Elgin Area Firefighters Memorial Service set for Saturday
The 33rd annual Elgin Area Firefighters Memorial Service will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 3, at the Illinois Firefighters Memorial Plaza outside Elgin Fire Barn #5 Museum, 533 St. Charles St., Elgin.
Illinois firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty over the past year will be honored as will active duty or retired members who died in the last 12 months, according to a social media post for the event.
Parking is available on the street and in the lot across the street at Garfield Elementary School, 420 May St.
The ceremony will be live streamed on the Elgin Fire Department Facebook page and can be viewed after the memorial on Facebook and the city of Elgin’s website.
For more information, call 847-931-6175.
As part of its spring fundraising campaign, Ecker Center for Behavioral Health in Elgin will hold a family-friendly open house from 11 a.m to 2 p.m. Saturday. (Gloria Casas/The Courier-News)
Ecker Center’s open house part of fundraising campaign
As part of its spring fundraising campaign, Ecker Center for Behavioral Health will hold a family-friendly open house from 11 a.m to 2 p.m. at its Elgin building at 1845 Grandstand Place.
The event will feature:
- Guided tours and personal meet-and-greets with Ecker staff and clients;
- Interactive program stations;
- Client-created artwork and a preview of a June 12 art show at Elgin Community College;
- A community mural concept unveiling and opportunities to get involved;
- Free food trucks, refreshments, raffles, giveaways and family-friendly activities;
- Department-specific wish lists that will allow attendees to contribute directly to priority needs.
Entitled “Strength in Community: Celebrating, 70 Years of Impact,” the campaign runs through June 30 and has a goal of $70,000 to fund interior and exterior building improvements.
For more information, go to www.eckercenter.org.
Elgin Symphony Orchestra holding final 75th season concerts
The Elgin Symphony Orchestra will hold its final concerts of the 75th season at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 3, and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 4, at The Hemmens Cultural Center, 45 Symphony Way, Elgin.
During the Saturday concert, ESO CEO Marc Thayer will present School District U-46 Fine Arts Coordinator Jaimie Abney-Giraldo with the symphony’s Educator of the Year Award.
“Jaimie has partnered with the Elgin Symphony for many years and assisted music teachers throughout the U-46 district in elevating students’ music experiences through student attendance at the ESO’s youth education concerts at The Hemmens and hosting ESO musicians in their schools for classes, concerts and Adopt-a-School programs,” Thayer said in a news release.
Conductor Chad Goodman will lead performances of Ligeti’s “Lontano,” Mozart’s Symphony No. 31, “Paris,” and Holst’s “The Planets.” The performances will feature sopranos and altos from the Elgin Master Chorale.
For tickets, go to www.elginsymphony.org/en/concerts-tickets. For more information, email boxoffice@elginsymphony.org or call 847-888-4000.
Elgin Police Department begins Walk and Talk season Monday
The Elgin Police Department will hold its first Walk and Talk event of the season from 1 to 2 p.m. Monday, May 5, starting at the corner of Cimarron Court and Chaparral Circle.
Walk and Talks have been held annually for more than 10 years. Police officers go into different neighborhoods weekly in the warmer months to speak with residents and discuss neighborhood concerns.
These are the walks planned for this month:
- Tuesday, May 6, 1 to 2 p.m., starting at the Highland House Apartments, 717-721 Highland Ave.;
- Thursday, May 8, 1 to 2 p.m., starting on Pioneer Park Place in the Garden Crescent Apartment complex;
- Thursday, May 8, 8 to 9 p.m., starting at the intersection of Goodfield Landing and Gallant Fox Drive in the Highland Woods subdivision;
- Tuesday, May 13, 11 a.m. to noon, starting at the corner of Watch Court and Watch Street;
- Thursday, May 15, 1 to 2 p.m., starting in the 1300 to 1400 block of Creekside Court;
- Tuesday, May 27, 9 to 10 a.m., starting on Adams Street between Mosely and Gertrude streets.
For more information, call 847-289-2700.
