Wind sculptures add to arts landscape in St. Charles

They are called Wind Emotions and will be on display for everyone to see in early December.

Technically, they are called wind sculptures, and sponsors Tom and Cris Anderson are bringing them to St. Charles to add to an already interesting arts landscape in the city.

Considering the Anderson family's ties to Colonial Ice Cream, a business the Andersons have operated for 115 years, the Wind Emotions sculptures will be dedicated to Simon Anderson, the founder of Colonial Cafes and Ice Cream.

In a fitting twist, the three sculptures, more than 20 feet tall, will stand at the exact location in which Simon Anderson harvested ice, starting in 1917, to keep his milk and ice cream frozen.

"His last harvest was 1928," Tom Anderson said of the spot at the end of State Street on the west side of the Fox River, two blocks north of Main Street. "My grandkids are calling them Simon's Triple Dip."

The end of State Street puts Wind Emotions "in full view from the east bank of the river and Guy Bellaver's sculptures, Ekwabet and Reflections," Anderson added.

Anderson likes the location because drivers coming into St. Charles along Route 31, or on State Street heading toward the Fox River, will clearly see the sculptures.

Tom and Cris have had similar wind sculptures in their garden, albeit much smaller at about 4 to 6 feet, for the past 20 years.

"We now have five different designs at our home, all lit at night," he said.

A similar wind sculpture also sits in front of the St. Charles Library.

Anderson originally presented the idea for the wind sculptures as part of the master plan for the river corridor. It ultimately became part of the Active River Project of the St. Charles River Corridor Foundation.

Next spring, a history sign informing readers about that area, as well as some benches, will be installed at the site.

More dancing space:

Jamie Vargo is planning a big change for her dance studio at 115 W. State St. in Geneva. It is moving, but not very far. And that's not really the big change.

In moving from its current spot to a location further east down State Street next to Old Towne Pub, Vargo's Dance is going to take on a new name: Vargo's Dance & Lounge.

"The new location is gorgeous," Vargo said. "It is 5,000 square feet, which will allow us to have larger group classes, parties, and host big events for us and other dancers in neighboring towns."

She and her husband "were inspired by a few dance lounges" they had been to before, Vargo said. "A place where we can teach dance, but that anyone can come to have a drink and spectate," she added.

After the bar is built, the new location will be open on weekends for dancing, mingling and "enjoying a unique experience," Vargo said.

Vargo has held various events at other restaurant/bars in the area, most notably EvenFlow Music & Spirits at 302 W. State St. Also, her first foray into teaching dance in this area about seven years ago now was at a restaurant/lounge in Campton Township.

Any place in which dancing isn't the main ingredient on the menu, the dance floor is rarely large enough for teaching, let alone bigger gatherings.

Vargo intends to fix that at her new location.

"We are super excited, and we are open on the first day of Christmas Walk on Dec. 2," Vargo said. "Everyone is welcome to come by and see the dancers fox trot around the Christmas tree."

Future leaders:

Once again, the Community Leadership Breakfast at Geneva High School last week was the place to be if you are interested in how the young people in the community are being shaped for future leadership roles.

The student councils of each school in the district gave interesting and entertaining presentations on what leadership means to them, and they also had the opportunity to chat with leaders from the city, county, library, park district, police and fire, and various other organizations in attendance.

This also is the event in which the Geneva Academic Foundation hands over its annual check to support the schools' technology and scholarships, this time to the tune of $21,730.

"It truly is amazing how technology is helping our schools," Superintendent Kent Mutchler said. "It is used in all areas, from the students connecting with classrooms in other parts of the world, to promoting better health for all of our students."

Transition week:

With a dose of warm November weather last week, it was definitely time for a transition - and we're not referring to our crazy presidential election.

It was "transition" week for some area homes in which owners got started putting up Christmas decorations before the cold and wet winds more common at this time of year set in.

One home we spotted during this transition had Christmas wreaths, Halloween pumpkins and skeletons, and some summer flowers still on display. Now that's a transition.

Off to good start:

Good news from the Salvation Army heading into the holiday season. The Tri-City Corps reached its goal of $20,000 in the 30-day Zimmerman Ford Match Challenge.

Basically, Zimmerman Ford and local donors put up $10,000 and the community raised another $10,000 to put the Salvation Army under solid footing for serving families with the food pantry and holiday assistance programs in the coming weeks.

The agency also reported that the Manski Family Foundation donated $3,300 for holiday turkey baskets for families in need.

There is a need to keep programs going year-round, so be generous with donations at the red buckets during the holidays, or drop off cash donations at the Salvation Army, 1710 S. Seventh Ave. in St. Charles.