BRAVO 2.4

an elgin culture magazine

2.4

The Other Side of the Tracks pp. 2-5

Overhanging Brunches pp. 28-30

Growing Green in Elgin pp. 15-18

with the

APRIL 2016

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Expression: The Men and Mice Behind the Music

The Other Side of the Tracks All eyes and ears are on the lead singers, guitar heroes, divas, and deejays of the world, but there are some other talented people you never see, the people who command the musicians’ attention. It’s their audio engineers.

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Cover Photo by STEVE ROTTER

Steve Rotter is a photographer, guitarist, videographer and audio engineer in Elgin whose numerous projects include photography and video websites and podcasts produced in his own recording studio.

Steve has mastered records for numerous bands and artists in his studio, along with his own two albums, Steve Rotter, WRAITH (1995) and MIME RIOT, FEAR (2014) released on CD and on iTunes.

As a photographer, he captures video and still images of private and commercial events, real estate, portraits, fine art and more.

Steve is also a reef aquarium enthusiast and shares his knowledge and experiences along with his other passions on a youtube channel. Learn more about Steve Rotter’s work at the following links. www.rotterstudios.com www.rotterimages.com www.steverotter.com

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Hidden in below-ground studios, behind computer monitors, watching and listening for the finest details in a recorded performance, these are the people on the other side of the tracks.

Few have business cards and websites; some are listed in the fine print of album credits; most are known only by the quality of their work within a close-knit community of artists.

A Head of the Curve Like practically everything else in media, audio recording has been revolutionized by computers and commoditized by an abundance of affordable digital devices that make it now possible to create multitrack audio recordings with as little as a smartphone app.

“Literally anyone with a laptop computer and a couple of good mics can make commercial quality recordings in his or her bedroom,” said Larry Kriz, owner of LNL Recording in Elgin. “The biggest hurdle is the learning curve.”

Kriz has operated LNL out of his home on the west side for sixteen years, and has recorded hundreds of local (and distant) bands and artists. One of few, if not the only, full time commercial recording businesses in Elgin, Kriz has also produced work for MTV, radio, audio books and television.

“The majority of work here is local rock bands,” explains Kriz,

“but I also get a lot of jazz, blues, country, classical and other styles. Most of the projects are demo recordings for bands looking to get club dates, but quite a few also do complete album projects.”

His experience runs deep.

Growing up among ham radio operators and serving as a radar technician in the Air Force, he’s been around microphones and noise for a long time. Like many musicians, Kriz started recording as a hobby and found as much satisfaction in recording others as in performing.

But “gone are the days when you went out and bought a tape deck, hooked it up and were recording sounds in a few minutes.” Many amateurs would lack the patience and fortitude to confront the complexity of pro-quality audio software, which is why, when asked which piece of studio equipment is the most important, Kriz says “probably the engineer.”

It’s Been Reel Another local studio operator also started young, before digital multimedia came of age.

“As an eighties kid, I would ride my bike to the record shop and check out vinyl sound effects albums, and buy books on how sound was done,” recalls Steve Rotter, owner of ROTTER Studios. “I started playing guitar in 1988 and recorded many bands I was in, experimenting in my studio from an early age.”

Rotter began recording on analog tape in the nineties, but moved to digital equipment for the speed, ease of editing, lower cost and wide array of options available. Initially he was building his own custom multimedia PCs, but he now prefers Macs:

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April 2016

provide graphic design, marketing and merchandise support. As Wiora put it, “We want to be a one-stop shop for musicians.”

Media Matters While music recording technology was evolving from reel-toRoland Johnson records a guitar track at reel tape (in LNL Recording studio. use since the 1940s) to com“Everything just works better on puter disks, a Mac.” music distribution was also changing — from vinyl discs and Like pro audio production, tape cartridges to CDs — and photography and video editing now, digital music that streams also require powerful computers over networks. We asked local and large monitors, so the transtudios what their end product is. sition from music to visual art and movies is natural for skilled Kriz estimates, “Less than half artists in digital media. Rotter of my clients want to take a CD also offers these commercial master at the end of the project. imaging services as an extension Most want their songs converted of his own creative work. to MP3 for online distribution.”

Sweet Suite Music This studio synergy can be found elsewhere. The two producers at Studio 66 in downtown Elgin have devoted an entire room of their facility to video production, and employ cameras and flat panel video monitors throughout the completely redecorated second floor space.

“When we’re recording, the musicians see everything I’m doing in the control room on these monitors,” explained co-founder Broc Wiora. “Whether I’m working on levels and EQ, or they have to add a new track to the mix, they see exactly what I see.

Everybody learns much faster that way.”

Wiora and partner Brian Birkholz started Studio 66 in May 2015, and their shop has never used magnetic tape. In fact, as local graduates still in their twenties, the two never needed to make the transition from analog to digital.

“We’re an all Adobe shop. You can do everything you need to do with Audition, After Effects, and Premiere Pro.” In fact, the software suite also equips the Studio 66 crew with the tools to

At ROTTER studios, the story is similar. “I think artists are still pressing CDs to hand out or sell at shows, which I recommend.” The relatively low cost of compact disc media and duplication make CDs a useful marketing tool like t-shirts and buttons, even when the audience size is limited. “No one will go to your website just because you told them to,” confesses Rotter.

Flying Pig Sound, an all-digital studio and live sound operation run by D.W. Lang, works with a tight network of local musicians to record demos that promote their live acts.

“I find that musicians are making mostly streaming media, with CDs/vinyl being secondary,” says Lang.

Did he just say vinyl? “I am currently working with the Sam Dandals Band on their first album, which we hope to cut on vinyl and premier on Record Store Day.” Lang can be found Tuesdays at Danny’s on Douglas, running live sound for artists appearing at the popular Open Mic Night, hosted by Charlie Rantz and Rik Neu.

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Rap It Up, We’ll Take It For all these studios to survive, there must be something worth recording in Elgin.

Regarding the local talent, Kriz says “Elgin is amazing.

There has been an artistic renaissance in the past decade here in the downtown area ... though there aren’t as many rock clubs as there used to be.”

Studio 66 lists hip-hop, rap, and Christian pop artists among

dios, within the Demoss Center for Worship in the Performing Arts at Judson University. It’s newly designed facilities occupy most of the lower level of the Thompson Center, once occupied

by Darren Wilson’s Wanderlust Productions film company.

“Our primary focus is our student base,” he explains, as three students review their ProTools multitrack project in a large sound-treated control room nearby.

“We’ve had so much demand from the courses we teach that we haven’t even had a chance to look for outside clients ... but we will be looking to draw in more.”

May was the first graduate from Judson’s Music Business and Entrepreneurship degree program, which combines training in the recording arts with business fundamentals. Though most of the students are musicians, preparation for the real world remains the goal.

“Without learning the art of recording, or building relationships with people in the industry, it can be extremely difficult to move forward as an artist,” says May. “We emphasize ear training and theory, and provide practical studio application and access to high end gear so graduates have all the tools they could ever need to develop their craft.”

Alternate Tracks A live room at Studio 66 in downtown Elgin. their clients, and described a recent session by a ten piece salsa band, recorded in the studio that looks out onto South Grove Avenue. Elgin metal trio What Lies Ahead and record label Lion Pride Music have also done projects there.

“Local talent in the area is pretty good,” says Rotter. “I’ve been seeing more rappers lately.

They bring in their own beats, get in the sound booth and start laying tracks. It’s a faster process ... we can get to the fun stuff right away.”

Mic’s Bachelor’s Degree “The local talent I’ve personally been exposed to has been great!” boasts Tim May, Studio Manager at Dark Room Stu-

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At Judson, education and the arts are strong partners, and the role of the arts in education comes up again and again as a subject in Elgin — in schools, clubs, non-profits and yes, even recording studios in the city.

“It’s too bad that the local high schools have seen their music departments hurt by the economy, but that’s true all over,” lamented Larry Kriz, referring to the expanded music tech resources that were once enjoyed by previous generations.

Zach Kranz operates the ProTools rig in Studio A at Judson University’s Dark Room Studios. cording. And the tools are often just an arm’s length away, as Kriz noted, “I’ve seen teenagers doing amazing things on iPads using GarageBand.”

Offering more sophisticated facilities, the superbly-equipped Studio 270 at Gail Borden Library is a free workshop for district high school students that supports creative exploration with experiential learning in audio and video production and more.

Local artist Andrew Moore staffs a media room filled with an impressive array of instruments, mics, cameras, lighting and a pro-quality recording rig.

“Kids sign up for a one-hour studio slot, and they can probably record two songs in here,” he says. “I’m happy to show them how it’s done, but mostly they just want to sound good.”

When these young artists are ready to try something more ambitious, their next stop may be Studio 66, where on-the-job learning is part of the experi-

But those gaps are partially filled. While no substitute for a real education, all the studio operators pointed to abundant reference material online for anyone looking to learn the art Abish Toledano in the drum booth at LNL and science of audio re- Recording studio.

ence. In Wiora’s words, “We’ll provide them a stepping stone to continue their passion or eduction in music and video.”

Playing It Forward For all of these people, lifelong learning is found in a place as unexpected as a recording studio, and helping artists sound better is an especially satisfying part of the process.

“The biggest thing I stress to artists is to be prepared,” says Rotter. “Know the material like the back of your hand, but don’t be too picky with yourself.”

When it comes to coaching, he says, “I’m honest and don’t sugar coat anything, but of course I’m nice about it.”

“I love working with seasoned professionals, but I find artistic merit in just about anything,” says Kriz. “I wake up every morning and can’t wait to get started!”

Wiora and Birkholz clearly see their job as more than just clicking a mouse to make the recording sound better. It means making the music better, by working with artists on their material and approaching the process with creativity and critique. It means being a music producer.

In most of these Elgin studios however, the title distinction is less important than the end result, in which the artists in front of the microphones depend on the engineers in front of the computers, making it sound great from the other side of the tracks. — JP

BRAVO

April 2016

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FEED.recordingstudios Dark Room Studios Judson University 1151 N. State St. 847.628.5061 www.judsonu.edu/DCWPA Music Business and Entrepreneurship degree program; music recording and production in three studios.

Elgin Community College 1700 Spartan Drive 847.741.7331 www.elgin.edu/certificates Music Production Basic Vocational Specialist certificate program; music production in digital media lab.

224.650.8211 www.rotterstudios.com Digital multitrack studio, music and video production, pro photography.

66 S. Grove Ave. Suite 2 224.325.4213 www.studio66elgin.com

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Digital audio and video recording and production, marketing and merchandising support, events and live sound.

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Multimedia lab for audio, video and photo production for district youth in grades 9-12.

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2.4

Taste: The Many Flavors of Dirty Water

Dirty Water’s “1 Percent” Plays the Blues – and a Lot More

by Jamey Bouwmeester When rock and roll was being conceived in the 1950s, it had many parents. Its DNA was a hodgepodge mix of blues, boogie-woogie, jazz, and gospel, together with Western swing, country, and hillbilly music.

But it’s clear that, of the genes passed down to rock and roll by its forebears, many of the dominant ones were from the blues.

For 60 years, rock has been taking that blues influence and twisting it into beautiful new shapes — from garage rock and soul, to funk and psychedelia, and everything in between. It’s as though rock’s roots converged in the fifties and have been branching out again ever since.

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On their new album, “1 Percent”, Dirty Water have conducted an interesting (and for listeners, exciting) experiment. They’ve taken each and every one of those branches and resynthesized them back into something that’s at once brand new, yet immediately familiar.

It’s a crazy, seemingly backwards movement — blending the new to recreate the classic. If I wanted to be pretentious I might call it post-post-modern, but I’d rather call it what it is — sleazy, sexy, dirty rock ‘n’ roll.

Dirty Water play the blues.

Unapologetically. It’s immediately recognizable as the blues of Elmore James, Koko Taylor, and Buddy Guy. In the mid-90s, Chicago Magazine ran a design contest for the city’s tourism board. The winner was a photo of a blood-red Epiphone hollow body guitar resting on a scarlet velvet armchair. The copy read, simply, “Picked Fresh, Daily.”

If you want to know what Dirty Water sound like, that image is a good place to start. Their music is handcrafted and pure.

Yet their songs twist and turn through the myriad genres that the blues spawned. One moment you’ll find yourself in the rubble of a neglected and crumbling city, engulfed in Jack White post-industrial guitar fuzz, only to realize your surroundings are changing and you’re sharing a pleasant afternoon on the beach with Bob Marley. Before you know it, you’ll be on the set of a Rudy Ray Moore flick, strutting down the street to a wackachicka-wackachicka lick that morphs into a rainbow-paisley flavored Digable Planets-style groove.

You’ll round out the experience with some Black Sabbath darkness and some friendly Grateful Dead noodling (though, thankfully not too much of the latter).

As good as the album is, I’d be remiss in my journalistic duty if I didn’t properly convey that Dirty Water are a phenomenon that must be experienced live to be truly understood. The band is tight — completely in tune with one another and locked in.

You’ll realize very quickly that this music is designed to make you move; it becomes a physical imperative. Don’t be surprised if at some point before the end of their set you find yourself thinking, “In a few years I’ll be able to tell people I saw them back when.” —JB

BRAVO

April 2016

Taste: The Big Wheels Keep on Turnin’

Sunday, April 24, 2016 12 to 3pm

Gettin’ Your Grooves On

or Fun f

by Rich Wagner Record Store Day (RSD) is an international event celebrating the independent record store across the country and the world. Record Store Day was founded in 2007 and takes place each year on the third Saturday of April. The 2016 installment occurs on April 16th.

RSD is celebrated with various recording artists releasing limited pressings of 7” singles, an EP, a reissue, or perhaps a series of demos or live recordings. In nearly all instances the releases are on vinyl. These releases will only be found at indie record shops — you will not find them at large retailers and big box stores.

There’s been many variables and factors in the vinyl renaissance, but one catalyst, without question, has been Record Store Day. It’s an immensely popular event with everyone from casual record buyers to the hard core collector participating. With the aforementioned motif of limited pressings (some as few as 500 pressings globally), these records often times become quite collectable.

One participating independent record shop is Elgin’s own Rediscover Records. Rediscover Records has been a perennial participant each April since they opened for business in 2010. RSD is one of, if not the busiest day of the year for indie record shops, with Rediscover no exception, with a line of people stretching down Spring Street waiting for Rediscover’s special RSD opening time of 8am.

