Beware of the divebombing blackbirds

When hearing about red-winged blackbirds recently "attacking" patrons coming and going at Andres' Restaurant in Batavia, it provided an answer to something I had been curious about.

It's not exactly like an Alfred Hitchcock thriller when a red-winged blackbird decides to buzz your head and maybe toss a peck or two in for good measure, but it is rather startling and surely annoying.

Turns out, I've had this particular species take a shot at my noggin on Mill Creek and Pottawatomie golf courses in the past, and also at Fabyan Forest Preserve.

It dawned on me that each time, this particular bird had the telltale red wings. But I didn't realize how aggressive these fellows could be until the news about the Batavia restaurant buzzings near the Fox River. Then it all came together.

This particular bird is bold and quite protective of his turf and, apparently, will make sure the female species that hang around in or near his nest are safe. There could be another reason they are so ornery. Apparently, they mate with as many as 15 different females at any given time. So they spend a fair amount of time chasing away other male birds or buzzing large animals and humans.

They don't really try to take a chunk out of your face, like they did to the poor souls who met a grisly fate in Hitchcock's tale of "The Birds." But they come close enough to let you know they aren't going to fly off into the sky unless you leave their area.

As for buzzing the heads of restaurant patrons, the folks at Andres' were able to get rid of the nearby nest. A restaurant employee told me the birds have calmed down since.

Crafters eye holidays: If you're not a true-blue crafter, you might wonder why a place like Hobby Lobby in Batavia is already displaying tons of Christmas holiday items.

Those who create holiday decorations for fun or money tend to gear up now for the materials they need.

So if you think other stores tend to push the holiday season on us earlier each year, they have nothing on true crafts stores.

Hobby Lobby, by the way, is undergoing some remodeling, and it's an interesting place to just poke around because it offers plenty of stuff that has nothing to do with crafting as a hobby. I haven't crafted a thing since Cub Scouts, but I still enjoy looking around this store.

Roles for kids: When the "High School Musical" series was created, it assured literally thousands of teens across the country would take part in productions of the highly popular play.

A local version of the play was staged at the Arcada Theater in downtown St. Charles last week with plenty of former St. Charles East drama students - and it doesn't take long for another production to pop up.

The Noble Fool Theatricals Youth Ensemble is a perfect example of area kids being able to take part in this Disney production.

More than 30 young thespians from the Tri-Cities area are appearing in the local production that opened Saturday at Pheasant Run and continues through Aug. 8.

Tyler Vaughn of Geneva has one of the leading roles as "Troy." Vaughn has had some great roles in Noble Fool productions such as "Footloose" and "Godspell."

If you want to see plenty of local kids on stage, contact Pheasant Run for ticket information, (630) 584-6342.

Penny well spent: The adage of "a penny saved is a penny earned" may have lost some of its luster in the modern era, as it takes a lot of pennies to buy just about anything these days. Heck, you can't find true "penny candy" anywhere.

But one penny will buy a "Day of Fun" from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday for area families facing tough times, thanks to Faith Lutheran Church in Geneva and area businesses sponsoring.

The event will be held at Faith Lutheran Church, at 1745 Kaneville Road, and will feature a hot meal, games for kids and a book titled "Surviving Tough Times" while supplies last.

There will also be a prayer tent for families to use.

Organizers at the church need to know how many from your family will attend, and they can be contacted at (630) 232-8420.

Windmill's rockin' tunes: Its reputation for providing excellent music along the river was reinforced again last weekend. Plain and simple, Batavia's Windmill City Festival is taking a back seat to no one when it comes to rocking along the river with its live music offerings. But the area festival that appears to want to capture the most attention with its music lineup (other than Ribfest in Naperville and area county fairs, which are in an entirely different funding league) is Railroad Days in West Chicago. Hard to top its lineup last weekend of Davy Jones and the Ides of March.

That was good: The Fannie May "gourmet" chocolate-dipped ice cream bar I bought at Windmill City Festival last weekend was so delicious, they nearly had to peel me off the top of the food tent. I was that excited about this new discovery.

I know Fannie May chocolates have been around Chicago since 1920, but this was my first encounter with an ice cream product carrying the name of this area's famous confections company.

dheun@sbcglobal.net