Get a glimpse of the past at Gail Borden Library history programs

Discover fascinating stories from the past, both local and national, at programs that celebrate local history.

These programs will take place at the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove Ave. in Elgin. Registration is required.

To register, go to gailborden.info/register, call (847) 429-4597 or register in person at any library branch.

Elgin in the 1920s

Elgin historian Jerry Turnquist will highlight Elgin in the 1920s from 7 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 24, in the Main Library's Elgin Room.

Travel back in time to the devastating Palm Sunday tornado that struck Elgin in 1920 to the beginning of the Depression in 1929 and learn about the years in between.

In addition, Turnquist will talk about how neighborhoods, transportation and modern buildings helped shape the Elgin we know today.

"I Have a Dream" 60 years later

On Aug. 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered one of the most famous, if not the most famous, speeches in American history.

Hear from Elgin residents who were there including Willard "Duly" Dulabaum and Howard Royer.

The program will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 28, in the Main Library Meadows Community Rooms.

Duncan Hines: More than cake mix

Since the 1950s, the name Duncan Hines has been synonymous with boxed cake mix.

But who was Duncan Hines?

Discover the man behind the cake mix from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29, in the Main Library's Elgin Room.

Writer and history enthusiast Amy Gail Hansen will take an in-depth look at this Chicago-based traveling salesman's fascinating life, from the coveted restaurant recommendations included in his Christmas card that became the book "Adventures in Good Eating" to the products still bearing his name on today's grocery shelves.