As in past years, Rediscover will have as many of the coveted releases as possible. Some of the highlights for this year include releases from Skillrex, Twenty One Pilots, Alanis Morissette,

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Phish, Death Cab for Cutie, Madonna, Regina Spektor, Son Volt, The Brokedowns, Outkast, Deerhoof, Deftones, Sex Pistols, Disturbed and hundreds of other artists, past and present, with special RSD releases.

In addition to the special record releases, record stores often enhance the celebration with official Record Store Day giveaways and swag that are free with purchase. Rediscover Records participates in the free swag, provides snacks, and coffee from neighboring Blue Box Cafe. Record shops often times will provide live instore music at some point during the day as well, with Rediscover Records looking to have a couple of bands play in the afternoon and early evening.

As if this wasn’t enough, each year there is an official Record Store Day Ambassador with the honors this year going to Metallica. Metallica, no stranger to making an instore record store appearance, sadly, will not be one of Rediscover Records performers! Past RSD ambassadors include Chuck D, Jack White, and Dave Grohl.

Rediscover Records will post their official list of RSD releases to their site at rediscoverrecords. com and their Facebook page no later than April 14th. With the nature of limited pressings, even the record shops themselves get shut out of certain record titles.

Look for the complete list of releases on recordstoreday.com —RW A long line forms outside of Rediscover Records in Elgin on Record Store Day.

the

il Fam e l o Wh

y

SSION I M D A FREE ALL AGES FOR st in’s pa

o Elg Jump int

Hands on activities $2 donation appreciated

360 Park Street, Elgin p: 847-742-4248 elginhistory.org museum@elginhistory.org @elginhistory.org

BRAVO

8 10.15a-10.45a, GBPL Story Room North gailborden.info. Free

Terrific Twos See description for 3/31 above. 10.45a-11.15a, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info. Free

Thu.Mar.31 Judson University Imago Film Festival Screenings of short film entrants to festival competition. Judson University imagofilmfestival.com. $6 Spring Elgin Artspace Gallery Show Exhibit by the artist members of Art for All Elgin. Continues through 4/6.

Elgin Artspace Seigle Gallery artforallelgin.org. Free 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 the library district begins the following Monday. Please complete the information below or call the Registration Desk at 847-429-4597. Repeats throughout April. 9.15a-9.45a, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rm. C gailborden. info. Free Job Search & Resume Help See description for 4/7 above. 9.30a-1p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info. Free Wonderful Ones 15 minutes of short stories, fingerplays, rhymes, music and movement activity followed by 15 minutes play period - for children 1223 months with parent or caregiver.

Registration is required. During the first week of registration only patrons within the Gail Borden Public Library District may register. Registration for persons outside the library district begins the following Monday. Please complete the information below or call the Registration Desk at 847429-4597. Repeats throughout April.

9.30a-10a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info. Free Terrific Twos See description for 3/31 above. 10a-10.30a, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info. Free 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 throughout April.

Side Street Studio Arts Spring Small Wonders Performance/Exhibition Join us for a hint of our Summer Small Wonders programming during your Spring Break! Visual and Performing Arts for ages 4 - 12. 12p, Side Street Studio Arts Gallery sidestreetstudioarts.org. Free Spring Break ROCKS! Drop-InKids grade 1 through 5 Learn about all things that rock during Spring Break week! Each day kids can drop in to play, discover or create something new. March 31 - Make a PET ROCK and its house. 1p-2p, Rakow Branch Children’s Area gailborden.info Art Journaling 101 Learn tips and tricks to take your journals from plain to works of art. 2p-4p, GBPL Studio 270 gailborden.info. Free Games & Gadgets Drop-in for some family free play! An assortment of board games, chess, Legos, Wii video games, or iPads will be available. Children under the age of 8 must be accompanied by an adult. 2p-3p, GBPL Story Room gailborden.info. Free ChessMaster Junior Chess Club Kids and teens are invited to hone their chess skills during our freeplay sessions. Beginners are welcome¬ówe will teach you how to play!

Repeats weekly. 4p-5p, GBPL Youth Center - South gailborden.info. Free Family Yoga Night/Noche de Yoga en Familia Gather the family together to stretch your bodies, relieve stress and calm your minds during this hour of family yoga with Pita Betancourt.

Presented in Spanish. No registration.

Reune la familia y estiren sus cuerpos, alivien tensiones y calmen sus mentes durante esta hora de yoga en familia con Pita Betancourt. Sera presentado en espanol. No hace falta inscribirse. 6p-7p, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rms. B-C gailborden.info.

Free Baby Rhyme Time See description on 4/1 above. 6.15p-6.45p, GBPL Sto-

2.4

ry Room - South gailborden.info. Free

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 :) 5p-8p, Blue Box Cafe theblueboxcafe.com

Karaoke Night 8p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com

Fri.Apr.1 April Fools Day Scavenger Hunt Stop by the Youth Help Desk to receive a list of foolish riddles. Search high and low in the Youth Center for the solutions and then spin the wheel to reveal your prize! 9a-6p, GBPL Youth Center - West gailborden.info.

Free

Quiet Computer Lab The Quiet Computer lab is a low volume zone where in-district adult patrons can utilize computers in a quiet volume without fear of distraction or noise interruption. Repeats throughout April. 9a5p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info. Free

Opening Reception: Nashville & Elgin Artist Exhange Exchange is back in 2016 - Working with Nashville visual and performance artist Carrie Gant, musician Kyle Numann, and visual artist Semi Song to bring IL artists to TN and TN artists to IL. A select group of visual and performing artists have been chosen to represent the two locations and travel from their home state to the other and back again. This exciting collaboration will allows artists’ work to travel and reach audiences in both up-andcoming and established art markets, create money-making opportunities for artists, create networking opportunities among artists, and work to bridge the distance among working artists in the United States. Opening night event featuring performances by: Laura Chiaramonte (IL), Emily Mortenson (TN), Madeleine Hicks (TN), Dropshift Dance (IL), Blue Stocking (TN), Joel Amore (IL), Moore (IL), Cloudmouth (TN), Little Yellow Dog (IL). Exhibit continues through April 10, regular gallery hours. 6p, Side Street Studio Arts Gallery sidestreetstudioarts.org. $5 donation

Baby Rhyme Time This storytime is for infants 0-11 months with an adult caregiver. Registration is required.

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

Registration for persons outside the library district begins the following Monday. Please complete the information below or call the Registration Desk at 847-429-4597. Repeats throughout April. 9.15a-9.45a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info.

Free Wonderful Ones See description for 3/31. 10a-10.30a, GBPL Story Room South gailborden.info. Free Spring Break ROCKS! Drop-InKids grade 1 through 5 Learn about all things that rock during Spring Break week! Each day kids can drop in to play, discover or create something new. April 1 - Lego’s ROCK Create your best design 1p-2p, Rakow Branch - Children’s Area gailborden.info

Black Out Poetry Celebrate National Poetry month with your own Blackout Poetry, experiment with making your own poems using existing books, newspapers, and magazines. 3p-5p, GBPL Studio 270 gailborden.info.

Free Downtown Elgin First Friday’s 5p, Various Downtown Elgin Locations downtownelgin.com

Judson University Imago Film Festival Join us as Citizen Way and Graveyards to Gardens perform during Friday night festivities at the Imago Film Festival, followed by the premiere of “The Return” with Director Matt Bilen, exclusive Imago preview of Paramount/MGM’s “Ben Hur” and screenings of festival entries.

6.30p, Judson University Thompson Center imagofilmfestival.com. $3-6

BRAVO

April 2016

FEED.colorcode Bands & Music

Theater & Dance Kids & Families

Lectures & Learning Exhibits & Film

Rockstar Rodeo The most electrifying Rock N’ Country Cover Band in the U.S.A! 9p-11.59p, Grand Victoria Casino grandvictoriacasino.com. No cover.

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

Sat.Apr.2

Creativity Causes & Community

Other First Fridays Improv with GreenRoom Productions 2016 April showers bring May flowers, but let’s see what wacky antics will spring to mind with the improvisational stylings of GreenRoom Productions? 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. $10-12 BYOB Painting Social: Chicago Bulls 9p, Localvore brushedchicago. com. $30 Jamie & Bob Band 9p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com. No cover

ESO Master Class: Rachel Barton Pine, Violin Watch and listen as violinist Rachel Barton Pine coaches students from Elgin Youth Symphony.

Celebrated as a great interpreter of classical works, Rachel Barton Pine’s performances combine her innate gift for emotional communication and her scholarly fascination with historical research. A Chicago native, Pine began violin studies at age three and made her professional debut four years later at age seven with the Chicago String Ensemble.Her earliest appearances with the Chicago Symphony (at ages ten and fifteen) were broadcast on television. Pine holds prizes from several of the world’s leading competitions, including a gold medal at the 1992 J.S. Bach International Violin Competition in Leipzig, Germany. She was the first American and, at age 17, the youngest person to ever win this honor. She will be performing the Dvorak Violin Concerto with the Elgin Symphony Orchestra

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on April 2 and 3. No registration.

10a-11.30a, GBPL Meadows Comm.

Rms. A-B-C gailborden.info. Free Ruben Ramos Photography - Grand Opening Celebration Ribbon cutting at 12 pm followed by tasty refreshments throughout the day, Cocktails and music after 6pm.For more info private message them on Facebook, or email info@rubenramosphotography.com... 12p-9p, 121 S. Grove Ave. rubenramosphotography.com Welcome Baby! Baby’s First Library Visit Bring baby and baby’s new library card to this class to 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. 1p-3p, Rakow Branch - Children’s Area gailborden.info Judson University Imago Film Festival Red Carpet Celebration with Food and best dressed contest; Live Music by the Winner of Battle of the Bands: Raze the Darkness; Presentation of the Imago Lifetime Achievement Award; Career Retrospective Interview with Ralph Winter; Intermission with desserts; Awards Ceremony and Screenings of award winning films. 5.30p, Judson University imagofilmfestival.com. $10 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 Ultimate Painting #57 Ultimate Painting is back at Side Street Studio Arts! Watch 12 local painters compete for your votes, the title, and entry to international competition. This evening is the first Elgin show of the 2016 season.The audience will select a winner in each of 3 rounds. Join us, as artists step up to create phenomenal work in only 20 minutes! All works for sale by silent auction. 7p, Side Street Studio Arts Gallery sidestreetstudioarts.org. $15 donation

Elgin Symphony Orchsetra presents Rachel Barton Pine Plays Dvorak Chicago violinist, Rachel Barton Pine, takes the stage in tribute to Maud Powell in this all Dvorak program.

David Danzmayr, conductor; Rachel

presents

A Viennese Concert Excerpts from the Merry Widow, Paganinni, Die Fledermaus, the Land of the Smiles, the Desert Song, Magic Flute and famous waltzes from the Blue Danube, Wiener Blut and more.

Solange Sior, soprano Genevieve Thiers, soprano Simon Kyung Lee, tenor Nicholas Provenzale, baritone Dr. Chiayi Lee, piano

Chamber Music on the Fox Jerry Loughney, violin Christina Buciu, violin Bonnie Yeager, viola Sara Sitzer, cello

Sunday, April 10 at 3:00 pm First Congregational Church in Elgin, 256 E. Chicago Street, Elgin Suggested Donations $15 - $30 per person

224-595-1526 or ssior@soireelyrique.org www.soireelyrique.org Solange Sior

Genevieve Thiers

Simon Kyung Lee

Nicholas Provenzale

BRAVO

10

getting to know the officers in your neighborhood. 4p-5p, ECC Room C120 cityofelgin.org

3p-4p, GBPL Lobby gailborden.info.

Free Judson University Choir Concert 7p, Judson University Herrick Chapel judsonu.edu

The Gaming Event Players in grades 3-up are welcome to come to this monthly drop-in event. Play Pokemon™, Yu-Gi-Oh™, 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 Meadows Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info. Free

Barton Pine, violin. Dvorak: Carnival Overture; Dvorak: Violin Concerto; Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 in E minor “From the New World”. Also 4/3 at 2:30p. 7.30p-9.30p, Hemmens Cultural Center elginsymphony.org. $30-65

Wonderful Ones See description for 3/31. 6.15p-6.45p, GBPL Story Room South gailborden.info. Free Elgin High School Environmental Science - Dr. Rawat Sustainability Talk Creating Sustainable Communities through Green Schools 6.30p-8.30p, GBPL Elgin Room gailborden.info. Free

Painting “Rainy Day” with Vino van Gogh 7p-9.30p, Martini Room martiniroomelgin.com. $38

Mon.Apr.4 Quiet Computer Lab See description for 4/1 above. 9a-5p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info. Free Wonderful Ones See description for 3/31. 9.15a-9.45a, Rakow Branch Living Room gailborden.info

Deja Vu Band Deja Vu is a unique band because of our ability to connect and interact with our audiences, making them feel like they’re part of the show. They provide a non-stop high-energy dance show that keeps the party going all night long and creates lasting memories for years to come. 9p-11.59p, Grand Victoria Casino grandvictoriacasino.com. No cover.

Leaving Scarlet 9p, D Hangout Bar & Grill d-hangout.com. No cover.

Medusa Saturday’s 10.30p-4a, Medusa’s medusachicago.com

Sun.Apr.3 Elgin Knit Works Open Knit 1p-4p, Elgin Knit Works elginknitworks.com Lords Park Golden Memories Mike Bailey will present a history of Elgin National Little League. 2p-3p, Lords Park Pavilion elginhistory.org. Free Elgin Symphony Orchsetra presents Rachel Barton Pine Plays Dvorak See description for 4/2 above.

2.30p-4.30p, Hemmens Cultural Center elginsymphony.org. $30-65 Piano Performance: John LaBorn

Story Mix for Three to Six See description for 3/31 above. 9.30a-10a, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden. info. Free Wonderful Ones See description for 3/31. 10a-10.30a, Rakow Branch - Living Room gailborden.info Story Mix for Three to Six See description for 3/31 above. 3.30p-4p, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden. info. Free Audio Lab Digital Media LabTeens can learn how to create and edit a professional audio recording, direct and edit a professional video, learn MIDI, and become a Photoshop pro.

