Geneva grad set for dance showdown
A "Dance Friday" segment on TV morning news shows in which on-air personalities and guests groove to various tunes in impromptu fashion is becoming common.
And Matt Rodewald, a 1998 Geneva High School graduate, has found himself right in the middle of it. Rodewald, who also graduated from Indiana in 2002, has been working his way quickly up the ladder in broadcast journalism. It has led to his current job at NBC as a morning traffic reporter, as well as an upcoming sports role on The Score.
But on the 5:45 a.m. Friday segment of NBC news, he'll be continuing a trend he helped start by testing his dancing skills against a reporter from Cincinnati in a planned showdown.
"The idea started when I got caught on camera dancing when I didn't know it," said Rodewald, who admitted that prior to the Dance Friday segment, the last time he was on a dance floor was at his sister's wedding last fall. "After that, it became a weekly staple from April until now with everyone getting in the act - anchors, weather guy, production staff, photographers."
In the meantime, Bob Herzog was also gaining notoriety the past year as a dancing traffic reporter in Cincinnati. After an exchange of e-mails and a challenge with online voting established, the stage was set for Friday's dance-off and final voting.
Rodewald said more than 40,000 viewers have voted online at nbc5.com/morning and he's hoping to land more votes and pull ahead by Friday.
"I've only been working in television for 10 months and never expected to be a part of anything like this," Rodewald said. "I'm hoping to get some hometown love from Geneva."
More parties at The Elf: If asked to describe the upcoming renovations at Elfstrom Stadium, home of the Kane County Cougars, you could do it in two words: "Party central."
The second-deck being added includes mostly skybox suites, with one being a "super suite" large enough for all sorts of parties - even wedding receptions and homecoming dances.
As if that isn't enough revelry, there will be two new "rooftop" party areas at the end of the upper deck.
Seeing more seafood: Seafood lovers who have been buying their favorite fare at Diamond Seafood in St. Charles are quite aware of this best-kept secret. For others, this is one worth checking out.
The seafood shop in Charleston Center, 311 N. Second St., is now serving lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Owners Patrick and Carol Hannagan have a buzz going through the downtown lunch crowd, as word is being spread about Chef Ernesto cooking your lunch in full view of the dining area.
No revelation here: When I noted that I felt the end of Swedish Days signals that summer is fleeting - even though it is actually just starting - I also asked when others feel summer is past us.
Most said they follow the calendar - that Labor Day weekend marks the end. Others felt it ended when they returned from family vacation. Bottom line: Our winters linger, our summers zoom by.