Entertainment Columns
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How Kane County historian verifies Underground Railroad safe housesFeb 04, 2026 11:41 am - Eric Krupa, the collections and exhibitions manager at the St. Charles History Museum, has worked to verify local sites that were part of the Underground Railroad during the Civil War.
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How to be a great restaurant guestFeb 04, 2026 10:16 am - Anticipating a great restaurant experience on a special night out? Start it out right by being a great guest.
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The do’s and don’ts of sending food back to the kitchenJan 29, 2026 3:14 pm - Sending a restaurant meal back to the kitchen can be an uncomfortable experience, not only for you but also for the people in the kitchen. There’s a right time and a wrong time, a right way and a wrong way.
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Horned Lark is having a moment: Ground-hugger featured on cover of two birding magazinesJan 26, 2026 12:24 pm - There are roughly 750 kinds of birds in the United States. So, what are the chances that one of them, Horned Lark, would grace the covers of two major birding magazines this month?
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Why do we have bad times at restaurants?Jan 14, 2026 8:40 am - I have written many articles critical of restaurant owners and staff. It is important to understand that things happen, and it’s not always the restaurants’ fault.
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Painting brick buildings a popular trend, but not with preservationistsJan 14, 2026 4:00 am - Painting over brick is way to bring older buildings “back to life” and give a downtown streetscape a new look, but historic preservationists advise against it.
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‘We will have an awesome sandwich’: Riganato owners to open HoneyBird chicken restaurant in GenevaJan 07, 2026 11:36 am - The owners of Geneva’s Riganato Old World Grille are planning to open a second restaurant -- HoneyBird, on East State Street, focusing on chicken.
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Restaurants must adapt to boomers’ needs and preferencesDec 31, 2025 10:11 am - Restaurants are always changing. New concepts come and go, trends shift, prices climb, portions grow — and then shrink again. But for those of us who are baby boomers, these aren’t the changes we’re thinking about.
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How Christmas traditions help spark holiday spiritDec 17, 2025 12:39 pm - It has seemed a little tougher to muster up the holiday spirit this year. Reflecting on Christmas traditions and seasonal events may help to get us in the right frame of mind.
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Geneva’s Christmas Walk, Aurora Christkindlmarket among local holiday traditionsDec 03, 2025 1:15 pm - Tradition fuels the joy of the holiday season, whether it is within our homes, churches, or community festivals and holiday parades.