Northern Illinois Weekender - June 27, 2020

Weekender NORTHERN

ILLINOIS

YOUR GUIDE TO ARTS & LEISURE IN NORTHERN ILLINOIS

SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 2020 • ShawMediaIllinois.com

SECRET GETAWAYS

Discover unique places to stay around northern Illinois / 3

MAKE A SPLASH

Explore an in-water boat show near Starved Rock State Park / 6

DIP INTO SUMMER

Readers share their picks for ice cream and frozen treats / 2

EDITOR’S NOTE

Shaw Media Illinois / ShawMediaIllinois.com • Saturday, June 27, 2020

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By INGER KOCH

Welcome to the Northern Illinois Weekender

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n today’s paper you’ll find a new section, the Northern Illinois Weekender. It’s a fresh look at the great things to see and do around northern Illinois. We hope you’ll take some time to relax and enjoy reading this weekly diversion.

The Weekender is your guide to arts and leisure in northern Illinois. We’ll help you discover new and interesting places to visit like today’s round-

up of unique places to stay a night or two. Are you looking for a sweet treat? Check out our readers’ favorite places to get ice cream. The Uncorked column brings you some great wine selections. Are you up for some outdoor recreation? We have a story about an upcoming in-water boat show near Starved Rock where boat tours, paddle board demos and kayaks are part of the lineup. Pam Otto’s Good Natured

column highlights the flora and fauna unique to our region. We’ll also bring you the latest TV, movie, music and book reviews.

Please enjoy the Northern Illinois Weekender, and let us know how we are doing. Got something we need to check out? Email me at ikoch@shawmedia. com. Thanks so much for reading, and enjoy your weekend!

FOOD FAVES

Photo provided

Readers share their picks for ice cream and frozen treats With the mercury rising and a pentup craving to satisfy summertime yens for something sweet and frozen, we let the votes of our readers steer us toward some of the most satisfying treats in this part of Illinois.

Will County ■■ The Original Walt’s Ice Cream, 1314 W. Jefferson St., Joliet ■■ Hazel Marie’s, 24030 Lockport St., Plainfield ■■ Ranch Frostie, 1259 N. Cedar Road, New Lenox McHenry County ■■ Julie Ann’s Frozen Custard, 6500

Northwest Highway, Crystal Lake ■■ Rusty Malts Coffee & Ice Cream, 5003 Monroe St., Ringwood ■■ Culver’s (all) – known for fresh-frozen custard

DeKalb County ■■ Ollie’s Frozen Custard, 2290 Oakland Drive, Sycamore ■■ Princess Alex Ice Cream Shop, 210 W. Elm St., Sycamore LaSalle County ■■ Tone’s Cones, 523 W. Main St., Ottawa ■■ Culver’s

■■ Dairy Queen (All)

Sauk Valley ■■ Dairy Queen ■■ Meusel’s Dairy Delite, 118 E. Seventh St., Dixon ■■ Culver’s ■■ Dairy Mart Plus, 312 16th Ave., Sterling Kane County ■■ Graham’s Fine Chocolates & Ice Cream, 302 S. Third St., Geneva ■■ Kimmer’s Ice Cream, 1 W. Illinois St., St. Charles ■■ Culver’s

Kendall County ■■ Brenda’s Frozen Custard, 205 S. Wells St., Sandwich ■■ Foxy’s Ice Cream, 131 E. Hydraulic St., Yorkville ■■ Grandma Rosie’s Sweet Treats, 303 W. South St., Plano DuPage County ■■ Tasty Treat, 19 S. Cass Ave., Westmont ■■ Every Day’s A Sundae, 990 Warren Ave., Downers Grove ■■ Kilwins, 148 N. York St., Elmhurst, and 100 N. Hale St., Wheaton

Secret

GETAWAYS

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e’ve located some of the coolest and most unusual places to stay. Some are in a holding pattern for now like so many of us, but it’s not too early to start planning getaways so that our reemergence into the travel world can be something extraordinary.

cottages that are ideal for romantic getaways, family excursions and more.

