MM_082417

Nutz about health Health Nutz 

preps for second annual health fair, Page 4 

Pink on parade Friendly 

fundraiser aims to raise awareness, Page 6 

Game on Lincoln-Way D210 

approves new sport for 2017-2018, Page 11 

mokena’s Award-Winning Hometown Newspaper mokenamessenger.com • August 24, 2017 • Vol. 11 No. 2 • $1 

A 

® 

Publication 

,LLC 

Motorcyclists 

return to the 

Pipefitter Training 

Facility after the 

third annual PFC 

Aaron Toppen Run. 

Laurie Fanelli/22nd 

Century Media 

Dozens come from far and wide to 

celebrate a local hero, Page 3 

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2 | August 24, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger calendar 

mokenamessenger.com 

In this week’s 

Messenger 

Police Reports................. 9 

Pet of the Week.............10 

Editorial........................17 

Faith Briefs....................20 

Puzzles..........................26 

Classifieds................ 28-39 

The Mokena 

Messenger 

ph: 708.326.9170 fx: 708.326.9179 

Editor 

TJ Kremer III, x29 

tj@mokenamessenger.com 

assistant editor 

Amanda Stoll, x34 

a.stoll@22ndcenturymedia.com 

Sales director 

Lora Healy, x31 

l.healy@22ndcenturymedia.com 

real estate sales 

Tricia Weber, x47 

t.weber@22ndcenturymedia.com 

Classified Sales 

Kellie Tschopp, x23 

k.tschopp@malibusurfsidenews.com 

Recruitment Advertising 

Jess Nemec, x46 

j.nemec@22ndcenturymedia.com 

Legal Notices 

Jeff Schouten, x51 

j.schouten@22ndcenturymedia.com 

PUBLISHER 

Joe Coughlin 847.272.4565, x16 

j.coughlin@22ndcenturymedia.com 

Managing Editor 

Bill Jones, x20 

bill@opprairie.com 

president 

Andrew Nicks 

a.nicks@22ndcenturymedia.com 

EDITORIAL DESIGN DIRECTOR 

Nancy Burgan, x30 

n.burgan@22ndcenturymedia.com 

22 nd Century Media 

11516 West 183rd Street 

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POSTMASTER: Send changes to: 

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Published by 

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Amanda Stoll 


THURSDAY 

Tinkergarten 

10 a.m. Aug. 24, 26 and 31; 

9:30 a.m. Aug. 30, Mokena 

area parks. Tinkergarten is 

a play-based, outdoor learning 

experience designed for 

children ages 18 months to 8 

years, and their parents. Tinkergarten 

brings back rich, 

child-directed play outdoors 

as a way for this new generation 

to learn. This program 

aims to help families build a 

foundation for their children 

that is rooted in play, nature 

and community. For more 

information and registration 

for these free trial classes at 

www.tinkergarten.com/lead 

ers/amanda.knittelherman. 

FRIDAY 

foreverU 5k 

Preregistration deadline is 

Aug. 25. Race will be at 9:30 

a.m. Saturday, Sept. 9 at Hickory 

Creek Barrens Nature 

Preserve, 20733 S. Schoolhouse 

Road, New Lenox, IL. 

Join foreverU, an organization 

founded by Mokena native 

Ryan Hesslau, for a 5k 

run and walk. Support their 

mission to reduce bullying, 

division, and student suffering 

in our culture and provide 

support to struggling youth. 

Individual registration cost is 

$25. Register by Aug. 25 to 

receive a shirt. Walk-up registration 

cost is $30 (shirt not 

guaranteed). Children 10 and 

under run for free (shirt not included). 

For more information 

and registration, visit www. 

foreverumovement.com/5k. 

Cruise Night 

6-9 p.m. Aug. 25, William 

Martin VFW Post 725, 

19852 Wolf Road, Mokena. 

Join VFW Post 725 and 

Showcase Classics for classic 

cars, trophies, food and 

drink. 

SATURDAY 

Bike the Trail 

9-11 a.m. August 26, 

Breidert Green, downtown 

Frankfort. Bike the Old 

Plank Road Trail. Choose 

from three different routes 

during this afternoon of family 

fun sponsored by the Lincoln 

Way Special Recreation 

Association. All proceeds 

benefit the LWSRA participant 

scholarship program. 

For more information and 

registration, call (815) 320- 

3507 or visit lwsra.org/bike. 

Pop-up Craft Fair 

10 a.m.-6 p.m. Aug. 26- 

27, The Multicultural Education 

Foundation, 19081 

Old Lagrange Road, Mokena. 

The Multicultural 

Educational Foundation is 

hosting a Pop Up Craft Fair 

to raise money for the foundation’s 

programs, which include 

literacy, scholarships 

and grants as well as to give 

local artists and vendors a 

way to showcase their arts 

and crafts. As part of the 

fundraiser, the foundation 

is asking each exhibitor to 

donate an item to be used in 

our silent auction at the fair. 

The event is free to attend. 

For more information, visit 

www.mefempowers.org/up 

coming-events or call (815) 

570-994. 

Lady Diana: Princess of 

Wales 

1-2 p.m. Aug. 26, Mokena 

Community Public Library 

District, 11327 W. 195th St., 

Mokena. Historian, Jim Gibbons, 

will join the library for 

an engaging lecture about 

one of the world’s most beloved 

princesses to this day 

— Lady Diana Spencer, 

Princess of Wales. Gibbons 

will discuss Diana’s life as 

a princess, her marriage, 

motherhood, royal presence 

and controversial death. For 

more information and registration, 

call (708) 479-9663 

or email tdomzalski@mo 

kena.lib.il.us. 

Community Night with Elvis 

6-9 p.m. Aug. 26, Lincoln- 

Way West, 21701 Gouger 

Road, New Lenox. Join 

the Lincoln-Way Marching 

band and special guest Nick 

Miller — as Elvis Presley 

— for free entertainment 

and the debut of the LWMB 

show. Miller will provide entertainment 

during the silent 

auction, raffles and dinner. 

For more information, visit 

www.lincolnwaymusic.org 

MONDAY 

Village Board Meeting 

7 p.m. Aug. 28 Mokena 

Village Hall, 11004 Carpenter 

St., Mokena. The 

Mokena Village Board is 

scheduled to meet. For more 

information, meeting agendas 

and minutes visit www. 

mokena.org. 

UPCOMING 

Village Hall Closure 

Monday, Sept. 4. The 

Mokena Village hall will be 

closed for the Labor Day 

holiday. 

Woofstock and Pet Parade 

1-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 

9, Main Park, 10925 W. La- 

Porte Road, Mokena. Join 

the Mokena Park District for 

a .25 mile pet parade along 

the wooded trail at 1:30 

p.m. Registration begins at 

1 p.m., and there is no cost 

to participate. All animals 

are welcome for the parade. 

Prizes will be awarded in 

the following categories: 

Best Dressed, Most Exotic, 

Smallest Pet, and Largest 

Pet. Costumes are optional. 

Following the parade, there 

will be demonstrations by 

the Stone City Kennel Club. 

Canine contests will begin at 

2:30 p.m. For the safety of 

all dogs, current vaccines are 

required. All dogs must be 

on a leash. For more information, 

call (708) 390-2401 

or visit www.mokenapark. 

com. 

Senior Luncheon 

10:30 a.m. Monday Sept. 

11, Mokena Fire Station #1, 

19853 S. Wolf Road, Mokena. 

Join the fire department 

for a seniors luncheon. 

Learn helpful safety tips and 

information on planning a 

home fire escape. For more 

information and registration, 

email mfpd@mokenafire. 

org or call (708) 479-5371. 

Seating is limited. 

CPR Classes 

6-9 p.m. Mondays, Sept.11 

and Sept. 25, Mokena Fire 

Station #1, 19853 S. Wolf 

Road, Mokena. The Mokena 

Fire Protection District offers 

monthly CPR classes 

for the public. The cost covers 

books, materials and instructor 

fees. Students are 

instructed in adult, child and 

infant CPR and AED. Cost 

is $35 for community members 

and $40 for healthcare 

providers. Register online at 

www.mokenafire.org or in 

person at Fire Station #1. 

ONGOING 

Stroller Strides 

9:30 a.m. Mondays, 

Wednesdays and Fridays, 

and 9 a.m. Saturdays, Green 

Meadows Park, 10520 Williams 

Way, Mokena. Stroller 

Strides is a total fitness 

program that moms can do 

with their babies. It includes 

power walking/jogging and 

intervals of strength and 

body toning exercises using 

exercise tubing, your stroller, 

and the environment. The 

first class is free. For more 

information, email sarah 

tiffy@fit4mom.com or visit 

www.frankfort.fit4mom. 

com. 

Mokena 159 Registration 

Registration fees are now 

available via Skyward Family 

Access for current returning 

students for the 2017-18 

school year. Payment of registration 

and transportation 

fees are due, if applicable, 

by Aug. 1. For new students, 

visit www.mokena159.org 

under the Parent cube. On 

the right hand sidebar, select 

“Registration” and “All 

Documents” to find the New 

Student Registration Form. 

For more information, call 

(708) 342-4900. 

Mobile Workforce Center 

1:30-3:30 p.m. Fridays in 

July and August, Mokena 

Community Public Library 

District, 11327 W. 195th 

St., Mokena. The Mobile 

Workforce Center travels 

to communities throughout 

Will County assisting residents 

who are looking for a 

job. Services include access 

to computers for online job 

search, assistance to create 

or revise a resume, a 

job board with listings from 

Will County businesses and 

trained staff to assist. 

Get Moving Get Fit 

5:30-6:15 Mondays, Comprehensive 

Cancer Center at 

Silver Cross Hospital, 1850 

Silver Cross Blvd., New 

Lenox. This new wellness 

program is for cancer survivors 

and their families. Registration 

required. To register, 

call (708) 478-3529. 

Ageless Grace 

9:30-11 a.m. Thursdays, 

Frankfort Township Community 

Room, 11000 W. 

Lincoln Highway, Frankfort. 

This free 8 week enrichment 

series on Anti-Aging and 

Mind Exercises is being offered 

by Frankfort Township 

Senior Activities and will 

meet every other Thursday 

through May 11. For more 

information and registration, 

call (815) 806-2776. 

To submit an item to the 

printed calendar, contact 

Amanda Stoll at (708) 

326-9170 ext. 34, or email 

a.stoll@22ndcenturymedia. 

com. Deadline is noon 

Thursdays one week prior to 

publication.

mokenamessenger.com news 

the Mokena Messenger | August 24, 2017 | 3 

YOUR SEARCH BEGINS AT 

• Find Your Dream Home 

• Search ALL Foreclosures & Short Sales 

• Find Out How Much Your Home Is Worth 

• Current Neighborhood Sales Data 

DAVID J COBB 

Members of the Twisted Aces Motorcycle Club posing for a photo after the motorcycle run 

in honor of PFC Aaron Toppen. Laurie Fanelli/22nd Century Media 

Gone, not forgotten 

708.205.COBB(2622) 

Third annual PFC 

Aaron Toppen 

Motorcycle Run 

honors local hero 

Laurie Fanelli 

Freelance Reporter 

Army Private First Class 

Aaron Toppen continues 

to have a positive effect on 

his hometown of Mokena 

and the surrounding cities. 

Though he was killed while 

serving in Afghanistan in 

2014, his memory and spirit 

are ever-present forces in the 

community still inspiring 

the best in the people who 

proudly honor his service 

and sacrifice. 

On Sunday, Aug. 20, hundreds 

of motorcyclists came 

together to pay tribute to 

Toppen’s bravery while raising 

money for a pair of good 

causes at the third annual 

PFC Aaron Toppen Motorcycle 

Run. Troy Walker, of 

Sandwich — who is a Ride 

Captain with the Patriot 

Guard — has helped to organize 

the event since the inaugural 

run in 2015. 

“The No. 1 priority of today 

— first and foremost, 

above any dollar amount that 

we can raise — is remembering 

Aaron and keeping 

his spirit alive,” Walker said. 

Toppen’s photo was 

proudly displayed throughout 

the Pipefitter Training 

Facility where the run began. 

From there, riders traveled 

to Saint John’s Cemetery, 

where Toppen was 

laid to rest. “We always have 

a Color Guard posted at the 

cemetery and this year the 

Lincoln-Way Junior ROTC 

cadets were out there with 

the Color Guard as the procession 

went by,” Walker 

said. 

Riders then made their 

way down to the Abraham 

Lincoln National Cemetery 

in Elwood before heading 

back up to the Pipefitter 

Training Facility for lunch, 

entertainment and a special 

ceremony honoring Toppen, 

as well as all local fallen soldiers 

and Gold Star families. 

Funds generated from registration 

fees, donations and 

raffles benefited two charities 

that support causes close 

to Toppen’s heart, the Lincolnway 

Special Recreation 

Association and Operation 

Warrior Wishes. 

“Aaron’s fiance, Jackie 

[Rozek] volunteered with 

LWSRA, so helping kids 

with special needs is a cause 

that is very important to 

her,” Walker said. “Because 

it was so special for Jackie, 

it became something special 

for Aaron, as well.” 

Walker explained that organizers 

chose Operation 

Warrior Wishes as the other 

beneficiary because of the 

group’s efforts in helping 

soldiers from all eras — especially 

today’s veterans — 

enjoy a day of fun, friendship 

and support at sports 

games all over the country. 

Co-founder Craig Steichen, 

of St. Charles, started Operation 

Warrior Wishes with his 

son as a way to say “thank 

you” to veterans for their 

service. 

“The first 10 or 12 times 

we did it — because we 

aren’t military veterans our- 

Please see toppen, 9 

Phone: 815.485.5500 • david@davidjcobb.com 

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4 | August 24, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger news 


Health Nutz to host second Health Fair in September 

Amanda Del Buono 


For many, living a healthier lifestyle 

is becoming more important. 

As part of their mission, Tammy 

Spatola and Kris Geigner, coowners 

of Health Nutz, are driven 

by a passion for educating and 

helping people pursue healthier 

lives. 

Bringing their mission to fruition, 

Health Nutz will be hosting 

its second Health Fair as a means 

to educate and introduce people 

to the variety of health and wellness 

goods available. Taking place 

Sept. 9, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m., the 

health fair will feature about 50 

vendors offering demonstrations, 

samples and more. 

Expanding on the event this 

year, five speakers will talk about 

health and environmental issues 

and their natural solutions, Geigner 

said. 

“We’re just celebrating the 

community and everybody getting 

healthier,” Geigner said. “Our 

mission is getting people healthy 

in a natural way.” 

Last year, the company hosted 

its first Health Fair as a way to celebrate 

its grand re-opening after 

the business partners purchased 

the company. 

“Last year, we wanted to do a 

grand re-opening, but we wanted 

to give people the opportunity not 

only to learn about living healthy 

lifestyles, but also to meet people 

in the community doing healthoriented 

things,” Geigner said. 

“We had an amazing response. … 

We had close to 1,500 people attend.” 

Since the success of last year’s 

event, Health Nutz has received 

inquiries about when it will host 

its next health fair, Spatola said. 

“It has become, and will be remembered 

in years to come, as 

an actual community event,” she 

said. 

“It’s an annual, ongoing event 

that the community looks forward 

Mike Nastepniak, owner of Bee Humble Bee Farm in Frankfort, gives visitors to his booth at the Health Nutz 

grand re-opening’s health fair in Oct. 2016 samples of organic honey made by the bees he began raising 

on his property six years ago. Nastepniak will be back for next month’s fair. 22nd Century Media File photo 

to every year.” 

Among the vendors that will 

be present at this year’s health 

fair, Michael Nastepniak, owner 

of Bee Humble Bee Farm and 

Bee & You in Frankfort and New 

Lenox, will show off his live bees 

and will offer insights to attendees 

about the insects. The company 

also will showcase its line of cosmetics 

made with bee products. 

“I’m excited just to talk to 

people, educate people, as much 

as I can. That’s exciting for me,” 

Nastepniak said. “Bees are a hot 

topic right now, and I want to give 

people more information if I can.” 

Nastepniak said that he enjoys 

the opportunity to work with Spatola 

and Geigner. 

“We have the same passion,” 

he said. “They just want to bring 

good products to people and educate 

them as much as they can. 

When you have a passion for 

something, it just comes out of 

you, and you can see that in Kris 

and Tammy.” 

The passion in the Health Nutz 

co-owners is clear to many. Deana 

Hryn, a New Lenox resident and 

independent distributor for Norwex 

and Nucerity, products that 

offer a natural and healthier way of 

cleaning, also shares a passion for 

helping others lead healthful lives. 

Hryn will have products on 

display at the fair. She also looks 

forward to speaking with people 

one-on-one and sharing information 

with others about innovations 

in the health space, she said. 

“You get to share your love of 

health and wellness and living 

better lives for ourselves and our 

children,” she said. 

“There is so much information, 

people are so confused about all 

of the big, bulk mass marketing 

on products that they truly don’t 

know the long-term effects of 

what we consume. I want to help 

them not just live healthier lives 

but long lives with better quality 

of life.” 

Understanding the difficulties 

that come with celiac disease, 

Nancy O’Connor, owner of Tinley 

Park’s Sweet Pea Gluten Free, 

is looking forward to sharing her 

solution for those looking for gluten-free 

options. 

“For me, the most important 

thing is being able to provide 

not just something healthier, but 

to provide to people … a glutenfree 

product that tastes good,” 

O’Connor said. 

O’Connor said she appreciates 

the variety of health-and-wellness 

products available at the fair. 

“It’s a unique opportunity to find 

a number of new products, and it’s 

kind of like a one-stop-shop, from 

chiropractors to gluten-free food 

to wonderful honey,” she said. 

“It’s a great way to talk to vendors 

about what they offer directly. It’s 

a nicer, personal, one-on-one way 

to meet … folks who have small 

businesses.” 

Visit us online at www.mokenamessenger.com 

Don’t be a victim 

Mokena police offer tips to 

help prevent vehicle thefts 

Submitted by the Mokena Police 

Department 

Mokena police are asking Mokena 

residents to team up with them to 

help proactively deter burglaries from 

parked vehicles throughout the community. 

The Lincoln-Way area has experienced 

an increase in the number of 

these types of crimes recently, most 

frequently by out-of-area suspects 

during overnight hours. The common 

denominator in most of these vehicle 

burglaries is an unlocked vehicle 

parked in a driveway or on the street 

with valuables left out in clear view 

for would-be thieves. In some cases, 

the vehicle keys or a proximity fob has 

been left inside the unlocked vehicle, 

resulting in the vehicle being stolen. 

Open, unsecured garage doors additionally 

invite criminal activity. 

Police are encouraging residents to 

help prevent these types of crimes by 

being “eyes and ears” for their neighbors 

and the community at large. If you 

see suspicious activity in your neighborhood, 

call 911. Descriptions of suspicious 

people and their clothing, along 

with vehicle descriptions and license 

plates, are extremely helpful. 

Proactive overnight patrols are conducted 

by Mokena police personnel on 

a regular basis, using both marked and 

unmarked vehicles. You can help them 

deter potential crimes by taking the 

following simple steps: 

• Lock your vehicle. 

• Remove valuables such as wallets, 

purses, laptop computers, and phones 

from your vehicle while it is unattended. 

• If removing valuables from the vehicle 

is not practical, place them out of 

view. Make sure you lock the vehicle. 

• Every night before going to bed, 

conduct a security check at your home. 

Ensure your vehicles are locked, your 

garage door is closed and your residence 

is secured. 

The above steps take only a few 

minutes and can help prevent you from 

becoming a victim of crime. 

Those with additional questions 

regarding how they can partner with 

Mokena police to make the community 

safer are encouraged to contact Crime 

Prevention Officer Dennis Boardman 

at (708) 479-3912.



D159 Board of Education 

D159 superintendent: Budget surplus is sustainable 

Board of education 

reviews 2017-2018 

budget, predicts a 

$100,000 surplus 

Amanda Stoll, Assistant Editor 

During the regular meeting 

of the District 159 Board 

of Education on Aug. 16, 

Chief School Business Official 

Teri Shaw presented the 

board with the final budget 

for fiscal year 2018, which 

runs from July 1, 2017 to 

June 30, 2018. 

The budget, which coincides 

with the 2017-2018 

school year, outlines an 

overall $19.9M in revenue 

and $19.8M in expenditures 

leaving a $100,000 surplus. 

A large amount of the surplus 

comes from the education 

fund, one of nine funds 

that makes up the overall 

budget. Although there is a 

projected $378,000 surplus 

in the education fund, five of 

the other funds are projected 

to operate at a deficit. 

Board Member Eric Bush 

emphasized that although 

there is a surplus overall, the 

operations and maintenance 

fund, and the transportation 

fund and are two of the 

funds projected to operate 

at a deficit. He said parents 

often talk to him about the 

recent transportation fee increases, 

and the board and 

administration should go 

about explaining the financial 

situation fully to prevent 

confusion about the projected 

budget surplus. 

As previously reported, 

the District 159 Board of 

Education voted to increase 

transportation fees during 

the March 15 meeting. Fees 

increased from $100 per student 

to $200 per student for 

those who live 1.5 miles or 

farther from the school and 

$375 per student for those 

who live within 1.5 miles of 

the school. 

Many parents were concerned 

about the increase 

and the impact it would have 

on their own finances as well 

as the burden it could place 

on families who might not 

be able to afford the fee. 

District administrators, 

foreseeing the potential for 

fewer students to sign up for 

bussing, initially renewed 

two fewer busses for the 

upcoming school year; however, 

during the meeting administrators 

noted additional 

busses have now been leased 

to accommodate the number 

of riders signed up, bringing 

the number of routes back to 

what it was prior to the fee 

increase. 

Board Member Jim Andresen 

also commented on 

the projected surplus, saying 

it allows the district to 

operate without having to 

worry about state aid payments, 

which have been 

delayed repeatedly because 

of Illinois’ budget issues in 

Springfield. 

“The idea that we have 

any kind of surplus — it’s 

not reality,” Andresen said. 

“There’s too much going on, 

there’s been deficit spending 

for too long. We need to be 

diligent.” 

The topic of state aid 

came up both during and 

after the budget presentation, 

in which Shaw noted 

that although the Mokena 

School District is not largely 

dependent on state funding, 

it is still uncertain when they 

will receive that money. 

“I don’t think anybody 

knows what’s going to happen 

in the end [with] the 

state budget,” Shaw said. 

“We do know that we don’t 

have [a state] education 

budget ... Mokena missed a 

general state aid payment, 

and they’re $30,000 each. 

Round it up 

A brief recap of action and discussion at the Aug. 16 meeting of the Mokena School 

D159 Board of Education 

• Two representatives from Lincoln-Way Area Special Education District 843 

presented their budget for 2017-2018 school year. Some Mokena School District 

159 special education students attend school in D843, so the Mokena Board of 

Education reviewed and approved their budget. 

• A special meeting for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 30 was scheduled and approved for 

the purposes of interviewing superintendent search firms. The board is expected to 

choose from the firm candidates in a closed session meeting following the interviews. 

