The Swing Into Summer Festival was set to begin Friday, May 25, with a free picnic in the Upper City Park, courtesy of the Chamber of Commerce, followed by a Dance, featuring the Mark Kee Band. And this was just the start of a weekend packed full of fun. Activities on Saturday included a Lions Club Breakfast Fundraiser at the American Legion building. City-wide garage sales were going on throughout the day at various locations. Volleyball, kids games, a fire truck and ambulance display, tours of the Rooks County Historical Museum and a Picnic in the Park Fundraiser by LINK with music provided by the Stockton School of Rock. Sidewalk Chalk Art, tours of the Waller-Coolbaugh Mansion and antique car displays filled the afternoon hours of Saturday, and a free concert in the evening in the park with a performance by Aaron Patton, guitarist and keyboardist, ended the day. Sunday afternoon included an Open House of the Stockton Area Train Club, the dedication of the new Tennis Courts, and the Alumni Banquet in the evening.

Diplomas were to be given to 31 members of the Stockton High School Class of 2007 on Saturday, May 19, as principal Keith Hall would present the graduating class of 20 boys and 11 girls. Commencement exercises for members of the eighth-grade class of Stockton Grade School were scheduled for Tuesday, May 20.

Our thoughts and prayers were for the people of Greensburg, where a massive tornado took out most of the town and killed at least 10 people. Stockton had been notified of a potential 72-bed expansion at the Stockton Correctional Facility, which would require 14 additional staff positions.

Bethany Schindler, sixyear-old daughter of Kermit and Machelle Schindler of Plainville, kept her hair long because her great-grandmother Vera Schindler, who had since passed away, told her to let her hair grow long. This was because when Vera was young her hair was long until her sister cut it. Vera said she was really sad when all her hair was cut off, and that is why she wanted Bethany to enjoy her long, beautiful hair. But that all changed when Bethany’s greataunt, Janelda O’Brien, emailed the Schindlers to tell them she was going out to Tennessee to buy a wig. O’Brien, who was fighting cancer, lost her hair as a result of her treatments. When Bethany heard about this, she said she wanted to cut her hair for Locks of Love so Aunt Janelda could have a wig made. So on April 24, 2007, beautician Rhonda Miller of Shear Sensations, cut off approximately twelve inches of Bethany’s beautiful hair to send to Locks of Love, the organization that makes wigs for cancer patients.

The Jasmine Asian Cafe opened in Stockton on Thailand’s New Year, Friday, April 13th. Owner Vipawan Thangsuwan, “Pook,” was familiar to the area since she opened a booth at the Rooks County Free Fair ten years earlier when she began serving her Asian cuisine. Another connection to Stockton is that Pook’s aunt is Malee Berkley.

The Rooks County Health Center along with the Rooks County Health Foundation announced the public phase of the “Era of Caring” Capital Campaign for the new hospital at a cocktail reception at Cedar Links Golf & Country Club on April 10, 2007. Campaign chair, co-chairs and honorary chairs of the event were chair Kathy Ramsay; co-chairs Jen and Chris Brull, Phelma Knight and Dan and Karen Sanchez; and honorary chairs Dr. A. M. and the late Nancy Pederson, and Dr. and Mrs. Harold Mauck.

The Easter Bunny visited the Stockton Public Library on April 4th. Kids surrounding the Easter Bunny were Riley Brown, Simon Armbrister, Isaac Reed, Trevor Miller, Devan Eustice, Nolan Buss, Miles Armbrister, Beatrice Griebel, Ellie Bellerive, and Angelo Ruiz.

The April 3 election was in the books, with the sales tax increase defeated; four school board members were selected out of eight on the ballot, with successful races for Mark Lowry, Patrick Lingg, Greg Beougher, and Jeff Nyp; and Wayne Madison and Twila Freeman taking seats on the City Commission.

The upcoming election, on Tuesday, April 3, 2007, was an important one, determining who would fill two empty seats on the Stockton City Commission, four seats on the USD 271 Board of Education, and voting for or against a proposed 1/4-cent sales tax increase for the City, earmarked for expenses at Solomon Valley Manor.

Stockton Cub Scouts Pack 103 held its annual Pinewood Derby on March 18, 2007. Fifteen Cub Scouts competed in the Derby. Winners were: (Tiger Den) 1st place, Aaron Hahn; 2nd place, A. J. Rothenberger; 3rd place, Wes Higdon; (Wolf Den) 1st place, Tristan Williams; 2nd place, Evan Ruiz; (Bear Den) 1st place, Braden Higdon; 2nd place, Quintin Jones; 3rd place, Ethan Hamel; (Webelos Den) 1st place, Tyler Williams; 2nd place, Caleb Eck; 3rd place, Tambour Jamison; (Overall Pack Champion) the first-place winners of each Den then raced against each other for overall pack winner of the day. Aaron Hahn won the honors of “Pack Champ” and received a Pack Champion plaque.