🎭 A hidden gem in downtown St. Charles

Tucked away on 2nd Avenue in St. Charles, just steps from the hustle of Main Street, lies a unique venue that blends local history with modern entertainment: Moonlight Theatre.

It’s interesting — since I frequently feature Moonlight events in this newsletter, people ask me about it from time to time. Where is it? Have you been there? How long has it been around?

On the other hand, folks who have attended a show tend to simply rave about it. There’s almost no in between.

Housed in the historic Idle Hour Theatre building, the Moonlight Theatre offers an intimate entertainment experience that feels like a step back in time.

Originally constructed around 1900, the venue opened as the Idle Hour Theatre in 1914, treating audiences to vaudeville acts, silent films and other performances popular at the time. The theatre closed in 1926, and nearly a century passed before St. Charles granted the building landmark status in 2022.

Over the decades, it served various purposes before being lovingly restored to its former glory by a group of passionate local owners.

Visit the venue

If you haven’t yet checked it out, the holiday season is an ideal time with plenty of shows to choose from.

Recommendation: Coming up on December 8 is the 2nd Annual Ryan Carney & Friends Holiday Special, a family-friendly matinee featuring performances from local musicians like New Vintage Strings Quartet, Shannon Adams (piano), Dave Ramont (guitar/banjo) and the Noah Gabriel Trio…plus an additional surprise or two, I’m sure.

They’ve got a full bar and food for purchase, so you’re all set there. Just bring a festive attitude and your best dance moves.

📰 News to use

The 🔒 symbol indicates a potential paywall.

☑️ April election: Now that filing has closed, here’s a list of candidates that will be running for local school boards in Kane County in the spring. A challenger has emerged to run against Mayor Burns in Geneva as well.

🔒 Facebook fallout: A crowd turned up at Monday’s Geneva City Council meeting, which featured a debate about a controversial Facebook post targeting conservative businesses and a Geneva alderperson facing an ethics complaint. Comments begin at around the 20-minute mark in this video recording of the meeting.

☑️ Big change: Marmion Academy in Aurora, a Catholic high school with students from the Tri-Cities, announced that it will shift to a coed model starting as early as 2026 after nearly a century as an all-boys institution.

☑️ Balancing act: The Kane County Board approved a $416M budget for FY 2025, including a property tax levy hike of about $2M. Get more details (🔒) about officials’ previous discussions before the recent split vote.

☑️ Free downtown parking: The Batavia Public Library reached an agreement with the city to allow for public parking in the library lot from 8PM-2AM on Fridays and from 5PM-2AM on Saturdays.

☑️ Seat filled: Geneva City Council approved the appointment of William Malecki to assume the vacant 5th Ward alderperson role.

☑️ Cost of coziness: A new report suggests that Illinois will be among the top five states to see the largest increases to homeowners’ heating bills this winter.

🏘️ In the community

The 🔒 symbol indicates a potential paywall. The ✳️ symbol indicates sponsored content.

☑️ The “Guardians”: The Forest Preserve District of Kane County has selected a local artist to create an abstract public art sculpture at Johnson’s Mound commemorating the district’s 100th anniversary.

🔒 Recreation reimagined: The St. Charles Park District spent a busy 2024 launching new facilities, upgrading playgrounds, enhancing local trails and improving accessibility in community spaces — plus a whole lot more.

☑️ Work hard, play hard: The Chicago Tribune has recognized the Batavia Park District as one of the Chicago area’s top workplaces of 2024 — its second straight year receiving the honor.

☑️ Salute to vets: See video of remarks and performances from the Veterans Day Ceremony in downtown St. Charles last week honoring local heroes.

☑️ A holiday tradition: Ah, the scent of roasted nuts, steaming bratwurst, fresh pretzels and hot spiced wine. Get ready for the authentic, German-style Christkindlmarket to return to downtown Aurora on Friday (11/22).

