Well #4 Is Back in Service!

The Village of Elburn has drilled five wells throughout our history. Wells #1 and #2 are older historical wells that have both been sealed and capped. Our current active wells are Well #3 on North First Street, and Well #4 on East North Street. We are also working on a brand new well off of East Keslinger Road that will become our future Well #5.

For the past few weeks, due to a variety of problems and challenged by our extreme drought conditions, Well # 3 has been the only well servicing all of our water needs.

I am pleased to report that as of this afternoon Well #4 is back on station. This was accomplished utilizing a replacement pump and motor graciously loaned to our community by Layne Western. I received a call from Superintendent Art Sanchez today, and he told me the great news.

We will continue the work to complete the installation of Well #5. This may take a few more weeks yet. Once we can put Well #5 online as an additional backup to Well #3, our intention is to come back and complete the upgrade of Well #4 with a new higher capacity pump set at an even deeper level.

Many people have worked very hard to see us through our recent challenge. They deserve our heartfelt thanks. I would also like to thank our residents who have been exceptionally cooperative helping to confine their lawn sprinkling to three hour shifts in the morning and evening .

I have said many times that we need to start thinking of water as more a resource than a commodity. And, we need to do much more to use the water that we have wisely.

For the time being, even with the drought, the Village of Elburn is in good shape. However, managing growth and providing adequate water supplies to support that growth are parallel issues that are going to be with us for the foreseeable future.

Don't Train on Our Parade

It won't be long now. The Elburn Days Parade lineup is fully stocked and ready to roll down Main Street on Friday, August 19th at 6:00 pm. The theme of the 2005 parade is "Elburn-A Community That Cares."

Unfortunately, the Union Pacific Railroad has advised our village in writing that they will NOT hold their freight trains up for our parade. Therefore, we fully expect this year's event to be interrupted by several containerized freight parades running perpendicular to our planned route.

Although it's difficult to understand the railroad's "profits over safety" reasoning, there is simply no arguing with the Union Pacific. Regardless, Elburn is still going to have a great parade.

Speaking from many years of experience, here are a few handy "tips" for enjoying the Elburn Days Parade:

It must be pouring down rain at 6:00 pm to cancel the parade.

There is no rain date because we just have one IDOT approved "window" to close a state highway.

Remember, don't throw candy, pass it out. Every year someone gets beaned with a "Jolly Rancher." Trust me, those little "suckers" hurt!

Horses without diapers or pooper scoopers should be left in the pasture.

There are no semi-tractor trailers allowed in the parade. We just don't have the room to line these behemoths up on side streets. And, who wants to see another semi on Route 47 anyway?

If you are in a band, don't just play, play loud!

If you are building a float, using the theme counts the most for prize money. Our panel of secret judges have been doing this for years. They know good floats when they see them.

Follow the unit in front of you, because there is no passing lane in a parade.

Oh, and smile and enjoy the moment! That's why we do this every year.

And, if the crossing gates start flashing red and descend in front of you, you better stop, look, and listen. There will be a short delay as our friends from the UP "horn" in on our fun.

This One's for Steve!

When I went to Shiloh this spring, I neglected to take a picture of the "formal" Illinois State Monument there. When I came back to Elburn, Steve Gliddon said, "You mean you went all the way to Shiloh, Tennessee, and didn't take a picture of the Illinois Memorial? What's up with that?"

So this time at Vicksburg National Battlefield, I took plenty of shots of the Illinois Memorial. I'm a quick learner, and I didn't want to give my friend Steve a chance to chew me out again.

The Illinois Monument at Vicksburg is the largest monument on the field. It's pretty hard to miss, Steve! It is dedicated to the 36,325 soldiers from Illinois who served in the Federal campaign to seize control the Mississippi River for the Union and split the Confederacy in two.

Inside the memorial, we found an engraved plaque with all of the names of "pony soldiers" who served in the Kane County Independent Cavalry at Vicksburg.

I'll put that picture up soon on the blog. But, for now, this one's for Steve!

Kane County Cavalry at Vicksburg

My son Andrew spotted this marker quite by accident as we recently drove around the Vicksburg National Battlefield together. At first, he wasn't sure enough to say anything. But then, he checked for a citation in the Union "Line of Battle, and sure enough, a Kane County Independent Cavalry did serve at the siege. So, we went back out on the battlefield, and eventually found the monument again.