4p-6p, GBPL Studio 270 Digital Media Lab gailborden.info. Free

Coffee with a Cop All are invited to meet with Elgin officers on Monday, April 4, 2016, at Elgin Community College, Building C, Room 120, from 4-5 p.m. 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

Empowering Your Birth: Options for a Safe and Satisfying Childbirth Kate Taylor, MA, MT-BC, birth doula of Creative Childbirth Concepts will present a program on how to create your own unique birth experience. Attendees will learn how to: Build a strong birth support team; Discover their preferences for birth; Shape their birth environment for relaxation, rest and recovery; Make informed choices; Reduce their risks and fears of childbirth 6.30p-7.30p, GBPL South Elgin Room gailborden. info. Free Family Jam Take a break as a family after your busy day with 30 minutes of active movement, stories and fun!

Also 4/11, 4/18, 4/25. 6.30p-7p, GBPL Youth Center - West gailborden.info.

Free 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. Free Baby & Me Zumba If you like to dance and get a workout at the same time, join us for an hour of Zumba you can do with your baby stroller along with fun baby and me dancing while seated. Zumba takes the “work” out of workout by combining different elements of fitness like cardio, muscle toning, balance and flexibility. Kim, from Dance It Off with Kim, will present this fun program. Don’t forget to bring your stroller!7 PM Meadows Community Rooms A-B 7p-8.30p, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rms. A-B gailborden.info. Free Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting 7p-8p, Elgin City Hall cityofelgin.org QuickBooks Series - QuickBooks Basics 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.

2.4 7p-8.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info. Free

Tue.Apr.5 Wonderful Ones See description for 3/31. 9.15a-9.45a, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info. Free Elgin Genealogical Society Elgin Genealogical Society monthly meeting 9.30a-11.45a, GBPL Meadows Comm.

Rms. A-B gailborden.info. Free 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.

Also 4/19. 9.30a-10a, GBPL Library On The Go at Panera Bread gailborden.info. Free Story Mix for Three to Six See description for 3/31 above. 10a-10.30a, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden. info. Free 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. Also 4/12, 4/19. 11a-11.45a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info. Free Job Search & Resume Help See description for 4/7 above. 1p-4p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden. info. Free Piano Performance: Ted Turner 4p5p, GBPL Lobby gailborden.info. Free Rakow Rooks 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 4/12, 4/19.

4.30p-5.30p, Rakow Branch - Children’s Area gailborden.info Beautifully Pregnant Photo Session Celebrate the excitement of your pregnancy with a baby bump pho-

FEED.colorcode Bands & Music

Theater & Dance

Kids & Families

Lectures & Learning Exhibits & Film Creativity Causes & Community Other

BRAVO

April 2016 to opportunity! Britni, from Britni Michael Photography, will be taking complimentary photos of expectant moms in the serene setting of the River Room. Photos will be uploaded onto Gail Borden Public Library’s Flickr account for viewing by all participants and downloading to their own device. Registration required.

Also at 5.30, 6p, 6.30p. 5p-5.30p, GBPL River Room gailborden.info.

Free Beautifully Pregnant Photo Session 5.30p-6p, GBPL River Room gailborden.info. Free Beautifully Pregnant Photo Session 6p-6.30p, GBPL River Room gailborden.info. Free Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee 6p-7p, Centre of Elgin cityofelgin.org Itsy Bitsy Yoga Yoga postures designed to support babies development with calming ways to enhance bonding and improve baby’s sleep. No yoga experience required. 6p-6.30p, Rakow Branch - Children’s Area gailborden.info Kids Go Bilingual/Ninos Bilinguitos Parents and kids going to kindergarten and first grade: come join us for bilingual stories and activities! Also those interested can learn about the U-46 dual-language program, its advantages for children and the application process. No registration.Padres y ninos que van al kinder y primer grado: !acompanenos para actividades y cuentos en ingles y espanol!

Los padres interesados pueden informarse sobre el programa de lenguaje dual del distrito U-46, las ventajas que ofrece a los ninos y el proceso de inscripcion. No hace falta registrarse.

6p-7p, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rm. B gailborden.info. Free Spanish Sign Language Program/ Clases del Lenguaje de Senas Americano Join us for a six-part American Sign Language class in spoken Spanish for Spanish speaking families with deaf or hard of hearing children in the area. This program is provided by CHOICES for Parents.

CHOICES for Parents is a statewide coalition of parents and professionals ensuring that children with identified hearing loss and their families receive the necessary resources, advocacy, information, services and support.

Families are welcomed. Classes are free of charge. Registration begins Thursday, February 25. Unirse a esta serie de seis clases del Lenguaje de Senas Americano (ASL, por sus siglas en ingles), presentadas en espanol, para familias con ninos con discapacidades o dificultades auditivas.

Este programa sera presentado por CHOICES for Parents. CHOICES for Parents es una coalicion estatal de padres y profesionales quienes se aseguran que familias con discapacidades auditivas reciban los recursos,

informacion, apoyo y servicios que necesitan. Las familias son bienvenidas. Estas clases son gratis. Inscripcion comienza el jueves, 25 de febrero. Also 4/12. 6p-8p, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rm. A gailborden.info.

11

ESO Season Finale:

composers UNLEASHED!

Terrific Twos See description for 3/31 above. 6.15p-6.45p, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info. Free Beautifully Pregnant Photo Session 6.30p-7p, GBPL River Room gailborden.info. Free 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.

Also 4/12, 4/19. 6.30p-7.30p, GBPL Conference Room gailborden.info.

Human Relations Commission 6.30p-7.30p, Elgin City Hall cityofelgin.org

Bernstein

&

Symphony No. 1 Jeremiah

Itsy Bitsy Yoga Yoga postures designed to support bays development with calming ways to enhance bonding and improve baby’s sleep. No yoga experience required. 6.30p7p, Rakow Branch - Children’s Area gailborden.info

Mahler

Symphony No. 4

Danny’s On Douglas Open Mic Night One of the Northwest Suburbs longest running Open Mic nights!

Grab your family, friends, and instruments and head down to Danny’s on Douglas! 7p-11p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com Heritage Commission 7p-8p, Elgin City Hall cityofelgin.org LinkedIn Tips & Tricks Once you’re up and running with LinkedIn, learn how to fine-tune your profile, upload a resume, add strategic connections and target specific employers to enhance your online presence in this session. 7p-8.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info. Free Story Mix for Three to Six See description for 3/31 above. 7p-7.30p, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden. info. Free

Wed.Apr.6 Job Training Information Session Training grants are available to help you get a job! Learn about WIOA services and the application pro-

Andrew Grams, Conductor Laura Wilde, Soprano

April 30th & May 1st Hemmens Cultural Center Tickets start at just $30!

847-888-4000 | ElginSymphony.Org

2016-17 Season Tickets on sale April 1st Visit ElginSymphony.Org to view the Season Calendar presented by

BRAVO

12 270 gailborden.info. Free

with big grand prizes. Trivia starts promptly at 8pm. Get here early to settle in with some food, beer and cocktails. 8p, Elgin Public House elginpublichouse.com

Elgin Knit Works Open Knit 5p-8p, Elgin Knit Works elginknitworks.com

cess. This program is in partnership with the Kane County Department of Community Reinvestment. For more information, call 630-966-1435, ext. 40078. Repeats 4/13 and 4/20.

9.30a-11a, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info. Free Macaroni Soup A sing along, do along, dance along family concert!Come sing, dance, and learn through music and movement with Miss Carole and Clarence! 10a-10.30a, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rms. A-B-C gailborden.info. Free Drop-In Storytime Join Ms. Angela for 30 minutes of stories, songs and finger puppets. Repeats 4/13, 4/20.

10.30a-11a, Rakow Branch - Children’s Area gailborden.info Microsoft Word: Editing Tools Did you know that Microsoft Word has built-in editing features that allow you to move content, check spelling and grammar, and receive comments on your documents? Come learn about these—and other features—in this session! 11a-12.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info.

Free MCIP Boot Camp Six learning sessions for registered participants of Manufacturing Careers Internship Program (MCIP). 11.30a-3p, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rm. C gailborden. info. Free Coloring for Grown-ups Relax and unwind with us for coloring, coffee, and conversation, just for adults.

Make time for yourself or connect with friends while exploring your creativity. We will provide coloring pages and a limited supply of pencils and markers, or bring your favorites!

Please register. Also at 7p. 1p-2.30p, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rms. A-B gailborden.info. Free Piano Performance: John LaBorn 3p-4p, GBPL Lobby gailborden.info.

Free 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

Clase Futuros Bilingues / Go Bilingual Class Come and experience the warmth and cultural interaction of learning a new language alongside a native speaker. The class is taught by Betty Martinez. No registration.Ven y disfruta un ambiente acogedor al aprender el ingles y espanol con otras personas que lo hablan como primer idioma. La maestra Betty Martinez conduce las clases. No hace falta inscribirse. 6p-7p, GBPL Elgin Room gailborden.info. Free

Thu.Apr.7 Community Crisis Center in Lobby Come to the lobby of the library to find out what services are available from the Community Crisis Center.

9a-7.30p, GBPL Southeast Lobby gailborden.info. Free Terrific Twos See description for 3/31 above. 9.15a-9.45a, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info. Free

Cuentos para la familia/Spanish Family Storytime 30 minutes of interactive stories, songs and fun for parents and children to enjoy together. No registration required. All ages welcome! 30 minutos de cuentos musica, rimas, manualidades y mucho mas para el disfrute de toda la familia!No necesita registrarse. Para todas las edades. Repeats weekly.

6.30p-7p, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info. Free

Device Advice Drop by the Rakow Branch for hands-on learning. You are welcome to bring your own devices. 9.30a-11.30a, Rakow Branch 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. Repeats throughout April. 9.30a-1p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden. info. Free

Lords Park Golden Memories Betty Villella will talk about the popular ice skating program that took place on the lagoons. 6.30p-7.30p, Lords Park Pavilion elginhistory.org. Free Coloring for Grown-ups 7p-8.30p, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rms. A-B gailborden.info. Free Creative Coloring for Grades 6-8 Join us for a relaxing hour of coloring! We’ll supply the colored pencils, markers, and awesome coloring pages - all you have to bring is your creativity. 7p-8p, GBPL Middle School Zone gailborden.info. Free Microsoft Excel 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. Free Walking Book Club Walk and Book Discussion 7p-9p, GBPL Conference Room gailborden.info. Free Karaoke Night 8p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com Trivia Night Stretch your brain with beer in hand! Wednesday nights are for Trivia! Join the EPH Trivia gang and battle against Elgin’s most ferociously competitive brainiacs. Weekly prizes for the top three teams, as well as eight-week cumulative tourneys

Wonderful Ones See description for 3/31. 9.30a-10a, GBPL Story Room South gailborden.info. Free Attachment Parenting 101 Is Attachment Parenting the latest fad, or something more?Is Attachment Parenting the same things are Freerange Parenting, Permissive Parenting or Helicopter Parenting?Come hear a brief history of Attachment Parenting International, learn the Eight Principals of Parenting, and share in a group Q & A. Children and babies are welcome.Presented by: Megan Bell, API Support Group LeaderThis is an API of West Dundee sponsored event. 10a-11a, Rakow Branch - Living Room gailborden.info Terrific Twos See description for 3/31 above. 10a-10.30a, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info. Free Story Mix for Three to Six See description for 3/31 above.

10.15a-10.45a, GBPL Story Room North gailborden.info. Free Terrific Twos See description for 3/31 above. 10.45a-11.15a, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info. Free

2.4 on 4/1 above. 6.15p-6.45p, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info. Free Citizenship Conversation Group/ Grupo de Conversacion para la Ciudadania 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. ¿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. 6.30p-7.30p, GBPL South Elgin Room gailborden.info. Free Sensory Storytime Families are invited to 30 minutes of stories and music chosen for children ages 4 - 8 with developmental delays and sensory needs. Repeats 4/14, 4/21.

6.30p-7p, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info. Free 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. Free Piano Performance: Amanda Bollero Join us for drop-in piano performances in the Lobby by community members from Apr. 3 - Apr. 8. 7p-8p, GBPL Lobby gailborden.info. Free The Bard of Avon Commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. William Shakespeare penned some of civilizations most beloved plays and poems. The global interest in the Bard is unmistakable.

His works have been translated and published in dozens of languages. In this program, hear the Bard himself, William Shakespeare tell of his life, loves and works. He was not of an age, but for all time! Ben Johnson 1573-1637, preface to the First Folio.

This program is suitable for adults,

FEED.colorcode Bands & Music

Theater & Dance

ChessMaster Junior Chess Club See description for 3/31 above. 4p-5p, GBPL Youth Center - South gailborden.info. Free

Kids & Families

Piano Performance: Sarah Dell’Aringa 4p-5p, GBPL Lobby gailborden. info. Free

Creativity

Piano Performance: Ted Turner 2p3p, GBPL Lobby gailborden.info. Free

Baby Rhyme Time See description

Lectures & Learning Exhibits & Film Causes & Community Other

BRAVO

April 2016 and students grade 6 and up. Please register. 7p-8p, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rms. A-B gailborden.info.

Free

observers welcome. Please wear comfortable shoes and be willing to sign an insurance waiver. 11a-12p, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rms. A-B gailborden.info. Free

Does your tax preparation firm provide you with a complimentary 8-point wealth assessment?

Piano Performance: Ted Turner 11a-12p, GBPL Lobby 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.

Repeats at 1p. 11a-11.30a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info. Free

Fri.Apr.8 Quiet Computer Lab See description for 4/1 above. 9a-5p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info. Free Baby Sign Language Stop guessing what your baby is trying to tell you.

Baby Sign Language allows babies to communicate long before they can verbalize their wants and needs.

Designed for expectant parents and parents/caregivers with babies from birth to 24 months. Repeats at 10a.

9.15a-9.45a, GBPL Meadows Comm.

Rm. C gailborden.info. Free

The Jungle Book presented by the Children’s Theatre of Elgin The whole family will love this exciting musical adaptation of the Kipling classic 9.45a-11a, Hemmens Cultural Center cteelgin.com. $8 Baby Sign Language 10a-10.30a, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info. Free BabyFest: Fit 4 Mom Parents and caregivers are invited to learn basic fitness moves using a stroller for support and resistance. Little ones in strollers are welcome at this demonstration that incorporates walking techniques, strength & toning moves, songs, and activities. Stroller-free

Science Night: Geology! In preparation for Earth Day, bring your family to Elgin Public Museum’s Science Night! Different stations will be set up around the museum for kids and adults to conduct experiments, experience demonstrations and partake in discussions all about our planet’s power and processes, aboveground and below. Participants will crack open geodes, watch volcanoes explode, discover magnetic minerals and so much more! This is a drop-in program – no registration required.

