Park district offering chance to show your stuff
Maybe you've always felt you've had a special talent to entertain, but never found the right place to show it off.
But thanks to the Schaumburg Park District, your day in the spotlight doesn't have to be as traumatic as being a contestant on "American Idol."
The park district will hold auditions for its Summer Talent Show from 1 to 4 p.m. July 29 and from 6 to 9 p.m. July 30 at the Community Recreation Center, 505 N. Springinsguth Road.
Individual participants can be ages 7 to adult, though children 7 and younger may audition as part of a family performance.
A mandatory rehearsal will be held for the selected performers from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 17. The show itself will be presented to the public at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 18.
The acts will be divided into four categories -- dance, drama, vocal and instrumental. All show participants will receive a commemorative medal.
Members of the Schaumburg Time Travelers Theatre Ensemble will serve as masters of ceremony and bring their comedic presence to the stage between acts.
For more information, visit www.parkfun.com or call Cultural Arts Supervisor Toni Higgins-Thrash at (847) 490-7015.
Adventures with John James Audubon:Ã…’Friendship Village of Schaumburg will present "Adventures with John James Audubon," a living history program featuring renowned naturalist, wildlife artist and storyteller Brian "Fox" Ellis at 1:30 p.m. Monday.
The event is free to the public, made possible in part by the Illinois Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Illinois General Assembly.
John James Audubon spent more than 50 years striving to draw and describe all birds native to the United States.
Audubon also had a deep appreciation and concern for conservation, his later writings warning about the destruction of bird and animal habitats.
In this presentation, Audubon is portrayed by Ellis, who has previously worked with the Field Museum and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, is artistic director of the Prairie Folklore Theatre and has written eight books.
His hour-long performance draws on Audubon's journals, letters and scientific essays, exploring art history and bird migration factors of the early 19th century.
Friendship Village is at 350 W. Schaumburg Road, a quarter mile west of Roselle Road. For more information, call (847) 884-5000.
Changes on tap at The Water Works: Renovations will begin Wednesday to The Water Works, the Schaumburg Park District's indoor water park, 505 N. Springinsguth Road.
Changes to the 12-year-old facility will include a new spray ground with plenty of ropes and squirts, deck resurfacing and tropical-themed decorative work.
The district's goal is to have the lap pool and dive well open by Labor Day and the zero-depth pool re-opened in October. Open swim will return in early October.