The Heat Is On

With temperatures projected to remain above 90 degrees this week, Buffalo Grove businesses and organizations are seeing firsthand the effects of the heat wave.

“We’re selling a lot more fans and Gatorade, and a lot more ice, too,” Paul Lievhart, manager of the at the corner of Buffalo Grove and Lake-Cook roads, said Monday. “Everything that you can drink in aisle eight, such as juice and water, is just going out the door.”

Lievhart noted that customers are also purchasing items in bulk, such as 24-packs of bottled water.

has also seen a shift in product sales. A customer service manager noted that margaritas, water and mixers are big sellers.

Beverages aren't the only consumables in demand.

“We’re selling more custard because of the heat,” Anne Galla, manager, said. “We’re also seeing an increase in dinner orders, and that’s probably because people don’t want to cook. Last weekend’s contributed to sales as well, as customers wanted to come in and have a cool treat.”

Culver’s customer Shannon Gardener said that she orders both dinner and custard at the restaurant. “I’m also just trying to stay inside because of the heat,” she said.

Those who aren't consuming liquids are using them to keep cool in other ways.

“ and the are definitely busy right now,” Rick Missing, facilities coordinator at the , said. “We’ve had average temperatures of 85 degrees so far in July, and it’s been exponentially busier than in June. We’ve had over 600 people per day at Willow Stream, and over 225 people per day at the Spray ‘N Play. People come and go all day at the facilities."

“People don’t stay quite as long in the hot weather,” Missing said. “Sometimes, it’s almost too hot to even be in a pool.”

and are two places providing indoor refuge from the heat.

“While we are usually busy during the summer, as we have the summer reading program, we were definitely busy during the power outage last week,” Cindy Fuerst, director of the Vernon Area Public Library, said. “Hopefully, ComEd can keep the power on during the heat wave and people can come in to the library to pick out a book to read or a DVD to watch.”

Indian Trails Public Library also noticed an increase in foot traffic in the last week. “We count the number of times our doors open and close. On July 16, the door was opened 1,458 times, and opened 1,104 times on July 17. One week ago, on July 9, the door opened 1,230 times; on July 10, it opened 931 times,” Earl Sabes, public relations manager of the Indian Trails Public Library, said.

“We also had the last weekend, so it’s unclear if foot traffic increased due to the sale or to the heat," he said.

is also an option for those who want to escape the heat. “The art fair festival actually hurt us last weekend because customers couldn’t park close to the theater," a theater official told Patch. "We should have been packed because of the heat and what we were showing.” The theater was playing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two in 3D.

Bill Feldgreber, managing partner of , said that business is better now compared to one year ago. “People are starting to spend more money when they go out, and they’re looking for a place to hang out when it’s hot outside,” he said.

Area residents are also apparently taking steps to ensure their homes stay cool. In light of , Robert Blocks Jr., assistant store manager of , is receiving requests for generators.

“We don’t sell generators here, but we do sell extension cords, which can be used with the generators,” he said. “We’ve also been selling a lot of fans lately, and we’re down to one air-conditioning unit right now. We also have window insulation kits in case someone’s windows are letting the hot air inside. We can also order other items.”