MM_101118

mokena’s Award-Winning Hometown Newspaper mokenamessenger.com • October 11, 2018 • Vol. 11 No. 9 • $1 

A 

® 

Publication 

,LLC 

Mokena Fire 

Dept., Lions Club 

put on pancake 

breakfast show, 

Page 3 

Pop a wheelie 

Mokena resident uses his 

business to donate bikes 

for children, Page 6 

Earning his 

patches 

Gov. uses local shop for 

vest upgrade, Page 10 

Mokena Fire Protection District Trustee Ken Blank (right) serves a giant stack of pancakes, as Lions Club member Dennis Buxbaum looks on, at the 

pancake breakfast hosted by the two organizations at Mokena Fire Station No. 1 on Sunday, Oct. 7. T.J. Kremer III/22nd Century Media 

Like a fine wine 

22CM’s Active Aging 

Expo provides resources 

for aging well, Page 13

2 | October 11, 2018 | The Mokena Messenger calendar 

mokenamessenger.com 

In this week’s 

Messenger 

Police Reports................10 

Pet of the Week.............15 

Editorial........................19 

The Scene......................35 

Puzzles..........................35 

Classifieds................ 36-48 

The Mokena 

Messenger 

ph: 708.326.9170 fx: 708.326.9179 

Editor 

TJ Kremer III, x29 

tj@mokenamessenger.com 

assistant editor 

Amanda Stoll, x34 

a.stoll@22ndcenturymedia.com 

Sales director 

Lora Healy, x31 

l.healy@22ndcenturymedia.com 

real estate sales 

Tricia Weber, x47 

t.weber@22ndcenturymedia.com 

Classified Sales 

Kellie Tschopp, x23 

k.tschopp@malibusurfsidenews.com 

Legal Notices 

Jeff Schouten, x51 

j.schouten@22ndcenturymedia.com 

PUBLISHER 

Joe Coughlin 847.272.4565, x16 

j.coughlin@22ndcenturymedia.com 

Managing Editor 

Bill Jones, x20 

bill@opprairie.com 

president 

Andrew Nicks 

a.nicks@22ndcenturymedia.com 

EDITORIAL DESIGN DIRECTOR 

Nancy Burgan, x30 

n.burgan@22ndcenturymedia.com 

Amanda Stoll 


THURSDAY 

AARP Safe Driving Class 

9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Oct. 11 

and Friday, Oct. 12, Mokena 

Community Public Library, 

11327 W. 195th St., Mokena. 

Participants must attend both 

classes. Cost is $15 with 

proof of AARP membership. 

Cost is $20 for nonmembers. 

The Mokena Library will pay 

for first 10 Mokena Patrons. 

Class size is limited. Register 

at the library. 

FRIDAY 

Halloween Hollow 

4-8 p.m. Oct. 12; Noon- 8 

p.m. Saturday, Oct. 13; and 

1-5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 14, 

Main Park, 10925 W. La- 

Porte Road, Mokena. Enjoy 

the Windy City Carnival all 

weekend, with wristbands 

available for $25 per person 

per session. There will be a 

beer tent and entertainment 

this year from 4-8 p.m. on 

Friday and Saturday for ages 

21 and older. Halloweenthemed 

fireworks are scheduled 

for 8 p.m. on Saturday. 

There will also be a variety of 

contests for all ages including 

a pumpkin pie eating contest, 

costume contest and mutt 

strutt. Activities include the 

scarecrow laboratory, straw 

maze, horse rides and face 

painting. Admission is free. 

Parking cost is $5 per vehicle. 

For more information, more 

activities and a full schedule, 

visit www.mokenapark.com. 

W22 nd Century Media 

11516 West 183rd Street 

Unit SW Office Condo #3 

Orland Park, IL 60467 

www.MokenaMessenger.com 

LIST 

Chemical- free printing on 30% recycled paper 

circulation inquiries 

circulation@22ndcenturymedia.com 

The Mokena Messenger (USPS #025404) is 

published weekly by 22nd Century Media, LLC, 

328 E Lincoln Hwy New Lenox, IL 60451. 

Periodical postage paid at New Lenox, IL 

and additional mailing offices. 

POSTMASTER: Send changes to: 

The Mokena Messenger, 328 E Lincoln Hwy 

New Lenox, IL 60451 St. Anthony WOW 

7 p.m. Oct. 12, Frankfort 

Published by 

Township Building, 11000 

www.22ndcenturymedia.com W. Lincoln Highway, Frankfort. 

Join St. Anthony WOW, 

a non-denominational social 

group for widows and widowers, 

for a short meeting, 

entertainment and refreshments, 

New faces are welcome. 

For more information, 

call Mary at (815) 469-4351 

or Bill at (708) 478-6118. 

SATURDAY 

Shark Shredding 

10-11 a.m. Oct. 13, Mokena 


11327 W. 195th St., Mokena. 

Shred and recycle your old 

documents and confidential 

files safely and securely. Residents 

are invited to bring up to 

two boxes of personal papers 

and may witness the on-site 

mobile shredding process 

provided by Shark Shredding, 

Inc. All shredded papers will 

be recycled. 

Marching Band Invitational 

Noon Saturday, Oct. 13, 

Lincoln-Way West High 

School, 21701 Gougar Road, 

New Lenox. A spectacular 

lineup of 25 marching bands 

will compete, with the Lincoln-Way 

Marching Band 

slated to conclude the show. 

The LWMB will perform an 

exhibition of their show Las 

Rosas in the evening hours 

of the competition. Cost is 

$12 for adults, $7 for seniors 

65 and older, $7 for students 

with ID, and $35 for families 

with 2 adults and 2 students. 

Holiday Sides and Parties 

1-2 p.m. Oct. 13, Mokena 


11327 W. 195th St., Mokena. 

Join Chef Michael Niksic for 

holiday side dishes and party 

planning tips to make this 

hectic season a little bit easier. 

Key organizational tips to 

better plan your meal will be 

discussed. Tastings will also 

be provided. Space is limited. 

To register, call (708) 

479-9663 or visit www.mo 

kenalibrary.org to register 

through the online calendar. 

SUNDAY 

AOA Gentle Yoga Demo 

Deadline to register is Oct. 

14. Class will be held from 

10-11 a.m., Tuesday, Oct 16, 

The Oaks Recreation & Fitness 

Center, 10847 W. La 

Porte Road, Mokena. Join 

the Mokena Park District for 

a free demo class of gentle 

yoga designed for active 

older adults. Class size is 

limited. For more information, 

call (708) 390-2343 or 

visit www.mokenapark.com 

to register online. 

MONDAY 

WWII Radio Show 

Deadline to register is 

Oct. 15. Trip will leave at 

10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14 

from the Frankfort Township 

Office, 11000 W. Lincoln 

Highway, Frankfort. Join the 

Frankfort Township for a trip 

to Starved Rock in Utica and 

a World War II Radio Show. 

Cost is $50, which includes 

lunch. To reserve a spot, call 

(815) 806-2766. 

CPR Class 

6 p.m. Oct. 15, Mokena 

Fire Station #1, 19853 S. 

Wolf Road, Mokena. Join 

the Mokena Fire Protection 

District for a CPR class. Fee 

covers books, materials, and 

instructor fees. Students are 

instructed in adult, child and 

infant CPR and AED. A CPR 

card is issued to all those 

who successfully complete 

the course. The card is valid 

for 2 years. To register, visit 

www.mokenafire.org or stop 

by the station between 8 a.m. 

and 4 p.m. Monday-Friday. 

Village Board Work Session 


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 

www.mokena.org. 

Mokena Woman’s Club 



11327 W. 195th St., Mokena. 

Join the GFWC-Mokena 

Woman’s Club as they welcome 

Jim Gibbons to speak 

about the Brothers Grimm. 

Refreshments will be served 

at 6:30. Guests are always 

welcome. 

WEDNESDAY 

Board of Education Meeting 

7-8:30 p.m. Oct. 17, 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 www.mokena159.org. 

UPCOMING 

Senior Cooking Class 

9:30-11 a.m. Thursday, 

Oct. 18, Frankfort Township 

building, 11000 Lincoln 

Highway, Frankfort. Take 

part in this cooking class 

especially for seniors with 

Tom Grotovosky. To reserve 

a spot in this class, call (815) 

534-6173. 

Bunco for a Cause 

6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 19, 

LIST IT YOURSELF 

Reach out to thousands of daily 

users by submitting your event at 

MokenaMessenger.com/calendar 

For just print*, email all information to 


*Deadline for print is 5 p.m. the Thursday prior to publication. 

American Legion Post, 

15052 Archer Ave., Lockport. 

Cost is $20 per person, 

which includes pizza, dessert, 

and prizes. There will 

be an open bar, raffle baskets 

and a silent auction. All proceeds 

will benefit My Joyful 

Heart, a Mokena-based children’s 

charity that provides 

both life’s basic essentials 

and letters of encouragement 

to Chicago area children in 

need. For tickets, visit www. 

myjoyfulheart.org/newsevents/bunco. 

Trick or Trot 5K 

8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 20, 

Lincolnway Special Recreation 

Center, 1900 Heather 

Glen Dr., New Lenox. Join 

the LWSRA for their third 

annual Trick or Trot 5K and 

help raise funds for the ADA 

inclusive playground that will 

be used by LWSRA participants 

and community members. 

Cost is $30 for adults, 

and $15 for children ages 14 

and younger. Register online 

at www.lwsra.org/5k. Registration 

on the day of the race 

begins at 6:30 a.m. 

ONGOING 

Dine-and-Earn Fundraisers 

Support the Mokena Meteors 

music program at 

their monthly dine-and-earn 

events hosted at various local 

restaurants. Present the flyer 

and a percentage of the sales 

will benefit the music program. 

Visit www.mokenameteormusic159.org 

and click 

on the “Important News” tab 

for upcoming events.

mokenamessenger.com news 

the Mokena Messenger | October 11, 2018 | 3 

Partners in pancakes 

Firemen flip 

flapjacks, Lions lend 

labor for annual 

pancake breakfast 

T.J. Kremer III, Editor 

The griddle was working 

overtime Sunday, Oct. 7, 

for the second annual pancake 

breakfast hosted by 

the Mokena Fire Protection 

District and the Mokena 

Lions Club at Mokena Fire 

Station No. 1. 

Scores of community 

members turned out to the 

breakfast and open house, 

where they were treated 

to stacks of pancakes and 

links of sausage. 

It was the second year 

the two organizations combined 

efforts, which allowed 

the firemen a chance 

to put on demonstrations of 

a controlled fire and sprinkler 

system display, as well 

as show off to the public 

how a vehicle extraction 

works. 

For the Lions Club, the 

partnership allowed the organization 

to help out with 

the serving and cooking, as 

well as gain more exposure 

in the community and offer 

free hearing screenings onsite. 

“Combining forces has 

worked out great for us,” 

said Lions Club member 

Lee Kaz. “The fire department 

gives us so much 

help, and we’re glad we can 

bring awareness and help 

them out.” 

“By having the Lions 

Club here, it allows the fire 

department to show everything 

that we have and how 

it works,” said Mokena Fire 

Protection District Chief 

Howard Stephens. “So, we 

appreciate the Lions Club, 

we really do.” 

Also appreciative of the 

combined efforts of the 

two organizations was the 

Wiekel family, of Mokena. 

The family chowed down 

on some breakfast before 

Mom, Jennifer, and Dad, 

Matthew, could take son, 

Noah, 5, and daughter, 

Hannah, 3, to check out the 

fire trucks on display. 

Jennifer said that the 

family saw the signs along 

Wolf Road and decided it 

would be a fun time for the 

family. 

Hannah had just three 

words about her experience 

up to that point: “Yummy, 

yummy, yummy.” 

Later that morning, 

Please see Pan cakes 5 

Today, 

Iwill not 

stress over 

the things 

Icannot 

control. 

Living with Anxiety or 

Depression? 

Let ushelp. 

708-584-9158 

We are located in Mokena. 

Community members enjoy a hot pancake and sausage breakfast on Sunday, Oct. 7, 

courtesy of the Mokena Fire Protection District and the Mokena Lions Club. Photo by 

T.J. Kremer III/22nd Century Media

4 | October 11, 2018 | The Mokena Messenger news 


From Oct. 2 

Armed robbers allegedly hit three towns in 24 hours 


Mokena police are investigating 

an armed robbery that occurred at 

approximately 1:50 a.m. on Oct. 1, 

at the BP gas station at 191st Street 

and LaGrange Road. 

The lone suspect who entered 

the BP gas station in Mokena was 

described as a black male, approximately 

6-foot 1-inch tall with a thin 

build. The suspect was described 

as wearing a hoodie and a ski mask 

during the robbery, according to 

Mokena Police Chief Steve Vaccaro. 

According to Vaccaro, the suspect 

fled south on foot and managed to 

escape the area despite assistance 

from Frankfort Police Department 

and Will County Sheriffs Deputies. 

It’s believed the suspect had an accomplice 

waiting for him in a vehicle 

to make his escape. 

On Monday evening, another 

armed robbery involving two black 

males was reported at the New 

Lenox Speedway Gas Station, located 

at 800 W. Lincoln Highway, 

around 11:30 p.m. 

The same suspects are believed 

to have been involved in 

both robberies, and police are 

looking into a third possible related 

incident in a neighboring 

community, according to New 

Lenox Police Deputy Chief Louis 

Alessandrini. 

Tinley Park Police Chief Matthew 

Walsh confirmed an armed 

robbery occurred at approximately 

2:40 a.m. Monday at the 

Speedway gas station on 183rd 

Street, but said the investigation 

was too early to determine if any 

connection existed between the 

other reported robberies in neighboring 

communities. Walsh said 

a handgun was displayed and a 

minimal amount of cash was stolen. 

Police said no one was injured in 

any of the three incidents. 

New Lenox and Mokena police 

are urging anyone with information 

about the armed robberies to 

call the NLPD tip line at (815) 

462-6111 or MPD (708) 479- 

3912. 

Election 2018 

Steve Weber, Tim Brophy will vie for treasurer’s position 

Amanda Stoll, Assistant Editor 

When there was no democratic 

candidate on the ballot during the 

spring primary, there was possibility 

for incumbent Steve Weber to 

have an uncontested Will County 

Treasurer’s race. Then, Joliet resident 

Tim Brophy accepted a nomination 

as a candidate. 

Now, voters will have a choice to 

make on Nov. 6. 

In recent interview with The 

Mokena Messenger, the two candidates 

outlined their priorities, 

qualifications for the position and 

ideas about how the office should 

be run, if either is to be elected. 

Steve Weber 

Mokena resident 

Steve Weber said he 

chose to run for the 

office of treasurer 

again because of the 

progress and results 

he has had so far in 

the position. Weber 

“Because I’m getting 

such great results, I wanted 

to do it one more time,” he said. 

“All the improvements I’ve made. 

I want to make it easier for taxpayers 

to pay [and] lower the fees. 

Most elected officials raise the 

fees.“ 

Weber, who previously served 

as auditor, said working in financial 

offices is something he is 

good at and has been able to save 

the county money and bring in 

additional revenue through interest 

from investments. 

“I come in under budget every 

year,” Weber said. “In the first 

year I took that office as treasurer, 

I returned $240,000 in operating 

budget that I didn’t need.” 

In addition to eliminating overtime 

and reducing absenteeism 

through the implementation of a 

work week with four, 10-hour days 

instead of the traditional five-day 

work week, he said it has provided 

his staff with work-life balance 

they enjoy. 

“[Being] fiscally responsible 

also means we purchased our conference 

table on Craigslist, used,” 

Weber said. “We didn’t need a new 

piece of furniture.” 

If reelected, Weber said he plans 

to continue providing a friendly 

environment geared toward helping 

taxpayers as much as he can 

by reducing fees for credit card 

payments and allowing people to 

schedule payment throughout the 

year.” 

He said his license as a certified 

public accountant is an important 

attribute for the treasurer to have 

and makes him good at investing 

funds to benefit the county and 

community. 

“You can trust me because 

[CPA’s are] the most trusted profession 

and I was the watchdog, the 

auditor, prior to this,” Weber said. 

“I’ve got banking experience. I 

used to investigate people wasting 

government resources or stealing, 

so you can trust me.” 

Tim Brophy 

Brophy, who 

served on the Joliet 

City Council for 

16 years, said his 

background and financial 

experience 

make him a great 

candidate for treasurer. 

Brophy 

“I’ve had a public service calling 

my whole life,” Brophy said. “I 

was raised in a family that values 

volunteering and community service.” 

As treasurer, Brophy said he 

would be the “eyes and ears and 

voice” of the office, as he believes 

the framers of the Illinois Constitution 

intended. 

“Fiscal responsibility means 

doing the right thing when nobody’s 

looking,” Brophy said, 

“And a lot of bureaucrats, a lot 

of government employees have 

much to say about how other 

people’s money is spent without 

necessarily daily or constant 

oversight.” 

If elected, he said it is important 

to him to conduct a review of 

where the county currently invests 

its money. 

“I think [it’s] important that 

there’s an objective public body, 

maybe an advisory group, that 

evaluates the opportunities that 

there are for investing county 

funds and objectively decides 

on applying those or awarding 

bids based on best practices and 

not on favoritism or familiarity 

or campaign contributions,” 

he said. 

Brophy has experience in the 

banking industry and has a master’s 

degree in business administration 

from the University of Chicago 

Graduate School of Business. 

He currently works as an executive 

manager of a nonprofit organization. 

While serving on the Joliet City 

Council, Brophy said he chaired 

multiple committees, including 

those for land-use and finance, as 

well as the communications, technology 

and information systems 

committee. 

“I think that you have to have 

the capacity to understand everything 

that’s going on in the office. I 

certainly do,” he said. “...I’ve also 

worked on several major projects 

that involved millions of dollars 

of investments. So that experience 

with public funds and the 

direction of public funds is one of 

those critical traits and one that I 

possess.” 

When dealing with a large 

amount of public funds, Brophy 

said trustworthiness is an important 

trait to have, and said his work 

in leadership and volunteering can 

speak to his character. 

Visit us online at mokenamessenger.com

mokenamessenger.com News 


McGrath relocated after archdiocese said it learned of the allegations against him 

Former Providence 

president was living at 

friary near school, day 

care 


When the Roman Catholic 

Archdiocese of Chicago heard 

that a man under investigation for 

sexual abuse was living within 

their boundaries, it asked him to 

leave. 

The Chicago Sun-Times reported 

on Sept. 21 that the Rev. 

Richard McGrath, the former 

president of Providence Catholic 

High School in New Lenox, was 

residing at the St. John Stone Friary 

in Hyde Park. The friary is a 

mere 390 feet from the St. Thomas 

the Apostle grade school, and also 

is near a preschool and a day care 

center. 

McGrath is a member of the 

Augustinian Order of Priests, who 

have not responded to multiple attempts 

for comment on the situation. 

McGrath left his position at 

Providence High School after a 

student allegedly saw a photo of 

a naked boy on McGrath’s cellphone. 

When confronted by police 

and Providence administrators, 

McGrath refused to hand over the 

phone. A lawyer later informed 

police the phone likely no longer 

existed, leaving no evidence of any 

inappropriate material. 

Earlier this year, McGrath was 

publicly accused of sexual abuse 

and rape by a former student, and 

the case is currently under investigation 

by the Will County State’s 

Attorney’s Office. 

Anne Maselli, director of communications 

and marketing for the 

Archdiocese of Chicago, said in an 

email that the archdiocese knew 

of McGrath’s move to the friary, 

but that members were unaware of 

the seriousness of the allegations 

against him. 

“The Archdiocese was informed 

by the Augustinian Order four 

Rev. Richard J. McGrath. 22nd Century Media file photo 

months after Fr. Richard McGrath 

was moved to the friary in Hyde 

Park, however in informing the 

Archdiocese the Augustinian Order 

only mentioned that Fr. Mc- 

Grath had allegations of ‘inappropriate 

material’ on his mobile 

phone, and he had completed safeenvironment 

training,” she wrote. 

“The Order did not say anything 

about an allegation of sexual 

abuse against Fr. McGrath. If they 

had fully informed us of his status 

he would not have been permitted 

to live in the Archdiocese of Chicago.” 

After finding out that he is currently 

under investigation for 

sexual abuse during his time at 

Providence, Maselli said the archdiocese 

notified the Augustinians 

that he must be moved elsewhere 

immediately. The Augustinians 

were tasked with his relocation, 

but further details about when and 

where he was moved were unavailable. 

She said the archdiocese was 

informed that McGrath had completed 

safe environment training 

in response to the allegation 

of inappropriate material on his 

phone, and therefore “did not 

see the need to notify nearby 

schools.” 

Calls to the friary were not returned. 

pan cakes 

From Page 3 

MFPD demonstrated how 

a sprinkler system works, 

using a simulated room to 

ignite a fire and letting the 

sprinkler system do its job, 

which is to break open a 

tube and release the water 

once the temperature reaches 

170 degrees fahrenheit, 

in front of a enthusiastic 

crowd. 

Firemen also demonstrated 

how they extract people 

trapped inside a vehicle using 

a new Jaws of Life hydraulic 

tool, which made 

short work of the wrecked 

minivan used for the demonstration. 

RIGHT: Mokena firemen 

demonstrate how they 

extract people using a new 

Jaws of Life hydraulic tool. 

Photo by T.J. Kremer III/22nd 

Century Media 

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Mokena resident donates refurbished bikes to families in need 

Megan Schuller 

Freelance reporter 

Bike riding around the 

local neighborhood is a 

staple of many childhood 

memories, as much as trading 

training wheels in for a 

two-wheel bike is a rite of 

passage. Not all children get 

to share this experience due 

to financial hardships within 

their family. Mokena native 

Ron Kittler, owner of FnA 

Bicycles/FnA Outdoors in 

New Lenox, is working to 

change that. 

“Donating a bike can 

change a life,” Kittler said. 

“When we were kids that’s 

all we’d think about. We had 

our bikes and that was it. 

A lot of kids unfortunately 

don’t have that.” 

Kittler’s bicycle shop has 

been in business since 2012 

at 1303 S. Schoolhouse 

Road after seeing a need for 

a bicycle repair shop in the 

community. It wasn’t until 

2017 that he added outdoor 

equipment like kayaks to his 

shop. He often gets bikes 

donated that people have 

outgrown, so he has made 

it his mission to give these 

donated bikes new life with 

a safety tune up and a new 

home. 

Lead social worker in 

D122 Sue Francimore said 

that the 30 bikes donated by 

Kittler in late September will 

help 15 families. Bikes were 

donated in an array of sizes 

for both students and their 

parents. 

“Having a bike as a child 

is something so many of us 

take for granted,” Francimore 

said. “It’s such a positive 

thing to build family relationships.” 

