Chamber mixer has a unique spin to it
It's fairly good timing for a chamber of commerce mixer to be held in a "different" setting.
We've all been to chamber mixers at offices, factories and banks. No matter what venue, mixers remain great events for socializing, making contacts and sharing ideas to improve your business.
But how about a mixer in which a mix of pets was on display? The South Elgin Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a joint chamber mixer from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 13 at the Anderson Animal Shelter on Route 31.
It will offer the usual mixer fare of food, drinks, tours and raffles. But this one also will have a "pet parade" to show the animals at the shelter.
The way I see it, the sad saga of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and his dog-fighting and killing episodes makes this a good time for anyone to visit an animal shelter.
This doesn't mean that anyone who attends this chamber mixer should walk out with an animal, but it certainly is not out of the question someone might.
Common sense tells us that pets aren't for everyone.
But many of us do love pets, and we know others who feel the same. People have a way of mentioning to friends and relatives about animals that they know to be available, and the mixer at the shelter should fuel that kind of communication.
They win again: Thanks to the guys on The Fugitives softball team in the St. Charles Park District men's competitive league for sending along a note to inform me of their recent championship.
Since wondering aloud in this column about which area softball team was the best, The Fugitives have made their case. They beat the Hilton Garden Inn team 9-2 in the title game.
These guys communicate heavily via e-mail in terms of who can or can't play on any given night. It made me envious, as I had to make a million phone calls when I coached a softball team in the pre-cell phone and e-mail days.
I went through the same thing when coaching youth basketball teams. I'm guessing modern communications is helping those who coach youth sports these days.
He loved Nellie: My friend Janet Rossi of St. Charles tells me her husband was happy to see White Sox hero Nellie Fox mentioned in my column. He was such a fan, she said, that her husband burst into tears that day in 1975 when Sox fans learned of the passing of their one-of-a-kind second baseman.
Quick cleanup work: Last, but not least, we really should applaud the efforts of our city cleanup crews in the wake of the flooding and wind damage we absorbed two weeks ago.
Area residents had tons of damaged goods from flooded basements at the end of their driveways in the wake of the storm. It didn't take long for the stuff to get cleared out and for things to get back to some sense of normalcy.
The forest preserve and park district crews had big jobs on their hands, too, but had to wait until the Fox River receded to continue their cleanup.
dheun@sbcglobal.net