Might be time to consider fish fry in local park
A reader dropped me a note to say he was admiring the “Fish Fry in the Park” mural at the Geneva Post Office before it was removed for some restoration, and it made him long to see that kind of community event again.
“Wouldn’t it be neat to recreate that scene in real life, or perhaps some local service club or community group could start a new fundraiser with that sort of event in Island Park in Geneva or Pottawatomie Park in St. Charles,” Phil Kessler of St. Charles wrote.
Outdoor fish fry events were popular for the Batavia VFW in the 1950s, and I know that some churches or other organizations had them not so long ago. I want to say they took place at Good Templar Park in Geneva, but anyone with recollections about community fish fry events can drop me a note to share thoughts.
Confused about dental offerNot many events can match the caring displayed in the #147;Dentists with a Heart#148; program that takes place this month with area dentists offering free services on designated days for those who can#146;t afford to have their teeth checked because of financial or insurance hardships.
The dentists involved in the program obviously can#146;t serve every single person in need of help, and things got a little confusing last week because it was believed that most offices would take walk-ins on their designated days. But some smaller offices, rightly so, had to provide services by appointment only. An unemployed Geneva woman sent me a note to say she walked in bitter cold weather, because she has no means of transportation, to get to the Geneva dentist offering the free service #8212; only to find they couldn#146;t take walk-ins and that a news release about the program about the process was confusing and didn#146;t apply to all offices.
I felt bad for this person, and hopefully she will get back on track financially and be able to get this basic health need back as part of her annual routine. If anyone has an idea for helping her now, drop me a note.
Inspiring momentsIt#146;s been more than a week since the Geneva Cultural Arts Commission staged its #147;Dancing With the Geneva Stars#148; fundraiser, but I still think about two fascinating moments from the popular event.
Geneva Alderman Ralph Dantino spent the day of the event in the hospital, but still showed up with wife Nancy to perform their swing routine and thrill the crowd. Dantino has been battling cancer, and was experiencing stomach pains that landed him in the hospital.
The other moment came when emcee Mayor Kevin Burns read the introduction by Peter Cladis for the waltz that he and his wife Jane were about to perform. He talked about the inspiration and love of life the two had gained through Jane#146;s fight with breast cancer and its resulting surgeries. It was touching and real, and very much like the dance they performed #8212; a waltz that morphed into a quickstep #8212; that earned them the title of this year#146;s champions.
dheun@sbcglobal.net