End-of-Summer Bash with Candy Land set for this Saturday night
Elgin’s End-of-Summer Bash, with a Candy Land theme, will be held from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, in downtown Festival Park at 132 S. Grove Ave.
The park will be decorated with giant gumdrops, licorice sticks, lollipops and peppermint sticks, according to a post on the city’s website. The free event will feature food and drink vendors, games, inflatables and other family fun.
Bands set to perform are The Little Mermen, which plays kids’ favorites; Stache, featuring pop hits and ’80s rock; and Lover, a Taylor Swift tribute act.
The evening will conclude with a drone show scheduled to start at 9:15 p.m. In the event of bad weather, the gathering will be canceled.
For more information, go to www.facebook.com/cityofelgin or elginil.gov/2509/End-of-Summer-Bash.
Kids program on Lords Park Zoo animals set for Wednesday
Elgin History Museum will present “I Saw it at the Lords Park Zoo! — Animals from the Zoo’s Early Years” from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 7, at the Tefft Farm Zoo in Lords Park, 207 Grand Blvd., Elgin.
Lords Park Zoo opened in 1895 and was once home to bears, snakes and even a lion, according to the museum’s website. The presentation is geared toward children ages 3 to 8, who will also make crafts as part of the event.
For more information, call 847-742-4248, email museum@elginhistory.org or go to elginhistory.org/event/i-saw-it-at-the-lords-park-zoo-animals-from-the-zoos-early-years.
Side Street Studio Arts to offer community party at Lords Park pool
Side Street Studio Arts is holding an end-of-summer pool party from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 10, at the Lords Park Family Aquatic Center, 325 Hiawatha Drive, Elgin.
Admission is $7 per person, according to a post on the Side Street Studio Arts webpage. Attendees are welcome to stay when the pool opens to the general public at noon.
To purchase tickets, go to www.sidestreetstudioarts.org/endofsummerbash. For more information, email info@sidestreetstudioarts.org or call 847-429-2276.
Registration underway for Carpentersville Rotary’s run/walk
Sign-up has started for the Carpentersville Morning Rotary Club’s 10th annual Raceway 5K and 3K Fun Run/Walk, which starts at 8 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, in Raceway Woods, 17N702 Western Ave., Carpentersville.
Participants are welcome to bring their dogs with them while they run or walk, according to the event website. Proceeds will benefit local charities, including the Carpentersville FISH Food Pantry and Operation Warm, a Rotary Club initiative that provides winter coats for kids in need.
For more information, email carpentersvillerotary@gmail.com or go to www.carpentersvillerotary.org/page/raceway-woods-5k.
Lego building contest with Olympics theme being held at ECC
A Summer Olympics-themed Lego building contest will be be held from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, in Building K on the main campus of Elgin Community College, 1700 Spartan Drive.
Participants can compete as teams and will have two hours to build their projects, according to the ECC website. Entries will be judged by ECC staff throughout the week, with prizes awarded to gold, silver, and bronze winners.
Lego bricks will be provided. There is no age limit. The entry fee is $5, and one team member must register online for the group.
Painted rocks like this one will be placed around St. Charles’ downtown area Friday for the annual “Be You” rock hunt. Anyone who finds one can redeem it for prizes. (St. Charles Business Alliance)
‘Be You’ rock hunt for prizes start Friday in downtown St. Charles
St. Charles Business Alliance’s “Be You” rock hunt will start at 9 a.m. Friday, Aug. 9, in downtown St. Charles.
Contestants who find one of 20 painted “Be You” rocks hidden in downtown St. Charles between Fifth Street and Fifth Avenue will win a bag of gifts from local businesses valued at $30 each, event organizers said.
The number of rocks this year increased from 10 to 20 to provide more opportunities to win, a news release said.
Participants who find one of the rocks can redeem it at the St. Charles Municipal Building, 2 E. Main St., between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The person who returns the first rock will receive a grand prize valued at more than $150, according to the release.
The painted “Be You” rocks will be located somewhere outside, and the event continues until all the rocks are located. Updates on when the hunt will be posted at the St. Charles Business Alliance’s Facebook page and on Instagram @stcalliance.
For more information on the event, go to www.stcalliance.org/beyourockhunt.
