Fox Valley clubs notes

To list your club's meetings, e-mail to foxvalley@dailyherald.com, or fax to (847) 608-0849.

Elgin Genealogical Society: The Elgin Genealogical Society will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 19, in the first-floor meeting room of the Gail Borden Public Library 270 N. Grove Ave. in Elgin. Jeanne Larazalere Bloom will present "Pushing up Daisies: Cemetery Research." Bloom is a full-time professional researcher specializing in Chicago and Cook county research. She is an author, and an editor with published articles in a number of journals including The New York Times Genealogical & Biographical Society Quarterly, and was the editor of the Chicago Genealogical Society's newsletter from 2002-07. She holds memberships in several genealogical society's and professional researcher organizations.

League of Women Voters: An informational program about Elgin Community College's ENCORE project and the proposed referendum, which will be on the April 7 ballot, will be presented at 4 p.m. Thursday, March 19 at the Sleepy Hollow Village Hall, 1 Thorobred Lane. It sponsored by the Carpentersville Dundee Area League of Women Voters. ECC has been a resource in our community for 60 years; come learn more about your community college and its plans for the next 60 years.

Northeast Neighborhood Association: The Northeast Neighborhood Association of Elgin is hosting a candidate forum for Elgin City Council, Elgin Area School District U-46 board and Elgin Township trustees from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 19, at the Sherman Hospital Assembly Hall, 934 Center St. in Elgin. The forum is free and open to all residents.

Valley Creek Homeowners: The Valley Creek Homeowners Association invites you to "March Madness" at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19 at Hoopers Sports Bar & Grill, 975 N. McLean Blvd., Elgin. Come and meet your friends and neighbors for a fun night out. Reservations or tickets are not needed, but an e-mail reply would be appreciated to ransworth@danoyes.com. This would help Hooper's estimate the number of attendees to accommodate food and drink requests. A raffle and door prizes will be included.

Upcoming events are: the general meeting at Provena St. Joseph Hospital auditorium on April 14, and the annual garage sale on May 15-16. Topics at the general meeting will be installations of new officers and Ruthanne Hall, a management analyst for the city of Elgin, will present the odd-even parking ban proposed by the city of Elgin.

Plato Center HCE: The Plato Center Unit of Kane County Association for Home and Community Education will meet from 9 a.m. to noon Friday, March 20 for the cough pillow workshop. Bring a brown bag lunch, your sewing machines, irons and ironing boards. Jackie Anderson is chairwoman.

The business meeting will start at 1 p.m. with Marilyn Grewe, Rita Bork, and Harriet Bradley as hostesses. Harriet Bradley will present the lesson on "Blues, Blahs and Bouncing Back." They also will discuss the International luncheon for April. Guest are welcome; call Joan at (847) 931-8120 for more details and directions.

At the Feb. 20 meeting, the lesson on "Maximizing Kitchen Appliances-Slow Cooker" was presented by Kay Duy with Nancy Haire, Jackie Anderson, Mary Oine, Kay Duy and Joan Ziethen demonstrating the slow cooker with recipes from the lesson handout. Duy also discussed food safety rules when using the slow cooker.

At the business meeting, it was decided to donate three trophies to the 4-H to be presented at the fair. The County HCE will be having a Spring Fling Day on March 25 at the county office for all members. They will be discussing the Belgian recipes for the International luncheon in April. The ladies from Edgewater will be at the March meeting with the Crisis Center cards. Guests are welcome at all unit HCE meetings. To attend any of the 10 units in Kane County, call the office at (630) 584-6166.

Kane County Audubon Society: On Saturday, March 21, join the Fermilab Bird Walk at 8 a.m. They will be looking for spring migrants, waterfowl and early arrivals. Meet in the parking lot next to the guard shack on Pine Street entrance, Batavia. For details, call Chris Madsen at (630) 377-0773. On Saturday, March 28, enjoy a bird and nature walk at 8 a.m. at Bliss Woods Forest Preserve. Meet in the second parking lot off 5S660 Bliss Road, Sugar Grove. Call Jon Duerr at (630) 584-5891. Visit kanecountyaudubon.org.

Geneva American Legion: The 17th Northeastern District Masons are having a spaghetti dinner fundraiser to benefit the Geneva American Legion Post 75. The dinner will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday, March 22 at the Geneva American Legion Post 75, 22 Second St. in Geneva. Cost for adults is $6, with kids dinners priced at $4. Kids, age 3 and younger, get in free. A cash bar is available. Bring your family and friends and help support the Geneva American Legion.

Elgin VFW Ladies Auxiliary: The Ladies Auxiliary of the Elgin Veterans of Foreign Wars Post will host an all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 25 at the VFW hall, 1601 Weld Road, Elgin. Admission is $6 or $5 for children, age 7 and younger. All profits go to the veteran's hospital fund.