Over 30,000 soldiers from Illinois served in the battle and siege for Vicksburg, and Illinois markers were on prominent display as we toured the national park site.

The battle of Gettysburg lasted for three days, and the battle of Shiloh lasted only two. But, the siege of Vicksburg was a 47-day battle of exceptional strategy, tactics and wills. Near the end of the siege, the Confederate defenders were running out of ammunition and down to only a handful of peas per soldier per day for rations. General Grant and his Union troops never did break through the elaborate ring of obstacles constructed by the Confederates around Vicksburg. And, it is the remnants of those trenches, forts, redoubts, redans and lunettes that Civil War "buffs" like Andrew and I enjoy going to see.

Vicksburg is a very special place and worth making the effort to visit.

Zinnia of Light!

I had such a good time taking digital pictures at the Elburn fireworks that I just have to show you one more of the nicer shots. I felt like I took a short college course on the internet researching techniques, and getting my photo gear ready for the big night.

I set my D100 camera up on a stable tripod. I then shot 3 and 4 seconds exposures at f9 and f11 using a 2-second time delay. That way I wasn't touching the camera when the shutter released. I also changed my camera's custom settings to take an anti-noise reduction comparison shot after each exposure. My camera had another setting I changed to reduce internal mirror shake. The internet also recommended not using "any" lens filters for fireworks shots, including the UV filter.

Click on the Flickr badge at the right if you would like to look at few other pics from a really great night of "community spirit" in Elburn.

My wife Cathy says "this one looks like a zinnia."

Elburn Fireworks Were a Blast!

Thanks to everyone who made Elburn's 2005 fireworks show a real blast! The Chamber of Commerce, the Lions, the Fire District, our Police and Public Works Departments all contributed to make this year's "Day in the Park" celebration a "booming" good time.

I was so focused taking time exposures, no pun intended, that I think I forgot to watch the show. Only 39 days left until Elburn Days! Whoo-hoo! CU in 'O6!

Even More Good Fishing!!

Chris Duffey sent me this picture of her children Noah and Bethany checking out a "big mouth" bass that Noah caught from the Prairie Highland south pond. It doesn't look like Bethany is too impressed with her brother's new found friend.

Mrs. Duffey says that five year old Noah is already a frustrated angler when he catches just pesky little sunfish. They are hardly worth his bother. He's ready to move on to bigger fish that really "strip the drag" when you reel them in. Noah also says we should stock some catfish here in Elburn. I don't know about that, Noah. Those catfish (click here) are mighty ugly and grow really big. I don't like taking those whiskered monsters off the hook myself.

The National Weather Service has upgraded Northern Illinois including our village to an extreme drought status. We can only hope that Hurricane Dennis downgrades and heads our way next week to deliver some much needed moisture to the midwest.

On Friday, Candy McCartney from our public works department picked up 15 dead fish around the Prairie Highland south pond, and 10 dead fish around the north pond. I am becoming concerned that the heat, the drought, and possibly even public drafting from the ponds may be having an adverse effect on our fish population.

I am not suggesting that public drafting is the only dyanamic at work here. But I am suggesting that we apply a little "common sense." Let's not draft these ponds down so far that we create a fish kill.

Most of the lawns in Prairie Highlands are established lawns. Experts say that they will go dormant, and then recover again when it rains.

This summer is setting up to be very hot and very dry. We need to start thinking about conserving our valuable water resources, including our village retention ponds, right now.

Three Dogs Shot

There was a front-page story in today's Beacon News that three dogs were shot this past weekend in Aurora. The story goes on to say that a suspect has been taken into custody. Now I have to wonder if the Beacon got a story like this without first obtaining a formal "press release" from the Aurora Police Department?

The Kane County Chronicle needed a formal "press release" from the Elburn Police Department to tell them that three "people" were shot in Elburn. That just sounds really strange to me.

Last Sunday, the Kane County Chronicle published an editorial condemning our village officials for not informing their paper of the shootings sooner than we did. Our people focused on their jobs, worked the case and solved the crime. But, I guess we neglected to tell the Chronicle.

