March 2017 Serving Washington Magazine Local Calendar of Events See Inside A Community Publication Provided By MTCO Communications
Welcome to Community Spotlight! Connected Magazine is starting this new monthly article to focus on people, businesses and organizations located in Metamora and Germantown Hills. The first recipient of this Community Spotlight is Glenn Rauh of MTCO Communications. Glenn currently serves as President of MTCO, and he has worked there since 1945 when his father Ray Rauh purchased the Metamora Telephone Company from the Sommer family. Glenn is a graduate of Metamora Township High School from the class of 1955. He is married to Sharon Rauh and has four daughters and several grandchildren. This month, on March 2nd, Glenn celebrates his 80th birthday. Happy Birthday Glenn! As a child, Glenn grew up working in the family business. After returning home from a day at grade school, Glenn could be found helping the operators with answering the telephone switchboard. During his high school years, Glenn became more involved in outside field work, including maintaining aerials on telephone poles. In the community, Glenn served as a Metamora Township High School Board Member for eight years, and has always believed in giving back to the community by supporting many local charitable organizations and initiatives. Through the years, Glenn worked in nearly all facets of the business. He ascended into management and eventually became President of MTCO. He is still involved in day to day operations and continues his passion of working on any project the company has going on. In 1987, Glenn helped direct the purchase of Marseilles Telephone Company to keep local jobs in the area and maintain a local ownership of the business. Shortly after, MTCO became a partner in helping the formation of Illinois Valley Cellular and making Marseilles the hometown of the business. With the redevelopment of the riverfront and the new property and building that houses IV Cellular, it was a very proud moment for Glenn to see the Middle East Memorial Wall constructed on this land. In 2012, Glenn pushed his long time vision to offer MTCO services to the town of Washington. With his leadership on this project, the town has become a Gigabit City with a 100% fiber connection to all residences and businesses in Washington. Why is Glenn still working well into his retirement years? I believe you have to stay active mentally and physically, there is no time for sleep! On The Cover WCHS Mechanical Monarchy is doing an additional project alongside their FRC robot construction. Team 5442 modifies battery powered children s ride-on cars to better accommodate children with special needs. This year, they are modifying a Barbie Jeep for a young girl with brittle bone disease. Features added include a new seat with a safety belt, new paint and decorations, and a joystick control to replace the previous steering wheel and gas pedal. MTCO Communications 220 N. Menard Street Metamora, Illinois 61548 309-367-4197 connected@mtco.com President & CEO Glenn Rauh Vice President & CFO Ann Dickerson Media Manager Editor - Connected Magazine Bob Becraft bbecraft@corp.mtco.com Marketing Manager Editor - Connected Magazine Kip DuBois kdubois@corp.mtco.com Connected Magazine is published monthly by MTCO Communications with corporate office located at 220 North Menard Street, Metamora, Illinois, 61548. The publication is intended for use of the residents of Washington. No article in this issue or any part of this publication may be reproduced without the expressed written permission of the Publisher. For more information about this magazine, or for additional copies, contact Bob Becraft or Kip DuBois at 309-367-4197 or connected@mtco.com. If you have questions or concerns regarding your services, please contact our Customer Service Representatives at (309)367-4197 or 800-859-6826. Copyright 2017 MTCO Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.
Entertainment & Technology Triple Monitor Laptop The newest laptop from Razer is a prototype called Project Valerie. It is very different from the current Razer lineup, which goes for laptops with slim minimalism. Tuned in late? Restart from the Beginning! ReStart TV expanding to more HD Channels. Programs on all HD channels in the digimax Select and Expanded packages, plus the Sport Pak and HD Pak, can now be restarted any time while the program is currently airing. Never miss the beginning of your favorite show or the big game again! ReStart TV channels are indicated by the green and white ReStart icon next to the channel. Project Valerie is bigger and bolder. It has two additional screens hidden inside the lid, giving users three built-in high resolution 17-inch 4K monitors. Immersive gaming and multi-tasking has never been more portable. Projected Valerie was introduced at the 2017 Consumer Electronic Show but there is no release date set for when it may go on sale. March Premieres The Original Vampire family swore it to each other a thousand years ago. They pledged to remain together, always and forever. Now, centuries have passed, and the bonds of family are broken. Time, tragedy and hunger for power have torn the Original Family apart. Watch The Originals season premiere on Friday, March 17th at 7:00 p.m. on CW. The Americans is an FX Original period drama about the complex marriage of two KGB spies posing as Americans in suburban Washington D.C. shortly after Ronald Reagan is elected President. The show premieres on March 7th at 9:00 p.m. on FX. Once a program is restarted, DVR functions like rewind and fast forward are available. Want to save time? Fast forward through commercials! You can also pause any ReStart channel by pressing the Pause button on the remote. These features are available on all TV s in your home with digimax TV service. It s simple to ReStart a program! Press the Guide button on the remote control and highlight the program you want to restart. Then press the Green button on the remote to restart the program. Keep up with Entertainment and Technology news. Add MTCO to your Facebook and Twitter groups, and visit the MTCO Blogspot at www.mtco.com.
