Vernon Hills Park District notes

Turkey Shoot: The Turkey Shoot basketball free throw competition will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Sullivan Community Center. Each participating team, composed of one parent and one child age 4 to 15, will take 10 shots from the free throw line. The winners in each category will win a Thanksgiving turkey. There is a fee of $8 per team.

Adult Basketball League: Adult Basketball League Registration will begin Nov. 26 for teams that have at least 60 percent residents on their roster. Returning non-resident teams may register beginning Dec. 3 and open registration begins Dec. 10. The Vernon Hills Park District offers three adult basketball leagues for varying skill levels. Each league is limited to eight teams playing a 10-game regular season.

League play will begin Jan. 8 at the Sullivan Community Center and Hawthorn Middle School-South. The season will end with the top four teams competing in a post-season tournament in late March. Game days will be on Tuesday or Thursday evenings. Participants must be at least 18 years old. Information packets are available at the Sullivan Center.

The fee to take part is $600 for resident teams, $675 for nonresident teams.

1-2-3 Celebrate With Me Christmas: Children ages 2½ to 4 will read stories, play games and make an art project and holiday decorations from 9:15 to 10:45 a.m. on Wednesdays, Nov. 28 to Dec. 12. This is a drop-off class at the Sullivan Community Center. There is a fee of $36 for residents, $45 for nonresidents.

Knit Quick: Participants ages 10 and older will learn to knit and create a fashionable scarf using the textured yarns found in any craft store from 1 to 3 p.m. Dec. 1 at the Sullivan Community Center. Learn to cast-on, knit, increase, decrease, bind-off and apply fringe. Each participant will need to bring one skein of smooth or textured yarn, and one pair of knitting needles (size 8 to 19) and a point protector (optional). There is a fee of $25 for residents, $31 for nonresidents.

Preschool Open House: Little Learner's Preschool, the Vernon Hills Park District preschool, will hold an open house from 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 1 at the Sullivan Community Center. This is an opportunity to tour the facility, learn about the curriculum and meet the teachers for the 2008-09 school year.

Preschool programs are offered for 2- through 5-year-olds. Additionally, both before and after preschool programs are offered. For details, call Gail Herrmann, early childhood supervisor, at (847) 996-6808.

Boys & Girls Basketball: Boys' and girls' third- and fourth-grade basketball league evaluations will be held Dec. 2 in the afternoon or Dec. 6 in the evening at the Sullivan Community Center. Refer to the fall brochure or Web site for gender/age evaluation times. Teams will be assigned a minimum of one weekday evening practice beginning Jan. 7. Games will be played on Fridays and Saturdays from mid-January through March.

Coaches will contact players with specific schedule information no later than Dec. 21. The registration fee is $89 for residents, $111 for nonresidents if paid before Dec. 1, $139 or $161 after Dec. 1.

Snowman Treat Jar: A special project from Clay Monet for children, ages 4 and older. In this class, kids will paint a snowman jar. Pieces will be fired off-site and returned in one week to the Park District for pickup. Completed fired pieces will be food and dishwasher safe. Class will be held at 6 p.m. Dec. 3 at the Sullivan Community Center. There is a fee of $32 for residents, $40 for nonresidents.

Toys for Tots: The Sullivan Community Center and the Laschen Community Center are collection sites for new, unwrapped toys in support of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program. Collection boxes are located in the lobbies of both community centers and toys will be accepted until Dec. 17.

The objective of the Toys for Tots program is to help needy children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas. Toys for Tots Coordinators of the Marine Corps Reserve Unit stationed in Great Lakes will pick up the collected toys and work with local social welfare agencies, church groups and other local community agencies to distribute the toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community.

For more information, visit (847) 996-6933 or visit www.vhparkdistrict.org.

Program registrations may be completed online, mailed in or dropped off at the Sullivan Center, or faxed to (847) 996-6801.