it would be a good idea to put a photo from the
vacation in the frame, so I did. I also made a painting using a technique
called ‘blown ink.’ You lay down the ink on the paper and then blow on
it through a straw.”
“I’ve learned a lot of leadership skills in 4-H, and I’ve had a lot
of fun! I’ve been in 4-H here in DeKalb for seven years, and
I’m a freshman in high school. I’d encourage anyone to join
4-H. It’s been a great experience.”
— Jaylene Jennings
JAYLENE
displays a shell frame
that holds
SPECIAL MEMORIES.
Tilton Park Clovers – DeKalb | Green Meadows – Sycamore/Cortland | Afton - DeKalb | Malta M
“My project was to design and make a dress I might
wear to church or another special occasion. At the
General Project Show, I won a Superior Ribbon and an
award of Excellence. I plan to enter the dress in the
Make It With Wool contest.”
“I’ve been in 4-H for five years and really enjoy the
projects, friends, and activities. I’m in seventh grade,
and I’m a member of the Sycamore Parke Victory
Club. To anyone thinking about joining 4-H, I’d say
be sure to get involved in leadership. See you at the
State Fair!”
— Rebecca Roby
REBECCA
with the dress she is entering in the
Make It With Wool
CONTEST
Shabbona Pioneers – Shabbona | Shabbona Pioneers Saddle Club - Shabbona | Somonauk Haym
22
“I’m a sophomore in high school, and I’ve been in 4-H for seven years. I
love doing 4-H projects, and I’ve even been told I should sell them.
For the General Project Show, I made a wreath from a grapevine
I got from my yard, and I just dried it and shaped it free-form. I didn’t use
a framework.”
“In addition to the projects, I really enjoy the community service 4-H
has gotten me involved in. My club, the Kingston Juniors, has gone on
nursing home visits. We’ve collected newspapers for animal shelters,
and we’ve collected items for the Army. We’ve also sent letters to 4-H
members that are now service members.”
“How would I sum up 4-H in one word I can’t!”
— Emily Darling
EMILY
may have a
career in
WREATH MAKING.

page tabpage tab
“I did an acrylic painting of a tiger, a handprint that was made to
look like stained glass, and a paper-mache dog mask for the General
Project Show. To make the dog mask, I did a plaster mold of my own
face and then painted the mask to look like a dog.”
“I’d tell anyone to join 4-H. You meet lots of new people and it’s
a lot of fun. I’m a member of the Yorkville Four Leafers, and I’m a
sophomore in high school.”
— Teage Browning
ACHIEVEMENT
TEAGE
going over her project
with the
JUDGE.
ustang 4-H’ers - Malta | High Voltage - Clare | Hinckley Harvestors - Hinckley Aces – Waterman
“Resource Bank has been a great partner for DeKalb County 4-H Clubs.
Resource pays for the project books that our members need when they decide
on a project. It would be really limiting if the project participants had to pay
the direct cost of these books, so this is a tremendous boost to our programs.”
— Johnna Jennings, 4-H Youth Educator, DeKalb County Unit
For more information about DeKalb County 4-H, contact Johnna at 815-758-8194, jbjennin@illinois.edu
akers –Somonauk | Sandwich 4 Leafers - Sandwich | 4-H is Better Than Ever in DeKalb County
“The eleven years I spent in 4-H allowed me not only to develop personally, but to cultivate
leadership skills that are especially important in my current position as Illinois State Representative
serving DeKalb County.”
“4-H was where I was first exposed to public speaking, demonstration programs, committee work,
and parliamentary procedure. I also learned invaluable organizational skills. Most of all, though, I
learned how to interact well with others—
not something everybody in Springfield knows how to do!”
“4-H has been an important part of my family life; I met my wife through 4-H and my sons found
their life careers through 4-H. I am pleased to have served on the county, state and national 4-H
Alumni Boards so that others may experience 4-H. It is a valuable program for the future of our
state, nation and world.”
— Robert W. Pritchard,
Illinois State Representative
REP. PRITCHARD
credits 4-H with helping him
hone his
LEADERSHIP ABILITIES.
23

