From festivals to openings to awards… Check out this week’s McH THRIVE

McH THRIVE Update!

Resume McHenry County becomes McH THRIVE!

With the end of the state and federal COVID-19 states of emergency, it’s time to stop talking about resuming life as normal and dedicate it to moving ahead, together, better than before.

We deserve the opportunity that lies before us… our manufacturers and small businesses, our workforce, our tourism industry, our agriculture and agritourism sectors and our economic development agencies and chambers of commerce… all of us deserve the opportunity to THRIVE!

Thank you for reading and subscribing to the new McH THRIVE! You can help us continue to grow by forwarding this email to people who you think would enjoy it. They can subscribe by visiting McHenryCountyIL.gov/social.com or on social media.

Mercyhealth Hospital set for July opening

The new Mercyhealth Hospital and Physician Clinic in Crystal Lake will officially open Monday, July 24.

Members of the public who wish to tour Crystal Lake’s new hospital can attend an open house from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 15, at the hospital at the corner of Route 31 and Three Oaks Road. The open house will include a wellness expo, live music, and opportunities to see emergency response vehicles and a REACT medical helicopter.

Ground broke on the $105 million hospital at Route 31 and Three Oaks Road in June 2021. Services will include a 24/7 emergency room, 13 private inpatient suites, intensive care and surgery suites, and diagnostic services. Medical center services will include family medicine, orthopedics, sports medicine, cardiology, cancer care, chronic pain and other services.

Mercyhealth is hosting a hiring event from 8 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, June 28 at the Holiday Inn Crystal Lake.

Valley Hi wins Silver Quality Award from national agency

Congratulations to Valley Hi Nursing & Rehabilitation for winning the Silver Quality Award from the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living!

The county-owned nursing home was one of only 63 nursing homes nationwide, and one of only four in Illinois, to be awarded this honor for 2023. Valley Hi won the bronze medal in 2016, and has worked tirelessly – including through the pandemic – to earn the silver.

The awards program recognizes organizations that meet progressively rigorous standards of performance to further improve the lives of long-term-care residents and staff.

You can learn more by clicking here.

Cocktails to-go extended for another five years

While COVID-19 restrictions are long gone, one of the lifelines created to help Illinois restaurants survive – cocktails to-go – is sticking around.

Governor Pritzker earlier this month signed a bill into law that extends Illinois cocktails to-go law until 2028; the law was set to expire next January. State lawmakers first legalized allowing alcohol delivery in June 2020 to help bars and restaurants bring in revenue as they struggled with closures and capacity limits.

The service remains important to restaurants’ bottom line – more than 40% of millennial and Gen-Z consumers purchased alcohol to-go along with their takeout or delivery order over the past six months, according to the National Restaurant Association.

Twenty states and the District of Columbia have made alcohol to-go permanent; Illinois is one of 14 states where it is still a temporary measure, according to the association.

County issues seasonal agritourism liquor licenses

More and more agritourism operations in McHenry County are taking advantage of the ability to get liquor licenses for seasonal events.

Last year, the County Board updated its Liquor Ordinance to allow agritourism businesses to get a 31-day liquor license for seasonal events.

The temporary agritourism license is a Class M license; you can apply for the license, and all other types of liquor license, by clicking here.

The change to ordinance was one of several made by the County Board to help restaurants, the hospitality industry, and McHenry County’s growing craft beverage industry, recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

McHenry, Woodstock city bands a hidden gem

In McHenry County, you don’t have to pay a cover charge to enjoy awesome music.

Did you know that McHenry and Woodstock both have city bands that put on free shows through the summer?

The McHenry City Band puts on free jazz shows at Veteran’s Memorial Park – their next show is set for 7 p.m. July 6. The Woodstock City Band, celebrating its 139th concert season, holds concerts every Wednesday through July 26 in the Park on the Square.

The music is great, but the events are BYOS – bring your own seating. Check out McHenry’s schedule here, and Woodstock’s schedule here.

Lakeside Festival returns to Crystal Lake this weekend!

The Lakeside Festival, Crystal Lake’s premier community event, returns to the Dole Mansion!

The doors open at 3 p.m. this Thursday, and at noon Friday through Sunday, ending at 11 p.m. on the first three days and 10 p.m. Sunday. General admission is $10 at the gate, $5 for seniors 65 and older, and free for kids 12 and under. Visit their website or follow them on Facebook for a schedule of events.

Besides being one of McHenry County’s longest-running festivals, the event is a major fundraiser for the Lakeside Legacy Foundation’s arts, education, history and community programs held at the Dole.

The Independence Day parade, which is run by the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce, kicks off at 1 p.m. Sunday – you can visit their website for more information.