Leap into these activities on Friday

Friday is our leap year day.

Once every four years, the calendar adds an entire extra day to accommodate the 365.24219 days it takes the Earth to travel around the sun.

So how do you plan to spend your extra 24 hours this year?

Here are 29 suggestions to consider in and around Lisle:

1. The Morton Arboretum will have snowshoes to rent if there's still 4 inches of snow. Three-hour rentals are $6 for members and $8 for others between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Info: www.mortonarb.org.

2. While at the arboretum, stop by the store in the Visitor's Center, where the semi-annual sale begins Friday for members and opens to the public the next day. Members receive a 10 percent discount.

3. Artists in the visual, media, performing and literary arts can check out the eighth annual SEA Conference to help artists build profitable careers. The two-day event, sponsored by North Central College, runs from noon Friday to 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Hilton Lisle/Naperville Hotel. It's $75 for students and $100 for artists and faculty. Playwright and lyricist Matt Boresi will present the opening session Friday. The keynote speaker is Tom Wilson, creator of "Ziggy." Info: www.seaconference.com .

4. Some schools are closed Friday, which makes it a good day to visit the Jurica Nature Museum. It's on the second floor of Birck Hall of Science at Benedictine University, 5700 College Road. It's open from 1 to 5 p.m. and you'll be amazed at more than 10,000 specimens, ranging from a tiny aphid to a whale's 18-foot skeleton. Free. Info: www.ben.edu/museum.

5. Take the Burlington Northern from the Lisle station to visit the Art Institute at 111 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, where there's no admission fee in February. The museum houses more than 300,000 works. Info: www.artic.edu/aic/.

6. If you'd rather get in a little spring training, the Chicago Bulls/White Sox Training Academy at 6200 River Bend Drive has 10 batting cages open to the public from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It's $23 per half-hour with a machine.

7. Think warm by planning a family reunion and rent one of the park district's picnic shelters. Dates are filling fast. Info: www.lisle parkdistrict.org/picnic.htm.

8. For immediate pleasure, the Motor Room at the park district's Meadows Center is available on Friday for you to host a Leap Year party for 3-year-olds. Info: (630) 969-0992.

9. From 15 to 26 children can party at Pump It Up In Lisle, winner of the company's national Franchisee of the Year in 2007. Kids love bouncing, climbing, jumping and sliding and this place has it all. Four party time slots are available on Friday with party packages ranging from $185 to $285.

10. Cool kids will have a winter adventure at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Friday at the Children's Garden at the Morton Arboretum. "Cool Kids Nature Hikes" is a 20-minute hike that ends with a cup of cocoa. Call (630) 968-0074 if weather is a concern.

11. It's all about hair, nails, jewelry and dancing in a cheerleading style at the park district's Girl Power Mania for girls ages 5 to 12. Register for the session scheduled for 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday for $33. Info: www.lisleparkdistrict.org.

12. Adults can check out The View's special leap year frog leg appetizer, available on Friday for only $5.95. The restaurant and bar at 5900 S. Route 53 will feature festive decorations and Cajun menu items. Info: (630) 968-1920.

13. Making the "leap" and "frog" connection, Lisle Library has featured frog-related activities all month in its youth services area. Check out its remodeling project with a visit to the library from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday.

14. Quilt to your heart's content from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday at Pieceful Heart Fabrics, 2723 Maple Ave., by attending its Machine-Appliqué Invisibly class. Bring a sack lunch and $36 fee. Call (630) 718-0112 to register.

15. Make plans to attend the fourth annual Night to Remember Gala benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society on Saturday at the Wyndham Hotel in Lisle. The $75 ticket includes dinner, dancing, cocktails, silent auction and raffles. Info: www.nighttoremember.org.

16. Enjoy ice skating at the Seven Bridges Ice Arena at 6690 Route 53 in Woodridge, where open skating is from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and again from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday. Tickets: $7 for adults and $6 for kids 11 and younger. Skate rental: $3.

17. Food at Pazzo's Bar and Eatery, 1017 Front St., includes a special Fish Platter from 11:30 a.m. to midnight Friday.

18. Order a large pizza and use the $2-off coupon in the park district brochure for Passero's Pizza at Route 53 and Maple Avenue. Info: (630) 852-8989.

19. Wine Expressions at 1111 Burlington Ave., Suite 103, will have its regular Friday wine tasting from 4 to 6:30 p.m. featuring wines from the Isles of Italy. Presented in an educational format the $7 cost can be applied to any purchase. Info: www.wineexpressions.com.

20. The giant five-story screen at Cinemark IMAX Theatre at Seven Bridges at 6500 Route 53 in Woodridge is showing "Spiderwick Chronicles," a scary fantasy adventure rated PG. Tickets: $11 for adults and $8.75 for children and seniors. Info: (630) 434-2629.

21. The Midwest Backgammon Championships are Friday through Sunday at the Wyndham Lisle Hotel. There's a Leapgammon game at 3:15 p.m. Friday. Hours are 3 to 9 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Everyone is encouraged to dress as cowboys or cowgirls. Open tournament play is $30 and a children's contest is $10 for those in eighth grade and younger. Info: www.chicagopoint.com.

22. Lisle Lanes, 4920 Lincoln Ave., has open bowling for $3 a game from 10 a.m. to noon and $3.50 from noon to 5 p.m. Friday. Details at (630) 968-1300.

23. Donate your almost-new shoes to the Lisle Character Counts Alliance shoe collection for Save Your Soles. Collection boxes are at village hall and the Lisle Township Offices.

24. Sign-up for a CPR for Laypersons class with the Lisle-Woodridge Fire District from 7 to 10 p.m. March 19. Call (630) 353-3000 to register. It's free to district residents.

25. Friday is the last day to "Bring a Friend to Lunch" at the Morton Arboretum where every day in February members may bring a non-member to lunch with no admission charge. Lunch is served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Ginkgo Room.

26. Lisle has two spots in the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County you can visit: Egermann Woods on Hobson Road east of College Road, and Hitchcock Woods at the intersection of Yackley and Hitchcock avenues. Both offer natural trails that open daily from one hour after sunrise to one hour after sunset. Info: www.dupageforest.com.

27. Friday leaves only one day to register for the police department's radKIDS Safety Program for children ages 8 to 10. The class runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 8 and teaches safety practices and how to avoid potential danger. Class size is limited to 20. The fee is $5 and includes a pizza lunch. Info: (630) 271-4218 to register.

28. Take time to ICE your cell phone. The Lisle-Woodridge Fire District Division of Emergency Medical Services encourages every cell phone user to add an entry in his or her phone under ICE -- that stands for In Case of Emergency.

29. Savor the last of winter on the four runs at the 9-acre Four Lakes Ski Hill from 4 to 10 p.m. at 5790 Forest View Road. Fabulous Friday's special slope ticket is $15. Rental office closes at 8 p.m. Info: www.skifourlakes.com.

• Joan Broz writes about Lisle on Mondays in Neighbor. E-mail her at jgbroz@yahoo.com.