Happenings and grants awarded… Check out this week’s updates!
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Resume McHenry County Update!
Through our collaboration with McHenry County, we will continue to share important information on services, programs to help our citizens, and events in our county through Resume McHenry County Updates.
Please take a moment to scroll down to see new advancements this week as we move forward in McHenry County. If MCEDC can be of any help, please call. Forward this email to your friends and family to help get the word out!
IMEC launches new Advance-funded business grant program
Funded through a $1.395 million Advance McHenry County grant (which you can read about here), the program provides technical assistance and training solutions to help McHenry County manufacturers rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.
To celebrate the program’s launch, IMEC invited McHenry County Chief Financial Officer Kevin Bueso and Senior Accountant Stephen Gray to visit Crystal Lake-based Boltswitch Inc., a potential applicant. Boltswitch is already employing two McHenry County youths as interns through the new Manufacturing Pathways Consortium Summer Rotational Internship Program, which is also funded through Advance McHenry County! (We dished about the program in our June 28 edition.)
Thank you to IMEC and Boltswitch for the tour – it’s great to see the positive impacts that Advance McHenry County is already having on our community!
Sunflower selfie season returns
Sunflower season is in full bloom, which of course means that sunflower pictures on Instagram season is in full bloom as well.
If you just can’t imagine summer without a sunflower selfie, McHenry County is the place to be.
Three sunflower farms – Tom’s Farm Market, Stade’s Farm & Market, and Von Bergen’s Country Market – are already open, and the sunflower fields at Richardson Adventure Farm will open in September.
Click here to learn more (and here for Richardson’s information) – several locations encourage or require advance ticket sales.
Driver’s license deadline extended to December
The Illinois Secretary of State’s Office has extended the renewal deadline for expired driver’s licenses and state ID cards to December 1.
It is the latest extension that Secretary of State Jesse White has granted since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The previous extension was set to end this coming Sunday. This extension does not apply to commercial driver’s licenses or CDL learner’s permits.
Online renewal for expired licenses and ID cards has been expanded, and the Secretary of State’s Office continues to mail letters to eligible customers. Visit ilsos.gov to learn more.
Advance McHenry County grant will move D-50 special ed forward
Harvard School District 50 will build an addition to house its transition program, thanks to an $853,125 grant from Advance McHenry County.
The new home for the transition program, which gives students access to vocational and independent living skill programs, will allow District 50 to provide students with the proper equipment to fulfill its curricular requirements.
Since January, the County Board has approved 20 grants totaling almost $14 million of the nearly $29.9 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding it intends to invest directly into infrastructure capital projects, workforce development and jobs programs, nonprofit agencies, special districts, and local governments.
As McHenry County’s new branding campaign says, we’re a land of wonderful places and wide-open spaces.
Believe it when we say there’s a lot of ways to enjoy those wide-open spaces – and we’re not just talking nature walks.
Summer means fun at a lakeside beach, wakeboarding, miniature golf and so much more. And when winter returns, so does cross-country skiing, ice skating and snowmobiling.
McHenry County is a great big playground for people who love the outdoors. If you’re looking for new ideas for adventure, click here to check out the outdoor recreation page set up by our friends at Naturally McHenry County!
Founder’s Day returns to Algonquin
Algonquin Founders’ Days is celebrating its 60th birthday this year!
The annual festival, which kicks off this Thursday afternoon, is a four-day extravaganza of live music, great food and drink, family-friendly games and events, and of course, the famous Founders’ Days Parade on Saturday morning.
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Resume McHenry County is a collaborative initiative being implemented by McHenry County and the McHenry County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) in partnership with the McHenry County community, including cities and villages, businesses and residents. The goal is to ensure a successful reopening of our economy so that we can return to our lifestyles safely and responsibly.