Golden K Kiwanis: The Elgin Golden K Kiwanis will meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday, March 25, at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 357 Division St., Elgin. The program by Duane Worth will be on "Honor Flight Chicago." Visitors are welcome. For information, call (847) 741-7176.

VFW Post 2298: The Tri-City Evergreen Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2298 will host a variety of events in the next month. A spaghetti dinner will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, March 28. Cost is $6. Proceeds will benefit the post home.

The Ladies Auxiliary will host a spring arts and craft show from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 4. They will follow it up with a chili and soup dinner from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 8. Admission is $5. The VFW Post 2298 canteen has new hours from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Lunch is also being served now from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday to Saturday. For details, call Jessie at (847) 844-0943 or the post home at (847) 428-9006.

Hampshire-Burlington Jaycees: The Hampshire-Burlington Jaycees will have their annual Double Deck Poker Run on Saturday, March 28, followed by their Spring Faire on Saturday, April 4. They are looking for sponsors for the Spring Faire as it is a free event for all area children. The Jaycees provide individuals between the age of 21 and 40 the opportunity to develop personal and leadership skills while serving their community. The Jaycees hold their monthly general meeting at 7 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month. For details, call Michelle Kollins at (847) 683-9263 or e-mail michellekollins@foxvalley.net.

South Elgin Lions: The South Elgin Lions Club offers Half Price Bingo on Saturday, March 28. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the bingo and raffle games start at 7 p.m. All regular bingo games (computer and paper) will be sold at half price. All special or raffle games will be sold at regular price. South Elgin Lions Club offers hands free computerized bingo play and 2 smoking breaks (a covered shelter is provided) during the evening. Food and beverages are available for purchase. A total of $2,100 will be paid out on all bingo games in addition to the raffle payouts. Some of the higher bingo and raffle payouts to a single winner include the following: Bull's-eye, $250; Red/White/Blue Raffle, $200 plus a potential progressive payout of $1,600 in 52 numbers or less; Lucky Lion Raffle, $100 to $1,000; Double Action Raffle, $100 plus a potential progressive payout of $2,800; Postage Stamp $150 plus a potential progressive payout of $4,200; and Bingo Jackpot, $500. For details, call Lion Paul Groth or Lion Allan Shelton at (847) 888-9575.

Elgin VFW: A free public dance will be hosted by Elgin Veterans of Foreign Wars and Les Pace and the Pacemakers from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, March 29. Big Band era music will be featured. Refreshments and light food are available for purchase. The VFW is at 1600 Weld Road. For information, call Les at (847) 742-3879.

St. Charles Singles Club: The St. Charles Singles Club is celebrating its 32nd year as a nonprofit social and dance club for singles age 40 and older. Younger singles are also welcome. The dances are held on the second and fourth Mondays at Riverside Receptions, Route 38 and North River Lane in Geneva. Cost for members is $6 or $8 for visitors. It includes professional dance instruction 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., dancing 7:30 to 11 p.m. On Monday, March 30, a live band dance will be held from 7-11 p.m. at the Lincoln Inn, 1345 S. Batavia Avenue (Route 31), Batavia. Cost for members is $8 or $10 for visitors. It will be dressy to nice casual clothing. Other club activities: Saturday breakfasts; pinochle; game and pizza nights; meet and eats; plays; trips; golf; bowling; picnics; concerts; and house parties. It is open to singles from around the Fox Valley and beyond. For details, visit www.stcharlessinglesclub.com or call (630) 340-6647.

McHenry County Historical Society: Beginning April 1, and continuing each week through April 20, the McHenry County Historical Society will present its annual four-part lecture series. Called the "Sampler Series," each program will focus on something or some one making history from McHenry County. Except for the first program, the remaining three will be held at the society's museum, 6422 Main St. in Union.

The first program is a tour through a new castle located on Route 23 south of Harvard. "Ravenstone Castle" opened late last year as a bed and breakfast. Beautiful tapestries, turrets, stone passageways bring visitors a taste of medieval Europe. With the guided tour, program participants will enjoy light refreshments. The visit to Ravenstone Castle is scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 1.

The following week on Monday, April 6, the Sampler will feature Bull Valley residents Ken and Darlene Fiske. This couple first met at Chicago's NBC television station in the early 1950s. Ken hosted and produced "Out on the Farm" while future wife, Darlene, helped direct daytime "soaps." Their discussion will shed light on early television production.

At 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 13, the focus will be on an area businessman, John Betts, who produces Giant sized limited edition all metal classic vehicles. Participants will see some of these uniquely designed models and learn about Betts' consumer design career.

