Bockman's Auto Care - October 2021

Bockman's Auto Care - October 2021

What’s The BUZZ? Ready for

Halloween Fun? The Joy of This Spooky Holiday — No Matter Your Age!

OCT 2021

neighbor one year and turning around and handing him one of my own. Trick-or-treating is for adults, too! Despite never being one for horror movies — unless you count “Jaws” as a horror movie, which I think every adult my age would — our family did enjoy going to haunted houses when the kids were younger. As a kid, I can even remember going through one in this old abandoned factory. Now, that was scary. Locally, if you’re interested, I know near the old Joliet State Penitentiary there is a huge haunted house that is fashioned after the prison. I’ve been told it is quite scary! If you’re down that way, the old pen is available to tour without the scary effects. They have haunted history tours, too. You could also venture over to the haunted house where one of our technicians, Aaron, works every year. Aaron has been doing this for years; he’s a pro! He and his fellow haunted house workers even attend conventions to learn how to perfect their craft. If you enjoy the thrill of a good scare, ask him where he will be “stationed” this year. (And if you’re in the shop on Halloween, you just might see a few great costumes, too.) No matter how old you get, Halloween is a fun holiday. I hope you dress up, take the kids trick-or- treating, or venture to a haunted house or two this season. Don’t be “afraid” to get into the spirit!

There’s something special about Halloween. When you’re a kid, it’s the

candy! But as an adult, I’ve come to realize the reason Halloween is so enjoyable is because it’s a holiday purely for fun. You dress up, pretend you’re someone else, then celebrate! You have no presents to buy or big meals to prepare; you just have fun. I’ve always enjoyed Halloween, even if I’m not one for horror movies. (I prefer the more pyschological thriller movies,

like “Silence of the Lambs” or “Get Out.”) The costumes are always the best part for me. One year, I went all out and dressed as Peter Criss, the drummer from the band Kiss. The makeup had to be just right! Another year, I found an ape belly and mask, so I dressed like a character from

“Planet of the Apes.” I was betrayed by the weather that year, however. A big gust of wind blew right as we stepped outside, and my costume wasn’t going to work! I had to make a last-minute wardrobe change. Those of us who grew up in Illinois or other cold-weather climates are used to this reality on Halloween, though. As a kid, you always wondered if your scary or well-crafted costume was going to be ruined by your coat or, during some years, your snow pants. At least the candy made up for it! When the boys were little and we lived in a different neighborhood, Halloween was always a big event. Van loads of kids would come driving into our neighborhood for the “good trick-or-treating,” and it was as if our entire neighborhood came to life. Parents would be chatting together while their kids were running all over the place. Everyone was happy. I can even remember getting a beer from my

Happy Halloween!

P.S. As a father, I’m adamant about trick-or-treating safety. Check out our article inside this newsletter on safety tips for drivers during Halloween. Stay safe! — Jon Bockman

Sycamore 815.756.7413 • DeKalb 815.754.4200

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Stay Safe This H Our Best Tips for Roadway Safety Halloween is an electric night all across the country as more people hit the streets to celebrate. This season, avoid accidents and tragedies with these tips for trick-or- treaters and drivers! All Treats, No Tricks! Trick-or-treating is one of the greatest joys of childhood, but it can also be very dangerous. Keep your little witch or zombie safe by adhering to a few simple rules. Let’s start with the costumes. Many Halloween costumes are often too dark in color and, therefore, difficult for a driver to see at night. Lighten up a Halloween costume by adding reflective tape to the back of it or on a child’s jacket. You can also provide your child with a bright Halloween candy bucket or outfit them with glow sticks to help them stay visible. Furthermore, children ages 12 and under should always be accompanied by an adult, who is seen easier by motorists. Adults and trick-or-treaters should stick to sidewalks and well-lit neighborhoods, only crossing the street at crosswalks or

You Can Use WHAT to Tidy Up?!

