🌱 Patch AM: How an Irish immigrant became Naperville’s beloved “Children’s Policeman”

Hi Naperville! We have the latest buzz right here. Let's keep you in the loop and get this morning started right! ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

• How an Irish immigrant became Naperville's beloved "Children's Policeman"
• How a long-lost DuPage plat book ties back to Naperville

Also on today's calendar: Montessori School Open House! and 10 more events.

Today's riddle: What did the wall say to the other wall. 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Wednesday: Humid with a stray t-storm, with a high of 84 and low of 61 degrees.
• Thursday: Sunny to partly cloudy, temps: high: 82, low: 58.
• Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high of 81 and low of 59 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• The Children's Policeman (positivelynaperville.com) — Meet Edward Fairbanks, an Irish immigrant who became Naperville's longtime police chief and beloved "Children's Policeman," guiding kids safely across Jefferson and Washington. The story traces his move to Naperville in 1906, his decades of service, serious on-duty injuries, community presence downtown, and his burial in Naperville Cemetery after a 34-year police career.
   

• 'Much more than old books on a shelf': DuPage recorder celebrates return of long-lost land records book (chicagotribune.com) — Naperville gets a nod in a DuPage County history mystery as officials celebrate the return of a long-missing 19th-century plat book to the recorder's office in Wheaton. The story revisits when Naperville was the county seat and county records were seized in a late-night raid, while leaders hope other missing plat books might still surface from local attics or basements.
   

📸 Around Naperville

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Naperville

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★ Featured events ★

Saturday August 29
• Montessori School Open House! →
  3180 N Aurora Rd, Aurora
  9:30 am
Sunday August 30
• Hoptoberfest at Hopvine Brewing →
  4030 Fox Valley Center Dr, Aurora
  12:00 pm
Tuesday September 1
• Farmland Owner Conservation Connections →
  The Morton Arboretum, 4100 IL-53, Lisle
  6:30 pm
Saturday September 5
• Great American Dog Show →
  Cantigny Park, 151 Winfield Rd, Wheaton
  8:00 am
Sunday September 13
• 2026 Invisible Wounds Foundation Evening of Honor →
  The Morton Arboretum, 4100 IL-53, Lisle
  5:00 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Wednesday August 26
• Lobster lovers get ready, Happy Lobster rolls + more are headed your way! Order by 10am. →
  3:00 pm
Thursday August 27
• Garden After Hours: Dirty Sodas →
  The Growing Place Garden Center, 2000 Montgomery Rd, Aurora
  5:00 pm
• Lunar Eclipse Viewing - This Thursday - Frontier Park-Naperville 9:00pm-11:30pm →
  3415 Book Rd, Naperville
  9:00 pm
Friday August 28
• Pequod's famous caramelized-crust pizza, delivered. Order by noon Tuesday. →
  3:00 pm
Saturday August 29
• Get cupcakes, cookies, cakes, + more from Sweet Mandy B's! Order by noon Thursday. →
  10:30 am
• DIY Landscape Lab →
  The Growing Place Garden Center, 2000 Montgomery Rd, Aurora
  1:00 pm
• Moonlight & Mies Tour at Edith Farnsworth House →
  Edith Farnsworth House, 14520 River Rd, Plano
  7:30 pm
Sunday August 30
• Blacksmithing 102 - Beyond The Basics →
  Naper Settlement, 523 S Webster St, Naperville
  10:00 am

📣 Naperville Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

 

Thank you 👏👏👏 to these businesses for making Naperville PatchAM possible:

• Smile Obsession — 6303003610
• Al Basha Sweets Co — (708) 233-0826
• Masterworks Painting — 3319011795
• Revilo Screen LLC — (331) 472-9355
• Prairie Paideia, NFP — (630) 686-5885
• Oswego Service Group, LLC — (630) 892-2400
• RowCal - Orland Park — (630) 296-9991
• Wallaby Wash and Detail — (708) 890-2277
• Marker Law, LLC — (331) 295-8005

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

🪧 Patch Classifieds

• HUGE tool sale/garage sale
  Delta benchtop planer/jointer, Bosch router table w/ stand, Ryobi miter saw, many power tools, hand tools, all kinds of hardware, saws, clamps,... (More info)

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Obituary: Carol M. Bates —Fred C. Dames Funeral Home Read on Patch
• Obituary: Cheri Lee —Fred C. Dames Funeral Home Read on Patch
• Obituary: Joan Nurczyk —Fred C. Dames Funeral Home Read on Patch

• Hello,
  I'm looking for an experienced carpenter to modify my existing oven cabinet. It currently fits a 27" oven, and I need it widened to safely… (Nextdoor Tamarack)
• I need a new PCP.
  Looking for someone who listens and is knowledgeable & proactive. I live in Naperville but don't mind a drive for the right doc. (Nextdoor Huntington Estates)

• Bill Jacobs Motorsport posted a job opening for Reconditioning Porter in Naperville. Apply here.
• Naperville Community Unit School District 203 posted a job opening for Custodial Staff - Swing shift 9 months / 1st shift 3 months in Naperville. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Naperville here.

🗞 Nearby News

Lisle

• IDNR seeks witnesses to Lisle man boating before fatal Fox River crash near McHenry (shawlocal.com)

Bolingbrook

• Fire Training Tower Plans Approved By Bolingbrook Board (patch.com)

Ok Naperville! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Meet me at the corner. (Thank you Earlene M. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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