Indian Creek Newsletter July/August, 2006 on the web at frontiernet.net/~indiancreek compiled by Helen Mogill, hmogill@frontiernet.net, 728-2048
Water Reminder by Brian Krause During the months of May through September please be sure to observe the Indian Creek water conservation guidelines by watering your lawn or washing your car on days that correspond to your street address, odd addresses on odd days, even addresses on even days. Your adherence to these guidelines helps ensure an adequate supply of water for our community and prolongs the life of the water system equipment we all rely upon each and every day. Please also keep in mind that excessive watering stirs up sediment in the water lines and may cause discolored and sediment laden water for your neighbors.
Towanda Area Fall Garage Sales Towanda Area Fall Garage Sales are planned for the weekend following Labor Day – on Thursday, September 7, 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm Friday, September 8, 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Saturday, September 9, 8:00 am - 2:00 pm or other times as desired. To be included in a Pantagraph ad, send a list of items and times, with $5 for advertising expense to Gail Briggs by Wed., August 30 (112 Hunt St, Lamplighter) or Email list of things to be advertised to Gail at rgbriggs@frontiernet.net. You will receive a response. Questions? Call 728.2187
Fall Picnic Please reserve Sunday, 3:00, on Oct. 1 for the subdivision fall homeowners meeting and pot-luck picnic. (Rain date: Oct 8). This will be an opportunity to meet your new board members and to renew acquaintances with old neighbors and meet new neighbors. The picnic will be held at the soccer field. Bring lawn chairs, a dish to share, hot dogs or other meat to cook over an open fire, and your own table service. Be prepared to have fun! If you have suggestions for activities at the fall picnic, please contact Helen Mogill, hmogill@frontiernet.net, 728-2048.
Towanda Area Historical Society (TAHS) by Gail Briggs We expect to hear within six weeks whether the Digital Imaging Grant application submitted to the Illinois State Library will be funded. In the meantime, we continue to collect stories, histories, and memories. When submitting these, please include your name and contact information; your (or your family's) relationship to the information; the time period it came from; and recollections of what you knew or were told. Items may be left at the Towanda District Library to be scanned and returned or maintained in our files. Funds are solicited to help with the production of the history book. Contributions may be sent to TAHS, P.O. Box 217, Towanda IL 61776. Thank you! Meetings are held regularly on the 4th Tuesday of each month at the Towanda Community Building at 7:00 p.m. Informational flyers can be obtained at the Towanda Library. Contact the Library or Gail Ann Briggs with questions.
Towanda Library News (on the web at towandalibrary.org) TOWANDA READS book discussion group The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, published in 2003 From Amazon.com: “With The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown masterfully concocts an intelligent and lucid thriller that marries the gusto of an international murder mystery with a collection of fascinating esoteria culled from 2,000 years of Western history.” The discussion will be Wed., Sept. 13, from 7-8pm, at Helen Mogill’s home, 18 Bent Tree Lane, in the Indian Creek Subdivision.  New Library hours: The library's hours will change on September 1st to offer better "after-work" hours. The new hours will be: Mondays: 10:00am - 8:00pm Tuesdays: 3:00pm - 8:00pm Wednesdays: 10:00am - 8:00pm Thursdays: 3:00pm - 6:00pm Fridays:: 3:00pm - 6:00pm Saturdays: 9:00am - noon Sundays: Closed
Found Dog Last Sunday a neighbor found a St. Bernard on his screened porch. The website hscipets.org/lostfoun.htm tells what to do when finding a lost dog. If you wish to hold an animal that has tags until the owner can retrieve it, call the McLean County Animal Control Center or the on-call officer to get owner information. If the animal does not have tags or you can not hold on to a pet that does, you can call Animal Control at (309)888-5060 between the hours of 9:30 and 4:00. After hours call your local police non-emergency number and they will page the on-call officer to pick up the animal. Because the dog was growling, the neighbor did not approach the animal but instead called the Sheriff's Department, which was fortunate. A deputy responded. In an attempt to remove the dog the deputy was bitten. Animal Control was successful with removing the dog. It is now being held at the animal shelter for observation and the deputy has begun treatment for rabies. All residents should be very careful around stray animals.
