NAPERVILLE’S HOTEL ARISTA WINS TRIPADVISOR AWARD
Hotel Arista at 2139 City Gate Lane in Naperville was named a 2026 Tripadvisor Travelers’ Choice award winner. It is ranked third in Illinois among luxury hotels and is the only top-five luxury hotel in the Chicago suburbs, a news release said.
The hotel offers 144 rooms as well as dining, a spa, fitness center, a grand ballroom and event space.
“Earning a place among the top percentage of listings globally is no small feat,” Laurel Greatrix, chief communications officer for Tripadvisor Group, said in a statement. “It reflects the lasting impression made on travelers who took the time to go online and leave a glowing review about their experience.”
Hotel Arista is the only AAA Four Diamond hotel in Naperville and was the first hotel in Illinois to achieve LEED certification. It received the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association Sustainability Star Award in 2024 and 2025.
NAPERVILLE RESCHEDULES JULY 4 FIREWORKS SHOW
The Naperville Community Fireworks Show originally planned for July 4 but canceled by the weather has been moved to Saturday, Aug. 8, officials said.
Cohosted by the Naperville Park District and city of Naperville, the updated event will take place at 9:30 p.m. at the Frontier Sports Complex, 3380 Cedar Glade Drive. There will be no pre-fireworks band concert, a news release said.
There is no charge for admission or parking, which will be available at the Frontier Sports Complex or the adjacent Neuqua Valley High School, 2360 95th St.
For more information, go to www.naperville.il.us/eventinfo.
U.S. REP. FOSTER OFFERING MOBILE OFFICE HOURS
U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, will host mobile office hours at libraries throughout the district in July and August, including two dates in Naperville.
Foster’s team will be meeting with constituents from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. July 28 and Aug. 25 at Naperville Public Library’s Nichols Library, 200 W. Jefferson Ave.
Members of Foster’s staff will answer questions and connect residents with resources, an email from his office said.
Mobile office hours also will be held in other communities, including Bolingbrook, Romeoville, St. Charles, Batavia and Geneva:
1 to 3 p.m. July 16 at Indian Prairie Public Library, 401 Plainfield Road, Darien;
2:30 to 4:30 p.m. July 23 at White Oak Library District, 201 W. Normantown Road, Romeoville;
2:30 to 4:30 p.m. July 30 at Crystal Lake Public Library, 126 Paddock St., Crystal Lake;
3 to 5 p.m. Aug. 4 at Fountaindale Public Library, 300 W. Briarcliff Road, Bolingbrook;
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1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Aug. 5 at Ida Public Library, 320 N. State St., Belvidere;
10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Aug. 6 at the Geneva Public Library, 227 S. 7th St., Geneva;
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 11 at St. Charles Public Library, 1 S. 6th Ave., St. Charles;
5 to 7 p.m. Aug. 13 at the Batavia Public Library, 10 S. Batavia Ave., Batavia;
1 to 3 p.m. Aug. 20 at the Indian Prairie Public Library, 401 Plainfield Road, Darien;
2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Aug. 27 at the White Oak Library District, 201 W. Normantown Road, Romeoville.
SECRETARY OF STATE ANNOUNCES LIBRARY GRANTS
Naperville-area institutions have received a portion of $27 million in statewide grants to support libraries, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced.
Giannoulias, who is the state librarian, said in a news release that the awards will help invest in books, technology, literacy programs, infrastructure improvements and security upgrades.
Locally, the Naperville Public Library has been awarded $254,218 as part of the 2026 per capita and equalization aid grant awards, which totaled more than $22.6 million and were 15% more than last year’s allocation, the release said. The funding will provide libraries with additional resources to meet the needs of the community and rising operational costs.
Naperville School District 203 has been awarded $13,309 and Indian Prairie School District 204 has been awarded $22,232 as part of the school district library grant awards.
Across the state, more than $1.3 million was given to 660 school districts to help schools buy books, e-books, audiobooks, multilingual materials and more, the release said.