Desperate for green? Think East Dundee
Never fear. This wee bit of white that keeps covering up the green of our lawns will be no match for the luck of the Irish in just a couple of weeks.
Move over, Groundhog Willie. The Irish of Dundee are stepping out from your darned shadow with a show that'll blow all that snow out of mind.
Mark your calendars for 11 a.m. Saturday, March 15, grab your shamrocks (and shovels) and head for downtown East Dundee for the St. Patrick's Day parade sponsored by the Village of East Dundee and Rosie O'Hare's Public House. You'll see the Great Lakes Naval Reserve band, Midlothian Pipe Band, squad cars and fire trucks aplenty, the Dundee VFW, local Scouts and the Kane County Car Club among other parade entries.
The parade will begin at Bandito Barney's on River Street and head north to Barrington Avenue, west to Water Street and then north to Rosie O'Hare's.
Rumor has it a certain village president and his bagpipe will be making an appearance.
There's still time to enter the parade or to sponsor the entertainment. If your group wants to think green, they'd love to hear from you. They're also looking for parade marshals, Julie O'Leary tells me. Call Beth (847) 426-7300.
You snowmen can stay home.
That's the ticket
Congratulations to Crystal Lake police and their Officer Sean McGrath as well as Crystal Lake Pontiac GMC owner Sam Oginni! They have been honored by the Illinois Department of Transportation for their efforts to keep teen drivers safer. The two key players in the Operation Click program have teamed up with an annual car giveaway that has boosted seat belt use by 30 percent at local high schools.
Officer McGrath credits the Operation Click board, including Gail McDonald, Bob Disslehorst, Ann Viger, Jason Weisenberger, Josh Weaver, Julie Mayer, Chuck Barham and Kelly Nelson for helping the program expand.
I'm betting they'll credit the officer and Sam Oginni.
Pack 'em up
Bob Heldmann of Cary has a suggestion for all you litterbug political candidates. He suggests our local Scout troops collect all those campaign signs still along our public roadways and permit candidates to redeem them for $5 each. Bob thinks resultant bad publicity for those who refuse to pay up might affect future election results. He has more hope than I do, but I like the idea. Anyone?
Giving spirit
It's short notice but, if you can, Christine Gross of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in West Dundee hopes you'll consider stopping by their blood drive to donate from 3 to 7 p.m. today. All you need is a photo ID. It's at 417 W. Main St. Call (847) 426-7311 for info.
Pass the word
Jennifer Rehberg invites us to come to the Relay For Life of Northern Kane County's kickoff at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Dundee-Crown High School library annex. You'll enjoy free pizza as well as frozen custard from Van's Frozen Custard in Carpentersville.
Individuals and teams can learn more about and register for the actual relay, which will be held May 2-3 this year, a 12-hour event to honor those battling cancer and helping raise money to fight the challenging disease. It's a fun way to fight back.
Stop by the kickoff party and check it out. You'll also get a free raffle ticket that gives you a chance to win two free roundtrip airline tickets to anywhere in the continental U.S.
I do believe that could be anywhere without snow.