Kittler said that fixing up 

and donating used bicycles 

is a rewarding way of giving 

Some of the more than 30 bikes that were donated in late 

September. 

back to the community. He 

said that the bikes are donated 

to people that wouldn’t 

otherwise be able to afford 

them, which increases accessibility 

to be active and outdoors 

together as a family or 

with friends. 

“A bike is not a financial 

priority. We make it a priority 

so the families can work 

together as a family unit and 

ride together,” Kittler said. 

More than 300 bikes have 

been donated throughout the 

local and Chicagoland area 

by Kittler’s shop in the past 

few years. He has donated 

to the school districts within 

the community, as well as 

Ron Kittler, Mokena Resident and owner of FnA Bicycles/ 

FnA Outdoors in New Lenox, unloads more than 30 bikes 

that his shop donated to families in D122. Photos by Megan 

Schuller/22nd Century Media 

organizations such as Big 

Brothers Big Sisters, All 

God’s People and the local 

Mokena Marley Frankfort 

FISH Resale Store. 

“It’s such an opportunity 

for our lower income families 

who are struggling,” 

Francimore said. “As a social 

worker, we love to help 

in any way we can. I like 

to imagine families riding 

around together, which is 

something they haven’t been 

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Fire department hosts info sessions, outlines referendum details 


This November will mark 

the sixth time New Lenox 

Fire Protection District has 

placed a referendum on the 

ballot. The previous five 

times the measure failed to 

pass. 

The district has known for 

years that its operating costs 

were increasing at a rate 

faster than its income from 

tax levies were. But, in lieu 

of failed referendums, Fire 

Board Trustee Joe Leavy 

said the department has continued 

to tighten its belt. 

“We’ve cut absolutely everything 

you can cut out of 

the budget,” said Levey, who 

serves as vice president on 

the board. “We do our own 

lawn maintenance, our own 

fertilizer [and] a lot of our 

own station maintenance. 

We work on our own vehicles. 

There’s really no fluff.” 

After the fifth failed referendum 

in March of this year, 

the board voted to close Fire 

Station No. 2 on North Cedar 

Road because of the increasing 

deficit. 

“The hardest meeting that 

I ever sat in as a public official 

was voting to close a 

firehouse because heaven 

forbid someone dies across 

the street from that firehouse 

because we didn’t get there 

in time. That’s a gut wrenching 

thing,” Levey said. “... 

We take our position on the 

board at the fire district extremely 

seriously because it 

deals with lives.” 

After public outcry and 

Voters in the New Lenox Fire Protection District 

will be asked the following question on the Nov. 6 

ballot: 

Shall the limiting rate under the Property Tax Extension 

Limitation Law for the New Lenox Fire Protection 

District, Will County, Illinois, be increased by an 

additional amount equal to 0.2021% above the limiting 

rate for the purpose of fire protection and ambulance 

service for levy year 2017 and be equal to 0.59% of 

the equalized assessed value of the taxable property 

therein for the levy years 2018, 2019, 2020 and 

2021? 

Upcoming information 

meetings 

All meetings will be 

held at New Lenox Fire 

Station No. 1, 261 E. 

Maple St., in New Lenox 

2:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 

18 

7 p.m. Oct. 23 

11 a.m. Oct. 24 

widespread concern about 

the closure, the Village of 

New Lenox voted to loan the 

fire district $450,000 — an 

amount that would allow the 

district to operate the station 

through the end of the year. 

Without a passing vote 

on the referendum, Levey 

said the board will again be 

forced to close Station No. 2 

until a time when the district 

can fund it again through a 

referendum. 

He said getting information 

out to voters this time around 

has been the top priority, especially 

after the district got 

feedback that voters felt like 

they were not well-enough 

informed about the previous 

referendum and the consequences 

of a failed vote. 

“We want to be able to get 

all the information out to the 

voters as we possibly can,” 

Levey said. “...After the last 

referendum failed, we did a 

survey. We went to great extents 

to find out [why].” 

A passing vote will allow 

the district to keep all four 

of its stations open and fully 

manned, while putting money 

toward replacing some of 

the aging vehicles in the fleet 

and beginning to pay back 

the interest-free loan from 

the Village. 

It will not, however, create 

any sort of surplus, Levey 

said. 

“To live within our means 

basically,” said New Lenox 

Fire Chief Adam Riegel, 

“...Unfortunately there’s no 

other way to make that drastic 

of a cut is through closing 

a station [and reducing] 

manpower. 

“Limiting little programs 

just aren’t going to make a 

dent in that.” 

New Lenox Fire Protection District’s Station No. 2 status will be in question once again as 

voters will weigh in its fate in November. 22nd Century Media file photo 

For owners of a $200,000 

home, that increase is estimated 

at $135 per year. For 

a $300,000 home, the cost 

increase is estimated at $202 

per year; and for a $400,000 

home, $270 per year. 

Since most homes do not 

fall into one of the exact 

values outlined in their referendum 

guide, which is 

available on their website, 

the district had a tax calculator 

added to the referendum 

page that will allow homeowners 

to get a more accurate 

estimate that is based on 

their actual home value. 

The New Lenox Fire Protection 

District’s service area 

includes a vast majority of the 

New Lenox Township, which 

includes some neighborhoods 

in Mokena and Homer Glen. 

In addition to allowing 

the district to keep Station 

No. 2 open, the referendum 

guide outlines vehicles that 

will soon require replacing 

and programs that cost 

money to offer at low or no 

cost to residents, including 

CPR and first aid classes, 

babysitting classes, car seat 

inspections and installations, 

the fire cadet program, soldier 

welcome home events, 

and having an ambulance on 

standby at community and 

youth sporting events. 

The district has recorded 

a 378 percent increase in 

workload from increasing 

call volumes. In 2010 the 

district received 2,802 calls 

for service, and in the last 

seven years those calls for 

medical help and fire calls 

have increased to 4,252. 

Closing a station would 

trigger a layoff of about 25 

percent of the district’s first responders, 

as well as some ancillary 

staff. Levy said having 

those first responders are crucial 

to keeping response times 

low and operating effectively 

and safely at a structure fire. 

“That manning allows 

us to effectively operate at 

a structure fire,” he said. 

“That’s really what we base 

things on, is being able to 

operate at a structure fire. 

You need 17 guys to operate 

safely, and that’s the number 

we [currently] have.” 

Please see station, 16 

donate 

From Page 6 

able to afford to do.” 

Kittler donates year round 

and looks for donations from 

the community to continue 

spreading the joy of cycling. 

His business, FnA Bicycles/FnA 

Outdoors, started 

out of a combined passion 

for cycling and the outdoors. 

Kittler serviced bikes 

on the side at first, but once 

it picked up he decided to 

make it a business. 

“I’ve been cycling my 

whole life and I love it, so 

I turned it into a business,” 

Kittler said. “Then, boom, it 

just blossomed.” 

Kittler said that he often 

sees bikes in the trash, and 

he wants to change that by 

not only recycling bikes that 

have life left in them, but 

giving back to the community 

that has helped his business 

grow. 

“People, they have no 

idea what a bike will do 

for them,” Kittler said. “We 

know that this is going to 

change their life... That’s 

why we do this. It is a business 

and we do the business 

side of things, too, but doing 

this is intangible.” 

The bikes were wheeled 

into the backstage auditorium 

of Oster-Oakview School 

one by one to be stored until 

the recipient families could 

be notified by the district to 

pick them up. The bikes were 

dispersed throughout the district 

of New Lenox D122 to 

families who were identified 

as families who would benefit 

the most from the donation. 

“We’ll be driving down 

the street and see a bike we 

donated. That right there is 

it, that’s all we need,” Kittler 

said. 

Kittler urges families that 

are cleaning out their garages 

for the winter to donate 

outgrown bikes rather than 

leaving them on the curb 

for garbage so that he can 

continue to pay it forward to 

those who need it across the 

community. 

For more info on how to 

donate a bike, visitfna-outdoors.com/donate-bicycles



Magical night for a 

cause at St. John’s UCC 


Freelance Reporter 

Thanks to the world-wide 

fan base of Harry Potter, a 

local man is throwing a fundraiser 

to raise money for a 

young Harry Potter fan in 

Crest Hill recovering from 

acute myeloid leukemia. 

New Lenox native Johnny 

Frank saw a Facebook post 

from a family member of 

13-year-old Kayla Zbroskewich, 

who urged members 

of the cosplayer Facebook 

group to send positive messages 

and photos of their 

Harry Potter costumes to 

Kayla to help lift her spirits 

during her recovery. 

The fundraiser is scheduled 

to be held on Oct. 20 at 

St. John Church in Mokena, 

with all the proceeds going 

to Kayla’s family for medical 

expenses. Cosplayers 

are coming from around the 

nation to be involved. Even 

local actors from All About 

Music will be participating. 

Todd Beebe, owner of All 

About Music and Children’s 

Theatre, said that he is proud 

of their participation in the 

fundraiser because it is a 

great way for the young actors 

to give back to their 

community. 

“We try to be community 

minded and donate to 

causes,” Beebe said. “It’s 

great to use your talent to 

help out others in any way 

you can. It’s great to see because 

that’s something we 

try to instill in them.” 

After realizing that Kayla 

was local, Frank reached out 

to the family and decided he 

wanted to do more than send 

some encouraging words. 

He wanted to bring the wizarding 

world of Harry Potter 

to life. 

“When I saw her on the 

Facebook page, a picture of 

Kayla in a hospital bed with 

Kayla Zbroskewich, who is recovering from acute myeloid 

leukemia, at Luries Children’s Hospital. A fundraiser for her 

is scheduled for Oct. 20 at St. John’s UCC. Photo submitted 

medical machines around 

her, it broke my heart and 

put things into perspective,” 

Frank said. “It just kind of 

hit me hard because I have 

three daughters and a son. 

Next thing I know it’s four 

in the morning, I’m in the 

garage covered in foam and 

paint.” 

Kayla was diagnosed five 

months ago after having 

had a stroke and near heart 

failure. After undergoing 

chemotherapy and rehabilitation, 

she is back home and 

continuing with physical and 

speech therapy rehabilitation. 

“She has clung onto life 

for the past five months,” 

her mother, Amy Zbroskewich, 

said. “She is in remission 

up to 0.1 percent. If 

there is even one bad white 

blood cell, it can mutate in 

to 400,000 cells again like it 

was.” 

Amy said that Kayla’s 

love for things like Harry 

Potter and music have been 

positive for her during her 

recovery. 

The community is joining 

in on paying it forward by 

contributing to the fundraiser. 

Raffy Candy Store is donating 

ice cream, and many 

residents have donated their 

time and supplies. Frank has 

even made full-sized store 

fronts to recreate sets from 

the Harry Potter movies. 

“Social media makes it 

seem like people are divided, 

but it makes you realize 

that people can truly come 

together and be wonderful,” 

Frank said. “Everyone steps 

up and pulls together. The 

amount of people from the 

community who have come 

forth, its just amazing.” 

More than 20 vendors are 

scheduled to be at the fundraiser. 

Harry Potter-themed 

drinks, such as “Butterbeer,” 

will be available, 

as well as a live sorting 

hat and more than 20 live 

characters to take photos 

with. The first main event 

begins at 9 a.m. Frank advises 

people to bring their 

dancing shoes because the 

venue will transform for 

the “Hogwarts Witches and 

Wizards Ball” from 7-9 

p.m. 

“We just want to have a 

good time and raise some 

money for the family,” Frank 

said. “We want people to 

have a good time, smile and 

forget their worries, and embrace 

the spirit of the event. 

Whether you like Harry Potter 

or not, it’s definitely going 

to be fun.” 

Tickets are on sale via 

eventbrite.com/e/magicmarket-and-fair-witches-and-wizard-ball-tick 

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Police Reports 

Parking in handicapped spot leads to arrest for suspended DL 

Richard E. Hiller, 31, of 

8165 W. Brickstone Drive 

in Frankfort, was charged 

Sept. 18 with operating a 

vehicle with a suspended 

registration and driving on a 

Don’t let your business 

suspended/revoked driver’s 

license. 

According to police reports, 

an officer on patrol 

observed Hiller park in a 

handicapped spot at a business 

in the 19800 block of 

LaGrange Road. The officer 

ran Hiller’s registration, 

which came back as 

suspended for a mandatory 

insurance violation. The officer 

then initiated a traffic 

and ran Hiller’s driver’s license, 

which also came back 

suspended. Hiller was then 

placed under arrest. 

Oct. 1 

• Kyle L. Aguon, 30, of 

97 Redar Drive in Schererville, 

Indiana, was 

charged with speeding and 

driving on a suspended/revoked 

driver’s license. 

According to police reports, 

an officer on patrol 

observed Aguon traveling at 

a high rate of speed in the 

10100 block of West 191st 

Street. A check of the radar 

reportedly showed Aguon 

going 57 mph in a 40 mph 

zone. The officer initiated 

a traffic stop, where it was 

revealed his driver’s license 

was suspended in Indiana. 

Aguon was then placed under 

arrest. 

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Mokena 

Messenger’s police reports 

come from the Mokena Police 

Department. Anyone listed in 

these reports is considered 

to be innocent of all charges 

until proven guilty in a court 

of law. 

short this season. 

BE SMART. ADVERTISE IN 

CONTACT 

LORA HEALY 

The Mokena Messenger 

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

® 

Gov. makes stop at local leatherworks shop 


During this time of the 

year, when a politician 

comes to town it’s usually 

to make a speech and rally 

voters. Not so on Thursday, 

Oct. 4, when Governor 

Bruce Rauner came to town. 

It turned out that the governor, 

who is known for his 

passion about motorcycles, 

need some patch work done 

on his leather vest, and he 

was recommended to one of 

the area’s best in the business: 

Ramon’s Shoe Repair 

and Motorcycle Leatherworks. 

No paparazzi, no stump 

speeches. Just a man in 

need of a wardrobe update 

since he has collected 

many new patches in recent 

years. 

“Some of my veteran 

friends who I ride with, 

they’ve used [Ramon’s] 

great business here to buy 

some of their leathers and 

get some of their patches 

sewn on to their motorcycle 

gear,” Rauner said. 

Ramon Anguiano, owner 

of the shop, said he’d never 

worked on anything for the 

governor before, but was eager 

to work on the vest, the 

same as he is for any other 

customer. 

“I’m gonna’ treat him 

just like anybody else over 

here,” Anguiano said. “I 

can tell you, as far as my 

business — my work is the 

same. Whether it’s the governor, 

the president or just 

a regular customer.” 

Governor Bruce Rauner (right) consults with Ramon’s Shoe Repair and Motorcycle 

Leatherworks owner, Ramon Anguiano (middle), and his wife, Connie, about getting new 

patches sewn on his vest on Thursday, Oct. 4. T.J. Kremer III/22nd Century Media

mokenamessenger.com School 


The mokena messenger 

Standout Student 

Sponsored by Marquette Bank 

Free preschool screening 

scheduled for Oct. 15 

Audrey Kaplan 

Audrey Kaplan is a secondgrader 

at Noonan Academy 

What is one essential you 

must have when studying? 

I do my homework I like 

it to be quiet, so I can focus. 

Sometimes my brother Ian 

and my sister Ruby are loud. 

What do you like to do when 

not in school or studying? 

I like to play with my 

friends outside. I also like to 

watch, “America’s Got Talent.” 

I also have my camo 

belt in karate. 

When is your dream job? 

I want to be in the army. I 

want to help people and protect 

our country. 

What are some of your most 

played songs on your iPod? 

I like Justin Timberlake 

when he was in the band 

NSYNC. My favorite song 

is, “I want you back.” I also 

like, “Hit me baby one more 

time,” by Britney Spears. 

“Wannabe,” by the Spice 

Girls is also a good song. 

What is one thing people 

don’t know about you? 

I like to dunk my potato 

chips in ketchup. 

Whom do you look up to and 

why? 

I look up to my mom. She 

is nice, takes care of my 

family, and she takes care of 

other people at work. 

Who is your favorite teacher 

and why? 

My favorite teacher is 

Mrs. Galloway. I like her 

because she is helping me 

become a better writer. 

What’s one thing that stands 

out about your school? 

Photo submitted 

Our school has chess club. 

I have never played chess, but 

I get to learn chess this year. 

What extracurricular(s) do 

you wish your school had? 

I wish my school had band 

for second graders. Next 

year I will be able to do 

band. 

If you could change one thing 

about school what would it 

be? 

I wish I could wear my pajamas 

to school. 

Standout Student is a weekly 

feature for The Mokena Messenger. 

Nominations come from 

Mokena area schools. 

Submitted by Mokena 

School District 159 

Thanks to a generous 

grant funded by the state 

of Illinois, Mokena School 

District 159 is able to offer 

free preschool to eligible atrisk 

children who will be 3 

or 4 years old on or before 

Sept. 1, 2018. To be eligible 

for this service, children 

must attend a free screening 

offered multiple times 

throughout the year. Members 

of our Early Childhood 

Staff preschool team conduct 

screenings of children 

who then may be eligible 

for the program based on a 

number of qualifiers, such 

as low family income, multiple 

or premature birth, 

English language skills, or 

an additional home or community 

factor that may contribute 

to a child being atrisk 

for learning. If the child 

has been found “at risk” 

as a result of the screening 

and if space is available, 

students may be admitted 

into the Early Start program. 

The screening services 

are provided at no cost to 

parents. 

During the screening, 

the team will assess the 

development of a young 

child in the following areas: 

large and small muscle 

coordination skills; delays 

or problems in speech and 

language skills; cognitive 

skills; socio/economic 

growth; and preschool readiness. 

Parents/guardians 

are interviewed in the following 

areas: basic health/ 

physical needs; socio-economic 

factors; safety needs; 

and social/emotional needs. 

After the screening, members 

of the Early Start team 

will share with parents/ 

guardians the information 

acquired from the screening 

about their child’s development. 

Results of these 

screenings are used to identify 

students who might be 

at risk of developing difficulties 

with school and to 

identify students for further 

evaluation if a disability is 

suspected. Staff will determine 

the necessity, if any, 

for further individual evaluation 

that would assist in the 

identification of the need for 

special education services 

or if the student qualifies for 

the Early Start program. 

The preschool program 

curriculum is evidencebased 

best practices for 

early learning and aligned 

with the Illinois Early 

Learning and Development 

Standards. This program 

encourages children to 

make choices and interact 

in various learning centers 

throughout the classroom, 

as well as greatly encouraging, 

and supporting parent 

participation. A socialemotional 

curriculum is 

also used within the program. 

Students are assessed 

throughout the school year 

to ensure they are making 

progress academically, socially 

and developmentally. 

Two daily sessions are offered: 

a morning session 

and an afternoon session. 

The next Developmental 

Screening will be held on 

Monday, Oct. 15 at Mokena 

Elementary School. Please 

contact the school at (708) 

342-4850 for an appointment. 

Free preschool screenings 

will also be held on 

October 29 and November 

13. 

Aurbury Hills 

School ‘Stomps Out 

Bullying’ 

Students wear blue in support of 

World Day of Bullying Prevention 

RIGHT: First- and second-graders pose in their 

blue attire to help support an end to bullying. 

Photo submitted

12 | October 11, 2018 | The Mokena Messenger mokena 


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Active Aging Expo offers ‘healthy’ serving of services 

Laurie Fanelli 


Aging isn’t what it used 

to be. 

People over 50 are more 

active than ever and, along 

with physical well-being, 

folks are prioritizing healthful 

practices across every aspect 

of their lives. 

With its fourth annual 

Active Aging Expo, 22nd 

Century Media empowered 

attendees to maintain and 

improve their medical strategies, 

financial planning, 

exercise routines, mental 

health and more with over 

40 vendors offering a variety 

of services. The Saturday, 

Oct. 6 event – held at 

the Tinley Park Convention 

Center from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

and sponsored by DuPage 

Medical Group, Ingalls 

Health System, Porter Place 

and Women’s Healthcare 

of Illinois – also featured a 

healthy serving of fun with 

free bingo games and prizes. 

The early-fall scheduling 

of the expo empowered attendees 

to learn more information 

about staying healthy 

during flu season. 

“We were able to get Jewel-Osco 

pharmacy to come 

in with flu shots and they are 

offering some limited vaccinations 

for shingles and 

pneumonia,” said Heather 

Warthen, chief events officer 

of 22nd Century Media. 

“That’s a great addition to 

have this year.” 

As attendees entered the 

doors of the expo, one of the 

first things they found was 

the DuPage Medical Group 

booth, where insurance 

agents Sakeena Gilbert and 

Allyson Rush shared information 

about Medicare and 

more. 

“We’re here to represent 

LifeSmart Senior Services 

on behalf of DuPage Medical 

Group,” Rush explained. 

“We represent all of the insurance 

carriers and a lot of 

people are unsure of what is 

covered under the different 

plans. We work very closely 

with our Medicare beneficiaries 

if they have questions 

and concerns about 

what’s covered and what’s 

not.” 

Rush encouraged attendees 

to take advantage of their 

complimentary Medicare 

overview if they have any 

lingering questions about 

making Medicare best work 

for them. 

“Don’t listen to your 

neighbor. Don’t listen to 

your friend at church or 

what you heard out and 

about,” she said. “Seek us 

out.” 

The Active Aging Expo 

featured several vendors 

offering services to make 

daily life a little easier, like 

ShelfGenie, a company 

which designs and installs 

custom pull-out or glide 

shelves. 

“It’s perfect for anyone 

who has trouble reaching 

into their cabinets,” said 

Judy Meyers, owner of 

ShelfGenie Chicago South. 

“We do kitchens, bathrooms 

or any existing space and 

you can get it installed in a 

couple of hours.” 

Warthen explained that 

the expo aimed to cover the 

full spectrum of health in 

older adults. 

“Medical health is obviously 

very important when 

you’re in the aging process, 

but in addition to medical 

health you also have emotional 

health, financial health 

and mental health, too,” she 

said. 

Vendor Monica Makin, of 

Cruise Planners, aimed to 

take the stress out of travel 

by sharing information about 

domestic cruise options as 

well as travel abroad. 

“We’ve got Pearl Seas 

Cruises which actually has 

a cruise that leaves from 

Chicago and sails the Great 

Lakes, and we’ve got American 

[cruises] which sails the 

Mississippi, the Ohio River, 

the Cumberland River [and] 

the Snake River,” Makin 

said, noting that Cruise Planners 

is a full-service travel 

agency. “Those are the kind 

of cruises that people don’t 

always think about.” 

Orland Park resident Susan 

Thomas invited her 

friend Linda Campbell, of 

New Lenox, to join her on a 

trip to the expo before going 

out to lunch. 

