Early voting has begun
Early voting for the 2024 November elections began last Thursday September 19th in the lower level of the Stewart Centre at 50 West Douglas Street in Freeport. Voting is open from 8:30 to 4:30 Monday thru Friday, and will also be available on Saturday, November 2nd, the Saturday before Election Day, from 9:00 to 12:00 a.m.
FREEPOD is also inviting candidates for all contested regional positions to provide their answers to our 5 Questions in 5 Minutes questionnaire. This questionnaire is designed to provide an apples-to-apples comparison on the same five questions of importance to the area to help local voters understand their positions.
City news
The City of Freeport is seeking $4,000,000.00 in funds from the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program through the Illinois Department of Transportation for Pedestrian/Bicycle Facilities. The City is responsible for securing local matching funds and/or in-kind services for 20% of the costs for utility relocations, engineering, and construction, with the remaining 80% of the costs to be funded through the Transportation Enhancement Program.
At a recent City Council meeting, the City affirmed its commitment to $1,000,000 in local support for the 20% match and is submitting a request to the Program for the remaining $3,000,000. If successful, the grant would bring many more bike paths and pedestrian walkways to Freeport.
As an update to the street work occurring simultaneously in many parts of Freeport, the City confirmed that crews are very busy right now with State Avenue, South Chicago Avenue, and West Iroquois Street all being done at the same time. More information on progress and detours can be found on the City’s Facebook page and website.
333rd National Guard deployed
As you may have seen on local television, the 333rd National Guard Military Police Unit based in Freeport has been deployed to active duty as of this past week. About 62 members of the 333rd Unit are heading to Fort Greely near Fairbanks, Alaska, after a sendoff ceremony at the Masonic Temple in downtown Freeport late last week. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker attended the event to help wish the troops well on their mission. The unit could be gone up to a year and its mission will be to help protect nuclear missiles since Fort Greely is a launch site for the military.
LADAMA September 2024 World Fest Tour
Arts Midwest is bringing the Latin pop music of LADAMA to Freeport as part of Arts Midwest World Fest. LADAMA will perform at the Masonic Temple this Saturday, September 28th at 7:00 p.m. with tickets at $10. Members of the Freeport Art Museum will receive a discount.
LADAMA is an ensemble of female musicians from across the Americas who write and arrange original music influenced by music from their respective countries of Colombia, Brazil, and Venezuela. As well as performing as a touring band, LADAMA strives to engage youth in the process of music-making, composition, and audio production through collaboration and performance workshops. With rhythm and percussion driving their original compositions sung in Spanish, Portuguese and English they combine disparate, traditional roots music with pop. Saturday’s concert is the capstone for their week-long residency in Freeport, in which LADAMA offered workshops for local schools and organizations.
LADAMA’s visit to Freeport is made possible by a partnership between Arts Midwest, the National Endowment for the Arts, Illinois Arts Council Agency, and Freeport Art Museum. As one of six nonprofit United States Regional Arts Organizations, Arts Midwest celebrates Midwestern creativity across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and the Native Nations that share this geography.
Recycling event this Saturday
Never mind Spring cleaning – you can clear out almost all of your recyclables at a large recycling event this Saturday! Northwest Illinois residents and businesses are invited to a recycling collection Saturday, September 28, from 9:00 a.m. to noon at the Carroll County Highway Department, just off Routes 52 and 64 at 10735 Mill Road in Mt. Carroll.
Many items will be accepted for free, including small electronic items such as computers, VCRs, DVD players, printers, keyboards, mice, cables, phones, radios, copiers, and cell phones. Small household appliances accepted at no charge include vacuums, coffee makers, toasters, small saws, drills, holiday lights, hair dryers, and more.
Small and large metal items are eligible for drop off for free too, including bicycles, swing sets, metal shelving, metal cabinets, lawn and garden tractors, lawn mowers, metal furniture, outdoor grills, and similar objects.
Electronics with any kind of screen will be collected for $25 fee per item, and large household appliances such as refrigerators, washers and dryers, stove, and microwaves will be collected for $10 each. Other items will be accepted for small fees of less than $5, including car and standard light truck tires and small tires like those for ATVs and lawnmowers, fluorescent lights, and rechargeable and power unit batteries as well as standard batteries. Large lead-acid batteries will be accepted for free.
Unwanted prescription medications will also be collected free, although no sharps will be accepted. Paper shredding is not available and no paint or household hazardous waste items will be accepted.
