Fox Valley clubs & hobbies
To list your club's meetings, e-mail to foxvalley@dailyherald.com, or fax to (847) 608-0849.
Elgin Genealogical Society: The Elgin Genealogical Society will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 21 in the first-floor meeting room of the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove Ave. in Elgin. After a short business meeting, society member Becky Higgins will present a program on "Getting Organized." Visitors and guests are also welcome. Get tips to start off this year's work with family documents and research. Visit elginroots.com for information and helpful links for genealogical research.
Carpentersville-Dundee LWV: The Carpentersville-Dundee League of Women Voters has invited candidates who are opposed in the Feb. 2 primary to a candidates forum on Thursday, Jan. 21. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Dundee Township Park District Senior Center, 665 Barrington Ave., Carpentersville. The candidates who have been invited are: candidates for Kane County Treasurer David J. Rickert and Bob Kovanic; candidates for Kane County Sheriff Robert Russell and Donald E. Kramer. Also invited are Candidates for Kane County Board District 21 Lee Barrett and John P. Fahy; and for District 23 Maggie Auger and Donald J. Moore. In addition to the county candidates, the candidates for the Illinois 25th Senate District, Chris Lauzen and P. Sean Michels, have been invited to participate. All of these candidates are on the Republican Party ballot. There are no candidates in these races facing opposition on the Democratic Party ticket in the Feb. 2 primary election.
Elgin American Legion: American Legion Post 57, 820 N. Liberty St. in Elgin, hosts a variety of activities and events which are open to the public. The American Legion Hall is available for rental for any event. For details, call (847) 741-1684. Stop by for its weekly Family Burger and Steak Night from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursdays. Or enjoy the weekly Friday Night Fish Fry from 4 to 7 p.m. at the post home. It features your choice of haddock, perch, catfish, and shrimp with all the trimmings. The American Legion serves lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. There are miscellaneous lunch specials on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and spaghetti and roast beef sandwich lunch on Thursdays, and fried chicken or fish fry lunch on Fridays. Post 57 also invites the community to bingo every Sunday starting at 1:30 p.m. with Early Bird Bingo, and regular bingo at 2 p.m. It is also offered on Fridays with Early Bird Bingo beginning at 7 p.m. and regular bingo at 7:30 p.m.
Blackhawk Residents Association: The Blackhawk Residents Association will meet on Tuesday, Jan. 26 at the New Covenant Fellowship Church, 865 Parkway Ave. in Elgin. They will meet at 6 p.m. for a potluck dinner. Bring a dish to pass and your own plates and table-service. Water, coffee and soda will be provided. A business meeting will follow. For details, call Dana at (847) 741-4498 or email DanaS@Freelife.com. Or visit www.natsysinc.com/blackhawk.
ECCO: The Elgin Climate Change Organization will host a free program on wind energy in Elgin at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28 at In The Neighborhood Deli, 185 N. Edison, Elgin. Casey Panichi of Monarch Renewable Energy will describe home and small business wind turbine applications. Learn about saving money on utility bills, installation incentives and costs, recovering your investment and how wind generated energy compares with other alternative energy sources. For information, visit ecco-foxvalley.net.
McHenry County Legionnaires: McHenry County Legionnaires from all county posts are invited to attend the monthly meeting of the McHenry County Council at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 28 at Henry F. Miller American Legion Post 482, 6517 Main St. in Union. For details, call McHenry County Council Commander Robert Howe Jr. at (815) 653-6391.
Lake in the Hills Sportsman's Club: The Lake in the Hills Sportsman's Club will hold the Worden Family Memorial 25th annual ice fishing derby from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31, at Indian Trail Beach on Woods Creek Lake. Hourly prizes are given on the ice for biggest fish. Food will be available for purchase at the event. The children's derby runs from noon to 1 p.m. All kids who participate will receive a prize. A raffle follows at 2 p.m. at the Lake in the Hills Property Owners' Association, 1212 Crystal Lake Road. Ice fishing derby raffle tickets on sale now for $5 each. The grand prize is a $300 Cabela's gift card with a first-place prize of a Ruger 1022 Stainless Steel Rifle and second-place prize of a four-hour charter of Lake Geneva by Lee's Guide Service. The annual derby is now named for the club's founder and longtime member Jerry Worden, who passed away last September at age 62. For details, visit lithsportsmansclub.com.
Elgin Woman's Club: The Elgin Woman's Club begins the new year with its first meeting in 2010 on Tuesday, Feb. 2 at the Holiday Inn, 495 Airport Road, Elgin. It will begin at 11:30 a.m. with a program and luncheon. The program will feature a presentation on mental health by Greg Harlan, director of behavioral Health at Provena St. Joseph Hospital in Elgin. Hostesses for the February meeting will be members Tracey Varney, Linda Fagan and Georgia Ross. Reservations should be made no later than Friday, Jan. 29, by calling the club hotline at (847) 622-3614. Cost of the luncheon meeting and program is $15 and may be paid by check the day of the meeting.
Zonta Club: Looking for some fellowship and networking opportunities with professional women in your community? The Zonta Club of St. Charles-Geneva-Batavia will meet Tuesday, Feb. 2 at Prairie Landing Golf Club, Route 38 and Kautz Road in West Chicago. It is a local organization of professional women working to improve the status of women in the Tri-City area. Networking will be at 5:30 p.m. with dinner at 6:30 p.m. Dinner costs $25. This month, Diane Pavoris will be the guest speaker. This professional organizer of Getting It Together will give you strategies and suggestions that you can use to reduce clutter in you life. Learn ways to keep your life organized so you can find what you need, when you need it, and eliminate wasted hours trying to find things. Reservations may be called in to Christie Plotzke at (847) 931-2292 no later than Jan. 26. For information about Zonta, contact Bobbie Gerbrecht at bobbie@bobbiegrayson.com or (630) 879-7889.
