The previous three weekends, those seeking a ghoulishly good time could find a few scares at Peterson Park in McHenry where the Wonder Lake Ski Team was holding its annual Haunted Hayride fundraiser. “This is our largest fundraiser supporting the Wonder Lake Ski Team,” said team member and skier Dana kurchina-Tilling, who also owns KT Cleaning and snow removal. “Without the hayride, we wouldn’t

Every year, about this time, this blog focusses on the importance of winterizing your car. Winterizing your car is so important for folks here in McHenry County we’ll almost certainly hit the topic again before the snow flies and temperatures really drop – unless, of course, Old Man Winter throws an early curve ball or two. Winterizing your car is what you might call automotive-reliability insurance.

If you’ve ever seen the looks on the faces of the children who are served by Shop With A Cop each year, you’d understand why this is one of our favorite activities here are Performance Unlimited. Shop With A Cop is a Police Charities benefit that provides children from financially challenged families with an opportunity to enjoy a little holiday cheer each December. The McHenry Area Chamber

There are mechanisms of your car that worthy of your attention. You want to know the car will start, even in the dead of winter. You want the engine to run and operate efficiently and reliably. You want the brakes to stop the car, especially in a panic situation. But, your shocks, struts and suspension – what’s the big deal? As long as you can drive, who cares if the shocks, struts and suspension

Remember that new car smell? Or, maybe your car wasn’t new when you first bought it. Either way, hopefully, it’s treating you well. Of course, if you’re treating your car well, there’s a good chance it will do the same for you. Are you having the oil changed regularly? Proper and timely maintenance is essential to getting the most out of your car. Of course, there is that ‘intangible’

One of the great things about a car is that you can go places. You can go to the store. You can go a professional baseball game, which is not a bad idea this year, if you’re a Cubs fan. You can go out to dinner and a show. You can even go to Indiana, if you can think of a good reason to go to Indiana … Hmmm? This time of year, a great place to go is to the apple orchard. At an apple orchard,

You’re driving down the road thinking about how nice it will be to drop your son off at your folks so you and your husband can finally have that overdue romantic weekend getaway you’ve planned for … how long has it been? Suddenly, you notice a piece of lumber in the road that probably fell off a truck. Unfortunately, you don’t have time to avoid it so you go right over it, gritting your teeth

Try to imagine driving your car without shocks or struts. One thing you would probably never do is drink a cup of hot coffee while driving again. Without those shocks and struts, every time you hit a bump or a dip in the road the car would start bucking like a ship tossing in rough seas. You’d wear as much coffee as you’d drink. Of course, that scenario assumes you’d still have coil or leaf

Perhaps you plan to stay home for the Labor Day weekend. Then again, you might join the millions of other Americans who make the holiday one of the busiest weekends for traffic each year. Some drive to the lake for fun on and by the water. Other’s take a final vacation before the school year kicks into gear. And others go to visit friends and family that decided to stay home for the holiday. Whatever

As summers go, this is a fairly mild variety here in McHenry County. Yes, we’ve seen plenty of days in the 80s, and topped the 90s once or twice. But, by and large, this hasn’t been an excessively hot summer. And McHenry County has had some hot summers in the past. All the same, if someone working outside, 80s and 90s are a bit toasty. If you’re car’s air conditioning isn’t working properly,