“A lot of the things sounded 

interesting,” Thomas 

said. 

Campbell added, “We 

wanted to get information on 

what’s available to us.” 

The Tinley Park Police 

Department had plenty of 

information to share on protecting 

oneself from identity 

theft and fraud while Edward 

Jones, Marquette Bank 

and Country Financial were 

among the vendors offering 

financial advice. 

Attendees also had the 

opportunity to say a special 

“thank you” to the troops 

by signing a holiday card 

for members of the military 

serving overseas. The cards 

will be sent out in conjunction 

with the Military Mama 

Network. 

On top of all the vendors 

and activities, the Active 

Aging Expo also featured 

a variety of speakers and 

performers hosting sessions 

throughout the event. 

Women’s Healthcare of Illinois, 

Phil Orsi (the 2018 

Orland Township Senior 

Idol), Frann Carnivele and 

Michael Barr-Schinzel, and 

chef Tom Grotovsky all 

were scheduled to take the 

expo stage. 

“We’re closing the stage 

out with a cooking demo 

from the Unforgettable Chef, 

Tom Grotovsky,” Warthen 

said. “He does a lot of cooking 

classes at Frankfort 

Township for the seniors and 

Gail Kaufman (left), of Homewood, Linda Campbell (middle), of New Lenox, and Susan 

Thomas, of Orland Park, chat with Tinley Park Police Department crime prevention officer 

Dina Navas Saturday, Oct. 6, at 22nd Century Media’s Active Aging Expo. 

Photos by Laurie Fanelli/22nd Century Media 

Jose Andrade (left), of Humana, chats with Orland Park resident Don Pieczynski. 

has done a few of our expos 

before, so it seemed like a 

natural fit.” 

Up next, 22nd Century 

Media will once again host 

its Healthy Living Expo at 

the Tinley Convention Center 

on Jan. 19, 2019. More 

information about upcoming 

events can be found at 

www.22ndcenturymedia. 

com/our-company/events.



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16 | October 11, 2018 | The Mokena Messenger News 


Will County tax rate could decrease again 

Staff Report 

The Will County Board 

Finance Committee voted 

Oct. 2 to adjust the corporate 

tax levy down from 

what the County Executive 

has proposed. The adjustment 

would continue to 

lower the tax rate on the 

county portion of residents’ 

tax bills. If approved at the 

Thursday, Oct. 18, board 

meeting, the rate could drop 

to approximately 0.58 percent. 

The rate last year was 

0.61 percent. The Finance 

Committee voted 5-3 to reduce 

the levy increase by 

approximately $300,000. 

The board has lowered the 

tax rate for the last three 

years in a row. 

“We’re really concerned 

about providing the highest 

amount of services for 

the least amount of dollars 

as efficiently as possible,” 

said County Board 

Member and Finance Chair 

Mike Fricilone. “We just 

want to play it safe and not 

plan to spend revenue that 

we might not receive; however, 

this will result in no 

reduction in services to our 

residents.” 

The vote comes on the 

heels of the first budget 

workshop, which was held 

on Sept. 26. The workshop 

helped to set the context of 

the $565 million budget and 

to go over the projected revenue 

and expenses for the 

coming fiscal year. 

At the workshop, county 

board members discussed 

the Will County Executive’s 

proposed budget of 

$565 million. The County 

Executive proposed taking 

an additional $4.3 million 

this year, which would 

come from new property 

and the consumer price 

index. The Finance Committee’s 

vote recommended 

only taking $4 million. 

Three members of the committee 

voted to keep the 

amount at $4.3 million. 

“Will County is already 

doing more with less because 

of state funding cuts,” 

said Will County Board Minority 

Whip and Finance 

Committee member Lauren 

Staley-Ferry. “I don’t 

think it is wise to cut more 

funding for services to residents.” 

Voter registration 

deadline approaching 

Staff Report 

station 

From Page 8 

Will County voters will 

have until Oct. 21 to register 

online. 

Two forms of identification 

are necessary when 

registering: One must show 

current name and address, 

while the second identification 

can be name only. 

Anyone who is unsure 

about the status of their registration 

may visit the Will 

County Clerk’s website at 

thewillcountyclerk.com, 

click on “Voter Lookup” under 

the “What’s New” section. 

Some important dates for 

Keeping response times 

low is critical to saving lives 

because in a fire or medical 

emergency every second 

counts. 

“Within four-six minutes 

[of when someone stops 

breathing] your brain starts to 

die, your heart muscle starts 

to die. Fire double in size 

each minute,” said Levey “... 

If we can’t get to you in five- 

10 minutes, your chance of 

survival are not so great.” 

A common misconception 

Levey and Riegel said 

people have is that the fire 

protection district gets money 

from taxes paid to the Village 

of New Lenox. In reality, 

it does not because the 

fire district is a separate taxing 

body, just like the school 

districts and library districts. 

Since the closure and reopening 

of Station No. 2, 

Riegel said the fire department 

has received a lot of 

support from community 

members and local businesses 

willing to help out, 

and said he hopes people ask 

questions and educate themselves 

on the situation before 

the Nov. 6 election date. 

The fire department has 

several information sessions 

scheduled where there will 

be a very short presentation, 

but the majority of the 

session will be devoted to 

answering questions from 

residents. For those unable 

Mokena residents: 

• Oct. 22: first day of early 

voting at Mokena Village 

Hall, 8:30 a.m-4 p.m. 

• Nov. 1: Last day to request 

a “Vote by Mail” ballot 

• Nov. 2: Last day to early 

vote at Mokena Village Hall, 

8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. 

to attend any of the sessions, 

Riegel said the department 

will schedule separate meeting 

times for individuals of 

groups. 

More information about 

the referendum, including 

FAQ, the 2017 year end treasurer’s 

report, and tax calculator 

can be found at nlfire. 

com under the “Public Info” 

tab. Other questions or concerns 

can be directed to the 

fire department by phone at 

(815) 463-4500 or email at 

info@nlfire.com. 

For a more in-depth 

look at the district’s financial 

information, including 

monthly financial analyses, 

budgets, audits and year end 

treasurer’s reports, visit nlfire.com/content/financials. 

Election 2018 

Various local candidates 

to run uncontested Nov. 6 

Lauren Coughlin 

Assistant Managing Editor 

This November, it’s off 

to the races for many candidates 

in Illinois elections. 

For some, though, the 

race ahead looks to be an 

easy one. Several candidates 

are seeking office with 

no ballot competition in the 

Tuesday, Nov. 6 General 

Election. 

The 2018 uncontested 

candidates with interests 

in 22nd Century Media’s 

southwest suburban coverage 

area are listed below. 

General Assembly District 

38 

Democrat Debbie Meyers-Martin, 

of Olympia 

Fields, is running uncontested. 

Meyers-Martin 

previously served as the 

Village president and as a 

Village trustee in Olympia 

Fields. District 38 represents 

portions of Frankfort 

and Tinley Park. 

General Assembly District 

80 

Democrat Anthony De- 

Luca, of Chicago Heights, 

is running uncontested. De- 

Luca served as the mayor 

of Chicago Heights for six 

years and also served on 

the Bloom Township High 

School District 206 Board 

of Education. District 80 

represents portions of 

Frankfort, New Lenox and 

Mokena. 

Cook County Board District 6 

Democrat Donna Miller 

will run uncontested in 

Cook County Board District 

6. Miller is a member 

of the League of Women 

Voters. She also serves on 

the board of Planned Parenthood 

of Illinois, and is 

second vice-president of Illinois 

Democratic Women. 

She was a candidate for 

State Senator 2012. District 

6 represents portions of 

Tinley Park, Orland Park, 

Orland Hills and Orland 

Township. 

State House District 85 

Democrat John Connor, 

an incumbent candidate and 

resident of Lockport, is to 

run uncontested in the 85th 

State House District. Connor 

has served in his role with 

District 85 since June 24, 

2017. His Republican opponent 

Lisa Bickus, also of 

Lockport, withdrew in late 

August, according to the Illinois 

State Board of Elections. 

State House District 

85 represents portions of 

Lockport. 

In the next two weeks, 

The Mokena Messenger is 

to feature candidate questionnaires 

for contested 

races with interests pertaining 

to the southwest suburbs. 

As is the case each election 

season, it is 22nd Century 

Media’s policy not to 

run any election-related coverage 

in the final issue — in 

this case Thursday, Nov. 1 — 

before Election Day. 22nd 

Century Media reminds that 

all election-related Letters to 

the Editor must be received 

by 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18, 

for inclusion in the Oct. 25 

issue of The Mokena Messenger.



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FROM THE NEW LENOX PATRIOT 

Pooch-a-Palooza provides fun in 

the park for pets 

It was a paws-itive afternoon at 

Walker Country Estates Park on 

Sept. 30 as the New Lenox Community 

Park District hosted its 

fourth annual celebration of man’s 

best friend, Pooch-a-Palooza. 

Raffles and games designed for 

dogs encouraged pets to let loose – 

while being leashed – and enjoy a 

day dedicated to dogs. This year’s 

festivities featured even more dogrelated 

vendors onsite, where pet 

parents could purchase their fur 

babies a snack or souvenir, as well 

as the welcome return of several 

popular contests. 

Each year, New Lenox-based pet 

food store Tucker’s Doggie Delights 

sponsors Pooch-a-Palooza 

and helps recruit food vendors and 

more offerings for dogs big and 

small. 

“We love this event because it’s 

dogs, dogs, dogs,” said Tucker’s 

owner Nick Janowski. “It’s on the 

north end of town, so this is a great 

opportunity for us to meet some 

new dogs.” 

Each year, the popularity of 

Pooch-a-Palooza continues to 

grow. 

“A lot of people in New Lenox 

are dog people, and dog people 

love to go to events with their 

dogs,” Wrase said. “They’re part 

of the family so they like to do 

something fun together. This event 

allows people to come out to a park 

– since we can’t offer a dog park 

per se – with their dogs and enjoy 

time with their family.” 

Pet parents can mark their calendars 

for Saturday, Oct. 27, when 

Tucker’s Doggie Delights will be 

hosting a Halloween party inside 

the store at 2011 Calistoga Drive in 

New Lenox. 

Reporting by Laurie Fanelli, 

Freelance Reporter. For more, visit 

NewLenoxPatriot.com. 

FROM THE FRANKFORT STATION 

ComEd rate falls below Frankfort’s 

electric aggregation program rate 

Frankfort residents participating 

in the Will County Electric 

Aggregation Group program will 

see electricity rates comparatively 

higher than ComEd’s rate following 

an unanticipated order by the 

Illinois Commerce Commission, 

Frankfort Mayor Jim Holland announced 

during the Frankfort Village 

Board’s Oct. 1 meeting. 

In August, the board approved 

an updated electric aggregation 

group agreement authorizing a new 

electric supplier for participating 

communities, including Frankfort. 

Under the contract, Constellation 

NewEnergy, Inc., agreed to supply 

electricity for three years at a 

rate of $0.07517 per kilowatt-hour, 

compared to ComEd’s $0.07941 

per kilowatt-hour rate. 

“In that contract it was very clear 

that it least for the first six months 

— nobody knows after that — but 

for the first six months the price 

would definitely be lower from 

[Constellation] than with ComEd,” 

Holland said. “And recently we’ve 

told our residents that we’ve signed 

a new three-year contract with 

[Constellation]. Well, it turns out 

that things aren’t always the way 

that they appear.” 

On Sept. 25, the Illinois Commerce 

Commission unexpectedly 

announced that it would temporarily 

rebate a portion of the ComEd 

price as a result of a settlement, 

reducing the company’s rate to 

$.07292 per kilowatt hour — a rate 

lower than the Constellation rate, 

Holland said. 

Because the aggregation program 

is an opt-in program, residents 

have the option to leave 

the program without penalty by 

contacting Constellation, Holland 

said. He also noted the cost 

savings would amount to about a 

dollar a month, adding residents 

can choose to rejoin the program 

at a later date and there was “certainly 

a very good chance” that the 

ComEd price would go up during 

the three-year term of Constellation’s 

contract. 

Reporting by Nuria Mathog, Editor. 

For more, visit FrankfortStation.com. 

FROM THE ORLAND PARK PRAIRIE 

Orland Park police honored for 

traffic safety efforts 

The Orland Park Police Department 

was recognized Oct. 1, with 

a slew of awards for making local 

roads safer. 

The department was awarded 

first place in the Illinois Traffic 

Safety Challenge for the “Municipal 

66-100 Sworn” category. 

It also won the Judges Award for 

best overall submission by any department, 

as well as an award for 

having the top distracted driving 

awareness program. Both awards 

were based on 2017 performance. 

“We were fortunate to win a 

number of awards as a result of 

our traffic safety program for the 

year, which also included no traffic 

deaths in 2017,” Orland Park Police 

Chief Tim McCarthy said. 

Scott Kristiansen, director of 

the Illinois Traffic Safety Challenge, 

was on-hand to present 

three awards to McCarthy and the 

Village of Orland Park Board of 

Trustees. 

“The Illinois Traffic Safety Challenge 

is a friendly competition between 

like-sized agencies with all 

the departments in Illinois,” Kristiansen 

said. “This year, for the 

2017 Illinois Traffic Safety Challenge, 

the Orland Park Police Department 

did an exceptional job. 

Some of you may know that this is 

one of the top agencies in the state 

of Illinois when it comes to traffic 

safety, highway safety, as well as 

law enforcement in general.” 

Kristiansen said there are four 

main violations that the Challenge’s 

organizers attribute for 

causing crashes: impaired driving; 

speeding; occupant protection; and 

distracted driving. 

“It is the enforcement and the 

education of those types of violations 

that have the biggest impact 

on the number and the severity of 

fatality and injury crashes in the 

state of Illinois,” he said, adding 

that the Traffic Safety Challenge 

encompasses a lot of different criteria 

— but “it’s not who writes the 

most tickets — not by a longshot.” 

“To win this award, you have to 

have comprehensive traffic safety 

program [encompassing] policies 

and procedures, training, recognition, 

enforcement, public education 

and information, and a datadriven 

approach to the traffic safety 

programs that you have,” he said. 

Reporting by Jon DePaolis, Freelance 

Reporter. For more, visit OPPrairie. 

com. 

FROM THE TINLEY JUNCTION 

Tinley Park golf course also serves 

as a nonprofit for veterans 

Nestled just beyond the Hollywood 

Casino Amphitheatre in 

Tinley Park lies the only nonprofit, 

public golf course explicitly dedicated 

to U.S. veterans and active 

service members in the country. 

The Odyssey Golf Foundation 

was created in 2013 by the Halikias 

family with a mission to serve 

veterans, active military personnel, 

and children and adults with special 

needs. Prior to the formation of 

the 501(c)(3) charity, the Halikias 

family built the Odyssey Country 

Club in 1990 with the goal of creating 

a public golf course with a 

country club feel. 

The course along with the pro 

shop, golf academy, and practice 

facilities was then gifted to the 

foundation to provide free golf instruction 

and practice, discounted 

course and driving range fees, and 

camaraderie in the form of wellattended 

weekly outings and specialized 

programs for amputees, 

visually impaired and those with 

special needs. 

“What I enjoy the most is coming 

out and coaching the visually 

impaired people that come from 

Hines [VA] Hospital,” veteran volunteer 

Warren Gill said. “That’s the 

most fun.” 

Veterans can purchase a bucket 

of balls at the driving range for $1. 

A typical outing — held multiple 

times a month and attended by an 

average of 100 veterans each time 

— features breakfast, 18-holes of 

4-person scramble-style golf with 

a cart, and a hot dog lunch for $15. 

“It’s wonderful,” retired Army 

medic John Mitchell said. “Everybody 

you meet has a different story 

from a different generation, but it’s 

all tied to the same common denominator.” 

Reporting by Cody Mroczka, Editor. 

For more, visit TinleyJunction.com 

FROM THE LOCKPORT LEGEND 

Lockport Rotary Club to start new 

Halloween tradition with Coffin 

Races 

It’s been a tradition in Colorado 

for almost 25 years and, now, Lockport 

is soon to start one of its own. 

Lockport Rotary Club President 

Kelly DeLaFuente came across the 

Emma Crawford Coffin Races & 

Festival in Colorado Springs, Colorado, 

while visiting her daughter 

at college. 

Emma Crawford died in the late 

1800s and was buried at the top of 

Red Mountain in Colorado. Her 

coffin was later moved and reburied 

elsewhere on the mountain, and 

after several years of harsh weather 

conditions, her remains slid down 

the mountain where her casket was 

discovered. It is that story that is 

the foundation of the Coffin Races 

that DeLaFuente wanted to bring to 

Lockport. 

On Saturday, Oct. 20, the Lockport 

Rotary Club is to host its inaugural 

Coffin Races. Twenty teams 

of five people are invited to participate 

and race down Hamilton 

Street in style. 

“We really didn’t have any Halloween 

events going on in Lockport, 

with the exception of the 

haunted houses, and we thought 

this would be a really good draw 

to bring people in during the October 

month,” DeLaFuente said. 

“And with the construction and everything 

going on downtown, it’d 

be good for businesses, as well as 

hopefully raising some money for 

the Rotary.” 

Applications to participate are 

available online at www.cityo 

flockport.net/645/Coffin-Race. 

Teams can register up until the day 

before the race, given that the event 

hasn’t reached its 20-team limit. 

“I would encourage people to try 

and build a coffin,” DeLaFuente 

said. “If they have any questions or 

something they can always email 

us. We can send them pictures of 

what ours looks like. The application 

is out there online and it 

should really be a fun event.” 

Reporting by Jacquelyn Schlabach, 

Assistant Editor. For more, visit 

LockportLegend.com. 

FROM THE HOMER HORIZON 

Third annual Race to Walk 5K has 

more than 100 finishers 

Fall weather is ideal for running, 

and the southwest suburbs 

are home to a variety of races dur- 

Please see nfyn, 19

mokenamessenger.com sound off 


Social snapshot 

Top Web Stories 

From MokenaMessenger.com as of 

Monday, Oct. 8 

From the Editor 

On the value of a good scare 

1. Armed robbers allegedly hit three towns 

in 24 hours 

2. Halloween Hollow returns, new features 

added 

3. Rimkunas sisters improve their bond on 

and off the court as doubles partners 

4. Football: Griffins continue to roll in 63-0 

blowout over Lockport 

5. HS football powerhouses LW East, 

Stevenson agree to games 

Become a member: mokenamessenger.com/plus 

TJ Kremer iii 

tj@mokenamessenger.com 

I’ve often wondered 

why some people are so 

enthralled with the horror 

genre. It always seemed 

to me that if one wanted to 

be terrified, then all he or 

she needed to do was watch 

a little bit of the TV news. 

There’s plenty of stuff out 

there that should scare a 

rational person senseless. 

And why people would 

actually pay money to have 

film makers, or authors, or 

whatever medium of one’s 

particular choice plant 

disturbing, grotesque, often 

extremely violent images 

that could last for life is still 

beyond my comprehension. 

But there was a story this 

week in The Messenger that 

had me rethinking (a bit) 

about the mentality behind a 

good scare. 

Now, to be clear, I don’t 

disparage people who enjoy 

the macabre; I just don’t understand 

it. And it’s not all 

things sinister that I have an 

aversion to. My confusion 

and reluctance to support is 

aimed directly to the overthe-top-, 

violence-for-thesake-of-violence-style 

of 

horror or thriller. 

For example, I’m a fan 

of “The Walking Dead.” 

But it’s not the zombies and 

violence that draw me in; 

it’s the story and interconnections 

with so many 

character arcs that keep me 

interested. There’s nuance, 

in my opinion, and that’s 

what’s valuable about the 

show to me, far more so 

than watching how many 

ways the show can decimate 

a zombie or a character 

(poor Glenn and Abraham). 

And with Halloween 

quickly approaching, I find 

more and more that the 

exposure to that particular 

brand of entertainment is 

tough to ignore. 

But here’s the thing that 

got me thinking more about 

why people enjoy being 

scared: I interviewed Gary 

Krohn, the man behind the 

mayhem at his Halloween 

Haunt. (You can read that 

story on Page 23.) 

Krohn is one of those 

people who seems to live 

for all things creepy and 

spooky. To each his own. 

But, there was genuine joy 

in his voice and eyes when 

he described his passion for 

Halloween season. He connected 

with the people who 

would come year after year 

to willingly expose themselves 

to as much abject fear 

as possible. 

And then it kind of hit me 

a day later: With so much 

terror in the world — at all 

times in history, and especially 

now — maybe people 

need a dose of the absurd 

to help relieve that tension 

from not knowing what kind 

of world they’ll wake up to 

in the morning. 

Maybe this is the time of 

year where we’re allowed to 

let our guard down a little 

bit and be afraid of things 

that go bump in the night, 

rather than the things that 

stare us in the face in broad 

daylight. 

Maybe it’s a sort of cathartic 

experience for those 

horror lovers. And if that’s 

what it takes for someone 

to make it through this 

crazy world, then I like to 

borrow a line from Hunter 

S. Thompson: “When the 

going gets weird, the weird 

go pro.” 

So, go weird this Halloween 

season, folks. Let your 

freak flags fly. 

“Anytime passing through Mokena, got to 

stop and see Grandma & Grandpa. Miss 

them” 

Jim Loomis shared this to his Facebook 

page Saturday, Oct. 6 

Like The Mokena Messenger: facebook.com/ 


“Thanks to all of our fans tonight!! 5-2 and 

playoff eligible again!!! Let’s finish strong!!! ” 

@LWCFootball posted this on its Twitter 

account Friday, Oct. 5 

Follow The Mokena Messenger: @mokenamessenger 

nfyn 

From Page 18 

ing the season, including 

the Race to Walk 5K, which 

recently brought the community 

together for a day of 

fun, fitness and fundraising. 

On the morning of Sept. 

30, participants flocked to 

Konow’s Corn Maze in 

Homer Glen for the 5K, 

which raised money for Alexandra’s 

Ambition Foundation. 

The nonprofit organization’s 

mission is to 

financially assist families of 

children born with arthrogryposis 

multiplex congenita, 

a condition which impacts 

the joints of newborns. 

The third annual 5K 

doubled its participation 

numbers, with more than 

100 people completing the 

3.1-mile course. That number 

increased to over 200 

when factoring in all of the 

supporters who signed up 

for the daylong fundraising 

event, which included 

a raffle drawing, live music 

and all-day admission to Konow’s 

Corn Maze. 

While everyone was looking 

forward to a fun day on 

the farm, more than anything, 

participants wanted to 

support the Alexandra’s Ambition 

Foundation, which 

was inspired by 6-year-old 

Alexandra Toma. 

