MM_021518

’a great man’ 

Community morns sudden passing of Mokena 

resident, IL State Trooper, Page 3 

Souper Bowl Sunday 

Frankfort Township Food Pantry gets 

donations from KidsWorks, Page 6 

BBQ and bridges 

Doc’s Smokehouse scheduled to help benefit 

Chefs’ Auction for Bridge Teen Center, Page 7 

mokena’s Award-Winning Hometown Newspaper mokenamessenger.com • February 15, 2018 • Vol. 11 No. 27 • $1 

A 

® 

Publication 

,LLC 

Trio prepares for top 

bodybuilding competition, 

Page 3 

The bodybuilding 

team of (left to 

right) Carol Milkins, 

Adrian Michalewicz 

and Wendi 

O’Brien of Iron 

Warzone prepares 

to muscle in on 

the competition 

at the Arnold 

Sports Festival in 

Columbus, Ohio. 

T.J. Kremer III/22nd 

Century Media 

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2 | February 15, 2018 | The Mokena Messenger calendar 

mokenamessenger.com 

In this week’s 

Messenger 

Police Reports................. 7 

Pet of the Week.............. 9 

Editorial........................13 

Faith Briefs....................16 

Puzzles..........................22 

Classifieds................ 24-34 

The Mokena 

Messenger 

ph: 708.326.9170 fx: 708.326.9179 

Editor 

TJ Kremer III, x29 

tj@mokenamessenger.com 

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Amanda Stoll 


THURSDAY 

Frankfort Square Park 

District Board Meeting 

7:30 p.m. Feb. 15, 7540 W. 

Braemar Lane, Frankfort. For 

more information and meeting 

agendas visit fspd.org. 

SATURDAY 

STRONG by Zumba Demo 

9-10 a.m. Feb. 17, The 

Oaks Recreation & Fitness 

Center, 10847 W. La Porte 

Road, Mokena. STRONG by 

Zumba is not a dance class. 

This new HIIT-style (high 

intensity interval training) 

class also uses the science of 

synced music motivation to 

improve all aspects of fitness 

including strength, stamina, 

cardio power, mobility and 

balance. Classes for ages 16 

and older. Space is limited, 

and preregistration is recommended. 

For more information 

and registration, call 

(708) 390-2343 or visit mokenapark.com. 

3D Printer Class 

10-11 a.m. Feb. 17, Mokena 

Community Public Library, 

11327 W. 195th St., 

Mokena. Join the MCPL the 

third Saturday of each month 

in the YA Computer Lab to 

create 3D nameplates with 

the Makerbot 2X 3D Printer. 

Register online at mokenali 

brary.org. 

Mo’ Beat Blues 

1-2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, 

Mokena Community Public 

Library, 11327 W. 195th St., 

Mokena. Join the MCPL for 

a Mardi Gras Party. Register 

online at mokenalibrary.org. 

SUNDAY 

Yoga Nidra Workshop 

11:45 a.m.–1:15 p.m. Feb. 

18, The Oaks Recreation & 

Fitness Center, 10847 La 

Porte Road, Mokena. Release 

the stress that accumulates 

during the hectic work 

week. Yoga Nidra or yogic 

sleep is a stage in which the 

body is completely relaxed, 

and the practitioner becomes 

increasingly aware of the inner 

world by following a set 

of verbal instructions. This is 

different than meditation. The 

workshop will start with gentle 

yin yoga poses followed 

by restorative poses leaving 

you full of peace and relaxed 

and ready for a restorative 

sleep. Essential oils will also 

be discussed. Participants 

should bring a blanket, small 

pillow and wear comfortable 

attire. Class is for ages 16 

and older. Registration cost is 

$21 before Feb. 15. For more 

information and registration, 

call (708) 390-2343 or visit 

mokenapark.com. 

MONDAY 

Township Office Closure 

The Frankfort Township 

office will be closed in observance 

of President’s Day. 

Village Board Work Session 

6 p.m. Monday Feb. 19, 

Mokena Village Hall, 11004 

Carpenter St., Mokena. The 

Mokena Village Board is 

scheduled to have a work session. 

For more information, 

meeting agendas and minutes 

visit mokena.org. 

TUESDAY 

Senior Driving Seminar 

10 a.m.-noon Feb. 20, 

New Lenox Library, 120 

Veterans Parkway, New 

Lenox. State Representative 

Margo McDermed will provide 

four senior driving seminars 

over the course of the 

year for older drivers looking 

to refresh their memory 

of the written driving test, a 

necessary step to renewing 

their license. Each two-hour 

seminar will be taught by an 

instructor from the Secretary 

of State’s Office. The seminar 

will cover an overview 

of the contents of the Rules 

of the Road booklet and 

include a sample test. The 

seminars are offered free of 

charge. For more information 

and to RSVP, call (815) 

277-2079. 

WEDNESDAY 

Design your own Scarf 

Trip will depart at 9 a.m. 

Feb. 21, from the Frankfort 

Township Office, 11000 W. 

Lincoln Highway, Frankfort. 

Design your own silk 

scarf at this event. Lunch is 

included. Cost is $45. For 

more information and registration, 

call (815) 806-2766. 

NOTE: There are stairs at 

this location with no elevator. 

Board of Education Meeting 

7-8:30 p.m. Feb. 21, Board 

Room, Mokena Elementary 

School, 11244 Willow Crest 

Lane, Mokena. The Mokena 

Board of Education meets 

the third Wednesday of each 

month. For more information 

and meeting agendas, 

visit mokena159.org. 

UPCOMING 

Parent Academy 

6:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, 

Feb. 22, Mokena Elementary 

School, 11244 Willow 

Crest Lane, Mokena. Join 

Mokena District 159 student 

services for a parent academy 

focusing on practical 

solutions to tough childhood 

problems. The session will 

be held in the district board 

room adjoining the cafeteria. 

For more information, call 

(708) 342-4911. 

College Planning Workshop 

7-8:30 p.m. Thursday, 

Feb. 22, Mokena Community 

Public Library, 11327 

W. 195th St., Mokena. This 

workshop will cover the 

complex world of admissions 

and financial aid as well as 

how admissions decisions 

are made. The workshop will 

also unveil important strategies 

you can use to get into 

— and afford — the college 

of your choice. Both parents 

are encouraged to attend this 

free 90-minute seminar presented 

by My College Planning 

Team at the Mokena 

Community Public Library. 

To register, call (708) 479- 

9663 or online at mokenali 

brary.org. 

Candlelight Bowling 

Fundraiser 

7-10 p.m. Friday, March 

23, Thunder Bowl, 18700 

Old Lagrange Road, Mokena. 

Join the AshleyCan 

Pediatric Cancer Foundation 

for a candlelight bowling 

fundraiser. Cost is $40 for 

adults and $35 for children 

and includes three hours of 

bowling, shoes and a buffet 

dinner with fried chicken, 

Italian beef, baked rigatoni, 

salad, rolls, soft drinks 

and dessert. There will be a 

cash bar, raffles, 50/50 and 

a silent auction. To purchase 

tickets, visit ashleycan.org. 

Woodcock Walk 

6:30-8 p.m. Saturday, 

March 24, Hickory Creek 

Preserve-LaPorte Road Access, 

10537 W La Porte 

Road, Mokena. Search for 

the male woodcock as the 

sun sets, and watch as he 

makes his way to the edge 

of a field and prepares for 

his extraordinary courtship 

performance. For more program 

details, including registration 

deadlines, visit the 

event calendar at Reconnec 

tWithNature.org. 

ONGOING 

Mokena Woman’s Club 

Scholarships. 

Applications must be 

postmarked by March 15. 

Graduating Mokena high 

school students pursuing 

higher education are eligible 

to apply for the FRWC Mokena 

Woman’s Club Scholarships. 

The funds for the 

scholarships were raised 

at the Club’s 44th Annual 

Holli-Daze Arts and Crafts 

Show which is the Club’s 

major fund raiser and a 

year-round project. Over the 

past 55 years, the Club has 

awarded 210 scholarships 

totaling more than $143,000. 

The application is available 

at Lincoln-Way East High 

School, Lincoln-Way Central 

High School and Providence 

Catholic High School 

as well as at the Mokena and 

Frankfort Public Libraries 

for other students. Submit 

the completed application, 

an official transcript, a letter 

of career goals, and a 

letter of recommendation to 

GFWC Mokena Woman’s 

Club, Scholarship Committee, 

P.O. Box 1008, Mokena. 

Chorale Scholarships 

Applications must be submitted 

to the school counselor 

by March 8. To meet its mission 

of enriching and enhancing 

musical opportunities in 

the community, Lincoln-Way 

Area Chorale will be awarding 

a scholarship to one senior 

student from each of the 

Lincoln-Way High Schools. 

The student must be planning 

on majoring in vocal performance, 

vocal education, 

or musical theater in the fall 

semester of 2018. Qualifying 

students should see their 

school counselor or music 

teacher for the application. 

Lincoln-Way Half Marathon 

Registration is open for 

the 2nd Annual Lincoln-Way 

Half Marathon. Race will be 

at 7 a.m. Sunday, April 22 and 

will begin at Breidert Green, 

123 Kansas St., Frankfort. 

Current registration cost is 

$70. Volunteers are being 

sought for the race as well. 

For volunteer sign-up and 

race registration, visit lincol 

nwayhalfmarathon.com. 

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 | February 15, 2018 | 3 

Bodybuilding a reputation for success 

T.J. Kremer III, Editor 

The world of bodybuilding 

might be foreign to most of 

us, but for three competitors 

who train out of Iron Warzone 

in Mokena, it’s a way 

of life. 

Bodybuilding is different 

than powerlifting, in that the 

top competitors, especially on 

the women’s side, are judged 

on their overall physique and 

appearance, and not necessarily 

on how many butts they 

look like they could kick. 

That desire to be in top 

physical fitness is what drove 

Carol Milkins, of Mokena, 

and Wendi O’Brien, of New 

Lenox, to team up with Iron 

Warzone owner Adrian Michalewicz, 

of Green Garden, 

to compete in this year’s Arnold 

Sports Festival in Columbus, 

Ohio, March 1-4. 

Building more than muscles 

“Over the course of the last 

15 years, you put on weight, 

you focus on the children, 

and I decided it was time for 

me to put myself first and 

live a healthier lifestyle,” 

O’Brien, who is a mother of 

four, said. 

O’Brien said she had no 

intention of ever doing bodybuilding, 

but now that she 

does it, she loves it. 

She said she lost about 25 

pounds working with a trainer, 

and in about nine months 

was ready to try getting on 

stage to compete in the master 

women’s bikini division. 

Yes, the competition takes 

her out of her comfort zone, 

but part of the trick to being 

successful is to have a mentality 

that you deserve to be 

there. 

“It does definitely give me 

a greater sense of self-confidence. 

I have really grown 

in that area,” O’Brien said. 

“It’s always something I’ve 

struggled with since childhood: 

I was always the tallest 

Wendi O’Brien, a 45-year-old mother of four from New 

Lenox, works her triceps and shoulders in preparation for 

the Arnold Sports Festival March 1-4 in Columbus, Ohio. 

Photos by T.J. Kremer III/22nd Century Media 

Carol Milkins, a 56-year-old grandmother of three, works on 

her biceps. Milkins is a former masters bikini champ, and 

is looking to repeat that success at her first Arnold Sports 

Festival. 

one, I was always the leanest 

one, and so got made fun of a 

lot for being real skinny and 

I was never really athletic, I 

never played sports, I was 

never part of a team. So this 

is really my opportunity now 

to be an athlete and be part of 

a team now, and it’s something 

I can do for myself. 

“When I’m up there, it’s not 

just about being up on a stage, 

because the stage kind of 

frightens me, but it’s the end 

of the journey and the goal 

that you’ve worked so hard 

and trained so hard and been 

so disciplined, to get up there 

and do that, it’s sort of the icing 

on the cake, so to speak.” 

Milkins, a 56-year-old 

grandmother of three, used 

to be an instructor in group 

exercises and a runner. After 

running her first marathon, 

she suffered an injury and 

went to the gym to rehab. She 

started hitting the weights 

harder because she couldn’t 

run and is now in her fourth 

competition, where she previously 

has won a master 

bikini division title, but this 

will be her first showing at 

the Arnold Sports Festival. 

“I love it,” Milkins said of 

the competition. “It’s sort of 

like soaring with the eagles. 

It’s hanging with the best 

of the best, and I like being 

part of that. It’s a tough road 

to go down. The discipline 

it teaches you is amazing. It 

makes you realize you have 

a lot more in you than you 

think you do, and it rolls over 

into every area of your life. 

So, you can just be stellar everywhere 

and not just in the 

gym.” 

She, too, gets taken a little 

out of her comfort zone on 

stage, but she said she hopes 

that by overcoming those jitters 

and showing what she’s 

able to do, that she’ll be able 

to help inspire other women. 

“It’s a little nerve wracking 

to get out there,” Milkins 

said. “But then something 

takes over, it’s just like I 

deserve to be here, just like 

everybody else. I’ve worked 

hard, I’ve earned this, and it’s 

the best I can be.” 

Putting in the work 

The women work with Michalewicz 

throughout most 

of the week, and what time 

they don’t spend in the gym 

training, they spend working 

out on their own and taking 

care of the rest of their normal 

daily functions. 

O’Brien trains five days a 

week, plus cardio workouts 

throughout the week; three 

days a week on legs and the 

rest on thighs, triceps and 

shoulders. During competition 

preparation, she gets up 

at 5:30 a.m. to do 30-45 minutes 

of cardio, lift for about 

an hour, then more cardio. 

“Get up early, get it done 

and then get back to family, 

to work,” O’Brien said of 

her regiment. “I could make 

excuses. I could say, ‘Oh, I 

couldn’t get here because of 

the snow,’ or whatever, but if 

it’s something that you really 

want to do and it’s a goal of 

yours, then you’ll get it done.” 

Michalewicz emphasized 

the point: “Not preparing is 

Please see bodybuilder, 7 

Mokena remembers Kozik, 

co-founder of Tinley Wish 

Cody Mroczka 

Contributing Editor 

Rich Kozik, 58, of Mokena, 

a co-founder of Tinley 

Wish and lieutenant with the 

Illinois State Police, died on 

Feb. 6. 

Illinois State 

Police Director 

Leo P. Schmitz 

announced 

Kozik had 

passed 

on duty in 

District 15 

while 

Rich Kozik 

(Downers Grove) at approximately 

11:01 a.m. after suffering 

a medical emergency. 

He later died at the hospital, 

according to a press release. 

“Rich was not only a 

great leader, but a personal 

friend. Rich was a dedicated 

19-year-veteran who was respected 

and revered by many 

both inside and outside our 

department,” Schmitz said. 

“Rich will be remembered 

for his dedication to the Illinois 

State Police and living 

up to our motto: ‘Integrity, 

service and pride.’” 

Prior to becoming the District 

15 Special Operations 

Lieutenant overseeing the 

Motorcycle Unit, Truck Enforcement 

Unit and the Criminal 

Patrol Team, Kozik spent 

several years as part-time 

police officer with the Tinley 

Park Police Department. 

