On January 7, a tornado swept across Boone County in Northwest Illinois. Poplar Grove was an area that was hard hit, in particular a popular family tourist destination, Edwards Apple Orchard. Third generation owner-operator of Edwards Orchard, Ken and Barbara Hall and Barbara’s parents, Bob and Betty Edwards who transformed a family farm in a tourist destination are members of Poplar Grove UMC. The tornado touched down about 3:30 on a Monday afternoon, decimating eight historic buildings on the Edwards Orchard property. There were no injuries to any persons, but extensive property damage. And amazingly, while some of the orchard was severely damaged, the apple trees were spared from the path of the tornado.

Edwards Apple Orchard has hosted several hundred thousand visitors during its peak season in the fall and involves 15 family members and over 200 part-time employees. In an fruit grower’s industry interview, Ken Hall described the Orchard as: “A destination … a picture-perfect place in a farm atmosphere that combines nostalgia and modern reality.” Now much of that nostalgia, including an old barn and other old buildings are gone.

One of the first people to arrive on the scene in the aftermath of the tornado was Poplar Grove UMC Senior Pastor, Lisa Kruse-Safford. The church was quickly able to mobilize many ways to assist tornado victims. Work crews arrived to clear debris. The church set up a tent and served food to weary workers. They also set up a website for Edwards Orchard to remind people of the history of this local much loved destination and to offer a place to communicate with people about developments in clean-up and restoration.

Northern Illinois Conference, disaster coordinator, Rev. Paul Meyers issued a call for emergency help that was disseminated to as many people as possible. Rockford District Superintendent, Rev. Ouk-Yean Kim Jueng visited the site of the devastation and also witnessed a community wide cleanup effort the Saturday after the tornado in which nearly 800 people showed up to throughout the county to help clear downed trees, and wrecked buildings. “I am very proud of the efforts and all the hard work provided by the people of Poplar Grove UMC” said Rev. Jueng. “I was very touched by the positive attitude of Ken and Barb Hall who lost much of what they had worked for many years to build. “This is just stuff,” Ken Hall told Rev. Jueng of the losses to the Edwards property. “We’ll come back and we will be OK.”

For more information, to see photos of the Edwards Apple Orchard and to get updates on how you can help: visit the Poplar Grove UMC website: http://pgumc.us/

For ways to help: Northern Illinois Conference disaster memo