“Our namesake and literal 

poster child is Alexandra, my 

niece. She was diagnosed in 

utero at 20 weeks,” explained 

foundation President and 

5K Director Sheila Hughes. 

“Arthrogryposis multiplex 

congenita is a rare disability 

that children in the United 

States are born with. One out 

of about every 3,000 children 

could be born with it.” 

Reporting by Laurie Fanelli, 

Freelance Reporter. For more, 

visit HomerHorizon.com. 

Visit us online at www.Mokenamessenger.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@ 

mokenamessenger.com. 

www.mokenamessenger.com.



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POETRY IN MOTION...” 

—Siegfried &Roy,Masters of the Impossible 

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Tour Our Beautiful Model Homes 

“Absolutely 

THE NO.1 SHOW 

in the world.” 

—Kenn Wells, former lead dancer of 

English National Ballet 

“Demonstrating 

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—Chi Cao, principal dancer of Birmingham RoyalBallet 

“I’ve reviewed about 

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None can compare to what Isaw tonight.” 

—RichardConnema, Broadway critic 

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“This is the highest and 

the bestofwhat 

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—Olevia Brown-Klahn, singer and musician 

Since 1970 

Contact the Sales Center for details at 708.479.5111 

and visit online any time at www.cranahomes.com 

Decorated Models are Open 

Mon-Thu 10am-4pm | Sat/Sun Noon-4pm | Friday by Appt. 

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Good things in 

small packages 

Lil’ Thangz teaches how to 

make mini models, Page 31 

the mokena messenger | October 11, 2018 | mokenamessenger.com 

Tried and true Traditional 

Middle Eastern dishes serve as pride, joy 

of Orland Park restaurant, Page 34 

Popular Mokena Halloween attraction makes return, Page 23 

Ghosts, goblins and ghouls of all sorts once again adorn the lawn of Gary Krohn’s home in Mokena. The popular attraction is back after a three-year 

hiatus. T.J. Kremer III/22nd Century Media

22 | October 11, 2018 | The Mokena Messenger faith 


St. Mary scheduled to host 

Polka Mass, ethnic luncheon 

Staff Report 

A special Polka Mass is 

scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on 

Oct. 21. The mass, which 

will be a catholic liturgy in a 

polka beat, will be followed 

by a Polish ethnic luncheon 

at 2:45 p.m. in the lower level 

of the church. Lemont’s 

Old Town Restaurant will 

provide the catering service. 

The special musical guest is 

Faith Briefs 

St. John’s United Church of Christ (11100 

Second St., Mokena) 

Blood Drive 

8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sunday, 

Oct. 14. Join St. John’s 

for a blood drive with the 

Heartland Blood Centers. To 

schedule and appointment, 

call (708) 479-5123. Walk 

ins are also welcome. All 

donors will receive an entry 

voucher for Siegel’s Cottonwood 

Farm Pumpkin Fest. 

Turkey Dinner 

4-7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, 

Christian Community Center, 

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. 

scheduled to be Wesoly Lud 

Polish Folk Dance Ensemble. 

Tickets for adults are $26. 

Tickets for children 12 years 

and younger are $10. Tickets 

can be purchased following 

mass on Saturday, Oct. 13 

and Sunday Oct. 14. 

For more information, visit 

St. Mary Church at 19515 

S. 115th Ave., or call Evelyn 

at (708) 479-1736 or Gennie 

at (708) 479-7322. 

2017 WINNER 

"BEST FUNERAL 

HOME" 

©2006 Copyrighted Material 

11046 Second St., Mokena. 

Join St. John’s for their annual 

Turkey Dinner. Tickets 

will be sold at the door for 

$12 for adults, $5 for children 

ages 5-11 and $2 for children 

2-4. Carry outs will be available 

at the church. 

Traditional Service 

8 a.m. traditional mass, 

9:45 a.m. contemporary & 

traditional music in a service 

of praise and reverence. Supervised 

childcare available. 

For more information, call 

(708) 479-5123. 

ADVERTISE 

YOUR 

FUNERAL 

SERVICES. 

Contact Classifieds at 

708.326.9170 

www.22ndcenturymedia.com 

Garden Club 

8 a.m. Tuesdays. For more 

information, call (708) 479- 

5123. 

Cards for a Cause 

7 p.m. the second Monday 

of each month. Bring your 

tape, scissors and colored 

pencils — if you have them 

— and plan for a creative 

evening with lots of fun. 

Bundles of Love 

7 p.m. the second and 

fourth Monday of each 

month. Enjoy fun and fellowship 

while making baby 

quilts for infants baptized at 

St. John’s and lap quilts for 

shut-ins. 

Mokena United Methodist Church (10901 

LaPorte Road, Mokena) 

150th Celebration 

5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27. 

To RSVP, call the church at 

(708) 479-1110 and leave 

your name, the number of 

people who will be attending 

and a phone number. 

Service and Sunday School 

10:15 a.m. Sundays. 

Church service and children’s 

Sunday School will 

be held. For more information, 

call (708) 479-1110. 

Bible Study 

7 p.m. Tuesdays at the 

parsonage. For more information, 

call (708) 479-1110. 

Community Prayer Gathering 

2:30 p.m. every 4th Sunday. 

Breakfast 

9 a.m. every third Saturday 

of the month. 

Choir Practice 

7:30 p.m. Wednesdays. 

Newcomers welcome. 

Weight Watchers 

Wednesday 

Weigh-ins take place at 

6:30 p.m., while the meeting 

is at 7 p.m. 

Marley Community Church (12625 W. 

187th St., Mokena) 

Church Service 

10 a.m. Sundays. Childcare 

is provided. 

Sunday School 

9-10 a.m. Sundays. 

Senior High Youth Group 

7-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays. 

For more information, email 

marleycommunitychurch@ 

gmail.com. 

Junior High Youth Group 

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

more information, email 

marleycommunitychurch@ 

gmail.com. 

Men’s Group 

6 p.m. Sunday nights in 

the church basement. All 

men are welcome. 

Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church 

(10731 W. La Porte Road, Mokena) 

Trunk or Treat 

4-6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28. 

Worship 

9 a.m. Sundays. 

God’s Kids Club 

10:15 a.m. Sundays in 

Sept.-May. 

Adult Bible Study 

10:15 a.m. Sundays in 

Sept.-May. 

Mokena Baptist Church (9960 W. 187th 

St., Mokena) 

Sunday Services 

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

more information, call (312) 

350-2279. 

Sunday School 

10:15 a.m. Sundays. Mokena 

Baptist offers Sunday 

School classes for all ages. 

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, 

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

p.m. Sundays 

Please see faith, 32

mokenamessenger.com life & arts 


Mokena fright attraction 

back from the (un)dead 


Strange lights flicker 

across the foggy moor, as 

wails and screams reverberate 

off dew-soaked autumn 

leaves — dew, or something 

more nefarious. 

Creaky, gnarled wooden 

cages and caskets strain to 

keep the monsters at bay. 

Skeletal hands and limp, 

served limbs reach out, 

beckoning and daring people 

to get closer. 

A ship of lost souls sets to 

depart once again, perhaps 

in search of more weary 

deckhands to navigate the 

inky-black depths. 

Nightmares come alive 

If you’re going… 

What: Halloween Haunt 

Where: 18909 Parkway 

Lane, in Mokena 

Price: No money, just a 

risk of losing one’s soul 

Things to bring: A priest, 

good pair of running 

shoes and a stern 

intestinal fortitude 

again on this ghastly piece of 

land in Mokena, which has 

remained buried for the last 

three years. 

But, now, ghouls, ghosts 

and goblins of all ages can 

scare themselves silly again 

at the masterwork of evil genius 

Gary Krohn’s Halloween 

Haunt. 

The display at the longtime 

Mokena resident’s 

home — which is absolutely 

free to any who dare to try it 

— is straight out of a horror 

film, all designed and built 

by Krohn himself, inspired 

by his love for all things terrifying. 

Legend has it that what 

started as a simple experiment 

in scaring the bajevus 

out of the neighborhood 

children quickly evolved in 

to an ever expanding hellscape. 

“We set up some things 

for the kids to scare the 

Please see undead, 33 

LEFT: Trick-or-treaters beware: the grounds become alive with undead after dark. 

41 ST SEASON 

OPENING NIGHT 

AMERICAN 

ORIGINALS 

OCT 20, 5:30PM 

Ozinga Chapel, Palos Heights 

Community Partners 

Stilian Kirov, Conductor 

Simone Porter, Violin 

Works by Bernstien, Korngold, 

Composer-in-Residence, 

and Gershwin 

Tickets from $27 in advance. 

(Fees may apply.) 

IPOMUSIC.ORG // 708-481-7774 

This program is partially supported by a 

grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. 

Don’t Miss The Shoe Event of the Season 

“Meet the Representatives from SAS, Rockport, Naot and Vionic” 

Friday, October 19th 

This lovely couple can be found at the Halloween Haunt of Gary Krohn, 18909 Parkway 

Lane, in Mokena. The attraction is free of charge and will be available evenings through 

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

FREE GIFT WITH PURCHASE, ENTER TO WIN A FREE PAIR OF SHOES* 

14360 S. LaGrange Rd. Orland Park 708-349-7377 

www.miroballishoes.com 

*Ask store for details

24 | October 11, 2018 | The Mokena Messenger life & arts 


Local author holds key to living dreams through moderation 


Children often have a special 

outlook on life and that 

starts with dreaming big. 

Ask a child what they want 

to be when they grow up 

and they’re likely to respond 

with all sorts of professions 

— from doctors and lawyers, 

to princes and princesses. 

Children are allowed to 

dream big; they haven’t yet 

learned the pressures of socalled 

“adult life” and the 

multitude of responsibilities 

that pull one in so many different 

directions. 

But here’s the thing: 

Adults can, and should, 

dream big, too. That’s part 

of the premise of Joel Krooswyk’s 

book, “Don’t Stop 

Just Quit.” 

The Mokena resident argues 

that moderation in 

one’s pursuit of his or her 

goals is the key to finding 

success and achieving happiness. 

Krooswyk said he came to 

realize this through observing 

his wife, Beth. And if 

that name sounds familiar, 

it’s because Beth is a regular 

contributing columnist 

for The Messenger with her 

“Mokena Munchies” recipes. 

“[Beth] has always said, 

‘Everything in moderation,’ 

and I would hear that and go, 

‘OK, I shouldn’t overeat,’ 

or, ‘OK, I get it. I won’t do 

too much of any one thing. 

I won’t overplay my video 

games,’ or something,” Joel 

said. “That’s great, but when 

you apply it to the broader 

spectrum of if I pour myself 

100 percent into my job — 

and I work for startup companies, 

[and] a lot of times 

these companies will take 

every hour you’ll give them 

because there’s a place to 

go, we want to be successful 

[and] I love that culture — 

but if I can’t come home at 

night and actually be a parent 

to my kids, then I have a 

generational negative impact 

on my kids because I chased 

a job. I have to be careful 

with that kind of thing.” 

It’s finding that kind of 

balance and yet still maintaining 

persistence of one’s 

dreams and goals that’s the 

subject of the first part of,” 

Don’t Stop Just Quit.” 

In part two of the book, 

Joel offers some practical 

ways of achieving that balance 

in the key areas of life: 

financial stability, health 

personal relationships and 

other areas. 

And so, we needn’t learn 

to give up on our dreams and 

goals, rather, we should focus 

on eliminating the clutter 

in our lives that impede our 

progress or take away our 

focus from those goals. 

A crucial part of learning 

to prioritize goals and 

dreams is questioning why 

one is doing this or that, Joel 

said. 

The dreams that will have 

the greatest impact and 

chance of success are the 

ones done at the right time 

and for the right reasons. 

“It’s one of those things 

that depends on your stage 

of life and who’s involved 

in that stage of life,” Joel 

said. “One of the things I 

talk about is a dream for 

yourself is probably not be 

the right dream. A dream for 

yourself is probably going to 

fail. When you talk about a 

dream for yourself, you’re 

not seeing the bigger picture.” 

“Don’t Stop Just Quit” is 

available on amazon.com, 

or on Joel’s website at dont 

stopjustquit.com. 

Joel Krooswyk, a Mokena author, poses with his book, 

“Don’t Stop Just Quit.” The book aims to help people 

become more successful by practicing moderation. T.J. 

Kremer III/22nd Century Media 

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LW East student builds life-size checkerboard for Eagle project 

Mokena business 

donates materials 

for project 



The Eagle Scouts of Boy 

Scout Troop 270 gathered at 

Chelsea Intermediate School 

the morning of Sept. 22 to 

shovel gravel into a square 

hole they had dug near the 

school playground. Each 

member of the troop carefully 

laid a large black or white 

square stone in a checkerboard 

pattern and pounded it 

into place in the gravel. 

Within a few hours, the 

stones had transformed into a 

playable giant checkerboard 

in the school’s backyard. 

The checkerboard was the 

brainchild and Eagle Scout 

project of 17-year-old Cole 

Chojnacki. After seeing a 

similar life-size checkerboard 

while on vacation, 

the Lincoln-Way East senior 

wanted to bring the game to 

Frankfort, so the local community 

and children could 

enjoy it. 

“I wanted to do something 

a little outside the box,” 

Chojnacki said. “Now, a 

little part of me is here. I’m 

proud of it. I’ve worked for a 

long time on it.” 

Chojnacki was responsible 

for developing the concept 

for the project, pitching it to 

the school and coordinating 

the labor and resources to 

complete it. More than 14 

members of his troop helped 

make his vision possible. 

Elemental Landscapes, of 

Mokena, donated all the materials 

needed for the landscaping 

of the project, as 

well as labor to ensure it was 

safely installed. Owner Mike 

Bonifacio said he was eager 

to help the Eagle Scouts because 

he was a Cub Scout 

when he was younger. 

“It’s something I really 

support,” Bonifacio said. 

Mike Bonifacio (left) and Cole Chojnacki shake hands and 

pose with a plaque Bonifacio received for donating his 

supplies and labor for the Eagle Scout project. 

Frankfort Boy Scout Troop 270 members Quinn Hickling 

(left), 13, and Alec O’Connor, 16, load sod into a 

wheelbarrow to lay around the stones that were set in 

place. 

“When this project came up, 

I wanted to help since I’m 

in the industry. It’s nice to 

get the younger generation 

involved in manual labor 

because it’s kind of a lost art 

with the new generations. It 

organizes them as a group 

and teaches teamwork.” 

Troop 270 Committee 

Chairman Chuck Rudy said 

Eagle Scout projects such as 

Chojnacki’s instill a sense of 

pride and community into 

the Scouts. 

“I think it’s a tremendous 

project,” Rudy said. “The 

Eagle project is a way for 

the Eagle candidate to provide 

something back to the 

community that showcases 

the aspects of Scouting.” 

The Eagle Scout pack 

installed the stone checker 

board alongside Bonifacio, 

as well as a storage bench 

to keep the pieces in. The 

checker pieces also have 

pole so when the player 

king’s their piece, the pieces 

can be stacked as they would 

be on a real game board. 

“I’m very proud of him,” 

Cole’s mother, Cori Chojnacki, 

said. “He’s been 

working hard on the project. 

Cole has really enjoyed 

being a part of the Eagle 

Scouts.” 

Assistant Scout Master 

Mike Bonifacio (left), owner of Elemental Landscapes, and Lincoln-Way East student Cole 

Chojnacki lay the stones for a giant checkerboard Sept. 22 at Chelsea Intermediate School 

in Frankfort. Photo by Megan Schuller/22nd Century Media 

Mike Bonifacio works with Frankfort Boy Scout Troop 270 members (left to right) Matt 

Lexow, 16; Drew Clarkin, 12, Aaron Herbst, 13, and Quinn Hickling, 13, to lay the stones 

that will become the playground checkerboard. 

Paul Herbst said that the Eagle 

Scout projects teach the 

young eagles valuable lessons 

in real-world situations. 

“It gives them a sense of 

ownership in the community,” 

Herbst said. “It gives 

them a sense of how things 

really work in the world. It’s 

a great environment to make 

mistakes. They now know 

how to get projects done and 

how they can benefit the 

community.” 

Months of working and 

planning came to a head 

once the final stone was laid 

by Cole and the sod was 

replaced around the checkerboard. 

To celebrate their 

work, Cole played a game of 

checkers with his fellow Eagle 

Scouts when the project 

was complete. 

“Now that it’s come together 

its kind of a closure 

for me. I hope it lasts a long 

time and kids will get to enjoy 

it for longer then I’ll be 

here,” Cole Chojnacki said.


mokenamessenger.com



Fun facts about Halloween contests, part II 

Deadline, prizes and 

more for our 2018 

contests 

Bill Jones, Managing Editor 

Fun facts: The average 

pumpkin has hundreds of 

seeds inside of it, and according 

to some internet reports 

they have been on this 

continent for thousands of 

years, and the biggest ones 

have been recorded passing 

the 2,000-pound mark. 

The average jack-o’-lantern? 

Zero seeds, if you did 

it right. Decidedly lighter. 

Now, here are some fun 

facts about our 22nd Century 

Media’s Halloween contests. 

Details for each are below, 

but questions can be directed 

to Managing Editor Bill 

Jones at bill@opprairie.com 

or (708) 326-9170 ext. 20. 

The Costumes 

The Halloween Costume 

Contest for 2018 features 

a total of three categories. 

Adults 16 and older have two 

ways to win, with awards for 

scariest costume and most 

creative up for grabs. Children 

15 and younger, meanwhile, 

will compete in one 

category in which creativity 

is key. 

We’re going to pick just 

one winner across each category 

from all seven of our 

southwest suburban towns: 

Orland Park, Tinley Park, 

Frankfort, Mokena, New 

Lenox, Homer Glen and 

Lockport. So, your entries 

need to be good. 

We have just a few rules. 

1) You have to be the person 

in the costume. You cannot 

submit for anyone else, 

with the exception of parents 

who submit for their children. 

2) Each person can only 

submit one costume for an 

22nd Century Media’s Halloween contest runs through Nov. 1. Prizes will be awarded for 

best costumes and pumpkin carving. 22nd century media file photo 

entry (basically, you cannot 

send yourself in multiple 

costumes — pick one), 

though families can send one 

entry per person from different 

members of the family 

(and they can be submitted 

together). A group also may 

enter one group costume, 

eligible for one prize, as a 

group. 

3) We understand there 

may be a bit in the way of 

scary imagery (such is the 

nature of the holiday), but 

the costumes have to be relatively 

family friendly to be 

considered and published. 

Nothing beyond PG-13. 

4) Entries must be submitted 

no later than 2 p.m. 

Thursday, Nov. 1, to bill@ 

opprairie.com or 22nd Century 

Media, c/o Managing 

Editor Bill Jones, at 11516 

W. 183rd St. Unit SW Office 

Condo 3, Orland Park, 

IL, 60467 (physical entries 

cannot be returned), along 

with names, email addresses 

and/or phone numbers, and 

towns for each of the entrants. 

5) The entries will be 

judged by 22nd Century 

Media’s editorial staff, with 

winners being chosen based 

on creativity, successful execution 

of an idea, quality of 

craftsmanship and consideration 

of the holiday/season. 

6) All entries are subject to 

being published. 

The prizes are detailed in 

the accompanying sidebar. 

The Pumpkins 

Our pumpkin carving contest 

returns in 2018 with a 

category for adults 16 and 

older, as well as one for children 

15 and younger. In both 

categories, it is all about creativity 

and skill. 

We will pick just one winner 

across each category 

from all seven of our southwest 

suburban towns: Orland 

Park, Tinley Park, Frankfort, 

Mokena, New Lenox, Homer 

Glen and Lockport. 

We have just a few rules. 

1) You have to be the person 

who carved the pumpkin. 

You cannot submit for 

anyone else, with the exception 

of parents who submit 

for their children. 

2) Each person can only 

submit one pumpkin photo 

(can feature multiple pumpkins 

if there is a theme) for 

an entry, though families can 

send one entry per person 

from different members of 

The Prizes 

A breakdown of the prizes available in 22nd Century 

Media’s 2018 Halloween contests, by category. 

Best Adult Costume-Scary (16 and older) 

• A $25 gift certificate for Rubi Agave Latin Kitchen, 

Tequila & Whiskey Bar, 12622 W. 159th St. in Homer 

Glen 

• A $5 gift certificate for Whizzy Puffs, 106 MacGregor 

Road in Lockport 

Best Adult Costume-Creative (16 and older) 

• A $25 gift certificate for White Street Cafe, located 

inside the Trolley Barn in Frankfort 



Best Children’s Costume (15 and younger) 

• Two hours of free bowling for up to six people, 

including shoe rentals, along with a pizza and pitcher 

full of pop, at Laraway Lanes, 1009 West Laraway 

Road in New Lenox 

• A $25 gift card for Gizmos Fun Factory, 66 Orland 

Square Drive in Orland Park 

Best Adult-Crafted Pumpkin (16 and older) 

• A $25 gift certificate for Rubi Agave Latin Kitchen, 

Tequila & Whiskey Bar, 12622 W. 159th St. in Homer 

Glen 



Best Pumpkin Created by a Child (15 and younger) 

• Gift certificate valued at $25 from Odyssey Fun 

World, 19111 Oak Park Ave. in Tinley Park 

• A $25 gift card for Gizmos Fun Factory, 66 Orland 

Square Drive in Orland Park 

the family (and they can be 

submitted together). 

3) We understand there 

may be a bit in the way of 

scary imagery (such is the 

nature of the holiday), but 

the pumpkins have to be 

relatively family friendly to 

be considered and published. 

Nothing beyond PG-13. 

4) Entries must be submitted 

no later than 2 p.m. 

Thursday, Nov. 1, to bill@ 

opprairie.com or 22nd Century 

Media, c/o Managing 

Editor Bill Jones, at 11516 

W. 183rd St. Unit SW Office 

Condo 3, Orland Park, 

IL, 60467 (physical entries 

cannot be returned), along 

with names, email addresses 

and/or phone numbers, and 

towns for each of the entrants. 

5) The entries will be 

judged by 22nd Century 

Media’s editorial staff, with 

winners being chosen based 

on creativity, successful execution 

of an idea, quality of 

craftsmanship and consideration 

of the holiday/season. 

6) All entries are subject to 

being published. 

The prizes are detailed in 

the accompanying sidebar.

28 | October 11, 2018 | The Mokena Messenger MOKENA 

mokenamessenger.com mokenamessenger.com MOKENA 


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Weathering the Storm 

Above-normal temps carry 

into September, October 

September weather 

in review 

Mark T. Carroll 

Contributing Columnist 

For the fifth consecutive 

month, we 

experienced above 

normal temperatures during 

September. 

