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At Home with Merle Burleigh – June 18, 2025

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At Home with Merle

MERLE’S CORNER

Railroad Days 2025 is right on track, chugging into West Chicago Thursday, June 26, through Sunday June 29. The price for unlimited carnival rides is $32 from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Thursday, from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and $37 from 5:30 to 11 p.m. Friday. In addition to the carnival, there are the beer garden, entertainment and food.

Thursday, the Karen Hart Band performs at 8:30 p.m. Friday the Solid-Aire Band performs at 5 p.m., Sammy and the Knights at 7 p.m., and Brian Allison at 9 p.m. Saturday carnival hours are 1 to 11 p.m, plus free shuttle bus service is available from 6 to 11:30 p.m. Lake Effect plays at 5 p.m. and Feed the Machine at 7 p.m. Fireworks, sponsored by the City of West Chicago, start at dusk. Following the fireworks, Raquel and the Wildflowers perform at 9 p.m. Sunday carnival hours are from 1 to 10 p.m. Groups Regressive perform at 4 p.m., Los Asiles at 6:30 p.m. and Groups Impresionant at 8:30 p.m. More information will be in the Wednesday, June 25, column. https://merleburl.com

AROUND AND ABOUT

  • West Chicago City Museum presents the Historiography program, a non-fiction book reading group, at 1 p.m. Thursday, June 19, 2025, in the Museum, 132 Main St. The book is “Lifting as They Climbed: Mapping a History of Trailblazing Black Women in Chicago” by Marianne Kaba and Essence McDowell. To get a copy of the book or for further information, visit Friends of West Chicago City Museum website, https://wegohistory.com or call 630 231-3376. It is not necessary to read the book to attend.
  • “History of Motown Records” is the West Chicago Public Library program starting at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 19, 2025, in the main meeting room, 118 W. Washington St. Presenting the program is music historian and award-winning lecturer, Gary Wenstrup, who uses audio and video content to tell the story. To register, visit https://wcpld.librarycalendar.com/events/month. In the 1960s in Detroit, Motown Records produced hits sung by performers such as The Supremes, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. Upon retirement, Wenstrup developed courses on the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel and Motown Records for the Continuing Education Department at College of DuPage. Wenstrup has lectured at more than 200 libraries across the country.
  • The West Chicago Park District offers Parents Night Out from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 20, 2025, in the ARC, 201 W. National St. Parents drop off their children who are between the ages of three and 10, and then enjoy an evening together. Activities for the children include pizza dinner, games and crafts, plus staff-supervised free-play in the Tree Top Escape and gym. The charge is $15 per child for residents and $18 per child for non-residents. To make a reservation, visit we-goparks.org/youth-programs.
  • West Chicago Park District hosts Hello Summer Fest from 11 a.m.to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 21, 2025, at Reed-Keppler Park, 129 W. National St. The family event includes the fun of bounce houses and games. Off the Chart band provides the musical entertainment. When favorite songs played on the radio, they were always on the top 40 or top 100 charts. This band covers songs no longer on the charts with songs of rock, country, folk and more. https://merleburl.com
  • The West Chicago Public Library Gettin’ Crafty program, “Nautical Vases” is at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in the main meeting room, 118 W. Washington St. To register, visit https://wcpld.librarycalendar.com/events/month. Attendees repurpose a plastic bottle into a cute nautical-themed vase; All supplies are included.
  • West Chicago Garden Club meeting is Thursday, June 26, 2025, at St. Andrew Lutheran Church, 155 N. Prince Crossing Road. Social time is at 6:45, short business meeting at 7 p.m., and program at 7:15 p.m. The meeting is open to the public. Presenting the program, “Ikebana Demonstration,” is E-Ling Lou.

Ikebana is the Japanese art of arranging flowers, branches, leaves and stems as materials in natural, serene works of art. E-Ling Lou is a Master Teacher of the Ohara School of Ikebana. She has been practicing this for more than 30 years. She also is a botanical arranger, who volunteers at Morton Arboretum.

  • The West Chicago Park District holds a hands-on, beginner-friendly workshop on the basics of tree pruning. It takes place at 11 a.m. Friday, June 27, 2025, by The Shell, 700 Arbor Ave. The session is taught both in English and Spanish. Supplies are provided. Reservations are not necessary, but those wanting to register can email Marketing & Communications Manager Danielle Spence at dspence@we-goparks.org.

