Sure Bets

This weekend

Used book sale: The Friends of the Helen M. Plum Memorial Library used book sale will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday in the library's auditorium, 110 W. Maple St., Lombard.

Mass-market paperbacks cost 50 cents, hardbound books and trade paperbacks cost $1. A bag of books will cost $5 Saturday and $2 Sunday. Proceeds will benefit the Plum library.

For details, call Judy Kott at (630) 627-0316 or visit www.plum.lib.il.us/library_friends.shtml.

Friday

Square dance: Sidekicks Square Dance Club will hold its first dance of the season Friday at the Community Recreation Building, 320 E. Wildwood Ave., Villa Park. Al and Jane Krol will cue rounds at 8 p.m., and Bobby Poyner will call squares at 8:30 p.m. A banner is available. For details, call (630) 627-2437 or (630) 271-0313.

From Lake to Plate: A cookout will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Herrick Lake Forest Preserve, Herrick Lake and Butterfield roads, Wheaton. The fee is $10, $5 for children ages 15 and younger. Reservations are required. For details, call (630) 933-7248.

Book release party: A party to celebrate the release of Luisa Buehler's newest book, "The Lighthouse Keeper: Beckoning Death," will be at 7 p.m. Friday at Barnes and Noble Bookseller, 351 Town Square, Wheaton. For details, call (630) 653-2122.

Car show: Cruisin' the Park car shows will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at the Gazebo on the Illinois Prairie Path, between Ardmore Avenue and Park Boulevard, Villa Park. Food will be available for purchase. For details, visit www.villaparkchamber.org or call (630) 941-9133.

Car show: The 10th annual Vintage Rides Antique Car and Custom Motorcycle Show will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday along Front Street in downtown Wheaton. For details, visit www.downtownwheaton.com.

Saturday

Peace Bubble: Jerry Leggett and the Peace Bubble Crew will perform at noon Saturday at Elmhurst College, 190 Prospect Ave.

Leggett, a singer, songwriter and United Church of Christ minister, has been touring the country with his "Sing Out for Peace" tour. He performs from a converted, teardrop-shaped vintage RV called The Peace Bubble.

The event also will include juggling and a performance by The Proverbial Fools, a faith-based group.

Admission is free. Visitors may bring picnics and blankets for seating. For details, call (630) 617-3462 or visit www.elmhurst.edu.

Flea market: The Downers Grove Park District's Flea Market will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in Hummer Park, 4833 Fairview Ave. The rain date is Sept. 15. Admission is free. For details, call (630) 963-1300 or visit www.dgparks.org.

Cruise Night: Cruise Night will be from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday along St. Charles Road, between Main and Elizabeth streets, downtown Lombard. The event includes musical entertainment, family activities and more. Admission is free. For details, visit www.lombardtowncentre.org.

Fundraiser: A casino night fundraiser to benefit a local women's charity will be from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday at Fox and Hound Pub and Grille, 370-420 W. Army Trail Road, Bloomingdale.

The event will include poker and black jack tables, a silent auction, buffet, music by a DJ, drink specials and more.

Tickets cost $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Raffle tickets cost $3 for five tickets, $5 for 10 tickets. Proceeds will benefit Giving Real Opportunities to Women, a not-for-profit organization that helps single mothers and their families.

For details, call Joe at (219) 508-5575 or Natalie at (630) 295-9626.

Make a mask: The DuPage Theatre Visual and Performing Arts Coalition will offer a free mask-making workshop from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sept. 15 at Sunset Knoll Recreation Center, 820 S. Finley Road, Lombard. All ages are welcome.

Some masks made during these workshops will be displayed around Lombard during Illinois Arts Week in October. Masks made by local artists also will be on display during that time.

Registration is required. For details, call (630) 415-3656.

'Parallel Lives': The Grounded Theatre will present "Parallel Lives" Saturday through Oct. 20 at The Comedy Shrine, 22 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville. Shows will be Saturdays and select Sundays.

The play, written by Mo Gaffney and Kathy Najimy, features two women portraying various characters.

Tickets cost $20, $15 for students and senior citizens. Group discounts and dinner theater packages are available. For details, visit www.groundedtheatre.org.

Art fair: The Elmhurst Artists' Guild Downtown Sidewalk Art Fair will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday on York Road, between First and Second streets. Artists from all over the state will display, demonstrate and sell work in all mediums. For details, call (630) 279-5269.

Bit o' Broadway: The DuPage Symphony Orchestra will present Bit o' Broadway at 7 p.m. Saturday at Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton. Tickets cost $15, $10 for children ages 8 to 18 and free for children 7 and younger. For details, call (630) 260-8164 or visit www.cantignypark.com.

