Interfaith Palm Sunday service ushers in season
We might have temporarily lost an hour last weekend, but that only means that we have one less hour to wait for all of the wonderful and varied things that will be coming our way during the next few weeks.
Whether it is the prospect of glorious music, increased physical fitness or the challenge of hidden treasure we will have the opportunity to enrich our souls, improve our bodies and expand our imagination.
Palm Sunday concert: What better way to start the week before Easter than with the 13th annual Palm Sunday Interfaith Concert at St. Catherine of Siena Church on Route 72 in West Dundee. Six weeks of ecumenical organ recitals at various local churches will culminate with a colossal finale when 100 singers, handbell choirs, a brass ensemble and clergy from eight area churches join together in music and prayer to celebrate the sorrow and joy of the Lenten season.
The diverse program will include works ranging from the glorious Handel's "Messiah" to the moving African-American favorite, "Were You There?" Familiar old hymns and classical pieces will be enhanced by the music of organ, brass, flute, handbells and the beautiful voices of local choir members.
One of the featured performers will be Sleepy Hollow resident Madeline Christensen, who will play two flute solos. She is the daughter of Bob and Gail Christensen. Madeline is a sophomore at the Chicago College for the Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. She has studied with flute legend and faculty member Donald Peck, principal emeritus of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where he played for 42 years.
Admission to the Palm Sunday afternoon hourlong concert and prayer service is free. An offering will be accepted to defray expenses and provide support for future interfaith music events. The event prelude begins at 3:45 p.m. Sunday and the assembly will be invited to sing along during three of the choir selections.
School challenge: Principal Anastasia Epstein of Sleepy Hollow Elementary School will challenge school staff along with students and parents to participate in the new statewide program called the Move and Crunch Challenge, today through Friday.
Concerned that a record amount of children are facing overweight and related health problems, Epstein hopes to lead by example, meeting daily recommendations for fruit and vegetables and physical activities during the week.
In addition to making better food choices, Epstein plans to host a "Food Factor" activity for students to sample a new food, "Fitness Skillastics" for a post-lunch workout and a "Walk with the Principal" event. The Move and Crunch Challenge is funded by a United States Department of Agriculture grant and the top-scoring schools in the challenge will be awarded a grant to purchase $800 of wellness curriculum and materials to further benefit the children.
Easter egg hunt: Last year's Sleepy Hollow Easter Egg Hunt was held April 15, when all that residents had to worry about was their income tax returns. This year's event will take place March 22, and Service Club members are keeping their fingers crossed hoping for good weather. Yes, it's easy for youngsters to find the plastic eggs on rainy and even muddy days … but what happens if they're beneath a couple of inches of snow? They will become real buried treasure.
Keeping with tradition, the event will begin at 10 a.m. at Sabatino Park. There are really five hunts depending on the age of the hunter. For toddlers ages 3 and under, their eggs are hidden in a roped-off area of the playground where Sleepy Hollow Service Club members can keep a benevolent eye making sure that no wandering child is left "eggless."
Other parts of the park are roped off in sections for the other four divisions namely preschool and kindergarten; first and second grades; third and fourth grades; and finally, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grades. Each age group will have five special eggs hidden among the others and the lucky children who find them will receive an additional prize. As an added treat the Easter Bunny will arrive via fire truck to meet all of the children and receive lots of hugs.
A big thank you to the service club for all of the work that you do for the people of Sleepy Hollow.