Tri-City Swing attracts a following

The Lindy Hop was quite popular in Harlem in the 1920s and went on to become the trademark dance when couples were high-stepping to swing music through the 1930s and '40s.

Kevin and Michelle Greene of St. Charles are making sure the nostalgia of this high-energy dance isn't lost to history. Learning how to do the Lindy is at the core of TriCity Swing, which Michelle Greene describes as a dance community.

Michelle and her husband have been organizing dance events, exhibitions and lessons in the Tri-Cities area the past few years, trying to succeed with the open dance event concept where others have fallen short.

"It's hard to do (keep a high level of interest in dance events) unless you have a large group that is passionate about it," Greene said. "Fortunately, Kevin and I are so connected to different dance scenes in Chicago, DeKalb and Naperville that we pull a lot of people from all of those areas."

Other dance studios, instructors or organizations have tried to create dance clubs or open dance evenings. But, other than singles clubs, these efforts have tended to fizzle out over time.

If TriCity Swing's recent well-attended Jazz Age Party in the Park - a 1920s-style event at Pottawatomie Park in St. Charles - is any indication, this "community" has some staying power.

"It really is more of a community than a club," Greene said. "We have 367 members on Facebook, and our 'meet-up group' of those who attend events is probably 170 or more."

Swing dancing comes in various forms, from East Coast to West Coast styles, and single-step to triple-step formats.

"For me, ballroom dancing is a little stuffy," Greene said. "We really like to focus on the social aspect and keeping it fun.

"We want it what it was like in the 1930s and 1940s, to just go out and have fun with your friends," she added.

As such, TriCity Swing starts followers with Lindy Hop, Greene said.

"It is really where we strive to get our dancers, using a traditional swing dance that is more 'street,' more fun and more creative," she said.

Greene considers her role, with her husband, more as community and event organizers than as dance instructors. Carl Linder handles that task, teaching out of Batavia Academy of Dance.

But the real fun unfolds at TriCity Swing events, where participants from college age to those 60 and older show up to Lindy Hop.

"We have a lot of fun things going on," Greene said.

A couple of those are the "Dance with the Shout Section" big band event Nov. 1 at Baker Community Center in St. Charles, and the "Swing at Shannon Hall" holiday dance Dec. 20 in Batavia.

Foot-tapping time

Speaking of swing music, you'll be tapping your feet for sure if you attend the annual fall concert Oct. 19 at the Arcada Theatre in downtown St. Charles for the River Corridor Foundation and St. Charles Noon Rotary Club.

The concert, from 3:30 to 6 p.m. and sponsored by Simple Logistics of St. Charles, will feature the bands Swing Gitan and Fat Babies.

Tickets are $30; $25 for students and seniors 60 or older. Tickets are available at oshows.com.

Flying memories

It appears my note a couple of weeks ago about battling flies that suddenly appeared in my house brought back horrible memories for a reader.

She encountered the same mysterious problem with flies suddenly showing up in her basement.

With winter right around the corner, flies won't be a problem much longer. In fact, it's probably already been chilly enough to get rid of most of them.

But these odd sudden onslaughts do occur, it appears, when a critter has died in the attic or in the walls of your house. From what I can tell, flies find a way in through the vents. In my case, they came through the light fixtures of a drop ceiling.

It's not an enjoyable event, no matter how these airborne maggots show up in unwanted places.

Long coffee line

Starbucks gets a lot of recognition for its mobile payment app, which allows customers to pay for their orders using a cellphone with a linked payment card.

But, at some of its stores, the payment method isn't doing anything to speed up the drive-through lines on weekday mornings when patrons are trying to get out of zombie mode and perk up with a cup of Starbucks brew.

The cars trying to get into the west side Geneva Starbucks at Randall Road and Bent Tree Drive often spill over onto Bent Tree, making it a little dangerous for drivers traveling north or south near that strip mall's entrance. If Starbucks can come up with a way to move people along, like they do at a Portillo's drive-through, it can start experimenting during the morning rush at this location any time.

Still laughing

It's a sure thing that the sign outside of Dukane Corp. in St. Charles is going to make me laugh. For years, employees at the advanced technology business located along Kirk Road's industrial area have displayed their quick wit by coming up with silly puns to share with drivers passing by.

The latest? "Cartoonist Found Dead in Home; Details Sketchy."

Always a clash

There's no denying it. The Tri-Cities area has always had its share of Green Bay Packers fans. We must be too close to Wisconsin or something.

Here's to hoping they are feeling blue, as in Chicago Bears blue, by about 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

dheun@sbcglobal.net