• The board of education approved a Sept. 20 date for the budget hearing during the 

board’s regular 7 p.m. meeting in the district board room at Mokena Elementary 

School. The board will also hear final enrollment numbers for the fall and further 

discuss standardized testing. 

• There will be a change in venue and date for the Mokena Educational Foundation’s 

annual Fall Fling event. It will be held on Oct. 20 at Jenny’s Steakhouse, 10160 

191st St., Mokena. 

So, we’ll also miss the second 

August general state aid 

payment. So, we’ll miss the 

first two minimum.” 

Superintendent Omar Castillo 

praised the board and 

administrators for their work 

the last few years to their 

commitment to getting out 

of debt, and said their whole 

approach to deficit spending 

changed after he attended a 

workshop. 

“To me it’s amazing that 

just two years ago we were 

sitting around this same 

table looking at a $2.1 million 

deficit, and I think at 

that time was the first time 

we heard the big bad “r” 

word — referendum — and 

we kind of all went into a 

panic,” Castillo said. 

“It wasn’t until after attending 

a workshop that it 

was brought to my attention 

that I was looking at 

things wrong.” he added. 

“It’s not, ‘how do I prepare 

my community for a referendum?’ 

it’s more ‘how do 

you avoid a referendum?’ 

So, I brought it back to the 

district leadership team 

and then the administrative 

leadership team, and 

we started looking at things 

differently in order to be 

able to avoid a referendum.” 

Castillo said he believes 

the budget surplus is sustainable 

with the proper maintenance, 

and said Shaw agreed 

with him. 

“We will continue to look 

at our revenues and expenditures,” 

Castillo said. 

“I can see a lot of things 

changing, including, I know 

a big topic this year has 

been transportation. We 

can levy differently and our 

transportation situation can 

be different and will be different.” 

Summer cleaning 

Another item on the agenda 

was the disposal of old 

or unused equipment, something 

Castillo said the district 

does regularly to clear 

up storage space. 

Some items will be disposed 

of through P&K Enterprise 

— a Chicago-based 

junk removal company that 

advertises its services on 

its website as “The world’s 

free-est junk removal services” 

— while other items will 

be donated to organizations 

in the area including other 

school districts. 

Items the board approved 

the disposal or donation of 

included 10 computer chairs, 

20 computer tables, 23 

wooden chairs, three filing 

cabinets, three World globes, 

five wooden tables, one 

wooden teacher desk, 137 

student desks, 236 student 

chairs, two white boards, 

one chalkboard, three shelving 

units, two dividers and 

30 cases of obsolete cleaner. 

Testing and Technology 

Assistant Superintendent 

of Instruction Kathleen 

Wilkey discussed the Partnership 

for Assessment of 

Readiness for College and 

Careers (PARCC) and Fast 

Bridge scores with board 

members and explained 

some of the results from 

standardized tests students 

took at the end of the 2016- 

2017 school year. 

Fast Bridge scores for 

grades k-8 on English, Language 

Arts and Reading 

were between 65 and 83 

percent — meaning 65 to 83 

percent of students met or 

exceeded standards — while 

math scores ranged from 48 

to 80 percent. 

PARCC scores were between 

30.9 and 54.1 percent 

in grades 3-8 in ELA/ 

reading, while math scores 

ranged from 23.5 to 51.5 

percent. 

Standardized test scores 

have been widely criticized in 

recent years for their accuracy 

and reliability, but Wilkey 

said, nonetheless, it helps district 

administrators set goals 

for student achievement. 

She said her team hopes 

for students to score 75 percent 

in math by spring 2018, 

but said they will be focusing 

on goals for Fast Bridge 

assessments rather than 

PARCC. 

“Keep in mind PARCC 

has changed pretty much 

every year,” Wilkey said. 

“This is, as of right now, 

the last year that the State of 

Illinois has a contract with 

PARCC. Looking at this 

data, it’s hard for us to say, 

‘lets set goals for PARCC.’ 

We need to really focus on 

our Fast Bridge and one of 

the things we’re going to be 

looking at is those national 

norms.” 

Director of Technology 

Jake Smith reported that 

wifi updates throughout the 

district have enabled the 

network to support all the 

devices that will be using the 

internet. 

Board Member Mike Everett 

voiced the idea to televise 

their board meetings. 

Andresen discussed using 

Facebook Live rather than a 

cable channel. 

After further discussion 

the board agreed to revisit 

the issue after deciding upon 

a community relations liaison 

position. 

Board members have 

previously discussed hiring 

a part-time community 

relations liaison or hiring a 

firm to meet their community 

relations needs. The 

decision was tabled until 

a budget was approved to 

make sure the salary fit into 

the budget.

6 | August 24, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger News 


Area men step up in fight against breast cancer 

American Cancer 

Society announces 

slate for Real Men 

Wear Pink 

Jason Maholy 


The American Cancer 

Society is for the first time 

this year holding its nationwide 

Real Men Wear Pink 

campaign in the southwest 

suburbs, and several men 

with ties to the area will be 

among those vying to be the 

top breadwinner of a collective 

fundraising effort. 

Fifteen men — including 

educators, corporate administrators, 

elected officials 

and public employees — are 

among 2,000 from across 

the country participating in 

the annual initiative, which 

is intended to raise breast 

cancer awareness and funds 

for breast cancer research. 

Each will over the next 

two-plus months attempt to 

raise a minimum of $2,500 

and use their status to be 

advocates for breast cancer 

awareness. They also are 

required to wear pink every 

day in October during National 

Breast Cancer Awareness 

Month. 

Real Men Wear Pink of 

South Suburbs kicked off 

their efforts Aug. 8 at Rock 

Bottom Restaurant & Brewery 

in Orland Park. The evening 

included dinner, drinks 

and a few photo opportunities 

for the guys who will 

try to outdo one another in a 

friendly competition to raise 

the most money. They also 

were provided gift bags with 

socks and other pink items, 

in the likely event they do 

not have a month’s worth of 

Walt’s Certificate 

pink clothing articles stashed 

in their closest and dressers. 

Among the participants 

are men who live or work 

in Orland Park, Mokena and 

Tinley Park. They include 

Bob Fabrizio, of Orland 

Park; Randy Couwenhoven, 

of Mokena; Rich Piatchek, 

a former athletic director at 

Andrew High School; and 

Mike Wojcik, senior vice 

president of The Horton 

Group. 

Couwenhoven, the associate 

principal at Tinley Park 

High School, joked that his 

friend Debbie Boniface, who 

he knows from their days at 

Sandburg High School, convinced 

him to participate by 

taking him out to lunch and 

schmoozing him. 

“It’s a great cause,” he 

said. “It’s an important thing 

to be involved in, and it’s 

nice to be in a position in the 

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community to be asked to do 

something like this. So I’m 

honored to help out and be a 

part of it.” 

Couwenhoven noted his 

mother-in-law is a breast 

cancer survivor. 

“All of us standing here 

have a direct connection 

to cancer in some way,” he 

said. “Most people can relate 

to the cause. As much as 

it’s a competition, it’s also a 

collective effort to raise as 

much money as we can for a 

good cause.” 

“We have some pretty 

cool people here,” said Jennifer 

Brauer, the American 

Cancer Society’s managing 

director of Real Men Wear 

Pink of South Suburbs. “It’s 

a great campaign. It’s a lot of 

fun.” 

The campaign has been 

conducted in Chicago and 

DuPage County, and the Society 

made its foray into the 

south and southwest suburbs 

this year because of its connections 

to people in the area, 

Brauer said. The majority of 

the nominees are men who 

are in some way associated 

or acquainted with American 

Cancer Society directors and 

board members. 

“We knew we wanted to 

get them involved, so we sat 

down and talked with them 

about the campaign,” Brauer 

explained. “We had all these 

people that we hadn’t quite 

tapped into to pull into our 

mission and be advocates for 

us. We just knew we had the 

resources to do it down here 

and figured, ‘Why not?’” 

Real Men Wear Pink of 

South Suburbs will moving 

forward be held annually. 

Participants can raise 

funds any way they choose, 

from soliciting friends and 

family through emails to 

organizing bake sales or car 

washes. 

“That’s kind of the whole 

point: To be creative, to raise 

money in a way that works 

for you, that fits into your social 

networks,” Brauer said. 

The society is maintaining 

on its website a leaderboard 

that displays the amount 

of funds raised, and at the 

head of the pack thus far is 

Fabrizio. The retired athletic 

director from Stagg High 

School in Palos Hills had 

— as of Thursday, Aug. 10 

— raised $1,775, more than 

double that of the next-closest 

man, primarily through 

email and word-of-mouth, 

he said. 

Fabrizio, like most of the 

men involved in the campaign, 

has a personal connection 

to cancer. He beat 

throat cancer, with which he 

was diagnosed in 2005, and 

his mother is a cancer survivor. 

“I know I’m probably 

alive today because of the 

efforts of a lot of people who 

came before me — volunteering 

and raising funds and 

awareness — so it seems 

like the right thing to do,” 

Fabrizio said. “From what I 

see, we’ve got a great group 

of people involved here, and 

it’s going to be a great success.” 

(Left to right) Mark Tolliver, Randy Couwenhoven and Richard Heim gather at Rock Bottom 

Restaurant & Brewery in Orland Park to kick off a friendly competition to raise funds and 

awareness for breast cancer. Julie Mcmann/22nd Century Media

mokenamessenger.com mokena 


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Mokena Village Board 

Wolf Road emergency repairs on the way 

Jon DePaolis 


The Village of Mokena 

Board of Trustees voted 

6-0 Monday, Aug. 14, to 

approve emergency repairs 

to part of Wolf Road after 

an early July incident 

in which the road buckled 

because of extreme 

heat. 

“Wolf Road buckled 

near the Ken Heim Maintenance 

Facility, just north 

of Marley Creek [on July 

6],” said Mark Detloff, assistant 

public works director, 

during the meeting. “A 

contractor was engaged on 

an emergency basis that 

day to complete some temporary 

repairs and to make 

the street safe for motorists. 

In order to prevent 

any further faults from 

occurring, permanent repairs 

must be completed 

as soon as possible to remove 

inconsistencies in the 

roadway.” 

Detloff said three bids 

were secured by staff for the 

work, with Davis Concrete 

Construction Company submitting 

the lowest bid at 

$43,500. 

“Over the years, Davis 

has completed a substantial 

amount of work in Mokena 

with positive results, 

including similar patching 

work on Wolf Road,” Detloff 

said. 

Trustees voted unanimously 

to approve the Davis 

Concrete Construction 

Company bid. According to 

the staff report, the money 

to pay for the emergency 

repairs would be taken 

from the Village’s capital 

road repair fund. Staff 

noted in the report that the 

Village’s capital project 

bids are currently $115,220 

less than the budgeted 

amount. 

Craft beer store making 

headway 

During the work session 

later in the evening, trustees 

heard a request from the 

co-owners of Crafted Bottle 

Shop, who are seeking a 

special use permit to open 

a liquor store with a tasting 

area at 19200 S. LaGrange 

Road in Mokena. The coowners, 

Daniel Rusnak 

and Denver Worker, plan to 

open the 1,500-square-foot 

craft beer store inside the 

Meridian Centre commercial 

development. 

“It focuses on local breweries 

and suppliers, offering 

products that are not 

normally available at liquor 

stores,” Mokena Director of 

Economic and Community 

Development Alan Zordan 

said during his presentation 

to the board. “It has a 

tasting area, where you can 

sample the product, which 

is regularly rotating. They 

do not sell hard liquor, 

wine or tobacco products, 

which sets it apart from 

the other liquor stores in 

the area.” 

Zordan said a similar 

concept is The Open 

Bottle, located in Tinley 

Park. The proposed hours 

would be: noon-6 p.m. Sundays; 

closed on Mondays; 

11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesdays 

through Thursdays; and 11 

a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays and 

Saturdays. 

Zordan said the store 

would be given, if approved, 

a Class H liquor 

license, which would be a 

newly created class of liquor 

license that was developed 

by staff on the board’s 

direction. The new liquor 

license, which would need 

to be approved by the board 

at a future meeting, would 

allow for packaged sale of 

liquor and a tasting area, but 

Round it up 

A brief recap of action from the Aug. 14 meeting of the Mokena Village Board. 

•In addition to the request from Seventh Day Adventist, other consent agenda 

items that were approved by one, 5-1 vote were: a special event assistance request 

from Mokena VFW Post 725 to use Village property for overflow parking during its 

Cruise Night Car Show on Friday, Aug. 25; a solicitation request from the Lincoln- 

Way Community High School District 210 music boosters for door-to-door sales of its 

yearly SIAM Discount Book, from Aug. 20-27; and minutes from meetings on July 17 

and 24 meetings. 

•During the work session after the board meeting, trustees heard a request for a 

special use permit to expand the GymKinetics building, located at 19220 Ridge 

Road. The addition would be 6,733 square feet, and it would include construction 

of a parking lot. Trustees expressed their support for the project, and no objections 

were raised. It will come before the board for approval at a future meeting. 

•Also during the work session, trustees heard from staff on the potential creation 

of three new liquor license categories: Class G, which is for a craft brewery; Class H, 

which is for a craft packaged sales with sampling; and Class I, which is for a one-day 

special event retail license. The discussion also included amending certain existing 

licenses to allow for things such as hours of operation flexibility on certain dates, 

such at St. Patrick’s Day. There were no objections by the trustees, and this will be 

brought back before the board for approval at a later date. 

would prohibit video gaming 

terminals and the sale of 

hard alcohol and tobacco. 

During the discussion, 

Rusnak spoke to the trustees 

about Crafted’s business 

plan. 

“Basically, we are in the 

business of promoting craft 

beer,” Rusnak said. “We’re 

looking to offer customers a 

unique experience. We want 

them to be able to come in 

and try things that are maybe 

hard to find or something 

that you may not find at a 

traditional liquor store or 

grocery store.” 

Rusnak said Crafted is 

not a bar or tavern. 

“The [hours] are retail 

hours; we’re not going to be 

open until 2 a.m.,” he said. 

“We’re not going to have 

loud music, and we might 

not even have TVs. At 

most, we might have one. 

So, we’re not going to have 

gameday specials or anything 

like that. That’s not 

our niche market.” 

He also said Crafted 

won’t be carrying beer such 

as Budweiser or Miller. 

“The typical beer drinker 

is probably not coming to 

our store,” Rusnak said. 

“Our typical customer, we 

call them beer enthusiasts, 

usually has a higher income 

and education level. It 

doesn’t mean other customers 

don’t, but that is typical. 

In this area, they are typically 

married and they basically 

don’t have time to be 

at a bar. They don’t have 

time to go search out unique 

beer, so we’re there to bring 

it to them.” 

Rusnak said a typical visit 

lasts 20 to 40 minutes, and 

most of the time is spent perusing 

the shelves and asking 

staff which beer matches 

flavor profiles they enjoy. 

He also said most customers 

average one to two tasting 

pours. 

No objections were raised 

by the trustees, and the item 

will be brought before the 

board for approval at a later 

date. 

Parking issue raised for 

proposed church office 

space 

Earlier in the evening, 

the meeting started off in 

an unusual way, with a split 

vote on the consent agenda 

items. It began when 

Trustee Joseph Budzyn expressed 

concerns about one 

of the items on the consent 

agenda, regarding parking 

lot, site, landscape and 

photometric plans, light fixtures, 

and building elevation 

review for a proposed 

office space for Seventhday 

Adventist Church 

at 19860 S. LaGrange 

Road. 

Budzyn’s concerns focused 

on parking. 

Typically, when a trustee 

expresses a concern with an 

item on the consent agenda, 

it is removed and voted on 

separately. However, the 

item was kept on the consent 

agenda, resulting in 

a 5-1 vote, with Budzyn 

casting the dissenting 

ballot. 

During the discussion, 

Budzyn asked why the 

staff report on the item 

listed the building as being 

10,704 square feet, which 

would determine the parking 

as mandated by Village 

Code, and why other 

documents not included 

in the staff report listed 

the net square footage of 

8,488 feet. 

“Since parking requirements 

are determined by 

square footage, I’d like 

some clarification, because 

the staff report indicates 

that even at that square footage 

there is not adequate 

parking,” Budzyn said. 

Zordan said many communities 

utilize a net square 

footage for calculating 

parking, which explains the 

8,488 feet number. 

“But Mokena’s code is 

based off gross square footage,” 

Zordan said. “That is 

what the other number in 

staff report reflects. That’s 

why that document wasn’t 

included, because it would 

create confusion. Though 

the staff report speaks to our 

ordinance, these numbers 

speak to what other communities 

have as a format. 

If you follow the net square 

footage, they have plenty of 

capacity.” 

“Well, our ordinance requires 

gross square footage,” 

Budzyn replied. 

“That’s correct,” Zordan 

said. 

“Well, then don’t talk to 

me about net square footage,” 

Budzyn said. “As far 

as the parking goes, we are 

under … by one [space]. 

Are we looking for a variance 

on that?” 

Zordan said the plaza the 

church would be located in 

is set up for shared parking, 

so to “overflow” one or two 

spaces is not an issue.

mokenamessenger.com News 


Police Reports 

Police: Underage trio charged with stealing booze 

Marco J. Walker, 20, of 

227 Alleghany St. in Park 

Forest was charged with 

retail theft, possession of 

stolen property and having 

an in-state warrant on Aug. 

3. Sian D. Clayton, 19, and 

Noah B. Clayton, 18, both 

of 127 Algonquin St. in Park 

Forest were each charged 

with possession of stolen 

property in the same incident, 

which took place in the 

11300 block of West Lincoln 

Highway. 

According to police reports, 

an officer was dispatched 

to the West Lincoln 

Highway location for a possible 

robbery in progress. 

While en route to the location, 

the officer was advised 

that the suspects had fled 

the parking lot of the store 

in a small, green Honda. 

Witnesses reportedly told 

police that they observed 

two suspects enter the store 

while a third waited in the 

car. Upon attempting to 

leave the store, witnesses 

said security alarms went 

off and the suspects fled in 

the Honda. 

Frankfort police soon after 

spotted the vehicle and detained 

the suspects until Mokena 

police could arrive. Police 

allege that the suspects 

were found with 12 bottles 

of alcohol in the trunk of the 

vehicle, and another eight 

bottles were allegedly discovered 

under a coat in the 

backseat of the car after the 

suspects were taken in custody. 

Aug. 10 

• Dingane M. Nkosi, 64, of 

999 Stuyvesant, New Jersey, 

was charged with having 

an in-state warrant after police 

reportedly found Nkosi 

asleep in his vehicle shortly 

after 10 p.m. in the 10800 

block of West 187th Street. 


a patrol officer discovered 

the warrant, which was issued 

for Bond County, after 

he ran Nkosi’s driver’s 

license as part of a routine 

check. 

Aug. 12 

• David W. Bachar, 36, of 

10924 Front St. in Mokena 

was charged with having an 

in-state warrant after Bachar 

reportedly tried to seek help 

for a drug addiction through 

Mokena Police Department’s 

participation in the 

Safe Passage program. 


Bachar entered the Mokena 

Police Department in the 

10900 block of Front Street 

and asked to be taken into 

the Safe Passage program, 

which is a program that finds 

assistance for addicts who 

voluntarily come to police 

stations seeking help. As part 

of the process, police reportedly 

discovered the warrant 

and informed Bachar that he 

would only be eligible for 

the program once the warrant 

was settled. 

Safe Passage is offered in 

three Will County police departments 

— Lemont, Lockport 

and Mokena. 

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Mokena 

Messenger’s police reports 

come from the Mokena Police 

Department. Anyone listed in 

these reports is considered to 

be innocent of all charges until 

proven guilty in a court of law. 

VENDORS WANTED 

toppen 

From Page 3 

selves — we didn’t really 

understand the full scope 

of the deployments,” Steichen 

said. “Even if a soldier 

doesn’t get wounded, 

they’re still away from their 

family for nine months. The 

stories that these guys would 

tell us when we were oneon-one 

with them changed 

us. It is humbling and so inspiring. 

It propels us to keep 

doing this.” 

Mike Cozzi, of Joliet — 

who works with the nonprofit 

Caring Patriots — came to 

the event with his son, Mike 

Cozzi, Jr., to remember Toppen 

and all of the brave men 

and women who have sacrificed 

their lives in service to 

this country. 

“Aaron was a 19-year-old 

from the Mokena area that 

put forth his life to defend 

the freedoms that my little 

one and I — and everybody 

else — can enjoy every day,” 

Chris Cooper takes a moment to reflect on the lives of fallen soldiers at the Memorial Wall. 

The wall has become a staple fixture for the Toppen Run. Laurie Fanelli/22nd Century Media 

Cozzi said. 

Frankfort resident and 

Midwest BBQ for the Brave 

co-founder Gayla Smith is 

a champion of the idea that 

communities can — and 

should — come together to 

support veterans. 

“It’s our responsibility 

to take care of the veterans 

and any service member in 

need after they’ve served 

our country,” Smith said. 

“It’s up to us as a community 

to make sure they don’t 

go hungry and that they have 

adequate housing. That’s 

what we do.” 

Music from Mason Rivers, 

popcorn from Boy 

Scout Troop 49 and a variety 

of vender booths added 

to the fun of the event, but 

it was the memory of Toppen 

that truly made it a day 

to remember. As Cozzi said: 

“In the end, it’s all about 

coming forth, remembering 

and making sure that those 

sacrifices are never forgotten.” 

Vendors are needed to offer seniors and baby 

boomers everything they need to know about 

health and wellness, fitness, financial planning, 

shopping and entertainment, assisted living, real 

estate, travel and more for the 3rd annual Active 

Aging—An Expo for Ages 50+. 

DATE: 

Saturday, October 21 

TIME: 

9 a.m. – 1 p.m. 

PLACE: 

Tinley Park 

Convention Center 

Space is limited — DEADLINE: Oct. 4 

For More Information 

Call: 708.326.9170 ext. 16 

Email: h.warthen@22ndcenturymedia.com 

Visit us online at 

www.mokenamessenger.com



Make your recovery 

the comeback story of the year. 

Host families needed 

for German HS band 

Submitted by the Village of 

Mokena 

The BigBand and Choir of 

the Markgrafler Gymnasium 

in Muellheim, Germany, is 

returning for their sixth visit 

to the Lincoln Way area. 

This group of 65 high school 

students and their chaperones 

are touring Michigan 

and Illinois as part of Blue 

Lake Fine Arts Camp’s 2017 

International Arts Program. 

The group’s last public 

performance was the Messa 

di Gloria in the sanctuary of 

St. John’s United Church of 

Christ in 2011. Their visit in 

2014 had a shared rehearsal 

with the Lincoln Way East 

Jazz Band, under the direction 

of Ben Clark. 

Dee Block of Mokena has 

single-handedly taken on 

the task of hosting the group 

on their trips to this area 

since 2000, and she asks 

area families to open their 

homes to these students for 

the dates of Sept. 6-9. The 

students range in age from 

15 to 18 years old. It is suggested, 

for the comfort of 

all concerned, that students 

be placed at a minimum of 

two to a home. 

All international students 

agree to abide by the rules 

of the host organization and 

families and are non-smokers. 

