FROM KEVIN Hoping everyone is safe and unscathed from the crazy storms we got this week! Nothing like a category 1 hurricane level storm passing through the midwest to make the week exciting. |
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HEADS UP Tuesday's storm left parkways all over town stacked with limbs, so the city is running a special one-time cleanup. Get loose brush to the parkway by 6 a.m. Monday, August 17, because Public Works makes exactly one pass and won't circle back for late piles. Bagged and bundled yard waste is separate: Groot takes it on your regular pickup day for the next two weeks, no stickers needed until August 31. Details at naperville.il.us/yardwaste. The neighbors are on the same clock: Lisle's special branch collection starts the same Monday with branches on the parkway by 7 a.m., and Warrenville's storm pickup is also set for August 17. |
Sea Lion Aquatic Park closed weekdays as of Monday, August 10. Starting August 15, it runs weekends only, Saturdays and Sundays from 11:30am to 6pm, through Labor Day, September 7, which is the last day of the season. Season pass holders get in at 11am; Senior Swim runs Sundays from 10 to 11am. |
The Illinois State Treasurer's I-Cash program comes to the Lisle Library, 777 Front Street, at noon on Wednesday, August 19. I-Cash is the Treasurer's unclaimed property program, a statewide database of forgotten bank accounts, uncashed checks, and insurance payouts the state holds until the rightful owner files a claim. Call (630) 812-9292 or email [email protected] with questions. |
Chef Cherise Slattery is demonstrating farm-fresh appetizers at the Downers Grove Public Library on Tuesday, August 18. Slattery is a St. Charles chef instructor who runs Cooking with Chef Cherise and is a regular on the suburban library circuit, teaching everything from bread baking to knife skills. Samples are included and the meeting room holds up to 100 people. |
Wheaton Public Library is running a Taxidermy Stuffed Animals craft program on Monday, August 17 at 225 N. Cross St. in Wheaton, and we are still turning that name over in our heads. Check the library's event page for registration requirements and the exact start time before you go. |
| NEW THIS WEEK  Block 59's newest tenant is an ice cream shop that made Naperville its first stop in Illinois. Dumont Creamery & Cafe, an Indian-owned spot, is open now at 448 S. Route 59, scooping global-inspired flavors with boba and coffee on the side. Go this week and beat the rush; the official grand opening is Friday, August 21, with a buy-one-get-one ice cream deal running through August 24. |
 The Jewel plaza on 95th Street is now a cookie destination. Butter & Batch opened August 4 with eight scratch-made signature flavors, from the Brown Butter Chip to The Peanut Butter Dream, plus protein-ball bites for the virtuous. Order ahead at butterbatchbakery.com for pickup, or wander in and see what survives the afternoon. |
 Life Time picked the corner of Route 59 and 103rd for its 17th Chicago-area club, a 102,000-square-foot spread with indoor and outdoor pools, pickleball courts, a spa, and childcare. Doors open in early 2027, and the waitlist is already live if you want in line before pricing comes out. |
| THE ROUNDUP The Oesterle Library Gallery at 320 E. School Street is showing Robert Shoemaker's photographs of Naperville from 1975 to 1985, through September 25. This is what the place looked like before the subdivisions filled in, and the reception on Thursday, August 20, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. is an easy way to see it with the people who remember it. |
Take Note, the Lisle Park District's adult performance choir, holds auditions Wednesday, August 19 from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at the Lisle Senior Center, 1925 Ohio Street. No prior experience required, and auditions are quick, so the hardest part is walking in the door. |
| THE EAT The Red Oaks Farm Table Dinners at Cantigny are an outdoor dinner under the sky that feels genuinely worth the drive to Wheaton, and the booking pace proves it: July went fast and the August 20 dinner is already sold out. September 17 (Lakes & Fields) and October 15 (From Coast to Coast) are still on the calendar; cantigny.org is where you claim a seat. |
U Sushi keeps popping up on Reddit and Facebook as the place people feel dumb for ignoring, and a $40-50 all-in check for two, sushi and beers, at a spot with $4 plates is the kind of math that gets attention. For a low-stakes Tuesday sushi night, the Osaka Roll is apparently where to start. It's officially on my list for the next sushi craving. |
 Jeni's on Main has the Ted Lasso collab flavor right now: 'Biscuits with the Boss,' a salted butter sweet cream with shortbread cookies layered in. It's a limited run. Point your next downtown walk at the scoop counter before it's gone. |
| THE WEEKEND The Forecast Friday stays mild and mostly dry; a light jacket works if you head out early, and you can ditch it by midday. Saturday brings showers and thunderstorms likely from mid-morning through the afternoon, an 86% chance, so plan an indoor backup or pack rain gear and accept damp. Sunday clears somewhat but keeps thunderstorm chances into the afternoon; dress for 75 in the morning and mid-80s by midday, and check the radar before committing to anything outdoors. |
 An outdoor art fair loops Meadow Lake at the Morton Arboretum on Saturday, August 15 and Sunday, August 16, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with vendors covering photography, woodturning, jewelry, painting, ceramics, and fiber arts, plus wine while you browse. The weekend is covered by general admission or your membership. Members can also grab a $25 preview ticket for tonight, Friday, August 14, with timed entry at 5, 5:30, and 6 p.m. and a free glass of wine or beer included. |
 The last Naper Nights of the summer runs tonight and tomorrow, and whoever booked it had range: a Van Halen tribute Friday, August 14, and a Taylor Swift tribute Saturday, August 15, with a Toby Keith tribute thrown in for good measure. Tickets are up at Naper Settlement's site, and the finale tends to sell out, so buy before you go. |
 Solemn Oath Brewery is running a vendor market on Sunday, August 16 from noon to 3 p.m., with around 10 vendors selling food, drinks, candles, and goods. The patio is dog-friendly and the market is kid-friendly, which makes it a Sunday afternoon plan for most configurations of your household. |
 Fletcher Rockwell takes over the Tank Park at Cantigny on Saturday, August 15 from 7 to 9 p.m. with Americana, rock and roll, and crowd favorites. Bring a chair, grab something from the Beer Garden, or pack a picnic. Parking is advance-purchase only; square that away before you head to Wheaton. |
Ralph's World plays Downers Grove Public Library on Saturday, August 15 at 10:30 a.m., free in the meeting room, for kids who can handle story-songs and dancing. If the room fills before you get in, he plays the Kids Stage at Downers Grove's Oktoberfest later this fall. |
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YOUR TURN Running an event, or know something happening around town? The best stuff out here spreads by word of mouth. Be the word, we read every submission. |
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