Skip to main content

Tune in to McHenry County All Access!

Written on .

Resume McHenry County Update!
Through our collaboration with McHenry County, we will continue to share important information on stimulus programs, COVID-19 updates, and where the county is opening up through Resume McHenry County Updates.
Please take a moment to scroll down to see new advancements this week as more and more are opening up 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!

 

Tune in to McHenry County All Access!

McHenry County government is giving you an all-access pass to get an inside look at all the ways it serves the public!
McHenry County All Access is a new video series showcasing the ways that McHenry County’s various departments and divisions benefit the people. The first video debuted last week with a behind-the-scenes look at the Division of Transportation and the hard work its dedicated staff put into keeping 550 lane miles of county highway well maintained year-round, and clear and safe in the winter.
Future installments will highlight our Sheriff’s Office, the Animal Control and Adoption Center, and other county government agencies, so stay tuned!
You can click on the video above to watch it, or catch it on McHenry County government’s YouTube page. Recent YouTube videos include the celebration of the MCRide paratransit service (the first one in the collar counties with a countywide service area), and the dedication of the completed Randall Road improvement project.

 

Advance McHenry County program moving forward

McHenry County government is hitting the ground running with the launch of its Advance McHenry County program to put $59.7 million in federal COVID-19 relief funding to work in the community.
The web portal to submit funding requests is expected to go live next Monday, Nov. 1, and county government will be hosting four meetings on Nov. 9 and Nov. 15 to educate potential applicants about the program and the application process.
Of the nearly $30 million set to be distributed in the first phase, $14 million will be allocated to environment and infrastructure projects, $8 million will be allocated to workforce development and jobs programs, and $3 million each will be set aside for special districts and non-profits. Funding recipients will be selected based on how they meet an established set of criteria.
Besides acting as an application portal and information site, the website will also serve as an accountability and transparency portal that will allow the public to track how the money is allocated.
Click here for more information, and visit regularly for updates!

 

CDC endorses booster shots for Moderna, J&J vaccines

The CDC last week endorsed the Food and Drug Administration’s recommendations to allow booster doses of the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines.
Like the Pfizer vaccine, which was approved in September for booster doses, the CDC is recommending booster shots for higher-risk groups that include:
·    People 65 years and older;
·    Adults living in long-term care facilities;
·    Adults who work or live in high-risk settings; and
·    Adults who have underlying medical conditions.
You can find a list of places that offer the COVID-19 vaccine at www.vaccines.gov; many locations take walk-ins. If you haven’t received the vaccine at all, please consider doing so – vaccinating is the best thing you can do to end the state indoor mask mandate.

 

Disability Job Fair takes place tomorrow

Job seekers with disabilities are encouraged to come out tomorrow to the McHenry County Disability Job Fair!
The free event takes place from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Shah Center, 4100 W. Shamrock Lane, McHenry. No pre-registration is necessary, and the job fair is open to job seekers with any type of disability.
Be sure to dress for success, and bring copies of your resume to network with local employers. Remember to bring a mask for indoor wear to comply with state COVID-19 restrictions.
If getting to the job fair or commuting to and from a potential employer presents a challenge, the county’s MCRide dial-a-ride service can get you where you need to go, quickly and very affordably. Call 800-451-4599 (or use 711 for the Illinois Relay Service) to schedule a ride. Hours are 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekends. Seniors and people with disabilities can reserve their trips up to seven days in advance!
Job opportunities for the disabled don’t end with this job fair. Besides traditional job sites that are open to everyone, people with disabilities have a job site all their own, called AbilityLinks, which can be found by clicking here.
A big thank you goes out the McHenry County Workforce Network, McHenry Country College, the Illinois Department of Human Services, the Illinois Department of Employment Security, and Stateline SHRM for working together to make this job fair happen.

 

Pick your top McHenry County fall color destinations

Earlier this month, we told you about the fall color report put out by Enjoy Illinois to help you seek out the best fall colors by state region.
Since then, our friends at the McHenry County Conservation District and Visit McHenry County have gotten into the autumn color business – and we say, the more the merrier!
The MCCD has picked some of the best places from its 35 sites to see nature’s beautiful fall colors – you can find their selections at MCCD.me/fallfrolics.
Visit McHenry County’s smaller but equally impressive list includes several MCCD sites, as well as some of the county’s state parks, and Veteran Acres Park in Crystal Lake. You can find their top picks at www.visitmchenrycounty.com/AutumnColors.
So lace up your walking shoes or hiking boots, throw on that wool cap, and get your fall color fix, and some exercise to boot! And if you work up an appetite or the need for a hot cup of coffee afterward, Visit McHenry County can help you find the perfect local restaurant or artisan coffee shop – just click on the links we embedded!

 

It wouldn’t be Halloween without the Rock Horror Picture Show

With the lifting of COVID-19 capacity restrictions earlier this year, Resume McHenry County is featuring the return of its iconic and traditional attractions, and the founding of new ones.
The Woodstock Opera House is enlisting the help of an improvisational comedy troupe to make a Halloween cult classic even more fun.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show returns to the screen this Saturday for a 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. showing, with the Opera House’s own Any Suggestions improv group performing a live shadow cast on stage.
(For those of you who have never done The Time Warp, shadow casting is when a live cast performs a movie in front of the screen while it plays.)
Tickets are $13 and can be purchased at the door or at the Opera House website.
Dressing up and participating in the show is encouraged! However, organizers are asking you to leave at home the common Rocky Horror play-along items of rice, water pistols, lit candles, lighters, confetti, toast, hot dogs and prunes.
You can learn more about Any Suggestions, which made its debut just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and came back with the lifting of capacity restrictions, on their Facebook page.

 
We hope we got your attention. We need your help reaching more McHenry County residents and businesses to share this important information about the COVID-19 response and connect them with vital resources.
Please take these four steps:
1. Share/forward to your email/newsletter contacts.
2. Post information to your website.
3. Follow us on social media (see below); share our posts with your followers.
4. If you are not on the McHenry County Constant Contact list, please subscribe here

 

Follow McHenry County Government On Social Media

Staying connected and informed is more important now than ever! Follow McHenry County on social media for regular updates on COVID-19 in our region, resources to help you navigate the pandemic, safety tips and more!

 

What is Resume McHenry County?

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.