Geneva An Appealing Place for Filmmakers

If the nine letter HOLLYWOOD sign represents a place where magic is possible and dreams can come true, Geneva’s six letters may represent the same message in a more quaint way especially for filmmakers.

Geneva has always been a destination spot for shopping, dining and festivals. Interestingly, it seems that it is also a desired location for filmmaking. In 1974 the Geneva Motel was used in the Oscar winning, Harry & Tonto and again used in the 2001 movie, Novocaine. Then in 2002, The Road to Perdition was filmed downtown at the Hotel Geneva allowing many Genevans to be part of the excitement and watch the filming on State Street.

Today, Geneva continues to draw interest from filmmakers. Recently Director Jonathan Cohon brought his cast and crew to the courthouse steps to film a scene for “Debt of the Heart” starring Joe Farina. The premise “Geneva … also a desired location for filmmaking.”

of “Debt of the Heart” is that Joe returns to the small town of his childhood to find that the ghosts of his past have been replaced by the cries of his present. It is great that they used our own courthouse for one of the scenes.

Coming this spring, Geneva can look forward to its first starring role in the movie Bad Batch. It is being filmed right here in Geneva!

Geneva resident and Location Manager of Bad Batch Vic Portincaso said, “Frank Merle, along with co-producers Chad Meyer and Matthew Gill, have set their sights on the many wonderfully varied locales offered around Geneva while scouting potential places to set up
production on their forthcoming horror/comedy Bad Batch.” The movie will be about a small town overrun by drug-induced zombies.

When asked why filmmakers are looking to Geneva to film, Portincaso told me that the Geneva Film Festival has increased interest in filming in Geneva.

“The key to getting filmmakers to film in your area is for them to have knowledge of the area and photographs of the backdrops available. Another key is for them to understand what will be required for them to film in the area. Most of the filmmakers that get their work accepted by the festival will attend the festival. Film professionals such as producers and distributors will be attracted to the festival by the quality of films being shown. By being here for the film festival, they can see first hand what is available. This allows Geneva to be at the front of their thoughts when they are looking for locations.”

Do we have more films in our future? According to Events Coordinator Susie Sperber of the Geneva Film Festival, “The festival has been expanded to four days to accommodate a larger number of film screenings and workshops. This will draw more independent filmmakers to the area for a longer period of time. The beauty and charm of Geneva will do the rest.”

It always does!

This article first appeared in the November 2009 issue of eGeneva Magazine.

Founding Fabyan

There was clapping and some cheering when “blue” was recently announced as Fabyan Elementary
School’s official color, but that approval by students was nothing compared to when the school’s mascot was revealed.

Fabyan Elementary School is now the Home of the Falcons, and students couldn’t be more excited. From a list of five possible mascots–frogs, leprechauns, falcons, foxes and monkeys–the Fabyan Falcons was the clear winner; and at least one-second grader, Rachel, was on board with that particular choice from the start.

“They’re cool, and they are very strong,” she said of the birds.

Nick, a third grader, was also a supporter. “We just like falcons,” he said matter-of-factly.

Principal Darcy Thompson said the selection of a school color and mascot was an exciting time for the new school community, as it was the first in a long line of traditions that this first Fabyan class and staff was able to embark upon together.

“The applause and cheering brought music to my ears,” she said. “I looked across our Fabyan student body and came to the conclusion that we are becoming a cohesive group. For all of our students and staff that have come from different schools, we are forming a great togetherness here at Fabyan.”

The kindergarten through fourth grade students each contributed by a “write-in vote” for mascot and school colors. From those write-in votes, the top five choices for each category were put on a ballot; and the fifth grade and Fabyan staff voted.

But it wasn’t until Bernadette and George Richter of SOAR–Save Our American Raptors–walked into an all-school assembly with Damsel, a 6-year-old Peregrine Falcon, and Lacy, a 4-year-old American Kestrel, that the students knew the outcome of the vote. And they heartily approved.

“The kids were just really excited that they were able to participate in the choice,” said Principal Thompson.

Kelley Munch is the Communications Coordinator for the Geneva School District.

This article first appeared in the October 2009 issue of eGeneva Magazine.

Flavor Fare

Eeach month eGeneva Magazine reviews a different Geneva restaurant and touts their wares. Last month with the Flavor Fare right across the street from our offices, we couldn’t help but be reminded what a truly diverse menu of restaurants we have.

The four of us here at the magazine had no problem making the personal sacrifice to attend each day to sample these favorites on your behalf. It was a tough job, but someone had to do it!

