September 1, 2021
Dear Village Resident,
It's been just over one year since an intense line of thunderstorms swept through our area leaving behind tree debris everywhere. If we get another storm, or you need to prune your trees, don't forget that yard waste collection is now included at no extra charge as part of our waste and recycling pickup. You can set out up to eight bags/cans of landscape waste per week until December 1. Tie tree branches in bundles no longer than four feet and no larger than two feet in diameter. Or put in in 35 gallon cans or a biodegradable Kraft bag with other yard waste (grass clippings, brush and and other garden materials, along with clean food waste scraps for composting). Yard Waste Collection ends the week of December 1. View more info here.
Fabian Seafood Truck Coming Friday
A Fabian Seafood truck will be at Platinum Terrain this Friday, September 3, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. located at 7701 Blivin Street. Fabian Seafood is a small family business based in Galveston, Texas. They sell fresh wild-caught shrimp from the gulf and other seafood, transported by truck and air. Visit their website here to see why they are so popular!
Operation Warm: More Than a Coat
The Richmond-Spring Grove Area Rotary is again partnering with Operation Warm, a non-profit organization, to provide winter coats to families in need in the Richmond, Spring Grove and Hebron communities. Please read a letter to the community, and view the order form.
Secretary of State Mobile Unit
The 2021 "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" enforcement campaign will run through the early morning hours of September 6. The Spring Grove Police Department is joining law enforcement agencies throughout the state with extra patrols on the road to crack down on impaired drivers
Photo of the Week
In her cute sunflower dress, little Ava Chesser blended right in when she visited Richardson's Adventure Farm Sunflower Festival! If you have a photo of Spring Grove you would like to share, email it here.
Community Block Party
The new Community Engagement Committee has organized thw first annual Spring Grove Community Block Party! This is an opportunity for fun, entertainment, and a chance to meet your neighbors! To be held Saturday, September 18, from 1 - 5 p.m. at Horse Fair Park. View the flyer with more details here.
If You Missed It
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Adults and students 15 and older! If you missed the Richardson Adventure Farm interview days and wish to work at the farm, email info@richardsonfarm.com and include some information about yourself. Also, be sure to read their informational page and print and fill out the application.
Vehicle Stickers on Sale
You should be receiving your vehicle sticker application this week and stickers are on sale now. Make corrections or updates directly on the form. Use the enclosed envelope to mail in the form with your payment, drop the envelope in the Municipal Centre drop-box, make a payment at the PD website here, or visit the PD window at 7401 Meyer Road. All vehicles kept in the Village, whether used or stored, must have a current sticker displayed prior to October 1.
Mask Mandate and Vax Verify
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To slow the spread of the highly transmissible COVID-19 Delta variant, all Illinois residents over the age of two are required to wear a mask in all indoor settings, effective Monday, August 3. The requirement is applicable to both vaccinated and unvaccinated residents statewide.

Don't forget, the Illinois Department of Public Health has launched Vax Verify, a new online portal that allows Illinois adults to check their COVID-19 vaccination record and confirm their vaccination status if needed. The safe and secure portal will go through a brief, one-time identity verification process in order to gain access to your immunization history. To find a vaccination location near you, please visit vaccines.gov.
Blast from the Past
Picking Lotus blooms at Grass Lake
The Lotus flower
In the late 1800s and early 1900s Grass Lake was a "stretch of wild rice and lotus". Lotus flowers, that is, an aquatic plant that is sometimes called a water lily (but which is not the same plant). In 1906, Shorty's Place (which later became Blarney's Island), was a resort on Grass Lake that offered boat tours of the beautiful lotus beds and tourists came from all over to see the "Egyptian" flowers, as they were advertised . At that time the water in the Chain O Lakes was much lower and boat traffic much less, so huge lotus beds covered parts of the lakes.

The Lotus Country Woman's Club of Spring Grove chose the name of the flower for their philanthropic group and the first meeting was held in 1911 at the farm home of Mrs. Fred Hatch. The clubs colors were yellow and green, no doubt after the very fragrant lemon-colored Lotus flower. Programs were given by members and varied from home life to educational subjects. They sponsored movies before electricity came to town and lectures, plays and concerts.

In the early 1900s, Spring Grove resident Annie Cole Baker was well-known for exhibiting her "lotus preparations" at the Lake County Fair. She made perfume and toilet water and soon made the fateful decision to expand her business, which we will learn more about next week.
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