The weather this time of year can be so unpredictable. At the time that I wrote this, the weather exactly one week before was raining and oh so cold. I put the heat on in the house just to chase the chill away. Then fast-forward 168 hours, and the weather outside is delightful and not at all frightful...90 and sunny...Just how I like it! I had to turn the air on just to bring the chill back in! By the time this is published, who knows what the weather will be like (Even though the forecast says partly cloudy, with a high of 82 – but who knows!). But there is one thing that we can count on this time of year...that Elgin will have a variety of fun and worthwhile events that will offer something for everyone! And the unofficial start to summer is the City of Elgin's Fox Trot that is Saturday, May 26, 2012 (cityofelgin.org/foxtrot).
So, start off summer on the right foot (or left, if that is what comes more natural) and get out to the Fox Trot! From there, mark your calendars for the plethora of events that will be in abundant supply (as abundant as the sunshine, I hope!) to keep you entertained this summer in the "City in the Suburbs"!
Coming up in early June – the ninth to be exact – is the 2nd Iron Chef competition, which is part of the "Elgin Al Fresco – A Taste of the Arts" community-wide outdoor public art exhibit. (elginalfresco.wordpress.com). This is a follow up to the very successful 1st Iron Chef competition, which was held on April 28, 2012 at the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove, Elgin. Two local chefs who are very accomplished in their fields, Greg Shannon of Elgin Public House and Zollie Gibson of Spates Temple Church, used locally grown and organic ingredients from the Elgin Community Garden Network to create incredible dishes in this live cooking competition. While the voting was close, Greg Shannon of EPH took the title. Look for more details on the 2nd Iron Chef in upcoming BocaJumps! You won't want to miss the free samples, recipes, sights and smells of this culinary creations extravaganza!
Then on Sunday, June 10, 2012, 6pm, please join local singers/musicians for a cd release performance! The Evangelical Covenant Church, 1565 Larkin Avenue, will be the location for a "Night of Hymns" which will feature professional vocalist Jorge Holmes who will be accompanied by Elgin's own Murna Hansemann. An evening you won't want to miss!
And if it's May-soon-to-be-June...that means it is Downtown Neighborhood Association's Harvest Market time of year (elginharvestmarket.com)! This market is every Thursday from June 7th through to Thursday, October 4th from 4pm – 8pm (new hours!). It is held at 200 N. Grove Avenue, Southwest corner of Kimball and north Grove Avenue in the Old Library Parking lot. This year will feature many returning vendors, plus new vendors such as Cupcake Daddy, who offers cupcakes, whoopie pies, giant cookies and more! Also new to the market is Golden Eagle Hot Dogs and Drop Seed Farm.
Another event I want to mention is the City of Elgin's Annual Fourth of July parade, which will be held on Wednesday, July 4th beginning at 9am at Slade and Douglas and ending at Highland and Douglas. This year's theme is "Red, White and Food" which celebrates Elgin's great tastes and unique flavors. With over 15,000 people in attendance last year and in addition to over 20 floats, 160 parade vehicles and 1,500 walkers, the City of Elgin's 4th of July parade certainly deserves the recent honor of the Daily Herald's Reader's Choice Award for "Best Parade in the Suburbs". Don't let the opportunity pass you by because this only comes once a year!
So far, something for everyone...exercise, food, music, shopping, community...now we need to add in some theatre and the Janus Theatre Company (janustheater.com) is the answer. Janus will present their 2nd Summer Rep series – Austen in Elgin, featuring "Pride & Prejudice" by Jane Austen and "Two Gentlemen of Verona" by William Shakespeare - all happening June 29th through July 22nd. Performances will be held at the Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division Street, Eighth Floor, Elgin.
These events are only the beginning of what's happening in Elgin for the summer. Keep an eye out on future BocaJumps to bring you more details on summer events. Don't forget - Summer days come and go so quickly. Make sure you enjoy them to the fullest and attending any of these events is a very good start. So start with the Fox Trot and keep running ahead to experience a summer full of fun!
