Weekly Wrap: Lakeside Fest Prep, Sunburst Bay Update, Deputy Retires

MCHENRY COUNTY, IL — Here's a look back on the top news stories from the past week that happened in McHenry County.

Paving Company Employees Help Rescue Girls In Storm Drain

The quick actions of two paving company employees helped bring two girls who became lost in a storm drain in Crystal Lake to safety. The incident was reported at about 5 p.m. Tuesday when the Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department and Crystal Lake Police Department were called to a retention pond near Target in Crystal Lake. You can read the full story here.

Vehicle Burglaries, Stolen Car Reported In Cary, Crystal Lake

Following several reported incident of vehicle burglaries, attempted vehicle burglaries and a stolen car police are reminding residents to:

• Lock their cars
• Do not leave valuables in plain view inside your cars
• Report suspicious activity, including suspicious people and vehicles, by calling 911 and providing the location, description, and direction of travel of the individuals and/or vehicle
• Do NOT try to confront the individuals on your own
• Residents with newer model vehicles may not be able to lock their car if there is a spare key fob inside the vehicle, and that they should never leave a key inside an unlocked vehicle

Long-Time Deputy Retires

Congrats to McHenry County Sheriff Deputy Matt Matusek who retired this past week after "25 years of service to the county," according to the sheriff's office. The sheriff's office commemorated his years of police work with this Tuesday Facebook post and video:

Today we said "see you later" to Deputy Matt Matusek after 25 years of service to the county. We are thankful for your service, sacrifice, and leadership over the years, to both our citizens and your fellow deputies. Enjoy your next chapter in life, spend time with your family, and enjoy the new fishing boat. You will be missed.

Weekend Fun: Fireworks, Festivals, Free Bikes

There's a lot happening in and around McHenry County this weekend. We've got a full roundup of events and other fun things to do here.

Lakeside Fest Prep Starts; No Dole Farmers Market

There will be no Dole Farmers Market this weekend as prep begins for Lakeside Festival, which will get underway next week, Erin McElroy, chief relationships manager for the Dole Mansion in Crystal Lake, told Patch in an email response Friday.

"We are gearing up the property to welcome 50,000 people on June 30th. Fest setup starts tomorrow and goes until July 3rd," she said.

The market, which is in its second year, will return on July 10. McElroy said attendance has doubled since last year and the market currently has more than 75 vendors. You can get more info on the market here.

You can check out the schedule of events for next week's Lakeside Fest here.

Sunburst Bay Aquatic Center's First Week ...

... is in the books, and Cary Park District officials reported high attendance. The packed pools have been drawing crowds and park district officials ended up running out of printer ink at least one day due to the volume of passes they were printing out, according to the Cary Park District Facebook page, which you may want to check first for any updates before you head out to the pool over the weekend.

COVID Vaccinations Open Up At Walgreens

Some Walgreens locations already started offering vaccines to the county's youngest population after approval was granted to allow the shots for children 6 months old to 5 years old last weekend. According to Walgreens, you can make your appointments now. We've got more info here.

Other Top Stories From The Week

New Retirement Facility With Restaurants, Pub Opens In Algonquin

Juvenile Hospitalized After Fall From Bench At Aquatic Center

Charges Filed After Officer Dragged 1/2-Mile By Car: Authorities

July 4 Fireworks Guide 2022: Where To See Them In Illinois

Man Who Threw Urine On Corrections Officers Gets 5 Years In Prison

Crystal Lake Man Gets Prison For Kicking Man In Face

4th Of July Travel: When’s The Best Time To Get Out Of McHenry County

Your Chicago-Area Family-Friendly Summer Bucket List

HOW TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD ON PATCH, STAY 'PATCHED IN'

Visit Crystal Lake-Cary Patch and Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Patch: We are updating our site regularly. Like us on our Crystal Lake-Cary Patch Facebook page and the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Patch Facebook page.

Post your upcoming events on our calendar. These events are distributed to all our readers who subscribe to our daily newsletter.

We accept community contributors on Patch.com. You can find out how to publish your good news, business announcements, press releases and more here. Here is what our platform offers and types of posts we accept:

Got a story idea or something you'd like Patch to write about or look into? Share it with editor Amie Schaenzer by emailing her at amie.schaenzer@patch.com. Please include NEWS TIP in the subject.