Beds or private rooms 

are not necessary. A comfortable 

sleeping area, sleeping 

bags, and great Midwestern 

hospitality are all that are 

needed. 

The short visit to Chicagoland 

includes a day 

to visit Chicago, a highly 

anticipated event for the 

group. The group will travel 

to the city with their chap- 

Please see hosts, 14 

It’s okay to push yourself, but sometimes you can go too far. And when that 

happens, the orthopedic experts at Franciscan Health can help get you back up to 

speed. From sprains and tears to fractures and dislocations, we can help you regain 

the life you’re used to living. Restore. Recover. Return. Learn more at 

FranciscanHealth.org/Ortho. 

FranciscanHealth.org/Ortho 

Nala 

NAWS Illinois Humane 

Society 

9981 W. 190th St. 

Mokena, IL 60448 

Nala is a friendly 

7-year-old, spayed, 

female tortie. After 

spending several years in a home, she is now looking 

for a loving forever family. She is a sweet girl that is 

affectionate and enjoys being petted. When she is not 

seeking out attention she loves to sit in the window 

and watch the outside world. Contact Wendy at 708- 

478-5102 or wendy@nawsus.org to meet her. 

Want to see your pet featured as The Mokena Messenger’s Pet 

of the Week? Send your pet’s photo and a few sentences explaining 

why your pet is outstanding to Editor TJ Kremer III at 

tj@mokenamessenger.com or 11516 W. 183rd St., Office Condo 

3, Suite SW, Orland Park, IL 60467.

® 



Lincoln-Way D210 Board of Education 

Lacrosse receives board approval as 

IHSA sport for 2017-2018 school year 

Meredith Dobes 


The boys and girls lacrosse 

teams at Lincoln-Way 

Community High School 

District 210 will be able to 

continue to compete this 

school year, following a vote 

by the School Board Thursday, 

Aug. 17, to approve 

lacrosse as an Illinois High 

School Association sport. 

The approval was unanimous, 

with Board Member 

Christine Glatz absent. 

Until this year, lacrosse 

has been deemed an “emerging 

sport” by IHSA, meaning 

that it was recognized as 

a club at schools that participated 

in the sport. Because 

of its growth, IHSA officially 

sanctioned the sport this 

year, requiring schools to 

also officially adopt the sport 

and staff it as a regular sport. 

Superintendent R. Scott 

Tingley said the timing of 

the IHSA’s decision is difficult 

for D210 financially, 

but the athletes’ families 

were willing to take on most 

of the costs the first year in 

order to continue to have the 

sport at the district. 

He said transportation 

costs for lacrosse were approximately 

$8,000 last year, 

and that amount may rise 

between $1,000-$3,000 this 

year, depending on state series 

travel. The teams would 

be responsible for paying for 

coaches, uniforms and equipment. 

The cost per player 

would be between $266- 

$400, and the club would 

work with players unable to 

pay the fee, Tingley said. 

“We’ve not budgeted for 

these sports, and the [athletic 

directors] don’t have them in 

their budgets at this time,” 

Tingley said. 

For the future, Tingley 

Round it up 

A brief recap of action and discussion at the Aug. 

17 meeting of Lincoln-Way Community High School 

District 210 Board 

• The School Board unanimously approved its portion 

of the Lincoln-Way Area Special Education District 843 

budget, in the amount of approximately $3.8 million. 

• Board members discussed a requested four-year 

property tax abatement for Surface Shield, an Orland 

Park business considering relocating to Tinley Park, 

within the district’s boundaries. Board members 

requested more information, including whether the 

business would be interested in supplying internships 

to Lincoln-Way students. 

said the district will need to 

analyze all costs associated 

with sports and determine 

how the district can move 

forward. 

The boys lacrosse team is 

anticipated to have between 

80-100 athletes, and the girls 

team is expected to have between 

45-50 athletes. The 

teams include students from 

all three schools. 

Financial planning for FY 

2018 

The School Board unanimously 

approved scheduling 

a public hearing Sept. 21 for 

the fiscal year 2018 tentative 

budget. 

Assistant Superintendent 

of Business Brad Cauffman 

said the budget will be 

available for review by the 

public on BoardDocs beginning 

Monday, Aug. 21, and 

there will be an in-depth 

presentation on the budget 

at the Thursday, Aug. 31 

meeting. 

Cauffman also presented 

the tax levy determination 

for the district for 2017, 

showing how much money 

the district is estimated to 

need from taxation. The total 

estimated 2017 levy is approximately 

$81.6 million, 

or a 2.2 percent increase for 

existing taxpayers. 

The School Board unanimously 

approved the determination, 

and Cauffman said the 

levy itself will be up for approval 

at the Sept. 21 meeting. 

Cauffman said the district 

needed to approve its levy 

early — most school districts 

approve levies in December 

— to prepare for requesting 

tax anticipation warrants. 

He added that the levy 

determination is balanced 

against the proposed budget. 

Later in the meeting, the 

School Board also reviewed 

an action plan for Policy 

4:20 regarding fund balance, 

with the goal that the district 

increase operating funds by 

3 percent annually. 

Cauffman said if the district 

is able to do this each 

year, it may be able to eliminate 

the need for TAWs by 

fiscal year 2028. 

“This shows we’re in a 

pretty significant hole that 

is going to take a number 

of years to get back out of 

it,” Board Member Christopher 

Lucchetti said. “Three 

percent seems reasonable. 

It doesn’t jeopardize current 

students and what we’re 

spending. We have to get off 

[TAWs]. This is a good plan.” 

Deadly crash on I-294 kills Mokena man 

TJ Kremer III, Editor 

Don’t let your 

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CONTACT 

Broker - Management Team 

“10” 

The Mokena Messenger 

LORA HEALY 

708.326.9170 ext. 31 l.healy@22ndcenturymedia.com 

Don’t just 

list your 

real estate 

property... 

Illinois State Police are investigating 

a fatal crash involving 

a Mokena man that 

occurred at approximately 

3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 

19, on the southbound lanes 

of I-294 between 135th and 

the Midlothian Turnpike. 

According to a police 

report, Eric Ekstrom, 50, 

of Mokena, was travelling 

southbound in a 1999 

Jeep at a high rate of speed 

when he sideswiped a 2015 

Ford truck, lost control of 

his vehicle and traveled 

over into the northbound 

lanes, where he then struck 

a Kenworth wrecker, causing 

Ekstrom to flip his Jeep 

onto its roof. 

Ekstrom was pronounced 

dead at the scene. Police 

are identifying the other 

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Crossley suffered minor 

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12 | August 24, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger Mokena 


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2017 

HOME 

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22ndcenturymedia.com 

2017 GUIDE 

Ads will appear digitally in the marketplace on 

each newspaper’s website and as a printed glossy book! 

Appearing: 

September 21 ST 

Space Deadline: 

AUGUST 25 TH 

Ad Approval Deadline: 

September 1 ST 

Call (708) 326-9170 to place your ad! 

Ace Race 2017 registration deadline approaching 

Each autumn, disc golfers 

gather at their local courses 

for one purpose: to throw 

aces. Players all throw the 

same model disc — a brand 

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prototype disc that is 

introduced each year especially 

for Ace Race. 

All participants receive a 

player’s pack that includes 

hosts 

From Page 10 

erones, but host families 

may certainly join them or 

meet them later in the day 

for dinner. The performance 

date will also include the 

option to visit the Orland 

Park Mall for some needed 

American shopping! 

Anyone interested in hosting 

students is encouraged to 

two prototype discs and other 

goodies. The entry fee is $30, 

and your player package is 

guaranteed to be twice that 

value. There will be at least 

36 holes, with one throw per 

hole per player. Holes will 

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depending on the prototype 

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The Blue Lake International 

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The tournament will be 

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FROM THE ORLAND PARK PRAIRIE 

Police: Armed home invader 

sprays man with substance, 

takes jewelry 

A man invaded an Orland 

Park home last week, 

sprayed a 68-year-old man 

with a substance “similar to 

pepper spray” and left with 

jewelry, according to police. 

The incident occurred just 

before 9:52 a.m. Aug. 14 in 

the 9400 block of Boardwalk 

Lane, according to a press 

release issued by the Orland 

Park Police Department the 

same day. 

A lone male reportedly entered 

the home via an open 

garage door, confronted and 

sprayed the man, and then 

began to search the home 

for valuables. He also had a 

handgun on his person that 

was observed by the victim, 

according to Cmdr. Tony 

Farrell. 

The offender — described 

as being between 5-foot- 

9 and 6-foot-0, with a thin 

build, wearing a mask “similar 

to a ski mask” — was inside 

the home for roughly 10 

minutes before exiting with 

a “limited amount” of jewelry, 

according to the press 

release. 

After the man exited the 

residence, the victim was 

able to reach a phone and 

called 911, police said. Farrell 

said the victim was evaluated 

at the scene by paramedics 

and did not require 

transport to the hospital. 

Orland Park Police said 

they had no reason to believe 

the man remained in 

the area, but a precautionary 

search of the nearby area reportedly 

was conducted with 

the help of the Cook County 

Sheriff’s Police bloodhound, 

Orland Hills officers and a 

helicopter. 

Police ask anyone with information 

that could help to 

identify the alleged offender 

to call (708) 349-4111. 

Reporting by Bill Jones, Editor. 

For more, visit OPPrairie.com. 

From THE FRANKFORT STATION 

Hickory Creek STEM room 

unveiled 

Frankfort School District 

157-C officials, board members 

and parents beamed 

Aug. 16 as the ribbon was 

cut on a new Hickory Creek 

Middle School STEM room 

and renovations to the 

school’s library. 

The project, completed 

over the summer, comes as 

the district continues to integrate 

21st century learning 

skills into its curriculum. 

“We’re really excited to 

offer this to our students,” 

Hickory Creek Principal 

Will Seidelmann said. “My 

biggest pet peeve about 

these two spaces will be, 

yes, they’re pretty spaces, 

but they all make sense. Everything 

lends itself to what 

we’re doing in the STEM 

classroom, as well as what 

we want to do with the library 

space.” 

The renovations to the 

library replaced rows of 

bookshelves with various 

forms of tables and seating 

meant to encourage collaboration 

and teamwork. 

Seidelmann said students 

will be able to take advantage 

of the space before 

and after school hours, and 

it will be an ideal meeting 

spot for groups such as 

the National Junior Honor 

Society. 

The STEM room, previously 

a computer lab attached 

to the library, now 

features high- and low-top 

tables, along with a project 

room for students to 

brainstorm. According to 

Seidelmann, the room will 

be utilized by all sixthand 

seventh-graders as 

part of their STEM encore 

course and by eighthgraders 

in select elective 

courses. 

Reporting by Brenden Moore, 

Freelance Reporter. For more, 

visit FrankfortStation.com. 

FROM THE NEW LENOX PATRIOT 

Community rallies around 

local with rare cancer 

through fundraiser 

Bill Koch has always been 

there to help others. 

Whether it is donating his 

time at the local VFW or 

doing his best to help out a 

friend or family member, 

people who know the New 

Lenox resident well say that 

Koch goes out of his way for 

others. 

But now it is Koch who 

needs a helping hand after 

being diagnosed with 

rhabdomyosarcoma — a 

rare, soft-tissue cancer. 

Most commonly found in 

children, only a handful 

of medical facilities in the 

country have the ability to 

treat this disease for adults. 

In Koch’s case, he has had 

to travel to the University 

of Texas MD Anderson 

Cancer Center in Houston 

for treatment. 

Koch, who was self-employed 

before the diagnosis, 

was on private health care 

insurance — meaning medical 

costs quickly have piled 

up. 

To help him as he has 

helped others, friends and 

family of the Kochs have 

planned a fundraiser and set 

up a donation website. The 

event is scheduled from 2-10 

p.m. Saturday, Aug. 26, at 

Francis Field Youth Foundation, 

801 E. Francis Road in 

New Lenox. 

It is free admission, but 

donations will be accepted to 

help fund Bill Koch’s medical 

costs. 

Connie Cunningham, a 

friend of the Koch family, 

is leading the charge for the 

benefit. 

“It’s going to be a fun 

day,” Cunningham said. 

“We’re coming together in 

the spirit of friendship and 

support. You don’t have to 

know [the Kochs]. They 

could be strangers, and you 

can still come and be welcomed.” 

Reporting by Jon DePaolis, 


visit NewLenoxPatriot.com. 

FROM THE TINLEY JUNCTION 

Local actress refuses to 

sugarcoat her experiences 

“My father called me 

‘sugar,’” actress Monique 

Cafe said. “All is right with 

the world.” 

The 57-year-old performer 

from Matteson repeated 

that phrase during her onewoman 

tell-all show, which 

starts with her nickname and 

unfolds into her life story. 

Cafe — who wrote, produced 

and starred in “Sugar”— 

held back to back performances 

Aug. 12 and 13 at 

the Tinley Park Performing 

Arts Center. 

“This is what I’ve been 

working for so I’m excited,” 

Cafe said, prior to the start 

of the Sunday matinee. “I’ve 

been performing up in the 

city, but I wanted to bring 

something new out to the 

south suburbs, where I’m 

from, so that the people who 

know me best can experience 

my show.” 

Cafe’s family members 

were peppered throughout 

the packed theater, including 

her husband, Charles Gary, 

and cousin, Joy Johnson. 

“Just because I’m her 

cousin doesn’t mean I 

know what to expect from 

the show,” Johnson said. 

“There are some things you 

might not talk about with 

family. So, I’m going to 

be just as amazed, shocked 

or entertained as everyone 

else.” 

Throughout “Sugar,” Cafe 

weaved in and out of the pivotal 

moments in her life and 

revisited parts of her past, 

which included an unexpected 

childhood loss to a family 

mystery. 

“I’m really happy to do the 

full premiere of the show in 

the south suburbs, because 

that’s where I’m from,” Cafe 

said. “Now, I can expand it 

out to other areas. I think 

that everybody can relate to 

something in this story.” 

Reporting by Laurie Fanelli, 


visit TinleyJunction.com. 

FROM THE LOCKPORT LEGEND 

Man reportedly shot during 

drug deal in Lockport 

A Romeoville man reportedly 

was shot in the arm 

Aug. 16 during a drug deal 

in Fairmont. 

The victim suffered non 

life-threatening injuries during 

the transaction in Lockport’s 

Fairmont subdivision, 

and drove to East Romeo 

Road in Romeoville, where 

Will County Sheriff’s deputies 

responded around 1:15 

p.m., according to Will 

County spokesperson Kathy 

Hoffmeyer. 

The 22-year-old told deputies 

he set up a meeting 

with an unknown individual 

via Snapchat to purchase 

cannabis, and when he drove 

to Fairmont Avenue around 

12:45 p.m., he was approached 

by a man described 

as black, 17-18 years old, 

5-foot-6 and 120 pounds, 

with no facial hair. The man 

asked to see the money for 

the transaction and said he 

would be right back. 

After the first man walked 

away, a second man — described 

as black, with a 

medium skin tone, 17-18 

years old, 6-foot-2 and 150 

pounds, with a light mustache 

— entered the passenger 

side of the vehicle 

and revealed a handgun. 

The Romeoville man reportedly 

attempted to push the 

other man out of the vehicle 

and began to drive away, at 

which point the man in the 

passenger’s seat shot the Romeoville 

man as he jumped 

out of the moving vehicle. 

The alleged victim was 

transferred to Adventist 

Medical Center in Bolingbrook. 

Will County Sheriff’s 

detectives are investigating 

the incident. 

Reporting by Max Lapthorne, 

Editor. For more, visit LockportLegend.com. 

FROM THE HOMER HORIZON 

‘The Wizard of Oz’ collector 

follows his yellow, brick 

road 

Throughout the decades, 

the story of Dorothy and her 

journey to the land of Oz has 

become ingrained in American 

culture and continues to 

garner attention from new 

generations of families. 

Known around the world, 

“The Wizard of Oz” appeals 

to a variety of people. 

But, for some, the story has 

grown closer to the heart. 

“I developed a bond to it 

and just immediately liked 

it,” Walter Krueger said of 

his love of “The Wizard of 

Oz. … After seeing the film, 

I fell in love with the whole 

musical aspect of it, and, I 

think, like with anybody, the 

colors and whole romanticism 

of the story put to that 

Hollywood MGM flair.” 

A resident of Homer Glen 

for more than 15 years, 

Krueger, 31, attended Lockport 

Township High School 

and did a brief stint in college 

before realizing his true 

calling as an internationally 

known expert and fan of “The 

Wizard of Oz,” with one of the 

largest collections of memorabilia 

from the film and book 

series in the world — a feat 27 

years in the making. 

The collection of roughly 

9,000 items is proudly on display 

throughout Krueger’s 

Homer Glen home. Two full 

rooms house the majority of 

the collection, while tapestries 

and other décor are displayed 

in other areas of the 

home and even decorate the 

lawn. 

“I don’t ever see myself 

not doing this,” Krueger 

said. 

Reporting by Amanda Del 

Buono, Freelance Reporter. 

For more, visit HomerHorizon. 

com.

mokenamessenger.com sound off 


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From MokenaMessenger.com as of 

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Couple opens new, family-focused spot on 

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grueling 100K race around Mount St. Helens 

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Follow The Mokena Messenger: @mokenamessenger 

from the assistant editor 

Football lessons from 

‘Game of Thrones’ 

Amanda Stoll 


The game of football 

draws many parallels 

to the popular HBO 

series “Game of Thrones,” 

which is why the “Football 

is Coming” title was chosen 

for 22nd Century Media’s 

annual football preview. 

The preview has taken 

over the sports section, 

much like GoT has taken 

over Sunday evenings. 

If you haven’t watched the 

show, I’d highly recommend 

it. It’s now in season 7, but 

a look at the Nielsen ratings 

will show you that more and 

more people have been viewing 

the show each season. 

It’s never too late to start 

watching a show, so go 

ahead and start binge watching 

seasons 1-6. By the time 

you finish season 6, the 

current season will likely be 

released for home viewing. 

The story is based on a series 

of books by George R.R. 

Martin that can be described 

as a medieval fantasy epic, 

— which I have not read 

yet, but plan to — and it has 

translated well to the longerepisode, 

series format. 

Fun fact: the book series 

is actually titled “A Song of 

Ice and Fire” with the first 

novel being titled “A Game 

of Thrones.” 

I’ll admit the first season 

had a bit more nudity and 

graphic violence than I was 

prepared for, but don’t let that 

scare you off. The subsequent 

seasons focus less on the 

carnal, and the story lines get 

much more interesting. 

Don’t let the word “fantasy” 

scare you off either. 

I know a lot of people who 

probably wouldn’t be attracted 

to things like “Lord 

of the Rings” or the Harry 

Potter series but have found 

“Game of Thrones” to be 

quite enjoyable. 

So, let’s compare the 

football preview to “Game 

of Thrones” once again. 

GoT is full of leaders, 

each with their own unique 

style of conquering. Whether 

it be by force, stealth or fear, 

or a combination thereof, 

making the right moves at 

the right times is crucial. 

In football, those plays can 

make or break a game and 

it’s up to the teams’ leaders 

to make it happen. 

Leadership isn’t all about 

having a fancy title; though, 

and, as we’ve seen with 

Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) 

in GoT, sometimes 

even the little guy can make 

a big difference. 

That could mean one 

player, or an entire team. 

Either way, anything is 

possible when it comes to 

a new football season — or 

a new season of “Game of 

Thrones” for that matter. 

Our sports section will 

tell you when and where 

the fall football games are, 

who the players are and will 

help you keep tabs on all the 

areas teams. 

Luckily, with “Game of 

Thrones” you can get replays 

on every episode and 

prepare yourself for the final 

season, or championship if 

you will, and be part of the 

hype that is one of my new 

favorite stories. 

From the editor 

On summer fun 

TJ Kremer iii 

tj@mokenamessenger.com 

Ah, those lazy, hazy 

days of summer. 

We’re in the thick of 

it now — the dreadfully hot 

and humid “dog days” — 

and, for some, that means 

long days of fun in the sun. 

For some of us, summer 

is a time to slow down, take 

in the sights and sounds, 

and just generally try to 

get away from the regular 

hustle and bustle of our nonsummer 

lives. 

Over the past several 

weeks, The Mokena Messenger 

has run more than 

a few stories highlighting 

some of the wonderful summer 

events our community 

has offered. And, oftentimes, 

those events don’t 

take place without the hard 

work of local volunteers, 

selflessly giving up their 

own time for the benefit of 

others. 

Those people could be 

spending time on a beach — 

or on a glacier if they prefer 

the weather a little less 

oppressive, like me, but I 

digress — getting a tan and 

sipping Arnold Palmers, or 

whatever their beverages of 

choice may be. 

But they don’t. Instead, 

they help make possible all 

the summer memories that 

we hope will help carry us 

through the colder months 

to come until next summer 

arrives. 

And I’m not sure we always 

give those kind souls 

enough credit and thanks. 

Sure, we’re generally 

polite to people who do 

things for us. We say, 

“thank you,” and exchange 

other pleasantries, because 

we were raised to do so. 

But, after awhile, it sort 

of becomes an automatic 

response without much 

thought put into it, even 

though the meaning is still 

sincere; we certainly aren’t 

saying, “thank you,” and 

secretly meaning, “piss 

off,” I hope. 

So, I’d like to express a 

sincere thank you to all of 

you volunteers out there 

working your butts off to 

help make our village a better 

place. Maybe we don’t 

always show our appreciation 

in the best ways, but 

you should know that you 

are noticed and valued. 

Thank you. 

Sound Off Policy 

Editorials and columns are the 

opinions of the author. Pieces 

from 22nd Century Media are 

the thoughts of the company as 

a whole. The Mokena Messenger 

encourages readers to write 

letters to Sound Off. All letters 

must be signed, and names and 

hometowns will be published. 

We also ask that writers include 

their address and phone number 

for verification, not publication. 

Letters should be limited to 400 

words. The Mokena Messenger 

reserves the right to edit letters. 

Letters become property of The 

Mokena Messenger. Letters that 

are published do not reflect 

the thoughts and views of The 

Mokena Messenger. Letters can be 

mailed to: The Mokena Messenger, 

11516 West 183rd Street, Unit 

SW Office Condo #3, Orland 

Park, Illinois, 60467. Fax letters 

to (708) 326-9179 or e-mail to 

tj@mokenamessenger.com. 

www.mokenamessenger.com.

18 | August 24, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger Mokena 


Save BIG with Lincoln-Way Realty 

Call us at 708.479.6355 

to set up a listing appointment 

Joseph siwinski 

Managing Broker & Owner 

19430 S. Wolf Rd. Mokena, IL 

www.lincolnwayrealty.com 

jsiwinski@lincolnwayrealty.com 

BuyInG SellInG ReSIdentIal CommeRCIal 

new 

new 

new 

for rent 

price change 

$382,900 

Tinley Park 

• Offered at $394,900 

• 4 Bedrooms, 2.1 Baths 

19825 Maydell Ct. 

• Immaculate Home! 

• Lincoln-Way Schools! 

Tinley Park 


• 2 Bedrooms, 2 Baths 

18424 Millennium Dr. 

• Open Floor Plan! 

• Beautiful Décor! 

