Tri-Cities club briefs
To list your club's meetings, e-mail to tricity@dailyherald.com, or fax to (847) 608-0849.
Geneva Rotary Club: Gina Olszowski, a local author and graphic artist, has been accepted into the District 6440 Rotary Group Study Exchange program and will be traveling to Brazil in May 2010 with four other non-Rotarian team members and one Rotary team leader. GSE is a four-week cultural and business exchange program sponsored by the Rotary Foundation and supported by local Rotary clubs.
Don Cummings Geneva Rotarian stated, "We met Gina when she gave a presentation to our club about her book and now our club is proud to sponsor Gina in GSE. We look forward to her presentation about Brazil on her return."
Olszowski's book, "Now Coming to a Town Near You" and her art focus on human interaction in the environment and a particular area of interest for her is urban sprawl.
GSE team members include business or professional leaders between the ages of 25 and 40 who live or work in Rotary District 6440 which includes Chicago's north, northwest and far west suburbs. The GSE group will be attending team building exercises and cultural training over the next few months in preparation for their trip.
Geneva Rotary, a service club of business persons and community leaders meets at 7 a.m. Tuesdays at Mill Race Inn in Geneva. The club is involved each year with many local and international service projects, youth scholarships and international youth exchange. For information, visit www.genevarotary.org.
Batavia Bunco: The Batavia Bunco for Breast Cancer Committee is once again hosting a night of rolling the dice. The fifth annual fundraiser will be held Friday, Oct. 16. Last year, the event raised more than $13,000 for breast cancer research. The fundraiser hosted 250 ladies last year. This year's attendance is limited to 200, so buy your tickets early. Participants will get three rounds of bunco, hearty appetizers, goody bags and a chance to the event raised more than $13,000 for breast cancer research. The fundraiser hosted 250 ladies last year. This year's attendance is limited to 200, so buy your tickets early. Participants will get three rounds of bunco, hearty appetizers, goody bags and a chance to win door prizes all for a $25 entry fee. There will also be a cash bar, silent auction and a Chinese raffle. New this year is a raffle for two round-trip tickets to anywhere in the U.S. Doors will open at 5 p.m. and games will start at 6:15 p.m. There will be an hour of appetizers which will give the attendees time to preview the silent auction items and Chinese raffle prizes. Tickets can be purchased by e-mailing a request to bataviabfbc@yahoo.com. The fundraiser is in need of donations for the silent auction, raffle prizes, door prizes and goody bag items. Donations are being accepted by Mike Burke at (630) 879-5641, or Dawn Gallucci at (630) 346-2220 or at bataviabfbc@yahoo.com.
Batavia Mothers' Club Foundation: The Batavia Mothers' Club Foundation is holding a 50/50 raffle, in conjunction with its 24th annual Autumn Arts and Craft Show. The drawing will be held on Saturday, Oct. 17 at the Craft Show, which will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Rotolo Middle School, near Butterfield and Kirk roads. The event showcases juried booths of crafters offering creative handmade items including paintings, drawings, pet. You do not have to be present to win. Only 100 tickets are being sold. Tickets are $20 each. Every 10th ticket pulled wins a mystery prize. The last ticket drawn wins half the money raised in the 50/50 raffle. The Autumn Arts and Crafts Show is the Batavia Mothers' Club Foundation's largest fundraiser. Proceeds go to organizations dedicated to improving the quality of life for children in the Fox Valley area. The club expects to sell out before the show, so don't delay if you are interested. Contact Tammi Grosbeck by phone at (630) 222-0407 or e-mail to ttracyg@yahoo.com; put Raffle in subject line.
Kane County Audubon Society: The Kane County Audubon Society will take a bird walk at 8 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 17 at Elburn Forest Preserve, south of Route 38 and about three-quarter mile west of Route 47. They will be looking for fall migrants. Meet in the parking lot. For information, call Nancy Schnaitman at (630) 365-9595.
