Want to support local authors and artists? Looking for a last minute gift idea? Here are a  few local shops where you might find just what you are looking for:

• Moore Toys and Gadgets in Downtown Wheaton
• Pinwheel Toys in Danada
• Prairie Path Books in Towne Square
• Gallery 200 at 301 W. Washington in downtown West Chicago (open Thur, Fri, Sat, and Sun)

The Ghost of Jamie McVay by Ray Ziemer of Warrenville

"...a ghost story of revenge and redemption that pulls you in from the opening sentence…”

Synopsis: Brian Krueger has a lot of problems: The death of his grandfather and his father’s alcoholism have led to hard times and a move to a new town, where his nearest neighbor is a pyromaniac and a bully. Brian runs to escape his troubles, but it’s on the Prairie Path that he encounters the ghost of Jamie McVay.

Brian and his new friend, Sharon, investigate the ghost’s origins. Clue by clue, secrets are revealed as the teens discover the truth behind Jamie McVay’s quest for redemption. Along the way they must deal with teen issues such as school, sports, friends and rivals. Brian also struggles to reconcile with his father, while facing the ever-dangerous Pete the Pyro.

Can Brian and Sharon prevent catastrophe on Halloween night? Will the ghost of Jamie McVay find peace for his unquiet soul?

Buy The Ghost of Jamie McVay

• The Book Shop in Batavia
• Harvey's Tales in Geneva
• Townhouse Books of St. Charles
• Amazon.com
• Barnes & Noble.com.

  For an autographed copy, contact the author at https://rgziemer.com or on Facebook @raymondziemer.

The Lost Shoe by Judith and Colin Wilkie of Warrenville

Synopsis Ever see a shoe on the side of the road and wonder how it got there or searched your house for a missing shoe never to be found?

The Lost Shoe is a heartwarming tale that laces together the adventure of a Right Shoe that gets separated from his owner and Left Shoe. During his journey Right Shoe questions if he will ever be useful again. Experiencing a range of emotions from sadness to pure joy, Right Shoe continues to hope for the best. Feeling like a heel, he remembers there are some things in life that you have no control over so you should relax and go with the flow.

Right Shoe learns a priceless life lesson that everybody is unique and each person needs to embrace their distinctive qualities. Everyone can be useful in their own way if given a chance. With the help of a beachcomber, cat, puppy, and nurse, Right Shoe finds an unexpected special new owner, showing that determination can lead to a happy ending.

Join Right Shoe in an adventure of miss-steps taking him from the shoe store to a hospital and stops in-between, searching for his real sole and a new purpose in life. Although Right Shoe doesn't find his Left Shoe or former owner, he discovers through invaluable experiences that he can be happy and useful in a whole new way.

Audience: Children

Buy The Lost Shoe

• Pinwheel Toys in Wheaton
• Amazon.com

Wanna Bet? by Betsy Dudak of Warrenville

Synopsis: After an abusive past, Harper McReynolds needs stability for herself and her daughters. Randall gives her all she asks for in a boyfriend—kindness, predictability, structure, and routine. Harper's head reminds her she doesn't really want the man who makes her combust every time she's near him.

Brody Reed's addiction claimed a brother's trust and started his own downward spiral. Growing tired of life on the road, a woman at every concert and a dependency on liquid courage, Brody put his life back together piece by broken piece. But the woman he lusts after may just shatter all of this.

An off-handed bet Brody and Harper make after a passionate kiss may change everything for them. Will they gamble on their hearts to prove to each other they are all in? Or when the stakes get too high, will they fold and walk away?

Genre: Romance

Buy Wanna Bet? 

This is Betsy's second book. The first one, " What the Heck, Dec" is also available.

• Barnes and Noble.com
• Amazon.com
• Goodreads

Previous Versions of Shop Local - Buy a Book from a Local Author

Books from the local authors featured in previous years are probably still available as well.

• Shop Local: Buy a Book from a Local Author - 2017 Edition
• Shop Local: Buy a Book from a Local Author - 2016 Edition
• Shop Local: Buy a Book from a Local Author - 2015 Edition

Don't Be Surprised in the Voting Booth

If you take a look at your ballot now, you still have time before election day,  Nov. 6, 2018, to figure out how to vote. Take a look at the choices for local offices, they might impact your life more than those on the national stage.

