A few good places to plop down
The online auction for the Adirondack-style decorated chairs along the Fox River in downtown St. Charles has come to a close, but the interesting fundraiser for the Volunteer Plaza near city hall brought some attention to an important fact of life.
If you don't love to plop down in a chair and rest at some point in a day, you don't know what you're missing. In this particular case, there were numerous options to do so with all of the colorful and themed chairs around the Municipal Center and on the walkways from Pottawatomie Park to Mount St. Mary Park.
If sitting down for quiet time ranks high on your agenda, you likely have a place you consider a favorite.
We like the sitting around the flagpole at Mount St. Mary Park, or the Kane County CASA's "grow a healthy child garden" with its 10 benches near the Geneva courthouse.
Though it may not be the quietest place at all times, sitting near the water fountain overlooking the Depot Pond and city band shell in Batavia is always enjoyable.
Feel free to send me an email to mention your favorite plop-down place - even if it's just a hammock attached between two trees in your backyard - and I'll share them with others.
While many consider this a summer ritual, it could be the autumn months are the best time of the year for enjoying the outdoors in a nice chair.
Next week, we'll mention a few of the "favorite places" or parts of our communities we asked about last week, as well as any favorite resting spots that readers share.
More pizza dough
"Life, liberty and the pursuit of pizza." That's a catchy marketing slogan by any measure, but it fits perfectly for a new pizza joint coming to Third Street in Geneva.
Doughocracy has that slogan and "coming soon" signs in the windows at 407 S. Third St., across the street from Little Traveler.
Do we need another pizza and brews place? The answer, for many years, has almost always been yes.
This place looks to bring some new twists to the pizza-eating experience with some uncommon and personalized choices - "wine and dine" or "green mile" pizzas, among many others - so we look forward to it joining the local pizza fray.
Not a good sign?
In the Daily Herald's Progress 2015 edition last week, an executive with San Francisco-based The Krausz Companies provided highlights of the $80 million renovation project it is undertaking at the Charlestowne Mall on the east side of St. Charles.
But he also mentioned it has been difficult to quickly move along the transformation to The Quad, which includes a town square-type gathering place and many new stores and restaurants, because Charlestowne has been struggling for so long.
My response to that is simple: "Uh oh."
Those fashion plates
There is no doubt Geanna Gattuso is excited about the new location of her Flair on 3rd women's clothing shop.
It now sits at 312 S. Third St. in Geneva, back a bit from the Luv The Name shop.
Flair moved a block or so north on Third, hoping for better exposure, and it has worked.
"We are seeing a lot of new customers," Gattuso said.
With more women seeing the place, Gattuso figures it will help the Kane County CASA "Fall into Fabulous" fundraiser at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, at Eagle Brook Country Club, which includes a fashion show featuring clothing from Flair. Sojourn Salon & Spa is also involved and handling ticket sales at (331) 212-5803.
It must be the time of year when ladies like checking out the latest fashions.
Not to be outdone, Friends of TriCity Family Services' fifth annual Fall Fashion Show is 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, at Lincoln Inn Banquets in Batavia.
Jeans and Cute Top Shop, which is in St. Charles' First Street plaza, provides the fashions. To attend, register at tricityfamilyservices.org or call (630) 232-1070 by Wednesday.
Tickets to both events are $35 per person.
Seeking more space
One way to fill empty storefronts is to get nearby successful businesses to spill over.
Chef Alain Roby's All Chocolate Kitchen on Third Street in Geneva is adding 1,500 square feet for special events and a lounge area.
Meanwhile, popular new restaurant Buttermilk, at River Lane and West State Street, plans to expand into the space adjacent to its current location in the next few months. After seeing people wait in line to eat at Buttermilk, the expansion makes great business sense.
Freezers for a cause
What is it about the Salvation Army and anonymous donors? For years, a highlight of the Christmas season has been "mysterious" supporters dropping gold coins into the holiday donation buckets.
Now someone has donated eight new stainless steel commercial freezers to the organization's food pantry.
The food pantry serves more than 500 families each month in the Tri-Cities area. That means the new freezers - not to mention the organization's volunteers - should be pretty busy.
Some kicks at reunion
As a way to celebrate more than 30 years of boys soccer at Batavia High School, the program is hoping to have plenty of past players in town Sept. 19 for an alumni game and postgame party.
It's an interesting idea, as it all takes place after the current Batavia varsity team's 11 a.m. home match against St. Charles East.
Itchy heads
Here's two words no parent wanted to hear just as school started: Super Lice.
Apparently it was only a matter of time before lice figured how to shrug off medications and treatments that usually have killed them for the past several decades. Wouldn't the traveling con men of the Old West barking about their "magic elixir" have a field day with this?
With that truck
Having my photo taken with a truck called the Raminator wouldn't do much for me. But some folks might find it a dream come true to get a look at a monster truck that has set a world record as fastest monster truck at 99.10 mph.
It all takes place 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 12 at River Front Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram on Hansen Boulevard in North Aurora.
The Halls Brothers Racing Team will be on hand to pose for pictures with you.
dheun@sbcglobal.net