Money grows on trees at Raceway Woods
Starting this weekend, money will grow on trees at the Raceway Woods Forest Preserve in Carpentersville.
The forest preserve is hosting the annual Ornament Hunt at Raceway Woods.
From Dec. 20 through 30, you can walk along the trail through the forest preserve and try to find hidden ornaments hung on trees alongside the path.
If you find an ornament, you can call Dundee Township at (847) 428-8092 to collect a cash prize. The prizes range from $5 to $20, with a total of $300 awarded.
Donna Schuring-Redmer, who is organizing and sponsoring the event, asks that people collect only one ornament.
The forest preserve is on the west side of Route 31 north of Huntley Road.
Happy hunting.
Library helps patrons save on energy: The Huntley Area Public Library has acquired a nifty device that can help you save energy costs.
The Kill a Watt measures how much energy an appliance uses. Just plug the device into an electrical outlet, and plug any appliance into the Kill a Watt.
The device can help you identify which appliances are using the most electricity. The Kill a Watt, donated by Harmony Home Inspectors, can be checked out for seven days. Call (847) 669-5386.
New kids' workstations at Huntley library: The Huntley Area Public Library has added four new workstations for children.
The computers at each station are loaded with educational software for toddlers to second-graders. One of the four computers has software in Spanish.
The software includes Dr. Seuss, Sesame Street, Encarta, Reader Rabbit and Math Blaster - no doubt more advanced than when I used to play the game in green and black on MS-DOS.
The library bought the workstations with funds from a technology grant.
Free cardiac health assessments: If you're like me and you have a family history of heart disease, you might want to take a free cardiac health assessment from Centegra Health System.
HeartAware is a questionnaire available on Centegra's Web site at centegra.org/heartaware.
After you complete the seven-minute questionnaire, you will receive a report detailing your risk of developing heart disease and ways to reduce your risk.
If you are found to be at-risk, you will qualify for a free, 30-minute follow-up consultation with a Centegra professional, who will administer diagnostic tests, offer recommendations and may refer you to your primary-care doctor.
More than 700 people have taken the test since Centegra launched HeartAware in February. More than half were at risk for heart disease, according to the health system.
Any questions? Call (877) 236-8347.