I pick Kansas City to win another Super Bowl.

I pick the Ravens and the 49ers to win next Sunday and make it to the Super Bowl. How about you?

Always have been a Packer fan in spite of being raised in Chicago-I was born in Milwaukee--I pick Green Bay over San Francisco. (This is my heart talking.)

Never liked either of the Harbaughs but have to choose the Ravens to beat the Texans.

I'm in Michigan now so must believe the Lions will win over Tampa Bay.

This is a hard one. Both teams have great quarterbacks, but I'm hoping the Chiefs will prevail over the Bills.

2023 LIGHT UP STREATOR

CHICAGO (CBS) -- If you are looking for a place to take in the holiday lights, try heading southwest to Streator.
The town is sort of like one big display, thanks to the hard work of volunteers who put together "Light Up Streator."
All four blocks are filled with illuminated decorations.
It's practically a year-round effort. Organizers hold fundraiser in the spring and summer to pay for things such as lights, cords and wiring.
Local businesses sponsor some of the displays, which are then custom made by the high school welding class.
The tradition started about 25 years ago with one local family.
In addition to the park, volunteers decorate six blocks of Main Street, City Hall and the Streator Fire Department.
This year, for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, Santa made a special return to take toy requests.

The First Thanksgiving: What Really Happened

Bon voyage!

The Most Popular Junk Food of Every Decade

EVERYONE'S FAVORITE FRUITCAKE (In honor of National Fruitcake Day, Dec. 27th)
From PJ Hamel, King Arthur Baking Company

"No, no, not the dreaded FRUITCAKE..." Fear not: this moist, dark cake is loaded with yummy-tasting dried fruits, not the icky, bitter candied peel and citron you remember from visiting your grandma at Christmas. The dried fruits suggested below are simply that — suggestions. Feel free to substitute your own favorites; you'll need about 2 1/2 pounds dried fruit total.

Fruit Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups (213g) dried pineapple, diced
1 1/2 cups (255g) raisins, golden or regular
1 cup (128g) dried apricots, diced
1 1/2 cups (223g) dates, chopped
heaping 1 cup (170g) candied red cherries, plus additional for decoration, if desired
1/3 cup (64g) crystalilized ginger, diced, optional
3/4 cup (170g) rum, brandy, apple juice, or cranberry juice
Batter Ingredients:

Batter Ingredients
16 tablespoons (227g) unsalted butter, at room temperature, at least 65°F
2 cups (425g) dark brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspicee
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 large eggs, at room temperature
3 cups (360g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 tablespoons (11g,) black cocoa optional, for color
1/4 cup (85g) boiled cider, igolden syrup, or dark corn syrup
1/2 cup (113g) apple juice, cranberry juice or water
2 cups (227g) chopped, toasted nuts (almonds, pecans, or walnuts)
Topping/glaze (optional)

Optional Glaze
rum, brandy, simple syrup, vanilla syrup, or ginger syrup ginger syrup


Instructions

To prepare the fruit: Combine the fruit with the liquid of your choice in a non-reactive bowl; cover and let rest overnight. Too impatient to wait until tomorrow? Microwave everything for 1 minute (or until it's very hot), cover, and let rest 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 300°F. This recipe makes enough batter for ONE (not all!) of the following: 3 dozen individual (muffin pan) cakes; 16 mini loaves (about 3 3/4" x 2 1/2"); 6 to 8 medium loaves (about 3" x 5"); or 2 standard 9" x 5" loaves. Choose your pans (or combinations), and lightly grease them. If you're making muffin-size cakes in a standard muffin pan, line the pan with muffin papers, and lightly grease the papers.

To make the batter: Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl (at least 6-quart), and beat together until well combined.
Beat in the salt, spices, and baking powder.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl after each addition.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour and cocoa.

Add the flour mixture and the syrup (or boiled cider) to the mixture in the bowl, beating gently to combine.

Stir in the juice or water, then the fruit (including any additional liquid that has collected in the bowl), and the nuts. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and stir until everything is well combined.

Spoon the batter into the pans, filling them about 3/4 full.

