South Elgin’s Riverfest celebrating 20 years
Riverfest 2016 is celebrating 20 years of family fun.
This year’s fest will be held from Thursday, Aug. 11 to Sunday, Aug. 14. A Special Night for Special Kids will be held Wednesday, Aug. 10. Riverfest hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday, 5 to 11:30 p.m. Friday, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday.
Fireworks will open and close the festival at 9:30 p.m. Thursday and Sunday.
Entertainment includes rock cover bands, fund, R&B, dance, classic hard rock, country and Denny Diamond performing Neil Diamond hits.
There will be food, beverages and carnival rides. Mega wristbands are available for purchase at Village Hall, 10 N. Water St., South Elgin.
For information, go to riverfestexpress.net.
ESO 2016-17 season single tickets on sale
Single tickets are on sale now for the Elgin Symphony Orchestra’s 66th season.
The ESO — named the 2016 Illinois Professional Orchestra of the Year by the Illinois Council of Orchestras, will highlight the works of Russian composers, including Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky and Shostakovich during the 2016-17 season.
Tickets for the new season start at $30 and single ticket exchanges are now allowed for a $5 fee. Flex Passes are also available. For tickets and information, go to ElginSymphony.Org or call 847-888-4000.
Featured works include Tchaikovsky’s “Sleeping Beauty Suite,” “Swan Lake Suite” and “Symphony No. 4,” Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition,” Stravinsky’s “Petrushka” and Rachmaninoff’s “Symphonic Dances and Piano Concerto No. 3.” The season also holds Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 3 Eroica,” Dukas’ “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” and Aaron Copland’s “Billy the Kid Suite” and “Clarinet Concerto.”
New this season, Inside the Music with Andrew Grams, will take an in-depth look at masterworks using musical excerpts and visuals. These informal presentations will explore how the musical notes on a page combine to create a masterpiece of sound. Musically Speaking Pre-Concert Chats take place at the concert venue one hour prior to the concert start time for all performances except Pops, Holiday and Inside the Music with Andrew Grams.
Valet service is available and there is free parking. After all Saturday night performances, patrons are invited to Mingle with the Musicians at the Elgin Public House.
WTTW Kids Reader are Leaders at Cougars game
The WTTW Kids Readers are Leaders event is coming to Fifth Third Bank Ballpark on Sunday, Aug. 14 before the Cougars take on the Cedar Rapids Kernels for Back to School Night at 1 p.m.
Gates for the event will open at 11 a.m. with festivities beginning in the Music Garden, presented by the Acres Group, at 11:15 a.m. Each person with a ticket for that day’s game will be allowed entry into the ballpark for the free, family-friendly event. Featuring sing-along songs and interactive stories with Miss Lori’s CAMPUS, the event is geared toward young children and their families to help support literacy development throughout the summer.
In addition, WTTW and the Cougars will be holding a book exchange. Fans are encouraged to bring a gently used book to the ballpark where they can exchange it for a new book.
Illinois Senator Karen McConnaughay will be on hand to provide activities for kids and their families in the Cougars KidZone area, presented by Rainbow Play Systems, as well as raffling off backpacks full of school supplies to help kids as they head back to the classroom this fall.
The game is also a Sunday Funday, presented by Dave & Buster’s, which includes free entertainment and discounts for kids in the KidZone area. Activities include pre-game Catch on the Field and an autograph session with Cougars players. All children between the ages of 3 and 10 receiving a voucher at the gate for a free hot dog and small soda.
Following the game, fans will be able to run the bases.
To purchase tickets for Back to School Night, and participate in the WTTW Kids Readers are Leaders event, contact the Cougars box office at 630-232-8811 or go to www.kccougars.com.
Get ready for Back to School with District U46’s app
Elgin Area School District U46’s free app will help families get ready for Back to School. The app is available from the App Store or Google play and provides information about school lunch menus, District news and a way to communicate with school officials.
The mobile app offers students, parents and community members direct links to the District’s and schools’ websites, highlights top stories from U46’s social media feeds, the District calendar, lunch menus and Infinite Campus to view grades. Other features include the school directory, quick access to high school sports scores, the weekly e-newsletter from CEO Tony Sanders and a link to the weather forecast.
To download the app, search “School District U-46” via Google Play or the App Store.
DCHS Business Incubator Program seeks volunteers
There’s a new INCubatoredu program at Dundee-Crown High School.
INCubatoredu@dchs provides students the opportunity to learn firsthand the ins and outs of starting a business. The 100 plus students enrolled in the program work in teams to create and fully develop their own product or service resulting in a functioning business. The program is looking for community members, business leaders, and entrepreneurs to help guide and mentor our students as they form their own businesses.
For information, contact INCubatoredu@dchs course instructor Nick Pahl at nicholas.pahl@d300.org.