The weather this time of year can be so unpredictable. At the time that I wrote this, the weather exactly one week before was raining and oh so cold. I put the heat on in the house just to chase the chill away. Then fast-forward 168 hours, and the weather outside is delightful and not at all frightful...90 and sunny...Just how I like it! I had to turn the air on just to bring the chill back in! By the time this is published, who knows what the weather will be like (Even though the forecast says partly cloudy, with a high of 82 – but who knows!). But there is one thing that we can count on this time of year...that Elgin will have a variety of fun and worthwhile events that will offer something for everyone! And the unofficial start to summer is the City of Elgin's Fox Trot that is Saturday, May 26, 2012 (cityofelgin.org/foxtrot).
So, start off summer on the right foot (or left, if that is what comes more natural) and get out to the Fox Trot! From there, mark your calendars for the plethora of events that will be in abundant supply (as abundant as the sunshine, I hope!) to keep you entertained this summer in the "City in the Suburbs"!
Coming up in early June – the ninth to be exact – is the 2nd Iron Chef competition, which is part of the "Elgin Al Fresco – A Taste of the Arts" community-wide outdoor public art exhibit. (elginalfresco.wordpress.com). This is a follow up to the very successful 1st Iron Chef competition, which was held on April 28, 2012 at the Gail Borden Public Library, 270 N. Grove, Elgin. Two local chefs who are very accomplished in their fields, Greg Shannon of Elgin Public House and Zollie Gibson of Spates Temple Church, used locally grown and organic ingredients from the Elgin Community Garden Network to create incredible dishes in this live cooking competition. While the voting was close, Greg Shannon of EPH took the title. Look for more details on the 2nd Iron Chef in upcoming BocaJumps! You won't want to miss the free samples, recipes, sights and smells of this culinary creations extravaganza!
Then on Sunday, June 10, 2012, 6pm, please join local singers/musicians for a cd release performance! The Evangelical Covenant Church, 1565 Larkin Avenue, will be the location for a "Night of Hymns" which will feature professional vocalist Jorge Holmes who will be accompanied by Elgin's own Murna Hansemann. An evening you won't want to miss!
And if it's May-soon-to-be-June...that means it is Downtown Neighborhood Association's Harvest Market time of year (elginharvestmarket.com)! This market is every Thursday from June 7th through to Thursday, October 4th from 4pm – 8pm (new hours!). It is held at 200 N. Grove Avenue, Southwest corner of Kimball and north Grove Avenue in the Old Library Parking lot. This year will feature many returning vendors, plus new vendors such as Cupcake Daddy, who offers cupcakes, whoopie pies, giant cookies and more! Also new to the market is Golden Eagle Hot Dogs and Drop Seed Farm.
Another event I want to mention is the City of Elgin's Annual Fourth of July parade, which will be held on Wednesday, July 4th beginning at 9am at Slade and Douglas and ending at Highland and Douglas. This year's theme is "Red, White and Food" which celebrates Elgin's great tastes and unique flavors. With over 15,000 people in attendance last year and in addition to over 20 floats, 160 parade vehicles and 1,500 walkers, the City of Elgin's 4th of July parade certainly deserves the recent honor of the Daily Herald's Reader's Choice Award for "Best Parade in the Suburbs". Don't let the opportunity pass you by because this only comes once a year!
So far, something for everyone...exercise, food, music, shopping, community...now we need to add in some theatre and the Janus Theatre Company (janustheater.com) is the answer. Janus will present their 2nd Summer Rep series – Austen in Elgin, featuring "Pride & Prejudice" by Jane Austen and "Two Gentlemen of Verona" by William Shakespeare - all happening June 29th through July 22nd. Performances will be held at the Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division Street, Eighth Floor, Elgin.
These events are only the beginning of what's happening in Elgin for the summer. Keep an eye out on future BocaJumps to bring you more details on summer events. Don't forget - Summer days come and go so quickly. Make sure you enjoy them to the fullest and attending any of these events is a very good start. So start with the Fox Trot and keep running ahead to experience a summer full of fun!
