Whether I’m biking or running, I use the Fox River Trail — one of the Fox Valley’s greatest public assets, in my humble opinion — several times per week for most of the year.

I’m super grateful for easy access to a scenic, generally well-kept riverfront path, which is probably why I tend to overlook its minor shortcomings. So when I encountered Dave Heun’s recent Daily Herald article about planned improvements to the east side of the riverbank in St. Charles, I thought, “Why change anything?”

But reading about how the city transformed the west riverbank in that area changed my perspective. Native grasses replaced minefields of goose droppings. Unkempt embankments became pleasant pedestrian plazas with benches and stone sculptures.

Why not do something similar on the east side?

The East Bank Enhancement Project from the River Corridor Foundation of St. Charles would deliver a facelift to the stretch of trail that spans from Illinois Street (the Pollyanna intersection) south to the historic Piano Factory Pedestrian Bridge.

Among the proposed upgrades:

Reading up on this project led me down a rabbit hole exploring the River Corridor Foundation’s other initiatives — but I’ll save those for a future issue.

In the meantime, we’ll certainly be keeping an eye on this project!

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☑️ Riverfront livin’: Geneva is reviewing a proposal for a residential development on River Lane that features a five-story, 114-unit apartment building and two, seven-unit townhome buildings.

🔒 Senior power: Amid a displacement controversy, elder residents of River Glen of St. Charles planned to protest a reopening ribbon cutting earlier this month — ultimately leading to its cancellation.

☑️ For the people: Ever struggle to find local election schedules or identify your county board members? This digital Kane County Government Guide answers those questions and offers tons of useful info on its wide variety of programs and services.

☑️ Open meeting: Batavia will hold a public hearing on 12/6 to gather input about a planned self-storage warehouse facility and electric vehicle dealership project on Randall Road.

🔒 Vandalism spree: Several St. Charles and Geneva buildings were vandalized with graffiti last week. Reports noted that a suspect was in custody and receiving medical treatment on Saturday.

🔒 Grand plans: Sugar Grove recently commissioned a study about whether a proposed redevelopment project at I-88 and IL-47 meets TIF requirements. Here’s a fact sheet, which links to the report. Here’s the ultimate vision for the property in question.

☑️ Home furnishings: The Geneva Chamber held a ribbon cutting celebrating the new Third Street location for Haven Interiors Studio, a full-service design firm with another studio in Milwaukee.

🔒 Juice swap: Wheaton-based Extract Juicery has taken over the former Clean Juice storefront on Route 64 in St. Charles. They’ll celebrate their grand opening the weekend of Dec. 2-4.

🔒 Contrarian Thanksgiving: If you’d prefer to skip the stress of cooking and hosting, consider Hotel Baker, Cooper’s Hawk, Francesca’s or another local restaurant as an alternative.

☑️ Top-notch teachers: Know any education professionals who deserve recognition? Nominations for 2024 Kane County Educator of the Year are being accepted through March 8.

☑️ Another’s treasure: While you’re doing your Christmas shopping, consider grabbing some extra items for Toys for Tots — you can drop toys at two locations in Geneva until 12/11.

☑️ For the record: The Geneva Board of Education discussed declining enrollment, shed light on a new demographic study and presented awards to students at its most recent meeting.

☑️ Batavia City Council: The agenda for tonight’s meeting includes a Safe Routes to School project in a west side neighborhood, tree preservation regulations and a toy drive presentation.

☑️ Geneva City Council: The agenda for tonight’s meeting includes a proposed agreement with the Tapville Social owners and the purchase of camera gear/software for law enforcement.

☑️ St. Charles City Council: The agenda for tonight’s meeting includes approving outdoor cafe layouts for First Street Plaza and a resolution to raise fines associated with fighting.

🎟️ Art of the Dessert: Live auctions are usually a blast, especially when you’re bidding on homemade treats and supporting a group like the St. Charles Art Council. It’s all happening at The Graceful Ordinary tonight.

🎟️ St. Charles Holiday Homecoming: A true kickoff to the holiday season, this annual celebration includes the Lighting of the Lights Ceremony on Friday and the Electric Christmas Parade plus other themed holiday activities on Saturday.

🎟️ The Nutcracker: Presented by the Fox Valley Ballet, the Batavia Fine Arts Centre’s production will put a fresh spin on an age-old classic, running on 11/25 and 11/26 at BHS.

🎟️ Music & More in the Gallery: Jeffrey LaDeur and Kindra Scharich return to the Norris Cultural Arts Center for what’s sure to be a memorable performance of piano classics and art songs.

*️More weekend events will be featured in Thursday’s issue.

*Below are “listed” start/end times — actual play times tend to vary. The 🎟️ symbol indicates an admission fee. Links to band/event info are provided where available.

✔️ Dan Maguire: Preservation | Geneva | 6-9PM | Event info + video

✔️ Austin Hopkins: Flagship on the Fox | St. Charles | 4-7PM | Musician info

✔️ Christian Alan Hansen: Art History Brewing | Geneva | 5-10PM | Musician info

✔️ Black & Bluegrass Wednesday: Riverlands Brewing | St. Charles | 6-8PM | Event info

✔️ Ryan Carney + Noah Gabriel: Sturdy Shelter Brewing | Batavia | 6-9PM | Ryan info + Noah info

✔️ Completely Dead: Grainology | Batavia | 6-10PM | Event info

✔️ Ross Krakow: Preservation | Geneva | 6-9PM | Musician info

✔️ Drew Clausen: The Wine Exchange | St. Charles | 6-9PM | Event info

✔️ Matt Keen: Pollyanna Brewing | St. Charles | 7-10PM | Musician info

✔️ DJ CK: ROX at Hotel Baker | St. Charles | 7:30-11PM

✔️ The Sociables: Old Towne Bar & Grill | Geneva | 8-11:30PM | Event info

✔️ Corey Marshall: Evergreen Pub | St. Charles | 8PM | Event info

🎟️ Dueling Pianos: Arcada Theater | St. Charles | 8:30PM | Event info

🎟️ The Breakfast Club: EvenFlow | Geneva | 9PM | Band info

✔️ Whoosh: The House Pub | St. Charles | 9PM-2AM | Band info

🌧️ Today: High 48F | Low 39F | Back to reality

🌧️ Tuesday: High 41F | Low 30F | Uncomfortably dreary

🌤️ Wednesday: High 44F | Low 31F | Brisk + pleasant

🌤️ Thursday: High 46F | Low 28F | Nice Turkey Day

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Cheers,

Sam

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