🛒 Local love for Aldi

Thanks to the almost 200 of you who participated in Thursday’s grocery store poll.

While I expected to see ample support for Aldi, I was surprised that the Batavia-based grocer actually beat out Jewel.

Final results: 27% of respondents reported Aldi as their favorite grocery store. Jewel came in second at 19% and Woodman’s in third at 16%.

Some interesting insights:

• Aldi may be the most popular store, but Woodman’s fans might be the most passionate. Several people highlighted the fair prices, massive selection and employee-owned model.

• Trader Joe’s proponents value the experience (helpful staff and easy to navigate) plus the organic and specialty items. The feedback for Fresh Market was similar.

• The multi-store approach seems common. For example, one reader regularly shops at Woodman’s, Costco, Aldi, Meijer and Rustic Road Farm depending on the item or brand they need. Another does the same with Fresh Market, Woodman’s and Berkeley.

And many reported visiting Aldi for their staples, then elsewhere for the items Aldi doesn’t stock (Katie and I certainly identify with this category).

Summer sale: Coincidentally, Aldi announced over the weekend that it has slashed prices on 250 "summer essential” grocery items through Labor Day. Good timing, eh?

Quick background on Aldi

I went down a rabbit hole on the company’s history (including its relationship with Trader Joe’s) — it’s all quite interesting.

The short version: Aldi was born in 1946 as a tiny discount shop run by two eccentric brothers in post-World War II Germany. The business didn’t expand to the United States until 1976.

The original office and warehouse for Aldi’s US headquarters were constructed in 1980 in Batavia on Kirk Road. Since putting down roots in Batavia, the company has grown to more than 2,000 stores across 36 states with over 25,000 employees.

Here’s another easy-to-read overview of Aldi’s history with a useful timeline.

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☀️ Elevate your outdoor living

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📰 News to use

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☑️ Nature’s light show: In a rare occurrence, the Northern Lights were visible in our area this weekend. Check out photos from Chicagoland residents who witnessed the breathtaking phenomenon.

☑️ Ready for road work: Geneva’s major reconstruction project at Western and Fabyan begins today and is expected to run through late fall. Streets will remain open, but prepare for lane closures.

☑️ Investigation breakthrough: A Batavia woman has been identified as the driver in a hit-and-run crash that killed a 31-year-old Wheaton woman more than a year ago.

☑️ Juice recall: If you recently bought any Martinelli’s Gold Medal Apple Juice, don’t drink it. The brand has been recalled in Illinois due to high arsenic levels.

🔒 Commission meeting: St. Charles residents voiced concerns that a proposed 21-unit townhome project (known as “The Grove”) on Route 31 could cause flooding, traffic and density issues.

☑️ Abuse case: A 22-year-old employee of Marklund Hyde Center in Geneva has been arrested for sexual assault that occurred at the facility for people with disabilities.

🔒 Shot down: A Geneva panel again denied a real estate company’s request to develop the Venture Park site on Kirk and Fabyan into a mega warehouse. Several residents spoke out against the project.

🏘️ In the community

☑️ Show of a lifetime: STC nature expert Pam Otto describes the forthcoming 17-year cicada emergence — with its unique mating songs and egg-laying spectacles — as a performance not to be missed.

☑️ Avian accolade: St. Charles is now one of only 10 Illinois towns formally recognized as a Bird City community by Bird City Illinois.

☑️ Vet recognition: Thanks to legislation introduced by local Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, the St. Charles East Side Station Post Office will be renamed the “Veterans of the Vietnam War Memorial Post Office.”

☑️ Brews with benefits: The Heart & Soul Fund is spearheading a May 31 craft beer walk with stops at all three Batavia breweries to raise money for the Cal’s Angels Foundation.

☑️ Mobile DMV: Local state rep Dan Ugaste is hosting a mobile DMV event in Elburn on Friday where residents can renew/correct licenses, get vehicle stickers, apply for REAL ID and more.

☑️ Civic updates: Batavia is considering installing public restrooms downtown to support the city’s many events. Find additional info on that and all things Batavia in Alderman Dustin Pieper’s latest report.

🎸 Live music 

Aurelio’s Pizza in Geneva reemerged into the live music scene last week with patio performances on Wednesday and Friday.

Their outdoor setup is such a hidden gem, I hesitated to even mention it — it’s already tough to snag a seat out there on a nice day.

Wednesday and Thursday offer a solid lineup this week. A couple of spots have yet to announce their performers, so we’ll make sure to get that updated as the information becomes available.

🏬 Local biz

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🔒 Big city spotlight: It was cool to see the lead story in the Chicago Tribune business section showcase Haylie B’s Bakery and its historic building with quotes from Batavia MainStreet.

☑️ Baby shop back: Kohls announced that it will be opening a new Babies ‘R’ Us shop in its Batavia department store as part of the retail brand’s revival.

☑️ Game on: Fieldhouse by the Fox is a new, family-owned sport court rental facility with basketball/pickleball courts, party rooms and more. Check out this “What’s Up St. Charles” interview with them.

☑️ Student resources: Geneva officials held a ribbon cutting for C2 Education last week, a business that offers tutoring, test prep and college counseling.

🗓️ Events + things to do

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🎟️ Sex & The City — Musical Parody | Tuesday, 7:30PM | Arcada Theatre, STC | Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha take a hilarious trip through New York in the 90s.

☑️ Invasive Species of the Fox River | Wednesday, 7PM | Baker Community Center, STC | Learn how to spot local invasive species and prevent them from spreading.

☑️ May Bike Night | Thursday, 6-9PM | Fox River Harley-Davidson, STC | One event complete with an ugly tattoo contest, DAMO BBQ food, Midnight Rider live music, and a mechanical bull…wow.

☑️ Batavia Fox River Cleanup | Saturday, 9AM-12PM | 130 S. Shumway Ave. | Enjoy the great outdoors while helping the Friends of the Fox River tidy up our local waterway.

🎟️ Summer Barn Dance | Saturday, 6PM | Primrose Farm, STC | Twist and spin your way into summer with an evening of swing dancing and live big-band music.

🗞️ Un-classifieds

☑️ Local home sales: Residential property sales for the week ending May 4 included six in Batavia, six in Geneva and five in St. Charles — including a house on Hill Lane in Batavia for $830K.

☑️ Deal of the day: The spring special for Osteria Trulli in STC — 1 app, 2 entrees, and 1 bottle of wine for 99 bucks.

🌖 Weather snapshot

🌩️ Today: High 75F | Low 51F | A passing T-storm

🌥️ Tuesday: High 60F | Low 46F | Mini cold snap

🌤️ Wednesday: High 71F | Low 47F | Delightful

🌥️ Thursday: High 73F | Low 58F | Cloudy + mild

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