Orland Park 



8032 Anne Ct. 

• Spacious 3 Step Ranch! 

• Prime Location! 

New Lenox 226 Manor Drive (#3) 

• Offered at $1300/Month 

• 2 Bedrooms, 1 Bath 

• 1 Car Attached Garage! 

• Prime In-Town Location! 

$2,500 

Mokena 



20335 Swinford Ln. 

• Impressive & Custom! 

• Beautiful Scenic Views! 

Monee 


• Custom Ranch Home! 

7734 W. Santa Lucia Ct. 

• Beautiful Scenic Location! 

• Tuscan Hills Subdivision! 

Orland Park 


• Beautiful Townhome! 

Manhattan 


• Beautiful Ranch Home! 

$329,900 

17940 Fountain Cir. 

• Custom Built in 2015! 

• 2 Car Attached Garage! 

$289,900 

16300 Pinto Ln. 

• Custom Built in 2016! 

• High Efficient Utilities 

* 

Flat listing Fee 

Payable at Closing 

*Cooperative Commission and other restrictions may apply. Listing Fee is applicable on primary residence only. 

Frankfort 


• Impressive Ranch Home! 

New Lenox 


• Immaculate Ranch Home! 

$399,900 

9489 W. Golfview Dr. 

• Upgraded & Beautiful Décor! 

• Scenic 0.95 Acre Lot! 

$344,000 

704 Ridgefield Rd. 

• Close to Park & Walking Trail! 

• Wildwood Club Estates Sub! 

price change 

$599,900 

price change $209,900 

$374,900 

$399,900 

New Lenox 



1620 Lambeth Ln. 

• Numerous Updates 

• Picturesque 3/4 Acre Lot! 

Mokena 


• Stunning Ranch Home! 

20344 Old Castle Dr. 

• Wonderful Open Floor Plan! 

• Finished Walkout Basement! 

Monee 


• Beautiful 1.5 Acre Lot! 

6504 Lakeway Dr. 

• Tree lined, Flat & Level! 

• Easy Access to I57! 

New Lenox 

• 3 Bedrooms, 1 Bath 

• Well Maintained Ranch! 

945 Herr Dr. 

• ½ Acre Wooded Lot! 

• Great in-town location 

Frankfort 


• Beautiful Custom Home! 

21372 Georgetown Rd. 

• Related Living Option! 

• 3500 Sq Ft! 3 Car Garage! 

Mokena 


• Impressive & Updated! 

19525 Fiona Ave. 

• Over 3600 square feet! 

• Grasmere Subdivision! 

price change 

$839,900 

$850,000 

new townhomes 

for Lease 

for Lease 

Mokena 



11901 Heinecke Dr. 

• Stunning & Immaculate! 

• Custom Ranch Built in 2016! 

Kankakee 


• 40 Beautiful Acres! 

3421 W. 1500N Rd. 


• Walkout Basement! 

Wilmington 15557 W. Wilmington-Peotone Rd. 

• Beautiful & Scenic 20 Acres! 

• 4800 square foot Barn! 


• Finished Basement! 

Manhattan 

• Prices start at 206,900 

• Several Models Available! 

16037 Lacy Ct. 

• Leighlinbridge Subdivision! 

• New Construction 

Manhattan 

• 2700 sqft Commercial Space! 

• High Traffic Location! 

360 W. North St. 

• In the center of town! 

• Call for complete details! 

Mokena 

• 2450 sqft Commercial Space! 

• Across From Metra Station! 

11134 Front St. 

• Great location for your business! 

• Call for complete details!

FARM & BARN FEST 

Children and adults enjoy 

hands-on fun at 13th annual 

event in Mokena, Page 22 

the mokena messenger | August 24, 2017 | mokenamessenger.com 

Moving into Mokena 

Balagio brings Italian traditions started 

in Homewood to new location, Page 25 

One part imagination plus one 

part hard work equals tons of 

fun for participants at the Mini 

Maker Faire at the UA Local 

597 Pipefitters Training 

Center in Mokena, Page 21 

Adriana Watson, 16, 

of Lockport, revs up a 

robot Saturday, Aug. 19, 

during the fourth annual 

Chicago Southland Mini 

Maker Faire in Mokena. 

Megann Horstead/22nd 

Century Media

20 | August 24, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger faith 


Robin’s Nest 

Be aware of the undertow 

Robin Melvin 

Contributing Columnist 

My husband is a 

positive person, 

but his mind often 

jumps to worst-case scenario. 

A few drops of coffee 

are “all over the floor,” a 

simmering pot is “boiling 

away.” That’s how his mind 

works. It jumps to action. 

Perhaps, it’s his military 

training, niggling childhood 

fears or simply a flair 

for the dramatic. Maybe all 

three. 

Research shows that 

when faced with a threat, 

real or perceived, our brains 

and nervous systems kick in 

with at least one of these responses: 

Fight, flight, freeze 

Faith Briefs 

St. John’s United Church of Christ (11100 

Second St., Mokena) 

Pancake Breakfast 

8:30 a.m.-noon Sunday, 

Sept. 10. Join St. John’s 

Christian Preschool for allyou-can-eat 

pancakes, sausage, 

applesauce, juice, milk 

and coffee. Cost is $7 for 

adults, $5 for children 7-12 

years, $3 for children 3-6 

years and free for children 

under 2 years. 

Bunco Night 

6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15. 

The evening will include appetizers, 

beverages, desserts, 

prizes, raffles, silent auction 

and, of course, bunco. 

or fold. Jeff tells me there’s 

a fifth: freak-out. It’s that 

worst-case panic button. 

While he goes into fight 

mode when feeling threatened, 

my initial response is 

to freeze, fold and retreat to 

safety. And, yes, I freak-out. 

Internally. 

This reminds me of the 

day I stood on a riverbank 

with my tennis shoes 

squished into Tennessee 

mud. Rain drizzled onto my 

ponytail as I glanced from 

Jeff, to the raft, to the rapids. 

Then to the river guide, 

back to the raft. There were 

no seats on that red devil, 

and it looked really bouncy. 

Like bouncy-house bouncy. 

White caps reached and 

grabbed and swirled and my 

mind swam. 

Growing up near the 

Mississippi, I learned about 

a river’s undertow. It hides, 

even under peaceful waters. 

Stay shallow, stay safe. So, I 

understood when our guide, 

Birdman, warned me, “If 

you fall out, don’t let your 

feet touch bottom, it will 

grab you and it will hold 

Proceeds to benefit Mokena-based 

My Joyful Heart. 

Cost is $12 per person. Only 

100 tickets will be sold. For 

more information, call (708) 

280-1179. 

Traditional Service 

8 a.m. traditional mass, 

9:45 a.m. contemporary & 

traditional music in a service 

of praise and reverence. Supervised 

childcare available. 


(708) 479-5123. 

Garden Club 

8 a.m. Tuesdays. For more 

information, call (708) 479- 

5123. 

you under.” 

I asked for risk and 

adventure. I was tired of 

small living, and of needing 

control and fearing what I 

couldn’t see. But my bringit-on 

attitude was drowning 

in irrational thought. 

Oh. Heck. No. I will die. 

Stay with sneakers planted 

in mud. I like mud. Just wait 

here. Make mud pies. 

Who likes sitting in 

wet denim shorts with 

river water soaked through 

their panties? Ew. Gross. 

Chafing. Yep, safe, comfy, 

dry-ish. I’ll stay on the 

riverbank, thank you very 

much. 

Safe sounded good. Chilling 

in the rain was cool with 

me. Stay shallow. Stay safe. 

Fear’s undercurrent grabs 

us and drags us in the opposite 

direction of the life 

Jesus promises. “The thief’s 

purpose is to steal and kill 

and destroy. My purpose 

is to give them a rich and 

satisfying life.” 

That day I was stuck in 

the Tennessee mud, I had 

a choice. Live in a box or 

Cards for a Cause 

7 p.m. the second Monday 

of each month. Bring your 

tape, scissors and colored 

pencils — if you have them 

— and plan for a creative 

evening with lots of fun. 

Bundles of Love 

7 p.m. the second and fourth 

Monday of each month. Enjoy 

fun and fellowship while 

making baby quilts for infants 

baptized at St. John’s and lap 

quilts for shut-ins. 

Mokena United Methodist Church (10901 

LaPorte Road, Mokena) 

Service and Sunday School 

10:15 a.m. Sundays. 

live in abundance. Fear or 

freedom. Let me tell you, I 

was shaking like a Chihuahua 

surrounded by toddlers 

punching Mylar balloons. 

And there was Jeff, my 

fighter, with his mischievous 

grin volunteering to sit 

up front. Oh God, no. 

Would I stay frozen and 

fold? Would I punch fear 

and not only get in the raft 

but sit up front? 

We’ll see next time. 

Until then, my friend, 

choose abundance. Pay 

attention to how you react 

to fear. Hold on to God and 

to rational thought. Perhaps 

it’s time to try something 

new. 

Joy and courage for your 

journey. 

For more with Robin, 

visit www.robinmelvin.com/ 

contact or on Facebook, 

Robin Melvin, Author. 

The thoughts and opinions 

expressed in this column are 

those of the author. They do 

not necessarily represent the 

thoughts of 22nd Century Media 

or its staff. 

Church service and Sunday 

school will be held. For 


479-1110. 

Bible Study 

7 p.m. Tuesdays 

Breakfast 

9 a.m. every third Saturday 

of the month 

Walking Club 

7 p.m. Mondays 

Weight Watchers 

Wednesday 

Weigh-ins take place at 

Please see faith, 23 

In Memoriam 

Christine Ann Baranak 

Baranak, 57, of Mokena, 

died on Aug. 14. 

Loving wife of Raymond 

Baranak; beloved mother of 

Carissa (Jeremy) Catellier, 

Brandon (Carly) Baranak, 

Selena Baranak and Kailley 

Baranak; fond sister of Mark 

(fiancée Carolyn Hauser) 

Huria and Patrick Gleason; 

cherished grandmother of 

Caiden, Kinzie and Jaritt 

Catellier and Charli, Owen, 

Paisley and Payton Baranak. 

She was preceded in death 

by her mother and step father 

Denise and Joseph 

Wasilowski. 

In lieu of flowers memorial 

donations to Feed My 

Starving Children would be 

appreciated. For information, 

www.kurtzmemorialchapel.com 

or 815-806- 

2225. 

Emma Louise Chase 

Chase, 82, of Mokena 

died Aug. 16. 

She is survived by her 

loving daughters Tracy 

(George) Busch and Melinda 

(Sean) Rolando; cherished 

grandchildren, Schyler 

(Mike) Strowmatt, Shaylee 

Busch, Shianne Busch, Parker 

Busch, Spencer Busch; 

and great grandchildren Dalton 

and Shane Strowmatt. 

She was proceeded in death 

by her loving husband of 55 

years Gary L. Chase. 

In lieu of flowers donations 

to Joliet Community 

Hospice 250 Waterstone Circle 

Joliet, IL 60431 would be 

appreciated. 

Andrew “Andy” 

Paul Mayer 

Mayer, 63, of 

Mokena died Aug. 12. 

Loving husband of Judy 

E. Proehl; beloved father of 

Jeremy Paul (Stella) Mayer, 

Jeffrey Scott Mayer and Joel 

Andrew Mayer; brother of 

Kathryn (Robert) Ingels, 

Ruth Mayer (James) Herrero, 

John Mayer and Mark 

Mayer; son-in-law to Irma 

Proehl, and brother-in-law 

to Gwen (Glen) Ausburn 

and Harlan (Rosemary) Proehl; 

cherished grandfather 

of Hailey Renee, Jackson 

Scott, Leopold Jay, Kyla 

Kennedy and Lillian Grace; 

and uncle of many nieces 

and nephews. He was preceded 

in death by his brother 

Donald (late Denise) Mayer. 

Mayer was a US Army vet 

who served in Korea from 

1973-76 and former tractor 

trailer operator for the US 

Postal Service. 

Patrick G. Petrow 

Petrow, 71, of Mokena 

died on Aug. 9 

Loving father of Eileen 

(Steve) Pinkowski, Wendy 

(David) Brann, Wesley 

Petrow and Melinda 

(Kai) Dodson; Kitty Petrow 

(mother of his children) and 

companion Dorothy Wynne; 

dearest brother of the late 

Terry (Diane) Petrow and 

Judy (Dennis) Hon; cherished 

grandfather of Makayla, 

Vanessa, Matthew, Alyssa, 

Jessica and Zelda and 

fond uncle of many nieces 

and nephews. 

Nancy Ann (Cain) Richardson 

Richardson, 84, of Knoxville, 

Illinois, formerly of 

Mokena died on Aug. 14. 


children Carl (Merilee) Cain, 

Fred (Lisa) Cain, Robert 

Alan (Lea) Cain and Cheryl 

Jo (Rod) Stickle; eleven 

grandchildren; and seventeen 

great-grandchildren. 

Richardson was preceded 

in death by her parents and a 

sister, Catherine True. 

Helen K. Sippel 

Sippel, 99, of Red Oak, 

Iowa, formerly a Mokena 

resident for 97 years, died 

June 5. 


children Roger (Martha) 

Sippel and Sarah (Ron) 

Crisp; grandchildren Rachel 

(Rob) Mathis and Rebecca 

(Sherman) Easter; great 

grandchildren Nicholas and 

Lindsey Mathis, and Hendrix 

Easter; and many other 

relatives and friends.

mokenamessenger.com life & arts 


If you build it ... 

Chicago Southland 

Mini Maker Faire 

a social hub for 

creators, innovators 

Megann Horstead 


For one day, the creators 

and innovators of the world 

descended upon Mokena to 

take part in the fourth annual 

Chicago Southland Mini 

Maker Faire. 

The event held Saturday, 

Aug. 19, at Pipefitters Local 

597 Training Center was 

meant to create a social hub 

for individuals and families 

dedicated to technology 

and craftsmanship from all 

around the Chicagoland area 

to demonstrate their craft. 

“It’s just an exciting 

time,” said Tim Ozinga, an 

event coordinator for Chicago 

Southland Mini Maker 

Faire. “We like to think of it 

as a giant show and tell. It’s 

part-science fair, part-arts 

and crafts. The whole maker 

movement is just all about 

people coming together and 

really embracing making 

things with their hands, and 

we’re just kind of celebrating 

that here today.” 

More than 40 exhibitors 

were on hand this time 

around to share their love 

for creativity and innovation, 

bringing together everything 

from robotics and 

woodworking to hands-on 

activities. 

“I know it continues to 

grow every year,” Ozinga 

said. 

The mini maker faire 

strives to encourage young 

people to get interested in 

science, technology, engineering 

and math — STEM. 

“We think events like this 

are really important to support 

the community,” Ozinga 

said. 

Many of the booths were 

manned by schools, businesses 

or other organizations 

from around the area, who 

demonstrated 3D printing 

and drone racing on site. 

Of the exhibitors at the 

mini maker faire was Brandon 

Koller, a member of a 

LEGO User Group. 

“What we do is we get a 

team of people, we build 

LEGOs and we go to places 

like a convention in Schaumburg, 

known as Brick 

World, that goes every 

year,” Koller said. “They set 

a theme … Each year, we 

build something new. We 

like to keep our displays. We 

go and build what we have 

in our mind.” 

Koller and fellow members 

brought in several 

LEGO creations, including a 

tank, a smart house, planes, 

and a group of R2D2 figures 

from the Star Wars franchise. 

The hope, Koller said, 

is people will realize — if 

they don’t already believe 

— the amount of creativity 

and craftsmanship it takes to 

build with LEGOs. 

“I think that even with 

all the technology we have 

today, and all the coding, 

and the people who are going 

into either the game industry 

or technology industry 

or art industry, I think 

LEGOs is popular among 

all these,” he said. “I think 

it’s a nice tool that people 

will use growing up either 

[to learn] or [use] their creative 

mindsets.” 

Ellie Malinowski, 13, of 

Downers Grove, was roaming 

the faire grounds from 

inside a robot brought in by 

one of the exhibitors. 

“It was really fun because 

all the kids were really interested 

in what was happening,” 

she said. “It was fun 

doing the controls and stuff.” 

Ellie’s father, Michael 

Malinowski, said this was 

his family’s third year dropping 

in for the mini maker 

faire. 

“I love the exposure to 

all the science [and] art,” 

he said. “It’s just all this 

creativity. You never know 

what’s going to spark with 

somebody, including myself. 

I think it’s great exposure.” 

When Ellie first climbed 

inside the robot, she said it 

was a tight fit, but she made 

an adjustment. 

“I love the robots and 

stuff,” she said. “It’s really 

fun.” 

Michael said he is glad he 

and his daughters decided to 

come out for the mini maker 

faire. 

“I think we exceeded our 

goal,” he said. 

The mini maker faire drew 

in roughly 750 attendees last 

year, Ozinga said. This year, 

organizers were hoping to 

bring in 1,000 people. 

“We’re starting to attract 

people from surrounding areas,” 

Ozinga said. 

Ozinga said it is great to 

see the way the community 

come together year after 

year. 

“I think it’s definitely a 

very unique event,” he said. 

“There’s not much that I 

know of that’s like this 

around the [Mokena] area.” 

Lily Fisher, of Chicago, 

said her decision to come out 

for the mini maker faire was 

easy because she is a big fan 

of anything and everything 

technology. 

“I study computer science 

at DePaul [University],” 

Fisher said. “I had hopes to 

do robotics. I was on the robotics 

team.” 

Fisher said she is trying 

to start a makerspace at De- 

Paul. 

Aaron Mueller (left), 10, drills together pieces of wood as Jason DeWane guides him 

Saturday, Aug. 19 during the fourth annual Chicago Southland Mini Maker Faire in Mokena. 

Photos by Megann Horstead/22nd Century Media 

Nick Brunner (left), 12, plays a game as his mother, Mickie Brunner, looks on. The fourth 

annual faire was expected to draw about 1,000 people this year. 

“We have sections with 

sewing machines with carbon 

fiber 3D printers, laser 

cutters, all different machines,” 

Fisher said. 

“Basically, you can do 

craft works with soft materials, 

build hard materials, 

3D print, all those things. 

As well, we have a stopmotion 

studio for the animation 

students, so literally 

anything you would ever 

want to create, you could 

probably go to that space.” 

Fisher said she and her 

classmates had found a lot of 

inspiration for their makerspace 

at the mini maker faire 

and added that they might 

set up a booth next year.

22 | August 24, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger life & arts 


Farm & Barn Fest 2017 

need a Doctor? See a 

DoCtor! 

EVERYDAY • 7 AM – 11 PM 

Seven-year-old identical triplets Caitlyn, Chloe, and Cadence Novak with their 2-year-old 

sister Cora Novak go panning for gold and gems. The sisters are home schooled by their 

mother, Cassidy Novak, and used the fest as a “field trip” to show the girls more about 

farm life outside their home. Photos by Julie McMann/22nd Century Media 

• Board-Certified Physicians 

• Easy Access/Parking 

• Prompt Attention 

MOST INSURANCE PLANS ACCEPTED 

LA PORTE RD 

N 

45 

TACO 

BELL 

ST. FRANCIS RD 

COLORADO AVE 

Drew Logsdon tries to pet the geese, but the geese don’t appear to want to cooperate. 

frankfort • 815-464-2010 

LaGrange Road @ St. Francis Road 

A ribbon cutting was 

held to signify the 

ceremonial opening of 

Yunker Farm. Among 

those in attendance 

were State Senator 

Michael E. Hastings, 

State Rep. Anthony 

DeLuca, Mokena Mayor 

Frank Fleisher, as well 

as members of the 

Mokena Community Park 

District and the Mokena 

Chamber of Commerce.

mokenamessenger.com life & arts 


Lincoln-Way Marching Band to host Community Night with Elvis 

Submitted by 

Lincoln-Way 

Community High 

School District 210 

On Saturday, Aug. 26, at 

6 p.m., Lincoln-Way Marching 

Band will host Community 

Night with Elvis at 

Lincoln-Way West. 

In addition to the debut of 

the band’s competitive show, 

“Bend, Twist and Turn,” 

Nick Miller, an award winning 

Elvis impersonator 

from Joliet, will perform his, 

“Keeping the King Alive,” 

set. Miller will be on hand 

to pose for photos with the 

crowd. 

There will be raffles and 

a silent auction at the event, 

which will include items 

such as a one-night deluxe 

stay for two at The Peabody 

in Memphis, Tennessee. The 

Peabody is listed on the National 

Register of Historic 

places because of its charm, 

elegance, gracious hospitality 

and world-famous five 

resident ducks, who march 

daily to and from the lobby 

fountain. Also available for 

auction will be a signed 

photo of Chicago White 

Sox shortstop, Tim Anderson, 

and a Chicago Bears 

autographed photo. 

“This is our second annual 

Community Night for 

the LWMB,” Kim Hansen, 

LWMB sponsor, said. ”This 

is a great event for all ages. 

We are very excited to debut 

the new competitive show 

for the community, who 

have been extremely supportive 

of these hard-working 

students.” 

Admission is free for all 

who wish to attend. Meals 

will be offered for $5 each 

and include a choice of a 

slice of Giordano’s pizza 

with a drink or Culver’s 

Chicken Fingers with a 

drink. 

“We are looking forward 

to this opportunity for the 

LWMB students to perform 

for our wonderful administration, 

music booster 

organizations, community 

and families,” Chris Mroczek, 

director of LWMB, 

said. “The students have 

been making tremendous 

progress this summer, and 

we hope to have a large 

audience present for our 

first community performance 

of our 2017 show, 

‘Bend, Twist, & Turn.’ 

Come and join us for what 

will surely be a wonderful 

evening.” 

All proceeds from Community 

Night will fund 

supplies, equipment, 

meals, travel, and repairs 

for equipment and instruments. 

Those interested in 

providing monetary donations 

and/or items for the silent 

auction should contact 

Kim Hansen at lwmsponsor 

ship@gmail.com. 

faith 

From Page 20 

6:30 p.m., while the meeting 

is at 7 p.m. 

Marley Community Church (12625 W. 

187th St., Mokena) 

Senior High Youth Group 

7-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays. 

For more information, email 

marleycommunitychurch@ 

gmail.com. 

Junior High Youth Group 

6-7:30 p.m. Fridays. For 

more information, email 

marleycommunitychurch@ 

gmail.com. 

Church Service 

10 a.m. Sundays. Childcare 

is provided 

Sunday School 

9-10 a.m. 

Men’s Group 

6 p.m. Sunday nights in 

the church basement. All 

men are welcome. 

Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church 

(10731 W. La Porte Road, Mokena) 

Farmer’s Market for 

Missions 

10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, 

Aug. 27. Market will feature 

Grass-fed beef (no GMO, 

steriods or antibiotics), 

farm-fresh eggs, produce, 

coffee and local coffee. 

Preschool Registration 

Registration is open for 

the 2017-18 school year at 

Immanuel Lutheran Preschool. 

