The Pantagraph from Bloomington, Illinois • Page 2

A2 THE PANTAGRAPH, Sunday, Dec. 20, 1987 Santa Claus to pause after 40 years 'Santy' feted at farewell A Santa Claus Joe retirement party is planned from 2 to 4 p.m. Jan. 3 at St. Patrick's Church hall, 1209 W.

Locust 1 Bloomlngton. The Hoenigeses would like anyone Santa Claus Joe has ever visited in his annual Christmas trek to stop in. piece of bread, give it to And I always said if the day ever comes when I can make children happy, I'll do it." And, he has. One year while at a Head Start class, Santy put a little girl on his knee, asked her what she wanted for Christmas and got a surprising answer 'All I want is a the girl replied. "That kinda got me," Hoeniges said.

"I looked at the woman (teacher), I didn't know what to say. She whispered that they had gotten her a coat." And, Santy was the one who got to tell her her wish would come true. "I never promise to bring them anything," he said, unless the parents give him a clue that It will come. Except, of course, that one time. "There was a girl from LeRoy or Heyworth who had gotten burned and was in St.

Joseph's Hospital. She wanted a certain kind of doll all the nurses had looked for it and couldn't find it," he said. "I told her 'Santy Claus will get the doll Then I made every store in Bloomlngton." The doll was at his last stop. "It tickled her to death. It tickled the nurses to death, too," he said.

And, that's what being Santy is all about for Hoeniges. "The children, when you walk into a home, you Just don't realize the enjoyment how good that makes you feel," he said. He's played Santa Claus for the first, second and third generation of some families. There are also the unexpected letters of thanks he's received. And, there's always the two red velvet Santa Claus suits made for him by his Aunt Ann about 18 years ago, his two wigs, beards and By MARY ANN FLICK Pantagraph staff He calls himself "Santy Gaus." Others call him "Santa Claus Joe." Most children would swear he was the real Santa Claus, and many adults have a hard time believing he isn't.

And why not. For 40 years Joe Hoeniges has donned his red velvet Santa suit and gone into thousands of peoples' homes and hearts at Christmas time, handing out stockings filled with candy and listening to the wish lists of young and old alike. But this year's trek has been an especially memorable one. Come Christmas Eve, after Santy has finished his visits, he will return home at 1503 N. Morris Hloomington, and retire his red velvet suit forever.

"I know there will be a lot of disappointed people," Hoeniges said, adding, "It'll be me more than the children, I think." But, he said, it has to be done. Since having knee surgery a couple years ago, it has been hard for him to get in and out of cars. "Last year I fell a couple of times. One time I didn't think I could get back up." "It's going to be hard, I know, when Christmas comes around Hoeniges had gotten the Christmas ritual down to a fine art never rushed, always patient; able to coax even the shyest child out from under the table or from behind a mask of tears. One Christmas, he said, he was at a children's Christmas party at a private residence.

The parents wanted more than anything for their little girl to sit on Santa's lap so they could get a picture. The girl had other ideas, however. "She was petrified," Hoeniges said. "She ran under the "Santa Claus Joe" With a generous heart as big as the world Is a Santa in red and white beard curled He visits the sick, the wealthy, healthy and poor Such happiness he brings when he enters the door. EES Children appreciate not only the candy you bring Hf It's your gentle touch that makes their hearts sing EE You don't find men like you every day EE God surely must have thrown your pattern away EE The poverty stricken who don't have a dime EE You're sure that you see at Christmastime.