 

SUPPORT OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES

  • Prairie Landing Golf Club, 2325 Longest Drive, hosts a French Market from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 28, 2025. It showcases local makers and small businesses. The market includes fresh produce, handcrafted goods such as jewelry, home decor, gourmet treats and unique art. Persons wanting to be a vendor can call 630 208-7641 or email rlynn@prairielanding.com by Friday, June 20. https://merleburl.com
  • Uncorked, 108 Main St., is open from 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and from noon to 7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
  • Club SciKidz offers a wide variety of themed STEM birthday parties. The events, designed for youths ages 4 through 14, involve fun, adventure, and hands-on science. Parties are theme-based, such as Slime Time, Rocket Launchers and Bubbling Potions; each guest receives a goodie bag specific to the theme. For more information or to book a party, visit http://westchicago.clubscikidz.com. Club SciKidz meets inside New Hope United Methodist Church, 643 E. Washington St. https://merleburl.com
  • Kamila Cakes,151 W. Washington St., recently launched a new website, https://www.kamilacakes.com/. It is easy to navigate. Hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 7a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays, and closed Mondays. Telephone number is 630 256-1742.
  • Warrenville’s first coffee and tea house recently opened, Cora Coffee, 28W575 Stafford Place. It is open from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. At 4 p.m, it opens as Evolet Eve. Monica is the owner of both businesses. However there is a tie with West Chicago. The shop uses the coffee beans from Kindred Roasted Coffee. Also the owners of Kindred helped Monica to learn about “all things barista,” plus consulted with her regarding the best equipment to use.

 

REMEMBRANCES

  • Sincere sympathy is extended to the family of Richard John Palkovics, who at the age of 77 passed away Tuesday, May 20, 2025.
  • Deepest sympathy is expressed to the family of Margaret A. "Peggy" Sollis, who at the age of 82 passed away Thursday, June 12, 2025.

 

SCHOOLS

  • The Illinois Volleyball Coaches Association honored West Chicago Community High School volleyball player Vincent Spadoni with the All-State Second Team award for the boys 2025 high school season. https://merleburl.com
  • As part of the School Preparedness Series, Fred Cadena, West Chicago Elementary School District 33 Director of Facility and Grounds, gave a presentation at the Homeland Security Training Institute at College of DuPage. The workshop focused on the Illinois School Safety Drill Act, which involves helping schools assess, recover, and stay ready. https://merleburl.com
  • Julie Swartzloff, Director of Human Resources in Community High School District 94, resigned. She accepted the position of Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources with East Aurora School District 131. She said, “It has been an honor to work with some of the most talented educators in my career and to have the support of such an amazing community.”

 

CHURCHES

  • Glen Arbor Community Church and New Life Bilingual Church host a free Summer Soccer Club Wednesdays, starting June 25 and ending August 6, 2025, at New Life Church, 468 Ann St. The time is from 7 to 8:15 p.m. The club is geared for motivated soccer players in grades third through eighth. Each session includes live-action play with short water breaks. There is a halftime Bible lesson. To register, visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScbmUYCaxx5jtIulLHtT6TQr29zE7wpFO4RulbdKI2StEAebA/viewform?usp=header. https://merleburl.com
  • Andrew Lutheran Church, 155 N. Prince Crossing Road, holds a garage sale from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, June 28 and 29, 2025. https://merleburl.com
  • Faith Community Church, 910 Main St., hosts “A Poet in Sound-” an Edgar’s Cello Concerto, at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 28, 2025. Jake Muzzy performs on cello and Mike Messer on piano. To reserve seats, visit us. The concert also will be streamed at: https://realconcerts.us/. There is a pay what you want with a request for a one dollar minimum.
  • Glen Arbor Community Church, 204 Church St., hosts a Cannoli Party at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 28, 2025. It is a casual gathering for all in the community to have fun and eat the best, ever cannolis, an Italian pastry. Reverend Dean Klapatch, pastor of the church, said, “These are homemade desserts, made by a volunteer team with a (secret) family recipe.” Helping to make the desserts is a family in West Chicago who have a cookie decorating business. As Klapatch says, “Holy Cannoli!” https://merleburl.com

 

