Elgin

It’s a night out for a culturally uplifting cause. The Elgin Children’s Chorus will present its annual fundraiser, “Red, White, & You!” It features wine tasting and gourmet appetizers from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, at the new Red Bar Winery and Bistro, 74  S. Grove Ave., Elgin.

A silent auction offers original artwork, Thomas Toys, tickets to performances, a Tastefully Simple Basket and much more. The event benefits the chorus, which showcases youth from many communities.

Call Ann Kepley at (847) 931-7464 for tickets or details. Tickets also may be purchased at the door.

Grape Expectations flavors Friday, Nov. 13, as the annual fall fundraiser for the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra. It unfolds from 7 to 10 p.m. at Fox Valley University and Business Center on the campus of Elgin Community College, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin.
 
About 30 red and white wines will be offered for tasting from WineStyles in Lake in the Hills, along with homemade and hand-dipped chocolates from Graham’s Chocolates of Geneva. The chocolate tasting was a new addition last year. The event also features appetizers; silent auction; cash raffle; and musical performances by EYSO ensembles. Silent auction items include sports memorabilia, gift baskets and special events.

Seventy-six young actors will take on “76 Trombones” in a children’s adaptation of the 1959 hit musical “The Music Man.”

The Children’s Theatre of Elgin performs Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man Jr.” starting with a 7 p.m. show on Thursday, Oct. 22 at the Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin. The show also plays at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23 and 24, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 25.

Marian (Amanda Furtick) speaks with her mom, Mrs. Paroo (Maddie Dulabaum). SUBMITTED PHOTO

Mingle with the opera singers at the always enjoyable benefit held each fall for Elgin OPERA, the company led by Artistic Director Solange Sior, a stand-out soprano. She and her team put together a lively and relaxed celebration of all things operatic.

The fifth annual benefit will be a costume party and dinner concert beginning at 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, at Villa Verone, 13 Douglas Ave., Elgin.

“Join your favorite Elgin OPERA entertainers and come as you ‘aren’t’!” invite organizers.

The cost is $50 per person, $40 for Opera Guild members. Costumes are optional. A silent auction and raffle are planned, as well as a sing-along.

Reservations are requested by Oct. 20 by calling (847) 695-5014. The troupe thanks restaurateur Pietro Verone for generously supporting the event.
 

Colonial Café celebrates 50 years in the restaurant business with plans to give away commemorative 50-year mugs Monday, Oct. 5, with the purchase of coffee, hot chocolate or hot tea.

The date marks the 50th anniversary of Colonial Café & Ice Cream in the full-service family restaurant business.

It’s a happy 60th for the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, whose anniversary season will launch with famed guitar ensemble The Romeros. The milestone year also features a new Family Fun Series ready to engage a fresh generation of music lovers. Julie Griffin, the ESO’s chief operating officer, shares some coming highlights with us.
 

Julie Griffin, chief operating officer of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, previews some of the high points as the organization prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary season. It includes the new Family Fun Series. STAFF PHOTO BY MARK BUSCH

What’s in store with The Romeros?
Spanish and South American flair. They are wildly popular and have had many works composed just for their quartet.
 

The Romeros will kick off the new season. WEB-SITE PHOTO

Deliciously educational! One of the most tempting series for fans of fine dining is based at Elgin Community College. Three chefs from Blackhawk Technical College in Janesville, Wis. will demonstrate the value of farm-raised produce during the opening of ECC's 2009-2010 Distinguished Visiting Chef Series on Tuesday, Sept. 29.
 
The dinner will be held at Spartan Terrace Restaurant, located in the Culinary Arts Center on the ECC Main Campus, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. A 6:30 p.m. wine and hors d’oeuvres reception precedes the 7 p.m. dinner.

The stories of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel and Noah and his ark will be retold in a “non-religious” way by the Children’s Theatre of Elgin and the Fox Valley Theatre Company in the John Caird and Stephen Schwartz production of “Children of Eden.” The musical plays at  Blizzard Theatre of Elgin Community College for two weeks in September. Director Aaron Thomann shares his experience with engaging the cast of children and teenagers with the start of a new school year on the horizon. 

Director of "Children of Eden" Aaron Thomann works with his cast during rehearsal at Elgin Community College Wednesday, August 19, 2009. The play begins September 11th and runs the following weekend. STAFF PHOTO BY ERICA BENSON

Singers, dancers, and actors in grades second through ninth are being sought to audition for "The Music Man Jr.," an adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical to be presented October 22-25 at the Hemmens Cultural Center in Elgin.

Auditions for "The Music Man Jr." will be held Tuesday and Wednesday, September 1 and 2, at Epworth United Methodist Church, 37W040 Highland Ave., Elgin (the northwest corner of Randall Road and Highland Avenue).

The City of Elgin is seeking entries for its Elgin Short Film Festival, to be held Sept. 26 at the Hemmens Cultural Center.

The competition is open to anyone over the age of 18. Application fee is $40 and films must be no more than 20 minutes in length.