The Fox Valley Orchestra and Fox Chamber Singers will present Handel’s “Messiah: The Passion” at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 28, at Marmion Abbey in Aurora.
The event will feature Parts 2 and 3 of Handel’s “Messiah,” which focus on the Easter story, according to a press release about the event.
The event is a fundraiser, with all proceeds benefiting the various community orchestra and chorus programs in the area supported by the Fox Valley Music Consortium, organizers said.
The professional voices from the Fox Chamber Singers, directed by Lisa Fredenburgh, will perform the solo and chorus portions and together with the Fox Valley Orchestra will present the program, according to the release. Stephen Squires, music director of the Fox Valley Orchestra, will lead the performance.
Tickets are $13 online and $15 at the door. For more information, go to https://www.foxvalleyorchestra.org/messiahpassion.php
Geneva to offer free yard waste pickup
Geneva residents can get a head start on their spring yard work during a free yard waste collection event during the last two full weeks of March.
The free yard waste disposal is included in the city’s refuse contract with LRS, according to a press release about the program. Yard waste bags set out with garbage will be picked up free of charge – no waste sticker needed – during residents’ regular pickup days during the weeks of March 16 and 23.
Yard waste should be placed in Kraft brown paper bags and should not exceed 50 pounds, the release said. While LRS prefers bags, residents who pay for a designated LRS yard waste cart can use it during the free collection period. Accepted yard waste includes grass clippings, vines, weeds, leaves, plants, pine cones, small branches and garden waste.
Tree limbs wider than 1-inch in diameter should be disposed of through the city’s monthly brush pickup, which is scheduled to begin in April, officials said.
For more information about Geneva’s refuse and recycling services, go to the city’s website at https://www.geneva.il.us/.
Golf Gala After Hours event set in St. Charles
The St. Charles Public Library Foundation has announced its 2026 Golf Gala After Hours event will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, April 25, at the library, 1 S. Sixth Ave. in St. Charles.
Guests are invited to enjoy an evening celebrating the game of golf in a unique setting, library officials said in a press release.
The fundraising event for the foundation will offer guests golf‑themed experiences, including a celebration at the 19th hole, a chance to explore some of the world’s most beautiful golf courses on the library’s immersive screen, a hole-in-one putting contest, trivia, a special golf clinic with golf professional Kathy Williams and more.
Basket raffle tickets will be available for purchase with the drawing at the end of the evening, organizers said. Appetizers and desserts will be served at the event.
Tickets are $75 per person. To purchase tickets, go to https://tinyurl.com/5yhctxjy.
Birds and coffee topic of program
The connection between coffee and birds will be explored during the next Learn from the Experts program set for 9:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday, March 21, at the Barbara Belding Lodge in St. Charles.
The Barbara Belding Lodge is located within Brewster Creek Forest Preserve at 6N921 Route 25 in St. Charles.
Participants at the March 21 event can enjoy a responsibly-sourced cup of coffee while learning about the history of coffee consumption and production, and its connection to birds, according to a press release about the event.
Greg DuBois, contributing author for Illinois Audubon Magazine and bird monitor at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, will share the story of the decline of migrating birds in North America since 1970, according to the release. He’ll also explain how the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center is working to mitigate this decline and reveal ways that you can help, one cup of coffee at a time.
Advance registration is required. The program fee is $10 per person. To register, go to www.kaneforest.com/register.
Learn from the Experts programs are classes about local ecology which are sponsored by the Forest Preserve District of Kane County, the St. Charles Park District and the Geneva Park District.
For more information, go to www.kaneforest.com, call 630-444-3190 or email programs@kaneforest.com.
DuPage plans events for 250th anniversary of U.S.
DuPage County and its partners are planning community celebrations throughout the year in honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States.
The DuPage County Board and the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference are inviting all municipalities and countywide elected officials to contribute one item to a time capsule that will be buried on the county campus in Wheaton in June, a news release said.
In partnership with the DuPage Convention and Visitors Bureau, the board is launching a photo contest, “Snapshots of DuPage: Honoring 250 Years of America.” Entries in the adult and youth categories will be accepted through Nov. 2.
Selected photos will be featured in county and visitors bureau communications, exhibits and social media, the release said. Winners will be recognized at the Dec. 8 DuPage County Board meeting.
For more information, go to www.DiscoverDuPage.com/America250-Contest.
The DuPage County Historical Museum exhibit, “Defining US: The 250th Anniversary of the United States,” will open in July. It will show American identity and history through a DuPage County lens, the release said.
Another exhibit will focus on the 100th anniversary of Route 66 and other major DuPage County firsts. It will run from August through November.
The museum’s oral history program, “Voices of DuPage,” continues to gather stories from county residents. Choose DuPage will contribute interviews with local business leaders discussing their company’s story and why they located in the county.
For more information, go to DuPageMuseum.org or ChooseDuPage.com.