Bake the cakes on the middle shelf of the oven, as follows: about 60 minutes for the individual cakes; 65 to 70 minutes for the small loaves; 75 minutes for the medium loaves, and 2 hours + 10 to 15 minutes for the 9" x 5" loaves. The cakes are done when a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove the cakes from the oven. Fruitcake can remain in its pan for storage, if desired. Or carefully remove cake from the pan after about 5 minutes, loosening its edges first.

Brush the warm cake with rum, brandy, simple syrup, or flavored simple syrup (vanilla, rum-flavored, etc.). If you like just a hint of rum or brandy flavor, add 1 tablespoon of liquor to 3/4 cup vanilla syrup or simple syrup, and brush this mixture on the cakes. (This keeps them moist for weeks; you can skip this step, but they won't stay moist long-term.)

When the cakes are completely cool, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, and store at room temperature for up to 6 to 8 weeks.

Tips from our Bakers
This recipe can also fill two tea loaf pans. Divide the batter among two lightly greased tea loaf pans, or bake one after the other if you only have one tea loaf pan (if you have a kitchen scale, half the batter will weigh about 1,588g). Bake the cakes for 2 hours to 2 hours and 10 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Yield: 2 loaf cakes.

While we like the flavors provided by the different fruits listed above, fruitcake can be a bit of a blank canvas for whatever dried and/or candied fruits are your favorites. We've had great success using a mixture of our fruitcake fruit blend, candied lemon peel, candied orange peel, and mini diced ginger.

PREPARING A FEAST IN 1620

Just a reminder of how "easy" we have it today.

What I really mean is that by now, hopefully, someone else is preparing our holiday meal because of our "advanced" age. Happy Thanksgiving/Eating!

Injun Summer
Tribune Cartoonist John T. McCutcheon

Yep, sonny this is sure enough Injun summer. Don’t know what that is, I reckon, do you? Well, that’s when all the homesick Injuns come back to play; You know, a long time ago, long afore yer granddaddy was born even, there used to he heaps of Injuns around here—thougands—millions, I reckon, far as that’s concerned. Reg’lar sure ‘nough Injuns—none o’yer cigar store Injuns, not much. They wuz a;; arpmne jere—right here where you’re standin’.

Don’t be skeered—hain’t none around here now, leastways no live ones. They been gone this many a year.

They all went away and died, so they ain’t no more left.

But every year, ‘long about now, they all come back, leastways their sperrits do. They’re here now. You can see ‘em off across the fields. Look real hard. See that kind o’hazy misty look out yonder? Well, them’s Injuns—Injun sperrits marchin’ along an’ dancin’ in the sunlight. That’s what makes that kind o’ haze that’s everywhere—it’s jest the sperrits of the Injuns all come back. They’re all around us now.

See off yonder; see them tepees? They kin o’ look like corn shocks from here, but them’s Injun tents, sure as you’re a foot high. See ‘em not? Sure, I knowed you could. Smell that smoky sort o’smell in the air? That’s the campfires a-burnin’ and their pipes a-goin’.

Lots o’ people say it’s just leaves burnin’, but it ain’t. It’s the campfires, an’ th’ Injuns are hoppin’ ‘round ‘em t’beat the old Harry.

You jest come out here tomight when the moon is hangin’ over the hill off yonder an’ the harvest fields is all swimmin’ in the moonlight, an’ you can see the Injuns and the tepees jest as plain as kin be. You can, eh? I knowed you would after a little while.

Jever notice how the leaves turn red ‘bout this time o’ year? That’s jest another sign o’ redskins. That’s when an old Injun sperrit gits tired dancin’ an’ goes up an’ squats on a leaf t’rest. Why I kin hear ‘em rustlin’ and whisper in’ an’ creepin’ ‘round among the leaves all the time; an’ ever’ once’n a while a leaf gives way under some fat old Injun ghost and comes floatin’ down to the ground. See—here’s one now. See how red it is? That’s the war paint rubbed off’n an Injun ghost, sure’s you’re born.

Purty soon all the Injuns’ll go marchin’ away agin, back to the happy huntin’ ground, but next year you’ll see ‘em troopin’ back—th’ sky jest hazy with ‘em and their campfires smolderin’ away jest like they are now.

HAPPY TRAILS TO YOU -- THE END OF AN ERA

The young guns may not understand the meaning of this, but you will. The Roy Rogers Museum in Branson, MO has closed its doors forever. The contents of the museum were sold at a public auction. Roy Rogers told his son, that if the museum ever operates at a loss, close it, and sell the contents. He complied. Note the follow-on article is truly the end of an era.