I can’t attach your ballot, because even within Warrenville, there are multiple districts at every level of government – each with different boundaries. Just considering Warrenville voters, there are many ballot variations.

Follow the steps, just a few clicks, and enter your address and you'll have the ballot. These instructions are for anyone in DuPage county.

1. Go to the Voter Information Page on the Dupage County website: https://www.dupageco.org/VoterLookup/
2. 
   Click on the "Search by Address" tab
   
3. Type your address. Note:the house number includes the numbers and letter (e.g. 28w530). The "Suffix" is your street type (e.g. Street, Road).  It has to match exactly -- for mine Ln works but not Lane. Click Search.
4. Click to "View Ballot" link.

On this page, you can also see your polling place, all your current elected officials, and what districts you are in.

Finding the ballot is the easy part. Now you have the harder job of deciding how to cast it. If you're still looking for information on that, I just learned of a website ballotready.org. This site has a tab for each candidate on your ballot, along with links to learn their stances on many issues and a newsfeed of artices printed about them.  This is not an official ballot, and does not contain all the local items.

Besides the usual candidates, Warrenville ballots contain a referendum for Wheaton Warrenville School District 200 regarding the Early Childhood Education Center, and 3 propositions:

• Shall DuPage County oppose the General Assembly instituting a property tax increase equivalent to 1% of your home’s value to help retire state debt?
• Shall DuPage County oppose the creation of a statewide Vehicle Mileage Tax (VMT) which would tax DuPage County citizens based upon the number of miles driven annually?
• Shall DuPage County continue to dissolve and consolidate units of local government to reduce costs, increase efficiencies, and increase accountability? 

Happy Voting!

There's a great line-up of Fourth of July festivities right Here in Warrenville!

Monday July 3

Parade: "Fifty Golden Years"

The parade, lead by the esteemed parade marshalls Emily Larson and Fay Johnson,  kicks off from downtown Warrenville at 6pm. It will travel south on Warren Ave., then west on Warrenville Road, south on Curtis Ave and will disband at Woodland Rd. and Curtis Ave. Judges’ Stand at Curtis and Forestview

Cerny Park

• 5 - 11 pm - Concessions Open
• 6:30-8:30 PM Balloon Twisting: (Pavilion) & Ben’s Bubbles (Center Grass Area)
• 7:30-11 PM Band: The New Odyssey performing with up to 30 different musical instruments.

Tuesday July 4

FireCracker 5K

The race starts at 8 am. Both the start and finish lines are in front of the Warrenville Park District. Even if you are not running, come out and cheer on your friends and neighbors. You can sign up until 7:30 am on race day at the Community Building.

You might see people wearing blue Wellness Warrior shirts. This  group is improving their nutrition and life-style because they want live a long and happy life in a healthy community. This race is the first in-person meet-up of the group. Cheer them on, come to the booth, or join the group of Wellness Warriors.

Children's Parade

Decorate your bike for the kid's parade.

• 11:45 AM Participants meet at St. Irene Church on Warren Ave. and Warrenville
• Noon Start Parade travels south on Warren Av to Cerny Park.

Food, Music & Fun at Cerny Park

• Noon - D. C. Karaoke under the pavilion. Continuing at various times until 7:30 PM
• 12:30 Opening Flag Ceremony with the V.F.W. Rifle Squad Drill Team
• 12:30-5:30 Children & Teen Activities: Face Painter, Balloon Twister, Unicycle Performer and Juggler
• 12:30 - 1:30 Ozzie the Kane County Cougar Mascot visits 3rd Annual Cerny Series and Celebration
• 1:00 - 3 PM Warrenville Park District Activities:
• 1:00 PM Sack Races/Stacker Cups Relay
• 1:15 PM Bubble Gum Blowing Contest
• 1:30-2:30 PM 2 – Player Team Shooting Contest
• 1:30 PM Hula Hoop Contest
• 2:00 PM Water Fights Warrenville Fire Department with Neighboring Fire Departments
• 2:00-4:00 PM Warrenville’s 8th Annual Horseshoe Contest visit the pits before
• 2 PM. Ask for Greg or Tom 2:00-3:00 PM Free Bingo & Prizes under the pavilion sponsored by Warrenville Historical Society
• 2:30-3:30 PM Pickle Ball Demo see the newest sensation for yourself!
• 2:30-3:00 PM Double Identity Pop Rock Girl Power on the Main Stage
• 3:30-4:00 PM Braze Warrenville’s Own Burning Up the Main Stage
• 4:30-7:30 PM Face Painting (Pavilion) 5:00-6:30 PM Centerfold Chicagoland’s Great Roll & Roll on the Main Stage
• 6:30-7:30 PM D. C. Karaoke under the pavilion
• 7:30-9:15 PM Hi-Infidelity the Best in Classic Rock Music on the Main Stage

Fire Works

Flag Raising & National Anthem followed by SPECTACULAR FIREWORKS! This is the place to be!