Unit 5 Schools Student Registration Dates/Times Students should register at the school they will attend. Elementary Registration (PK-5) - August 10, 3:00-7:00 p.m. Elementary Make-Up Registration - August 14, 9:00-11:00 a.m. & 1:00-4:00 p.m. Junior High Registration (6-8) - August 15, 3:00-7:00 p.m. Senior High Registration (9-12) - 8:30-11:30 a.m. & 4:00-6:30 p.m. on all the following dates: 12th grade - August 14 11th grade - August 15 10th grade - August 16 9th grade - August 17 Entrance Age Requirements Children reaching the age of five (5) on or before September 1 will be eligible for enrollment in kindergarten. Children reaching the age of six (6) on or before September 1 will be eligible for enrollment in first grade. Immunizations/Health & Dental Exams A student's parent(s)/guardian(s) shall present proof that the student received a health examination and the immunizations against, and screenings for, preventable communicable diseases, as required by the Illinois Department of Health, within one year prior to: 1) entering kindergarten or first grade; 2) entering fifth and ninth grades; and 3) enrolling in an Illinois school, regardless of the student's grade (including nursery school, special education, Headstart programs operated by elementary or secondary schools, and students transferring into Illinois from out of state or out of country). All Illinois children in kindergarten, second, and sixth grades are required to have an oral health examination by a licensed dentist and to submit proof prior to May 15 of the school year. School dental examinations must be completed within 18 months of the deadline. Birth Certificates A certified birth certificate must be presented on registration day or the first day of school for: 1) all kindergarten children and 2) all students new to Unit 5. Proof of Residence Proof of residence must be presented for students enrolling in Unit 5 for the first time. School Calendar The first half-day of school for students is Wednesday, August 23 Towanda Elementary Sarah Edwards is the new principal at Towanda Elementary. Additional Information Additional information pertaining to student registration, proof of residency, and the opening of the 2006-2007 school year may be found on the Unit 5 website at http://www.unit5.org - select the appropriate link under the "News of Note" heading at the top of the page.
Indian Creek Homeowners Association News by Barb Ulbrich Welcome to our new Board members. Kurt Patti, of 1 Candle Ridge Road, is our new water chair. He replaces Tim Mogill who has served Indian Creek very well over the past several years--thanks Tim for your hard work! Brian Krause, of 3 Candle Ridge, had been elected Vice President/Secretary but has agreed to serve as our President for a three year term. Newly appointed Vice President/Secretary is Barbara Ulbrich, of 29 Candle Ridge. Dave Schultes remains our treasurer and Jim Russell our Grounds Chair. The Board was given a tour of our water tower on Saturday July 1^st. Water consultant Frank Cottrell explained the workings of the pump. He also explained that our water tower was bought used and is now well over 40 years old. Frank described the challenges we face in hot dry summers. Although in winter we use on average 20,000 gallons per day, in the summer, this more than doubles to 40,000-50,000 per day. During summertime, water conservation is necessary. We note that during the summer time, lawns should be watered on an odd/even basis, following your lot number. If you water at night, you will lose less water to evaporation. A few folks have built in-ground pools and we neighbors appreciate them trucking in water to fill the pools. Others have in-ground sprinkler systems for ease of watering; please reset your automatic systems and water on odd/even basis as well. Droughts You may have questions why water conservation is important here in water-plentiful central Illinois. Generally, we are fortunate. But our water experts advise us that our subdivision’s aquifer is sufficient only if use is controlled. Last year’s drought and the drought of ‘88 concerned many of us. But we learned that grass goes dormant and yellow in periods of drought, then greens up within days when rains return. Tower repainting. Next year, we'll need to commit about $50,000 to tower repainting. Funds accumulated from your quarterly water assessments are sufficient to cover the cost of the repainting. No additional assessment will be needed.
Open House By Faith Russell As many of you know, Tim Mogill has resigned his position as Water Chairperson on the Indian Creek Board. For eight years, Tim volunteered to deal with the many issues that arose in caring for our neighborhood's water quality and supply. To thank him for this vital service, there will be an Open House at One Bent Tree Lane on Sunday, August 27 from 1 - 3 PM. Please stop by and enjoy some snacks and a glass of iced tea (or wine) and thank Tim for his many years of volunteer work on behalf of our neighborhood.