Classes are offered 

for children from 2 1/2 to 5 

years old and they must be 

toilet trained. Only threeday 

afternoon classes are 

still available. For more information, 

call (708) 479- 

5600, email ilpmokena@ 

gmail.com, or visit www. 

immanuelmokena.org/pre 

school.html 

Contemporary Worship 

5 p.m. Saturday 

Worship 

9 a.m. Sunday 

God’s Kids Club 

10:15 a.m. Sundays. This 

club is open to those between 

the ages of 4-17. 

Adult Bible Study 

10:15 a.m. Sunday 

Mokena Baptist Church (9960 W. 187th 

St., Mokena) 

Sunday Services 

11 a.m. and 5 p.m. For 


350-2279. 

Sunday School 

10:15 a.m. Sundays. Mokena 

Baptist offers Sunday 

School classes for all ages. 


(312) 350-2279. 

St. Mary’s Catholic Church (19515 115th 

Ave., Mokena) 

Church Service 

5 p.m. Saturdays; 8 a.m, 

9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 6: 

p.m. Sundays 

Adoration 

Wednesdays following 

8:00 a.m. Mass in the Chapel 

until 6:45 p.m. 

Holy Rosary 

7:30 a.m. daily; 7 p.m. 

Tuesday evenings 

Parker Road Bible Church (18512 Parker 

Road, Mokena) 

Worship Service 

10:30 a.m. Sundays. Be 

sure to arrive early for our 

Sunday Worship Service to 

enjoy a hot, complimentary 

cup of coffee every 

week at the church. Following 

the Christian Education 

Hour (9:15 - 10:15 

a.m.), all beverages can 

be found just outside the 

sanctuary. 

Grace Fellowship Church (11049 LaPorte 

Road, Mokena) 

Narcotics Anonymous 

7-9 p.m. Mondays. All 

those struggling or who 

have struggled with a narcotics 

addiction are welcome. 

All meetings are 

confidential. For more information, 

call (708) 479- 

0300. 

Spanish Church 

12:30 p.m. every Sunday 

Worship Service 

10 a.m. every Sunday. All 

are welcome. 

Women’s Bible Study 

8:45-9:45 a.m. every Sunday 

and 2-3 p.m. every Tuesday 

Have something for Faith 

Briefs? Contact Assistant 

Editor Amanda Stoll at 

a.stoll@22ndcenturymedia. 

com or call (708) 326-9170 

ext. 34. Deadline is noon 

Thursday one week prior to 

publication. 

Attention Builders: 

Advertise with 

22nd Century Media 

Reach 92,000+ Southwest Suburban homes. 

® 

Contact 

Lora Healy 

708.326.9170 ext. 31 

l.healy@22ndcenturymedia.com

24 | August 24, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger mokena 


START YOUR NEW CAREER TODAY! 

THERE IS NO 

BETTER TIME TO 

GET YOUR 

REAL ESTATE 

LICENSE 

THAN RIGHT NOW! 

MENTION COUPON 

CODE 22CM & RECEIVE 

$100 OFF 

YOUR REAL ESTATE 

CLASS 

EXP: 9/10/17 

The housing market is climbing and Village Realty 

is offering our pre-licensing course with… 

GUARANTEED TUITION REIMBURSEMENT · NEW BROKER HIRING & TRAINING 

We proudly offer: 

· One of the best pass rates in the industry 

· Convenient classroom location 

· Faculty has “real world” real estate experience 

· Career development program 

· Classes held at VRS Center: 

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· 1 class per week, Thursday evening classes 

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START YOUR NEW CAREER TODAY! 

Call Carrie at (708) 478-1212 ext. 3 

Real Estate Education Coordinator 

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AHICE 

Conducted by 

AHI Real Estate Services

mokenamessenger.com dining out 


The Dish 

Family recipes, atmosphere and ownership drive Mokena’s Balagio 

Menu boasts 

traditional, 

homemade and 

fresh Italian fare 

Amanda Stoll, Assistant Editor 

With a large selection 

of pasta, fish and chicken 

items, along with a madeto-order 

mentality, there is 

something for everyone at 

the new Balagio location in 

Mokena, which opened in 

March. 

The single-page menu provides 

a variety of traditional 

Italian recipes for a range of 

taste buds and diets, including 

vegetarian and glutenfree 

options. Additionally, 

the bar selection provides 

plenty of cocktails and wines. 

“I opened up my first 

Balagio [in Homewood] in 

1997, and we try to bring 

the Chicago atmosphere to 

the [southwest suburbs] with 

the dining,” Mike Galderio 

Sr. said. “Cooking with my 

grandmother all the years, 

[I] learned a lot of recipes.” 

He said many of the menu 

items have come from employees, 

as well, including 

homemade pastas and bread. 

“We got pretty lucky when 

a couple local restaurants 

closed and all the Italian ladies 

came on board with us,” 

Galderio said. “It’s all fresh 

ingredients, and we try to 

stay with that, because that’s 

probably the key to our success. 

We’ve been doing it for 

a long time.” 

Galderio Sr., who is a 

Frankfort resident, runs the 

two restaurants with his son 

Mike Galderio Jr., and the 

two of them split their time 

between the Homewood and 

Mokena locations. 

“It’s definitely a tough industry; 

I’m not going to lie,” 

said Galderio Jr., who studied 

hospitality management 

Frutti di mare ($21) — featuring shrimp, calamari, mussels, 

chopped clams, linguini and spicy marinara — is one 

of Balagio’s many pasta options. Gluten-free and whole 

wheat pasta are available upon request. Photos by Amanda 

Stoll/22nd Century Media 

at Eastern Illinois University 

while working summers and 

weekends at the Homewood 

location, which opened in 

1997. “I really don’t know 

what I’m going to get day to 

day, so it’s always a surprise. 

It’s a good surprise, too,” 

Previously, the family was 

a partner in Ciao Ristorante 

& Bar in Matteson. 

“I was 8 years old when 

we first [opened Ciao], peeling 

potatoes and stuff like 

that,” Galderio Jr. said. “So, 

I just kind of grew up in it 

... bartending, bus boy, I’ve 

probably done every job in 

this except for cook.” 

He said he loves the look 

of the Mokena location, with 

modern touches, natural 

lighting and a sophisticated, 

sleek bar. The Mokena location 

is not as large as the 

Homewood location, making 

the dining area more 

intimate ,while still having 

space for group gatherings. 

Balagio in Mokena hosts 

groups of 40-50 people for 

luncheons, parties and showers. 

Galderio Sr. said patrons 

have been excited about the 

recently completed patio at 

Balagio, with seating for 60 

people around cafe tables 

and covered, cabana-style 

Balagio 

9716 West 191st St. in 

Mokena 

Hours 

• 11 a.m.–9 p.m. 

Tuesday–Thursday 

• 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday 

• 4–10 p.m. Saturday 

• 3–8 p.m. Sunday 

For more information ... 

Phone: (708) 719-3370 

Website: www.balagiorestaurant.com 

seating, where people can 

tune in to a game on a TV. 

Large, sliding glass doors 

open between the bar area 

and the patio for an extended, 

outdoor seating space. 

“I’ve been doing this for 

32 years,” Galderio Sr. said. 

“It’s a passion of mine, and 

it’s good to see the look on 

people’s faces when they’re 

happy about something — 

especially the food.” 

And good food makes 

people happy. 

The eggplant marinara 

($9) appetizer is a customer 

favorite, with lightly breaded 

and fried eggplant, ricotta 

cheese and marinara sauce. 

The appetizer menu also 

features steamed mussels 

($11) with fresh tomato sauce, 

The salmon ($21) entrée at Balagio in Mokena is served with garlic lemon aioli, house 

potato and vegetables. 

basil and crostini; fried calamari 

($12) with tangy cocktail 

sauce and fresh lemon; and 

baked goat cheese ($9) with 

black olive, marinara sauce 

and toasted crostini. 

Pasta dishes are at the core 

of the menu, with owner 

favorites being the shrimp 

francese ($21) with egg-battered 

shrimp, angel hair pasta 

and lemon butter sauce; 

and the country-style rigatoni 

($15) featuring Italian 

sausage, tomato, mushroom, 

red pepper and garlic cream. 

Other entrée items include 

a veal piccata ($24) with 

tender medallions, lemon, 

capers, roasted potato and 

vegetables; chicken Romano 

($18) with artichoke hearts, 

Roma tomatoes, white wine, 

Romano cheese and roasted 

potato. 

Although Galderio Sr. said 

Balagio is not a steak house, 

he knows steak is a go-to for 

some people, so the menu 

includes a 12-ounce New 

York strip ($29), served with 

bell pepper, smashed red potato 

and vegetables. 

The Luck of the Irish is hitting 

the Lincoln-Way area... 

The Sullivan School 

of Irish Dancing 

New Beginner classes are being offered! 

Classes will be held on: 

Wednesdays starting Sept. 9 th 4:15-5p 

or 

Mondays starting Sept. 11 th 4:15-5p 

Come in and register at our 

Open House 

Sunday, August 27 th • 1-3p 

Call 815.909.8248 

13923 E. Illinois Hwy, New Lenox 

20 years of turning Beginners into Champions! 

Come join the fun!

26 | August 24, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger puzzles 

Puzzles 


crosstown CROSSWORD & Sudoku 

The crosstowns: Frankfort, Homer Glen, Lockport, Mokena, New Lenox, Orland Park, Tinley Park 

Crossword by Myles Mellor and Cindy LaFleur 

Across 

1. Spiced stew of meat 

and vegetables 

5. Shortening meas. 

9. Cleans the deck of a 

ship 

14. Beatle first name 

15. Excuses 

16. “As the World 

Turns” actress 

17. The “A” in A.D. 

18. Salon supplies 

19. Naive rustics 

20. Mokena sports bar 

22. Georgia capital 

24. A Manning 

25. Gave the go-ahead 

26. Potter’s creation 

32. Phone trio 

35. Track of a wild 

animal 

36. Top of the charts 

37. Brim 

38. Whale show 

39. Bagel topper 

40. Bread or cabbage 

41. Boosts 

42. Prickly seed case 

43. Zeal 

44. NFL stat, abbr. 

45. Lockport Township 

girls track athlete___ 

48. Catch 

49. Neurologist’s test, 

briefly 

50. Tears to shreds 

54. Free time 

59. More unfriendly 

60. Grasp 

62. British children’s 

author Blyton 

63. Olympics legend 

Comaneci 

64. Leap for Lipinski 

65. Quiet 

66. Don’t exist 

67. Jekyll’s counterpart 

68. Don Imus’s nickname, 

with “the” 

Down 

1. Milky white gem 

2. Road division 

3. Iron or aqua 

4. Soothing stuff 

5. After the crawl 

6. Enters the game 

7. ___ Jeanne d’Arc 

8. Call to attention 

9. Boycott 

10. Intend to 

11. Prefix for dextrous 

12. Flying buzzers 

13. Señor’s emphatic yes 

21. India’s first P.M. 

23. Low quality diamond 

26. Put to the test 

27. Garden pest 

28. Throughways 

29. Some cats 

30. Central fingerprint 

ridge 

31. ___-en-Provence 

32. Glittery stone 

33. Bank offering, abbr. 

34. Pottery from Japan 

37. Atmospheric pressure 

unit 

39. Filmmaker Jean-___ 

Godard 

40. Italian scholar and 

military engineer, Girolamo 

42. Actor Max of “The 

Beverly Hillbillies” 

45. Ridicule 

46. Hollered 

47. Thread’s companion 

48. Mug 

50. “30 Rock” first name 

51. Rent-__ (travel-agent 

offering) 

52. Ocean’s rise and fall 

53. Ruler of Iran, once 

55. Tractor-trailer 

56. Word on all modern 

U.S. coins 

57. Song, “Lovely ____” 

58. Heaven on earth 

61. Prefix with acetylene 

LOCKPORT 

Strike N Spare II 

(811 Northern Drive, 

Lockport; (708) 301- 

1477) 

■8-11 ■ p.m. Wednesdays: 

Quartermania 

■7-10 ■ p.m. Fridays 

and Saturdays: Cosmic 

Bowl 

HOMER GLEN 

Mullets Sports Bar and 

Restaurant 

(14903 S. Bell Road, 

Homer Glen; (708) 645- 

7000) 

■7 ■ p.m. Wednesdays: 

Trivia 

FRANKFORT 

Pete Mitchell’s Bar & Grill 

(21000 Frankfort Square 

Road, Frankfort; (815) 

464-8100) 

■6-8 ■ p.m. Wednesdays: 

Free N’ Fun Bar Game. 

Free to play. 

MOKENA 

The Alley Grill and Tap 

House 

(18700 S. Old LaGrange 

Road, Mokena; (708) 478- 

3610) 

■9 ■ p.m. Tuesdays: Karaoke 

Fox’s Restaurant and Pub 

(11247 W. 187th St., 

Mokena; (708) 478-8888) 

■6 ■ p.m. Thursdays, 

Fridays and Saturdays: 

Performance by Jerry 

Eadie 

Jenny’s Southside Tap 

(10160 191st St., 

Mokena; (708) 479- 

6873) 

■6 ■ p.m. Tuesdays: Acoustic 

Avenue, Psychic 

night - second Tuesday 

every month. 

■9 ■ p.m. Thursdays: 

Karaoke 

■Fridays ■ and Saturdays: 

Live bands 

NEW LENOX 

Little Joe’s Restaurant 

(1300 N. Cedar Road, 

New Lenox; (815) 463- 

1099) 

■5-8 ■ p.m. Tuesdays: 

Piano Styles by Joe 

To place an event 

in The Scene, email 

b.kapa@22ndcenturymedia. 

com. 

answers 

How to play Sudoku 

Each sudoku puzzle consists of a 9x9 grid that 

has been subdivided into nine smaller grids of 3x3 

squares. To solve the puzzle, each row, column and 

box must contain each of the numbers 1 to 9. 

LEVEL: Medium 

Sudoku by Myles Mellor and Susan Flanagan

mokenamessenger.com local living 


Build and Move into Your New Home from the low $200s 

With Lincoln-Way Schools at Prairie Trails in Manhattan 

Distinctive Home Builders provides homeowners the 

highest quality home on the market 

Distinctive Home Builders 

continues to add high quality 

homes to the Manhattan 

landscape at Prairie Trails; its 

latest new home community, 

located within the highly-regarded 

Lincoln-Way School 

District. Many families are 

happy to call Prairie Trails 

home and are pleased that 

Distinctive is able to deliver a 

new home with zero punch list 

items in 90 days. Before closing, 

each home undergoes an 

industry-leading checklist that 

ensures each home measures 

up to the firm’s high quality 

standards. 

“Actually our last average 

was 81 working days from excavation 

to receiving a home 

occupancy permit - without 

sacrificing quality,” said Bryan 

Nooner, president of Distinctive 

Home Builders. “Everyone 

at the company works 

extremely hard to continually 

achieve this delivery goal for 

our homeowners. Our three 

decades building homes provides 

this efficient construction 

system. Many of our 

skilled craftsmen have been 

working with our company for 

Recently closed Prairie Trails Arbor Model 

over 20 years. We also take 

pride on having excellent communicators 

throughout our 

organization. This translates 

into a positive buying and 

building experience for our 

homeowners and one of the 

highest referral rates in the industry 

for Distinctive.” 

In all, buyers can select 

from 13 ranch, split-level and 

six two-story single-family 

home styles; each offering 

three to eight different exterior 

elevations. The three- to 

four-bedroom homes feature 

two to two-and-one-half 

baths, two- to three-car garages 

and a family room, all in 

approximately 1,600 to over 

3,000 square feet of living 

space. Basements are included 

in most models as well. Distinctive 

also encourages customization 

to make your new 

home truly personalized to 

suit your lifestyle. 

Oversize home sites; brick 

exteriors on all four sides of 

the first floor; custom maple 

cabinets; ceramic tile or hardwood 

floors in the kitchen, 

baths and foyer; genuine wood 

trim and doors; granite countertops 

and concrete driveways 

can all be yours at Prairie 

Trails. All home sites at Prairie 

Trails can accommodate a 

three-car garage; a very important 

amenity to the Manhattan 

homebuyer, according 

to Nooner. 

“When we opened Prairie 

Trails we wanted to provide 

the best new home value for 

the dollar and we feel with 

offering Premium Standard 

Features that we do just that. 

So why wait? This is truly the 

best time to build your dream 

home!” 

Distinctive offers custom 

maple kitchen cabinets featuring 

solid wood construction 

(no particle board), have solid 

wood drawers with dove tail 

joints, which is very rare in the 

marketplace. “When you buy 

a new home from Distinctive, 

you truly are receiving custom 

made cabinets in every home 

we sell no matter what the 

price range,” noted Nooner. 

Nooner added that all 

homes are highly energy efficient. 

Every home built will 

have upgraded wall and ceiling 

insulation values with 

Recently closed Prairie Trails Arbor Model 

energy efficient windows and 

high efficiency furnaces. Before 

homeowners move into 

their new home, Distinctive 

Home Builders conducts a 

blower door test that pressurizes 

the home to ensure that 

each home passes a set of very 

stringent Energy Efficiency 

guidelines. 

Typically a wide variety of 

homes are available to tour 

that include ranch and twostory 

homes. 

Distinctive is also offering 

a brand new home, the 

Stonegrove, a 3,000 square 

foot open concept home with a 

split foyer entry, formal living 

and dining rooms, a two-story 

great room, four bedrooms 

and an upstairs laundry room. 

Distinctive also offers Appbased 

technology allowing its 

homeowners to be updated 

on the progress of their new 

home 24 hours a day, seven 

days a week at the touch of a 

button. 

Prairie Trails is also a beautiful 

place to live featuring a 

20-acre lake on site, as well 

as direct access to the 22-mile 

Wauponsee Glacial Prairie 

Path that borders the community 

and meanders through 

many neighboring communities 

and links to many other 

popular trails. The Manhattan 

Metra station is also nearby. 

Besides Prairie Trails, Distinctive 

Home Builders has 

built hundreds of homes 

throughout Manhattan in the 

Butternut Ridge and Leighlinbridge 

developments, as well 

as thousands in the Will and 

south Cook county areas over 

the past 30 years. 

Visit the on-site sales information 

center for unadvertised 

specials and view the numerous 

styles of homes being 

offered and the available lots. 

Call (708) 737-9142 for more 

information or visit us online 

at www.distinctivehomebuilders.com. 

The Prairie Trails 

new home information center 

is located three miles south 

of Laraway Rd. on Rt. 52. The 

address is 16233 Pinto Lane, 

Manhattan, IL, 60422. Open 

Daily 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 

Closed Wednesday and Thursday 

and always available by 

appointment. Specials, prices, 

specifications, standard features, 

model offerings, build 

times and lot availability are 

subject to change without notice. 

Please contact a Distinctive 

representative for current 

pricing and complete details.

28 | August 24, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger classifieds 


CLASSIFIEDS 

Help Wanted · Garage Sales · Automotive 

Real Estate · Rentals · Merchandise 

Sell It 708.326.9170 | Fax It 708.326.9179 

Charge It | DEADLINE - Friday at 3pm 

Trinity Services in New 

Lenox has an immediate 

opening for F/T (LBS1) 

certified Special Education 

teacher, operating on the 

priciples of Behavior 

Analysis. Responsibilities 

include developing IEP 

goals and objectives for 

4-6 students, mentoring 

parapros and being an 

essential part of the clinical 

team. Starting salary 

$40-42k. Benefits and 

bonus opportunities. Call 

Joy at 815.463.0719. 

Tinley Park Safety Dept. 

looking for individuals to 

work with on-boarding 

driver applicants for 

Transportation Company. 

Candiate must have 

knowledge of Microsoft 

Office and possess good 

communication skills. Will 

train the right candidate. 

Please forward resume to 

recruiting@shipgt.com. 

NEED A JOB??? 

WE ARE HIRING NOW! 

STOP IN FOR AN 

INTERVIEW. AMERICAN 

SCHOOL BUS 

10000 W. 167th ST 

ORLAND PARK 

Bus Drivers & Substitutes 

needed Lincoln-Way Area 

Special Education. Apply 

online: www.lwase843.org 

or call 815.806.4600 

HIRE LOCALLY 

Reach over 83% of prospective 

employees in your area! 

CALL TODAY FOR RATES 

& INFORMATION 

708-326-9170 


Automotive 

$52 4 lines/ 

7 papers 

Real Estate 

$50 7 7 papers 

lines/ 

Help 

Wanted 

1003 Help Wanted 

Help Wanted 

$13 4 lines/ 

per line 7 papers 

Merchandise 


lines/ 

Outdoor work: F/T 

year-round & seasonal 

Employment 

Potential for paid winters 

off. Benefits incl. health, 

dental, IRA. Clean driving 

record a MUST. Starting 

rate: $14/hr. Time and 1/2 

over 40 hrs. Apply 

in-person 7320 Duvan Dr, 

Tinley Park M-F 8a-4p or 

email resume to 

callus@lawntechltd.com 

Dog Walker needed at 

Tender Lovin’ Dog 

Walking in New Lenox 

area. 10am-3pm, Mon-Fri. 

Must be 21 yrs. & love 

pets. Excellent refs req’d, 

E-mail: 

tenderlovin@mail.com 

P/T Delivery Van Driver 

M-W-F, 8-4:30. Must be able 

to lift 50 lbs, have clean 

driving record, and pass 

drug/alcohol test. $12/hr to 

start. Send resume to 

larryz@performancechemical. 

com. 

Homer-based company 

seeking Part/Flex-time, 

outgoing Admin Asst. 

Self-starter, skilled 

communicator, organized 

multi-tasker, experienced 

MS Excel user. 

info@dasalesgroup.com 

Non-union concrete 

company looking for 

concrete finishers, laborers 

& CDL driver. Please call 

815.462.8400. 

1004 Employment 

Opportunities 

PAID IN ADVANCE! Make 

$100/week mailing brochures 

from home! No exp. req. 

Helping home workers since 

2001! Genuine opportunity. 

Start immediately! 

www.MailingCash.net 

1022 Caregiver 

Wanted 

Mature individual to care 

for elderly female. Live-in, 

3-4 days/week. 191st & 

Harlem. References a plus. 

773.403.1498 

1023 Caregiver 

Caregiver Services 

Provided by 

Margaret’s Agency Inc. 

State Licensed & Bonded 

since 1998. Providing 

quality care for elderly. 

Live-in/ Come & go. 

708.403.8707 

Heaven Sent Caregivers 

Professional caregiving 

service. 24 hr or hourly 

services; shower or bath 

visits. Licensed & bonded. 

Try the best! 708.638.0641 

1037 Prayer / 

Novena 

Oh, Holy StJude, Apostle & 

Martyr, great in virtue and rich 

in miracle, near kinsman of Jesus 

Christ, faithful intercessor 

of all who invoke your special 

patronage in time ofneed. To 

you Ihave recourse from the 

depth of my heart and humbly 

beg to whom God has given 

such great power to come to 

my assistance. Help me in my 

present and urgent petition, In 

return, I promise to make your 

name known and cause you to 

be invoked. Say three Our Fathers, 

three Hail Marys and 

glories for nine consecutive 

days. Publications must be 

promised. St. Jude pray for us 

all who invoke your aid. 

Amen. This Novena has never 

been known tofail, Ihave had 

requests granted. S.B. 