Andi with the puppets from “Kids on the Block.”
25

FEATURE
farmboyservices.com
“We Know How
to Get the Job Done”
N
athan Fay, General Manager of Farm Boy
Services, says that what he enjoys most
about his job is the reaction of the customer
to the finished work. “Landscaping can make a huge
difference in the way a home or a business looks.”
Begun in 2000 by
Nathan’s father, Jim
Fay, the company started
out as a lawn-mowing
and snow-plowing
business. At the time, it
wasn’t called Farm Boy
Services. That name had
its origins in 2002, when
one of Nathan’s former
employers, commenting
on Nathan’s ability to
handle hard work, said
“you’re just a farm boy.”
In 2003, when Nathan
joined his father in the
business, Farm Boy
Services became the
company’s official name.
As it turns out, that
name reflected perfectly
the company’s unique
personality. Because the Fays are farmers, their
grasp of soil science, their experience with heavy
equipment, and their work ethic set them apart from
the competition.
Patty Mueller and Jill Reiland go over the plans for the
Resource Bank Extreme Green Landscape Makeover.
Congratulations to Jill and David Reiland on winning Resource Bank’s
$5,000 Extreme Green Makeover.
Farm experience aside, it certainly doesn’t hurt
that John, Nathan’s brother, received a horticulture
degree from Kishwaukee College and some valuable
experience in the landscaping and paving business
while working at another company. “Hardscapes,”
or projects involving
paving bricks and
stones, now constitute a
significant percentage of
Farm Boy’s jobs.
These days, Farm Boy
Services works closely
with Patty Mueller of
Artistic Gardens. Patty
has seventeen years
experience as a consultant
and landscape designer,
and the two companies
work together to provide a
complete package for their
clients. Patty notes, “You
wouldn’t build a house
without a plan, and you
shouldn’t build your yard
without one, either.”
Farm Boy and Artistic
Gardens teamed up for
Resource Bank’s Extreme Green Makeover of David
and Jill Reiland’s yard in Malta. Patty’s design
accommodated their wish to bring the garden “inside”
through a large picture window. “They also want to
To these farm-bred skills, we might also add a quality
that any farmer must have—adaptability. Nathan
notes, for example, that on both the landscaping and
the snow-removal sides of their business, going “green”
is becoming increasingly important. “We’re working
hard to provide ‘green’ products in response to new
customer demands,” says Nathan. “For instance, we
now use liquid salts, which not only melt snow and ice
at a much lower temperature than rock salt, but are
much less corrosive to cement and asphalt.”
gather cut flowers from the garden,” says Patty,
“so our choice of plants took that into account.”
Nathan says that Fay’s Barbeque, the family’s other
business, has given Farm Boy Services a strong
foundation in customer service. With strategic
partners like Artistic Gardens, an eye on the “green”
future of their industry, and a family tradition
that puts the customer first, Farm Boy Services is
cultivating a strong strategy for continued success.
26

