Spacenet returns to Engstrom park
The Spacenet is back! The Spacenet is back!
Installation of a new Spacenet playground climber began last week at Engstrom Family Park in Batavia.
The popular device was there in the 1980s and 1990s, until vandals ruined it beyond repair.
It costs about $32,000 to purchase and install it. The Batavia Parks Foundation intends to pay for it. The foundation has donated $20,000 so far, and the Batavia Park District is fronting the remaining money while the foundation continues to raise money with activities such as its recent "Toss for a Cause" bags tournament.
Pounding cancer: Kristin Hoffman of Batavia is highly motivated to take down cancer: it claimed the life of her best friend, Erin Potts.
The sophomore setter for the Northern Illinois University women's volleyball team has signed the team up to raise money for the American Cancer Society during a Relay For Life April 16-17 at the university's Convocation Center.
Hoffman and Potts met three years ago, when Potts was hospitalized with Ewing's sarcoma. Hoffman had joined Potts' volleyball club team, First Alliance, essentially to replace her as a setter. A close friendship developed. Potts died of the disease in December.
"It was a wretched feeling in my heart that I do not have words to describe, really. The thing that gets me through when I think about it is that the last thing I told her was that I loved her. That was the first time I had said that to her in person."
The team's goal is $2,000. To donate, visit its team page.
Pelicans cause a stir: They may be gone by the time you read this, but birders and Sugar Grove residents have been thrilled by the sight of American white pelicans at Carson Slough.
"I'm very impressed by these pelicans," said Sugar Grove Trustee Melisa Taylor April 6, describing their 6-foot wingspan.
The birds, she said, are migrating from Florida to Minnesota.
The slough is at 1030 McDole Drive. Even if the pelicans have left, you may be able to see turkey vultures, great blue herons, Northern shovelers, red-tailed hawks and more, according to Facebook posts by local bird-watchers.
Free eats: You can get more complimentary cuisine in Geneva, as Fox Valley Presbyterian Church is going to offer free suppers the third Friday of each month, starting April 16. The meal is from 5 to 7 p.m. Carryout is available. Up first: roast pork, mashed potatoes, corn, salad and dessert. There will be a children's menu also. The church is at 227 East Side Drive.
"Our church's mission is to 'Grow, Love, Serve,' and we feel that providing a meal each month is a good way to serve our neighbors and build community," said Ruth Ann Seney, director of hospitality, in a prepared statement.
For details, call (630) 232-7448 or fvpres.com.
The United Methodist Church of Geneva has been doing "Third Tuesday" suppers since November. On April 20, it will serve breakfast for dinner, with egg casserole, French toast casserole, bacon, biscuits and gravy, cheesy potatoes and fruit salad. More than 300 people showed up at March's meal. The church is at 211 W. Hamilton St.
Sign of the times: The long-vacant Einstein Bros. Bagel spot on Randall Road in Geneva now has a tenant.
A Cash for Gold outlet.
Susan Sarkauskas covers Batavia, Geneva, Sugar Grove, North Aurora and Elburn. E-mail her at ssarkauskas@dailyherald.com.