Take a field trip to Horicon Marsh and Boat Trip. Meet at 7 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24 at Peck Farm parking lot in Geneva, 38W199 Kaneville Road, to car pool to Wisconsin. They will bird from the dike roads and then go on a guided boat trip of the marsh at 3 p.m. Some members will stay overnight, but others may return Saturday night. For details and motel information, call Chuck Peterson at (630) 584-1566. Visit kanecountyaudubon.org.
Snowdrifters Ski Club: The club will hold its next meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19 in the upstairs room at McNalley's Irish Pub, 201 E. Main St. in downtown St. Charles. Planning has started for winter ski trips. Spots on available on some trips. For information, call Roger Vogtmann at (630) 253-4207.
St. Charles Mothers Club: The St. Charles Mothers Club will hold its October meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19, at XSport Fitness, 238 N. Randall Road, St. Charles. The club meets the third Monday of every month. For details, call (630) 217-MOMS or visit stcharlesmothersclub.org.
Batavia American Legion: The next meeting of the Batavia American Legion Post 504 will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, at the Batavia Veterans of Foreign Wars canteen, 645 S. River St., Batavia. The Batavia American Legion Post 504 is currently looking for new members. If you or a member of your family has served in the military and would be interested in joining, call Don Nallenweg at (630) 406-9331 or visit bataviapost504.org.
Elburn American Legion: Everyone is invited to the Elburn American Legion Post 630 Auxiliary spaghetti supper from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, at the American Legion Hall, 112 N. Main St., Elburn. All-you-can-eat spaghetti with homemade meat sauce, green salad, garlic bread, lot of desserts, coffee and punch will be served. It will be dine-in or carryout. Cost is $7 for adults or $3 for children, age 6 to 12. Children 5 years old or younger eat free. Proceeds will support community and auxiliary programs.
Geneva Rotary Club: The Rotary Brews Fest, a special event put on by the Rotary Club of Geneva, will take place from 7 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, at Old Towne Pub & Eatery, Second and State streets in Geneva. Live music will be performed by Whiskey of the Damned, a Celtic rock band. "This will be a great event with music, beer tasting and good food from Old Towne Pub & Eatery," said club president-elect Joe Muschong. Entrance fee of $20 per person includes tastings of five special beers and appetizers from Old Towne Pub & Eatery. Tickets are available from Geneva Rotarians or at Old Towne Pub & Eatery. For information, call Joe Muschong at (630) 745-9000 or visit genevarotary.org.
Sierra Club: DuPage and Kane County residents frustrated by the lack of progress on climate change can send a message to their political leaders that their solutions must be commensurate with the scope of the problem by joining a day of climate action. "Target 350" will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24 at Hawthorne Grove in Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville. Enter Blackwell Forest Preserve from Butterfield Road. west of Winfield Road.
Sponsored by the River Prairie and Valley of the Fox groups of the Sierra Club, 350.org, WCPT-FM and Illinois Student Environmental Council, the event will take place simultaneously with thousands of similar events world wide. It is called Target 350 because 350 parts per million is the amount of CO2 that scientists have determined is safe for the planet.
Participants will form the numeral 350, a picture of which will be sent to world leaders as well as local legislators, some of whom are expected to attend.
Scientific measurements of air bubbles contained in ice cores indicate that CO2 levels at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution were about 278 ppm and had varied little in the preceding 800 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The air is at 390 ppm now. Getting back to 350 ppm means building renewable energy sources instead of coal plants and promoting energy efficiency. It means creating green jobs. Picture taking will be followed by a picnic, live music, face painting and games for children. Participants should bring their own picnics. The Sierra Club will provide dessert. For details, e-mail Lonnie Morris at herbndove@comcast.net.
