By Ricky Rieckert
Dear subscribers, patrons and readers:
Hope everyone had a special time, with their special someone, on Valentine’s Day.
I didn’t let that opportunity slip away from me, this year, no way, no how. I went on a date with a blonde, female nurse with tattoos, who I thought was going to be wild and crazy. Turned out to be a lovely quiet evening.
She was so knowledgeable, and courteous as we talked about everything.
We got a delicious dinner at Portillo’s and we enjoyed the food and our first date.
We both felt just like seniors in high school and then went to Oberweis Dairy for ice cream. We stayed there until closing then listened to music on the ride home. Can’t wait to go out again.
Just goes to show you, that you can’t judge a book, by its cover.
This week, the Aurora History Tour Bus is back on the road again.
As we head west on E. Benton Street and cross the east branch of the “Mighty Fox” River and pull in to the Old “2nd. Library” parking lot, I’m getting very sentimental, I’ll explain, shortly. A lot of memories.
My dad would take me fishing on the east side of the Library. They’re were steps to the west side of the east branch of the Fox River.
There was a gravel walk way, between the River and the wall of said parking lot, around the Library, when the river was at a moderate level.
It ran north towards the dam, and south and west around the library towards the Old Post Office, where a four foot by four foot cement block stood approximately six feet along the River.
There was a channel running south to an island, where we would fish for channel catfish. My dad said you could swim to the island, but not back, because of a deep hole and undertow.
I had a few soda pops (beers), at St. George’s Club Year’s ago with Davis Offutt, who was the Kane County treasurer, at the time, who told me that he paid the property taxes on that island.
The island I believe was probably under an acre.
Taxes weren’t really much, but there is no owner of island. Davis paid taxes for the bum who stayed on it, during the summer.
I thought he said to buy it, was under 10 thousand dollars, at the time and pay a small amount for taxes.
I told him I wanted buy it, because: How many guys, could say that they owned an island downtown, Aurora?
My dad told me that there was an automobile dealership, once upon a time, from the wall by the walkway by the River, under the eastside drive and parking for the library and under the west parking lot of the library up to the Old Post Office property, including under the library.
In the early 1980s, there were a few below zero days. All the storm sewers on both of sides of the Library were backed-up. The company, that I worked for, were called in.
Only access to lower level, was a door on the wall, off the walkway by the River.
The Library had a key for it, so I went down to open it up and check it out. No lights or electric inside there. Walked back a little ways with a flashlight. All the eight-inch drains for the parking lot drained down to a tee with a six-inch clean out plug at the end of the horizontal pipe, two-feet off floor, heading to wall and out to river.
It appeared to be frozen. The pipe was ice cold and I tapped on the pipe, and it appeared full. A draft on the outside probably caused the pipe to finally freeze-up. I had an idea.
I went back up outside to the Library to get old books and paper to start a fire under the pipe.
Upon reentering the dark, cold lower level again, wearing a goose down vest, I purchased from John Galles at Main Surplus, I attempted to start a fire, on the cement floor, under the pipes.
It took about 15 minutes to get the fire going. Soon the sparks became a fire about four feet high.
Half an hour later, I heard some percolating sounds in the parking lot drain pipes, over head in the lower level.
I quickly went outside, to where the pipe emptied into the River. Ice slush was slowly coming out. Then it broke loose, and shot out 50 feet into the River.
I then put the fire out, grabbed my tools, locked the door, and headed up to ground level and saw the parking lot all dry. Success!
Before leaving, I gave the key back to the librarian and told her it worked, everything drained, and that I relocked the outside door.
She noticed small burn holes, on my goose down vest.
Casualties of war, I guess.
The vest, then became a work vest.
My mother sewed and patched the holes, and did a great job.
Today, that old library building is the office of Barbara Hernandez, State representative.
See you next week, at the old Post Office on W. Benton Street.
Stay warm.