The Flavor Fare featured appetizers, entrées and desserts from 18 of the area’s restaurants. Chianti’s
had their garlic crab pasta available for all to indulge, Moveable Feast had Oprah’s Favorite Brownies,
Atwater’s at The Herrington Inn offered their sautéed forest mushrooms in a puff pastry and Urban Grille shared their banana cream pie. And that’s just to name a few. Yes, I know we could have done it in one day; but we felt we owed it to you to try everything on the menu at least once. Okay, maybe twice.

And our reason for sharing with you our three-day food binge? To remind you of the varied and unique culinary experiences that exist in your own backyard. Next time you celebrate a special occasion or just want to try a new restaurant, you won’t have to travel far to find how our restaurants are another reason Geneva is unique.

This article first appeared in the October 2009 issue of eGeneva Magazine.

Season’s Change

Of all the services the City offers, the lazy man in me loves leaf pickup the most.  (Well, second to Christmas decorations.) After years of bagging every last leaf in my yard and hauling them to the parkway, the Leaf Pickup Program is a service I look forward to.

The City of Geneva is going all out to let us know the where and when so none of us are left behind: flyers in utility bills, signs posted and there’s even a leaf collection commercial on Comcast Channel 10.

If there’s early snow (what else is new?), leaf collection trucks are being used for snow removal; and I have a tree that out of total disrespect refuses to drop its leaves on schedule. So what do I do then? The City has it covered with the Bag Collection Program beginning November 30. I’m back to putting leaves in yard bags again; but at least I don’t have to put stickers on. It’s a free service.

Will this take care of our leaf problems for 2009? Of course, not. As always, Mother Nature has a way of doing what she wants when she wants.

This article first appeared in the October 2009 issue of eGeneva Magazine.

Acknowledging Greatness

What an amazing school year it’s been!

What’s more amazing is that it’s only a little more than half over! Academics, athletics, you name it! Geneva’s students and staff are making headlines!

Had you heard that:

• Four Geneva High School students achieved perfect scores (36) on the ACT.
• Four students were named National Merit Scholarship Finalists, five were named Semi-Finalists and 16 were named Commended Students.
• There were 102 Illinois State Scholars this year at Geneva High School.
• Fifteen students received College Board Advanced Placement Scholar Awards, some with Distinction and Honors.

How about the fact that:

• Another Geneva teacher achieved National Board Certification, bringing Geneva School District’s number of National Board Certified teachers to 12.
• Geneva School District was the recipient, for the fifth year in a row, of the Bright Red Apple Award for academic excellence.
• Geneva High School ranked #23 in the Chicago Tribune’s list of the top 50 high schools in Illinois based on performance on the 2008 Prairie State Achievement Exam.

And we’re sure you heard that:

• The Varsity Girls’ Cross Country team won their second consecutive state championship.
• The Varsity Football team had an undefeated season and made it to the state championship for the first time since 1975.
• The Varsity Girls’ Basketball team finished fourth in state.
• The Dance Team won first place at state in lyrical dance and third place in open dance.
• The Vikings were conference champions in all eight conference fall sports and four of the winter sports and activities in which they compete.
• The Varsity Boys’ Cross Country team finished third in state.
• Four Girls’ Tennis players and one Girls’ Golf Team member competed in the state finals.
• Eight Geneva High School students were selected to perform in the All-State Music Festival.

All of this in a matter of months! And we haven’t even gotten to the end of winter sports and activities, the start of spring sports and activities or the second semester of academic accolades!

We simply do not have enough good things to say about the amazing students and staff at Geneva School District or the incredibly supportive community in which we reside. It is through the efforts of all that these and many other students and staff members are able to achieve and succeed to such profound levels!

Kelley is the Geneva School District’s communications coordinator.

This article first appeared in the April 2009 issue of eGeneva Magazine.

Kiss The Sky: Local Store with International Soul

Geneva’s Kiss The Sky record store was recently featured in GQ Magazine by best-selling rock-and-roll author, Dan Kennedy, in an article detailing the importance of the Independent Record Store in our culture, just as the 2nd Annual Record Store Day will be celebrated worldwide on Saturday, April 18.

After a lot of research, Kennedy chose Kiss The Sky as the representative for 700+ independently-owned record stores in America (and 300+ international) and spent two weeks working in the store, rolling up his sleeves alongside the owners and staff. He paints the picture that the once widespread independent record stores have gone away as a result of large retailers that only carry mainstream music. Kennedy writes, “But in Geneva, Illinois, Kiss The Sky is still here. In this tiny town, thirty-five miles outside Chicago, the neighborhood record store still lives. I’ve come here to remember what things were like before I started buying my music on a laptop; to remember what it’s like to kill a five-hour shift; to remember what it’s like to even be in a record store.”

