March 2013 Serving Metamora & Germantown Hills Magazine From Red Barns to Redbirds MTCO Is Your Local Choice Local Summer Youth Sports Registrations Details Inside A Community Publication Provided By MTCO Communications MTCO Communications 220 N. Menard Street Metamora, IL 61548
Choosing A Local Provider Is Important To Residents In this day and age, anybody can provide you with a product or service from anywhere on the planet. Communications and entertainment have come a long way since the days that a social network consisted of a group of local residents pitching in to raise a barn. Now your social network of contacts expands the globe, and you can get help on just about any subject in an instant. But when it comes right down to it, the people that you always count on are the ones that live, play and work locally in your hometown. Since 1945, MTCO Communications (Metamora Telephone Company) has been here by your side, helping you to communicate to the world even as technology progressed. The days of party lines and operator assisted telephone calls have fallen to the wayside as new technology has taken over our everyday communications and entertainment needs. Metamora and Germantown Hills residents are very fortunate to have a local communications company planted firmly here in Metamora all these years. With this commitment to the local area, MTCO made sure that the local residents were never left behind with technology. In 1996, MTCO introduced Internet service to the residents of Metamora and Germantown Hills. Our commitment did not stop there. We have continued to update our network to make it the best and to keep it the best in the area. Our local customer service team has been receiving kudos since we opened the doors in 1945. If you ever find yourself in need of help with any of our services, we encourage you to call our customer service team. We are here to make sure you experience the full enjoyment of our digimax services. Now in 2013, you can watch over 115 HD channels broadcast on our 100% digital TV network with digimax. We provide more HD channels than the cable company has to offer, utilizing a new technology to give you the best quality TV, Phone and Internet service capable. MTCO created this community magazine to keep our area connected to the important things in our life locally. Along with this magazine, we provide a local weather channel made just for Metamora and Germantown Hills, and a local TV channel to show local school sports games along with special events in our schools and communities. As you can see, MTCO is connected to this community. If you re not a customer yet, we hope to earn your business. If you are a current customer, we ll always strive to keep your business. Thank you for your support. On The Cover The restored Sutter Barn is the site where early conference and local worship services were held as well as housing livestock. It is located at the Illinois Mennonite Historical and Genealogical Society, located on Rt. 116 midway between Germantown Hills and Metamora For more information about our services, please visit www.mtco.com or scan this QR code with your smart phone. MTCO Communications 220 N. Menard Street Metamora, Illinois 61548 309-367-4197 President & CEO Glenn Rauh Wireless Operations Manager Editor - Connected Magazine Bob Becraft Marketing Manager Editor - Connected Magazine Kip DuBois Vice President & CFO Ann Dickerson 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 Metamora and Germantown Hills. 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 2013 MTCO Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. CallerID Popup and Voicemail Notification on your TV with digimax TV and Voice service. See who s calling while sitting in front of your TV. Notification of new voicemail messages.