Of course, with the cottages located in the heart of Starved Rock Country, and just steps away from numerous amenities, water sports and harbor life, how much time will you actually spend indoors? But when you do, the cottages are a wonderful place to slow down your pace and truly kick back and take it easy with family and friends.

Woodcote

Lynfred Winery Bed & Breakfast

By CHRIS WALKER For Shaw Media

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Inside Lowell Park 2114 Lowell Park Road, Dixon 815-284-3306 www.dixonparkdistrict.com You won’t be the first or the last person to say, “I had no idea this place existed,” if you’re still unfamiliar with Dixon’s Woodcote. Thankfully, you’ll know much more if you keep on reading. Amazingly, Woodcote not only remains one of Dixon’s best-kept secrets, but the state of Illinois’ for that matter.

It’s a 111-year-old, stone-and-timber cottage in historic Lowell Park that offers a quiet atmosphere with privacy in the middle of nature. It features six bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, two working fireplaces, a great room with four banquet tables and three walls of windows, living room, a kitchen with just about everything other than food and drink, outside campfire site and grill, as well as access to 200 acres of park, including boat docks and ramps.

Woodcote is an appealing place for your next special occasion.

Heritage Harbor 111 Harbor View Drive, Ottawa 815-433-5000 www.visitheritageharbor.com What three words do you need to hear? Answering “I love you” is a given, but how about: Weekend. Getaway. Cottage? The pause isn’t just for emphasis, but it’s there so you take the time to consider such active pleasures as boating, kayaking, fishing, canoeing, tubing, water skiing and simply kicking back with family, taking in the spectacular scenery and enjoying some much-deserved R&R. Heritage Harbor has something for pretty much everyone, with a wide selection of

15 S. Roselle Road, Roselle 630-529-9463 www.lynfredwinery.com You don’t have to travel far to savor engaging experiences if you stay at any of Lynfred Winery Bed & Breakfast’s luxurious European-style suites. They have been fashioned to represent American, French, German and Italian wine countries – all conveniently recreated close to home in Roselle. Each suite is meticulously decorated to properly represent the country through architecture, fabrics, tile and furnishings. No doubt about it, this is a true escape from reality. All suites include a balcony and fireplace. Guests receive two bottles of wine, a tour of the winemaking facility, a charcuterie and cheese board, hostess service and breakfast for two.

There are also concierge services for those who want to embellish their stay with roses, massages and other special touches. Lynfred Winery celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2019, what will you celebrate when you book your stay after reservations open back up?

Oscar Swan Country Inn 1800 W. State St., Geneva 630-232-0173 www.oscarswan.com Most know Geneva for its dining, shopping and popular festivals, including Swedish Days and the Christmas Walk. But many are surprised to learn that there’s a lovely bed and breakfast in town on a historic estate that dates back to 1836. The Oscar Swan Country Inn is pleased to invite guests to stay in any of its eight bed-and-breakfast bedrooms in an elegant mansion. You will travel back in time, so to speak,

Photos provided

ABOVE: A French sitting room is one of Lynfred Winery Bed & Breakfast’s European-style suites. BELOW: A best-kept secret is Woodcote, a 111-year-old, stone-and-timber cottage in historic Lowell Park in Dixon.

when you step into Oscar Swan whose décor and country charm offer joyful reminders of the past. In addition to its bed and breakfast, Oscar Swan is a special place for events, including weddings, memorial gatherings, showers, anniversaries, parties and other occasions, replete with gardens, walking path, a barn from the 1800s and pool.

Hamilton House Hideaway 1629 S. Hamilton St., Lockport 630-343-9491 shawurl.com/3djp For people with an off-the-beatentrack itinerary that might include a visit to the Old Joliet Prison and other

area tourist attractions, the Hamilton House Hideaway offers a two-bedroom vintage apartment in a large historic home. The Hideaway’s location also is suited to Route 66 buffs, and at Halloween, the guest house promises a spooky overnight place to stay when visiting Will County’s haunted places, cemeteries and attractions. The accommodations are steeped in local history, and Hamilton House Hideaway notes that Lockport celebrates its 190th birthday this year. Guests can book the entire two-bedroom flat or each guest room privately. It is billed as family friendly, and can accommodate about seven guests.