6p-8p, Elgin Public Museum elginpublicmuseum.org. Free The Jungle Book presented by the Children’s Theatre of Elgin The whole family will love this exciting musical adaptation of the Kipling classic 7.30p-9.30p, Hemmens Cultural Center cteelgin.com. $10-12

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WE DO. Call 847-923-9015 to learn how we can help you grow your wealth by minimizing your tax burden, or visit www.monotelo.com/bravo

Piano Performance: John LaBorn 3p-4p, GBPL Lobby gailborden.info.

Free 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 :) 5p-8p, Blue Box Cafe theblueboxcafe.com

8-POINT

a $250 value

Welcome Baby! Baby’s First Library Visit 1p-1.30p, GBPL Story Room South gailborden.info. Free Karaoke Night 8p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com

13

TODAY! 2205 Point Blvd, Ste 175 Elgin, IL 60123

M

MONOTELO A D V I S O R S

gailborden.info/babyfest for full list of programs, organizations, and vendors. No registration required. 10a-1p, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rms. A-B-C gailborden.info. Free

Alex & The All Stars Great Rock Songs! Alex & the All Stars bring new life to great rock songs! With their combined 70 years of musical experience, unique arrangements, and expert musicianship, Alex & the All Stars know how to keep audiences rockin’. 9p-11.59p, Grand Victoria Casino grandvictoriacasino.com. No cover.

Smokin Gunz 9p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com. No cover Medusa’s Jet Night Club 10p-4a, Medusa’s medusachicago.com

Sat.Apr.9 BabyFest Stop by or stroller in to explore the latest baby information in the area. We will feature health and wellness resources, community services, and early childhood literacy information. You won’t want to miss the prize drawings and make & take crafts! Please see https://www.

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. 10a-10.15a, GBPL Youth Center - South gailborden.info. Free WordPress Series - WordPress Basics 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. Free Prenatal Massage - For a Healthier, Happier You Alleviate stress and tension with a complimentary hand, shoulder, neck or scalp massage provided by Sheryl Frazier, LMT. For expectant moms only. Registration required. Repeats at 11a, 11.30a, 12p.

10.30a-11a, GBPL Conference Room gailborden.info. Free Read to Rover See above.

10.30a-10.45a, GBPL Youth Center South gailborden.info. Free Welcome Baby! Baby’s First Library Visit Welcome Baby! Bring baby and baby’s new library card to this class

BRAVO

14

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

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. Presented in English. Registration preferred. Repeats 11.30a.

10.30a-11a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info. Free Prenatal Massage - For a Healthier, Happier You See above. 11a-11.30a, GBPL Conference Room gailborden. info. Free Read to Rover See above. 11a-11.15a, GBPL Youth Center - South gailborden.info. Free Prenatal Massage - For a Healthier, Happier You See above. 11.30a-12p, GBPL Conference Room gailborden. info. Free Read to Rover See above.

11.30a-11.45a, GBPL Youth Center South gailborden.info. Free Welcome Baby! Baby’s First Library Visit 11.30a-12p, GBPL Story Room South gailborden.info. Free Audition Boot Camp Workshop Take this class to help you prepare for your next audition by teaching you how to pick the most appropriate song to sing and working on your skills for the dancing and acting portion of the audition. We hope you can build the confidence you need to put your best foot forward when you step into that audition room! This class will be especially helpful for first-time auditioners. Please note that this class is open to 1st Graders because The Little Mermaid auditions in April 2016 will be for those currently in 1st Grade through age 20 years. 12p-4p, ECC Room H122 cteelgin.com. $55 Prenatal Massage - For a Healthier, Happier You See above. 12p-12.30p, GBPL Conference Room gailborden. info. Free Lords Park Golden Memories Jerry Turnquist and others will give a history of Lords Park and its features including the museum, zoo, pavilion and neighborhood. 2p-3p, Lords Park Pavilion elginhistory.org. Free Live at the Blue Box Join Rob, Martha and Molly and other hosts

Quartet - members of Prohibition Orchestra of Chicago - a live jazz, blues and swing quartet will be blowing the roof off of Martini Room! There sweet and sultry sounds will surely set you in the mood of the era. Of course we will be featuring the return of Classic Burlesque Show! Chicago-based burlesque entertainers that evening will be very elegant Naughty Natanya “the Risque Russian” and stunning EV Velour from Kiss Kiss Cabaret Chicago, and phenomenal Lady Jack from Lady Jack Entertainment. Enjoy alluring Burlesque show as we have a lineup of six magical performances throughout the evening .Your night will also include Best Cat and Doll Costume Contest, Photo Booth, Dazzling Drink Specials, Exceptional service from our Speakeasy ladies and gents, and more!You don’t want to miss the Night of Big Band Era Music, Alluring Burlesque and Dazzling Cocktails! So get your Martini Room Speakeasy tickets today while they last! 8p-2.30a, Martini Room martiniroomelgin.com

Brushed Chicago’s Love Elgin Fundraiser: Sunset Pier Painting 6.30p-8.30p, Localvore brushedchicago.com CSN Songs Relive the songs, the harmonies, and the history of a famed super group with the seven seasoned musicians of CSN Songs! On August 18, 1969, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash and Neil Young hit the historic Woodstock stage and changed the face of folk/rock music forever. CSN Songs perfectly and joyously reproduces the signature harmonious vocals of Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young. 7p, ECC Blizzard Theatre tickets.elgin.edu. $34

Hillbilly Rockstarz Hillbilly Rockstarz is Chicago’s very own country super group. This Hillbilly show has something for everyone, Hillbilly Rockstarz amazing talent and versatility is exactly what keeps their fans coming back for more. The band always leave’s the fan’s wanting.... “one more” “one more”...is what you hear after the last note! 9p-11.59p, Grand Victoria Casino grandvictoriacasino. com. No cover.

Party Obvious 9p, D Hangout Bar & Grill d-hangout.com. No cover.

The Jungle Book presented by the Children’s Theatre of Elgin The whole family will love this exciting musical adaptation of the Kipling classic 7.30p-9.30p, Hemmens Cultural Center cteelgin.com. $10-12

Medusa Saturday’s 10.30p-4a, Medusa’s medusachicago.com

Sun.Apr.10 Community Crisis Center in Lobby Come to the lobby of the library to find out what services are available from the Community Crisis Center.

12p-4.30p, GBPL Southeast Lobby gailborden.info. Free Elgin Knit Works Open Knit 1p-4p, Elgin Knit Works elginknitworks.com

Martini Room’s Sixth Annual Prohibition Speakeasy Party Join us at Speakeasy Martini Room, as we celebrate the libations and spirit of the Big Band Era Music and Prohibition Age in a true retro style. Hide out at the Martini Room Speakeasy and join the party! Doors will open at 8pm - only the coolest of kats and hottest dolls will be permitted with the purchase of a ticket and the secret password that will be hidden throughout our social media. Once you get past the doors and our snazzy security gangsters - you are in for a night you will never forget. Coming to Elgin for the first time The Chicago Prohibition

Bonus Concert ! Hollis Prize Recital Millikin University’s School of Music is pleased to present the 2016 Hollis Prize Winner’s Recital at the Gail Borden Public Library. The competition will take place at the university on April 2 and is made possible through the generosity of Dr. Kimm Hollis, Millikin alumnus and Professor of Music at Hanover College in Indiana.

Join us at the library concert to find out the winner! 2p-3p, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rms. A-B-C gailborden. info. Free Introduccion a Microsoft Excel Aprenda como usar este programa para crear hojas de calculo. No hace falta tener la tarjeta de la biblioteca

2.4 para tomar las clases pero se require inscripcion ya que el espacio es limitado. 2p-3.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info. Free Judson Civic Orchestra Concert The Judson Civic Orchestra will present a concert featuring Capriccio Italien by Tchaikovsky, Haydn’s Symphony #92 “Oxford” and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Tickets at the door. 2p, Judson University Herrick Chapel judsonu.edu. $8-10 Mother Jones: The Life of a Labor Activist learn about the life of labor activist, Mary Harris Jones aka Mother Jones as she is brought to life by well known dramatist Betsey Means.

Mary’s early life in Ireland made for a strong foundation that carried her to America where she fought for adult and child workers rights from the coal mines to timber camps throughout the 19th and 20th century. Guests will not want to miss out learning about a caring woman who Clarence Darrow declared “a modern day Joan of Arc”.

Members: Free. 2p, Elgin History Museum elginhistory.org. $3 The Jungle Book presented by the Children’s Theatre of Elgin The whole family will love this exciting musical adaptation of the Kipling classic 2p-4p, Hemmens Cultural Center cteelgin.com. $10-12

A Viennese Concert presented by Soirée Lyrique Performers include Soprano Genevieve Thiers, who just performed the role of Praskovia in The Merry Widow at Chicago Lyric Opera, alongside Renee Fleming and Thomas Hampson; soprano Solange Sior, Founder and Artistic Director of Soirée Lyrique, NFP; tenor Simon Kyung Lee who just returned from a national tour of Teatro Lirico d’Europa’s productions of La Bohème, Aida, Carmen, Rigoletto, Turandot,

Continued on page 19

FEED.colorcode Bands & Music

Theater & Dance

Kids & Families

Lectures & Learning Exhibits & Film Creativity Causes & Community Other

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Shared Values: Sustainability in Elgin’s Cultural Conscience

Growing Green in Elgin

by Dean Tripp

What Does It Take?

How many folks does it take to help green a city like Elgin? Well, as we’ve learned more about the challenges of creating a local culture of sustainability, our answer has become: multitudes!

Our initial idea for an April article was a status report on green happenings across the

city, but we quickly learned we needed to narrow our focus.

And so we have looked into just a handful of local efforts, all of which we think are good examples of government initiatives and/or citizen participation, practical education for sustainability, corporate ingenuity in green manufacturing, and earth-oriented artistic creativity. — DT

Country Knolls Property Owners Association (NCKPOA).

These latter were hands-on initiatives, one to prevent ATV riders from abusing the informal paths through the property by implanting arrays of stout posts at the path entries. These citizens also undertook semi-annual cleanups, mostly along Foothill Rd. and Brookside Drive. (See Earth Day Flyer-insert for map of HHNC’s location & features).

Photo courtesy Jerry Tang (tangsphoto.photoshelter.com)

Hawthorne Initiatives and Labors of Love In a peculiar enclave of Elgin there is a 67-acre gem of land, water, woods and wildlife, and within it an attractive public building. It is City of Elgin’s Hawthorne Hills Nature Center (HHNC). Upon entering it one might think it a pristine, all-natural setting, except for the building. But its ponds, woods and wet lands don’t tell this project’s Elginesque history.

Hawthorne Hill Nature Center.

The site was used by the Girl Scouts of America before it was abandoned in 1972. Elgin annexed it to the City and eventually acquired ownership in 1977.

In the interim came a private developer and his excavation of two “borrow pits”, which eventually became HHNC’s ponds.

Likewise the property doesn’t tell of a long developmental hiatus, while regional drainage issues held sway. Nor does it speak of the work of its residential neighbors and their North

In 2016, what a visitor is really seeing at HHNC is the result of a long term redevelopment and restoration project.

Initiated, owned and operated by the City of Elgin (the building opened in 2005), but planned with neighborhood input and largely maintained by volunteers, the Center is supervised by one staff person, Maura Neuffer, HHNC’s part time Naturalist. About her corps of volunteers, Maura is quick to say, “This place wouldn’t be possible without them.”

Among these volunteers, she names first and foremost Carl and Chris Missele, two longtime members of NCKPOA. Carl maintains the paths and equipment to this day, though he has since become Chair of the City’s Parks and Recreation Commission. Chris has long served as an assistant to a series of Hawthorne Naturalists, including Molly Center, Maura’s predecessor. Molly is now a City of Elgin media specialist, staff for the City’s Sustainability Commission and their liaison to HHNC. Center is still deep in the mix of the Hawthorne’s enthusiasts, helping recently with publicity for their Earth Day Event, April 22, 4:30-7:00pm. (See flyer-insert for a host of scheduled collab-

Interior of Hawthorne Hill Nature Center. orators, activities and musical entertainment).

So, when you attend HHNC’s Earth Day, we recommend you sample some of Maura’s knowing enthusiasm, for what’s going in the woods (whoo, whoo), the ponds (waack, waack) and the air (warble, warble). You may be surprised at what living things now abide in our ever-greening city in the suburbs.

Volunteer Carl Missele celebrates his birthday with wife Chris at Trillium Park in 2015.

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Shared Values: Sustainability in Elgin’s Cultural Conscience

Sustainability Expo 2016 April 20 at ECC coordinated by Nadia Daley (a previous Expo organizer) and advised by Assistant ProfesParticipants at the 2015 Sustainability Makers Faire, held April 22, 2015 at Elgin Com- sor, Glenn Earl of the College’s munity College. (Photo by Mark Carriveau.)

Department of Sustainability, Elgin Community College sustainability expos are no Business and (ECC) has long had a part in edlonger the novel ideas they once Career Technology. ucation for sustainability. That were, there is good news for the Representing the City of Elgin involvement became substantive community about the latest one, is David Segel, a senior Suswhen ECC and most of Illinois’ “Sustainability Expo — Entainability Commissioner, and community colleges entered the ergy Solutions”, scheduled for from the larger community are field in the mid ’00s, when “goWednesday, April 20th from Sandra Kaptain, Chair ing green” was gaining traction 11am-8pm at ECC. of Elgin Green Groups everywhere.

The news is that (EGG), a veteran of five Not long after, in 2009, ECC’s the Expo is being Elgin Expos, and also commitment to sustainability co-sponsored by the Deb Dudek, an EGG was evident in its hosting of one City’s Sustainability activist. of the earliest and most successCommission and ECC. As valuable as this ful green expos of the area. It And by all accounts it sort of business expedrew over 2000 participants, 150 promises to be a joint rience may be for the vendors and 25 speakers, aceffort of purpose and students, they are also being cording to artist/activist, Kathy resource, as well as funding. It’s guided into more direct practice.

Haerr, the leading organizer of one for which both entities have This includes internet-based that event. Since then, there high hopes, ones likely to be outreach work (which most alhave been four more expos, movmentioned at its kickoff by Elgin ready know), but also an experiing between ECC and City of ElMayor Kaptain and ECC’s Presiential learning challenge. That gin venues. That said, one might dent, Dr. Sam on April 20th. challenge consists of scheduled ask, “So, what else is new?”

