Winnebago County news briefs

ROCKFORD

Trolley 36 returns for free

rides during two events

Rockford Park District’s rail-based Trolley Car 36 will offer free shuttle rides during two community events in 2019—weekly Friday Rockford City Market dates, and new this year, during Nicholas Conservatory’s Food Truck Tuesdays dates.

 

The Trolley travels on the railroad tracks along Madison St., and beside the scenic riverfront and Rock River Recreation Path.

Rockford City Market shuttle rides run Fridays, May 24-September 13, 2019, approximately every 30 minutes from 4 until 8 pm.

Food Truck Tuesday shuttle rides depart from Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens Tuesdays, May 28-August 27, 2019, 5-9 pm, and travel along the Rock River Recreation Path as a parking shuttle between the YMCA and Symbol. Food Truck Tuesday rides are provided courtesy of Artalé & Co., Fleet Feet Sports of Rockford, and Super Suds Care Care Center.

NIU

Huskies schedule games

at Notre Dame, Kentucky

Games at Notre Dame (2024) and Kentucky (2022) and a renewed emphasis on playing Football Championship Subdivision teams from the state of Illinois highlight a list of future non-conference football opponents announced Thursday by Northern Illinois University Associate Vice-President and Director of Athletics Sean T. Frazier.  (see list below)

Future Huskie non-conference football schedules also include previously announced contests at Big Ten opponents Michigan (Sept. 18, 2021) and Iowa (Sept. 13, 2025). The games at Notre Dame (Sept. 7, 2024) and Kentucky (Sept. 24, 2022) are the first between NIU and those teams.

NIU and UMass will play a home-and-home series in 2024 (Oct. 5 in DeKalb) and 2025 (Sept. 27 in Amherst), with home games versus Eastern Illinois (Sept. 3, 2022), Southern Illinois (Sept. 9, 2023) and Illinois State (Sept. 5, 2026) also set. The Huskies will play host to Maine on Sept. 25, 2021.

Early in his tenure at NIU, Frazier made a splash with a series of home-and-home schedule announcements dubbed “SchedulePalooza,” that included series with seven opponents from the “Power 5” and “Group of 5” ranks. Those series extend into the 2022 season.

The Huskies’ complete 2020 non-conference schedule begins with a visit from Rhode Island on Sept. 5, games at Maryland (Sept. 12) and Iowa (Sept. 26), along with a visit to Huskie Stadium by BYU (Oct. 24). The Maryland and BYU games were part of the SchedulePalooza announcements in 2014.

With the College Football Playoff entering its sixth year and football scheduling evolving at all levels, Frazier addressed the current landscape of football scheduling in the Q&A below.