Elgin mayor to discuss 'The Shape of Our Water' April 30

Elgin Mayor David Kaptain will talk about history of the Fox River in "The Shape of Our Water" at 7 p.m. Monday, April 30, in the Elgin Room of the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove Ave. in downtown Elgin.

The mayor is a retired chemist and director of process control for the Fox River Water Reclamation District and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Bradley University.

Engineer Peter Wallers, president and CEO of Engineering Enterprises Inc., will join Kaptain to talk about the challenges. He has experience on water works systems, hydrologic and hydraulic works systems, stormwater management and the requirements of regulatory agencies.

The library will be unveiling another enhancement to the "Extreme Deep" exhibit that will feature the history of the Fox River.

Courtesy of the Elgin History Museum, the library will be displaying a 18-foot-long panorama of the Fox River in 1866 alongside a current day panoramic view.

Thank you to the Elgin Housing Authority for making the present day photo possible.

The display will highlight early Elgin businesses that started on the Fox River and the history of the present day main Gail Borden Public Library site.

"Extreme Deep: Mission to the Abyss" is on display through Aug. 13. The exhibit allows visitors to explore the ocean's depths with this interactive exhibit, where people may enter an Alvin submersible, test its robotic arm to pick up lava rocks from the seafloor, operate a remotely operated vehicle camera to discover shipwrecks like the Titanic, build a 3-D submarine and explore underwater stations, instruments and dwellings. People may also do a little inside fishing in the boat on loan from Cabelas.

"Extreme Deep" highlights the importance of geology, history, biology and chemistry as well as technology in deep-sea exploration. For more information, visit gailborden.info/deep.

It is presented by Evergreen Exhibitions in collaboration with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Thank you Gail Borden Public Library Foundation, EFS Foundation and KCT Credit Union for supporting "Extreme Deep" and the upcoming Summer Reading Program.