A Chicago performer started Tuesday’s Aurora Counts 2020 in the Gallery of the Paramount Theatre with a song. The refrain was from the Frank Sinatra song, “Chicago” and substituted the word Aurora for Chicago. He tossed his hat into the air at the conclusion and one of the approximately 200 in attendance caught the souvenir hat.
Thus began Aurora’s countdown to being counted in the U.S. Census which will begin in 2020. Community members from nonprofits to governments to academia to the large crowd from the Fox Valley Park District offered feedback to the speakers who led the parade to countdown with information. Visit thevoice.us/aurora-counts-2020-committee-2020-census-critical-for-future-of-aurora for more information.
Mayor Richard Irvin of Aurora brought to the podium the East Aurora Navy Junior ROTC. He assigned the quartet members to state their names and offer, “I count, you count, we all count.”
Being counted means more funds from the U.S. government in many ways. Push ahead was a theme. The U.S. Census Bureau was established in 1790 and each decade there is a count. Next Spring the count will begin.
Brian Caputo, president of College of DuPage and former Aurora city government financial guru is the president of the Aurora Counts 2020. Angela Thomas is the vice president and a committee will be busy to usher in and encourage responsibility.
• The five-day countdown that skips Sunday, starts with our gratitude Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 28, and will continue with Black Friday for shopping sales, Shop Small Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday, the latter a national social movement. There are many ways to participate in Giving Tuesday. Visit foxvalley.ilgive.com to search for organizations in need.
• Kendall County sites in Plano Monday and in Oswego Tuesday will hold open houses for potential extension of Metra commuter rail service. Each will be 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Plano Community Library Monday and the Oswego Village Hall Tuesday.
• The Venue, the 200-seat music performance addition to Aurora will be host to Chicago Folk legend Bonnie Koloc at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. Ticket prices range from $5 to $30.
• West Aurora School 129 will be host to two world music premiers at West Aurora High School, at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12. Lila Fagan, 33-year veteran school band director will be honored.