Garden walk shows off land around Arden Courts

Those who visit the gardens in this year's Geneva Garden Club event titled "A Garden Variety" June 16 and 17 are sure to see some outstanding landscaping and decorating.

The event features gardens at Geneva homes and parks, and one of the stops is at the Arden Courts memory center on Bricher Road.

The folks there are excited to show off their garden and property, mainly because this facility's concept has always been to give the persons under care there a comfortable, homelike feeling.

Having spent a lot of time there when my mother-in-law lived in the center, we know firsthand about this wonderful setting.

Arden's feature, sponsored through Thornapple Landscapes and Eggar Allstate Agency, and featuring the work of Todd Muhr of Tecza Landscape Group, is called "Seven Shades of Purple," which represents the seven stages of Alzheimer's disease.

In addition to the garden club's fundraising event, Arden will feature its own for the facility June 12-17 called "The Purple Painted Garden Chair," in which visitors can bid on painted chairs to support the Alzheimer's Association.

Slow down:

The Kane County Government Center has an excellent memorial built on its property to honor county residents who gave their lives serving our country in past conflicts.

But some others have lost their lives simply working to make our country's roadways stronger and safer.

We know of this too well in Kane County, as county employee Steve Chidester was struck and killed in May of 2016 while working on Harter Road.

The addition of Chidester's name to "The National Work Zone Memorial - Respect and Remembrance: Reflections of Life on the Road" has led to that memorial wall coming to the Kane County Government Center for public display June 20-23.

Family and friends of Chidester requested that the national wall come here as a way to honor Steve's memory. It also will serve to remind people that it is quite dangerous to work on our nation's highways and it is up to all of us to make that occupation safer by slowing down.

Yes, it's construction season again around here, and it is easy to get annoyed when the orange cones pop up and the signs of "Road Work Ahead" mean you're likely headed for a traffic jam.

But it's hard to imagine what benefit comes from driving too fast through these zones. It is certainly nothing worth putting someone else's life in danger.

The wall will be on public display from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. those four days. If you glance at it while undertaking other business at the center, look for Steve's name and promise him you won't break the speed limit or not pay attention in a work zone again.

A call for help:

Bob McQuillan of Geneva certainly didn't like what he saw when the altar area of the Sacred Heart Mission Seminary grotto on the south side of the Kane County Coroner's office at the government center was vandalized with red spray paint.

He was quick to put a call out for volunteers to clean it up, and those who know how unique and beautiful this structure is were equally quick to respond.

It was another example of how our communities react to the idiocy that is vandalism.

Not more than a few weeks after I first came to this area in 1977 as a reporter, vandals knocked down the stone pillar entrance into Memorial Park in Batavia. It wasn't an easy fix, but Batavians were determined to do it.

That could have sat as a pile of rubble for years, but Batavia would have none of that.

And McQuillan's call for decency reminds us that this sort of spirit has probably just become stronger over the years.

Chevy spot's suitor:

A restaurant chain is eventually going to occupy the site that is now the empty Avenue Chevy car dealership and repair site in Batavia.

This is a prime spot along Randall Road, and a restaurant taking over there should do well if it relies at all on drive-by marketing in which someone simply seeing the building could translate to a paid patron.

As of this writing, we don't know for sure who is coming in there. My guess was Culver's, but that's probably more from me simply wanting a Culver's closer to where I live.

That's a good party:

Dancing can be intimidating for a lot of couples, especially if they've never bothered to learn how.

But it sure comes in handy when you come across a party like those that professional dance instructor Jamie Vargo throws on occasion at her dance studio on State Street in Geneva.

We had a blast at the most recent swing party and, by our way of thinking, it would be cool if the studio became a dance club on certain weekends of the month.

There are few sports that burn up the calories like this, and what's not to like about hearing music that makes your feet and body move at a good clip?

Mostly, it's good to see dance studios taking hold in our area, as the Fred Astaire studio in St. Charles also appears to be doing well, offering practice nights and open dance sessions for members and, on occasion, their guests.

dheun@sbcglobal.net