Author: Paul Stukel

Welcome to our latest edition of Fox Valley Magazine’s 4 FOR THE WEEKEND where we tackle the most profound questions: Heat Miser or Snow Miser? So let’s get to it, starting with….. It Ain’t Christmas Without The Humbug “Are there no poorhouses!?” Thus sayeth the iconic figure of Dickensian Christmas, E. Scrooge. “A Christmas Carol” is the supreme Christmas story (ok, maybe “It’s A Wonderful Life” is up there, but that classic is so associated with Jimmy Stewart that it simply can’t be replicated, where as with Scrooge and Tiny Tim and ol’ Bob Crachet, “A Christmas Carol” transcends any…

It’s that time of year again. For the 28th year in a row, the Riverfront Playhouse will present their own original version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Adapted from the classic Charles Dickens story by Riverfront veteran Jack Schultz, this production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL features 9 songs also written by Schultz. A Christmas Carol runs December 10, 11, 17 & 18 at 8:00 pm and December 12 & 19 at 3:00 pm. Tickets can be purchased here: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?ticketing=rfph Here’s what you need to know: *Seats are limited! This year more than any other year, make sure you reserve your seats so you…

What better way to bring in the Christmas cheer than by a dramatic reading of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol? Bring your family and join us at the Baker Memorial United Methodist Church for some hot chocolate, Dickens, and St. Charles Holiday Spirit. The play will be read by a cast of 15 professional actors + some St. Charles residents. This event is FREE with a suggested donation of $10. This is a General Admission event (first-come, first-serve) with no ticket required. Just show up at the Baker Memorial United Methodist Church on December 17th at 7 pm and…

Welcome to our latest edition of Fox Valley Magazine’s 4 FOR THE WEEKEND where Frosty comes for a little down time. So let’s get to it, starting with….. Can’t Beat Hemmens for the Holidays… …and not just for great alliteration. At least once during the Christmas season you’ve got to get gussied up and do something elegant. And we can’t think of anything better than going to the symphony. We’ve said it before, the Hemmens is a Fox Valley treasure. And so is the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. Outside of the CSO, there’s no better symphony in Illinois. So put on…

Santa Will Be In Da’ House! Windy Acres Farm in Geneva will be welcoming a special guest on weekends in December. The jolly old elf himself, Santa, will be on hand each weekend during Windy Acres’ Winterfest, which commenced December 4 with a two-day Craft Fair featuring a wide variety of handmade crafts designed by local vendors. During the fair, there will be food trucks, mulled wine and an open bar, plus a hot chocolate bar, hot cider and s’mores kits on the open fire. Wreaths, roping, door swags and other holiday greenery arrangements will be available while you are…

Welcome to our latest edition of Fox Valley Magazine’s 4 FOR THE WEEKEND where we wish the weather outside was frightful. So let’s get to it, starting with….. Tell Tchaikovsky The News… Is The Nutcracker kinda strange to you? We mean, sure, it’s a Christmas classic, a tradition. But it’s still kinda weird. You’ve got vermin as royalty, sugar plum fairies (whatever the hell those are), dancing dolls appearing out of cabbage, mass hysteria! But it all seems to work. So here’s to ol’ Pyotr Ilyich and his enduring (and endearing) creation. Click here for more. Yes, We Know, It…

On Tuesday afternoon, travelers down Randall in Elgin beheld an unusual site: a cow casually taking a stroll down the busy street. In truth, she was so close to traffic it’s lucky she wasn’t grazed. Rosie (not her real name), the bovine wanderer, had escaped from her owners and apparently sought greener pastures by ambling down the major thoroughfare nearby. “The call was dispatched to assist Elgin PD with a cow literally running down Randall Road, “said South Elgin Community Service Officer Rosie Vazquez as she fleshed out the story, putting “meat on the bones,” as it were. “The cow…

The man killed Tuesday afternoon when his vehicle collided head-on with a Batavia school bus just leaving Rotolo Middle School in Batavia has been identified by police. Adam Knisley, 33, of Aurora, died immediately when his Infinity 2-door collided head-on with a full sized school bus on Hart Road in Batavia. According to the Batavia Police Department, approximately 39 student were on the bus at the time of the collision. Remarkably, all but one walked away with nothing worse than minor injuries. One child was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. Knisley’s vehicle was travelling southbound on Hart Road…

Thanksgiving, especially in the Midwest, is a unique, and supremely American, holiday.  Drenched in tradition, the holiday harkens back to the time of the Puritans and the Plymouth Rock settlement, when it was largely a celebration of the harvest (although the Puritans could make every occasion religious of course). The element of giving thanks to God for our blessings took root as the pilgrims became settlers, and then colonists, and then a nation.  The first Presidential Proclamation of a “day of thanks-giving and prayer” was issued by President Washington in 1789, the birth year our Constitution.  In it, Washington was…

From the November 2021 issue of Fox Valley Magazine Thanksgiving is nearly upon us. As we said last month, Halloween may be the perfect holiday because of its lack of pressure on anyone – no pressure on parents to make sure the feast is prepared well and on-time. No pressure about presents. No pressure on kids to pretend they like the food or presents given to them. It’s just pure hedonism at its best. Thanksgiving is the peaceful holiday. OK, I can now hear women (and some men) rising up in anger, swearing like sailors that I don’t know what…