By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, I’m going to finish my 2-part series about Blessed Sacrament Parish in North Aurora this week, with a story about Sister Rose Marie Weber. I stated in my previous article, Sr. Rose was born in Aurora, along with five brothers and three sisters. I knew
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, This week I will continue with St. Mary’s Parish, and an Aurora affiliation at Blessed Sacrament Parish in North Aurora. Monsignor Edward S. Wright served as the assistant pastor at St. Mary’s Parish, from May of 1954 to August of 1959. I didn’t realize until
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, This week I’m writing about St. Mary’s Parish, on the northwest corner of Downer Place and Root Street in Aurora. In the winter of 1848, Mr. I. E. Labrie, an influential citizen, went to Bourbonnais, to explain to the Parish Priest there, the needs of
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, This week I’m going to finish up with the history of the buildings at Sacred Heart Parish. When I was in grade school, there was a white house on State Street, just south of the original church, that was on the southeast corner of Fulton
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, This week, during Black History month, I am writing about Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK). He advanced civil rights for Black individuals in the United States through the use of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience against Jim Crow laws and other forms of legalized discrimination,
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, This week, I am continuing with Sacred Heart Parish in Aurora, and my teenage years. At age 17, and an East Aurora High School graduate, I began working a full-time job in Aurora. I was a parishioner at Sacred Heart and became involved with the
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, This week, I’ll continue with Aurora’s churches and influential persons, with Sacred Heart Parish on Fulton Street, on the East Side. Sacred Heart of Jesus was the very first Catholic Church in Aurora, dedicated in 1848. The Parish began with German, Irish, and French immigrant
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, This week, I’m writing about some of the mentors I’ve had in life. I have always had an ear for the old timers (older guys), when I grew up. Through these mentors I learned about the history of Aurora, running functions, and just getting involved
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, This week, I want to start out by saying, a warm welcome to the New Year, 2026. What has Father Time done? It seems like the years just fly by, as we get older. This year, marks the 250th year of our great country of
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, Hopefully everyone enjoyed the holidays with family while staying warm. In my last article about John F. Kennedy’s (JFK) visit to Aurora in 1960, I wanted to add something of importance. A fellow The Voice subscriber and lifelong friend of mine, Jim “Coach” Reiland, a
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, Happy New Year! This week, I’m going to recall a memorable event that happened in Downtown Aurora. October 25, 1960, John F. Kennedy (JFK) visited Aurora, during his presidential campaign. He spoke to a large crowd outside of the original City Hall about economic growth,
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, Seeing as this is Christmas week, I will just focus on one downtown building. This week, we’re down on Benton Street, at the historic Holbrook Mill, at 121 and / or 101 W. Benton Street. The Street that it faces, (W. Benton Street), was originally
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, Hopefully, everyone is staying warm. This week, I’m going to add to Aurora’s downtown Main Street history. My dad would frequently use the phrase, Main and Broadway, in reference to something with a lot of people, action, or a happening place. In Aurora, downtown, from
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, This week we’re focusing on Galena Boulevard, the street formerly known as Main Street in Aurora, stretched across what is now part of the downtown area, until the 1960s. East Main Street started east of Stolp Avenue (Island Avenue), heading east, until it turned into
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, This week, I’ll finish the meaningful lyrics of Old Days by the band Chicago: “Funny faces, Full of love and laughter. Funny places, Summer nights and streetcars. “Take me back, To a world gone by. Boyhood memories, Seem like yesterday. “Old days, in my mind
By Ricky Rieckert This week, I would like to share some lyrics from a song, written by James Pankow and song by Peter Cetera, the lead singer of the band Chicago, off their 1975 Album, titled Chicago VIII. The song easily could be titled Aurora. For you Baby Boomers, and
By Ricky Rieckert Thanks to everyone who braved the cold inclement weather to attend the Veterans Day parade in Aurora! A big thank- you to all of the veterans who fought to protect our country and our freedoms. And thank you Aurora Lions Club president, Randy Brown; his wife Lisa;
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, The prior two weeks I described the unique nature of the Fox River. This week, I will discuss the pros and cons of dam removal and why, according to myself and others, believe the dams should stay, on the Fox River. The dams have been
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, Here is more information about the Fox River. From southeastern Wisconsin to the Chain O’ Lakes in northern Illinois, the Fox is a sleepy river passing through marshland. South of the Chain O’ Lakes, the natural river bottom from Stratton Dam in McHenry drops 10
By Ricky Rieckert Dear readers, Hopefully everyone is doing well. This week, I want to touch on the subject of dam removal, along the Fox River. There are groups supporting removal of nine dams, from Carpentersville to Montgomery on the ”Mighty“ Fox River. Then there are groups of individuals against
