With Halloween season in full throttle, Elgin’s own “Beacon in the Night”, SPaceTaSTe GaLLeRy is launching ARtSKuLLs, a fundraiser of one-of-a-kind skull coin banks, customized by local artists.

Working with a canvas of a human skull coin bank, a replica medical model that was recast in resin, at least a dozen SPaceTaSTe artists are putting their personalized spin on old “Yorick” just in time for October 31st.

The ARtSKuLLs are $30 each and $20 from each sale will be donated to support the Bison Fencing Initiative.

Stop by SPaceTaSTe & pick out your ARtSKuLLs today to make your Halloween unique. Know that your purchase will make a difference in supporting Lords Park Zoo. Their official press release is below – we encourage you to come out and support something “Uniquely Elgin”!

Check out Space Taste Gallery at 12 Douglas St downtown Elgin IL. To purchase skulls painted by artists like Adrian Vazquez's at $30 each, where $20 each goes back to the Bison Pen fundraiser for Lords Park Zoo.

Celebrate “SKuLLoWeen” at SPaceTaSTe GaLLeRy – and support
Lords Park Zoo in Elgin, IL!

Downtown Elgin, IL – October 13, 2011. With Halloween season in full throttle, Elgin’s own “Beacon in the Night”, SPaceTaSTe GaLLeRy is launching ARtSKuLLs, a fundraiser of one-of-a-kind skull coin banks, customized by local artists.

Working with a canvas of a human skull coin bank, a replica medical model that was recast in resin, at least a dozen SPaceTaSTe artists are putting their personalized spin on old “Yorick” just in time for October 31st.

Skull forms were donated by Elgin resident John LaFleur, who originally created them for Urban Outfitters and Urban Outfitters U.K. where they sold out. These limited remaining forms have been made available to support the fund for new fencing for the Bison of Lords Park.

“My son, Morgan, and I go to Lord’s Park all the time and he says the same thing when we go by the lone remaining bison “the bison is sad because he’s all alone.” There are some great efforts going on by the Friends of the Lords Park Zoo and the City of Elgin to raise funds and awareness for this cause so I’m just doing my part. SPaceTaSTe has a great reputation for supporting artists and non-profit efforts so I’m also appreciative of Tim for using the Gallery to help the Zoo.” John has personally painted 31 skulls some of which are now on sale at the gallery and can be previewed on facebook www.spacetastegallery.com. The ARtSKuLLs are $30 each and $20 from each sale will be donated to support the Bison Fencing Initiative.

Stop by SPaceTaSTe & pick out your ARtSKuLLs today to make your Halloween unique. Know that your purchase will make a difference in supporting Lords Park Zoo. Contact Tim Solarz spacetaste@gmail.com for further information & visit www.spacetastegallery.com for exciting updates on what they have planned next.

Learn about life in Elgin and Illinois before the Black Hawk Wars of 1835. Join Redhawk as he does his teaching lessons of the early Pottawatomie, complete with a wigwam. Flintknapper Ken Geier will demonstrate flint knapping of projectile points for spears, knives and arrows.

At noon Joseph Standing Bear of Midwest SOARRING will conduct a bison blessing to acknowledge the importance of these animals in the life of The People. He will also conduct a memorial for Cahoya, the female bison who died earlier this summer.

Bill Conquering Bear Buchholtz will demonstrate and play his Native American Flutes. Bill has been performing at the Museum for years and is very popular. Mike Becker will also be here to sell hand made flutes.

A special highlight of the day will be traditional drumming and dancing by performers of the Black Hawk Performance Group of the American Indian Alliance of Illinois. They are scheduled to perform in the afternoon. There may also be some Native American crafts and art for sale as well.

This event is entirely FREE, although donations are always appreciated. There will be no food service, so please bring a picnic and spend the day in Lords Park. This event is constantly evolving, so plan now to come and spend the day with us.

City Staff and our Friends of Lords park Zoo planning volunteers will be taking a field trip to Brookfield Zoo August 17th  to meet with their CZS staff, Bison Habitat planners and compare notes on how to ‘revitalize’ the zoo area and Bison habitat in Lords Park via an upcomming plan, design and bid process.

Bison Rally 2011:

Details are underway for Bison Rally Motorcycle and Scooter show in Lords Park this fall.  Stay tuned for details on date, time, entertainment, show, the Bison Fun Run, etc.  Last years inaugural show draw a diverse crowd of motorcycle and scooter enthusiasts and avid Lords Park goers and raised over $1,700 towards our Bison Pen project.

