Rotary Club steps up in Geneva
Before we get too far removed from Thanksgiving and plunge headlong into Christmas and New Year’s, I have to acknowledge members of the Geneva Rotary Club for their volunteer efforts on Thanksgiving morning.
The Geneva Rotary zeroed in on a service project to help an elderly couple having a hard time taking care of their property and home on Anderson Boulevard in Geneva.
Jim Forni, the city’s code enforcement officer, was aware of the needs and contacted the Rotarians to see if they could organize a helping hand. Club member Joe McMahon, who works as a contractor, headed the effort to fix things the city was concerned about.
Roughly 25 Rotarians, family members and friends showed up on Thanksgiving morning to tackle various home improvements.
“The project turned out very well,” McMahon said. “In total, it was about 95 man hours, and we put in about three hours of work on Thanksgiving morning, though some started the night before on some roof work.”
It may not have qualified for an “Extreme Makeover” segment on television, but the house sure got a nice facelift from these thoughtful people.
McMahon said workers replaced fascia and soffit and removed gutters on the garage; shingled one side of the garage; trimmed hedges and trees (with help from Kramer Tree Service) around the house and driveway; cleaned an area in the back of the garage; moved materials the owner wanted to keep to the back of the garage; raked the yard; and removed an old storm door.
Forni was pleased with the result, telling McMahon in a note, “I just got back from checking the property, and it looks great. I truly appreciate what you guys were able to do for this family; you identified a problem and went above and beyond with the solution.”
Forni said the current economic climate will result in more instances in which families need help with property upkeep, but he feels area organizations will always rise up to help deserving neighbors in need.
No significant mumbling: It could have easily been a “mumblefest” when the Catholic Church introduced its first changes since the early 1970s to the “call and responses” priests and parishioners deliver to each other during a Mass.The changes started a few weeks ago, but that first week was a throwback to my Catholic school days in which the students had to memorize something. That#146;s because St. Peter pastor Rev. Martins Emeh in Geneva spent a few minutes before Mass going through the changes to let parishioners read along with a small printout highlighting all of the new phrases.In the meantime, those nice #147;cheat sheets#148; have stayed in the pews, making it easy to read along and deliver the proper wording.It#146;s a tough habit to break when these prayers have come out of your mouth as if being operated by remote control for the past 40-plus years.Nothing like this: The Arcada Theatre in St. Charles has its place in local history because some of the biggest stars of the 1920s and #146;30s graced its stages.Other than for a few years when its future was uncertain, the venue has entertained ticket buyers with live performances or movies for decades.But has the theater ever been on a #147;hot streak#148; like the one it currently enjoys? It would be hard to believe that anyone before, or in the future, could match the effort theater owner Ron Onesti has put into staging a barrage of shows unparalleled in the theater#146;s history.Whether you like or dislike the offerings at the Arcada, there is no denying Onesti is one of the hardest working businessmen this area has known.We enjoyed the America and Jim Messina concert with friends last weekend, and those who go see The Temptations on Thursday or any other upcoming show are in for a treat. At The Temptations show, you can get half-price tickets if you bring new toys for the Salvation Army.Legion#146;s holiday special: Organizations offering inexpensive or even free meals for families have become a staple of this economy. Put the Geneva American Legion Post 75 on that list, offering one that also raises money to support other community organizations.The Legion will host a Family Night Christmas Special from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the post, 22 S. Second St.For $5, diners will have a choice of soup, sandwiches, chips and a soft drink. They#146;re not forgetting those with a sweet tooth. People who bring a toy for the Marines toy drive get a free cookie, while those who bring a food item for local food pantries get two cookies. Those who make a $25 donation walk out with a Christmas turkey.Where#146;s the joe?: So where does a citizen of Batavia find a cup of coffee these days?With Four Beans Coffeehouse, and Limestone Coffee and Tea both closing within the past month, the options were cut down a bit.Limestone owner Mo Mares was considering finding another downtown Batavia location, so we#146;ll keep our eyes open for that possibility.In the meantime, if you see Batavians who seem dazed because of the lack of caffeine, at least you#146;ll know why.New pizza parlor: A new pizza place in Geneva has entered my #147;must try#148; list. I haven#146;t had a chance to order a pizza or a sandwich from Morano#146;s, at 417 Hamilton St., but the menu of pizza, sandwiches and pasta looks quite tempting.In other pizza news in Geneva, I was glad to see Aurelio#146;s expand its operation by moving into the location that has been a bit of a revolving door #8212; the former Isabella#146;s, Citizen Kane, Enye and Table 38 spot at 330 W. State St.It might be a bit of a risky move for a pizza place, but Aurelio#146;s has established a decent reputation throughout the area. No more big fish: Seafood lovers have to be sulking at the loss of Big Fish Grille in the Geneva Commons, as the restaurant closed its doors a couple of weeks ago.That particular location in the Commons has seen Red Star Tavern and now Big Fish Grille come and go since the outdoor shopping center opened in September of 2002.It#146;s a great location in terms of being seen from Randall Road, but maybe not so great for parking, which owner John Mathias grumbled about a bit to the media.dheun@sbcglobal.net