In 1996, Kozik and friend 

Dennis Mahoney started Tinley 

Wish, a not-for-profit, 

community-based organization 

that raises money 

throughout the year to give 

back to Tinley Park families 

in need with the help of village 

employees, churches, 

schools and private citizens. 

“Rich Kozik was a genuine 

person with a heart of gold 

who wanted to make a difference,” 

Tinley Wish said in a 

statement. “Rich was an extraordinary 

human being who 

genuinely cared for people. 

He will be missed by so many. 

Please keep the Kozik family 

in your thoughts and prayers.” 

It was during his time as 

a part-time officer when he 

became friends with Rick 

Bruno, who retired from the 

force in 2010. Bruno said 

Kozik courageously battled 

cancer for many years, but always 

kept a smile on his face. 

“People say it’s a cliche 

when people say, ‘What 

a great guy.’ But he really 

was great with a capital ‘G.’ 

He was such a gentle, quiet 

individual,” Bruno said. “I 

think one of the things he 

really loved was helping out 

the community. I was fortunate 

enough to meet a lot of 

good men and women, but I 

think he was the best. People 

like that, I don’t know if they 

come around everyday.” 

Visitation services were 

scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 

11, at the Robert J. Sheehy 

and Sons Funeral Home in 

Orland Park followed by a 

mass for family and friends 

on Monday, Feb. 12, at St. 

Francis of Assisi Church, 

also in Orland Park. 

The Illinois State Police 

also conducted an honorary 

procession route Feb. 12, departing 

from St. Francis of 

Assisi Church immediately 

following the funeral service 

on Monday. The procession 

departed the church at approximately 

noon following 

a designated route to the 

cemetery. Intersections along 

the route were blocked to allow 

the safe travel of the vehicles 

in the procession. 

Interment was private at 

Resurrection Cemetery. In 

lieu of flowers, donations to 

Illinois State Police Heritage 

Foundation, P.O. Box 8168, 

Springfield, IL, 64791, isphf. 

org/donations, or Tinley 

Wish, 7850 W. 183rd St., Tinley 

Park, 60477, tinleywish. 

org, would be appreciated.

4 | February 15, 2018 | The Mokena Messenger mokena 


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Volleying for a cure 

Submitted by Mokena 

Elementary School 

Mokena School staff vs 

the Mokena fire fighters and 

police went head to head 

again this year to raise money 

for the Mokena Cancer 

Support Center. 

Between the money raised 

from the raffle baskets, the 

50/50 raffle, the concessions 

and a portion from the sale 

of the T-shirts, $2,045 was 

raised. What a great night for 

the community to get together 

for a great cause. (School 

staff won 2 out of 3 games... 

but who is keeping score?!?) 

2017 WINNER 

Pictured are teachers from Mokena School District 159 and members of Mokena Fire 

Protection District and Mokena Police at their sixth annual Volley for a Cure event. 

Together, they were able to raise $2,045 for the Mokena Cancer Support Center. 

Photo submitted 

Extra, Extra! 

The Arbury All Stars 

have been participating 

in a newspaper club. The 

students work together collaboratively 

to fill in the 

“Miss Know-it-All” column, 

establish and conduct 

a poll of students, and work 

together to make the next 

issue great. 

RIGHT: Arbury Hills 

Newspaper Club members, 

Julianna Barajas (left) and 

Brooke Malysa, check the 

mailbox for the Club’s 

advice column “Miss Knowit-All.” 

Photo submitted 

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and beauty/barber shop on 

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6 | February 15, 2018 | The Mokena Messenger news 


Souper Bowl party gathers food for those in need 

Amanda Stoll, Assistant Editor 

On the one day in the 

United States where the 

majority of Americans are 

huddled around their TVs 

watching the big game, the 

commercials or the halftime 

show, a different kind of 

party was going on at KidsWork 

Children’s Museum. 

Before all the beer and 

wings, their first Souper 

Bowl party brought families 

together for hours of fun for 

a good cause. 

Each attendee at the 

party was asked to bring a 

non-perishable food donation 

to the museum to help 

stock the shelves at the 

Frankfort Township Food 

Pantry. 

Nicole Underwood, executive 

director of KidsWorks 

Children’s Museum, 

estimates 70 families 

stopped by the event, and 

some brought more than 

one item. 

For those who forgot or 

didn’t have a food item to 

bring, there were some prepurchased 

items available 

to “buy” for $3 and put in 

the donation bin. 

Underwood said the idea 

was popular with parents 

who had their hands full 

with children, strollers and 

diaper bags but still wanted 

to contribute to the cause. 

KidsWork Children’s 

Museum is a nonprofit organization, 

and Underwood 

said it is nice to see one 

nonprofit be able to help out 

another. 

“We feel so fortunate at 

the museum with people 

helping us out,” she said. 

“We get donations daily: 

craft stuff or toys or even 

monetary donations. We 

always feel so grateful 

for it.” 

Jeannine Hetfleisch, director 

of the Frankfort Township 

Food Pantry, said they receive 

their donations from a 

variety of sources, but much 

of the food on the shelves 

comes from citizens who 

drop off food once in a while, 

as well as scouts and other 

organizations, such as KidsWorks, 

who do food drives. 

During the growing season, 

she said many people 

bring in their extra produce 

from their gardens, which 

is always a nice treat for 

people who come to pick up 

food from the pantry. 

Still, others donate their 

time or their money to the 

pantry, which Hetfleisch said 

makes a difference because 

the pantry only has herself 

and Mike Hilton, the food 

harvester, as employees. 

Hilton visits area grocery 

stores each day to pick up 

food donations from them, 

and some of the volunteers 

spend their time shopping 

sales and picking up items 

that the pantry needs, as well. 

Hetfleisch said over the 

years she has seen a lot of 

faces come in and out of 

the food pantry, but certain 

cases seem to stick with her 

the most. 

She said she tries to talk 

to everyone who comes 

through the door personally 

to find out what 

they’re going through and 

how she and the pantry 

can help. 

“It’s hard to share that 

kind of information, too, 

because who wants to admit 

that?” Hetfleisch said. 

The people and families 

in the community who are in 

Please see pantry, 9 

Nicole Underwood, executive director of KidsWorks 

Children’s Museum, stands among the shelves of donated 

food at the Frankfort Township Food Pantry. 

Retail 

BINNY’S IS HIRING! 

Binny’s Beverage Depot is the Midwest’s largest upscale retailer 

of fine wines, spirits, beers and cigars, and due to our continued 

growth, we are now looking for dedicated individuals to join our 

team at the following location: MOKENA 

RECEIVER 

We are currently seeking qualified applicants for the position of 

Receiver. The position requires a strong retail background with a 

strong work ethic. It also requires knowledge and understanding 

of Binny’s products and the ability to verify information compared 

to the product received. In return for your skills, we offer growth 

opportunities and attractive compensation. 

Please apply online at 

www.binnys.com/careers 

(search for Mokena) 

OR Apply in person at our stores 

EOE 

Ken Wurtz, of Mokena, unloads food donated from KidsWork Children’s Museum’s Souper 

Bowl Party Feb. 7. Photos by Amanda Stoll/22nd Century Media

® 



Police Reports 

Police: ‘Zero tolerance,’ wrecked vehicle leads to teen arrest 

Brooke E. Beveridge, 19, 

of 20141 S. Rosewood Drive 

in Frankfort, was charged 

Jan. 26 with causing an accident 

with property damage, 

failure to reduce speed to 

avoid an accident and illegal 

consumption of alcohol by a 

minor, which carries a separate 

charge of zero tolerance 

for underage drinking. 

According to the report, an 

officer responded to the 19300 

block of Beaver Creek Lane 

after 911 dispatchers received 

a call where a voice could be 

heard yelling for help and requesting 

an ambulance before 

hanging up the call. Upon arrival, 

the officer could see a 

male inside the residence and 

heard yelling coming from inside. 

Officers were able to get 

one of the subjects to answer 

the door, and Beveridge and 

two other subjects were found 

arguing about an accident 

Beveridge had been involved 

in, police said. 

The officer then asked to 

see the vehicle that was involved 

in the accident and reportedly 

found it in the grass 

15-20 feet from another residence. 

The vehicle allegedly 

had mud on the roof from being 

flipped over, all the airbags 

were deployed, the back 

windshield was shattered and 

a tree had been broken in half. 

The officer alleged he 

could smell alcohol on Beveridge’s 

breath and issued 

several field sobriety tests, 

all of which she reportedly 

passed, but she was placed 

under arrest for underage 

consumption under the zero 

tolerance law. Beveridge later 

was found to have a BAC 

of .071, police said. 

Jan. 29 

•Steven M. Ulman, 42, of 

1116 Loral Ave. in Joliet, was 

charged with possession of 

methamphetamine, operation 

of an uninsured motor vehicle, 

driving on a suspended/ 

revoked driver’s license, 

speeding and failure to yield 

to a stop sign. 

According to police reports, 

an officer parked in a parking 

lot in the 11600 block of Francis 

Road running stationary 

radar observed Ulman driving 

45 mph in a 30 mph zone. The 

officer then got behind Ulman 

and allegedly observed him 

rool through a stop sign on 

Front Street, where the officer 

then initiated a traffic stop. 

Ulman reportedly gave the officer 

an Illinois I.D. and told 

the officer that he had an Indiana 

driver’s license. The officer 

ran the ID and discovered 

that Indiana had suspended 

Ulman’s driver’s license. He 

was then placed under arrest 

for driving on a suspended 

driver’s license. 

A search of Ulman’s vehicle 

allegedly resulted in the discovery 

of a clear plastic bag 

containing several white/ 

clear chunks that were believed 

to be crystal meth. 

At test at Mokena Police 

Department later concluded 

the substance to be positive 

for methamphetamine in the 

amount of 1.5 grams. 

Jan. 27 

•Justin C. Berndt, 21, of 

11510 Francis Road in Mokena, 

was charged with DUIalcohol, 

DUI with a BAC 

over .08, improper lane usage 

and driving off the roadway. 

According to police reports, an 

officer responded to a call for 

assistance at the intersection 

of South Wolf Road and Old 

Wolf Road. Upon arrival, the 

officer reportedly found Berndt 

in his vehicle with an open 

12-pack of beer behind the 

front passenger seat. Berndt 

was asked to perform several 

field sobriety tests, all of which 

he reportedly failed. Berndt 

was then placed under arrest 

for DUI. He later was discovered 

to have a BAC of .110. 

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bodybuilder 

From Page 3 

preparing for failure.” 

Milkins follows a similar 

workout routine. 

“This time around, I’m 

training with Adrian three 

days a week,” Milkin said. 

“Roughly hitting lower body 

twice a week. Upper body, I 

do my own training for upper 

body and arms two days 

a week. So, I’m five days of 

weights, probably six days of 

cardio … I’m usually in the 

gym for about two hours per 

day. I start usually around 6 

a.m., and I’m home around 

8:30 a.m., and I start work 

later in the afternoon, so I 

meal prep and my house always 

smells like chicken.” 

Both women and Michalewicz 

stressed how important 

a strict diet is to success. 

Michalewicz, who was active 

in sports when he was 

younger but ended up losing 

his scholarships due to injuries, 

got into bodybuilding, 

went to college to get degrees 

and certifications in personal 

training and as a dietician 

while working at several “big 

gyms” before starting out on 

his own to focus more on individual 

clients’ success. 

He said he started training 

people with meal plans, then 

moved on to personal workouts. 

Michalewicz manages 

each person individually 

based on weekly results; if 

something isn’t working, 

then he adjusts the plans accordingly, 

based on the individual’s 

goals. 

‘A selfish lifestyle’ 

Both women and Michalewicz 

stressed how important 

it is to have family and 

friends who support them in 

their endeavors. 

The sport is inherently 

selfish, Michalewicz said, 

so making sure your family 

is on board with all the time 

spent alone or with other 

bodybuilders is essential. 

But, for those who dedicate 

themselves to the sport, 

comfort can be found in the 

extended family that comes 

with being around the other 

competitors. 

“When you’re up there with 

all the other women who have 

trained so hard and look phenomenal, 

it’s very empowering 

because you realize that 

this can be done,” O’Brien 

said. “The strength that you 

can pull from these other 

women is an inspiration.” 

O’Brien said that she 

doesn’t expect family to participate, 

but, “It’s great to be 

an inspiration to them,” in 

that she shows them that you 

can be fit and be happy. 

For Milkins, satisfaction 

comes not only from competing 

and winning, but from 

being a role model for her 

family and other women. 

“I hope I can be an inspiration 

to others that it’s never 

too late and you’re never too 

old.” 

NEW YEAR. 

NEW SUCCESS. 

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS IN 

The Mokena Messenger 

LORA HEALY 

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

CONTACT 

“10” 

Visit us online at 

mokenamessenger.com



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Mokena business set to participate 

in Chefs’ Auction benefit 

Submitted by The Bridge 

Teen Center 

For the fourth consecutive 

year, the long-running 

Chefs’ Auction fundraiser 

will support the mission of 

the Bridge Teen Center in 

Orland Park. 

One of this year’s featured 

restaurants is Doc’s 

Smokehouse in Mokena. 

This will be the first-ever 

appearance by Doc’s at this 

fundraiser, and the first time 

a traditional barbeque restaurant 

has ever participated. 

In addition to sampling 

some of their creations to 

an expected more than 300 

event attendees, the restaurant 

will auction off a oneof-a-kind 

dining experience 

during the live auction. 

“The Bridge is thrilled 

to get a Mokena restaurant 

pantry 

From Page 6 

the most need of basic food 

and supplies are not always 

the people some might expect, 

and she said it just goes 

to show that you can never 

be sure what someone is going 

through. 

The pantry serves 325 

families per month, which 

each of those families eligible 

to come in once a week 

for staples like meat, milk, 

fresh produce, refrigerated 

items and bakery items, as 

well as once a month to shop 

for non-perishable foods. 

Underwood said the food 

drive at KidsWork was a 

great learning opportunity 

for many of the children 

and an opportunity to learn 

about having empathy for 

others who don’t have as 

much as others might have. 

Many of the parents got on 

board with the message as 

engaged in this community 

fundraiser, and we couldn’t 

be more excited about Doc’s 

being involved,” said Rob 

Steinmetz, founder and director 

of marketing for The 

Bridge Teen Center. “We’re 

big barbeque fans, and we 

are certain this will be a 

welcome addition for our 

guests.” 

This year’s Chefs’ Auction 

event is scheduled to be 

held March 8 at a brand new 

location: Silver Lake Country 

Club. Featured restaurants 

include “veteran” participants, 

such as Cooper’s 

Hawk, Wooden Paddle and 

Rocco Vino’s, as well as 

newcomers, such as Doc’s 

Smokehouse, Houlihan’s 

and Smallcakes. 

Due to cuts to the Village 

of Orland Park’s recentlypassed 

budget, the popular 

Ralph Madsen, of Frankfort, examines a dent in a can to see if it’s a superficial dent and one 

that could be potentially dangerous. Amanda Stoll/22nd Century Media 

well, which Underwood 

said helped the message 

sink in. 

