Nothing but good news !

And Good people doing Great things!

From Arlington, Cherry, Ladd, Seatonville/Hollowayville,
Spring Valley,and Dalzell, Illinois

A John the Barber Foundation Publication

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Cherry Water Tower Bell Found!

50 Years After Leaving Town!
Marie Brown of Oliver Springs, TN had long heard the story from her father-in-law Henry Brownthat he had done work on the Cherry, Illinois
water tower in the 1960s. In exchange for certain work, he had traded
for the large bell that had long hung from the tower. He was that sort
of guy, Marie says. He would often trade work for things he thought
were interesting. Henry had long been in the water tower painting
business and his son, Danny, who married Marie, went into that business
too. Henry had lived in Deidrick, Illinois. Marie says, Henry use to
pull the bell in a parade every year in Deidrick. He was very proud of
that bell. When he got a divorce, he told his ex-wife that all he wanted
was his bell. Marie says that the bell is tremendously large and heavy,
approximately 42 high and a34 wide at the base and very heavy. They
have rung it before and it can be heard for a great distance. Below is a
photo of the bell hanging in the tower while it was being built in the
1920s. Also included is a photo from Marie that shows the bell today.
Thank you Marie for telling URA about
this Great find!

PAGE

Holding on to anger,
resentment and hurt
only gives you tense
muscles, a headache
and a sore jaw from
clenching your teeth.
Forgiveness gives

you back the laughter

and the lightness
in your life.
Joan Lunden,
American journalist
and author

Luke 3:10-11 And the

crowds asked Him,
What then shall we
do? And he answered
them, Whoever has
two tunics is to share
with him who has none,
and whoever has food is
to do likewise.

The John the Barber Foundation

P.O. Box 88
Cherry, IL 61317
editor@JohnTheBarberFoundation.com

Heres what people around the

country are saying about Up Ravioli Alley!
Maureen and Jim (Fitton) Faletti formerly of Spring Valley and Dalzell now of
Crete, Illinois write, Please accept the attached as a small donation to Up Ravioli
Alley. We love URA! Thank you for all you do!
Rosemary (Stanton) Breidenbaugh of Taylorville formerly of Peru/Arlington/
Lamoille writes, In the June 2014 issue, volume 1, issue 9, there is an article
Ravioli vs Tortellini. It caught my eye because I've always called Tortellini
"Rav's".actually my Mom and her friends made "belly button Ravs. I moved
from the Ravioli area and still call them that, much to the confusion of the locals
around this Italian mecca of the Taylorville, Kincaid, Edinburg areas. It says this
is the 3rd in a series and more to follow. I was wondering if you possibly could email me that series of articles. When asked, I would like to give people the history
of how this name came about in the Illinois River Valley.

Dont Mess with this Bunch:

Boroski brothers all standout Hall football team
members 1960 1979
Some of you out there may remember this photo of Spring Valleys Boroski brothers taken in and publicized in the late 1980s. Boroski brothers were members of
Halls football squad for an incredible 19 straight years! Pictured left to right are
Jack (Class of 72), Frank (73), Dan (77), Joe (64), Gary (67), and George
(79). All were all-conference members in various years and all were team captains their senior years! The Boroski boys did not stop there as they continued to
support Hall academics and sports in many ways in the years that followed. Several Boroski offspring have attended Hall and also have been sports standouts.
Were not done yet.Joe taught at Hall for several years and was an excellent undergrad football coach. Jack is continuing to set Hall records in one way or another, having been on the Hall school board for a tremendous total of 33 years!
Too many Boroski accomplishments to list them all here, but a few special mentions would have to be the following: The boys established the Offensive Lineman of the Year award to commemorate the accomplishments of brother George
who was killed in an auto accident in 1980. Bet you thought all these Boroski
boys were linemen huh? Well, brother Frank held the single game rushing record
of 250 yards from 1972 to 1998! Finally, the Boroskis truly came from Great
stock. Their dad Joe
Sr. played for Halls
legendary coach Dick
Nesti in the early
1940s. Their mother, Delores Sharkey, of
course was also a Hall
grad - class for 43!
Congratulations Boroski family for all your
Great accomplishments and thank you
for your never ending
support!

