Naturally McHenry County moving to beautiful Woodstock Square

Written on December 24, 2024.

Naturally McHenry County moving to Old Courthouse on Square

With Christmas a day away, the holiday break for schools in full swing, and New Year’s Eve just around the corner, our friends at Naturally McHenry County are going to dominate this week’s edition of McH Thrive.

It’s on that note that we start with our heartfelt congratulations on its impending relocation to the historic Old Courthouse Center on Woodstock Square!

The recently renovated center in downtown Woodstock is the perfect place for an organization like Naturally McHenry County, and will complement its mission to welcome visitors and showcase McHenry County as a great place to visit, shop and play.

As for the existing visitor center in Huntley, the village plans to convert it into a business incubator site, joining the cities of McHenry and Woodstock in creating a space for startup businesses to grow and thrive.

Click here to learn more – we can’t wait to see them at the grand opening in April.

Meet the MCEDC Board of Directors

The McHenry County Economic Development Corp. has featured heavily in McH Thrive this year, for all the right reasons! It welcomed new hands-on Executive Director Mark Piekos, partnered with McHenry County to create the Rise and Thrive video series showcasing the county as a great place to invest, and is in the process of relocating its offices to McHenry County College.

But to date, we’ve never introduced you to the MCEDC’s board of directors, and this group photo taken at the recent 2024 Investor Forum is as good of an opportunity as any.

The front row, from left to right, is Heather Maieritsch (City of Crystal Lake), Karen Halstead (ComEd), Chairman Stephan Ballot (Flocon), Vice-Chairwoman Colleen Roos (CMR Benefits Group), Peter Scholl (Scholl Construction) and Shane Nerby (JA Frate). The back row is George Reimnitz (Crystal Lake Bank and Trust), Sharmella Harris (Scot Forge), Heather Schweitzer (Premier Commercial Realty), Peter Austin (McHenry County), Kevin Thurston (Home State Bank), Mike Skala (McHenry County Board) and Mark Piekos.

Not pictured are Treasurer Steve Rankins (Old Second National Bank), Secretary Jeni Hallatt (Mercyhealth), Jonathan Kaman (Zanck, Coen, Wright, and Saladin PC, Clinton Gabbard (McHenry County College) and Rick Mack (McHenry County Council of Governments).

We’d like to give a hearty welcome to George Reimnitz and Heather Schweitzer, who just joined up! And congratulations to Jeni Hallatt and Colleen Roos for their appointments as secretary and vice-chair.

Looking for ways to stay active this winter?

Bears hibernate, and the protagonist in “Twas the Night Before Christmas” is getting ready to settle down for a long winter’s nap when Santa interrupts him. But if you prefer staying active in winter (pro tip – it’s a great way to help make up for the lack of sun), there’s a lot that McHenry County has to offer.

We have more hiking and skiing trails and sledding hills than we can count – and if you prefer to be active indoors, McHenry County has even more to offer that doesn’t involve Jack Frost nipping at your nose.

If you’re looking for some ideas, click here to check out a list!

Check out this year’s awesome Light Up McHenry County participants

Hop in your car and brave the cold to take a look at some extraordinary holiday light displays!

Twenty-one homes have signed up their awesome, all-out displays for the annual Light Up McHenry County list compiled by Naturally McHenry County. We swear, you probably can see some of these houses from orbit.

If you’re looking for an easy and fun family activity that won’t cost anything except a little gas, click here or create a personalized list through the Naturally McHenry County app, and take a drive to see some homes that take making the holidays merry and bright to a whole new level.

Make your cool McHenry County holiday photos Insta-famous

McHenry County is the place to be for holiday beauty – the previous article on Light Up McHenry County doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface. As you and your families have enjoyed our holiday-decorated downtowns or visited with Santa, you’ve probably snapped a couple (of hundred) photos.

Once again, Naturally McHenry County is giving you the chance to be (sort of) Insta-famous, while helping with their mission to tell the world about how awesome a place McHenry County is to live and visit.

When you upload your holiday photos to Instagram, be sure to hashtag #NaturallyMcHenryCounty – your picture just might end up on Naturally McHenry County’s collection on the main page of its website.

Ring in the new year in style in McHenry County

If you don’t have plans to ring in 2025, don’t worry – there’s always fun to be had in McHenry County.

Whether you want to find a full-on New Year’s Eve bash, have a nice meal, or just do some local shopping before watching the ball drop at home, there are plenty of ideas to be found on the Naturally McHenry County website.

Its website contains a treasure trove of ideas, from its Events Calendar to its lists of places to eat, drink and shop. Click here to begin planning to ring in the new year in style.

We hope you found this newsletter informative. If you’re not a subscriber, click here to join the McHenry County Government Constant Contact list.

If you like what you see, you can help us reach more McHenry County residents and businesses by sharing it!

Share This Email

Follow Us On Social Media

Staying connected and informed is more important now than ever! Follow McHenry County on social media to make sure you don’t miss a thing!

What is McH Thrive?

McH Thrive 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.