Thank you Our Lady of 

Mt. Carmel for prayers 

answered. CP 

1050 Community Events 

Frankfort , 20712 South Ellen 

Lane, 8/26, 9-3pm. Furn, area 

rugs, lamps, art work/accent 

pieces, china, American Girl 

dolls, yard furn &tools. CASH 

ONLY! 

Orland Park 11542 Lake 

Shore Dr 8/25-8/26, 10-4pm 

Books, clothes, misc. items and 

much more! 

Orland Park 14317 Maycliff 

Dr 8/26-8/27 8-2pm Furn, 

home decor, sm apps, elec, 

clothes, baby gear &toys, baby 

& kids clothes, newborn-6 yrs 

Garage 

Sale 

1057 Estate Sale 

1052 Garage Sale 

Orland Park, 7338 W. 154th 

Pl. 8/25, 9-3p &8/26, 9-1p. 

Use driveway toenter. Household 

items & some furniture. 

Orland Park, 14106 Terry Dr. 

8/25 &8/26, 9-3p. Don’t miss 

this sale! Something for everyone! 

Lockport, 16509 W. Ash Ln. 

Sat. 8/26, 8-2p. Getting ready 

for retirement garage sale! 

Miscellaneous household 

items. 

1052 Garage Sale 

Lockport 15920 W. Iroquois 

Dr. 8/25-26, 8-2. Hshld, clothing, 

dressers, lv rm furn. No 

early birds! 

Lockport 913 MacGregor 

8/24, 8/25, 8/26, 8-5pm. Tools, 

Lionel Trains, Clothes, Nascar 

Diecast Cars, Plumbing & 

Electric Supplies, Cubs, Sox, 

Bears & Blackhawks items, 18 

foot Sea Ray boat & More! 

Lockport, 925 Runyan Dr. 

8/25 &8/26, 9-2p. Furniture, 

hshld items, clothing &miscellaneous. 

New Lenox, 851 Lenox/back 

garage 8/24, 8/25, 8/26 

9-3pm. Clothes, tools, 

antiques, housewares, 

jewelry, rims, ladder & snow 

blower. Rain or shine. 

1053 Multi Family 

Sale 

Mokena, 18136 W. Hunt Club 

Dr. 8/25 &8/26, 9-3p. Hunt 

Club Sub. Downsizing home. 

Hshld items, tools, furn &men 

& women’s clothing. Misc. 

Orland Park 9313 W 147th St 

8/25 8-3pm Something for everyone, 

new and used items! 

Way, way too much list! 

1054 Subdivision 

Sale 

Mokena-Marley Lane 

Block SALE 

Aug 25th & 26th, 9a-3p 

2 Blks N of 191 St/104 Av 

18905 Marley Ln 

(and others!) 

1 STOP SHOPPING! 

1058 Moving Sale 

Mokena 19144 Crescent Dr. 

8/25-26, 8-2. Moving. Furn, 

hshld, pictures, seasonal items, 

clothes, and much, much more! 

Place a garage sale ad & reach 

over 96,000 homes across 

the southwest suburbs! 

FOR $42 YOU’LL GET 

ASINGLE FAMILY AD 

4 LINES in 7 PAPERS 

CALL THE CLASSIFIED 

DEPARTMENT: 708.326.9170 

With the Purchase 

of a Garage Sale Ad! 

www.22ndcenturymedia.com

mokenamessenger.com classifieds 


Automotive 

1061 Autos Wanted 

CLASSIFIEDS 



Sell It 708.326.9170 

Fax It 708.326.9179 

Charge It 

DEADLINE - 

Friday at 3pm 

Automotive 

$52 

4 lines/ 

7 papers Help Wanted 

$50 

7 lines/ 

7 papers Merchandise 

$13 

per line 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

$30 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

Real Estate 

LOCAL 

REALTOR 

DIRECTORY 

Don’t Junk 

Your Vehicle! 

$$CASH$$ Paid 

Vehicles Running or Not 

Cars, Trucks, Vans etc. 

(708)653-6799 

Rental 

DRIVE CAR BUYERS 



708.326.9170 

1221 Houses for Rent 

Frankfort 

3BR, 1Ba, single family, 

fenced yard, washer/dryer 

AC/ 2car detached garage. 

Large lot, $1,850/month, 

security deposit $1,000 & 

credit check. 

630-383-8660 

Advertise your 

RENTAL 

PROPERTY 

in the newspaper 

people turn 

to first 

CALL US TODAY: 708.326.9170 


Contact Classified Department 

to Advertise in this Directory 

Don’t just 

list your 

real estate 

property... 

Sell It! 


See the Classified Section for 

more info, or call 708.326.9170 

22ndCenturyMedia.com 

(708) 

326.9170

30 | August 24, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger real estate 


The Mokena Messenger’s 

Sponsored content 

of the 

WEEK 

What: Two-bedroom, two-bath, true ranch townhouse with full basement. The current 

owner decided to move to a warm climate, so her spacious ranch townhouse is now 

available. 

Where: 19621 Cambridge Drive, Mokena 

Amenities: A desirable and sought after end unit, true ranch townhouse with full 

basement features; a spacious kitchen with oak cabinets and all appliances, 

including a new refrigerator and stove; a great room with vaulted ceiling and cozy 

gas fireplace with gas logs; a large master suite with walk-in closet and private bath; 

a deck overlooking a large, private yard; a full basement with sink and built-in work 

bench. 

Listing Price: $200,000 

Listing Agent: Kim Wirtz, Century 21 Affiliated, (708)-516-3050 or kimwirtz.com

mokenamessenger.com classifieds 

the Mokena Messenger | August 24, 2017 | 31

32 | August 24, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger Classifieds 


CLASSIFIEDS 



2017 Cleaning Services 

Sell It 708.326.9170 

Fax It 708.326.9179 

Charge It 

DEADLINE - 

Friday at 3pm 

Automotive 

Real Estate 

$52 

4 lines/ 


$50 

7 lines/ 


2025 Concrete Work 

$13 

per line 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

$30 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

2032 Decking 

Sturdy 

Deck & Fence 

Repair, Rebuild or 

Replace 

Make It Safe - Make it Sturdy 

708 479 9035 

Don’t just list 

your real estate 

property... 

Sell It! 


See the Classified Section for more info, 

or call 708.326.9170 

22ndCenturyMedia.com 

2060 Drywall 

2018 Concrete Raising 

A All American 

Concrete Lifting 

Concrete Sinking? 

We Raise & Level 

Stoops Sidewalks 

Driveways Patios 

Garage Floors Steps 

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All Work Guaranteed 

FREE ESTIMATES 

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2025 Concrete Work 

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2701 Property for 

Sale 

SHERIFF'S SALE OF REAL ES- 

TATE of 19450-19464 S. La- 

Grange Road, Mokena, IL 60448 

(Commercial Retail/Warehouse 

space, totaling 71,362 sf). On the 

31st day of August, 2017 to be 

held at 12:00 noon, at the Will 

County Courthouse Annex, 57 N. 

Ottawa Street, Room 201, Joliet, 

IL 60432, under Case Title: HAR- 

RIS N.A. Plaintiff V. 

GERONIMO, LLC; PAUL 

KNIERIM; NORTH STAR 

TRUST COMPANY, AS SUC- 

CESSOR TRUSTEE TO HARRIS 

BANK OF JOLIET N.A. AS 

TRUSTEE UNDER LAND 

TRUST#HTJ 8072; THE GREAT 

LAKES TRUST COMPANY, 

N.A., AS SUCCESSOR TRUS- 

TEE TO FIRST NATIONAL 

BANK OF BLUE ISLAND, AS 

TRUSTEE UNDER TRUST 

AGREEMENT DATED JUNE 28, 

1996 AND KNOWN ASTRUST 

NUMBER 96037; AMERICAN 

TOWER DEPOSITOR SUB LLC; 

PRICE WATERHOUSE COO- 

PERS LLP; UNKNOWN OWN- 

ERS; UNKNOWN OCCUPANTS; 

UNKNOWN TENANTS; AND 

NON- RECORD CLAIMANTS 

Defendant. 

Case No. 10ch 5883 in the Circuit 

Court of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit, 

Will County, Illinois. 

Terms of Sale: ten percent (10%) 

at the time of sale and the balance 

within twenty-four (24) hours. No 

judicial sale fee shall be paid by 

the mortgagee acquiring the residential 

real estate pursuant to its 

credit bid at the sale or by any 

mortgagee, judgment creditor, or 

other lienor acquiring the residential 

real estate whose rights in and 

to the residential real estate arose 

prior to the sale. All payments shall 

be made in cash or certified funds 

payable to the Sheriff of Will 

County. 

In the event the property is acon- 

dominium, in accordance with 735 

ILCS 5/15-1507(c)(1)(H-1) and 

(H-2), 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(5), and 

765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1), you are 

hereby notified that the purchaser 

of the unit, other than amortgagee, 

shall pay the assessments and legal 

fees required by subdivisions 

(g)(1) and (g)(4) of Section 9and 

the assessments required bysubsection 

(g-1) of Section 18.5 of the 

Illinois Condominium Property 

Act. 

Pursuant to Local Court Rule 11.03 

(J) ifthere is asurplus following 

application of the proceeds of sale, 

then the plaintiff shall send written 

notice pursuant to 735 ILCS 

5/15-1512(d) to all parties to the 

proceeding advising them of the 

amount ofthe surplus and that the 

surplus will beheld until aparty 

obtains acourt order for its distribution 

or, in the absence of an order, 

until the surplus is forfeited to 

the State. 

For Information Please Contact: 

Chapman and Cutler LLP 

111 W. Monroe Street 

Chicago, IL 60603 

P: 1-312-845-3407 

F: 1-312-516-1907 


Sale 

PURSUANT TO THE FAIR 

DEBT COLLECTION PRAC- 

TICES ACT YOU ARE AD- 

VISED THAT THIS LAW FIRM 

IS DEEMED TO BE A DEBT 

COLLECTOR ATTEMPTING TO 

COLLECT ADEBT AND ANY 

INFORMATION OBTAINED 

WILL BE USED FOR THAT 

PURPOSE. 


TATE of 8400, 8450-8500 W. 

191st Street, Mokena, IL 60448 (2 

commercial properties totaling 

79,605 sf.). On the 31st day of 

August, 2017 to be held at 12:00 

noon, at the Will County Courthouse 

Annex, 57 N. Ottawa Street, 

Room 201, Joliet, IL 60432, under 

Case Title: HARRIS N .A. Plaintiff 

V. GERONIMO, LLC; PAUL 

KNIERIM; NORTH STAR 

TRUST COMPANY, AS SUC- 

CESSOR TRUSTEE TO HARRIS 

BANK OF JOLIET N.A. AS 



LAKES TRUST COMPANY, 

N.A., AS SUCCESSOR TRUS- 

TEE TO FIRST NATIONAL 

BANK OF BLUE ISLAND, AS 

TRUSTEE UNDER TRUST 

AGREEMENT DATED JUNE 28, 

1996 AND KNOWN ASTRUST 



PRICE WATERHOUSE COO- 

PERS LLP; UNKNOWN OWN- 

ERS; UNKNOWN OCCUPANTS; 

UNKNOWN TENANTS; AND 

NON- RECORD CLAIMANTS 

Defendant. 

Case No. 10CH 5883 in the Circuit 

Court of the Twelfth Judicial 

Circuit, Will County, Illinois. 















County. 



ILCS 5/15-1507(c)(1)(H-1) and 

(H-2), 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(5), and 

765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1), you are 









Act. 










obtains acourt order for its distri-




Sale 


Sale 


Sale 

2703 Legal 

Notices 

2703 Legal 

Notices 

2703 Legal 

Notices 

bution or, in the absence of an order, 


the State. 





P: 1-312-845-3407 

F: 1-312-516-1907 










PURPOSE. 


TATE of 14008 US Highway 6, 

Mokena, IL 60448 (Single Family 

Detached). On the 31st day of 

August, 2017 to be held at 12:00 

noon, at the Will County Courthouse 

Annex, 57 N. Ottawa Street, 

Room 201, Joliet, IL 60432, under 

Case Title: Reverse Mortgage Solutions, 

Inc. Plaintiff V. Joseph M. 

Cernugel, solely as representative 

for Donna J. Kladis a/k/a Donna 

Jean Kladis (Deceased); Melissa 

Miska; James P.Kladis; William 

Liptak II; Unknown Heir and 

Legatees of Donna J.Kladis a/k/a 

Donna Jean Kladis(Deceased); Defendant. 

Case No. 16ch 0039 in the Circuit 

Court of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit, 

Will County, Illinois. 















County. 



ILCS 5/15-1507(c)(1)(H-1) and 

(H-2), 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(5), and 

765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1), you are 









Act. 













the State. 


Randall S. Miller & Associates 

120 N. LaSalle Suite 1140 


P: 1-312-239-3432 

F: 1-312-284-4820 










PURPOSE. 


TATE of 18804 Meadowview 

Drive, MOKENA, IL 60448 (SIN- 

GLE FAMILY). On the 14th day 

of September, 2017 to be held at 

12:00 noon, at the Will County 

Courthouse Annex, 57 N. Ottawa 

Street, Room 201, Joliet, IL 60432, 

under Case Title: Wells Fargo 

Bank, N.A. Plaintiff V. JOHN M. 

HANANIA; MARGARET T. 

HANANIA; FNBC BANK AND 

TRUST AS SUCCESSOR IN IN- 

TEREST TO MOKENA STATE 

BANK; PNC BANK, N.A., SUC- 

CESSOR IN INTEREST TONA- 

TIONAL CITY BANK; Defendant. 

Case No. 17CH 0255 in the Circuit 

Court of the Twelfth Judicial 

Circuit, Will County, Illinois. 















County. 



ILCS 5/15-1507(c)(1)(H-1) and 

(H-2), 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(5), and 

765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1), you are 









Act. 













the State. 


SHAPIRO KREISMAN AND AS- 

SOCIATES, LLC. 

2121 Waukegan Rd, Suite 301 

Bannockburn, Illinois 60015 

P: 847-770-4348 

F: 847-291-3434 










PURPOSE. 

2703 Legal 

Notices 

PURSUANT TO THE FAIR DEBT 

COLLECTION PRACTICES ACT 

YOU ARE ADVISED THAT THIS 

LAW FIRM ISDEEMED TO BE A 

DEBT COLLECTOR ATTEMPTING 

TO COLLECT ADEBT AND ANY 

INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL 

BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. 

STATE OF ILLINOIS ) 

) SS. 

COUNTY OF WILL ) 

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OFTHE 

TWELFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT 

WILL COUNTY, ILLINOIS 

HARRIS N.A. 

Plaintiff, 

vs. 

GERONIMO, LLC; PAUL KNIERIM; 

NORTH STAR TRUST COMPANY, 

AS SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE TO HAR- 

RIS BANK OF JOLIET N.A. AS 



LAKES TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS 

SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE TO FIRST 

NATIONAL BANK OF BLUE IS- 

LAND, AS TRUSTEE UNDER 

TRUST AGREEMENT DATED JUNE 

28, 1996 AND KNOWN AS TRUST 



PRICE WATERHOUSE COOPERS 

LLP; UNKNOWN OWNERS; UN- 

KNOWN OCCUPANTS; UNKNOWN 

TENANTS; AND NON- RECORD 

CLAIMANTS 

Defendant. 

No. 10 ch 5883 

NOTICE OF SHERIFF'S SALE 

Public notice ishereby given that pursuant 

toajudgment entered in the above 

cause on the 18th day of June, 2015, 

MIKE KELLEY, Sheriff of Will 

County, Illinois, will on Thursday, the 

31st day of August, 2017 ,commencing 

at 12:00 o'clock noon, at the Will 

County Courthouse Annex, 57 N. Ottawa 


sell at public auction tothe highest and 

best bidder orbidders the following-described 

real estate: 

PARCEL 1: LOT 1 IN NORMAL 

TOWERS INDUSTRIAL PARK UNIT 

NUMBER TWO, A SUBDIVISION OF 

THE EAST 1/2 OF SECTION 9, 

TOWNSHIP 35 NORTH, RANGE 12 

EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL 

MERIDIAN, ACCORDING TO THE 

PLAT THEREOF RECORDED JANU- 

ARYÂ 21, 1977, AS DOCUMENT 

NUMBER R77-2328 AND CITY OF 

CHICAGO RECORDED JANUARYÂ 

11, 1979, AS DOCUMENT NUMBER 

R79-2430, IN WILL COUNTY, ILLI- 

NOIS, ALSO DESCRIBED AS THAT 

PART OFTHE EAST 1/2 OFSEC- 

TION 9, TOWNSHIP 35 NORTH, 

RANGE 12 EAST OF THE THIRD 

PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, MORE SPE- 

CIFICALLY DESCRIBED AS FOL- 

LOWS: BEGINNING AT THE POINT 

OF INTERSECTION OF THE NORTH 

LINE OF WILLOW LANE HERETO- 

FORE DEDICATED IN NORMAL 

TOWERS INDUSTRIAL PARK UNIT 

NO. ONE, A SUBDIVISION OF 

PART OFTHE EAST 1/2 OFSEC- 

TIONÂ 9, TOWNSHIP 35 NORTH, 

RANGE 12 EAST OF THE THIRD 

PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, WITH THE 

WESTERLY LINE OF MANNHEIM 

ROAD (U.S. ROUTE NO.Â 45) AS 

WIDENED BY DOCUMENT NO.Â 

R68-3158 RECORDED MARCH 5, 

1968; THENCE WEST ALONG SAID 

NORTH LINE OF WILLOW LANE A 

DISTANCE OF 570.50 FEET TO A 

POINT, SAID POINT BEING 119.38 

FEET WEST OFTHE SOUTHEAST 

CORNER OF LOT 5 IN AFORESAID 

NORMAL TOWERS UNIT NO. ONE; 

THENCE NORTH ADISTANCE OF 

307.00 FEET TO A POINT ON A 

LINE DRAWN PARALLEL WITH 

AND 307.00 FEET NORTH OF 

AFORESAID NORTH LINE OF WIL- 

LOW LANE, SAID POINT BEING 

168.20 FEET NORTH OF AFORE- 

SAID LINE OF NORMAL TOWERS 

INDUSTRIAL PARK UNIT NO. ONE; 

THENCE EAST ALONG SAID PAR- 

ALLEL LINE A DISTANCE OF 

570.00 FEET TO THE AFORESAID 

WEST LINE OF MANNHEIM ROAD 

(U.S. ROUTE NO. 45) AS WIDENED; 

THENCE SOUTH 00 DEGREES 05 

MINUTES 34 SECONDS EAST 

ALONG THE SAID WEST LINE OF 

MANNHEIM ROAD A DISTANCE 

OF 307.00 FEET TO THE POINT OF 

BEGINNING; INWILL COUNTY, IL- 

LINOIS. PARCEL 2: EASEMENT 

FOR THE BENEFIT OF PARCELÂ 1 

FOR SEWER LINE PURPOSES TO- 

GETHER WITH THE RIGHT OF IN- 

GRESS AND EGRESS TO MAIN- 

TAIN SAME AS CREATED BY A 

GRANT DATED FEBRUARYÂ 15, 

1983 AND RECORDED APRIL 6, 

1983 AS DOCUMENT NUMBER 

R83?08807 BY MARQUETTE NA- 

TIONAL BANK, AS TRUSTEE UN- 

DER TRUST NO. 1876 TO AMERI- 

CAN NATIONAL BANK AND 

TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE 

UNDER TRUST NUMBER 38921, IN 

OVER AND ACROSS THAT PART 

OF LOT 5IN NORMAL TOWERS 

INDUSTRIAL PARK UNIT NO. 

ONE, A SUBDIVISION OF PART OF 

THE EAST 1/2 OF SECTION 9, 

TOWNSHIP 35 NORTH, RANGE 12 

EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL 

MERIDIAN, IN WILL COUNTY, IL- 

LINOIS, BOUNDED AND DE- 

SCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: BEGIN- 

NING ATTHE SOUTHWEST COR- 

NER OF LOT 1 IN NORMAL TOW- 

ERS INDUSTRIAL PARK UNIT NO. 

TWO, A SUBDIVISION OF PART OF 

SAID EAST 1/2 OF SECTION 9; 

THENCE WEST 10.00 FEET ALONG 

THE NORTH LINE OF 195TH 

STREET; THENCE NORTH 33DE- 

GREES 41Â MINUTES 24 SECONDS 

EAST 18.03 FEET TO THE WEST 

LINE OF SAID LOT ONE; THENCE 

SOUTH 15.00 FEET TO THE POINT 

OF BEGINNING, IN WILL COUNTY, 

ILLINOIS. 

Commonly known as: 

19450-19464 S. LaGrange Road, Mokena, 

IL 60448 

Description of Improvements: 

Commercial Retail/Warehouse space, 

totaling 71,362 sf 

P.I.N.: 

19-09-09-202-003-0000 

Terms of Sale: ten percent (10%) at the 

time of sale and the balance within 

twenty-four (24) hours. Nojudicial sale 

fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring 

the residential real estate pursuant 

to its credit bid at the sale or by any 

mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other 

lienor acquiring the residential real estate 

whose rights in and tothe residential 

real estate arose prior to the sale. All 

payments shall be made in cash or certified 

funds payable tothe Sheriff of Will 

County. 

In the event the property is acondomin- 

ium, in accordance with 735 ILCS 

5/15-1507(c)(1)(H-1) and (H-2), 765 

ILCS 605/9(g)(5), and 765 ILCS 

605/18.5(g-1), you are hereby notified 

that the purchaser of the unit, other than 

amortgagee, shall pay the assessments 

and legal fees required by subdivisions 

(g)(1) and (g)(4) of Section 9and the assessments 

required by subsection (g-1) 

of Section 18.5 of the Illinois Condominium 

Property Act. 

Pursuant to Local Court Rule 11.03 (J) 

if there is asurplus following application 

ofthe proceeds of sale, then the 

plaintiff shall send written notice pursuant 

to 735 ILCS 5/15-1512(d) to all parties 

to the proceeding advising them of 

the amount ofthe surplus and that the 

surplus will beheld until aparty obtains 

acourt order for its distribution or, in 

the absence of an order, until the surplus 

is forfeited to the State. 

FOR INFORMATION PLEASE CON- 

TACT: 




P: 1-312-845-3407 

F: 1-312-516-1907 

Plaintiff's Attorney 

MIKE KELLEY 

Sheriff of Will County 

PURSUANT TO THE FAIR DEBT COLLEC- 

TION PRACTICES ACT YOU ARE AD- 

VISED THAT THIS LAW FIRM IS 

DEEMED TO BE A DEBT COLLECTOR 

ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT ADEBT AND 

ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL 

BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. 


) SS. 


IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 

TWELFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT 


HARRIS N .A. 

Plaintiff, 

vs. 

