🍀 St. Paddy’s Celebrations

St. Charles’ annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade returns to take over downtown on Saturday (3/15) — it’ll begin rolling down Main Street from 6th Street to 4th Avenue at 2PM.

The festivities begin early with an 11AM Opening Ceremony at 1st Street Plaza, an all-day interactive Shamrock Hunt and a wide range of St. Patrick’s Day specials at restaurants and retail shops throughout the downtown area.

If parades and outdoor activities in March aren’t your thing (no shame in that game), here are some other ways to celebrate:

• St. Pat’s Cookie Decorating Workshop | Evergreen Pub, STC | Wednesday 3/12, 6PM

• Corned Beef Clash | Alter Brewing, STC | Thursday 3/13, 6PM

• Pre-Parade Brunch | Tap House Grill, STC | Sat 3/15, 9AM

• St. Baldrick’s Head Shaving Fundraiser | Riverlands Brewing, STC | Sat 3/15, 10AM-2PM

• Watch Party | Rock N Ravioli, STC | Sat 3/15, 1-4PM

• St. Paddy’s Day Luncheon | St. Charles Episcopal Church | Sat 3/15, 11:30AM

• St. Patrick’s Day Celebration | Foxfire, Geneva | Sunday 3/16, 4-8PM

• Classical Blast in Kilts | Moonlight Theatre, STC | Sunday 3/16, 7-9PM

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🦅 Spring is in the air — literally

As we shake off a dreary Midwest winter, it’s the ideal time for new beginnings — and what better way to embrace something new than by taking to the skies? At Freedom Flying Company in Sugar Grove, you can experience the season’s transformation firsthand with a 30- or 60-minute discovery flight, watching the Fox Valley bloom beneath you.

Who knows, maybe that first flight will blossom into a long-term passion? Freedom Flying Company also offers expert flight training to help folks earn their FAA Sport or Private Pilot License.

It’s time to swap those winter blues for blue skies — your spring adventure starts here.

📰 News to use

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☑️ Scammer caught: A Batavia man is facing federal fraud charges after he allegedly misled investors about business opportunities — including fiber optics and fitness studios — while spending their money on things like travel and jewelry.

☑️ Housing debate: A large portion of last week’s Geneva City Council meeting was dedicated to discussions (some of them contentious) about a potential affordable housing development at the former Duke and Lee property on Third Street. Watch the recording and read the Shaw Local recap (🔒).

☑️ Border battle: Indiana officials have passed bills proposing to annex downstate Illinois counties and lure Chicago sports teams, gaining support from some Illinois lawmakers.

☑️ Boards & bites: The Batavia Historic Preservation Commission this week will review an application for proposed renovations at 21 N. River Street for what would become a new restaurant and board game venue.

🔒 Looming change: Batavia’s historic 1890s-era Tin Shop building is likely facing demolition by the end of the year to make way for new public restrooms — unless a last-minute relocation plan can save it. Here’s the removal/relocation RFP.

☑️ Surprising finish: Remember the “design a new state flag” competition that Illinois officials were promoting late last year? One design won in decisive fashion — and it’s probably not the result you predicted.

🏘️ In the community

☑️ Spring cleanup: Beginning on 3/17, both Geneva (for two weeks) and St. Charles (for four weeks) will begin offering free yard waste pickup. Free yard waste services will be available in Batavia the weeks of 4/7 and 4/14.

☑️ Best in state: Vote for your favorite locally made product in the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association’s “March Madness” contest, where eight Tri-Cities businesses are competing for the title of the “Coolest Thing Made in Illinois.”

☑️ Park playoffs: Batavia’s parks are going head-to-head in a friendly competition as the Batavia Park District kicks off its 2025 Park Madness Tournament, where residents can vote on Facebook to help crown the community’s favorite park.

☑️ Social connections: The Batavia Senior Citizens Club is a group of fun, active adults over 50 who meet the third Wednesday of every month for lunch and entertainment. The next meeting will be held on 3/19 for anyone interested in joining.

☑️ Golden opportunity: The Batavia Woman’s Club is offering scholarships for local students to attend STEAM-focused summer camps in science, technology, engineering, the arts and math — with applications due by April 18.

🎸 Live music

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It’ll be relatively slow during the middle of the week, but we’ve got the first-ever live show at Bad Alice in Geneva to look forward to on Friday.

🤝 Local biz

☑️ Class of 2025: The 2025 Batavia Boardwalk Shops participants have been announced, setting the stage for a fresh lineup of small businesses offering handcrafted jewelry, African market goods, unique candy, board games and much more.

☑️ Nailed it: Sachi Nail Bar in St. Charles has a grand opening celebration planned for this weekend (3/15 and 3/16) with food, goodie bags, deals and more. Here’s a humorous video promoting the event.

☑️ Fish fry season: These St. Charles restaurants are said to have killer fish fries. Know of other great fish fry spots in the Tri-Cities area? Share them here.

🗞️ Un-classifieds

☑️ Local home sales: See recent property sales for Kane County — including this $900K home in the Norton Lake neighborhood of Campton Hills.

☑️ Local obits: Recent obituaries posted by Tri-Cities funeral homes.

☑️ City meetings:

• Monday (3/10): St. Charles Planning & Development Committee (agenda)

• Tuesday (3/11): Following a chemical discharge that caused $40K in damage to the wastewater treatment plant, Batavia scheduled a special City Council meeting (agenda) about updating penalties for violations of the city’s Sanitary Sewerage System Code, which hasn’t been changed since 1988.

  • The Committee of the Whole Meeting will immediately follow (agenda).

☑️ Police reports: Batavia police report summaries | Geneva police reports | St. Charles daily arrest log

🗓️ Events & Things to Do

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☑️ Spring Break ideas: If you’re looking to skip the airport chaos and overpriced hotels, this list of things to do in St. Charles will keep you busy and entertained.

☑️ Referendum Education | Mon 3/10, 5-6:30PM | Geneva Library | Learn about the proposed Kane County sales tax referendum. There’s a Sugar Grove event on 3/25 as well.

☑️ Batavia’s Hidden Treasures | Thurs 3/13, 5-7PM | Downtown Batavia | Follow the emerald path to explore local shops filled with unique handcrafted items.

☑️ Community Seed Exchange | Sat 3/15, 10AM-4PM | Downtown Batavia | Free seed swap for experienced and new gardeners alike.

🎟️ SOAR | Sat 3/15, 2:30-4PM | Fox Valley Ice Arena, Geneva | Experience an uplifting and joyful theatrical skating performance.

🎟️ Kevin Nealon Live | Sat 3/15, 4PM | Comedy Vault, Batavia | The SNL legend himself will perform.

📖 Thanks for reading

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