Walking the Walk and Compassion for Campers Update for June 12 2026

Look for new opportunities for action, education, community, and solidarity in and around McHenry County here every week.  

                                                            Walking the Walk  

So much to do this June!

Woodstock Pride Fest--June 13-14 Annual family-friendly events celebrating the LGBTQIA+ Community. Multiple special events.  Pride Parade and the Festival on the Square 11 am to 4 pm.

June 14th: Happy Birthday NoKings--Sunday June 14, 2026 is the anniversary of the first NoKings nationwide protest against the Trump regime! We will gather again to continue our efforts to save democracy and show our patriotism in a joyful, peaceful demonstration. Our rally will be from 3-5 pm at the intersection of Rt. 31 and McCullom Lake Rd. in McHenry. Bring your signs, wear your creative costumes, and spread the message of love for freedom of speech and the right for all who want a fair and just America for everyone! As always, this is a peaceful, non-violent rally; respect the rights of all! Please make sure you park in areas not blocking any businesses, and remember to station yourselves only on public property! After the rally (or if you cannot attend), join the "RISE UP-SIGN OUT" Concert for the First Amendment at 6:30 pm, CT--a national broadcast to counter the fiasco earlier in the day on the front lawn of our White House.  Sponsored localy by Indivisible McHenry County.

The new Northern Illinois Indivisible is promoting Rise Up, Sing Out: A Concert for the First Amendment on Sunday, June 14 at 6:30 p.m. CT, the Committee for the First Amendment will be hosting It will be an uplifting evening of song, solidarity, and action featuring Bette Midler, Rufus Wainwright, Patti Smith, Sasha Allen, Wilson Cruz, Jane Fonda, Julia Roberts, Joy Reid, Lily Gladstone, Jen Colella, Alex Joseph Grayson, Kayla Davion, Rev. Adriene Thorne, Peppermint, Singing Resistance, Broadway Inspirational Voices, and Rude Mechanical Orchestra. Watch it at home alone or with family members, or host a watch party and invite your friends, or join someone else's watch party. Find all of the options here: https://riseupsingout.com/

                    

Ride/Walk to Leave a Light On--On and around Woodstock Square, Friday, June 19 7 pm.  Benefiting Break Crystal Lake Teen Center, Compassion for Campers, Community Connection for Youth, IMC--employment, education, health, and housing services, Jail Breakers, Lemonade & Advocate, Live4Lali, and Woodstock Pride.

Two Juneteenth celebrations:

Honoring Legacy, Empowering the Future presented by McHenry County Now.  Thursday, June 18 at 5:30 pm at the Cary Public Library.  Register here.

The McHenry County Juneteenth Festival will be held on Saturday, June 20, from 3 to 5:30 pm on Woodstock Square Woodstock.

Compassion for Campers

Guests stocked up on gear and supplies at C4C's special distribution in Woodstock's Emrickson Park.

Compassion for Campers is back!  C4C was able to distribute our gear and supplies Friday, May 30 at a special Stop Gap Day at the Hilltop Pavillion in Woocstock's Emrickson Park in cooperation with Stephen's Ministries. Warp Corps provided bus service from encampments in the Woodstock area and other providers like Live4Laly were also at hand. C4C was able to share and serve 16 guests.

The McHenry County Mental Health Board is providing space for a renewed Community Resource Days and Compassion for Campers distribution in its Crystal Lake facility.

Better news yet. We have secured a new base of operations and will resume regular distributions on Friday, June 19! We will be joining a new Community Resource Day, renamed  McHenry County Resource Center (MCHC) coordinated by many of the former Willow Creek organizers and volunteers. Debora Anderson reported, "The McHenry County Mental Health Board has generously given us a temporary place in their offices, 620 Dakota Street, Crystal Lake, to host the events going forward while we continue to look for a permanent space to continue to host the event.  The facility has a welcoming intake area, wonderful office spaces, a dining area, and a shower!  There are a couple of things that cannot be provided in the space.  There is no way to do laundry and food must be prepared in a commercial kitchen." 

Many of the agencies and services from the Willow Creek events have already signed on to participate.  C4C is fortunate that we will have on-site storage for our supplies.  C4C's first distribution there will be this Friday, ,June 19, We will resume our regular schedule of distributions on the First and Third Fridays of each month.

On the downside, Sue Rekenthaler reports C4C has been turned down again for a grant, this time by the McHenry County Community Foundation.  We remain critically dependent on donations.

Financial support is critical to fulfilling our mission. The best thing you can do is offer your critically needed financial support to get us through this emergency.  Money donations are always welcome at     https://tinyurl.com/3bz96axe.   Look for updates here.  Email compassionforcampers@treeoflifeuu.org .

McHenry County Trifecta This Weekend—Ride to Leave a Light On, Juneteenth, and Sumer Solstice

  

Ride to Leave a Light On Ride/Walk this Friday on the Square.  Light strings benefit Compassion for Campers, Jail Brakers, and other community organizations.

There is plenty to do this weekend in McHenry County to help you keep engaged in the community, edify your understanding, and connect with you spiritually.

First up—The 5th annual Ride/Walk to Leave a Light On event will take place Friday, June 20 from 7 to 10 pm on the Woodstock Square and in the nearby neighborhood! Come ride, walk, run (new!) or just chill as you support 8 positively impactful community organizations and enjoy live music and an Ice Cream Social!