We may need to make a “Po-Key the Bison ‘luvs’ Tom Armstrong” T-Shirt soon – he handled the questions from council about the Bison Pen improvements for Lords Park Zoo – Elgin, Illinois and adding to our herd wonderfully!!! VIEW HERE

On the video minute 44:30 or click Item G. on the agenda if you want to watch.

Our group is working on next steps with our supporting animal and community organizations and the city staff to draw-up proper specifications to be included in the Request for Bid process to replace and enlarge the Bison Pen enclosure prior to end of October 2011.

From the 07/28 Daily Herald: Lords Park Zoo closer to getting a bison fence

Slowly but surely the recommendation by the Lords Park Task Force to replace the bison fencing in the park’s zoo is moving forward.

Elgin City Council members voted Wednesday to grant preliminary approval to develop final specifications for the fencing and initiate the bid process. Importantly, however, the council has yet to approve the fund allocation for the project.

Councilwoman Tish Powell clarified that point to open discussion of the project at the committee of the whole meeting.

Various estimates have been presented to council members since the beginning of the year, the most recent setting the total cost at just more than $68,000 — an amount city staff members acknowledge is conservatively high.

Laurie Faith Gibson-Aiello, an active member of Friends of Lords Park Zoo, said the fencing is not expected to cost any more than $50,000 — the number initially proposed to the council when Elgin tentatively budgeted to paying half and the Friends group committed to raising the rest.

Friends of Lords Park Zoo has raised $17,000 with another $8,000 committed as long as the money is spent in August. Gibson-Aiello and other members say now is the time to move forward on the project.

“There are funds in the current budget, and they were set aside for things like this,” Gibson-Aiello said.

Council members voted unanimously to request bids for the project Wednesday, less than a week after one of the last remaining bison died of old age. With just one bison left in the herd, city officials must decide whether to fund the fencing project and add more animals or phase out the bison’s presence.

Read more: http://dailyherald.com/article/20110727/news/707279752/#ixzz1TRBrOHhC

And just for fun, a T-Shirt design/slogan from Common Sense Clarence Hayward

An update to the status of the Bison Pen fundraising and preserving the zoo in Lords Park.  As many of you are aware, Cahoya, the oldest Bison in our herd, passed away from natural causes on Friday 07/22.  There has been an ongoing goal with city staff to get the matter of both bison and their pen onto the City Council agenda before August.  We received confirmation of the process moving forward in mid-July, and now will present the Phase 1 proposal to the city council this Wednesday the 27^th – in-light of our recent loss and only one bison remaining in Lords Park… We count on our friends support NOW more than ever to finally start Preserving our Zoo and keeping alive the uniquely Elgin tradition of Animals in Lords Park for over 116 years.

There will be a presentation to City Council from staff and our Friends of Lords Park Zoo organization to recommend the council seek bids ($36k – $68k) for replacing the fencing and enlarging the Bison enclosure using capital funding that currently remain unused in the 2011 budget.

We ask that our supporters contact our city council members and/or show up in person to city council chambers on Wednesday July 27^th at 6:00pm. The matter of finally replacing the Bison Pen, increasing the size of our herd and accepting the fundraising donations from Friends of Lords Park Zoo will be agenda item G. You can download the file:  CMO – Bison Fencing Memo – Item G

As part of the Lords Park Task Force in 2010, a list of 20 recommendations were provided to Elgin City Council, with the replacement of the Bison Pen ranking #5 and seeking monies from the city’s capital improvement fund to implement in 2011 at an estimated cost of $41,000.

As you see within the memo, the city is using what they call a conservative dollar amount of $68,000 to vote on reserving the capital funds and starting the bid process to get true (and much lower) figures from suppliers/vendors.  We have been working with Midwest SOARRING Foundation and Brookfield Zoo to ensure those bid include adequate shelter, pasture areas and enclosures for Po-Key and the 1 – 3 additional Bison to be donated and join our Elgin herd in 2011/2012.

All these mechanisms for commitments of funds, volunteer hours, animals, materials and proper planning can be put into place immediately once the City Council motions to move forward on the bid process.  It is our goal to have construction near completion by September 10^th, 2011 for our Bison Rally fundraiser in Lords Park and celebrate October 1^st with a Bison blessing and memorial for Cahoya for Elgin Public Museum’s Native American Day.

In recent months she’s recieved great care from her bovine vet and the parks staff to ensure she was comfortable and able to lead a good life in the her home within Lords Park, arthritis and some fast growing hoves being her only complaints in recent seasons.