As for the content of the event, opportunities to partner with Well, though green and it looks to be greener than usual another student, to educate their with a highfellow students in their classly practical rooms about the varied meanfocus on what ings of sustainability and the students can implications for their respective learn through disciplines and future careers. experiential And of course, to pitch the event. involvement The event itself will host a in the event’s wide range of vendors and acplanning tivities, including a limited oak committee. tree giveaway to the first 100 The commitregistrants, compliments of the tee includes Kaptain family. eight or more Banner ad from Elgin’s original Green Expo in 2009. students, We also hear that one fresh-

man has ideas for what anyone can easily do to reuse plastic water bottles (besides recycling them, which requires energy).

While on a more far-reaching scale, there will also be participating state-wide leaders with information on working models and projects that are rapidly developing and expanding. This will be heady news to most, holding exciting promise of widespread impacts on such universal challenges as wellness, food production and waste recycling, water reclamation, energy generation and more.

And for those with a taste for participatory art, there will be a mural project in the gym, “42 Steps” (concept by Sandra Kaptain, facilitated by Kathy Haerr). It will illustrate what all might do to support the progress of sustainability.

For more information about “Sustainable Expo – Energy Solutions” go to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. To register for it go to: http://eccsm2016. eventbrite.com

Green activist Nadia Daley.

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Shared Values: Sustainability in Elgin’s Cultural Conscience

Multifilm Packaging Corp:

A Business Case For Sustainability What can be said of a manufacturer which produces five types of flexible plastic products, along with five services related to those products and their uses, in six markets, mostly in the food industry?

Multifilm Packaging Corp. is a Zero Waste and low emissions facility. tion line, MPC has been a “zero waste-to-landfill facility” since 2011. This designation means that half its scrap material from manufacturing processes is recycled into molded storage boxes, while the other half of the production waste is converted to combustible pellets and sent to municipal incineration plants to create green energy.

That is, a maker of packaging products, which “use less energy (and) less natural resources resulting in less CO2 than the production of bottles, cans and tubs,” which comprise the rigid container product lines of their competitors.

Additionally, because MPC production processes create harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs), they have invested in a state-of-the-art emissions recovery system which destroys 98% of those VOC’s, more than EPA requirements.

But wait, hold your thoughts, Laminated roll stock being slit into smaller because there’s widths to make flexible packaging films at MPC. more. Multifilm Packaging Corporation (MPC) That began with a $1.2 million at 1040 McLean Blvd., is also a investment in a geothermal sysfirm that considers the impact tem which — in simplest terms that every business decision will — transfers energy from 52-54°F have on the planet, their customground water into heating and ers, and their own employees. cooling, as well as electrical power.

MPC may be quick to admit it’s easier said than done, but this approach is well worth it, because it’s their commitment to innovation, including practices that are sensitive and helpful to the global and local environment, that have made them a leader in their industry.

In concrete terms, the present company has invested $9 million since 2008, when they took over MPC from its previous owners.

One last note here: MPC has also installed two electric car chargers at its facility, which are currently used by two of their employees with their Chevy Volts. Overall the company’s employees average 40 miles per

day in commuting. So, with the chargers working at no cost to employees, savings from this alternate source of fuel could create a savings of as much as $1,500 per year for those with average or longer commutes.

So what can be said of this flexible plastic maker? Long and short, the City of Elgin’s Sustainability Commission has discussed the question and voted to present them with its annual award for excellence in innovations, contributing to the sustainability of the community and far, far beyond. That presentation will be made by Mayor Kaptain at the April 9th meeting of the Sustainability Commission at City Hall, shortly after the opening of the meeting, scheduled for 6:15p.m.

To learn more about MPC, or to ask them questions, go to: http://multifilm.com.

How much electrical power?

Well in this manufacturer’s operation, enough to save as much as $200,000 annually. Moreover, since the geothermal system isn’t using fossil fuel for generation of the electricity generated on site, MPC’s carbon emissions and footprint are reduced by as much as 31%, according to their calculations.

At the back end of the produc-

Diagram of the geothermal HVAC system at Mulifilm Packaging Corp.

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2.4

Shared Values: Sustainability in Elgin’s Cultural Conscience Kathleen Brigidina Haerr is well known in Elgin’s growing green community since its most notable beginnings in 2006, and from her role as an original Board Member of the Elgin Climate Change Organization (ECCO).

Then too, she may be more widely known for her initiative and early leadership of that first large Green Expo at ECC in 2009, simply because something like that can be so public.

Personally, I only became acquainted with her late in 2009, in the context of the City of Elgin’s community-based Sustainability Master Plan Committee, on which we seved as fellow sub-committee members of the Green Building Technologies group.

But alas, none of these green achievements are the reasons we are commenting on her work here. Rather it’s because Kathy, a BFA from the Art Institute of Chicago, like many other artists who’ve ever felt passions for important causes, has also seen that such passions and causes can lead us away from those very interests and creative activities that are closer to our

A Heart for Healing:

The Art of an Eco-Activist

core, or as Kathy might put it, our hearts.

That’s the problem, more often than not, with causes. They seem to become fueled by polemics and arrested by politics, neither of which are as broad-minded or sympathetic as our hearts.

That said, when Kathy and I recently re-connected and sat down to talk about how we might collaborate on this story, we seemed to come back to just these kinds of points: that “green” means a lot of different things to a lot of different people.

And unfortunately, it still means practically nothing to some people.

As for “sustainability,” the term may even be less understood.

And yet we had no problem agreeing that the current social and ecological conditions around the globe are potentially the most unifying phenomena to yet come down the line for the latest version of homo sapiens.

Why so? Well, it’s crunch time, and we can’t afford to be entirely motivated by polemics or politics, which are often no more than projections or defenses of our personal values — or maybe offenses in the name of our defenses ­— regarding what we may think of as our own superior points

of view, which in terms of our human imperfections, are in fact always incomplete.

So I think Kathy and I agree this movement of “green” and “sustainability” needs to get to something more practically unifying. That something is the centrality of the social factors, as well as the natural habitat, that every one of us depends upon for our sustenance, in one way or another.

So what are the implications for those who seem to have the heart for this end of the project, of species-unifying, or saving if you will?

(Make no mistake about this, the Earth will continue to go round the Sun, no matter what we do to ourselves, our habitat, and that of the rest of sentient life on the planet.)

Let’s say it is for each of us in our own thoughts, words and actions to find our way to each others’ hearts, as they relate to what we all seem most attached to: our lives on this Earth.

Put another way, we need some new habits of heart. And truly, that is what we think Kathy Haerr’s more recent and current work, as an artist, is really about.

Navy Pier, for which she gathered a significant number Elgin residents and green businesses as part of the show 2013: co-organizing “The Language of Water” with Judi Brownfield and Deb Perryman, while also curating an exhibit at ArtSpace 2014: “Rise and Shine,” a local 8-day event, themed to National Food Day, celebrating Earth, Women and sustainable food systems, but also coming to include Art, Community and Joy, as eventually expressed in gatherings and activities throughout the 8 days, such as: Mother Earth farm tasting, ancestral drumming, body painting, rejuvenating massage, singing bowls, a Red Tent movie and more March 8, 2016: local initiation of the “Women Healing Earth” group, in relation to International Women’s Day April 20, 2016: facilitation of a participatory eco-mural project “42 Steps” as a children and adult activity at ECC’s “Sustainable Expo — Energy Solutions” June 1st, 2016: Mother Earth painting class series, “Our Wild and Precious Earth” (online & in person) June 4th 2016: local coordination of the Worldwide Simultaneous River Blessing in conjunction with the Mauriora Society What more can we say about Kathy Haerr, artist and team organizer, and her heart for “green” and “sustainability,” or perhaps a more unifying and easily understood concept: our common home, Planet Earth.

Well, we could say more, but we think her work speaks for itself!

— DT/KH

Kathy’s Contributions, Past and Future 2011 and 2012: a commission from the Conservation Foundation to design the first sustainable garden exhibit at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show at

Eco-activist Kathleen Haerr can be reached at brigidina.com.

April 2016 Nabucco, and Tosca; baritone Nicholas Provenzale, who recently was a featured soloist with the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra and a winner of the Hawaii Public Radio Art Song Competition.The audience will be delighted by very popular excerpts from The Merry Widow, Paganini, Die Fledermaus, The Land of the Smiles, The Desert Song, Magic Flute and famous waltzes from the Blue Danube, Wiener Blut and more. A string quartet from Chamber Music on the Fox, one of Elgin’s newest and world-class arts organizations will join Soirée Lyrique for this performance. Musicians will include Jerry Loughney and Christina Buciu, violins, Bonnie Yeager, viola and Sara Sitzer, cello. Soirée Lyrique’s exceptional pianist Dr. Chiayi Lee will complete the cast. 3p, First Congregational Church soireelyrique.org. $15-30 suggested donation.

BRAVO date. The only problem is, Joe doesn’t know the music producer and he’s starting to fall in love with Susan himself.Stars: Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, Dean Stockwell, Leon Ames. Directed by George Sidney.This film won an Academy Award for Best Music.Not rated, 143 minutes.

11a-2p, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rms. A-B gailborden.info. Free 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. Free Story Mix for Three to Six See description for 3/31 above. 3.30p-4p, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden. info. Free

Quiet Computer Lab See description for 4/1 above. 9a-5p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info. Free

Wonderful Ones See description for 3/31. 10a-10.30a, Rakow Branch - Living Room gailborden.info

The Norway Polar Bear Expedition Join us on our expedition to visit the frigid home of Disney’s Frozen on our search for the largest bear on the planet - the Polar Bear! Explore the Arctic Ocean ecosystem and meet animals that are able to survive in this harsh, Frozen environment. Meet a life-sized, inflatable, furry, 9-foot long, male Polar Bear! Children under 8 must be accompanied by an adult 4p-5p, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rms. A-B-C gailborden.info. Free Wonderful Ones See description for 3/31. 6.15p-6.45p, GBPL Story Room South gailborden.info. Free

Brown Bag Lunch Classic Films - Anchors Aweigh (1945, NR) Joe Brady (Gene Kelly) and Clarence Doolittle (Frank Sinatra) are Navy sailors who have a four-day shore leave in Hollywood. Joe has his heart set on spending time with his girl, the unseen Lola. Clarence, the shy choir boy turned sailor, asks Joe to teach him how to get girls. They soon meet a little boy who ran away from home and wants to join the Navy. They take the boy home and soon meet his young and beautiful aspiring-singer Aunt Susan (Kathryn Grayson). Clarence develops a crush on her, so he asks Joe to help him get Susan to like him. Soon Joe gets himself caught in between a promise to Susan to meet a big time music producer and trying to get Clarence ready for their

Family Jam See description for 4/4 above. 6.30p-7p, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rms. A-B gailborden.info.

Free 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. Free QuickBooks Series - QuickBooks Basics 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.

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

NY’S PIZZ

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DOUGLAS

Elgin’s Best Pizza!

SSSA’s Unfi nished Business Art Exhibit Artist Amanda Harris lives in the gallery to complete an unfinished project. Continues through 4/17.

Open for visitation during regular gallery hours. Side Street Studio Arts Gallery sidestreetstudioarts.org

Story Mix for Three to Six See description for 3/31 above. 10a-10.30a, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden. info. Free

Wonderful Ones See description for 3/31. 9.15a-9.45a, Rakow Branch Living Room gailborden.info

N DA

ON

Wonderful Ones See description for 3/31. 9.15a-9.45a, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info. Free

Mon.Apr.11

Story Mix for Three to Six See description for 3/31 above. 9.30a-10a, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden. info. Free

Tue.Apr.12

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Pediatric Therapeutic Playgroup See description for 4/5 above.

11a-11.45a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info. Free Armchair Generals: The Elections

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FINE YARN SUPPLIES CLASSES ELGIN KNIT WORKS 8 DOUGLAS AVE ELGIN IL 60120 847-627-4700 shop@elginknitworks.com www.elginknitworks.com

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Grupo de Conversacion en Ingles/ English Conversation Group See description for 4/5 above. 6.30p-7.30p, GBPL Conference Room gailborden. info. Free

of 1860 and 1864 presented by Dennis Bulat A Brown Bag Civil War and Lincoln Interest Group.The Elections of 1860 and 1864, presented by Dennis Bulat. 11.45a-1.15p, GBPL South Elgin Room gailborden.info.

Free Job Search & Resume Help See description for 4/7 above. 1p-4p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden. info. Free Rakow Rooks See description for 4/5 above. 4.30p-5.30p, Rakow Branch Children’s Area gailborden.info

Open Auditions for The Little Mermaid Audition for roles in The Little Mermaid, which runs June 17-26. Open to anyone currently in first grade through age 20. Advance registration is required. Please visit cteelgin.com for complete details.

6p-9p, ECC Arts Center, Building H cteelgin.com 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. Free Spanish Sign Language Program/ Clases del Lenguaje de Senas Americano See description for 4/5 above. 6p-8p, GBPL Elgin Room gailborden.info. Free Terrific Twos See description for 3/31 above. 6.15p-6.45p, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info. Free

¡A Bailar Juntos!/Dance Social: ¡A Bailar! Get your shoes ready, to get your heart beating and your hips swaying in this fun dance social for all. Latin rhythms of all kind will be danced including salsa, merengue, bachata and cumbia. No previous experience or partner is required, all levels and ages are welcome. No registration. Prepara tus zapatos para bailar diferentes ritmos latinos. !Salsa, merengue, bachata, cumbia y mas! No requiere experiencia previa ni pareja. Todo tipo de nivel y edad es bienvenido. No hace falta inscribirse.

7p-8p, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rms. A-B-C gailborden.info. Free Danny’s On Douglas Open Mic Night One of the Northwest Suburbs longest running Open Mic nights!

Grab your family, friends, and instruments and head down to Danny’s on Douglas! 7p-11p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com Judson University Percussion Ensemble This exciting ensemble features Judson students playing a wide variety of percussion instruments, under the direction of Professor Michael Folker. This event is free and open to the public. 7p, Judson University Thompson Center judsonu.edu. Free 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. Free LinkedIn Open Lab Now that you know how it works and have your basic profile created, stop in and get some 1:1 or small-group help fine-tuning your profile and using some of LinkedIn’s more advanced features.

