BRAVO 2.2

an elgin culture magazine

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Making Their Mark pp. 2-5

An Author They Couldn’t Refuse pp. 18-21

with the

FEBRUARY 2016

BRAVO

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Taste: Beauty That’s Skin Deep

On the cover: Heart Art by ART CULT 1. John LaFleur, Elgin. Art Cult Member, John paints very seldom, usually for a good cause or with a good beer. He prefers to write and live in his head where the pictures are always crystal clear and cleanup is a breeze!

2. Nanette Baker, Geneva. Art Cult Co-Founder, Artist of Jewelry & Textiles. Nanette has recently been reintroducing herself to her first love, painting & drawing. This piece signifies her love of all art forms and her interpretation of an “Artists True Heart.”

3. Maria D’Angelo, Elgin. Maria’s mediums range from acrylics, mosaics, jewelry, repurposed objects, mixed media, and special effects make up to fashion design and costuming. Known for her purple hair, eclectic style & love of all things art. Maria is an advocate for art in Elgin, and is one of the Founders of Art Cult, providing a collective for local artists to collaborate and get their art to the world. She was the owner of Viking Vintage & Art in Elgin and is a Co-Host of “Two Old Broads” YouTube show. She hopes to use her talents to break down the perceptions of what “fine art” is and bring new life to Elgin’s art scene.

4. Roz Anomaly, Aurora. Art Cult Member, Aurora native specializing in lowbrow art styles, creepy crafts & animal bone assemblage pieces. Roz is also the Creative Director for the downtown Aurora pop-up gallery The ArtBar, sprinkling her abnormal & endearing art wherever she goes.

5. David Yurgil, Elgin. Art Cult Co-Founder, David has a folk art, bohemian vibe in his original “love, peace & joy” style that just makes you smile! His mediums vary from acrylics, murals, repurposed clothing and shoes, to bringing new life to furniture to painting skateboards for charity. David is a free spirit and happy soul.

6. Mary Rain Root, Arlington Heights.

Art Cult Member, Acrylic, Photography & Mixed Media artist. Influences & Styles: Bohemian, Forgotten & Abandoned Americana, Animals, Nature & Music. “I’m more influenced by the things other people may forget about. It’s my way of preserving these moments that may be lost in time.

Welcome to my wacky world!”

7. Amy Porter, Elgin. Art Cult Member, Amy has been active in local Elgin art exhibits since her first show at the Next Wave Art Salon in 2013. Since then she has shown work at Side Street Studios, ArtSpace & now is a resident artist at Funky Rooster Tattoo & Art Gallery in Elgin. Originally a fine artist working in oils she is now translating her work into tattoos at Funky Rooster.

8. Deecee, St. Charles. Art Cult Member, Founder & President of Radiant Raw Foods in St. Charles, IL. Radiant Raw Foods focuses on dehydrating foods versus drying foods. Utilizing infrared technology to preserve foods as close to the raw and natural state as possible. Turning raw food into ART for your tummy and eyes. Deecee also supports the arts in a major way! Supporting local break-dancers, recording artists, musicians and hosts live painting events regularly at Radiant Raw Foods.

9. Jinny Gilgan, Elgin. Art Cult Co-Founder, Jinny is a local artist & musician who works in multiple mediums. She is

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the owner of Fancy Bee Apothecary, which sells handmade home & beauty products. Jinny is also the magnificent lead singer vocalist and bass player of Thee Rebel Angels rock band, all while being a badass woman and inspiration to many.

10. Jaime Hjelm, Elgin. Art Cult Member, Owner of a fleet of taxis, mother of twin boys, Co-Host of Elgin’s “Two Old Broads” YouTube Show, mechanic extraordinaire, award winning classic car owner & builder. Jaime is a longtime supporter of all things local, especially the arts. She modestly claims to not be an artist, but we beg to differ…

11. Isabella Amato-D’Angelo, Grand Rapids, MI. Art Cult Member. Isabella aka Lulu, is 8 yrs. old. Owner of Artsy Fartsy by Lulu, “Big Ideas Made By Small Hands.” Lulu has been making art since she was 1 yr. old. She specializes in repurposed items, sculpture, textile arts, acrylics and mixed media.

Lulu has a keen eye for textures, color and is currently studying the styles of Picasso, VanGogh & Kahlo. Practicing her skills daily with her wonderful support system. “I want to be an artist when I grow up.” We look forward to seeing this blooming artist surpass her family of artists (Maria D’Angelo, Aunt & Kathy D’Angelo, Mother).

12. Kristi Marie Nauertz, West Dundee.

Art Cult Member, Co-Owner of Vast Property Services, Inc. Re-Modeling of homes, Nightmare on Chicago Burlesque Model, Runway & Photo modeling. “I love art!!! Art brings me to life! I have really long legs and my wrists are always showing.” How can you not love her?

13. Diane Hull-Currier, West Dundee.

Art Cult Member, Owner of Honey Poo-Poo’s in West Dundee. “It’s in my blood, I have to do it. It’s definitely like I have to always be creating. Medium: painting furniture, papier maché.

Specialty: carousel horses & bouncy horses.” Diane’s art is whimsical and imaginative, with a touch of rock star.

14. Rock Mora, Elgin. Art Cult Member.

Besides having a superior head of hair, Rock is an exciting & inspiring artist!

“Art is my life, I breathe it, I see it, I am art. I couldn’t picture my life without art and the world would be such a sad sad place without art.”

Cover collage and artist bios assembled

by Maria D’Angelo.

Making Their Mark An effulgent blue light burns on Chicago Street after dark, illuminating the storefront windows of TopNotch Tattoo, stamped on either side with traditional nautical stars. TopNotch’s garish aesthetic pays homage to the old school street shops: black and white checkered flooring bleeds into cheetah print carpet. Four tattoo stations are lined externally by diamond metal sheets and internally by cherry red industrial storage drawers. A ten foot wide mural of a sword and banner reminds patrons that TopNotch Tattoo has been “World Famous Since 1999.”

Three blocks south on Grove Avenue, a sky blue hand-painted sign contrasts the fashionably distressed white brick facade of the Funky Rooster Tattoo and Art Gallery. Understated white walls and tile flooring pronounce the variety of chromatic paintings quilting the lounge. On one wall, a kaleidoscopic portrait of Frida Kahlo hangs near the paisley-backed profile of a dog.

On the opposite wall, a surreal sprite shares space with grayscale motifs from Mexico’s Dia de los Muertos.

Art by Jose Manuel of Funky Rooster Studios. of anyone who creates, wears or observes this ancient form of art. Tattoos are now considered an essential element of personal styling, obtained from a new kind of beautician.

We met three of these ink aestheticians in the shops of Elgin, and traced their impressions of the art, the clients, and the perceptions of the medium.

A Matter of Import

Situated among cafes, art galleries, salons and boutiques, these shops are now a comfortable part of the eclectic urban milieu of downtown Elgin, where stationers and yoga studios share the same block, and bartenders and symphony musicians greet each other on the street.

The art of tattooing has been identified as far back as the Bronze Age, though the exact geographical origin and mode of global dissemination remains unclear. Tattoo’s dominant function in tribal societies was to denote social status or identity, often serving as a rite of passage into adulthood or a symbol of valor for warriors.

But it wasn’t always like this for the tattoo business. In the past two decades, tattoo culture has undergone a massive transformation — inside the shops, on the skin, and inside the heads

The Western world is believed to have caught wind of the tradition via 18th century British sailors returning from the Polynesian islands with exposure to the practice of tatau, Tahitian

BRAVO

February 2016

for “to mark,” as well as actual tattooed Polynesians to put on display.

corresponding with their individual background and aesthetic preferences.

The Americanization of tattoo was fathered by German immigrant Martin Hildebrandt, who opened the first professional tattoo shop in New York City in 1846. Hildebrandt’s clientele largely consisted of Civil War soldiers seeking tattoos to express their patriotism and serve as a token of remembrance for their service.

Many of these emerging artists came from formal fine arts disciplines, carrying over design principles from a variety of mediums to the human canvas.

The development of the fine line genre of tattooing, which utilizes one needle as opposed to the typical three, allowed tattoo artists to create highly detailed, sophisticated imagery.

It would be nearly another 50 years before fellow New Yorker Samuel O’Reilly introduced the electric tattoo machine. Prior to this invention in 1891, tattoo artists hand poked designs with a small grouping of needles on the end of a wooden handle. The mechanism was dipped in ink, then the tattooer rhythmically moved their hand up and down, puncturing the skin two to three times per second.

Tattooing remains a predominantly middle class movement in which body modification is celebrated as a spiritual, poetic or self-empowering phenomena.

According to a Harris poll, one in five Americans now has a tattoo, and the incidence rises to two in five in the 18-45 age group.

The advent of the electric machine accelerated the tattooing process and significantly reduced the cost. This new method required a fraction of the skill and experience required of practitioners to grasp the art.

It also birthed true Americana style tattooing, characterized by strong black lines, heavy shading and dollops of color.

Art by Jose Manuel of Funky Rooster Studios.

Born of Exposure “When I came to the United States, I started seeing people with tattoos and it caught my attention,” said Jose “Manny” Manuel, owner of the Funky Rooster Tattoo and Art Gallery.

“Back then in Mexico, there were people with tattoos in the city, but not high quality.”

Manuel’s nine year career as a tattoo artist began when his

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Tattoo artistry migrated downward on the social and economic scales during the first half of the 20th century. The 1920s through the 1950s was considered to be an aggressively masculine “working class era.” Members of the middle class viewed tattoos as symbols of cultural defiance, particularly for marginalized groups.

The “tattoo renaissance” of the 1960s perpetuated a body art counter-culture that would thrive until fashion tattoos came en vogue in the late nineties. “New Age” tattoo artists began to break away from the traditional tattoo style, generating more diverse designs

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Just as changing styles of dress and grooming have always determined the social semiotics of fashion, tattooed skin has virtually inverted its meaning. Where it was once seen as a permanent badge of social dissension, it’s now regarded as a styling accessory for people of good taste.

Your Grandfather’s Tatt

The style of this time consisted of a number of small, unrelated patch-like tattoos. Skulls, panthers, snakes and pin-up girls were stamped sporadically across the body with little consideration to the continuity of body placement.

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neighbors, who were at-home practitioners, saw him creating airbrush paintings in his yard and suggested that his work might translate well to the human canvas.

Manuel had a lifelong involvement in painting, drawing and graffiti art back in Mexico City and saw tattooing as a new discipline to explore. He began to research the industry — collecting books and magazines, purchasing his own equipment to practice on friends and visiting studios to exchange ideas with other artists.

At the beginning of his career, Manuel said, tattoo subject matter was limited to hearts, crosses and lettering. With the advent of the internet, clients are now exposed to multitudes of styles from different countries and cultures.

Manuel draws his own influence from his Mexican heritage, specializing in “Day of the Dead” themed pieces inspired by the prolific Mexican folk artist Jose Guadalupe Posada.

Marked Men As the scope of tattoo imagery has broadened, so has the classification of “what type of person” gets a tattoo.

“If you saw some guy with a tattoo, back then you would think, ‘that is a bad guy.’ You would be afraid of him,” said Manuel. “In Mexico City, everybody who had a tattoo back then had most likely been in prison.”

The climate of tattooing in the

million Americans have at least one tattoo, it is far more unique, in some circles, to be ink-free.

Tattooing today is an oversaturated field, according to Ward — where there used to only be a handful of shops, they are now popping up on every street corner.

Art by Jeff Ward of TopNotch Tattoo.

United States placed a much less aberrant stigma on artists and their clients, Manuel said, allowing for a larger market populated by individuals from all walks of life as opposed to just the typecasted deviants.

“We get a lot of parents bringing their kids in on their eighteenth birthday to get a tattoo.

Ten years ago, that would be unheard of,” said Sarah Mooney, Funky Rooster’s co-owner and gallery artist. “There’s a lot of mothers and daughters coming in to get [matching pieces].”

It is difficult to refute that tattoos have become destigmatized when everyone from a youth pastor to a traffic cop sports one.

“It’s more of an artistic expression instead of your stamp in society,” said Mooney.

The I of the Needle The cliché of the drunken sailors on leave perpetuated the myth for decades that no sober, self-respecting person would sit for a tattoo. The motivations, then and now, can be quite thoughtful.

According to Jeff Ward, an 18 year tattoo veteran and returning TopNotch artist, people get tattoos for any human reason — whether it’s to feel young again, to commemorate a person or event, to cope with pain or simply to occupy an hour of their time on a Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s not a primary function,” Ward said. “It’s not like buying pants to clothe yourself.”

Art by Jeff Ward of TopNotch Tattoo.

The one justification with waning credibility is that people get tattoos to individualize themselves. In an age where 45

The plethora of tattoo pitstops is non-threatening to established landmarks like TopNotch. Word of mouth is the most prevalent form of advertising in the tattoo industry. Quality work not only solicits returning patrons, but also serves to attract new customers from within those patrons’ social networks.

“If you’re strong at what you do, you will have your clientele,” Ward said.

Of all the changes he has witnessed over his nearly two decades as a tattoo artist, the industry shift that Ward laments the most is the lack of acknowledgment newer clients have for the cultural history and permanence of tattooing. The same shift occurs in any art that becomes rapidly commercialized.

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essential punk experience of getting his first few tattoos in a friend of a friend’s basement at sixteen years old, as well as the equally classic experience of getting them all covered up with higher quality work as an adult.

After growing up with a natural inclination towards art, Mullen became set on his future career path when he received his very first tattoo.

“I fell in love with the idea that you could have the freedom of being an artist and still have a career,” Mullen said.

Similarly to Ward, Mullen has identified a plummet in the concern for originality since his career began in the early 2000s.

“My career started in the internet Dark Ages and I think it has diluted the industry quite a bit,” said Mullen. “There’s very little personal style left anymore — before, you had to go through magazines and books, learn about certain artists or styles.”

Though trends in self-decoration have been good for the tattoo business, will an internet cartoon meme tattoo still be cool in five years? Whatever, you’ll still own it.

“Tattoos can’t be lost or stolen.

It’s one of the few things that can’t be taken away from you,” Ward said.

Tattoo Much Information “I think there’s this misconception that everything has to mean something, that you can’t get a tattoo without there being some tear-jerking significance to the story,” said Andrew Mullen, fellow TopNotch artist. “There’s nothing wrong with coming in and getting a design just because you like the design. That’s what tattooing was for a lot of generations.”

Mullen, who has spent six of his eight years as a tattooer at TopNotch, was drawn to the industry as a teen: after becoming involved in the skate scene, Mullen remembers admiring the tattooed arms of the cool older guys that manned the skate shop.

Mullen underwent the quint-

Art by Andrew Mullen of TopNotch Tattoo.

Now, those interested in getting work done can scroll through Instagram and see work from hundreds of artists from all around the world.

In some ways this has benefited the industry, Mullen said, by expanding circles of influence and giving tattoo artists a platform to publicize their portfolio.

At the same time, using social media as a tattoo reference database blurs the line between being inspired by another artist’s work and plagiarizing it.

Mullen has also identified a haughty attitude among young-

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Polynesian tribal, black and gray portrait and so on. Then, locate an artist whose portfolio displays that genre and provide them with a general concept and visual references, keeping in mind that what seems feasible on paper will not always translate well to the body.

Art by Andrew Mullen of TopNotch Tattoo. er clientele. Some turn up their nose at picking a design off the wall and proclaim that they do not want a tattoo that a million other people could have, naive to the fact that the design they found online is one ten million other people have seen.

As a nod to this irony, Mullen affectionately calls the current tattoo trends “2015 Tribal”: lettering, geometric designs, mandalas and infinity signs are repeatedly requested by the same millennials that mock the multitude of Gen-Xers’ thick black, barbed wire bands on their biceps.

An over-reliance on the internet also ails tattoo artists themselves, Mullen said, citing that industry old-timers refer to this as the “Google flash” generation.

