Tri-Cities clubs briefs
Send listing information to tricity@dailyherald.com.
Elburn American Legion: Everyone is invited to the Elburn American Legion Post 630 Auxiliary spaghetti supper from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, at the American Legion Hall, 112 N. Main St., Elburn. All-you-can-eat spaghetti with homemade meat sauce, green salad, garlic bread, lot of desserts, coffee and punch will be served. It will be dine-in or carryout. Cost is $7 for adults or $3 for children, age 6 to 12. Children 5 years old or younger eat free. Proceeds will support community and auxiliary programs.
Kane County Genealogical Society: The Kane County Genealogical Society will meet at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22 in the first-floor meeting room of the Geneva History Center, 113 S. Third St., Geneva. The presentation for the evening will be "So You've Found Your German Town of Origin - Now What?" presented by Teresa McMillin, who will discuss strategies in advancing German research, records available and how to access them. McMillin operates her own genealogical research organization conducts research on German and Chicago area genealogy. In addition, she is specialist in translating German church records and is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists. For information, call (847) 697-1029 or visit www.rootsweb.com/~ilkcgs.
Geneva Rotary Club: The Rotary Brews Fest, a special event put on by the Rotary Club of Geneva, will take place from 7 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, at Old Towne Pub & Eatery, Second and State streets in Geneva. Live music will be performed by Whiskey of the Damned, a Celtic rock band. "This will be a great event with music, beer tasting and good food from Old Towne Pub & Eatery," said club president-elect Joe Muschong. Entrance fee of $20 per person includes tastings of five special beers and appetizers from Old Towne Pub & Eatery. Tickets are available from Geneva Rotarians or at Old Towne Pub & Eatery. For information, call event chair Joe Muschong at (630) 745-9000 or visit genevarotary.org.
Batavia American Legion: The Batavia American Legion Post 504 will conduct its yearly "Gifts for Yanks" campaign for donations to veterans. Donations received are distributed as gifts to various Veterans Affairs hospitals across the state of Illinois as well as local senior/retirement homes that have veterans living in them. On Saturday, Oct. 24, Post 504 also will be participating in downtown Batavia's Batfest celebration having a display table set up under the main tent with information sheets relating to joining the American Legion and many other informative forms. Collections will also be accepted at this area, including Jewel/Osco, 119 S. Randall Road; Walmart, 801 N. Randall Road; Apple Villa Restaurant, 1961 W. Wilson St.; and 7-Eleven, 336 E. Wilson St. For details, call Don Nallenweg at (630) 406-9331 or visit the Web site at www.bataviapost504.org.
Junior League: The Junior League of Kane & DuPage Counties Inc. is commemorating Children's Health Month by hosting a "Kids in the Kitchen Healthy Harvest Festival" to educate children and their parents about healthy seasonal eating and activities. It will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24 at Cosley Zoo, 1356 N. Gary Ave., Wheaton. Junior League's Kids in the Kitchen initiative engages children in the preparation of healthy meals and educates them to make healthy lifestyle choices in an effort to help reverse the growth of childhood obesity and its associated health issues. Free to the public, the Healthy Harvest Festival will feature four fun and educational stations.
Sierra Club: DuPage and Kane County residents frustrated by the lack of progress on climate change can send a message to their political leaders that their solutions must be commensurate with the scope of the problem by joining a day of climate action. Target 350 will take place at Hawthorne Grove in Blackwell Forest Preserve in Warrenville at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24. Enter Blackwell Forest Preserve from Butterfield Road, west of Winfield Road. Sponsored by the River Prairie and Valley of the Fox groups of the Sierra Club, 350.org, WCPT-FM and Illinois Student Environmental Council, the event will take place simultaneously with thousands of similar events world wide. It is called Target 350 because 350 parts per million is the amount of CO2 that scientists have determined is safe for the planet. Participants will form the numeral 350, a picture of which will be sent to world leaders as well as local legislators, some of whom are expected to attend. Scientific measurements of air bubbles contained in ice cores indicate that CO2 levels at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution were about 278 ppm and had varied little in the preceding 800 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The air is at 390 ppm now. Getting back to 350 ppm means building renewable energy sources instead of coal plants and promoting energy efficiency. Picture taking will be followed by a picnic, live music, face painting and games for children. Participants should bring their own picnics. The Sierra Club will provide dessert. For details, contact Lonnie Morris at herbndove@comcast.net.
