‘What Holmstad is all about’: Annual bazaar in Batavia showcases senior community’s talents, generosity

As chair of the Covenant Living at the Holmstad marketing committee, Patti Franklin is not alone in feeling the senior care and living center’s annual bazaar checks all of the feel-good boxes that define the Holmstad community.

Most every facet of life at the Holmstad is connected to the preparation and execution of its popular bazaar marketplace. And most residents and staff have their fingerprints on the event. That, and a lot of people come to the bazaar.

As Holmstad residents prepare for the 47th annual bazaar from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, at The Holmstad, 700 W. Fabyan Parkway in Batavia, this year’s event carries more meaning.

The Holmstad has also been celebrating its 50th anniversary, and the bazaar has been front-and-center most of those years. Other than the first two years of Holmstad operations and the pandemic year of 2020, the bazaar has been held in the facility’s “Town Center” since 1977 — and delivering on its mission to raise money for worthy causes each time.

“To me, the fact that this is 47 years old and run by residents, and still is, in order to give money away, really says what Holmstad is all about,” said Franklin, who works year-round with other committee members Carol Hecht and her husband, Jack, to plan the event.

“We don’t use vendors, it is strictly residents making these things and running this bazaar,” Franklin said. “And we couldn’t do it without the Holmstad staff. About two weeks before the event, it’s all staff on deck to move things around and get everything in place.”

That’s a good thing, considering the bazaar can draw more than 400 visitors to the facility and raises, on average, about $25,000 a year.

Nearly 70% of the money raised from sales goes toward scholarships for graduating teen staff members, and to contribute to the Holmstad Benevolent Care Fund, its Good Samaritan Fund, the Batavia Fire Department and Batavia Public Library. The remaining funds are used for craft supplies, books for the Holmstad library, and other resident enrichment programs.

“Residents start creating in February, in general, so there are very few months to rest; people are thinking year-round about what they will do for the bazaar,” Franklin said of how various items are made each year.

“Weekly workshops related to the bazaar are scheduled, starting in February as well,” she added. “People are knitting, woodworking and creating other things.”

The entire main floor of the Town Center “becomes” the bazaar, with various shops for house plants, jewelry, nuts, wood and needle crafts, seasonal wreaths, a “This n’ That” flea market, a sweet shop, homemade bakery items, holiday decor, Christmas cards, books and furniture.

More information is available at HolmstadBazaar.com.

It’s a safe bet I have mentioned this event most years because of those boxes it checks off regarding helping others, fostering friendships among the Holmstad residents, and watching what can result when a senior-center community comes together.

As a bonus, it has been busier at Holmstad than most years as residents have been celebrating the anniversary.

There’s been a parade, various speakers informing residents of the history of the Holmstad property, and other planned activities through September.

“It’s been a learning experience for me in handling the bazaar,” Franklin acknowledged. “So many new people move in and, starting in February, that bazaar allows them to meet people and it really develops a close community.”

Candy for giving

You should recognize the folks wearing yellow vests on city sidewalks, streets and other locations Thursday, Sept. 4, through Sunday, Sept. 7, as the ones who are willing to give you a Tootsie Roll for a donation to help those with intellectual disabilities.

It’s the annual Tootsie Roll Drive for the local Knights of Columbus 2191, carrying on a tradition that started with a council in Tinley Park in 1970.

In that regard, Tootsie Rolls have been around since 1896, so it’s been a natural connection for KoC organizations throughout the country to choose that candy brand for an annual event that has lasted decades.

You’re likely to see a volunteer with a donation can and Tootsie Rolls, but don’t worry about not having any cash at hand. Just in case, a QR code on the bucket helps you donate on the spot through a credit or debit card.

Last year, KoC members from Batavia and Geneva, and other volunteers, totaling more than 120, handed out close to 16,000 Tootsie Rolls.

Various other schools and organizations put their own spin on the Tootsie Roll fundraiser, adding to the efforts, which resulted in more than $26,000 last year.

Nine organizations benefit from the Tootsie Roll Day efforts, including Valley Sheltered Workshop in Batavia, Marklund in Geneva, and Giant Steps in Sugar Grove.

The Knights added Rising Lights Project in St. Charles, an organization that offers a gardening program for individuals with disabilities.

Don’t count out Urban …

For the past few weeks, local diners began to realize that the Craft Urban restaurant at 211 James St. in Geneva had closed after an eight-year run.

Owners announced that change on social media sites, but also encouraged patrons to visit their other sites — Craft Urban Aurora, Catering by Craft Urban and, of course, the new Le Cochon Bistro in Geneva at the former Mandrake (and Chianti’s) site on Third Street in Geneva.

Based on hints on the Craft Urban website, other projects from this group headed by Bernie Laskowski are likely to unfold in the coming months.

… Or Patten House

The Patten House Restaurant and Bar at 124 S. Second St. in Geneva has been hiring chefs, bartenders and kitchen staff in anticipation of its soft reopening from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. for lunch and dinner Friday, Aug. 29, through Sunday, Aug. 31.

The restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday the following week.

This is good news for those who were patrons of the restaurant prior to its closing after 10 years in 2023, as well as for others seeking a nice restaurant in a historic setting.

That historic setting is the 1857 home of the George Patten family. Patten was a successful lumberyard operator in Geneva.

It should also be noted that Patten House has always had an attractive outdoor dining area to go along with the historic setting for indoor dining.

Some information spreading around town indicated new owners had acquired the Patten House site, but Nancy Luyten and her family still own the restaurant and have planned the reopening.

The family originally converted the home into a restaurant in 2013.

A vintage warehouse

The folks at Warehouse 55 in Aurora have been reminding area shoppers that the business is moving to 160 First St. in Batavia, with a mid-October planned opening.

For those not familiar, Warehouse 55 offers shoppers various furnishings and accessories suitable for farmhouse, vintage or modern contemporary settings through the work of vendors chosen to display wares.

It might remind local shoppers of Acosta’s, which operated in St. Charles and Batavia for years before moving to Wheaton, or possibly Trend + Relic on the east side of St. Charles.

But, as with any of these indoor markets with numerous items, plenty of those are unique to specific vendors. That, after all, is the draw and major appeal of places like this.

Follow-up thoughts

A few readers got back to me in the past couple of weeks with interesting information related to previous items in this column.

First, Jim Sather mentioned the “Did you know?” item regarding John Farnsworth, the Civil War colonel and congressman from St. Charles. Sather reminded me that Farnsworth was such a close friend of President Abraham Lincoln that he was one of the few people allowed in the room in which Lincoln was being treated and eventually died from the gunshot wound at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.

Second, Joe Garbarski of Campton Township, who a month or so ago sent me a photo of a cougar lurking in his backyard, wanted confirmation from an expert about what he saw. Garbarski said he received verification that it was indeed a cougar from a Wildlife Biologist at the National Park Service.

Third, Colonial Ice Cream magnate Tom Anderson of St. Charles read my piece on the Rex’s Driv-In canopy from yesteryear, and wanted me to know that his father, Joe Anderson, helped design and build the drive-in restaurant site for the original owner Wayne Locke.

The Anderson family owned that property at the time, and Locke was a friend of Joe Anderson.

Over time, the land was sold to Locke and years later the site was turned over to Rex Morrison for his drive-in restaurant and eventually the popular Rex’s Cork ‘n Fork restaurant on the east side of St. Charles.

For his part, Tom Anderson said he was given the task of scoping out the structure of a Hollywood, Florida, drive-in restaurant called “Scotty’s,” which essentially provided the blueprint for what would become Locke’s Driv-In and, eventually, Rex’s Driv-In.

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