Lake County briefs

Help prepare time capsuleA time capsule will be buried Saturday, Oct. 16 in Mundelein, and local residents can contribute items to the effort. The event, set for 11 a.m. at the Fort Hill Heritage Museum on Noel Drive, recognizes the village's centennial, which was last year. The location will be marked with a bronze plaque with instructions to be opened in 2059. People can bring personal messages or small items that commemorate 2009 to be included in the capsule. The program was organized by the village and the Mundelein Park and Recreation District. If you have questions, call Dottie Watson at (847) 566-7743.Gurnee dog event SaturdayThe Gurnee Park District will host a free Dog Howl'oween pet walk, costume contest and exposition at 9 a.m. Saturday. The event will be at Hunt Club Park, off Hunt Club Road between Grand Avenue and Washington Street. Dogs and their owners are invited to parade in costumes over a half-mile loop. Local vendors and organizations will be on hand with information about pet-related services and products. Judging for the pet walk will start at 10:30 a.m. All ages may participate. For more information, check gurneeparkdistrict.com or call (847) 623-7788.CLC contract announcedThe College of Lake County board of trustees last week approved a four-year contract with the teachers union. Officials said the CLC Federation of Teachers union also has voted for the new deal. The contract calls for a total increase, including salary and benefits, of 2.5 percent in each year of the contract. It'll run from the 2010-11 academic year through 2013-14. "The board approved the contract after six months of negotiations," said board Chairman Barbara Oilschlager. "We appreciate our faculty's willingness to work with us to contain costs in this period of uncertain levels of state funding and declining property tax assessments."Spinning wheel at Woodland PrimaryWoodland Primary School students in the English as a Second Language program will learn about spinning wheels in two sessions Tuesday, Oct 5. Presenters Allison Ashley and Catherine Gjerdingen are slated to show the children a real spinning wheel, then display a knitted item and discuss where wool comes from. They'll also demonstrate producing yarn from wool. The exercise is part of the study of the book "Charlie Needs a Cloak." Cathi White, an English as a Second Language teacher at the Gages Lake school, said learning where clothing comes from "helps cement memory of the vocabulary for clothing and body parts that the students are practicing."Trail work beginsWork on a new 2-mile section of the Millennium Trail and greenway from Rollins Road to Country Place in Lindenhurst began last week, Lake County Forest Preserve District officials said in a news release. During construction, Fourth Lake Forest Preserve will be closed to the public. It should reopen in late 2011. When complete, this section of trail will connect Rollins Savanna and Fourth Lake with Bonner Heritage Farm and McDonald Woods.