The last month that had 

temperatures below normal 

was April (our spring had 

temperatures well below 

normal). The average 

temperature for September 

2018 was nearly 4 degrees 

above normal. 

Five days in September 

had a high temperature 

above 90 degrees (we 

normally have one day each 

September with a temperature 

at or above 90). 

O’Hare International 

Airport set a record high 

temperature on Sept. 20 

with a high of 93 degrees. 

The previous record had 

just been set in 2017 with a 

high of 92. 

Midway Airport also set 

a record on Sept. 20 with 

a high of 95 degrees. The 

previous record of 92 also 

occurred in 2017 at Midway 

Airport. 

We have had a total of 

26 90-degree days in 2018, 

with the normal number of 

90-degree days being 14 

annually. The 26 such days 

this year was the first time 

since 2012 that we have 

had more than 20 90-degree 

days in a year. 

The coldest temperature 

in September was 42 

degrees on the morning of 

Sept. 29. 

Thunderstorms made 

the precipitation totals for 

the month of September 

inconsistent throughout our 

region. 

O’Hare Airport recorded 

3.65 inches of rain in 

September, which was 0.44 

inches above normal. 

Midway Airport had 2.28 

inches of rain in September, 

which was a little more 

than one inch below normal 

for the month. 

September rainfall totals 

for the south and southwest 

suburbs 

• Oak Forest: 4.82 inches 

• New Lenox: 4.65 inches 

• Homer Glen: 3.23 

inches 

• Manhattan: 3.12 inches 

• Mokena: 3.01 inches 

• Joliet: 2.60 inches 

Remnants from Tropical 

Storm Gordon brought 

precipitation to our area 

Sept. 6 and 7. New Lenox 

and Homer Glen recorded 

just over 1 inch of rain, 

while Oak Forest had 0.77 

inches, Manhattan had 0.52 

inches and Lemont had 

0.45 inches. 

During the early evening 

of Tuesday, Sept. 25, a cold 

frontal passage brought 

damaging winds to the west 

and northwest suburbs. For 

us, the front brought brief 

but at times heavy rainfall. 

Precipitation totals for 

Tuesday, Sept. 25 

• Lockport: 0.71 inches 

• Channahon: 0.64 inches 

• Joliet: 0.64 inches 

• Manhattan: 0.46 inches 

• New Lenox: 0.40 inches 

• Homer Glen: 0.36 

inches 

Hurricane Florence 

While our weather was 

not directly impacted by 

Hurricane Florence, the 

deadly storm wreaked 

havoc in the Carolinas. 

Nearly 50 deaths have been 

attributed to Hurricane 

Florence. 

For the six days from 

Sept. 12-17, Wilmington, 

North Carolina, recorded 

23.65 inches of rain, 

including over 16 inches 

within one 24-hour period. 

Youpon Beach in 

Brunswick County, North 

Carolina had 17.38 inches 

of rain in a 24-hour period. 

In contrast, we receive 

roughly 37 inches of liquid 

precipitation for the entire 

year. 

Six cooperative weather 

observers in North Carolina 

recorded over 30 inches of 

rain from Sept. 13-17. A 

total of 20 to 30 inches of 

rain from Florence fell at 

27 North Carolina recording 

locations. 

Prepare for winter 

In a future article, we 

will cover winter weather 

safety. As we are now in 

October, it is time to think 

ahead and prepare for the 

coming winter season. 

Check your snowblower 

to make sure it will start 

when the first winter storm 

arrives. If you use snow 

shovels and salt or other 

snow and ice melting materials, 

make sure you have 

them available for the first 

snow. 

The weather for October 

and beyond 

The temperature and 

precipitation forecast from 

Please see weather, 33 

Spanish Flu epidemic hits Mokena 

Mokenians fight own 

battle at home in 

1918 

Matt Galik 

Contributing Columnist 

The Mokena of fall 

1918 was a place of 

worry. World War 

I was reaching its bloody 

end, and many village 

families had loved ones in 

the French combat zone. 

Although the war was 

winding down, American 

casualties were still a daily 

occurrence. Exactly a century 

ago this month, another 

enemy reared its ugly head, 

and this one at home. The 

new foe, the Spanish Flu 

pandemic, proved itself to 

be just as deadly as anything 

lurking in the trenches of 

the Western Front. 

While the outbreak of the 

illness is usually dated as 

having begun in early 1918 

and carried on until the end 

of 1920, October 1918 bore 

the worst of it in the United 

States. One chronicler called 

the Spanish Flu the “greatest 

medical holocaust in 

modern history,” while the 

London Times wrote “never 

since the Black Death has 

such a plague swept over 

the world.” Anywhere between 

50 million to 100 million 

people across the globe 

were lost to the pandemic. 

Normal strains of influenza 

are most dangerous to the 

children and the elderly, 

while the variant from a 

century ago was claiming 

relatively young people in 

robust health. 

By Oct. 2, the first recorded 

case in small-town 

Mokena cropped up when 

16-year-old Hugo Niethammer 

fell ill. The son 

of a Front Street hardware 

merchant, the trouble 

was compounded when 

pneumonia also set in, but 

luckily, the lad was able to 

pull through. Meanwhile, 

just outside town, another 

drama was unfolding. At 

the time, the Rock Island 

railroad housed 52 itinerant 

Mexican workers in several 

converted box cars on a 

sidetrack about a quarter of 

a mile east of Mokena. It 

was here that the Spanish 

Flu’s deadly tentacles would 

wreak the most havoc. 

Over the course of the 

second weekend in October, 

the entire camp was walloped 

with the pandemic, 

entire families coming down 

with it at once. Mokena 

farmer George Maue, who 

also served as the supervisor 

of Frankfort Township, 

knew what was happening 

and immediately went into 

crisis mode, sending an 

urgent call for doctors, of 

which three Rock Island 

physicians showed up that 

Sunday. On Monday, Oct. 

14, the railroad sent out 

mattresses and blankets for 

the ill, which was a step up 

from the austere condition 

of the bare box cars they 

were living in, the inhabitants 

often times sleeping 

on the floors. Before long, 

new cars were sent down 

the line, while the old ones 

were fumigated. 

It was all to no avail. By 

the end of that week, six 

of the workers were dead, 

including a young, freshly 

married couple. The harvest 

of human life also left a 

baby motherless. Saddest of 

all, time has not preserved 

any of the victims’ names, 

whose immediate burial was 

provided for in St. Mary’s 

Cemetery. 

As October carried on, 

hardly a family in the village 

escaped the flu, the list 

of infected reading like a 

who’s-who of Mokenians 

in the era. The Wolf Road 

home of Carl and Mable 

Krapp was invaded by the 

virus, while at around the 

same time Clinton and 

Dorothy Kraus, children 

of the town barber, also 

were knocked down with 

it. Also included among the 

sufferers were blacksmith 

Albert Braun, postmaster 

Ona McGovney, and cattleman 

John Cappel. Eighteen 

people were displaying 

flu-like symptoms on Oct. 

14, and that the number had 

dramatically climbed to 25 

two days later demonstrates 

the rapidity with which the 

Spanish Flu was making 

short work out of Mokena. 

To protect village residents, 

warning signs were 

placed around town, and 

the homes of the infected 

were quarantined. All four 

village churches and the 

Mokena Public School were 

closed until further notice, 

and “gatherings of every 

nature” were banned in the 

incorporated limits. Early on, 

15-year-old Ruby Bechstein 

of Mokena Street was one of 

the ill. On Oct. 16 she lost 

her battle with the Spanish 

Flu and has been remembered 

by history as the first 

resident of the village proper 

to succumb to the pandemic. 

The grim reaper struck 

town twice that day, when 

33-year-old Emma Schenkel 

was also claimed by the 

virus. Their deaths, along 

with those of the Mexican 

railroad laborers, led the 

local correspondent to the 

Joliet Herald-News to lament 

that week as “one of funerals” 

for Mokena. In keeping 

with quarantine rules and 

Please see Mokena, 33



Art shifts perspective 

from large to small 

ONLY 4 LEFT! 

Designed With 

You In Mind 


It starts with just a few 

scraps of paper, some cardstock, 

scissors and glue. A 

Few folds here, a couple 

cuts there and, viola, a perfect 

cube that can now be 

used to make just about 

anything one can imagine, 

from miniature pieces of 

furniture to teeny, tiny people 

or other objects to interact 

with. 

It’s no magic — not quite 

— but, rather, the culmination 

of years of practice by 

artist CoRiccio Baskin, who 

was on-hand at Mokena 

Community Public Library 

District on Saturday, Oct. 6, 

to lead a workshop to teach 

others how to create similar 

pieces of miniature art. 

The hobby turned profession 

began for Baskin when 

he was 16 years old and suffered 

a broken foot. Disappointed 

about not being able 

to play basketball and looking 

for something to help kill 

the time while he was on the 

mend, Baskin began to cut 

up most everything paper he 

could find lying around his 

home. 

Soon, the artist had honed 

his craft well enough to begin 

a business around it: 

Lil’ Thangz Miniature Paper 

Models. 

What may be little can 

sometimes be complex, as the 

dozen or so participants in the 

workshop soon found out. 

Lori Stanton and her 

11-year-old daughter Emily, 

of Mokena, were a few 

minutes late showing up for 

the workshop, but were able 

to catch up with a little help 

from Baskin. 

“There was a little pressure 

there in the beginning,” 

Lori said. 

Emily, who likes all things 

miniature, said she was hoping 

to learn how to make a 

tiny cookie tin, but admitted 

that she also had other designs 

on her mind. 

“I like the coloring part 

better,” she said. 

To learn more about Lil’ 

Thangz, visit ltworkshops. 

blogspot.com. 

Phone: 630-323-7600 

 

HOMER GLE 

Our open floor plans allow you to 

customize your home to fit your 

dreams and desires. 

Ranch and 2-story townhomes 

feature a first floor master along 

with additional bedrooms. 

Townhomes with dual master suites 

Ranch and 

Two-story Townhomes 

FROM THE LOW $400’s 

Model is located at 14713 Astor 

Lane, Homer Glen 

Open Fri. – Mon. 11-5 

or by appointment. 

Some of the creations by artist CoRiccio Baskin on display at his Lil’ Thangz workshop at 

Mokena Community Public Library District on Saturday, Oct. 6. 

T.J. Kremer III/22nd Century Media



Community comes out for ‘New Look’ church 

Grace Fellowship Church provides music, food, entertainment for 

‘New Look’ party 

Autumn Pencil makes a balloon skeleton for children at Grace Fellowship Church’s grand 

re-opening on Saturday, Oct. 6. 

Andrew Youngblood tries to win a bottle of root beer in a ring toss game. 

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

Logan Erickson (left) and Charlie Tustin play a game of bags at GFC’s outdoor party. 

Former Barnum & Bailey clown “Freight Train the Hobo Clown” entertains the crowd at 

GFC. 

faith 

From Page 22 

Adoration 

Wednesdays following 

8:00 a.m. Mass in the Chapel 

until 6:45 p.m. 

Young at Heart Senior Club 

1 p.m. the first and third 

Wednesday of the month. 

Join the senior club for activities 

and outings Sept.- 

June. For more information, 

call (708) 699-5018. 

Parker Road Bible Church (18512 Parker 

Road, Mokena) 

Worship Service 

10:30 a.m. Sundays. Be 

sure to arrive early for our 

Sunday Worship Service to 

enjoy a hot, complimentary 

cup of coffee every week at 

the church. Following the 

Christian Education Hour 

(9:15-10:15 a.m.), all beverages 

can be found just outside 

the sanctuary. 

Victory Baptist Church (13550 US Route 

6, Mokena) 

Morning Worship 

10:45 a.m. Sundays. 

Evening Worship 

6 p.m. Sundays. 

Have something for Faith 

Briefs? Contact Assistant 

Editor Amanda Stoll at 


or call (708) 326-9170 ext. 34. 

Deadline is noon Thursday one 

week prior to publication.



weather 

From Page 30 

the National Centers for 

Environmental Prediction 

for Chicago for September 

was accurate, as abovenormal 

temperature and 

above-normal precipitation 

was predicted. 

The centers’ forecast 

for October is for above 

normal temperatures and 

above-normal precipitation. 

The prediction for the 

months of October through 

December is for abovenormal 

temperature and 

normal precipitation. 

Mark T. Carroll is 

the president of CALM 

Weather LLC, a meteorological 

consulting service 

based in Oak Forest. For 

more information, visit 

calmwx.com. 

undead 

From Page 33 

trick-or-treaters — it was 

over the top,” Krohn said. 

“The kids were screaming, 

yelling, laughing, running. 

So, it’s like, ‘OK, this seems 

like too much fun not to take 

advantage of.’” 

Word of the macabre fun 

fest spread far and wide, and 

Krohn did his worst not to 

disappoint. 

“By the fifth, sixth, seventh 

year, we were getting 

between 4,000 and 5,000 

people in October looking 

at this and taking pictures 

and video and screaming 

and yelling,” Krohn said. 

“It made me feel good that 

I could contribute and give 

back to the community.” 

But, alas, even old ghosts 

must someday die, and 

Krohn says this will be his 

final year for putting on the 

Halloween display. 

All of his maniacal props, 

creatures and collections of 

insanely over-the-top creations 

will be up for sale after 

Halloween. 

But, like all good thrillers, 

Krohn has something 

new in mind. The people 

of Mokena will just have to 

wait and dream — or have 

nightmares — about what’s 

to come next. Unlike the 

movies, this evil genius 

isn’t ready to reveal his 

plans just yet. 

Queen Anne’s Revenge is ready to set sail in search of lost 

souls to man her decks. T.J. Kremer III/22 Century Media 

Mokena 

From Page 30 

the belief that the flu thrived 

indoors, theirs were held 

outside, while crowds were 

kept away, before the young 

women were ultimately laid 

to rest in St. John’s Cemetery. 

In today’s Mokena, the 

Spanish Flu pandemic of 

1918 is mostly forgotten. 

During its time, it was a 

cataclysmic event, one that 

stayed in the memories of 

all those who lived through 

it. Our community’s experience 

was but a tiny sliver in 

the grander experience of 

the world.

34 | October 11, 2018 | The Mokena Messenger dining out 


The Dish 

Orland eatery to carve out spot for new creations 

Al Sufara Grill’s 

menu features 

grilled Middle 

Eastern classics 


With a unique menu and 

a subtle blend of spices, Al 

Sufara Grill offers a taste 

of Middle Eastern cooking 

fired up on a charcoal grill. 

“When it’s grilled on 

a charcoal [grill] you get 

the flavor,” owner Yazan 

Rashed said. “We do not use 

too many spices for the food 

because you have to taste the 

lamb [and] you have to taste 

the chicken.” 

After finding success with 

Al Sufara Grill in Palos 

Hills, Rashed and his brothers 

decided to open the Orland 

Park location in July. It 

is a family tradition for the 

brothers, whose father and 

uncle have owned the same 

two restaurants in their home 

country of Jordan since 

1989. 

A new menu, which 

Rashed said will be unveiled 

soon, will include more vegetarian 

options and will incorporate 

quinoa into some 

of the menu items. 

Currently, Al Sufara’s 

menu focuses largely on 

lamb dishes, but includes 

a good number of chicken 

options and a bit of seafood 

as well. All the food on the 

menu is halal, in keeping 

with Muslim food preparation 

practices. 

He said terms on the menu 

are sometimes misunderstood 

because of how they 

are used in other establishments. 

For example, the 

term kebab brings to mind 

anything on a stick, whereas 

in traditional Middle Eastern 

cooking the term refers 

specifically to ground meat 

cooked on a large skewer 

such as chicken shawarma. 

Rashed said it does not 

take a professional chef to 

make a good meal because 

the thought and effort put 

into the food is the most important 

part. Cooking and 

creating recipes is a way 

for him to share the food he 

loves with other people, he 

said. 

“When you like the food, 

you like to eat, you enjoy it,” 

Rashed said. “If you don’t 

like the food, you’re not 

going to enjoy the way you 

cook it. … Each plate is going 

to have a different taste, 

so you have to imagine when 

you grill it [that you will] 

eat it. So when you put it in 

front of the customer, when 

you present the dish, that’s 

how you enjoy it.” 

To start things off, Rashed 

recommends the baba ganoush, 

which is prepared 

in a way unique to Al Sufara. 

Chargrilled eggplant 

is mixed with chopped tomatoes 

and pickles and finished 

off with lemon juice 

and pomegranate molasses 

for a twist on the traditional 

recipe. 

Al Sufara’s appetizer 

menu also includes options 

such as stuffed grape leaves 

($6.99) filled with rice, garlic, 

parsley, tomatoes and 

a side of yogurt; falafel 

($2.99/6 pieces, $5.99/12 

pieces); hummus ($5.99/ 

small, $9.99/large); and 

mixed pickles ($3.49) provide 

a variety of options for 

appetizers. 

The restaurant’s signature 

charcoal-grilled entrees 

include a variety of skewers 

such as the marinated, 

three-skewer lamb shuqaf 

($16.99), the four-skewer 

chicken kebab ($14.99) 

served with onions and garlic, 

and the popular half 

grilled chicken ($8.99). All 

Al Sufara Grill 

9218 W. 159th St. in 

Orland Park 

Hours 

9 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday- 

Thursday 

10 a.m.- 10 p.m. Friday, 

Saturday and Sunday 

Phone: (708) 949-8506 

Facebook: @alsufara 

The half grilled chicken ($8.99) is marinated and then grilled over a charcoal grill, as are 

many of Al Sufara’s menu items. Photos by Amanda Stoll/22nd Century Media 

The Al Sufara Mixed Grill ($18.99) gives restaurant-goers a taste of four different skewers 

including lamb shuqaf, lamb kebabs, chicken shish tawooq and chicken kebab. 

entrees are served with rice, 

grilled vegetables and a salad 

or soup. 

For those who have a hard 

time deciding — or who 

just want to try a bit of everything 

— the signature Al 

Sufara mixed grill ($18.99) 

provides a taste of four different 

skewers including 

lamb shuqaf, lamb kebabs, 

chicken shish tawooq and 

chicken kebab. 

The lunch special ($6.99) 

provides a lighter meal option 

with two skewers of 

lamb and chicken kebab 

served with rice and a side 

salad. 

Open early enough for 

breakfast each day, some of 

Al Sufara’s morning meal 

favorites include the lamb 

liver, heart, kidney and 

sweet bread single skewers 

($5.99 each) and the chicken 

liver dish ($11.99), which 

is served in a clay pot with 

sliced onions and spices. 

Other breakfast options 

include the fattet hummus 

($7.99) made with toasted 

French bread mixed with 

hummus and lemon, and the 

tomato skillet ($7.99) made 

with chopped tomatoes sauteed 

with olive oil. Garlic 

and jalapenos are available 

upon request, or meat can be 

added for $4. 

Al Sufara’s children’s 

menu includes the kids grill 

($6.99) with one skewer of 

kebab meat or chicken and 

rice or fries; chicken tenders 

($6.99) with fries; and 

cheese sticks ($6.99). 

For a little something 

sweet after the meal, the 

dessert menu includes warbat 

($4.99/2 pieces), hareesa 

($4.99/2 pieces), baklava 

($4.99/2 pieces) and milk 

pudding ($4.99)

mokenamessenger.com 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. Chicago time 

4. Eggs anatomically 

7. Winter wear 

12. Atoll protector 

14. Extended 

16. Having pitch 

17. Rights org. 

18. Old Fords 

19. Showery 

20. Packed out 

21. High-mindedness 

23. Barn where the 

KidsWork Children’s 

Museum is situated 

25. Mental grasp 

28. Intelligence 

29. Gr. 1-6 

32. Links prop 

33. AAA assistance 

35. Gypsy Rose __ 

36. Tailor-made 

37. Reporter’s asset 

40. Clobber 

42. Frito-___ 

43. Mud bath locale 

44. Oater affirmative 

45. Put on board, as cargo 

47. Prepares for printing 

51. Esculent 

54. Is unobliged to 

56. Shopping mall, 

Frankfort ____ 

59. Narrow way 

60. Pertaining to the 

moon 

62. Epithet 

63. Lithographer (abbr.) 

64. Like some cold beverages 

65. Writer Wiesel 

66. He played James, also 

known as 007 

67. Shoestrings 

68. Mach 1 breaker 

69. O.R. workers 

Down 

1. Arts and _____ 

2. Protected 

3. Give away 

4. Half of an old comedy 

duo 

5. Carpet colorer 

6. Sidekick 

7. Las Vegas area 

8. Seashore 

9. Gives life to 

10. Managed 

11. On the ___ (rapidly 

without a lot of inspection) 

13. Road sign requirement 

15. Government security 

agency, abbr. 

22. Units of luminous 

flow 

24. Composer Janácek 

26. ___ Gardens in London 

27. Hallow ending 

30. Bridges in movies 

31. Ballad’s end? 

34. The Time Machine 

author 

36. Wraps, in a way 

37. An unenjoyable experience 

38. J.F.K. regulators 

39. Fencing equipment 

40. Slingshot shape 

41. Common contraction 

46. Boredoms 

48. A little more silly 

49. People of the “Friendly 

Islands” 

50. Rears 

52. Support 

53. Traditions 

55. Large white bird 

57. Compass point 

58. Misery causes 

60. Internet laughter 

61. One, in Mexico 

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 

answers 

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 

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 

■8-10 ■ p.m. Thursdays: 

Comedy Bingo 

■8-11 ■ p.m. Fridays and 

Saturdays: 

Live Band 

■7-11 ■ p.m. Sundays: 

Open Mic Night 

The Outpost Pub & Grill 

(14929 Archer Ave., Lockport; 

(815) 836- 

8893) 

■8 ■ p.m. Tuesdays and 

Thursdays: 

Live DJ and 

Karaoke 

To place an event 

in The Scene, email 

a.stoll@22ndcenturymedia. 

com.

