Enter your house in decorating competition

Hard to believe Christmas is almost here.

Well, Lake in the Hills residents are invited to get into the holiday spirit by entering into the village's Holiday Lights Decorating Contest.

Employees from the Lake in the Hills Parks and Recreation Department will judge the houses Dec. 16 at dusk and will recognize winners in two categories best overall display and the Clark Griswold Award for the most over the top design.

Winners will receive a gift certificate to a local restaurant.

For details or to register your house in the contest, call (847) 960-7460.

Celebrating for a cause: The Northern Illinois Chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement (NOBLE) is holding a Christmas gala to raise money for its future initiatives.

The group helps needy families and establishes scholarships for those interested in pursuing careers in criminal justice.

The gala will be from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Dec. 17 at the Pipefitters Banquet Hall in Aurora. Tickets cost $20.

For details, call Keith Cross of the Aurora Police Department at (630) 330-0119 or Sgt. Gary Neal of the Elgin Police Department at (224) 402-1196.

To purchase tickets, send an e-mail to noble@nic-noble.org.

Getting a head start: What better way to empty your stomach for turkey and trimmings than to run early Thanksgiving Day?

On that day, Algonquin's annual Turkey Trot 5K run and walk race starts off from Lifetime Fitness Center, 451 Rolls Road. Kids and strollers are welcome. Registration runs from 7:15 to 7:50 a.m. that day and you can either bring $10 worth of food or $10 cash.

All proceeds will benefit the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Food Pantry. For details, call (847) 458-6200.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Lenore Adkins covers Algonquin, Lake in the Hills, Pingree Grove, Cary, Fox River Grove and McHenry County College. To reach her, send an email to ladkins@dailyherald.com or call (847) 608-2725.