Tri-Cities club briefs
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Batavia Lions Club: The Batavia Lions Club is holding their annual luminary sale through Friday, Dec. 18. Each kit is $4 and contains five candles, five bags and sand. They will be delivered to you on Saturday, Dec. 19. To order your kits, call Dale Larson at (630) 828-2657 Or Marshall Crane at (630) 879-7857. The Batavia Lions Club will have its annual Monday night football game Steak Fry on Dec. 28 when the Chicago Bears host the Minnesota Vikings. It will start at 6:30 p.m. at the Moose Lodge on Route 31 in Batavia. The cost is $15 and includes a grill cooked steak, baked potato, veggies, and raffles. To RSVP by Dec. 21, call Dale Larson at (630) 828-2657 or Lew Girmscheid at (630) 879-2620.
Audubon Society: Kane County Chapter of Illinois Audubon Society invites the public to these programs and activities. Enjoy Christmas Bird Count at 7 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 19. This is the 110th Christmas Bird Count. This is where citizen scientist make a difference. You can make a contribution in the longest-running wildlife census. To help, call Terry Murray at (630) 896-3219 or Bob Andrini at (630) 584-8386.
Enjoy a New Year's Day Walk at 8 a.m. Friday, Jan. 1, at Nelson Lake. This will be a chance to get some fresh air and see the winter birds of Nelson Lake. Meet in the parking lot by the silo, which is west of Nelson Lake Road and about three-quarter mile south of Main Street, and about two miles west of Randall Road in Batavia. For information, call Rhonda Nelson at (630) 479-1384.
Kane County Audubon is the local chapter of the Illinois Audubon Society and meets at 7 p.m. the second Wednesday each month, September through May. Meetings are held in the orientation room, the Barn, at Peck Farm in Geneva. Visit www.kanecountyaudubon.org.
North Aurora Mothers Club: The North Aurora Mothers Club is seeking donations from area businesses, organizations and individuals for the community's annual Operation Christmas program, now under way. Operation Christmas provides gifts, groceries and a traditional holiday meal to needy area families.
The club manages the annual philanthropic effort, which last year assisted more than 60 local families. Organizers this year hope to help at least that many families.
"Every donation, whether it's money, a grocery gift card or a sponsorship of a family, is greatly appreciated," says Tammy Studebaker, Operation Christmas chairwoman. "These items will help make this holiday season a little brighter for local children and families needing assistance this year."
Here's how you can help Operation Christmas this holiday season:
• Donating new items: Basic home needs (bedding, blankets) and grocery gift cards are particularly useful.
• Donating money: Used to purchase gifts and food for non-sponsored families.
• Family sponsorship: Provide the needs for an entire family. Businesses and organizations enlist employee and customer support to help fulfill family wish lists with giving trees.
Volunteers work closely with sponsors and donors to collect and deliver Operation Christmas items before Christmas. For information on becoming an Operation Christmas sponsor, or to make a donation, contact Tammy at (630) 907-2537. Monetary donations may be mailed to: NAMC Operation Christmas, P.O. Box 57, North Aurora, IL 60542. For information, visit northauroramothersclub.org.
Timely Talkers Toastmasters: Timely Talkers Toastmasters Club will hold a special holiday meeting from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 30 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 Lynne Noren at (708) 609-4983 or e-mail lynnenoren@dawsonsales.com.
Zonta Club: Looking for some fellowship and networking opportunities with professional women in your community? The Zonta Club of St. Charles-Geneva-Batavia is a local organization of professional women working to improve the status of women in the Tri-City area. The next meeting will be Tuesday, Jan 5 at Prairie Landing Golf Club, Route 38 and Kautz Road in West Chicago. Networking will be at 5:30 p.m. with dinner at 6:30 p.m. Dinner costs $25. This month, Ellen O'Hara will be the guest speaker. O'Hara is a member of the Chicago Area Chapter of The Ninety-Nines, the international organization of licensed women pilots. The Chicago region has the distinction of having the largest chapter of The Ninety-Nines, its unique name coming from the total number of women who formed the group as charter members. Today, Ninety-Nines are professional pilots for airlines, industry and government; they are pilots who teach and pilots who fly for pleasure; they are pilots who are technicians and mechanics. But first and foremost, they are women who love to fly!
Reservations may be called in to Christie Plotzke at (847) 931-2292 no later than Monday, Dec. 28. For information about Zonta, contact Club President Bobbie Gerbrecht at bobbie@bobbiegrayson.com or (630) 879-7889.
Geneva Rotary Club: The Rotary Club of Geneva is a service club whose members include business, professional and community leaders. It meets at 7 a.m. Tuesdays at Mill Race Inn in Geneva. For information, visit genevarotary.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. The next event will be Jan. 8. For details, call (630) 232-2171.
Fox Valley Woodworkers Club: On Tuesday, Jan. 5, 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.
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. 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 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 La Fox 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, visit rotary.org or e-mail Bill Paskey at bpaskey@ttssystems.com.
Boy Scout Troop 3: Troop 3 is preparing for its 100th anniversary in 2010. As part of that preparation, volunteers are updating troop history. Rosters going back to 1920 have been found and lists of boys and adult leaders from 1920 through 1949 have been compiled. Members of the troop would like to contact scouts and adults from these early years to learn more about the history of the troop. If you know how to contact former members or their family members, or would like information about the lists, please contact Jerry Roesner at (630) 892-1904 or Ed Stredde at (630) 896-6324, or send e-mail to troop3rosters@yahoo.com.
Troop 3 would also like any other information related to Troop 3 history, Bob's Hill Boys books, Troop 3 alumni, and Eagle projects completed by members of Troop 3. Troop 3 is in the Foxfire District of the Three Fires Council, part of Boy Scouts of America. The troop is chartered by the New England Congregational Church, a charter that dates back to 1910. The troop has long been informally known as "Bob's Hill Boys," in association with books written by Charles Pierce Burton.
Pottawatomie Garden Walk: "Beyond The Garden Gate" is the theme of the 2010 biennial Pottawatomie Garden Walk from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 10. Five homes are featured. For the first time in fifteen years, a garden boutique will be in one of the gardens. Another garden will have refreshments. Tickets will be available in April 2010 on the club's Web site, pottagardenclub.org, from club members and sites in St. Charles.