GERONIMO, LLC; PAUL KNIERIM; 

NORTH STAR TRUST COMPANY, AS 

SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE TO HARRIS BANK 

OF JOLIET N.A. AS TRUSTEE UNDER 

LAND TRUST#HTJ 8072; THE GREAT 

LAKES TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS SUC- 

CESSOR TRUSTEE TO FIRST NATIONAL 

BANK OF BLUE ISLAND, AS TRUSTEE 

UNDER TRUST AGREEMENT DATED 

JUNE 28, 1996 AND KNOWN ASTRUST 

NUMBER 96037; AMERICAN TOWER DE- 

POSITOR SUB LLC; PRICE WATER- 

HOUSE COOPERS LLP; UNKNOWN OWN- 

ERS; UNKNOWN OCCUPANTS; UN- 

KNOWN TENANTS; AND NON- RECORD 

CLAIMANTS 

Defendant. 

No. 10 CH 5883 


Public notice ishereby given that pursuant to a 

judgment entered in the above cause on the 

18th day of June, 2015, MIKE KELLEY, Sheriff 

of Will County, Illinois, will on Thursday, 

the 31st day of August, 2017 ,commencing at 

12:00 o'clock noon, at the Will County Courthouse 

Annex, 57 N. Ottawa Street, Room 201, 

Joliet, IL 60432, sell at public auction to the 

highest and best bidder orbidders the following-described 

real estate: 

PARCEL 1: THE SOUTH 390 FEET OF 

THAT PART OFTHE SOUTHWEST 1/4 OF 

THE SOUTH EAST 1/4 OFSECTION 2, 

TOWNSHIP 35 NORTH, RANGE 12 EAST 

OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, 

(EXCEPT THAT PART THEREOF CON- 

VEYED TOTHE COMMONWEALTH EDI- 

SON COMPANY, AN ILLINOIS CORPORA- 

TION, BYWARRANTY DEED RECORDED 

MAY 6, 1966 AS DOCUMENT NO. 

R66-6872, AND THAT PART THEREOF 

CONVEYED TO CHICAGO TITLE AND 

TRUST COMPANY, AN ILLINOIS CORPO- 

RATION, AS TRUSTEE UNDER TRUST 

AGREEMENT DATED APRIL 26, 1965, 

AND KNOWN AS TRUST NUMBER 45553, 

BY WARRANTY DEED IN TRUST RE- 

CORDED MAY 12, 1966, AS DOCUMENT 

NO. R66-6871, AND ALSO EXCEPT THAT 

PART THEREOF DEDICATED FOR ROAD 

PURPOSES BY DOCUMENT. NO.Â 

736566, AND KNOWN AS 191ST STREET), 

DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: BEGINNING 

AT THE INTERSECTION OFTHE WEST 

LINE OF THE SOUTHWEST 1/4 OF THE 

SOUTHEAST 1/4 OF SAID SECTION 2, 

WITH THE NORTH LINE OF SAID 191ST 

STREET, THENCE EAST ALONG THE 

NORTH LINE OF SAID 191ST STREET, A 

DISTANCE OF 337.25 FEET, THENCE 

NORTHERLY ALONG ALINE PARALLEL 

NORTHERLY ALONG ALINE PARALLEL 

WITH THE WEST LINE OF THE SOUTH- 

WEST 1/4 OF THE SOUTHEAST 1/4 OF 

SAID SECTION 2TOAPOINT ON THE 

NORTH LINE OF THE SOUTHWEST 1/4 

OF THE SOUTHEAST 1/4 OF SAID SEC- 

TION 2, SAID POINT BEING 337.25 FEET 

EAST OF THE NORTHWEST CORNER 

THEREOF, THENCE WEST ALONG THE 

NORTH LINE OF THE SOUTHWEST 1/4 

OF THE SOUTHEAST 1/4 OF SAID SEC- 

TION 2, ADISTANCE OF 337.25 FEET TO 

THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE 

SOUTHWEST 1/4 OF THE SOUTHEAST 1/4 

OF SAID SECTION 2, THENCE SOUTH 

ALONG THE WEST LINE OFTHE SOUTH- 

WEST 1/4 OF THE SOUTHEAST 1/4 OF 

SAID SECTION 2, TO THE POINT OF BE- 

GINNING, AND EXCEPTING FROM THE 

TRACT DESCRIBED ABOVE LAND CON- 

VEYED TOTHE COUNTY OF WILL BY 

DEED RECORDED DECEMBER 28, 1994 

AS DOCUMENT R94-114856 IN WILL 

COUNTY, ILLINOIS. 


8400, 8450-8500 W. 191st Street, Mokena, IL 

60448 


2 commercial properties totaling 79,605 sf. 

P.I.N.: 

19-09-02-400-019-0000 

PARCEL 2: UNIT 1IN BLACKHAWK IN- 

DUSTRIAL CONDOMINIUM I, AS DE- 

LINEATED ON A SURVEY OFTHE FOL- 

LOWING DESCRIBED REAL ESTATE: 

THAT PART OFTHE EAST 1/2 OFTHE 

EAST 1/2 OF THE SOUTHEAST 1/4 OF 

THE SOUTHWEST 1/4 OF SECTION 2, 



(EXCEPT THAT PART THEREOF DEDI- 

CATED FOR ROAD PURPOSES BY DOCU- 

MENT NO. 736566 AND KNOWN AS 

191ST STREET AND FURTHER EXCEPT- 

ING THAT PART DEDICATED FOR ROAD 

PURPOSES BY DOCUMENT NO.Â 

R90-67290), WHICH SURVEY IS AT- 

TACHED AS EXHIBIT ATO THE DECLA- 

RATION OF CONDOMINIUM RECORDED 

AS DOCUMENT NO. R98-115887 AND 

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION RE- 

CORDED AS DOCUMENT NO. 

R98-116887 TOGETHER WITH ITS UNDI- 

VIDED PERCENTAGE INTEREST IN THE 

COMMON ELEMENTS, AS AMENDED 

FROM TIME TO TIME, IN WILL COUNTY, 

ILLINOIS. 

P.I.N.: 

19-09-02-301-001-1001 















PURPOSES BY DOCUMENT NO. 






CORDED AS DOCUMENT NO. R98-116887 

TOGETHER WITH ITS UNDIVIDED PER- 

CENTAGE INTEREST IN THE COMMON 

ELEMENTS, AS AMENDED FROM TIME 

TO TIME, IN WILL COUNTY, ILLINOIS. 

P.I.N.: 

19-09-02-301-001-1002 





















CORDED AS DOCUMENT NO.Â 





ILLINOIS. 

P.I.N.: 

19 09 02 301 001 1003



2703 Legal 

Notices 

19-09-02-301-001-1003 


























ILLINOIS. 

P.I.N.: 

19-09-02-301-001-1004 



















AS DOCUMENT NO.Â R98-115887 AND 







ILLINOIS. 

P.I.N.: 

19-09-02-301-001-1005 


























ILLINOIS. 

P.I.N.: 

19-09-02-301-001-1006 



















AS DOCUMENT NO.Â R98-115887 AND 







ILLINOIS. 

P.I.N.: 

19 09 02 301 001 100 

2703 Legal 

Notices 

..N.: 

19-09-02-301-001-1007 


























ILLINOIS. 

P.I.N.: 

19-09-02-301-001-1008 

PARCEL 10: THE SOUTH 390 FEET OF 

THE EAST 1/2 OFTHE EAST 1/2 OFTHE 

SOUTHEAST 1/4 OFTHE SOUTHWEST 1/4 



MENT NO. 736566, AND KNOWN AS 




R90-67290) OF SECTION 2, TOWNSHIP 35 

NORTH, RANGE 12 EAST OF THE THIRD 

PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN WILL 


P.I.N.: 

19-09-02-301-002-0000 

Terms of Sale: ten percent (10%) at the time of 

sale and the balance within twenty-four (24) 

hours. Nojudicial sale fee shall be paid by the 

mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate 

pursuant to its credit bid atthe sale or by any 

mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor 

acquiring the residential real estate whose 

rights in and tothe residential real estate arose 

prior to the sale. All payments shall be made in 

cash or certified funds payable to the Sheriff of 

Will County. 

In the event the property isacondominium, in 

accordance with 735 ILCS 

5/15-1507(c)(1)(H-1) and (H-2), 765 ILCS 

605/9(g)(5), and 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1), you 

are hereby notified that the purchaser of the 

unit, other than amortgagee, shall pay the assessments 

and legal fees required bysubdivisions 

(g)(1) and (g)(4) of Section 9and the assessments 

required bysubsection (g-1) of Section 

18.5 of the Illinois Condominium Property 

Act. 

Pursuant to Local Court Rule 11.03 (J) ifthere 

is asurplus following application ofthe proceeds 

of sale, then the plaintiff shall send written 

notice pursuant to 735 ILCS 5/15-1512(d) 

to all parties to the proceeding advising them 

of the amount of the surplus and that the surplus 

will be held until aparty obtains acourt 

order for its distribution or, in the absence of 

an order, until the surplus is forfeited to the 

State. 

FOR INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: 




P: 1-312-845-3407 

F: 1-312-516-1907 


MIKE KELLEY 











PURPOSE. 


) SS. 


IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF 

THE TWELFTH JUDICIAL CIR- 

CUIT 


Reverse Mortgage Solutions, Inc. 

Plaintiff, 

2703 Legal 

Notices 

vs. 

Joseph M. Cernugel, solely as representative 

for Donna J. Kladis 

a/k/a Donna Jean Kladis (Deceased); 

Melissa Miska; James P. 

Kladis; William Liptak II; Unknown 

Heir and Legatees of Donna 

J. Kladis a/k/a Donna Jean 

Kladis(Deceased); 

Defendant. 

No. 16 ch 0039 


Public notice ishereby given that 

pursuant to ajudgment entered in 

the above cause on the 24th day of 

March, 2017, MIKE KELLEY, 

Sheriff of Will County, Illinois, 

will on Thursday, the 31st day of 

August, 2017 , commencing at 

12:00 o'clock noon, at the Will 

County Courthouse Annex, 57 N. 

Ottawa Street, Room 201, Joliet, 

IL 60432, sell at public auction to 

the highest and best bidder orbidders 

the following-described real 

estate: 

The South 200 Feet of the East 400 

feet, except the West 200.00 feet of 

the East 400.00 feet of the South 

200.00 feet, ofthe Northwest quarter 

of Section 3, Township 35 

North, Range 11, East ofthe Third 

Principal Meridian, in Will 

County, Illinois. 


14008 US Highway 6, Mokena, IL 

60448 


Single Family Detached 

P.I.N.: 

15-08-03-100-046-0000 















County. 

In the event the property is a condominium, 

in accordance with 735 

ILCS 5/15-1507(c)(1)(H-1) and 

(H-2), 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(5), and 

765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1), you are 






the assessments required by subsection 



Act. 










obtains a court order for its distribution 



the State. 

FOR INFORMATION PLEASE 

2703 Legal 

Notices 


CONTACT: 

Randall S. Miller & Associates 

120 N. LaSalle Suite 1140 


P: 1-312-239-3432 

F: 1-312-284-4820 


MIKE KELLEY 











PURPOSE. 


) SS. 


IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF 

THE TWELFTH JUDICIAL CIR- 

CUIT 


Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. 

Plaintiff, 

vs. 

JOHN M. HANANIA; MARGA- 

RET T. HANANIA; FNBC BANK 

AND TRUST AS SUCCESSOR 

IN INTEREST TO MOKENA 

STATE BANK; PNC BANK, 

N.A., SUCCESSOR IN INTER- 

EST TO NATIONAL CITY 

BANK; 

Defendant. 

No. 17 CH 0255 


Public notice ishereby given that 

pursuant to ajudgment entered in 

the above cause onthe 23rd day of 

May, 2017, MIKE KELLEY, Sheriff 

of Will County, Illinois, will on 

Thursday, the 14th day of September, 

2017 ,commencing at 12:00 

o'clock noon, at the Will County 

Courthouse Annex, 57 N. Ottawa 


sell at public auction to the highest 

and best bidder orbidders the following-described 

real estate: 

LOT 88 IN CREEKVIEW UNIT 

TWO, BEING A SUBDIVISION 

IN THE SOUTH 1/2 OF SEC- 

TION 6, TOWNSHIP 35 NORTH, 

RANGE 12, EAST OF THE 

THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, 

ACCORDING TO THE PLAT 

THEREOF RECORDED SEP- 

TEMBER 8, 1988 AS DOCU- 

MENT NO. R88-42503, IN WILL 



18804 Meadowview Drive, MOK- 

ENA, IL 60448 


SINGLE FAMILY 

P.I.N.: 

19-09-06-407-002-0000 













CLASSIFIEDS 



Sell It 708.326.9170 | Fax It 708.326.9179 


2703 Legal 

Notices 



County. 

In the event the property is a condominium, 

in accordance with 735 

ILCS 5/15-1507(c)(1)(H-1) and 

(H-2), 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(5), and 

765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1), you are 









Act. 










obtains a court order for its distribution 



the State. 


CONTACT: 

SHAPIRO KREISMAN AND AS- 

SOCIATES, LLC. 

2121 Waukegan Rd, Suite 301 

Bannockburn, Illinois 60015 

P: 847-770-4348 

F: 847-291-3434 


MIKE KELLEY 


2900 

Merchandise 

Under $100 

1HPHayward pool pump $75. 

Call Lou. (708)448-9597 

12 drawer tool chest $66. 2 

Ryobi rechargable drills $25. 

815.529.5804 

2 drawer oak file cabinet w/ 

flip desk top $40 OBO. Call 

708.769.9758 or L/M 

708.479.7020. Mokena. 

20 ft aluminum ladder. Good 

condition. Must sell fast (you 

pick up) $50. 708.873.1245 

3floor fans, $7apiece. 2cat 

carriers, $5 ea. Aluminum 20 ft 

ladder $40. 815.838.0239 

5 drawer oak laminate tall 

dresser $40 OBO. Call 

708.769.9758 or L/M 

708.479.7020. Mokena. 

8” sril drill press $60. Bench 

saw with stand $50. 

708.479.0193 

Automotive 

$52 4 lines/ 

7 papers 

Real Estate 


lines/ 

Help Wanted 

$13 4 lines/ 


Merchandise 


lines/ 

2900 

Merchandise 

Under $100 

AT&T Cordless w/4handsets. 

Complete package (CL82413) 

includes answering system, 

base, 4handsets, 4rechargeable 

batteries &owner’s manual. 

Purchased new in Jan 

2016: in perfect working order. 

Base mounts on wall/sits on 

desk; 2remote handsets can be 

placed in the house where there 

is power (not phone) outlet. 

$20 OBO 815.464.0205 

Avari fitness compact elliptical 

trainer with mat, barely used 

$100 or best offer. 

708.341.6051 

Beer sign collectors, Lowenbrau 

special &dark beer (vintage). 

Fast sale $50 or best offer. 

708.873.1245 

Black & Decker Workmate 

$50. Good condition. 

708.494.1913 

Jogger stroller (3 wheels, 

in-step) 2 spare tires, good condition 

$55. (708)421-8505 

Local honey $15 per quart, no 

sugar added. 708.466.9809 

Makita grinder $20. 

708.873.1245 

Mattress set, full size. Very 

good condition, clean. Tinley 

Park. $100. 708.532.7041 

Murray lawn mower, Briggs & 

station engine, gas, used little 

$100. 708.645.4245 

New Abu Garcia graphite 

spinning rod. 6.5 ft. two piece 

medium heavy action 1/4-3/4 

oz. lures, 8-14 lb. line. Excellent 

travel rod. Cost $109. Sell 

$60. 708.301.0356 

One 100 used golf balls, all 

brands $29. 708.301.7645 

Rubbermaid (yellow) commercial 

mop bucket, like new $50. 

Rare CJ vintage gasoline five 

gallon can &spout by Jayes 

Can Co. $30. 708.466.9907 

Stroller Evenflo. navy blue 

$40. Call 708.769.9758 or L/M 

708.479.7020. Mokena. 

Tappan range stove, barely 

used, perfect for rental apartment. 

$100. 708.602.8461 

Toro lawn mower 21” gas. 

Great shape $75. 

260.585.4393. Lockport. 

Vintage Sioux heavy duty electric 

all in one polisher, sander, 

grindeer, made in the USA 

$75. Vintage stainless steel 

meat cleaver &sharpener $25. 

708.466.9907

40 | August 24, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger sports 


central 

From Page 46 

mediocrity; it was to bring 

home a state title. 

Now, with the taste of success 

still fresh on their lips 

from a year ago, and several 

core players returning, thirdyear 

coach Jeremy Cordell’s 

squad has boldly declared 

2017 “Mission NIU.” 

The Knights are poised 

and ready, champing at the 

bit to build on what they accomplished 

last season. That 

has been the collective state 

of mind since their secondround 

playoff loss to Rolling 

Meadows last October. 

“From the moment we lost, 

they’ve wanted to get back to 

work,” Cordell said. “They 

wanted to get back at it, and 

I mean right away.” 

Gone from last year’s offense 

are fullback Nico 

Muto, quarterback Hunter 

Campbell, and standout offensive 

linemen Eric Hypke 

and Joe Dunlap. 

The Knights return seven 

starters: fullback Mike Morgan; 

dynamic playmaker 

Matt Pollack; wide receiver 

Devin Smith; tight end Jake 

Pott; and linemen Nolan Nelson, 

Dan Jones and Joe Fulkerson. 

Pollack, who lines up at 

running back, gained more 

than 1,500 yards from scrimmage 

last season during his 

breakout junior year. 

“He’s a special athlete,” 

Cordell said of Pollack. 

“He’s a hard worker, loves 

the game. And whatever you 

need him to do, he’ll do it.” 

Pollack said last year’s 

team did not expect to lose in 

the second round of the playoffs, 

and the disappointment 

has motivated them even 

more heading into the 2017 

season. 

“I think it made us very 

hungry, knowing that last 

year we [were eliminated] 

when we should have kept 

going,” Pollack said. “We’ve 

got a lot of returning guys, so 

we have a lot of confidence 

and a lot of experience that I 

think will help us a lot. 

“We’re going to score a lot 

of points with a lot of different 

players.” 

Several players who saw 

significant time on the field 

and filled key roles in 2016 

— including running backs 

Mike Gossage and Zach 

Stoklosa — are expected to 

contribute to the cause. Senior 

center Rian Nealon, and 

junior guards Drew Parrish 

and Lucas Korte will see time 

in the trenches. 

Sam Pipiras will take over 

under center. The key for the 

Knights will be his leadership 

and making good decisions. 

“He’s tall, he’s long, has 

a strong arm and throws 

the ball well,” Cordell said. 

“With him it’s just, ‘Now, 

you’re the guy,’ which happens 

at every school. Maybe 

as a junior you didn’t get the 

reps and now you’re the guy, 

and he’s worked very hard in 

the offseason to put himself 

in position to succeed.” 

Pipiras said he is excited 

about taking the reins of a 

potentially high-powered offense. 

“The talent on our team, 

the weapons we have, we 

have so many options that it 

takes the pressure off me,” 

he said. “The talents all compliment 

each other, it’s not a 

one-man show.” 

Central also will field an 

experienced and talented prevention 

corps, led by senior 

linebackers Nick DeGregorio 

and Mike Granberry, and 

junior safety Gabe Meyers. 

Three other starting linebackers 

from last year’s team will 

return. The front three will 

be new, but senior defensive 

ends Andrew Folgers and 

Mark O’Reilly saw significant 

playing time last season. 

Cordell said he believes 

the team’s experience will be 

a major factor in the Knights’ 

favor. 

“We’re a year older, a year 

smarter, and we’re better now 

because we have these guys 

who have gone through that, 

and we can really fine tune 

the smaller things instead of 

trying to learn on the fly,” he 

said. “We’ve been able to focus 

on the details, rather than 

the big picture.” 

Looking to have a 

garage sale this year? 

Call the classified department or fax in your form below! 

• Goes in all 7 Southwest newspapers 

• 4 lines of information 

(28 characters per line) 

$42.00 

Single Family 

Payment Method 

̌ Check enclosed 

̌ Money Order 

̌ Credit Card 

$44.00 

Multi Family 

Ad Copy Here (print) 

• Additional lines only a $1.95 

• Borders only an additional $1.00 

• FREE GARAGE SALE KIT 

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Subdivision 

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Estate Sale 

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Please cut this form out and 

mail or fax it back to us at: 

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City/State/Zip 

Phone 

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Credit Card Orders Only 

Circle One 

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Orland Park, IL 60467 

Card # 

Signature 

Exp. 

Knights senior running back Mike Morgan bolts upfield. Jason Maholy/22nd Century Media 

Phn: 708.326.9170 • Fax: 708.326.9179 


mokenamessenger.com sports 


Athlete of the Week 

10 Questions 

with Mike Morgan 

Mike Morgan is a senior at 

Lincoln-Way Central and 

a fullback for the Knights 

football team. 

How did you get started in 

football? 

I got started in second 

grade. My parents put me 

into youth football, and my 

dad always played in high 

school and semi-pro. So, they 

put me into football, and I’ve 

been loving it ever since. 

What kind of advantage 

does your size give you? 

It’s a great advantage to 

have, to just get into the 

secondary and manhandle a 

couple kids is a big tool. And 

it just works good in our offense 

when I have a chance 

to lead block. 

Does it bother you when 

opposing players have to go 

low to take you down? 

I don’t have a problem 

with it. I’ve been playing 

runningback since second 

grade, so I’m pretty used to 

it now. 

What’s the biggest lesson 

you’ve learned from coach 

Cordell? 

Putting your teammates 

first and sacrificing anything 

for them. Say, I’ve got 

a teammate and he makes a 

great block for me, then I’ve 

got to go out there next time 

and make a great block for 

him, pay it forward. 

If you won the lottery, what 

is the first thing you would 

buy? 

Probably a new car, because 

I’m sick of sharing cars 

with my brothers. They’re 

older than me, so they always 

get the car over me. I’d probably 

get an Audi R8. 

Do you have any pre-game 

routines? 

It’s not much of a routine, 

it’s just that I have this lucky 

shirt that I’ve worn since my 

first football game ever. It’s 

this camo, Nike cut-off shirt 

that I’ve worn since second 

grade under my pads. 

If you had one last meal, 

what would it be? 

Pasta with vodka sauce. A 

nice pasta dinner. 

Who would be on your 

dream team? 

At quarterback Tom Brady; 

at running back would be 

Walter Payton; for receivers 

I’d have Odell Beckham, Jr. 

and Jerry Rice; on defense 

I’d have Ray Lewis, Ed Reed 

and Dion Sanders. 

Who would you choose as a 

celebrity referee? 

Will Ferrell because he’s 

hilarious and he’s my favorite 

actor. 

Any predictions for the 

upcoming season? 

Based off the offseason and 

last year, I think we’re going 

to have a lot of talent this year, 

and I think we’re going to go 

really far into the state playoffs. 

We’ve got a lot of talent, 

a lot of returning starters from 

Photo submitted 

last year who were juniors 

who are now seniors. This 

offseason was great. We did 

a really good job with leadership 

and coming together and 

working hard together. It’s going 

to be a good year. 

Interview by Editor TJ Kremer 

III 

This Week In... 

Knights Varsity 

Athletics 

Boys cross country 

■Aug. ■ 26 - at Whitney Young 

Relay, 9 a.m. 