SHAW MEDIA ILLINOIS Shaw Media Illinois / ShawMediaIllinois.com • Saturday, June 27, 2020

Discovering unique places to stay around northern Illinois

UNCORKED

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An expert taster shares favorite finds to consider adding to your own wine racks.

Shaw Media Illinois / ShawMediaIllinois.com • Saturday, June 27, 2020

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By JAMES NOKES

Photo provided

Justin Vineyards and Winery in Paso Robles, California, is offering interactive virtual wine tastings. For information, visit www.justinwine.com.

Justin and Landmark deliver joy in a bottle

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n authentic representation of the vineyard is a winemaker’s challenge.

For certified winery educator and sommelier Jim Gerakaris, the task is to decode what is in the bottle. In an expansive Zoom call that stretched well past its originally scheduled 60 minutes, Gerakaris – who educates the hospitality staff at Landmark and Justin wineries, writes tasting notes, and meets with large groups for tastings – went into deep detail in a seven-bottle tasting.

He started the tasting and complimented the Landmark Sonoma Coast Overlook Chardonnay 2018 ($27) for its balanced approach.

“There’s the thinking among some in the wine business that if a little something is good, then a lot of it is better,” Gerakaris said. “The trend went from a little butter to a lot.

Then to stainless steel with no malolactic fermentation. It’s really up to the winemaker. I think the right answer lies between. You don’t want it where the wine becomes untrue to the varietal. But, I also don’t think most of California is a place where wines with 12.5% alcohol are meant to be made.”

But, it is a state with a wide array of temperature variations, soil types

and elevation changes. There’s a spot for every varietal to shine, which Justin founder Justin Baldwin discovered in 1981.

As a successJim Gerakaris ful investment banker, he had the resources to make his fairy tale of owning a winery come through. He’d fallen hard for French wines from Bordeaux, and Gerakaris said when Baldwin realized “there were 300 other people in Napa Valley with the same fascination,” he’d turned to Paso Robles.

Because the area is strikingly hotter than Napa, is loaded with calcareous (chalky) soil and has a dramatic day-to-night shift in temperatures, Justin has riper grapes than the aforementioned regions. But the cool nights give the vines a break and help preserve acidity.

The time has come where Paso stands on its own, content to make wines of place and not try and mimic its brethren to the north or counterparts overseas.

“With Justin, there was a time when everyone wanted to compare Paso Robles with Napa Valley or Bor-

deaux,” Gerakaris said. “I think it’s time for us to just be ourselves now.”

The Justification 2017 ($60) is a cabernet franc and merlot blend that had dusty black cherry and a bay leaf note in the mid palate. An intense concentration of flavors highlighted the Justin Isosceles 2016 ($43, 375 ml), the winery’s flagship wine that had flavors of wild game, underbrush, green herbs, olive tapenade and anise.

It spent 21 months in new French oak, and Gerakaris said the wine “has the intensity to wear that” cooperage.

The most widely available is the Justin Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 ($28), a full-bodied red with black cherry, currant and tobacco spice at its core. But, the Justin Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 ($58) was a sinful delight. Fleshy and expressive with black cherry, cinnamon stick and cigar wrapper, its texture, smooth tannins and full flavors offered instant satisfaction.

Gerakaris said it was like a wine from France’s Pommeral, “fleshy and sinful. A cab that really exposes the fruit.

“If you put enough paint colors together, you eventually get gray,” Gerakaris said. “The trick is to make the fruit stand out. And I think the estate wine tells the story of the whole region.”

Tasted for the second time in less than a month, the Landmark Hop Kiln

Estate Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2017 ($40) sparked the same alluringly

round mouthfeel, black cherry and curry spice. To Gerakaris, it’s a wine that unravels a tricky varietal and speaks to the place it’s grown.

“The enigma that is pinot noir is not easy to unlock,” Gerakaris said. “I think the Russian River Valley pulls it out though.”

From three of the top cool-climate AVAs (American Viticultural Area) in California, the Landmark Overlook Pinot Noir 2018 ($27) captured the best of each in one bottle. The fruit intensity from the long hang time in Monterrey vineyards, the spice notes from La Encantada in Santa Barbara and the round mouthfeel, silky texture and juicy acidity from Sonoma.