PAGE

There comes a
point where you
don't need to pray
anymore, there
comes a point you
just need to obey.
Richard Blackaby,
American Evangelist
and Author

Finally! Approved State of Illinois budget see

Energy Assistance (LiHeap) Back Helping People!
State of Illinois government budget efforts saw us go all the way through fiscal year
2016 without a budget! Thankfully, enough of a budget was recently passed to allow public assistance programs like LiHeap, PIPP, and Weatherizaion to start up
again. Following are a few more thank you cards that have come in from Holy
Trinity Cherrys last fish fry to benefit LiHeap recipients via Tri-County Assistance
in LaSalle/Peru. Hoping to do fish fry again Spring, 2017!

We NEED your stories

about people from
your town doing
Great thingseither
now or in the past.
Please email or mail
to JTB.

DO SOMETHING GREAT! Have your family or business sponsor the printing of Up Ravioli Alley" for one
month! Email or mail John the Barber to learn how to do it!

PAGE

Dont forget:
Cherry Pie &
Coffee Social Hour,
first Thursday
of each of month
1:30 p.m. 3:30
p.m. at Cherry
Church Hall.
Do something a
little bit Great and
invite a friend or
neighbor that
would like to get
out and have some
fun!
Bring a friend!

"In the face of sin and

hurt, it is forgiveness,
not justice which heals.
Forgiveness is a
conscious choice to
replace negative
unforgiving emotions
with positive othersoriented emotions such
as sympathy, compassion
and love."
Lisa Klewicki,
Psychologist/Author/
Radio Commentator,
Theology Emphasis

Heres a few quick Rav-notes...

Catholic Diocese of Peoria School Enrollment Up in 2016: Wow, Gr eat

news! Enrollment for Catholic schools across the Peoria diocese is up for the
2015-2016 school year! When ask what were the keys to their success, Dr. Sharon Weiss, superintendent of schools for CDOP said, Planning! Everyone did a
Great job of figuring out what needed to be done ahead of time and then got out
there and got it done! Much of the gain came from Kindergarden levelsa very
good strategic sign. Top gainers near Ravioli Alley include Holy Cross Mendota
(up 17.2 percent) and St. Louis Princeton, up 10.3 percent). Top high schools in
this area include Ottawa Marquette up 8.5%. Move good news.while National
Assessment of Educational Progress math & reading for 4th 8th are flat/down
nationally, scores for CDOP schools in that space are up! Eighth graders in the
CDOP are a year ahead in math and reading, 2.5 years ahead in writing! Congrats to Sharon and her whole team!

Ladd Historic Theater Curtain on display at IVCC: A hand painted vintage early twentieth century stage curtain (often called an olio curtain) from a
Ladd theater is on permanent display at the IVCC art department. The colorful
curtain contains hand-painted advertisements from various early Ladd businesses.
It will be in its full glory during the October 15, 2016 Day of the Arts celebration when performances will be delivered in front of and in tribute to it. The
show will begin with a period vaudeville show, followed by choral pieces, a Dixieland band performance, and other musical ensembles. Time will be allowed
for photos in front of the curtain. Last years arts celebration was a great success
with many folks from Ladd in attendance. Keep your eyes open for exact times
and other information.

Great News! 2016 Hall budget set to be in the black:! For the fir st time
since 2010, the Hall High School annual budget is set to be balanced. Congrats
to the Hall board, staff and all involved, pulling off something that is a rare occurrence in this times of rising costs and lower incomes. What a blessing that this
year state aid actually increased by $179,000! Wow!

Arlington Stiennen of Ladd Scores Big in American Legion Essay Contest:

Congrats to Arlington, now a freshman at Hall, for winning the 2016 Americanism writing contest! The paper discusses the benefits that would be achieved if
effective legislative term limits were truly implemented. He will now move on
to the national level where he will compete against other authors from all over the
United State. Great job also goes out to Arlingtons parents Aubrey and
David, along with the Great staff at Ladd Grade
School!