“If someone wants a cardinal and you don’t know how to draw a cardinal, you can go on google and you’ll see people tattooing the first five images over and over,” Mullen explains.

Most importantly, trust the artist — they know what is best in terms of color schemes, body placement and durability over time.

Never Say Dye The tattoo revival is more culturally significant than the return of the wristwatch or The X-Files series comeback, because it has consequences for two or three future generations of people. Our ideas about personal style today will be indelibly recorded on our collective skins fifty years from now.

Today’s artists have a unique opportunity — perhaps even a duty — that their mural-painting and van-decorating predecessors didn’t have.

“Tattooing has such a rich cultural history,” says Mullen.

“It’s important to know where it came from and to understand that this is something that has been around longer than you have. You’re not going to change anything in the industry; the best thing you can do as a tattooer is give the craft the respect that it deserves and sort of carry that torch on to the next generation.” —DV

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“When the representation overshadows the [composition and quality], then you’re taking something that means a lot to you and dragging it through the mud,” said Mullen.

Mullen recommends that prospective clients first figure out what genre of tattoo appeals to them — be it traditional American, traditional Japanese,

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BRAVO job search. Receive help with your resume, cover letter, completing online applications, and more. For more information contact the Kane County Department of Employment and Education at 630-966-1435. 9.30a1p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info

Thu.Jan.28 INSTALL Art Exhibit Nine artists take over Side Street Studio Arts and Next Door Theater. Each artist has been assigned an area to create and exhibit within, from the basement to the kitchen, these amazing artists will turn our space into theirs. The only rule: consider the space in the creation. Exhibit continues thru 1/31, regular gallery hours. Side Street Studio Arts sidestreetstudioarts.org Tattered Covers and All-Night Reads: The Great Children’s Books Our Parents Loved Exhibit Explore the books and characters that took your parents and grandparents on adventures. Readers of all generations will enjoy this exhibit of 75 iconic children’s and young adult books. Memorabilia, vintage film clips and original radio broadcasts are also included. Exhibit continues thru 1/31.

Gail Borden Public Library gailborden. info Terrific Twos Join us for 20 minutes of stories, interactive fingerplays and large muscle activities for 2 year olds and an adult caregiver. Attendance is limited. Registration is required.

During the first week of registration only patrons within the Gail Borden Public Library District may register.

Registration for persons outside of the library district begins the next Monday. Please complete the information below or call our Registration Desk at 847-429-4597. Repeats 2/4, 2/11, 2/18. 9.15a-9.45a, GBPL Comm.

Rm. C gailborden.info Coffee, Conversation and More!

Shales Living Room Informal discussions on topics for people old enough to have a past. This week: Reminiscing - A fun game that will bring back great memories. 9.30a-11a, Rakow Living Room gailborden.info Device Advice Questions about your smartphone, tablet, eReader or laptop? Stop in to Studio 270 with your device for 1:1 help and a cup of coffee or tea! Registration not required.

9.30a-11.30a, GBPL Studio 270 gailborden.info Job Search & Resume Help Drop in for one-on-one assistance with your

Wonderful Ones 15 minutes of short stories, fingerplays, rhymes, music and a movement activity followed by a 15 minute play period. For children 12-23 months with parent or adult caregiver. Registration is required.

Please sign up for only one of the time slots offered so that as many of our customers as possible can enjoy our programming. Repeats 2/4, 2/11, 2/18 9.30a-10a, GBPL Story Room South gailborden.info Terrific Twos Join us for 20 minutes of stories, interactive fingerplays and large muscle activities for 2 year olds and an adult caregiver. Attendance is limited. Registration is required.

During the first week of registration only patrons within the Gail Borden Public Library District may register.

Registration for persons outside of the library district begins the next Monday. Please complete the information below or call our Registration Desk at 847-429-4597. Repeats 2/4, 2/11, 2/18. 10a-10.30a, GBPL Comm.

Rm. C gailborden.info Story Mix for Three to Six Drop in for 30 minutes of picture book stories, fingerplays and songs for children age 3 through Kindergarten. No registration required. Attend any session. Parents must remain in building.

Repeats 2/4, 2/11, 2/18. 10.15a-10.45a, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden. info Terrific Twos Join us for 20 minutes of stories, interactive fingerplays and large muscle activities for 2 year olds and an adult caregiver. Attendance is limited. Registration is required.

During the first week of registration only patrons within the Gail Borden Public Library District may register.

Registration for persons outside of the library district begins the next Monday. Please complete the information below or call our Registration Desk at 847-429-4597. Repeats 2/4, 2/11, 2/18. 10.45a-11.15a, GBPL Comm.

Rm. C gailborden.info Listen, Learn and Lead Toastmasters Club #6974 Become the speaker and leader you want to be.

No registration. Toastmasters will give you the skills and confidence you need to effectively express yourself in any situation. Whether you are a professional, student, stay-at-home parent or retiree, Toastmasters is the most efficient, enjoyable and affordable way of gaining great communication skills. By learning to effectively formulate and express your ideas, you open an entirely new world of possibilities. You’ll be more

persuasive and confident when giving presentations, and you’ll improve your one-on-one dealings with others.

Please join us as a guest! Repeats 2/11. 12p-1p, GBPL South Elgin Room gailborden.info ChessMaster Junior Chess Club for Grades 2-12 Kids and teens are invited to hone their chess skills during our free-play sessions. Beginners are welcome—we will teach you how to play! Repeats 2/4, 2/11, 2/18 4p-5p, GBPL Youth Center - South gailborden.info Coffee with a Cop The mission of Coffee with a Cop is to break down the barriers between police officers and the citizens they serve. This is achieved by removing agendas and allowing opportunities to ask questions, voice concerns, and getting to know the officers in your neighborhood. 6p-7p, Country Donuts Baby Rhyme Time This storytime is for infants 0-11 months with an adult caregiver. Attendance is limited.

Registration is required. During the first week of registration only patrons within the Gail Borden Public Library District may register. Registration for persons outside of the library district begins the next Monday. Please complete the information below or call our Registration Desk at 847-4294597. Repeats Thursdays 2/4, 2/11, 2/18. 6.15p-6.45p, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info German Conversation Group Looking to refresh and even enhance that German you once knew? Join the German Conversation Group, led by John Schwartz, who has lived and traveled extensively in Germany and taught German and other languages.

John will present articles and videos about Germany and German-speaking Europe to be viewed and discussed auf Deutsch in a friendly atmosphere.

No registration. 7p-8.30p, GBPL South Elgin Room gailborden.info Google Tools for Communication Google has lots of free tools that make communicating with others both easy and fun! Come and learn how advanced Gmail features and applications like Google+ and Google Translate can help you streamline electronic communication with family, friends and colleagues. 7p-8.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info Karaoke 8p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com. No Cover

Fri.Jan.29 YWCA Family Literacy Program The YWCA Elgin annually enrolls 40 ESL families in the Family Literacy program, which serves to empower the parent to grow the child. On Fridays, students join together for special interactive activities. 9a-11a, GBPL

2.2 South Elgin Room gailborden.info Baby Rhyme Time This storytime is for infants 0-11 months with an adult caregiver. Attendance is limited.

Registration is required. During the first week of registration only patrons within the Gail Borden Public Library District may register. Registration for persons outside of the library district begins the next Monday. Please complete the information below or call our Registration Desk at 847429-4597. Repeats Fridays 2/5, 2/12, 2/19. 9.15a-9.45a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Wonderful Ones 15 minutes of short stories, fingerplays, rhymes, music and a movement activity followed by a 15 minute play period. For children 12-23 months with parent or adult caregiver. Registration is required.

Please sign up for only one of the time slots offered so that as many of our customers as possible can enjoy our programming. Repeats 2/5, 2/12, 2/19. 10a-10.30a, GBPL Story Room South gailborden.info Elgin Literary Festival Children’s Event SEE PAGE 22. Storytime and craft for kids.Listen to engaging stories, make and take a craft, and have fun during the Elgin Literary Festival’s special event just for kids!Please register. 3p-4.15p, GBPL Comm. Rms. A-B gailborden.info New ! Appy Hour No Registration.

Start the weekend off by stopping by to discover a new fun APP the family can enjoy. Bring your smartphone or tablet. FREE gift for each participating family. 4p-5p, Rakow Children’s Area gailborden.info Elgin Literary Festival SEE PAGE 22. The Elgin Literary Festival is a celebration of the written word taking place in Downtown Elgin, a blooming center of the arts. The Festival aims to highlight bookish culture and provide writers and readers a place to create and appreciate the art of writing, all within the charming architecture and welcoming businesses that are the soul of the City of Elgin.

5p-9p, Hemmens Cultural Center sidestreetstudioarts.org Geek’n Out We celebrate our Geekiness most Fridays!!! We open up our cache of games, play a cool movie or three and have fun!!!! All are welcome!! Each week is a different theme. Play our games or bring your own, anything is cool. Have a regular group going? Meet up at The BBC! Dress up, dress regularly, dress casually..but please be dressed :) 6p-8p, Blue Box Cafe theblueboxcafe. com. Free BBI Energizing audiences around the globe with their universal crowd appeal, BBI is unparalleled by any other regional band. BBI possess an ebullient live spirit that cuts across ages, races and backgrounds. It’s not just the accolades of great songs, and

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February 2016 unforgettable stage show and being well dressed that have elevated BBI to superior status. BBI connects with their audience in the most fundamental way: inspiring people to have a good time. 9p-11.59p, Grand Victoria Casino grandvictoriacasino.com. No Cover Uptown 6 Playing the best singles of the 70’s and 80’s 9p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com. No Cover Medusa’s Jet Night Club 10p-4a, Medusa’s medusachicago.com

Sat.Jan.30 Bison Feeding in Lords Park Join us for an up close and personal look at the bison, deer and elk at the Lords Park Zoo. Meet at the Museum for a short introduction after which we head for the zoo to assist the zookeeper in feeding these magnificent creatures. Space is limited to 12 people, so please register early! Free to museum members. 7a-8.30a, Elgin Public Museum elginpublicmuseum. org. $1-2 Elgin Literary Festival SEE PAGE 22. The Elgin Literary Festival is a celebration of the written word taking place in Downtown Elgin, a blooming center of the arts. The Festival aims to highlight bookish culture and

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provide writers and readers a place to create and appreciate the art of writing, all within the charming architecture and welcoming businesses that are the soul of the City of Elgin.

9a-5p, Hemmens Cultural Center sidestreetstudioarts.org Confi guring Options in WordPress Learn how to improve and manage your WordPress website with plugins.

Also learn how to manage multiple site contributors, comment panels or add interactive forms. 10a-11.30a, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info American Grands XXI With 12 grand pianos generously provided by Cordogan’s Pianoland and close to 500 local performers, American Grands is a musical spectacular not to be missed.

Under the direction of Colin Holman, conductor, and Larry Dieffenbach, musical director, this Fox Valley original is truly “grand.” Repeats at 4p, 7p. 1p, ECC Blizzard Theatre tickets. elgin.edu. $15-24 Creative Aging For All ages. Recent studies have shown the dynamic relationship between healthy aging and creative expression. Our creativity expressed through the arts, movement, in our social relationships, and even in our daily lives can have a positive impact on our outlook, physical fitness and cognitive health.

Join our experts for this interactive

7

presentation and hands on workshop!

Speakers are: Danae Molitor, Certified Personal Trainer/Group Fitness, Yoga and Pilates and “Senior Fit” Instructor Isie Brindley, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor/Certified Color Analyst Jamie Farias, M.Ed., Certified Dementia Specialist from LifeStyle Options. 1.30p-3.30p, GBPL Comm. Rms. A-B-C gailborden.info Manga and Anime Club for Grades 6-12 Have you seen every episode of Attack on Titan? Do you wish more of your friends liked My Neighbor Totoro? Here’s your chance to watch anime, share fan art, and enjoy Japanese snacks while socializing with other fans. Students entering grades 6-12 are welcome - bring a friend!

2p-3.30p, GBPL South Elgin Room gailborden.info American Grands XXI 4p, ECC Blizzard Theatre tickets.elgin.edu. $15-24 Live at the Blue Box Join Rob, Martha and Molly and other hosts from Southgate Media Group as they record live podcasts, do awesome interviews, play great games, chat with special guests and talk about current TV shows, movies and Geek topics.

Audience participation is appreciated, who knows,you may end up on one of the Podcasts!!! Check out our Facebook pages for this weeks topics!

6p-9p, Blue Box Cafe theblueboxcafe. com. Free

American Grands XXI 7p, ECC Blizzard Theatre tickets.elgin.edu. $15-24 Elgin Symphony Orchsetra presents Copland & Shostakovich Andrew Grams, conductor. Copland - Appalachian Spring. Shostakovich - Symphony No. 11 (The Year 1905). Same time, stark difference. Appalachian Spring is about the great promises for the future of America. At the same time, on the other side of the world, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 11 details the starkness of the 1905 Russian Revolution. The music takes you to two completely different places that took place at the same time in history. This program contrasts the optimism and hope of the early 20th Century America with the pessimism and great struggle of Russia during the same period. Copland’s Appalachian Spring, written in 1944, tells the story of an American family building a life together - a story of hopes and dreams! In 1957, Shostakovich wrote his 11th symphony. This symphony depicts all of the things that led up to the Russian Revolution of 1905‚ the struggle, the toil, the torment, and the bitter clashes between the people and the authorities. 7.30p-9.30p, Hemmens Cultural Center elginsymphony.org. $30-65 And Beyond And Beyond is an experience to see and hear! This is not

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your ordinary Classic Rock Band. As the song list will reveal, And Beyond will take you ‘beyond the edge’ of classic rock, covering a wide variety of artists spanning five decades, such as: Bon Jovi, Journey, Styx, REO, Aerosmith, and Led Zeppelin, as well as Neon Trees, Sublime, Alice in Chains, Blink 182, and even occasionally will throw in some Neil Diamond, Big and Rich or Luke Bryan. The variety of music they cover, surprises and crosses over generations. 9p-11.59p, Grand Victoria Casino grandvictoriacasino.com. No Cover Nick Moss Band Distinct, honest, and intense — a blend of traditional blues and progressive, jam-oriented blues rock. Face-melting guitar solos that rise above the crowded field of pretenders, and a versatile band that brilliantly delivers unparalleled improvisational jams to packed houses night after night, city after city. 9p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com. No Cover Party Obvious 9p, D Hangout Bar & Grill d-hangout.com. No Cover Medusa Saturday’s 10.30p-4a, Medusa’s medusachicago.com

Sun.Jan.31 Elgin Knit Works Open Knit 1p-4p, Elgin Knit Works elginknitworks.com Explorar Internet (Exploring the Internet) Aprenda como se navega en Internet. No hace falta tener la tarjeta de la biblioteca para tomar las clases pero se require inscripcion ya que el espacio es limitado. #basics 2p-3.30p, GBPL Computer Training

FEED.colorcode Bands & Music

Theater & Dance

Kids & Families

Lectures & Learning Exhibits & Film Creativity Causes & Community Other

Elgin Symphony Orchsetra presents Copland & Shostakovich Andrew Grams, conductor. Copland - Appalachian Spring. Shostakovich - Symphony No. 11 (The Year 1905). Same time, stark difference. Appalachian Spring is about the great promises for the future of America. At the same time, on the other side of the world, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 11 details the starkness of the 1905 Russian Revolution. The music takes you to two completely different places that took place at the same time in history. This program contrasts the optimism and hope of the early 20th Century America with the pessimism and great struggle of Russia during the same period. Copland’s Appalachian Spring, written in 1944, tells the story of an American family building a life together - a story of hopes and dreams! In 1957, Shostakovich wrote his 11th symphony. This symphony depicts all of the things that led up to the Russian Revolution of 1905‚ the struggle, the toil, the torment, and the bitter clashes between the people and the authorities. 2.30p-4.30p, Hemmens Cultural Center elginsymphony.org. $30-65 Martini Room’s & Vino Van Gogh Painting Event “Vintage Dress” on 12 x 12 canvas. 7p-9p, Martini Room martiniroomelgin.com. $38

Mon.Feb.1 Wonderful Ones 15 minutes of short stories, fingerplays, rhymes, music and a movement activity followed by a 15 minute play period. For children 12-23 months with parent or adult caregiver. Registration is required.

