Briefs: Calling all crafters

Marklund's 2008 Holiday Craft Fair will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Marklund Hyde Center, 1S450 Wyatt Drive, Geneva. A 6-by-8-foot space is $40 plus an item valued at $10 or more for a raffle during the sale. Electricity is $5 more. Call Emily Myers at (630) 593-5431.

Plan now for X-mas

The Elgin Symphony Orchestra's Holiday Showcase returns Dec. 6 to the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates for one night only. The 7:30 p.m. event will feature the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, live performances by Cirque du Soleil entertainers, Olympic ice dancers, and a chorus of hundreds. Tickets start at $17 for kids and $29 for adults and are available at the Sears Centre box office, by phone at (888) 732-7784, or online at searscentre.com. Discount sales to groups of 15 or more are available. Call Mike Drummer at (847) 888-0404.

Torres to hold open sessions

U-46 Superintendent Jose Torres will hold daytime and evening open sessions to meet with U-46 community members. Every other month, Torres will hold a noontime "brown bag lunch" for community members from noon to 1 p.m. at district headquarters, 355 E. Chicago St., Elgin. The evening sessions, also every other month, will take place at 6 p.m. at the Elgin High School library, preceding the monthly Citizens' Advisory Council meeting. Dates for brown bag lunch sessions are be Dec. 11, Feb. 12 and April 16. Evening sessions will be Nov. 13, Jan. 15, March 12 and May 7.

Violence counseling offered

The Community Crisis Center in Elgin provides domestic violence counseling services for northwestern Kane County. A licensed counselor is available to adult and adolescent females, and services are free. Call (847) 697-2380.