Print or download a flyer of all the events on July 3 & 4 in Warrenville

Time to enjoy local produce! Find it at these local  Farmer's Markets and French Markets:

• Any Day - Mayneland Farm Stand at Bauer & Mill St. in Naperville - See Hours and available produce
• Winfield: Wednesday 7am - 1pm at County Farm and Geneva Rd. - Starts June 7, 2017
• Wheaton French Market -Saturday 8am - 2 pm - Main and Liberty - April 14 -  Nov 11, 2017
• Naperville Farmer's Market - Saturday 7am - noon at 5th Avenue Station 200 E. Fifth Ave., June 3 - Oct 28, 2017
• Glen Ellyn French Market - Sunday 9 am - 1:30 pm - Glenwood parking lot at 460 Crescent Boulevard - starts June 4, 2017,
• Geneva Farmer's Market - Thursday - 7:30 AM – 1 PM at the Exchange Street Parking Lot - June 15- Oct 19, 2017
• Geneva French Market - Sundays 9AM-2PM - Metra parking Lot NW corner of  South Street and 4th Street  - April 16 - November 12, 2017
• Batavia Farmer's Market -  Saturday  8am to noon - River St. between Wilson and State St -  June 3rd - October 28, 2017 - 3rd Saturdays features the Artisan Collective where you can shop local from artists and designers.

Join a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and get a basket (aka share) of locally grown produce every week or every other week. Some of the CSA's may be filling up, but there is probably still time. Here are a few:

• Rustic Road Farm - pickup / sign up Saturdays at Wheaton French Market  - farm in Elburn
• Green Earth Institute - sign up online - pickup  Tue/Friday in Naperville or Wed in Winfield, near County Farm and Jewel Rd. - farm in Naperville
• Find more CSA's at Band of Farmers

Looking a last minute gift idea? A book to read? Find a book that supports a local author. There is something for everyone in this list: 4 authors with a dozen different books. All are written by local authors, many from Warrenville. There are links to purchase each book on Amazon. And if you don't find what you want here, check out the 2015 list of books by local authors.

Shop Local - Buy a Book from a Local Author - 2016 Edition

While we may be familiar with the role of female nurses in the Vietnam War, did you know that over 1200 other women also served as intelligence analysts, flight controllers, clerk-typists, translators, physical therapists, dietitians, communications specialists, photojournalists, finance clerks, and couriers? Come hear these stories and more, inspired by the time the authors spent in Viet Nam.

Warrenville VFW Post 8081 will host a book signing featuring two noted Vietnam veteran authors on Tuesday, November 15th, at 2:00 PM.  The Post Home is located at 3S371 Mignin Drive in Warrenville.  Attendees are invited to bring their own books for author signing.  Extra copies will be offered for sale by the authors at the signing.

Claire Starnes is on tour, traveling here from New Hampshire to promote her book, Women Vietnam Veterans: Our Untold Stories.  Joining her from Arizona will be Harlen Campbell, a writer of science fiction, mystery, and suspense novels which are nobly informed by his Army experiences.  His published titles include Monkey on a Chain, Jennifer's Weave, Sea of Deception, and PLENUM. 

Claire and Harlen both served in the same unit in Vietnam with former Warrenville Mayor Richard Volkmer.  All three worked together on editing and publishing the 12-page weekly MACV Observer tabloid newspaper, which had an in-country circulation of 110,00 and was printed by Stars & Stripes in Tokyo.  The 11-15-16 book-signing event was arranged in cooperation and with the support of VFW Post Commander Dan Leonard.

CLAIRE STARNES

Claire Starnes from the Maine town of Lewiston.  She enlisted in the Women's Army Corps in 1963 and trained at Fort McClellan, Alabama; and Fort Gordon, Georgia.  In her first five years, she was assigned to Fort MacArthur, California; Camp Zama, Japan; and Fort Sill, Oklahoma.  In 1969, she volunteered for Vietnam.