Please sign up for only one of the time slots offered so that as many of our customers as possible can enjoy our programming. Repeats 2/8, 2/15, 2/22. 9.15a-9.30a, Rakow Living Room gailborden.info Story Mix for Three to Six Drop in for 30 minutes of picture book stories, fingerplays and songs for children age 3 through Kindergarten. No registration required. Attend any session. Parents must remain in building. Repeats 2/8, 2/15, 2/22.

9.30a-10a, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden.info

stories, fingerplays and songs for children age 3 through Kindergarten. No registration required. Attend any session. Parent must remain in building. Repeats 2/8, 2/15, 2/22.

3.30p-4p, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden.info Wonderful Ones 15 minutes of short stories, fingerplays, rhymes, music and a movement activity followed by a 15 minute play period. For children 12-23 months with parent or adult caregiver. Registration is required.

Please sign up for only one of the time slots offered so that as many of our customers as possible can enjoy our programming. Repeats 2/8, 2/15, 2/22. 5.30p-6p, GBPL Story Room South gailborden.info

2.2 9.30a-11.45a, GBPL Comm. Rms. A-B gailborden.info Story Mix for Three to Six Drop in for 30 minutes of picture book stories, fingerplays and songs for children age 3 through Kindergarten. No registration required. Attend any session. Parents must remain in building.

Repeats 2/9, 2/16. 10a-10.30a, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden.info Internet Basics Are you an internet novice in need of more information?

If so, sign up for Internet Basics!

Learn basic internet terminology and how to navigate a browser, locate a website, identify common domains and stay safe while searching in this class. 11a-12.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info

The Gaming Event Players in grades 3-up are welcome to come to this monthly drop-in event. Play Pokemon(tm), Yu-Gi-Oh(tm), and other role-playing games (Don’t know how to play? We will teach you and get you started). Bring your cards to play or trade. No registration required. 6p-8p, GBPL Comm. Rms. B-C gailborden.info

Pediatric Therapeutic Playgroup An inclusive playgroup for children who currently receive therapy services or may benefit from therapeutic play, ages 0 - 5. This unique playgroup offers opportunities for children to focus on developmental play while families meet and find support.

Repeats 2/9, 2/16. 11a-11.45a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info

Wonderful Ones 15 minutes of short stories, fingerplays, rhymes, music and a movement activity followed by a 15 minute play period. For children 12-23 months with parent or adult caregiver. Registration is required.

Please sign up for only one of the time slots offered so that as many of our customers as possible can enjoy our programming. Repeats 2/8, 2/15, 2/22. 6.15p-6.45p, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info

Job Search & Resume Help Drop in for one-on-one assistance with your job search. Receive help with your resume, cover letter, completing online applications, and more. For more information contact the Kane County Department of Employment and Education at 630-966-1435. 1p4p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info

Family Jam Take a break as a family after your busy day with 30 minutes of active movement, stories and fun! 6.30p-7p, GBPL Comm. Rm. A gailborden.info Poetry Writers Workshop Come share your love of poetry! This is a group for local poets to share what they have written. Gareth Mann Sitz, poet and songwriter, will facilitate.

No registration. 6.30p-8.30p, GBPL Conference Room gailborden.info Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting 7p-8p, Elgin City Hall cityofelgin.org

Tue.Feb.2

Wonderful Ones 15 minutes of short stories, fingerplays, rhymes, music and a movement activity followed by a 15 minute play period. For children 12-23 months with parent or adult caregiver. Registration is required.

Please sign up for only one of the time slots offered so that as many of our customers as possible can enjoy our programming. Repeats 2/8, 2/15, 2/22. 10a-10.15a, Rakow Living Room gailborden.info

Wonderful Ones 15 minutes of short stories, fingerplays, rhymes, music and a movement activity followed by a 15 minute play period. For children 12-23 months with parent or adult caregiver. Registration is required.

Please sign up for only one of the time slots offered so that as many of our customers as possible can enjoy our programming. Repeats 2/9, 2/16.

9.15a-9.45a, GBPL Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info

Story Mix for Three to Six Drop in for 30 minutes of picture book

Elgin Genealogical Society Elgin Genealogical Society monthly meeting

Rakow Rooks Chess Club Kids are invited to hone their chess skills at Rakow Branch. Beginners are welcome. Intermediate or Advanced players can play opponents or work on chess puzzles. Chess sets available or bring your own. Repeats 2/9, 2/16. 4.30p-5.30p, Rakow Children’s Area gailborden.info Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee 6p-7p, Centre of Elgin cityofelgin.org Terrific Twos Join us for 20 minutes of stories, interactive fingerplays and large muscle activities for 2 year olds and an adult caregiver. Attendance is limited. Registration is required.

During the first week of registration only patrons within the Gail Borden Public Library District may register.

Registration for persons outside of the library district begins the next Monday. Please complete the information below or call our Registration Desk at 847-429-4597. Repeats 2/9, 2/16. 6.15p-6.45p, GBPL Story Room South gailborden.info Grupo de Conversacion en Ingles/ English Conversation Group Practice having everyday conversations in English, improve your pronunciation and gain confidence with a tutor from the Literacy Connection. No registration.Practica conversar en ingles,

BRAVO

February 2016 mejora tu pronunciacion y adquiere confianza con un tutor del Literacy Connection. No hace falta inscribirse.

6.30p-7.30p, GBPL Conference Room gailborden.info Human Relations Commission 6.30p-7.30p, Elgin City Hall cityofelgin.org Heritage Commission 7p-8p, Elgin City Hall cityofelgin.org Open Mic Night 7p-11p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com. No Cover Resume Open Lab Put what you’ve learned in the Resume classes to work by coming in and working on your own resume with an instructor available for questions and help! Must bring a copy of your resume on a flash drive or have available in email.

7p-8.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info Story Mix for Three to Six Drop in for 30 minutes of picture book stories, fingerplays and songs for children age 3 through Kindergarten. No registration required. Attend any session. Parents must remain in building.

Repeats 2/9, 2/16. 7p-7.30p, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden.info

Wed.Feb.3

Elgin Knit Works Open Knit 5p-8p, Elgin Knit Works elginknitworks.com Clase Futuros Bilingues / Go Bilingual Class Lecciones y conversacion en ingles y espanol. No hace falta inscribirse. English and Spanish lessons and conversations. No registration. 6p-7p, GBPL South Elgin Room gailborden.info Cuentos para la familia/Spanish Family Storytime 30 minutes of interactive stories, songs and fun for parents and children to enjoy together. 30 minutos de cuentos musica, rimas, manualidades y mucho mas para el disfrute de toda la familia! No necestia registrarse. Para todas las edades. 6.30p-7p, GBPL Story Room gailborden.info Duct Tape Workshop for Grades 6-8 Learn how to make a duct tape wallet, construct a rose, or develop your own unique duct-tape design. 7p-8p, GBPL Middle School Zone gailborden. info Microsoft Excel 2013: Basics Microsoft Excel allows users to work with numbers and data by creating spreadsheets. This class introduces you to spreadsheets and covers topics like how to create/modify them, format cells and add borders to columns and rows. 7p-8.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info

Job Training Information Session Training grants are available to help you get a job! Learn about WIOA services and the application process.

This program is in partnership with the Kane County Department of Community Reinvestment. For more information, call 630-966-1435, ext.

40078. 9.30a-11a, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info

Walking Book Club A 45 minute walk followed by a 45 minute book discussion 7p-8.30p, GBPL The Centre of Elgin gailborden.info

1, 2, 3 Go! Families with 1, 2, and 3 year olds are invited to enjoy stories, rhymes and musical activities together. Repeats 2/10, 2/17. No registration required. 10a-10.30a, GBPL Comm.

Rms. A-B-C gailborden.info

Terrifi c Twos 9.15a-9.45a, GBPL Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info

Drop-In Winter Story Time Join Ms. Angela for 30 minutes of stories, songs and finger puppets. 10.30a-11a, Rakow Children’s Area gailborden.info Live Web Chat with the Mayor 12p-2.30p, Elgin City Hall cityofelgin. org Tablet Apps Bring your tablet and learn about some of the best apps for enhancing your life and having fun with your device. Familiarity with your tablet and how to download apps are required. 1p-2.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info Inklings Join other teen writers and staff to help you through the creative writing process. Learn how to develop ideas into finished stories, poetry, lyrics¬óor any other kind of writing that interests you. Feel free to bring any of your own writing with you. For teens in grades 9-12. 4p-6p, GBPL Studio 270 gailborden.info

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Karaoke 8p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com. No Cover

Thu.Feb.4 Device Advice Drop by the Rakow Branch for hands-on learning. You are welcome to bring your own devices. 9.30a-11.30a, Rakow Computer Cafe gailborden.info Job Search & Resume Help Drop in for one-on-one assistance with your job search. Receive help with your resume, cover letter, completing online applications, and more. For more information contact the Kane County Department of Employment and Education at 630-966-1435. 9.30a1p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info Wonderful Ones 9.30a-10a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Terrifi c Twos 10a-10.30a, GBPL Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info Story Mix for Three to Six 10.15a-10.45a, GBPL Story Room North gailborden.info Terrifi c Twos 10.45a-11.15a, GBPL Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info Audio Lab Teens can learn how to

Have a Heart

Community Dinner A free dinner for the entire community.

Saturday, Feb. 13th • 11AM - 2PM First United Methodist Church

216 East Highland Avenue, Elgin No tickets • No reservations • Just join us!

To volunteer your help, call (847) 888-9486 or email ITNDeli@gmail.com Monetary Donations accepted at the event or in advance at In The Neighborhood Deli Make checks payable to “Elgin Community Network”

Dessert donations accepted at the event

BRAVO

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Google Tools for Collaboration Google’s free collaboration tools make it easy to share information and work on projects with folks across town, across the country and across the world. Come and learn how applications like Google Drive, Google Docs and Google Hangouts make it possible in this fun class. 7p-8.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden. info

ChessMaster Junior Chess Club for Grades 2-12 4p-5p, GBPL Youth Center - South gailborden.info

Shared Harvest FED Talks Hear three powerful 15-minute talks by local folks that will change your outlook on food, local food systems, and the sustainability and health of our food supply. This Program is sponsored by Shared Harvest, the Food Cooperative as we foster our mission to educate the community about food and what it means to our own health as well as economic wellness. Healthy food snacks provided! 7p-8p, GBPL Comm Room A gailborden.info. Free

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Interactive Movie Grades 1 & Up. Celebrate Harry Potter Book Night with the story that started the magic! All registered attendees will receive a prop bag for participating in the action on-screen. Children under the age of eight must be accompanied by an adult. 6p-8.30p, GBPL Elgin Room gailborden.info

Yoga Fácil Stretch your body, relieve stress and calm your mind during this hour of yoga with Pita Betancourt.

Presented in Spanish. No registration.

Estira tu cuerpo, alivia las tensiones y calma tu mente durante esta hora de yoga con Pita Betancourt. Sera presentado en espanol. No hace falta inscribirse. 7p-8p, GBPL Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info

Baby Rhyme Time 6.15p-6.45p, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden. info

The Ballroom Thieves Acoustic guitar, cello, percussion, and soaring three-part harmonies-this trio brings unprecedented raw energy to their acoustic instrumentation. The Ballroom Thieves create a captivating mélange of acoustic styles-blending folk conventions with modern hymnals, delta blues grit with rich harmonies-all while exploring the basic constructions of pop music and (almost) wholeheartedly rejecting its restrictions at the same time. 7.30p, ECC SecondSpace Theatre tickets. elgin.edu. $25

create and edit a professional quality audio recording in our state of the art digital media lab. For teens in grades 9-12. 4p-6p, GBPL Studio 270 gailborden.info

Grupo de Conversacion para la Ciudadania/Citizenship Conversation Group Necesitas practicar tu ingles para el examen de la ciudadania? Ven a este grupo gratis para repasar y practicar el ingles que vas a necesitar pra la entrevista y las 100 preguntas del examen de historia y civica.

El grupo es liderado por un tutor y cualquiera puede asistir. Presentado por The Literacy Connection. No hace falta inscribirse. Do you need to practice English for your naturalization/citizenship test? Come to this free group and practice the spoken English you will need for the interview and the 100 questions from the history/civics test. This group will be led by a tutor and is open to all. Presented by The Literacy Connection.

No registration. 6.30p-7.30p, GBPL South Elgin Room gailborden.info

FEED.colorcode Bands & Music

Theater & Dance

Kids & Families

Lectures & Learning Exhibits & Film Creativity Causes & Community Other

Karaoke 8p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com. No Cover

Fri.Feb.5 Baby Rhyme Time 9.15a-9.45a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Wonderful Ones 10a-10.30a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Downtown Elgin First Friday’s Experience the heart of Elgin through local arts, businesses and themed events for all ages. 5p, Various Downtown Elgin Locations Geek’n Out We celebrate our Geekiness most Fridays!!! We open up our cache of games, play a cool movie or three and have fun!!!! All are welcome!! Each week is a different theme. Play our games or bring your own, anything is cool. Have a regular group going? Meet up at The BBC! Dress up, dress regularly, dress casually..but please be dressed :)

6p-8p, Blue Box Cafe theblueboxcafe. com. Free Brushed Chicago’s Mardi Gras Sugar Skull Blackhawk Paintings 6.30p-9p, BrushedChicago brushedchicago.com. $30 Ola la Ijorere’s BlackHawk Dreams Join us for our Rhythms, Art & Wine Night. Perfect for BlackHawk Fans! No painting experience neccessary, our fabulous paint artist will guide you step-by-step through this featured painting. 6.30p-9p, Ola la Ijorere. $28 Spotlight Youth Theater’s Wizard of Oz A young farm girl named Dorothy is caught in a twister that carries her over the rainbow and into the land of Oz. There she meets a scarecrow with no brain, a tin man with no heart and a lion with no courage. Together they embark down the yellow brick road to meet the Wizard, destroy the Wicked Witch of the West, and find a way home. This classic tale is presented in a way that will make you fall in love with the land of Oz all over again. Also 2/6 at 2p and 6p, 2/7 at 2p. 7p, Hemmens Cultural Center spotlight.org. $9-14 First Fridays Improv with GreenRoom Productions 2016 Let us help banish those winter blues with some good old fashioned laughter! 100% clean. 99.27% hilarious. 90 minutes of complete improvisation a la Whose Line Is It Anyway. With competing teams, live music and a cash bar who knows what the night will hold. Great fun for all ages! General Admission.

8p-9.45p, Hemmens Cultural Center greenroomimprov.com. $12-15 DJ “Quick Mix Mike” 9p, D Hangout Bar & Grill d-hangout.com. No Cover Just Enuff Just Enuff, America’s Favorite Rock Trio®, faithfully reproduces the sounds of a 60’s coffee house folk duo, a 70’s super group, an 80’s power pop band and an authentic British Invasion act - all without wigs, costume changes, stacks of amplification or gimmicks. Just Enuff is pure and simple Rock and Roll! 9p-11.59p, Grand Victoria Casino grandvictoriacasino.com. No Cover Moonlighters Moonlighters have been entertaining Chicagoland and NW Suburbans audiences with their hip arrangements of flashback favorites since 2005. Come out to enjoy with friends 9p, Walnut Speakeasy thewalnutspeakeasy.com. No Cover Tomorrow Never Knows 9p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin. com. No Cover Medusa’s Jet Night Club 10p-4a, Medusa’s medusachicago.com

Sat.Feb.6

2.2 Maintaining Your WordPress Website Discover options for securing, updating and backing up your WordPress website. Then dive deeper to learn the best options for managing the performance of your site.

