Class to help family, friends cope with disorders

Starting Monday, Barrington-area residents helping care for someone with a serious mental illness will have another option for support.

NAMI Barrington Area, a local chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, is hosting a series of 12 weekly classes structured to help participants understand and support individuals with mental disorders, while maintaining their own well being.

Classes are for family members and friends of individuals with major bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Topics for the class include current research in the biology of brain disorders, information about medications and acquiring strategies for handling crisis and relapse.

Two separate sessions are being offered. The first is from 6 to 9 p.m. Mondays at St. Anne's Church in Barrington. Classes start Monday and run through April 7.

The second session runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights. Classes start Wednesday and run through April 9.

For more information and to register call (847) 382-6623.

Restoration work: The Barrington Area Historical Society is offering residents the chance to see the restoration of an original turn-of-the-century railroad station baggage cart.

Every Saturday, Barrington blacksmith Jim Siebert and carpenter Jim Smith will be working to restore the cart between noon and 4 p.m. at the Blacksmith Shop, 212 W. Main Street.

For more information, call (847) 381-1730 or log on to bahsil.org.

Oil painting exhibit: Work from Lake Zurich artist Susan Ploughe is on display in Barrington High School's Clair E. Smith Art Gallery.

Following her graduation from Carnegie Mellon University, Ploughe worked as an illustrator and designer.

Since 2000, she's been oil painting full time. Later this year, she will paint in China for three weeks, culminating with an exhibit there.

She is a member of the Oil Painters of America, the Plein Air Painters of Chicago and the Portrait Society of America.

Ploughe's work will be on display through Jan. 25. The gallery is open during school days and in the evening during school performances.

For more information, call (847) 842-3214.

Valentine's Day dance: Barrington's United Methodist Church is getting ready for this year's Valentine's Dinner Dance.

The church will host the dance from 6 to 10 p.m. Feb. 9 at Makray Country Club in Barrington.

Tickets are $40, which includes a full-course dinner, dessert and dancing.

Those wishing to attend are asked to reserve their spot by Feb. 2.

For more information or to RSVP, call (847) 921-5356 or (847) 836-5540 or visit BarringtonUMC.com.