Congratulations to the Washington Middle School 7th Grade Boys Basketball STATE CHAMPS!
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Daylight Savings Begins 2:00 a.m. 26 27 28 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 American Legion Meeting 6:30pm City Council Meeting Five Points 6:30pm American Legion Riders Meeting 6pm Central District 51 Board Meeting 7pm 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 District 308 Board Meeting 7pm District 52 Board Meeting 7pm Washington 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 City Council Meeting Five Points 6:30pm Washington Rotary Club Meeting 12pm Washington Chamber Business After Hours Blacksmith s Steakhouse 5pm Washington Rotary Club Meeting 12pm Rotary Club Meeting 12pm District 50 Board Meeting 6:30pm Washington District Library Board Mtg. 7pm City of Washington Planning & Zoning Comm. Mtg. at Five Points 6:30pm WHIP Food Pantry 8:30am - 11am 4:30pm - 6pm WHIP Food Pantry 8:30am - 11am 4:30pm - 6pm WCHS Band Concert 7pm Queen of Hearts Drawing American Legion 7pm WCHS Spring Play at Five Points Queen of Hearts Drawing American Legion 7pm Queen of Hearts Drawing American Legion 7pm Queen of Hearts Drawing American Legion 7pm WCHS Spring Play at Five Points WCHS Spring Play at Five Points All-You-Can-Eat Breakfast Taylor Masonic Lodge #98 7am-10am 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 Washington Rotary Club Meeting 12pm
In Our Community Full Steam Ahead This robotics season, WCHS Robotics members have dedicated over 100 hours of their time for the creation of their robot that will participate in the FIRST Steamworks competition later this month. We have a bunch of crazy motivated students this year, and it has made the build process streamlined. We re more organized, we re more structured, everybody is more efficient, says Marc Heuermann, a mentor on the team. We re utilizing everybody. If someone is just standing around, we ll teach them what they need to know and they ll complete the task. I haven t come across anybody this year that is afraid of trying something new. Symphony Idol The Symphony Idol performance will take place on Saturday, March 18th at 7:30 p.m. in the Caterpillar Performing Arts Theater at Five Points Washington. Finalists from television phenomenon American Idol, LaKisha Jones, Matt Giraud and Haley Scarnato, join the Heartland Festival Orchestra. They will perform hit songs in lush orchestral arrangements from the worlds of Jazz, Rock, Broadway, Country and Pop. For tickets or more information, visit: www.heartlandfestivalorchestra.org or www.fivepointswashington.org. The team s first regional competition will be at Bradley University in Peoria on Friday, March 17, and Saturday, March 18. Admission to the event is free. To find out more about the team, track the schedule, or contact Mechanical Monarchy, visit: https://sites. google.com/a/wacohi.net/panther-engineering. All-You-Can-Eat Breakfast The Taylor Masonic Lodge 98 at 119 N. Wilmor Rd will serve an all-you-can-eat breakfast from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Saturday, March 18, 2017. Menu includes biscuits, gravy, scrambled eggs, sausage, hash browns, fruit cocktail, grits, pancakes (regular or blueberry), french toast, and beverages. Cost is $7 per adult, $3.50 for kids 6-12 years old. Kids under 6 eat free. Breakfast at the lodge is the 3rd Saturday each month. No breakfasts are served in June, July or August (during summer months). Do you have some community news to share with the residents of Washington? Send it to connected@mtco.com, or mail it to us at 220 N. Menard St., Metamora, IL 61548 Attn: Connected Magazine.