Batavia American Legion: The Batavia American Legion Post 504 will conduct its yearly "Gifts for Yanks" campaign for donations to veterans. Donations received are distributed as gifts to various Veterans Affairs hospitals across the state of Illinois as well as local senior/retirement homes that have veterans living in them. On Saturday, Oct. 24, Post 504 also will be participating in downtown Batavia's Batfest celebration having a display table set up under the main tent with information sheets relating to joining the American Legion and many other informative forms. Collections will also be accepted at this area, including Jewel/Osco, 119 S. Randall Road; Walmart, 801 N. Randall Road; Apple Villa Restaurant, 1961 W. Wilson St.; and 7-Eleven, 336 E. Wilson St. For details, call Don Nallenweg at (630) 406-9331 or visit the Web site at www.bataviapost504.org.
American Legion Post 75: The Fox River-Geneva American Legion Post 75 with the Fox Valley Eastern Star 265 is hosting an all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25 at the Legion Post, 22 S. Second St., Geneva. A donation of $7 per person is requested and all proceeds will benefit the Wounded Soldier Fund which provides support services for returning wounded veterans. For information, call the Post at (630) 232-2171.
American Legion Post 75: The Fox River-Geneva American Legion Post 75 is accepting applications for the American Legion 2010 High School Oratorical Scholarship Program. It is a speech competition on the U.S. Constitution that awards $11,200 in scholarships at the state-level and an additional $128,000 in scholarships at the national level. The competition is open to all high school students who are permanent U.S. residents under the age of 20 years. The competition is conducted in two parts. Part one is a prepared speech of 8 to 10 minutes duration on any aspect of the constitution that emphasizes the attendant duties and obligations of a citizen to our government selected by the student. The second part is a 3- to 5-minute speech on an assigned topic selected from a list of four possible topics at the time of the competition. Each contestant must be sponsored by a local American Legion Post. A preliminary competition to select the representative for Geneva Post 75 will be conducted at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9. The competition to select the representatives for Kane County will be conducted on Wednesday, Nov. 18. All students interested in competing in this year's oratorical contest should contact the post no later than Monday, Nov. 2 at al.post75@gmail.com providing their name, grade level, phone number and e-mail address.
Fox Valley Woodworkers Club: On Tuesday, Nov. 3, Fox Valley Woodworkers Club will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Bethany Lutheran Church, 8 S. Lincoln Ave. in Batavia. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The club has been known as a gathering place for woodworking enthusiasts of all ages and levels of experience since 1984. Visitors are welcome to attend the general meetings on the first Tuesday of each month. For details, visit www.fvwwc.org.
Timely Talkers Toastmasters: Timely Talkers Toastmasters Club will meet from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 4 and 18 at Valley Community Bank Clock Tower Plaza 75 S. Randall Road, North Aurora. Timely Talkers Toastmasters Club of North Aurora invites all people interested in improving their oral communication and leadership skills to attend the supportive group. For information, call Terry Rueffer (630) 761-1790 or e-mail info@timelytalkers.org.
Geneva American Legion: The Fox River-Geneva American Legion Post 75 will be offering a "First Friday Fish Fry." On the first Friday of every month, a variety of seafood and chicken entrees with a wide selection of side dishes will be available at a cost of $7.50-$9, from 5 to 8 p.m., at the Legion Hall, 22 S. Second St., Geneva. Cocktails, beer, wine and nonalcoholic beverages can be purchased from the cash bar. For details, call (630) 232-2171.
Rotary Club: The Rotary Club of Batavia has begun its 21st annual Corvette Raffle. Ticket price is $100 with only 800 tickets sold. The grand prize is a 2010 Corvette Convertible (or $40,000 cash) with seven other cash prizes. Tickets are available from Rotary Club members; by calling Avenue Chevrolet at (630) 879-1255; by mail at Rotary Club of Batavia, P.O. Box 111, Batavia, IL 60510 or on the Web site: www.bataviarotaryclub.org. The raffle will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21 at Avenue Chevrolet, McKee and Randall roads. Proceeds are returned to the community through donations to various community social programs. The Rotary Club of Batavia meets at 7:15 a.m. Tuesdays at Apple Villa Restaurant on Randall Road.
