Memories flood back on eve of big game
St. Charles and Geneva haven't banged heads on a football field for nearly 30 years, since the days when fans packed the stands at the Saints' Reid Field near Thompson Middle School.
These teams provided a revelation back in 1978 when I went to report on my first area football game as a young sports editor.
I had not seen a high school football game in five years, having covered college football during that time. St. Charles had a quarterback named Randy Wright and it took all of a few minutes for me to realize I was seeing something special.
Wright, who went on to play for Wisconsin and then the Green Bay Packers, was arguably one of the best to ever play in this region.
In addition to Wright's skills, Geneva teams of that era were as solid as any in the state.
I remember asking, "My goodness, is high school football in this area that much better than what I remember seeing?"
When St. Charles East visits Geneva Friday night in the second round of the Class 7A playoffs, some new chapters in the history book will be written.
Sweet donations: People who make blood donations on a regular basis rarely need an incentive. But there's surely nothing wrong with offering ice cream as a bonus for those who need an extra nudge.
The Fox River chapter of the American Red Cross is offering a Colonial Ice Cream coupon to those who donate at the Nov. 8 blood drive from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the St. Charles Moose Lodge.
And the coupons donated by Tom Anderson of Colonial carry a little weight -- as in a half gallon of ice cream.
Appointments are preferred, so go online to www.givebloodgivelife.org or call Ken Robertson at (630) 443-8844.
Still more Stooges: Speaking of Tom Anderson, president of Colonial, it was nice to have dinner with him and his wife Cris at the annual Barth Award presentation last week.
Anderson is a meticulous reader of my column and, as such, he called me out on something. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned a restaurant in the area that I liked, at least partly because it had pictures of the Three Stooges on the walls.
He reminded me that his Colonial on the west side of St. Charles also has pictures of the Stooges and many other celebrities on the walls.
I am at that Colonial every week with my service club, so the place is my home away from home. So, I would expect a place I frequent that often to display my favorite stars.
An open candy day: My fondest memory of Halloween as a youngster? Going to a Catholic school and having All Saints Day fall on the day after Halloween. It meant a day off school, and left my public school pals asking why I always had that day off.
My answer? It was a day to eat our candy and for me to hunt through my bag for those favorites -- Baby Ruth and Bun bars.
Have a safe Halloween night!
dheun@sbcglobal.net