The event is organized again this year by Ken West of Material Things Artisan Market, 103 E. Van Buren Street, Woodstock to connect the community with vital local organizations and raise funds to support their work with a fun and family friendly event. When you purchase a string of colored lights at the store or on line you help someone marginalized by trauma, by societal views, by prejudice, always by circumstances outside of their control. Supporters can also buy strings of color coded lights to decorate their bikes and themselves on the evening of the event.  Show support by purchasing strings for favorite organizations—Compassion for Campers, Jail Brakers, The Break Teen Center in Crystal Lake, The Illinois Migrant Council, Live4Lali, Woodstock Pride, and Lemonade & Advocate.

For the latest information on the ride visit the Facebook event.

Saturday, June 21 from 3:00 to 5:30 pm the McHenry County Junteenth celebration returns for the third time at a new indoor venue, the Center for the Arts (Music, Culture and Movement) at 1690 S. Eastwood Drive ( Rt. 47) in Woodstock.

The McHenry County Juneteenth Organization, founded and spearheaded County Board Member Gloria Van Hof, promises “an afternoon filled with music, dance, and community. Celebrate freedom and unity with a special program by Stev Walker and the Artistas Da Capoeira Woodstock troupe, the soaring vocals of Darlene Benton and learn about McHenry County’s connection to the Underground Railroad with Gloria Van Hof and another County Board Member Pam Althoff. Enjoy catered soul food by Chef Joanne Thomas, local exhibitors and fun activities for all ages.

Juneteenth commemorates the date of June 19, 1865, when Union troops marched to Galveston, Texas and enforced the January 1, 1863 Emancipation Proclamation, freeing over 250,000 enslaved persons still held in bondage, deprived of their freedom and basic dignity.  Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. On June 17, 2021, Juneteenth officially became a Federal holiday after being signed into law by President Joe Biden.  The current regime is not recognizing or celebrating the day in any way and is scrubbing government web sites of any reference to it.

The event is free and open to the public but requests registration.

Saturday evening Tree of Life Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 5603 Bull Valley Road in McHenry invites the public to share its annual Summer Solstice service.

Celebrate the sUUmmer Solstice with food, readings, intention, music, and a simple dance. There will be an eat and greet at 6:30 pm and the service will start at 7. Bring a chair and a treat to share.

Everyone is invited to wear white, yellow, gold, orange, and/or red and women can don long and flowing gowns, a scarf, or a crown of flowers to celebrate their inner royalty.

The event will be on the church grounds, weather permitting.  The observation should conclude  at sunset at 8:34 pm.

All are welcome to participate in the Dance of the Witches, a favorite part of Tree of Life's Summer Solstice celebration. 
 

The event is family friendly, free, and open to the public.  A free will collection will be taken.

For more information visit https://treeoflifeuu.org/services/suummer-solstice/.

If you can cram all of that in you will earn a blessed sabbath on Sunday.  

 

 

The Ride-Walk to Leave the Lights On 2025 in Woodstock Supports Vital Local Organizations

 

Note—June is crowded with important events in McHenry County.  Expect more posts to keep readers up to date and able to plan.

The 5th annual Ride/Walk to Leave a Light On event will take place Friday. June 20 from 7 to 10 pm on the Woodstock Square and in the nearby neighborhood! Come ride, walk, run (new!) or just chill as you support 8 positively impactful community organizations and enjoy live music and an Ice Cream Social!

 

                                    Lining up to depart Woodstock Square for the 2024 Ride/Walk.  

The event is organized again this year by Ken West of Material Things Artisan Market, 103 E. Van Buren Street, Woodstock to connect the community with vital local organizations and raise funds to support their work with a fun and family friendly event. When you purchase a string of colored lights at the store or on line you help someone marginalized by trauma, by societal views, by prejudice, always by circumstances outside of their control. Supporters can also buy strings of color coded lights to decorate their bikes and themselves on the evening of the event.  Show support by purchasing strings for favorite organizations. 

 

Those organizations include Community Connections for Youth offering youth enriched alternative experience free time (red lights); The Break Teen Center in Crystal Lake which provides adolescents an young adults a safe placet to connect, have fun, and find acceptance with their peers  (gold lights);  The Illinois Migrant Council promoting heath, housing, and education for seasonal and agricultural workers and their families (white lights); Live4Lali working to reduce stigma and prevent substance abuse disorder in individuals, families, and communities and minimize the heal, legal, and social harm associated with substance use (purple lights); Woodstock Pride, an inclusive civic organization promoting diversity, cultural integration, and self celebration of LGBTQIA+ individuals, families, and businesses (multi-color lights); and new this year Lemonade & Advocate, a purpose driven business that supports and involves individual with special needs with a portion of each sale going to special needs agencies (green light.)

We would be remiss if we did not specially highlight and recommend two vital outreach missions of Tree of Life UU Congregation in McHenry.  Compassion for Campers (Blue Lights) helps the unhoused “weather” the weather with bedding supplies, tents, needs for temporary shelter, health and  hygiene personal needs.  C4C in currently in financial crisis during some the busiest months of the year.   Jail Brakers (red lights) provides support for families dealing with incarceration.

Riders, walkers, and observers will gather in the Square beginning at 7:30 for the tree ice cream social and musical entertainment.  At 8:15 there will be introduction by Ken West, instructions for riders, and comments about the event.  The ride/walk will depart the Square at 8:40 as darkness falls.  During the ride and after the return to the Square music will continue until 10 pm.

For the latest information on the ride visit the Facebook event.

The Ride is also supported by the Peacock Shoppe, Community Chiropractic Center Woodstock, EyeCare Woodstock, and Kingston Lanes Bowling and Sports Lounge. Also sponsoring the event are Woodstock Lumber, Isabel’s Family Restaurant, and Woodstock Heating, Cooling & Electric. Additionally, the event has a number of donors, including Hattie and Myrt and Blue Thistle Woodstock.