Little ol' Sugar Grove: Bring on the big time
Sugar Grove: Augusta, Ga., it ain't.
At 1/24th the population, weighing in at 8,848 souls, you might wonder how this small town on the far edge of the Western suburbs will handle a professional sporting event when things really get busy today through Sunday.
Don't let the cornfields fool you: Sugar Grove residents and business people are no rubes in the woods.
And they are ready to find out what they are capable of, in hosting tens of thousands of people passing through for the Solheim Cup golf tournament this week.
One who will especially feel the brunt of it is Orland Fasel, owner of Fasel's Nursery on Camp Dean Road. His business is on the west side of Rich Harvest Farms, near several parking lots for the tournament. And Camp Dean is a two-lane, one-way-in, one-way out road.
Last week his workers were straightening up the sales lot, just in case any of those parkers wander over to take a look at his trees, shrubs and flowering plants. Rich Harvest Farms bought some to decorate for the tournament.
"It is what it is. It's going to be a lot of people," Fasel said.
Business has been slow this year and last, as new-home construction dried up. He used to see two or three landscape contractors a day; now, it's two or three a month. "The area is in a holding pattern," he said.
But, "it's a pretty area - it's good that people will see it," he said.
Ed Parolek, owner of the Sugar Grove Family Fun Center at Route 47 and Jericho Road, several miles south and east of the club, is confident Sugar Grove is ready to handle the extra crowds. "Of course. Why wouldn't it be? The Sandwich Fair has 100,000 a year, and they all come through here," he said.
However, he is waiting to see what crowds are like before adding extra staff early in the week (he's always at full staff on the weekends anyway) for his business, which includes a video game arcade, a driving range, a bumper boat pond and two miniature golf courses.
"The question is, are golfers going to be go-karters?" he asked. "I'm curious. It will be interesting. I do not know what to expect."
Q's Grill and Takeout, a neatly kept red trailer near the golf range, is in its first year of business. It's owner, John Quigley of Naperville, said "I hope it (the tournament) does really well. It should be exciting."
He is trying to temper his excitement, however. Quigley lived in Gurnee when an LPGA tournament was there in 2000. Tickets were sold, but attendance did not correspond, he said. A lot of the tickets were bought by businesses to give to clients, who never used them, he said.
About one-third of Q's business comes from truck drivers on Route 47; they call in an order, pull off to the side of the road and run over. He doesn't know if people coming to or from the tournament will visit. Most of the traffic is expected to come off Interstate 88 to Route 30, then head to Granart Road, nowhere near his stand. Many out-of-town visitors are expected to stay in hotels in Naperville and Oak Brook. The Kane County Sheriff has designated Jericho Road and south Route 47 as an alternate entrance corridor.
Still, "To think that they could have this thing, which could have been in Europe, here!" he marveled.
Sugar Grove Library Friends President Pat Graceffa, interviewed while manning the Friends' sales counter in the new library, is proud to show off her town. The new library opened Aug. 8. Besides the usual books and publications, it has a computer technology center, made possible by a donation from the Rich family, and a snazzy coffee bar where you can get sandwiches and pastries.
"I think the idea of showing 20,000 to 30,000 people Sugar Grove would be a good thing," she said.
As for whether the town can handle it: "I think Mr. Rich thought it out pretty carefully."
And what's the best thing about Sugar Grove: "The people. They are so nice. Also friendly - I'm telling you, it is just a nice community," said the eight-year resident.
"We've got all kinds of things coming up."
<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Photo Galleries</h2> <ul class="gallery"> <li><a href="/story/?id=314617">Tuesday images from the Solheim Cup </a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=314310">Monday images from the Solheim Cup </a></li> </ul> <h2>Video</h2> <ul class="video"> <li><a href="http://www.dailyherald.com/multimedia/?category=18&type=video&item=2">Solheim Cup After Sundown party </a></li> </ul> <h2>Related links</h2> <ul class="moreWeb"> <li><a href="/packages/2009/solheimcup/">Complete Daily Herald coverage of the Solheim Cup</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>