Here is a partial listing of some of the items that were sold at auction:]

Roy's 1964 Bonneville (Pontiac) sold for $254,500. It was estimated to sell between 100 and 150 thousand dollars.

His script book from the January 14, 1953 episode of This Is Your Life sold for $10,000 (EST. $800-$1,000).

A collection of signed baseballs (Pete Rose, Duke Snyder, and other greats) sold for $3,750.

A collection of signed bats (Yogi Berra, Enos Slaughter, Bob Feller, and others) sold for $2,750.

Trigger 's saddle and bridle sold for $386,500.

One of many of Roy's shirts sold for $16,250 and one of his many cowboy hats sold for $17,500.

One set of boot spurs sold for $10,625. (He never used a set of spurs on Trigger)

His flight jacket sold for $7,500

His set of dinnerware plates and silverware sold for $11,875.

The Bible they used at the dinner table every night sold for $8,750.

One of several of his guitars sold for $27,500.

Nellybelle (the Jeep) sold for $116,500.

Bullet (stuffed) sold for $35,000 (EST. 10-15 K). He was their real pet.

Dale's parade saddle, estimated to sell between 20-30 K, sold for $104,500.

One of many pairs of Roy's boots sold for $21,250.

Trigger (stuffed) sold for $266,500.

Do you remember the 1938 movie The Adventures of Robinhood, With Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland? Well, Olivia rode Trigger in that movie. Trigger was bred on a farm co-owned by Bing Crosby. Roy bought Trigger on a time payment plan for $2,500. Roy and Trigger made 188 movies together. Trigger even outdid Bob Hope by winning an Oscar in the movie Son of Paleface in 1953.

It is extremely sad to see this era lost forever. Despite the fact that Gene and Roy's movies, as well as those of other great characters, can be bought or rented for viewing, today's kids would rather spend their time playing video games. Today it takes a very special pair of parents to raise their kids with the right values and morals. These were the great heroes of our childhood, and they did teach us right from wrong, and how to have and show respect for each other and the animals that share this earth.

You and I were born at the right time. We were able to grow up with these great people even if we never met them. In their own way they taught us patriotism and honor. We learned that lying and cheating were bad, and that sex wasn't as important as love. We learned how to suffer through disappointment and failure and work through it. Our lives were drug-free.

So it's goodbye to Roy and Dale, Gene and Hoppy (Hop-a-long Cassidy), the Lone Ranger and Tonto. Farewell to Sky King (and Penny)and Superman and (Dragnet) Sgt Friday. Thanks to Capt. Kangaroo, Mr. Rogers, and Capt. Noah and all those people whose lives touched ours, and made them better.
Happy Trails... It was a great ride through childhood

SkeetersPage
266 subscribers
Nine years ago, I pieced together a collection of vintage commercials for local businesses around the Streator, Illinois area. To my surprise, the video received more than 4,800 views. Unbeknownst to me, in the past nine years I had been sitting on some more, and didn't get around to discovering newer oldies until I did some spring cleaning of my VHS collection.

I was set to post a sequel video to my original "Classic Streator, IL. Area Commercials" from 2011. But because I have better digital video equipment, and also for the benefit of those of you who appreciate a one-stop shop for your Streator nostalgia, I have compiled the second video I made, re-transferred most of the commercials from the first video (volume is higher and sound quality is less muffled this time around), and put them together for this compilation.

Listed below are dates and timestamps for each commercial, taken from different tapes and cable network sources way back when.

From May 1994:
0:00 - Servistar (Today, Servistar is now RP Lumber)

From December 1994:
0:30 - Natasha's Furniture
1:01 - Streator Drugs - Healthmart (Would close its doors 25 years later (November 2019); today, Streator Liquors is currently in its former location)
1:31 - Marr Sales Mattress Factory Outlet
2:01 - Don Perisho Jeweler - The Natasha Collection (Today, Don Perisho Jeweler is Pavlick Tax Service)
2:32 - Streator Onized Federal Credit Union
3:02 - J's Video & Stereo (Would later become Video Update, then Family Video; today, it's Streator Cash Express)
3:33 - Van Duzer Jewelers
4:05 - Bill Walsh Automotive Group
4:35 - Mazak TV & VCR
5:06 - Water Unlimited
5:36 - Oogie's Family Restaurant (The nostalgia still lives for that place. And yet after all these years, I've probably uploaded the first Oogie's commercial to be seen anywhere on YouTube! Share a root beer, anyone?)

