Good News Sunday: After devastating 2018 fire, Gold Pyramid House rises from the ashes

This is Good News Sunday, a compilation of some of the more upbeat and inspiring stories published recently by the Daily Herald:

Describing the Gold Pyramid House in Wadsworth as one of a kind is an understatement. Trying to explain the grand structure surrounded by a moat in the northeast part of Lake County is another matter.

"You have to see it to understand it," said Monica Lundeen, event planner for the curious attraction that long has endured as a place for one man's obsession with all things Egyptian.

Visitors would get a sense of what was to come by the towering presence of a 55-foot tall statue of Ramses II at the entry to the compound on the 37000 block of Dilleys Road.

But public access to the site ended after a devastating fire in July 2018 left more than $3 million in damage to the 17,000-square-foot home/museum modeled after the Great Pyramid of Giza. Tours were canceled, and a museum featuring an abundance of items, including furnishings, artifacts and paintings - some real, some replicas - was closed.

"We just kind of shut down to regroup," said Yolanda Fierro, executive director of Gold Pyramid Brands.

Now a comeback is on the horizon.

"King Tut got a facelift and all the sphinxes got covered," Fierro said.

Private tours are available and public access on Saturdays will begin July 9, accompanied by an outdoor concert by Blues Family Robinson.

For the full story, click here.

Palatine agency that helps needy residents ready for next chapter

Journeys The Road Home, a Palatine agency that assists Northwest suburban residents who are unhoused or at risk of losing their homes, is preparing for its next chapter.

Next year, Journeys will expand its footprint and its reach when the agency opens a 24-hour facility at 1140 E. Northwest Hwy. in Palatine.

The new facility will offer the same services - mental health counseling, addiction treatment, help with job searches, vocational counseling, housing assistance, primary nursing care, food and clothing - on a larger scale.

Clients hail from 37 Northwest suburban communities, including Barrington, Bartlett, Palatine, Elk Grove Village, Arlington Heights, Schaumburg, Des Plaines, Northbrook, Wilmette and all points in between, said director of development Suzanne Ploger, who estimates the organization serves between 800 and 1,000 people annually.

For the full story, click here.

Elgin Country Club's Honorary junior program in full swing for youth

Each year, Elgin Country Club reaches out to local high school golf coaches and athletic directors to find deserving kids who have good grades and need a place to improve their golf game. If selected, they get the same privileges as members' children.

Jon Duppler, the head pro at the Elgin Country Club, runs the program, which has been helping deserving kids gain golfing privileges at the club for more than 25 years.

"I always wanted to be able to do something for the kids by sort of providing them a home away from home," Duppler said.

The program pulls high school juniors and seniors from Elgin, St. Charles, Geneva, Huntley, Burlington and other surrounding areas.

Ethan Olvera of Elgin, who will be a junior at Burlington Central High School, was one of the eight selected this year for the program.

"It's just an amazing opportunity that I've been able to take advantage of," Olvera said. "It really has helped me improve my golf, and I can't wait to see how it's going affect my season."

For the full story, click here.

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