Wanted: The next 'big' idea for Tri-Cities area

Are we missing out on some "big" thing that could serve the entire Tri-Cities area?

In pondering that question, nothing jumps out as something this area is lacking that it could really use.

Because it is located in the middle of the Tri-Cities, Geneva seems to have most of the "big" services. It has the Metra train station, Northwestern Delnor Hospital, the Kane County Cougars, and the county government center.

For entertainment, we have the Arcada Theatre and the Kane County Fairgrounds in St. Charles that looks to draw from the entire area.

Those who have studied this area's history will tell you that the name Tri-Cities likely came about during the early days of train traffic. Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke has told me the very first streetcar lines that went up and down Route 31 called the stops between Elgin and Aurora as the Tri-Cities sometime around World War I.

He also said the Northwestern railway had a train line in the area that broke off into three directions also called the Tri-Cities.

So even back then, people realized these towns were joined at the hip.

Over time, we've created plenty of things with a name reflecting service to the entire central Kane region, whether it is TriCity Family Services or the Tri-Cities Soccer Association or Tri-City Chargers youth football.

So what else is there?

Here's a couple that pop into my mind - at least as things that would be pretty cool.

First, how about a Tri-Cities Tech Hub for software developers and mobile device inventors? And we, thus, become our own little Silicon Valley.

This is just daydream stuff, so who or how such an entity would be supported is anyone's guess.

Second, my wife and I love the massive farmers market that takes place around the Capitol Building in Madison, Wisconsin, on the weekends during the summer and fall.

What if a Tri-Cities Farmers Market was created as a similar event all around the outside of the old Kane County Courthouse in Geneva? Sure, that might meet some opposition from Third Street businesses and conflict with other events, but there's already a weekly market in the train station parking lot in Geneva, another one in Batavia along River Street, and yet another in St. Charles near Baker Memorial Church.

How about all of those coming together to create a huge event that would make the really popular one in Wheaton look like small potatoes?

And it's not a concept lost on us here. We have a thing called the Kane County Flea Market every month at the fairgrounds.

Any other ideas or thoughts? Feel free to send me a note to share.

It's a history year:

They haven't come out and said it, but the coming year should be plenty busy for our area history museums.

Geneva History Museum is celebrating its 75th year and will showcase stories on its website from 1943 that appeared in the Geneva Republican.

Batavia Historical Society continues its expansion fundraising for the Depot Museum, a project that will create room for more exhibits and more programs.

In the meantime, St. Charles History Museum is in the process of a "deep cleaning" of the site and sorting of various display materials by volunteers. It's all being done with a Feb. 9 reopening date in mind.

But the museum has another important task at hand in seeing what it can do to generate even more excitement for the community raffle it introduced last year as part of its annual summer fundraiser.

That's a good meal:

Sure, restaurants come and go, but plenty of them have staying power.

That comes to mind in the Geneva Commons setting, with Houlihan's still standing and providing great food and service each time we step foot in the door.

My recent order of panko-breaded stuffed chicken breast with garlic-herb cream cheese was off the charts.

Take the lights:

We're just about to do one of our favorite things in these parts - say goodbye to January.

But, there they still sit - a pile of holiday lights that didn't even pass the testing phase in mid November. So, they've sat crumpled up in the garage ever since.

That means it is time to take advantage of the holiday lights recycling drop off taking place throughout St. Charles until March 1, thanks to America in Bloom-St. Charles, Elgin Recycling and the City of St. Charles.

You can still drop off working and nonworking light strings and electrical cords at the St. Charles Library on Sixth Avenue; the public works building on Seventh Avenue; the St. Charles History Museum on Main Street; Blue Goose Market on Second Street; and Clarke, 675 Sidwell Court.

dheun@sbcglobal.net