After 19 years as a home-based mail order business, NICA, which specializes in clothing and accessories for the great outdoors, opened a store in downtown Woodstock at 114 E. Calhoun St. The business’ roots trace back to 1994, when Brenda and Tim Mason were living in Colorado. The couple recognized some hard-to-find shooting sports items, […]
Former Woodstock resident Amy Gail Hansen will release her debut novel, “The Butterfly Sister,” through William Morrow/Harper Collins Publishers this August. Hansen (formerly Bauer) and her family moved to the Woodstock area when she was around the age of 10. The Palatine resident and mother of three credits her own mother, a “phenomenal storyteller,” as […]
The Woodstock City Council approved a request by Ortmann’s Red Iron Tavern to serve alcohol in its outdoor beer garden. The beer garden occupies 308 and 310 Clay St. directly in back of the tavern, located at the corner of Clay and Church streets. “The beer garden area has been approved by the city’s building […]
For people searching for ways to improve and beautify their homes and yards this summer, the McHenry County Home & Garden Festival, set to take place at the McHenry County Fairgrounds Friday and Saturday, May 11 and 12, might be just the place to get creative ideas flowing. The free expo, organized by Scott and […]
Rosati’s Pizza, 1652 S. Eastwood Drive, will be opening a dine-in location and bar this summer as part of an expansion project at its current location. “A lot of people and customers call and ask if we have dine-in,” said manager Anthony Rosati. “A lot of sports teams are looking for a place they can […]
The Woodstock City Council approved a revised final plat for a portion of the Maples at the Sonatas at its April 16 meeting. “The Maples at the Sonatas development was originally approved in 2006 to accommodate attached single-family residences marketed for individuals 55 years of age and older,” a staff report stated. “The final plat […]
It’s been 50 years since Woodstock was nominated for the All-America City award, but at the McHenry County Historical Society Museum, a new exhibit will take attendees back to that time. On Sept. 28, 1963, organizer John Strohm nominated Woodstock as a candidate for the All-America City award, a program founded in 1949 by the […]
Jakes Dioguardi’s traveling show has found a permanent location for Woodstock residents and visitors to enjoy on a regular basis. For five years, Dioguardi has operated Porkies Pig Roasts, a catering operation that provided 426 pig roasts in the northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin area last year alone. In March, Dioguardi and his wife, Liz […]
Grace Lutheran Church, in conjunction with Woodstock Area Community Ministry, will hold its first Festival of Arts beginning at 5 p.m. Sunday, April 28. WACM is a community-based organization dedicated to serving people in need. In previous years, the group hosted Festival of Music to benefit the Woodstock area Direct Assistance Program – a program […]
The Woodstock City Council approved a contract for the pedestrian walkway that will connect Main and Throop streets. Gavers Excavating Inc. was granted a $126,701.73 contract to complete the work when the Woodstock City Council voted 5-0 in favor of approving the expenditure April 16. Councilmen Mark Saladin and Mike Turner were absent from the […]
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.