“You heard the parents 

fundraising event will now 

continue under the sole direction 

of The Bridge Teen 

Center instead of the Village’s 

Parks and Recreation 

Department. 

“Over the last 3 years, 

the Village of Orland 

Park has helped raise over 

$120,000 for The Bridge 

Teen Center through this 

highly-anticipated event,” 

Steinmetz said. “We are 

grateful for the opportunity 

to carry on this tradition in 

the community, to continue 

raising much-needed support 

for The Bridge’s free 

programs, and to take this 

event to new heights.” 

Enhanced entertainment is 

also planned for this year’s 

event, including a live performance 

from Chicago-based 

singer/songwriter Mark 

Rose. Rose has sold more 

talk about where this [donation] 

was going,” Underwood 

said. “...I wanted to 

get the younger [children] 

than 200,000 albums, and 

some of his original music 

has been featured on Keeping 

Up with the Kardashians. 

Live jazz music and interactive 

culinary demonstration 

stations are also planned for 

this year’s event. 

Individual tickets to the 

event are available for 

purchase now, and remain 

priced at $50 each, with a 

limited number of sponsorship 

packages and corporate 

tables also remaining. 

Tickets, tables and sponsorships 

can be purchased 

online at chefs2018.ges 

ture.com, or by contacting 

Rachel Blunier at (708) 

532-0500, or rachel@the 

bridgeteencenter.org. Additional 

event information 

can also be found at theb 

ridgeteencenter.org under 

the “Donate” tab. 

understanding about food 

and how some do not have 

food, and I think the parents 

really drove that home.” 

Serena 

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She would make a wonderful companion. She is not 

always fond of other cats and would do best as the 

only cat in a home. Contact Wendy at (708) 478-5102 

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

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12 | February 15, 2018 | The Mokena Messenger news 


FROM THE TINLEY JUNCTION 

Love in the air (and on the walls) 

at Vogt Visual Arts Center 

Amour. Amore. Liebe. 

Across the globe, there are many 

words for love, but nothing quite 

captures the concept like a picture 

or paintings, jewelry and sculptures. 

Through Feb. 24, the walls of the 

Tinley Park-Park District’s Vogt Visual 

Arts Center are to be adorned 

with images of endearment for 

its display called “What Do You 

Love?” The opening reception the 

afternoon of Feb. 3 gave art fans 

the chance to see the show and chat 

with local artists about their inspirations. 

Vogt Center instructor Carol Chirafisi 

said she loves sharing the joy 

of art through her paintings and as 

a teacher. 

“I mostly love working in oils 

and depicting concepts that relate to 

people, so it’s portraiture but it’s not 

in the traditional sense,” she said. 

For gallery director Julie Dekker, 

this show has special meaning. She 

not only does she love art in all of 

its forms but also has a deep love for 

the center itself. She even included 

the gallery in her wedding when she 

married her husband, Kurt, on the 

grounds in 2010. 

Gallery hours and additional information 

can be found at tinleyp 

arkdistrict.org/vvac. 

Reporting by Laurie Fanelli, Freelance 

Reporter. For more, visit Tin 

leyJunction.com. 

FROM THE NEW LENOX PATRIOT 

Pair teams up to take over 

longstanding eatery, expects to 

reopen in March 

Ranch Frostie has been delighting 

New Lenox residents for nearly 

50 years with soft-serve ice cream, 

hot dogs and more. And while this 

spring will usher in some changes, 

new owners John Sestak and Jackie 

Potocki want to make one thing 

clear. 

“We’re not changing anything,” 

Sestak said. “Everything is going to 

stay close to the same.” 

Sestak said he and Potocki have 

lived in the area for close to 44 

years. While taking over the New 

Lenox cultural hotspot will require 

a learning curve, he said they are 

going to be ready for it. 

“It’s honestly an honor for her 

and I to keep this place open,” Sestak 

said. “And the support [from the 

community] is unbelievable.” 

More than 45 years ago, Harold 

and Teri Hoyt purchased what 

would become Ranch Frostie and 

moved it to the other side of Route 

30, located at 1259 N. Cedar Road. 

In late 2017, Teri decided it was 

time to move on to the next stage 

of her life. But while her time with 

Ranch Frostie was nearing its end, 

she wanted to ensure the business 

would live on. 

When Sestak and Potocki approached 

Hoyt about taking over, 

she said she felt good about it. 

“I knew him and his connection 

with New Lenox and Frostie,” Hoyt 

said about John. “With his business 

in New Lenox and having known 

him as a child, I had really good 

feelings.” 

Reporting by Jon DePaolis, Freelance 

Reporter. For more, visit NewLenox 

Patriot.com. 

FROM THE ORLAND PARK PRAIRIE 

Orland Park police officer praised 

for going ‘above and beyond’ 

An Orland Park police officer 

was recognized Feb. 5 at the Village 

of Orland Park Board of Trustees 

meeting for going above and 

beyond the call of duty in order to 

help a resident. 

During the recognition portion 

of the meeting, Orland Park Police 

Chief Tim McCarthy presented Officer 

Phillip Glecier to the board 

members. 

McCarthy said around 9 a.m. on 

a January morning, Orland Park 

police received a call from a senior 

citizen about a “possible suspicious 

person near her home … because 

she saw some tracks in the snow.” 

McCarthy said Glecier was dispatched 

to the home, did an investigation 

and checked the area. While 

he did not find any signs that would 

indicate criminal activity, Glecier 

listened to the woman’s concerns 

about the lock on her storm door 

being broken. 

“Officer Glecier said he might be 

able to come by after work to fix 

that,” McCarthy recounted. “After 

work, he did. He went out and 

bought a lock for the door and new 

parts at the Home Depot. He came 

back and repaired the door for [the 

woman].” 

The resident wound up writing 

a letter thanking the police department 

and Glecier. 

“We don’t pat our officers on 

the backs enough for those types 

of things, for which we really do 

receive a lot of letters,” McCarthy 

said. 

Mayor Keith Pekau said he receives 

several of these types of letters, 

but he noted that this instance 

was “above and beyond.” 

Reporting by Jon DePaolis, Freelance 

Reporter. For more, visit OPPrairie. 

com. 

From THE FRANKFORT STATION 

East falls to Bolingbrook in last 

game of regular season 

The stage was simple enough, 

when Lincoln-Way East faced 

Bolingbrook in a big girls basketball 

tussle last week. 

In the final regular season game 

for both teams, whoever won was 

the outright Blue Division champion 

in the SouthWest Suburban 

Conference. 

Unfortunately for the Griffins, it 

was not them. Bolingbrook made 

too many big shots and pulled down 

many more second-half rebounds to 

pull away for a 56-46 victory over 

East Feb. 6 at Bolingbrook. 

With the victory, the Raiders (21- 

4, 9-1) won at least a share of the 

SWSC Blue for the 10th time in the 

13 seasons since it formed in 2005- 

2006. East (25-4, 8-2) tied Bolingbrook 

for the SWSC Blue title in 

the 2013-2014 season. But that was 

because of Homewood-Flossmoor 

forfeiting all of its wins that season. 

H-F, which would have won it 

except for the forfeits four years 

ago, captured the conference title 

the past three seasons. This season, 

H-F, now coached by former 

Bolingbrook coach Tony Smith, 

knocked off the Raiders 60-59 in 

double overtime Feb. 1 in Flossmoor. 

That set up the winner-takeall 

meeting between East and the 

Raiders last week. 

But it was not to be in the end for 

the Griffins, who defeated H-F in a 

pair of close games this season but 

lost the previous meeting to Bolingbrook 

47-46 on Jan. 18 in Frankfort. 

“I feel as a team we didn’t bring 

forth what we know we can,” East 

senior guard Delani Grayer said. 

“We got nervous that we would 

have made school history [as outright 

SWSC Blue champions for the 

first time] if we would have won.” 

Reporting by Randy Whalen, Freelance 

Reporter. For more, visit Frank 

fortStation.com. 

FROM THE HOMER HORIZON 

Platinum Cheer Association looks 

to empower youth cheerleaders 

Encouraging young athletes to 

“Be Fierce. Be Brilliant. Be Platinum,” 

Platinum Cheer Association 

is gearing up for its first year of 

competitive cheerleading. 

All eight board members met at 

Front Row in Homer Glen for their 

last meeting before registration 

opened Jan. 30. 

Last year, the women embarked 

on the opportunity to create a new 

cheerleading program that was not 

connected to a football program. 

Having an independent program 

will allow for a stronger focus on 

cheerleading as a sport, giving PCA 

athletes an edge as they move into 

high school cheerleading, the board 

members said. 

“We’re the first in the area to do 

cheer on a recreational level not 

connected to a football program,” 

Homer Glen resident Jen Wirth said. 

The board members and founders 

all have children who were previously 

involved with another cheer 

program. After discussing the benefits 

their children would receive 

from a cheer-centric program, they 

decided to create their own. 

“We knew we wanted cheer to 

stand alone as a sport,” board member 

and Homer Glen resident Jill 

Roberson said. “We had a really 

strong program before, but we saw 

athletes looking to move to All-Star 

levels, so we wanted to create a program 

at the All-Star level without 

the All-Star price.” 

PCA accepts cheerleaders from 

anywhere in the area. 

“We don’t want anyone to feel excluded 

based on what town they’re 

from,” Roberson said. 

For more information on programs, 

events, pricing options and 

fundraising, visit platinumcheer 

association.com or the program’s 

Facebook page at facebook.com/ 

platinumcheerassociation. 

Reporting by Amanda Del Buono, 

Freelance Reporter. For more, visit 

HomerHorizon.com. 

FROM THE LOCKPORT LEGEND 

Lockport resident’s impact on 

community lives on after passing 

The three ways Dan Niehaus 

would best describe his late father, 

Gary, are: role model, cheerleader 

and loving father. 

“Gary was the dad who, after 

coaching our basketball team, 

would throw a pizza party in celebration 

of the year and give out 

personalized awards to all of the 

team members to recognize their 

strengths and make us feel great 

about the season,” Dan said while 

giving his father’s eulogy Jan. 29. 

The 68-year-old Lockport resident 

died suddenly Jan. 27. 

Gary lived in Lockport for 13 

years after moving from Orland 

Park. He became heavily involved 

in the Lockport and Homer Glen 

communities almost immediately 

upon moving. He was involved in 

11 different organizations over the 

period of time from when he lived 

in Orland Park to the time he died. 

Gary was a retired police commissioner 

of Lockport, chairman of the 

Lockport Veterans Commission and 

a member of the chambers of commerce 

in both Lockport and Homer 

Glen. In addition, he won numerous 

awards including “2014 Person 

You Should Know,” presented by 

Lockport Mayor Steve Streit; “2012 

Senior Citizen of the Year Award,” 

presented by Congressmen Daniel 

Lipinski; and “2012 Volunteer 

of the Year,” presented by former 

Lockport Mayor Dev Trivedi. 

“Gary was just one of those tireless 

volunteers in the community,” 

Streit said of giving Gary the “2014 

Person You Should Know” award. 

“He worked hard for a number of 

organizations, put his time and his 

talents to making the community 

better, and it’s just very appreciated.” 

Reporting by Jacquelyn Schlabach, Assistant 

Editor. For more, visit Lock 

portLegend.com.

mokenamessenger.com sound off 


Social snapshot 

Top 10 Web Stories 

From MokenaMessenger.com as of 

Monday, Feb. 12 

1. Kozik, co-founder of Tinley Wish, 

Mokena resident, remembered by 

community 

2. Matt’s Old Mokena: Winter march to war 

3. News from Your Neighbors: Tinley Park 

native training to break world record, 

more 

4. Girls basketball: Warriors slam door on 

Knights’ win streak 

5. Critter Class wraps up turtles, tortoises 

unit 

Become a member: mokenamessenger.com/plus 

“Mokena this morning. 191st St going East” 

Timothy Dragoo posted this on his Facebook 

page Friday, Feb. 9. 

Like The Mokena Messenger: facebook.com/ 


“Congrats to all of our student athletes who 

participated in Lincoln-Way Centrals signing 

day!!” 

@LWCKnights posted this to its Twitter 

account Feb. 7. 

Follow The Mokena Messenger: @mokenamessenger 

From the assistant editor 

Thank you for your Valentines cards 

Amanda Stoll 


As the Valentine’s 

Coloring Contest 

came to a close and 

the editorial staff began 

selecting the winners, it is 

just a reminder of the power 

Weathering the Storm 

Extreme cold gives way to normal temperatures 

Mark T. Carroll 

Contributing Columnist 

December-January 

weather in review 

The beginning of January 

started the same 

way December ended: 

very cold. The Christmas 

Day to New Year Day sevenday 

period was the second 

coldest Dec.25-Jan. 1 on 

record for the area. The high 

temperature Jan. 1 was 1 degree, 

which was the coldest 

maximum temperature for 

that date. The temperature 

remained below 20 degrees 

from Dec. 26 through Jan. 6 

a simple act can have on 

another person’s life. 

Yes, winners are selected 

and not everyone can win. 

The 623 entries we received 

won’t be judged on their 

creativity or neatness by 

their recipients. 

Some of those entries can 

be seen in today’s paper, but 

many of them will never 

reach the pages of our paper 

or the eyes of our readers. 

Instead, they will be reaching 

the hearts of our veterans. 

This year, they will be 

making their way to the men 

and women at Hines VA 

Hospital, who no doubt will 

love them regardless of if 

which tied the record of 12 

consecutive days below 20 

degrees. 

High winds from Dec. 

31 through Jan. 2 produced 

wind chills of -25 to -40 

degrees. 

A brief warmup occurred 

on Jan. 10 and 11, with the 

high temperature of 59 degrees 

on Jan. 11, which was 

2 degrees below the record 

of 61 for that date. 

Below normal snowfall for 

the winter season continued 

through January. 

A light freezing drizzle 

and rain event began during 

the afternoon of Jan. 7 and 

continued until changing to 

light snow with generally 

less than a half-inch of snow 

accumulation. Because of 

the extreme cold in the two 

weeks prior to Jan. 7, the 

pavement was very cold, 

causing the rain and drizzle 

to freeze on contact, producing 

slick roads. 

A freezing drizzle event 

Jan. 24 produced hazardous 

driving conditions. During 

they are colored in the lines. 

They might be surprised, 

as I was, by the obvious 

amount of time put in by so 

many of the youngsters who 

sent in their coloring pages, 

or by the talent and attention 

to detail of others. 

Valentine’s Day is such 

a special time, but this 

coloring contest is a great 

example of how it doesn’t 

have to be reserved for romantic 

relationships. These 

Valentines will be tacked up 

on the walls or placed at the 

bedsides of veterans who 

have served our country 

and, I hope, will put a smile 

on their faces every time 

the early morning hours, a 

truck collided with a car near 

175th Street and LaGrange 

Road in Tinley Park, killing 

the driver of the car. 

The most significant 

snowfall of January began 

around 8 p.m. on Jan. 14 and 

continued until the morning 

of Jan. 16. 

February and beyond 

The forecast from the 

National Centers for Environmental 

Prediction called 

for below-normal temps and 

they look at it. 

I think this is a great opportunity 

to remember that 

so often it is the little things 

in life that have the biggest 

impact. 

