Last year I retired from being Santa Claus on the Square after 40 years in the Santa Hut. But I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye and thank you for all those good years that families and children gave me, and the good stories and fun with the kids, big ones as well as […]
By Cheryl Wormley I know it isn’t even Halloween. But since this issue of The Independent is being delivered to every mailbox in ZIP code 60098, I want to tell this week’s greater readership about Woodstock’s annual Christmas Parade. After I’m finished writing about the parade, I have two other topics. For the first time […]
I moved to Woodstock in 1984 after stumbling across a real estate ad in a national magazine for an original log cabin built in 1838. I met with the owners of the square-cut, hand-hewn cabin the following morning and promptly bought the William C. Rider house on Fleming Road. I love architecture and couldn’t pass […]
An hour was barely enough time for Woodstock Mayor Mike Turner to cover all of the topics he wanted to discuss in his recent State of the City speech at the end of his first year in office.The Independent counted at least two dozen projects, programs, and achievements the mayor touched on May 12 during […]
By Larry Phillips Angelo’s for lunch on the Square, Blue Streak football on Friday nights; Chicago Dogs at Tommy’s Red Hots, the $3 special, Dairy Queen for summer ice cream delights. El Niagara for Mexican fare, muy bien, Farm & Fleet, intriguing to browse and shop; Groundhog Day filmed in 1992, a timeless event, Hunting […]
That special something that makes Woodstock something special was on display for much of 2021. Amazon Prime had a film crew in town for much of the summer to transform the city into Farnsworth, the fictional setting for a sci-fi series, “Lightyears,” starring Oscar winners J.K. Simmons and Sissy Spacek. Local folks took the opportunity […]
Back in September when I photographed the filming of Toyota’s holiday TV commercial in Woodstock, I was wearing a T-shirt and jeans, but a tiny portion of the Square was mysteriously alight with wreaths, red bows, and snow. I could almost believe it was mid-December when the sun had set, the Square was engulfed in […]
Woodstock shoppers will be able to “Shop, Save, and Win” again this year at locally owned independent retailers while the city tries to figure out the impact the program has on holidays sales. The City Council last week approved spending $15,000 for the program, sponsored by the Woodstock Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry, up […]
How should Woodstock spend the $3.4 million it is getting through the pandemic-inspired American Rescue Plan from the federal government? How about something immediately visible, like a splash pad at the city aquatic center or a bike path from Route 47 to the downtown? Or maybe it should be used for long-term investments in infrastructure […]
All that flattery Woodstock is hearing from T-Mobile could go to a small town’s head. In announcing our city as the winner of the wireless company’s first nationwide “Hometown Techover” contest, a press release called Woodstock “a competition standout” (among 10 small-municipality finalists) that was chosen because of, among other things, “the special nature of […]
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.
