Kane County News Briefs

Chronicle Media

The 2018 edition of the Kane County Fair returns to St. Charles from July 18-22 with agricultural displays and many other attractions, including a carnival. (Photos by Jack McCarthy / Chronicle Media)

AURORA

City reschedules fireworks for July 27

The City of Aurora’s Independence Day fireworks show has been rescheduled for 9 p.m. on Friday, July 27.

Guests can enjoy the free show from the same two convenient locations at RiverEdge Park, 360 N. Broadway, and McCullough Park, 128 W. Illinois Ave., in downtown Aurora.

“The decision to cancel the fireworks was made in the best interest of the thousands gathered along the banks of the Fox River for the evening’s festivities,” said Mayor Richard C. Irvin. “Safety is our top priority. We appreciate everyone’s patience, understanding and cooperation during the evacuation process. We’ll come back together in a few weeks and enjoy a wonderful Friday evening watching the fireworks.”

As an added bonus, the Downtown Alive concert already scheduled at RiverEdge Park on Friday, July 27 is free to attend.  Heartache Tonight, one of the finest Eagles tribute bands in the country, will perform from 8 p.m. until the fireworks begin at 9 p.m. and then resume the concert at 9:30 p.m.

Doors at RiverEdge Park open at 6 p.m. Guests can begin gathering at McCullough Park also at 6 p.m.

Parking is available throughout the downtown area. There will be no shuttle buses for the rescheduled event.

COUNTY

The Kane County Fair returns for its annual run from July 18-22.

Wednesday, July 18 admission is free and just $5 on Thursday. Seniors over age 62 and military with identification are free on Thursday until 5 p.m.  Entry is $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 5-12 on under days. Season tickets are $20.

Midway Hours of Operation run from 3-11 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, noon to midnight on Friday and Saturday and noon-10 p.m. on Sunday. Exhibit halls close two hour earlier than Midway.

Musical acts are scheduled nightly. A Monster Truck Show is set for Thursday (admission $10), Professional Champions Bull Riders and Barrel Racing on Friday and Saturday (admission $14 adults, $7 children) and Demolition Derbies at 2 and 6 p.m. Sunday (admission $10).

ST. CHARLES

Heartland Blood Center schedules blood drive

The Heartland Blood Center mobile donation bus will be in front of Fire Station 1, 112 N. Riverside Ave., July 27 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

 

Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are recommended. Call the City’s Human Resources Department at 630.377.4446 to make an appointment.

 

Visit www.heartlandbc.org (now part of Versiti) for information about Heartland Blood Center and blood donation facts.

AURORA

Montgomery man sentenced following fourth DUI

A Montgomery man will go to prison for striking a pedestrian while driving drunk in downtown Aurora late in 2016.

Richard A. Frost, 48, on July 6 agreed to a sentence of five-years’ imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections in exchange for a guilty plea to aggravated DUI, Class 2 felony.

Circuit Judge Clint Hull accepted the plea.

Kane County Assistant State’s Attorney Lori Anderson stated in court that shortly before 4 p.m. Dec. 3, 2016, Frost was driving in the vicinity of East Galena Boulevard and South Stolp Avenue when he struck the victim, a pedestrian who was getting into his car.

The victim got into his car, called 911 and followed Frost until he stopped his car in the 400 block of South Lake Street. When interviewed by police, Frost lied about his name.

Police found a half-empty 375 ml bottle of whisky in his coat pocket. Frost said he first opened the bottle an hour earlier and drank it as he drove around on errands, that he wasn’t drunk yet and that he didn’t know he’d struck the pedestrian.

He said he had lied about his name because his driver’s license was revoked for a prior DUI. When taken to the Aurora Police Station, Frost’s blood-alcohol concentration measured at .185.

Frost has three prior DUI convictions, in Will County in 1991 and 1995, and Cook County in 2002.

AURORA

East Downer Place switches to two-way

Weather permitting a stretch of Downer between Broadway and State Street will change to two-way on July 18 as part of multi-year conversion plan.

In recent years, parts of New York Street, Galena Boulevard, Benton Street, Downer Place, River Street and Lake Street have been changed from one-way traffic to two-way traffic.

“As Aurora has grown, so have our patterns and plans,” said Aurora Mayor Richard C. Irvin. “Dallas, Denver, Sacramento, Louisville and Tampa are just some of the cities that have recently converted one-way streets into two-way streets.

These changes in traffic patterns can enhance livability, make navigation easier, strengthen safety and promote economic development.”

The intersections of East Downer Place at Lincoln, Jackson and Union will all remain as all-way stop controlled intersections.

WHEATON

Cantigny reopens redesigned gardens

A key milestone in Cantigny Park’s ongoing Project New Leaf renovation was reached last week when the park’s redesigned and replanted gardens reopened to the public. The gardens at Cantigny, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton, had been closed since fall 2017.

