Riverwalk enhances our lives, sometimes in whimsical ways

Daily Herald Reports, posted on August 14, 2001

By Stephanie Penick

Rick Hitchcock can't help but look like a tourist when he travels.

Wherever he goes, he totes two cameras - one to capture vacation photos of his family, the other to snap shots of architectural landscapes near water.

It's a hazard of his job. Hitchcock, of Hitchcock Design Group, is now the construction manager for the Riverwalk Commission.

He recently used his vacation camerawork to inspire members of the Riverwalk Foundation with a travelogue of riverfront developments throughout the country.

Archways, fountains, gardens, plazas, bridges and clock towers in all shapes and sizes awed the 13-member group responsible for raising money to enhance and upgrade the Riverwalk.

The group also will consider amenities to transform the Cock Robin property into Fredenhagen Park as a lasting legacy, fit for Prince Castles.

When Hitchcock showed us colorful and interactive water displays, Diane Hoffman, the group's secretary, nudged me.

"Whimsy! That's what we need," she said.

I agreed.

Whimsy conjures up images of fun and frolic.

You smile just saying it. Repeat "whimsy" a few times and your throat vibrates and begins to tickle.

Whimsical things hint at happiness.

My thoughts jumped to the Naperville United Way Baby Giraffes - and the smiles and happiness they're bringing to the Riverwalk and downtown Naperville.

After the giraffes are auctioned on Sept. 14, 25 local United Way agencies will be better able to bring well-being to folks in need of a variety of social services.

As I left after Hitchcock's presentation, someone put a question to me.

"Are you going to write about the vandalism on the Riverwalk?" he asked.

I shrugged.

"As a community columnist, you should," he said. "It's on everybody's mind."

Ever since someone willfully damaged a giraffe near Rotary Hill, Napervillians have expressed sadness about the senseless act. The giraffe was the first of two to have its head damaged by vandals.

One reader advised, "Don't lose your head over this. Keep a level head."

That's good advice.

Yet, it's still hard to digest that baby giraffe sculptures named Gesundheit and Charity - standing for the heart of the community - were easy marks.

Readers of this column know my passion for the Riverwalk, its inherent spirit and its impact on our thriving city.

After finding Naperville attractive because of excellent schools and good housing values, we were sold on the community by the Riverwalk.

This "crown jewel," a gift to the citizens from citizens paid for exclusively with local dollars to commemorate Naperville's 150th birthday, also is the centerpiece for important events throughout the year.

As my daughter and I walked the winding path Friday night, hundreds of people meandered peacefully in every direction.

A yellow banner hanging on the railing of a law office building announced the Mayor's Golf Outing Sept. 10. Across from it, children were matching their hands with the prints on a colorful giraffe named SOAR.

The Carillon bells chimed. Mayor George Pradel's voice rang out a warm welcome to a group from the U.S. Coast Guard celebrating a birthday in the Grand Pavilion.

When the Jaycees' Last Fling takes over Jackson Avenue for Labor Day Weekend, the event spills onto the Riverwalk and over Rotary Hill. The family festival raises tens of thousands of dollars for worthy projects as well as for United Way agencies.

On Sept. 21, the Riverwalk Foundation will host its first fall equinox breakfast in the newly redecorated Judd Kendall VFW Post overlooking the western end of the linear park.

Sponsored by MidAmerica Bank, the fund-raiser features a presentation by Hitchcock titled "Founders to the Future." Tickets, $40, are available by calling (630) 717-9559.

Another new Riverwalk event is slated to begin at 10 a.m. Sept. 29. Illinois Neurofibromatosis Inc. is hosting its premiere walk-a-thon, "Great Steps for NF." Registration is $25 per person and there are special team rates. Sign up by calling (630) 932-8111.

"Great Steps for NF" is intended to help educate people about a little-known condition that is more common than Muscular Dystrophy, Cystic Fibrosis, Tay-Sachs and Huntington's Disease, said Naperville resident Judy McCormack, who is serving as walk co-chairman with Joan Pilkinton.

Affecting approximately one in 4,000 people, neurofibromatosis is a progressive genetic disorder that causes tumors to form on nerves anywhere in the body at anytime throughout an individual's life. The tumors can cause chronic pain, disfigurement, deafness, blindness and death.

"There's no cure," McCormack said. "And even when the tumors are removed, they grow back."

"I've never done anything like this walk-a-thon," said McCormack, who discovered three years ago that her 6-year-old son has neurofibromatosis. "It's amazing, the things you do for your children."

Many other events also are planned along the Riverwalk throughout September.

It's amazing how many good things it provides for the community.

• You can contact Stephanie Penick via e-mail at spennydh@aol.com