So, why not do the same 

for a friend, neighbor, coworker 

or teacher? 

Little things like taking 

someone out for a coffee or 

dropping off a kind note can 

make all the difference in 

someone’s day. 

It might be a Hallmark 

holiday, but I think Valentine’s 

Day is a great 

reminder for all of us to 

spread some love in a world 

that has far too much hate. 

above-normal precipitation, 

which suggests abovenormal 

snowfall for February 

(the normal snowfall 

for the month of February 

is 9 inches). NCEP also is 

predicting continued below 

normal temperatures and 

above normal precipitation 

through April. 

Mark T. Carroll is the president 

of CALM Weather LLC, a meteorological 

consulting service 

based in Oak Forest. For more 

information, visit calmwx.com. 

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@mok 

namessenger.com. 

www.mokenamessenger.com.



Lincoln-Way Foundation 

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the mokena messenger | February 15, 2018 | mokenamessenger.com 

Taste of Thai 

Flavor, quality ingredients key 

at Oy’s Thai Cuisine, Page 19 

Spitting image Despite 

change in ownership, family keeping 

Kismet traditions strong, Page 21 

Winners of Valentine’s Day Coloring 

Contest announced, Page 17 

Some of 

the nearly 

100 entries 

from 22CM’s 

Valentine’s 

Day Card 

Contest 

cover our 

conference 

room table. T.J. 

Kremer III/22nd 

Century Media

16 | February 15, 2018 | The Mokena Messenger faith 


Faith Briefs 

Victory Baptist Church (13550 US Route 

6, Mokena) 

Morning Worship 

10:45 a.m. Sundays. 

Evening Worship 

6 p.m. Sundays. 

Weekday Worship 

7 p.m. Wednesdays. 

St. John’s United Church of Christ (11100 

Second St., Mokena) 

Traditional Service 

8 a.m. traditional mass, 

9:45 a.m. contemporary & 

traditional music. 

FUNERAL SERVICES DIRECTORY 

Kim O’Neil Golob 

Kelli Hartseil Mores 

Kelly Furlong Foresman, Secretary 

It was easy to 

decide on cremation. 

Now, what about the 

rest of the decisions? 

Colonial Chapel 

Funeral Home 

Private, On-site Crematory 

15525 S. 73rd Ave. 

(155th/Wheeler Dr. & Harlem) 

Orland Park, Illinois 

Family owned for 40 Years 

colonialchapel.com 

708-532-5400 

The Cremation Experts. 

Mokena United Methodist Church (10901 

LaPorte Road, Mokena) 

Service and Sunday School 


Church service and children’s 

Sunday School. For 

more information, call (708) 

479-1110. 

Marley Community Church (12625 W. 

187th St., Mokena) 

Church Service 

10 a.m. Sundays. Childcare 

is provided. 

Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church 

(10731 W. La Porte Road, Mokena) 

2017 WINNER 

"BEST FUNERAL 

HOME" 

©2006 Copyrighted Material 

Contemporary Worship 

5 p.m. Saturdays. 

Worship 

9 a.m. Sundays. 

Mokena Baptist Church (9960 W. 187th 

St., Mokena) 

Sunday Services 

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

more information, call (312) 

350-2279. 

St. Mary’s Catholic Church (19515 115th 

Ave., Mokena) 

Church Service 

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

ADVERTISE 

YOUR 

FUNERAL 

SERVICES. 

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

p.m. Sundays 

Parker Road Bible Church (18512 Parker 

Road, Mokena) 

Worship Service 


Have something for Faith 

Briefs? Contact Assistant 

Editor Amanda Stoll at 

a.stoll@22ndcentury 

media.com or call (708) 326- 

9170 ext. 34. Deadline is noon 

Thursday one week prior to 

publication. 

Contact Jessica Nemec 

@708.326.9170 ex.46 


In Memoriam 

Wayne LaBotz 

Wayne LaBotz, 64, of 

Mokena, died Jan. 24. 

With saddened hearts 

we say goodbye to Wayne. 

Passing away much too 

young, we lost a close 

friend and beloved family 

member. He enjoyed his retirement 

from a long career 

as a state correctional officer. 

Wayne will be missed 

by many and forever in our 

hearts. 

Alfred L. Trawczynski 

Alfred L. Trawczynski, 

92, of Mokena, died Feb. 4. 

Traxczynski was born in 

Chicago to the late Ignac 

and Josephine (Staczak) 

Trawczynski; he was the 

beloved husband of the late 

Therese A. (Stachura); loving 

father of Deborah (J. 

Patrick) Freeman; cherished 

grandfather of Christopher 

Patrick “Chris” (Katie) Freeman, 

Kathryn Marie “Katie” 

(Brad) Millar, Kevin Patrick 

(Val) Freeman and Cara 

Marie (Jon) Beach; proud 

great-grandfather of Kristen, 

Collin and Connor Freeman, 

and Victoria, Landon and Alexander 

Millar; dear brother 

of Frances (Joe) Jasniecki, 

Elizabeth (Walter) Haczynski, 

Edwin (Lorraine) Trawczynski, 

Henry Trawczynski, 

Alfred (Therese) Trawczynski 

and Stanley (Marian) 

Trawczynski; and dear uncle 

of numerous nieces and 

nephews. 

Richard Kozik 

Richard Kozik, 58, of 

Mokena, died Feb. 6. 

Kozik was a member 

of Illinois State Police 

#4929, Cadet Class ‘96. 

He was the devoted son of 

the late Adolph and Helen 

(Jachimiec) Kozik; cherished 

brother of Mary Ann 

(Wayne) Draudt, Gregory 

(Sandy) Kozik and Camille 

(John) Murray; and loving 

uncle of Donald (Amy) 

Draudt, James Draudt, Jennifer 

(Brian) Draudt-Scully, 

Anthony Kozik and Jessica 

Kozik. 

In lieu of flowers, donations 

to Illinois State Police 

Heritage Foundation, 

P.O. Box 8168, Springfield, 

64791, isphf.org/ 

donations, or Tinley Wish, 

7850 W. 183rd St., Tinley 

Park, 60477, tinleywish.org 

would be appreciated. 

Edwina M. Murray 

Edwina M. Murray, 98, of 

Mokena, died Feb. 3. 

She was born in New 

York City to parents Otto 

and Edith Listen; married 

43 years to her late husband 

Bernard Murray and lived 

the majority of her life on 

the south side of Chicago; 

she was a mother of Paul 

(JoAnn), Wayne (Nancy), 

Glen, Pamela and Gayle 

(Michael); proud grandmother 

to Edward, Jennifer 

(Kirk), Renee (Michael), 

Craig, Chad (Christina), 

Melissa, Michael (Danielle), 

Patrick, Kyle (Emily) 

and John; she was a greatgrandmother 

to 10; aunt 

to many nieces and nephews. 

The family wishes to 

express their gratitude to 

daughter Gayle and her husband 

Michael who, along 

with their sons, took such 

wonderful care of our mother 

in her final years. 

In lieu of flowers, donations 

to Aspire Social Services 

are appreciated; 1815 

S. Wolf Road, Hillside, 

60162 or aspirechicago. 

com/donate/. 

Do you have someone’s life 

you’d like to honor? Email 

Editor T.J. Kremer III at tj@ 

mokenamessenger.com with 

information about a loved one 

who was a part of the Mokena 

community. 


www.Mokenamessenger.com

mokenamessenger.com life & arts 


Publisher announces winners of 2018 

Valentine’s Day Coloring Contest 

Creativity, compassion on 

display across 623 total entries 

Bill Jones, Managing Editor 

Proving once again to be one of the most 

popular annual contests run by 22nd Century 

Media, the 2018 Valentine’s Day Coloring 

Contest saw 623 total entries across three 

age groups and seven towns. 

And while a lucky nine have been chosen 

(see accompanying images and awards) as 

winners, the gigantic collection of entries 

was to be delivered to area veterans with 

the help of a local organization. With that 

in mind, 22nd Century Media would like to 

thank everyone who took the time to enter 

and spread the love this Valentine’s Day. 

As for the contest, this year we picked first, 

second and third in each of the age groups. 

Winners were chosen based on creativity and 

neatness. 

All three of the 9- to 12-year-old winners 

are to receive two hours of free bowling 

for up to six people, including shoe rentals, 

along with a pizza and pitcher of pop, at 

Laraway Lanes, 1009 W. Laraway Road in 

New Lenox. The three 6- to 8-year-old winners 

will get a multi-use pass for the Splash 

Park run by the Mokena Community Park 

District. And the 3- to 5-year-old winning 

entrants will take home a $5 gift certificate 

to Dairy Queen, 950 E. 9th St. in Lockport. 

Publisher 22nd Century Media also would 

like to thank the contest’s generous sponsors. 

Ages 3-5 Ages 6-8 Ages 9-12 

1st Place 

1st Place 

1st Place 

Peter Tadros, Orland Park Rania Siddiqui, Frankfort Gabriella Escobedo, Orland Park 

2nd Place 

3rd Place 

2nd Place 

3rd Place 

2nd Place 

3rd Place 

Lily Kudla, New Lenox 

Ivee Aftanas, New Lenox 

Angelina Tadros 

Orland Park 

Audriana Lang, Lockport 

Emma Vogler, New Lenox 

Maddie Giampaolo 

Frankfort

18 | February 15, 2018 | The Mokena Messenger life & arts 


Motherly 

love bowl 

More than 40 

people turn out at 

annual Mother and 

Son Valentine Bowl 

T.J. Kremer III, Editor 

On Saturday, Feb. 10, 

more than 40 mothers 

and sons braved the snow 

and cold to bowl unlimited 

games for two hours, 

while being treated to 

pizza, pop and cake. The 

event was hosted by Mokena 

Community Park 

District. 

Amy Ambrose, of Mokena, does her best to get a strike. 

A makeshift photo booth greets participants at the annual Mother and Son Valentine Bowl 

at Morgan’s Thunder Bowl in Mokena Saturday, Feb. 10. 

Photos by T.J. Kremer III/22nd Century Media

mokenamessenger.com dining out 


The Dish 

A culinary adventure comes to New Lenox 

Oy’s Thai Cuisine 

offers classic Thai 

staples at affordable 

prices 

Nuria Mathog 


Long before they 

launched their new restaurant, 

co-owners Bryan and 

Churairut “Oy” Hunsaker 

had a single goal in mind: 

to bring the flavors of Thai 

food to the southwest suburbs 

in a convenient, accessible 

way. 

For the New Lenox couple, 

the opening of Oy’s 

Thai Cuisine in January was 

the culmination of a longtime 

dream. 

“Oy has been cooking 

her whole life,” Bryan said. 

“She’s been cooking for 

friends and neighbors for 

the past 27 years, and everybody 

always tells me she 

should start a restaurant. ... 

We’ve talked about it for a 

long time, but we realized it 

was very demanding, so we 

didn’t want to do it until our 

kids were older.” 

Now that the couple’s 

youngest child is to graduate 

from Lincoln-Way West 

in the spring, the Hunsakers 

are investing their time and 

effort into their new business. 

“We want it to be a destination 

where you’d be comfortable 

bringing a friend or 

family member, but we want 

to have the convenience, as 

well,” Bryan said. “And I 

would say it’s authentic. 

It’s fresh food — we’re not 

pulling it out of the freezer 

and putting in the microwave. 

The preparation process 

is quite detailed.” 

The restaurant’s topselling 

dish is Oy’s Famous 

Pad Thai (prices vary by 

protein), which features 

rice noodles stir-fried with 

green onion, bean sprouts, 

egg, crushed peanuts and 

Oy’s special sauce, which 

contains six different ingredients. 

“Her sauce is different,” 

Bryan said. “You won’t find 

her pad thai anywhere else. 

It is a different flavor, and 

people seem to like that.” 

Another popular dish is 

the stir-fried cashew plate, 

which comes with stir-fried 

meat, cashew nuts, white 

onion, green onion, water 

chestnuts, bell pepper and 

chili peppers, and is served 

with a side of white rice. 

“It’s really a lot better 

when you make it hot,” Bryan 

said. “You tell us you’re 

Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3. 

... We might put in one more 

pepper Level 2 or 3, and the 

sky’s the limit for the rest.” 

He also recommends 

the tom yum soup — a hot 

and sour soup that contains 

mushroom, tomato, white 

onion, green tomato, cilantro, 

lemongrass and lime 

juice — can be served with 

either a clear broth or a 

creamy coconut milk broth. 

As far as appetizers are 

concerned, the fresh spring 

rolls ($5.95) — which 

can come with or without 

shrimp — are another top 

item on the menu. The rolls 

— made with rice noodles, 

carrots, lettuce, bean sprouts 

and cilantro wrapped in rice 

paper — are served with 

a sweet and sour dipping 

sauce made in house and 

filled crushed peanuts. 

Hunsaker said he enjoys 

all of the dishes served at 

the restaurant, but he is 

particularly fond of the pad 

ped — a “reasonably spicy” 

dish involving meat marinated 

in a curry paste and 

fresh green beans — as well 

as the red and green curries. 

Oy’s Thai Cuisine 

1880 E. Lincoln Highway, 

New Lenox 

Hours 

• 11 a.m.-8 p.m. 

Monday-Thursday 

• 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday- 

Saturday 

Closed Sunday 

For more information ... 

Phone: (815) 462-9000 

Web: oysthaicuisine.com 

Happy hour for 

Lincoln-Way students 

From 3-4 p.m. Monday- 

Wednesday, Lincoln-Way 

students can pay $5.99 

and get and entrée 

(choice of chicken 

pad thai, chicken fried 

rice, egg rolls or crab 

rangoon) and a soft 

drink in a can. 

He said he also would like 

to add a Thai version of a 

dish similar to pho, a Vietnamese 

noodle dish, to the 

menu someday. 

“The Thai [version] has 

a larger variance of vegetables,” 

Bryan said. “You 

have bean sprouts, sometimes 

carrots, a lot of cilantro, 

chopped onions.” 

For diners looking to pick 

up a quick meal during their 

lunch breaks, the restaurant 

offers a $7.99 lunch special, 

served daily until 3 p.m. 

The specials, served daily 

until 3 p.m., come with an 

entrée, steamed rice, two 

fried wontons and the soup 

of the day. Customers can 

choose to substitute beef for 

chicken for an additional 

$1, or add $2 for shrimp. 

Lincoln-Way students can 

take advantage of a special 

happy hour offer, available 

from 3-4 p.m. Monday 

The stir-fried cashew chicken ($10.95) dish at Oy’s Thai Cuisine contains stir-fried chicken, 

cashew nuts, white onion, green onion, water chestnuts, bell pepper and chili pepper, and 

comes with a side of white rice. Photos by Nuria Mathog/22nd Century Media 

The tom yum soup includes mushroom, tomato, white onion, green tomato, cilantro, 

lemongrass and lime juice, and can be served with a clear or creamy broth. 

through Wednesday that includes 

an entrée and a soft 

drink for $5.99. 

Ultimately, Bryan said he 

hopes customers will get a 

quality introduction to Thai 

cuisine — and keep coming 

back for more. 

“We’re here for at least 

five years — we’re on a 

five-year lease — and beyond 

that we just hope that 

people will come and that 

we serve food that they 

like,” he said.



