Arts & Entertainment
Just Around the Corner
A look at some of the events and entertainment in Geneva in the week ahead
Swedish Days may be over, but summer is just beginning. And that means more festivals and more fun things to do in Geneva. The Geneva Cultural Arts Commission kicks off its summer program with the much anticipated Shakespeare in the Park on Saturday, July 7th and the Lee Murdock concert, the first of four Sunday evening River Park concerts, on July 8th. The Geneva Park District premieres its free Wednesday evening concert series Concerts in the Park on July 11th with June’s Got the Cash, also at River Park. The Geneva Classic Car Show returns on Thursdays. And Geneva Commons summer concert series continues.
The Stone Soup Shakespeare theatre troupe makes its Geneva debut in Island Park on Saturday, July 7th with a Wild West version of The Taming of the Shrew. Founded in July of 2010, the troupe’s eighth season is entitled “For the People By the People”. The non-profit wants it audiences to experience Shakespeare’s works in a theater setting as if they were brand new stories. This is how the world was first introduced to Shakespeare and the troupe believes that this is still the best way to experience his plays rather than in a classroom setting.
Admission is free. Lawn seating begins at 5:00 PM in front of the stage on Island Park just located just south of the State Street bridge. Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, and picnic baskets. Stockholm’s will also be serving sandwiches and beverages, including its famous root beer. And Grahams Chocolate will be serving delicious ice cream treats. The 90-minute performance begins at 6:00 PM. Parking is available in the parking lot on Route 25 across from the former Mill Race Inn and at the Kane County Government Center at 719 S. Batavia Avenue, as well as about town.
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The first of four Sunday evening River Park concerts features Kaneville native Lee Murdock. Lee is known for his ballads about the legends and lore of the Great Lakes. His music is a blend of blues, Irish traditional, ragtime, and folk. Some songs are humorous and some as hard and forbearing as the lakes themselves. Maritime life provides a wealth of tales of adventure, tragedy, and romance and Murdock, with his splendid storytelling skills and talents as an accomplished instrumentalist, brings those tales to life as only he can. Some of you may have seen his performance at the St. Charles Library in April of 2014, which was hailed by staff as their highest attended program or event up to that date.
The performance begins at 6:00 PM, Sunday, July 8th, in Riverpark at North River Lane and Peyton. Admission is free. Parking is available adjacent to the park and in the nearby lot behind Buttermilk Restaurant. You should bring lawn chairs, cushions, blankets, and picnic baskets to enjoy the concert in comfort from your vantage on the rock terrace amphitheater at the river’s edge. In case of rain, the concert will be moved to the Fellowship Hall of Geneva United Methodist Church at 211 Hamilton Street.
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Geneva Cultural Arts Commission
The Geneva Park District adds a new twist to its popular free summer concert series. Refreshments and food are now available through Deane’s Market & Deli and Graham’s Fine Chocolates. Craft beers are also available from the Penrose Brewing tent. The series is sponsored by these same vendors, as well as Shodeen, Inc., the Chiropractic People, and the Kane County Chronicle.
The concert series opens with June's Got the Cash, a Johnny Cash and June Carter tribute band founded in 2008 by Jenna Middleton. Jenna’s inspiration was the 2005 movie Walk the Line starring Reese Witherspoon and Joaquim Phoenix. Middleton is joined on stage by Jonathan Lyons as Johnny Cash. Lyons career began in his early teens playing the Man in Black on stage with his father portraying Elvis. Other band members include Bobby DeVito as Luther Perkins, Steve Justman as Marshal Grant, and Zac Dawson as W.S. “Fluke” Holland. The music covers the period from the fifties through the eighties and band members don appropriate vintage clothing to go along with the period. Performances roughly follow the script from Walk the Line, which was based on Johnny Cash’s two autobiographies.
The performance begins at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, July 11th, at River Park at 151 North River Lane, just north of Route 38 on the west bank of the river. Bring lawn chairs, cushions, and blankets to spread on the rock terrace amphitheater. Parking is available in front of the park and in nearby lots. In case of rain, the concert will be moved to the Fellowship Hall of Geneva United Methodist Church at 211 Hamilton Street.
The Geneva Park District also launches its Movies in the Park on Thursday, July 5th, in Wheeler Park with The Emoji Movie. The movie starts at dusk or approximately 8:30 PM. Bring lawn chairs and blankets. The movie follows the adventures of Gene, a multiple expression emoji trying to become a normal emoji. Although the critics were not kind to this movie, it should be great entertainment for the kids. Admission is free and concessions will be available.
The Geneva Classic Car Show returns on Thursday evenings starting July 5th and continuing through August. The show starts at 6:00 PM and runs until 8:00 PM, weather permitting. The Geneva Chamber of Commerce will decide by 3:00 PM on Thursdays whether to cancel the show or not. Call them at 630-232-6060 to check on cancellations.
The cars will be shown in the Kane County Courthouse parking lot on James and Fourth Streets. The show features restored classics, including a lot of dream rides from my high school days. Music from the fifties helps bring back memories from a bygone era. Food and refreshments are provided by Inglenook Pantry.
The Geneva Commons free summer concert series is already in full swing. The newly renovated public gathering area provides a great new venue, including pavilions with seating and fireplaces, from which to enjoy the summer concerts. This Wednesday, the Fourth of July, enjoy music of the sixties through the eighties provided by the talented local, all-girl band Serendipity. The concert lasts from 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM. On Friday, July 6th, same time, the band Voyage performs some seriously good classic rock from Aerosmith to Zeppelin. On Sunday, July 8th, local favorite 7th Heaven plays a medley of songs from the seventies and eighties and probably some selections from their new CD Color in Motion. That concert begins at 5:00 PM and ends at 7:00 PM.
There are plenty of dining and refreshment options in the Geneva Commons including Bar Louie, Claddagh, Houlihan’s, Potbelly, Red Lobster, California Pizza Kitchen, Buffalo Wild Wings, Jamba Juice, Starbuck’s, Five Guys, Lou Malnati’s, Corner Bakery, and Noodles. So plan on grabbing a bite to eat or drink before or after the concert.