Kane County Audubon Society: The Kane County Audubon Society will take a field trip to Horicon Marsh and Boat Trip. Meet at 7 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24 at Peck Farm parking lot in Geneva, 38W199 Kaneville Road, to car pool to Wisconsin. They will bird from the dike roads and then go on a guided boat trip of the marsh at 3 p.m. Some members will stay overnight, but others may return Saturday night. For details and motel information, call Chuck Peterson at (630) 584-1566. Visit www.kanecountyaudubon.org.
North Aurora Mothers Club: Children from the North Aurora area and surrounding communities are invited to attend the 11th annual Halloween Party from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25 at Jewel Middle School, 1501 Waterford Road, North Aurora. The event is sponsored by the North Aurora Mothers Club. Children should come wearing costumes. They will have the opportunity to participate in games and take home prizes. In addition, each child will receive a small pumpkin they can decorate at home - a new addition to this popular event. Attendance is free with a donation of a nonperishable food or household item. (Cash donations are also accepted.) Donations will be distributed to needy community families during the North Aurora Mothers Club Operation Christmas program in December. For information about the Halloween party, call Becky at (630) 907-0017.
American Legion Post 75: The Fox River-Geneva American Legion Post 75 with the Fox Valley Eastern Star 265 is hosting an all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25 at the Legion Post, 22 S. Second St., Geneva. A donation of $7 per person is requested and all proceeds will benefit the Wounded Soldier Fund which provides support services for returning wounded veterans. For information, call the Post at (630) 232-2171.
Fox Valley SAR: The Fox Valley Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution will honor a DuPage County Sheriff's Deputy and a Lisle-Woodridge Fire District firefighter-medic at the fall dinner on Sunday, Oct. 25 at Ashbury's at Boughton Ridge in Bolingbrook. Deputy Ron Smith will receive the Law Enforcement medal for his actions in preventing a teenage suicide attempt in April. Firefighter-Medic First Class Chris Murphy will receive the Fire Services medal for his community work with the American Cancer Society and the District Honor Guard Pipe and Drum Corps. The dinner is open to the public and will feature a presentation by author and historian Claiborne Skinner who will discuss his book on Chicago during the Revolutionary War. Dinner reservations can be made by visiting FoxSAR.org.
VVA Chapter 693: Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 693 will host a buffet dinner to benefit local veterans from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1 at Villa Verone, 416 Hamilton St., Geneva. The buffet dinner begins with a cocktail hour from 5 to 6 p.m. It will feature menu items chosen by Villa Verone owner Pietro Verone. Dinner tickets are $25 per person and available by calling Stanley Herzog at (630) 232-1423. All proceeds from the dinner will go to improving the quality of life for veterans. The fundraising dinner will feature a raffle with prizes donated by local Geneva merchants. The support from the community is a tribute to the veterans. The funds from last year's dinner were used to take the veterans from Hines VA Hospital to various games, including the Kane County Cougars, DePaul basketball, White Sox, and Chicago Wolves. A menu is provided for the veterans before or after the game, depending on the schedule. Additionally the proceeds were used for personal care items and Christmas cards for hospitalized veterans and donations to Lazarus House, National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum, Hines Paralyzed Athletics, and National League of POW/MIA Families, Hines Canteen, books and telephone cards.
