🌱 What McHenry homeowners should do with buried leaf piles now

Greetings McHenry! We’re your go-to source for what’s happening in town. Read on to get plugged in! ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

• What McHenry homeowners should do with buried leaf piles now
• How McHenry Township firefighters turned a deer rescue into lifesaving training
• How McHenry teams fared in a busy night of conference play

Also on today's calendar: A Collector's Dream Auction - General Antiques - ONLINE ONLY and 7 more events.

Today's riddle: What did one tuna say to the other after getting caught stealing files from work? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Thursday: Mostly cloudy and very cold, with a high of 21 and low of 15 degrees. ⛄️ Brr!
• Friday: Very cold with flurries, temps: high: 25, low: -3.
• Saturday: Frigid with snow and flurries, with a high of 4 and low of -8 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Early, heavy snows bump some fall leaf collection to spring in McHenry (shawlocal.com) — McHenry’s fall leaf collection ended early after a heavy Thanksgiving snowstorm, leaving many curbside piles buried until spring. Residents can still bag leaves for regular yard waste pickup through Friday, but the city’s hauler will return in spring to complete one more vacuuming pass in each zone once the snow is gone.
   

2. Firefighters pull young deer off ice in Pistakee Bay in McHenry Township (shawlocal.com) — McHenry Township firefighters recently braved thin ice on Pistakee Bay to rescue two exhausted young deer struggling in the frigid Chain O’ Lakes water. Crews used cold-weather gear, walked about 100 feet across shallow ice, and say the save also doubled as valuable training for future cold-water rescues of people.
   

3. Cary-Grove cruises to win staying unbeaten in the FVC: Wednesday's Northwest Herald Sports Roundup (shawlocal.com) — McHenry High School teams had a mixed night, with the girls basketball squad falling to Hampshire and the girls bowling team losing to Huntley despite a solid series from Annabelle Weinreis. The wider Fox Valley and Kishwaukee River conferences saw strong wins from Cary-Grove, Johnsburg, Marengo and others in Wednesday’s packed slate of games.
   

4. Worker Sustains Serious Burn Injuries In Fire At McHenry County Plant (patch.com) — Emergency crews rushed to a fire at the Unicarriers plant in Marengo, where a worker suffered serious burn injuries in a welding-room blaze at the McHenry County facility. Firefighters quickly evacuated the building, contained the flames to one machine area, and transported the injured man to a Rockford hospital while investigators continue to look into the cause.
   

5. Governor JB Pritzker visits Crystal Lake Food Pantry during surprise McHenry County visit to learn about food insecurity (lakemchenryscanner.com) — McHenry County leaders recently hosted Gov. JB Pritzker at Crystal Lake Food Pantry to spotlight rising food insecurity and strained safety-net programs affecting local families. During the quiet December 2 visit, he toured the pantry and joined a roundtable with McHenry County officials and nonprofits discussing SNAP cuts, housing challenges, and long-term community solutions.
   

📸 Around McHenry

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🗓 Upcoming Events in McHenry

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★ Featured events ★

Thursday December 11

• A Collector's Dream Auction - General Antiques - ONLINE ONLY
  Donley Auctions, 8512 S Union Rd, Union
  9:00 am

Saturday December 13

• Guns! Accessories! and Ammo! Auction!
  Donley Auctions, 8512 S Union Rd, Union
  10:00 am

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Thursday December 11

• Vision Board Experience: Virtual Event
  McHenry Chamber of Commerce , 4115 w. Orleans , McHenry
  6:30 pm
• Jingle Belles Comedy
  Raue Center for the Arts , 26 N Williams St , Crystal Lake
  7:00 pm

Friday December 12

• Holiday Bag Sale
  jh Events and Flowers , 3603 Municipal Dr. , McHenry
• Time Warp Express Jolly Trolley Adventure to Save Santa November 7th - December 28th
  McHenry Chamber of Commerce , 27582 Volo Village Rd. , Volo
  4:00 pm
• Winter Girls Night Out
  Verdant Sol , 1328 Riverside Dr , McHenry
  6:00 pm
• Elgin Symphony Orchestra
  Raue Center for the Arts , 26 N Williams St , Crystal Lake
  8:00 pm

Saturday December 13

• Holiday Bag Sale
  jh Events and Flowers , 3603 Municipal Dr. , McHenry
• Restoration Day - Stickney Run - McHenry, IL 2025
  Stickney Run Conservation Area , 3216 State Park Rd , McHenry
  9:00 am

📣 McHenry Shout Outs!

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🗓 Events Nearby

Thursday December 11

• Freshman Finals Presentation - starts @ 7:30am
  Johnsburg High School JHS Auditorium
  7:00 am
• MC9 The Rising Collective - MC MEETING
  McHenry Chamber of Commerce Country Financial Building 1391 Corporate Dr McHenry 60050
  9:30 am
• Ribbon Cutting - Holiday House
  McHenry Chamber of Commerce 1404 N Chapel Hill Rd McHenry, IL 60051
  2:00 pm
• HCA Boys Varsity Basketball @ Johnsburg
  Johnsburg High School , 2002 W Ringwood Rd , Johnsburg
  4:30 pm

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• I want to thank my neighbor Gary for clearing my driveway and not asking for anything in return.
  Just came by to help. That is very rare in this part of the country. Cheers Mate (Nextdoor West Pistakee Highlands)
• I’m newish to the Johnsburg/McHenry area snd I’m looking for some New Years Eve recommendations.
  I’m a bit spoiled by previous Polish parties which are typically all-inclusive (dinner, open bar, dancing). Anywhere in this area that will have… (Nextdoor Ringwood and Barnard Mill)

• Alden Terrace of McHenry Rehabilitation and Health Care Center posted a job opening for Activity Aide in Mchenry. Apply here.
• Five Below, Inc. posted a job opening for Early Morning Freight Associate in Mchenry. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near McHenry here.

Ok McHenry! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I could get canned for this!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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