St. Charles man answers call from Peace Corps

Michael Dixon has to learn a new language in the next year, but he is not certain which one.

It's one of the more pressing matters on the well-known St. Charles architect's mind as he prepares for a life-changing experience.

"I'll be joining the Peace Corps, and it is something I have wanted to do for a long time," Dixon recently said when we stopped to chat in downtown St. Charles.

Dixon has plenty to do prior to his August 2010 departure to an Eastern European country. But not knowing which country for sure - Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania or any of eight others in that region - has him guessing as to which language he must master.

"I wish I knew which language I must learn, but I will not know for some months exactly which country," Dixon explained. "But I imagine it will be a place with historic architecture. I should be able to use my background in preservation, and I'm sure I can develop projects as I have here in historic preservation awareness."

Part of that process will include creating a program through his St. Charles Kiwanis Club that can be established for local students to share experiences about architecture with European students learning from Dixon during his Peace Corps work.

"It is a good time for me to do this," Dixon said. "I have nothing really tying me down here, I am healthy and I will train someone else to run my business."

Dixon will be proud to live this dream during 2011, which will be the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps.

Too vintage for me: If I thought I could run without pulling every muscle in my body, I suspect playing a game of vintage baseball would be a lot of fun.

After all, I did play softball for about 25 years before deciding that a ruined knee or torn Achilles tendon wouldn't be so much fun.

But don't let me cast negative thoughts on the Vintage Baseball Game that will be staged again at 2 p.m. Saturday between the Geneva Rovers and the Batavia Bat Men.

It was a nice touch when this game was played on the open grass fields of Wheeler Park in Geneva a few years ago, but maybe someone figured out that playing on a manicured diamond would be a safer bet, thus the game will be played at Sunset Park in Geneva.

This is definitely good old-fashioned hardball and the proceeds benefit the Geneva History Center.

Push for votes: We're in another campaign season, or maybe it is a "voting" season. Friends and supporters of the Paul Ruby Foundation for Parkinson's research are asking everyone to put in a vote for the foundation on the markhammarkofdistinction.com Web site. It's all part of an effort to obtain a $25,000 grant from Markham Vineyards for this cause, created by Ruby, the general manager at the Herrington Inn in Geneva, when he was diagnosed three years ago with the disease.

You can vote daily through Aug. 24. It's one of the few times you actually can vote early and often legally.