Big Batavia banner a real 'Eye'-catcher

Numerous banners proclaiming historic anniversaries or upcoming city festivals have adorned the Tri-Cities in the past, but few have caught my attention like the monstrous one currently hanging from Batavia City Hall.

City Administrator Bill McGrath fancies himself as a bit of an artist, and he proves it each summer by giving up his view of Batavia from his office at City Hall.

That's because the mural used to promote the Art in Your Eye festival Saturday and next Sunday covers up McGrath's window and much more on the building. And that's all fine with McGrath, who actually created the banner, with help from Becky Allen, four years ago when the festival made its city debut.

"Becky Allen and all of her kids helped, and we had it laid out on their driveway," McGrath said of the 20-by-20-foot piece. "My concept was the (eye) pupil was Mona Lisa, and that we would change it every year, but people liked it enough to keep it."

Becky Hoag, who's been the Art in Your Eye festival coordinator since its inception, calls McGrath the "guru of the festival" because of his important role on the original steering committee.

"He just thought up a lot of the interesting things for the festival, and he is such a supporter of the arts," Hoag said. "He even came up with the idea of the 'Art in Your Ear' songwriting contest."

Hoag said it has been important for the festival, which features art displays in City Hall, the Depot Museum and along the Riverwalk, to have someone in city government closely involved and supportive.

"Bill is an art collector and an art lover," Hoag added.

Hoag said one of the big challenges for city workers is to get the huge banner up on the City Hall building, and also to put it back if Mother Nature takes a swipe at it.

"It just blew down a couple of weeks ago when that storm came through during Windmill City Fest," Hoag said. "We like to have that banner up during Windmill City Fest to let everyone know the art festival is coming, but it is not a favorite job of the workers who have to put it back up."

McGrath admitted that the banner is hard to hang from the building.

"They tried to hang it from the roof the first year, but it was too dangerous for the workers up there," McGrath said. "Now it is attached at the third floor, but if a strong wind catches it and bangs it against this old limestone building, it's kind of hard on it."

A great city: If you are doing the "staycation" routine to save money this year, as my family is, we have recommended plenty of things to do in this area in past columns.

But we also have to recommend a couple of days in Chicago, if you haven't already done so.

We were lucky to get two beautiful days to participate in the 40th annual Sheffield Garden Walk near DePaul University on a Sunday, and then visit Millennium Park downtown and take the Wendella boat tour along the Chicago River and Lake Michigan on a Wednesday.

When the weather is perfect, you get a better idea of why some visitors proclaim that if the weather were nice here year-round, there would be no better city in the world to live.

We know those types of visitors aren't hearty enough to deal with our winters, nor do they care about the Bulls, Hawks or Bears, all of whom can on occasion make our winters more bearable. So we thank them for their visit and send them back to their warmer climates.

Why by helicopter? Phil Kessler, a reader near Wheeler Park, wrote to say he enjoyed my recent note about the park's new prairie section. But he was interested when I noted how a helicopter used to deliver mail to this area by landing in Wheeler on the weekends about 50 years ago.

But he wondered why mail came by helicopter, rather than train. Many people I spoke to remember this copter coming in, but no one seems to know exactly why.

The best guess was that pieces considered airmail were delivered by copter because it was faster than loading mail car on a train. The smaller amount of airmail couldn't be held back with regular mail, waiting for train cars to be filled.

If anyone can confirm or add to the story behind those mail drops, send me an e-mail or call my cell phone at (630) 561-1986.

Golf for homeless: A tip of the golf hat to students in Aurora University's Sports Management class. They held a golf outing in April to raise money for Hesed House in St. Charles and turned over $6,000 to the St. Charles homeless shelter.

dheun@sbcglobal.net