Author: Fox Valley Magazine

Kanecountyconnects West Aurora High School Class of 2013 graduate Lauren Carlini was one of 12 athletes named to represent the U.S. Women’s National Volleyball Team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Carlini, a setter, and three other team members will make their Olympic debuts in Paris while eight other members won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Following graduation from West Aurora High School, the 6’1″ Carlini played volleyball at the University of Wisconsin in the Great Lakes USAV Region, graduating in 2017. She has been a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team since 2016 and has played professionally in Italy, Russia…

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally-celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. From its Galveston, Texas origin in 1865, the observance of June 19th as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States and beyond. “The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer.” General Order Number 3, issued by…

A male juvenile is in custody and facing multiple charges following an altercation on Old Post Road in the Boulder Hill subdivision of Oswego. According to the Kendall Country Sheriff’s Office, on Sunday at approximtely 12:17pm Sheriff’s deputies were called to investigate an altercation on Old Post Road involving an individual armed with a baseball bat who was threatening the residents of a nearby home. By the time deputies arrived on the scene, the individual had left the area and could not be immediately located. Later that day, at around 6;55pm, deputies were called back to the same location for…

Wine selections available at local wine stores and wineries in the Fox Valley area. BolleThis playful, sparkling wine is named with the Italian word Bolle, which means bubbles! It is a semi-sweet sparkling wine, carefully prepared in small batches. Much of the care and labor of this wine is done by hand as fermentation happens inside the bottle. We hand-turn the bottles daily, with an aging process of more than two years. Acquaviva Winery47W614 IL-38, Maple Park, IL 601511900 Mill St, Batavia, IL 60510 Bootlegger RedBootlegger Red is a bourbon barrel aged red blend featuring a delicate nose of plum…

As the city anticipates this weekend’s Blues on the Fox festival at RiverEdge Park, the City of Aurora’s Public Art Division has unveileded a new downtown mural, commemorating Aurora’s rich history of blues music. The mural, created by Chicago artist Max Sansing, features the likes of Buddy Guy, Tampa Red, Koko Taylor, B.B. King, and Stevie Ray Vaughan in an ode to the Leland Bluebird Recording Sessions, which took place between 1937 and 1938. The sessions, recorded inside Aurora’s former Leland Hotel, showcased titans of the Chicago and St. Louis blues scenes recording tracks for the Bluebird record label. (Photos…

Naper Settlement kicks off its annual Naper Nights Community Concert Series on Friday, June 14, with a high-energy disco night performance by the Boogie Wonder Band that will transport the crowd straight to the 1970s. After performing over 3,000 shows around the world, the Boogie Wonder Band will take the Naper Nights stage with eye-popping Las Vegas-inspired costumes and flashy personas from 8-10 p.m. Opening for Boogie Wonder Band will be Simply the Best performing a Tina Turner tribute from 6-7:30pm. Featured on E!’s “Clash of the Cover Bands,” Fix You – The International Coldplay Tribute will play under a…

A Maple Park man has been arrested on gun and drug charges after riddling a vehicle with bullets because of a dispute with its owner. On Monday at approximately 6:24pm, Kane County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to a business in the 44W000 block of Illinois Route 64 in Virgil Township to investigate a report of a vehicle that had been badly damaged from gunfire. Officers discovered that the vehicle had been left at the facility for repair work, and that the customer had returned to the facility to retrieve it many times as work was ongoing. Ultimately, the customer had…

Two men have been denied pre-trial release after having been charged with multiple gun charges, including possession of a machine gun and reckless discharge of a firearm. DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Naperville Chief of Police Jason Arres announced that Judge Joshua Dieden has granted the State’s motion to deny two men pre-trial release on unrelated weapons charges out of Naperville. The first subject, a 19-year-old Joliet man, has been charged with one count of Possession of a Machine Gun, a Class X Felony; one count of Possession of a Firearm – no FOID, a Class 3 Felony;…

The Little Traveler, a mainstay on Geneva’s famed Third Street, is truly one-of-a-kind. From its beginning in the early 1920s (the house itself was built in 1862), this unique venue has delighted shoppers with an endlessly diverse and constantly changing variety of products from all over the world. Our own intrepid traveler, Kevin Ketchum, spent a few hours there recently and captured some of its timeless charm. (Photo credits Kevin Ketchum)

Elgin Parks and Recreation’s aquatic centers are community treasures offering much more than swimming. Our centers—Adventure Island at The Centre of Elgin, Wing Park Family Aquatic Center, and the soon-to-be-reopened Lords Park Family Aquatic Center—are vibrant hubs of fun, fitness, and social engagement for all ages. Adventure Island at The Centre of ElginAdventure Island, an indoor aquatic center opened in 2003 within The Centre of Elgin, provides year-round fitness and fun. It offers group and private swim lessons, water aerobics for adults, and a warm water therapy pool. The Elgin Cyclones Swim Team also calls Adventure Island home, fostering community…