Tuesday was Olympic Day in the U.S. so The Hound drove to Wadsworth to see if the village, home of the planned equestrian events if Chicago is awarded the 2016 Summer Games, was holding a special celebration. There was a lot of water standing around, but no folks standing around marking Olympic Day in the "Village of Country Living."
Chicago celebrated the Olympic movement, as did another 158 cities in 43 states. But not Wadsworth, which will host actual Olympic events, if Chicago gets the games. Maybe Wadsworth Mayor Glenn Ryback didn't get the memo from fellow Democrat, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley.
In Chicago, 30,000 kids took part in fun runs across the city. Another 20,000 people attended the Olympic Day celebration at Chicago's North Avenue Beach. Past Olympians were on hand to mark the event. Not even a Wadsworth toast to the Olympics was heard at the Duck Inn.
Thinking that rural folk are a little slow or maybe the party line from Chicago wasn't operational, The Hound traveled up to Wadsworth the next two days in a row. Still nothing. Guess they don't have the Olympic spirit yet in Wadsworth.
But Waukegan did celebrate Olympic Day --- on Friday, with two past Olympians taking part at happenings sponsored by the Waukegan Park District. Better late than never, but that can also be said for a casino and a minor league ball team.
Maybe the folks in Wadsworth want to see something a little more concrete than Ritchie Daley's song and dance about the Chicago Olympics. His figures aren't adding up to a lot of people, and the recent deception regarding cost overruns have made them feel that they will be feeling their pockets being picked again for a grand scheme benefiting Chicago politicians and their 'friends'.
THE HOUND SAYS: Don't we all "want to see something a little more concrete than" Da Mare's Olympic shuffle? And, it's not only here, but places like Effingham should care because when Chicago can't crack their Olympic nut, their legislative coalition will be asking Illinois taxpayers to pick up the slack.
While the NewsHound does a good job at sniffing out stories, he lost the scent here in Wadsworth. Would we like to take credit for the Olympic equestrian events? Sure would!! But they will be held just west of Interstate 94 in the village of Old Mill Creek where there is a Mayor who is not Mr Ryback. Don't get us wrong-the Olympics haven't been in Chicagoland "in a hound's age" so we think that we are due, but don't put us in the category of non-interest because we often talk about the impact the Olympics will have on Wadsworth...both good and bad.
And those memos from fellow Democrat Mayor Daley rarely make it to Wadsworth. The Wadsworth Mayor and his Administrator are too busy reading memos from the locals to help improve the community with it's own flavor. Maybe the Hound should have followed his nose to The Savanna House or The Shanty to pick up on some Olympic news-at least he could have had some fried tomatoes at Savanna House or the same ShantyBurger that Guy Fieri had when he was here last month (yes-they are big time now!)
So rest assured, while Wadsworth is up to speed on the Olympics, they are not spending a fortune promoting them. No, Wadsworth did not sponsor big events for Olympic Day. Thanks to a practical Mayor, Administrator and Village Board, unlike Chicago, Wadsworth is not over-budget.
THE HOUND SAYS: Isn't it just like a politician to obfuscate the situation and then get a plug in for being practical and "not over-budget". What does Wadsworth spend its tax dollars on, anyway? Goat and sheep posses? Plus, he gets a commercial in for two Wadsworth restaurants, which actually The Hound believes are in the county.
Well, Mayor Ryback may think the Lipizzans are in Old Mill Creek, but according to the AT&T phone book, they are located at 17000 W. Wadsworth Road, Wadsworth. Now, who do you trust: Ma Bell or a mayor? Yet, AT&T appears to be confused because it says the general offices of Tempel Farms are at the same address, but in Old Mill Creek. But then, the phone book also says "performance info" is at 17000 W. Wadsworth Road, Wadsworth.
Perhaps it's similar to the situation where Midlane Country Club resides. It's in the corporate limits of Waukegan, but has a Wadsworth address. The Hound has the feeling for an Olympic venue, Wadsworth sounds better than Old Mill Creek. At least Wadsworth is on the map because of the soon-to-be-world-famous Shanty.
The Hound has sniffed out the Waukegan-Wadsworth-Gurnee-Zion mailing areas mystery. Former Waukegan Mayor Hyde has a Wadsworth address for his Midlane area home, the Temple Lipizzans share a Wadworth address (and zip code) over in Old Mill Creek and the Wadsworth Mayor has a Gurnee address. Some Wadsworth residents even have a Zion mailing address, including the old "dance hall" on Route 41 near Route 173..but that was left unincorporated on purpose-no howling over that decision.
And those 2 fabulous restaurants are indeed within Wadsworth village limits. Yes, the Hound's nose knows the smell of a good meal. And he may have spotted the sheep posse farm down the road from Village Hall, or the original pony express horse grazing next door to the post office. But they are grass-cutting, ah rather, cost-cutting measures to save the Public Works Department extra labor.
So save those AT&T directories for your new pups to chew on Mr. Hound, since that information isn't always 100%. Sometimes even they pull a "bone"-er.
THE HOUND SEZ: We know two things about Mayor Ryback from this posting: 1) He is a night owl 2) He lives in Gurnee. Should he really be president of the village of Wadsworth? Like President Obama's birth certificate, this needs to be investigated by media types with a higher power than The Hound. Like TMZ.
Obfuscate? Bloviate? Perhaps the Hound ought to shelve the two-dollar phraseology and get a journalist's desk reference. Perhaps your average reader doesn't quite get the difference between a mailing address and the actual township or municipality in which one resides for the purposes of voting and paying taxes, but a paid journalist should. Playing dumb to make a less-than-insightful point ain't the road to the Pulitzer, brother. That is, of course, if you're really playing.
THE HOUND SEZ: Two-dollar words? Those are $5 beauties, esquared. The Hound is sure the average reader knows the difference between mailing adress and municipality. That's why Knollwood residents like their Lake Bluff mailing address and those in Midlane like their Wadsworth mailing addresses. Try to take them away and see what happens. They ain't dumb.