Local couple on top of the world since engagement
Sugar Grove native Marc Cobb admits he was smitten by Erika Kraus when he first met her five years ago at Illinois State University, soon after his brother Brian moved into a dorm there. He was a student at the University of Illinois.
Her smile, he wrote in a brief recap of their courtship that he shared with the Daily Herald, "could light up the darkest room."
On their first date in Chicago in 2002, they went to the winter festival at Navy Pier where they rode the Ferris wheel.
"We hardly spoke," he wrote, "just keeping each other warm and looking at the beautiful Chicago skyline."
They have dated ever since. When it came time to propose, (he is 27, she is 23) he knew he wanted to do it at Navy Pier, on the Ferris wheel.
He had selected the engagement ring at Robbins Bros. He soon discovered that with the purchase of the diamond ring came the offer to help with "the perfect proposal."
"The people from Robbins Bros. helped set it up," Cobb explained regarding his plans to pop the question Nov. 9, over looking Lake Michigan from a height of 150 feet. "I think they call themselves 'ambassadors for the perfect proposal.' They called Navy Pier and they said no problem, we do this all the time. The people at Navy Pier agreed to stop the Ferris wheel for a full two minutes while I proposed."
Cobb told Kraus they were meeting friends at Navy Pier. But the couple who ended up sharing their "gondola," or Ferris wheel compartment, were Quintez Parks and Nicole Seyfried, employees of Robbins Bros., who had arranged to meet Cobb there. It was all arranged, but Kraus didn't know.
"It was cold, the temperature was in the 40s," Cobb said. "It wasn't crowded, but there were a few others there. We got in the same car with Quintez and Nicole, and it seemed like it took forever for our car to get to the top.
"When we reached the top, I tried to get Erika to look at something while I got the ring out," Cobb said. "Then I got down on one knee and proposed. It was perfect, awesome."
Cobb moved to Sugar Grove just before entering first grade. He went to Kaneland schools and then to the University of Illinois, where he majored in English literature. His parents Char and Bill still live in Sugar Grove.
Cobb works in marketing near O'Hare Airport. Kraus, 23, is from Wauconda. She was graduated from Northern Illinois University and is a special education teacher.
They are planning to marry in winter 2008.
Lots of funds: The Village of Sugar Grove hosted the fourth annual joint meeting of the representatives of the Sugar Grove community Nov. 13.
The village presented a total of $123,245 in funds to members of the community governmental agencies.
From 2002 to present, the Village of Sugar Grove has distributed more than $6.3 million in various fees to other governmental agencies, including Sugar Grove Township, the Kaneland school district, the Sugar Grove Fire District, the Sugar Grove Library District, the West Aurora School District and the Sugar Grove Park District.