In a perfect marriage of stock and setting, Grove House Market opened this month downtown with two substantial windows that allow ample display space for the store’s refinished furniture and home décor. Exposed brick inside the 1869 building at 105 E. Judd St. provides a neutral backdrop for vintage items, curated finds, and accessories. “I […]
“There’s always a challenge,” Carol Ainger of Ainger Farms in Harvard said of the dairy farming business. “You never know what you might wake up to.” That can also be said of the dairy industry. June is National Dairy Month, and just a few weeks ago, Harvard held its annual Milk Days festival. In the […]
On June 8, official word came in a press release from owner Jason Szmurlo that BBQ King’s original location in Woodstock had closed permanently after 11 years in business. The news came after a difficult three years for the Calhoun Street eatery, beginning with the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions that closed Illinois restaurants on March 21, […]
By Eileen Millard news@thewoodstockindependent.com Woodstock will spend $63,500 to have an outside firm amp up cybersecurity firewalls and provide protection to prevent city government internet technology from hacking and other malicious activity. The City Council last month approved the purchase of eight Fortinet Firewalls with five years of support and maintenance from CDW-G to replace […]
Food Shed Co-op chooses builder for new grocery store McHenry County Food Cooperative has chosen Gallant Building Solutions to build the first grocery store cooperative in McHenry County. According to a news release, the two companies have signed a building contract, giving Gallant the official go-ahead to begin preliminary work on the co-op’s Woodstock property […]
“Fog-Off,” a set of goggles that solves the problem of goggles fogging up quickly in military simulation games, was judged the winner among five teams during the annual INCubatoredu Pitch Night at Marian Central Catholic High School. INCubatoredu is an entrepreneurship curriculum for high school students that teaches how to start a business. Five teams, […]
With spring having really and truly arrived, correspondents for The Woodstock Independent have been out and about collecting information on business openings, closings, and changes in ownership. Without further ado, here’s the buzz around town. It’s been more than five years in the making, but a portion of the former Harris Bank building on Benton […]
No spotlights searched the sky, no red carpet covered the sidewalk, but two members of the press showed up for the premiere of alcohol sales at Woodstock’s Classic Cinemas. After the Woodstock City Council granted the Woodstock movie house a Class E-6 liquor license at its April 4 meeting, the theater debuted sales of single-serve […]
Staff Report news@thewoodstockindependent.com Bids are due June 1 for interested buyers of a 1,660-square-foot home built by students in the building trades program of Woodstock School District 200. Bidding information was published in a public notice in the May 3 issue of The Woodstock Independent. Offers will be accepted until 10 a.m. June 1, with […]
The day that employees at Oliver’s Bar & Grill put tables and chairs on Benton Street for outdoor dining, the temperature reached 83 degrees. “Since then, it hasn’t been warm enough for people to sit out there,” Oliver’s owner Wes Dicksin said. Over the past several years, the city of Woodstock has encouraged restaurants and […]
Larry Lough is editor of The Independent and reports local news.
Janet Dovidio has been a freelance correspondent for The Independent for eight years.
Susan W. Murray wrote for The Independent, covering various beats, from 2005 to 2008.
Tricia Carzoli is a freelance writer and photographer that on community news.
