Sunday night was a doozy, eh?

Sometime after we emerged from the basement (with no power) once the tornado warning expired, the electricity snapped back on. Then right back to darkness.

But then Bruce (our automatic vacuum cleaner) suddenly powered on, dutifully meandering across the kitchen. An unrecognizable beeping sound started emanating from the foyer.

Next was the low, unearthly humming noise from the street outside. Then a BOOM, and a white flash of light illuminating the gaps in the window shades.

My wife Katie summed up the experience best when she remarked, “I think the aliens have arrived.”

Monday night brought another round of severe storms (including several tornado warnings), resulting in more than 200K households out of power and extensive damage across the greater Chicagoland area.

➡️ See photos of the damage.

Special thanks: Shout out to the local public works employees who braved the sweltering heat to respond to resident calls, address damaged power lines and clean up downed trees. Especially those in Geneva who worked through the night.

Disaster readiness: If you’re worried about future tornado scenarios, consider assembling an emergency preparedness kit, getting a backup generator for power outages and/or downloading the Red Cross Emergency App for real-time weather alerts.

Interesting fact: Confirming my suspicions, most Chicago-area tornadoes occur in the afternoon and evening — 5PM being the most common hour. The cool, stabilizing air of evening mixing with the hot, unstable afternoon air creates conditions for severe storms and tornadoes.

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☑️ Illinois quake: A 3.4-magnitude earthquake struck Somonauk (which is just west of Sandwich, about 30 miles from the Tri-Cities) early on Monday morning.

☑️ Voter prep: From voter registration to vote-by-mail requests and the early voting period, here are the key dates you should know for the 2024 general election in Kane County.

☑️ Project about-face: A Geneva committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday was canceled after the withdrawal of a permit application for the partial demolition of the city’s historic former blacksmith shop.

☑️ Prioritizing safety: Kane County will bolster security at all political events following the shooting at former President Donald Trump’s rally last weekend.

☑️ Insect control: Geneva conducted mosquito spraying across the city after a surveillance trap recently tested positive for West Nile Virus. St. Charles sprayed as well.

☑️ Water Street reopens: Following the completion of utility work, Batavia’s Water Street is now open to vehicle, bike and pedestrian traffic — but the Fox River Trail still requires a detour.

☑️ More markets, please: Check out this comprehensive list and map of farm/farmers markets and roadside stands in Kane County with details on their specialties.

☑️ Special brush pickup: Geneva will run free brush pickup next week (7/22 to 7/26) for residents living within the City’s municipal boundaries. St. Charles is adhering to its original schedule (east side this week, west side next week).

☑️ Talk local issues: State Rep. Dan Ugaste is holding a “Constituents & Coffee” conversation at Arcedium Coffeehouse in St. Charles on Tuesday morning (7/23).

☑️ Pickle mania: The first ever “Norris Open” for pickleballers of all skill levels will be held at the Norris Rec Center in St. Charles on July 27/28.

☑️ Thoroughfare upgrades: Batavia will hold a public information meeting on 8/7 from 5-7PM at City Hall to answer questions and gather input for the Main Street reconstruction project.

Now that we’ve put the extreme storms and humidity in the rearview mirror for the moment, let’s celebrate with some outdoor live music on a beautiful mid-summer weekend.

Note: The “Bike Bus” to the Geneva Concert in the Park I mentioned in the last edition has been rescheduled for next week’s concert. More on that on Monday.

_{LOCAL SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT}

The Summer Clearance Sale at The Little Traveler might be downtown Geneva’s best-kept secret.

Grab one-of-a-kind summer essentials, peruse dynamic fashion galleries and discover culinary delights — with 50%-75% off select items across the store.

Summer flies by in a blink — and so will these deals. Our advice: swing by The Little Traveler ASAP.

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☑️️ Fortuitous timing: The Batavia Chamber is hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning (7/18) for Long Branch Tree Services, a local company that does pruning, tree removal and storm damage work.

✳️ Affordable meal delivery: At about $5 per serving, Entrée Kitchen is a no-brainer for time-strapped folks looking to eat well this summer. Use code FreeDeliveryTCC for free delivery of 4 entrees or more through 7/31.

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☑️ Christmas in July | Fri 7/19, 10AM | Red Hive Market, Batavia | Get in the festive spirit with music from Gary’s Trombone Quintet and holiday-themed mid-summer shopping.

🎟️ Frida Destination | Fri 7/19, 5-9PM | Altiro Latin Fusion, Geneva | A Frida Kahlo-themed evening with dancing, mariachi bands, body painting and — of course — margaritas.

☑️ Recycling Extravaganza | Sat 7/20, 8AM-12PM | St. Charles | If you’ve got “hard-to-recycle” stuff piling up, this event is for you.

☑️ Charlestowne Classics Cars & Coffee | Sat 7/20, 9AM-12PM | St. Charles | They supply the donuts n’ coffee, you bring the cars and conversations.

☑️ FVJC Open Jam Fest | Sat 7/20, 2-11PM | Aurora Athletic Club, North Aurora | An open-jam music event with a food truck, drinks, visual artists and more.

☑️ 4-Year Anniversary Celebration | Sat 7/19, 6-9PM | trend + relic, STC | Food trucks, live music and a storewide sale all weekend long.

☑️ Lisa Jane Art Pop-Up Shop | Sat 7/20, 11:30AM-2:30PM | The Little Traveler, Geneva | Meet the artist, browse her selections and explore the delights of The Little Traveler.

☑️ Save Haven Dog Rescue | Sat 7/20, 12-2PM | Cedar Fox Weddings & Events, STC | Visit the veranda to meet, greet and potentially adopt rescue dogs.

🎟️ Historic House Tour | Sun 7/21, 12-4PM | Downtown Geneva | Go on a self-guided tour of historic homes courtesy of the Geneva History Museum.

🎟️ Men’s Crosstown Classic Softball Tourney | Fri 8/20, 6PM | ESSC Baseball Fields, STC | Register soon for an action-packed night on the diamond in August.

🌤️ Today: High 75F | Low 55F | We earned this

🌤️ Friday: High 78F | Low 58F | Another beauty

⛅ Saturday: High 81F | Low 61F | Cloudy + warm

🌤️ Sunday: High 82F | Low 62F | Super nice

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