Boy Scout Troop 32: Boy Scout Troop 32 of West Dundee will hold its annual pasta dinner on Saturday, Feb 6. Dinner will be served between 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. at the Bethlehem Community Ministry Center, 417 W. Main in West Dundee. Tickets are available at the door. The cost is $6 per person or $5 for Scouts in uniform. The menu includes spaghetti, either meat or meatless, salad, garlic bread, pop, coffee or water, as well as your choice of desserts, such as cake, cookies and more. This fundraiser supports the program for Boy Scout Troop 32 located in West Dundee. The proceeds are used to supply awards, equipment, and any other items needed to run the Troop. For information, contact Tom Lewandowski, committee chairman, at tlewan@comcast.net.
Boy Scout Troop 2: Boy Scout Troop 2 invites you to their annual pancake breakfast from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 7 at St. John Lutheran Church, 115 N. Spring St., Elgin. The menu includes all-you-can-eat pancakes, eggs, French toast, sausage, fry bread, cereal, coffee, juices and more. Cost is $6 per person, $4 for seniors, and $20 for the family. Children under 3 are free. Proceeds from this event provide the Troop with summer camp expenses, equipment and community service projects and many other volunteer efforts. Join them for breakfast and celebrate with Troop 2 and the Boy Scouts of America's 100th anniversary. For details, visit Troop2.com.
Men of Harmony, Sweet Adelines: A youth in harmony contest will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 7 at Huntley High School, 13719 Harmony Road. The contest is open to high school and junior high school ensembles and quartets, and will be judged for cash prizes to be awarded to the participant's respective school music department. All singing will be a cappella, close harmony (barbershop) style. Both girls and boys will be competing. The contest is hosted by the Huntley High School Music Department and sponsored by the Fox Valley Men of Harmony and the Sweet Adelines International Lake Michigan Region Three. Approximately 25 groups are expected to compete from schools in northern Illinois. There also will be cameo appearances by Town Sound, a Sweet Adeline medalist quartet and Rush Street, a Barbershop Harmony Society medalists quartet. Last year's first place girl's quartet, Have You Heard of the Cone, will appear as mike testers. Admission is free to the public and the contest will be finished before the Super Bowl begins.
Elgin Elks: The Elgin Elks Lodge, in cooperation with the Illinois Elks Children's Program and Sherman Hospital, will sponsor a free orthopedic diagnostic clinic for children, infants to age 21, on Monday, Feb. 8, at the hospital, 1425 N. Randall Road, Elgin. The clinic will be conducted from 2 to 5 p.m. by Dr. Vincent P. Cannestra of Orthopedic and Spine Surgery Associates. All diagnostic services, including X-rays, MRIs and other tests, are paid for by the Elks program. Financial assistance with treatment for a diagnosed program may be available through the Elks charity. This clinic is especially for children who complain of frequently occurring leg, knee, hip, shoulder, elbow, back or wrist pain. The clinic is also for children diagnosed with, or suspected of having, back curvature, or who seem very clumsy or fall frequently. The clinic is by appointment only. Appointments can be made by calling (800) 272-0074 from 1 to 4 p.m. weekdays. Family physicians are welcome to refer children to the clinic, but no referral is necessary to obtain an appointment.
HCE: The fifth presentation in the Home and Community Education series, "Personal Safety," will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Monday, Feb. 8 at the University of Illinois Extension Office Conference Room, 1102 McConnell Road, Woodstock. A representative of the Woodstock Police Department will offer tips on personal and home safety, with an emphasis on preventing identity theft and avoiding too good to be true "get rich quick" scams. It is free for HCE members or $10 for nonmembers. You may register online at web.extension.uiuc.edu/mchenry/ or call the University of Illinois McHenry County Extension office at (815) 338-3737.
Henpeck HCE: The Henpeck Unit of Kane County Association for Home and Community Education will meet at noon Tuesday, Feb. 9 at the home of Mary Ebert in Kaneland. A lesson on "Pasta" will be incorporated into a luncheon prepared by the hostess. Guests are welcome; call (630) 557-2137 for details and directions. At the Jan. 12 meeting at Papa G's Restaurant in Elburn. six members answered roll call with their favorite mode of transportation. After lunch, Peggy Gross conducted a brief business meeting to remind members of upcoming county-sponsored events including "Fun Day" on Feb. 10 at St. Gall's Church Hall in Elburn. The activity will have a circus theme and an arts and crafts competition to determine which projects will go to state conference in March. The "Second Spring Fling" will be held on April 21 at the Extension Office in St. Charles. A lesson on "Talking About Tough Topics" was presented by Mary Ann Harter. The subject provoked discussion of personal experience in this area.
Valley Model Railroad Association: The Valley Model Railroad Association will have a portable layout at the monthly DuPage Train show. The show will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays, Feb. 14, March 14, April 11, May 2 and June 6 at the DuPage County Fairgrounds, County Farm and Manchester roads in Wheaton. Admission is $7 or free for children under 12. The layout is HO scale, runs Digital Command Control, and has working signals. The public is welcome to run trains on the layout. For information about the show visit www.dupageshow.com. The model railroad club invites the public to view the layouts from 8 to 10 p.m. on various Fridays of the month at the club house, 33W519 Kenyon Road, off Route 25 in South Elgin. See the HO layout in progress and watch the trains run. You can run one of the club members trains for a donation. Reservations are required by contacting Steve Foglio at (847) 530-6039 or fogs13@comcast.net.