“We got high quality components blended in a way that makes a really nice wine,” Gerakaris said. “It’s a joyful wine on the palate.”

There’s plenty of joy to tap into with any of these wines, and Gerakaris helped crack their code.

• James Nokes has been tasting, touring and collecting in the wine world for several years. Email him at jamesnokes25@yahoo.com.

STREAMING THIS WEEKEND

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‘Dr. Sleep’ film, BET Awards, HAIM on tap

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week.

Movies

“Clemency”: Alfre Woodard gives a career performance as death row prison warden on the eve of another execution in this shattering drama about the psychological trauma of the job, which is available on Hulu. Written and directed by Chinonye Chukwu, “Clemency” was well-reviewed, but got unjustly overshadowed by some of the higher profile awards contenders when it was released in December.

“Doctor Sleep: The Director’s Cut”:

This Danny Torrance-focused sequel to “The Shining” was a little divisive upon release, which wasn’t all that surprising. Anyone who plays with Stanley Kubrick’s iconography is bound to push some buttons. But director Mike Flanagan did manage the impossible task of pleasing both Stephen King and the Kubrick estate.

And the film does have some undeniable pleasures, including Rebecca Ferguson’s turn as the villain. The three-hour director’s cut now is available on HBOMax.

sis Danielle in the co-producer chair (along with frequent collaborators Ariel Rechtshaid and former Vampire Weekender Rostam Batmanglij). The album originally was supposed to be released in April, but got pushed back – like most things in the world – because of the pandemic.

Jessie Ware: English singer Jessie Ware is the sultry love doctor on her fourth album, “What’s Your Plea– Film Writer Lindsey Bahr sure?” The project, originally to be released on Juneteenth, was moved Music to June 26 in deference to the holiGrey Daze: Fans of the late Gramday to commemorate the emancipamy-winning screeching rock singer tion of people who were enslaved in Chester Bennington will get a chance the U.S. Associated Press critic Cristo hear him one more time. Before tina Jaleru says the album “delivers Linkin Park, Bennington was in the on every level.” rock band Grey Daze. The album – Music Editor Mesfin Fekadu “Amends” features tracks from Grey Daze’s mid-’90s catalog re-recorded Television Amid America’s wrenching self-exlast year with Bennington’s re-masamination of racial attitudes and intered vocals. The remaining band members, Sean Dowdell, Mace Beyers equities, BET is touting its annual BET Awards as a much-needed celebration and Cristin Davis, along with Bennington’s parents and widow Talinda, of black excellence in music, film, TV, sports and philanthropy. Actor-comehelped bring the project to life. It was dian Amanda Seales hosts the virtual released Friday, three years after ceremony airing at 7 p.m. Sunday, Bennington’s death. with performers set to include Alicia HAIM: It’s been three years since Keys, DaBaby, Jennifer Hudson, John sister trio HAIM have released a Legend, Lil Wayne and Usher. Drake, new album. On Friday, they dropped Megan Thee Stallion and Roddy Ricch “Women In Music Pt. III,” their third are the leading nominees in the music studio release, which finds middle

“Athlete A”: Maggie Nichols, aka Athlete A, was the first to bring a sexual abuse allegation against former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar. More than 500 women would follow. This new Netflix documentary from filmmakers Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk focuses on the survivors, the journalists who broke the story, and the failings of USAG to protect its young athletes from a predator.

categories, with LeBron James, Serena Williams and Simone Biles among those up for top athlete honors.

Showtime’s “Black Monday” is back to finish up season two after the cornavirus forced a pause in post-production. The comedy, which pivots around the October 1987 worldwide stock market crash that gives the series its name, returns at 7 p.m. Sunday with four new weekly episodes starring Don Cheadle, Andrew Rannells and Regina Hall. Viewers who want to refresh their memory of the season’s first six episodes, or just savor anew Cheadle’s powerhouse performance, can head to Showtime’s streaming service.