COMMUNITY MEMBERS HIGHLIGHTS

  • Rosalinda and Ruben Campos celebrate their 50th Wedding Anniversary Saturday, June 21, 2025.
  • Michael Musson, Wayne Township Assessor, is the new president of the Carol Stream Rotary Club.
  • Art Beat Buzz featured a special article on Marita Valdizan and her exhibit, “Emerging in Gratitude,” in Gallery 200. Her exhibit remains up through the end of June. Art Beat Buzz is an online newsletter spotlighting visual artists, opportunities, and art events in the Chicago area. Its website is https://www.artbeatbuzz.com/. https://merleburl.com
  • West Chicago resident and Mexican Cultural Center DuPage president Fernando Ramirez has not been in West Chicago for some time, but he has, in a way, been promoting the art community of the City. He was assisting members of the Minnesota Latino Museum, artists and others with the setting up of the exhibit, “ALEBRIJES: Keepers of the Island,” at Raspberry Island in St. Paul, Minnesota. Sixteen alebrijes sculpture creations are on display from sunrise to 11 p.m. daily until Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. These are some of the sculptures that were on display at Cantigny Park in 2023. The Anderson Center hosts the exhibit, “Alebrijes: Building the Dream World,” which features the creative process with the artists’ preliminary drawings and 3-D models. The four artists are Perla Miriam Salgado Zamorano, Alejandro Camacho Barrera, Edgar Israel Camargo Reyes and Alberto Moreno Fernández. https://merleburl.com
  • Former West Chicago resident Andrew Schwab is running for Kane County Sheriff.
  • A star is born! On Saturday, June 14, 2025, West Chicago resident Roxanne Hamlin appeared on ABC City Weekend,https://abc7chicago.com/videoClip/16749637/. She and Bridget G. Johnson, co-owner of Red Hive Market in Batavia, discussed Father’s Day gifts available in the shop. Hamlin talked about the barbecue apron she was sewing.

Red Hive Market, 6 W. Wilson St., is a 3,000 square-foot boutique featuring more than 35 unique artisans. It is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Hamlin’s section is known as “Not Your Grandma’s Aprons.’ However, more than aprons are featured; there are more of her sewing creations. In addition to being a very good and talented seamstress, she has a knack of finding the right selection of material for her various creations. https://merleburl.com

 

CLUB/ORGANIZATION NEWS

  • “Fabric Dying with Indigenous Natural Dyes from Around the World” is the free community event at Gallery 200, 103 W. Washington St. It takes place at 4 p.m. Thursday, June 26, 2025. West Chicago City Museum Director Sara Phalen leads the event. Refreshments are served.
  • WeGo Together for Kids and the West Chicago Parks Foundation sponsored a Spring Cleaning Closet Coat Drive. There must be many clean closets in the community as they collected 158 coats, 13 snow pants and a countless amount of hats, gloves, scarves and boots. The foundation also donated $1,000 to WeGo Together for Kids. Molly Dean, WGTK executive director, explained, “We will store them until October and then our partners will come and "shop" for kids they serve that are in need. The $1,000 donation from the Park District Foundation goes to us to purchase additional coats in sizes we are lacking from the donated ones.” https://merleburl.com
  • Not only was the Children’s Sensory Garden fundraiser sponsored by West Chicago Parks Foundation a fun event, but it also was successful as more than $8,000 was raised. At this time there is around $15,000 in the account. Foundation Secretary Rebecca Holmes said a car was donated and “once we sell it there should be about 30,000 in the account.” This would allow phase 1, the demolition, to start this year. The total cost of the project is around $100,000. The garden is in memory of Melissa Medeiros, who was an employee of the West Chicago Park District for more than 18 years.

 

CITY OF WEST CHICAGO

  • West Chicago City Museum started a new series, “Museum Monday.” The June 9, 2025, series highlighted the new searchable database with the museum’s digitized materials. For further information on the series, visit https://www.facebook.com/FriendsoftheWestChicagoCityMuseum/.