4 Deep-Cleaning Hacks to Prep for the Holidays

Prepping for the holidays is exciting and fun, but it requires tons of planning, cooking, decorating, and cleaning. To avoid getting bogged down while preparing for cheerful celebrations with friends and family, try these easy ways to get your house sparkling clean and ready to host. Roll the Ceilings When it comes to ceilings, especially if they are textured, thoroughly cleaning off dust, dander, and cobwebs can be challenging. When you use a broom, chunks typically go flying around and make a larger mess. However, if you whip out a painting roller, dampen it, and roll your ceilings just like you are painting, you are sure to get the job done!

Socks on Your Hands

Have you ever run a finger along a panel of your blinds and it comes up black? Blinds tend to be huge dust collectors. By throwing some socks on your hands, you can get back to clean blinds.

All you have to do is find a pair of old socks, “glove up,” and dampen them. From there, if you grip each individual blind panel and slide your hand along the length of it, you will gather tons of nasty dirt and dust onto the sock.

Corn Mazes D A Historical Look a

Exploring a corn maze is a great way to get outside and enjoy the fall season with friends and family — but who came up with the idea of wandering around a corn field for fun? As it turns out, outdoor mazes are an ancient tradition,

Cleaning Balls Utilizing tennis balls for your house chores may sound strange. However, when drying a bulky bed comforter in your dryer, adding a few tennis balls will ensure the stuffing does not gather all to one side. The balls help keep everything nice and even. Pillowcases and Fans Your ceiling fans collect all of the nasties — dirt, dust, bugs, and allergens. For an easy way to clean them without spreading all the grime around your home, turn to old pillowcases! Simply slip the pillowcase over each individual fan blade and then wipe. All of the debris will end up in the pillowcase itself. A clean home is the key to happy living and is paramount for hosting over the holidays. With these tricks up your sleeve, you are now a cleaning expert!

and the American corn maze of the ‘90s sprouted from the mazes of 17th-century European gardens. Don’t believe it? Here’s a quick tour of corn maze history.

The Minotaur and the Maze Have you heard of Theseus and the Minotaur? This ancient Greek legend tells the story of the hero Theseus, who ventured into an elaborate maze to kill the half-man, half-bull imprisoned there. The monstrous Minotaur was known to eat heroes, and the labyrinth was known to trap them, but Theseus managed to slay the Minotaur and find his way home with the help of a string that he unspooled as he walked.

This story isn’t the first recorded example of a maze or labyrinth — according to the World History encyclopedia, “[L]abyrinths and labyrinthine symbols have been

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Sycamore 815.756.7413 • DeKalb 815.754.4200

Halloween!

when it’s safe to do so. When in doubt, just wait for traffic to die down! Candy is not worth the risk.

Watch for Ghouls! A few times of the year, driving becomes perilous, and Halloween is chief among them. You can avoid disaster by staying more vigilant than usual and following a few tips. To start, try to avoid neighborhoods, which will have more pedestrians. Regardless of where you drive, always use your headlights — even during the daylight hours of early trick-or-treating — and don’t have any distractions in your vehicle. Be extra cautious around crosswalks and yield when it’s safe to do so! Eager children may not be as cautious in crosswalks as their parents would like them to be, so do your part to stop as often as you can. As a bonus tip, if you park anywhere, avoid parking in a spot where you have to back-up to pull out. As Consumer Reports note, driving in reverse limits your vision, and children can easily slip behind vehicles without drivers noticing.

Solution on Pg. 4

Meet Our New Clients! Stephen Aiello Alyssa Anderson

Shoushan Hintlian Mark Jewel Thomas Kinner Ashley Knapp Jeremy Liebhaber Nancy Long Theyra Martinez

Joe Zimmerman C&R Roof Restoration Cindy Canter Chris & Heather Collins Emily Comer Dustin corn Austin Doering Akiyah Edwards Jeff Good John & Debbie Harvey

Sergio Arias Brian Beetz Tyler Benson Andrew & Candy Bowman Rosemarie Brumley Chris Butts Jessica Dahlhauser David Douglas Scott Erwin Linda Fay Eric Fosnacht

For more safety tips, be sure to check out ConsumerReports.org. Happy Halloween!