7p-8.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info. Free Story Mix for Three to Six See description for 3/31 above. 7p-7.30p, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden. info. Free

Tables, borders, backgrounds and WordArt allow users to create custom designs that make their documents pop. Learn how to use these tools to spruce up your own creations in this class. 11a-12.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info. Free

1, 2, 3, Go! Families with 1, 2, and 3 year olds are invited to enjoy stories, rhymes, and musical activities together. No registration required. Repeats 4/20 at 10a. 10a-10.30a, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rms. A-B-C gailborden. info. Free Drop-In Storytime See description for 4/6 above. 10.30a-11a, Rakow Branch - Kid’s Area gailborden.info Microsoft Word: Tables & Images

Karaoke Night 8p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com Trivia Night Stretch your brain with beer in hand! Wednesday nights are for Trivia! Join the EPH Trivia gang and battle against Elgin’s most ferociously competitive brainiacs. Weekly prizes for the top three teams, as well as eight-week cumulative tourneys with big grand prizes. Trivia starts promptly at 8pm. Get here early to settle in with some food, beer and cocktails. 8p, Elgin Public House elginpublichouse.com

Office of Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth - Satellite Office Hours Office of Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth - Satellite Office Hours on the 2nd Wednesday of each month to provide information on resources in their office. 12.30p-4.30p, GBPL Southeast Lobby gailborden.info.

Free

Thu.Apr.14

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. Free

Terrific Twos See description for 3/31 above. 9.15a-9.45a, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info. Free Coffee, Conversation, and More!

Informal discussions on topics for people old enough to have a past.

April 14 - Rumba, jitterbug or swing?

Tell or demonstrate your favorite high school dances. April 28 - Favorite vacations. Yes, we want to see your photos! 9.30a-11a, Rakow Branch Living Room gailborden.info

Elgin Knit Works Open Knit 5p-8p, Elgin Knit Works elginknitworks.com Clase Futuros Bilingues / Go Bilingual Class See description for 4/6 above. 6p-7p, GBPL Elgin Room gailborden.info. Free

Device Advice Devices are fun, but sometimes you need a little extra help figuring out how to use a particular feature, function, program or app. Bring your question and your device to the library for some 1:1 help and a cup of coffee or tea!

9.30a-11.30a, GBPL Studio 270 gailborden.info. Free

Cuentos para la familia/Spanish Family Storytime See description for 4/6 above. 6.30p-7p, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info. Free Microsoft Excel: 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. Free

Job Search & Resume Help See description for 4/7 above. 9.30a-1p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info. Free

Walking Book Club Walk and Book Discussion 7p-9p, GBPL Conference Room gailborden.info. Free

Wonderful Ones See description for 3/31. 9.30a-10a, GBPL Story Room South gailborden.info. Free

Terrific Twos See description for 3/31 above. 10a-10.30a, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info. Free

Wed.Apr.13 Job Training Information Session See description for 4/6 above.

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

2.4

Story Mix for Three to Six See description for 3/31 above.

10.15a-10.45a, GBPL Story Room North gailborden.info. Free

Booker T. Jones Experience this soul legend in concert! It can be argued that Booker T. Jones, the front man of Booker T. and the M.G.’s set the cast for modern soul music. A Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Musicians Hall of Fame inductee, and Grammy® Lifetime Achievement Award recipient this Hammond B3 organ master pushed soul music’s boundaries, refined it to its essence, and injected it into the nation’s bloodstream on classic Stax hits like “Green Onions,” “Hang ‘Em High,” “Time Is Tight,” and “Melting Pot.” 7.30p, ECC Blizzard Theatre tickets. elgin.edu. $38-52

Terrific Twos See description for 3/31 above. 10.45a-11.15a, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info. Free Listen, Learn and Lead Toastmasters Club #6974 Become the speak-

FEED.colorcode Bands & Music

Theater & Dance

Kids & Families

Lectures & Learning Exhibits & Film Creativity Causes & Community Other

BRAVO

April 2016 er 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! 12p-1p, GBPL South Elgin Room gailborden.info. Free ChessMaster Junior Chess Club See description for 3/31 above. 4p-5p, GBPL Youth Center - South gailborden.info. Free MIDI Lab Digital Media LabTeens can learn how to create and edit a professional audio recording, direct and edit a professional video, learn MIDI, and become a Photoshop pro. 4p-6p, GBPL Studio 270 Digital Media Lab gailborden.info. Free

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Location TBD elgin360.org 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. Free Karaoke Night 8p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com

Fri.Apr.15 Quiet Computer Lab See description for 4/1 above. 9a-5p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info. Free Baby Rhyme Time See description on 4/1 above. 9.15a-9.45a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info. Free Wonderful Ones See description for 3/31. 10a-10.30a, GBPL Story Room South gailborden.info. Free

Baby Rhyme Time See description on 4/1 above. 6.15p-6.45p, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info. Free Genealogy 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. Free Sensory Storytime See description for 4/7 above. 6.30p-7p, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rm. C gailborden. info. Free

Design your own Zen-Dala A mandala is a circle based design meant to bring a zen-like center to your thoughts and feelings. Doodling is an open, free-form way to draw that needs no formal training. Join Deb Morton, local artist, designer and avid doodler as she shows you how to marry these two techniques in creating a Zen-Dala design. Learn how to draw a basic mandala pattern and then finish one of the quick start designs provided with doodles and colors for a take home project suitable for framing. Space is limited, so please register. 7p-8.30p, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rms. A-B gailborden.info. Free Elgin 360 Photography Club 7p,

Discover Space: A Cosmic Journey Exhibit Opening with John Palmer Discover Space: A Cosmic Journey Exhibit Opening with John Palmer, Props and Special Effects Film Expert.

John Palmer will talk about his extraordinary special effects, props and set designs for space-related movies such as the award-winning film, Apollo 13 as well as Deep Impact, Space Cowboys, and Apollo 18.He is Director of Special Projects for Global Effects, which creates props, costumes, armor, miniatures, sets, creatures, and makeup effects for TV, movies, and museums.Most recently he and Global contributed to Bridge of Spies and The Martian. John will talk about how space travel is portrayed in the movies as compared to real life and discuss his more than 30 years of work in the film industry. His career has showcased his talent for special and visual effects, tricks, rigs and gags, stop motion and motion control.

He supplied many of the sets for the then cutting-edge 3D, live special-effects driven spectacular Captain EO starring Michael Jackson. Limited seating - Please register. 4p-5p, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rms. A-B-C gailborden.info. Free 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,

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BRAVO WordPress Series - WordPress Basics 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. Free

Sun.Apr.17

2.4 Barbara Siesel is Green Golly and award winning actor-storyteller-songwriter Keith Torgan is everyone else!

2p-3p, Rakow Branch - Corridor West gailborden.info

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. Free anything is cool. Have a regular group going? Meet up at The BBC! Dress up, dress regularly, dress casually... but please be dressed :) 5p-8p, Blue Box Cafe theblueboxcafe.com

BYOB Painting Social: Spring Eiffel Tower 6.30p, Localvore brushedchicago.com. $30

Judson University Chamber Singers/Guitar Ensembles Guitar professor Adam Huff and Judson students will perform together a variety of acoustic guitar selections.

The Chamber Singers, featuring some of Judson’s finest voices, will perform under the direction of Dr. Josh Jones.

This event is free and open to the public. 7p, Judson University Herrick Chapel judsonu.edu. Free Howard & The White Boys Howard & The White Boys are one of the best live contemporary blues acts of the past two decades. 9p-11.59p, Grand Victoria Casino grandvictoriacasino. com. No cover.

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

Sat.Apr.16

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

Family Painting Social: Sandals on the Beatch 12p, Localvore brushedchicago.com

Elgin Youth Symphony presents “Resonance” featuring Grammy-winning eighth blackbird eighth blackbird takes the stage alongside our Brass Choir, Percussion Ensembles, and Youth Symphony for an incredible masterclass and performance. The award-winning Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra (EYSO) is one of the largest, oldest, and most esteemed youth orchestras in the nation. With five orchestras, a brass choir, and two percussion ensembles, the EYSO provides over 350 young musicians from 60 communities a rich musical experience while rewarding audiences with innovative concerts. 7p, Blizzard Theatre tickets. elgin.edu. $13-19-24

Intermedio de Microsoft Excel En este curso el participante aprendera a trabajar con formulas, funciones, graficas, caracteristicas de las tablas, validacion de datos, nombres de rangos y constants. 2p-3.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden. info. Free

Elgin Knit Works Open Knit 1p-4p, Elgin Knit Works elginknitworks.com Author’s Fair Discover a brandnew author, (who might also be your neighbor!) at the Author’s Fair.

Authors from Elgin, area suburbs, and around the Midwest are looking forward to meeting and greeting potential new readers at our festive literary event! Books will be available for purchase and signing. Featuring: Fantasy author Michael Alan Peck, romance novelist L.B. Dunbar, 16 yr. old Elgin resident Shane Clooney, and many more! Refreshments will be served. 2p-4p, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rms. A-B-C gailborden.info.

Free

Power Pop Machine Cover band, Rock/Roll Come see YOUR Pop Machine’s triumphant return to D Hangout Bar and Grill. 9p, D Hangout Bar & Grill d-hangout.com Uptown 6 9p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com Medusa Saturday’s 10.30p-4a, Medusa’s medusachicago.com

Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra Open House Our second Open House of the season. Visit a Chamber Music Institute concert or hang out in rehearsals: EYSO behind the scenes.

3.30p-8p, ECC Arts Center Building H eyso.org

Mon.Apr.18 Quiet Computer Lab See description for 4/1 above. 9a-5p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info. Free Wonderful Ones See description for 3/31. 9.15a-9.45a, Rakow Branch Living Room gailborden.info Story Mix for Three to Six See description for 3/31 above. 9.30a-10a, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden. info. Free

Heartland Voices presents “American Composers: A Living Tapestry” 7.30p-7.30p, First United Methodist Church heartlandvoices.org. $12-15 Class of ‘68 The Class of ‘68 is a “Classic Rock and Soul” band that captures the energy and enthusiasm of the music that changed the world.

9p-11.59p, Grand Victoria Casino grandvictoriacasino.com. No cover.

Elgin Master Chorale Concert: Spring Stirrings Featuring Vivaldi’s dazzling Gloria, accompanied by the Elgin Symphony Orchestra. Experience one of music’s most uplifting works as singers and orchestra ignite with the passion and exuberance that make this piece so beloved.

Just as we celebrate one of choral music’s most remembered pieces, we look also to the Michael Haydn Requiem – a hidden gem of compositional beauty. Hear the sounds of this Requiem that delighted a young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who is said to have been in the audience for one of its first performances. After 250 years, this is still a piece that inspires. 3.30p, ECC Blizzard Theatre elginmasterchorale.org. $20-25

Music in the Stacks: Green Golly and her Golden Flute All ages welcome. Best for children in grades 1 - 5. No registration. Limited seating.

This Parents’ Choice Gold Award Winning introduction to classical music, presented by author performers Keith Torgan and Barbara Siesel, uses musical storytelling and comedy to inspire imagination, creativity and positive self-expression. Green Golly is the delightfully funny, flute playing heroine who models discipline, overcoming challenges, thinking creatively and the development of character.

Juilliard trained flutist and educator

Wonderful Ones See description for 3/31. 10a-10.30a, Rakow Branch - Living Room gailborden.info Illinois DHS Division of Rehabilitation Services Information Session Come learn about DRS Vocational Rehabilitation Services for persons with disabilities who want to work, and about DRS Home Services Program, for persons with disabilities who are in danger of going to a nursing home or institution, as well as the other programs and services offered by the Division of Rehabilitation Services.

1p-3p, GBPL South Elgin Room gailborden.info. Free

BRAVO

April 2016

provided. 4p-5p, GBPL Story Room South gailborden.info. Free

Wonderful Ones See description for 3/31. 6.15p-6.45p, GBPL Story Room South gailborden.info. Free Family Jam See description for 4/4 above. 6.30p-7p, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rms. A-B gailborden.info.

Free

Judson University World Leader’s Forum Featuring her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan. Her Majesty Queen Noor is a world renowned advocate for cross-cultural understanding and conflict prevention and recovery issues such as refugees, missing persons, poverty, climate change, and disarmament. 2p, Judson University judsonu.edu Story Mix for Three to Six See description for 3/31 above. 3.30p-4p, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden. info. Free 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

Join us in welcoming the leading harp ensemble in the country for a program featuring works by Khatchaturian, Liszt and more. 7.30p, Elgin Art Showcase chambermusiconthefox. org. $10-20

Cocktail Tasting 7p-9p, Martini Room martiniroomelgin.com QuickBooks Series - QuickBooks Basics 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. 7p-8.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info. Free Chamber Music on the Fox’s Strings of Gold The only thing more beautiful than the soft strumming of one harp is...four harps, played in harmony!

Job Search & Resume Help See description for 4/7 above. 1p-4p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden. info. Free Rakow Rooks See description for 4/5 above. 4.30p-5.30p, Rakow Branch 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. 6p-7.30p, Rakow Branch - Living Room 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.

6.30p-8.30p, GBPL South Elgin Room gailborden.info. Free Moon Gazing A nearly full moon.

There’s a chance of looking at Jupiter as well. 6.30p-7.30p, Rakow Branch Outside South gailborden.info

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Tue.Apr.19 Wonderful Ones See description for 3/31. 9.15a-9.45a, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info. Free Panera Milk & Cookie Storytime See description for 4/5 above. 9.30a-10a, GBPL Library On The Go at Restaurant gailborden.info. Free Story Mix for Three to Six See description for 3/31 above. 10a-10.30a, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden. info. Free Pediatric Therapeutic Playgroup See description for 4/5 above.

11a-11.45a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info. Free

Terrific Twos See description for 3/31 above. 6.15p-6.45p, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info. Free Grupo de Conversacion en Ingles/ English Conversation Group See description for 4/5 above. 6.30p-7.30p, GBPL Conference Room gailborden. info. Free Danny’s On Douglas Open Mic Night One of the Northwest Suburbs longest running Open Mic! Grab your family, friends, and instruments and head down to Danny’s on Douglas!