10a-11.30a, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info 11th Annual Black History Family Festival With the theme “Hallowed Grounds: Sites of African American Memories”, the festival is proud to host award-winning author and lecturer Glennette Tilly Turner, who will present her nationally recognized Underground Railroad research program.The festival will also feature: Presentation of our Future African American Leaders; Entertainment, and refreshments; Second Baptist’s Church Sankofa Wax Museum: Exhibit to honor African American local historians; Children’s crafts, stories and more. Everyone is invited as the Black History Family Festival continues to celebrate diversity as it works to bridge all cultures by promoting literacy through arts and education.

1p-5p, GBPL Comm. Rms. A-B-C gailborden.info. Free Welcome Baby! Baby’s First Library Visit Welcome Baby! Bring baby and baby’s new library card to this class designed especially for Baby’s First Library Card holders. Learn about programs and resources to support your baby’s early literacy development and receive a special gift! For babies up to six months old and their parents. Registration preferred. 1p3p, Rakow Children’s Area gailborden. info Spotlight Youth Theater’s Wizard of Oz 2p, Hemmens Cultural Center spotlight.org Lyrics 101: Lyrics Writing Workshop Lyrics 101 is a one of a kind workshop curated by Andrew Moore, known on-stage and within the industry simply as Moore. With an emphasis on writing lyrics for Hip Hop music, the workshop will cover six main topics: music theory, literary/poetic devices, importance of social conscience, content within songs, cadence, and vocal delivery.$10 Suggested Donation.All ages are welcome. 4p, Side Street Studio Arts sidestreetstudioarts.org. $10 donation Live at the Blue Box Join Rob, Martha and Molly and other hosts from Southgate Media Group as they record live podcasts, do awesome interviews, play great games, chat with special guests and talk about current TV shows, movies and Geek topics.

Audience participation is appreciated, who knows,you may end up on one of the Podcasts!!! Check out our Facebook pages for this weeks topics!

6p-9p, Blue Box Cafe theblueboxcafe. com. Free

BRAVO

February 2016 Spotlight Youth Theater’s Wizard of Oz 6p, Hemmens Cultural Center spotlight.org Classical Blast Classical Blast blurs musical lines, melding classical music into classic rock hits or rocking music

by Beethoven, Bach and composers from other centuries, sometimes adding original lyrics. From Bach to classic rock to metal to pop, we hope you’ll find our approach to music a refreshing change. It’s the past, present & future all brought together in perfect harmony! An evening with Classical Blast is a total blast for any age! 9p-11.59p, Grand Victoria Casino grandvictoriacasino.com. No Cover No Limits 9p, D Hangout Bar & Grill d-hangout.com. No Cover The Clowder Their sound is often described as a mix between a 60’s blues rock band and a 90’s grunge/alternative group. 9p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com. No Cover Medusa Saturday’s 10.30p-4a, Medusa’s medusachicago.com

Sun.Feb.7 Practice ACT test Gail Borden Public Library, in conjunction with Sylvan Learning Center, will provide a practice ACT test. Students should be juniors in high school. The student, with a parent, must return to the library on a future date to receive test scores. Students may bring an ACT approved calculator, and a water bottle if desired. Return date to receive scores will be Tuesday February 16 at 7:00 PM. 12.15p-4.45p, GBPL Comm.

Rms. A-B-C gailborden.info Elgin Knit Works Open Knit 1p-4p, Elgin Knit Works elginknitworks.com FAFSA assistance at the library FAFSA assistance at the library 1p3p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info Mardi Gras Family Fun Registration required. Celebrate 2016 Mardi Gras!

No need to buy beads and take the family to New Orleans, revel right here at The Rakow Branch! Listen to Jazz music, learn about Mardi Gras and design a mask or decorate a shoebox sized float. Can’t make the date? Ask for a take-out box! (Limited quantity). 2p-3p, Rakow Children’s Area gailborden.info Spotlight Youth Theater’s Wizard of Oz 2p, Hemmens Cultural Center spotlight.org

Mon.Feb.8 Wonderful Ones 9.15a-9.30a, Rakow Living Room gailborden.info Story Mix for Three to Six 9.30a-10a, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden.info Wonderful Ones 10a-10.15a, Rakow

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Living Room gailborden.info Brown Bag Lunch Classic Films - Father of the Bride (1950, NR) Stanley T. Banks (Spencer Tracy) is a securely middle-class lawyer whose daughter Kay (Elizabeth Taylor) announces that she’s going to marry her beau Buckley Dunstan (Don Taylor). From that point on, everything in Stanley’s life is turned upside down.

With Joan Bennett, Billie Burke and Russ Tamblyn. (Not rated, 92 minutes) 11a-1.30p, GBPL Comm. Rms. A-B gailborden.info Spanish Cafe/Cafe en Espanol Looking for an opportunity to practice your Spanish conversation skills?

Then join this drop-in group that meets the second Monday of each month. Take part in a weekly topic of discussion, learn new vocabulary and put your listening skills to the test. No registration. 12p-1p, GBPL Conference Room gailborden.info Story Mix for Three to Six 3.30p-4p, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden. info STEAMologists Science Technology Engineering Arts and Math! Kids in first-fifth grade will be exploring, experimenting and creating. 4p-5p, GBPL Comm. Rms. A-B-C gailborden. info Video Lab Teens can learn how to create and edit a professional quality video recording in our state of the art digital media lab. For teens in grades 9-12. 4p-6p, GBPL Studio 270 gailborden.info QuickBooks: Working with Items Learn how to work with QuickBooks’ Items module as well as how to define, set up, edit and delete items in class three of the series. 5p-6.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info Wonderful Ones 5.30p-6p, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Wonderful Ones 6.15p-6.45p, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Family Jam Take a break as a family after your busy day with 30 minutes of active movement, stories and fun! 6.30p-7p, GBPL Comm. Rm. A gailborden.info Great Books Discussion Group Meetings are held on the second Monday of the month at 6:55 pm in the Conference Room. For more information, call Jeanne Hebeisen at 847-741-6264. Co-sponsored by the American Association of University Women Elgin Branch. 7p-8.30p, GBPL Conference Room gailborden. info Quickbooks: Working with Items Learn how to work with Quickbooks’ Items module as well as how to define, set up, edit and delete items in class three of the series. 7p-8.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info

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BRAVO

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Tue.Feb.9 Wonderful Ones 9.15a-9.45a, GBPL Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info Panera Milk & Cookie Storytime The Gail Borden Public Library and Panera Bread are partnering to sponsor this program to be held at Panera Bread, 322 Randall Road, South Elgin. Your preschooler will enjoy stories read by a library staff member, followed by a milk and cookie snack compliments of Panera. Please register for each program you would like to attend.

9.30a-10a, GBPL Restaurant gailborden.info Email Basics Need to create an email account but unsure of how to get started? Register for Email Basics!

Topics covered in this class include selecting an email provider, creating and managing an account, and sending/receiving messages. 11a-12.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info Pediatric Therapeutic Playgroup 11a-11.45a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Armchair Generals - Mary Todd and the Spiritualist Movement A Brown Bag Civil War and Lincoln Interest Group. Presentation by Michael Murschel. 11.45a-1.15p, GBPL Comm. Rms. A-B gailborden.info Armchair Generals Simulcast A Brown Bag Civil War and Lincoln Interest Group. Presentation by Michael Murschel simulcast from the main library Meadows Community Room. 11.45a-1.15p, Rakow Living Room gailborden.info Job Search & Resume Help Drop

FEED.colorcode Bands & Music

Theater & Dance

Kids & Families

Lectures & Learning Exhibits & Film Creativity Causes & Community Other

in for one-on-one assistance with your job search. Receive help with your resume, cover letter, completing online applications, and more. For more information contact the Kane County Department of Employment and Education at 630-966-1435. 1p4p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info

Training grants are available to help you get a job! Learn about WIOA services and the application process.

This program is in partnership with the Kane County Department of Community Reinvestment. For more information, call 630-966-1435, ext.

40078. 9.30a-11a, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info

Rakow Rooks Chess Club 4.30p-5.30p, Rakow Children’s Area gailborden.info

1, 2, 3 Go! 10a-10.30a, GBPL Comm.

Rms. A-B-C gailborden.info

Pizza & Books Stop by Studio 270 for a slice of pizza and join in on the conversation. We will be talking about books that we are currently reading.

For teens in grades 9-12. 6p-7p, GBPL Studio 270 gailborden.info Steamin’ Barricudas Cajun zydeco band. 6p-10p, Grand Victoria Casino grandvictoriacasino.com. No Cover Terrific Twos 6.15p-6.45p, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Grupo de Conversacion en Ingles/ English Conversation Group Practice having everyday conversations in English, improve your pronunciation and gain confidence with a tutor from the Literacy Connection. No registration.Practica conversar en ingles, mejora tu pronunciacion y adquiere confianza con un tutor del Literacy Connection. No hace falta inscribirse.

6.30p-7.30p, GBPL Conference Room gailborden.info A Bailar! Cumbia Get your shoes ready, instructor Celia Cruz will get your heart beating and your hips swaying in this fun class for all! No previous experience is required, all levels and ages are welcome. No registration. Prepara tus zapatos para lecciones de baile. No requiere experiencia previa, todo tipo de nivel y edad es bienvenido. No hace falta inscribirse. 7p-8p, GBPL Comm. Rms. A-B gailborden.info Finding Jobs Online With so many job search engines it can be confusing to understand all their functions and features. Come to this class and learn how to use the most popular search engines to create specialized searches, filter options and optimize your time when searching for jobs!

7p-8.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info Library Board Meeting Monthly meeting of the Library Board which is generally held on the second Tuesday of the month. 7p-9p, GBPL South Elgin Room gailborden.info Open Mic Night 7p-11p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com. No Cover Story Mix for Three to Six 7p-7.30p, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden. info

Wed.Feb.10 Job Training Information Session

Drop-In Winter Story Time Join Ms. Angela for 30 minutes of stories, songs and finger puppets. 10.30a-11a, Rakow Children’s Area gailborden.info Free Entertainment Apps From Your Library Did you know there are free eBooks, audiobooks, documentaries and movies available through the library? Bring your tablet and learn how to download them to your device! Familiarity with your tablet, how to download apps and a library card are required. 1p-2.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden. info Minecraft for Grades 3-5 All experience levels are welcome! Beginners can learn how to play; experts can show off their amazing skills by competing in a building challenge with friends. 4p-5p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info Elgin Knit Works Open Knit 5p-8p, Elgin Knit Works elginknitworks.com Clase Futuros Bilingues / Go Bilingual Class Lecciones y conversacion en ingles y espanol. No hace falta inscribirse. English and Spanish lessons and conversations. No registration. 6p-7p, GBPL South Elgin Room gailborden.info Cuentos para la familia/Spanish Family Storytime 30 minutes of interactive stories, songs and fun for parents and children to enjoy together. ! 30 minutos de cuentos musica, rimas, manualidades y mucho mas para el disfrute de toda la familia! No necestia registrarse. Para todas las edades. 6.30p-7p, GBPL Story Room gailborden.info Microsoft Excel 2013: Charts & Graphs Charts and graphs can enhance the visual appeal of numbers as well as make it easier to interpret the story they’re telling. Learn how easy it is to create them--and share a graphical representation of your data--in this class. 7p-8.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden. info Walking Book Club A 45 minute walk followed by a 45 minute book discussion 7p-8.30p, GBPL The Centre of Elgin gailborden.info Karaoke 8p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com. No Cover

Thu.Feb.11 Coffee, Conversation and More!

2.2 Shales Living Room Informal discussions on topics for people old enough to have a past. This week - Visit with comfort dogs and share stories about your beloved pets. 9.30a-11a, Rakow Living Room gailborden.info Device Advice Questions about your smartphone, tablet, eReader or laptop? Stop in to Studio 270 with your device for 1:1 help and a cup of coffee or tea! Registration not required.

9.30a-11.30a, GBPL Studio 270 gailborden.info Job Search & Resume Help Drop in for one-on-one assistance with your job search. Receive help with your resume, cover letter, completing online applications, and more. For more information contact the Kane County Department of Employment and Education at 630-966-1435. 9.30a1p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info Wonderful Ones 9.30a-10a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Story Mix for Three to Six 10.15a-10.45a, GBPL Story Room North gailborden.info Terrific Twos 10.45a-11.15a, GBPL Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info Listen, Learn and Lead Toastmasters Club #6974 12p-1p, GBPL South Elgin Room gailborden.info ChessMaster Junior Chess Club for Grades 2-12 4p-5p, GBPL Youth Center - South gailborden.info Sweets for your Sweetheart Stop in and make your own candy by experimenting with candy melts. For teens in grades 9-12. 5p-7p, GBPL Studio 270 gailborden.info Selling on eBay Selling on eBay is fun and can be a great way to earn extra cash for little-used items or personal business pursuits! Learn how to create an auction, employ selling strategies that maximize profit, navigate the ins and outs of eBay’s rules and earn a seller rating that will boost future business in this class. #software&apps 6p-7.30p, Rakow Living Room gailborden.info Baby Rhyme Time This storytime is for infants 0-11 months with an adult caregiver. Attendance is limited.

Registration is required. During the first week of registration only patrons within the Gail Borden Public Library District may register. Registration for persons outside of the library district begins the next Monday. Please complete the information below or call our Registration Desk at 847-4294597. 6.15p-6.45p, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Geneaology Writers’ Group Learn tips and tricks from others with a similar interest in writing their family history. 6.30p-8p, GBPL Conference Room gailborden.info Ola la Ijorere’s Heart Doodles Join

BRAVO

February 2016 us for our Rhythms, Art & Wine Night.

A Family Night, prelude to Valentine’s Day Special. No painting experience neccessary, our fabulous paint artist will guide you step-by-step through this featured painting. 6.30p-9p, Ola la Ijorere. $28 Basic Budgeting: Tools and Techniques Too much month at the end of your money? Having trouble making ends meet? Need to get control of your finances? Making more and saving less? Then Basic Budgeting is right for you! This workshop, facilitated by Ed Beckstrom, Ed.D., National Certified Financial Professional for the not-for-profit Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) of Northern Illinois, is designed to assist you in setting up a budget and control your finances. Please register.

7p-8.30p, GBPL Elgin Room gailborden.info Google Tools for Productivity Google’s productivity tools , like Forms, Slides, Sheets, Calendar and Tasks, make it easy to stay organized and on top of your work and commitment.

Come and learn how to use them-and other productivity tools--in this class. 7p-8.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info Herramientas y Tecnicas de Presupuestos B!sicos Esta presentacion te proveera con herramientas y tecnicas que puede utilizar para establecer un presupuesto basico y controlar tus finanzas. Sera facilitado por Richard Almeida, Consejero Financiero Nacionalmente Certificado para Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) del Norte de Illinois, una organizacion sin fines de lucro. Favor de inscribirse.

7p-8.30p, GBPL South Elgin Room gailborden.info Karaoke 8p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com. No Cover

Fri.Feb.12 Baby Rhyme Time 9.15a-9.45a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Wonderful Ones 10a-10.30a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Geek’n Out We celebrate our Geekiness most Fridays!!! We open up our cache of games, play a cool movie or three and have fun!!!! All are welcome!! Each week is a different theme. Play our games or bring your own, anything is cool. Have a regular group going? Meet up at The BBC! Dress up, dress regularly, dress casually..but please be dressed :) 6p-8p, Blue Box Cafe theblueboxcafe. com. Free Elgin Symphony’s A Rodgers & Hammerstein Celebration Rodgers and Hammerstein are synonymous with the “Golden Age” of Musical Theater. Stellar soprano, Jenn Gambatese, joins ESO after her debut with the Lyric Opera in 2014 as “Maria” in

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The Sound of Music. You’ll hear your toe-tapping favorites from Carousel, The King and I and Oklahoma.