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mokenamessenger.com dining out 


The DIsh 

Kismet carries on as family business of destiny 

Orland Park eatery 

now run by former 

owner’s nephew 

Thomas Czaja 


Kismet means destiny or 

faith in Turkish. 

When the Kismet restaurant 

was first opened in Orland 

Park in 1977 by Roy 

Tufekcioglu, it was an act 

of faith — one that materialized 

in four decades and 

counting of selling its signature 

gyros and other food 

items. 

Last April, Tufekcioglu 

decided to retire and hand 

the reins of the business 

over to his nephew Ervin 

Ramazanoski, who now 

heads the day-to-day operations, 

though he owns it 

with his mother, father and 

brothers. For Ramazanoski, 

keeping the business in the 

family and leading it was a 

destiny he knew he wanted 

to fulfill. 

“It was destiny for us to 

be here,” Ramazanoski said. 

“We plan on keeping it going 

for another 40 years.” 

Since acquiring ownership, 

Ramazanoski has 

kept the menu largely the 

same, with the aforementioned 

gyros — as well as 

the burgers, beef, chicken, 

hot dogs, soup and salads 

— but he also made a few 

tweaks. 

He introduced delivery 

service for the first time as 

an added convenience for 

customers. He made the 

catering more extensive, 

utilizing a simple menu, so 

customers can easily pick 

up the phone and get what 

they want, while still being 

able to customize different 

orders, he said. 

Another thing Ramazanoski 

did is add a number 

of items. They decided to 

add a number of wraps, including 

a gyro wrap. They 

also added a honey mustard 

chicken sandwich, beef roll 

and chicken Parmesan that 

all cost $6.99 each. 

He even has eggs and will 

sometimes make a breakfast 

dish for customers, if they 

ask for them, though those 

and none of the other new 

things are officially listed 

on the menu. The owner 

said he plans to have all 

them remain available but 

not list them to keep things 

simple. 

But Ramazanoski knows 

what will always be No. 1. 

“The gyros were on the 

menu and will always be 

on the menu,” Ramazanoski 

said. “It’s what we’re 

known for. When I took 

over, I had nothing but gyros 

for a month.” 

The gyros are cut fresh 

off the spit, right in front 

of customers. Kismet uses 

Kronos gyro meat — a seasoned 

blend of selected beef 

and lamb — and adds its 

personalized touch. 

“We have a special blend 

of seasonings that we use,,” 

Ramazanoski said. “It’s like 

a Mediterranean, Turkish 

blend.” 

The gyro dinner and 

grilled chicken gyro dinner 

(both feed two and are 

$12.75) are popular choices, 

with the former coming 

with extra meat, extra pita, 

tomato, onion, olives, feta 

cheese and homemade cucumber 

sauce, and the latter 

the same extras and ingredients 

plus lettuce. 

“Everything is fresh ingredients,” 

Ramazanoski 

said. “While other people 

cut corners, we sharpen our 

edges. We do not skimp 

on anything. Everything is 

brought in pretty much daily 

... whatever doesn’t get 

used is thrown out.” 

To completely summarize 

or sample Kismet, a patron 

needs to save room for dessert, 

as 16 different flavors 

of ice cream are available 

year-round, not to mention 

shakes, malts and other desserts, 

such as Oreo cookie 

balls ($1.78) and baklava 

($1.99). 

“Our ice cream comes 

from Wisconsin and is Cedar 

Crest,” Ramazanoski 

said. “People love the flavors. 

I got birthday cake, 

butter pecan or chocolate 

vanilla, strawberry, if you 

want to keep it simple. ... 

On top of that, you can 

make any shake out of my 

ice cream. ... Make it how 

you like it.” 

Those who venture into 

Kismet Monday through 

Friday can try a daily special 

each day for $4.99. 

Ramazanoski also began 

serving quesadillas — 

again, not on the menu — 

and said they have become 

a Friday special. 

“We have the flour tortillas, 

and we already use 

cheddar cheese, so we just 

put them together,” Ramazanoski 

said of the quesadillas. 

“It came out phenomenal. 

... It just makes sense.” 

No matter what patrons 

get, they keep coming out. 

When Ramazanoski’s uncle 

first opened the establishment, 

he decided to pay 

homage and show appreciation 

to his customers by 

putting up a collage of their 

photographs on the wall. 

It eventually extended and 

“blew up” to the many photos 

that still adorn the interior 

of Kismet, according to 

Ramazanoski. 

The current owner plans 

to sustain that tradition. 

“We are in the works of 

getting another [collage 

of photos of customers] 

Kismet 

9931 W. 151st St. in 

Orland Park 

Hours 

• 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. 

Monday-Saturday 

• 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m. 

Sunday 

For more information ... 

Web: kismetorlandpark. 

com 

Phone: (708) 349-2205 

made,” he said. “We’re going 

to keep it going.” 

Ramazanoski added he 

“stepped in with wet feet” 

for knowing how to run 

things with 13 years of experience 

in the restaurant 

industry. He has thoroughly 

enjoyed getting to know 

customers both old and new. 

SINGLE FAMILY •815.462.0242 

Immediate occupancy available. 

Kismet owner Ervin Ramazanoski holds the gyro dinner 

($12.75), which feeds two and comes with extra meat, extra 

pita, tomato, onion, olives, Feta cheese and homemade 

cucumber sauce. James Sanchez/22nd Century Media 

“I love it,” Ramazanoski 

said. “I love my customers. 

They’re great. They 

work with me, and I work 

with them. If they want to 

try something different, I’ll 

always help them out. ... I 

love them all.” 

TOWN HOMES •815.680.5037 

First floor master bedrooms &ranches available. 

Immediate occupancy available. 

Model open 11:00-3:00 Friday, Saturday and Sunday

22 | February 15, 2018 | The Mokena Messenger 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. Sandwich filler 

5. Alternative to steps 

9. Ides rebuke 

13. Prefix with pad 

14. The Sorbonne, e.g. 

16. Mardi Gras, e.g. 

17. Pro __ (proportionately) 

18. Actress Streep 

19. Some addresses 

20. Much may follow it 

21. He wrote “The Shogun” 

22. ‘Survivor’ team 

24. Heart problem 

26. W.C. 

27. Last-qtr. month 

29. Hoops stats 

30. Frankfort trampoline 

park 

33. ___ de vivre 

34. Leisurely walks 

35. Pieces of expensive 

jewelry 

36. [It’s gone!] 

38. 1980s band, with 

Adam 

39. “Darn it all!” 

40. Sea flier 

41. 49er foe 

43. Attack word 

44. Peak 

46. “__ dreaming?” 

49. Wind dir. 

50. Brown, for one 

51. Event to show off pet 

IDs in New Lenox 

53. Body trunks 

55. Math class: abbr. 

57. Neutral color 

58. Cheer starter 

59. Weariness 

61. “___ chance” 

62. “Mockingbird” singer 

Foxx 

63. Bulrush, e.g. 

64. “The devil __ the 

details” 

65. Nothing more 

66. Poet John, of 

“Grongar Hill” 

67. Volcano in Sicily 

Down 

1. Bubba Gump’s forte 

2. Jimmy Carter product 

3. Nuptial sites 

4. Unhealthy atmosphere 

5. Notes 

6. Succeeded with something 

7. Extra 

8. Layer 

9. Case for needles and 

small scissors 

10. Airplane propulsion 

11. Systems for long distance 

communications 

12. Ship title 

15. British megastar poprock 

singer 

23. ___ v. Wade 

25. Air force, abbr. 

26. Flipped out 

28. Third word in 

“America” 

31. Annually 

32. Divided into regions 

34. Horror writer, Edgar 

Allan 

35. Long-snouted fish 

36. Untouched 

37. Quick look 

39. Defaulter’s comeuppance 

40. Tee preceder 

42. Riskier 

44. Pronoun 

45. Prestigious institutions 

46. Not marked up 

47. Small swallow 

48. Lizard 

52. Bottle inhabitant 

54. Tear down 

55. Gibb or Gump 

56. Olympic sled 

58. Dash 

60. Legendary Aussie 

outlaw Kelly 

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 

NEW LENOX 

Little Joe’s Restaurant 

(1300 N. Cedar Road, 

New Lenox; (815) 463- 

1099) 

■5-8 ■ p.m. Tuesdays: 

Piano Styles by Joe 

HOMER GLEN 

Front Row 

(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. 

LOCKPORT 

Port Noir 

(900 S. State St., 

Lockport; (815) 834- 

9463) 

■4-7 ■ p.m. Monday-Friday: 

Happy Hour 

The Outpost Pub & Grill 

(14929 Archer Ave., 

Lockport; (815) 836- 

8893) 

■8 ■ p.m. Tuesdays and 

Thursdays: Live DJ and 

Karaoke 

Strike N Spare II 

(811 Northern Drive, 

Lockport; (708) 301- 

1477) 

■9:30 ■ p.m.-12:30 a.m. 

Mondays: Quartermania 

To place an event 

in The Scene, email 

a.stoll@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 


Distinctive Home Builders Introduces New Craftsman Home Series 

At Prairie Trails in Manhattan and WestGate Manor in Peotone! 

Two new designs (with more to follow) are a direct result of buyer feedback 

Two refreshing designs mark 

the beginning of a new series 

of Craftsman-style homes 

available from Distinctive Home 

Builders at its latest new home 

communities: Prairie Trails; 

located in Manhattan within the 

highly-regarded Lincoln-Way 

School District and at WestGate 

Manor in Peotone within 

the desirable Peotone School 

District. 

“Craftsman homes were 

introduced in the early 1900s 

in California with designs 

based on a simpler, functional 

aesthetic using a higher level 

of craftsmanship and natural 

materials. These homes were a 

departure from homes that were 

mass produced from that era, 

“according to Bryan Nooner, 

president of Distinctive Home 

Builders. 

“The Craftsman design has 

made a comeback today for 

many of the same reasons it 

started over a century ago. Our 

customers want to live in a home 

that gets away from the “mass 

produced” look and live in a 

home that has more character. As 

a result of our daily interaction 

with our homeowners and their 

input, we are excited to introduce 

these two homes, with additional 

designs in the works.” 

Nooner, who meets with 

each homeowner prior to 

construction, has been working 

on these plans for a while and felt 

that the timing was ideal for the 

debut. “Customers were asking 

for something different and 

simple with less monotony and 

higher architectural standards.” 

The result was the Craftsman 

ranch and the Prairie twostory, 

now available at Prairie 

Trails and WestGate Manor. 

The Craftsman ranch features 

an open floor plan with Great 

Room, three bedrooms, two 

baths and a two-car (optional 

three-car) garage. The Prairie 

features a two-story foyer and 

Great Room, three bedrooms 

and one and one-half baths, a 

convenient Flex Room space 

on the main level and a two-car 

(optional three-car) garage. The 

Craftsman architectural elements 

on both homes include brick and 

stone exteriors with cedar shake 

accent siding, low-pitched gabled 

bracket roofs, front porches with 

tapered columns and stone piers, 

partially paned windows, and a 

standard panel front entry door. 

Distinctive Home Builders 

offers a Craftsman-style trim 

package offering trim without 

ornate profiles and routers. The 

trim features simplicity in design 

with rectangles, straight lines and 

layered look trims over doors for 

example. The front entry door 

will have the standard Craftsman 

panel style door. Distinctive has 

also created a Craftsman color 

palate to assist buyers in making 

coordinated choices for the 

interior of their new Craftsman 

home. Colors, cabinet styles and 

flooring choices blend seamlessly 

with the Craftsman trim package 

and are available in gray tones 

package and earth tones. 

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. 


works to achieve a delivery goal 

of 90 days with zero punch list 

items for its homeowners. “Our 

three decades building homes 

provides an efficient construction 

system,” said Nooner. “Many of 

our skilled craftsmen have been 

working with our company 

for 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.” 

Nooner added that all homes 

are highly energy efficient. Every 

home built will have upgraded 

wall and ceiling insulation 

values with energy efficient 

windows and high efficiency 

furnaces. Before homeowners 

move into their new home, 


conducts a blower door test that 

pressurizes the home to ensure 

that each home passes a set of 

very stringent Energy Efficiency 

guidelines. 

With the addition of these two 

new designs, there are now 15 

ranch, split-level and six twostory 

single-family home styles to 

choose from each offering from 

three to eight different exterior 

elevations at both communities. 

The three- to four-bedroom 

homes feature one and one-half 

to two-and-one-half baths, twoto 

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 and concrete driveways 

can all be yours at Prairie 

Trails and WestGate Manor. 

Most all home sites at Prairie 

Trails and WestGate Manor 

can accommodate a three-car 

garage; a very important amenity 

to the Manhattan homebuyer, 

said Nooner. 

“When we opened Prairie 

Trails and WestGate Manor 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!” 

Prairie Trails is also a beautiful 

place to live and raise a family 

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 less than a mile away. 

Besides Prairie Trails, 


has built homes throughout 

Manhattan in the Butternut 

Ridge and Leighlinbridge 

developments, as well as in the 

Will and south Cook county 

areas over the past 30 years. 


chose the Will County village 

of Peotone for its newest 

community of 38 single-family 

homes at WestGate Manor 

within walking distance of the 

esteemed Peotone High School. 

Its convenient location between 

Interstate 57 and Illinois Route 

50 provide easy access to I-80 

and commuters enjoy several 

nearby train stations and a 

35-minute drive to Chicago. 

Visit the on-site sales 

information center for 

unadvertised specials and view 

the numerous styles of homes 

being offered and the available 

lots. Call Lynne Rinck at (708) 

737-9142 or (708) 479-7700 for 

more information or visit www. 

distinctivehomebuilders.com. 

The Prairie Trails and WestGate 

Manor new home information 

center is located three miles 

south of Laraway Rd. on Rt. 

52. The address is 24458 S. 

Rt. 52, 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. 

22-DISTINCTIVE_110217

24 | February 15, 2018 | The Mokena Messenger Classifieds 


Help 

Wanted 

1003 Help 

Wanted 

Growing Media Company 

Seeks Sales Directors 

Position Overview: 

22nd Century Media, a media 

publishing company based in 

Orland Park, is seeking Sales 

Directors to join their team. 

Responsibilities Include: 

Proactively prospecting and 

qualifying potential new 

advertising accounts; handling 

incoming leads; guiding ad 

copy for clients; identifying 

business opportunities and 

working with decision makers 

to obtain customer 

commitment; and achieving 

weekly revenue targets. 

Qualifications: 

Ideal candidates will possess 

1–3 years of experience in 

local/retail advertising sales 

and/or media environment. 

Must have a strong work ethic 

and ability to work 

independently as well as with 

a team. Excellent 

communication skills, 

time-management and 

interpersonal skills required. 

Next Steps: 

For more information or to be 

considered for this 

opportunity, email a 

resume to: 

careers@22ndcenturymedia.com 

No phone calls please. EOE 

Mokena School District 

Bus Driver 

$14.50/hr; 4.25 hrs/day 

Submit completed 

application to Rachael 

Aguirre, Lead Bus 

Driver. Mokena School 

District 159, 11244 

Willowcrest Ln, Mokena, 

IL 60448 or email 

employment@mokena159.org 

FULL/PART TIME 

TOW TRUCK DRIVER 

Days & Nights. Must be 23 

yrs & over, Clean MVR. 

