The Fox Valley Park District is inviting residents to take part in the World’s Largest Swim Lesson on Friday, June 24 from 10 to 10:30 a.m. at Splash Country Water Park, 195 S. Barnes Road, Aurora. (Photo courtesy of Fox Valley Park District)

Summer Symphony concert scheduled

The Fox Valley Academy and Philharmonic Orchestras will perform its annual Summer Symphony Concert at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 26 at the Community Concert Center in Naperville.

The Philharmonic Orchestra maestro, Maryann Flock will direct American classics and also will include a medley of the Armed Forces Service tunes in which the Philharmonic invites veterans, and family members in the audience to stand and be recognized for proudly serving our country. 

The public is encouraged to bring a picnic basket and blanket to fully enjoy the sounds of Central Park. The Naperville outdoor concert center is located in Central Park, 104 E. Benton. Admission is free, but $5-10 donations are suggested. Donations support the Academy’s ensembles and outreach education programs.

This concert is supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.  For more information call (630) 476-9072, or visit us online at www.FVacademy.org.   

Aurora

Participants needed for World’s Largest Swim Lesson

The Fox Valley Park District is giving the community the opportunity to learn more about swimming safely by participating in the World’s Largest Swim Lesson. The World’s Largest Swim Lesson is sponsored by the World Waterpark Association, and the event will take place simultaneously at water parks, community pools, and aquatic facilities across the country and around the globe in an attempt to break last year’s Guinness World Record.

You can take part in the World’s Largest Swim Lesson on Friday, June 24 from 10 to 10:30 a.m.at Phillips Park Family Aquatic Center, 828 Montgomery Road, Aurora, and Splash Country Water Park, 195 S. Barnes Road, Aurora.

Free registration begins at 9:15 a.m., and the lesson will last for at least 30 minutes. This event is for all ages and those who participate in the lesson will receive a wristband that allows them to enjoy the water park for free for the rest of the day.

Kendall County

Kifowit makes strides against sex crimes

In collaboration with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, State Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, recently helped pass several pieces of legislation to eliminate the statute of limitations for sex crimes against children.

“The shocking case involving former Speaker Dennis Hastert is just one example of predators escaping justice, because the time to prosecute them for their crimes ran out,” Kifowit said. “The effects of child abuse stays with victims for their entire life, so it is only fair to eliminate the statute of limitations for these heinous crimes.”

House Bill 1127 abolishes the statute of limitations for sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual assault, and predatory criminal sexual assault. House Bill 1128 eliminates the statute of limitations for involuntary sexual servitude of a minor, involuntary servitude, indecent solicitation of a child, failure to report sexual abuse of a child, and patronizing a minor engaged in prostitution. House Bill 1129 gives prosecutors more time to go after crimes involving child pornography and internet related offenses.

For more information, please contact Kifowit’s constituent service office by phone at (630) 585-1308, by email at Stephanie.Kifowit@att.net, or by visiting www.ILDistrict84.com.

Tobacco compliance results announced

On May 25, the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office completed the final of three rounds of compliance checks to be conducted on all tobacco retailers within unincorporated Kendall County. A total of six tobacco retailers were inspected and three of the six were found to be in compliance with the Illinois tobacco laws.

Violations occurred at the Oswego Food and Liquor, 100 block of Light Road, Oswego; Gas Mart USA, 2500 block of Light Road, Oswego, and Citgo,17000 block of Ridge Road in Minooka.

At all three locations, the cashier who sold the tobacco was cited for unlawful sale of tobacco to a minor, a petty offense.

The compliance checks are performed to determine if local tobacco retailers are complying with state minimum age tobacco laws, which prohibit the sale of tobacco to persons under the age of 18.

With the help from a grant awarded by the Illinois Liquor Control Commission’s “Kids Can’t Buy ‘Em Here” Tobacco Enforcement Program, Kendall County Sheriff’s Office Community Policing Deputies educate tobacco retailers in unincorporated Kendall County on minimum age tobacco laws and the importance of verifying the age of customers before selling age-restrictive products such as tobacco.

Oswego

District 308’s English Learners Program shows improvements

As part of the Illinois State Board of Education’s (ISBE) five-year cycle of monitoring school districts with English learner (EL) programming, the Division of English Language Learners (DELL) found that Community Unit School District 308’s English Learners Program showed significant improvements.

“We are very excited to receive this positive feedback from ISBE DELL. We celebrate this as recognition of the ongoing, hard work of our teachers, staff, and building and district administration in this notable achievement,” said Superintendent Dr. Matthew Wendt. “Although work remains, several years of effective planning and focusing on actual EL students has led to significant programming improvements, and this recent audit solidifies District 308 is headed in the right direction.”

In 2011, District 308 was cited for 19 non-compliance violations. In 2016, no areas were cited as violations for comparable “Not Implemented” category, making School District 308 one of the 22 districts statewide that received an EL monitoring visit but did not receive any “Not Implemented” findings.

Oswego music teachers honored

The Recording Academy and the Grammy Foundation have announced two Community Unit School District 308 teachers, Rachel Maxwell and Frank Tieri, for its 2017 Music Educator Award.

The Music Educator Award recognizes outstanding educators and honors those who have made significant and lasting contributions to music education. Nominees must demonstrate their commitment to maintaining music education in schools.

This award is open to any current music teachers in the United States, and they can be nominated by anyone. Teachers nominated are then invited to fill out an application for the award.

Rachel Maxwell currently serves as director of bands at Traughber Junior High School and as the performing arts and band coordinator for District 308 junior high schools.

Frank Tieri has been with Oswego High School (OHS) since 1996 and currently directs the music department curricular and extra-curricular choirs. He also acts as an audio technician for the OHS athletic department.

Sandwich

Music in the park comes to Sandwich

The Indian Valley Community Band will help the community kick off the summer season with an outdoor Concert in the Park at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, June 17, at Knights Park, 1001 N. Latham St., Sandwich.

The public is invited to this free concert, which is part of Sandwich Park District’s “Music and Movie in the Park” special events. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and join your friends and neighbors at this fun event.

After Friday’s performance Indian Valley Community Band will be on break until the fall, but for more information about becoming a part of this multi-generational group contact any band member or phone Deb at (815) 786-6752.

Splash pad opens for the season

The Splash Park at Milestone Park is open for the season, but park district officials have a few reminders.

According to the Sandwich Park District, there have been some recent concerns regarding the policy of organized groups of 11 or more people using the facility. The policy regarding organized groups of 11 or more states that they must apply for a permit and receive permission to use the Splash Pad.

At this time, the park district is not issuing permits to organized groups, therefore they are not allowed to use the splash pad. The district said as things stand, the volume of participants and the bather load is a concern.

On its website, the park district stated that it is honoring the residents and taxpayers to allow for controlled use and safety. This issue regarding organized groups will be discussed by the Board of Commissioners to possibly allow large groups to use the facility during the week, for a short period of time. Residents will be informed as to the decision and it will be posted on this website and at the Splash Park.

The entrance for the Splash Park is at 1250 N.  Fairwind Blvd. across from Fairwind Subdivision.

Free Lunches for Children

Starting June 6 and ending Aug. 18, the Sandwich Park District, in partnership with Northern Illinois Food Bank, will offer free lunches to children living in the Sandwich area this summer.  Lunches will be served Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. under the shelter at Knights Park on N. Latham St. In case of rain, lunches will be available indoors. 

The Sandwich YMCA and the Sandwich Library will also have lunches available at the same time and days, for those that live closer to them. Only one lunch, per child at only one location.

–Kendall County News Briefs–