“We are thrilled to announce a significant milestone in preserving and sharing the rich history of West Chicago—the launch of our online collection through the CatalogIt database. This new platform allows us to digitally share items from our extensive collection, making them accessible to the public like never before.” It also showcases business-related artifacts. “The CatalogIt database is user-friendly and searchable by name, date, and location, allowing visitors to explore our collection with ease. This digital archive is an invaluable resource for researchers, students, and anyone interested in the history of West Chicago.” More items will be added over time. To view the online collection, visit https://www.wegohistory.com/ or https://hub.catalogit.app/3310. https://merleburl.com

  • Driving through the designated area for the City of West Chicago’s annual Paper Shred and Medical Disposal event were 226 vehicles. The amount of paper shredded totaled 10,880 pounds or 5.4 tons. Thirteen pre-ordered rain barrels were picked up. For the medical disposal, there were 100 pounds of sharps and 50 pounds of medications and vitamins. Among the other items collected were 35 used American flags, 25 eyeglasses, 1 hearing aid, and 637 pounds of clothing, shoes and apparel. https://merleburl.com

 

WEST CHICAGO POLICE DEPARTMENT

  • Beginning Friday, June 20, and ending Monday, July 7, 2025, the West Chicago Police Department plans for a July Fourth enforcement focusing on impaired and unbuckled drivers. It joins the Illinois State Police and more than 200 local police and sheriff's departments for the statewide effort. To celebrate safely, “designate a sober driver and don't let friends or family members drive impaired.” Other important tips include giving the designated driver the car keys before going out, calling a taxi, taking mass transit, using a ride-sharing service, or if one is impaired by alcohol. cannabis, or any other drug calling a sober friend or family member, and promptly reporting impaired drivers to law enforcement by pulling over and dialing 911.

“Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” “Drive High Get a DUI” and “Click It or Ticket” campaigns are made possible by federal traffic safety funds administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation. The enforcement efforts are complemented by IDOT's “It's Not a Game" media campaign, which emphasizes the serious consequences of impaired driving and other unsafe driving behaviors.

  • Due to construction at the West Chicago police station, persons needing assistance use the door to the left of the main entrance. During normal business hours, persons press the outside call button and then enter the station through the door. A member of the records department will be there shortly. After normal business hours, persons enter through that same door and use the phone inside to get in touch with the dispatch center. To assist with the law enforcement needs, an officer will arrive at the station shortly. https://merleburl.com
  • West Chicago Police Department issued 83 citations during the Memorial Day “Click It or Ticket” enforcement period. During that time period, police officers wrote 12 citations for seat belt violations. Additional actions were one DUI arrest, one fugitive apprehended, five distracted driving citations, seven suspended/revoked licenses, seven uninsured motorist citations and thirteen speeding citations. The “Click It or Ticket” campaign is funded with federal highway safety funds administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation.
  • West Chicago Police Department Honor Guard presented the colors at the Kane County Cougars game Friday, June 13, 2025. Members of the Honor Guard are Sergeant Antonio Reyes, Sergeant Jonathan Jones, Officer Jean-Claude Chassagne, Officer Elvira Serrano, K9 Officer Justin Rigler, Detective Daniel Calabrese and Officer Gerado Solis. https://merleburl.com

 

WEST CHICAGO FIRE PROTECTION DISTRICT

  • West Chicago Fire Protection District recognized the work anniversaries of its firefighters. Fire Chief Jeff Keefe celebrated 23 years Sunday, June 1, 2025. Deputy Chief Ric Ciszewski celebrated 22 years Monday, June 9, 2025. https://merleburl.com

 

ODDS AND ENDS

  • The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County recently held a ceremonial groundbreaking for its new Grounds & Natural Resources Campus at Blackwell Forest Preserve. Per the press release, “The 112,900-square-foot facility will serve as the main hub for crews who maintain and restore the nearly 26,000 acres of forest preserves countywide. Features include an on-site solar array for renewable energy, rainwater harvesting systems to conserve water, and native bioswales and basins that support both stormwater management and habitat restoration.” https://merleburl.com
  • Previously, Wayne Supervisor Randy Ramey said truckloads of items were collected at the township recycle event. Now the official numbers are in and show that it was “the most amount of recycled materials ever collected.” The totals are 6,730 pounds of shredded paper, 2,095 pounds of textiles and 7,873 pounds of electronics.
  • Touch-A-Truck, sponsored by West Chicago Police Department and West Chicago Park District, was a perfect event. It was difficult to see who was enjoying it more—the participants or the attendees of adults and youth. https://merleburl.com

My email address is merleburl@earthlink.net.