McHenry County Blog

Finally made it to the McHenry County Fair Sunday afternoon.

Should have gone earlier. The price for us old geezers was only $3.

Naturally, I decided to find all the political booths. I went by the two power party booths, not once, but twice, to see if I could pick up more candidates.

Not counting candidates with booths financed by tax dollars (these are the folks the Algonquin Founders Day Parade committee call "office holders"), the Republicans, Democrats and Libertarians were represented.

Because the Democrats had the most candidates, I’ll start with their booth.

It was a double wide one.

Standing there to welcome folks was Democratic Party state’s attorney candidate Tom Cynor.

Also greeting voters were county board candidates Jeff Thirtyacre and Cathy Began Schmidt. Schmidt is chair of the McHenry County Democratic Central Committee as well.

Chair Schmidt got me to pose with the Barack Obama cardboard cutout—a duplicate of the one my wife posed with on Navy Pier last week while we were waiting to board the Family PAC cruise boat.

Obama's image was brought out so I could have my picture taken with it.

How bold these Democrats are!

But, I might be bold, too, if my party had gotten more primary votes that the established power party for the first time since that power party was founded and took control of McHenry County government.

They printed out a copy, but, with my scanner on the fritz, I asked that it be emailed to me. I’ll turn it into a message of the day.

Think Wilson in “Home Improvements.”

On the way out of the building, I found a man wearing a Kerry Julian, Auditor, McHenry County tee shirt walking toward the Democratic Party booth. He is challenging Republican County Auditor Pam Palmer.

It turns out it was the candidate himself.

When I came back, there was another candidate.

Robert Kaempfe was chatting with Huntley residents Diane Ayers, a Democratic Party precinct committeeman, and her husband Rusty. Kaempfe is running against Republican State Rep. Mike Tryon.

A good turnout of candidates, I would say.

Tomorrow, it's the Republicans' turn.

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The Holstein cows at the top expressed no political preference.

Labels: Barack Obama, Cardboard Cutout, Cathy Bergan Schmidt, Cow, Diane Ayers, Kerry Julian, McHenry County Democrats, McHenry County Fair, Robert Kaempfe, Rusty Ayers, Tom Cynor

Remember how fire hydrants were painted in patriotic motifs in 1976?

An echo of that can be seen in Branson, Missouri.

We had just looked at some lawn ornament cows, so I thought this fire hydrant was painted to look like one.

Looking at it again, though, makes me wonder if it’s supposed to look like a fire station mascot Dalmatian.

Labels: Branson, Cow, Dalmation, Fire Hydrant, Message of the Day

The Chicago Sun-Times’ man on the advertising beat, Lewis Lazare, reported Tuesday that Oberweis Dairy is about to start another round of television ads.

This one features a cow being interviewed by former U.S. Senate and gubernatorial candidate Jim Oberweis.

The nameplate of the person sitting next to him behind a desk in the photo the Sun-Times reads is Joe Oberweis.

So, where did the cow come from?

As luck would have it, McHenry County Blog has tracked down a herd of Holsteins where it might have originated.

It was not Harmilda, the plastic cow in Harvard, which bills itself as the Milk Capital of the World. . (The name Harmilda comes from Harvard Milk Days, I learned on the event’s web page.)

And its picture is probably not on the painting on the side of the building behind Hermelda at the corner of Ayer Street--which becomes the “Milky Way” early each June.

When I took office as McHenry County Treasurer in 1966, Shoppers Service was sending its shopper from Harvard every week. And every week at least one dairy farmer was holding an auction because he was going out of business.

So, the odds of the cow being from McHenry County are not high, although dairy farms do still exist.

I followed this cheese truck north to Wisconsin.

Actually, I was on another errand to Williams Bay and got lost trying to follow a detour in Walworth to Lake Geneva.

But guess what I found?

Part of a herd of cows that supply Oberweis Dairy hormone-free milk.

They were resting or peacefully grazing about as far from the highway as seemed possible.

And, believe it or not, the farmer was a Republican.

Just look at the yard signs out in front of his home.

I know the farmer's candidate for governor, Mark Green, fared no better than the man who buys his cow's milk.

Paul Ryan, candidate for Congress, got 63% of the votes cast.

His candidate for state senate, Neal Kedzie, won 2-1.

The Republican candidate for the state assembly. Thomas Lothian, had a closer call, getting under 54% of the vote.

Labels: Cow, Dairy Farm, Harmilda, Harvard, Jim Oberweis, Oberweis Dairy, Political Sign, Shopper Service, Television Ad