With its last and biggest sale winding down, Bohn’s Ace Hardware on Route 47 is set to end an almost century-long legacy in Woodstock and close its doors by the end of October. The store’s third-generation owner, Phil Bohn, described it as not just one of the biggest constants in Woodstock’s living history, but in […]
Bohn’s Ace Hardware, at 150 S Eastwood Drive, has a closing sale underway that marks the end of a Woodstock institution for close to 90 years. The third-generation owner of the store, Phil Bohn, posted on the store’s Facebook page on Sept. 10 that the store would close its doors a few weeks after a […]
Visit Woodstock Square Mall Sept. 21 A talent for sewing, handed down through several generations, led Woodstock resident Lynda Remmers and her sister, Annie Moody, to start HoopSisters, a sewing software company. Together they create embroidery designs to be used in quilting and write the software to use on today’s sophisticated computerized sewing machines. In […]
Woodstock will be a little cooler this fall, thanks to the addition of Chilly Willie’s yogurt shop. Chrissy Huelsman owns the new business at 124 Cass St., Unit 1. YoFresh Frozen Yogurt formerly occupied that space, but Heulsman took over the facility July 31. She chose to leave the franchise and become an independent business. […]
“Truck buddies” from Woodstock to Chicago and beyond are expected for a truckin’ good time at Woodstock’s McHenry County Fairgrounds this weekend. Joe Nanez and Erica Burke of will host the sequel to Woodstock’s wildly successful 2017 Truck Off food truck festival, the first of its kind for McHenry County, which drew an unbelievable 10,000 […]
If you can sing along to “Let’s Do The Time Warp Again,” then this coming Friday is when to start. The starring track in the cult-classic “Rocky Horror Picture Show” is the perfect kickoff to this year’s “Fall Throwback Series” at the McHenry Outdoor Theater, where against all odds, owner Scott Dehn has kept the […]
The Square’s very own “School of Rock” will, on Sept. 1, mark its first anniversary at 124 N. Benton St., renewing its commitment to keeping rock ’n’ roll alive through Woodstock’s musical youths. Jimmy’s Music took over from Blues Inspired, a much-missed blues- inspired, hippie paraphernalia store. “We’re a lesson-based store, first and foremost,” owner […]
When you walk into Jackass Charm Corner Store, there is a lot to take in, despite the small space. You are likely to notice the vintage settée flanked by a wide assortment of products displayed on beautifully restored barbershop stations. And then there’s the saleslady dressed as a 1940s housewife. But on closer examination, you […]
At first glance, it seems that multi-franchise McDonald’s restaurant owner Susan Singleton has it all. But it took 25 years to get one thing she really wanted: the franchise in her own hometown. In March 2018, her wish came true when McDonald’s finally said yes to her request to buy the Woodstock store. An owner/operator […]
A rural Woodstock nursery is breaking new ground with its first crop of hops. The 45-acre tree nursery known as Coyote Ridge is now also home to Machete Hops. Mark Cook, a nurseryman with more than 30 years of experience in the business, decided to branch out with a new crop. A resident of Lake […]
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.
