We’re days away!

Through our collaboration with McHenry County, we will continue to share important information on stimulus programs, PPP loans, COVID-19 updates and more through its Resume McHenry County Updates.

Please take a moment to scroll down to see new advancements this week as we move to open 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!

All COVID-19 capacity limits on Illinois businesses, gatherings and events will be lifted this Friday!

Just in time for McHenry County’s beloved and fun-filled summer festival season, our businesses, events, amusements, and venues will be able to operate at full capacity. This is in addition to the bridge phase change that allows fully vaccinated people to resume public activities without masking, although masks will still be required for mass transit, hospitals, congregate settings, and schools and daycare centers.

This final Phase 5 also removes requirements that businesses institute mandatory social distancing in seated venues, as well as daily health screenings for employees and visitors; however, businesses are free to put additional mitigations in place if they so choose. You can read the new state guidelines for businesses and venues by clicking here.

We wouldn’t have reached this milestone without your cooperation, your understanding, and your patience – and for many of you, your desire to do your part by getting vaccinated to protect yourself, your family, your friends and your coworkers against the disease.

Although the numbers are very much moving in the right direction, we can’t afford to stumble back. If you haven’t gotten vaccinated, and you have no medical reason not to, we implore you to do so.

You can sign up for the vaccine at any number of private pharmacies, or through the McHenry County Department of Health. The MCDH is using a new online enrollment system effective today, which is just as easy as the one it replaced – read below to learn more.

The COVID-19 vaccine is safe, it’s effective, and it’s by far the best way to protect yourself, and protect against a resurgence.

If you’re a business owner looking to connect with job hunters, it’s not too late to make yourself known at next week’s Workforce Network job fair.

While the job fair is full and has no room for additional vendors, the Workforce Network is accepting fliers for the “goodie bags” that will go home with every job seeker. You can either drop off your fliers at the Workforce Network office at 500 Russel Court, in Woodstock, or email a PDF of it to Director Julie Courtney at JACourtney@mchenrycountyil.gov.

The outdoor job fair will take place in the parking lot of the McHenry County Courthouse from 9 to 11 a.m. this Saturday, June 12; the rain date (which hopefully won’t be necessary, but golly, do we need the rain) is the following Saturday, June 19.

The Workforce Network is a tremendous asset for employers, and job seekers needing assistance (such as resume help) in meeting the challenges of today’s job market. It’s a one-stop-shop for employment-related services in McHenry County. To learn more, click here to visit the Workforce Network website, email them at workforcecenterRR@yahoo.com or call them at 815-338-7100, ext. 2771.

McHenry County’s homes and businesses are solely dependent on groundwater for their water supply. The Fox River, as well as the county’s many lakes and natural areas, are a vital component of our tourism and recreation industry.

Our water resources are vital and vulnerable – as one glimpse of the current US Drought Monitor should make plain – and need to be protected.

McHenry County’s annual Water Forum is a free event aimed at helping people, business owners, and elected officials better understand and protect our water resources.

The forum will be held virtually from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 16, starting with 30 minutes of the open session in virtual rooms before breaking into three professionally filmed presentations from water resource experts and scientists.

The first 100 people to register will receive a $15 gift certificate good at three local restaurants: Duke’s Alehouse and Kitchen, 1776, and Fork it Foods & Grazing.

Visit https://hopin.com/events/water-forum-2021 to register to attend, and to be eligible for the gift certificate.