ESO honoring patriotic poetry

The Elgin Symphony Orchestra announced its first-ever "Patriotic Poetry Contest," inspired by the weekend of "Patriotic Pops" concerts on Feb. 20-22, which celebrate the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth.

One lucky winner will receive a $100 first prize reward; second prize will be awarded $75 and third prize $50. Winning submissions will be announced and displayed during the ESO's "New World Symphony" weekend March 6-8.

The first 100 participants will receive two complimentary tickets to the 8 p.m. performance of Dvorak's "New World Symphony" on Friday, March 6.

Entries must have a patriotic theme and be original material. Poetry may be accompanied by artwork; poem and artwork must fit on one side of 8.5- by 11-inch piece of paper. The contestant's name, address and phone number must be printed clearly on the back of entry. All poems can be submitted to the ESO Patriotic Poetry Contest either in person or by mail at 20 DuPage Court, Elgin, IL 60120.

The deadline for entry is 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27. For information, call (847) 888-0404. Winners will be notified by phone in late February.