Above / Just back from a getaway to Mason City, Iowa, a stop along the way to experience a “Nature Trail” in Brandon, Iowa, also led us to a Blue Star Memorial. If you read the “Naperville Gardener” in the July issue, you may recall that Naperville has two Blue Star Memorials that honor men and women for their service in the armed forces. Find one in Burlington Square Park and the other one alongside the Judd Kendall VFW Post.
If you’re headed out of town on vacation in August, happy trails!
Considering the popularity of “staycations,” right here in Naperville you can take a break and discover plenty your hometown has to offer that’s N.E.W.S.
As PN Columnist Carlos Madinya from the Naperville Convention and Visitors Bureau says, “Spend less time on travel, more on fun!”
For instance, through Aug. 16, Centennial Beach is set for open swim from 11:30AM to 8PM weekdays, 11AM to 8PM Saturdays and 11AM to 6PM Sundays. Residents are $9 (Adults) and $7 (Youth). Nonresidents are $14 (Adults) and $12 (Youth). Located at 500 W. Jackson Avenue, Centennial Beach is open weather permitting in the good old summertime.
Plus, paddleboats, kayaks and paddle boards are available for rental at the Jaycees Marina on the Riverwalk Quarry.
To find more information about hotels, attractions and restaurants, go to VisitNaperville.com and DineNaperville.com.
August 1 thru August 8, 2022
As events are no longer relevant for this month’s calendar, they’ll be deleted from this post.
Aug. 1-plus / Calling Event Planners! Click here to submit events for PN’s online Community Events Calendar.
The form is available to submit quality, community events that serve Naperville. PN editors reserve the right to edit, publish and promote events at its discretion, ones that follow good-natured community standards. When submitting, be sure to include accurate and the “most-complete” information pertaining to the event. Submissions are subject to verification before publishing. Please allow up to seven business days for events to be published and populate within this website. It’s best to use a desktop or laptop computer when submitting events. Thanks for using the Community Events calendar. And, of course, thanks for reading.
Now thru Sept. 6 / Noon Lions Club Annual Summer Raffle
The Naperville Noon Lions Club Summer Raffle continues through Labor Day, Sept. 5, 2022. The drawing featuring four cash prizes will be held the first Tuesday following Labor Day, Sept. 6, 2022. Cash prizes are $5,000, $2,000, $1,000 and $500.Aug. 1-plus / Nominate a local resident age 65-plus for ‘Senior of the Year’!
Aug. 1-plus / Crafters and Vendors Wanted for Marmion Christmas Craft Show
The Marmion Alumni Association is accepting applications for the 31st Annual Christmas Craft Show. The juried craft show will take place on Thanksgiving weekend: 9AM to 4PM Sat., Nov. 26; and 10AM to 2PM Sun., Nov. 27, in the Regole Field House and Alumni Hall at Marmion Academy, 1000 Butterfield Road in Aurora. The 2021 show featured over 200 crafters and vendors and drew over 4,000 shoppers. For more information and to obtain an application, visit www.marmion.org/crafter.
Aug. 1-plus / North Central College Interim President begins today
Aug. 2-plus / Lock it or lose it. Be safe. Be a Crime Stopper.
Note! The Naperville City Council meeting typically scheduled on the first Tuesday of the month is canceled due to National Night Out. Mark your calendar for 7PM Tues., Aug. 16. Watch, live and learn.
Aug. 4 thru Aug. 6 / DuPage River Park Bridge Closure to repair bridge along DuPage River Trail
Naperville Park District plans to repair part of the bridge along the DuPage River Trail at DuPage River Park, located at 808 Royce Road in Naperville. The bridge will be closed beginning Thurs., Aug. 4, to allow efficient repair of the bridge. “Trail Closed Ahead” signs will be posted at several locations to alert trail users of the closure. The work is expected to be completed by August 6.
Aug. 4 / Naperville Jaycees Last Fling Volunteer Fair & Trivia Night at VFW
Join the Naperville Jaycees from 6:30-7:30PM Thurs., Aug. 4, for a Last Fling Volunteer Fair at the Judd Kendall VFW, 908 W. Jackson Ave. The Volunteer Fair will be followed by General Knowledge Trivia from 7:45-9PM by Baig of Tricks Trivia!
Learn from members of the Last Fling Executive Committee during an open house event and sign up for various volunteer opportunities throughout the Last Fling over Labor Day weekend. All not-for-profit partner volunteers are encouraged to attend and registered and completed shifts on behalf of a 501c3 will be totaled for a donation to the designated charities.
