On Wednesday afternoon, the first day of Swedish Day in Geneva, temperatures were in the 90s Fahrenheit, and ice cream seemed like the perfect food, not only sweet but also a welcome relief from the heat.
The festival runs until Sunday 23rd June.
All along Third Street, people clutched ice cream cones or hurriedly ate from paper bowls as the heat closed in and sweet treats melted.
Debra Burschbach of Geneva was sitting on a bench on Third Street eating a cone of Mackinac Island fudge ice cream — vanilla with chunks of chocolate fudge poking out and a swirl of more chocolate fudge — from Sweet Sensations at the Berry House (227 S. Third St.).
“I just moved here from Virginia,” Burschbach said, “and my daughter lives in St. Charles, so I’ve been coming here for years, but I’d never heard of Swedish Days, so I thought I’d come and check it out. I just walked around the block, then I saw the carnival rides and listened to a little bit of music in the beer tent, and there are a ton of sales going on at the stores.”
She bought plants from Grow Geneva, 220 S. Third St., and doilies for the table from The Little Traveler, 404 S. Third St.
“I’m going to go home and hop on my bike and come back when it’s a little cooler for the talent show tonight,” Burschbach said.
Nancy DiMarco and her daughter, Audrey, of Geneva, came to Swedish Days for ice cream from Graham’s, 302 S. Third St. — butter pecan for Nancy and chocolate peanut butter for Audrey.
“Always great service. Handmade, an independent business, supporting local,” Nancy DiMarco said.
And they did some shopping, too. They bought kitchen towels at The Little Traveler.
Bob Swiderski and Jim Slonkoski were sitting on a shady bench, taking a break from selling food at the Knights of Columbus booth at Third and Campbell streets.
“We have turkey legs. We have sausage. We have pork chop sandwiches,” Swiderski said. “We have roasted corn. We have fries. We have Polish. We have cheese curds. We have a variety of soft drinks and water.”
Swiderski’s favorite is the turkey leg, while Slonkoski’s favorite is the Polish version.
Despite the heat, sales were pretty strong on the store’s first day open, Swiderski said.
The Knights’ booth, like the other food booths, is run by volunteers from nonprofit organizations.
“This is one of the Knights of Columbus’ biggest events,” Sronkoski said. “It’s one of our biggest fundraisers of the year.”
All funds raised will be put back into the community through the Knights’ events and programs, Swiderski said.
Ellen Bonewitz of Sugar Grove and Maureen McCain of Aurora had lunch at Atwater’s Restaurant at the Herrington Inn & Spa, 15 South River Lane in Geneva, before deciding to go for a walk during the festival.
“We saw these leather rugs at Cocoon,” Bonewitz said.
And McCain bought it.
“It was half price,” McCain said, “and I bought it for my son who lives in a bungalow in Chicago.”
Brian Norfleet of Chesterfield, Missouri, formerly of Batavia, was walking his 1-year-old grandson, Will, in a wheelchair while the family was out shopping.
“We love Sweden Days,” Norfleet said of Sweden Days, “Obviously it’s hot, but it’s nice to be back. We haven’t been here. It’s been 20 years since we’ve had Sweden Days.”
His daughter lives in Arlington Heights and they visit frequently to see their grandchildren.
Batavia resident Bill Ruby brought his toy poodle, Eva, and his favorite thing about the festival is the food.
“I’m going to the Knights of Columbus and we’re going to get some sausage,” Ruby said.
The festival continues through Sunday, and a detailed schedule is available on the Geneva Chamber of Commerce website (genevachamber.com).