Library Activities Super Hero Night on Friday, March 3 at 5p.m. (Sunnyland Branch) - Dress up as or wear a shirt representing your favorite superheroes or heroines and watch a superhero movie (vote for your choice of movie that night). Snacks included. How to Use Lynda.com on Thursday, March 16th at 6:30 p.m. (main library) - Learn how to utilize this great resource with access to hundreds of great professionally-instructed video courses in art, music, technology, business, etc. Pizza Taste Test Night (main library) - Pizza will be ordered from several different local businesses. Sample and rank the pizzas, and decide who has the best! There will also be a movie to watch. This event for teens will take place on Thursday, March 23rd at 5p.m. Family Bingo Fun on Saturday, March 25th at 1p.m. (main library) - Family friendly fun featuring terrific prizes for kids. The perfect precursor to the library s Library Bingo kids activity. Sunday Fundraiser The American Legion Post #100 will be hosting a Sunday Funday presented by TheBikerSpot Magazine on March 26th from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The event includes a chance to win $200 cash and other prizes along with raffles and 50/50 tickets. The kitchen will be serving tenderloins, brat burgers and more. There will be live music all afternoon with the band to be announced later. For more information, contact the Post at 309-745-8968 or on their Facebook page. Shop for a Cure St. Mark s Church at 200 South Main Street in Washington will host the JDRF Shop for a Cure on Saturday, March 11th from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Come out for a fun day with over 30 vendors to shop, a kid s activity table, raffle table, and a bake sale! All proceeds to benefit the Jaywalkers JDRF Team Walking to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes. Kidz Got Talent Auditions Auditions are approaching quickly for the Kidz Got Talent event that will be held at Good Neighbor Days on June 3rd. Kidz Got Talent auditions will be held on Saturday, April 1st from 1:00 p.m. 3:30 p.m. at the Connect Center at 104 South Elm Street in Washington. Auditions are required to be considered for the main event. For more information, contact Jill at jnolte@cefcu.com. Trivia Night The Washington Rotary Club will host Smarty Pants Trivia Night on Saturday, March 25th at the Countryside Banquet Facility. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. with trivia to start at 7:00 p.m. Cost is $120.00 for teams of eight with checks payable to Washington Rotary Club. Compete for rival divisions and overal 1st Place Winner. Sign your team up today by emailing kristyhowell@ mtco.com or by calling 309-256-6443. Deadline is March 20th. Bar and a full concession menu will be available for purchase. Help the Rotary Club reach their goal of raising $5,000 for the Washington Weekend Snackpac program.
Can You GIG It? Upgrade Now! 100% Fiber Optic connection 1 GIGABIT (that s 1,000 Mbps)! Endless Possibilities with the FASTEST downloads, smoothest streaming, and TV like no other. TV INTERNET VOICE Service bundle speeds start at 100 Mbps! Whether its more devices, streaming, gaming, or you just desire more speed for the way you use the Interent, we ve got you covered today..and in the future. The FASTEST Internet Speeds in the area! Channels in Crystal-Clear More HD Channels than cable! FREE HD to first TV* Optimize whole home performance on ALL your wireless devices with the digimax Wi-Fi GigaCenter for $7/mo.! FREE Install to one computer* FREE Install up to 4 TVs* Single TV & Whole-Home DVR Instant access to over 7000 Video- On Demand TV Shows & Movies! Internet Speed Upgrades: - Upgrade to 250M for an extra $10/mo. - Upgrade to 1 FREE UNLIMITED Long Distance* FREE Calling Feature Package* FREE CallerID on your TV* Caller identification on your TV before the phone rings! Manage your Voice Mail online, automatically deliver to your e-mail, and access from any phone 911 calls go directly to your local dispatcher in an emergency GIG for an extra $40/mo. SAVE with bundled, no gimmick pricing! SELECT Triple Play starting at $117/mo.* SELECT Double Play starting at $99/mo.* Smoother streaming. Faster downloads. Extended Range. Optimize whole home performance on ALL your wireless devices! Worry-Free managed technical support and service. digimax Managed Wi-Fi Service with GigaCenter only $7/mo. MTCO Communications 220 N Menard St., Metamora IL 61548 309.367.4197 800.859.MTCO(6826) www.mtco.com *Limited time offer. 1-yr. agreement required for all discounts. Not available in all areas. Monthly rates are standard, non-promotional rates. Free installation up to 4 TV s, $80 per TV after first 4. More complex installs may require additional fees. A high-definition TV is required to view HDTV signals. All free and leased installed MTCO equipment (set top boxes, adapters, etc.) remain property of MTCO and must be returned at cancellation or unreturned equipment fee will apply. Location may determine max number of TV s allowed. Unlimited long distance calling for residential service and continental U.S. only. Cannot be used for business purposes such as telemarketing, broadcast faxes, etc. MTCO may restrict or cancel service if inconsistent with residential voice usage. Actual speeds may vary. 250M or higher speeds will require digimax GigaCenter or other gigabit capable device. Internet service data plan includes 500 gigabytes per monthly billing period. For more details, see FAQ at www.mtco.com. Federal, state and local taxes, governmental regulatory fees and surcharges, if any, are additional. Other charges, conditions, requirements and restrictions may apply. Offer may not be combined with any other offer and is non-transferrable.