Entertainment & Technology Hi-Tech Thermostat If you re looking to spruce up your pad in a modern, techie, and energy-efficient way, the new Nest Thermostat is a wise investment. The intuitive device learns your schedule and turns itself on and off according to the time of day and whether it senses you are home or not. And, if you want to adjust the temp of your house while you re away, you can control the device through your home Internet and a smartphone. The best part: It claims to lower your heating and cooling bill by 20%, which means you should recoup the cost of the system in no time. Suggested price is $249 and available at www.nest.com. April Programming Highlights ACM Awards Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan are set to co-host the 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, which will broadcast on Sunday, April 7, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. CST on CBS digimax digital channel 31 / HD channel 501. The Bletchley Circle The Bletchley Circle premieres Sundays on April 21 - May 5, 2013. This three-part murder mystery follows the lives of ordinary women with extraordinary ability to break codes, a skill honed during WWII when they worked undercover at Bletchley Park, site of the United Kingdom s main decryption center. Now, in 1952, a series of murders reunites the team to decode the patterns behind the crimes. On WTVP digimax channel 47 / HD channel 504. N F L Network The 2013 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, April 25, 2013 and runs through Saturday, April 27, 2013. Follow your favorite teams and catch all the action on the NFL Network on digimax channel 24 / HD channel 556. New Original Series On SyFy Syfy s highly-anticipated transmedia event Defiance premieres Monday, April 15, 2013 at 9:00 p.m. It is the first-ever convergence of television and online gaming featuring an interconnected world between the two mediums as they evolve together into one overall story. Set in the near future, Defiance introduces an exotically transformed planet Earth, its landscapes permanently altered following the sudden and tumultuous arrival of seven unique alien races. In this somewhat unknown and unpredictable landscape, the richly diverse, newly-formed civilization of humans and aliens must learn to co-exist peacefully. Each week, viewers will follow an immersive character drama set in the boom-town of Defiance, which sits atop the ruins of St. Louis, MO, while players in The Game will experience the new frontier of the San Francisco Bay area. Learn more about the show and the game at www.defiance.com. Fiber-To-The-Home Expansion You will see our trucks soon! Now that warmer weather is nearing, MTCO is ready to resume expanding its Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH) network later this spring to the Woodland Knolls Road and Forrest Drive areas of G e r m a n t o w n Hills. If you live in this area and have not pre-subscribed, please give our office a call at 367-4197 for more details or questions. We will also be introducing new higher Internet speed options for Fiber-To-The-Home areas! Keep up with Entertainment and Technology news. Add MTCO to your Facebook and Twitter groups and visit www.mtco.com and click on MTCO News on the right section of the webpage.
Sunset on White Oak Lake in Germantown Hills February 16, 2013.
MTHS/NIU Percussion Event MTHS Auditorium at 2pm Central IL Youth Symphony Concert at MTHS at 6:30pm Central IL Youth Symphony Concert at MTHS at 2pm 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 GHMS PTO Meeting Middle School Library 7pm American Legion Post Meeting 7:30pm 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 GHMS Board Meeting Middle School Library 7pm Metamora Swim 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Team Registration at MTHS 6pm Metamora Woman s Club Christian Union Church 7pm Germantown Hills Planning Commission Meeting 7pm Metamora Branch Library Board Meeting 4pm Metamora Village Board Meeting 7pm Metamora Area Business Association Meeting 11:30am Metamora Village Board Meeting 7pm Germantown Hills Village Board Meeting 6pm Germantown Hills Chamber of Commerce Meeting 12pm Metamora Grade School Board Meeting 7pm 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 MGHJWC General Meeting 7pm Germantown Hills Fire House Germantown Hills Garden Club Mtg. 6:30pm Metamora Park Board Mtg Village Hall 7pm American Legion Auxiliary Meeting 7:30pm Germantown Hills Village Board Meeting 6pm The Fabric of Dance ICC Performinig Arts Center 7:30pm MYSA Summer Program Registrations at Village Hall 9am-noon Flames Pork Chop & Bake Sale Metamora IGA 11am - 6pm MGHJWC Annual Garage Sale GH Fire Station 8am - noon Metamora Pool Swim Lessons Registration 12pm - 3pm The Fabric of Dance ICC Performinig Arts Center 7:30pm 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 Metamora Pool Swim Lessons Registration 12pm - 3pm GHMS 5th/6th Spring Band / District Band Concert at MTHS Auditorium 7pm
In Our Community Summer Program Registrations The Metamora Youth Sports Association has opened up registration for its summer teeball, baseball and softball programs. Registration will be held from 9:00 a.m. - noon on Saturday, April 6, 2013 at the Metamora Village Hall. You can also register online and find additional information at http://www.mysa.mghsports.org. Registration for these sports closes on April 13, 2013. Practices will begin April 20th with games to start the week of May 28th. Cost for teeball is $40 for a single child and $20 for each additional child. Softball and baseball is $75 per child and $35 for each additional child. The Metamora Area Swim Team (MAST) will be holding its swim team sign ups on Monday, April 15, 2013 from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at the Metamora High School Commons. For more details, visit http://www.metamoraswimming. com. Pork Chop & Bake Sale Fundraiser The Metamora Flames softball team will be holding a pork chop and bake sale fundraiser at the Metamora IGA from 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 6, 2013. Stop by for some great food and help support the Flames. Woodford County Hunter Safety Class The River Valley Sportsman s Club in Germantown Hills has set the date for the Woodford County Hunter Safety Class. The class will run on Friday, April 12, 2013 from 6:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m., and on April 13, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Space is limited, and you are encouraged to call the coordinating instructors, Randy and Shari Weber at (309) 367-4177 to register or for more information. Metamora Swimming Pool Lesson and Passes Sale Swim lessons and pool passes will be on sale at the pool prior to opening day. Lessons and passes will be sold at the Metamora Pool on Saturday April 27 and Sunday April 28, 2013 from noon- 3:00 p.m. They will also be sold on Saturday May 4 and Sunday May 5, 2013 from noon-3:00 p.m. Swim lessons and pool pass forms can be found on the Metamora Park District s website at http://www. villageofmetamora.com/?pardist. The Metamora Pool will open for the summer on Saturday June 1st. Any questions please contact Kaitlyn at metamorapool@ gmail.com.