Bret Dannis of Arlington Doubles Up at state

track meet: Steve Bede tr ack star Br et Dannis
shone brightly again this past year at the state 1A
track finals. He won both the 110M and 300M
hurdles, leading the Bruins to a second place overall finish. Bret is the son of Angela and Todd
Dannis. Great job Bret! All your hard work is
more than paying off! Congrats to you too Mom
and Dad for all you are doing to enable Brets
Greatness! Heres more Great news! Bret is
currently just starting his junior year!

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Dick Van Dyke Show Theme song:

Heres a familiar song we bet you did not know the words to
For those of you out there of the right age, remember the famous opening theme song for this popular television
show? Remember Dicks flip over the ottoman?
The lyrics was actually written by Morey Amsterdam who
played Buddy Sorrell on the show. The show did not play the lyrics, only the melody. A Great line is When you
find the joy of livin' ..Is lovin' and givin' ..You'll be there when the winning dice are tossed.
How many of
you are singing that line to that melody you know so
well?
THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW THEME SONG
(Music by Earle Hagen / Lyrics by Morey Amsterdam)
So you think that you've got troubles?
Well, trouble's a bubble,
So tell old Mr. Trouble to "Get lost!.
Why not hold your head up high and,
Stop cryin', start tryin',
And don't forget to keep your fingers crossed.
When you find the joy of livin'
Is lovin' and givin'
You'll be there when the winning dice are tossed.
A smile is just a frown that's turned upside down,
So smile, and that frown will defrost.
And don't forget to keep your fingers crossed!

Ravioli Alley Non-For-Profit Organizations All Showing that John The

Barber Spirit This Fall Do something a little bit Great and
> TAKE someone who doesnt get a chance to get out
> BRING a carry out to someone new on your block
> SEND in a donation if you cant make it

Dalzell Fire Protection District 7th Annual Fall Vendor Show: Satur day Sept 10, 2016 10:00 a.m. 3:00
p.m. 402 Lucy St. Dalzell, Illinois 61320. 40+ vendors, food & bake sale, raffles & 50/50, bouncy house, fire
truck rides & more.
Hollowayville Church of Christ German Buffet Luncheon: Sunday September 25, 2016. Keep your eyes
open for more details.
Holy Trinity Cherry Alter & Rosary Society Chicken Dinner Night: Tuesday September 27, 2016, 5:00
p.m. 8:00 p.m. @ Cherry Coal Company. Tickets $8. Dine in or carry out.
Ladd Public Library Spaghetti Dinner Fund Raiser: Wednesday October 19, 2016 5:00 p.m. Enjoy spaghetti, salad, bread, and dessert at Softtails in Ladd.
Cherry United Church of Christ Annual Chicken Fry Fundraiser: Tuesday November 8, 2016.
Coal Company restaurant in Cherry. Keep your eyes open for details.
Spring Valley Park Board, Spring Valley Historic Association Museum and Spring Valley Boosters 2016
year-long raffle: Winner dr awn Satur day December 10, 2016. Spr ing Valley city hall. Tickets ar e $1
each or 6 for $5. Tickets may be purchased at the Spring Valley City Clerk's office, Spring Valley City Bank,
Valley Flowers & Gifts, Spring Valley Supermarket, Mini-Mart; Heartland Bank, and Happy's Super Service
Hollowayville UCC German Buffett Menu includes Pork & Kraut, Turkey, Ham, German Potatoes, Mashed
Potatoes & Gravy, red cabbage, corn, beans, salad bar, dessert, and beverage.
Donation:
Seniors and Adults $12.Youth 7 thru 12 yrs. $6..6 yrs and under are Free

Amazing Things Can Happen:

