This week, I welcome Sam Kraft, the publisher behind Tri-Cities Central to the podcast to discuss Thanksgiving traditions in Batavia, specific opportunities to experience belong in the area during the holidays, and what we Batavians have to be thankful for this year.

Tri-Cities Central is an absolutely essential newsletter for listeners of this podcast who want to stay connected to and in the know about their communities.

I'm a huge fan. I read pretty much every single issue, and it's the perfect compliment to what we're doing at AC: Batavia. Subscribe here.

Events and opportunities mentioned in this episode:

• Fox and the Turkey Run
• Celebration of Lights Festival
• Fox Valley Nutcracker at the Batavia Fine Arts Center
• Indoor Farmer's Market at Grainology
• Holiday Homes Tour in Tanglewood
• No More Mooseheart Holiday Lights Show :-(
• Santa's Rockin Lights at Kane County Cougars Stadium
• Friendsgiving at Sturdy Shelter Brewing
• Geneva Christmas Walk
• St. Charles Holiday Homecoming

This season of Area Code: Batavia is brought to you by Kristine Hartman, a Real Estate Broker with @properties Christie's International Real Estate. For more information and to see how much your home is worth text HOME to 630-797-8421.

This episode of Area Code: Batavia is sponsored by Bulldog Plumbing. To schedule an appointment, call: 630-313-9109.

Recommended Businesses

These are the amazing local businesses that make Area Code: Batavia possible. These businesses are more than just sponsors; they're invested in our community and share our vision for a vibrant, connected Batavia.

• Real Estate Broker: Kristine Hartman, @properties Christie's International Real Estate
• Plumbing: Bulldog Plumbing
• Marketing Agency: Plimsoll

To commemorate Area Code: Batavia's 20th episode, I've invited our collaborators, Ben Wydra and Lauren Purdy from Plimsoll, to take a look back on what the stories we heard in the previous episodes of the podcast meant to us, and what they mean for our community.

We talk about how COVID disrupted and deepened the stories of so many, whether or not Batavia is really as special as this podcast might have you believe, and the one thing Craig Foltos said to me after I interviewed him that I can't get out of my head.

This season of Area Code: Batavia is brought to you by Kristine Clemens, a Real Estate Broker with @properties Christie's International Real Estate. For more information and to see how much your home is worth text HOME to 630-797-8421.

This episode of Area Code: Batavia is sponsored by Bulldog Plumbing. To schedule an appointment, call: 630-313-9109.

Recommended Businesses

These are the amazing local businesses that make Area Code: Batavia possible. These businesses are more than just sponsors; they're invested in our community and share our vision for a vibrant, connected Batavia.

• Real Estate Broker: Kristine Clemens, @properties Christie's International Real Estate
• Plumbing: Bulldog Plumbing
• Marketing Agency: Plimsoll

Subscribe to our newsletter and to never miss new episodes and receive a weekly list of 5 concrete ways to experience a deeper sense of belonging in Batavia.

Area Code: Batavia is currently looking for sponsors, especially at our partner tier. Click here for more information.

Area Code: Batavia is produced by Area Code Audio. It's hosted and produced by Richard Clark, and edited and mixed by Matt Linder. Additional production help from Jennifer Clark.

When David Fraccaro and Claudia Kabanyana host "Becoming Neighbors," they're taking part in a unique and messy exercise of hope and potential. So what exactly are the risks and rewards of exploring our differences?

On this episode of Area Code: Batavia, a conversation with the people behind the quarterly gathering that brings people together in a particularly unintuitive way: by drawing out our disagreements.

This season of Area Code: Batavia is brought to you by Kristine Clemens, a Real Estate Broker with @properties Christie's International Real Estate. For more information and to see how much your home is worth text HOME to 630-797-8421.

This episode of Area Code: Batavia is sponsored by Bulldog Plumbing. To schedule an appointment, call: 630-313-9109.

Recommended Businesses

These are the amazing local businesses that make Area Code: Batavia possible. These businesses are more than just sponsors; they're invested in our community and share our vision for a vibrant, connected Batavia.

• Real Estate Broker: Kristine Clemens, @properties Christie's International Real Estate
• Plumbing: Bulldog Plumbing
• E-Bike Rental and Sales: BOJ-E-BIKES
• Pizza, etc: Windmill Grille
• Dementia Care Services: Dragonfly Senior Navigation Services
• Exterior and Interior Contractor: 212° Construction Group
• Home & Auto Insurance: Tyler Nelson – Country Financial
• Marketing Agency: Plimsoll

Subscribe to our newsletter and to never miss new episodes and receive a weekly list of 5 concrete ways to experience a deeper sense of belonging in Batavia.