Over the years of the American war in Vietnam, an estimated 1,200 military staff and line officers and enlisted women served in country.  At the age of 23, Claire became one of them.  Initially assigned to the US Army Engineer Construction Agency-Vietnam at Long Binh, she transferred MACV (Military Assistance Command, Vietnam) in Tan Son Nhut to work on the MACV Observer, a weekly 12-page tabloid newspaper published by the Command Information Division.  There, she hired and trained a staff of Vietnamese Nationals to run a typesetting operation which ultimately supported more than 20 division publications.  Due to Claire's proficiency in the French language and Vietnam's history as a former French colony, she was often called upon to serve as a translator.

Following her Vietnam tour, Claire worked at the Public Information Office at Fort Monroe, Virginia, where she wed Edward C. Starnes, another Army journalist.  The couple both retired from the military in 1973, became civilian employees of the Army, and continued their distinguished careers in the public information service.

In 1999, Claire and Precilla Landry Wilkewitz, a former roommate at Long Binh, co-founded a non-profit organization called Vietnam Women Veterans, Inc. (VWV).  VWV’s purpose was to find all the female staff and line officers and enlisted women who had served in Vietnam throughout the war.  More than 700 (both living and deceased) were located that year, and VWV convened its first reunion conference in Olympia, Washington.

Throughout the years since then, Claire continued searching for her peers, researching and filling in the missing histories of how these women came to South Vietnam and what they did there.  From 1962 to 1973, this hardy group of Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy female personnel left its mark as intelligence analysts, flight controllers, clerk-typists, translators, physical therapists, dietitians, communications specialists, photojournalists, finance clerks, and couriers.

Then, in 2012, a team of some 20 collaborators finalized the search and compiled the information. This compilation of the women’s varied experiences resulted in the publication in 2015 of a comprehensive history, Women Vietnam Veterans: Our Untold Stories.  The book chronicles the participation of American military women (other than nurses) stationed in Vietnam during the war in detail.  Today’s military women serve in fields never previously imagined, thanks to the pioneering efforts and sacrifices of this little-known group of some 1,200 heretofore unsung women who served in every military branch.  The book took 17 years in the making. And now the world can learn about the accomplishments of these remarkable women.

HARLEN CAMPBELL

Harlen Joseph Campbell served in Vietnam as a journalist at the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV), working as an editor on the 12-page weekly tabloid Observer newspaper.  He also served as a military radio disk jockey during a tour in Germany. 

He is a writer of science fiction, mystery, and suspense novels, which are nobly informed by his Army experiences, and lives in Cave Creek, Arizona, and Huntington Beach, California.  His interests lie in the nature of the individual's relationship to society and to the world, but he is willing to apologize if they show up in his writing.  In fact, he believes that a writer's primary obligation is to entertain, and that he should only be allowed to fool around with ideas if his readers don't notice what he's up to.

Campbell's first novel, Monkey on a Chain, was released by Doubleday in 1993. The book was introduced the Vietnam veteran character Rainbow Porter, who has been described as a "throwback to the outlaw/heroes of the old west."  In fact, Porter was inspired by a combination of John D. Macdonald's Travis McGee and television's Paladin character, with more than a touch of the pirate thrown in.  In addition to favorable reviews, Monkey was an alternate selection of the Book of the Month Club. It was also released as a trade paperback by Poisoned Pen Press of Scottsdale, AZ, and is available from the Poisoned Pen bookstore and website as well as Amazon.  Both Monkey and the sequel, Jennifer's Weave, are also available as audio books.

His latest novel, PLENUM, is an epic road novel where the road stretches from a fallen time ship deep in the last ice age to a critical meeting of the Polar Council in 7296 AD.

Campbell studied at New Mexico State University and has BA's in English and Journalism and an MA in English Literature.  Following his service as an Army journalist and a short stint teaching college English, he has focused exclusively on his writing career.  Although he admits to no hobbies and energetically avoids most forms of exercise, Campbell enjoys an occasional solitary walk . . . generally preferring beaches to mountains, warmth to cold, and indolence to industry.

