Fox Valley club news
To list your club's meetings, e-mail to foxvalley@dailyherald.com, or fax to (847) 608-0849.
Huntley Lions: The Huntley Lions Club invites the community to the annual February Steak Fry Dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28. The meal will feature a charcoal broiled steak, baked potato, salad, rolls, coffee and milk. Lions Club members and Huntley High School students will serve your meal at the American Legion Hall at Coral and Woodstock streets in Huntley. The cost is $15 per person. Children can get a hamburger for $4 or a free hot dog when accompanied by their parents. Tickets are available through Lions Club members or at Hoppy's Barbershop. Limited tickets will be available at the door. Proceeds from this event are used to aid the visual and hearing-impaired members of our community as well as other community needs. For more information, contact Jim Heavey at (847) 669-5636.
Hampshire-Burlington Jaycees: Looking for ways to cure the winter blues? The Hampshire-Burlington Jaycees will hold "Mardi Gras" Bar Olympics on Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Corkshire Pub, 172 S. State St. in Hampshire. Registration starts at 6 p.m. with the games starting at 7 p.m. It is open to everyone over the age of 21. Cost is $10 per person. Bar Olympics consists of teams of two players. There will be five "bar games" for you to play plus a five-card stud poker hand. The cards are handed out at each game. Prizes will be awarded to the top three teams with the most points. For details, visit hbjaycees.org. The Jaycees also have their annual Double Deck Poker Run on Saturday, March 28, followed by their Spring Faire on Saturday, April 4. They are looking for sponsors for the Spring Faire as it is a free event for all area children. The Jaycees is an organization that has supported the towns of Hampshire and Burlington as well as the people within these communities since 2003. The monthly general meeting is at 7 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month. The next meeting on Thursday, March 12, will be at the Corkshire Pub. For more information, call Michelle Kollins at (847) 683-9263 or e-mail michellekollins@foxvalley.net.
Fox Valley Rocketeer: The Fox Valley Rocketeers, a local club of model rocketry enthusiasts, is hosting its March club meeting from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Monday, March 2, at the Woodstock Public Library, 414 W. Judd St. For more information, call Mark Bundick at (815) 337-9068 or Ken Hutchinson at (815) 444-0539, or visit www.foxvalleyrocketeers.org for a map to the library.
Elgin Lions: The Elgin Lions Club will have its monthly membership dinner meeting at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 3, at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites, 495 Airport Road in Elgin. The guest speaker will be Jamie Garcia of Centro de Informacion, a nonprofit multipurpose Hispanic social service agency. If you'd like to attend dinner is $15 per person with a cash bar; call Lion Dan at (630) 587-5600.
Elgin Genealogical Society: The Elgin Genealogical Society will meet at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 3, in the first-floor meeting rooms of the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove Ave. in Elgin. Grace DuMelle will present "A Window to the Past," uncovering your past in land records. Learn how to access a trove of public records that can provide maiden names, death dates, proof of relationships and much more. Once you know the types of indexing systems, you can work in any county in the U.S. Specialized maps and legalese also will be deciphered. Visitors and those interested in beginning their genealogy search are welcomed. For more information, visit www.elginroots.com.
Elgin Woman's Club: The Elgin Woman's Club will meet at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 3, at the Holiday Inn, 495 Airport Road, Elgin. Chaired by Bridget McGuinness and hosted by the International/Public Affairs Department, the program will be presented by a representative of the Anderson Animal Shelter in South Elgin, with a discussion about the shelter and will include time for questions and answers regarding pet adoption. McGuinness asks that all those attending wear green. In addition, homemade Irish soda bread and scones will be for sale at the luncheon. Members are asked to make reservations no later than Friday, Feb. 27, by calling the hotline at (847) 622-3614. The luncheon meeting and program costs $15 and may be paid by check at the door.
Elgin Junior Woman's Club: Elgin Junior Woman's Club is celebrating 75 years of friendship and service at a Diamond Anniversary luncheon. The festivities will be held Saturday, March 7, at Villa Olivia Country Club in Bartlett. Call Loretta Revesz at (847) 224-4318 or e-mail to, slr735@comcast.net to be included.
Men's Club: The Men's Club of the Burlington United Methodist Church invites you to its 68th annual ham dinner. This all-you-can-eat dinner will be served from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 7. They will be serving dinner at the Burlington United Methodist Church, 195 W Center St, across from the fire station in Burlington. Carry-outs and a bake sale of fresh homemade treats will be available until 6:30 p.m. Dinner includes ham and corn, mashed potatoes and gravy, applesauce, coleslaw, rolls, and pie or cake for dessert. Proceeds help support the programs of the United Methodist Church in Burlington. Admission is $10 or $4 for children, age 6 to 12. Children under 6 get in free. For more information, call (847) 683-3535 and on the web at www.Burlington-UMC.org.
Hampshire VFW: Hampshire Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8043 will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, March 9, at the Hampshire Township building, 100 Center St.
At the Feb. 9 meeting with Commander Lowell Reiser presiding, there was a prayer by Chaplain Edward Wesemann with a Salute to the Colors. Special guest Robert Parise was welcomed as a new member into VFW Post 8043.
