Dorothy "Dot" Counts-Scoggins, an American civil rights pioneer who was one of the first black students admitted to an all-white school in North Carolina in 1957, was the special guest Monday at the DuPage County Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast.

Painting over brick is way to bring older buildings “back to life” and give a downtown streetscape a new look, but historic preservationists advise against it.

Gardening events, workshops, and plant sales in the Chicago suburbs, including garden club meetings, orchid shows, and classes on topics like pruning, beekeeping, and soil health.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday, Jan. 19. These upcoming events, celebrations and services will pay tribute to the civil rights leader.

Make plans for Palatine Winterfest, Martin Luther King Jr. Day events, the Chicagoland Fishing Expo and more.

It’s your last chance to catch many holiday events, including concerts, light shows, performances of “A Christmas Carol” and “The Nutcracker” and more.

Garden club meetings in the Chicago suburbs cover a range of topics such as creating moonlit spaces, hardscape designs, succulents, prairies and bison, and using native plants in home landscapes.

Make plans for variations of “The Nutcracker,” Tom Arnold at American Place Casino, Under the Streetlamp’s “Hip to the Holidays,” the International Gem and Jewelry Show in Rosemont, dining with Santa, Handel’s “Messiah” and more.

Garden club meetings in the Chicago suburbs cover a range of topics such as creating moonlit spaces, hardscape designs, succulents, prairies and bison, and using native plants in home landscapes.

Make plans for Dickens in Dundee, tree lightings, Warrenville Holly Days, Jingle Bell Jubilee, Mundelein Winter Tree Lighting Festival, West Chicago Frosty Fest and more.