36 | October 11, 2018 | The Mokena Messenger classifieds 


Distinctive Home Builders Introduces New Craftsman Homes 

In Manhattan and Peotone – From the mid-$200’s 

New designs are a 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.

mokenamessenger.com real estate 


The Mokena Messenger’s 

Sponsored content 

of the 

WEEK 

Aug. 13 

• 11900 Golden Gate 

Drive, Mokena, 60448- 

2029 - William Cook 

to Daniel Peterson, 

$590,000 

• 19422 Leetrim Court, 

Mokena, 60448-1771 

- Brian W. Johnson to 

Daniel J. Ponzi, Rachel 

Ponzi, $319,500 

Aug. 14 

• 19806 Wolf Road 201, 

Mokena, 60448-1385 

- Jill C. Hickey to Keith 

Czerwiec, $150,000 

• 17663 Haas Road, 

Mokena, 60448-8512 - 

Frank Caruso to Matthew 

N. Hosteny, Laura A. 

Hosteny, $475,000 

Aug. 15 

• 19201 104th Ave., 

Mokena, 60448-8655 

- Robert M. Gallagher to 

Donald W. Bettenhausen, 

Susan J. Bettenhausen, 

$280,000 

• 19239 Crescent Drive, 

Mokena, 60448-7509 - 

Michael E. Montvidas to 

Ryan O’Connor, $237,000 

Aug. 20 

• 19964 Hillgate Road, 

Mokena, 60448-1400 

- Doris E. Moutrey to 

Theodore John Pryor, 

$195,000 

Aug. 21 

• 19380 Wolf Road 

4, Mokena, 60448- 

1161 - Anna T. Lattuca 

to Stephanie Parise, 

$77,500 

• 19457 Moher Court, 

Mokena, 60448-8005 

- Us Bank Na Trustee to 

Michael Archbold, Jennifer 

S. Archbold, $329,000 

• 19615 Cambridge 

Drive, Mokena, 60448- 

7946 - William E. 

Morrison to Penny L. 

Petrulis, $193,000 

• 10504 Williams Way, 

Mokena, 60448-3314 - 

Hugh J. Waldier to Julia 

Simmons, Barbara Kay, 

$358,000 

• 20011 Edgewood Court, 

Mokena, 60448-1428 - 

Todd W. Hironimus Trust 

to John Wognum, Michelle 

Wognum, $290,000 

Aug. 27 

• 18753 Wren Circle, 

Mokena, 60448-8726 

- Barbara Markham to 

Elwood L. Hall, Johnnie M. 

Patterson, $275,000 

• 19879 Lakeview Way, 

Mokena, 60448-7716 - 

Hoven Trust to Anne M. 

Cameli, $212,500 

Aug. 28 

• 19247 Wolf Road, 

Mokena, 60448-1049 

- Denise Vandervort 

to Joshua M. Blake, 

$155,000 

The Going Rate is provided by 

Record Information Services, 

Inc. For more information, 

visit www.public-record.com 

or call (630) 557-1000 

The owner of this condo enjoyed 

sitting on the screened-in balcony 

overlooking the manicured 

grassy courtyard. Location in 

Mokena was always peaceful and 

afforded close proximity to all 

needs and transportation. 

What: Second-floor condo in 

Willow Walk 

Where: 19317 Everett Lane in 

Mokena 

Amenities: Absolutely beautiful 

second-floor condo in highly 

desirable Willow Walk is move-in ready for its new owners. Many upgrades include 

Anderson windows (2014), roof (2015), and laminate floors in kitchen and laundry 

room (2017). As you enter, you’ll feel the elegance and notice the volume ceilings 

in the living room with a cozy gas fireplace. The living room has ample space to also 

accommodate your dining room furniture. The eat-in kitchen has plenty of cabinets and 

counter space, and provides access to the screened-in balcony. Enjoy sitting on the 

balcony overlooking a grassy courtyard watching the sun rise. Adjacent 

to the kitchen is another room that can be used for entertaining family 

and friends or can be used as a home office or playroom. The full-size 

laundry room with utility tub leads down to 

the two-car attached garage. Ideally located 

near expressways, Metra train, restaurants 

and shopping. 

Listing Price: $174,900 

Listing Agent: 

Michael Bochenek, 

(708) 522-5266, 

mikebochsellshomes@ 

gmail.com 

Listing Brokerage: Keller 

Williams Preferred Realty, 

16101 108th Ave., 2nd 

Floor, Orland Park, 60467 

Want to know how to become Home of the Week? Contact Tricia at (708) 326-9170 ext. 47.



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 

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria 

JOIN OUR TINLEY 

PARK TEAM TODAY! 

Now Hiring: Kitchen Staff, 

Phone Staff, Host/Cashier 

and Server 

We are located at 

9501 W 171st St, 

Tinley Park, IL 60477 

Please apply online, 

in person or our hiring line 

847-313-4949 

Safety Assistant 

Tinley Park Safety Dept. 

looking for individuals for 

full-time office positions. 

Candidates must be proficient 

with Microsoft Office and 

possess good commuication 

skills. Will train the right 

candidates. Please forward 

resume to 

recruiting@shipgt. com 

Orland Park law office 

seeks qualified individual 

for F/T or P/T. Duties 

include office functions, 

phone reception & filing. 

Computer literacy & 

keyboard efficiency a plus! 

Email resume to: 

mrowinski 

@grottadivorcelaw.com 

1003 Help Wanted 

22nd Century Media seeks Inside Sales Director 

Position Overview: 

22nd Century Media, a media publishing company based in 

Orland Park, is seeking an Inside Sales Director 

to join their team. 

Responsibilities Include: 

Proactively prospecting and qualifying potential new advertising 

accounts; handling incoming leads; 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 

sales 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 

HIRE LOCALLY 

Reach over 83% of prospective 

employees in your area! 

CALL TODAY 708-326-9170 

No phone calls please. EOE 

Automotive 

$52 4 lines/ 

7 papers 

Real Estate 

$50 7 7 papers 

lines/ 

Help Wanted 

$13 4 lines/ 

per line 7 papers 

Merchandise 

$30 7 4 papers 

lines/ 

ATTORNEY 

Divorce litigation firm seeking 

associate attorney (full-time 

and/or part-time) to develop 

trial skills. Must be 

motivated, organized, detail 

oriented and reliable. 

Candidate should have 1-2 

years of domestic relations 

experience and excellent 

computer skills (namely 

proficiency in Microsoft 

Word, Excel, and Timeslips). 

Excellent communication and 

organizational skills, as well 

as ability to multitask are also 

essential. This position would 

be for our downtown Joliet or 

our Orland Park office. 

Send resume and salary 

requirement to mrowinski@ 

grottadivorcelaw.com 

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 

Dog Walker needed at 

Tender Lovin’ Dog 

Walking in New Lenox 

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

Must be 21 yrs. & love 

pets. Excellent refs req’d, 

E-mail: 

tenderlovin@mail.com 

1003 Help 

Wanted 

Same Day Tees is looking for 

a customer service/inside 

sales person to join our team 

in our new, expanded 

Frankfort location. Previous 

sales experience in ASI or 

similar industry a plus. Ideal 

candidate will work with 

retail customers looking for 

custom screen printed apparel 

for their business, group or 

organization. Strong computer 

& customer service skills with 

ability to multitask is 

necessary. Email resume to: 

pete@samedaytees.com 

Sox Outlet - Register Help 

Conducive to college student. 

Must be over 18. $9.75/hr to 

start, raise after 6 weeks. 

Minimum 20 hours/week 

Employee receives 15% 

discount after 30 days. 

Never work past 9 pm. 

Apply within: 6220 W. 159th 

Street, Oak Forest, IL 

As we continually grow, 

SW Suburban cleaning co. 

has openings for 

Cleaning Pros 

Exp. Preferred but Will 

Train. P/T Weekdays. 

No Evenings/Weekends 

815-464-1988 

Wanted in Frankfort, 

a person for making 

telemarketing phone calls 1 

day a week for an insurance 

agency. 815-534-1140 

1004 Employment 

Opportunities 

HELP WANTED! 

Make $1000/week mailing 

brochures from home! 

No exp. req. Helping home 

workers since 2001! 

Genuine opportunity. 

Start immediately! 

www.WorkersNeeded.net 

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 

Private Experienced Caregiver 

Will care for elderly patients, 

CPR Caregiver Certificate, 

Background Check & 

References Available. PT/FT. 

(708)979-3797 

1024 Senior 

Companion 

Senior Companion 

If you need someone to run 

errands, go shopping, take 

to appointments or just sit 

& socialize for your elderly 

loved one... 

Call Betty (815)545-4935 

Retired RN willing to be 

Senior Companion 

to Elderly. 

Call Barb 708-907-1489 

1025 Situations 

Wanted 

Did you forget to pick up the 

gallon of milk on the way 

home? Do you need your 

favorite coffee or bottle of 

wine but don't have time to go 

get it? We can help. No time 

to bring the clothes to the 

cleaners or pick up the dog's 

medication from the vet? We 

can help and we can also help 

with raking the leaves, car 

cleaning, house cleaning, 

weed pulling, grass cutting, 

picking up the new Christmas 

tree or on-line orders, grocery 

shopping, dinner deliveries, 

taking pets to the pet groomer 

etc. Need a party tray made 

for the Sunday game? 

What can we do for you? 

Ask for Susan or Patrick. 

708-549-5205 

1027 Arts and Craft Fairs 

1037 Prayer / Novena 

Oh, Holy StJude, Apostle & 

Martyr, great in virtue and rich 

in miracle, near kinsman of Jesus 

Christ, faithful intercessor 

of all who invoke your special 

patronage in time ofneed. To 

you Ihave recourse from the 

depth of my heart and humbly 

beg to whom God has given 

such great power to come to 

my assistance. Help me in my 

present and urgent petition, in 

p g p , 

return, I promise tomake your 

name known and cause you to 

be invoked. Say three Our Fathers, 

three Hail Marys and 

Glories for nine consecutive 

days. Publications must be 

promised. St. Jude pray for us 

all who invoke your aid. 

Amen. This Novena has never 

been known tofail, Ihave had 

requests granted. S.B.

mokenamessenger.com classifieds 


CLASSIFIEDS 



READYTO SELL YOUR 

REAL ESTATE? 

CALL 

Mike McCatty 

mccattyrealestate.com 

708-945-2121 

ONE BILLION IN LOCALLY 

CLOSED SALES SINCE 1999 

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 

 

 

 

 

Sell It! 


See the Classified Section for more info, or call 

 

Contact Classified Department 

to Advertise in this Directory (708) 326.9170



CLASSIFIEDS 



Sell It 708.326.9170 | Fax It 708.326.9179 


Garage 

Sale 

1052 Garage Sale 

Frankfort 9138 Arbour Walk 

Dr (Mile east of LaGrange on 

Rt. 30, Pheasant Run Estates) 

10/12-10/13 9-3pm You want 

it, we’ve got it! Loads of 

Christmas decor & more! 

Orland Park, 8830 Merion 

Dr. Oct 12-13, 8-3p. Baby & 

toddler items & much more! 

Tinley Park, 9031 W. 178th 

St. 10/13 & 10/14, 9-4p. Baby 

&children’s clothes/toys, misc 

household items! 

1058 Moving Sale 

Tinley Park, 6626 W. 165th 

Pl. 10/13 8-2p - 10/14 8-12p. 

Everything must go! Furniture 

& household items! 

Automotive 

1074 Auto for 

Sale 

Toyota Camry 2013 SE Sport 

V6 Loaded w/Options: 

Metallic Grey, Leather Seats 

$14,500 Call 219-730-3211 

DRIVE CAR BUYERS 

TO YOUR DOOR WITH 

A CLASSIFIED AUTO AD 

708.326.9170 

OPEN 

HOUSE 

Automotive 

Real Estate 

OPEN HOUSE 

SHOWCASE 

Sun. Oct. 14th 1-4pm 

7946 167th St 

Tinley Park 

1061 Autos Wanted 

WANTED! 

WE NEED CARS, TRUCKS & VANS 

Running Or Not from Old to New! 

Top Dollar Paid - Free Pick-Up 

Locally Located 

(708)205-8241 

Real Estate 

Corner brick bi-level. Lg. eat 

in kitchen w/appls. Over looking 

family rm w/ fireplace & 

bar. 3 good sized BR’s, 2BA, 

ceiling fans & all window 

treatments. Laundry rm 

washer & dryer 3 years 

young. Roof, siding, windows 

14 years young. Lg. fenced in 

yard & easy parking side 

drive leading to2car garage 

with opener. $250,000’s 

Anita Cirrintano, Remax 10 

708-429-9818 

Don’t just 

list your 

real estate 

property... 

$52 

4 lines/ 

7 papers Help Wanted 

$50 

7 lines/ 

7 papers Merchandise 

Look for 

Open Houses 

near you today. 

Or Call to 

advertise 

708-326-9170 

Sell It! 


$13 

per line 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

$30 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

See the Classified Section for 

more info, or call 708.326.9170 

22ndCenturyMedia.com 

1225 Apartments 

for Rent 

New Lenox 

2BR furnished apartment, 2 

bath, $1,750 includes appliances, 

gas, water, heat, garbage 

included. (Was custom 

set up for annual two person 

corporate rental so has basic 

kitchen needs, linens, bedding 

etc.) Washer and dryer available, 

walk to shopping and 

train. No pets, no smoking. 

Rent does not include housekeeping. 

ALSO, 

Unfurnished, 2BR/2ba apartment 

is available for $1300 

per month 

815-485-2528 

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 

1310 Offices for 

Rent 

The perfect downtown 

location! 

11225 Front St. Mokena, IL 

Newly rehabbed office spaces 

avail. Office spaces are flexible 

for any type of business. 

Includes lobby, private bathrooms, 

utilities and Comcast 

Internet/Wifi. Units ready to 

lease Sept 1st. $299/mo total. 

Julie Carnes 708-906-3301 

Village Realty Inc. 

Business Directory 

2003 Appliance Repair 

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 

2004 Asphalt Paving/Seal Coating 

2006 Basement Waterproofing 

Leaky Basement? 

• Bowing Walls 

• Concrete Raising 

• Crack Raising 

• Crawlspaces 

• Drainage Systems 

• Sump Pumps 

• Window Wells 

(866) 851-8822 

(815) 515-0077 

Family Waterproofing Solutions 

famws.com 

FREE 

ESTIMATES



CLASSIFIEDS 



2006 Basement Waterproofing 

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/ 


2011 Brick/Chimney Experts 

$13 

per line 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

$30 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

2025 Concrete Work 

2007 Black Dirt/Top Soil 

Sawyer 

Dirt 

Pulverized Black Dirt 

Rough Black Dirt 

Driveway Gravel 

Available 

For Delivery Pricing Call: 

815-485-2490 

www.sawyerdirt.com 

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! 

2011 Brick/Chimney Experts 

Gunderson 

Construction, 

Inc. 

708 717 8228 

gundersonconstructioninc.com 

J’s Concrete 

Stoops 

Curbs 

Colored & Stamped 

Patios 

Driveways 

Walks 

Garage Floors 

Over 30 Years Experience! 

708 663 9584 

Tinley Park Company 

Specializing in all types of 

concrete work. 

• Driveways • Patios • Color & stamped 

concrete • Stair patching 

• Decorative pool deck 

coatings • Epoxy flooring 

• Resurfacing 

Family owned business 

Senior & First Responders 

Discount! 

Advertise your 

RENTAL PROPERTY 

in the newspaper 

people turn to first 

CALL US TODAY: 708.326.9170 


2032 Decking 

A+ 

2017 Cleaning Services 

FANTASTIK POLISH 

CLEANING SERVICE 

If you’re tired of housework 

Please call us! 

(708)599-5016 

Frank 

5th Cleaning is 

FREE! Valid only one time 

Free Estimates 

& Bonded 

Sturdy 

Deck & Fence 

Repair, Rebuild or 

Replace 

Make It Safe - Make it Sturdy 

708 479 9035 

HIRE LOCALLY 



MORTGAGE 

ALERT! 

LOCK-IN MORE BUSINESS. 

ADVERTISE LOCALLY. 

CONTACT THE CLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT 

708-326-9170 

22ndcenturymedia.com 

CALL TODAY FOR 

RATES & INFORMATION 

708-326-9170 

www.22ndcenturymedia.com

® 



2060 Drywall 

Drywall 

*Hanging *Taping 

*New Homes 

*Additions 

*Remodeling 

Call Greg At: 

(815)485-3782 

2080 Firewood 

CLASSIFIEDS 



Sell It 708.326.9170 | Fax It 708.326.9179 


2120 Handyman 

Automotive 

Real Estate 

$52 

4 lines/ 


$50 

7 lines/ 


$13 

per line 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

$30 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

2070 Electrical 

EXPERIENCED 

ELECTRICIAN 

R E A S O N A B L E 

D E P E N D A B L E 

SMALL JOBS 

CALL ANYTIME 

(708) 478-8269 

2075 Fencing 

2090 Flooring 

Lb Hardwood Floors Inc. 

FREE ESTIMATES 

Specialist in Hardwood Floors 

Installation - Floor Sanding 

Repairs - Designs - Swedish Finish 

Custom Staining & All types of Varnish clear coating 

Refinishing pre-finished & unfinished hardwood floors 

Same Day Re-Coat & Dustless Sanding 

708-654-3935 CALL ANYTIME 

lbhardwoodflooringinc@gmail.com Licensed, Bonded & Insured 

...to 

place 

your 

Classified 

Ad! 

2080 Firewood 

2130 Heating/Cooling 

2120 Handyman 

708. 

HANDYMAN SERVICE —WHATEVER YOU NEED 

"OVER 30 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE" 

Windows, Doors, Decks Kitchen & Bathroom Remodeling, Plumbing Interior and 

Exterior Painting Wall Paper Removal Professional Work At Competitive Prices 

326. 

CALL MIKE AT 708-790-3416 

9170



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/ 


2132 Home Improvement 2132 Home Improvement 

$13 

per line 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

$30 

4 lines/ 

7 papers 

2140 Landscaping 

...to place 

your 

Classified Ad! 

CALL 

708.326.9170 

2140 Landscaping 

HIRE LOCALLY 



CALL TODAY FOR 

RATES & INFORMATION 

708-326-9170 

www.22ndcenturymedia.com



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 

2170 Plumbing 

2145 Lawn Maintenance 

2150 Paint & Decorating 

Advertise your 

RENTAL 

PROPERTY 

in the newspaper 

people turn 

to first 

CALL US TODAY: 708.326.9170 


2150 Paint & Decorating 

Neat, Clean, Professional 

Work At ACompetitive Price 

Specializing in all 

Interior/Exterior Painting 

• Drywall/PlasterRepair 

• WallpaperRemoval 

• Deck/Fence Staining 

• PowerWashing 


Senior Discounts 

Forquality & service you 

can trust, call us today! 

MARTY’S 

PAINTING 

Interior / Exterior 

Fast, Neat Painting 

Drywall 

Wallpaper Removal 

Staining 


20% Off with this ad 

708-606-3926 

Don’t just list 

your real estate 

property... 

Sell It! 


See the Classified Section for more 

info,or call 708.326.9170 

22ndCenturyMedia.com 

Want to 

See Your 

Business 

in the 

Classifieds? 

Call 

708-326-9170 

for a FREE Sample 

Ad and Quote!



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 

2200 Roofing 

2200 Roofing 

Celebrating 3 generations of outstanding service! 

Tens of Thousands of Highly Satisfied Customers! 

Family owned & operated - 66 years in business! 

"HAVE oNEoN THE HousE- • Sffit/Facia 

•Skylght 

•Chmney Cap 

•Rfing 

•Sidng 

•Windw 

•Gttering


mokenamessenger.com



2701 Property for 

Sale 


Sale 


Sale 

2703 Legal 

Notices 

2703 Legal 

Notices 

2703 Legal 

Notices 

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

that the purchaser of the unit, other than 

amortgagee, shall pay the assessments 

and legal fees required by subdivisions 

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

required by subsection (g-1) 

of Section 18.5 of the Illinois Condominium 

Property Act. 

Pursuant to Local Court Rule 11.03 (J) 

if there is asurplus following application 

ofthe proceeds of sale, then the 

plaintiff shall send written notice pursuant 

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

to the proceeding advising them of 

the amount ofthe surplus and that the 

surplus will beheld until aparty obtains 

acourt order for its distribution or, in 

the absence of an order, until the surplus 

is forfeited to the State. 

For Information Please Contact: 

SHAPIRO KREISMAN AND ASSO- 

CIATES, LLC. 

2121 Waukegan Rd, Suite 301 

Bannockburn, Illinois 60015 

P: 847-770-4348 

F: 847-291-3434 

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. 

SHERIFF'S SALE OF REAL ESTATE 

of 11851 JOSEPHINE DRIVE, MOK- 

ENA, IL 60448 (single family brick att 

2 car garage). On the 1st day ofNovember, 

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: DITECH FI- 

NANCIAL LLC Plaintiff V. SHAWN 

MDIETEL A/K/A SHAWN DIETEL 

Defendant. 

Case No. 17CH 2072 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. Judgment amount is 

$215,004.81 plus interest, cost and post 

judgment advances, if any. 

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 








Property Act. 













PIERCE AND ASSOCIATES 

1 N. Dearborn Suite 1300 

Chicago, Illinois 60602 

P: 312-346-9088 

F: 










of 11620 Blackhawk Ct. Unit 2-A, 

Mokena, IL 60448 (Condo/Townhouse). 

On the 1st day ofNovember, 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: JPMorgan Chase Bank, National 

Association Plaintiff V.John A.Nyder; 

et. al. Defendant. 
















County. 



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

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








Property Act. 













Codilis & Associates, P.C. 

15W030 N. Frontage Road Suite 100 

Burr Ridge, Illinois 60527 

P: 630-794-5300 

F: 630-794-9090 










of 20944 Mayfair Drive, MOKENA, IL 

60448 (SINGLE FAMILY). On the 1st 

day of November, 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: Nationstar Mortgage LLC d/b/a 

Mr. Cooper Plaintiff V. ROMELL WIL- 

LIAMS, JR.; LATASHIA WILLIAMS; 

Defendant. 
















County. 



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

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








Property Act. 














CIATES, LLC. 



P: 847-770-4348 

F: 847-291-3434 









2703 Legal 

Notices 









STATE OF ILLINOIS ) 

) SS. 

COUNTY OF WILL ) 

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OFTHE 

TWELFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT 

WILL COUNTY, ILLINOIS 

JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, NA- 

TIONAL ASSOCIATION, 

Plaintiff, 

vs. 

ANTONIO ANAYA, REINA ANAYA 

AKA RINA ANAYA and CITY OF 

CHICAGO, 

Defendant. No. 16 CH 1504 

NOTICE OF SHERIFF'S SALE 

Public notice ishereby given that pursuant 

toajudgment entered in the above 

cause on the 15th day of June, 2017, 

MIKE KELLEY, Sheriff of Will 

County, Illinois, will on Thursday, the 

1st day of November, 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 16 IN SPRING MEADOWS 

UNIT 1,BEING A SUBDIVISION OF 

THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER OF 

SECTION 36 NORTH, RANGE 11, 

EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL 

MERIDIAN, ACCORDING TO THE 

PLAT THEREOF RECORDED OCTO- 

BER 8, 1993 AS DOCUMENT 

R93-87991, IN WILL COUNTY, ILLI- 

NOIS 

Commonly known as: 18162 Spring 

Meadow Drive, Mokena,, IL 60448 

Description of Improvements: 

Single Family Residence 

P.I.N.: 16-05-36-401-002-0000 













County. 