Let me get this straight. The Beacon can find out when three dogs are shot in Aurora, but the Chronicle is unable to tell when three "people" are shot in Elburn. Sometimes the "truth" is even stranger than what you read in the newspaper.

The Danger of Falling Asleep

Today's editorial in the Kane County Chronicle was quite critical of our handling of a recent shooting incident here in Elburn. The Chronicle implies that by working the case and solving the crime, Elburn "needlessly inflamed a fearful community." I do not agree with their assessment.

In fact, Chronicle Managing Editor Greg Rivara and I spoke only one time on the phone about this incident. It is my opinion that our conversation was somewhat less than a pleasant one.

There is one point about which I am quite certain. Mr. Rivara and I did not talk about the legal implications of releasing or not releasing this information to the press. I am deeply distressed that the Chronicle editorial would imply that someone had a conversation with me that never took place.

What I did tell Mr. Rivara was if a reporter calls me and asks me what happened in Elburn last night, I tell them the truth. I tell them that unfortunately "three people were shot," and we are investigating the matter. But, if no one calls, I don't call the Chronicle, or any other newspaper for that matter. That is not my job. Furthermore, which newspaper am I supposed to call first?

I believe this negative editorial is not as much about Elburn's handling of this incident, as it is about blaming someone other than the Kane County Chronicle for missing this story.

Mr. Rivara told me his phone lines were "ringing off the hook" with subscribers suspicious that the Chronicle was "in bed" with Elburn to keep this story quiet. Evidently, the Chronicle editorial would like its readers to believe that it was somehow Elburn's "silence" that caused the Chronicle to miss the story. Nothing could be further from the truth.

This shooting incident was not "silent" in Elburn, nor was there any attempt on our part to conceal what had happened. Our police and fire scanners were "crackling" with information. The Elburn Fire Department responded to the scene, and several ambulances were dispatched. The Kane County Major Crimes Task Force was activated, and the Kane County Office of Emergency Management responded and set up spotlights. To top it all off, the entire property was cordoned off with bright yellow crime scene tape. Yes, it was just like CSI, and clearly visible from a busy county highway for over 10 hours.

I ask the Kane County Chronicle, where were your reporters whose job it is to ask questions, report the news and inform the public? If the Chronicle ignores a major crime in Elburn, I don't blame your subscribers for calling. What else are they missing in your newspaper?

Through a combined intergovermental effort, the Elburn Police Department fully mobilized, investigated this incident, protected the constitutional rights of those involved and solved a major crime. All of this happened while the Chronicle "snoozed."

I believe that the Village of Elburn's job is to serve and protect our residents, and in this instance, to catch the "bad guy." I also believe that is exactly what we did.

As for the Chronicle, if they just show up and do their job, there is no "fabricated" issue of Elburn's purported "silence." Of course, the Chronicle is not going to tell you that. It is pretty difficult for Elburn officials to anticipate questions from a news organization either unable or unwilling to cover a major crime in our community.

Sadly, the end result for Elburn residents and Chronicle subscribers is that they both stay uninformed. And, that is the danger of falling asleep.

Ambassador Hull Visits Elburn

Last night, Elburn ex-trustee John Peterson invited me over to meet his brother-in-law, who was back in America visiting relatives for a short while. You see, John's brother-in-law is Thomas N. Hull, the United States Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Sierra Leone.

We had an wonderful evening of interesting conversation, and also savored a casual dinner featuring John's "heat-absorbed, flavor-enhanced" ribs.

Ambassador Hill, and his charming wife Jill, enjoyed talking about the suburban growth phenomenon affecting western Kane County. The rest of us were mesmerized with stories of the challenges facing Africa now and into the future.

The Republic of Sierra Leone is about the size of South Carolina with a population of 4.9 million people. The average life expectancy there is only 35 years old, and only 57 % of the people have access to safe water. If you are interested in knowing a little more about Sierra Leone, you can follow this link to view a US State Department profile.

Ambassador Hull met his wife 36 years ago when they were teaching as Peace Corps volunteers in Sierra Leone. After many intermediate postings, they have come full circle and now serve together in the country where they first met. What an interesting journey of both careers and life?

Thanks John, for the impromptu invite. You never know who's passing through our little village. Last night, I was honored to meet some very special guests.