What do you get the Swedish ambassador who has everything?

OK, the question wasn’t posed in quite those terms, but about two weeks ago, we asked a similar rhetorical question and turned it into our FIRST EVER AND PLUPERFECTLY UNOFFICIAL KANE COUNTY CONNECTS CONTEST. We felt the substance and gravity of the occasion merited the all-caps.

The issue first came up when Swedish Ambassador Björn Lyrvall came to Geneva, IL, for a visit on May 23 at Riverside Receptions, where he was met by a horde of local dignitaries. Lyrvall left town with a lot of cool stuff, including a Blackhawks jersey (with good old No. 4, Niklas Hjalmarsson, on the back) presented by 14th District U.S. Congressman Randy Hultgren and a Swedish crystal ornament made in Geneva and presented by Geneva Mayor Burns.

That led us to wondering, which led, in turn, to the contest question:

“What should Kane County offer as a ‘token of esteem’ to dignitaries visiting our area?”

Shockingly, you responded. And I am so proud that you met this challenge. There is a tear welling in the corner of my eye as I type this.

The ideas were so cool, in fact, that there’s no way our expert panel of judges (me and Dawn Barsanti) could decide a winner, so we’re seeking your help, once again. Embedded in this article is our FIRST-EVER KANE COUNTY CONNECTS CONTEST READER POLL.

Please take a minute or two to select your favorites. Since there are 10 possible answers (if I counted right — no guarantee), you can come back and vote more than once, if you like.)

There is no cost to make your vote, just as there was no cost to enter our contest, and no real rules to the contest, for that matter.

Our expert judges will select a “winner” from top three vote-getters in this reader poll. Or not. I’m still trying to figure this out.

And the winner will receive an all-expense paid trip to Honolulu, Hawaii! (I’m completely kidding about that. There is absolutely no fact to that previous sentence, whatsoever.)

Actually, the winner might receive, surreptitiously, one of the “token of esteem” gifts that he or she has suggested. But that will depend on a lot of things, including our team of expert lawyers, who are working around the clock to prevent this from happening.

So vote early, vote often, and most importantly, vote just for the fun of it.