When you enter Kiss The Sky, you are bombarded by new music, legendary artists, music DVD’s, bins of Vinyl and CD’s, pop culture, rock collectibles, T-shirts, posters, and all in an environment that allows you to browse, learn and often times discuss and debate your ideas on music. Steve Warrenfeltz and Mike Messerschmidt moved this gem from Batavia to downtown Geneva in November 2006. Since then they have continued to plant roots in the community, selflessly promoting the local live music scene, assisting in local charities and even sitting on the board for Aurora’s Blues Festival and summer concert series. As residents of Geneva, we are fortunate to have been put in the national spotlight by Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah, and now it’s rock-and-roll’s turn.

Realize that it’s not just the local and surrounding communities that make it a point to frequent Kiss The Sky, but people travel from all over the tri-state area to specifically shop there. Richard Milne, host of WXRT’s “Local Anesthetic” and “Regular Guy”, and owner of RANK Entertainment, has driven out from Chicago and spent time in this store, had this to say, “Kiss The Sky has all the earmarks of a great record store, the kind I used to spend way, way too much time and money in, both as a customer and employee.

Anybody who’s ever been seriously into music could easily spend hours and hours in a store like this. And should.”

Record Store Day was founded in 2008 to celebrate the unique culture that surrounds the remaining independently held record stores. The outpouring from recording artists and local communities around the country and world was outstanding for last year’s first Record Store Day. Metallica showed up, unannounced, to a record store in San Francisco, where they hung out with patrons and signed albums. This year so many recording artists have gone out of their way to support this event with special and exclusive releases to independent record stores, including new material from: Wilco, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Sonic Youth, Beck, The Decemberists, Radiohead and My Morning Jacket. Most recording artists will openly talk about how important record stores are to them as individuals, let alone to their careers.

This all happens every day around the world, across the country and in Geneva under the roof of Kiss The Sky. This is where you go in with or without expectations, soak it in, look at new and old music, initiate conversations and debates, and ask questions. Some days you’ll only leave with ideas, and others you’ll leave with two or three items from bands/artists that you might have never heard of, or haven’t heard in years.

Warrenfeltz and Messerschmidt will play hosts to an all-day party on Saturday, April 18. In addition to all of the Record Store Day new releases, Kiss The Sky will have special sales, live music, and food and drink for those who make a point to celebrate with them.

You don’t have to be a musician to love record stores; you simply have to love music.

Peter Lindenmeyer is co-owner of Weaver Partners and a member of indie rock band HOSS. He resides in Geneva with his wife, Darlette, and their two children, Grace and Grant.

This article first appeared in the April 2009 issue of eGeneva Magazine.

Restaurant Review: Claddagh Irish Pub

The Claddagh Irish Pub restaurant in Geneva Commons is just what it claims to be: a recreated Irish public house. The interior is warm and inviting. Varied stylized rooms give it charm and a unique feel. My wife, Lisa, and I sat in the Lower Cottage Room with its timbered ceiling and warm, inviting fireplace burning on a cool night.

Our appetizer of Loaded Pub Chips with bacon, tomato, green onions and ale cheese sauce served with a tangy but not overpowering sour cream and horseradish sauce got our taste buds started. Since it was cold we both opted for soup. Lisa’s Guinness onion soup, a classic onion soup with rich overtones of Guinness stout, delighted us both. I ordered the Claddagh chowder, a meaty, thick clam chowder whose richness we enjoyed.

The entrées were both excellent. Lisa enjoyed a Jameson Drunken Steak, a sirloin grilled perfectly, topped with a Jameson Irish whiskey glaze, sautéed mushroom, white cheddar cheese and crisp onions carried delicate flavors in each bite. Champ potatoes (Irish mashed potato prepared with scallions) and steamed vegetables accompanied. I enjoyed traditional Irish bacon and cabbage, the Irish predecessor of corned beef and cabbage. Irish bacon, similar to Canadian bacon, is saltier with a bit of fat for flavor. It came plated over a bed of champ potatoes and cabbage cooked al dente, with a little snap to each bite, unlike so much soggy cabbage served on St. Patrick’s Day. A mustard sauce topped the dish, adding excellent flavor. Portions are abundant.

Dessert was the decadent St. Patrick’s frozen mud pie: mocha ice cream, chocolate cookie crust with a chocolate and caramel drizzled. It pleasantly concluded a wonderful dining experience.

The Claddagh staff is warm and friendly and really cares about you enjoying a wonderful dining experience.

T. J. and Lisa, owners of Spring Clean, Ltd., and their three children, Jack, Liam and Gretchen, are long time Geneva residents.

This article first appeared in the April 2009 issue of eGeneva Magazine.

New Print Management System has Arrived at the Library!

There’s a new way to use your library card! At the end of January of this year, the procedure for public printing and copying changed at the Geneva Public Library. The PC Reservation software installed to manage public Internet use now also manages public printing and copying. Under the new system, users may add value to their Geneva Public Library card and use their card to pay for prints and copies. As an added convenience, a new printer has been installed in the Adult Internet area, much closer to the computer users work area.