Newly Released Features on Play Games on your TV. Relax on your couch and play games on your TV! Just press the Yellow button on your remote to open My Apps, then Arrow down to Games and press OK. Games include: Memory, Minesweeper, Solitaire, Spider Solitaire and Sudoku. Germantown Hills Garden Club Meeting Set The next meeting for the Germantown Hills Garden Club has been set for Tuesday, April 9, 2013. They will be discussing and planning the upcoming May 4th Plant Sale. Social time begins at 6:30 p.m. followed by the meeting at 7:00 p.m. which is being held at the Germantown Hills Community Center located on Ten Mile Creek road across from Michael s Restaurant. The meeting is open to everyone. Vote on April 9th Get out and vote on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 on the many positions, offices and tax referendums that will be on the ballot in April, including: When viewing the game on your TV, press the Info button on the remote control for instructions on how to play. Press the Red, Green, Yellow and Blue buttons on your remote to control actions. Share Photos with Family and Friends via Flickr Photo Sharing Service. Set up access to your friends and family Flickr accounts to share fun photos, graduation pictures, vacations and more -- all on the full screen of your TV! Not using Flickr? No problem, it s very easy to set up a free account. Village Presidents for Germantown Hills and Metamora Village Trustees for Germantown Hills and Metamora Metamora Township High School District 122 Board Germantown Hills School District 69 Board Metamora Park District Park Commissioner Worth Township Highway Commissioner Woodford County Schools Facility Retail Sales Tax Info Center. View various categories of upto-date Internet News Feeds on your TV while watching your current program. Visit www.mtco.com/television/digimax_ new_features.pdf for detailed instructions or call MTCO Tech Support at 800-859-6826. Access to new features limited to DVR and Model A140 Set Top Boxes. Do you have some community news to share with the residents of Metamora and Germantown Hills? Send it to connected@mtco.com, or mail it to us at 220 N. Menard St., Metamora, IL 61548Attn: Connected Magazine.
Upgrading your TV service made EASY with MTCO Local Service. Local Support. Local Techs. SAVE with Bundled Pricing EASY UPGRADE SELECT Triple Play starting at $117/mo.* Over 115 100% All Digital...Better Picture. Better Sound. Manage your DVR Recordings and Access Voice Mail when away from home. els Chann Exclusive Local Content: Sports Concerts Weather FREE Install to one computer* FREE HD to first TV* FREE 500 Long Distance Minutes FREE Wireless Router* FREE Install up to 4 TV s* FREE Calling Feature Package* Reliable. Consistent. Up to 10M connection! Single TV/Whole-Home DVR FREE CallerID on your TV* 50 More HD Channels than cable! E911 you can rely on. LOCAL SERVICE. LOCAL SUPPORT. BETTER PRODUCT. MTCO Communications 220 N Menard St., IL 61548 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, $60 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. Actual speeds may vary. 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.