American Legion Post 75: The Fox River-Geneva American Legion Post 75 is accepting applications for the American Legion 2010 High School Oratorical Scholarship Program. The High School Oratorical Scholarship Program is a speech competition on the U.S. Constitution that awards $11,200 in scholarships at the state-level and an additional $128,000 in scholarships at the national-level. The competition is open to all high school students who are permanent U.S. residents under the age of 20 years. A preliminary competition to select the representative for Geneva Post 75 will be conducted at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9. The competition to select the representatives for Kane County will be conducted on Wednesday, Nov. 18. All students interested in competing in this year's oratorical contest should contact the post no later than Monday, Nov. 2 at al.post75@gmail.com providing their name, grade level, phone number and e-mail address. Additional information will be provided to them at that time.
Fox Valley Woodworkers Club: On Tuesday, Nov. 3, Fox Valley Woodworkers Club will meet from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Bethany Lutheran Church, 8 S. Lincoln Ave. in Batavia. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The club has been known as a gathering place for woodworking enthusiasts of all ages and levels of experience since 1984. Visitors are welcome to attend the general meetings on the first Tuesday of each month. For details, visit www.fvwwc.org.
Sips and Startups: Sips and Startups is a midweek forum where new and prospective business owners can pick up the basics of running a company, enjoy a cup of coffee and meet other new business owners in an informal setting. It meets from 8 to 9 a.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of the month at Limestone Coffee and Tea, 15 E. Wilson, Batavia. The next meeting is Wednesday, Nov. 4. Sips and Startups combines practical business information, support and networking into an ongoing resource to help companies launch and grow. Meetings are held twice each month, and are moderated. In addition to information sessions and networking, guest speakers are scheduled for topics of special interest. Reservations are requested but not required. For information visit www.advantage-biz.com or contact Ellen Huxtable at ellen@advantage-biz.com or (630) 879-6511.
Cub Scout Pack 643: You are never too young, or too old, to learn the effects of homelessness and the Cub Scouts of Pack 643 are about to find out.
To help raise awareness of homelessness in DuPage County, the families of these young Cub Scouts invite you to come and learn about homelessness at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7 next to the Oaks Clubhouse grounds, 300 N Oakhurst Drive in the Oakhurst subdivision, off Eola Road just south of McCoy. They will set up a makeshift city where scouts and their families will spend the night outside in tents, boxes or cars to raise awareness about family homelessness and raise money for Bridge Communities' Transitional Housing program. The public is invited to stop by, talk with the Cub Scouts and leave a donation. All donations go to Bridge Communities and Hesed House.
For the sixth year, DuPage County residents will give a "wake-up" call for the homeless in our community. Throughout the county, more than 1,500 teens, children and adults will spend the night outside. The all-night event will feature nearly 70 groups sleeping out in parking lots and parks, as well as an additional 50 families and individuals who will sleep out in their backyards. Bridge Communities' mission is to help rebuild homeless families who live and work in DuPage County.
Especially in these hard economic times, many families are struggling to provide housing and stability for their children. This year's theme, "Give Us Hope," speaks to the hope Bridge Communities brings to transitional housing families. This program offers an opportunity for a brighter future to families in crisis through education and employment counseling, financial guidance, housing, mentoring, tutoring and auto donations. More than just providing a bandage, the program provides families the tools to overcome homelessness.
For information, contact Manuel Cordero at pack643@me.com or (630) 445-1311.
Rotary Club: The Rotary Club of Batavia has begun its 21st annual Corvette Raffle. Ticket price is $100 with only 800 tickets sold. The grand prize is a 2010 Corvette Convertible (or $40,000 cash) with seven other cash prizes. Tickets are available from Rotary Club members; by calling Avenue Chevrolet at (630) 879-1255; by mail at Rotary Club of Batavia, P.O. Box 111, Batavia, IL 60510 or on the Web site: www.bataviarotaryclub.org. The raffle will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21 at Avenue Chevrolet, McKee and Randall roads. Proceeds are returned to the community through donations to various community social programs. The Rotary Club of Batavia meets at 7:15 a.m. Tuesdays at Apple Villa Restaurant on Randall Road.
