HAWTHORNE HILL CENTER HOLDING DISCOVERY WALK
The Elgin Parks and Recreation Department will host a free discovery walk from 10:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 18, at the Hawthorne Hill Nature Center, 254 Brookside Drive, Elgin.
A talk during the walk will focus on features of Hawthorne Hill’s landscape, including the Tyler and Otter creek watersheds that flow through the site, according to a social media post.
Registration at bit.ly/DiscoveryWalks2026 is required.
CARPENTERSVILLE SEEKING LASER TAG PLAYERS
Carpentersville police and fire departments are seeking families to participate in a capture-the-flag laser tag battle to benefit Special Olympics Illinois.
The event, scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 24, in Carpenter Park, 275 Maple Ave., is open to children ages 5 to 14 accompanied by a parent or guardian. Players will be assigned to either Team Police and Team Fire.
Special Olympics T-shirts will be sold at the event and food trucks will be on site. The cost is $10 per player.
To register to play, go to cville.org/…/GUNS-HOSES-LASER-TAG-IN-THE-PARK-111.
FIRE DISTRICT DONATES FIRE ENGINE TO ECC
North Aurora Fire District has donated a 1995 Pierce fire engine to the Elgin Community College Center for Emergency Services.
The engine will be used to train fire service students, according to a news release. It will increase the center’s training fleet to two fire engines, one ladder truck and one ambulance. Its use will be incorporated into the college’s fire science and safety curriculum and professional development.
“The addition of this apparatus strengthens our training fleet and enhances our ability to prepare future firefighters through realistic, scenario-based learning. We appreciate the North Aurora Fire District’s partnership and commitment to developing the next generation of public safety professionals,” Ronald Two Bulls, ECC’s senior director of academic programming and public safety training, said in the release.
North Aurora Fire Protection District Chief Mike Klemencic said the donation “will help ensure the next generation of firefighters enter the fire service prepared to serve their communities safely and effectively.”
BLUE ENVELOPE PROGRAM GOES STATEWIDE IN 2027
State Sen. Cristina Castro’s effort to spearhead a new law establishing a statewide Blue Envelope Program goes into effect Jan. 1, 2027.
House Bill 4472, signed into law June 26, authorizes the Illinois secretary of state to create and make available blue envelopes for people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder to contain essential vehicle-related documents, emergency contact information, communication preferences and police instructions.
The envelopes can be presented to police officers should the person be involved in a traffic stop.
Castro, D-Elgin, noted in a news release that the Elgin Police Department’s experience with the program shows it works, providing a foundation for expanding it across Illinois. In addition to Elgin, Carpentersville, East Dundee and South Elgin also have Blue Envelope programs.
EXPLORE ELGIN CEO NAMED TO IDA BOARD
Explore Elgin Area President and CEO Krisilee Murphy has been named second vice chair of the Illinois Destinations Association 2026-27 Board of Directors, according to a news release.
The nonprofit association works with the Illinois Office of Tourism and its members to draw visitors to communities throughout the state, according to its website. The newly elected board took to its roles July 1 and will serve through June 30, 2027.
“Our industry’s greatest strength is our commitment to collaboration,” Murphy said in the release. “By bringing together diverse voices and expertise from every region of Illinois, we do not just market individual destinations; we build a unified, powerful tourism economy.”
For more information about the association, go to www.ildestinations.org.
