February/March Nuggets

Egg prediction wins free breakfast

Tom Stopka, store manager at Trellis Farm and Garden, presented contest winner Lynn Mahin of St. Charles with a “Free Breakfast for Two” gift certificate donated from Egg Harbor Café. Out of the hundreds of entries, Lynn was the only customer who guessed the exact day (Nov. 19) of the first egg to be laid by the Trellis farm flock.

Trellis sold over 300 hundred chickens to area tri-city families.  The store kept six chickens to raise and for customers to enjoy.  Raising and keeping chickens for pets has become a popular trend and Trellis sells all the needed supplies and feed.  Customers have enjoyed watching the chicks grow since hatching last summer.

Local dentists offer free services this Valentine’s Day

Drs. Scott Capper and Elizabeth Sacrey will once again participate in “Dentists with a Heart” on Wednesday, February 8 from 8am-noon. “Dentists with a Heart” is a program in which participating dentists offer their services free of charge to those in need for one day. Drs. Capper and Sacrey are pleased to provide this valuable service to needy patients in the Fox Valley Area, especially given the current economic situation. The event takes place in February to coincide with the Valentine’s Day holiday. For more information visit dentistwithaheartonline.org. Dr. Capper and Dr. Sacrey are located at 328 Anderson Boulevard in Geneva and are currently welcoming new patients. Call 630-232-0659 or visit sacreyandsacreydentistry.com

New plans proposed for First Street

A joint venture development team comprised of current development interests First Street Partners, LLC, and national commercial property developer Inland Real Estate Group has approached the City of St. Charles with a proposal to re-ignite construction activity at the city’s downtown riverfront First Street Redevelopment District. The proposal includes a five-story building encircling a parking deck with commercial space at street level, 125 rental apartments located on floors two through five, and nearly doubles the open space along the river.

St. Charles welcomes new businesses

Jet Hockey Training Arena—761 N. 17th St., #1,
630-762-6600
Arbor Avenue Antiques—116 E. State Ave., 630-293-3930
Dallas Seasonal Decor—115 Cedar Ave., 630-715-3767
Li’l Red Schoolhouse Antiques—108 State Ave.,
630-393-1040
First State Bank—2601 Oak St., 630-584-4433
Goodwill—2750 E. Main St., 630-513-5681
Marquee Youth Stage—Charlestowne Mall, 630-762-0354
Michelangelo Gallery—Charlestowne Mall, 630-443-4949

The Dailey Method opens downtown

This past December, St. Charles welcomed popular fitness studio, The Dailey Method, to complement its downtown business district. The Dailey Method started 10 years ago in San Francisco, CA and has evolved to become one of the safest, most effective ways to help people achieve their best personal physique. Aimee Higgs, co-owner of The Dailey Method St. Charles said that St. Charles was the clear choice for a new fitness studio. “St. Charles was absolutely the right new market. It was based on the market research I had done and the warmth and hospitality that St. Charles has shown us,” she said. “The Dailey Method is a phenomenal addition to Downtown St. Charles. It’s an innovative, exciting new approach to exercise for all ages which is great for our fitness-minded community,” said Jennifer Faivre of the Downtown St. Charles Partnership.

The building is located at 9 N. Second Street near St. Charles’ popular restaurants and shopping. For more information, call 630-788-1844, email stcharles@thedaileymethod.com, or visit thedaileymethod.com

Happy Anniversary to The Sassy Fox

The Sassy Fox is happy to be celebrating its 2nd Anniversary on February 1. The Sassy Fox is a quaint ladies clothing consignment shop located at 323 Walnut St. in historic St. Charles. The store has many great bargains on great apparel. There will also be a big clearance sale to make way for Spring fashions. For more information, visit TheSassyFox.com.

Hotel Baker undergoes renovations

Hotel Baker has recently undergone a modern facelift and almost all of its rooms and suites have been updated. Rowena Salas, General Manager of Hotel Baker, says that she and her husband Joe restored the property to ensure that their boutique hotel would remain a contemporary and competitive option for travelers in the St. Charles area. Jennifer Faivre, Executive Director of the Downtown St. Charles Partnership, sees the project as a positive sign of development in the community. “There is solid investment happening in downtown St. Charles even in these tough economic conditions. Hotel Baker is a tremendous asset in downtown St. Charles and most certainly a celebrated part of the city’s rich history and distinctive architecture,” she says.

Early education gets a night in the spotlight

Residents and businesses throughout the Fox Valley are rolling out the red carpet with fabulous donations for the “Lights, Camera, Auction!” fundraiser hosted by Bridges Montessori Academy and Bridges Academy, Sat., Feb. 25 at the St. Charles Country Club. Dinner begins at 6:30pm followed by games and a live auction. All donations will be used to support Bridges’ library foundation, The Brite Foundation. For more information or to purchase tickets, call 630-513-9742 or visit BridgesMontessori.org.

Free sales training for veterans

Bill Bartlett, owner and CEO of Corporate Strategies & Solutions, Inc., a Sandler Training Center, recently introduced the Free Sales Training for Veterans program. Corporate Strategies has pledged to provide sales training, at no charge, to any military personnel from the state of Illinois, who have been honorably discharged from any branch of service from 2008 to 2011, who are re-entering or wish to start a career in sales. Corporate Strategies & Solutions, Inc. is located at 55 Shuman Blvd., Ste. 175, Naperville, 630-778-1500. corporatestrategies.sandler.com.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festivities now organized by Pride of the Fox, Inc.

The 13th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festivities will be held on March 10, 2012, and is newly organized by Pride of the Fox, Inc. The event was formerly produced by the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce who is now passing the baton to Pride of the Fox Inc., a volunteer based non-profit organization that provides community events in the St. Charles area. Pride of the Fox Inc. Executive Director Julie Farris welcomes the event. “It is exciting to be able to provide fun, community-based events for the residents of St. Charles,” said Farris, who co-founded Pride of the Fox, Inc. in 2009. Sponsorships are currently available for the event. Please contact Julie Farris at info@prideofthefox.com or 630-444-7460 for more details.

prasino chefs feed the hungry

prasino of St. Charles donated Braised Beef Short Ribs to the Third Tuesday Community Dinner at the United Methodist Church of Geneva on Tuesday, December, 19th. prasino Chef de Cuisine Jack Funderburg and the prasino St. Charles staff were happy to help this worthy cause. For two years, the United Methodist Church of Geneva has opened their doors to over 500 people every month and provided each person with a free hot meal. All of the food is donated by community members simply as a goodwill gesture to those who may be having a hard time making ends meet.

prasino St. Charles Chef Jack had this to say: “When we heard about the Third Tuesday dinners we knew we had to support it in some way. This community has been so welcoming and we knew we could start repaying that debt with one of the things we pride ourselves on…cooking some really tasty food. After asking ourselves what we would want to eat if we were cold, broke and hungry at Christmastime, we settled on our famous braised short ribs. It should promise to be a somewhat decadent holiday meal in a time when so many people are struggling for the necessities."

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