EVENTS
October 3
Genoa’s Lions present Oktoberfest
Chamberlain Park, Genoa, 3-11pm
$3.00 admission, Brats from Ken’s
Specialty Meats, Live Music, 300 Free
Oktoberfest T’s, Big Bucks Bingo
4 pm - 7 pm, Wine from Prairie State
Winery, Beer Tent, Activities for kids.
All proceeds benefit local scholarships
and eye exams.
October 4
CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION STEAK FRY
Honey Hill Orchard, Waterman
You just can’t beat DeKalb County beef!
These famous steak sandwiches have
become so popular that, last year, people
were willing to brave rain showers just to
make sure they didn’t miss out.
815-264-3337
http://www.honeyhillorchards.com
October 10 -11
Cortland Festival and Parade
Saturday is a pig roast
Cortland
Parade on Sunday and activities for the
kids both days. A beer garden will be
open Saturday and Sunday with bands.
http://www.cortlandil.org
October 11
WATERMAN LIONS CLUB
PORK CHOP SANDWICHES
Honey Hill Orchard, Waterman
Waterman Lions Club will be at Honey
Hill Orchard that day to cook up some
of their delicious butterfly pork chop
sandwiches. Proceeds from their
barbeque will be used to help fight
blindness and diabetes worldwide.
815-264-3337
http://www.honeyhillorchards.com
October 15–31
Spirits of Sycamore
Sycamore
Dress up your Sycamore home with
terrifying garb for this year’s Halloween
decorating contest. Pick up and return
Monster Maps and Ballots to Discover
Sycamore member businesses.
815-895-3456
http://www.discoversycamore.com/
event/58
October 16
Fall On State: Free movie :
Downtown Sycamore, 7–9 pm
Movie shown at dusk in the City Center
parking lot. Bring a lawn chair or
blanket. Refreshments will be available
for donations. 815-895-3456
http://sycamorechamber.com
October 21
Trick-Or-Treating
Downtown Sycamore
Safe and fun tricks and delicious
treats. Wear your costume and
enter your carved or decorated
pumpkin in the contest. 815-895-3456
http://www.discoversycamore.com/
event/59
October 21-25
SYCAMORE PUMPKIN FESTIVAL AND
Downtown Sycamore
The lawn of the courthouse is filled with
hundreds of pumpkins that are carved,
painted and created by area children.
Food, crafts, contests, fun and more
culminate in a gigantic parade through
Sycamore. 888-828-4FUN
www.sycamorepumpkinfestival.com
October 22-25, 28-31
“AMENTI”
THE EGYPTIAN THEATRE HAUNTED HOUSE
Egyptian Theatre, 135 N. 2nd St., DeKalb, 7–11pm
Amenti is the Egyptian Goddess
guarding the world of the dead. Terror
after terror await those who dare to
enter. But be careful, Amenti jealously
guards her gates and assures that no
one escapes. 815-758-1215
www.amenti.info
October 23
Community Halloween Party
Kishwaukee Family YMCA 2500 W. Bethany Rd,
4:30–8:00pm
Activities include a Haunted House, Not
So Scary Haunted House, lots of games,
prizes, candy and more. Children must
be accompanied by an adult. 4:30 – 5:30
recommended time for our littlest party
goers. Sponsored by Resource Bank.
815-756-9577 http://www.kishymca.org
October 24
2009 Halloweeen Fest
Plowman Park, Big Rock, 6–9:30 pm
Celebrate Halloween with a costume
parade, pumpkin contest, haunted houses,
music and more! Supported by the
villages of Hinckley, Big Rock and Sugar
Grove, area businesses, individual donors
and volunteers. www.halloween-fest.com
October 24
LAST Open Air Market Day
Genoa Municipal Parking Lot , 9 am–2 pm
Fresh produce, crafts, antiques, flea
market finds and new merchandise. Call
Genoa Main Street at for more information
or space reservations.
815-784-6968.
http://www.genoamainstreet.com
November 1
Daylight Savings Time
Daylight-saving time ends.
Time to set the clock back one hour.
November 12
Kishwaukee United Way’s
Taste of the Vine
AND Silent Auction Event
St. Mary’s Memorial Hall, 322 Waterman Street,
Sycamore, IL, 5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Join us for an evening of good wine, great
food, cool tunes & an amazing auction to
raise funds benefiting social service agencies
in DeKalb County.
http://www.kishwaukeeunitedway.org
November 17
116 th Annual Turkey Dinner
United Church of Christ, Shabbona
Dine-in: 4:30-7:00 pm
Carry-out: 4-6:30 pm
Bazaar: 3:30-7:00 pm
Live entertainment. A traditional turkey
dinner served by the members of the
UCC. 815-824-2359
November 12
Candlelight Open House
Sponsored by Genoa Main Street.
Merchants keep their doors open late so
you can follow the candlelit path
throughout the downtown to enjoy the
holiday displays and refreshments.
www.genoamainstreet.org
November 14
Dodge Ball Tournament
Ben Gordon Center Foundation’s 4 th
annual Charity Dodge Ball Tourney to
benefit mental health and substance
abuse services in DeKalb County;
teams of 6-10 players; $100 per team.
815.756.4875
www.bengordoncenter.org
Cortland DeKalb Genoa Hinckley Sandwich Shabbona Somonauk Sycamore Waterman
27 25

555 Bethany Road
DeKalb, IL 60115
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
DEKALB, IL
60115
PERMIT NO. 321
– Robert Browning
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