Country roads offer a break from traffic in Tri-Cities

If you aren't familiar with these road names, you may be missing out on a factor that makes living here quite pleasing.

Bunker. Brundige. LaFox. Burlington. Corron. McDonald. Dittman. Rohrsen. Ramm. Plato. Rourke. Seavey. Deerpath.

There are others, but these roads play a big part in getting us around the rural portions of Kane County. They represent life in a far slower lane, a very appealing break from the hectic pace that Randall Road and other streets in the Tri-Cities have become.

If I were to point to some specific residential areas that have the best of both worlds, I would say those living on Millview in Batavia, with homes snuggled up close to the fenced-in open spaces on Mooseheart property. It is just a great view.

I have an advantage of sorts in that when first coming to this area I was a reporter covering townships and school districts west of Randall. I spent a fair amount of time on most of these roads and then sitting in township, village or school board meetings in Elburn, Lily Lake, Plato Center and Burlington.

At that time in the late 1970s, it was quite interesting to see how the longtime farm families of western Kane interacted with "city folks" moving "out to the country" but seeking some of life's pleasures they enjoyed in other communities closer to Chicago or in other large cities.

The lure, of course, was being able to live in an area in which you could get to Chicago in an hour, or go a bit west to be in wide, open spaces and a quiet countryside.

To this day, it remains a wonderful aspect of living in the Tri-Cities. The recessions the country endured over the years had much to do with slowing down growth and retail advancement.

Randall Road, for sure, was destined for heavy change. But the gutting of all of our farmland for more asphalt and concrete never really materialized. It doesn't take long to drive west of Randall and find beautiful farmland scenes and wooded areas.

If we had the rolling hills and valleys of, say, the Galena territory, we'd have the same awesome farming landscapes and views that you can't help but fall in love with.

We're pretty flat, as far as that goes. But it's still worth it to pick any of the aforementioned roads and take a ride. And be glad it is here for us to enjoy. You're not really embracing the full benefit of living in the Fox River region unless you go west on occasion, young man.

Doing their share:

The farms west of the Tri-Cities have a far more important role than being a nice backdrop for a Sunday drive.

Many of us really don't know what these local farms are producing and how much work is involved.

But some signs along our country roads may help a bit. Those signs, touting "Harvest for All," will be located on various country roads, part of a Kane County Farm Bureau Foundation program making note of farm families that have donated a portion of their crops, cash or in-kind donations to local food pantries.

Tasty chicken choice:

My first visit to Atlas Chicken Shack on Third Street in Geneva did not disappoint.

I've written about Preservation Bread & Wine owner Lawrence Colburn's project to open the chicken business in the building across the alley from Preservation.

It took nearly two years from concept to opening, and then reopening when the chicken was so popular during the soft opening that Colburn had to close it for a couple of days to regroup and restock the pantries.

The result is quite good. I could have asked for everything on the menu, but instead settled for chicken, fries, coleslaw and cheddar biscuits.

This mouthwatering chicken comes from a special Amish farm in Indiana. My advice is to keep that business line open.

For the veterans:

The Autumn Leaves memory care center in St. Charles will have a special service for its residents who were veterans and their spouses.

The special pinning services with flags, pins, patriotic music and refreshments will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday, after a 5 p.m. dinner.

"We recognize that even with memory impairment, their service and experiences are something that is rarely forgotten and they continue to take pride in," said Anne Marie Davidson, sales and marketing director at Autumn Leaves. "We are proud of our residents and want them to know that."

'That' car show:

Here's a question we get around this time of year. "When is that car show in Geneva?"

It might be a mouthful to remember Geneva Concours d'Elegance, but that's the name of what has become a popular car event along Third Street every summer.

This free event is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28. Donations are accepted to benefit the LivingWell Cancer Resource Center.

dheun@sbcglobal.net