Exp. preferd. Will train 

(708) 525-8990 

HIRE LOCALLY 

Reach over 83% of prospective 

employees in your area! 

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 

1003 Help 

Wanted 

INDUSTRIAL SALES 

SW Suburban (Tinley Park) 

Manufacturing Company 

seeks a person with 

experience in B2B Sales of 

industrial products 

(non-chemical). 

This is an inside, 

consultative Sales position 

which will focus on new 

product sales development and 

existing product sales. 

This sales/marketing 

function selects and targets 

decision makers to discuss the 

product features relative 

to the prospect’s existing & 

potential needs. 

Successful candidates 

should be proactive and have 

strong sales experience. 

Excellent salary and fringe 

benefits. 

Annual performance bonus 

potential. 

It is NOT an outside sales, 

telemarketing, nor a 

commission paid position. 

Send resume to: 

AERO Rubber Company, Inc. 

bschatte@aerorubber.com 

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 Tu-F 8a-2p or 

email resume to 

callus@lawntechltd.com 

Landscape Help Wanted: 

Must have a valid CDL 

driver’s license & labor 

exp. Self-starter & quick 

learner a +. Pay based 

upon exp. English 

speaking a benefit. Call 

Mon-Fri between 9-4 at 

815. 258.4042. 

CALL TODAY FOR 

RATES & INFORMATION 

708-326-9170 


Automotive 

$52 4 lines/ 

7 papers 

Real Estate 

$50 7 7 papers 

lines/ 

1003 Help 

Wanted 

Help Wanted 

$13 4 lines/ 

per line 7 papers 

Merchandise 

$30 7 4 papers 

lines/ 

Plant Lovers Wanted for 

Propagation Help! 

April-June 

We are looking for P/T 

help for spring propagation 

in our greenhouses. The 

work will include 

transplanting of seedlings 

and general care of plant 

stock. Applicants should 

be able to lift 25 pounds, to 

stand for several hours 

while transplanting, and be 

willing to work in a hot, 

humid greenhouse 

environment. Flexible 

hours and casual 

environment. Experience 

is not required, but love for 

plants is a must! If 

interested, call Stephanie 

to set up an interview. 

Possibility Place Nursery 

7548 W. Monee- 

Manhattan Rd 

Monee, IL 60449 

(708)534-3988 

Safety Assistant 

Tinley Park Safety Dept. 

looking for individuals for 

full-time office positions at 

transportation company. 

Multiple positions available. 

Candidates must be proficient 

with Microsoft Office and 

possess good commuication 

skills. Will train the right 

candidates. Please forward 

resume to 

recruiting@shipgt. com 

Licensed Insurance Sales 

Representative wanted 

IMMEDIATELY FULL- 

OR PART-TIME. We are 

located at 17121 88th Ave, 

Tinley Park, IL 60487. If 

interested, call The Ken 

Anderson State Farm 

Agency at 708.407.8000 to 

schedule an interview. 

Lawn Technician Wanted 

F/T exp preferred, valid 

driver’s license req. 

$14-16/hr. Healt 

h insurance avail. Office & 

routes in south suburbs. 

Call 708.995.5549. 

1003 Help 

Wanted 

Are you a Certified Fitness 

Trainer? Do you want the 

freedom of being your own 

boss and creating your own 

hours? Looking to grow or 

start your business? Office 

space is available for rent. For 

more information call: 

ANATOMY PHYSICAL 

FITNESS @ 815-405-2209 

Hiring Desk Clerk 

(must be flexible w/ 

shifts) & Housekeeping 

(Morning) Needed at 

Super 8 Motel 

Apply within: 

9485 W. 191st St, Mokena 

No Phone Calls 

Immediate openings 

for house cleaners in 

SW suburbs. 

P/T wkdays. No 

evenings/weekends. 

815.464.1988 

P/T Associate for Travel 

Agency in Orland Park. 

Exp. and open availability 

required. Approx. 16-24 

hrs/weekly. Send 

resume to: 

travel@goodbuytravel.com 

FALL IN LOVE WITH 

A NEW CAREER! 

JOIN OUR ABC TEAM. 

CALL TODAY: 

708.349.1866 

Exp. hair stylist needed. 

Apply within: Hair Trenz 

16637 S. Oak Park Ave. 

Tinley Park 

(708)429-0055 

Sales, canvassers, and 

installers needed. Call Trela 

Roofing & Remodeling: 

(708) 422-7204 

Bartender & Doorman. 

Will train. Must be over 21. 

Frankfort.708.612.5040 

1004 Employment 

Opportunities 

PAID IN ADVANCE! 

Make $1000/week mailing 

brochures from home! 

No exp. req. Helping home 

workers since 2001! 

Genuine opportunity. 

Start immediately! 

www.MailingTeam.net 

1022 Caregiver 

Wanted 

Looking for skilled nursing 48 

hrs (Sat from 7a-Mon 8a) in 

Flossmoor area for senior. 

Please call: 708.309.4004 

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 

Garage 

Sale 

1057 Estate Sale 

Orland Park, 18012 Kansas 

Ct. Eagle Ridge Townhomes 

Sat Feb 17th, 9-4p. Furniture, 

small kitchen appliances, clothing 

(sz S/M), Weber grill & 

collectibles. Everything must 

go! 

Automotive 

1074 Auto for 

Sale 

2009 Nissan Murano LE 

67k mi. Comes w/ Bose 

speaker system, 6 disc CD 

changer, heated seats, dual 

sunroof & extras. 

Good Condition. $10,400. 

(708)645-0358 

DRIVE CAR BUYERS 

TO YOUR DOOR WITH 

A CLASSIFIED AUTO AD 

CALL US TODAY at 708.326.9170 

Rental 

1225 Apartments 

for Rent 

Oak Forest Terrace 

15815 Terrace, Oak Forest 

Spacious 1 & 2 Bdrms. 

Serene setting & Beautiful 

Grounds. Tennis, Pool, 

Walking Trails. Near metra. 

708-687-1818 

oakterrapts@att.net 

New Lenox 

2BR, 1.5Ba, comfortable, 

clean & convenient downtown 

location, close to metra, 

shopping, restaurants & 

banks. $1,250 includes gas, 

water, heat, sewer & garbage. 

No pets, no smoking 

Also 2BR, 1Ba $995.00 

815-485-2528 

1250 Garages for 

Rent 

SPACE WANTED 

Storage for summer car 

wanted. Drop off now, pick up 

in May. 815-556-7084 Rick 

Advertise 

your 

RENTAL 

PROPERTY 

in the 

newspaper 

people turn 

to first CALL US TODAY: 708.326.9170 

www.22ndcenturymedia.com

mokenamessenger.com Classifieds 


CLASSIFIEDS 



Sell It 708.326.9170 

Fax It 708.326.9179 

Charge It 

Automotive 

Help Wanted 

Real Estate 

Merchandise 

per line 

DEADLINE - 

$52 

$13 

$50 

$30 

4 lines/ 

4 lines/ 

7 lines/ 

4 lines/ 

Friday at 3pm 

7 papers 

7 papers 

7 papers 

7 papers 

LOCAL REALTOR 

DIRECTORY 

Selling your home? 

Get ready 

With 

Mike McCatty 

mccattyrealestate.com 

708-945-2121 

ONE BILLION IN 

CLOSED SALES SINCE 1999 

Are you a REALTOR? 

YOUR AD 

COULD BE HERE! 

Call Today! 

708-326-9170 ext. 47 

Contact Classified Department 

to Advertise in this Directory (708) 326.9170

26 | February 15, 2018 | The Mokena Messenger real estate 


Sponsored content 

The Mokena Messenger’s 

of the 

WEEK 

The sellers absolutely love 

the layout and convenient 

location of this home. 

What: Fully upgraded 

home in The Bridges of 

Mokena. 

Where: 11915 Golden 

Gate Drive, Mokena, 

60448 

Amenities: This custom 

home has been finished 

with volume ceilings, 

hardwood floors, twopanel 

doors and Colonial 

trim. Step inside to 

the foyer which leads 

into an open floor plan 

encompassing a dining 

room, custom kitchen, 

family room, executive 

office/fifth bedroom 

and a formal living 

room. Offered on the 

second floor are two 

full bathrooms and 

four bedrooms, all with 

walk-in closets, and 

including a master suite 

with sitting room and 

an enormous walk-in 

closet. The basement 

offers additional living 

space with a recreation 

room and play room. 

Highlighted on the 

professionally landscaped 

exterior is a three-car 

garage and a large 

backyard with patio. This 

home is set in a desirable 

neighborhood that has 

custom homes, a park, 

playground, scenic pond 

and a prime location to 

Old Plank Trail, shopping 

and dining. 

Asking Price: $539,000 

Listing Agent: Joseph 

Siwinski, Lincoln-Way 

Realty managing broker 

and owner, (708) 479- 

6355, or jsiwinski@ 

lincolnwayrealty.com 

Want to know how to become 

Home of the Week? Contact 

Tricia at (708) 326-9170 ext. 

47. 

Jan. 10 

• 10167 Kirkstone Way, 

Mokena, 60448-7926 

- Marjorie M. Tagliavia 

to Janet R. Cassettari, 

$192,000 

Jan. 12 

• 19500 Sarkis Drive 

250, Mokena, 60448- 

8751 - Fox Lots Llc to 

Kristin Sullivan, Daniel 

Sullivan, $82,500 

• 11130 Denny Ave., 

Mokena, 60448-1613 - 

Jenylle M. Rys to John W. 

Malloy, Sarah E. Malloy, 

$270,000 

• 21618 Skyway Drive, 

Mokena, 60448-2005 

- Glen Haven Builders 

Inc to Philip A. Gurgone, 

Kristina J. Jones Gurgone, 

$575,000 

Jan. 16 

• 19048 Ruth Drive, 

Mokena, 60448-9805 - 

Julie A. Ficht to David E. 

Goeing, Melissa J. Goeing, 

$295,000 

• 21039 Tail Feathers 

Drive, Mokena, 60448- 

2443 - John T. Murphy to 

Kelly J. Hines, $423,000 

Jan. 17 

• 18895 S. Vanderbilt 

Drive, Mokena, 60448- 

8881 - Joleen Katula to 

Mark Palen, Lira Palen, 

$177,000 

• 19326 Tramore Lane, 

Mokena, 60448-8616 - 

Dawn Klaver to John S. 

Farej, Denise M. Martin 

Farej, $230,000 

The Going Rate is provided by 

Record Information Services, 

Inc. For more information, 

visit www.public-record.com 

or call (630) 557-1000.



CLASSIFIEDS 



Business Directory 

2001 Attorney 

Sell It 708.326.9170 

Fax It 708.326.9179 

Charge It 

DEADLINE - 

Friday at 3pm 

Automotive 

Real Estate 

$52 

4 lines/ 

7 papers Help Wanted 

$50 

7 lines/ 

7 papers Merchandise 

2006 Basement Waterproofing 

Leaky Basement? 

• Bowing Walls 

• Concrete Raising 

• Crack Raising 

• Crawlspaces 

• Drainage Systems 

• Sump Pumps 

• Window Wells 

(866) 851-8822 Family Waterproofing Solutions 

(815) 515-0077 famws.com 

FREE 

ESTIMATES 

2011 Brick/Chimney Experts 

$13 

per line 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

$30 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

2025 Concrete Work 

2017 Cleaning Services 

2060 Drywall 

Experiened 

Cleaning Lady 

Will Clean House or 

Apartment. 

Free estimates! 

815 690 7633 

...to place your Classified Ad! 

CALL 

708.326.9170 

2003 Appliance Repair 

Drywall 

*Hanging *Taping 

*New Homes 

*Additions 

*Remodeling 

Call Greg At: 

(815)485-3782 

Advertise 

your 

RENTAL 

PROPERTY 

in the 

newspaper 

people turn 

to first 

CALL US TODAY: 708.326.9170 


QUALITY 

APPLIANCE 

REPAIR, Inc. 

• Air Conditioning • Furnaces 

Refrigeration • Dishwashers 

Stoves & Ovens • Microwaves 

Garbage Disposals 

Washers&Dryers 

Family Owned &Operatedsince 1986 

Someone you can TRUST 

All work GUARANTEED 

BEST price in town! 

708-712-1392 

HIRE LOCALLY 

Reach over 83% of prospective 

employees in your area! 

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! 


CALL TODAY FOR 

RATES & INFORMATION 

708-326-9170 


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• Toilets 

815.603.6085


the Mokena Messenger | February 15, 2018 | 31



Kusay Tax Service 

Accounting /Payroll /Financial Planning 

Call for an Appointment Today! Drop-Off Returns Welcome. 

708-645-1188 

“What do you say?...you say KUSAY!” 

Serving The Southwest Suburbs since 1947 

15939 S. Bell Rd. Homer Glen 

(Behind the Bonfire Restaurant) 

CLASSIFIEDS 



Merchandise 

Directory 

2489 

Merchandise 

Wanted 

Metal Wanted 

Scrap Metal, Garden 

Tractors, 

Snowmobiles, 

Appliances, Etc. 

ANYTHING METAL! 

Call 815-210-8819 

Free pickup! 

BUY IT! 

SELL IT! 

FIND IT! 

- IN THE - 

CLASSIFIEDS 

708.326.9170 

2701 Property for 

Sale 

SHERIFF'S SALE OF REAL ESTATE 

of 18812 Creekview Lane, Mokena, IL 

60448 (Single Family Home). Onthe 

8th day of March, 2018 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: CitiMortgage, Inc. Plaintiff V. 

Martin Quezada; et. al. Defendant. 

Case No. 17CH 1034 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. 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 bysubdivisions 

(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 Contact: 

Codilis & Associates, P.C. 

15W030 N. Frontage Road Suite 100 

Burr Ridge, Illinois 60527 

P: 630-794-5300 

F: 630-794-9090 

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. 

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 

CitiMortgage, Inc. 

Plaintiff, 

vs. 

Sell It 708.326.9170 

Fax It 708.326.9179 

Charge It 

DEADLINE - 

Friday at 3pm 

Automotive 

Real Estate 

2703 Legal 

Notices 

Martin Quezada; et. al. 

Defendant. No. 17 CH 1034 

NOTICE OF SHERIFF'S SALE 

Public notice ishereby given that pursuant 

toajudgment entered in the above 

cause on the 6th day of December, 

2017, MIKE KELLEY, Sheriff of Will 

County, Illinois, will on Thursday, the 

8th day of March, 2018 ,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 tothe highest and 

best bidder orbidders the following-described 

real estate: 

LOT 13, IN CREEKVIEW UNIT ONE, 

BEING A SUBDIVISION IN THE 

SOUTH 1/2 OF SECTION 6, TOWN- 

SHIP 35NORTH, RANGE 12, EAST 

OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERID- 

IAN, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT 

THEREOF RECORDED MARCH 2, 

1988, AS DOCUMENT NO. 