To round out the lecture series comes a look into the world of "Magic" with a panel of long time magicians at 2 p.m. Monday, April 20. Magicians will do some tricks and tell stories of performing in famous sites like Riverview Park and Chicago's Treasure Chest Club. Join Marshall Brodien as Wizzo, Lake in the Hills resident Fred Drehobl as Freddy Fredricks, and Don Theobald as T-Bone the Clown. They will be telling great stories.

Registration is required for attending the McHenry County Historical Society's Sampler Series. The cost for all four programs is $35. Members of the McHenry County Historical Society pay $30 and individual programs are $10. For further information or to register, call (815) 923-2267. Check out the Society's Web site at www.mchsonline.org.

Sunburst Corvette Club: Sunburst Corvette Club will hold its regular monthly meetings on the first Wednesdays of April and May at a new location. The meetings will be held at Wool Street Grill and Sports Bar, 800 Feinberg Court in Cary. Meetings begin at 7:30 p.m., but many members meet at 6 p.m. for dinner. Visit www.sunburstcorvetteclub.com

Elgin Woman's Club: The Elgin Woman's Club will meet at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 7, at the Holiday Inn, 495 Airport Road, Elgin. Chaired by Linda Fagan and hosted by the health department, the program will feature a presentation entitled, "Enriching Your Life With Laughter." Featured speaker for the program will be Jill League, community training center database coordinator for the Education and Community Wellness Department at Sherman Hospital. League is also a Certified Laughter Leader. The committee for the April meeting consists of Helen McCulloch, Phyllis Ahlgrim, Loa McLean and Tracey Varney.

Members are asked to make reservations no later than Friday, March 27, by calling the hotline at (847) 622-3614 and should wear comfortable clothing for this meeting. The luncheon meeting and program costs $15 and may be paid for by check at the door the day of the meeting.

Since the club was founded in 1887 members have supported hundreds of local projects including yearly scholarships to students from area high schools and their major accomplishment-the founding of Sherman Hospital in 1888. In addition, members volunteer in hospitals and other agencies throughout the Elgin area and are active in recycling, conservation, women's health, international affairs and other projects.

Women who want to know more about the Elgin Woman's Club, recognized for more than 121 years as a leading philanthropic organization, may call the HOTLINE. A club member will return the call within 24 hours. As a member of the General Federation of Women's Clubs there is a variety of club information on their Web site - www.gfwc.org.

Henpeck Unit: The Henpeck Unit of Kane County Association for Home and Community Education will meet Tuesday, April 14 with Betty Rylko as hostess at the Burlington United Methodist Church. Guests are welcome; call Betty at (630) 669-5295 for details and directions.

At the March 10 meeting, the subject is about being "down in the dumps" and how long it lasts and what should be done about it.

Six members answered roll call by naming a recipe from "Lessons for Living" that they have tried and liked.

Chairman Peggy Gross reminded members of the "Spring Fling at HCE" to be held on March 25 at the Extension Office in St. Charles. This promises to be a day of fun at no charge. Numbers attending should be given to Peggy Gross at (847) 683-3826 by March 20.

Community outreach director Mary Ebert shared an article regarding parcel track notices being circulated which police consider a "scam on seniors."

Dues of $15 for year 2009-10 were collected from members present.

Items for the Hampshire/Burlington Food Pantry were collected at this meeting. It was suggested that deodorant be collected for the Community Crisis Center at the April meeting.

The lesson titled "Blues, Blahs and Bouncing Back" was presented by Mary Ann Harter. It covered the difference between regular "blues" versus depression, techniques for bouncing back, and insights on helping others. In a lively discussion, members identified their own experiences with the blues and depression.

Membership is open to men and women of any age regardless of race, creed or national origin. For information about the organization or a free one-year membership in the Henpeck Unit, call Peggy Gross at (847) 683-3826 or Mary Ann Harter at (847) 683-3632.

Dundee Township Garden Club: The Garden Club of Dundee Township is accepting applications for scholarships from students of Community Unit District 300. Qualifying applicants must be a graduating senior, college freshman, sophomore, or junior. Eligible students must be pursuing a career in horticulture or other environmentally related studies. The deadline is April 15. For details about deadlines, eligibility and other requirements, call one of the District 300 high school guidance departments or call (847) 428-1315.

Rotary Club: The Lake in the Hills Rotary Club meets every Wednesday from noon until 1 p.m. at the Colonial Cafe, 2555 W. Bunker Hill Drive in Algonquin. The club is currently accepting new members. If you are interested in membership, join them on Wednesday for a free lunch to learn more about what the Rotary Club has to offer. Visit the Web site at www.lithrotary.org.