	Dog Courtesy A neighbor asks that we all observe dog courtesy. Please pick up after your dog,
Generosity by Mark Schwamberger "Thank you" to all the residents who participated in our food drive. On July 8th we delivered 210 can goods and 137 dry goods to the Claire House. Because of Indian Creek's generosity we provided much needed supplies at a time they were very low on food. It sure feels good living in such a giving neighborhood!! Thanks again! Mark, Kelly, Jairon, Justin, and Brenna Schwamberger 13 Fox Creek Rd.
	EMT-B Course The Towanda Fire Department will host an EMT-B Course, Sept 5, 2006 – Dec 21, 2006, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM, at the Towanda Fire House, 400 S. Madison. Course Length: 120 HR Course Fee: $450.00 Must be 18 Years Old Contact: Gary Cornell – lead Instructor, Glc54@insightbb.com, 309-275-5303
Nature Area Restoration Work Day Please join your neighbors for a nature area restoration workday on Saturday, Aug. 19 at 8:00 am (or whenever you can get there).   Meet at the bridge and please bring chain saws, hand saws, and loppers if you have them.   We'll continue clearing out around the large white oak behind Larry Meyer's house.   There will be extra tools and herbicide bottles available for those who just want to come out and help. We are very fortunate to have such a lovely place right in our own neighborhood. Please help us to make it even more beautiful!
	American Bellflower woodland - native	Summer Wildflowers New at the Indian Creek web site are some of the summer wildflowers that can be found in or around the subdivision. Go to frontiernet.net/~indiancreek and select the ‘Wildflowers’ link. Learn the names of local wildflowers; see which flowers are native and which are introduced, and read other interesting facts about these beautiful components of our neighborhood.	Chicory roadside-introduced
	Japanese Beetles Japanese beetles have appeared in abundance this year. Following are some interested excerpts of information available on the web. From http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/housing/japanese-beetle/jbeetle.html: “The Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica Newman) is a highly destructive plant pest of foreign origin. It was first found in the United States in a nursery in southern New Jersey nearly 80 years ago. In its native Japan, where the beetle's natural enemies keep its populations in check, this insect is not a serious plant pest. In the United States, however, the beetle entered without its natural enemies and found a favorable climate and an abundant food supply.” From http://tfpg.cas.psu.edu/part2/part22bq.htm: ”Japanese beetles overwinter in the soil as grubs and complete their growth in early spring. Adults emerge in greatest numbers during July and are active for a month. The gregarious beetles are most active on warm, sunny days on favorite hosts. Adults feed on leaves and fruit. They chew leaf tissue between veins and leave a lacelike skeleton. Severely injured leaves soon turn brown and often drop. Fruit and foliage may be protected from damage by spraying at regular intervals when beetles first cause unacceptable injury. Because sprayed trees can be reinvaded, they should be inspected weekly when adults are present.” From http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2006/07/12/area_vegetation_becomes_ buffet_for_japanese_beetles: ‘…by planting [corn] early, we foster survival of the grub in the soil. After they swarm, eat and mate, Japanese beetles lay eggs in the soil, the eggs hatch and overwinter as grubs. When they break dormancy in the spring, they start tunneling around looking for roots to dine on. Steffey said early-planted corn gives those grubs a rich source of food. Also, he said, winters recently have been mild so grub survival has been high. “As adults, they look for flowering plants," he said of the current phase of their life cycle. "Anyone who lives near a field knows that. They eat more than 200 species of plants.”
Indian Creek Garden Club Some people have expressed an interest in reviving the Indian Creek Garden Club. I (Helen) am going to set up a meeting for an evening in September. Anyone who would like to participate, please plan on attending. You don’t need to be a masterful gardener – just to have an appreciation of gardening and to enjoy getting to know your neighbors in an informal, relaxed, and congenial atmosphere. I’ll try to arrange for an interesting speaker, and would appreciate any suggestions for topics and/or potential speakers. To see the kinds of activities that the original garden club held, visit the garden club web site at http://www.frontiernet.net/~tmogill/GardenClub/Homepage.htm. The garden club web site is also available from a link on the Indian Creek web site home page.
	Kids at Work Babysitting Adam Doubet 14 Pet care Adam Doubet 14 Bayli Doubet 12 Tori Doubet 10 Lawn mowing Ryan Doubet 17