Ken Mcbee Tim Mccrea Jeff Milton Umesh Morker

Date Back to Ancient Greece?

Justin Neess Jordan Page Justin Page Jeremy Perrotta Natalie Potter Nick Quick Ross Schoepp Earl Seaver Ronika Sneed Ellen Stuart Thorntons LLC Curt Weissheimer

at This Wacky Fall Tradition

Derrick Lippner Glenn McGown Harry Newberry Justin Otte Brian & Cindy Prebil

Bonnie Fritz Hope Fulton

dated to the Neolithic Age in regions as diverse as modern-day Turkey, Ireland, Greece, and India, among others” — but it’s perhaps the most famous ancient tale. If you’ve ever navigated a Halloween corn maze staffed by ghouls and ghosts, you can see the parallels! Garden Art to Get Lost In Mazes formed from bushes began popping up European gardens in the 17th century. They were a popular artistic feature of upper-class gardens in England, more for looking at than solving. One famous example is the half-mile-long Hampton Maze, which was planted in 1690 and still stands today. The Corn Maze: An American Invention Garden mazes eventually hopped the pond to America but didn’t become interactive puzzles until Don Frantz, Creative Director of the American Maze Company, came on the scene. In 1993, Frantz created the “first ever cornfield maze for private and public entertainment” to attract college kids in Pennsylvania. Today, every small-town corn maze is a descendant of his “Amazing Maize Maze.” To learn more about that wacky history, visit AmericanMaze.com.

David Hallahan Alex Harlfinger Jo Harris Julia Henderson Spencer Herkes Michael Herrera Steve Heye

Penny Rhodes Mike Steinnger

Chris Wilcox John Wince

THIS MONTH ONLY, receive $7 off your oil change! Hurry in — this offer ends when October does!

Sycamore 815.756.7413 • DeKalb 815.754.4200

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Bockman’s Auto Care 2158 Oakland Dr. Sycamore, IL 60178 815.756.7413 Bockman’s Truck & Fleet 815.754.4200

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Halloween Is for Everyone!

Deep-Cleaning Hacks for the Holidays Halloween Night Road Safety

Corn Mazes Date Back to Ancient Greece? Clients of the Month

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We Help You Avoid Scary Roadside Issues! Here’s How

Avoid Frightful Roadside Failures With Our Customer Care Program

and we will replace your tire. You will need to have the spare tire replaced later, but we can at least help you get off the road safely. Towing and Jump-Starts Sometimes your vehicle just “dies” on you. When this happens, call Bockman’s roadside assistance hotline. We can tow your vehicle to our shop for repairs or help you coordinate with a towing company anywhere in the nation. We’ll take the stress out of the situation for you! When you’re a member of our Customer Care Program, vehicle malfunctions and user errors don’t have to turn into scary situations. Learn more about the Bockman’s Customer Care Program at BockmansAutoCare.com/Customer- Care-Program.

Out of Gas You swore you would get gas on the way home, but it appears your vehicle was too thirsty. Now, you’re on the side of the road wondering how far the next gas station is. Don’t walk! Instead, call Bockman’s, wait in your vehicle, and we will deliver fuel to you. Locked Out We’ve all done it! You thought your keys were in your purse or your hand, but instead, you locked and closed your vehicle’s door with your keys inside. Just call Bockman’s, and we’ll coordinate your locksmith needs. You’ll be on your way shortly! Flat Tire Few situations are as frustrating as a flat tire, but Bockman’s will do the work for you! Simply call our roadside assistance hotline,

Far too many horror stories start with weary travelers stuck at a hotel or scary abandoned home while they wait for vehicle repairs or a tow. It’s a chilling prospect to watch unfold on the silver screen, but it’s much more heart-racing when it actually happens to you! At Bockman’s Auto Care, we understand this fear. That’s why our Customer Care Program includes 24-hour roadside assistance, wherein our participants can receive up to $150 in free roadside assistance and care — just by calling our assistance hotline on the back of their membership card.

Here are just a few of the scary situations we can help you with!

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Sycamore 815.756.7413 • DeKalb 815.754.4200