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

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








Property Act. 












FOR INFORMATION PLEASE CON- 

TACT: 

Heavner Beyers and Mihlar LLC 

111 E. Main Street, 

Decatur, Illinois 62523 

P: 217-422-1719 

F: 217-422-1754 

Plaintiff's Attorney 

MIKE KELLEY 

Sheriff of Will County 










) SS. 





Pingora Loan Servicing, LLC 

Plaintiff, 

vs. 

JAMIE E. JACOBS; RAUL E. JA- 

COBS; 

Defendant. No. 17 ch 1295 




cause on the 31st day of July, 2018, 



18th day of October, 2018 ,commencing 






real estate: 

THE EASTERLY 73.65 FEET OF THE 

WESTERLY 78.65 FEET OF BLOCK 

3(EXCEPT THE NORTHERLY 100 

FEET THEREOF) IN DENNY'S FIRST 

ADDITION TO MOKENA, A SUBDI- 

VISION OF PART OFTHE WEST 1/2 

OF THE SOUTHWEST 1/4 OFSEC- 

TION 8, TOWNSHIP 35 NORTH, 

RANGE 12, EAST OF THE THIRD 

PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, ACCORD- 

ING TO THE PLAT THEREOF RE- 

CORDED JANUARY 12, 1854, IN 

BOOK 29, PAGES 509 AND 510, IN 

WILL COUNTY, ILLINOIS. 

Commonly known as: 11020 1st 

Street, MOKENA, IL 60448 


SINGLE FAMILY 

P.I.N.: 19-09-08-306-010-0000 



twenty-four (24) hours. No judicial sale 






whose rights inand to the residential 




County. 



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

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








Property Act. 













TACT: 


CIATES, LLC. 



P: 847-770-4348 

F: 847-291-3434 


MIKE KELLEY 











) SS. 





DITECH FINANCIAL LLC 

Plaintiff, 

vs. 

SHAWN MDIETEL A/K/A SHAWN 

DIETEL 





cause on the 26th day of June, 2018, 









real estate: 

LOT 140 IN ROBERT BARTLETT'S 

ARBY HILLS, A SUBDIVISION OF 

THE WEST 3/4 OF THE SOUTH- 

WEST 1/4 OFSECTION 6, TOWN- 

SHIP 35NORTH, RANGE 12, EAST 

OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERID- 

IAN, (EXCEPT THAT PART 

THEREOF DESCRIBED BY COM- 

MENCING AT THE SOUTHWEST 

CORNER OF SAID SOUTHWEST 1/4 

AND RUNNING THENCE NORTH 

ON THE TOWN LINE 815.0 FEET 

FOR A POINT OF BEGINNING; 

THENCE CONTINUING NORTH ON 

THE TOWN LINE 400.0 FEET; 

THENCE EAST 500.0 FEET ON A 

LINE WHICH FORM ARIGHT AN- 

GLE TO SAID TOWN LINE 400.0 

FEET; THENCE WEST 500.0 FEET 

TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING), IN 


Commonly known as: 11851 JOSE- 

PHINE DRIVE, MOKENA, IL 60448 


single family brick att 2 car garage 

P.I.N.: 19-09-06-306-003-0000 

Terms ofSale: ten percent (10%) at the 


twenty-four (24) hours. No judicial sale 






whose rights inand to the residential 




County. Judgment amount is 

$215,004.81 plus interest, cost and post 

judgment advances, if any. 



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

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








Property Act. 













TACT: 

PIERCE AND ASSOCIATES 

1 N. Dearborn Suite 1300 

Chicago, Illinois 60602 

P: 312-346-9088 

F: 


MIKE KELLEY 











) SS. 





JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association 

Plaintiff, 

vs. 

John A. Nyder; et. al. 





cause onthe 25th day of July, 2018, 







sell at public auction to the highest and

48 | October 11, 2018 | The Mokena Messenger sports 


Athlete of the Week 

10 Questions 

with Katie Barry 

Katie Barry is a junior outside 

hitter on the Lincoln- 

Way Central girls volleyball 

team 

How’d you get started 

in volleyball? 

My mom kind of directed 

me toward it. When we were 

younger, me and my sister 

would always play when we 

were younger, and I kind of 

kept with it. I started playing 

when I was in fifth grade at 

camps. 

What’s your favorite 

memory playing so far? 

Probably winning our Oak 

Lawn Invitational Tournament 

[Sept. 15]. It was really 

fun beating the teams. It was 

just really fun. 

What’s your favorite 

movie? 

“The Hunger Games.” 

The whole series. 

What’s the hardest part 

of the sport for you? 

Mental toughness and 

staying calm during it, and 

trying to win points in stressful 

situations. 

What’s your spirit 

animal? 

A golden retriever. 

They’re always playful and 

fun and really energetic. 

What’s more fun for 

you: beach or indoor 

volleyball? 

Definitely [indoor] volleyball. 

I get to play with a 

team, and I don’t really do 

well with beach volleyball 

because I don’t do well with 

the sun. 

If you could have dinner 

with anyone, alive or 

dead, who would it be 

and why? 

Probably my grandma, 

who recently passed away. I 

would just catch up with her 

and talk with her more. 

Do you have any plans 

for college yet? 

I’m thinking about going 

to University of Wisconsin. 

I’m really looking in to 

their business program… 

I’m hoping to [continue 

playing volleyball]. I’m 

Photo submitted 

looking at a couple colleges 

right now. 

If you could have one 

superpower, what 

would it be? 

To heal people because 

I feel that it would help the 

world with diseases and just 

in general. 

What’s a lesson from 

volleyball that you’ve 

been able to apply to 

your life? 

Just get passed what happened; 

look forward to the 

next point or what’s going 

on with your life. 

Interview conducted by T.J. 

Kremer III, Editor 

2703 Legal 

Notices 


real estate: 

UNIT 11620-2A TOGETHER WITH 

ITS UNDIVIDED PERCENTAGE IN- 

TEREST IN THE COMMON ELE- 

MENTS INARROWHEAD CONDO- 

MINIUMS OF MOKENA, AS DE- 

LINEATED AND DEFINED IN THE 

DECLARATION OF CONDOMIN- 

IUM RECORDED AS DOCUMENT 

NO. R98-144071, AS AMENDED 

FROM TIME TO TIME, IN AND THE 

NORTHWEST QUARTER OF SEC- 

TION 18, ALL IN TOWNSHIP 35, 

NORTH, RANGE 12, EAST OF THE 

3RD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN 


Commonly known as: 11620 Blackhawk 

Ct. Unit 2-A, Mokena, IL 60448 


Condo/Townhouse 

P.I.N.: 19-09-07-303-061-1005 













County. 



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

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








Property Act. 













TACT: 

Codilis & Associates, P.C. 

15W030 N. Frontage Road Suite 100 

Burr Ridge, Illinois 60527 

P: 630-794-5300 

F: 630-794-9090 


MIKE KELLEY 











) SS. 





Nationstar Mortgage LLC d/b/a Mr. 

Cooper 

Plaintiff, 

vs. 

ROMELL WILLIAMS, JR.; LA- 

TASHIA WILLIAMS; 





cause on the 29th day of May, 2018, 



1st day of November, 2018 ,commenc- 

2703 Lega 

l Notices 

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





real estate: 

LOT 84 IN OLD CASTLE SOUTH, A 

SUBDIVISION OF PART OF THE 

NORTHEAST QUARTER OF SEC- 

TION 19, TOWNSHIP 35 NORTH, 

RANGE 12 EAST OF THE THIRD 

PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, ACCORD- 

ING TO THE PLAT THEREOF RE- 

CORDED NOVEMBER 4, 1994, AS 

DOCUMENT NO. R94-101793, IN 


Commonly known as: 20944 Mayfair 

Drive, MOKENA, IL 60448 


SINGLE FAMILY 

P.I.N.: 19-09-19-205-019-0000 













County. 



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

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








Property Act. 













TACT: 


CIATES, LLC. 



P: 847-770-4348 

F: 847-291-3434 


MIKE KELLEY 


2900 

Merchandise 

Under $100 

15 young ladies new/used 

sweaters $4 ea. Ladies long 

black Winter coat w/ hood $25. 

Used Petite wedding dress with 

veil, cleaned $50. 

708.460.8308 

2 piece med oak kitchen or dining 

room china cabinet. Good 

condition $75. 708.645.4954 

22 inch Weber grill w/ cover 

$40. 20 ton floor jack, like new 

$20. 1pair folding horses $8. 

815.524.7133 

2900 

Merchandise 

Under $100 

7 waverly valances, yellow 

with blue 72”x16” each. $10 

for 1 or $60 for all. 

708.478.3454 

Beautiful dark wood cabinet 

EC 50”H x50”W x17”D $75 

obo. 708.301.3598 

Black IKEA leather chair, 

great condition. Call Debbie 

815.534.5273 $100 

Dining room orkitchen light 

fixture, new in box, never installed 

$65. 815.485.6008 

Elvis Presley new mug $4. 10” 

glass fish bowl $8. Alum jello 

mold $1. Alum 12 cupcake 

baking pan $2. Potted hosta 

plants $4. 708.460.8308 

Floral love seat and 2 wing 

chairs. FREE! You pick up. 

Call Tom 708.460.2472 after 

10. 

Free to a good home. 600 personal 

recorded VHS tapes. 

Lockport, 815.588.1214 

Golf shoes, Foot Joy, top of the 

line, like new, size 10, two 

pairs. $25 each pair. 

708.601.1947 

Haveaheart steel squirrel, rodent 

trap $20. 12x12x33” 

Brand new, still in shipping 

box. Lists for over $70 at 

Wal-Mart. 708.866.4282 

Large metal tool box 23”x25” 

1 shelf, 1 door with lock 

bracket $100. 708.535.9354 

Never used open arm stretch 

stitch sewing machine $50. 

Royal portable electric tpewriter 

$20. Carsons Liberty 

Falls signature Christmas village 

$25. 815.464.9425 

Nice 54” wood desk $100. 

708.460.8308 

Nordic track SL710 Recumbent 

exercise bike $100. Did 

not see much use. Perfect 

working condition. Programmable 

for specialized work 

outs. Built in fan. Reasonable 

offers accepted. Kathy 

630.257.9231 

One 100 used golf balls. All 

brands $25. 708.301.7645 

Teal colored sofa bed $100 

obo. Very good condition. 

708.301.4533 

Thick Halloween, new doormat 

$9. Four new green wine 

glasses $15. 1960’s lazy susan 

revolving chrome tray w/ 

glasses, quality $35. 

708.460.8308 

Tires: 4 Champion tires 

195-75-14 like new. $50 Call 

Mike 815.838.2344 

Twin seat stroller, red. $100.00 

Like new. 312-969-0711

mokenamessenger.com sports 


This Week In... 

Knights Varsity 

Athletics 

Football 

■Oct. ■ 12 - at Sandburg, 7:30 

p.m. 

Girls Volleyball 

■Oct. ■ 11 - hosts Thornwood 

(Senior Night), 

5:30 p.m. 

■Oct. ■ 12 - hosts Lincoln-Way 

Central Invite, 8 a.m. 

■Oct. ■ 16 - at Thornridge, 5:30 

p.m. 

■Oct. ■ 18 - at Lincoln-Way 

West, 5:30 p.m. 

Boys Soccer 

■Oct. ■ 16 - hosts regional 

semifinal vs. Marist, 7 p.m. 

Girls Tennis 

■Oct. ■ 12 - at IHSA Sectional 

(at Lincoln-Way East High 

School), TBA 

■Oct. ■ 13 - at IHSA Sectional 

(at Lincoln-Way East High 

School), TBA 

Boys Golf 

■Oct. ■ 12 - at IHSA State 

Finals, Round 1 (at The Den in 

Bloomington), TBA 


Finals, final round (at The Den 

in Bloomington), TBA 

Girls Golf 


Finals, Round 1 (at Hickory 

Point Golf Club in Decatur), 

TBA 

■Oct. ■ 13 - at IHSA State Finals, 

final round (at Hickory Point 

Golf Club in Decatur), TBA 

Boys Cross Country 

■Oct. ■ 13 - at SWSC Meet (at 

Dellwood Park in Lockport), 

10:30 a.m. 

Girls Cross Country 

■Oct. ■ 13 - at SWSC Meet (at 

Dellwood Park in Lockport), 

10 a.m. 

Girls Swimming and 

Diving 

Oct. 11 - hosts Bradley- 

Bourbonnais (Senior Night), 

5 p.m. 

Oct. 18 - at Thornwood, 5 

p.m. 

Girls Volleyball 

Lincoln-Way Central 25, 20, 

25, Andrew 17, 25, 11 

Katie Barry finished with 

double-digit kills with 10 

kills and added six digs. Nicole 

Dvorak had seven kills 

and two aces, and Nicole 

Ramirez had 22 assists and 

four digs in the Oct. 4 win. 

Lincoln-Way Central 25, 23, 

25, Bradley-Bourbonnais 20, 

25, 16 

Rachel Kolodziej led all 

scorers with 10 kills and three 

blocks. Nicole Dvorak added 

five kills and three blocks. 

girls golf 

From Page 50 

that her game is only getting 

better.” 

Junior Jessica Loera (82), 

senior Madeline Herbert (86) 

and freshman Natalie Papa 

(87) also contributed for the 

Griffins, who met McGivern’s 

expectations. 

“We’ve played a lot of these 

teams and, knowing the field 

well, second place was our 

high school highlights 

The rest of the week in high school sports 

Nicole Ramirez recorded 

five aces and 26 assists, and 

Layne Stevens finished with 

four kills, three blocks and 

two aces in the Oct. 2 win. 

Boys Soccer 

Lincoln-Way Central 3, 

Andrew 0 

Breandan Brannigan, 

Nick Willner and Alex Sereleas 

each scored in the Oct. 

2 win. Assists belonged to 

Joey Rotondi and Connor 

Erickson (2). Adam Kedzior 

earned shutout in goal. 

Girls Swimming 

Lincoln-Way West 109, 

goal,” McGivern said. “We’re 

happy with how we played.” 

McGivern knows a bigger 

challenge awaits at the Hinsdale 

South Sectional. 

“The sectional is packed,” 

she said. “It’s going to be a 

battle for teams and individuals 

to get out. There’s going to 

be some great golf out there.” 

The Griffins will be prepared 

to play for the event at 

Prairie Bluff in Lockport. 

“The girls have played 

Lincoln-Way Central 107 

Cetta Senese, Madi Jager, 

Keara McGowan and Mallory 

Brownrigg started the Oct. 

4 crosstown by winning the 

200 medley relay. McGowan, 

Senese, Jager and Belle Dutka 

won the 400 freestyle relay. 

Jager also won the 100 

breaststroke. McGowan won 

the 100 breaststroke and 500 

freestyle. The 200 freestyle 

relay team of Megan Cales, 

Dutka, Sierra Maze and 

Autumn Hufnagl also won. 

Dutka won the 100 butterfly. 

Senese won the 200 individual 

medley, and Sarah Rosinski 

took first in diving. 

some extra rounds there,” 

McGivern said. “It’s a fair 

course and we’re comfortable 

with it. We think it sets up 

well for our game.” 

White plans to go into the 

sectional with a nothing-tolose 

attitude. 

“I just want to go play a 

round and if I don’t make it 

to state, it doesn’t matter,” she 

said. “I’ve had a good season 

overall and I’m just a freshman, 

so I have a lot of time.” 

Griffins’ freshman Brandon Butcher got his hole-in-one on Sept. 20 on the fourth hole from 

137 yards out at Square Links Golf Course in Frankfort. Photo submitted 

golf 

From Page 50 

“I was shocked, because 

I didn’t think that was going 

to happen,” she said. “I 

thought I was just going to 

have a tap-in birdie putt, but 

it was in the hole.” 

And just days before 

Loera’s ace, Brandon Butcher 

got in on the fun on Sept. 20. 

For Loera, it was a deeper 

breath, but for Butcher, it 

was having his good-luck 

charm by his side. 

His grandfather was the 

one to get Butcher started 

in golf and was there to witness 

Butcher’s greatest golf 

memory to date. 

“It’s always someone’s 

dream to get a hole-in-one,” 

he said. “It just felt really 

special to have everyone 

around and just get it done.” 

Just like Loera, Butcher is 

a straight-at-the-pin type of 

golfer. No fade. No draw. Just 

one perfect, straight shot. 

From 137 yards out, 

Butcher went 8-iron straight 

at the flag on the fourth hole 

at Square Links Golf Course. 

Before his ace, his greatest 

memory was winning first 

place in junior golf at Lincolnshire 

Country Club two 

years in a row. 

He said that was his greatest 

memory because it was 

nice to win, but he had never 

done anything this “big” before. 

“I was already having a 

good day and after that, it 

didn’t get any better or any 

worse,” he said. “I just had 

that confidence running 

throughout. I had a great 

first few holes and this sort 

of boosted me up.” 

And as just a freshman, 

Butcher etched his name 

into East’s record books, 

and, well, golf’s record book 

in general. 

As a freshman in the golf 

program, Butcher liked that 

he was able to showcase his 

talents. 

“It feels good that the 

coaches know you got a 

hole-in-one and they can 

expect something from you 

next year,” Butcher said.



Girls golf 

Knights cruise to regional championship 

Golf 

Griffins sink pair of aces in same week 

Lincoln-Way East 

finishes second 

Steve Millar, Freelance Reporter 

Lincoln-Way Central’s girls golf 

team is on a mission to win a state 

title. The Knights’ first postseason 

test was passed with flying colors. 

Central posted a team score of 

291 to cruise to the Class 2A Marian 

Catholic Regional championship, 

topping runner-up Lincoln- 

Way East by 42 strokes Oct. 3 

at Lincoln Oaks Golf Course in 

Crete. 

The Griffins (333), along with 

third-place Oak Forest (393), also 

advanced to the Hinsdale South 

Sectional, which was scheduled to 

be played Monday, Oct. 8. 

“Ever since conference [when 

the Knights shot an even par 

288], we’ve been playing great as 

a team,” Central senior Brianne 

Bolden said. “Everyone’s really 

bringing it and you can tell we really 

want [a state title].” 

Bolden fired a 3-under-par 68 

to edge teammate Grace Curran 

(70) for the individual title. The 

Knights had the top four finishers, 

with Carly Schiene (76) and Maddie 

Pyle (77) following Bolden and 

Curran. 

Bolden, who tied for second at 

state last season one stroke behind 

champion Penelope Tir of New 

Trier, won Wednesday despite not 

feeling like she played her best. 

“I know I could’ve done better, 

but this gets me to the next round,” 

she said. “I started off really good. 

I had a strong front nine, then 

the wind started picking up and I 

struggled hitting greens, and the 

short game wasn’t coming in for 

me. 

“I kept fighting, though, punching 

shots into the wind. I was still 

able to put up a good score.” 

Bolden, a Missouri recruit, has 

been anticipating this postseason 

ever since coming so close to being 

a state champion last year. 

“I’m really excited to give it one 

more run,” she said. “I know if I 

play to my potential I can hang 

with any of the other girls and have 

Lincoln-Way Central girls golf coach Brian Shannon (left) and Caitlyn 

Parrish pose at the Marian Catholic Regional Tournament in Crete. 

Parrish hit a hole-in-one on the eighth hole. Photo Submitted 

a good shot at it.” 

Curran, the 2016 state champion, 

said she and Bolden continually 

bring the best out of each other. 

“We’re competitive,” she said. 

“We go back and forth. It’s whoever’s 

got their game that day. It’s 

fun, though.” 

That fun extends beyond the 

golf course, and Curran feels her 

team’s bond is leading to success. 

“Our team chemistry is through 

the roof,” she said. “We love coming 

to these tournaments and we 

have the best time. We have a fun 

time preparing for them, riding to 

them, and then once we get here 

we know it’s go time. We’re super 

focused and ready to get the job 

done.” 

It’s become more than just the 

Bolden and Curran show at Central. 

Schiene and Pyle, both juniors, 

continue to raise their games. 

Even the two Central players 

whose scores did not count 

Wednesday, Caitlyn Parrish (82) 

and Sydney Miron (83), posted 

numbers good enough to finish in 

the top eight. 

Parrish made a hole-in-one on 

the par-3 eighth hole. 

“As much as they all love each 

other, they’re always trying to be 

the best,” Central coach Brian 

Shannon said. “When you’re used 

to that much competition from 

your own team, the bar is set high.” 

Freshman Kailey White led 

Lincoln-Way East, finishing fourth 

with a 78. 

White said she had to shake off 

some jitters. 

“At first, it was really nerve 

wracking, but I had to tell myself 

I must be here for a reason,” she 

said. “So, I just have to play my 

game and not worry about anyone 

else. 

“My putting was pretty good. 

My drives were on. It’s a good 

score, so I’m happy with it.” 

White, playing in her first high 

school postseason event, was in the 

same threesome as Curran. Playing 

with a former state champion with 

the season on the line may have 

overwhelmed some young competitors, 

but it didn’t bother White. 

Instead, she shot her best score 

of the season. 

“She’s been playing with the 

best in the state and holding her 

own, keeping her composure,” 

East coach Mary McGivern said. 

“I couldn’t be more proud of her. 

“She’s been a super consistent 

performer all year and to see her 

break into the 70s just solidifies 

Please see gilrs golf, 49 

Sean Hastings, Freelance Reporter 

Just days apart, two golfers from 

the same school accomplished something 

that most will never. According 

to golfdigest.com, the odds of an 

amateur golfer getting a hole-in-one 

are 12,500-1. 

Now, a betting man likely isn’t 

taking those odds, but if he is, a safe 

bet seems to be on Lincoln-Way East 

golfers: senior Jessica Loera and 

freshman Brandon Butcher to be exact. 

Loera always takes one deep breath 

before she tees off to clear her mind. 

Still searching for her first birdie of 

her round, which was filled with pars, 

she took a deeper breath on the 12th 

hole — a 148-yard, par-3 — at Silver 

Lake Country Club, in Orland Park, 

after a bogey on 10 and another par 

on 11. 

The putter stayed in her bag this 

time as she found her ball sitting at 

the bottom of the cup for a hole-inone. 

“I didn’t actually see the ball go in 

the hole,” Loera said. “I knew it was 

going to be pretty close to the hole 

but I didn’t think it would be in until 

after I walked away and didn’t see my 

ball on the green anymore and then I 

realized it was in the hole.” 

To make it even more special, it 

was at the Griffins’ Conference Tournament 

Sept. 25. 

“I was really happy when I got it 

because I was playing well that day,” 

Loera said. “I was on a string of pars 

and getting the hole-in-one made me 

more confident with my game and I 

finished strong afterwards. I wanted 

to play well that day because it was 

a conference tournament and I had 

never done so well in conference 

tournament before.” 