From April 1995:
6:06 - Snapper Lawn Mowers (Smith Sales & Service - Peru & Streator Farm Mart - Streator)
6:37 - Big Boyz Toyz

From November 1996:
7:08 - Garrett's Harley-Davidson
7:40 - 1-Hour Family Optical
8:10 - St. Mary's Hospital (rehabilitative services)
8:42 - Marcus Cable (Today, Marcus Cable is now Mediacom; Marcus Cable was bought in 1998 to merge with Charter Communications)
9:12 - Ziebart TidyCar Polar Protection Sale
9:44 - St. Mary's Hospital (mammograms)
10:14 - Lynn Chevrolet-Buick-Geo
10:45 - Natasha's Furniture of Streator ("Going Out of Business!!" Two whole years after the commercial you saw earlier.)

From Winter 2000/2001:
11:16 - Ziebart Speedy Auto Glass
11:46 - Bill Walsh Automotive Group

From February 2001:
12:16 - Lynn Chevrolet-Buick (Goodbye, Geo. Hello, Par-A-Dice?)

NEW RIVERVIEW PAGE

A second, new Riverview page has been posted today. It's called FOOD, GAMES, etc. on the list of titles below WHAT'S NEW? or by the copy and paste method: https://www.thestreatorhighschool1958.com/NEW-Food-Games-etc..htm

SEE IF YOU CAN FIND THE INVALUABLE CONTRIBUTION MADE BY ONE OF OUR OWN.

March 29, 2022



Hi All!

First of all, I'd like to thank all of you for the nice notes and well wishes about my recent health issues. I only addressed them in a previous email because I wanted all of you to know why I'd deserted you for over a month. The Holiday Countdown on our Homepage was stuck on February 14 for all that time, and it seemed to me that you were owed an explanation.

Anyway, the hip replacement continues to go extremely well -- it was a "no-pain" experience. The bleeding ulcer has calmed down and seems to be responding to medication. So, all's well again here, and I've been busy with new material for our web site.

I'm really excited about the Riverview revamp. I can't believe all the new photos and articles I've found. Someone out there is releasing info everyday -- it truly seems that way. I'm anxious to beginning sharing it so I'm going to post pages as I "finish" them and add additional material later. In the future, they will all be connected together with links, but right now you'll get them page by page.

The first page is NEW LOOKING BACK, and you'll find it listed at the bottom of topics to the left of our HOME PAGE. I'll continue to post additional pages in the same manner so we'll have quite a long list of topics as the revamp is presently at 9 pages. Oh well, when it's finished the individual pages will be connected like our other topics.

Again, thank you for your kind words concerning my health and let's get on to remembering.



See you online!

Carole

The Older I Get
Alan Jackson

When the street lights went on, it was the signal to go home for the nights.

We went trick-or-treating -- unescorted -- two, some times three, nights each Halloween.

Remember when it was normal to "cut through" other people's yards.

LET'S PLAY "DO YOU REMEMBER?"
If you remember one of these old/odd customs, please tell us and share any new ones. Thanks

When you wanted to visit a relative, you just showed up -- you never called first.

When you visited a grade school friend, you stood outside and "called for" them -- you never knocked or rang the bell.

When a family member got a new car, they would drive to all the relatives to show their purchase -- not to brag, but to share their excitement.

When company came, all coats were placed on the bed.

When a new visitor came to the house, they were shown through the entire house, room by room.

Bill,

Don't tell anyone, I had to look up sickle before I posted it.

Carole

Carol, My brother was just mentioning that he had some eight foot ice sickles hanging from the roof of his two story building over a sidewalk that runs between his and his neighbor's building in Forest Park, IL. He then got a broom and began breaking them off. I haven't gotten the final report on that endeavor. Here at our home in Wisconsin, we haven't gotten any ice sickles this year, and, to be honest, I couldn't even remember how to spell sickle until I read your message!

Bill Schallhammer