Photos of Cahoya taken by George Barrer Photography in Fall 2010.

Articles from the local newspapers on 07/23/2011 provided coverage and information for our thousands of residents that have watched Cahoya be born and raised in the 116 year old Lords Park Zoo and in turn raise many of her own Bison calves over the years in the park, most recently in 2006.

The Friends of Lords Park Zoo will present a proposal for Phase One of the zoo improvement projects to the Elgin City Council on Wednesday July 27th at 6pm.  There have been over $25,000 raised and commited from private donors and citizens towards the Bison Pen replacement project in 2011.  With a goal of adding one of Cahoya and Dakota’s male offspring from Midwest SOARRING Foundation back to the zoo with another female donation from Fermi Lab in 2011/2012. Check this site and our facebook page for additional details on Monday 07/25 on how you can support this effort in-person or in-kind.

A quick quote from a fan on Facebook says it well this morning:

“I keep hearing the voice of a teacher from U46, ‘Once they take it away, it’ll never come back.’ She was speaking about losing assistants for classrooms as the class numbers continued to grow. I hear her voice anytime something’s about to be lost. With the death of Cahoya, Lords Park is heavy on my mind.”

Date: Sunday 6/26/2011
Time: 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm

Bio/Description:Bring a lawn chair and come out to enjoy live Music at Lord’s Park Pavillion every Sunday afternoon in June and July. Local community groups will be selling refreshments and snacks at each concert. All are welcome!

100% of proceeds from popcorn, drink and novelty sales to benefit Friends of Lords Park Zoo to rebuild the animal enclosures in 2011/2012.

In case of inclement weather the concert will be cancelled. Please call 847-531-7000 for an update.

Chicago Dixie Band – This band plays blends of the great Dixieland music. A show you won’t want to miss!

Consequently, supporters of Lords Park are asking those who are able to make the time, to please attend this Wednesday’s (6/22) council meeting at 7:00PM in the Elgin City Hall Council Room. Also, near the beginning of this meeting there is a “Recognition of People Present”; it is during this portion of the council meeting that citizens can briefly voice their opinions on a variety of concerns.  The sign-up sheet for speaking is just outside the council room. Even if you prefer not to speak, your presence cannot be underestimated because it clearly demonstrates the community’s desire to place Lords Park back on the council’s agenda.

If you choose to speak, there are several areas which would be beneficial to address:

(1) The need to replenish the bison, deer and elk herd. We are now down to four aging female elk, four deer and two bison. At the very least we need a male deer, elk and bison and probably another younger female elk and bison. We have received prior commitments to have these additional animals donated; the city only needs to provide the man power for their pick up and transportation.

(2) A recommitment to improve the bison pen area.  The friends of Lords Park Zoo organization has raised over $17,000 towards this improvement and the city previously agreed to match these funds (up to $25,000). An additional private funding source will match the city’s contribution (up to $20,000), but only until August. With these funding sources, there are now sufficient funds to complete the needed bison enclosure upgrade.

(3) Demonstrate there is strong community support to bring back the farm animals. In addition to considerable public interest, the Bethlehem Lutheran Church (among others) regularly had their summer youth groups visit this site; the Elgin Public Museum also had numerous educational programs designed around these animals. The Elgin Public Museum’s programming was significantly negatively impacted when these animals did not return.

(4) Any other areas relative to Lords Park you may choose to address.  Some of the other Lords Park Task Force recommendations focused upon: algae blooms in the lagoons (there is an IEPA 319 Federal grant which could assist with this), improving the quality of the lagoon’s water so ice skating could eventually return, improvement of park pathways, improvement of the ground drainage near the basketball court area, etc.

The primary point of attending or speaking at Wednesday’s meeting is to demonstrate to the council that the community wants the city to continue keeping Lords Park on it’s agenda and to encourage them to proceed on some of the recommendations of their own task force.

Again, we want to greatly thank and commend everyone who attended last year’s numerous task force meetings, fund raisers and supported Lords Park in a variety of other ways. Your support clearly made a difference.  Please try to make the time to make a difference one more time so the City Council and Staff can finally move forward with those 20 recommendations and setting priorities for preserving our wonderful park and zoo!

Friends of Lords Park Zoo in partnership with the Elgin United Civic Association sponsored a 2011 “Preserve the Herd” event Honoring Judge Donald T. Anderson (Ret.) on March 26th at the Eagles club in Gilberts, to benefit Bison Pen improvement project in Lords Park spring 2011.