From the first tee shot of the day, to 

the final putt of the round, it’s a competition 

for the girls. But when something 

like that happens, time freezes 

for a second and everyone can enjoy 

it. 

Embraced with hugs and seeing the 

dropped jaws as her and the opposing 

players realized what just happened, 

Loera couldn’t help but crack her 

own smile and get a confidence boost 

going forward. 

She said the girls she was playing 

with had never seen a hole-in-one before. 

Please see golf, 49 

Lincoln-Way East senior Jessica Loera dropped a hole-in-one for the Griffins 

— a 148-yard par-3 at Silver Lake Country Club in Orland Park on Sept. 25. 

22nd Century Media file photo



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Boys golf 

LW West tops Central, East in regional championship 

Knights qualify five 

individuals for sectional 

meet 

RANDY WHALEN, Freelance Reporter 

Donna Thompson wasn’t going 

to leave Lincoln-Way West without 

putting up a couple of numbers on 

the boys golf banner. 

The longtime coach, who is retiring 

following this school year, has 

been the only boys golf coach and 

also badminton coach that West 

has ever had in its 10 years of being 

a school. 

The Warriors followed up their 

first ever Red Division of the 

SouthWest Suburban Conference 

title the previous week by winning 

the Class 3A Joliet Central Regional 

on Oct. 2 at Inwood Golf Course 

in Joliet. 

Led by a 74 each from brothers 

Collin and Zack Phelps, West 

shot a 302 total to edge Lockport 

Township (306) and Homewood- 

Flossmoor (307) to claim its first 

regional championship in program 

history. Lincoln-Way Central 

(309), which made it to state as a 

team last year, took fourth but had 

five individual qualifiers. 

The Top Three teams and the 

Top 10 individuals qualified for 

the Edwardsville Sectional, which 

was scheduled to be held on Monday, 

Oct. 8, at Sunset Hills Country 

Club in Edwardsville. 

Providence (317), Lincoln-Way 

East (327), Joliet Central (331), 

Thornton Fractional South (400) 

and Romeoville (428) rounded out 

the nine team field. 

Last year Central won a sectional 

championship for the first time 

since 1984 and advanced to state 

for the first time in 20 years. But 

some high scores down the stretch 

cost the Knights in last week’s regional. 

“It’s just one of those things,” 

Central coach Ryan Pohlmann 

said. “We knew it would be a competitive 

field and we just had some 

untimely high scores. We had two 

or three guys get some bad scores 

with some bogies on the middle 

holes or so. Outside of that, we 

shot well. But it’s going to make 

them better in the long run.” 

The Knights still had the five 

guys advance to the sectional and 

have an opportunity as individuals 

to get to state. They are sophomore 

Sean Curran (73), senior Brian 

Sterling (77), freshman Juney Bai 

(79), junior TJ Edmier (80), and 

sophomore Nick Tingley (80). Senior 

Jon Soldan (83) wasn’t far behind 

for the Knights. 

While Curran paced Central, 

he’s the first to admit he was disappointed. 

After capturing the individual 

title at the SWSC Red meet 

the week before, he was 4-under 

par through 13 holes. Then disaster 

struck. 

“I had a double [bogey] on the 

14th hole and a [quadruple bogey] 

on the 15,” Curran said. “So 

it was rough. Our goal was to win 

the sectional again. Sure it’s good 

to get through as an individual, but 

it’s much more fun to go as a team. 

That’s what brings out the energy.” 

East only advanced one player 

to the sectional: sophomore Matt 

Kelley, who shot a 1-over-par 72 

to finish a stroke behind medalist 

Perry Hoag, a senior from Homewood-Flossmoor. 

“Personally I think this is one of 

the hardest regionals in the state,” 

Kelley said. “I had an eagle, my 

second of the season, on 14. I 

tracked it and saw it roll right in. I 

really did phenomenal off the tee. 

“It’s nice to go to the sectional, 

but we had Scott [Schipiour] in the 

playoff and I really wanted him to 

make it, too.” 

Senior Zack Jurgens (85), junior 

TJ DeVries (89), Jack Bertolani 

(95) and Nick Meiners (96) were 

the other Griffin scores. 

“Our team finished up 7-6 on the 

year and 2-2 in the SWSC Red,” 

East coach Jim Nair said of the 

season. “We had a big win against 

Sandburg at Silver Lake and almost 

beat H-F at Coyote Run 153-156. 

Matt [Kelly] shot a 35 to help us 

almost beat H-F. Two of our losses 

came to Lincoln-Way West, who 

Lincoln-Way Central No. 4 golfer T.J. Edmier, of Mokena, hits a short-iron shot Oct. 2 during the Joliet Central 

Regional at Inwood Golf Course in Joliet. Photos by James Sanchez/22nd Century Media 

Brian Sterling, of Mokena, marks his par putt after hitting a chip up close for his up and down. 

is having a awesome year under 

coach Thompson. 

“We were very competitive and 

expect to be even better next year 

with Matt leading the way. Matt 

coming in second at regional was 

not surprising, even though there 

were a ton of great kids there, because 

he has been solid all year. He 

is one of the most talented sophomores 

in the area. It was good to 

see him clicking on all aspects of 

his game. He works very hard on 

his game in the summer and winter 

with [The Players Service].”



Football 

Knights rush for more than 300 yards in shutout 

RANDY WHALEN 


The Knights look to be 

playoff bound, again. 

Justin Ellis ran for more 

than 250 yards and the 

defense posted its second 

straight shutout as the 

Lincoln-Way Central football 

team almost assuredly 

clinched its third straight 

playoff appearance with a 

workman like 28-0 victory 

over Champaign Centennial 

on Friday, Oct. 5. 

The win gave the Knights 

(5-2) five wins on the season 

to make them playoff 

eligible. With their schedule 

they should certainly 

have enough playoff points 

to qualify for the postseason 

for the third consecutive 

year. That’s the longest 

streak since Central qualified 

for the postseason 15 

straight years through 2009. 

“It does feel good,” Ellis 

said of likely making the 

playoffs. “[Fellow senior 

running back Conner] Mc- 

Williams was out of the lineup, 

since he’s a little banged 

up. So we had to try to give 

lots of guys opportunities. 

We scored on four of our 

[seven] possessions and had 

four players score.” 

Poor Heather. Not only did she pick up a loss without 

her predicted team taking the field (Providence 

Catholic) but she sinned on two other games and fell 

from second to fifth. 

Game of the Week 

• Montini (7-0) at Providence (5-2) 

Other Games to Watch 

• Lincoln-Way Central (5-2) at Sandburg (3-4) 

• Lincoln-Way East (7-0) at Thornwood (1-6) 

• Andrew (6-1) at Homewood-Flossmoor (6-1) 

• Lockport (0-7) at Peoria Notre Dame (4-3) 

• Tinley Park (2-5) at Oak Lawn (2-5) 

• Lincoln-Way West (5-2) at Stagg (2-5) 

Box Score 

Ellis finished with 30 

carries for 251 yards and 

caught the only two pass 

receptions of the evening 

for 26 additional yards. He 

set the tone right away, capping 

the Knights opening 

possession by breaking out 

of a pack and dashing and 

darting for a 46-yard TD 

with 7:57 left in the opening 

quarter. 

The offensive line of juniors 

Rikki Dobson at left 

tackle, Keith Kaminski at 

left guard, Collin Bookover 

at center, Jacob Leggero 

at right guard and senior 

Drew Parrish at right tackle 

open the holes for Central’s 

ground game, which totaled 

over 300 yards. 

“Justin ran like a man,” 

1 2 3 4 f 

Centennial 0 0 0 0 0 

LW Central 6 6 8 8 28 

TOP PERFORMERS 

1. Justin Ellis (LWC) RB: 30 carries, 251 yards, 46-yard TD run; 

2 receptions, 26 yards 

2. Lincoln-Way Central defense: Had seven sacks of Charger 

QB Dayton Coleman 

3. Frank Luce (LWC) RB: 6 carries, 41 yards. 

38-9 

Jeff Vorva | 

Sports Editor 

Central coach Jeremy 

Cordell said of Ellis. “He ran 

hard and we played a tough, 

grind out the yards game. We 

came out and scored on the 

opening drive. We wanted 

to start fast and we did. Just 

the way the game unfolded, 

we ran a lot and I was happy 

with the efficiency. 

“Plus, a shutout on defense 

for the second straight 

week. It was a good effort all 

the way around.” 

Junior running back 

Danny Reyna (5 carries, 

31 yards) swept to the right 

side and scored on a 13-yard 

TD run on the third play of 

the second quarter to cap 

the Knights second drive. 

But for the second straight 

time the 2-point conversion 

OUR STAFF’S PREDICTIONS FOR THE AREA GAMES IN WEEK 8 

39-8 

Joe Coughlin | 

Publisher 

• Montini 35, Providence 31. 

Shootout but experienced visitors 

have the edge. 

• Lincoln-Way Central 

• Lincoln-Way East 

• Homewood-Flossmoor 

• Notre Dame 

• Tinley Park 

• Lincoln-Way West 

• Montini 45, Providence 21. After 

being charged with a forfeit, Celtics 

should be well-rested but Montini 

is proving it can play with the big 

boys since moving to the Catholic 

League Blue. 





• Oak Lawn 


37-10 

Tom Czaja | 

Contributing Editor 

• Providence 24, Montini 21. Hard 

to say who has the edge with the 

Broncos on short rest and the Celtics 

with a two-week layoff, but home 

team prevails in latest marquee 

matchup. 





• Oak Lawn 


Lincoln-Way Central running back Justin Ellis goes off for 251 rushing yards against 

Champaign Centennial on Friday, Oct. 5. 22nd Century Media file photo 

attempt was no good, leaving 

the score at 12-0. That 

remained the score at halftime. 

Central scored again on 

its second possession of 

the second half. That came 

when senior quarterback 

Bryce Hayes (5 carries, 7 

yards; 2-of-3 passing for 26 

yards) plunged in from a 

37-10 

James Sanchez | 

Contributing editor 

• Montini 28, Providence 24. Broncos 

do enough to stop the Celtics’ run 

game and squeak out a win. 





• Oak Lawn 


36-11 

Heather Warthen | 

Chief Operating Officer 

• Providence 21, Montini 20. Celtics 

have their hands full but walk away 

with the win. 





• Tinley Park 


yard out with 4:42 left in the 

third quarter. The 70-yard 

drive was kept alive thanks 

to Leggero alertly diving on 

a fumble by Ellis after an 

11-yard gain on the opening 

play. Ellis converted the 

2-point run making it 20-0. 

Thanks to a big kickoff 

return and a 28-yard pass, 

the Chargers tried to answer 

as they quickly moved 

to the Central 12 yard line. 

But they fumbled and junior 

outside linebacker Zach Orr 

recovered for the Knights. 

Running back Frank Luce, 

who wears No. 14, scored on 

a 14-yard TD run with 2:14 

to play in the game. It was 

the first varsity touchdown 

for the senior, who finished 

with six carries for 41 yards. 

The Knight defense did 

the rest, sacking senior 

quarterback Dayton Coleman 

(12-of-23, 111 yards) 

seven times for their third 

shutout of the season. 

Linebackers Jackson Hosman, 

Aaron Marcotte, and 

Jackson Poirer, along with 

fellow seniors defensive 

lineman Jack Roberts and 

Mason Sargent, were the 

main guys that wrecked 

havoc on the sacks. 

“Our defense is good,” 

Poirer said. “From our linebackers 

to our defensive 

line and defensive backs, 

we can bring pressure and 

that’s a great thing to have.



Griffins continue to roll in 63-0 blowout over Lockport 

Jon DePaolis 


After a win last week 

that even Lincoln-Way East 

coach Rob Zvonar categorized 

as one of the best in 

school history, it would have 

been easy for the Griffins to 

have a letdown in Week 7 at 

Lockport. 

Think again. 

The Griffins scored 42 

points in the game’s first 

16 minutes to put the game 

away early, and finished 

with a 63-0 victory Friday, 

Oct. 5, to improve to 7-0. 

“We just challenged them 

this week to make sure we 

competed, regardless of the 

opponent, to stay at a high 

level ourselves,” Zvonar 

said. “We also wanted to 

get a lot of guys involved 

tonight, and I think we accomplished 

our goals. It was 

a good week and we stayed 

on a path of improvement, 

and now we’ve got to do the 

same thing next week.” 

Zvonar said the team knew 

it needed to guard against a 

letdown after the 48-6 win 

over Homewood-Flossmoor 

in Week 6, not only for the 

short-term but the long-term 

growth of the team. 

“You might have success 

on the scoreboard certain 

weeks without being your 

best, but if you’re not your 

best, it will end up catching 

up to you,” he said. “Had we 

sputtered over here tonight 

or next week, we might still 

get through a game with 

hopefully a victory, but it 

doesn’t get us to where we 

need to be in Week 9 and in 

the playoffs.” 

Leading the way for the 

Griffins in the offensive onslaught 

was senior quarterback 

Jack Baltz, who in just 

two quarters of work went 

11-for-12 passing for 249 

yards and three touchdowns. 

He also ran twice for 25 total 

yards. 

One of his most frequent 

Box Score 

targets was senior Jackson 

Ritter, who caught five passes 

for 136 total yards and all 

three of Baltz’s touchdown 

passes. 

“We thought we could beat 

them deep, and with a lot of 

our [offensive] schemes, we 

were able to make plays,” 

Baltz said. “It was a great 

job by our coaching staff and 

by our receivers for getting 

open.” 

Baltz said the team is able 

to stave off complacency or 

possible letdowns by focusing 

during practice on bettering 

themselves. 

“Not playing at some 

team’s level, but playing 

at the level we know we’re 

capable of doing,” he said. 

“Even tonight, we can probably 

look at a couple of mistakes 

that we had and [look 

at] what we did and how we 

can get better and what we 

need to work on.” 

East junior running back 

and wide receiver AJ Henning 

(3 runs, 48 yards rushing, 

2 TDs, 1 reception, 48 

yards receiving) and junior 

running back Devon Williams 

(4 runs, 32 yards rushing, 

TD) also had nice nights 

for the offense. 

But perhaps the biggest 

moment of the game also 

was the last. With East’s reserves 

in the game for all of 

the second half, the Porters 

were able to drive the field 

late in the fourth quarter on 

a big, 37-yard run by senior 

running back Austin Hubert 

1 2 3 4 f 

LW East 28 21 7 7 63 

Lockport 0 0 0 0 0 

Top Performers 

1. Jack Baltz (LWE) QB: 11-of-12 passing, 249 yards, 3 TDs; 2 

carries, 25 rushing yards 

2. AJ Henning (LWE) RB/WR: 3 carries, 48 rushing yards, 2 

rushing TDs; 1 reception, 48 receiving yards 

3. Jackson Ritter (LWE) WR: 5 receptions, 136 receiving yards, 

3 TDs 

to put the ball at the East 

15-yard line. The Porters’ 

coaching staff called timeout 

to stop the running clock and 

set up one final play. 

While the players on the 

field prepared for the final 

play, their teammates on the 

sidelines got loud. East starters 

began jumping up and 

down on the sideline, some 

locked arm in arm, chanting 

and singing support for their 

teammates. 

When the ball was 

snapped, backup Lockport 

quarterback Bryon Mane 

was tackled a few yards behind 

scrimmage by a gaggle 

of Griffins to end the game 

and preserve the shutout — 

East’s fourth in five games. 

“That was a great moment 

for high school athletics 

and high school football,” 

Zvonar said of the final play 

and the excitement it created. 

“That was a great decision 

by [Lockport] to call 

the timeout there, and if they 

had punched it in, we’d have 

been happy for them. But it 

was fun to see the guys in a 

bit of a role reversal there. 

The guys were encouraging 

their friends and teammates 

and their brothers out there. 

“That was a special moment 

that we will rally around 

this year. And for those 11 

who were out there, to make 

that stop was good, too.” 

Zvonar said it was “tangible, 

visible evidence that 

they care for each other and 

they root for each other.” 

Lincoln-Way East’s Jackson Ritter runs the ball in for a TD against Lockport on Friday, Oct. 

5. Ritter had five receptions for 136 yards and three TDs in the 63-0 win. 

Photos by Julie McMann/22nd Century Media 

The Griffins wide receiver/running back AJ Henning finds the edge behind his blockers for 

a TD. 

“Those guys that come out 

and practice every day that 

don’t get opportunities all 

the time got one tonight,” he 

said. “The guys that usually 

start the game were [on the 

sidelines] supporting them 

100 percent. You can’t minimize 

the psychology of the 

game, either. That was a big 

deal for our program and our 

team tonight.” 

That also is part of why the 

Griffins were able to avoid a 

letdown, Henning said. 

“I think it’s just keeping 

everybody involved,” Henning 

said. “Everyone has a 

role on this team, everybody 

knows they are important to 

this team — from Guy 1 to 

Guy 100. Everyone has value 

on this team, and I think 

that’s a big thing with us. We 

show great teamwork during 

the week, and I think that 

shows on Friday nights.”



fastbreak 

HS football powerhouses LW East, Stevenson agree to games 

22nd Century Media File 

Photo 

1st-and-3 

Right on Rimkunas 

sisters 

1. Emma Rimkunas 

(above) 

The Knights junior 

has reached state 

the last two seasons 

as a singles player, 

but made the decision 

to move over to 

doubles to play with 

her sister Kara this 

season. 

2. Kara Rimkunas 

The freshman finally 

got to play for the 

Knights after having 

watched her sister 

from afar. She’s 

already made an impact 

with Emma at 

doubles with a 21-6 

record as of Oct. 5. 

3. Playoff push 

Emma will attempt 

to make her third 

straight trip to state 

at the Lincoln-Way 

East Sectional on 

Saturday, Oct. 13. 

Jon DePaolis, Freelance Reporter 

When the going gets tough, the 

tough get going. 

In a landscape where top teams 

are finding it difficult to schedule 

nonconference games, Lincoln-Way 

East and Stevenson are bucking the 

trend. The programs have agreed to 

play one another in Week 1 of the 

2019 and 2020 seasons, with East 

hosting next year and Stevenson 

hosting the following year. 

“I’ve known [Stevenson athletic 

director] Trish Betthauser for 

a while, and I’ve got great respect 

for her and the athletic program up 

there,” East athletic director Mark 

Vander Kooi said. 

Finding a team willing to play 

East has been a challenge the last 

few years. 

“I probably sent out an email to 

450 athletic directors and made 

about 25 phone calls, and I got a lot 

of ‘Nos,’” Vander Kooi said. “But 

Trish actually called me, which was 

awesome, and said they were considering 

it.” 

Vander Kooi said the schools 

needed to go over the details, because 

of legitimate travel concerns. 

“Getting from Lincolnshire to 

Frankfort and Frankfort to Lincolnshire 

on a Friday is not always that 

easy, so we talked about the logistical 

details,” Vander Kooi said. 

They also needed to talk to their 

respective coaches. But Vander Kooi 

said a few days later Betthauser 

called him to let him know that Stevenson 

was in. 

From a big-picture perspective, 

it’s getting tougher and tougher for 

successful high school football programs 

to find teams willing to play 

them in nonconference games. Under 

the current format in Illinois, if 

a team wins six of its nine games, it 

gets an automatic bid to the IHSA 

Perennial powerhouses Lincoln-Way East and Stevenson High Schools agree to play each other in Week 1 of the 

2019 and 2020 seasons. The Griffins will host Stevenson in 2019 and then make the trip to Lincolnshire in 2020. 

22nd Century Media file photo 

playoffs. For teams in tough conferences 

the nonconference schedule 

becomes more valuable. 

An unintentional consequence of 

that format is that teams like East 

can be left scrambling to find squads 

willing to risk one of those precious 

nonconference wins. 

In spite of those challenges — alternatively, 

possibly as a result of 

those challenges — East has been 

able to schedule top-tier programs 

for its nonconference schedule, 

including Montini, Maine South, 

Crete-Monee and Naperville Central. 

“Every year, it’s a struggle to find 

teams to play us,” Vander Kooi said. 

“That’s why we have great respect 

for Crete-Monee and Naperville 

Central, and now for Stevenson to be 

committed and willing.” 

Vander Kooi admitted the six-win 

automatic bid to the playoffs has 

made it tough for East, but said he 

knows the IHSA is looking at potential 

solutions to problems such as 

these. 

“Do we have regions instead of 

conferences?” he said. “Or do they 

just set the schedule for you? Or do 

more teams get into the playoffs, so 

they don’t need to worry about that 

nonconference game as much? I’m 

open to anything at this point, because 

it’s a struggle to get people to 

play Lincoln-Way East.” 

Ultimately, Vander Kooi thinks 

scheduling teams as tough as Stevenson 

gives the players something 

to look forward to over the summer. 

“I think it’s great for the offseason, 

because it gives those kids a little bit 

of motivation knowing we’re coming 

out of the block playing some 

tough teams,” he said. “Secondly, 

I think it develops the mentality of 

a playoff atmosphere — big-time 

games, big-time crowds. You’ve got 

to work hard to beat them, which 

is always a big deal. I think those 

games are really important to develop 

that playoff mentality.” 

It also says something about both 

programs to schedule such a tough 

opening week matchup. 

“I think they are going to be pretty 

good,” Vander Kooi said of Stevenson. 

“I usually have to do some armtwisting 

to get people to play us, but 

they were pretty eager. We know 

we’re going to be in for a battle. 

They are going to be really good. 

Hats off to them. They didn’t bat an 

eye. They were ready to play, too, so 

we’re really excited about it.” 

Listen Up 

“They’ve got a tight bond that’s become 

unbreakable.” 

Sue Schneider – Lincoln-Way Central girls tennis coach, on Emma 

and Kara Rimkunas as doubles partners. 

TUNE IN 

Girls and boys cross country 

10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 13 

• Lincoln-Way West and Lincoln-Way Central will 

compete in the SWSC meet at Dellwood Park 

in Lockport. 

Index 

49 – This Week In 

48 – Athlete of the Week 

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

mokenamessenger.com.

mokena’s Hometown Newspaper | www.mokenamessenger.com | October 11, 2018 

One step closer to CLINCH 

playoffs LW Central football gets its 

fifth win in 28-0 shutout, Page 53 

Fore, er, five 

Knights boys golf send five 

to sectionals, Page 52 

LW East offense stays hot, defense posts fourth shutout in five games, Page 54 

Lincoln-Way East’s wide receiver/running back AJ Henning quiets the Lockport crowd with a TD. The Griffins dominated the Porters in a 63-0 blowout. Julie McMann/22nd Century Media

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