Information was presented to members on the upcoming "Held in the Heartland: German POWs in the Midwest" traveling bus exhibit on Saturday, March 7, at the Ella Johnson Memorial Library. This exhibit is sponsored by the Ella Johnson Library, Hampshire Historical Society and Hampshire VFW Post 8043.
The scheduled date for the "Buddy Poppy" sales in Hampshire/Burlington will be Friday and Saturday, May 8 and 9. Memorial services at the Ralph Seyller East Park will be Monday, May 25. Flags will be distributed before the service by Post and Auxiliary members. The guest speaker will be Rear Admiral Kenneth Deutsch, a member of the Hampshire VFW Post 8043 and son of Joyce and Roman Deutsch of Burlington. Information was given to the members of the District 300 board meeting in regards to Veterans Day. There will be school on Veterans Day and will be focused on the meaning of the day. For details, call Reiser at (847) 683-3443.
Hampshire VFW Auxiliary: Hampshire Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8043 Auxiliary will meet at 1:30 p.m. Monday, March 9 at the Hampshire Township building, 100 Center St. New members are welcome. For details, call Arlene at (847) 683-3443. At the Feb. 9 meeting with president Jerrilynne Partlo, chaplain pro tem Leola Widmayer led the prayer, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance by Patriotic Instructor Pro Tem Mary Jo Stojan. Conductress Pro Tem was Doris Klock. Special guest was VFW Post 8043 Commander Lowell Reiser to discuss with the auxiliary the date for the Buddy Poppy sales in Hampshire and Burlington. It was decided that the sales will be Friday and Saturday, May 8 and 9. Memorial Day services will be Monday, May 25, and the commander asked for the auxiliary's cooperation on the poppy sales and also in distributing small flags at the park before the services. Secretary and treasurer reports were approved and placed on file. Thank-yous were read. Information was presented to members on the upcoming "Held in the Heartland: German POWs in the Midwest" traveling bus exhibit at the Ella Johnson Memorial Library on the POW camps during World War II, one camp was in Hampshire. This exhibit is sponsored by the Ella Johnson Library, Hampshire Historical Society and Hampshire VFW Post 8043. The state convention will be at Springfield Thursday to Sunday, June 25-28.
NARFE: The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association will hold its monthly meeting at 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 10. Chapter 2181 meets monthly on the second Tuesday of the month at the American Legion meeting room at 820 North Liberty St. (Route 25) in Elgin. Lunch is available in the American Legion lunchroom before the meeting. This month, Marlene Pokorny, facilitator of an Alzheimers support group, will speak about Alzheimer's and caregivers. On Wednesday to Friday, May 13-15, the annual Illinois NARFE Convention will be in Rock Island. Join NARFE and know what is going on regarding services and benefits and to support NARFE legislation goals to help save existing benefits. Active and retired federal employees, their spouses and widowed spouses from all surrounding areas who are interested in becoming a member are welcome to attend. For details, call Nick at (847) 741-5772.
Elgin Area Women's Connection: The Elgin Area Women's Connection will meet for lunch from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Monday, March 11, at the Villa Olivia Country Club, off Route 20 in Bartlett. Enjoy Mary Ramsey King, CEO of King Securities, a watercolor artist and speaker, will demonstrate her painting techniques. She also will tell her inspiring story about "An Investment That Guarantees Unlimited Rewards." For reservations, call Jan at (630) 837-2632 or Carolyn at (630) 218-1205 or e-mail Car644@gmail.com by Monday, March 9. Cost for luncheon meeting is $15 inclusive, with complimentary child care.
AARP: The McHenry County Chapter of AARP will meet at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, March 12, at The Fountains of Crystal Lake on Route 31 one mile north of Route 176. A presentation on geriactic medicine will be offered by Dr. Rex Nzeribe of Centegra Health System. For chapter information, call Glenn at (815) 477-1952 or Fran at (847) 658-7222.
Huntley Rotary Club: The Huntley Rotary Club is busy preparing for its first bags tournament. The event will be held on Saturday, March 14, at the Pinecrest Golf Club in Huntley, with registration at noon. Participants will have the opportunity to play three games against their first-round opponent, and winners of the best-of-three competition will advance to the second round. The single elimination competition will take place inside the clubhouse, and feature food and beverage specials, big screen TV, and a 50/50 raffle. The popular game, similar to horseshoes, uses bean bags instead of shoes. The concept is the same, and the object is to toss the bags into the hole on the playing platform. Half of the proceeds will be paid out to the first- and second-place winners. The Huntley Rotary will keep the other 50 percent as their portion of the fundraiser event. To sign up a team, call Tom at (815) 341-7174 or e-mail Trancak@classicmortgagesolutions.com.
Dundee Township Garden Club: The Garden Club of Dundee Township is accepting applications for scholarships from students of Community Unit District 300. Qualifying applicants must be a graduating senior, college freshman, sophomore, or junior. Eligible students must be pursuing a career in horticulture or other environmentally related studies. The deadline is Wednesday, April 15. For details about deadlines, eligibility and other requirements, call a District 300 high school guidance department or (847) 428-1315.