By Eileen Millard news@thewoodstockindependent.com What do Martha Stewart, Maya Angelou, Judy Collins, Beverly Sills, Gene Siskel, and Bill Kurtis have in common? They have all been presenters of Woodstock’s Creative Living Series. The popular lecture series, produced by the Woodstock Fine Arts Association, celebrates its 60th year with the start of the 2023-24 season this […]
WHS, WNHS will perform ‘Mamma Mia’ in six shows Six presentations of “Mamma Mia” are planned as the spring musical of Woodstock North High School Theatre and Woodstock High School Theatre. Performances are planned for 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 14-15 and 21-22, with 2 p.m. matinees Sunday, April 16, and Saturday, April 22. […]
By Eileen Millard news@thewoodstockindependent.com “I was thinking about doing a book about the fabulous dressmaking during the Gilded Age,” said Alison Hawthorne Deming, award-winning poet, essayist and nonfiction author. “I cared about the history. … We have lost the stories of the craftspeople and entrepreneurial women.” Two of those dressmakers were Deming’s grandmother and great-grandmother, […]
Creative Living speaker weaves fashionable tale Poet and essayist Alison Hawthorne Deming will be the next speaker in the Creative Living series at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, at the Opera House. According to a news release, Deming’s book, “A Woven World,” stitches together two seemingly disparate endeavors: high-fashion dressmaking and ocean-edge fishing. The book […]
Firefighter to be hired for fire/rescue district Hiring a full-time firefighter/paramedic will keep the Woodstock Fire/Rescue District staff of full-timers at 40. The Board of Trustees last week directed the Board of Fire Commissioners to make the hire to fill a vacancy created by promotions after Chief Mike Hill retired Dec. 31. Acting Chief Brendan […]
By Eileen Millard news@thewoodstockindependent.com Whether it is screenplays, novels, nonfiction, video game scripts, or even business writing, author Jay Bonansinga says there is one thing that never changes, one constant: the story telling. “I don’t make any distinctions,” he said. “I always saw it as the same realm of creativity, called story telling. It is […]
As the AIDS epidemic swept through the United States in the 1980s, news coverage tended to focus on New York City and San Francisco. Largely ignored was the Chicago story, including a pioneering AIDS unit at Illinois Masonic Hospital (now Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center) that became a model for the nation. That story gets […]
Staff Report news@thewoodstockindependent.com The Woodstock Fine Arts Association, the oldest resident company of the Woodstock Opera House, has continued its support of the historic theater with its latest donation of $20,000. The contribution has been earmarked toward replacement of the ceiling in the Opera House Community Room, which serves as a gallery for local artists […]
On the same day that Zac Bleicher took the stage of the Woodstock Opera House to conduct audience members on a virtual tour of Chicago’s Glasner Studio, the Woodstock Fine Arts Association announced the line-up for the 2022-23 Creative Living Series. Despite the challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic placed on in-person events for two years, […]
Celebration of Earth Day public event on April 23 Earth Day will be celebrated at Prairieview Education Center in Crystal Lake from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 23. The free event for all ages will be hosted by the McHenry County Conservation District and the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County. The annual celebration will […]
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.
