Coloma Township Park District has a lot to celebrate this year: A century of history in its green spaces and places, people passionate about supporting parks, a Village with lots of stories to tell, and much more … including a big fiberglass chicken.

Having some cents of Ogle County history: Centennial, quasquicentennial, sesquicentennial, dosquicentennial … Ogle County can observe them all this year, from the anniversary of driving through a cut up rock to blazing trails and rails.

Having some cents of Dixon history: Centennial, quasquicentennial, sesquicentennial, dosquicentennial … Dixon can observe them all this year, from the anniversary of an unbeatable high school football team to the establishment of governance in its rural areas.

At the corner of a street of Clay and a street of brick in Mount Carroll stands a place that bridges the past and present, a historical hotel where guests can relax and revisit a simpler time.

Large, fast-moving trains from Chicago to the West Coast zoom through Rochelle. It's where two important lines cross at a diamond, and where train enthusiasts cross paths at a park to enjoy seeing what each engine and car brings to their eyes.

What started as somewhere for seniors to socialize has grown into a place that today is celebrating 50 years of being the Center of attention for Ogle County’s older population.

Cameras roll, meters hum, a Savanna family hunts for what the living cannot see. Armed with ghost-hunting gear, 2 a.m. Paranormal in Savanna searches for stories the living can’t explain.

Drag racing and Arnie Beswick were born around the same time – one on the dry lake beds of California and the other in Morrison – and they’ve both found fame through the years, with drag racing attracting legions of fans and “The Farmer” becoming a legend in his field.

What was once a beacon to Sterling's founding Brink now is reminder of local church history and a helping hand to the community he started, and its pastor and congregation are carrying on traditions more than 185 years later.