The Incredible Story of Ladds Phillips JoAnna Plastics Plant

Providing a town with a population of 1200 with 50-100 steady jobs for over fifty years is a tremendous success story!
That is exactly what has occurred at what was originally known as the Phillips JoAnna plant, now known as Tee
Group Films, in Ladd. The true story of how Dick Janko of LaSalle, his team of investors, Ladd city leaders, and
Phillips JoAnna executives all came together to make the factory a reality is just as incredible. In the late 1950s,
four local chambers of commerce merged to become the LaSalle, Peru, Olgesby, and Spring Valley Chamber of Commerce with Ron Blomgren named to head up the new group. The groups slogan was, the only way a city grows is
by having more jobs than there are people. After several months of limited success by the group, Janko contacted
Blomgren to inquire as to what could be done to make the group more successful. Ron said that he felt like he didnt have anything to sell, that the older buildings in the area where not what new business wanted, said Janko.
Ron suggested that we all needed to figure out how to get a modern new building built. Janko took on the challenge and secured investors including Lou Ferretti of Ferrettis Grocery store, Peter Reviglio of LaSalle Super Market,
and Joe and Tony Mertel of Mertel Sand & Gravel. The group actually ran an ad in the paper inviting local towns to
participate in this new partnership. The city of Ladd came back with a very nice proposal, said Janko. They offered us the property where the old ball field had been located. The Ladd bank also offered a 2% loan rate with no
personal guarantee. With that, a 20,000 square foot shell building was constructed. They hoped to find a manufacturer to come in to use the building. A lady from Ladd called me to tell me that her daughter was working for a law
firm in Chicago and that the firm was involved in legal efforts to merge two large manufacturing companies, said
Janko. She went on to ask me if her daughter should mention the new Ladd building to them. Ravioli Alley was a very different place in 1959 with no Interstate
80 and no Illinois Route 39. The most common route to go to Chicago was to actually go up to LaMoille and take Route 34 northeastto what was and is now Ogden
Avenue. The ladys daughter passed on the information to her firm, things moved
quickly and the president of JoAnne Western Mills Corporation, Fred Regnery, actually came down to Ladd. Regnery just loved the building and the Ladd location,
says Janko. They used the plant to make film for use with ribbons needed for the
new IBM Selectic typewriter. The Selectric was one of IBMs most successful
products in their history and no doubt millions of ribbons have been produced and
shipped all over the world from the Ladd plant. Here is a HUGE thank you to
Dick Janko for driving the effort to bring one of the largest, longest lasting employers to Ravioli Alley. If you get a chance, drop Dick a note to say thank you personally. Many families have benefited Greatly from the plants continued success
these past fifty years. Wouldnt it be Great if a group of investors could duplicate such an effort today? When
asked if he and his investors group were worried in 1959 that nobody would be interested in their Ladd building,
Janko said, When you are young and ambitious you just dont think about the negative. (We could not locate the
name of the lady from Ladd who worked in Chicago that made the original connection to Phillips JoAnna. Does anyone out there know who this lady was? Please drop Up Ravioli Alley a note if you do. )

VOLUME

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Dena Lanuti Bussa:

PAGE

Still not sitn still at 97!

One of the most well-known Ravioli Alley couples over the past 50-60 years were no doubt Dena and Johnny Bussa,
the long-time owners and operators of Lanutis restaurant in Ladd. Denas father Armondo Lanuti, and brother Gino
Lanuti were equally as well known, with the restaurant owned by the same family for over 100 years! Their son Tom
Bussa passed along the photo below of Dena and her newest great grandchild Arlo (number 8 overall). Dena now
lives near her oldest son Jack in Wisconsin but thinks daily about all her friends in Ravioli Alley. In addition to being
hard working, caring, successful parents and business people, Johnny and Dena were always definitely doing Great
things. Watching my Father all those years, definitely gave me a strong sense of the importance of community service, says Tom. After leaving Ladd before 6:00 a.m. and doing a twelve hour round trip car pool to Caterpillar in
Aurora, my Father would grab a bite and head out to high school board meetings, boy
scout events, Lions Club efforts, Knights of Columbus and a list of other volunteering
activities that he enjoyed. Dena Bussa is well known for her tremendous work ethic and
caring personality. When I was a kid, people in need of food and assistance would travel the train tracks not far from our house, says Tom. I remember once a man came to
the door and I answered, with him saying I heard someone in need can always get some
help here. My Mom fed him and explained to me that there
were people out there that did not have as much and we should
always help them. Dena is doing great Tom relayed, people
think that I have given them a wrong number for her.they
call and she doesnt answer.I have to tell them shes never
in her room! Wow did Dena and John do a Great job with
their boys. Jack is an ophthalmologist in Janesville, Wisconsin,
Bob is retired from JP Morgan and now lives in South Carolina,
and Tom is a retired partner with Ernest & Young and lives in Los Alamitos, California. As
many know, they assisted in raising their nephew Marty Pricco as their fourth son and he is a
practicing doctor and president of Gould Medical Group in Modesto, California. If you are
thinking of good citizens or parents to mimic, put Dena and Johnnys picture up on your
wall! If you would like to drop Dena a note and say hi, her address is Dena Bussa, % Huntingtom Place, 3801 N. Wright Road, Janesville WI 53546. We are sure she would love to hear from you!