✳️ Pajama Drive: Give a foster child the gift of coziness by donating new pajamas for infants, children and teens (all sizes). Drop donations at Alphagraphics St. Charles or call 630-513-7711 to arrange pickup. Donations will be given to CASA Kane County. Deadline is 12/2.

🎸 Live music

Ready to gear up for a fun weekend of music?

Friday and Saturday night will be busy at all the usual venues, including back-to-back performances at Foxfire in Geneva and dueling pianos at Club Arcada in St. Charles — plus a pair of rare shows on Sunday night.

_{LOCAL SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT}

☕ Shop, sip and savor the season

Peruse the The Little Traveler’s 2024 Christmas Catalog to discover stunning handcrafted ornaments, comfy seasonal styles and holiday-inspired kitchenware. When you visit, don’t forget to warm your belly with an Aspen mulled cider sample in the Tea Department.

🥧 Bonus: Order a fresh-baked Thanksgiving pie from the Atrium Café.

🛍️ Local biz

☑️ Game on! A new small business Monopoly game initiative in Geneva (running through 11/30) allows folks to explore local businesses, complete game sheets for prizes and support the community with proceeds benefiting local nonprofits.

☑️ Growing footprint: Work has kicked off on a massive renovation and expansion project at ALDI’s corporate headquarters in Batavia, which will include major updates to existing buildings and construction of a new structure.

☑️ Meal planning: In Geneva, The James is accepting orders for Thanksgiving pies while Windy Acres Farm is offering homemade pies for the whole holiday season. Windmill Grille in Batavia is offering Thanksgiving pre-orders.

🗓️ Events & Things to Do

The 🎟️ symbol indicates an admission fee.

☑️ Aesthetics | Fri 11/22 - 1/4/2025 | Norris Cultural Arts Center | The Yellow House Artists’ annual art exhibition and sale in the gallery.

🎟️ Santa’s Rock N Lights | Fri 11/22 - Tues, 12/31 | Kane County Cougars Park, Geneva | A one-mile, drive-thru light show synchronized to music.

🎟️ Vince Carone Live | Fri 11/22, 7PM | Moonlight Theatre, STC | An energetic, hysterical standup comedy show.

☑️ Symbols of the Season Holiday Bazaar | Sat 11/23, 9AM-3PM | Little Home Church, Wayne | Handmade gifts and artisan goodies galore.

☑️ Christmas at Corron | Sat 11/23, 11AM-3PM | Corron Farm, Campton Hills | Visits with Santa, kids activities, a holiday market and live caroling.

🎟️ Christmas on the Fox Art & Craft Show | Sat 11/23 - Sun 11/24, 10AM-4PM | Kane Co. Fairgrounds, STC | Beautiful handmade gifts, baked goods, music and more.

🎟️ Holiday Bazaar 2024 | Sat 11/23 - Sun 11/24, 10AM-5PM | Kane County Cougars Park, Geneva | Shop over 100 vendors, get kiddo pics with Santa and more.

☑️ Friendsgiving | Sun 11/24, 5-6:30PM | Sturdy Shelter, Batavia | Fun, music and a homemade Thanksgiving feast. Sign up here to bring a dish.

🎟️ A Very Sketchy Christmas | Sun 11/24 - Sun 12/22 | Steel Beam Theatre, STC | An evening of irreverent, holiday-themed comedy.

🎟️ The Fox & The Turkey Run | Thurs 11/28, 7:30AM | Downtown Batavia | A turkey trot for the whole family benefitting the local food pantry.

🌖 Weather snapshot

🌨️ Today: High 39F | Low 37F | Snow-rain mix

⛅️ Friday: High 45F | Low 32F | Gusty

⛅️ Saturday: High 43F | Low 34F | Chilly + Clouds

🌤️ Sunday: High 51F | Low 38F | Mild with sun

📖 Thanks for reading

If you enjoy Tri-Cities Central, please spread the word and/or leave a review! 

_{Subscribe to Tri-Cities Central | Advertise with us | View previous newsletters}