Street Closing

Symphony Way will be closed from Grove Avenue east to the entrance of the city's parking deck as the water department replaces a fire hydrant beginning at 10 p.m. Sunday.
Crews will be working through the night and expect to be done by 7 a.m. Monday.
The road closure will not affect parking in the deck. Water will be shut off in the area, but service is expected to be restored before residents and guests return to the area.
For more information, contact Sue Olafson, Elgin's public information officer, at (847) 931-5601.
This information appeared in the News Digest section of the Saturday Courier News.

Four Parking Spots Added on Spring St.

Four new parking spots were added on the west side of Spring St. between Division and Highland. I spotted them on Saturday.

The Fine Arts and Bicycle Racing

This weekend brings us two events to broaden our horizons. First, on Saturday and Sunday, August 6th and 7th, the Elgin Fine Arts Festival returns to downtown in the Civic Center Plaza. This is the fourteenth year of the festival. Come downtown to gaze upon a variety of art forms, purchase your favorite piece and listen to some music while having lunch. The hours are 10 to 6 on Saturday and 11 to 4 on Sunday.

Second, on Sunday, August 7th, bicycle racing returns to Elgin. The Elgin Cycling Classic will loop through the downtown streets from early morning until evening. The criterium course is approximately one kilometer. Start is at E. Chicago and Spring; go north one block to Highland; left on Highland two blocks to Grove; left on Grove for three blocks; sharp left turn onto Spring for two blocks to the finish; repeat course. Read the Courier News article.

The schedule is as follows:
8 a.m. - Men's Citizen/Cat 5
Distance: 30 minutes plus four laps
Entry fee: $25
Prize: More than $500

9 a.m. - Master Men's 40 and older
Distance: 30 minutes plus four laps
Entry fee: $25
Prize: More than $1,000

10 a.m. - Master Men's 50 and older
Distance: 30 minutes plus four laps
Entry fee: $25
Prize: More than $500

11 a.m. - Men's Cat 4
Distance: 40 minutes plus four laps
Entry fee: $25
Prize: More than $750

Noon - Children's races
Race groups:
5- to 6-year-olds; 7- to 8-year-olds; 9- to 10-year-olds; and 11- to 12-year-olds
Entry fee: No charge
Prize: Ribbons for participants and trophies for the winners

1 p.m. - Handcycling race
Distance: 30 minutes plus four laps
Entry fee: $25
Prize: To be decided

2 p.m. - Women's Open
Distance: 40 minutes plus four laps
Entry fee: $25
Prize: More than $1,000

3 p.m. - Men's Cat 3
Distance: 40 minutes plus four laps
Entry fee: $25
Prize: More than $2,025

4 p.m.- Men's Pro/Am
Distance: 60 minutes plus four laps
Entry fee: $40
Prize: More than $5,000

New Police Chief Sworn In

Our new Chief of Police, Lisa Womack, was sworn in today. A large crowd of police, city staff and media witnessed the brief ceremony. City manager, Femi Folarin, Mayor Schock and intermin Chief Robert Beeter spoke and city clerk, Loni Mecum, performed the swearing in. Femi kept the process moving. He said he wanted the chief to get to work.

Womack was selected from 50 applicants from across the country. Recently, she served as police chief of Sugar Land, Texas, a fast growing city outside of Houston, with a population of nearly 71,000.

Chief Womack and family, we welcome yaw'll to our city.

Historic Street Light Program Expanded

"Now"

The City of Elgin is adding historic street lights to the following streets:

Symphony Way from Douglas Ave to Dundee Ave
Douglas Ave from Symphony Way to Dexter
Spring Street from Kimball Street to Dexter
Center St from Kimball Blvd to Dundee Ave
There will also be two lights on College St.

Construction began July 20th.


"Later"

El Faro to be Featured on Elgin Today

El Faro Restaurant at 9 N. State St. will be featured on the Elgin Today television program. The show times are:

Tuesday, August 2nd at 7 pm
Saturday, August 6th at 10 am
Tuesday, August 9th at 7 pm
Saturday, August 13th at 10 am

The program is broadcast on Channel 17 on Comcast & Wide Open West.

Downtown Condos

There was an article on the downtown condo craze in Sunday's Daily Herald.

The downtown condo market is just hitting its stride, driven by Baby Boomers looking to downsize and young professionals looking for their first purchases, said Christine Kutt Zolt, marketing and sales director for Norwood Builders.

Imagine the market as a bell curve — on the far left are the pioneers who bought into the first suburban downtown condos 10 years ago, Kutt Zolt said. On the top of the curve is critical mass, where the condo is a generally accepted product.

“I really believe it’s just coming to critical mass” and will last another 10 to 15 years, Kutt Zolt said. “People don’t even think it’s unusual, and it’s where the market becomes very prime.”

It's Happening Downtown, the Week of August 1st

Monday, August 1st
What: Swearing in of new police chief, Lisa Womack.
Time: 8:30 am
Where: Elgin Police Station, 151 Douglas

Tuesday, August 2nd
What: Design Committee Neighborhood Walk
Time: 12 to 1 pm
Where: Meet at the DNA office, 2 Douglas. The area to be covered is bounded by Grove, Highland, Douglas and Chicago.

Thursday, August 4th
What: Harvest Market
Time: 12 to 6 pm
Where: Civic Center parking lot at the corner of Highland and Grove

Saturday, August 6th
What: Fine Arts Fest
Time: 10 am to 6 pm
Where: Civic Center Plaza, behind city hall

What: Carbo Load Ride
A leasure bike ride along the race route for the whole family. Free
Time: 6 pm
Where: Cafe Magdalena, 13 Douglas

What: Carbo Load Dinner
A pre-bike race dinner for the whole family. $15 for adults, $10 for children 10 & under
All you can eat pasta, salad and bread. Contact DNA for information and tickets, (847)488-1456
Time: 7 pm
Where: Cafe Magdalena, 13 Douglas

Sunday, August 7th
What: Elgin Cycling Classic, Daily Herald article (Registation required).
Time: 7:45 am to 5:00 pm
Where: Downtown Elgin, Spring to Highland to Grove

What: Fine Arts Fest
Time: 11 am to 4 pm
Where: Civic Center Plaza, behind city hall