Kane County Fair opens July 17

The Neverly Brothers is one of many bands that will provide musical entertainment at the Kane County Fair, which opens July 17 and continues through July 21 at the Kane County Fairgrounds in St. Charles. The fair offers a wide variety of summer activities, including a carnival, free shows, exhibits, livestock displays, a battle of the bands, a demolition derby and championship bull riding. The fair also serves up a variety of food. The fair is a wonderful summer tradition and one you will want to attend. The carnival offers ticket specials and the fair's website offers coupons. 

More summer fun
For those seeking more summer fun, Batavia's Windmill City Fest continues through July 14 in downtown Batavia, and the 35th annual St. Sophia Greek Festival continues through July 14 on the grounds at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church, 525 Church Road, Elgin. Both festivals offer food, entertainment and attractions for all ages.

Watch the Tour de France at Chez Moi

Chez Moi Cafe & Catering, 415 W. State St. in downtown Geneva is showing the Tour de France during breakfast hours mornings through July 21. Visitors can view the race and enjoy special offerings each week. For more information, call Chez Moi at 331-248-0654. 

Speaker to share the history of golf

The Batavia Public Library will host a presentation by golf historian Peter Longo at 7 p.m. July 16. Longo will present a humorous, fact-filled look at golf’s 600-year history. The library is located at 10 S. Batavia Ave., Batavia. Admission is free, but registration is encouraged and can be completed by calling 630-879-1393, ext. 200.

Movies for $1

Randall 15 IMAX, 550 N. Randall Road, Batavia, is screening children’s movies from 10 a.m. to noon daily during the summer. Admission is $1. “Space Chimps” is the featured movie July 15 through July 19, and “Ice Age: Continental Drift” will be featured July 22 through July 26. For more information, call 630-225-8400.

http://www.gqti.com/theaters.aspx?theaterid=1468

Library to offer felting program

Elburn's Town and Country Public Library will host felting for teens at 10:30 a.m. July 16. The program is for those in grades 6 to 12 and will be presented by Natasha Lehrer of Esther’s Place in Big Rock. The library is located at 320 E. North St., Elburn. Participants are asked to register for the program. For more information, call 630-365-2244.

Cougars to host Bark in the Park

The Kane County Cougars will celebrate man’s best friend when the team hosts Bark in the Park at 6:30 p.m. July 17 at Fifth Third Bank Ballpark in Geneva. The event will include a dog parade, contests and an appearance by the Fly Dogs. Dogs will have free admission to the lawn area. A water station and a doggie restroom will be available. For more information, call 630-232-8811.  The Cougars will play the Great Lakes Loons. 

A Celebration in Chocolate

Interiors for Business, 409 N. River St., Batavia, will host a Celebration in Chocolate from 6 to 9 p.m. July 19. The evening will feature wine, chocolate to celebrate the unveiling of the poster for the 2013 Art in Your Eye Fine Art Show and Festival. Tickets are $10. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 630-220-1425. This year's festival will be conducted Sept. 21 and Sept. 22 in downtown Batavia.

Geneva Jake's to close July 29

Rick Nagel at Geneva Patch recently reported that Geneva Jake's, 407 S. Third St. in downtown Geneva will close its doors later this month after a five-year run. The store is now conducting a final sale. I'm a big fan of the store and have enjoyed Geneva Jake's postings on Facebook. Lori and I like to support independent businesses, and we're disappointed to see this one close. On a related note, Three B (Brothers, Burgers and Beer) at 7 W. State St. in downtown Geneva recently closed its doors, according to a report by the Kane County Chronicle’s Brenda Schory. The business had been open less than year.

A boat-load of fish, but not a world record

One of the more interesting news stories of the past week, in my opinion, concerned Johnny Wilkins' effort on July 5 to set a new world record for the number of fish caught in a 24-hour period. Wilkins, a La Grange resident, caught and released 2,011 fish using a rod and a simple hook at an Oakbrook Terrace pond, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune. As impressive as that number is, Wilkins was 638 fish shy of the record 2,649 fish, which was set in 2011 in Minnesota. Wilkins said he needed to catch 1.8 fish per minute to break the record. Wilkins told the Tribune he had trained for six months to develop his upper body strength. He also said he plans to to make another try for the record next year. I wish you well in your endeavors, Mr. Wilkins.

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Youth ensemble stages 'High School Musical'

Submitted photo

• The Fox Valley Repertory Youth Ensemble will continue its production of "High School Musical" through Aug. 5 at Pheasant Run in St. Charles. The show is presented at 10:30 a.m. July 27, 10:30 a.m. Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, and at 7 p.m. Aug. 3. Tickets are $15. The show features Mack Rivara as Troy and Carly Stanton as Gabriella. The production is directed by Carly Churchey. For more information, call 630-584-6342.


• Congratulations to the Geneva Cultural Arts Commission and the members of the Midsummer Theater Troupe for staging a fine performance of "The Merry Wives of Windsor" for Shakespeare on the Street, July 21. The partnership staged the production on south Third Street in downtown Geneva. It was the commission's 14th annual presentation of its popular Shakespeare in the Park program, but a renovation project at Geneva's River Park forced this year's show to be relocated to Third Street. Several hundred theater fans attended the production.

The DuPage County Fair opens July 25 and includes animal contests.

Submitted photo

•The annual DuPage County Fair will open July 25 and continue through July 29. This year's fair will include musical entertainment, exhibits, contests, a demo derby, food and many other traditional festival attractions. The fair takes place at the DuPage County Fairgrounds, 2015 Manchester Road, Wheaton. 


• Overcast skies July 20 through July 22 provided some relief from the hot, dry weather that has dominated the region this summer and attracted visitors to the annual Kane County Fair, according to a report in the Kane County Chronicle. About 73,000 visitors attended the fair, which started July 18 and concluded July 22. About 10,000 more visitors attended the fair in 2012 than in 2011, the report stated. 


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Food writer likes The Elms in Batavia

The Mystery Diner likes the offerings at The Elms in Batavia.

Kane County Chronicle photo

• The Mystery Diner, a staffer at the Kane County Chronicle whose name is kept secret, recently visited The Elms in Batavia and shared this pleasant review. The review noted the fresh burgers and the barbecue pork sandwiches offered at The Elms, and I was pleased to see that the writer also mentioned the eatery's root beer. I enjoy the burgers at The Elms, but I also recommend the steak sandwich. The Elms is family-owned, has operated for 40 years and is located at  912 W. Main St., Batavia. Give it a tumble. I think you'll like what they're serving up. If you go, bring cash, because they don't take credit cards at The Elms, and make sure you order some soft-serve ice cream for dessert. You'll be glad you did.

• The annual Kane County Fair opened today and continues through July 22 at the Kane County Fairgrounds in St. Charles. The fair offers a variety of attractions for all ages, including live entertainment, a carnival, a rodeo, exhibitors and livestock displays. And vendors offer all the traditional summertime favorites, such as corn dogs, cotton candy and funnel cakes. I try to make at least one visit to the fair each year, usually on Saturday. This year I might visit on Friday. I particularly enjoy viewing the livestock and attending the rodeo. 

• The annual Waterman Summerfest and Tractor Show will begin at 7 a.m. July 21 and offers visitors a full day of summer fun in the country. The festival is located at Waterman Lions Park, 420 S. Birch St., Waterman. The festival will begin at 7 a.m. with a French toast breakfast and will include musical entertainment, a parade of antique tractors at noon, children's activities, food vendors and a fireworks display at 9 p.m. It might last just one day, but this event packs a lot into one festival.

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