Blacksmith demo: The blacksmith will demonstrate the tools of his trade from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sept. 15 at Kline Creek Farm, 1N600 County Farm Road, West Chicago. For details, call (630) 876-5900.

Bird walk: Take a bird walk from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday at Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton. Participants should enter the park from Shaffner Road and meet at the greenhouse. Bring binoculars. Parking is free. For details, visit www.cantignypark.com.

Concert: "Songs for Sacred Spaces," a concert by 1978 Wheaton College alum Sylvia McNair, will be at 7 p.m. Saturday in Pierce Memorial Chapel, Washington and Franklin streets, Wheaton. Tickets cost $30, $20 for seniors 60 and older. For details or tickets, visit www.artistseries.org or call (630) 752-5010.

Culture Counts: The fifth annual Culture Counts Multicultural Festival will be from 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the Ross Ferraro Town Center, Lies Road and Gary Avenue, Carol Stream. For details, call (630) 665-7050 or visit www.carolstream.org.

Sunday

Fundraiser: The third annual DuPage PADS run/walk will be at 8 a.m. Sunday at the shelter, 705 W. Liberty St., Wheaton.

The CARA-approved 5K and 10K runs and the 3K walk continue along the Illinois Prairie Path and finish at the shelter. After the race, the event will include a party with music, vendor booths, food and a raffle.

The cost is $32 the day of the event. Anyone who collects $125 or more in pledges will have their registration fee waived. Proceeds will benefit Public Action to Deliver Shelter, a not-for-profit organization that helps homeless men, women and children.

For details or to register, visit www.padsrun.org or www.dupagepads.org.

Party in the Park: Calvary United Pentecostal Church will host its second annual Party in the Park from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at Highview Park, Addison Road and Lincoln Avenue, Addison. The event will include music, food, beverages, games, a petting zoo, face-painting, a clown and a prize raffle. For details, call (630) 628-6866.

Breakfast buffet: An all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet will be from 7:30 a.m. to noon Sunday at VFW Post 2801, 39 E. St. Charles Road, Villa Park. The menu includes sausage, pancakes, French toast, eggs, biscuits and gravy, coffee and juice. The cost is $5.

Grandparents' Day: Graue Mill and Museum and the Gregg House Museum have teamed up to offer a Grandparents' Day program from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. At Graue Mill, 3800 S. York Road, Oak Brook.

Grandparents and grandchildren will make a memory book with local children's author Darwin Walton. At Gregg House, 117 S. Linden, Westmont, guests will make a picture frame.

The cost is $2 per child. Reservations are required. Transportation between locations will be provided. For details, call (630) 920-9720 or visit www.grauemill.org.

Polo: The Chicagoland Mercedes-Benz Club will host a car show Sunday at the Oak Brook Polo Club, 31st Street and Polo Drive, Oak Brook.

Polo matches will be played at 1 and 3 p.m. Tickets cost $10, $5 for seniors and free for children ages 12 and younger. Parking also is free. Bring a lawn chair for seating.

For details, call Karen Martino at (630) 368-6428 or visit www.chicagopolo.com.

International Day: The event will be at 1 p.m. Sunday in Camera Park, 101 E. Fullerton Ave., Glendale Heights. The event includes a Coming to America flag ceremony. Those who attend should bring a flag from their native country. For details, call (630) 909-5302.

WDSRA Family Fest: Western DuPage Special Recreation Association's annual Family Fest will be from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Memorial Park, 208 W. Union St., Wheaton. The event will include games, music, magic and food. Admission is free. For details, visit www.wdsra.com or call (630) 681-0962.

Ongoing

Art exhibit: The work of Wheaton College graphic design professor Alma Hoffmann will be on display through Sept. 25 in the college's Adams Hall Gallery, 501 College Ave., Wheaton. "Language, Images & Symbols in a Bilingual Mind" is free. For details, visit www.wheaton.edu/art or call (630) 752-5050.

Local artist: The work of Chicago painter Kim Piotrowski will be on display from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily through Sept. 30 in the lobby of the McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn.

Piotrowski's work combines Abstract Expressionism, graphic art and pop culture to address issues in contemporary society.

Admission is free. For details, call Roland Raffel at (630) 942-2263.

Faculty art exhibit: The College of DuPage Studio Art Faculty Exhibit runs through Oct. 6 in the Gahlberg Gallery of the McAninch Art Center at College of DuPage, 425 Fawell St., Glen Ellyn. The exhibit features new works in all mediums by two dozen of the college's art faculty.

Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 6 to 8 p.m. Thursdays; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays; by appointment; and during Mainstage performance events.

Admission is free. For details, visit www.cod.edu/gallery or call (630) 942-2321.