Naperville News Digest: DuPage forest preserve district police officer wins state honor; BrightSide Theatre announces upcoming 2025-26 season

Chicago Tribune

26-06-2025

Kim Eversole, a police officer for the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, has been named a 2025 Illinois Juvenile Officers Association Officer of the Year.
Eversole is a 14-year veteran of the department and is its community engagement coordinator. She is involved with several efforts to connect youth with nature and law enforcement, a news release from the forest preserve district said.
Among her outreach events last year included four free 'Cops and Bobbers' fishing programs held at DuPage County forest preserves.
Eversole also attended numerous summer camps and community programs, including like National Night Out, which reinforces the idea that law enforcement officers are approachable, the release said.
In December, she organized 'Shop With a Cop,' a program that gives kids a holiday shopping trip to pick out items from their wish list while spending meaningful time with an officer.
Eversole is also a field training officer and responds to calls as a Metropolitan Emergency Response and Investigations Team drone operator in addition to her regular patrol duties. She previously led the department's volunteer Trail Watch program.
BrightSide Theatre, a professional theater company based in Naperville, will open its 14th season in October with 'The Rocky Horror Show.'
The musical, which was adapted into the film 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show,' will be presented from Oct. 24 to Nov. 9 at the Theater at Meiley-Swallow Hall, 31 S. Ellsworth St.
From Jan. 9 to 18, BrightSide will perform 'Phantom in Concert' at the Madden Theatre, 171 Chicago Ave. It will be followed by 'Private Lives' from April 10-26 and 'The Producers' from June 12-28. Both productions will be at the Theater at Meiley-Swallow Hall.
Tickets are $37 for adults and $32 for students and seniors. Season subscriptions and individual show tickets can be purchased starting July 1 online at www.BrightSidetheatre.com or by calling 630-447-8497.
The BrightSide Youth Theatre Project will also perform condensed versions of hit musicals tailored for young performers and audiences.
'The SpongeBob Musical Youth Edition' will be presented Oct. 25-Nov. 2 at the Theater at Meiley-Swallow Hall and 'Legally Blonde the Musical Jr.' will be performed Feb. 20-28 at the Yellow Box Theatre, 1635 Emerson Lane.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students and will be on sale beginning in September and January before the shows.
Empty camping-sized, 1-pound propane tanks can be recycled for free if dropped off at the Blackwell Forest Preserve Campground, near Butterfield and Winfield roads in Warrenville, just past the gate and east of the campground office building.
The gates are closed during non-camping hours, but patrons can park in the north shelter lot and walk to the recycling crate when the Blackwell preserve is open, officials said. Blackwell is open one hour after sunrise and closes one hour after sunset.
The program is offered through a partnership with the county, the forest preserve district and Flat Can Recycling.
Four Naperville restaurants have been recognized for their exceptional wine programs and pairing experiences by Wine Spectator.
The magazine recently named its 2025 honorees, which includes Award of Excellence winners Sullivan's Steakhouse, 244 S. Main St.; Ramsay's Kitchen, 39 W. Jefferson Ave.; Fogo de Chao, 1824 Abriter Court; and Morton's The Steakhouse, 1751 Freedom Drive.
This year, Sullivan's expanded its offerings with wine-pairing dinners that feature educational components, multicourse menus and exclusive access to limited-edition bottles, according to a news release from the Dividend Restaurant Group, whose brands include Sullivan's and Eddie Merlot's steakhouse. Eddie Merlot's Warrenville and Burr Ridge locations were also recognized by Wine Spectator.
Wine Spectator selected more than 3,800 restaurants as award-winners this year, including restaurants in all 50 states and more than 80 countries, its website said. The awards recognize restaurants whose wine lists offer interesting selections, are appropriate to their cuisine and appeal to a wide range of wine lovers, the website said.
Restaurants named to its Award of Excellence category typically offer at least 90 selections of wine. Its highest honor, given to fewer than 100 restaurants, typically feature more than 1,000 selections of wines and the highest level of wine service.