The Energy Bus:

Valuable, positive lessons from this national best-selling book
The Energy Bus, an international best seller by Jon Gordon, takes readers on an enlightening and inspiring ride that
reveals ten secrets for approaching life and work with the kind of positive, forward thinking that leads to true accomplishment - at work and at home. Jon infuses this engaging fictional story with keen insights as he provides a powerful roadmap to overcome adversity and bring out the best in yourself and your team.
The story revolves around George, a troubled business man, husband and father who is being mentored by his bus
driver, Joy, who takes him to work daily. Joy relates the following critical information as the tenth and key secret.
(Joy says) Their bus is going through life but they are blind to the beauty. "Too many people think they are going to
live forever. They spend their life accumulating wealth, possessions, and power only to leave it all when their bus
ride is over. Its not like you can take it with you. So what's all the fuss about? Too many people stress over too
many meaningless things. People get all protective of their turf. Just watch the news. Even countries argue over
borders. If people only woke up theyd realize the whole universe is their home. Why fight over small pieces of territory when you can claim the universe as yours? Any moment they can have it all by simply enjoying the ride, but
instead people focus on the small instead of living large. They worry about promotions, deadlines, emails, and argue
with co-workers and family members about the minutest things forgetting that they will never see today again. Think
about it. The day you die you will still have 30-40 e-mails in your in-box that will not be answered. Youll never
get it all done so you might as well relax, take a deep breath, and enjoy the ride. Tell him about that study of ninetyfive-year olds, Marty. (continued on the next page)

Cont...The Energy Bus:

Valuable, positive lessons from this national best-selling book
Marty perked up. I love this study. They asked a bunch of ninety-five-year-olds, I dont know where they
found them all, Florida I guess, but anyway they asked them if they could do it all over and live their life again
what would they do differently. The three things that almost all of them said were: (1) They would reflect
more. Enjoy more moments. More sunrises and sunsets. More moments of joy. (2) They would take more
risks and chances. Life is too short not to go for it. (3) They would have left a legacy. Something that would
live on after they die.
(Joy says) So you see what Im saying, George. Learn from Eddy here. Learn from the ninety-five-year-olds.
Dont go through life with regrets. Dont be someone who looks back and says I should have done this or that.
Live and work like you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Act like a kid on Christmas morning that
is always optimistic and excited about the gifts you are receiving. Dont be too stressed to feel blessed. Dont
compare the success of your bus to other buses. Just enjoy your ride. You go into that presentation today and
you step on that gas pedal, have fun, and go for it. And when you blow them away and they sing your praises
you just continue to live and work with purpose and joy. And thats easy to remember because all you got to
do is remember me, the ultimate joy. Then she looked up, laughed and said, I know, God. Sometimes I can
get a little too big for my britches.
Then as the energy bus approached Georges office building she turned to George, who was quietly saving his
voice for the presentation, and told him, And when it comes to legacies, remember this. The best legacy you
could leave is not some building that is named after you or a piece of jewelry but rather a world that has been
impacted and touched by your presence, your joy, and your positive actions.
Joy doesnt realize that she is actually forgetting the
eleventh rule. It is one that she actually practices
every day, one she is most passionate about, one that
she is most well-known for and the one that is doing
the greatest good. The eleventh rule that she lives
out but doesnt list is to truly live an others oriented
lifestyle. Joy has a bus full of people she has
helped, all who were strangers in need when she first
met them. She reached out to these strangers.and
helped them in any way she could with whatever
need they had. No doubt along the way she forgave them many times as she was trying to impress
and teach her lessons and rules upon them. At one
small point in the story, although she was not working, she rode the bus anyway knowing that that day
was important to George and she wanted to be there
for him. For living out this others oriented lifestyle, she herself receive a tremendous reward, that
being the Great love and admiration of all who are on
the bus.