Columnists


Memorial Day weekend in Elgin highlighted by annual Fox Trot

by Deirdre Higgins White


Picture this...Memorial Day Weekend - The unofficial start of summer in Chicagoland... runners lining up at the starting line. Perhaps they are wearing white tube socks with blue stripes to match their very short and somewhat form fitted shorts, which are topped off with a flimsy tank top. These runners recently hopped on the new running craze that was inspired by American middle and long-distance runner, Steve Perfontaine's (1951 – 1975) running success.

Prefontaine held numerous records for track and field and is still considered one of the greatest American distance runners to date. His record-breaking successes… Full Story

Artspace: An Appreciation

by Paul Challacombe

This column more than once has addressed the issue of “gentrification” while rehabilitating an old, urban and under-used neighborhood. It is obvious that when abandoned property is repurposed, the overall good to safety, the community and the tax base is apparent. The underside of that equation is when the people who move in to move on (usually artists and/or entrepreneurs) are the ones who then suffer the consequences of their success as the rent increases, while the texture of the neighborhood changes from hip to hipster. Not that any such thing is really going to happen in Elgin in the… Full Story

Sisters fight constantly; What is a mother to do?

by BocaJump Staff
RND: My kids are constantly fighting. I have two girls, one is 8 and the other is 12. I understand sibling rivalry coming from a family of 4 brothers and sisters. I realize this is somewhat normal behavior, but I'm a single mom, working full time who is extremely busy with caring for them and a house. Last thing I need is to be breaking up their constant fights. I've tried reasoning with them, I've tried punishing them. It feels like they only get along for about 5 minutes and then a new fight over some insignificant object begins. They… Full Story

Little-known facts, records dot Elgin's history

by Mike Alft
Some little known events in Elgin aren't documented in any textbooks, but did you know:

•Dorothy Lamour auctioned off a sarong in Fountain Square? (No, she wasn't wearing it at the time.)
• A Chicago high school's basketball team failed to appear for a game with St. Edward, and coach Greg True Called on alumni in the stands to suit up for an impromptu game with the varsity?
• A Hollywood starlet named Lucille Ball visited the old watch case factory on Dundee Avenue?
• John F. Kennedy campaigned at the Intersection of DuPage and South Grove?
• Buddy… Full Story

Young people would give Elgin the vibrancy it sorely needs

by Mike Bailey

Universities conduct studies and urban planners attend seminars to determine what makes a city vibrant.

Vibrancy is hard to quantify and harder to define; you know it when you see it.

Vibrancy is an energy, a sense of purpose that pulsates through the community and, in many successful cities, through the central business district. Vibrancy is a quiet energy, a drive, a feeling of impending success. It is an expectation of excellence that one contributes to and benefits from.

The secret that all urban planners seek and for which consultants are paid millions is not a complex algorithms or delicate… Full Story





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