Don't Be Surprised in the Voting Booth

If you take a look at your ballot now, you still have time before election day,  Nov. 8, 2016, to figure out how to vote on the more obscure offices and issues. These local representatives might impact your life more than those on the national stage.

I can’t attach your ballot, because even within Warrenville, there are multiple districts at every level of government – each with different boundaries. Hence, just for Warrenville voters, there are ballot variations.

Follow the steps, just a few clicks, and enter your address and you'll have the ballot.

1. Go to the Voter Information Page on the Dupage County website: https://www.dupageco.org/VoterLookup/
2. 
   Click on the Address Tab
3. Type your address. Note:the house number includes the numbers and letter (e.g. 28w530). The "Suffix" is your street type (e.g. Street, Road).  It has to match exactly -- for mine Ln works but not Lane. Click Search.
4. Click to "View Ballot" link.

On this page, you can also see your polling place, all your current elected officials, and what districts you are in.

Finding the ballot is the easy part. Now you have the harder job of deciding how to cast it. If you're still looking for information on that, I just learned of a website ballotready.org. This site has a tab for each candidate on your ballot, along with links to learn their stances on many issues and a newsfeed of artices printed about them. For my address, I also found information on the state-wide "Transportation Lockbox" ballot item, but did not find information on the local referendums (Mosquito Abatement issue for all of DuPage County, and Musselman Property development issue for Warrenville residents only).

Mosquito Abatement

Someone passed along information they received from the Warrenville City Attorney on the impacts of the Mosquito Abatement Issue.

1)     This is a non-binding (advisory) referendum question and will not change anything whether or not it passes.
2)     Regardless of the referendum outcome and any future actions by the Township’s efforts to consolidate mosquito abatement services, the township cannot provide that service within the incorporated City of Warrenville boundaries.
3)     The Township does not have jurisdiction for general services such as mosquito spraying within municipal boundaries. They may only serve the unincorporated areas.
4)     The Township would need specific state legislation giving it such authority, or some type of intergovernmental cooperative agreement specifically with the City of Warrenville, to provide mosquito abatement within the corporate limits of the City.
5)     The City Council has not changed its policy against mosquito spraying within the City and there are no plans or actions to change that direction.

Mussleman Property

There is an article about this ballot item on the last page of the latest Homewtown Happenings. 

Happy Voting!

I wish Warrenville had a gallery or an art store. As far as I know, it does not. One of the closest is Gallery 200 in West Chicago, just 10 minutes away.  If you are an artist looking for a place to display and possibly sell you work, consider Gallery 200. Gallery 200 is moving on Sept 1 to a new location that is bigger. That means there is room for more artists.

What is Gallery 200?

Gallery 200 is a gallery of over 20 artists in many types of media. It runs as a co-op under the umbrella of a non-profit called People Made Visible. People Made Visible coordinates projects in West Chicago, including music nights, Healthy West Chicago, a community garden project, and various cultural events. Gallery 200 is moving because the building where it is currently located is scheduled for major renovations. It is moving just a couple of blocks from 200 Main Street to 103 W. Washington in downtown West Chicago. The new location has much more space, that will be used for many of the People Made Visible projects.

How does the Gallery 200 Co-op Work?

• Artists are juried in. They bring samples of your work & fill out an application.
• Once accepted, each artist pays a nominal membership fee (annually in January, and prorated thru the year). If you join in September, the fee would be almost nothing.
• Artists price and display their work at the gallery. 
• Each artist is expected to staff the gallery 4 hours / month, and chooses the times they wish.
• The gallery does not take a commission on sales, so the artist gets 100% of money collected.
• Each month one of the artists is "featured". They hosts a bigger exhibit of their work, and kick it off with an opening reception. In October and December, there are group shows, where any of the Gallery 200 artists can join the show.

Stop By and Visit Gallery 200

Whether you want to join as an artist, or just check out the art, stop by Gallery 200 for a visit.

Hours:(reduced COVID hours)

• Thur & Fri: 2-6pm
• Sat & Sun: 10-2pm

Address

• After Sept 1, 2016: 103 W. Washington, West Chicago, IL

Contact:

• Phone: 630-293-9550
• Email: gallerytwohundred@gmail.com
• Visit www.gallery200.com
• Follow Gallery 200 on Facebook

If anyone knows of an art gallery or store in Warrenville, please reply.  Want to start one?? Now that's in interesting idea! Let's hear what your ideas.