St. Charles VFW not going anywhere
The St. Charles VFW Post 5036 is alive and well.
If you heard through the grapevine the VFW building is for sale, you heard wrong.
Plus, that thought creates visions of our local veterans wandering around with no place to meet and no building for hosting community events or supporting local causes. Thankfully, that’s not going to happen any time soon.
First, it should be noted even though VFWs are encountering hard times like the rest of the world in this crazy economy, the St. Charles VFW has been chugging along nicely with post commander Dick Leckbee and other leaders obsessed with making sure the post doesn’t lose its place in community history.
The post’s junior vice commander and Vietnam veteran, Duane Buttell of St. Charles, recently told VFW members options should be discussed to assure the post continues its business well into the future.
The building at 119 N. Third St. may be appraised to determine its value, just in case members want to sell the building to either the city or a private entity in the future. As with any organization in which the majority of its members are aging and membership is difficult to grow, the VFW would be wise to know what its building is worth if members ever felt they would benefit by moving into a smaller building that would meet the post’s needs. That’s just good business sense.
At this point, no action has been taken on any of the ideas being tossed around by members, Buttell said.
The membership endorses the idea of finding out how much the building, parking lot and surrounding grounds are worth and then seeing how the future, and the economy, dictates what would be the next best move — if any.
Most importantly, the VFW post isn’t closing its doors to any veterans and continues to seek younger veterans to join and support the operation.
Chocolate and charity: With a few minutes to kill before getting my hair cut last week, I made the wise choice to stop by the All Chocolate Kitchen on Third Street in Geneva and chat with Esther Roby, who runs the popular shop with her husband and pastry chef extraordinaire, Alain Roby.After I wiped out a delicious dish of chocolate Oreo gelato, Esther told me about the Reach for the Moon Foundation drop-off location in the store at 33 S. Third St. in which people can donate mittens, hats, coats and toys for children in need through Dec. 23.#147;These things are for kids who don#146;t have these basic needs,#148; Roby said. #147;We wanted to do something for this organization during the holiday season.#148;Those who have followed the evolution of the All Chocolate Kitchen know the Robys started the kitchen concept more than a year ago in the Dodson Place shops a few blocks south of their current location as a way to raise funds for the tiny Hearts charity.Quite a festive tree: Want to show your children a great Christmas season window display? Forget the trip to downtown Chicago and check out the decorated tree in the window at the Strawflower Shop on State Street in Geneva.You#146;re not going to find many trees that feature baby seals, owls, penguins and reindeer. This one is a real eye-catcher. And I am sure it caught a lot of attention during the Christmas Walk last Friday night.For a look at other terrific trees, stop by the Geneva History Center and place your $1 votes for your favorite trees decorated by area organizations. More history fades: Those attracted to Third Street shopping in Geneva have come to grips by now with the fact that another longtime icon will fade into memory because of this recession.The Merra-Lee Shops, for more than eight decades sitting front-and-center at Third and State streets on possibly the most noticeable retail corner in the Tri-Cities, has started liquidation sales.Put owner Mike Simon#146;s longtime clothing shops on the list with Mill Race Inn as pieces of Geneva history that couldn#146;t survive in the current economy. When Geneva Commons opened, many folks wondered how it would affect Third Street. What they probably really meant was what would it do to places like the Merra-Lee Shops, which sold clothes similar to what stores in the Commons were touting? Can#146;t blame the Commons totally, but over the long haul and with a recession added, it didn#146;t help.Support for theater: Anyone who appreciates what takes place at Fox Valley Repertory at Pheasant Run over the course of a year, or those who just have an appreciation for the arts, especially as they pertain to training young people, could really help the cause with a donation to the organization.Fox Valley Repertory was on a mission to raise $9,000 by end of year and supporters can donate through the website at foxvalleyrep.org, by calling (630) 443-0438, or by mail to Fox Valley Repertory, 4052 E. Main St., St. Charles, 60174.If you have never enjoyed a play at Fox Valley Repertory, put it on your 2012 #147;to do#148; list. In addition to great entertainment, this organization trains hundreds of youngsters a year in theater, and also supports various community organizations and initiatives through ticket sales donations.Holidays for troops: Many of our military personnel will return home early next year, but that doesn#146;t lessen the need to make sure they get some reminders about home during this holiday season.The Fox Valley Troop Support organization will hold a Holiday Care Package event from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at Batavia VFW Post 1197. Donations can be dropped off, and then volunteers are needed to sort out the donations and get them ready for packaging, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.Call Sarah Giachino at (630) 587-3789 or Kathy Tobusch at (630) 937-4181.dheun@sbcglobal.net