The late writer Michelle McNamara’s investigation of a serial killer-rapist is explored in HBO’s “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark,” a six-part docuseries debuting at 9 p.m. Sunday. McNamara, the wife of comedian Patton Oswalt, had immersed herself in the crimes of the so-called Golden State Killer in the 1970s and ’80s in California. Her posthumously published book is the basis of the series that includes interviews with detectives, family members of victims and those who survived their attacker. In 2018, a former police officer was arrested in the case – two months after McNamara’s book.

– Television Writer Lynn Elber

SHAW MEDIA ILLINOIS Shaw Media Illinois / ShawMediaIllinois.com • Saturday, June 27, 2020

AP photo

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Ewan McGregor in a scene from “Doctor Sleep,” the Danny Torrance-focused sequel to “The Shining,” available on HBOMax.

Shaw Media Illinois / ShawMediaIllinois.com • Saturday, June 27, 2020

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STARVED ROCK COUNTRY Dedicated to growing the awareness of everything the Starved Rock area has to offer

In-water boat show to dock at Heritage Harbor al-powered kayaks and stand-up pedal boards are offered courtesy of Ottawa’s own Quest Watersports. If you take a Ottawa’s Heritage Harbor is a mari- shine to these fun and intuitive boards on your free demo ride, be sure to swing na-front community nestled along the banks of the Illinois River, just a short by Quest’s showroom at 1851 N. 2871st Road, located just a block away from drive from Starved Rock State Park and I-80. This weekend, its picturesque Heritage Harbor.

Free live music will be offered Satharbor will not only be populated by urday night, following the boat show. beautiful boats owned by the marina Suburban cult-favorite Alex Hoffer, members, but also by a full fleet of fresh off a big quarantine livestream showroom quality watercraft you can show for the Rialto Square Theatre, explore for yourself. will entertain the audience. Hoffer will The free in-water boat show will be bring his unique brand of blues rock held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday to the Harbor’s outdoor Tiki Bar from and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. You’ll be able to browse the latest Centurion, Su- 7 to 10 p.m. The singer-songwriter is preme and Sea-Doo brand boats, offered known for his rhythmic and vocal roots in blues and contemporary rock, often

by Heritage Harbor’s partner, Lake bordering on progressive and funk.

Holiday Marina. Highlights include a For more information on the 2020 Centurion Vi24, ideal for cutting waves for wakeboarding and wakesurf- weekend’s festivities, follow Heritage Harbor, Lake Holiday Marina and ing, and the 2019 Supreme ZS212, a top Quest Watersports on Facebook. pick in its class by Boating Magazine.

Heritage Harbor Marina is at 421 At the family-friendly outdoor event, you’ll also have the option to demo min- Great Loop East Drive in Ottawa. For more information, call 815-433-5000 or iature electric boats and the full line of log on to www.visitheritageharbor.com.

Hobie brand boards. The popular ped-

By RYAN SEARL

rsearl@shawmedia.com

Photo provided

A free in-water boat show will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sunday at Heritage Harbor in Ottawa.

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By PAM OTTO

Taking interesting dives into the natural world around us, Pam Otto opens new avenues of exploration.

Photo provided

This cast skin, the exoskeleton of a periodical cicada nymph, provided the clue that solved the puzzle of the mysterious burrows in a backyard lawn.

Sleuthing solves mystery from the ground up

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ast week we talked of how jigsaw puzzles were all the rage during the COVID-19 quarantine, and how satisfying it is to fit the pieces of those puzzles together. We then embarked on a quest to solve a nature puzzle: Several mysterious burrows had appeared in my mom’s backyard following the 9-plus inches of rain in May. But what, or who, had made them?

Burrowing crayfish seemed likely suspects, except the holes were smaller in diameter – about the size of a nickel – than the holes our local burrowing crayfish tend to create. Also, the habitat wasn’t quite right for crayfish. My mom lives in a landlocked neighborhood in Wheaton, and though her and her neighbor’s yards had standing water, the area just didn’t seem quite right for devil crayfish, Cambarus diogenes, or prairie crayfish, Procambarus gracilis, our area’s most common burrowing species.

The pieces of the puzzle just weren’t coming together.

