Talk of the towns in 2024: A look back at some top local stories in Kane County
As we look back on the places and faces highlighted in “Talk of the Town” during 2024, it reminds me of what a former colleague out of state said after I sent her one of my columns.
She has never been in the Tri-Cities other than to ride the bike trails along the Fox River once when visiting a relative in Illinois more than 20 years ago.
Her reaction to my column resonated in a way I hadn’t considered until hearing it from someone on the “outside, looking in,” so to speak.
She said, “Your communities sound so charming.” In many ways, that is essentially what “Talk of the Town” is all about.
We kind of take that part of our lives for granted. Sure, we have our share of problems that most communities face. We aren’t immune to that. Comments from area folks on social media sometimes tell us not everyone is a happy camper here, but I can say with confidence from my long local career that those people represent a minority. And for good reason. These are great towns to live in and raise a family.
With that in mind, here’s a wrap-up of the types of people and organizations we spent time with — and their roles in adding that charm.
Early in 2024
The year started with a visit from professional magician Terry Evanswood of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, as he came back to his hometown of St. Charles to stage performances at the Moonlight Theatre.
Evanswood has made a living through more than 10,000 performances in Pigeon Forge, but he learned his trade in St. Charles as Terry Hoge. He took up magic as a youngster, then showed he had the skills to make it a lifelong profession when appearing on the Bozo Show when he was just a sophomore at St. Charles High School in 1986.
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St. Charles celebrated the opening of the First Plaza, a key part of the final phase of the yearslong project to redefine the city’s downtown, in late January.
Over time, this figures to be a vital “town square” type feature in downtown, while First Street figures to get another boost of customer traffic and eyes as shoppers soon make their way to the new Whole Foods store in the former Blue Goose location.
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In March, we met Army veteran Patrick Scrogin, who was critically wounded in a helicopter crash in Iraq in 2007.
Builder George Havlicek of Geneva was chosen through the Gary Sinise Foundation to build a high-tech “smart house” for Scrogin and his family.
During that process, the two became good friends and continued the relationship beyond the unveiling of the home in Campton Township.
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Geneva’s Lee Murphy shared his story about collecting classic cars and the strategy he used to secure the best deals for the various Rolls-Royce, Bentley and other models he owns.
As the weather warmed up, Murphy began getting one of his cars ready for display during the annual Geneva Concours d’Elegance show along Third Street, a show he has participated in for years.
Into the summer months
As we began to enjoy summer concerts and festivals, we were reminded that Richard Peck of Geneva has made it his life’s work to have the equipment, mixing boards and other elements to be considered the “sound man” for many of the events we attend.
He shared the story of how his work at high school events were the first steps in his career.
For most summer festivalgoers, Peck is likely best known as the guy who has handled sound for many of the Swedish Days concerts in downtown Geneva.
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We learned about the vital work of the Kane County Specialty Courts Foundation, which aids the work of court system programs that address drug rehabilitation, mental health care and veterans’ assistance.
Those involved told us the “graduation” ceremony, when former inmates have completed the drug rehab programs and started anew with their families, provided the “best feeling in the world.”
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We went to Elburn to visit Jack Richtman, a World War II veteran celebrating his 100th birthday.
He was alert and engaging in telling us how he saw action in several battles with his Army Air Corps unit, but also did plenty of postwar work. His unit was among those returning German soldiers to their homes from the front, while also weeding out those in the SS and others who carried out Hitler’s war crimes and holding them for prosecution.
The opportunities to talk to World War II veterans are diminishing, and we were pleased to have chronicled Richtman’s memories in the column.
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With summer heat baking us in late June, old “rockers” in the Fox Valley got together for a reunion outdoor concert at the Batavia Moose Lodge.
Fans came out in big numbers to see a great show, featuring members of the popular DeLuxury and The Boyzz bands and other skilled musicians. The event, in part, was a tribute to the passing of John Abel, a guitarist who played locally and with local bands and in Chicago since the 1970s.
Entering the fall and winter
It was a yearlong project, but Rita Payleitner and her daughter Rae Anne Payleitner were picking up the pace in their efforts to find former St. Charles female athletes to attend an upcoming Legacy Night at St. Charles East.
In celebrating 50 years of girls’ sports at the high school, the Payleitners, standout former athletes, wanted as many as possible to attend the Legacy Night event to be held Jan. 31, 2025, at the St. Charles North girls basketball game at St. Charles East.
Their stories about the early days of girls’ sports and the efforts needed to eventually get decent uniforms, fair treatment in terms of gym access and practice times and, of course, to get the community interested in girls’ sports, gave you an idea of how proud the ladies were.
They are hoping many other athletes who made all of these things happen can come out to display the same pride at the Legacy Night.
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In mid-October, Bruce Cameron of Elgin was quite pleased that his Vintage Swing Band was preparing for its biggest show to date with a concert at Navy Pier in Chicago during a gala fundraiser for the Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund.
Cameron had put in several years of work in keeping local musicians and retired band instructors engaged in their craft by creating the jazz band and providing a place to practice in his home studio.
The Vintage Swing Band does numerous shows during the course of the year, but they had not performed in a venue as large as Navy Pier’s ballroom. Embracing the theme of veterans and their families, the band was accompanied by its Andrew Sisters reenactors to make it even more special.
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Emma Best of Hampshire High School and her friends in Girl Scout Troop 946 of Lily Lake cleaned and restored the God’s Little Acre cemetery in Campton Township.
It was a perfect Eagle badge project in that the cemetery had historic significance for the Campton Township Cemetery Association, as it is the resting place for Revolutionary War veteran William Bennett and others from that era.
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In mentioning the St. Charles Country Club celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2024, it had a little extra meaning for me.
No, I am not a member of the country club, but members of the club’s anniversary celebration committee asked me to help write a book about the club’s history.
It was an interesting and enjoyable two years of research and work for people who have done much to help their communities and follow the legacy of club founders and St. Charles philanthropists Lester and Dellora Norris.
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We took a look back at the local men who played Santa Claus for decades in the Tri-Cities area, with the names of Roger Beels, John Forni and Don Forni standing out.
But we were reminded that Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke has also been portraying the jolly elf for more than 50 years for friends and others in Batavia and beyond.
During a holiday visit with friends Jim and Kathy Freedlund of Batavia, they shared a story of how Schielke came to their home as Santa when their kids were young, but also how he helped them transport their son to an emergency medical visit.
It was definitely heartwarming holiday stuff.
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I completed the year in remembering our late friend William Beckmann of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Batavia and his years of providing Christmas stories for his service club from his extensive research about a holiday he loved so dearly.
Reaction to that column, in which I shared some of Beckmann’s interesting stories about Christmas, was such that some readers said they hoped I would continue to do that.
Let me put it this way, Beckmann left me a lot of material, as he gave me a printout of his presentation each year before his talk.
So, for as long as I am plugging away with this column, there’s a good chance we’ll all benefit again at this time of year from his positive, joyful and hopeful teachings about the season.
dheun@sbcglobal.net