The inspiration behind artwork at St. Charles Park District's Sculpture in the Park exhibit

To fully understand what artists have in mind when creating sculptures, you simply have to ask them. Otherwise, many sculptures can be too abstract to grasp.

Such a reaction might be common when walking through the Sculpture in the Park exhibit in Mount St. Mary Park in St. Charles each year. That's why I spot my favorites and try to reach the artist to get a grasp on what type of message they were attempting to deliver.

The St. Charles Park District has 14 sculptures on display at the park through Sept. 1 featuring artists from the Midwest, but also some from across the nation.

The exhibit, which started in May, generally has 14 to 16 sculptures on the park grounds. For the past several years, the reasoning behind mentioning my favorites is partly to show that my wife and I have enjoyed this program for several years and appreciate the creativity.

But it's also a way to remind readers, if they haven't done so already, to look for themselves before the park-walking season takes its turn toward winter.

This year, the "apparition" theme of Chicago artist Charles Yost grabbed my attention. His interesting steel sculpture called "Apparition Indecision" features powder coat paint and stands tall with gray and reddish/pink colors. He's had sculptures at Mount St. Mary the past three years, with one called "Pipe Trapped Apparitions."

"The apparition form is kind of a personification of people's imagination and aspirations," Yost said. "It is not too heavy. It's a little more whimsical, as I try to add a little paradox and whimsy to my work to let the viewers get a little more out of it than what really may be in there."

Yost, 77, has been a full-time sculptor the past 12 years, getting back to this passion after doing it while studying at the Art Institute "many years ago," he noted.

He had a stint in the Army, went to NIU for a master's degree, and then did some art teaching. He was also a welder for a period of time, including teaching the welding process to others at Miller Electric Company.

With that sort of background, Yost figured the apparitions theme fit well for his work.

"Apparitions can be thoughts we have, or dreams, or inspirations," Yost noted. "And those apparitions turn into pursuing ambitions and goals and dreams."

The other sculpture I picked as a favorite this year was "Smoke Signals" from St. Charles artist Todd Willing.

The painted, welded-steel structure looks like what the title implies - smoke filtering into the air. (We've seen plenty of that this year.)

Willing's work can be found throughout the area, and he's had pieces at Sculpture in the Park previously as well.

I couldn't reach Willing for comments, but recall his "Totemic Tendencies" piece from last year. You can see a pattern in what he's trying to deliver.

On his website, he sums up his feeling about his art. "When I create art, it leads me to a lucid state of mind," he said. "It is being free to use many different materials in a way to surprise oneself."

As for having public art pieces in his lifelong hometown, Willing said, "I'm honored to have my work displayed in my hometown among the other great artists in this exhibit."

<h3 class="leadin">Wall-to-wall games:

There's no sign on the store facade, at least as of last week, but the new Fair Game store at 214 W. State St. in Geneva has been open a few weeks now.

It's located next to the Geneva Design House (formerly Strawflower Shop) store that is closing soon, as its owners will continue to sell out of a warehouse prior to making their next move.

In the meantime, Fair Game fills what was an empty storefront in that block of downtown Geneva.

Fair Game has good followings in locations in Downers Grove and LaGrange, and we expect to see the same in Geneva. Don't get lost in the fog of digital and video games and paint a picture in your mind that those are the only games anyone cares about.

Fair Game does not carry video games. Rather, owner Eric Brezina has his shelves full of great board games and card games with staying power - from Monopoly and Clue to Yahtzee and chess, as well as the current favorites Ticket to Ride and Catan, which sounds to me like a new version of Monopoly with all of its trading and acquiring.

Of course, there are many, many other games, as well as tables on which to try some.

Brezina spent a lot of time and money on turning the former jewelry store location into an impressive retail spot with track lighting, restored hardwood floors and fresh coats of paint.

Here's to hoping Fair Game finds its new home to be an excellent choice. Any push to get people interacting and involved with board games, as opposed to staring at a video screen alone for hours on end, is a worthwhile venture.

<h3 class="leadin">Biking in the nude?

With no idea how public nudity laws or other factors come into play, it was nonetheless humorous to see Chicago ranked seventh among the best cities for naked biking.

Say what?

The top city was Philadelphia in rankings created through various criteria by LawnStarter, a tech company that matches lawncare providers with clients, but also does research and reports on various community topics.

Odd combination? Maybe. But how else would we know Chicago is a great place to peddle about in your birthday suit?

Chicago did host its World Naked Bike Ride a few weeks ago, but I've never seen a nude bike rider in the Fox Valley area or DuPage County - the two suburban regions I travel in most often.

If I were stopped in my tracks by nude bikers, I would wonder how such a thing could be comfortable. Or maybe ponder why someone would be compelled to do it. I might be surprised, but not offended or aghast. But it is quite doubtful I'd want to cast my eyes upon such a sight for too long.

In any case, I could easily knock Chicago off that best-cities list by hopping on a bike nude and pedaling around the city or suburbs. First, it's a sight you wouldn't want to see and, second, I haven't been on a bike in years.

That's not a very good combination. An old, naked guy bobbing and weaving about on a bike? We have enough dangerous bike riders - fully clothed or not - around here.

<h3 class="leadin">Mill Race Cyclery at 40:

Take the thought of the previous item out of your mind. This one is not about biking without clothes on.

But it is about biking and, more importantly, an event to mark the 40th anniversary of Mill Race Cyclery in Geneva.

I've always thought this bike shop was in a great spot near the Fox River and the bike trail. Thus, it is no surprise it has had an excellent 40-year run in serving cycling enthusiasts.

To celebrate this anniversary, Mill Race Cyclery is hosting a pancake breakfast, three group rides of varying distances, and all sorts of sales Saturday, July 15. The bike rides start at 7 a.m. and the breakfast at 10 a.m., prior to an anniversary ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. at the shop, 11 E. State St.

Signup and information about costs for the breakfast and rides is available at millrace.com.

<h3 class="leadin">Likely worth the wait:

In a past column, I reminded readers the Geneva Commons is hoping to welcome a new First Watch restaurant into the former Claddagh Pub location sometime in August.

Readers responded by saying they were anxious for a new restaurant in that spot and had seen good reviews for First Watch.

A week or so later, I met a friend for lunch at the First Watch on Army Trail Road in Bloomingdale. It allows me to say with confidence that it will be worth the wait to add this breakfast and lunch restaurant chain to our area.

It leans toward a healthier menu, or at least healthier options. That might scare some people away, but it shouldn't. This place is really good.

<h3 class="leadin">That's no bull:

It was fun to visit with some friends and members at a recent Tri-Cities Exchange Club meeting at the St. Charles Veterans Center. I've kept in touch with this group, of which I was a member for 20-plus years in the past.

I was making a presentation on the Battle of the Little Big Horn, or "Custer's Last Stand," as this key moment in our history moves toward its 150th anniversary in a few years. I've read numerous books and gathered other information from Custer historians on this topic, mostly because I like history and have always been fascinated with the post-Civil War era in our country.

The serious stuff aside, a club member came up with a funny dig of his fellow club members when telling me, "Any topic with Sitting Bull in it is a fitting description for this club."

dheun@sbcglobal.net