Holy Hannah! Going once … twice… hurry!
Had enough of cold and dreary?
How about a one-week stay at Myrtle Beach? Or seven days atop a mountain in Guadalajara, Mexico?
You can win those trips and plenty more, thanks to a quest to replace some very worn books.
The ambitious supporters of Neubert Elementary School in Algonquin were so determined to replace the school library's weathered collection and replace the unstable shelving units that they gathered some cool prizes for their Spring Fling Fiesta dance and auction.
Jacqui Weber invites us all to the fundraising event from 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday, April 19 at the Golf Club of Illinois in Algonquin to help raise money for the PTO's library renovation project.
You'll get a chance to bid on more than $44,000 worth of loot, including -- are you ready, Hannah Montana fans? -- an autographed pink electric guitar.
Lots more
Showing they know how to appeal to a wide audience, they also have an autographed photo of Brett Favre and Brian Urlacher, a seven-day, all-inclusive fishing trip at Black Bear Lodge in Red Lake, Ontario, a honey oak Texas Hold 'Em poker table with four club chairs, a one-week stay at a Myrtle Beach two-bedroom condo with golf, Chicago Cubs "Crosstown Classic" tickets, a one-week stay on a mountaintop village in Guadalajara, Mexico and plenty more.
Tickets are $30 per person or $50 per couple, and include hot hors d'oeuvres, coffee and sweets table. It's casual with open seating and a cash bar.
Get your tickets by April 11 at Neubert or by chatting with Tracy DeVita at (847) 658-3475 or tjdevita@comcast.net.
Book it
Speaking of books, both the Algonquin Area Public Library and Dundee Township Public Library invite us to their spring book sales. Mark your calendars for April 24-27 for Algonquin and April 25-26 for Dundee's.
Larry Pepper, one of the Friends of the Dundee Township Library, tells me some of the funds raised will help pay for second-graders to visit that library via their Second-Grade Safari program. I'll soon tell you more on that and the book sale. Meanwhile, save the dates!
Painting the town
No matter how gloomy our weather, how slow our spring is springing, we have some among us who see far brighter things. The village of Algonquin and the Algonquin Public Arts Commission invite us to their spring art open house from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the village hall, 2200 Harnish Drive. That's guaranteed to brighten your day.
Down on the river
And it sure sounds far more fun than filling sandbags as some of our neighbors have had to do this week. Flood fears along the Fox River seem an all-too-familiar refrain, don't they? I think we're all ready for sunny skies. And dry.
Remembering when
It was just before Christmas 1982. Cabbage Patch dolls were the rage and one of Sleepy Hollow's hidden famous was on-air with one Wally Phillips.
Mona Auer, known now for her ardent quest to preserve her town's natural charms, was better known then for her vocals on the eclectic holiday song, "The pretty little dolly," and various commercials.
Mind you, she was supposed to be driving her daughter to school, but who could turn down a request for a few minutes talking live with the popular WGN broadcaster?
"I was terrified," Mona recalled this week as many mourned Phillips. "But, when you get on with him, it's just totally one-on-one."
The interview went long and Mona was late getting her daughter to school. But no problem … they knew where she was. They'd all been listening. "Everybody listened to Wally," she said. "We all listened."
No fooling
So am I the only one who thinks Pizza Hut should stick with the new name it gave itself as an April Fool's Day promo?
Pasta Hut works for me. Or have I lost my noodle?