Area Code: Batavia is currently looking for sponsors, especially at our partner tier. Click here for more information.

Area Code: Batavia is produced by Area Code Audio. It's hosted and produced by Richard Clark, and edited and mixed by Matt Linder. Additional production help from Jennifer Clark.

Joanne Spitz is the co-chair of CHIP IN Batavia, a non-profit that works to ensure every child in our town has the opportunity to thrive - from basic necessities to prom dresses and college laptops.

But Joanne's story isn't just about helping others belong. It's also about her own journey to find her place in Batavia over the past 32 years. In this conversation, we'll hear how a shy newcomer became a pillar of the community, mobilizing an entire town to care for its most vulnerable members. We'll explore the delicate balance between offering help and preserving dignity, and how small acts of kindness can transform lives.

This season of Area Code: Batavia is brought to you by Kristine Clemens, a Real Estate Broker with @properties Christie's International Real Estate. For more information and to see how much your home is worth text HOME to 630-797-8421.

This episode of Area Code: Batavia is sponsored by Bulldog Plumbing. To schedule an appointment, call: 630-313-9109.

Recommended Businesses

These are the amazing local businesses that make Area Code: Batavia possible. These businesses are more than just sponsors; they're invested in our community and share our vision for a vibrant, connected Batavia.

• Real Estate Broker: Kristine Clemens, @properties Christie's International Real Estate
• Plumbing: Bulldog Plumbing
• Marketing Agency: Plimsoll

Subscribe to our newsletter and to never miss new episodes and receive a weekly list of 5 concrete ways to experience a deeper sense of belonging in Batavia.

Area Code: Batavia is currently looking for sponsors, especially at our partner tier. Click here for more information.

Area Code: Batavia is produced by Area Code Audio. It's hosted and produced by Richard Clark, and edited and mixed by Matt Linder. Additional production help from Jennifer Clark.

Logan Street Missionary Baptist Church, located just east of the river off of N. Washington Avenue and currently pastored by Rev. David J. Seymour, wasn't created in a vacuum - it was founded based on a need for black Batavians to have a place to go where they felt safe, comfortable, and accepted.

On this episode of Area Code: Batavia, a conversation with two long-time members of the church, Ruth and Edward Tousana, about their lives in Batavia, how they adapted to the challenges they and their community faced, and how they helped create spaces of belonging for others in their community.

This season of Area Code: Batavia is brought to you by Kristine Clemens, a Real Estate Broker with @properties Christie's International Real Estate. For more information and to see how much your home is worth text HOME to 630-797-8421.

This episode of Area Code: Batavia is sponsored by Bulldog Plumbing. To schedule an appointment, call: 630-313-9109.

Recommended Businesses

These are the amazing local businesses that make Area Code: Batavia possible. These businesses are more than just sponsors; they're invested in our community and share our vision for a vibrant, connected Batavia.

• Real Estate Broker: Kristine Clemens, @properties Christie's International Real Estate
• Plumbing: Bulldog Plumbing
• E-Bike Rental and Sales: BOJ-E-BIKES
• The Batavia Paranormal Investigation Squad
• Marketing Agency: Plimsoll

Subscribe to our newsletter and to never miss new episodes and receive a weekly list of 5 concrete ways to experience a deeper sense of belonging in Batavia.

Area Code: Batavia is currently looking for sponsors, especially at our partner tier. Click here for more information.

Area Code: Batavia is produced by Area Code Audio. It's hosted and produced by Richard Clark, and edited and mixed by Matt Linder. Additional production help from Jennifer Clark.

After receiving so much support from his community as a high school student, Dennis Piron felt obligated to succeed. But after trying his hand in the business world, he quickly realized that giving back to Batavia was the best way to find fulfillment.

On this episode of Area Code: Batavia, I spoke to the Batavia High School football and track and field coach about his unique philosophy of coaching, the reasons behind his decision to leave his job in Chicago and return to Batavia, and what the future holds after he moves on from his current position.

This season of Area Code: Batavia is brought to you by Kristine Clemens, a Real Estate Broker with @properties Christie's International Real Estate. For more information and to see how much your home is worth text HOME to 630-797-8421.

This episode of Area Code: Batavia is sponsored by Bulldog Plumbing. To schedule an appointment, call: 630-313-9109.

