St. Charles grad puts electric car on display
If the vision Keeley Kabala has for our transportation future takes hold, many of us could be tooling around in a small electric car resembling a "pod."
Kabala, a 2006 St. Charles East graduate who also graduated with a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Illinois last December, has not wasted any time putting those engineering skills to work.
In January, he got together with colleagues he had met through other projects and they put together a plan to create an electric car prototype called the EC3, which is short for Electric Commuter 3-Wheels. It eventually led to creating a company called Sugar Rides, and the debut of their creation at an engineering open house in early March at the college.
"We completed the prototype in roughly two months, but we ran into many obstacles, while time and budget were major constraints," Kabala said.
Kabala felt that creating the outer body of the vehicle, made from an impact resistant thermoplastic, was the most difficult because the team had to form a full-size mold and an oven large enough to heat plastic sheets needed to fit the mold.
Kabala and his colleagues hope they have created an electric car that will eventually be available for sale at a time when other major manufacturers are also dabbling with electric car prototypes.
"I believe that people will continue to change their transportation methods," said Kabala, whose electric car would cost loss than $15,000 and about $5 a month to operate. "Most people commute to work by themselves, so there is no reason to be driving such large vehicles that guzzle gas.
"If designed correctly, the safety of smaller vehicles can be the same if not better than many of the vehicles currently on the roads."
Keeley's mother, Joan Kabala, said her son wasn't a "car geek" in the past, but this project has helped him learn about the auto industry and the environment in addition to how to operate a business.
"I'm very proud of him, and you always hope for the best for your kid and that will make good use of the skills they have," Joan added. "Eventually, we are hoping that this will be something that is good for the country."
More information about the EC3 vehicle is available at SugarRides.com.
Jewels for canine cause: Anderson Animal Shelter is banking on the likelihood that many women have jewelry boxes that include pieces that have not been worn in years.
The nonprofit shelter would like to see those pieces donated for its annual Jewelry Faire at Geneva's Festival of the Vine on Sept. 11 and 12.
Donations for this fundraiser can be brought to the shelter in a sealed envelope addressed to the attention of Belynda Hudspeth. Questions can also be directed to Belynda at (630) 584-2855 or judsp1697@aol.com.
The shelter is located at 1000 S. La Fox (Route 31) in South Elgin.
There are also drop boxes available at Pawfection in South Elgin; St. Charles Veterinary Clinic on Dunham Road; The Gold Mine in downtown St Charles; and The Perfect Pup in Foxboro Plaza in St. Charles.
Taking over the Wolf: When I was looking for an inexpensive and shorter golf course to play with my son years ago when he was first learning the game, I discovered Wolf Run at 1700 Jericho Road in Aurora.
It was a fun 18-hole course, with plenty of par 3 holes, but enough par 4 and par 5 holes to be able to use all of the clubs in your bag.
John and Julie Keilty of Sugar Grove informed me that they purchased the golf course in March and are hoping more folks will find this inexpensive option to hit the links.
"We're set back a little bit off Jericho Road," John Keilty said of his course, which has been a good family and senior citizen golf destination for the past 11 years.
"It's a par-3 friendly course," Keilty added, "but it's a good challenge because the greens are small."
Rolling down the food: You can't beat the food samples offered during the annual Rolling Down the River event at the Pheasant Run Mega Center for area chambers of commerce - and this year was no different.
The "Popeye" pizza from Real Time sports bar in St. Charles was terrific - if you like spinach and garlic on your pizza. The cheeseburger slider and pasta dishes were also worth a taste.
The pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw from the Pheasant Run Resort kitchens went down smoothly, and a cup cake from Sweet Dreams in Wasco hit the spot right afterward.
And let's not forget the delicious meatballs at the Food for Thought catering service booth. The food from this Kaneville business looks worthy of any special event.
You're probably thinking I would get a good case of heartburn out of this deal, but the old tummy held up pretty well. Plus, don't forget, these are small samples, so you can't go too wild.
When my mouth wasn't full of food, I actually talked to several business owners as well. I'll share some of their news next week. I figured I should get the stuff about good food out of the way first.
Peach of a pie: There was only one way to celebrate Harner's 50th anniversary after I had lunch at the popular North Aurora restaurant and bakery last week. I bought one of Harner's awesome pies - this time, peach.
A story in the Herald last week indicated that restaurants across the country are starting to see people come back. If Harner's noticed a downturn in the past year, it's also back on track. The place was quite crowded on this particular Friday afternoon.
dheun@sbcglobal.net