Eric & Kathy Food Truck Festival in Elgin
Festival Park will transform into a culinary roadmap for the Eric & Kathy Food Truck Festival from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5, at Festival Park, 132 S. Grove Ave., Elgin. Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart are hosts of 101.9 FM The MIX morning show.
The Food Truck Festival brings the region’s food trucks to the park, on the grounds of the Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin, including: The Fat Pickle, Chicago Pizza Boss, Da Lobsta, Toasty Cheese, The Cookout on Wheels, Pierogi Wagon, Lucy’s, Little Donkey Taqueria, Piko Street Kitchen, Beaver’s Donuts, Happy Lobster, Kate and Jan’s Hot Dogs and Harold’s Chicken. Wine and regional craft beer will also be available.
The fest includes live music from new MIX artist Leon and local favorite Red Woody.
Admission is free and open to the public. The cost of food and beverages vary at each food truck.
ESO violinist Carol Dylan performs
Carol Dylan, a 15-year member of the first violin section of Elgin Symphony Orchestra, will be performing in the Midwest Mozart Festival concert series at 3 p.m. Sunday, July 31, at the Sanfilippo Estate, Barrington Hills, and at 3 p.m. Sunday, August 7 and Sunday, August 14, at the Woodstock Opera House.
Dylan is also a founding board member of the Midwest Mozart Festival, which is comprised of musicians that have been presenting the works of Mozart for many years at the Woodstock Opera House, and the August concerts will mark 30 years of performances of Mozart’s music at the historic venue.
Tickets for the July 31 concert are $55 and may be purchased at sanfilippofoundation.org. Tickets for the August concerts are $25 to $40, $7 for students with an ID. To purchase these tickets, visit woodstockoperahouse.com or call the box office at 815-338-5300. For information, visit midwestmozart.org.
Elgin celebrates Night Out Against Crime
Celebrate America’s Night Out Against Crime at Elgin’s citywide block party. The party will include a Movie in the Park, a K9 Demo, EPD’s BATT & Tactical Response Team Equipment, food trucks, live music by Copper Harbor and a Helicopter landing (weather permitting).
There will also be several children’s activities, including inflatables, splash pads, fire safety smoke house, fire pole, an antique fire truck, train, and safety town.
The featured movie is “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which starts at dusk. Kids who dress like a Star Wars character will receive a raffle ticket for a chance to win a prize.
Explore Kane County campgrounds
Make plans to camp local? this summer with the Forest Preserve District of Kane County. District campgrounds have sites available for vehicle camping, tent camping or camping with your horses.
Recreational camping is open through Oct. 31, at Paul Wolff Campground and Big Rock Campground.? Camp sites range from $10 to $25 per day. For information, call the campground hotline at 630-444-1200.
Judson University open house for Adult Professional Program
Earn your degree at Judson University in an accelerated program that matches interests and career goals. Classes meet one night a week, or online, offering a professional, supportive environment.
Degrees offered for adults include: Bachelor degrees in Applied Psychology, Business Administration, Communications Management, Human Services, and Organizational Leadership. The university also offers an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts program.
Judson’s will host an open house at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 16 and Wednesday, Sept. 14 at the Elgin campus, 1151 N. State St.
District superintendent to speak at South Elgin church
Rev. Darneather Murph-Heath, District Superintendent of the Northern Illinois Conference of the United Methodist Church, will be the guest speaker at the 9 a.m. worship service Sunday, July 31 at South Elgin Community United Methodist Church, 400 W. Spring St.
Referencing the Psalms of the Old Testament, Heath is one of six speakers who will talk on the theme “God Is Holding Your Life.’ Her topic is “Desert Blues” based on Psalm 63 .
Rev. Heath just completed her first year of serving as the Elgin District Superintendent of the Northern Illinois Conference of The United Methodist Church. Her background includes working for the Secretary of State in Illinois as a supervisor prior to answering the call to ministry. She counts both of Chicago’s Rust Memorial UMC and New Gresham UMC as church homes.
The schedule for the rest of the speaker series includes Rev. Duane Mevis, “Into Your Hands,” Aug. 7; Connie Schweitzer, “There is a River,” Aug. 14; and Rev. Carol Cory, “God’s Love Endures Forever,” Aug. 21.
For information, contact 847-931-0563 or cumcsouthelgin@sbcglobal.net
ECC presents ‘Big Fish,’ honors retiring director
Elgin Community College Musical Theatre will present its summer production of the musical “Big Fish” from Friday, July. 29 through Sunday, Aug. 7 in the SecondSpace Theatre, in the ECC Arts Center in Building H on ECC’s Spartan Drive Campus, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.
The production starts at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. on Sundays. ECC professor John G. Slawson, DMA, is the artistic and musical director. The musical is directed and choreographed by Konnie Kay. This production will also celebrate ECC Musical Theatre’s longtime artistic/musical director John G. Slawson who will be retiring after 30 years of teaching following this production.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $18 for seniors and students. Tickets for all performances in the ECC Arts Center are available online at http://tickets.elgin.edu or at the ECC Arts Center box office located. Box office hours are noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and noon to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. To purchase tickets by phone, call 847-622-0300. All major credit cards are accepted.
Based on the novel by Daniel Wallace and the film directed by Tim Burton, “Big Fish” centers on Edward Bloom, a traveling salesman who lives life to its fullest and loves telling others about his adventures.
Slawson, who in addition to being a professor of music for 30 years, has served as the artistic/musical director for ECC’s Musical Theatre’s productions for over two decades. He also founded the ECC Concert Choir in 1987, the Vocal Jazz Ensemble in 2000.
