Farming's history and Swedish Days in Geneva

Kevin Botterman photo

Garfield Farm to look at farming and democracy
The Garfield Farm Museum, 3N016 Garfield Road, Campton Hills, will present Early American Farming’s Role in Democracy, featuring Judith Broggi, at 1 p.m. June 17. Broggi will discuss the farming tradition in Massachusetts, its role in the American Revolution, and its influence on Illinois history. Admission is $6. For more information, visit

Walking tour features Sycamore homes, history
The Sycamore History Museum will host guided walking tours of Sycamore’s Main Street beginning at 1 p.m. June 18. The tours will feature the architecture and local history of several private homes and public buildings, including the DeKalb County Court House and the Sycamore Public Library. The tours will start at the courthouse in downtown Sycamore. The fee is $5 per person. For more information, call 815-895-5762.


Geneva celebrates summer with Swedish Days fest
The annual Swedish Days festival will begin June 21 and continue through June 25 at various locations in downtown Geneva. The festival offers activities and entertainment for all ages, including live music, demonstrations, a carnival, crafts, sales, food, and a parade. For details, visit genevachamber.com.

Yorkville to host Midwest Car Show
The Midwest Street Rod Association will present its Gears and Ears Midwest Car Show June 25 at the Kendall County Fairgrounds in Yorkville. The show will be open 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and features more than 600 vehicles.

A closing thought: 
    The International Olympic Committee recently announced it would add 3-on-3 basketball to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, aiming to appeal to a younger audience, according to ESPN.
    The 3-on-3 hoops competition will join recently added events such as surfing, climbing and skateboarding. 
    I am not interested in any of the added sports and can’t imagine the move will produce the results the IOC seeks. I follow news from the marketing industry rather closely, including efforts to successfully market to the millennial (those born between 1982 and 2004, roughly) demographic. 
    There’s a good chance that I am wrong, but I don’t think the Olympics will capture the millennial audience with skateboarding and other niche events. The Olympics face a variety of challenges, perhaps the greatest is convincing audiences the games remain relevant. 
    Audiences in the United States enjoy a range of televised distractions, and World Cup soccer generates stronger ratings with an international audience than the Olympics.
    If the IOC’s gamble pays off and skateboarding and modified-basketball competition attracts a younger audience, perhaps we’ll see similar additions to future Olympic games, say maybe a craft beer brewing event that includes a participation trophy for each brewer.




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