Just Around the Corner Labor Day Week

Time to pack away all of your summer whites I’m told unless you don’t mind being sneered at by the fashionistas. Labor Day is the cut-off and there is no grace period. The stores are starting to show winter clothing lines and Halloween items and Fall decorations have been on the shelves for weeks. So it should come as no surprise that while summer is technically not over, for all practical purposes it is officially autumn. If you have any lingering doubts, this weekend is the 37^th annual Festival of the Vine, a celebration of a bountiful harvest complete with a savory selection of food, wine, and chocolate from the finest restaurants and shops in Geneva. The last of the summer festivals, the Fox Valley Folk Music and Storytelling Festival, wraps up on Labor Day and the Geneva Vikings are getting ready to celebrate Homecoming next week. Ready or not, Fall is upon us, and although summer will be missed, there are plenty of fall activities to take its place.

The Festival of the Vine kicks off on Friday, September 7^th, and continues through Sunday, September 9^th. The Flavor Fare food tent at Fourth and State will feature 19 different restaurants each offering a number of sample selections of Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Greek, exotic dishes, fish, old favorites such as ribs, pulled pork, burgers, and an incredible array of desserts. The wine tent offers 26 varieties of wine this year. You will need the full three days to make any sort of dent in this menu.

Flavor Fare and wine-tasting tent hours are from 11:00 AM until 10:00 PM on Friday and Saturday and from 11:00 AM until 5:00 PM on Sunday. Ticket booths close a half hour earlier each day. Tickets are $1 each and you must purchase food and wine using the tickets. Tickets may only be purchased with cash. An ATM is located at the State Bank of Geneva adjacent to the wine-tasting tent and at other locations throughout the downtown area.

There will also be musical entertainment all three days at the main stage at Fourth and State and on the Courthouse lawn at Third and James. The Courthouse will also be the scene of an arts and craft show with more than 75 vendors offering seasonal and decorative works, as well as collectibles and other items. There will also be flower market at the Courthouse with demonstrations and gardening tips presented by the Geneva Ace Garden Center. The craft show runs from 10:00 AM until 6:00 PM on Saturday and from 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM on Sunday. The flower market is open between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM on Friday and Sunday and from 10:00 AM until 6:00 PM on Saturday.

The Geneva School of Art is sponsoring a sidewalk art contest on James Street on Saturday and Sunday for elementary school kids up to adults. Winners in each category will be determined by “People’s Choice” and announced at 3:00 PM on Sunday. Kids’ Patch will offer complimentary face painting from Midwest Fun Factory all three days between noon and 4:00 PM on the Courthouse lawn. Complimentary horse-drawn carriage rides are sponsored by the Geneva Chamber of Commerce all three days between 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM. Sav-Way Fine Wines and Spirits is sponsoring free scenic trolley rides between festival events on Saturday and Sunday between the hours of 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM.

There are also a number of other Geneva shops and restaurants offering wine tastings, some with chocolate pairings, including Graham's Fine Chocolates and Ice Cream, the Little Traveler, Fiora's, SavWay Fine Wines and Spirits, Galena Cellars Vineyard and Winery, All Chocolate Kitchen, Wine Garden at the Royal Wren, and Geneva Wine Cellars and Tasting Room. Forget your diet and enjoy all of the delectable goodies Geneva has to offer this weekend.

The Geneva Park District is closing Sunset Pool for the season at 6:00 PM on Monday, September 3^rd, Labor Day. The Butterfly House at Peck Farm will still be open until mid-September. The Stone Creek miniature golf course at Wheeler Park will be open only on weekends through October 8^th. Saturday hours will then be from 11:00 AM until 10:00 PM and Sunday hours will be 11:00 AM until 7:00 PM. This Saturday, September 9^th, is Grandparents Day at Stone Creek. Grandparents play free so it’s a great opportunity to take the grandkids one more time before the season ends.

Early registration for the Harvest Hustle continues through September 10^th. After that, the registration fee goes up $5. The race will be held September 22^nd.

The Knitting Club meets Tuesday evening, September 4^th, at 6:30 PM at the Geneva Public Library. The Friends of the Library meet that same evening at 7:00 PM. Peaches and Baseball tells the true story of the Rockford Peaches, the women’s baseball team chronicled in the movie A League of Their Own. Rebecca Tulloch shares this story on Wednesday at noon in honor of the 75^th anniversary of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League and the Rockford Peaches. The College Application Bootcamp Wednesday evening teaches high school students the most effective methods for completing college applications that will stand out. Thursday evening 20s and 30s – Refinancing Your Student Loans goes over the pros and cons of refinancing student loans for people in their twenties and thirties. Saturday morning the Practice SAT Exam gives teens the opportunity to experience what the exam is really like under the guidance of a proctor from Huntington Learning Center. Saturday morning is also Saturday Family Storytime for preschoolers and their families from 10:00 AM until 10:30 PM.

Geneva High School Homecoming festivities begin on Sunday, September 9^th, with Paint the Town. High school students will be painting homecoming themed pictures and messages in various shops around town. It’s all done in cooperation with the shop owners, of course. The football team is away this Friday, September 7^th, playing Wheaton-Warrenville South. It’s also a busy week for the golf, tennis, volleyball, and soccer teams.

Geneva Middle School North is holding Back to School Night on Thursday, September 6^th. The Mill Creek Elementary School PTO Run of the Mill is scheduled for Friday, September 7^th. Williamsburg Elementary School holds its PTO Back to School Ice Cream Social Thursday, September 6^th.

Geneva School District 304

On the Horizon

The Autumn Fair will be held at Peck Farm on September 15^th.

The Harvest Hustle 5K benefitting the Geneva Park District Scholarship Fund will be held at Peck Farm on September 22^nd.

Playhouse 38 will be showing the youth production of Peter Pan the last two weekends of September.

The Geneva History Museum holds it annual BBQ fundraiser on September 13^th.

The Geneva History Museum Brown Bag program resumes September 11^th, with a history of the Geneva Garden Club.

Finally almost here, the Geneva History Museum’s Geneva on Wheels tours resume on September 19^th.