7p-11p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com Elgin Alive - Start Your Seeds, Make Your Bed, and be Ready to Plant You’ve spent the winter months

SUNDAY

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MONDAY

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TUESDAY

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$6 Designer Moscow Mules 15% OFF Wines

WEDNESDAY

Martini Flights 5 mini Martinis for $15*

THURSDAY

All $9 Martinis: $6

WEEKENDS Nightly Specials $3 Mystery Shots

2015 WINNER 161 E. Chicago St. Elgin, IL 847-741-0349 WWW.MARTINIROOMELGIN.COM

BRAVO

24

edit a professional audio recording, direct and edit a professional video, learn MIDI, and become a Photoshop pro. 4p-6p, GBPL Studio 270 Digital Media Lab gailborden.info. Free

immersed in seed catalogs. Finally Spring is here! Time to start seeds (if you haven’t already), make your bed, and be ready to plant. A University of Illinois Master Gardener will guide you through the steps to start seeds, prepare the soil in the bed, and planting. 7p-8.30p, GBPL Meadows Comm.

Rms. A-B gailborden.info. Free Open Mic Night Share your talent at Studio 270’s Open Mic Night. We are looking for musicians, poets, comedians, story tellers and more to perform. For teens in grades 9-12.

7p-8p, GBPL Studio 270 gailborden. info. Free Story Mix for Three to Six See description for 3/31 above. 7p-7.30p, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden. info. Free

Wed.Apr.20 SSSA’s Artificer Art Exhibit Exhibit for metal sculptors of Harper College in Palatine and Elgin Community College. This noncurated show is an opportunity for students and alumni to showcase the craft of metalsmithing, a technique provided from their college. In search of concept and craftsmanship, a juried team will award $1000 to the winning artist to help complete and pay off their continuing studies. Exhibit continues through May 1st, regular gallery hours. Side Street Studio Arts Gallery sidestreetstudioarts.org Job Training Information Session See description for 4/6 above.

9.30a-11a, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info. Free 1, 2, 3, Go! 10a-10.30a, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rms. A-B-C gailborden. info. Free Drop-In Storytime See description for 4/6 above. 10.30a-11a, Rakow Branch 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. Free Photoshop 101 Digital Media LabTeens can learn how to create and

borden.info. Free

Terrific Twos See description for 3/31 above. 10a-10.30a, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info. Free

Clase Futuros Bilingues / Go Bilingual Class See description for 4/6 above. 6p-7p, GBPL Meadows Comm.

Rm. C gailborden.info. Free

Story Mix for Three to Six See description for 3/31 above.

10.15a-10.45a, GBPL Story Room North gailborden.info. Free

Cuentos para la familia/Spanish Family Storytime See description for 4/6 above. 6.30p-7p, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info. Free

Terrific Twos See description for 3/31 above. 10.45a-11.15a, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info. Free

Medicare 101 Join us for an overview of Medicare and how it works. David Wylly of the Medicare Solutions Network will detail what Medicare covers and what it doesn’t, and options for additional coverage. We will review Medicare Supplements, Part D Drug Prescription coverage, and Advantage Plans, as well as cost saving strategies. Please register. 7p-8.30p, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rms. A-B gailborden.info. Free Microsoft Excel: Formulas & Functions Tired of looking for your calculator? Learn how Excel can help by automatically calculating totals, percentages, averages and ranges--and how you can manipulate these calculations--in this session.

7p-8.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info. Free Walking Book Club Walk and Book Discussion 7p-9p, GBPL Conference Room gailborden.info. Free Karaoke Night 8p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com Trivia Night Stretch your brain with beer in hand! Wednesday nights are for Trivia! Join the EPH Trivia gang and battle against Elgin’s most ferociously competitive brainiacs. Weekly prizes for the top three teams, as well as eight-week cumulative tourneys with big grand prizes. Trivia starts promptly at 8pm. Get here early to settle in with some food, beer and cocktails. 8p, Elgin Public House elginpublichouse.com

Thu.Apr.21 Terrific Twos See description for 3/31 above. 9.15a-9.45a, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rm. C gailborden.info. Free Device Advice Drop by the Rakow Branch for hands-on learning. You are welcome to bring your own devices. 9.30a-11.30a, Rakow Branch Computer Cafe gailborden.info Job Search & Resume Help See description for 4/7 above. 9.30a-1p, GBPL Computer Training Room gail-

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 Conference Room gailborden.info. Free

Wonderful Ones See description for 3/31. 9.30a-10a, GBPL Story Room South gailborden.info. Free

Elgin Knit Works Open Knit 5p-8p, Elgin Knit Works elginknitworks.com

Contemporary Fiction Book Group Book discussion. 7p-8.30p, GBPL South Elgin Room gailborden.info.

Free

2.4

Veterans Information Networking VA Non-Service Connected Pension Benefits Join us for monthly programs to provide information on a varying range of topics dealing with Veterans and to meet and discuss with other Veterans. Topics may include veterans benefits (medical, dental, compensation, pension, burial, etc.), and updates on these benefits, military experiences, PTSD, trauma, recording of discharges and others.

Coffee and tea will be served. No registration. 7p-8.30p, GBPL Elgin Room gailborden.info. Free

ChessMaster Junior Chess Club See description for 3/31 above. 4p-5p, GBPL Youth Center - South gailborden.info. Free

Judson University Piano Performances Featuring: Sookmyung Kim, Ah Hae Song, Grace Park. Dr. Sojung Lee Hong’s Piano Performance Certificate students will thrill audiences with technically challenging and beautifully executed classical repertoire. This event is free and open to the public. 5.30p, Judson University Thompson Center judsonu.edu. Free

Karaoke Night 8p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin.com

Elgin Area Small Business Academy, Session Four Students of the Elgin Area Small Business Academy will meet for their fourth session. A fee and attendance at all six sessions is required. For more information about the Academy, please contact the Elgin Area Chamber of Commerce at 847-741-5660. 6p-9p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden. info. Free

Last Train to Nibroc A funny, touching portrait of two people searching for happiness, this simply staged romance played to critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Off-Broadway. Written by Arlene Hutton Directed by Matt Fox, Featuring performances by Alyssa Davis, Nick DiMaso, and Matt Fox. Also 4/22 and 4/23 at 8p. 8p, Next Door Theater sidestreetstudioarts.org. $10-12

Baby Rhyme Time See description on 4/1 above. 6.15p-6.45p, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info. Free Citizenship Conversation Group/ Grupo de Conversacion para la Ciudadania See description for 4/7 above. 6.30p-7.30p, GBPL South Elgin Room gailborden.info. Free Novels at Night Mr. Owita’s Guide To Gardening 6.30p-7.15p, Rakow Branch - Living Room gailborden.info Sensory Storytime See description for 4/7 above. 6.30p-7p, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rm. C gailborden. info. Free Elgin Genealogical Society Elgin Genealogical Society monthly meeting 7p-8.30p, GBPL Meadows Comm.

Rms. A-B gailborden.info. Free NEW DATE: German Conversation Group This month’s program will be on April 21.Looking to refresh and even enhance that German you once

Fri.Apr.22 Baby Rhyme Time See description on 4/1 above. 9.15a-9.45a, GBPL Story Room - South gailborden.info. Free Wonderful Ones See description for 3/31. 10a-10.30a, GBPL Story Room South gailborden.info. Free Quiet Computer Lab See description for 4/1 above. 12.30p-5p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden. info. Free 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 :) 5p-8p, Blue Box Cafe theblueboxcafe.com

BRAVO

April 2016 Painting Social: Waterfall 6.30p, Wok ‘n’ Hot China Bistro & Bar brushedchicago.com. $30

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Rakow Branch - Living Room gailborden.info Read to Rover See above. 11.30a-12p, Rakow Branch - Living Room gailborden.info

Harvey Experience this heartwarming comedy classic! When Elwood P. Dowd starts introducing party guests to his best friend Harvey, an imaginary six-and-a-half-foot rabbit, his sister Veta decides to have Elwood committed. Veta’s plan goes hilariously awry as Elwood’s rabbit friend becomes less and less imaginary to an increasing number of people including Veta herself. 7.30p, ECC SecondSpace Theatre tickets.elgin. edu. $9-11 Last Train to Nibroc See description for 4/21 above. 8p, Next Door Theater sidestreetstudioarts.org. $10-12 Martini Room’s Groove Lounge w/ Inertia Inertia is a band that blends jazz, latin and soulful house with live horns and percussion. We call it Groove Lounge. It’s a unique environment that encourages the listener to get up and dance, but if you prefer to bob you head and tap your foot, we are cool with that too. 8p, Martini Room martiniroomelgin.com April’s Reign April’s Reign is one of the Midwest’s finest Rock & Roll bands around. 9p-11.59p, Grand Victoria Casino grandvictoriacasino.com.

No cover.

Danny’s on Douglas Live Music 9p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin. com Medusa’s Jet Night Club 10p-4a, Medusa’s medusachicago.com

Sat.Apr.23 Read to Rover Kids practice their reading skills by cuddling up with a good book and reading aloud to a fully trained and certified therapy dog. Repeats at 10.30a, 11a, 11.30a.

10a-10.30a, Rakow Branch - Living Room gailborden.info WordPress Series - WordPress Basics 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. Free Read to Rover See above. 10.30a-11a, Rakow Branch - Living Room gailborden.info Read to Rover See above. 11a-11.30a,

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 in grades 6-12 are welcome - bring a friend!

2p-3.30p, GBPL South Elgin Room gailborden.info. Free

SEE: HOPE

May 11, 2016 | 7:30 - 9:00 a.m.

Lindner Fitness Center, Judson University

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

Keynote Speaker Jimmy Mellado

President and Chief Executive Officer of Compassion International

Guest Artist Mrs. Tina Jenkins Crawley Christian Vocalist

Harvey See description for 4/22 above. 7.30p, ECC SecondSpace Theatre tickets.elgin.edu. $9-11

LEARN MORE AND RESERVE YOUR SEAT TODAY JudsonU.edu/PrayerBreakfast | 847.628.2076

Last Train to Nibroc See description for 4/21 above. 8p, Next Door Theater sidestreetstudioarts.org. $10-12

Judson will present a community member with the D. Ray Wilson Volunteer Service Award

90 minutes and will Bravo 4.5 x 5.25 – PB 2016.indd 1

be presented by a company of eight actors. “The Elgin Art Showcase will act like a maze of Hamlet’s mind,” said Hargadon. “By redefining expectations of this classic play, we’re hoping to create something new and unexpected for our audiences.” 8p, Elgin Art Showcase janusplays.com. $18

Medusa Saturday’s 10.30p-4a, Medusa’s medusachicago.com

Danny’s on Douglas Live Music 9p, Danny’s on Douglas dannyspizzaelgin. com Friday Jackson 9p, D Hangout Bar & Grill d-hangout.com. No cover.

The Tragical History of Hamlet “Everyone knows Hamlet in some way,” said Artistic Director Sean Hargadon.

“So we wanted to take the play and adapt into something that could be a journey of rediscovery for the actors and the audience. We want this version, this experiment to provide another impression of the play” added Hargadon.The Tragical History of Hamlet is adapted from the first two quartos and the First Folio, according to Hargadon. “By bringing various parts of these scripts together and combining different elements in a space where the audience moves with the action and the character, we plan to bring a physical sense of revenge and thriller to the production,” he said. The play has been cut down to

ga-hit television show American Idol.1:58 PM 3/11/16 Although Gina was often referred to as the ‘rocker chick’, her musical influences and abilities range far beyond the realm of rock. 9p-11.59p, Grand Victoria Casino grandvictoriacasino.com. No cover.

Elgin History Museum’s Elgin History Fair Want to explore Elgin history with your family? The annual Elgin History Fair will take place on Sunday, April 24 from 12- 3pm at the Elgin History Museum. Free admission. 12p-3p, Elgin History Museum elginhistory.org. Free

Elgin Knit Works Open Knit 1p-4p, Elgin Knit Works elginknitworks.com

Gina Glocksen Gina’s original music infuses the passion and attitude of a rock n roll rebel with precision and soul of the modern ‘diva’.Gina Glocksen is best known as the 9th place finalist of the 6th season of the me-

Sun.Apr.24

Sunday Afternoon Concert - Kristine Stout, Handbells Back by popular demand, handbell soloist, Kristine Stout from Clinton Township, Michigan, will play 3 octaves (37 bells) of English Handbells all by herself! Her handbell solos and digital keyboard orchestrations are her own creations, designed for and delivered with joy!

2p-3p, GBPL Meadows Comm. Rms. A-B-C gailborden.info. Free The Tragical History of Hamlet See description for 4/23 above. 2p, Elgin

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Go at Community Center gailborden. info. Free Rakow Readers Mr. Owita’s Guide To Gardening 1.30p-2.30p, Rakow Branch - Living Room gailborden.info Story Mix for Three to Six See description for 3/31 above. 3.30p-4p, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden. info. Free Grow Your Business with Library Resources Did you know the library has tools to help you grow your small business? Come listen as Business Librarian Amanda Gardner shares how to gather information about competitors, target marketing efforts by zip code, and more in this informative class! 6p-7.30p, Rakow Branch - Living Room gailborden.info

Art Showcase janusplays.com. $18 Harvey See description for 4/22 above. 3p, ECC SecondSpace Theatre tickets.elgin.edu. $9-11

Wonderful Ones See description for 3/31. 6.15p-6.45p, GBPL Story Room South gailborden.info. Free

EYSO’s Chamber Music Institute Concerts The CMI ends their season with a full afternoon of chamber music. Don’t miss it! 3.30p, ECC Arts Center eyso.org

Dawn of the Space Age - Elgin School District U-46 Planetarium Join us at the planetarium for this Full Dome program on the history of the space program. Tours at 6:30 followed by a one-hour program. Tickets are limited. Children must be in first grade and up; all children must be accompanied by an adult. The Elgin School District U-46 Planetarium is located at 312 Watch Street, Elgin.

Free parking for the planetarium is available in the lot at National and Raymond. 6.30p-8p, GBPL Library On The Go gailborden.info. Free

Judson University presents Huntley Brown The Jamaica Choir Tour Fundraising Concert at First Baptist Church in Elgin will feature Rev. Huntley Brown, Judson alum and internationally-known pianist. A freewill offering will be taken to help fund this year’s Choir Tour to Jamaica. 6p, First Baptist Church, 1735 W. Highland Ave fbcelgin.com. Donation

Mon.Apr.25 Quiet Computer Lab See description for 4/1 above. 9a-5p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info. Free Wonderful Ones See description for 3/31. 9.15a-9.45a, Rakow Branch Living Room gailborden.info Story Mix for Three to Six See description for 3/31 above. 9.30a-10a, GBPL Story Room - North gailborden. info. Free Wonderful Ones See description for 3/31. 10a-10.30a, Rakow Branch - Living Room gailborden.info Artistic Transitions Exhibition Live art and artistic expression exhibition created by Center House Transitions Program Students. Live art 12:302:30. Exhibit is open to view Monday, April 25th afternoon until 5:30 and Tuesday, April 26th until 5:30.

