Beacon News

Good ‘ol Jericho Lake Park to thrive with a new look

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:10:01 -0500

Back in the 1980s, the western boundaries of Aurora and Montgomery were vast swaths of open space, and not much else. “We needed to do more with the land,” Fox Valley Park District trustee J.A. Lippold said at the time, “and make more ‘people-use’ of it.” Jericho Lake Park had just been completed, with a modest sports complex alongside that featured a handful of soccer fields. But, other than weekend games, a few fishermen at the lake and occasional snowmobiles whizzing around in the winter, the area had a rural remoteness. And then came suburban sprawl, turning nearby Orchard Road …

15th annual St. Charles Fine Art Show scheduled

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:58:06 -0500

ST. CHARLES — The Downtown St. Charles Partnership will hold the 15th annual St. Charles Fine Art Show on Memorial Day weekend. Show days and hours will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 25, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 26. The juried fine art show features more than 100 artists in various mediums; artist demonstrations; and the STC Capital Bank sponsored Feature Tent, “The Art of Weaving,” presented by Fine Line Creative Arts Center. The 2013 Feature Tent showcases Fine Line, one of the few regional art centers in the country. Located on the …

Park District awarded $400K for Jericho Lake Park

Thu, 16 May 2013 02:34:25 -0500

The Fox Valley Park District has been awarded a $400,000 grant by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for the development of Jericho Lake Park on the west edge of Montgomery.

Man behind Farmers Market passionate about gardening

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:10:01 -0500

Dale Hazlewood, Aurora’s special events coordinator, knows that the secret to a great dish is using fresh ingredients. He invites everyone to come on downtown this Saturday, May 18 for a preview of the Aurora’s Farmers Market combined with the Fox Valley Garden Club’s annual plant sale for peek into what farm fresh means. More than 50 vendors will be setting up in the parking lot of the Aurora Transportation Center, 233 N. Broadway, for the event which runs from 8 a.m. until noon. The first 500 children ages 12 and under who visit the market will be given a …

Lecture gives tips on researching old Aurora homes

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:12:25 -0500

Intriguing old houses abound in Aurora, and homeowners can learn how to research their house histories at a lecture by City of Aurora preservation officer Charlie Wilkins on Sunday, May 19 at the Pierce Art and History Center, 20 E. Downer Place, Aurora.

Hello muddah? Not everyone loved sleepaway camp

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:00:01 -0500

NEW YORK — When the school year ends a few weeks from now, millions of kids will head off to sleepaway camp for a summer filled with color wars, kayaking and bunk life. Most will have a great time, some will make friends for life, and many will look back on the experience fondly. But amid these happy campers is another group of veterans who recall sleepaway camp quite differently. These were the kids who cried every day and sent letters home begging to be picked up. They were lonesome, miserable, bullied; hated the bugs, hated the pool. Many refused …

Exchange Club honors 2 detectives as Police Officers of the Year

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:20:00 -0500

Heroes walk among us, and that fact was evident on Tuesday afternoon in Aurora as dozens gathered to give recognition to some of the city’s most selfless citizens during National Police Week. From life-saving endeavors to life-changing adventures, the five men honored during The Exchange Club’s Police Officer of the Year luncheon are truly worthy of praise, said keynote speaker Judge Judith Brawka. “They are extraordinary — not in the common range,” she said of the officers. “These heroes go above and beyond.” They are helpful, honest and humble, she said. Efficient, encouraging, reliable, resilient, observant, overworked, steady and made …

Kane Fair Talent Contest preliminary round is set

Thu, 16 May 2013 02:37:51 -0500

Talented persons from Kane County are invited to participate in the Kane County Fair Talent Contest’s preliminary first round to be held on Saturday, June 15, at St. Patrick Catholic School, 6N491 Crane Road, just south of South Elgin. Entry forms can be downloaded at www.kanecountyfair.com or can be received by calling Larry Rossi at 847-622-9935 or emailing KaneCoTalent@aol.com. The Kane County Fair Talent Contest celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Talented individuals and/or groups residing in Kane County are invited to participate in the first round. The Junior Division for participants age 14 and under will be held at …

Mom plans ahead to balance busy schedule

Wed, 15 May 2013 09:45:40 -0500

Jemma Weisler is a busy Aurora mom who is teaching her almost-2-year-old to talk one minute and helping her 16-year-old learn to drive the next. She is a mother to the sixth power for six sons ranging in age from 22 months to 16 years. Needless to say, feeding her family is daily challenge.

Rehab equipment gets patients back on track

Wed, 15 May 2013 02:41:28 -0500

Bolingbrook resident Richard Bonham, 72, was enjoying his retirement, including working on projects at his home workbench. But his comfortable routine was interrupted on March 17, 2012, when a stroke impaired his ability to walk, the use of his left arm and his vision. He also suffered several fractured bones during subsequent falls.

Gardener believes in rich legacy, and taste, of heirloom tomatoes

Fri, 10 May 2013 23:04:00 -0500

Christine Ciccone grows tomatoes that aren’t perfectly round and smooth. Some of them aren’t even red. However, Ciccone says her tomatoes are delicious because she uses heirloom seeds like a growing number of home gardeners. “The yield may not be as great and the tomatoes might not be as red, but the flavor is superb,” the Naperville gardener claimed. About four years ago Ciccone decided to share her heirloom tomatoes with others by having a sale. She sells the plants grown with love in her sunny home and hardened off on her driveway for $1 each and donates all of …

Cocktails in the Park boosts Batavia’s downtown

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:20:10 -0500

Batavia MainStreet is gearing up for the 2nd Annual Cocktails in the Park on from 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturday May 18.

Residents can dig into Flower Power planting party

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:03:35 -0500

The Fox Valley Park District will be planting more than 20,000 annual flowers throughout the park system each year. Residents can join in the Flower Power Planting Parties from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 18. Groups of volunteer planting teams will take to the gardens in front of the Eola Community Center and Vaughan Athletic Center to roll up their sleeves and celebrate planting season.

Learn how to build your own rain garden

Sun, 12 May 2013 02:50:54 -0500

Rain gardens at the Yorkville Library The Yorkville Public Library will host “Build your own rain garden” presented by John Church and Jim Kleinwachter of the Conservation Foundation at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 6. Rain gardens are one way to trap rain and allow it to be absorbed by plants and slowly return it to the ground. In addition to learning about the advantages of building a rain garden, Church and Kleinwachter will also be discussing the Conservation@Home program. This program encourages and recognizes property owners that protect and/or create yards that are environmentally friendly and conserve water. The …

How a former Marine marched in to fix East Aurora band

Sun, 12 May 2013 02:47:32 -0500

When Mr. G. Edward Nelson, who passed away earlier this year, arrived and took the reins as director of the East High School Band in 1961, everything was not coming up roses in the program. But Nelson was a Marine Corps veteran was tough enough to clean up a mess. For the next 23 years, the East Aurora Band morphed into a model program under his leadership.

Couple aims to enlighten folks on misunderstood bats

Mon, 13 May 2013 02:21:35 -0500

For Dan and Sharon Peterson, life with 3-year-old male Egyptian fruit bats, Tut, Ramses, Imhotep, and Azizi, is more than presenting 200-plus Incredible Bats programs the Will County couple does a year in places such as Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Iowa. It also means finding time to schedule play dates between them and Togo and Tanzania, two African straw-colored bats, the newest additions to the Petersons’ household and their live bat educational programs. “The African straw-colored bats are curious, but right now, the Egyptian fruit bats are not very enthusiastic,” Sharon said. “The African straw-colored bats keep sniffing them …