The Venue, a live music and performance room at 21 S. Broadway in downtown Aurora, has announced it will celebrate its seventh birthday with two outdoor shows at the end of June.
The concerts will be held rain or shine at adjacent Mundy Park on Friday, June 26, and Sunday, June 28.
Chicago Farmer and The Fieldnotes will perform at 8 p.m. June 26. On June 28, a special musical celebration will be held at 4 p.m. featuring the Music of Laurel Canyon. Both shows are general admission. Tickets cost $25 plus fees, organizers said.
“Our birthday shows are a way to recognize all who have helped the success of The Venue,” said Scott Tipping, creative director of The Venue, in a press release. “They are a thank you to our community and patrons who help support what we do.”
Those attending are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase on site and are not allowed to be brought into the park, the release. Water and food items (no coolers) are welcome at the shows, organizers said. Touche French Creole will be serving food at the June 26 event, according to the release.
For tickets and up-to-date show information, go to themusicvenue.org.
St. Charles begins street rehab work
The city of St. Charles has begun its 2026 street rehabilitation project with utility structure repair and replacement work in various locations around town, city officials said in a press release.
Concrete replacements and road work are expected to begin towards the middle of June, according to the release, with more than nine miles of roadway throughout the city to be improved.
More information, including an interactive map of the scheduled work with a complete list of streets, and regular construction updates, is available on the city website’s 2026 Street Rehabilitation Project page.
Residents on streets to be impacted by the work should receive a letter in the mail from the Public Works Department with additional information regarding project specifics, the release said. The entire project is expected to be completed by late November, according to officials.
Food pantry event planned in Plano
Those in need can pick up a box of canned goods, fresh fruit and vegetables, frozen meat, bread, milk, eggs and more at the Plano Food Pantry from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 19, pantry officials said in a press release.
All in need are welcome to visit the pantry site at First Lutheran Church, 200 N. Center St. in Plano, officials said.
Those looking to pick up food should bring their food pantry card, if they have one. Those who don’t have a card should bring identification and one will be issued in a couple of minutes, according to the release.
Vatican, Roman choirs to perform at church
Sacred Voices Choir, featuring singers from Roman and Vatican musical institutions, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 20, at St. Raphael Church, 1215 Modaff Road in Naperville.
The concert is the choir’s only appearance in the Diocese of Joliet. Doors open at 7 p.m.
The 40-member group is under the direction of Pontifical Cantore Adriano Caroletti and will be accompanied by Josep Sole Coll, organist of the pope and St. Peter’s Basilica, the church’s website said. They have performed for Pope Leo XIV.
Tickets are available online with premium seating in the front of the church priced at $75 and general admission is $40.
Tickets are available at bit.ly/sacredvoicesnaperville. For more information, go to www.st-raphael.com.
Tickets on sale for Santa’s Trolley Express
It’s Christmas in June, with tickets already on sale for this winter’s Santa’s Trolley Express offered by the Fox River Trolley Museum in South Elgin.
Rides boarding at Blackhawk Station in the Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve, 35W003 Route 31, are available for select weekend times and dates between Friday, Nov. 28, and Sunday, Dec. 20, according to the museum’s website. The rides on a 1959 subway train will include holiday stories, complimentary hot chocolate, singalongs and a visit from Santa.
Tickets are $38 per person through July 31; $45 from Aug. 1 through Oct. 31; and $50 per person starting Nov. 1. For tickets and more information, go to foxtrolley.org/visit/special-events/santas-trolley-express/#schedule.
