Geneva Patch Holiday Guide 2012

Geneva's go-to guide on what to see, where to shop and more need-to-know advice for the holiday season.

How Well Do You Know Thanksgiving Pop Culture?

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, here's some arts-flavored trivia about famous Thanksgiving movie and television scenes. Can you figure them out?

There are some movies that have holiday dinners you'd be thrilled to be a part of, and some you'd be relieved to never have to see again.  Every bit of the "Christmas Vacation" dinner is pretty brutal to watch even before Chevy Chase cuts into a gross, flatulent turkey. But a chance to sit down and eat and drink with the Big T from "The Sopranos" could be interesting as long as you don't make him angry. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, Patch has assembled some trivia questions for those of you that like movies and television as much as you like turkey. The answers will be posted on Friday, along with as many Thanksgiving-flavored YouTube clips that can be assembled. Leave your answers in the comments, along with your favorite pop culture …

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Add the Punchline to Our Talking Turkey Cartoon

If you've got wit, add your caption to Patch's weekly comic challenge and win a personalized print.

Are you blessed with insight and good humor? Or just bored today? Share your wit with your neighbors by entering Patch's comic caption challenge. Just add your dialogue for today's comic in the comment section of this post. Our only requirement is that you keep it clean! At week's end, we'll pick the winning punchline based on how many of us here at Patch giggle and smile at your contribution. The user who produces the winning punchline will get a personalized proof of the comic, with the winning words and a credit line, from cartoonist Chuck Ingwersen and Patch. Congratulations to LW Sagan, who provided the winning punchline to last week's Thirsty Horse cartoon: I don't think going dancing later is such a good idea. I really do have 2 …

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Share Your Thanksgiving Recipes

Do you bake a mean apple pie? Have you invented a new and delicious twist on stuffing? Give a recipe and share one with your neighbors around Chicagoland.

It's that time of year again — time to give thanks, celebrate the season in good company and bring out those tried-and-true Thanksgiving recipes. Patch wants to know about those dishes that always have a place on your Thanksgiving table and those that are making their debut this year. Have a creative spin on cranberry sauce? Are you known for famous stuffing that friends and relatives talk about long after all the Turkey Day leftovers have been gobbled up? This is your opportunity to find out what your neighbors are cooking. Give a recipe and get one from your neighbors. If you have a recipe you would like to share, post it in the comments below or upload a PDF to this story. Feel free to include a short history of how the recipe came to …

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Sunday Cartoon: Forget the Turkey?

While he gets his fill of Patch, a gobbler gets out of dodge.

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Fun Facts and Trivia for Thanksgiving

Canadian Turkeys, carving the lobster and a turkey the size of a dog.

No need to worry about conversation topics around the Thanksgiving dinner table. Let your guests fill up on these Thanksgiving fun facts.

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Deep-Frying the Holiday Bird? Here Are Some Safety Tips

A Loyola Hospital trauma and burn surgeon gives tips to keep the cook out of the harm's way.

Deep-fry is the only way to cook a turkey that is flavorable and moist, some aficionados say. But accidents can happen, and doctors at Loyola Hospital in Maywood who specialize in trauma and burns warn that caution should be taken when cooking the holiday bird. In the United States, more than 141 serious fires and hot-oil burns have been reported from the use of turkey fryers over the last decade, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Serafino Alfe of suburban Chicago knows. He was deep-frying turkeys for an annual fundraiser dinner recently and ended up at the Loyola Burn Center with third-degree burns—the worst—on his leg. “I tripped and fell right into the deep fryer,” he said in a prepared statement. “Thirty quarts …

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Mike Sandrolini

9:20 am on Wednesday, November 23, 2011

I've had deep-fried turkey before, and it's delicious. I wonder how the turkey fryers advertised on those half-hour long TV infomercials work. Admittedly, I've never wanted to invest time watching an informercial on a turkey fryer, but maybe these do work and might be the safest route to go.   more ›

Two Receive Citations After Thanksgiving Eve Fight at Old Towne Pub

The following information was supplied by the Geneva Police Department. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.

Geneva Police Department reports collected Tuesday included the citations for two people involved in the Thanksgiving Eve altercations at Old Towne Pub. Police said about 150 people were milling around and several skirmishes had to be broken up during the early morning hours of Thursday, Nov. 24. Geneva police cited David Schonback, 27, of Geneva and Tyler Hemming, 24, of St. Charles for interference with police officers after an altercation around 1:42 a.m. Nov. 24 at 201 West State St., reports said. Each citation carries a $50 fine if paid by the due date.    Patch reports on law enforcement activity in Geneva, using information provided by official agencies. Persons charged with a crime, or issued a citation for violation of a local …

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Geneva Alderman Says Cities Need a Cyber Monday Sales Tax

First Ward Alderman Chuck Brown wonders aloud whether municipal governments' future solvency might hinge on a cyber sales tax.

Although a clearer picture is promised on Thursday, when major retailers report their November sales, all indicators show that national and international online sales were booming on Cyber Monday. IBM Benchmark says online sales for the Monday after Thanksgiving were up "a whopping 33 percent" over last year's totals, according to an article on the VadorNews website. Apparently, IBM has an online tracking initiatiive that measures such things. Its report says the average order rose 2.6 percent to $193.24—which means people are not only shopping via their computers and hand-helds more frequently but spending more per purchase. Under the category of New Business at Monday's City Council Committee of the Whole meeting, Geneva 1st Ward …

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John Walsh

10:28 pm on Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Of course it is essential for local communities to collect local sales taxes for web purchased items. Actually, it is the law. What is lacking is a federal law that mandates the retailer collect and pay that tax. Something both Congressman Hultgren and Senator Kirk have publicly opposed at legislative summits with local area business leaders this past year.   more ›