01-08-2025
Naperville News Digest: Long Table Dinner to benefit West Suburban Community Pantry; Knox Church's garden walk raises $5,000 for food bank
The 6th annual Long Table Dinner on Water Street will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 7, outside the Hotel Indigo in downtown Naperville.
The chefs of Water Street will prepare a six-course meal with a welcome cocktail and four wine pairings, a news release said. Music will be provided by Pete Ellman Jazz, and guests are asked to dress in all-white attire. A silent auction is part of the event.
Tickets for $195 each or $1,560 for a table of eight are on sale now. The deadline to make a reservation at is Sept. 3.
Proceeds support the West Suburban Community Pantry, which serves 1,000 people each week in the Naperville area.
Knox Presbyterian Church in Naperville donated $5,000 to the Northern Illinois Food Bank in Geneva as part of its annual Garden Walk fundraiser.
More than 300 people toured six Naperville-area gardens on July 12. The walk is sponsored by the Presbyterian Women of Knox Church.
Members of the Garden Walk committee presented a money to Northern Illinois Food Bank's Christine Fisher to assist the agency in supplying food to pantries across 11 counties, including Loaves & Fishes in Naperville, a news release said.
For every dollar donated, the food bank can buy $8 worth of groceries for Illinois families, according to the release.
The Naperville Cemetery gravestones for Pvt. William Barber, a Black Hawk War veteran, and Sgt. George E. Hall, a Civil War veteran, were replaced and rededicated thanks to a $2,500 grant and a private donor.
Barber was among 70 soldiers who died between April and August 1832. While few details are available, he may have been among the 12 militiamen killed during a retreat at the Battle of Stillman's Run in Illinois, a news release said.
Hall was born in England in 1839 and enlisted in Company D, 156th Illinois Infantry. Though he survived the Civil War, he died at the age of 40 in 1879.
Brenda Ajster, a veteran and member of the Fort Payne Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, provided a monetary gift for the gravestones.
Among the organizations attending the July 26 rededication ceremony were the Fort Payne Chapter NSDAR, based in Naperville, the Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873 and the Naperville Honor Guard.
Naperville Preservation Inc. is hosting a summer social from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 13, at the Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873, 908 Jackson Ave.
The event is free to members but open to anyone interested in historic preservation. Tickets for nonmembers are $10 each. Membership to Naperville Preservation is $25.
Snacks and soft drinks will be served, and beer and wine available to buy.
The event serves as an opportunity to discuss historic preservation in Naperville, including the city's historic district, mid-century modern homes and downtown buildings, an event announcement said.
Architect Tom Ryan, Naperville Preservation's chief preservation officer, will talk about the '10 Commandments of Timeless Design for Houses of Any Age.'
For tickets, go to For questions about membership, email napervillepreservation@