Girls cross country 

■Aug. ■ 26 - at Whitney Young 

Relay, 9 a.m. 

Boys golf 

■Aug. ■ 26 - at Homewood- 

Flossmor Invitational, 

12:30 p.m. 

■Aug. ■ 29 - host Lockport, 

4 p.m. 

Girls golf 

■Aug. ■ 30 - at Lockport, 

4:30 p.m. 

Football 

■Aug. ■ 25 - host Lake Central, 

7 p.m. 

Boys soccer 

■Aug. ■ 25 - at Bradley- 

Bourbonnais Tournament, 

6 p.m. 



9 a.m. 



TBD 

■Aug. ■ 29 - host Aurora 

Central Catholic, 4:30 p.m. 

Girls swimming 

■Aug. ■ 24 - host Joliet West, 

5 p.m. 

■Aug. ■ 29 - at Lockport, 5 p.m. 

Girls tennis 

■Aug. ■ 26 - at Naperville 

Central Quad, 8:30 a.m. 

■Aug. ■ 28 - host Aurora 

Central Catholic, 4:30 p.m. 

Girls volleyball 

■Aug. ■ 25 - at Plainfield North 

Tournament, 5:30 p.m. 


Tournament, 9 a.m. 

■Aug. ■ 28 - at Glenbard North, 

6 p.m. 

■Aug. ■ 29 - host Stagg, 

5:30 p.m. 

Griffins Varsity Athletics 

Football 

■Aug. ■ 25 – hosts Crete- 

Monee, 7 p.m. 

Boys golf 

■Aug. ■ 24 – at Peotone, 

4:30 p.m. 

■Aug. ■ 26 – at Homewood- 

Flossmoor Invite, 12:30 p.m. 

Boys soccer 

■Aug. ■ 24 – hosts Windy City 

Classic, 5 p.m. 

■Aug. ■ 26 – at Windy City 

Classic, TBA 

■Aug. ■ 29 – at Windy City 

Classic, TBA 

Girls tennis 

■Aug. ■ 26 – at Bradley- 

Bourbonnais Quad, 9 a.m. 

■Aug. ■ 28 – at JCA, 4:30 p.m. 

Girls volleyball 


Tournament, 5:30 p.m. 


Tournament, 9 a.m. 

■Aug. ■ 29 - at Downers Grove 

South 5:30 p.m. 

PRESSBOX PICKS 

Our staff’s predictions for 

the top games in Week 1 

0-0 

0-0 

0-0 

0-0 

0-0 

Lincoln-Way East hosts Crete-Monee 

Lincoln-Way Central hosts Lake Central 

Providence Catholic at East St. Louis 

Lockport hosts Downers Grove North 

Tinley Park at Chicago Hope Academy 

Tim Carroll | Sports Editor 

• LW East 37, Crete-Monee 32. When 

Rob Zvonar has nearly 10 months to 

game plan for a team, give me the 

Zvonar team. 

• LW Central 

• East St. Louis 

• Lockport 

• Tinley Park 

Tom Czaja | Contributing 

Editor 

• LW East 28, Crete-Monee 24. The 

Griffins face a tough test right 

out of the gate, but they secure 

the win late. 



• Lockport 


Max Lapthorne | 

Contributing Editor 

• Crete-Monee 22, LW East 16. 

Griffins fans create a rowdy 

atmosphere, but a late touchdown 

by the visitors ruins the mood. 



• Lockport 


Joe Coughlin | Publisher 

• LW East 24, Crete-Monee 10. 

Grffins’ defense gives them edge 

in early-season power battle. 



• Lockport 


Heather Warthen | Chief 

Operating Officer 

• LW East 27, Crete-Monee 23. 

Griffins start the season with a 

statement. 



• Lockport 

• Tinley Park

42 | August 24, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger mokena 


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44 | August 24, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger football preview guide 


Providence eager to take on tough schedule 

Celtics hope for 

return to playoffs 

with talented roster 

Chris Walker 


The road ahead 

• Week 1 — at East St. 

Louis, 5 p.m. Aug. 26 

• Week 2 — hosts St. 

John Vianney, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 1 


Rita, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 8 


Ignatius, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 

15 

• Week 5 — at Brother 

Rice, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 22 

• Week 6 — at Hope 

Academy, 7 p.m. Sept. 29 

• Week 7 — hosts 

Fenwick, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6 

• Week 8 — hosts Loyola 

Academy, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 

13 

• Week 9 — at Mt. 

Carmel, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 

20 

Providence Catholic is to 

open the season by making 

the long drive down Interstate 

55 to face defending 

Class 7A champion East St. 

Louis. 

The following week, the 

Celtics are to host St. John 

Vianney from Missouri, 

which also won a state title 

a season ago. 

Then, they jump right 

into the Chicago Catholic 

Conference Blue Division, 

including a game against 

Class 8A runner-up Loyola 

Academy in Week 8. 

It is never easy for the 

Celtics, but as 10-time state 

champions themselves, they 

would have it no other way 

— although they are as antsy 

as ever to get back to the 

playoffs after falling short 

the past two seasons. 

“Those first two teams being 

state champs are only 

going to make us better, but 

they put us in almost a situation 

that they’re must-win 

games,” Celtics coach Mark 

Coglianese said. “Heading to 

St. Louis will be a tough challenge, 

but if we can get a big 

win, that could catapult us to 

big things down the road.” 

Tough losses to St. Rita 

and Fenwick ended up 

crushing Providence’s 

hopes of making the playoffs 

in 2016, but one of its 

biggest positives was how 

it finished. The Celtics beat 

Mt. Carmel in Week 9 to 

keep the Caravan out of the 

playoffs for the first time 

since 1985. 

“That was a huge momentum 

swing, and we want to 

keep the intensity from that 

game all season,” senior 

De’Shon Gavin said. “We’re 

not taking anything for granted, 

especially us seniors. The 

seniors are looking really 

good and poised after a great 

summer and we’re ready to 

finish it, and our juniors and 

some sophomores have been 

impressive.” 

Providence’s roster is 

smaller than it has been the 

past, which is one of the 

team’s biggest concerns. 

“They key is staying 

healthy, because we’re not 

real deep,” Coglianese said. 

“We have a lot of quality 

players, but the numbers 

are low so we can’t afford 

to lose many guys. Lots of 

guys are going to see both 

sides of the ball. ... It’s 

something we have to do.” 

An experienced offensive 

line will look to provide 

sufficient time and blocking 

for an offense that likely 

will rotate three or four 

guys in the backfield. Incoming 

quarterback Caden 

Kalinowski only saw a little 

bit of time last season playing 

wide receiver. 

“He’ll be out there, and 

we’re going to need him to 

stay healthy — and, if he 

Adam Jomant/22nd Century Media 

does, he should be able to 

do some big things,” Coglianese 

said. “Losing Richie 

Warfield is a big loss, but we 

think we have a few guys in 

the back that can carry the 

ball and bring something 

else to the table.” 

Gavin added, “Expectations 

are through the roof 

right now. Our coaches believe 

in us, and we believe 

in each other and have great 

leadership. I don’t expect 

anything but the best.” 

When Providence opened 

its season a year ago, the 

Celtics offensive line featured 

only one player who 

played a single down of varsity 

football. Their inexperience 

was apparent, but even 

an experienced veteran line 

likely would have struggled 

against a big, athletic, highflying 

East St. Louis team. 

Now, with a full season of 

play behind them, the offensive 

line — which includes 

the return of Jack McFarland, 

Thomas Farley, Hunter 

Dauparas and Cody Nawrot 

— is one of the team’s 

strengths. 

“Playing East St. Louis 

was an eye-opening experience, 

but I think that was 

the best way possible to 

start, to play the best,” Mc- 

Farland said. “We didn’t 

want a score like that, but 

we learned the most in that 

first game and continued to 

learn during the season.” 

Weakness quickly turned 

to strength. 

“I don’t really think it 

matters who is behind us,” 

Mark Coglianese 

Team: Providence Catholic High School 

Years coaching the team: 29 total, 10 as head 

coach 

2016 regular season record: 4-5 

Who is your coaching hero? 

I would say Tom Landry. He was always in 

control, but also in charge. 

What is your favorite play to run? 

I guess being a defensive coach — I was a 

defensive coordinator for many years — so I 

would say multiple blitzes. Trying to catch the 

offense in something that maybe they haven’t 

seen or prepared for. 

What is a favorite moment during your coaching 

career? 

I guess there are a couple. When I first 

took over as coordinator, we had a 50- 

game winning streak. That included four 

state championships. That was kind of big. 

The second one would be winning a state 

championship as a head coach back in 2014. 

For more, visit NewLenoxPatriot.com. 

Providence Catholic’s Brenden Martus runs with the ball 

Aug. 16 during a practice. Adam Jomant/22nd Century Media 

McFarland said. “We have 

a strong, tight-knit group 

unit, and we trust everyone 

on the line to do their job. 

We’ll get the job done, and 

we know we can’t run it 

for them. We can just help 

them find where to run, and 

we think we’ll do the right 

thing and get the job done.”

mokenamessenger.com football preview guide 


East plans to continue winning tradition in 2017 

Griffins to be led by 

senior quarterback 

Brendan Morrissey 

Jon DePaolis 


In an ever-changing world, 

there are only a few things 

on which anyone can count: 

death, taxes and Lincoln-Way 

East making the playoffs. 

In the 16 years of the 

school’s existence, East has 

amassed a 151-38 record and 

qualified for the postseason 

every single year. Along the 

way, the Griffins have won a 

state title and finished second. 

Last year, they were ousted 

in the Class 8A quarterfinals 

by the eventual state champion, 

Maine South, thanks to 

a last-second field goal. 

But heading into 2017, 

East is back with depth and 

some new, game-changing 

talents. 

On offense, the Griffins 

will be led by senior quarterback 

Brendan Morrissey. If 

the name looks familiar, that 

is because Morrissey was a 

fixture on last year’s team 

as one of the three running 

backs the Griffins unleashed 

on opponents. 

“He was a quarterback 

his whole life except for last 

year,” coach Rob Zvonar 

said. “He’s moved back [to 

quarterback] this year and 

been the leader of our offense. 

In some respects, he’s 

arguably the fastest — pound 

for pound — and strongest, 

smartest kid on the team. 

That’s a nice kid to have taking 

the ball every time.” 

While the Griffins had 

to say goodbye to longtime 

varsity running back Nigel 

Muhammad in 2016, they 

will have some incredible options 

at the position this year. 

Among the crowded backfield 

are senior Ryan Scianna, 

who got lots of playing time 

on last year’s team; senior 

Chris Wilder; junior Jordan 

Photo submitted 


• Week 1 — hosts Crete-Monee, 7 p.m. Aug. 25 

• Week 2 — at Maine South, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 1 

• Week 3 — at Andrew, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 8 

• Week 4 — hosts Sandburg, 7 p.m. Sept. 15 

• Week 5 — at Lincoln-Way Central, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 22 

• Week 6 — at Homewood-Flossmoor, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29 

• Week 7 — hosts Lockport, 7 p.m. Oct . 6 

• Week 8 — hosts Thornwood, 7 p.m. Oct. 13 

• Week 9 — at Bolingbrook, 7 p.m. Oct. 20 

Corbett; and sophomore A.J. 

Henning, a dynamic talent 

who was already offered a 

scholarship by the University 

of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 

earlier this summer. 

“We’re going to put [Henning] 

all over the place — 

slot, tailback, wherever we 

can get some touches for 

him,” Zvonar said. “We knew 

what we had with him. He 

went through the freshman 

and sophomore levels like no 

one we’ve ever seen before.” 

At tight end, senior Turner 

Pallissard is back for another 

year on varsity. He is joined 

by fellow tight end and senior 

Jack Cohrs. 

“It allows us to play a two 

tight end set sometimes,” 

Zvonar said. “Turner is going 

to be a mismatch for a lot of 

teams.” 

At wide receiver, East will 

rely on seniors Mason Keenan, 

Shane Pedersen and Evan 

McDermed, and juniors Josh 

Ohiku and Jackson Ritter. 

Jake Buhe, a senior and 

three-year starter, is slated 

to anchor the offensive line. 

He will be joined by juniors 

Dane Eggert and Anthony 

Sottosanto, who both got time 

on the line last season. Also 

joining the ranks are senior 

guard Troy White and senior 

center Lucas Michaels. 

Dominic Dzioban, a sophomore, 

also returns as the 

starting varsity kicker. 

On defense, East is returning 

defensive end Devin 

O’Rourke, a senior who committed 

in March to play at 

Northwestern University. 

“When you have not just an 

All-Stater but an All-American 

there, he’s a special kid to 

have,” Zvonar said. 

And in case teams try to 

run away from O’Rourke, 

Zvonar said returning seniors 

Ben Ravetto, Sam Broda and 

Jaden Hacha will be there to 

clamp down the attack. He 

also pointed to juniors Dylan 

Shelton, Mick Stewart and 

Jeremiah Dawson as providing 

great depth on the line. 

At linebacker, Zvonar said 

senior John Christensen will 

move from the outside to the 

inside position. Declan Carr, 

a senior, emerged this summer 

at the strong side, linebacker 

position. 

At defensive back, Zvonar 

said seniors Kwaku Appiah 

(corner), Dugan Bolsoni 

(corner), Max Cesario (safety), 

Brendan Gallagher and 

Shea McGivern, and junior 

Mike Manning are expected 

to lead the way. 

Heading into the season, 

the Griffins are scheduled to 

play six teams who had five 

or more wins last year. In 

Week 1, they will play Crete- 

Monee (8-3 last season). 

“They do a tremendous 

job, and they are extremely 

dangerous,” Zvonar said of 

Crete-Monee. “We’re going 

Rob Zvonar 

Team: Lincoln-Way East 

Years coached for the team: 16 

Last regular season record: 7-2 


I coach defense, so my favorite play is a sack. 

Offensively, I think we like to be a physical 

team, so [we like to run] off-tackle power. 

What phase of football is your speciality? 

Whether it’s my specialty or not, I’ve pretty 

much always been and have coached 

linebacker. It’s a position I enjoy the most and 

know the best. I’ve been fortunate enough to 

have some great [linebackers] at Lincoln-Way 

East. 

What is a team motto? 

I think a slogan or a motto that we’ve always 

had in our program was, we talk about “one 

heartbeat” and then “winning with character.” 

“One heartbeat” just symbolizes doing things 

with unity, doing things as a football family, 

doing them together and have each other’s 

back. “Winning with integrity” and “winning 

with character” has always been a motto of 

ours. We want to try our very best to do things 

the right way and not take shortcuts. 

For more, visit FrankfortStation.com. 

Lincoln-Way East running back Chris Wilder (right) 

receives the option-read handoff from starting quarterback 

Brendan Morrissey Friday, Aug. 18, during a scrimmage. 

Julie McMann/22nd Century Media 

to have to be ready off the bat, 

or they are going to come over 

here and knock us off. We’re 

excited about the challenge.” 

Zvonar said the team has 

put in the work this offseason, 

and he is excited to see 

the Griffins play. His players 

feel the same way. 

“We put in a lot of work 

for this year,” Pallissard said. 

“We’ve been waiting for a 

while now, and we’re excited 

for Week 1. We’re ready.”

46 | August 24, 2017 | The Mokena Messenger football preview guide 


LW Central looks to experience, 

leadership to guide state-bound hopes 

Jason Maholy 


The Lincoln Way Swim Association Gators (LWSA) offers year 

round competitive age-group swimming opportunities where 

every swimmer, can strive to reach their full potential. For over 

16 years, LWSA has been building champions at the 

conference, state, and national levels. 

SWIM 

TRYOUTS 

LINCOLN WAY 

CENTRAL 

August 28th & 29th 

• Ages 5-8 6:00pm 

• 9 and older 7:00pm 

All swimmers should be at Race 

night August 30th 6:00pm 

Please visit our website for registration 

forms, tryout times, and more information 

about the LWSA Gators 

www.lwsagators.org 

Find Us online 

 

By most standards, the 

Lincoln-Way Central football 

program had an outstanding 

season in 2016. 

The Knights finished 7-4, 

scored a season-defining 

victory over perennial Class 

8A powerhouse Bolingbrook 

and advanced to the second 

round of the playoffs for the 

first time in 12 years. 

But to the guys in the 

locker room, the campaign 

ended not only prematurely 

but also unexpectedly. No 

one would call the season 

disappointing, but in the 

end the youths who shed 

their blood, sweat and tears 

to bring Central back to relevance 

failed to live up to 

their own expectations. 

They knew the program’s 

recent history had been average, 

at best, and their goal 

was not merely to rise above 

Jason Maholy/22nd Century Media 

Please see central, 40 

Lincoln-Way Central quarterback Sam Pipiras rears back to 

launch a pass during a practice. Jason Maholy/22nd Century 

Media 


• Week 1 — hosts Lake Central, 7 p.m. Aug. 25 

• Week 2 — at Lincoln-Way West, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 1 

• Week 3 — at Thornwood, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 8 

• Week 4 — hosts Lockport, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 15 

• Week 5 — hosts Lincoln-Way East, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 22 

• Week 6 — at Stagg, 7:15 p.m. Sept. 29 

• Week 7 — at Waubonsie Valley, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6 

• Week 8 — hosts Sandburg, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 13 

• Week 9 — at Thornton, 7 p.m. Oct. 20 

Jeremy Cordell 

Team: Lincoln-Way Central High School 

Years coaching the team: 2 



Just to run the ball. We like running the 

ball. Just run the ball. 

Which phase of football is your 

specialty? 

I was a varsity defensive coordinator 

for 11 years. I love the game planning 

behind it. I love just the nature of it, the 

attack style of it. 

What is one team you are you looking 

forward to playing? 

I know this is going to sound very cliché, 

but we’re going to take one game at 

a time. Our whole program motto is being 

1-0, so we’re just going to approach 

Week 1, and we’re looking at Week 1. 

For more, visit NewLenoxPatriot.com.

mokenamessenger.com football preview guide 


fastbreak 

Experienced defense pairs with dynamic offense for Warriors 

James Sanchez, Contributing Editor 

Jason Maholy/22nd Century 

Media 

1st-and-3 

On the road with LW 

Central football 

1. 4-0 

The Knights will play 

five away games this 

season, compared 

with the four they 

played last season, 

where they were a 

perfect 4-0 on the 

road. 

2. Racking up the miles 

The Knights will 

travel a total of 

113.1 miles to reach 

away games destinations 

(226.2 if they 

want to get home). 

Lincoln-Way West is 

the shortest trip at 

only 5.1 miles, while 

Waubonsie Valley 

clocks in at 40.8 

miles. 

3. Not so sweet home 

The Knights averaged 

a whopping 

+22.25 points on 

the road last season. 

At home, that margin 

shrunk to a meager 

+3.4. 

Coaching words of wisdom like 

“finish strong” or “play all 48 minutes” 

go without saying for Lincoln- 

Way West’s returning varsity members. 

Having lived through the tribulations 

of last season’s disappointing 

second half is enough of a reminder. 

In its first season in Class 7A, 

West started the year by winning 

four straight before finishing the 

regular season 1-4 — two of those 

losses given up late in games. From 

what was a possibility of a high seed 

and hosting its own playoff game at 

midseason turned into the Warriors 

being on the bubble with a 5-4 record 

entering the playoffs. 

They barely made the round of 32. 

Their reward? A date with eventual 

state champion East St. Louis. 

Last fall was a learning experience, 

to say the least, and now the 

Warriors want to make sure it does 

not happen again. 

“[Last year] definitely gave us a 

lot of motivation coming into the 

offseason,” senior linebacker Ryan 

Robbins said. “We started off this 

summer knowing what we wanted 

to do. Starting 4-0 was good, but we 

want that good season overall.” 

Last year was West’s first time as a 

bubble team, after comfortably making 

the playoffs six straight years 

prior with at least seven wins or 

more. It will have to bounce back in 

2017 without any returning full-time 

starters on offense, as well as losing 

the school’s all-time sacks leader, 

Trey Telez, to graduation. 

Several returners made spot starts, 

including new quarterback Anthony 

Senerchia. He filled in Week 4 against 

Stagg and threw a game-winning 

touchdown with less than 2 minutes 

and 30 seconds left, when it was 

James Sanchez/22nd Century Media 

deadlocked at 0-0 up to that point. 

“It definitely gave me a feel of 

what the varsity level was about,” 

Senerchia said. “It helped me progress, 

because it kind of gave me a 

jump-start.” 

The senior quarterback will lead 

an offense unlike it has had in the 

past. No more is a team tailored by 

a stout ground attack that bludgeons 

defenses behind 270-plus pound, 

All-State linemen Justin Witt and 

Bryan Brokop, and All-State Special 

Mention Nate Henry, which led the 

team to the Class 5A championship 

game two years ago. 

Dave Ernst 

Team: Lincoln-Way West High School 

Years coaching the team: 4 



My favorite play is power. I just think that it’s everything 

football is supposed to be. It’s a physically 

tough play. It’s violent and it’s physical. It’s a tough 

play; it’s a man’s play. It’s an old-school play, and I 

think it’s everything football should be. 

What is one team you are looking forward to 

playing? 

I just want to get the season started, really. I know 

we open up at Proviso West, and that’s really the one 

I’m looking forward to and to just get the season 

started and get the games going. 

What is a team motto? 


• Week 1 — hosts Proviso West, 

7:30 p.m. Aug. 25 

• Week 2 — hosts Lincoln-Way 

Central, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 1 

• Week 3 — at Bradley-Bourbonnais, 

7:30 p.m. Sept. 8 

• Week 4 — at Thornridge, 7 p.m. 

Sept. 15 

• Week 5 — hosts Homewood- 

Flossmoor, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 22 

• Week 6 — hosts Sandburg, 7:30 

p.m. Sept. 29 

• Week 7 — at Thornton, 7 p.m. Oct. 6 

• Week 8 — hosts Stagg, 7:30 p.m. 

Oct. 13 

• Week 9 — hosts Andrew, 7:30 p.m. 

Oct. 20 

Our goal every season — I think we’re a little different 

than a lot of people — is to play 14 and win 

the last [game]. Which puts you in the state championship 

game. Two years ago, we were fortunate 

enough to get to the state championship game. We 

lost, so we haven’t achieved that goal yet, but it’s 

something we strive to do every year. 

For more, visit NewLenoxPatriot.com. 

Lincoln-Way West running back 

Donte Barber (right) receives a 

hand off from starting quarterback 

Anthony Senerchia Aug. 16 during 

a practice. James Sanchez/22nd 

Century Media 

Listen Up 

“We like running the ball. Just run the ball.” 

Jeremy Cordell — Lincoln-Way Central Head Coach, football. 

TUNE IN 

football 

7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1 

• Lincoln-Way West and Lincoln-Way Central will 

meet for a crosstown matchup. 

Index 

41 – Athlete of the Week 

FASTBREAK is compiled by Editor TJ Kremer III, tj@moke 

namessenger.com.

mokena’s Hometown Newspaper | www.mokenamessenger.com | August 24, 2017 

Illustration by Nancy Burgan/22nd Century Media 

The games begin Aug. 25. 22nd Century Media’s annual preview guide, Inside

MM_082417

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