I was beginning to lose hope that the picture of what was going on there would ever become clear. Then one day, by sheer luck, I stumbled upon a post in the Facebook group Insects and Spiders of Illinois. It asked a question about cicadas. But not our annual cicadas, which typically start pitching their buzzy woo in late June or early July. No, the person referenced the periodical cicada, Magicicada spp.

You might remember the hype

around the last major emergence of the fascinating insects, which spend 17 years underground slurping nourishment from tree roots. In 2007, some of the towns where development occurred gradually – with a fair amount of trees preserved – had trees dripping with cicadas. But Kane County, for example, had next to none.

That group of cicadas is known to entomologists as Brood XIII, and is due to appear next in 2024. But in northeastern Illinois, we have a brood of 17-year cicadas that, in 1969, fell out of sync with the rest of its Brood XIII brethren and sistren. This year, 2020, four years off from the rest of the clan, periodical cicadas are emerging in a broad swath around the Chicago region … including DuPage County.

Hmm. This bit of information was most interesting. Wheaton is DuPage’s county seat. Could subterranean cicada nymphs, feeding on tree roots since 2003, be the piece that would complete this backyard puzzle?

Even more puzzling, how could their living in my parents’ backyard have escaped my notice?

I did a little math. In 2003, I was married and living in St. Charles.

Cicadas could have been in Wheaton and I would have missed them. Seventeen years prior to that, in 1986, I was recently out of college and living in Skokie. So I would have missed them that year as well.

The brood before then was 1969 –

the year the insects got off kilter. It was a historic year in many ways, but for 7-year-old me, the main events were the Apollo 11 moon landing, the Mets beating the Cubs to win the National League pennant, and the fact that my new baby brother upturned my status as The Only Child. I do not remember cicadas that year in the slightest.

But getting back to present day, I needed to find some hard evidence if cicadas were going to be the missing piece to the puzzle. Back at mom’s, ostensibly for yard work, I put off starting the lawnmower and had a good look around the backyard. This time though, I bypassed the holes in the ground, in favor of focusing on the trees. I wanted to see if I could find any cicada shells – the cast skins cicada nymphs leave behind when they shed one final time.

I looked on the trunks of the crab apple tree, the magnolia, the dogwood and the spruce. Nothing. I checked the fence posts. Nope. The siding of the wooden shed, and the step leading up to it? Nada.

That left just one tree to go.

I headed for the hemlock, which is near the house and abuts the brick patio. It was the farthest tree from the burrows and, I thought, the least likely place for a cicada to be. I started looking low on the tree, gradually adjusting my gaze farther and farther up. Then, at around 8 feet, I saw it, hanging from a broken branch by the wren box: a

perfect, intact Magicicada shell.

I dragged one of the wrought-iron patio chairs over to the tree, climbed up and carefully plucked down the branch with the beautiful golden shell.

It was made of chitin – the tough, fibrous material that makes up exoskeletons – but might as well have been 24-karat gold. I’d found the missing piece to complete the puzzle.

The story, however, wasn’t quite over. This subset of Magicicada Brood XIII needed our weather to dry out and warm up as it has. Since finding that first shell, I’ve returned to mom’s yard a couple times. With the help of my niece and nephew and their young, sharp eyes, we’ve found over three dozen periodical cicada shells, and heard the droning calls of the insects themselves up high in the trees. And then last week, as I was eating an early supper on my deck, I heard it: Magicicada calls. In St. Charles! I’ve since heard them in surrounding communities, and you know what that means.

Next week, we’ll take a Good Natured look at the periodical cicada.

We’ll explore their life and times both below ground and above, and place special emphasis on these Brood XIII stragglers – a group that’s a puzzle in and of itself.

• Pam Otto is the outreach ambassador for the St. Charles Park District.

She can be reached at 630-513-4346 or potto@stcparks.org.

SHAW MEDIA ILLINOIS Shaw Media Illinois / ShawMediaIllinois.com • Saturday, June 27, 2020

GOOD NATURED

Shaw Media Illinois / ShawMediaIllinois.com • Saturday, June 27, 2020

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LIVE THE HARBOR L I F E

Waterfront Dining

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