New Pavilion at Cherry Valley Library

By Anne Eickstadt

REPORTER

ANNE EICKSTADT PHOTO Belvidere Republican
Dave Appell and library board members unveil the pavilion name during the dedication ceremony at the Cherry Valley Public Library.

“We received a very generous donation and used it to build a pavilion,” said Cherry Valley Library Director Jane Lenser.”We are dedicating it tonight (Saturday, June 11). We will be holding outdoor programs out here. We have a children’s program out here on Monday. We will have some reading programs out here as well. We don’t have seating yet for people to just rest out here but that is coming. We will be watching the movie ‘The Little Mermaid’ tonight.”

“This is a wonderful addition to our library,” said Jim Clayton president of the Cherry Valley Library Board of Trustees. “It’s going to get a lot of use. I was on the Cherry Valley Fire Dept. and Steve Appell came to me and said, ‘I need someone to be on the Cherry Valley library board.’ I said ‘no’ twice. Then I said ‘yes’ and I not only enjoyed it, I have been here ever since. He was a dreamer, a planner, and someone who was totally committed to the betterment of Cherry Valley. He supported the brick streets, period lighting, Bauman Park, and made long-range capital improvement plans. He always had a long-range five-year plan. When he was the mayor, he provided for the present and planned for the future. The pavilion is 12×28 feet. On Monday, we will start our Kids on the Patio program.

“Steve was a believer in the library and in the outdoors,” said Dave Appell. “On behalf of the Appell family, I would like to thank everyone present and the Village of Cherry Valley for this tribute to our brother Steve. He was a generous and well-loved man. His contributions to Cherry Valley were numerous and this tribute honors his memory as well as his achievements. For that we are grateful and he will always be in our hearts.”

“I was the Village Administrator for 17 years,” said Jim Claeyssen. “He was a great man and he loved dogs. He had a vision for things. He had a plan. He moved here from Rockford and he felt at home in Cherry Valley.”

Bill Scarpesi said, “I spent 14 years as a trustee. To me, one of the hallmarks of Steve Appell was that he made sure the village preserved a lot of green space. He had a passion for this city.”

Stephen J. Appell, 69, passed away Sept. 29, 2019 at Swedish American Hospital. Born Nov. 2, 1949 in Monroe, Wis., he graduated from Boylan High School, then later received his bachelors from Emporia State University. He retired after many years working at DCFS.

Steve loved Cherry Valley and the people of Cherry Valley loved him. In 1975, he was elected to the position of Village Trustee and then served on the Village Planning Commission until 1985 when he was elected as Village President. He spent the next 20 years advocating for the beautification of his community. He campaigned for the preservation of historical sites such as the barns. He fought hard to keep the quaintness, personality and identity of Cherry Valley. He was always looking for a place to plant trees around the Village. Steve was instrumental in founding a garden club and opened and showed his garden every year in the annual Village Garden Walk. In 2007 he was again elected as Trustee where he served the Village until his death.