EE Likewise Mary and Joseph so poor on this day EE But the Wiseman, like you, took gifts where Christ lay EE Thank God you have such a lovely wife EE I know you'll share with Him eternal life EE Though you're a neighbor I barely know God bless you and keep you Santa Claus Joe Written to Joe by former neighbor Ruth Davis table in the kitchen." Unflustered, Santy Claus calmly went into the room with the other children and one by one lifted them onto his lap so he could listen to their list of wishes. "When I got through with the other kids, I took my bag and bells, went into the kitchen and crawled under the table (with the little girl)," Hoeniges said. "I told her not to fear Santy, that he wouldn't hurt her." Only a few seconds passed before the girl allowed Santy Claus to pick her up and take her into the other room where she sat on his lap and had her picture taken. "There are very few (children) that I can't pick up," said Hoeniges, a retired Bloomlngton firefighter. And that's out of thousands of children Hoeniges has seen through his Santa tenure at schools, day nurseries, homes of firefighters and policemen and neighbors from about the first through the 24th of December each year.

"You have to play with your heart and love, children," he said. Hoeniges qualifies in both areas. And, although he'll tell you the Santa routine Just started as a result of another firefighter's dare in 1947, it really was more. He grew up in an atmosphere that only Santas grow up in. "My mother always said, 'If a tramp comes to the door and we only have a several mustaches.

Hoeniges plans to hang on to all of them. EE After all, he said, he's got some nieces who Tl have children, "and I'll play for them." partments for travel to $2.47 million. "If the aldermen were truly interested in cutting waste, they would have significantly cut their own committee budgets," said Civic Federation of Chicago spokes-! woman Toni Hartrich. The budget also increases the corporation counsel's budget by $1.8 million over 1987 to provide for the hiring of 36 new employees, including 22 lawyers. The Revenue Department will receive increases of nearly $3 million and an additional 87 new positions to handle a parking fine collection program.

Eliminated by the budget is a $3 million program to pave gravel alleys. An amendment that would have added 10 employees to the city's tree-trimming department also was cut to provide only one new job. new job. see no objection to extending off-track betting to sports betting, which could work right into that system so long as it is adequately controlled." Chicago Mayor Eugene Sawyer said last week he might be in favor of legalizing off-track betting. "Gambling would be a great source of revenue, and I would have to consider supporting it if it came up," Sawyer said.

Only one of the city council's 28 committees suffered budget cuts in the spending plan adopted late last week. The Finance Committee will lose only $100,000 from its nearly $2 million appropriation. While the city struggled to find $3 million to restore the bulk trash pick up program, officials allocated themselves a $300,000 increase in their travel allowance, raising the total amount budgeted to all de total amount budgeted to all de- Chicago alderman urges legalized sports gambling CHICAGO (AP) After the City Council approved a record $2.7 billion budget with $126 million in tax increases, a leading alderman endorsed legalized sports betting in the city as a way to increase revenue and ease the burden on taxpayers. In addition to the tax increases, the budget eliminates or reduces some taxpayers' services while padding luxury items such as travel. In the future, Alderman Edward Burke says additional city revenue could be generated by expanding off-track betting parlors to allow betting on football and basketball.

"People are going to gamble no matter what," Burke said Friday. "I CI pay' the coul matter what," Burke said Friday. "I J' VV ft r4f3f jl AJ jgfr I EMM 6M js 1 8pfciSttJis Plush Recliners The pntgraphLORi ann cook pfig VfSttjEjliA 3 colors Super Buy! Miranda White, 9, Waynesville, made her list in hopes that, on checking it twice, Santa would fWAiiuH PTj grant her requests. fc1" ffitejyP I MM Many children eliminate niceties; SSfc PS get down to basics in Santa letters wmr lfejSteTa Contemporary Style 1 fTik ButtOll-TUited HflPwOr IfSfcit.lw I'aV cerned her letter might reach Santa too late, for she wrote, "Open before Dec. 25," and underlined it heavily on the envelope.

Other writers were less exacting in their requests. Jeff asked Santa for a racetrack, train, game and "T.H.I.N.G.S." And there were several children, obviously influenced by their parents' version of Santa's list and wanting to cover all the bases, who reassured the Jolly old man that they had been behaving. "Mom and Dad say I have been the goodest one, but Chad and Christopher have been good, to," wrote Emily. After reviewing her year, Katie apparently had trouble finding anything to boast about, so she settled for a promise "I want My Little Pony and Perm Shop," she wrote, adding, "I will be a very good girl." Andrew, who obviously has a successful future ahead of him, wrote on letterhead from a San Francisco hotel. "Dear Santa: How's your wife? I hope you folks are fine," he began, before requesting pirate gear for himself and a toy box and playhouse for his sister.

