Charity garage sale a success

The charity garage sale that Marvin and Carrie Koenig arranged in their Algonquin garage last weekend was a stunning success.

"It turned out fabulous," Carrie Koenig said, adding that 600 people came through on Thursday alone.

The family raised $7,000 from the sale that attracted more than 1,100 visitors.

The couple organized the large-scale garage sale to help them reach their goal of having a big family.

The Algonquin couple have two children - Tyler, 12, and Allie, 8 - but stopped having children once the couple realized their kids had Cohen Syndrome.

What's more, the parents discovered they were both carriers for it.

Cohen Syndrome is a genetic disorder that affects development, speech, eyesight and motor skills and is also known to weaken muscle tone.

Fewer than 1,000 people across the globe have been diagnosed with the disorder, according to Genetics Home Reference.

The Koenigs estimate that they spend $25,000 each year on their children's health care expenses, which include speech and occupational therapy and special needs camps.

The couple also plans to use the proceeds to undergo testing that would identify unaffected embryos, thus keeping the Koenigs' dreams of having a big family alive.

The Koenigs would like to thank the people, friends and businesses that made the sale possible.

If you would like to help the Koenigs, send an e-mail to cohensfundraiser@hotmail.com.

Channeling your inner Williams?

Attention all adult tennis players.

Want to see how you stack up against other players and enjoy some friendly competition?

You can now register for several Elgin tennis leagues that are being run through the parks and recreation department.

New this year is a league for women's singles play.

"We used to have the women's league a few years ago but it lost the interest," said Athletic Supervisor Delaney Lehman via e-mail.

"Last year I had some of the tennis players ask if we would offer it this summer since we have a few more women playing now and they seemed to think there would be more interest. So I am offering it in hopes that we will have enough interest."

The matches, all of them singles, will be played at Judson University and Wing Park.

It costs $44 for residents, $54 for non residents to register.

You can register in person at the Centre of Elgin and the deadline is June 5.

Play begins the week of June 7, just as professional tennis players like Serena Williams and Roger Federer are gearing up for Wimbledon.

If you want a registration form, contact Lehman at (847) 531-7008 or e-mail her at lehman d@cityofelgin.org.

Steering clear of foreclosure: Lake in the Hills' Business Relations Committee will hold a free seminar on how to avoid foreclosure.

The seminar features four speakers and is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. May 19 at village hall, 600 Harvest Gate.

The goal of the seminar is to educate homeowners about foreclosure, how the process works, how to prevent it from happening to you and what your rights are in a foreclosure.

For information, call (847) 960-7412.

Looking ahead in Algonquin: Algonquin will hold its annual Art on the Fox art show the first weekend of June - Saturday, June 5 and Sunday, June 6 to be exact.

It runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days and will be held in Riverfront Park on North Harrison Street, one block north of Algonquin Road.

The free event will feature more than 30 artist booths, with artists selling jewelry, photography, glass, sculptures, paintings and ceramics.

The Downtown Algonquin Partnership merchants' association will be there as well to promote local businesses and the farmers market that begins Thursday.

For more information, call Village Planner Ben Mason at (847) 658-4184.

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