McHenry County Blog

Driving down Route 14 from Deep Cut Road after leaving BSA Camp Lakota, it was like being in a modern Narnia with the White Witch in control.

The trees were covered with ice.

The sun was shining brightly.

After we passed the place with the April 21, 1967, tornado crossed the highway, I rolled down the window and started taking pictures.

This was one of the better ones.

That’s how cold it was right after my son decided not to zip on the bottoms of his convertible pants.

Labels: Camp Lakota, Ice, Message of the Day, Narnia, Route 14, Tornado, White Witch

I usually wait until after 3:30 to go pick up my son. That way I can find a parking space.

Not so today.

Although I arrived about 3:38, there wasn’t a space to be found.

After driving around the block about five times without finding anyone leaving and no kid in sight, I asked a parent standing by her car what was up.

She told me there was a tornado warning and the children had been taken downstairs, that I could get my son, if I could find him, and sign him out.

I parked the car a block away—in a legal space, yet—and went inside.

I found the principal and she said that there had been a warning from what used to be called the Weather Bureau and that they had sent out a tornado warning.

District 47’s central office confirmed to South School administrators that the children should not be sent home.

A parent told me that there had been a tornado in Harvard.

Perhaps to a national agency, if a tornado is 20 miles away, but in the same county, that qualifies for a tornado warning.

But, there certainly was no warning siren in Crystal Lake. The crossing guard, who had been there since three, verified that.

Anyway, the principal told me that she was going to dismiss everyone at 4.

I found my son in a basement 5th grade class room and signed him out.

We walked out the front door about two after the four and beat the rush.

Got home at 4:10 and looked at the Tribune web site weather map. I have captured what McHenry County looked like about 3:55.

Doesn’t look like there was a reason to delay dismissal to me.

How about you?

Oh, yes.

Here's the email that arrived at 4:43-

Alert Name: Tornado Warning

Alert Type: High Importance

Complete Message: We were notified at 3:30 pm that the area is under a tornado warning until 4:00 pm on 1/7/2008. Students are being held at school until 4:00 pm and buses are being instructed to return to school. Once the warning is lifted students will be transported home or released from school.

School Name: Crystal Lake Community School District 47

Sent By: RONALD MILLER

Labels: District 47, Harvard, South School, Tornado

It was a dark and gloomy day on Palm Sunday.

So, when I saw this tee shirt after the service at the First United Methodist Church of Crystal Lake, it seemed like a good “Message of the Day.”

The tee shirt has white letter on black cotton:

Keep out of
direct sunlight

How gloomy was it?

When it was not raining, there were dark clouds covering the sky.

This picture I took of the spire on our church points to one of the few patches of blue I saw all day.

Still, it was so much better than Palm Sunday in 1965.

That was the day that the tornado struck Colby's Subdivision, went through the Plaza shopping center and across the street.

It was so strong that a straw was found driven through a tree near a farm house where the owner was killed.

Labels: Crystal Lake, First United Methodist Church of Crystal Lake, Message of the Day, Palm Sunday, T-Shirt, Tee Shirt, Tornado