And, we bet you’ll say “I remember that one!” when the orchestra plays nostalgic pieces from The Sound of Music and South Pacific. 7.30p, Schaumburg Prairie Center for the Arts, elginsymphony.org. $30-45 The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Elgin Fringe Festival and Side Street present “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: A Tribute to St. Valentine’s Day” a variety show featuring David Boyle, Captain Ambivalent, and many more to be announced. Save $2 with your 2015 EFF button. 8p, Side Street Studio Arts sidestreetstudioarts.org. $10-12 donation

10 douglas avenue downtown Elgin ( 2 2 4 ) 2 2 3 - 7 7 1 8 s o u l f u l s p a r r o w. c o m hours: tuesday & friday 10a-6p wednesday & thursday 10a-8p saturday 10a-4p sunday 12p-4p

love locks

Blues Heart Band 9p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com. No Cover Eleventh Hour Eleventh Hour is a high energy, live performance band covering everyone’s favorite pop, rock and dance songs from the past to the present. 9p-11.59p, Grand Victoria Casino grandvictoriacasino.com. No Cover

for valentine’s day

Around the world, “Love Locks” hang from bridges, gates and railings symbolizing the union of two hearts in a permanent bond.

Live Pete Show The midwest most talked about lounge and stage show.

Back by popular demand! Tell your friends! 9p, Walnut Speakeasy thewalnutspeakeasy.com. No Cover

N o w t h r o u g h Va l e n t i n e ’ s D a y, b e a p a r t of the Love Lock tradition by attaching your own padlock in our display window with a donation of $10 or more to the Wo m e n ’ s C r i s i s C e n t e r.

Medusa’s Jet Night Club 10p-4a, Medusa’s medusachicago.com

Locks available for purchase $3 each.

Sat.Feb.13 Family Valentine Tea Registered families with children ages 3-6 are cordially invited to celebrate Valentine’s Day with stories, songs and a craft. Registration begins Monday January 25th in person at the Registration Desk or by phone at 847-4294597. 9.30a-10a, GBPL Comm. Rms. A-B-C gailborden.info Hosting Your WordPress Website Learn how to choose a hosting service that suits your WordPress website. We’ll also cover setting up an FTP account and creating a database.

10a-11.30a, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info Read to Rover Tails are wagging at Read to Rover. School-aged kids may practice their reading skills by cuddling up with a good book and reading aloud to a fully trained and certified therapy dog. Repeats 10.30a, 11a, 11.30a. 10a-10.15a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Read to Rover 10.30a-10.45a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Family Valentine Tea Registered families with children ages 3-6 are cordially invited to celebrate Valentine’s Day with stories, songs and a craft. Registration begins Monday

only at soulful sparrow

stop in to

soulful sparrow

Vintage Shop Hop

during the annual

March 4-5 2016

Annual self-guided tour of over 200 vintage shops in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin.

Locations are listed on Facebook f a c e b o o k . c o m / Vi n t a g e S h o p H o p E v e n t

re f re s h m e n t s , o n e - d ay s p e c i a l s . . . a n d su r p ri s e s !

BRAVO

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guitar. Friddle’s banjo driven compositions received the “Song of the Year” award from The John Lennon Songwriting Competition, “First Place” in the Great American Song Contest, and a nomination for “Album of the Year” in the Independent Music Awards. The band boasts strong ties to Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music and draws its sound from the deep well of American Roots music.

7p, ECC SecondSpace Theatre tickets. elgin.edu. $25

January 25th in person at the Registration Desk or by phone at 847-4294597. 11a-11.30a, GBPL Comm. Rms. A-B-C gailborden.info Read to Rover 11a-11.15a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Read to Rover 11.30a-11.45a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Brushed Chicago’s Love Birds Valentine’s Buffet Paint two Canvas together to create one unified painting with the one you love this Valentine’s Day! Enjoy eating our fabulous Catered Buffet Menu presented

by Elegant Cuisine, Live romantic music song by Adam Hernandez, an intimate place setting with individual tables for each couple or group and Personalized Instruction from the owner Nicole Brown to walk you through step by step to create a masterful painting and one of a kind Valentine’s experience. Two seating times available. 5p-9.30p, BrushedChicago brushedchicago. com. $69.50 Live at the Blue Box Join Rob, Martha and Molly and other hosts from Southgate Media Group as they record live podcasts, do awesome interviews, play great games, chat with special guests and talk about current TV shows, movies and Geek topics.

Audience participation is appreciated, who knows,you may end up on one of the Podcasts!!! Check out our Facebook pages for this weeks topics!

6p-9p, Blue Box Cafe theblueboxcafe. com. Free Jonas Friddle and the Majority This eight piece band makes a big sound with its rousing line up of horns, strings, drums, keys and electric

FEED.colorcode Bands & Music

Theater & Dance

Kids & Families

Lectures & Learning Exhibits & Film Creativity Causes & Community Other

Elgin Symphony’s A Rodgers & Hammerstein Celebration Rodgers and Hammerstein are synonymous with the “Golden Age” of Musical Theater. Stellar soprano, Jenn Gambatese, joins ESO after her debut with the Lyric Opera in 2014 as “Maria” in The Sound of Music. You’ll hear your toe-tapping favorites from Carousel, The King and I and Oklahoma. And, we bet you’ll say “I remember that one!” when the orchestra plays nostalgic pieces from The Sound of Music and South Pacific. 7.30p, Hemmens Cultural Center elginsymphony.org. $30-65 Backwards Broadway Side Street presents “Backwards Broadway,” a role reversal musical revue featring area performing artists in support of Youth Outlook. One night only! 8p, Side Street Studio Arts sidestreetstudioarts.org. $12 donation Nick Bell Band 9p, D Hangout Bar & Grill d-hangout.com. No Cover Second Time Around Classic Rock Band based out of the northwest suburbs of Chicago, featuring 8 talented musicians each with countless years of experience to their credit. Second Time Around is inspired by the works of many Classic Rock greats and strives to perform their songs with passion and accuracy. 9p-11.59p, Grand Victoria Casino grandvictoriacasino.com. No Cover Medusa Saturday’s 10.30p-4a, Medusa’s medusachicago.com

Sun.Feb.14 Elgin Knit Works Open Knit 1p-4p, Elgin Knit Works elginknitworks.com Elgin Symphony’s A Rodgers & Hammerstein Celebration Rodgers and Hammerstein are synonymous with the “Golden Age” of Musical Theater. Stellar soprano, Jenn Gambatese, joins ESO after her debut with the Lyric Opera in 2014 as “Maria” in The Sound of Music. You’ll hear your toe-tapping favorites from Carousel, The King and I and Oklahoma. And, we bet you’ll say “I remember that one!” when the orchestra plays nostalgic pieces from The Sound of Music and South Pacific. 2.30p, Hemmens Cultural Center elginsymphony.org. $30-65 Ola la Ijorere’s Array of Love Val-

2.2

entine’s Day Fete Join us for our Rhythms, Art & Wine Val’s Day fete.

On valentine’s day, plan an afternoon of painting with your loved one at Ola la! IJORERE, then catch a movie afterwards or dinner. The sweetest way to end a day made for LOVE! No painting experience neccessary, our fabulous paint artist will guide you step-by-step through this featured painting. 3p-6p, Ola la Ijorere. $35

6.30p-8.30p, GBPL South Elgin Room gailborden.info

Martini Room’s & Vino Van Gogh Painting Event 7p-9p, Martini Room martiniroomelgin.com. $38

Story Mix for Three to Six 10a-10.30a, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden.info

Mon.Feb.15 Minecraft for Grades 6-8 All experience levels are welcome. Beginners can learn how to play; experts can show off their amazing skills by competing in a building challenge with friends. Repeats 3pm. 1p-2p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden. info The Sea Beast Puppet Company presents “The History of Light” Take a trip through time and space to explore the world’s many sources of light, both natural and man-made.

Travel down into the depths of the ocean to witness bio luminescence, soar through the starry skies, and speak with Thomas Edison about his most famous invention. All ages; children under the age of eight must be accompanied by an adult. 2p-3p, GBPL Comm. Rms. A-B-C gailborden. info Minecraft for Grades 6-8 3p-4p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info Story Mix for Three to Six 3.30p-4p, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden. info Sew Much Fun! Grades 3 & Up. New to sewing? We will help you get started by working on simple beginner projects. Already know how to sew?

Come polish your skills. All materials provided. 4p-5p, GBPL Story Room South gailborden.info QuickBooks: All About Customers Discover how to add, edit, delete, and credit customers as well as how to work with invoices and receive payments in class four of the series.

Repeats 7pm. 5p-6.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info Wonderful Ones 6.15p-6.45p, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Family Jam Take a break as a family after your busy day with 30 minutes of active movement, stories and fun! 6.30p-7p, GBPL Comm. Rm. A gailborden.info French Conversation Group Refresh and enhance your knowledge of French language and culture in a conversational setting with former college language professor Dennis Schwank. No registration.

Quickbooks: All About Customers 7p-8.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info

Tue.Feb.16 Wonderful Ones 9.15a-9.45a, GBPL Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info

Pediatric Therapeutic Playgroup 11a-11.45a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Job Search & Resume Help Drop in for one-on-one assistance with your job search. Receive help with your resume, cover letter, completing online applications, and more. For more information contact the Kane County Department of Employment and Education at 630-966-1435. 1p4p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info Rakow Rooks Chess Club 4.30p-5.30p, Rakow Children’s Area gailborden.info Terrific Twos 6.15p-6.45p, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Grupo de Conversacion en Ingles/ English Conversation Group Practice having everyday conversations in English, improve your pronunciation and gain confidence with a tutor from the Literacy Connection. No registration.Practica conversar en ingles, mejora tu pronunciacion y adquiere confianza con un tutor del Literacy Connection. No hace falta inscribirse.

6.30p-7.30p, GBPL Conference Room gailborden.info Applying for Jobs Online Applying for jobs online can be a lengthy process requiring you to submit lots of information. Attend this session to learn how to streamline the process by keeping the information you need at hand, saving positions you’ve applied for and much, much more!

7p-8.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info Elgin Alive - How Livable is Elgin?

A livable community is one that is safe and secure, has affordable and appropriate housing and transportation options, and offers supportive community features and services.

Once in place, these resources enhance personal independence, allow residents to age in place, and foster residents’ engagement in the community’s civic, economic, and social life. A new web-based tool developed

by AARP, called the Livability Index, quantifies the degree to which our community meets people’s needs.

Just how livable is Elgin? Let’s learn and discuss.Sponsor: ECN 7p-8.30p, GBPL Comm. Rms. A-B gailborden. info

BRAVO

February 2016 Open Mic Night 7p-11p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com. No Cover Receive scores from ACT practice test Presentation on how to evaluate your practice ACT test score, with a brief review of library resources to continue your preparation. 7p-8.30p, GBPL Elgin Room gailborden.info Story Mix for Three to Six 7p-7.30p, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden. info

Wed.Feb.17 Artist Member Exhibition A Visual and performance display of the work of SSSA’s Artist Members. Continues thru 2/28 during regular gallery hours. Side Street Studio Arts sidestreetstudioarts.org Job Training Information Session Training grants are available to help you get a job! Learn about WIOA services and the application process.

This program is in partnership with the Kane County Department of Community Reinvestment. For more information, call 630-966-1435, ext.

40078. 9.30a-11a, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info 1, 2, 3 Go! 10a-10.30a, GBPL Comm.

Rms. A-B-C gailborden.info Drop-In Winter Story Time Join Ms. Angela for 30 minutes of stories,

songs and finger puppets. 10.30a-11a, Rakow Children’s Area gailborden.info Build It Up! with LEGOS Kids in Grades 1 & up; children under 8 must be accompanied by an adult. LEGO building blocks will be provided for this fun-filled, creative building program. 4p-5p, GBPL Story Room South gailborden.info Elgin Knit Works Open Knit 5p-8p, Elgin Knit Works elginknitworks.com Clase Futuros Bilingues / Go Bilingual Class Lecciones y conversacion en ingles y espanol. No hace falta inscribirse. English and Spanish lessons and conversations. No registration.

6p-7p, GBPL Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info Cuentos para la familia/Spanish Family Storytime 30 minutes of interactive stories, songs and fun for parents and children to enjoy together. ! 30 minutos de cuentos musica, rimas, manualidades y mucho mas para el disfrute de toda la familia! No necestia registrarse. Para todas las edades. 6.30p-7p, GBPL Story Room gailborden.info Contemporary Fiction Book Group Book discussion 7p-8.30p, GBPL South Elgin Room gailborden.info Microsoft Excel 2013: Formulas & Functions Tired of looking for your calculator? Learn how Excel can help by automatically calculating

15 Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info

totals, percentages, averages and ranges--and how you can manipulate these calculations--in this session.

7p-8.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info

Story Mix for Three to Six 10.15a-10.45a, GBPL Story Room North gailborden.info Terrific Twos 10.45a-11.15a, GBPL Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info

Walking Book Club A 45 minute walk followed by a 45 minute book discussion 7p-8.30p, GBPL The Centre of Elgin gailborden.info

Audio Lab Teens can learn how to create and edit a professional quality audio recording in our state of the art digital media lab. For teens in grades 9-12. 4p-6p, GBPL Studio 270 gailborden.info

Karaoke 8p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com. No Cover

Thu.Feb.18

ChessMaster Junior Chess Club for Grades 2-12 4p-5p, GBPL Youth Center - South gailborden.info

Terrific Twos 9.15a-9.45a, GBPL Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info

Baby Rhyme Time 6.15p-6.45p, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info

Device Advice Drop by the Rakow Branch for hands-on learning. You are welcome to bring your own devices. 9.30a-11.30a, Rakow Computer Cafe gailborden.info

Grupo de Conversacion para la Ciudadania/Citizenship Conversation Group Necesitas practicar tu ingles para el examen de la ciudadania? Ven a este grupo gratis para repasar y practicar el ingles que vas a necesitar pra la entrevista y las 100 preguntas del examen de historia y civica.

El grupo es liderado por un tutor y cualquiera puede asistir. Presentado por The Literacy Connection. No hace falta inscribirse. Do you need to practice English for your naturalization/citizenship test? Come to this free group and practice the spoken English you will need for the interview and the 100 questions from the

Job Search & Resume Help Drop in for one-on-one assistance with your job search. Receive help with your resume, cover letter, completing online applications, and more. For more information contact the Kane County Department of Employment and Education at 630-966-1435. 9.30a1p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info Wonderful Ones 9.30a-10a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Terrific Twos 10a-10.30a, GBPL

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16

the many bards who followed in his footsteps. He is fated to tell this story throughout history. Repeats 2/19, 2/20, 2/25, 2/26, 2/27. 8p, Elgin Art Showcase janusplays.com. $16 Karaoke 8p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com. No Cover

Fri.Feb.19 Wonderful Ones 10a-10.30a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info

history/civics test. This group will be led by a tutor and is open to all. Presented by The Literacy Connection.

No registration. 6.30p-7.30p, GBPL Conference Room gailborden.info Novels at Night Shales Living RoomNo registrationThursday,February 18 We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas 6.30p-7.30p, Rakow Living Room gailborden.info Buying and Selling Real Estate Join us for an informational night exploring options for buying, selling financing, or refinancing your home.

Panelists are Real Estate Broker from Your Choice Real Estate Services, Marie DeMaria; Attorney Hal Stinespring; 1st Advantage Lender, Steve Levin; Financial Advisor with Maryniw Financial, Terry Maryniw; and Insurance Agent with ADH Insurance, Andrew Cosentino. Bring your questions and we will provide the help you need.

Please register. 7p-8.30p, GBPL Elgin Room gailborden.info Elgin Genealogical Society Elgin Genealogical Society monthly meeting 7p-8.30p, GBPL Comm. Rms. A-B gailborden.info Google Tools for Creativity The Google Chrome Web Store offers tons of free apps to spark and foster creativity. Discover how to locate and use various free apps to edit photos, create drawings, play games, listen to music, and more in this fun class!

7p-8.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info Yoga F!cil Stretch your body, relieve stress and calm your mind during this hour of yoga with Pita Betancourt.

Presented in Spanish. No registration.