What areas need your help? Beverage Tents, Jaycee Food, Sponsor Area, Event Set-up and Tear Down, and Event Staff.
For more info, visit manpower@lastfling.org. Thank you for your support of the Naperville Jaycees Last Fling, the event promoted on the front page and throughout the first issue of Positively Naperville in 2001!
Aug. 4 thru Aug. 6 / The AAUW Naperville Used Book & Media Sale / Washington Jr. High School Gym, 201 N. Washington Street.
The AAUW Naperville Used Book & Media Sale is set from 9AM to noon Thurs., Aug. 4; Fri., Aug. 5 and Sat., Aug. 6. Donated books, CDs, DVDs, vinyl records, and video games will be sold in the Washington Jr. High School Gym, 201 N. Washington Street. Proceeds will benefit AAUW efforts to advance gender equity through research, education, and advocacy. AAUW stands for the American Association of University Women, officially founded in 1881.
Enjoy the great outdoors! Go fish! Find a pond here!
This week the Naperville Municipal Band! Next week the NMB Big Band! Strike up the summer season for the band that’s been around since 1859! Fall Concert is set for 3PM Nov. 6 at The Wentz.
Aug. 4 / Naperville Municipal Band Concert / 7:30PM Thurs., Aug. 4 / Naperville Community Concert Center in Central Park / Downtown Naperville
The Naperville Municipal Band will perform “Sounds from Central Park,” including Irving Berlin’s “Songs for America,” patriotic marches, a foot-tapping polka and “May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You” by Meredith Willson. The concert will end with an encore of the always rousing “The Stars and Stripes Forever” by John Philip Sousa. (Note that the final concert of the summer series on Aug. 11 will feature the NMB Big Band under the leadership of Tracy Oliver.) Concerts are free of admission charge.
Aug. 5 & Aug. 6 / WSI Naperville Irish Fest at Frontier Sports Complex / 3PM to 10PM Fri., Aug. 5 / Noon to 10PM Sat., Aug. 6.
Plenty of activities with an Irish twist are planned for youngsters. For more details about featured entertainment and some photos from the inaugural Irish Fest 2021, click here.
Aug. 7 / Naperville Sprint Triathlon / 7AM Sun., Aug. 7 / Starts at Centennial Beach.
Centennial Beach parking lot will be closed all day on Sat., Aug. 6, through 1PM on Sun., Aug. 7 due to the 14th Naperville Sprint Triathlon. Sunday morning, expect some road lane closures near downtown Naperville. Registration is sold out.
Experience the beautiful sounds of OPUS musicians on Monday!
Aug. 8 / OPUS Annual Salute, Honor and Love Concert / 2PM Mon., Aug. 8 / Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Avenue.
This annual OPUS Salute, Honor, and Love (SHL) Concert is dedicated to seniors and veterans in the community. The Wentz Concert Hall will be filled with joyful chamber music and wonderful treats. OPUS may help arrange transportation when requested. Free of admission charge. For more info, click here.
Naperville schools begin again!
Naperville Community Unit School District 203, Early Childhood, K-12, serves nearly 17,000 students residing in Naperville, Lisle and Bolingbrook. Classes begin Aug. 17, 2022, for the 2022-2023 school year.
Indian Prairie School District 204, Preschool, K-12, serves nearly 28,000 students residing in Naperville, Aurora, Bolingbrook, and Plainfield. Classes begin Aug. 18, 2022, for the 2022-2023 school year.
Private high schools (9-12) serving Naperville just beyond its borders include Benet Academy in Lisle where all classes begin Aug. 19; Marmion Academy in Aurora, classes begin Aug. 19; St. Francis High School in Wheaton, classes begin Aug. 19; and Wheaton Academy in West Chicago, classes begin Aug. 24. Naperville Christian Academy (PreK, K-12) is located in Naperville where the first day of school is Aug. 31.
Find a list of more than 20 private PreK, K-8 schools located in Naperville at www.countyoffice.org with links to their websites. The list includes independent, parochial, religious and non-religious affiliated charter schools and preparatory prep schools.
Thanks for shopping locally for all school supplies!
“Cruising into Summer” is a project where Busey Bank partnered with students from Metea Valley High School who painted a pick-up truck sculpture to depict seasonal fun. Now on display with 15 other works of art in downtown Naperville, the colorful, historical and whimsical designs create many attractive reasons to visit the central business district for school supplies. Gear up for a special shopping spree that includes discovering lots of summer sales and plenty that’s new among planned events throughout downtown in August.
Cheers to glistening summer sunshine!
Last updated, Aug. 3, 2022.