About 50 letters have been received at the Bloomington post office this year, where each is read and when there is some way to figure out who sent it answered. Postal officials also keep a sharp eye out for any letter that might be indicative of a family in need. Letters to Santa may be sent to Santa Claus, North Pole. Or, in the case of Holly, the Mouth Pole. cerned her letter might reach San- fa tnn Infp fnr aha ujmta "Annii apd atie ling to te.

ead the one youngster, who chose to make Santa guess who the requests were from. That must have seemed like a lot of "I wants," so the child continued: "We will have some milk and cookies for you. I also want a car transport." Promises of milk and cookies, and carrots for Santa's reindeer, are common. But Becky, after a lengthy and very specific listing of all the -things she would be delighted to find under the tree, added, "I will leave cookies. If you whont any milk, it is in the refridgerater." Becky, who requested a hot-pink-and-black 10-speed, "a purple scooder and mocassins from California," also was one of several children who chose to minimize the chances of Santa making a mistake by not bringing precisely the right thing.

Tony reduced the risk still further by simply cutting out pictures and pasting them on his letter. Elizabeth and Isabelle both asked Santa to remember their pets, but Elizabeth apparently feared Santa would be too good to her cat: "I put up a special stocking for my cat, Sugar, so please fill it with cat food, but don't put fish," she wrote. Isabelle, in a well-folded piece of paper that was attached to an accompanying envelope by about a dozen happy-face stickers, clearly listed all the things her dog and cats would likely enjoy. Her own list, which took up four pages, was a little more difficult to decipher. It consisted of grids of numbers, apparently referring to catalog items, but Santa will have to check that list about four times.

Jennifer apparently was con one youngster, who chose to make Santa whrt thp rprmpcts WPrp By MARTHA SULLIVAN Pantagraph staff As everyone is well aware, Santa Claus spends a lot of time each year making a list and checking it twice. Parents assert that Santa's list is of children who fall into one of two categories: naughty and nice. There is no middle ground in Santa's eyes, they say. If children bought that line, no doubt the suggestion that Santa is watching would be a more effective disciplinary tool. Children know that Santa's list is of all the presents he plans to drop off on Christmas Eve.

They also think Santa could use some help in making that list. As a result, lots of letters to Santa go to the Bloomington post office every year. Most of them are fairly straightforward requests for toys, with little or no time wasted on greetings and salutations. Ingrid, for example, eliminated anything that Santa might find unnecessarily confusing. Her enclosure contained no "Dear Santa," no "Sincerely," no "Please bring me" or "I want" just a list of five requests (or would they be demands in that Johnathan took efficiency a step further by eliminating even the piece of paper, opting instead to write "Train for Johnathan" on the inside of the envelope.

Other children seem to develop a guilt complex after writing half a page of requests, and drop something in for Santa to anticipate. "I want a big dipper and a big dumper. I want some farm equipment. I want a farmer coat," wrote By MARTHA SULLIVAN Dnnlnrank Bial( Rfrlfntn Tweed Recliner necuners WPtIsSw vibrator Floor $9RQ WM Lamps $198 El Contemporary 1 ow i hj Picture! tor illustration! iL Recliner JL 2- $120 off Coffee Tables 2 End Tables Wxbki 1 fM Wood Style! ftS iuu $ino 'iSIilii Deep cushioned, jjSjSgjj attractively tufted for real comfort mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmiLtmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmai 5 Drawer Chehst White Daybeds Ql lnclude Rocker, Coffee Table $90 fl ReQ- $59 JjJ Link Spring 2 End Tables fa JO ssM G5top(Mr cebm CLMmngjs? Pe c) m7TrrMTrrr.