Estira tu cuerpo, alivia las tensiones y calma tu mente durante esta hora de yoga con Pita Betancourt. Sera presentado en espanol. No hace falta inscribirse. 7p-8p, GBPL Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info An Iliad A modern-day retelling of Homer’s classic. Poetry and humor, the ancient tale of the Trojan War and the modern world collide in this captivating theatrical experience. The setting is simple: the empty theater.

The time is now: the present moment.

The lone figure onstage is a storyteller—possibly Homer, possibly one of

Welcome Baby! Baby’s First Library Visit Welcome Baby! Bring baby and baby’s new library card to this class designed especially for Baby’s First Library Card holders. Learn about programs and resources to support your baby’s early literacy development and receive a special gift! For babies up to six months old and their parents. Registration preferred.

11a-11.30a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Welcome Baby! Baby’s First Library Visit Welcome Baby! Bring baby and baby’s new library card to this class designed especially for Baby’s First Library Card holders. Learn about programs and resources to support your baby’s early literacy development and receive a special gift! For babies up to six months old and their parents. Registration preferred.

1p-1.30p, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Geek’n Out We celebrate our Geekiness most Fridays!!! We open up our cache of games, play a cool movie or three and have fun!!!! All are welcome!! Each week is a different theme. Play our games or bring your own, anything is cool. Have a regular group going? Meet up at The BBC! Dress up, dress regularly, dress casually..but please be dressed :) 6p-8p, Blue Box Cafe theblueboxcafe. com. Free City of Elgin’s Daddy Daughter Dance Bring your daughter out for a magical evening of Disney’s “Snow White”-themed dinner and dancing.

The evening will include a buffet-style dinner, dancing, a raffle drawing for an American Girl doll, and prizes for Dad too! Registration is available online, but only for one child & Dad. If registering for more than one child, please do so in person at The Centre of Elgin’s Customer Service Desk.

This event is for girls aged 2-12 years.

6.30p-9p, Heritage Ballroom, Centre of Elgin. $35-40 An Iliad 8p, Elgin Art Showcase janusplays.com. $16 Smokin Gunz Smokin’ Gunz musical style and background is derived from straight forward rock-n-roll, combined with hard driving,country music styles, backed by heart felt harmony vocal arrangements, with some real foot tapping dance tunes to provide-

musical entertainment for all types of audiences regardless of their musical preferences. 9p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com. No Cover Spoken Four Spoken Four delivers astounding performances that’ll make your jaw drop. With a repertoire of songs from the 50s to today’s Top 40, Spoken Four’s vocalists and musicians have mastered every word, every nuance, every soaring note that lifts audiences to their feet and gets them dancing like there’s no tomorrow. 9p-11.59p, Grand Victoria Casino grandvictoriacasino.com. No Cover Medusa’s Jet Night Club 10p-4a, Medusa’s medusachicago.com

Sat.Feb.20 Welcome Baby! Baby’s First Library Visit Welcome Baby! Bring baby and baby’s new library card to this class designed especially for Baby’s First Library Card holders. Learn about programs and resources to support your baby’s early literacy development and receive a special gift! For babies up to six months old and their parents. Registration preferred.

10.30a-11a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Welcome Baby! Baby’s First Library Visit Welcome Baby! Bring baby and baby’s new library card to this class designed especially for Baby’s First Library Card holders. Learn about programs and resources to support your baby’s early literacy development and receive a special gift! For babies up to six months old and their parents. Registration preferred.

11.30a-12p, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Accents: Portraits with an iPhone As part of the Accents program, we are very pleased to present an educational class on photography.

Instructed by Josh Smith, he is helping participants find better lighting, compositions, apps, and many more methods on iPhone potraiture. 2p-4p, Side Street Studio Arts sidestreetstudioarts.org. $5 donation An Iliad 2p, Elgin Art Showcase janusplays.com. $16 Games & Gadgets Drop-in for some family free play! An assortment of board games, chess, Legos, Wii video games, or iPads will be available 2p-3.30p, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Live at the Blue Box Join Rob, Martha and Molly and other hosts from Southgate Media Group as they record live podcasts, do awesome interviews, play great games, chat with special guests and talk about current TV shows, movies and Geek topics.

Audience participation is appreciated, who knows,you may end up on one of the Podcasts!!! Check out our Facebook pages for this weeks topics!

2.2 6p-9p, Blue Box Cafe theblueboxcafe. com. Free City of Elgin’s Daddy Daughter Dance Bring your daughter out for a magical evening of Disney’s “Snow White”-themed dinner and dancing.

The evening will include a buffet-style dinner, dancing, a raffle drawing for an American Girl doll, and prizes for Dad too! Registration is available online, but only for one child & Dad. If registering for more than one child, please do so in person at The Centre of Elgin’s Customer Service Desk.

This event is for girls aged 2-12 years.

6.30p-9p, Heritage Ballroom, Centre of Elgin. $35-40 Monty Python’s SPAMALOT This Tony Award winning musical is a “loving rip off” of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Spamalot retells (with much comedic license) the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, and features cows, killer rabbits, French people, and a bevy of beautiful show girls. Thru 2/28.

7.30p, ECC Bilzzard Theatre, tickets. elgin.edu $18-20.

Acoustic Generation Two guitars, two voices, and hundreds of great songs that everyone loves. They play rock, pop, and country songs from the 50’s to today. 8p-10p, Walnut Speakeasy thewalnutspeakeasy.com.

No Cover Decibel Junkies 9p, D Hangout Bar & Grill d-hangout.com. No Cover Hillbilly Rockstarz Hillbilly Rockstarz are Chicago’s very own country super group, specializing in covering the latest hits in country music, along with many of your classic favorites, The band is always true to the original recording, so they always gotcha covered. 9p-11.59p, Grand Victoria Casino grandvictoriacasino.com. No Cover Leaving Scarlet Leaving Scarlet is a seasoned group of musicians that are committed to bringing you the best in live entertainment. They are a high-energy rock/dance band that plays classic to current hits you know and love. 9p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com. No Cover Medusa Saturday’s 10.30p-4a, Medusa’s medusachicago.com

Sun.Feb.21 Elgin Knit Works Open Knit 1p-4p, Elgin Knit Works elginknitworks.com Introduccion a las Tabletas Electronicas (Tablet Basics) El participante conocera las posibilidades tecnologicas y las caracteristicas esenciales de las tabletas electronicas: iPads, Android y Windows. #basics 2p-3.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info

BRAVO

February 2016

Sunday Afternoon Concert - BMR4, Jazz The BMR4 is a Chicago jazz quartet that features some of the best players in the city including members of the Buddy Guy, Lonnie Brooks, and Patricia Barber bands.

Their music has been played on over 200 radio stations, performed on national television, received critical acclaim from all the major jazz publications, and play over 150 dates per year across the Midwest. Expect an eclectic selection of songs ranging from the jazz, R&B, blues, and pop realms. Upbeat, straight-ahead jazz with soul! 2p-3p, GBPL Comm. Rms. A-B-C gailborden.info. Free Monty Python’s SPAMALOT Thru 2/28. 3p, ECC Bilzzard Theatre, tickets.elgin.edu $18-20.

Mon.Feb.22 Wonderful Ones 9.15a-9.30a, Rakow Living Room gailborden.info Story Mix for Three to Six 9.30a-10a, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden.info Wonderful Ones 10a-10.15a, Rakow Living Room gailborden.info Rakow Readers Shales Living RoomNo registration. Monday, February 22 We Are Not Ourselves by Matthew Thomas 1.30p-2.30p, Rakow Living Room gailborden.info Story Mix for Three to Six 3.30p-4p, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden. info DIY Crafts Get crafty with Studio 270’s Do-it-Yourself crafts and projects. For teens in grades 9-12. 4p-6p, GBPL Studio 270 gailborden.info QuickBooks: All About Vendors Class five in the QuickBooks series teaches you how to add, edit, delete, and pay vendors as well as how to set up an accounts payable system. Repeats 7pm. 5p-6.15p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info Wonderful Ones 5.30p-6p, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Wonderful Ones 6.15p-6.45p, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info Family Jam Take a break as a family after your busy day with 30 minutes of active movement, stories and fun! 6.30p-7p, GBPL Comm. Rm. A gailborden.info Moon Gazing Come and look at the sky with our telescope. We’ll monitor the Moon, palaver about the planets, and if the light pollution isn’t too bad, we’ll look at how different stars are actually different colors. All ages are welcome to drop by. 6.30p-7.30p, Rakow Outside South gailborden.info Quickbooks: All About Vendors 7p-8.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info

Writers on the Fox This writer’s peer group will inspire and motivate you with thought-provoking writing prompts and constructive critique.

Writers of all genres are welcome to participate. No registration.

7p-8.30p, GBPL Conference Room gailborden.info

Tue.Feb.23 Open Mic Night 7p-11p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com. No Cover

Wed.Feb.24 Elgin Knit Works Open Knit 5p-8p, Elgin Knit Works elginknitworks.com Karaoke 8p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com. No Cover Neil Rose Chicago Born Neil Rose has an extensive history in Blues and Rock. 9p, Walnut Speakeasy thewalnutspeakeasy.com. No Cover

Thu.Feb.25 Coffee, Conversation and More!

Shales Living Room Informal discussions on topics for people old enough to have a past. This week - Do you have a memorable first car? Tell us about your first set of wheels.

9.30a-11a, Rakow Living Room gailborden.info Ola la Ijorere’s Cup O’Love Art Event The month of LOVE continues…Join us for our for the next Rhythms, Art & Wine Night. No painting experience neccessary, our fabulous paint artist will guide you step-by-step through this featured painting. 6.30p-9p, Ola la Ijorere. $28 Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl This powerful American Place Theatre Literature to Life® stage presentation is adapted from Jacobs’ autobiographical 1861 novel of the same name. Exploring the themes of resilience and survival, this stage presentation tells Jacobs’ story of growing up in slavery, culminating with the seven years she spent hiding in her grandmother’s attic. 7p, ECC SecondSpace Theatre tickets.elgin. edu. $25 An Iliad 8p, Elgin Art Showcase janusplays.com. $16 Karaoke 8p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com. No Cover

Fri.Feb.26 Geek’n Out We celebrate our Geekiness most Fridays!!! We open up our cache of games, play a cool movie or three and have fun!!!! All are welcome!! Each week is a differ-

ent theme. Play our games or bring your own, anything is cool. Have a regular group going? Meet up at The BBC! Dress up, dress regularly, dress casually..but please be dressed :) 6p-8p, Blue Box Cafe theblueboxcafe. com. Free Sam Baker Sam Baker is a man of few words-words beautifully chosen and fully wrought. After he almost died in a 1986 train bombing, Baker turned inward to relearn the use of his body and brain. The road back was arduous, but also lead to a need to express himself through art, poetry, and music. Baker’s music is lyrically exquisite, profound in message, and laced with a wry wit. His gorgeous, stark sound has echoes of musicians like John Prine and Leonard Cohen but remains uniquely his own. 6p, ECC SecondSpace Theatre tickets. elgin.edu. $25

17 An Iliad 2p, Elgin Art Showcase janusplays.com. $16 Anti Valentine Exhibition Please come and celebrate our first Anti-Valentine art exhibit at the Elgin Artspace Lofts Gallery located at 51 South Spring Street in Elgin from February 20-29. Saturday, February 27th, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. there will be a special Anti-Valentine party celebrating the wonders of this event and the artists who contributed. There will be live music and food. Please feel free to dress up in your best Anti-Valentine outfit for this event if you like.

2p-5p, Elgin Artspace Lofts & Gallery

Brushed Chicago’s Starry Night BYOB Paint & Sip 6.30p-9p, BrushedChicago brushedchicago. com. $30

Live at the Blue Box Join Rob, Martha and Molly and other hosts from Southgate Media Group as they record live podcasts, do awesome interviews, play great games, chat with special guests and talk about current TV shows, movies and Geek topics.

Audience participation is appreciated, who knows,you may end up on one of the Podcasts!!! Check out our Facebook pages for this weeks topics!

6p-9p, Blue Box Cafe theblueboxcafe. com. Free

Monty Python’s SPAMALOT Thru 2/28. 7.30p, ECC Bilzzard Theatre, tickets.elgin.edu $18-20.

Monty Python’s SPAMALOT Thru 2/28. 7.30p, ECC Bilzzard Theatre, tickets.elgin.edu $18-20.

An Iliad 8p, Elgin Art Showcase janusplays.com. $16

Generation Classic Rock and Soul of the 60’s/70’s 9p-11.59p, Grand Victoria Casino grandvictoriacasino. com. No Cover

Blues Heart Band 6p, Dutch Inn West, 36W610 Foothill Rd. No Cover

The Moods Award-winning recording and performing artists since 1995, entertaining across the country and abroad, The Moods are a singing group consisting of four guys dedicated to the fine art of harmony and choreography. 9p-11.59p, Grand Victoria Casino grandvictoriacasino. com. No Cover Medusa’s Jet Night Club 10p-4a, Medusa’s medusachicago.com

Sat.Feb.27 Bison Feeding in Lords Park Join us for an up close and personal look at the bison, deer and elk at the Lords Park Zoo. Meet at the Museum for a short introduction after which we head for the zoo to assist the zookeeper in feeding these magnificent creatures. Space is limited to 12 people, so please register early! Free to museum members. 7a-8.30a, Elgin Public Museum. $1-2 2016 Habitat for Humanity of Northern Fox Valley’s WalkAThon Each year Habitat for Humanity of Northern Fox Valley hosts a Walk-aThon at Spring Hill Mall. This is the yearly event where all ages can come together to support the “Event of the Year”. And this year, we are excited to say it will help raise our 100th home. To register for the event, you or your group call Jenny at 847-8361432. Spring Hill Mall enter by Barnes and Noble. 8a-10a, Spring Hill Mall

John E. Danger Original blues, R&B plus a great mix of covers. 9p, D Hangout Bar & Grill d-hangout.com.

No Cover The Moods The Moods are a singing group consisting of four guys dedicated to the fine art of harmony and choreography. 9p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com. No Cover Medusa Saturday’s 10.30p-4a, Medusa’s medusachicago.com

Sun.Feb.28 Elgin Knit Works Open Knit 1p-4p, Elgin Knit Works elginknitworks.com Monty Python’s SPAMALOT 7.30p, ECC Bilzzard Theatre, tickets.elgin. edu $18-20.

Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra Open House Our rehearsals are always open, but today especially we welcome friends, prospective families, and educators, to see what EYSO is all about. 3.30p-8p, Elgin Community College Arts Center / Blizzard Theatre (Bldg. H) Martini Room’s & Vino Van Gogh Painting Event “Lock and Key” on 16 x 20 canvas. 7p-9p, Martini Room martiniroomelgin.com. $38

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Every aspiring author is eventually given the advice to “write what you know.” It becomes the staple food for a writer’s diet of inspiration, to which this writer would add the salt-and-pepper wisdom of “know your audience” and “know your purpose.”

But very, very few authors get fat and rich on that diet. Thousands each month will pitch their manuscripts to agents and publishers, and many will not even receive the courtesy of a rejection letter.

“Publishers under pressure for profits are looking to the same 10-12 fiction authors on whom they can count for sales in excess of 100,000 copies,” says Mike Bailey, the former Managing Editor of the Courier-News, now writer and consultant.

“They are increasingly looking at the age and gender of the author and the demographic to which he or she might appeal in determining whether a book has merit,” he adds.

2.2

Expression: Authorship in Elgin

An Author They Couldn’t Refuse Like so many creative endeavors in the 21st century, the supply of material exceeds the demand in the mass market.

As a result, many authors have turned to micropublishing to get their books printed for a local market where demand is higher.

The Story in History The people of southern India may not be interested in Elgin history, but the people of Elgin definitely are. So interested, in fact, that a vast majority of books by local authors address

local history in some way.

The history of local families, institutions, industries, indigenous peoples, buildings, and businesses are all covered to some extent in the 220 or so titles by Elgin authors listed in the catalog at Gail Borden Public Library.

