Sponsors sought for Night Out in West Dundee

A staple on West Dundee's social calendar may need to do away with one of its major drawcards if it cannot find a sponsor or numerous sponsors.

The village police department is looking for sponsors for its annual National Night Out event in August. Sgt. Andy Wieteska said the department had considered canceling the event entirely, but local residents and supporters urged for it to go ahead. However, a lack of funding jeopardizes the fireworks display that typically caps off the evening.

National Night Out, a program designed to heighten community awareness of crime and drug prevention and strengthen relationships between residents and local police departments, is scheduled for Aug. 4.

For the past four years, West Dundee has hosted the event in the parking lot of Target on Route 72 and was named one of the top 10 national Night Out events for its size in the nation last year.

The free community cookout takes place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the east side of the Target parking lot in West Dundee.

More than 3,500 people attended last year's festivities that included a dunk tank, jumping castle, safety demonstrations, petting zoo and the village's K-9 unit.

Parties interested in sponsoring the event should contact Sgt. Andy Wieteska at (847) 551-3810.

Roadwork: Get out your maps and reroute your GPS. Thanks to some government funding, several area road projects are scheduled to begin, or are already underway.

Beginning July 7, the ramps entering and exiting Interstate 90 from Route 25 in East Dundee will be closed for bridge repairs. The work expected to keep the bridge closed for about 45 days, until August 20.

Traffic will be rerouted to Beverly Road to Route 72 to Route 31 and back to the tollway. A detour map is available at West Dundee's Web site, wdundee.org.

Route 72 will also undergo resurfacing from the I-90 bridge deck in Gilberts to Locust Drive, just west of Target. The work is expected to start this month and continue through October. Resurfacing for Route 25 from Interstate 90 to Route 72 in East Dundee is also planned.

The village of Carpentersville will begin work on Huntley Road at Miller Road, including the installation of traffic lights. Work is expected to begin in July with a completion date through November.

The traffic lights at Fifth Street and Route 72 in West Dundee will be modernized this fall and winter.

You can expect delays, but just think how smooth your ride will be once the projects are completed.

Kids' safety: The Dundee Township Library will hold a Safety Day for preschool to second grade-aged children from 10 a.m. to noon, Thursday, June 25.

Local firefighters and police officers will be on hand to teach parents and children about safety rules. Visitors can explore and climb on rescue equipment in the library parking lot, 555 Barrington Ave, East Dundee.

Larissa Chinwah covers the villages of East and West Dundee and Carpentersville. E-mail her at lchinwah@dailyherald.com.