Mayor-Eect Dave Kaptain, Judge (Ret.) Donald T. Anderson, Laurie Faith Gibson-Aielo, Councilman Richard Dunne, Coucilman Mike Warren and EUCA President Dave Bergholt at the check presentation 04/16 to help rebuild the Bison Pen in Lords Park Zoo in Spring 2011.

The event offered live entertainment by Steve Askins and Rich Rumsey, silent auctions, prize raffles, a ceremony for Judge Anderson and lots of great food, drink and conversation between Elginites and local Kane/Cook county leaders.

To date the Friends of Lords Park Zoo organization readily has over $15,000 available to start the Bison Pen improvements and bring 2 younger male and female bison into the park in 2011.  When the pen overhaul is completed, our new Bison will be generously donated by the Midwest S.O.A.R.R.I.N.G Foundation and FermiLab to join PoKey (20) and Cahoya (25).

Thank you to all the supporters who generously donated raffle/auction items, bought Lubies, spent monies, gave their personal time and much more to make our March 26th event a success!    We had over 200 in attendance and great reviews from all, including the Fox Valley Labor News!

When hosting a fundraiser, the best that could happen is it exceeds your expectations. That is exactly what happened with Elgin’s Preserve the Herd fundraiser held Saturday in Gilberts, near Elgin.

Retired Judge Donald T. Anderson and his wife Nancy share a laugh together on Saturday at Gilbert’s Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 1047 during a fundraising event for Elgin’s Lords Park. (Jennifer Rice photo)

In an effort to rehab the bison habitat at the Lords Park Zoo, the not-for-profit Friends of Lords Park Zoo has been actively fundraising in an effort to replace the existing fence around the bison pen and bring it up to code to accommodate younger bison.

The Elgin United Civic Association organized the fundraiser in conjunction with honoring retired Judge Donald T. Anderson, who has been a supporter of the zoo for more than 60 years.

Laurie Faith Gibson-Aiello, coordinator for Friends of Lords Park Zoo, remembers getting a phone call from Anderson last year to offer his help to her fundraising efforts.

“The judge said, ‘I got a message to call the zoo lady. Are you the zoo lady?’” Gibson-Aiello remembered. “And that’s how we started our friendship,” she added.

At the March 26 fundraiser, held at the Eagle’s Club in Gilberts, it was a standing-room only event. Friends of Anderson and supporters of the zoo came together for a common goal: Help keep Lords Park Zoo open.
“Lords Park Zoo has a special place in all our hearts,” Gibson-Aiello told the crowd. “It’s part of Elgin and Elgin’s heritage.”

Anderson told zoo supporters that he wants Lords Park to remain open. “I’m here because I want to help it,” he explained.

During the event, several people shared their memories of Anderson. Most were humorous; all were heart-felt. Rich Rumsey, a musician and friend of the judge, brought the crowd to tears of laughter with his rendition of the Beatles “Yesterday,” done as a parody, tailored to Anderson’s traits and personality.
One by one, as friends gave stories of their friendships with Anderson, there was a recurring theme. At some point in all their lives, he scared the hell out of them, yelled at them, but most importantly, he helped them.

Newly appointed Circuit Court Judge John Barsanti recalled his time in the late ‘70’s, as a young assistant state’s attorney. At the time, he thought he knew everything. “[Judge Anderson] put me in my place several times. He wouldn’t take any gruff from anyone, especially a 27-year-old state’s attorney like me,” Barsanti said.

Mike Kenyon, executive officer of the Elgin Township Republican Central Committee joked that Anderson loves every animal club in Elgin, as he is a member of the Eagle’s Club, Moose Club, Owl’s Club and Elk’s Club. “He’s a member of all these organizations and more because he wants Elgin to be the best it can be,” Kenyon said.

Anderson received two plaques, one from Dave Bergholt, president of the Elgin United Civic Association and another from Scott Eckols, president of the Eagle’s Club. Both plaques acknowledged Anderson’s dedication and service as a leader to both organizations.

Anderson thanked everyone for coming to the fundraising event, for the kind words spoken on his behalf and for a day of laughter. “I want you to know how much I appreciate this event,” he said.

Forever the politician, the event wouldn’t be complete without the judge throwing out some sound, political advice.

“I encourage everybody to vote. And vote early if you can,” he said. In typical Anderson style, he added, “Of course, I want you to vote my way.” His comment brought the crowd to laughter.