Fox Valley Ice Arena could benefit from Blackhawks win
I remember the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup in 1961, though I was too young at the time to really know much about the game. But a lot more kids were learning how to skate, and a lot more ice rinks opened in Chicago and the suburbs afterward.
The same thing could happen this time, so the county has to feel good about having the Fox Valley Ice Arena in its hands along Kirk Road.
In a case of good timing or savvy marketing, the arena is promoting a "Hockey Buffet" camp, 3-on-3 leagues, an event called "Give Skating and Hockey a Try" in conjunction with the Geneva Park District, adult and youth leagues and open "rat" hockey, which are unsupervised pickup games.
Who better to ask about a surge in hockey popularity than Nick Burke? He operates the Zamboni at the arena and can monitor first hand what is happening on the arena's two rinks.
"We have already seen an increase in kids playing hockey this entire year in general," Burke said. "But with the Blackhawks winning, we will probably see more this summer, especially with college kids being home and playing more rat hockey."
Business at the ice arena is definitely seasonal, Burke said, with winter being the busiest time.
"But we'll monitor any kind of increase this summer and maybe add more leagues and lessons as we see how the schedule fills out," Burke added.
Kane County purchased the ice arena in October of 2008 for $6.3 million, a bargain-basement price, considering it had a $15 million price tag on it when it was built in 1997. The arena has an NHL rink and a larger international rink.
And, apparently, it is going to have a lot of kids skating on that ice.
Keeping it beautiful:
Readers may remember 10-year-old Daniel Sandberg of Geneva mentioned in my column late last year when he was helping to raise money for the Geneva History Center.
When taking a walk down Third Street in Geneva last week, I spotted Daniel and his mother, Jane, pulling weeds and planting in the beautiful Mother's Garden on the grounds of Geneva Lutheran Church. It's a colorful addition to Third Street and also benefits the new Fiora restaurant next door to the church. From a distance, the garden looks like part of Fiora's entryway.
"We were wanting to do something to help the community again, and I was aware of the garden, where people just take turns taking care of it," Jane said. "I told Daniel this would be a good thing for us to do together, and he agreed."
Part of rural history:
The county forest preserve district knew that the Corron farm in Campton Township represented the area's rural history when it purchased the property a few years ago.
Friends and family will say goodbye to a big part of that history when funeral services are held today for 101-year-old Lucinda Corron, or "Ma" Corron, as she was known.
Holiday parties at the Corron farm are legendary, and "Ma" Corron was a wonderful host to so many friends.