Sugar Grove Library will once again remember Sept. 11

The Sugar Grove Public Library will open its doors for service at 12:01 a.m. Sept. 11, and remain open for 24 hours to commemorate the events of Sept. 11, 2001.

"We honor the people affected by that day in order to keep history alive," said library Director Beverly Holmes Hughes of the practice the library began in 2003. "We can take a moment to keep it in our minds, and not go on as if it hadn't happened. We have local police and fire personnel as our special guests. Many of them went to New York to help after the events of Sept. 11. We want them to know that their service is very much appreciated."

The day will include ceremonies at the library's flagpole and a Sugar Grove Chamber of Commerce picnic meeting at 11:45 a.m. on the library lawn.

Ed Huss, veteran and local activist, will present "Being Patriotic" at the picnic meeting. Tickets are $10 before noon on Sept. 9 and $15 thereafter. Tickets are available at the library.

The Sugar Grove Library Friends will host a coffee/snack bar and a silent auction.

Library staff will also encourage residents to register to vote. In addition, the library will sponsor hourly door prize drawings for gift books. A gift book is a book placed in the library collection in honor or memory of an individual or group.

For details, call the library at (630) 466-4686.

Clean air counts: Motorists passing a billboard on the Interstate 90/94 expressway at Grand Avenue in Chicago may recognize Sugar Grove resident Debbie Wells. That's her on the billboard, riding a bicycle. The billboard is sponsored by the Clean Air Counts campaign which includes 12 companies who seek to promote environmental awareness, and practice it.

Wells has lived in Sugar Grove with her husband and son for 11 years, and she is a project coordinator for Pella Windows in West Chicago, one of the 12 companies.

Employees at Pella Windows were invited to be models for the photo shoot and Wells volunteered. She was chosen through a drawing, along with her fellow employee Abiola Adeoti of Aurora.

"The photo shoot was at the Morton Arboretum," Wells said. "They took pictures of us riding bikes and jogging. It was a lot of fun."

Wells said the billboard has been up since June. According to Wells, Pella Windows offers green options for building or remodeling a home.