12.30p-5.30p, GBPL Library On The

Family Jam See description for 4/4 above. 6.30p-7p, GBPL Meadows Rms. A-B gailborden.info. Free QuickBooks Series - QuickBooks Basics Learn to create, enter, and memorize journal entries, how to reconcile your bank accounts, and how to run and customize reports in this final class of the QuickBooks series.

7p-8.30p, GBPL Computer Training Room gailborden.info. Free (Re) Thinking Retirement Retirement is a goal we all have in common. Yet, there is no easy formula to prepare for retirement and unfortunately, many people feel unprepared.

Financial planner Keith Rauschenberger will identify all the various risks to your retirement and then share several strategies for improving your retirement outlook. Hopefully, it will make you think and perhaps (re) think your own retirement. Please register. 7p-8.30p, GBPL Elgin Room gailborden.info. Free 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. Free

Tue.Apr.26

2.4

Harvey See description for 4/22 above. 7.30p, SecondSpace Theatre tickets.elgin.edu. $9-11

Martin Scorsese, Christopher Guest, and Judd Apatow. 7p, Blizzard Theatre tickets.elgin.edu. $32

Harvey See description for 4/22 above. 7.30p, SecondSpace Theatre tickets.elgin.edu. $9-11

Elgin Symphony Orchestra presents “Composers Unleashed: Bernstein & Mahler” This season closes with works by two titans: Bernstein and Mahler! Bernstein’s Symphony No. 1 retells the story of Jeremiah the Prophet with musical anguish and ancient Hebrew text. The Mahler ends with the vision of a child’s description of Heaven – leaving you with a feeling of peace and tranquility. ESO welcomes Lyric Opera Rising Star Laura Wilde for her debut on the Hemmens stage. Bernstein: Symphony No. 1 “Jeremiah”; Mahler: Symphony No. 4. Andrew Grams, Conductor. Laura Wilde, Soprano. Also 5/1 at 2.30p.

7.30p, Hemmens Cultural Center elginsymphony.org. $30 and up

The Tragical History of Hamlet See description for 4/23 above. 8p, Elgin Art Showcase janusplays.com. $18

Libido Funk Circus Originally formed as an over-the-top tribute to the Disco music of the 70’s,. 9p-11.59p, Grand Victoria Casino grandvictoriacasino.com. No cover.

Harvey See description for 4/22 above. 7.30p, SecondSpace Theatre tickets.elgin.edu. $9-11

Bison Feeding in Lord’s 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! Registration required. Sponsored by Friends of the Lords Park Zoo. 7a-8.30a, Elgin Public Museum elginpublicmuseum.org. $1-2

The Tragical History of Hamlet See description for 4/23 above. 8p, Elgin Art Showcase janusplays.com. $18 BBI 9p, Grand Victoria Casino grandvictoriacasino.com. No cover.

Earth Day Painting Social Fundraiser 6.30p-9p, Ijorere ijorere.com. $40

The Sleeves The Sleeves are a cover group from Chicago playing some of your favorite rock/pop/alternative tunes from the 60’s up to today! 9p, D Hangout Bar & Grill d-hangout.com.

Judson University Spring Concert of Worship The Spring Concert of Worship will feature Judson performance-ministry ensembles and also Judson’s own Prof. Pat Hargis, who will be performing excerpts of his song cycle Memories of Jesus along with the Judson University Choir and the Judson Civic Orchestra strings.

Come join us for a powerful evening of worship as we wrap up the school year! 7p, Judson University Herrick Chapel judsonu.edu. Donation

FEED.disclaimer We make every effort to ensure the accuracy of the event details listed in the FEED, but some of our sources may contain errors, and we make mistakes once in a while, too.

PLEASE verify the details of any of these events with the host and/or venue before making firm plans. Enjoy!

Loudon Wainwright III A Grammy®-winning singer/songwriter, Loudon Wainwright’s illustrious career has delivered more than two dozen albums. His expertly crafted songs-filled with, by turns, witty humor and aching honesty-have been recorded by artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Cash, Mose Allison, and his son Rufus Wainwright. As an actor, Wainwright portrayed Captain Calvin Spalding, the “singing surgeon,” on the TV show M*A*S*H* and has appeared in films directed by

FEED.colorcode Bands & Music

Theater & Dance

Kids & Families

Lectures & Learning Exhibits & Film Creativity Causes & Community Other

April 2016

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2.4

Taste: Gourmet Gluttony

Overhanging Brunches

by Hollyce Mack According to Wikipedia, the word “brunch” was first coined by veteran New York Sun newspaper reporter Frank O’Malley to describe his midday habit of eating a late breakfast or early lunch. However, I found a wonderful quote in an 1896 Hunter’s Weekly magazine article entitled “Brunch, A Plea”: Why not a new meal, served around noon, that starts with tea or coffee, marmalade and other breakfast fixtures before moving along to the heavier fare? By eliminating the need to get up early on Sun-

day, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well. Brunch is cheerful, sociable and inciting. It is talk compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings. It sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.

For more reasons why Brunch is high on the list of priorities, Consumer Reports points out these salient facts:

• It may protect your heart.

“People who skip breakfast gain weight, which can lead to diabetes as well as high cholesterol and blood pressure, all of which can raise your risk of heart disease,” says Eric Rimm, a professor of nutrition at Harvard.

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (AJCN), people who ate breakfast were more physically active during the morning than those who didn’t.

• It may lower your risk of type 2 diabetes. A morning meal may help you avoid fluctuating glucose levels, which can lead to diabetes.

• It might give you a mental edge. Research involving adults and children has indicated that breakfast might enhance memory, attention, the speed of processing information, reasoning, creativity, learning, and verbal abilities.

• It gets you moving. In a recent study published in the

• Weight loss. More than 100 studies have linked eating

Pancake House & Restaurant Proudly Serving Breakfast & Lunch in Elgin for 21 Years!

$3.00 OFF

Any purchase of $30.00 or more before tax Offer not valid with any other offer Must present coupon at time of purchase

Expires 4/30/16

At Baker Hill we offer a warm and inviting atmosphere while providing the highest quality customer service to our guests. With good nutrition in mind, we use the highest quality of fresh dairy products and meats. Stop in today and try one of our home style recipes!

Daily Homemade Soups & Specials • Fluffy 3 Egg Omelets • Pancakes Crepes • Signature Skillets • Waffles • Sandwiches • Signature Salads

$2.00 OFF

Any purchase of $20.00 or more before tax Offer not valid with any other offer Must present coupon at time of purchase

Expires 4/30/16

1279 Dundee Avenue Elgin, Illinois 60120 | 847-888-8119 | www.bakerhillrestaurant.com

Open Daily 6am - 4pm - Dine In or Carry Out

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breakfast with a reduced risk of obesity.

And as many a Saturday night carouser can attest, a Bloody Mary Brunch can take the edge off the “morning after.”

How can you go wrong?

Below we have reviewed six of Elgin’s popular establishments for a leisurely Sunday Breakfast or Brunch. From simple scrambled eggs to the standard Eggs Benedict on up to Filet Mignon you can find what you’re looking for right here in the town you love.

$3.00 Mimosas at Indulge Show Kitchen Buffet.

Indulge Show Kitchen Buffet Sunday Brunch Buffet 11 AM – 3 PM $19.95 per person Grand Victoria Casino 250 S. Grove Ave. (847) 468-7000

Buffet of more than twenty hot entrees and sides changes weekly at Elgin Public House.

Elgin Public House Sunday Brunch Buffet 10 AM – last seating 12:30 PM $14.95 adults $9.95 children (under 5 free) 219 E. Chicago St. (847) 468-8810 Offering a standard all-youcan-eat Brunch buffet filled with traditional favorites such as pastries, scrambled eggs, Eggs Benedict, waffles, pancakes, Potatoes O’Brien, and ham. For the lunch side they offer a full salad bar, homemade mashed potato, a fish, a pasta, and a chicken of which the presentation changes every week.

Located in the heart of downtown Elgin the atmosphere is casual with a full bar, and children are welcome. A parking deck is just across the street.

This is a massive buffet offering everything you can think of.

The highlights of the various sections are the fresh made to order stations which omelets, Mexican style food, a wok station where you can get beef, chicken or scallops, a Brazilian station that has beef tenderloin and ham and a fabulous dessert section that will blow your taste buds away.

You could sit there all day and not be able to try everything. The best part? Mimosas are $3.00 and for entertainment afterwards, the slots are just around the corner! The kitchen is indeed beautiful and the décor lends itself to casual or upscale dress. A parking deck is across the street.

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Assorted desserts at Indulge Show Kitchen Buffet.

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847.909.5142

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very well trained and worth your consideration, so be sure to tip well.

Benedict with crawfish cakes on top or the Filet Benedict which was so tender you could cut it with a fork. Let’s not forget the fact that they use Wolferman’s English muffins, if you have never tried them you are in for a delightful treat.

Best wait staff in the valley. If you are feeling adventurous, go for one of the specialty Bloody Mary’s. I tried the Bloody Ancho made with Tito’s homemade Vodka and Ancho liquor — woke me right up.

Eggs Florentine at Alexander’s Café.

Alexanders Café Individual Breakfast Menu Daily 6:30 AM – 10 PM

Bloody Mary’s at The Grumpy Goat Tavern.

$5.79-$12.95

Grumpy Goat Tavern

1725 N. State Street (847) 888-4146

Individual Breakfast Menu Daily 8 AM – 2 PM $6.75 - $21.95 875 Sports Way Elgin (847) 931-5950 Situated in a newly decorated Pub with a golf course view this is an ideal place to laze away a Sunday morning. Offering some of Elgin’s more unusual fare, this restaurant will tingle your taste buds.

Offering homemade breakfast sausages such as: Chorizo, Andouille, and (my favorite) sweet Chili sausage you know this place is special. While you can order creole favorites such as grits, skillets and biscuits and gravy, I and my friends found the plethora of choices for the Eggs Benedict to be outstanding.

Every single one was new to us and perfectly cooked. I would suggest you try the Bayou

Mexican style breakfast at Kendall’s Kountry Kitchen.

Kendall’s Kountry Kitchen Individual Breakfast Menu Daily 6 AM – 3 PM $2.00 - $9.95 219 Walnut Ave (847) 742-5642 A homey, classic diner. A place where all the locals go for an affordable breakfast of eggs, bacon and hash browns and pancakes done your way, no frills, but service you can count on.

Try their biscuits and gravy, good down home cooking. Great coffee and plenty of it.

Not your grandparents diner!

The décor is upscale modern and sleek, and while you can be comfortable in jeans, dressing up would not put you out of place in this fine quality restaurant.

Located just off Route 90, just minutes from downtown Elgin, is a gem for those who prefer their breakfast served with a bit more panache, but not the price that usually goes with it.

The breakfast panini is a luscious sandwich of focaccia bread, two fried eggs, apple wood smoked bacon, tomatoes, caramelized onions, avocado, fresh basil, chimichurri pesto and Havarti cheese. It was so unusual and tasty that I proclaim it the winner, bar none.

Plenty of other choices, breakfast tacos, skillets, many healthy meals for those on a diet or watching their cholesterol. A full bar, espresso and lattes are available. The service staff is

Caramel Pecan Crèpes at Burnt Toast.

Burnt Toast Individual Breakfast Menu Daily 7 AM – 2:30 PM $5.95-12.95 2492 N. Randall Road (847) 551-9725 Light and airy, this restaurant is known for its homemade crèpes, Belgium waffles and French toast. Everything is served with a flair and gourmet presentation, making it the perfect place to have a ladies get together. The Grand Marnier French Toast was a decadent delight and the potato pancakes were just like the ones my German Grandma used to make.

They have a great children’s menu, with pigs in a blanket, chocolate chip pancakes, apples dipped in pancake mix and nine other choices under $5.00. On Randall Road just off of I-90.

Hollyce Mack is a graduate of the ECC Culinary Arts program and the former owner of 30 years of the Bohemian-Czech restaurant Mack’s Silver Pheasnt of St. Charles.

FEED.breafastallday Baker Hill Pancake House 1279 Dundee Ave. 847.888.8119 www.bakerhillrestaurant.com Big Skillet 90 Tyler Creek Plaza 847.741.7331 www.bigskilletelgin.com IHOP 101 S. Randall Rd. 847.289.4801

Eggs Benedict Filet Mignon at The Grumpy Goat Tavern.

Golden Skillet 740 W. Chicago St. 847.608.4678 restaurantgoldenskillet.com Paul’s Family Restaurant 1300 Lawrence Ave. 847.695.8687 Ray’s Family Restaurant 801 St. Charles St. 847.741.7110 www.raysfamilyrestaurant.com

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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 2.5: Historic Preservation & The War on Skunks Deadline: Weds., April 20, 5pm

g i f ts • j ewe l r y • a p p a re l • vinta ge d e cor

TAX MONTH SPECIAL

Cover Art: colorful painting of Elgin Victorian home.

Stories or interviews about old house preservation, Directory of local preservationist services, suppliers.

First person account of skunk battle; scent removal tips; Plain English guide to Elgin skunk ecology.

BRAVO 2.6: Car Culture & Drum Making Deadline: Weds., May 18, 5pm

OFF YOUR PURCHASE

Cover Art: Sexy photo of customized car, or drum.

Where to go for custom body work, paint, wheels, audio, performance. Car enthusiast clubs & meetups.

Feature on local custom drum builder.

1 0 D o u g l a s Ave nue • Downtown Elgin ( 2 2 4 ) 2 2 3 - 7 7 18 • s oulfuls p a rrow.com

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: Hollyce Mack, Dean Tripp, Kathleen B. Haerr, Jamey Bouwmeester, Rich Wagner, Jerry Tang, Steve Rotter.

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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., April 20th, 5:00 p.m.

BRAVO is Earth-Friendly

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No problem! We’ll make you a big magnet to stick on the BRAVO BUS for under $50!!

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plus cost of magnet you keep the magnet and ride free next year!

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