The event has been organized by the Jo-Carroll Solid Waste Agency. For more information or questions, please contact Mark Maidak, at 815-718-0238, that’s 815-718-0238, or mwmaidak@gmail.com.
VOICES pickleball tournament
VOICES of Stephenson County is accepting registrations for its first pickleball tournament, one of many activities the organization is planning to mark October’s designation as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Registrations are due Saturday, October 5th for the round-robin pickleball tournament that will be held on Saturday October 19th and can be done via a QR code on VOICES Facebook page.
The tournament is open to players of all skill levels. It kicks off with a pickleball basics session at 8 a.m. with play beginning at 10 a.m. Cost is $30 a player. Information about domestic violence will be available throughout the event. The tournament will be held at the Krape Park Pickleball Courts in Freeport.
According to VOICES executive director Beth Maskell, they’ve received a great response to the tournament so far and look forward to a full field of competitors.
Winneshiek goes Back to the 80s
Hold onto your hoverboards this weekend at the Winneshiek Playhouse with a laugh-out-hold parody called “Back to the 80s!” This time-traveling tale tells the story of modern teen Mary Fitzfry, who gets sent back in time by an eccentric professor and finds herself in the middle of a totally tubular cavalcade of 80s pop culture. There's a lot of familiar faces, from the teens in breakfast-time detention to dancing zombies and the guys chasing ghosts, but the biggest surprise of all is Mary's own protective mom as a teen. Turns out she's actually kind of rad - but thanks to Mary's time travel, she's in trouble. Can Mary make things right?
Take in a performance at 7:00 p.m. tomorrow or Saturday night, September at 7:00 p.m. and see how things turn out. Tickets can be reserved online at www.winneshiekplayers.org.
Houdini comes to the Freeport Public Library
Come to the Freeport Public Library on Monday, Sept 30 at 6:30 pm to watch national performer Duffy Hudson channel the Great Harry Houdini as he shares the secrets of his success, his obsession with magic and the occult, and the amazing stunts that drove him to an early grave.
Will the show include escapes and magic? Of course it will. Will the show captivate the young, the old, and everyone in between? Of course it will. Will the show reveal all of Houdini’s secrets? Well, you will have to watch won’t you?
The public is invited to this free event and no registration is required. Come to the Library at 100 East Douglas Street in Freeport on Monday at 6:30 for a magical performance!
Oakdale Fall Festival and Autumn Leaf Run
A popular annual event is coming up next Saturday, October 5th from noon to 4:00 p.m. at the Oakdale Nature Preserve Park off Baileyville Road just south of Freeport. The Oakdale Fall Festival offers family-friendly activities with wagon rides, trails to explore, a scavenger hunt, guided nature walks, fireside chats, live music, a hay maze, pumpkin painting, food trucks, and Fall treats. Most activities are free with other items such as refreshments available for purchase.
Many people planning to attend the Festival may also want to participate in the Autumn Leaf Run at 9:00 a.m. that morning! The 5K trail for this run winds through wide tree-lined trails, moderate hills, prairie areas, bridge crossings, and several single-track trail sections. The start and finish lines are in close proximity and the race will be timed using a chip-timing system. All proceeds go to the Freeport Parks Foundation for upcoming projects at Oakdale Nature Preserve.
Early registration for the run, which includes a t-shirt, is due by Wednesday, October 2nd and is $25. Registration from 7:00 to 8:30 a.m. on the day of the race is also available for $35, although a t-shirt cannot be guaranteed. Register online at www.freeportparkdistrict.org.
The week ahead…
Don’t forget that free concert with nationally renowned songwriter, recording artist, performer and educator Carrie Newcomer that we mentioned last week. The music begins at 7:00 p.m. tonight at the Highland Community College Student/Conference Center in Freeport. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.
Next Wednesday, October 2nd, head downtown for the next movies in the Lindo Theatre’s Select Pix Classic film series. Yes, we said “movies,” plural! Starting off the month of Halloween in vintage spooky style, Select Pix presents Frankenstein double feature of the 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein starring Boris Karloff and Elsa Lanchester and 1948’s Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The double features begin Wednesday at 1:00 and 7:00 p.m. at regular ticket prices. 2024 is the 14th year for this popular film series hosted by Ed Finch and Alan Wenzel at the Lindo Theatre in Freeport.