Dance clubs: The approach of autumn brings the usual location change for International Folk Dancing and Silk and Thistle Scottish country dancing at Fermilab, back to Kuhn Village Barn. There will be dancing Tuesdays (Scottish) and Thursdays (international), through the season, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The barn is on Sauk Boulevard, on the east side of the Fermilab site in Batavia. Fermilab's Barn Dance also is returning to the barn, with dances at 6 p.m. the second Sunday of the month and at 2 p.m. the third Sunday of the month, beginning in November. English country dancing meets the first Sunday of the month through the rest of the season. English dancing begins at 1 p.m. with an hour for experienced dancers, then at 2 p.m. with dances for everyone. Newcomers are welcome. All dances are fully taught and walked through. There is often a potluck supper following the dancing. To get on an e-mail reminder list for when this group meets, e-mail folkdance@fnal.gov. The public is always welcome to join any of the dance groups, and there is no need to come with a partner. In general, there is no charge for the instruction, but donations are accepted. The barn dance, which always has live music, requests $6 from adults and $3 for seniors and teens. More information on international, Scottish and English country dancing is available by calling (630) 584-0825 or (630) 840-8194, or e-mailing folkdance@fnal.gov. For barn dancing, call (630) 840-2061 or (630) 897-3655, or e-mail garren@fnal.gov. Or visit fnal.gov/orgs/folkclub/folkdance.html.
Fox Valley Divorce Support Group: The Fox Valley Divorce Support Group meets at 7 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at the Infusion Tea Shoppe, 205 W. State in Geneva. New members should come at 6:45 p.m. The meeting is free and open to all. The Fox Valley Divorce Support Group provides help and information to those in all stages of the divorce process and is open to people of all faiths. Besides providing information through guest speakers, the group offers fellowship and emotional support. David and Judy Janis are the group's facilitators. Their own experiences of unsought divorces have enabled them to offer help and counsel to others who are going through the pain and challenges of divorce. For details, visit www.foxvalleydivorcesupport.org or call (630) 208-1724.
Campton Hills Rotary Club: The Campton Hills Rotary Club meets at noon every Tuesday at Old Towne Pub, 40W290 LaFox Road in Campton Hills. Rotary is an international organization of business and professional persons united to provide humanitarian services, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and peace in the world. To learn more about Rotary, log onto www.rotary.org. Bill Paskey, a former Rotarian and Campton Hills' resident, is spearheading this organizational effort. A Rotary Club member will be available to speak about Rotary Club and answer your questions. Email Bill Paskey at bpaskey@ttssystems.com.
Toastmaster Club: The Talk of the Town Batavia Toastmasters Club invites you to hone your public speaking, communications, and leadership skills in a friendly and supportive environment. The group meets from 7 to 8:15 a.m. Fridays at the Panera Bread, 154 W. Wilson St. in Batavia. For details, e-mail pjmcgold@yahoo.com.
Timely Talkers Toastmasters: Timely Talkers Toastmasters Club will meet from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 4 and 18 at Valley Community Bank Clock Tower Plaza 75 S. Randall Road, North Aurora. Timely Talkers Toastmasters Club of North Aurora invites all people interested in improving their oral communication and leadership skills to attend the supportive group. For information, call Terry Rueffer (630) 761-1790 or e-mail info@timelytalkers.org.
Moms on the Run: Moms on the Run presents "Mommy Loves Me!" from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 13 at Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, 751 W. Army Trail in Bartlett. Nancy Reimann, mom of two, business owner and former sales and marketing trainer, will share what she has learned about the foundational building blocks for loving your kids and the difference it has made in her family. Discover how to identify your children's "love languages" and the dialect that speaks to them and fills their "love tank." It will start with a continental breakfast, followed by the program at 9:30 a.m. Admission is $5 with complimentary child care. To RSVP by Monday, Nov. 9, contact Dee Oyler at (847) 429-1688 or dolores.oyler@sbcglobal.net.