Madrigals to perform at library
Judging by all the holiday lights and decorations I have seen adorning neighborhood homes, it appears that people made good use of the earliest possible Thanksgiving holiday to get a head start on celebrating Christmas this year.
Perhaps this bonus week will make our holiday "to do" lists a little less stressful and give us the opportunity to take advantage of some of our community's special events.
Pat Paulson of the Dundee Township Library is pleased to have a group called the Elizabethans performing a Madrigal Christmas at 7 p.m. Thursday at the library. With their beautiful and very elaborate, jewel-toned gowns designed after those that the queen wore in her youth, performers re-create the era of Queen Elizabeth I.
"They want the audience to imagine that they are guests at one of the castles where they are being entertained by the playing of the instruments, dancing and singing of madrigals, which was a favorite form of entertainment during England's Renaissance brought from Italy in the 16th century," she said.
"The program is free; but because this group is popular, we would like to have reservations so we can make proper preparations. They can be made by calling the library at (847) 428-3661," Paulson said.
The next holiday happening is a visit from old St. Nick himself in Sleepy Hollow this weekend.
The Rutland-Dundee Firefighters, Rutland-Dundee Support Team and the Sleepy Hollow Service Club will bring him to the village Saturday and Sunday.
He will travel through the village west of Sleepy Hollow Road on Saturday and he will be riding through that part of the village that lies east of Sleepy Hollow Road on Sunday. He begins his journey at 3 p.m. on both days.
He will be hard to miss as his arrival is not marked by the "prancing and pawing" of reindeer hooves on the roof but rather by the siren and clanging of the Rutland-Dundee Township fire engine. He will be accompanied by members of the sponsoring organizations as well as officials from the villages of Gilberts and Sleepy Hollow.
During Santa's travels, he will be collecting non-perishable food items, new toys and clothing to be donated to the FISH food pantry and other charities. These items will then be distributed to needy families in the area.
Sometime between 6 and 8 p.m. Saturday, he also will make an extra stop at Sabatino Park to help the Sleepy Hollow Service Club signal the start of the holiday season with its annual Christmas in the Hollow celebration.
Residents of Sleepy Hollow will gather for hot cocoa and holiday cheer as the wonders of holiday lighting transform the Sabatino Park flagpole into a Christmas tree. Children from Sleepy Hollow Elementary School will create a "Circle of Cheer" by decorating additional Christmas trees that are set up around the flagpole. They also will lead the caroling with their choir and chimes. Non-perishable food items for FISH will be collected at this event.
Sleepy Hollow resident Diane Fuqua says Dec. 9 will be filled with special events at the First Congregational Church in West Dundee. At both the 8 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. services there will be a Cantata of Christmas Canticles with both the chapel choir and orchestra performing. Then that evening between 6 and 8 p.m. there will be an old-fashioned holiday celebration with caroling, free hayrides, kids' Christmas crafts, cocoa and pumpkin pie. The public is invited. The church is off of Route 31 at Angle Tarn Road. Call (847) 426-2161.
As this week's column began with Dundee Township Library happenings for adults, it will close with a special library treat for little ones. At 10:30 a.m. Dec. 17, the children's library staff will head across the Fox River to the West Dundee Public Safety Center II off of Route 72 by Sleepy Hollow Road. There they will engage preschoolers and their parents or caregivers with holiday stories, songs, puppets and finger plays. No registration is required.
My grandson was one of the only 10 children who attended the Thanksgiving Storytime held there in November. He had a wonderful time with both the librarians and the friendly firefighters who gave him a tour of a fire engine.
Ferguson: Church to hold holiday concert, celebration