Rainbow Cone truck makes return downtown visit
This year’s Naperville Park District Pumpkin Smash, in which old Halloween pumpkins are used for compost at the Ron Ory Community Garden Plots will be held Nov. 7.
The Original Rainbow Cone Ice Cream Truck returns to downtown Naperville this week.
Made famous for their Rainbow Cone, a staple of Chicago’s South Side since 1926, the shop’s truck will be set up daily in the parking lot at the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Webster Street through Sunday, Oct. 11.
A truck selling the Original Rainbow Ice Cream Cone — featuring slabs of chocolate, strawberry, Palmer House, pistachio and orange sherbet — will be set up in downtown Naperville daily through Sunday. (Natalie Wade / Chicago Tribune)
Weeknights the hours are 4 to 9 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, it will be open from 1 to 9 p.m.
A Rainbow Cone is made up on five flavors of ice cream cut in slices and stacked on top of each other: chocolate, strawberry, Palmer House (vanilla with walnuts and cherries), pistachio and orange sherbet.
This is the second time the truck is coming to downtown Naperville in the last month. A portion of all sales will be donated to the DuPage Children’s Museum in Naperville.
Naperville Art League seeking pieces for new show
The Naperville Art League’s “We the People” art show, honoring veterans, active and reserve military, will be held Oct. 20 to Nov. 14 is open to artists of all ages and skill levels.
The deadline to submit art is Oct. 17 for the show at the Naperville Fine Art Center & Gallery, 508 N. Center St., Naperville. There is no entry fee.
Pieces must be original in design, concept and execution and signed by the artist, an art league news release said. Wall art and freestanding art of any media will be accepted.
“There will be awards at this show, and art submitted by veterans and military personnel will receive special recognition,” art league President Sally Sharp said in the release.
Show guidelines and registration forms can be obtained at www.napervilleartleague.com or be contacting the league at naperartleague@aol.com or 630-355-2530.
The league is collecting supplies for the military through Operation Support Our Troops as part of the show. More information on items needed can be found at www.osotamerica.org/comfort-and-care-package-program/products-needed.
Park district’s annual Pumpkin Smash set for Nov. 7
Naperville Park District’s annual Pumpkin Smash will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Ron Ory Community Garden Plots, 811 S. West St.
Residents are invited to bring their jack-o-lanterns and pumpkins to be smashed and composted into the soil at the garden plots, adding nutrients and water back into the soil, a news release said. In 2019, more than 5,000 pounds of pumpkins were composted and kept out of the landfill.
For weather cancellation information, go to napervilleparks.org/cancellations.
Winter clothing drive to benefit Cradles to Crayons
Cradles to Crayons Chicago, a nonprofit organization that provides essential items needs by children who are homeless or from low-income home, is holding a “Gear Up for Winter” clothing drive in Naperville.
New and like-new winter coats, boots, hats, gloves and scarves, warm clothes and hygiene items can be dropped off from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 25 at the Bank of America location at 1301 E. Ogden Ave., a news release said.
The organization will take extra precautions because of the COVID-19 pandemic, including quarantining donations before processing and increased sanitization.
For more information about “Gear Up for Winter,” go to cradlestocrayons.org/chicago/gufw2020/.
Conservation Foundation lands two farm grants
The Conservation Foundation has been awarded two grants for its Green Earth Harvest organic farming program at McDonald Farm in Naperville.
Money from the American Water Foundation’s “Keep Communities Flowing” program will help Green Earth partner with Loaves & Fishes and Bridge Communities to provide organic vegetables to 10 local families 2021, a news release said.
The grant from the Illinois Farmer ResILience Fund of the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, whose goal is to address the rising demand for local food in northern Illinois, will allow Green Earth to replace its 18-year-old refrigeration system with a commercial walk-in cooler, the release said.
Produce grown at the farm, described by the organization as “nutritionally dense, socially responsible and environmentally sustainable,” is provided to several hundred families every year, the release said.