R88-08174 IN WILL COUNTY, ILLI- 

NOIS, AND CERTIFICATE OFCOR- 

RECTION RECORDED JUNE 22, 

1988 AS DOCUMENT NO. R88-27145 

Commonly known as: 18812 

Creekview Lane, Mokena, IL 60448 

Description of Improvements: 

Single Family Home 

P.I.N.: 19-09-06-312-017-0000 

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 inand to the 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 bysubdivisions 

(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: 

Codilis & Associates, P.C. 

15W030 N. Frontage Road Suite 100 

Burr Ridge, Illinois 60527 

P: 630-794-5300 

F: 630-794-9090 

Plaintiff's Attorney 

MIKE KELLEY 

Sheriff of Will County 

$52 

4 lines/ 


$50 

7 lines/ 


2703 Legal 

Notices 

$13 

per line 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

$30 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

TO: 

OCCUPANT; 

LAPORTE DEVELOPERS, LLC; 

DJ FAMILY LLC; 

CHESTER PASCUAL; 

WILL COUNTY CLERK; 

AND ALL UNKNOWN OWNERS 

AND PARTIES INTERESTED. 

TAX DEED NO.: 17TX300 

FILED: 12/13/2017 

TAKE NOTICE 

County of Will 

Date Premises Sold 12/03/2015 

Certificate No. 14-02437 

Sold for General Taxes of (year) 2014 

Sold for Special Assessment of(Municipality) 

and special assessment number Not Applicable 

Warrant No. Not Applicable 

Inst. No. Not Applicable 

THIS PROPERTY HAS BEEN SOLD 

FOR DELINQUENT TAXES 

Property located at 10508 W LA 

PORTE RD., MOKENA, IL 60448 

Legal Description orProperty Index No. 

09-17-201-019-0000 

This notice istoadvise you that the 

above property has been sold for 

delinquent taxes and that the period of 

redemption from the sale will 

expire on 06/07/2018. 

The amount toredeem is subject toincrease 

at 6 month intervals from 

the date ofsale and may be further increased 

if the purchaser at the tax 

sale or his orher assignee pays any subsequently 

accruing taxes or special 

assessments to redeem the property 

from subsequent forfeitures or 

tax sales. Check with the county clerk as 

to the exact amount you owe 

before redeeming. 

This notice is also to advise you that a 

petition has been filed for a 

tax deed which will transfer title and the 

right to possession of this 

property ifredemption is not made onor 

before 06/07/2018. 

This matter is set for hearing inthe Circuit 

Court ofthis county inthe Will 

County Court Annex , 57 N. 

Ottawa St., Courtroom 236, Joliet, Illinois 

on 07/12/2018 at 9:00 a.m. 

You may be present at this hearing but 

your right to redeem will already 

have expired at that time. 

YOU ARE URGED TO REDEEM IM- 

MEDIATELY 

TO PREVENT LOSS OF PROPERTY 

Redemption can be made atany time on 

or before 06/07/2018 by applying to the 

County Clerk of Will 

County, Illinois at the Office of the 

County Clerk in Joliet, Illinois. 

ADDRESS: Office of the Will County 

Clerk, 302 North Chicago St., Joliet, IL 

60432 

For further information contact the 

County Clerk 

TELEPHONE: 815.740.4623 

American Tax Lien, LLC Purchaser or 

Assignee. 

Dated this 24th day of January, 2018. 

14-14-02437



CLASSIFIEDS 



2900 Merchandise Under $100 

Sell It 708.326.9170 

Fax It 708.326.9179 

Charge It 

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Friday at 3pm 

Automotive 

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4 lines/ 

7 papers 

Help Wanted 

per line $13 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

Real Estate 

$50 

7 lines/ 

7 papers 

Merchandise 

$30 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

6 Elvis Presley record albums: 

His Hand in Mine, Blue Hawaii, 

Welcome to my World, 

Madison Square Garden - Elvis 

on Stage, Legendary Magic of 

Elvis. All for $100. 

708.612.7373 

All trade air plus air tools: 

grinder, air hammer, ratchet, 

wrench sockets &chisels. Ampro 

air hammer $99 for all. 

Please call 708.567.8999 

Antique brass fireplace glass 

dorrs &screen, excellent condition. 

Fireplace tools to 

match, never used. All for $85. 

815.469.6554 

Antique vintage iron, Geneva 

IL #8 star made of cast iron, 

nice condition $35. Rare CJ 

vintage gasoline U.S. 5gallen 

can & spout by Jayes Can 

Company $35. Vintage original 

Stanley Handyman mitre hand 

saw box $20. 708.466.9907 

Cabbage shredder with 2adjustable 

blades 24”x7” $30. 3 

gallon clay crock $30. 

708.301.3528 

Chessie system 16 oz beer 

glasses $15 ea. Four wine 

glasses, green color $15. 1960 

lazy susan set, glass &chrome 

revolving tray $35. 

708.460.8308 

Craftsman hand plane w/extra 

blades $35. Palm sander $15. 

Gear wrench socket set, new 

$50. 708.214.4022 

Electric Fireplace. New $70. 

708.599.6796 

European wall tapestry, 16” 

wide, 26” long. Old world 

scene $100. 815.838.9179 

FREE “gumballs” from sweet 

gum tree. Great for crafts. 

708.460.7185 

Graco infant car seat &base 

$30. Dog trolley 50’ cable & 

pulley $20. 6’ artificial house 

plant (tree) $25. Very warm 

hand knit sweaters (M) $25. 

708.449.8920 

Hamilton beach 4quart cooker, 

model 33249, brand new in 

box $20. Bluetooth kareoke 

machine, model IJB5858 new 

in box $25. 708.349.1636 

Hickory sticks x4, $15. Spalding 

golf balls x12, 20¢. Titleist 

Pro V-1 Adams 7wood, $40. 

708.614.4678 

Ironite Ironer (Mangie) with 

new ironer roll pad $100. 

815.462.3242 

Ladies 2pc dress, size 14-16, 

perfect $15. Ladies maroon 

hooded jacket XL $15. New 

red leather change purse $12. 

Petite cleaned wedding dress 

$50. 708.460.8308 

Ladies dresser, $30. Men’s 

double door chest, $30. 

Kitchen table, $20. Night stand 

(old), $20. 708.448.3093 

Ladies long fur lined coat 

14-16 reversible, water repellant. 

Bought atFurrier, excellent 

condition $90. B.O. fake 

fur mid length jacket, new $40. 

815.545.0383 

Leather chair, maroon, $25. 

Silver-plated silverware w/ 

wood case, $50. 708.349.3238 

Like new Fender squier strat 

with effects pedal and gig bag 

$100 firm. 708.204.9326 

Mens black ariat cowboy 

boots, size 11 $75. Resistol 

black cowboy hat size 75/6 

$25. 815.469.6027 

Mikasa gold trim crystal wear 

8-stem wine &12 stem goblets, 

$50 cash. 815.588.1214 

Lockport. 

Mike Jordans, $2. Holiday 

b eanies, $2. Chris 

708.203.5667 

Modem/WiFi router, used, 

G.C. $20. Computer speakers, 

Logitech, G.C. $20. Outdoor 

TV Antenna, flat HD, new $40. 

708.822.8819 

New 54” TV media fireplace 

with storage & doors. Beautiful 

dark wood finish, will hold up 

to 75” TV $100. 708.349.1942 

New car stuff: windshield 

cover, fits most $10. Car cover, 

soft fabric up to 16 ft 8 in, $39. 

PPG 1998 car color chip book 

$35. Car cover cable &keys 

set $12. 708.460.8308 

New tools: 10 pc deep wall 

socket set $12. 3inratcheting 

clamp $5. 7.5 in circular saw 

blade $4 ea. 50 pc B&D 

screwn driving bit set w/ case 

$19. 708.460.8308 

Nishijin Pachinko machine, 

needs repair, $50 obo. 

708.774.8999 

Nishijin Pachinko machine, 

needs repair $50 obo. 

708.724.8999 

North Face mens Olympic 

vest, large. Red, white &blue, 

D enali Sochi $95. 

708.301.5136 

Pair of table lamps, white w/ 

scroll leaves, very nice cond w/ 

shades, 30”h, $50/pair. 

708.403.2473 

Prom dress, size 2-4, baby 

blue. Will send pictures. $100. 

708.715.0887 

Prom dress, size 2-4. Pink. 

Will send pictures. $80. 

708.715.0887 

Refrigerator GE, dorm size 

$30. Hockey left sticks $10 ea. 

Beer sign, Coors, $25. Leather 

coat sz large, long, like new 

$35. 708.301.5136 

Small black guitar case (like a 

bar) dice, shotglasses, long 

spoon cups &spot for bottle 

(never used) $40. 

708.612.7373 

Snowblower Toro CCR2000 

2-cycle, runs great, includes 

operator’s manual. Only $40. 

Call 708.460.6762 after 5PM 

Stained glass pool table light, 

tan & brown, 36x16. 5 pool 

cues, balls &rack $100 obo. 

708.921.1784 

Starwars original soundtrack (2 

album in folder) from 1977 & 

original poster $60. 

708.612.7373 

Stereo, 5 CD changer, 

AM/FM, cassette player/recorder, 

bluetooth remote 240 

watts $100. (630)917-2245 

Toddler bed, mattress, sheet & 

comforter, like new, $35. Call/ 

text 708.552.1691 

Toilet for disabled; never used. 

Sells for $65, asking $40. Jag 

jeans, new, sz16 $20. Hunter 

Douglas, new shade $10. 

708.955.7023 

Vacuum, Herby Heritage, like 

ew $35. 2-bar stool $25 set. 

708.444.4380 

Vintage original Stanley 

handyman mirtre hand saw box 

$25. Beautiful Gucci replica 

purse with shoulder strap, has 

all the Gucci emblems and tags 

$60. 708.466.9907 

White canopy/poster twin bed 

and box spring. No smokers/no 

pets. $75. Large box of books 

(50? various authors) $25. 

708.224.8003 

Buy 

It! 

SELL 

It! 

FIND 

It! 

in the 

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708.326.9170 

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Circle One:



This Week In... 

Knights varsity 

athletics 

Boys basketball 

■Feb. ■ 16 - at Thornwood, 

6:30 p.m. 

■Feb. ■ 20 - host Thornridge, 

6 p.m. 

■Feb. ■ 22 - host Lincoln-Way 

West (Senior Night), 6 p.m. 

Girls basketball 

■Feb. ■ 19 - at IHSA Sectionals, 

TBA 

Girls bowling 

■Feb. ■ 16 - at IHSA State 

Final, TBD 


Final, TBD 

Wrestling 


Final, TBD 


Final, TBD 

Boys swimming and 

diving 

■Feb. ■ 17 - IHSA Sectional, 

TBA 

Boys track and field 

■Feb. ■ 17 - at Proviso East 

Invitational, 9 a.m. 

Girls track and field 

■Feb. ■ 19 - host Crete-Monee/ 

Providence/Andrew, 5 p.m. 

Griffins varsity 

athletics 

Boys basketball 

■Feb. ■ 16 - at Stagg, 5 p.m. 

■Feb. ■ 20 - host Bolingbrook, 

6:30 p.m. 


■Feb. ■ 19 - at IHSA Sectionals, 

TBA 

Girls bowling 


Finals, TBA 


Finals, TBA 

Wrestling 


Finals, TBA 


Finals, TBA 

Girls gymnastics 

(Lincoln-Way co-op) 


Finals, TBA 

Boys swimming and 

diving 

■Feb. ■ 17 - IHSA Sectional, 

TBA 

CLASSIFIEDS 



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/ 


$13 

per line 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

$30 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

Boys Basketball 

Lincoln-Way Central 52, 

Andrew 69 

Sean Curran (16 

points) and Mike Maloney 

(11 points) led 

the way for the Knights 

Feb. 6. 

hockey 

From Page 39 

high school highlights 

The rest of the week in high school sports 

Girls Basketball 

Lincoln-Way Central 54, 

Thornridge 27 

Abi Baumgartner (17 

points, 5 rebounds), Haley 

Ragland (11 points, 5 assists, 

9 steals) and Natalie 

Spudic (8 points, 17 rebounds) 

led the way for the 

Knights Feb. 5. 

Lincoln-Way East 46, 

Bolingbrook 56 

Carolyn Waleski (14 

points) and Lauren Hunter 

(14 points) led the way for 

the Griffins Feb. 6. 

ada,” said defenseman Nathan 

Purpura, of Mokena. 

“It was probably the best 

time I ever had playing 

hockey. Overall playing for 

team USA versus Canada 

was amazing. The experience 

to play with a team and 

trying to win a championship 

for USA is incredible,”, 

said Orland Park native and 

team forward Nathan Petrusevski. 

“It was pretty cool representing 

our country. I think 

we all felt pretty excited 

that we were able to pull off 

the win,” said Grant Illsley, 

of Orland Park, who was the 

team Goalie for the championship 

game. 

“It was a great experience 

when we won it [Nations 

Cup] and all the USA kids 

came on the ice and were 

all cheering ‘USA! USA!’” 

said defenseman Nick Mistro, 

of Mokena. 

The players received 

medals for their win against 

Canada and guaranteed a return 

to the tournament this 

year, according to Holke. 

With this season now 

winding down it’s no time 

for the team to let up. The 

Vikings have to keep up 

the intensity if they want to 

make an impact in the state 

playoffs and the NIHL tournament. 

The team will be traveling 

to Crystal Lake this 

month for its upcoming 

NIHL playoff games. The 

finals are scheduled to take 

place in March in Joliet. 


RENTAL 

PROPERTY 


people turn to first 


www.mokenamessenger.com 

CALL US TODAY: 708.326.9170 

| www.22ndcenturymedia.com

mokenamessenger.com sports 


Athlete of the week 

10 Questions 

with Allie Reis 

Allie Reis is a sophomore 

at Lincoln-Way East on the 

girls Lincoln-Way co-op 

gymnastics team. 

How’d you get started 

in gymnastics? 

My mom signed me up for 

the Mommy and Me classes 

when I was, like, 1 year old. 

It’s pretty much been my 

whole life. 

What’s your favorite 

event? 

Floor, for sure. I just love 

tumbling. It’s always been 

my favorite event. It’s something 

where you can express 

yourself. 

If you won the lottery, 

what would be the first 

thing you would buy? 

Definitely plane tickets for 

around the world. I love traveling. 

[First i’d go to] Bora 

Bora. It’s on my bucket list. 

Who or what is your 

inspiration? 

Pretty much all the Olympians 

because they dedicate 

their whole life to gymnastics 

and I admire that so 

much. And they put in so 

much effort, and I love how 

it pays off for them. 

What’s your favorite 

part about gymnastics? 

Definitely, for high school, 

it’s just being part of a team 

and everyone’s so supportive. 

And it’s so much fun to 

support my teammates and 

it’s great to see it all pay off 

for all of us, especially when 

we win a meet. 

What’s the most 

challenging part of 

gymnastics? 

I would have to say when 

you see one of your teammates 

mess up, or you mess 

up yourself, because you 

see them work everyday. 

Obviously, everyone works 

so hard, and it’s just really 

hard to see someone disappointed. 

If you could own any 

exotic pet, what would 

it be? 