The best known books on Elgin history were written by local historian E.C. “Mike” Alft, whose credentials include serving Elgin as mayor, councilman, and high school teacher. He wrote more than twenty volumes, many of which were published by local Elgin institutions.

“Some people think that I’ve become very wealthy writing these books, but you can’t make any money writing local history,” he confessed in “Mr. Alft’s History,” a 2010 documentary short film. “In fact you can’t make much money writing. So few people do.”

To Know It is to Love It

Mike Bailey, author of Goodbye Elgin High. men who spent their lives there, my dad died of cancer in 1981.

That was his reward for 33 years of working in deplorable conditions in a hostile environment for mediocre pay.”

Digging Up the Facts Knowing and loving your subject has been a winning formula for Elgin writer Janet Riehecky, whose more than 125 books include over forty on prehistoric animals. “I’m as bad as a first grader about dinosaurs. I’m absolutely fascinated by them. The more research I do, the more awesome I find them.”

A better explanation of most writer’s motives is “write what you love.” Bailey’s instincts offer some evidence: “I wrote about Elgin because it’s a topic about which I am very familiar and passionate.”

His 2014 book Goodbye Elgin High is a parallel story of growing up in Elgin in the turbulent 1960’s, and the cataclysmic changes taking place in the city.

“The book is not autobiographical and it’s not a dry history. It was meant to be a touchstone for people of my generation and a glimpse into the evolution of what was, at that time, one of the great Midwestern cities.”

Elgin history author E.C. “Mike” Alft.

And yet not everything in Bailey’s book is an object of love. In Chapter 25, he writes this about the Woodruff & Edwards iron foundry: “Like so many other

Janet Riehecky with some of her favorite artifacts.

BRAVO

February 2016

Though dinosaur studies are a personal pastime, Riehecky’s extensive bibliography is indicative of the importance of research on any topic. Neither personal experience nor a vivid imagination alone are enough to write educational books on assigned subjects.

“Writing nonfiction means that you are never bored. There is always something new to learn, and I’ll tackle any topic out there,” she says. “Right now I’m working on a book on forecasting the weather.”

A love of learning often coincides with a gift for teaching, and Riehecky, like so many other authors, started her career as a teacher before becoming a prolific author. She shared her views on a difficult question.

“I think writing is both an art and a craft. I get impatient with people who don’t want to bother learning how to use a comma or what a dangling modifier is.” After forty years of experience, she offers the well-worded wisdom “You can’t raise writing to an art if you don’t know the basics.”

Work That Ghost Unseen Not all writers view their medium the same way. Elgin writer Michael Murschel, author of thousands of feature articles and many books, sees craft as the skillful rendition of ideas.

“Art, at least for me, is the ability to see that which was not there before. Craft ... is the ability to take the vision of art and make it consumable.”

And for Murschel and Bailey, it’s more the craft that earns the paycheck. Both men are professional ghostwriters, meaning they can be hired to write something that will be credited to someone else. Celebrities, politicians, executives and experts who lack the skill or the will to write their own book are potential clients, and their motives range from profit to, quite frankly, vanity.

The profit potential of a book is a huge factor in commercial publishing, and “the trend now,” says Bailey, “is toward books that appeal to the female audience, books about people who have overcome racial, social or religious persecution, dystopian futures, vampires, zombies, etc.”

In these profitable categories, when reader demand exceeds the supply of new titles from a favorite author, freelancers are hired to ghostwrite books in that author’s style. Detective series, mysteries and teen fiction (famously the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys series) also use “marquee author” pseudonyms on books penned by a stable of ghostwriters.

In Business For Your Shelf As for vanity, the cachet of authorship has seduced people for decades. Long held in contempt, the “vanity publishing” industry turned out poor quality work by authors with delusions of grandeur who paid to have their books printed. But time — and technology — have changed the business and its perceptions.

“It has become a dynamic and vital component of publishing,” says Bailey.

“Self-publishing is the only alternative for books like Goodbye Elgin High,” a worthwhile story whose potential audience is concentrated in a certain region and age bracket.

Author Michael Murschel appears at the 2015 Elgin Literary Festival.

“Great ideas may now be published by

19

66 S. Grove Ave. • Elgin, IL • (847) 695-2680 • elginbooks.com

USED BOOKS Hard To Find Books

Out of Print Books anyone,” agrees Murschel, “giving public voice to visions that might never be heard.”

The rise of the Internet, once feared to be the nemesis of ink and paper, has actually helped propel the independent publishing business. Amazon’s CreateSpace platform makes it possible to design, produce and sell books online, like Elgin writer Rusty Wimberly’s 2013 book The Changing Face of the Church: New Wineskins for a New Generation.

Bound For Glory?

Yet the question remains, why accept the expense of printing a book, when you can publish your work online for free and enjoy worldwide exposure? The authors we interviewed had multiple reasons.

Michael Murschel cites usability: “There is a serendipity about fanning through the real pages of a book which a digital format can never accommodate; it does not allow for the expansion of one’s knowledge or insight by randomly coming across new avenues of discovery.”

Mike Bailey points to durability: “A book has gravitas and weight; it can be re-read and passed on to others while blogs eventually pass away into the ether. Also, the Internet is not a venue most people associate with lengthy reads. My book is about 60,000 words.”

Janet Riehecky confesses, “I’m old fashioned. I like the feel of a book in my hands.”

Profit On The Books She’s not alone. Over 2.7 billion books were sold in the U.S. in 2014, accounting for $28

Over 50,000 Titles in Stock

30% off Books and Merchandise with Ad (excludes coffee & pastries, expires 2/28/16)

Mon-Sat 9-6 • Sunday 10-2 billion in revenue. Children’s and young adult fiction enjoyed the most growth overall, and retail book stores are starting to rebound after years of losing ground to online merchants.

As reported in BRAVO 1.0, books are one of the most undersupplied goods in Elgin, and as this article was being researched, a well-known bookseller closed its doors. Fortunately for bibliophiles, Elgin Books and Coffee continues to supply hard-to-find, out-of-print and collectible books as well as new titles by indie publishers. Local authors can find support there for book signings, selling space, and promotional opportunities.

An Ongoing Story Author Mike Alft could regale you with the histories of Elgin’s publishing companies, Pulitzer prize winners, and book shops, yet it would only hint at the depth of literary culture that thrives here.

“I write a lot about the Elgin, Illinois area because there is so much of interest here,” reflects Mike Murschel, “and so many ways to connect the dots of research in ways they have never before been connected. Virtually every square mile has this potential.”

For all of these Elgin authors, whether the subject is something they love, or something of Elgin itself, the story is told by writing what you know. “It is, in the final analysis, all about story,” says Murschel, “and story is, after all, who we are.” —JP

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2.2

Expression: An Incomplete Bibliography of Books Published by Elgin Authors Alft, E. C. A History Of Elgin History, 2011 An Elgin Almanac: A Book Of Stories, Records, Lists And Curiosities, 2004 Books And More: A History Of The Gail Borden Public Library, 1996 Days Gone By, 1981 Elgin Area Landmarks: A Community Heritage Tour Guide, 1975 Elgin High: A Centennial History And Record Book, 1869-1969, 1969 Elgin Parks: A Community History, 2005 Elgin Time: A History Of The Elgin National Watch Company, 1864-1968, 2003 Elgin: A Women’s City, 2008 Elgin: An American History, 1835-1985, 1984 Elgin: Days Gone By, 1992

Bennett, William E. Elgin: Wish You Were Here (Postcard History), 2001 Biesterfeld, Gary P. Dear Cousin 2000, 2000 Pilcher Cousins 2001, 2001 Bishop, Leander Hackley.

The Gold Rush Diaries Of Leander Hackley Bishop, 2014 Bridge, George.

Grandpa Bridge’s Diary: Being A True Account Of His Arduous Voyage To America From England And His Difficulties Upon Arrival, 1900-1999 Briska, William.

The History Of Elgin Mental Health Center: Evolution Of A State Hospital, 1997 Brown, John Park.

Elgin’s Black Heritage, 1996

Fox River Valley And Other Verse, 1919

Hanover Township, Rural Past To Urban Present, 1980

Illinois Incidents And Other Verse, 1922

Hispanics In Elgin: A Brief History (Los Hispanos En Elgin: Una Breve Historia), 2010 Old Elgin: A Pictorial History, 1991 Promoting Elgin: A Centennial History Of The Elgin Area Chamber Of Commerce, 1908-2008, 2008 Sherman Hospital: A Century Of Caring, 1987 South Elgin, A History Of The Village From Its Origin As Clintonville, 1979 The Elgin Historic District, 1980 What Happened In Elgin After 1984?: A Summary Of The Events That Occurred After Elgin: An American History Was Published In 1984, 1999 Anderson, Elliott J. Answers In Abundance: A Miraculous Adoption Journey As Told From A Father’s Heart, 2007 Anderson, Warren John.

Broadening The Congregational Singing Experiences For The Students At Judson University, 2010 Bailey, Mike.

Goodbye Elgin High, 2014 Ball, Walter S. Carmella Commands, 1929 Barbosa, Manuel.

The Littlest Wetback: From Undocumented Child To United States Federal Judge, 2014 Basham, Roberta.

Evil Once Begun, 2011 Bayly, Joseph.

I Saw Gooley Fly: And Other Stories, 1968 Beers, V. Gilbert.

The Book Of Life, 1980 What Everyone Should Know About The Bible, 2007

Puir Sandy And Other Verse: Appendix To Fox River Valley And Other Verse, 1919 Watch On The Fox And Other Verse, 1922 Burke, Jerome T. Black Point, 1994 Burwell, Rex. Capone, The Cobbs, And Me, 2015 Camacho-Ruiz, Jacqueline.

200 Consejos Poderosos Para Alcanzar El ÉXito En Los Negocios, 2014 The Fig Factor: A Memoir About Growth, Inspiration, And Second Chances, 2013 The Little Book Of Business Secrets That Work!: 200 How-To’s Every Business Professional Needs To Know, 2010 Copp, John Clark.

The Seasons Of Man: A Cycle Of Poems, 1999 Costerisan, John F. The Avenue Of Flags: Biographical Sketches Of Those Remembered, 1997 Cottingham, Frank.

Melodies Of His Grace, 1949 Currie, Rob. Preschool Wisdom: What Preschoolers Desperately Want To Tell Parents And Grandparents, 2011 De Martelly, Margaret M. Cross Country Horses: Equitation, 1949 Dearman, Christopher.

Santa’s Village Gone Wild: Tales Of Summer Fun, Hijinx, & Debauchery As Told

By The People Who Worked There, 2010 Dieckman, Joe. Adventures Of The Almighty One: A Short Love Story, 2011 Hammer Head: A Meeting Of Two Worlds, 2010 Emmert, Chuck.

A History Of Elgin Country Club, Part One, 1901-1948, 1997 Entile, A. J. Manadom, Flags Of Manadell. Book 1 [Outcast], 2013 Farrand, Homer Alonzo.

The Patriots’ Protest: A Call To The Colors, 1916 Fry, Garry L. Escort To Berlin, 1980 Geister, Edna, Fun-Makers For Small Groups., 1948 Eleventh Child, 1933 Geister Games, 1930 Ice-Breakers And The Ice-Breaker Herself, 1921 Keep Them Laughing, 1944 The New Ice-Breakers, 1942 Genz, Marilyn.

20,000 Men And Me, 1988 Ghrist, John Russell.

Billy Sunday, The Dundee Prophet”, 1994 Jct 20: The Story Of Udina, 1995 Keepsake Comments: A Treasury Of Columns, Short Stories And Essays, 1994 Lindbergh School Compilation: A 12 Year Study Of A Rural Schoolhouse, 2007 Plato Center Memories: A History Of Plato Center, Illinois And Surrounding Areas For Rural Kane County, 1999 Radioville: The Town That Never Was, 1994 Valley Voices, 1992 Valley Voices: A Radio History, 1996 Goodwill, Mary Ellen.

Beebs: A Sequel To The Girl Who Lived In The House By The Hill, 2015 The Girl Who Lived In The House By The Hill, 2015 Graeber, Charlotte Towner.

Fudge, 1987 Grey Cloud, 1979 Nobody’s Dog, 1998 Olivia And The Real Live Pet , 1995 The Thing In Kat’s Attic, 1984 Up, Down, And Around The Rain Tree, 1984 Hale, Hamilton.

Solomon Hamilton, Trustee Of The Elgin Academy 1839-1855: His Ancestry & Descendants, 1987 Hall, Frederick.

Memories Of Our Neighbors: A Series Of Articles Appearing In The Dundee Hawkeye, 1916 Hemmens, Walter P. “Dear Dick” Letters: A Series Of Letters To The Folks Back Home Describing Many Of The Experiences And Some Of The Impressions Received By The Writer On An Impersonally Unconducted Tour, 1920 Hill, Cynthia.

Gather Up The Fragments: [That None Be Lost], 2011 Hoth, Iva. The Picture Bible, 1978 Hunter, Rebecca L. Beyond Sears: Mail Order Homes In Elgin, Illinois From Aladdin, Lewis, Sterling, Harris Brothers, Gordon-Van Tine And Montgomery Ward Companies 1906-1940, 2004 Elgin Illinois Ornamental Concrete Block In Residential Architecture, 2005 Elgin Illinois Sears House Research Project., 1999 Elgin, Illinois Survey Of Neighborhood Grocery Stores, 2007 Mail-Order Homes: Sears Homes And Other Kit Houses, 2012 Putting Sears Homes On The Map: A Compilation Of Testimonials Published In Sears Modern Homes Catalogs 1908-1940, 2004 Remnants Of Our Rural Past: Coach Houses, Stables, Barns And Outbuildings In Elgin, Il, 2006 Jackson, Elliott Eli. From God To You: Absolute Truth: I Am, You Are, We Are One, 2010 The Sapiential Discourses: Universal Wisdom: All There Is, Was And Ever Shall Be, 2012 Johnson, Eric M. Elgin Building Plaque Program Application For The Sandberg Home, 36 North Dubois Avenue, Elgin, Illinois, 1999 Kamradt, Patricia A. He Waited For Me, 2010 Kettley, Marlene.

History Of Big Rock, 1985 Kim, Sharon.

Literary Epiphany In The Novel, 18501950, 2012 Knowlton, MaryLee. The Settling Of Jamestown, 2002 Layne, Steven L. In Defense Of Read-Aloud: Sustaining Best Practice, 2015 Paradise Lost, 2011 Share With Brother, 2011 Stay With Sister, 2012 W Is For Windy City, 2010 Lehman, James H. Ties That Bind, 2013 Lehman, James H..

The Highland Avenue Church Of The Brethren Centennial Encyclopedia: An Abecedarium Celebrating 100 Years Of Faith, Life, And History 1899-1999, 1999 Mamminga, Marnie O. Return To Wake Robin: One Cabin In The Heyday Of Northwoods Resorts, 2012 Marco, Meghann.

Field Guide To The Apocalypse: Movie

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February 2016 Survival Skills For The End Of The World, 2005 Marko, Katherine.

Animals In Orbit: Monkeynauts And Other Pioneers In Space, 1991 Away To Fundy Bay, 1985 Hang Out The Flag, 1992 Pocket Babies, 1995 Whales, Giants Of The Sea, 1980 Mathai, Varghese.

The Malabar Mandate: A Life Of Volbrecht Nagel, 2015 McCarthy, Richard C. Designing Better Libraries: Selecting And Working With Building Professionals, 1999 Managing Your Library Construction Project: A Step-By-Step Guide, 2007 McFadden, Ralph G. For Life Is A Journey: Reflections On Living, 2010 Into The Next Chamber: A Journey Worth Considering, 2013 Mercola, Joseph.

