Mandel a 'deal' for Elgin

When Elgin leaders called Howie Mandel to see if he wanted to do a stand-up comedy routine at the Hemmens Cultural Center, he said "deal."

Mandel, host of the television game show "Deal or No Deal," is one of the performers highlighting the Hemmens 2009-2010 season announced Thursday.

"He's everywhere right now," said Butch Wilhelmi, Hemmens Cultural Center supervisor. "To be able to get him for a night (Nov. 14) is really cool."

The schedule boasts a variety of acts including aging heartthrobs Rick Springfield (Dec. 4) and David Cassidy (Feb. 13), an acoustic set by Los Lobos (March 19), the Flying Karamazov Brothers (April 25) and more.

A radio play of "It's A Wonderful Life" (Dec. 5), the Oak Ridge Boys (Dec. 19), George Jones (Sept. 4) and "Grease, the Musical" (July 17-19 and 24-26) round out the line up.

The Elgin Symphony also calls the 40-year-old 1,200-seat theater home.

Tickets for all shows go on sale June 12, but there is an Internet pre-sale from 5 p.m. June 11 to 8 a.m. June 12 and a presale Friday for Springfield and Los Lobos.

For more information, visit hemmens.org or call (847) 931-5900.