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.




– Thank you for reading. Share news and photos about your organization or business here. Email information and photos to kbotterman@gmail.com. Please include caption information for each submitted photo.

Geneva set to host Swedish Days Festival

The Geneva Chamber of Commerce and Cadence Health will present Geneva’s annual Swedish Days Festival June 18 to June 23 in downtown Geneva.The festival will offer a variety of activities and attractions for all ages, including live entertainment, a carnival, crafts, summertime treats, exhibitions, merchant specials and the 64th annual Swedish Days Parade. Visitors will find a variety of musical entertainment and an array of food offerings. Libido Funk Circus, one of the area’s most entertaining bands, will perform at 7:30 p.m. June 20 on the festival's center stage. For more information about the festival, call the Chamber at 630-232-6060, or click here. The Chicago Tribune published a special advertising section for the festival.

Swedish Midsommar Fest set for June 16

The 103rd annual Swedish Midsommar Festival, a day-long celebration of Scandinavian heritage, will begin 9 a.m. June 16 at Good Templar Park in Geneva. 

The event includes traditional Scandinavian foods, folk dancing, tours of the Swedish summer cottages, a non-denominational worship service at 10 a.m. and other activities for all ages. The admission fee for adults in $5. Children age 12 and younger are admitted free. Parking is free.

Hillbilly Rockstarz launch STC's Concerts in the Park series

The St. Charles Park District begins its annual Concerts in the Park Series at 7 p.m. June 13 with a performance by Hillbilly Rockstarz at Lincoln Park in downtown St. Charles.

The band plays a mix of contemporary hits and country classics. Admission is free, and attendees are encourage to bring a blanket or chair. Lincoln Park is located on on West Main Street, between Fourth and Fifth Streets. In the event of foul weather, the concert will be moved to the Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St. 

The Concerts in the Park series continues on Thursdays through Aug. 16. The series will present R-Gang on June 20 and Mr. Myers on June 27.

Batavia Green Walk set for June 15

The Batavia Green Walk will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 15 at the Batavia Riverwalk in downtown Batavia. The event will include a variety of activities and workshops. 

Activities will include a family bike ride, free yoga classes, arts and crafts for children, paddle boats and kayaking. Workshops will be presented in the Batavia Government Building and will cover a range of topics, including allergy-free cooking, birds of the Fox River Valley and water quality of the Fox River. 

The event is presented by Batavia MainStreet, the Batavia Environmental Commission, the Batavia Park District and the City of Batavia. 

Club plans Swedish Days Ride

The Fox Valley Bicycle and Ski Club will host its annual Swedish Days Ride June 23 in Burlington. The event offers participants mileage options ranging from 27 to 100 miles. Check-in will be conducted from 6 to 9 a.m. The registration fee is $25 for a single rider and $45 for families (at least one adult and children age 16 or younger). 

Online registration can be completed through June 19 at www. active.com. Only cash or checks will be accepted for fees on the day of the event.

Waterline Writers to host reading

The Waterline Writers group will host a reading by local writers at 7 p.m. June 16 at Water Street Studios, 160 Water St., Batavia. The evening will include readings by Donald J. Bingle, Susan DeLay and Kevin Burris. 

Luciano offers a final salute to Pete Vonachen 

Peoria Journal Star columnist Phil Luciano, a former colleague of mine at the Northern Star, composed a fine farewell June 10 to Pete Vonachen, the entrepreneur credited with making a home for minor league baseball in Peoria. Vonachen, 87, died in his sleep June 10. 

Vonachen purchased the Peoria Suns baseball franchise in 1985 and worked with longtime friend and radio announcer Harry Caray to secure an affiliation with the Chicago Cubs. The Peoria team was renamed the Chiefs and set Midwest League attendance records in the late 1980s. 

I attended my first Chiefs game in July 1986 and recall being impressed with the strong attendance at a Thursday night game and the contagious enthusiasm of the team’s fans. 

Hector ponders hail

John Hector, a copy editor at the Chicago Tribune and all-around good egg, posted this question on Twitter during the thunderstorms that soaked the area June 12: “Before coins and golf were invented, how was hail measured?” 

Setting the pace for the Dash with Dad

I am scheduled to serve as pace setter for the Batavia’s United Way’s Dash with Dad 5K run at 8:30 a.m. June 15 at the Batavia Riverwalk in downtown Batavia. If everything goes according to plan, I will be the guy on the bicycle a short distance ahead of the runners. If you plan to be at the Riverwalk at that hour Saturday morning, say hello. For more information about the run, call Jody at 630-879-4041.

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