Dr. Mercola’s Total Health Cookbook & Program: 150 Delicious Grain-Free Recipes & Proven Metabolic Type Plan To Prevent Disease, Optimize Weight And Live Longer, 2003-2004 Miller, James A. Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History Of Saturday Night Live As Told By Its Stars, Writers, And Guests, 2014 Those Guys Have All The Fun: Inside The World Of ESPN, 2011 Minetti, R. A. Index To Early History Of The Old Settlers Of The Fox River Valley , 1980 Morrison, Raymond C. Let’s Go To The Park, 1937 Mueller, Ann Ruck.

Genealogical Index To The Watch Word Magazine, 1999 Hanover Township, Cook County Ill Public Domain Land Sales, 1986 Index To Every Saturday, 1884-1899: Elgin, Illinois, 1993 Quaker Genealogical Bibliography From The State Historical Society Of Wisconsin Library, 1979 Some Northern Illinois Public Domain Land Sales By Township, 1987 Murphy, Elspeth Campbell.

Chalkdust: Prayer Meditations Of A Teacher, 1979 The Mystery Of The Attic Lion, 2000 The Mystery Of The Backdoor Bundle, 2000

The Mystery Of The Painted Snake, 2000

Megalosaurus, 2009

The Mystery Of The Sock Monkeys, 1998

Scorpions: On The Hunt, 2010

The Mystery Of The Wedding Cake, 1998

St. Patrick’s Day, 1994

Murschel, Michael.

A, B, Seek And Find (The Uncommon History Of Elgin, Illinois, And Surrounds: Volume Two), 2014 Legends Worth Digging Up (The Uncommon History Of Elgin, Illinois And Surrounds: Volume Three), 2014 The Haunted Landscape (The Uncommon History Of Elgin, Illinois And Surrounds: Volume One), 2014 Nish, Marjorie.

Index For The History Of Lafox, Illinois, 2002 Nowdomski, James. J., III. Cycles, 2008 Odell, Mike.

Brother Mine: Lessons Learned, 2005 Ontiveros, R. C. 100 Latinos, 100 Historias, 2011 Grandes Aventuras De Un Pequeno Viajero, 2011 Pease, Martin A. Candy Making Secrets, 1908 The Blue Book On Home Candy Making, 1923 Perry, Hazel Belle.

Old Elgin Tales: From The Elgin Free Press 1966-1974, 1993 Piper, David Roy. Windows Of Thought, 1948 Powell, Sidney Waterbury.

Christ At The Hearth, 1946 Life’s High Hurdles, 1946 Toward The Great Awakening, 1949 Where Are The People?, 1942 Powers, Mike.

All-American Stories: Elgin Myths & Memories, 2007 Powers, Richard C. Incidental Findings, 1998 Rasmussen, R. L. Paw Paw Lake, Michigan: A 100 Year Resort History (1890’S-1990s), 1994 Rawlinson, George.

Elgin People, Elgin Pets, 2008

Protoceratops, 1994

The Mystery Of The Ufo, 1994 The Osage, 2003 The Wampanoag: The People Of The First Light, 2003 Triceratops, 2015 Ulysses S. Grant: America’s 18th President, 2004 Velociraptor, 2015 William Mckinley: America’s 25th President, 2004 Risser, Jaci.

Dire Consequences, 2010 Rogers, Carleton.

I Remember: Memories From My Ministry, 1994 Rose, William Ganson.

The Best Is Yet To Be, 1951 Rovelstad, Trygve A. American Eagle, 1998 Rubin, Dayna S. A Vetted Asset, 2011 Code Of Siman, 2012 Runzel, Brent, The Wine Games: Create A Fun Evening Of Wine-Themed Games For Family And Friends!, 2015 Schock, Barbara Forgy.

A Bibliography From Elgin Newspapers, 1994 Index To Kane County Probate Records Of Elgin Residents, 1998 The Elgin Centennial Of 1935 Queen Contest, 1994 The Typhoid Epidemic Of 1916, 1994 Old Settlers Of The Fox River Valley, 1869-1970, 1997 Severson, Tom. Who Holds The Knife, 2009 Shales, Tom. Live From New York: An Uncensored History Of Saturday Night Live, 2002 Shelton, John J. Planet Hibernia, A.d. 3153, 2006 Smith, Curtis S. Elgin: A Nice Place To Live, 1982

Fox Valley Veterans: A Salute To Hometown Heroism, 2004

Smith, Donald M.

Looking In, Looking Up: A Year With School District U-46, 2012

Springer, Lois Elise.

Riehecky, Janet.

George Lucas: An Unauthorized Biography, 2001 Giant Ground Sloths, 2007

The Incredible Journey, 2009 Chimes: A Collection Of Bell Poems, 1949 Stephens, D. J. Bearkiller, 2003 Halo, 2005

The Mystery Of The Dancing Angels, 1995

Giant Rhinoceros, 2009

The Mystery Of The Gingerbread House, 1997

Hipsilofodonte, 1994

Dana H. Swan, His Ancestors And His Descendants, 1994

Killer Whales: On The Hunt, 2010

I Was Named Rowena, 2003

The Mystery Of The Golden Reindeer, 2000

Giganotosaurus, 2009

Komodo Dragons: On The Hunt, 2009

Swan, Rowena Otta.

Swanson, Viola Ashman.

21 Autobiographies Of Fox Valley Pioneers, 1981 Early History Of The Old Settlers Of The Fox River Valley, 1979 Kane County, Illinois, Family History Research, 2003 The Lovell Family Of Elgin, 1988 Thiede, Todd M. Time Killer, 2013 Thiel, John C. Through The Woods: A History Of The No-Pi-Ming Association, Hayward, Wisconsin, 2015 Thomas, Pattie.

Jealous Lion Finds Friends, 2012 Townsend, Jim. Gold And Dross: A Christian Perspective On Fifteen World-Class Writers, 2005 Vaszily, Brian.

The 9 Intense Experiences: An Action Plan To Change Your Life Forever, 2011 Walker, Robert W. Blind Instinct, 2001 Wallace, Jim, author.

Very Heaven, 2015 Wandtke, Terrence R. The Dark Night Returns: The Contemporary Resurgence Of Crime Comics, 2015 The Meaning Of Superhero Comic Books, 2012 Wasilowski, Laura.

Fuse-And-Tell Journal Quilts: Create Your Story In Cloth, 2008 Fusing Fun!: Fast Fearless Art Quilts, 2005 Wayne, Harley.

The Letters Of Harley Wayne Written Between 1844-1862, 1976 Wentland, John Paul.

The Determining Factors Of Employment Retention Of The Homeless, 1994 Wik, Philip.

How To Do Business With The People’s Republic Of China, 1984 Williams, Antwan.

Love Or Lust, 2009 Wilson, D. Ray. Terror On The Plains, 1999 Wilson, Darren.

Filming God: A Journey From Skepticism To Faith, 2011 Finding God In The Bible: What Crazy Prophets, Fickle Followers And Dangerous Outlaws Reveal About Friendship With God, 2013 Wimberly, Russell.

The Changing Face Of The Church: New Wineskins For A New Generation, 2013 Wood, Clayton.

Elmer Gylleck: A Biography, 1985 Woolcott, Eugene R. Time Twister, 2002

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Elgin Literary Festival January 29-30 Fri.Jan.29 Elgin Lit Fest for Kids Kick off a fun weekend at ELF with our Kids’Program. You can expect all manner of creativecrafts, wacky activities, and silly antics. Story Corner: Sit down and relax as local Elgin celebritiesread award-winning children’s books.

Lego Expressions: What can you express about the world of reading with Legos? We’ll post pics of the best creations on our Facebook page.

Comic Creations: Do you love superheroes? What about graphic novels or Japanese Manga? Get started on makingyour own. Handpuppet Extravaganza: For seasoned Paperhand fans or for first-timers, you are sure to enjoy creating characters from your favorite books. 3p-4.30p, GBPL Community Rooms. Free Check in, Info, Snacks, Cash Bar 5p, Hemmens Exhibition Hall Write With Others Panel With guests from DeKalb Area Creative Writers, National Novel Writing Month, Nik Markevicius, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. 5p, Hemmens Exhibition Hall Stage. Free Keynote Speaker Bart Scott Author and podcaster Bart Scott has loved Disney since even before he first set foot in a Disney theme partk at age 9. Hear him talk about being a grown Disney-loving man, why going to Walt Disney World can be even more fun as an adult — and without kids, and how he turned his love of the Mouse into a successful, funny travel guide.

Book sales and signings to follow.

6.15p, Hemmens Exhibition Hall Stage. Free Real World Writing Panel Ever thought that your job or experiences would make a great book? Join our group of ELF authors that explain how they were able to mine the real world for writing success. With Elizabeth Heiter, Sue Meyers, Kate Quinn, Wayne Turmel. 7p, Hemmens Exhibition Hall. Free

Keynote Spaker Renée Ahdieh Young Adult author Renée Ahdieh discusses the process of getting published, especially as a writer of diverse background bring to life different worlds. She will highlight specifics with regard to the industry and answer questions following her presentation. Book sales and signings to follow. 7.30p, Hemmens Exhibition Hall Stage. Free Inside Voice, Outside Voice: A Live Poetry Event Poetry is our language of impressions, used by the inward voice that narrates our feelings and fantasies. And poetry is our language of expressions, whose unique melodies and rhythms come from the sounds of words themselves. “Inside Voice, Outside Voice” is a live poetry event in which local writers perform the poetry of inner experience using the sound of the spoken word. 9p, Hemmens. Free

Sat.Jan.30 Check in, Info, Snacks 8.30a, Hemmens Exhibition Hall Methods of Publishing Are you interested in learning about the many paths to getting your work published?

Join our publishing experts and learn how to take your work to the next level. With Sue Meyers, A.J. Pine, Bart Scott, Wayne Turmel. 9a, Hemmens Exhibition Hall Stafe. Free SpecFic Panel Do you love to read or write about other worlds? Sci-Fi and Fantasy fans won’t want to miss this exciting panel with our SpecFic authors, Sandra Almazan and E.M. Kaplan. 9a, Green Room. Free Banned Books In honor of Harper Lee’s sequel, this will be an interactive panel discussion on banned books. Discussions and readings will lead to banter about whether books are deserving of redemption or doomed to censorship. With Lily Escobedo, Melissa Franic, and Liz Melvin.

10a, Rehearsal Room. Free

Writing a Memoir Every life contains a great story. Learn how to craft a memoir and bring your story to life.

With Nathion Rabin, Sarah Ware, and Andra Watkins. 10a, Exhibition Hall Stage. Free Peddling Preservation Presentation Peddling Preservation consists of two devoted Elginites in Madeline Richmond and Kimberly Bauer.

Madeline is the photos, taken with a highly trained touch, which stand as an absolutely curcial fixture of the blog, treating Elgin’s buildings and connected histories with class and respect. Kim is the words, which she writes in an informal voice with formal facts about historic preservation and architectural history in the City of Elgin, aiming to gracefully bridge the gap between education and entertainment. Together, they want to make Elgin shine by showcasing its history in both the written and photographic forms. 11a, Exhibition Hall Stage. Free Publication and Readership Writers educate themselves on presses all the time so that they can find a press that prints similar books. Readers can also benefit from learning about presses that publish the types of books they enjoy and in this way identify new books they may enjoy reading.With Lily Escobedo, Melissa Franic, and Liz Melvin. 11a, Rehearsal Room. Free 8 Little Zombies Presentation A twist on the classic children’s books and song of “8 Little Monkeys” updated for today’s fixation with the Undead! From John LaFleur and Dave Metzger who have both read their sons the classic “8 Little Monkeys” more times than they can count! 12p, Exhibition Hall Stage. Free The Writer’s Journey Solve your plot problems by following The Writer’s Journey. Based on the work of Joseph Campbell and Christopher Vogler, The Writer’s Journey focuses on identifying archetypal patterns in literature. These patterns are in-

stantly recognizable and will help you solve problems with both plot and characterization. 12p, Green Room.

Free Keynote Speaker Kate Quinn Historical fiction author Kate Quinn has been a lover and writer of the past since age seven. She will disucss the writing, researching and publishing of historical novels in a rapidly changing market, and answer questions following her presentation. Kate Quinn book sales and signings to follow. 1p, Exhibition Hall Stage. Free Trickster Tales Presentation Sharing the importance and values of a Trickster from a cultural persepective. With Joseph Podlasek, CEO of Trickster Art Gallery, the only Native American owned and operated art institution in Illinois. 1p, Green Room.

Free YA Panel Discuss the latest trends in the world of YA fiction with writers of the genre. With René Ahdieh, Karly Kirkpatrick, Bart Scott and Kristina Springer. 1p, Rehearsal Room. Free Keynote Speaker Nathan Rabin: View From the Basement Author and pop culture writer shares stories from his life and career as he chronicles how he made the epic journey from a Scribner authoer and head writer of The A.V. Club to being a freelance writer living in his in-laws’ basement. Rabin’s talk will focus on how his persepctive and values have changed over the decades and how that shift has proven essential in surviving the rocky waters of both publishing and online media. Also, there will be jokes and rambling stories and pop culture references so obscure even Rabin himself won’t understand them. A good time is promised for all!

Nathan Rabin book sales and signings to follow. 2.30p, Exhibition Hall Stage. Free ELF Reception Free delicious finger foods 4p-7p, Romance Premium Cafe 154 E. Chicago St., downtown Elgin.

Free

BRAVO

February 2016

23

ASSIGNMENT BOARD This is where we post assignments for volunteer writers, photographers, and artists. We can’t compensate you properly (yet), but we give credit where credit is due, and excellent contributors have a way of getting our attention. So when those paid assignments do come along, well, we know who to call ...

BRAVO 2.3: Theatre Companies & Elgin Cat Culture Deadline: Weds., February 17, 5pm Cover Art: Cat-themed painting or photo Elgin theater arts groups stories (1000 words) & photos Elgin cat culture, cat lovers, cat rescues and shelters.

Photos of cats that resemble their people. (800 x 800 px)

BRAVO 2.4: Recording Studios & Brunch Deadline: Weds., March 23, 5pm Cover Art: Photo illustration of recording studio or gear Roundup of local music and podcast recording studios.

Story on local record production for CD, vinyl, streaming.

Brunch restaurants, menus & reviews; brunch porn.

An experienced, knowledgeable and engaged leader who will work for a better Kane County.

Submit to: bravo@marqueemedia.net

B R A V O Magazine is published by

MARQUEE MEDIA P.O. Box 1551, Elgin, IL 60121-1551 (224) 513-1220 bravo@marqueemedia.net Publisher: Jeffrey R. Pierce Contributors: Dana Vollmer, Alissa Medows, Lisa Townsel, Morgan Wojtkowski, Maria D’Angelo and ART CULT. 2016 Advertising Rates: Full Page $169 • Half Page $99 Quarter Page $69 • Eighth Page $39 15% Discount for ready-to-print digital artwork (PDF) For complete advertising details, contact Sales Representative Dean Tripp at dtripp@marqueemedia.net www.marqueemedia.net/Advertise Next ad deadline: Weds., February 17, 5:00 p.m.

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Publish your events for free in The FEED http://www.marqueemedia.net/events Janus Theatre Company presents

An Iliad February 19 - 28, 2016

Fridays & Saturdays 8:00 pm February 18, 19, 25, 26 Sundays 2:00 pm February 20, 27

Written by Lisa Peterson & Denis O’Hare Directed by Sean Hargadon Asst. Director & Stage Manager Tara Schuman

SHOWING AT ELGIN ART SHOWCASE 164 Division St Downtown Elgin

Featuring Joe Cattaggio Sean Hargadon Lori Holm Ann Marie Nordby

“An Iliad” is a modern-day retelling of Homer’s classic. Poetry and humor, the ancient tale of the Trojan War and the modern world collide in this captivating theatrical experience. The setting is simple: the empty theater. The time is now: the present moment. The lone figure onstage is a storyteller—possibly Homer, possibly one of the many bards who followed in his footsteps. He is fated to tell this story throughout history.

With support from

all tickets $16.00 www.TheIliad.EventBrite.com www.JanusPlays.com