Dance clubs: The approach of autumn brings the usual location change for International Folk Dancing and Silk and Thistle Scottish country dancing at Fermilab, back to Kuhn Village Barn. There will be dancing Tuesdays (Scottish) and Thursdays (international), through the season, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The barn is on Sauk Boulevard, on the east side of the Fermilab site in Batavia. Fermilab's Barn Dance also is returning to the barn, with dances at 6 p.m. the second Sunday of the month and at 2 p.m. the third Sunday of the month, beginning in November. English country dancing meets the first Sunday of the month through the rest of the season. English dancing begins at 1 p.m. with an hour for experienced dancers, then at 2 p.m. with dances for everyone. Newcomers are welcome. All dances are fully taught and walked through. There is often a potluck supper following the dancing. To get on an e-mail reminder list for when this group meets, e-mail folkdance@fnal.gov. The public is always welcome to join any of the dance groups, and there is no need to come with a partner. In general, there is no charge for the instruction, but donations are accepted. The barn dance, which always has live music, requests $6 from adults and $3 for seniors and teens. More information on international, Scottish and English country dancing is available by calling (630) 584-0825 or (630) 840-8194, or e-mailing folkdance@fnal.gov. For barn dancing, call (630) 840-2061 or (630) 897-3655, or e-mail garren@fnal.gov. Or visit fnal.gov/orgs/folkclub/folkdance.html.
Fox Valley Divorce Support Group: The Fox Valley Divorce Support Group meets at 7 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at the Infusion Tea Shoppe, 205 W. State in Geneva. New members should come at 6:45 p.m. The meeting is free and open to all. The Fox Valley Divorce Support Group provides help and information to those in all stages of the divorce process and is open to people of all faiths. Besides providing information through guest speakers, the group offers fellowship and emotional support. David and Judy Janis are the group's facilitators. Their own experiences of unsought divorces have enabled them to offer help and counsel to others who are going through the pain and challenges of divorce. For details, visit www.foxvalleydivorcesupport.org or call (630) 208-1724.
Campton Hills Rotary Club: The Campton Hills Rotary Club meets at noon every Tuesday at Old Towne Pub, 40W290 LaFox Road in Campton Hills. Rotary is an international organization of business and professional persons united to provide humanitarian services, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and peace in the world. To learn more about Rotary, log onto www.rotary.org. Or e-mail Bill Paskey at bpaskey@ttssystems.com.
Toastmaster Club: The Talk of the Town Batavia Toastmasters Club invites you to hone your public speaking, communications, and leadership skills in a friendly and supportive environment. The group meets from 7 to 8:15 a.m. Fridays at the Panera Bread, 154 W. Wilson St. in Batavia. For details, e-mail pjmcgold@yahoo.com.
Batavia American Legion: The Batavia American Legion Post 504 meets at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month at the Batavia Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1197 Canteen, 645 S. River St., Batavia. The next meeting will be Tuesday, Sept. 15. The Batavia American Legion Post 504 is currently looking for additional new members. If you were in the military or are currently serving in the military and would be interested in joining, call Don Nallenweg at (630) 406-9331 or visit the Web site at www.bataviapost504.org.
Timely Talkers: Timely Talkers Toastmasters Club will meet from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays in September at Valley Community Bank at Clock Tower Plaza, 75 S. Randall Road, North Aurora. Sept. 23 will be a special grab-bag meeting and Sept. 30 will be a Speech-athon, open to all clubs.
Timely Talkers Toastmasters Club of North Aurora invites all persons interested in improving their oral communication and leadership skills to attend the supportive group. It is a community club and all guests are welcome. For information, call Lynne Noren at (708) 609-4983 or e-mail info@timelytalkers.org.