Recommended Businesses

These are the amazing local businesses that make Area Code: Batavia possible. These businesses are more than just sponsors; they're invested in our community and share our vision for a vibrant, connected Batavia.

• Real Estate Broker: Kristine Clemens, @properties Christie's International Real Estate
• Plumbing: Bulldog Plumbing
• E-Bike Rental and Sales: BOJ-E-BIKES
• Marketing Agency: Plimsoll

Subscribe to our newsletter and to never miss new episodes and receive a weekly list of 5 concrete ways to experience a deeper sense of belonging in Batavia.

Area Code: Batavia is currently looking for sponsors, especially at our partner tier. Click here for more information.

Area Code: Batavia is produced by Area Code Audio. It's hosted and produced by Richard Clark, and edited and mixed by Matt Linder. Additional production help from Jennifer Clark.

On this episode of Area Code: Batavia, a walking tour with local sculptor and art booster, Bill McGrath. As a board member of Water Street Studios and a former city administrator, Bill is the ideal person to lead us through downtown and walk us through the unique artistic landscape that makes up the downtown environment.

Feel free to listen to this episode as a traditional podcast, but you'll get even more out of it if you walk along with us. Just head down to River street and hit play around Pal Joeys and we'll let you know where to go from there.

This season of Area Code: Batavia is brought to you by Kristine Clemens, a Real Estate Broker with @properties Christie's International Real Estate. For more information and to see how much your home is worth text HOME to 630-797-8421.

This episode of Area Code: Batavia is sponsored by Bulldog Plumbing. To schedule an appointment, call: 630-313-9109.

Recommended Businesses

These are the amazing local businesses that make Area Code: Batavia possible. These businesses are more than just sponsors; they're invested in our community and share our vision for a vibrant, connected Batavia.

• Real Estate Broker: Kristine Clemens, @properties Christie's International Real Estate
• Plumbing: Bulldog Plumbing
• E-Bike Rental and Sales: BOJ-E-BIKES
• Pizza, etc: Windmill Grille
• Dementia Care Services: Dragonfly Senior Navigation Services
• Exterior and Interior Contractor: 212° Construction Group
• Home & Auto Insurance: Tyler Nelson – Country Financial
• Marketing Agency: Plimsoll

Subscribe to our newsletter and to never miss new episodes and receive a weekly list of 5 concrete ways to experience a deeper sense of belonging in Batavia.

Area Code: Batavia is currently looking for sponsors, especially at our partner tier. Click here for more information.

Area Code: Batavia is produced by Area Code Audio. It's hosted and produced by Richard Clark, and edited and mixed by Matt Linder. Additional production help from Jennifer Clark.

We might take the Batavia Creamery for granted now, but its fate wasn't always so cut and dry. After working as a Baskin Robbins franchisee, Kirk Jansons wanted to sell ice cream on his own terms. But challenges with the bridge and COVID threw the whole thing into question.

On this episode of Area Code: Batavia, a conversation with the owner of the Batavia Creamery about creating a space where everyone feels welcome, balancing work with family life, and how he's relied on the community he serves to keep going.

This season of Area Code: Batavia is brought to you by Kristine Clemens, a Real Estate Broker with @properties Christie's International Real Estate. For more information and to see how much your home is worth text HOME to 630-797-8421.

This episode of Area Code: Batavia is sponsored by Bulldog Plumbing. To schedule an appointment, call: 630-313-9109.

Recommended Businesses

These are the amazing local businesses that make Area Code: Batavia possible. These businesses are more than just sponsors; they're invested in our community and share our vision for a vibrant, connected Batavia.

• Real Estate Broker: Kristine Clemens, @properties Christie's International Real Estate
• Plumbing: Bulldog Plumbing
• E-Bike Rental and Sales: BOJ-E-BIKES
• Dementia Care Services: Dragonfly Senior Navigation Services
• Exterior and Interior Contractor: 212° Construction Group
• Home & Auto Insurance: Tyler Nelson – Country Financial
• Marketing Agency: Plimsoll

Subscribe to our newsletter and to never miss new episodes and receive a weekly list of 5 concrete ways to experience a deeper sense of belonging in Batavia.

Area Code: Batavia is currently looking for sponsors, especially at our partner tier. Click here for more information.

Area Code: Batavia is produced by Area Code Audio. It's hosted and produced by Richard Clark, and edited and mixed by Matt Linder. Additional production help from Jennifer Clark.