I would say a monkey, 

because I love monkeys and 

over the summer I went to 

Europe and saw a lot of live 

monkey in Great Britain. I 

just really love them. [I’d 

probably name the monkey] 

George, of the show, “Curious 

George.” 

Do you have any plans 

for college? 

22nd century media file photo 

I do not. I know I want 

to do something pre-med, 

probably something in the 

medical field, but I’m not 

sure about a college yet. I’ll 

probably go looking this 

summer. 

If you could add a new 

event in gymnastics, 

what would it be? 

I would probably want to 

add the rings, like the guys 

gymnastics, for the girls because 

they look really fun. 

What’s one life lesson 

you’ve learned from 

gymnastics? 

I think the No. 1 thing that 

I’ve learned is to not let anything 

bring you down. You 

need to learn resilience in 

life because, obviously, the 

world will keep moving on 

and you just need to bounce 

back. 

Interview conducted by Editor 

T.J. Kremer III 

basketball 

From Page 36 

63-57 on Nov. 21 in the title 

game of the Lincoln-Way 

Central/West Thanksgiving 

Tournament at Central. 

But in the SWSC Red game 

Jan. 16 at Central, the Warriors 

turned the tables and 

emerged with a 58-37 victory. 

When the Knights won 

the game back in November, 

they went on an 18-0 blitz 

to start the scoring. Against 

West, Reagan LoConte hit 

back-to-back 3-pointers to 

open the game for Central 

and it looked like a repeat 

feat of a large game-opening 

run was possible. But 

the six points would be all 

the sophomore guard would 

score in the contest. 

West quickly scored six 

straight to tie the game 

at 6-6. A couple of baskets 

by junior forward Abi 

Baumgartner (13 points, 7 

rebounds) put the Knights 

back ahead 10-6. West answered 

with seven straight 

points, but Central scored 

the last three points of the 

quarter, including a layup 

by senior forward Natalie 

Spudic (6 points, 6 rebounds) 

right before the 

buzzer to knot the game at 

13-13 after one quarter. 

“When they made those, 

we knew we had to pick it 

up,” Tara Gugliuzza said of 

the Knights hitting the early 

3-pointers. “We picked it 

up, made more shots and 

worked on defense. We 

knew if we hit our shots that 

we’d be OK.” 

Sure enough Tara Gugliuzza 

scored eight points, 

including hitting a pair 

of 3-pointers, as the Warriors 

went on a 14-2 burst 

to open the second quarter. 

Tara Gugliuzza, who had 11 

points at halftime, capped 

the burst on a 3-pointer for 

a 27-15 lead with 2:39 left 

in the first half. Sophomore 

guard Sydney Swanberg 

swooshed a 3-pointer at the 

buzzer to give West a 34- 

20 lead at halftime. Taylor 

Gugliuzza had seven points 

in the first quarter and had 

12 at halftime. 

Baumgartner scored four 

points to open the third 

quarter and cut the lead to 

10. That gave the Knights a 

glimmer of hope, but it was 

soon closed as West connected 

on 5-of-10 3-pointers 

in the game in the final 

five minutes of the quarter. 

Hastings, who had 12 second 

half points, popped in a 

pair of treys and had eight 

points in the third quarter. 

The Warriors led 51-34 

after three, and if there was 

any doubt at that point, it 

was soon gone as they embarked 

on a 10-0 run to open 

the fourth quarter. Swanberg 

(6 points) and senior 

guard Rachel Chavez (5 

points) each added 3-pointers 

in that spurt. 

“As the season went on 

I’ve seen us step up and hit 

shots,” White said. “Plus 

we’ve become more active 

and are moving our feet on 

defense. The crowd here was 

awesome. Central did a good 

job guarding us to start, 

but then, all of the sudden, 

things opened up for us.” 

Junior guard Corryn Mejdrich 

also added six points 

for Central. The Knights 

have been hampered in the 

second half of the season as 

senior post player Lauren 

Kraft, who had 20 points 

and 16 rebounds when Central 

defeated the Warriors, 

tore her ACL in the Medieval 

Classic Christmas 

Tournament and was lost 

for the rest of the season. 

“With West it’s pick your 

poison,” Campanile said. 

“Do you try to take away 

their dribble penetration, or 

do you help too much and 

give them the open looks? 

They hit 10 threes and we 

didn’t pass the ball too well 

(22 turnovers).”

36 | February 15, 2018 | The Mokena Messenger sports 



Warriors slam door on Knights’ win streak 

RANDY WHALEN 

Freelance Reporter 

There was more at stake 

for the Lincoln-Way West 

girls basketball team than 

just a victory over its crosstown 

rival in the rubber 

match of the season last 

week. 

Like an outright Red Division 

SouthWest Suburban 

Conference championship. 

Taylor Gugliuzza poured 

in a game-high 18 points as 

the Warriors got that with a 

63-39 victory over Lincoln- 

Way Central on Thursday, 

Feb. 8, at West. 

Not only did their 14th 

straight win give the Warriors 

(26-3, 11-1) their first 

outright SWSC Red title, 

the victory also establishes 

a new West school record 

for wins with 26. The old 

mark was 25, set with a 25-2 

record in the 2014-15 season. 

That was also the same 

season that the Warriors 

won their only other SWSC 

Red title, a shared one with 

Lincoln-Way North. 

Central (14-14, 7-5) saw 

its four game win streak 

snapped. 

“We looked at this game 

as a playoff game,” Central 

coach Dave Campanile said. 

“It was a great atmosphere 

and I wanted us to play a 

hard fought game. West 

won the conference championship 

and that’s good for 

them. But afterward I was 

completely positive. We all 

hit the reset button now and 

are 0-0 going into the postseason.” 

The door opened for West 

“With West it’s pick your poison. Do you try to take 

away their dribble penetration, or do you help too 

much and give them the open looks? They hit 10 

threes and we didn’t pass the ball too well.” 

Dave Campanile — Lincoln-Way Central head coach, on the loss to Lincoln-Way 

West 

to take the conference title 

outright when 2-time defending 

league champion 

Bradley-Bourbonnais was 

upset Feb. 6 in a 54-50 

loss to Thornwood. West 

had split its games with the 

Boilermakers (20-7, 10-2) 

this season. 

“Coach [Ryan White] told 

us at practice [on Wednesday, 

Feb. 7],” West freshman 

guard Tara Gugliuzza 

said of Bradley-Bourbonnais 

losing. “So we knew 

[what was at stake]. I’m 

really excited and it’s really 

good. All the hard work 

we’ve put into the season 

paid off.” 

As has been the case numerous 

times this season, 

Tara Gugliuzza (14 points) 

saw her older sister, sophomore 

guard Taylor Gugliuzza, 

lead the team in points. 

Junior guard Tara Hastings 

(16 points) also made big 

scoring contributions in the 

win. 

“No, honestly I didn’t 

think so,” Tara Gugliuzza 

said when asked if she 

thought she’d step into a 

team this good her freshman 

year. “I knew we’d be good, 

but not this good.” 

Neither did her coach, 

who has been the head 

coach at West for all of the 

nine seasons of its varsity 

existence. 

“We lost three seniors 

from last seasons team and 

two of them [Emily Atsinger 

and Courtney O’Donnell] 

were 4-year varsity kids,” 

said White of last years 

group, which finished with 

a record of 24-6. “So I’m 

just amazed how everyone 

on the team has stepped up 

to fill a role. I couldn’t be 

more pleased with everything.” 

Central and the Warriors 

split their previous two 

meeting this season. The 

Knights won by a score of 

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38 | February 15, 2018 | The Mokena Messenger sports 


Lincoln-Way earns trip back to state 

Chris Walker 


Una Farrel performs on the beam, where she took third 

with a 9.3 score and automatically qualified for individual 

competition at state with a fourth-place finish. 

Lincoln-Way East sophomore Allie Reis performs her floor 

routine. 

And the seniors have led 

them back to Palatine. 

Lincoln-Way co-op seniors 

Madi Flondor, Erica 

Dice and Una Farrell each 

advanced to state in at least 

one event and those contributions 

boosted the team 

score, which proved to be 

plenty for the entire team to 

join them in Palatine for the 

state finals. 

At the Sandburg Sectional 

on Feb. 5, where all but two 

teams improved their scores 

from what they scored during 

each team’s respective 

regional the previous week, 

Lincoln-Way co-op collected 

143.275 points, easily in 

front of runner-up Downers 

Grove North’s 137.575, 

which entered as just the 

fifth-highest scoring team 

among the six-squad field. 

Dice was third on vault 

with a 9.25, Flondor tied for 

fifth on bars with a 9.025, 

and Farrell took third on 

beam with a 9.3, tied for fifth 

on the floor exercise with a 

9.025 and ensured she’d 

compete in all four events 

by earning fourth place in 

the all-around with a 36.125. 

The top five placers in each 

of the four events, as well as 

the all-around automatically 

qualify for state. 

“We definitely made a 

few mistakes, but the scoring 

was probably a little 

harder, so this will help us 

get ready for state,” Farrell 

said. “We knew we have a 

very good chance to win 

the sectional title, but at the 

same time, we didn’t want 

to let it get to our heads. 

We just came in not trying 

to be overconfident, which 

can throw you off.” 

Team depth once again 

was apparent for Lincoln- 

Way as eight gymnasts contributed 

to the team total. 

Farrell led the way in all four 

events, while Flondor and 

sophomore Korina Jarosz 

added three scores apiece. 

Jarosz also finished ninth in 

the all-around with a 34.725 

and was sixth on vault. 

Freshman Grace Kmak, 

who placed 11th in the allaround 

with a 34.5, saw her 

beam and floor routine lift 

the team’s final score, while 

Dice, sophomore Allie Reis 

and seniors Sabrina Wenk 

and Gabby DeVito delivered 

to that same total in one 

event each. 

Lincoln Way co-op took 

sixth in state last February. 

“We know we’re not going 

to be the highest-ranked 

team there, but we’re going 

to go there and have fun and 

enjoy the excitement,” Farrell 

said. “And we’ll show 

the younger girls the ropes.” 

The pressure is kind of off 

the team now that they’ve 

punched their ticket to Palatine. 

“I felt like there was more 

Lincoln-Way gymnast Korina Jarosz performs a flip during her floor routine Feb. 5 at the 

Sandburg Sectional in Orland Park. Photos by Julie McMann/22nd Century Media 

Madison Flonder is one of three Lincoln-Way co-op gymnasts to qualify for an individual 

event at the state championship. 

pressure this year with people 

expecting us to make it again, 

and we had to fight through 

some injuries,” Farrell said. 

“I kept thinking about what 

would happen if we didn’t 

make it and if we let anyone 

down. So now that we’ve did 

it, we’ll continue to push ourselves 

to get better because 

we know it’s not going to be 

easy competition.”

will never forget. 

“It is amazing because it’s 

like you’re actually in the 

Olympics playing for USA. 

Having all the other teams 

play together trying to win 

it [Nations Cup]. It was fun. 

I like playing against Can- 

mokenamessenger.com sports 


fastbreak 

Youth hockey team prepares for national title defense 

22nd Century Media File 

Photo 

1st-and-3 

LW Central Nat’l 

Signing day (above) 

1. Football 

Mike Morgan, South 

Dakota State University; 

Peyton Nigro, 

Concordia University 

(Minnesota); and 

Brett Widule, University 

of Wisconsin- 

Platteville 

2. Baseball/Softball 

Ryan Vice, Western 

Michigan University; 

Andrew Hancock, 

University of Evansville 

(Indiana); Sarah 

Wilson, Cardinal 

Stritch University 

(Wisconsin); Trey Korbel, 

Triton College; 

and Matt Helwig, 

University of Wisconsin-Parkside. 

3. Volleyball 

Kylie Kulinski, University 

of Pennsylvania; 

Cassidy Wyman, 

St. Xavier University; 

Hannah Stacey, 

St. Mary’s College, 

Notre Dame. 

Craig McCarthy 


On Monday and Wednesday 

nights the Arctic Ice 

Arena in Orland Park is 

where you’ll find the Pee 

Wee hockey team known 

as the Vikings. This team 

of children aged 12 years 

and younger consists of 17 

players from the surrounding 

area. 

While the team is preparing 

for the end of their 

season, with the upcoming 

Northern Illinois Hockey 

League tournament and 

state playoffs, they’re still 

reveling in a win that goes 

back to Nov. 24-26. It was 

then that this group of 

young skaters were not only 

playing for themselves, 

their team and their families, 

but also playing for an 

entire nation. 

“It was just a bunch of 

little 11- and 12-year-olds 

chanting for their country. 

There were American flags 

going through [the arena]. It 

was crazy. Usually it’s just 

the parents that watch the 

game, but this game we had 

a crowd,” said team manager 

Kristen Bruns. 

Bruns, whose son is one 

of the goalies on the team, 

is referring to the final 

game of the annual Nations 

Cup. The tournament, 

held in Detroit, had teams 

from the U.S. and Canada 

competing not only for the 

cup but for national pride. 

The Vikings played in the 

championship game and 

beat Canada 4-1 to cap off 

an amazing run. 

Pictured are the members of the Orland Park Vikings 12-and-under youth hockey team. The team has its sights set on 

defending its Nations Cup title, which it won this past Thanksgiving 4-1 against Canada. Craig McCarthy/22nd Century Media 

“The last game came 

down to if we win the game 

we win the Nations Cup for 

all the teams in our division. 

The whole stadium was 

packed with USA fans,” 

said assistant coach Tim 

Rieman. 

“It was pretty rewarding 

to see them work as hard 

as they did and to win everything. 

To see them smiling 

and happy, it was pretty 

great,” said assistant coach 

John Gannon. 

“The experience can be 

summed up in two words: 

simply amazing. The kids 

had a blast, the coaches 

had a blast,” recalled head 

coach Ryan Holke. 

Approximately 300 people 

were in the arena during 

the championship game 

running around with flags, 

according to Holke. It’s 

something he and his coaches 

said they had never experienced 

at that level. For the 

players, it’s something they 

Please see hockey, 34 

Listen Up 

“[N]ow that we’ve [made it to state] we’ll continue to push 

ourselves to get better, because we know it’s not going to 

be easy competition.” 

Una Farrell – Lincoln-Way co-op gymnast, on what to expect in state competition 

TUNE IN 

Girls Basketball 

6 p.m., Monday, Feb. 19 

Lincoln-Way East opens sectional title 

week. 

Index 

35 – Athlete of the Week 

34 – High School Highlights 

FASTBREAK is compiled by Editor T.J. Kremer III, tj@ 

mokenamessenger.com.

mokena’s Hometown Newspaper | www.mokenamessenger.com | February 15, 2018 

USA! 

Youth hockey team looks 

to build on championship 

run, Page 39 

Win streak 

stopped West 

over Central in girls 

basketball regular 

season finale, Page 36 

Lincoln-Way co-op 

gymnast Grace Kmak 

cartwheels toward the 

vault Feb. 5. The Lincoln- 

Way squad took the 

sectional title and moves 

on to the state playoffs. 

Julie McMann/22nd 

Century Media 

LW co-op gymnasts take sectional title, 

state up next, Page 38 

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