Fox Valley clubs notes

From the clubs To list your club's meetings, e-mail to foxvalley@dailyherald.com, or fax to (847) 608-0849.

Audubon Society: The Kane County Chapter of the Audubon Society will offer a bird walk at 8 a.m. Saturday at Crabtree Nature Center, 3 Stover Road, Barrington. See water fowl and winter holdouts. Go north on Route 59 to Route 72, east on Route 72 less than a mile to Palatine Road, then a half-mile to preserve entrance on the left. Meet in the main parking lot. For more information, call Chris Madsen at (630) 377-0773.

Fox Valley SHRM: The Illinois Fox Valley Society of Human Resource Management welcomes Rich Woodrich and Jim Dickson today.

They will talk about how a "Lean Implementation" can transform an organization from the ground up. Get an overview of "Lean Practices" and a few of the "Lean Tools," how to start your quest and what to expect once you do.

The group meets on the third Thursday of the month for a luncheon with programs directed toward the human resource professional at Hennessy Restaurant, off Randall Road in Elgin. Registration is at 11:15 a.m. The meeting adjourns at 1 p.m. Interested parties can call (847) 289-7170. The cost for members is $20 or $40 for non-members.

Northwest Suburban Astronomers: The March meeting of the Northwest Suburban Astronomers will feature a presentation by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Solar System Ambassador Jim Kovac on "Mars Missions and Mysteries."

Attendees will follow the incredible journey of the Mars Exploration Rovers, compare Earth with this neighboring world, view its massive geological features, and discuss some recent discoveries and intriguing mysteries of the Red Planet.

The meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday in rooms 105/106 at the Hoffman Estates Park District Community Center, 1685 W. Higgins Road in Hoffman Estates. For details, call Gordon at (847) 231-3145 or visit www.nsaclub.org.

South Elgin Lions Club: The South Elgin Lions Club will give the first 200 bingo players a free chance to win $25,000 on Saturday. Doors open at 5 p.m. at the club house, 500 Fulton St. Bingo and raffle games start at 7 p.m. with an early bird game at 6:50 p.m. The first 200 players will receive a free card for a chance to win $25,000 on Saturday during bingo. The club offers hands-free computerized bingo play and two smoking breaks (a covered shelter is provided) during the evening. Food and beverages are available for purchase. A total of $2,200 will be paid out on all bingo games in addition to the raffle payouts. Some of the higher bingo and raffle payouts to a single winner include: a $250 Bullseye Bingo; $100 and a potential progressive payout of $4,200 on the Dual Action Game; $200 and a potential progressive payout of over $850 on the Red/White/Blue game to any single winner of a cover all in 46 numbers or less; $100 to $500 on the Lucky Lion game; and $500 Bingo Jackpot. For details, call Paul Groth or Linda Scham at (847) 888-9575.

Golden K Kiwanis: The Elgin Golden K Kiwanis will meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 357 Division St., Elgin. The program will be by Mike Alft on "Investments." Visitors are welcome. For more information, call (847) 741-7176.

Czech and Slovak American Genealogy Society: Czech and Slovak American Genealogy Society of Illinois will hold its 2008 Mini-Conference, "Emigration-Immigration of the Czechs and Slovaks into Illinois," from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. March 29 at First Presbyterian Church, 150 S. Ashland, LaGrange. Registration will be in the lower level fellowship hall, which has a handicap entrance.

Featured speakers are: William Galush, professor emeritus at Loyola University, and Malynne Sternstein, assistant professor at University of Chicago's Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures. Galush is a published author of many works on immigration. Sternstein is finalizing her book on "Czechs in Chicago." They will discuss Eastern European migration from 1840 to after World War I. After lunch, a panel of emigres who arrived in 1948 after World War II will share their immigration experiences.

Cost for members is $35 or $40 for guests. A catered ethnic-style meal is included in the workshop fee. The deadline is Saturday. Refunds will not be given after this date. For more information, contact Dolores Duy at (630) 906-8175 or dolly1939@aol.com; or Evelyn Fergle at czechekf@aol.com. Make your check payable to CSAGSI and send it to CSAGSI, P.O. Box 313, Sugar Grove, IL 60554-0313.

Kane County Genealogical Society: The Kane County Genealogical Society will meet at 7:30 p.m. March 27 in the first-floor meeting room of the Geneva History Center, 113 S. Third St., Geneva. The guest speaker will be Mike Kater, historian and genealogist, on "My Cherokee Ancestry." He will discuss the resources and techniques used in researching lineage of native Americans. All are welcome. For details, visit www.rootsweb.com/~ilkcgs.

Elgin Patriotic Memorial Association: The Elgin Patriotic Memorial Association, which has planned Elgin's Memorial Day observance for more than a century, recently elected new officers and those individuals would like the public's help in planning this year's program.

Currently, the association is made up of more than a dozen veterans, civic, fraternal and service groups; each group sends a representative to the meetings. Members hope to broaden that support. Clubs and organizations that would who like to join are asked to call either Jerry Turnquist at (847) 431-2472 or Carolyn Hansen (847) 888-1455. Meetings are the last Saturday of the month until May.

The association was formed in the 1890s to continue the work of the Grand Army of the Republic, a Union veteran's organization, which had coordinated the observations since the Civil War. This year will mark Elgin's 140th Memorial Day program, and the association plans an observance with a strong historical focus.

Elgin Junior Service Board: The Elgin Junior Service Board will hold its popular talent show, "The Follies," at 8 p.m. April 25-26 at the Hemmens, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin.

They are looking for adult singers, dancers and comedians to participate. The talent night will be held at 6:30 p.m. April 7 at Prairie Rock Brewing Co., 127 S. Grove Ave., Elgin. For details, call Monique at (847) 754-5105.

Singers will not need to bring sheet music; the director will ask them to sing a few lines. The rehearsals will take place at 6 p.m. starting April 8 at the Hemmens and continue through April 24.

The non-profit organization raises money to help children and women in Elgin Area School District U-46 and surrounding areas. Its primary service is to provide free dental care to children who couldn't afford it otherwise.