Heun: Check out Sox vs. Cubs exhibit at Geneva museum

The Geneva History Museum is doing everything it can to get us in the spring mood, and that means baseball.

The museum's "Sox vs. Cubs: The Chicago Civil Wars" exhibit opened Saturday and runs through May 16. It features pictures, posters, memorabilia, trivia and interactive elements.

With Cubs Nation losing Ernie Banks recently and Sox Nation mourning Minnie Minoso - and all Chicago baseball fans feeling that pain - the timing for this exhibit is excellent. Chicago baseball fans can surely relate, especially those of us who were born in the city.

I fall into that category, having lived on the city's South Side until about first grade. With my dad having been a North Side fellow, my allegiances ultimately swung over to the Cubs.

But my mom was a South Sider, and I lived with my grandparents while our family's house in the suburbs was being built. The year was 1959, so Sox fans know what that means.

I was only 6 years old, but I still remember my grandmother waking me up one night and telling me the White Sox had won the game that was sending the team to the World Series.

Apparently, Mayor Daley let the city blast the warning sirens in celebration, which freaked out a bunch of people. Of course, I just went back to sleep.

My first professional baseball game was at Comiskey Park the following year. Still remember it. Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles. To my untrained eyes, every fly ball looked like it was going to be a home run. Of course, some were just pop-ups caught by the shortstop in shallow center field.

The exposure to both Chicago teams left me in my current state - rooting for the Cubs, but not minding it when the Sox do well. When they play each other, it's definitely the Cubs.

It may not be typical of the "civil war" stuff you'll see in the Geneva museum, but it's worked for me for decades.

Plenty of pork

Late-night comedians might poke fun at the notion that a family would earn the title of "Pork Producer Family of the Year."

But those who know Eldon and Sandy Gould and their family in Maple Park know it's a nice honor to land from the Illinois Pork Producers Association.

The family has been producing pork in Kane County for three generations, as Eldon and his father, Don, started farming together in 1963, according to the Kane County Farmer newspaper.

It makes sense that this family would earn an honor related to its trade. After all, who else can say they produce 18,000 piglets annually for a local hog production network?

That's not social

After spending a lot of time watching high school basketball tournaments as a fan and not a sports writer the past two weeks, it was refreshing to see middle school and even younger kids having fun talking, laughing and, yes, scampering around while not paying much attention to the game.

Makes you wonder what causes the transition to some of the mean-spirited social media exchanges and bullying that have become common.

Maybe I just answered that. Social media, or better put, unsocial media.

That was a mistake

A month ago I was giddy about January coming to an end, thinking we may have been past the worst of winter. I did add the caveat of "maybe" to that bold prediction.

Obviously, it was way off. February couldn't have been worse.

So I kept my mouth shut when we turned the page to March.

I wanted so bad to say it was certain that we should be past the worst of it now that January and February are kaput. But I'm still not going there, even though it finally got warmer.

Earned their awards

We all enjoy nice park district facilities in our communities, but sometimes we forget people work hard to make them look that way.

Two Geneva Park District maintenance employees recently earned recognition from the Midwest Institute of Park Executives. Juan Santiago and Tom Amore are recipients of the 2014 Outstanding Parks Employee of the Year.

Santiago has worked in the park maintenance department for more than 13 years, while Amore has been at it more than four years.

Still freezing?

St. Charles Police Officer Adam Stander might still be shivering - if his scheduled plunge into icy Lake Michigan at Sunset Beach in Lake Bluff to raise funds for Special Olympics Illinois went off without a hitch Saturday.

One "hitch" might be that the water is still far too cold, but that's the idea behind these "polar" plunges for worthy causes.

The basic premise is that if someone is crazy enough to jump into the lake at this time of year, they deserve something for doing so.

Save some money

Merchant coupons are offered for a couple of reasons. They get you in a store and, if you are a wise shopper, save you a lot of money.

The "Coupon Queen" is coming to the St. Charles Library for a 6:30 p.m. presentation Wednesday. Jill Cataldo will share her system and ideas for saving a lot of money when shopping.

Smart newspaper advertising folks have always made the pitch that you can save enough money from the Sunday coupons to pay for your newspaper a couple times over during the course of a year.

And this couponing stuff will continue to expand digitally as well, so the queen's tips will surely transfer to your smartphones and tablets.

They have peanuts

After seeing my note last week about the peanuts and peanut shells on the floor at Nick's Pizza & Pub in Elgin, a reader informed me the same type of atmosphere is present at Country House, at Fabyan Parkway and Kirk Road.

Never noticed the peanuts there in the past, but it reminds me to share this: If you've never had a cheeseburger at Country House, give it a try. It's one of the best in the area.

dheun@sbcglobal.net