The first step to print is to send your print job to the printer. Next the user will walk to a dedicated print command PC in the Adult Internet area where they will be informed exactly what their print job will cost. They will then be given the option to either delete their request or pay for the print job.

A card vending machine also allows any user to purchase and add value to a print and copy vending card that can be used with the printers and copiers in the building. Geneva cardholders are able to use the machine to add value to their library card. Geneva Library and vending cards will also be an option to use with public copiers in addition to coins or bills.

Eventually this new system will also allow users to send print jobs to the Library via our Web site. The sent print command will reside on the system for a limited time, and users would come into the Library and conduct the print transaction as outlined above.

We hope you will enjoy the convenience of this new system, which is widely used and has been well received by many of the state’s public libraries. Besides being convenient, the new system will save the Library (and taxpayers) money by cutting down on paper and toner usage.

Matt Teske is the Director of the Geneva Public Library District.

This article first appeared in the March 2009 issue of eGeneva Magazine.

PRIDE in Geneva 304

In the fall of 2005, Geneva School District opened its doors to senior citizens wishing to volunteer their time in classrooms working with students and providing an “extra set of eyes, ears and hands” to the teachers.

In four short years, the program known as Proud Retired (and other) Individuals Dedicated to Education or P.R.I.D.E. has come to be called “a win-win,” “ success” and “very satisfying.” It has also grown to include nearly 40 volunteers in six of Geneva School District’s eight schools!

“I do think there are times when some of the kids just need a little bit more help, and when you have one teacher and 24 kids that’s difficult to do,” said Rose Fausey, one of P.R.I.D.E.’s first volunteers. “To have that extra help, it really benefits the child.”

“The P.R.I.D.E. program creates intergenerational relationships, opening doors and allowing for the sharing of experiences to create a better understanding between students and seniors,” said P.R.I.D.E. coordinator Steve Lillie.

“Students are so full of energy; and P.R.I.D.E. volunteers are positive, high-energy people, too,” Mr. Lillie said. “It is a wonderful match, and both the student and the volunteer benefit.”

At each level volunteering is flexible to accommodate the talents, availability and comfort level of each volunteer; and there is no special training required. Rose Fausey has volunteered at the elementary level for four years and has both learned from and enjoyed the weekly interaction with today’s students.

“It is satisfying,” said Mrs. Fausey. “They do want to learn, and you can see the results by how much effort they put into what they’re doing and when you do the follow-up. It’s just a good feeling you get.”

If you or someone you know would like more information about the P.R.I.D.E. program, call Geneva School District’s administrative offices, 630-463-3000.

Kelley Munch is the Communications Coordinator.

This article first appeared in the March 2009 issue of eGeneva Magazine.

Restaurant Review: Urban Grille

Whether you’re looking for a romantic dinner, a great place to meet with friends or a yummy family meal, Urban Grille is the place to go. With an extensive menu featuring everything from the best burgers and flatbread pizzas to salads, steaks and seafood, you’ll find something to please even the pickiest eater. The service at Urban Grille is friendly but unobtrusive. Seating is comfortable, and the atmosphere in the restaurant is warm and inviting.

We enjoyed a quiet dinner for two (a rare event with three busy kids in the house). The wine list was the first thing that grabbed our attention. It was hard to choose; Urban Grille features a wide variety of wines at all price points.

Our dinner was just as good as our wine. Scott began with the Seafood Bisque, a delicate buttery comfort food that was rich with chunks of whitefish and shrimp. I opted for the Shrimp Alyx, which was crispy and buttery with a mild lemony sauce that brought out the best in the shrimp. I chose the small appetizer portion, which was still large enough to share. But if you’re a shrimp lover, it comes in two appetizer sizes and also can be ordered as an entrée.

Next, it was on to the main course. We each chose a different steak. I selected the Flat Iron Steak, which was grilled to smoky, tender, flavorful perfection! Scott had the Strip Steak, which was very juicy with a fire-grilled flavor. The steaks were served with crisp-tender asparagus and perfectly seasoned fingerling potatoes tossed in a blend of butter and herbs.
For dessert, Scott selected the Chocolate Melting Cake. The cake was very chocolaty and did not depend on the melted center for flavor. He said it was one of the best he’d ever had. I chose the Crème Brûlée, which was crunchy on top with an intense vanilla flavor. It was served with Blackberries and whipped the perfect end to a rare and wonderful night out.

Jennifer Roy along with her husband Scott and daughters, Brittany, Rebecca and Elizabeth are long-time Geneva residents.

This article first appeared in the March 2009 issue of eGeneva Magazine.

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