Toby Keith to Headline Ribfest
This morning, the Exchange Club of Naperville announced that Toby Keith will be a headliner at the 33rd annual Ribfest this summer. Keith will perform on the festival’s opening night, Friday, June 17. This is the country star’s second time playing Ribfest, after previously headlining in 2017. Not only is this a return for Keith, but also for the festival which has not been held since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival will be held for the first time at the DuPage Event Center and Fairgrounds from June 17 to June 20.
North Central College Graduation
After two years of pandemic adjustments, commencement at North Central College returned to its normal format on Sunday with a single ceremony honoring all graduates at the Residence Hall/Recreation Center. The Class of 2022 includes 581 bachelor’s degree recipients and 173 master’s degree students. This class also saw the first 30 graduates from the college’s engineering program, 120 first-generation college graduates, and international students from nine different countries.
2022 Downtown Naperville Chocolate Walk
The seventh annual Downtown Naperville Chocolate Walk was held on Saturday, a partnership between the Naperville Education Foundation (NEF) and the Downtown Naperville Alliance. Over the course of four hours, participants wound their way to various shops all offering different chocolate treats. The proceeds from the event will all benefit NEF, which supports the educational experiences of students in Naperville School District 203 by supplementing school budgets.
Metra Safety Poster and Essay Contest
Two Naperville children were among the winners in Metra’s 2021-22 Safety Poster and Essay Contest. This year’s theme was “Safety is a Choice You Make,” with elementary and high school students from across the Chicagoland area asked to design posters promoting railway safety as well as write essays on its importance. For the Third Grade contest, Roman Baranovski of May Watts Elementary won first place for his poster, while Aria Mallu of White Eagle Elementary won for her design in Fourth Grade. Mallu also won first place in the Kindergarten-Fourth Grade Division of the essay contest. Voting is now open online to determine the People’s Choice Award to be selected from the thirteen winning poster designs.