According to Cantigny officials, the gardens are fresh and new, but still reflect the vision of Franz Lipp, the renowned landscape architect who designed and planted them in the 1960s and ’70s.

Located north of the visitors center, the gardens feature several distinct elements:

  • Rose Garden. This display, featuring 60 rose varieties, maintains the geometric pattern of beds and stone inlay walkways of the original Lipp design. The space includes rose trellises, a gazebo, an nannyberry viburnum open lawn for wedding ceremonies and a surrounding 7-foot privacy hedge of Japanese yew.
  • White Garden. This garden features a myriad of white flowering plants in a formal setting with boxwood and yew hedges.
  • Perennial Border. This 250-foot-long perennial garden lines a newly lit brick pathway connecting Cantigny’s north parking lot with east side attractions of the property, including the McCormick House. More than 75 species of perennials and grasses comprise the wide variety of native and nativar plants featured in color waves.
  • Lower Display Garden. Historic statuary representing the four seasons punctuate this garden featuring Lipp’s geometrically shaped flower beds and pathways.
  • Pollinator Garden. These beds are devoted to sustaining pollinator health, and to the important work of bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and even flies.
  • Pond Garden. This 2-acre area, north of the display gardens, opened in May. The pond is larger than before and now offers access to the water via steps and a boardwalk.

LISLE

WorkNet DuPage offersJuly 18 hiring events

The workNet DuPage Career Center is hosting a hiring event with 11 DuPage County businesses. All employers are actively hiring and seeking to fill multiple full-time positions. 

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on July 18 in the workNet Career Center located at 2525 Cabot Drive, Suite 302 in Lisle.

Businesses scheduled to attend include Edward-Elmhurst Health, DuPage County, Orbus, ITW, Abrasive Forms, Walgreens, Cheese Merchants, SWD, Dealer Inspire, ACE, and Wheaton Bank & Trust Company.

On the same day, workNet DuPage will host a pre-hiring event workshop, “How to Work a Job Fair” at 9 a.m. Led by career counselor Jennifer Weggeman, M.A., this free workshop, open to all County residents, will prepare job seekers to navigate the hiring event to best advantage. workNet DuPage offers free career and employment services to job seekers in the DuPage County area, including funding assistance for job training, interview and resume workshops, and employment planning.

For more information about workNet DuPage or open positions, visit www.worknetdupage.org or call us at (630) 955-2030 or TTL at (630) 955-2098. Auxiliary aids and services to individuals with disabilities are available upon request.

AURORA

Money taken from 88-year-old woman

The Aurora Police Department is asking the public’s help gathering information about a ruse burglary that took place around 1 p.m.  on July 10  in the 1400 block of Beau Ridge Drive, where an 88-year-old woman had a substantial amount of money stolen.

“The woman told us a man came to her door and said he was there to fix something for her and that his father knew the victim,” APD spokesman Dan Ferrelli said via Facebook. “After letting him in, he led her through the house to the back yard and talked about items that needed repairs.”

The woman became suspicious and went back into the home. When she looked out her living room window, she saw the truck the suspect had arrived in speeding away. When she looked in the back yard, the suspect was gone.

The victim said the truck was occupied by two people. She could not gain a description of the second subject.

Ferrelli said the burglary apparently happened as the first suspect was distracting the victim, allowing the second person to enter the home and take the money.

The suspect is a white male, 40 to 50 years old, 5 feet, 2 inches to to 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing 160 to 180 pounds, with short, salt-and-pepper hair. He may have been driving a black, full-size, either Ford or Chevrolet pickup truck with an extended bed, full cab, and dark tinted back windows.

Anyone with information should call Investigations at 630-256-5500 or Aurora Area Crime Stoppers at 630-892-1000. Information phoned into Crime Stoppers that leads to an arrest qualifies for a cash reward and all callers remain anonymous.

KANE COUNTY

Crack sealing, other work planned in seven roads

Starting the week of July 16,  routing and crack sealing will begin on seven Kane County roads.

Construction work hours will be from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. each day for approximately four to six weeks, weather permitting.

  • Allen Road from Harmony Road to Brier Hill Road
  • Harter Road from 1,500 feet southeast of Scott Road to IL Route 47
  • French Road from Walker Road/ North Main Street to IL Route 72
  • Healy Road-Norris Road from Bliss Road to Tanner Road
  • Plato Road from 650 feet east of IL Route 47 to Muirhead Road
  • Kirk Road from Wilson Street to Cherry Lane
  • Corron Road from Burlington Road to Bowes Road

The crack sealing program is part of the county’s comprehensive road maintenance program to increase the longevity of the roads by sealing road cracks preventing water from penetrating the road base and reducing the life of the pavement.

The  roads will remain open during treatment, but will be reduced to one lane of travel using flaggers and temporary daily lane closures.

 

–Kane County News Briefs–