Naperville

Expect the unexpected when "New Moon" opens in theaters nationwide this Friday.

Movie theaters in the suburbs are preparing for this much anticipated movie by offering special events in honor of its release this weekend.

Taking the children to the DuPage Children's Museum this week and next to play comes with its rewards.

From Saturday, Nov. 14 through Sunday, Nov. 22, visitors to the DuPage Children's Museum in Naperville will be given receipts that they can take to one of four local Chipotle Restaurants for a free burrito, bowl, salad or tacos. Participating restaurants include locations in Naperville, Aurora, Warrenville and Wheaton.

The DuPage Children's Museum is located at 301 N. Washington Street in Naperville. For more information, visit www.dupagechildrensmuseum.org or call (630) 637-8000.

Tackle Cystic Fibrosis by attending the third annual Maggie's Miracle Makers Kickoff for a Cure event on Sunday, Nov. 8.

Tailgate at Morton's The Steakhouse in Naperville with Maggie's Miracle Makers from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and watch the Bears vs. Cardinals game while enjoying the bloody Mary and Mimosa bar, brunch, a silent auction, Kiss for the Cure raffle and a squares game.

Tickets are $75. To RSVP, call (630) 235-5407. Maggie's Miracle Makers are raising funds to benefit the Children's Memorial Hospital's Family services Fund and Cystic Fibrosis Research Inc.

Maggie’s Miracle Makers was founded in 2005 by the Sheehan family to assist children and young adults with Cystic Fibrosis. Maggie Sheehan, currently a 21-year-old college student, was diagnosed with CF when at 13 months. This inherited chronic disease affects the lungs and digestive system of about 30,000 children and young adults in the U.S. and the average lifespan of those afflicted with CF is 36 years. 

Delta Sonic Car Wash, in an effort to honor the men and women who have served our country, offers free car washes to all military veterans Wednesday, Nov. 11. Veterans need to inform a cashier to receive their free wash.

“We hope to make this an annual program, where we can show our support for armed forces personnel and reward all veterans for their service,” says Kim Canna, director of marketing.

Delta Sonic Car Wash, also known as “The Kissing Clean Car Wash,” opened it first car wash in 1967 in Niagara Falls, N.Y. Today, there are 28 locations in Illinois, New York and Pennsylvania, with services including car washing, detailing, oil changes, gasoline, convenience stores and food service.

In the Chicago suburbs, locations include Downers Grove, Elmhurst, Naperville, Palatine, Tinley Park, Joliet, Melrose Park, Glenwood and Crestwood. For location details, call (800) THE KISS or visit www.deltasoniccarwash.com.
 

“Progress in Works,” a collection of paintings by Karl Arntzen, will be on display from Monday, Oct. 26, through November at the Wings student art gallery in the Student Resource Center’s room 1540 at College of DuPage, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn. A reception with the artist will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, at the gallery.

The Naperville artist’s works include figurative imagery, portraiture and narratives, dealing with nostalgia, escapism and mass culture. His paintings are described as exploring different cultural realities, juxtaposing the self with the other to simultaneously embrace and critique our social landscape.

The Wings Gallery is open from 10:10 a.m. to 4:10 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; and 3:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. For more information, call Professor Marina Kuchinski at (630) 942-2423.

Several west suburban restaurants are offering cooking classes, complimentary meals and a Halloween adventure to customers during the next two weeks.

The Zurich-based Stradivari Quartett will perform at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, in the Wentz Concert Hall on the campus of North Central College in Naperville. The event is part of the Artists Showcase West classical music series, and marks its first event in Naperville since it was founded 63 years ago.

The quartet will perform a program first heard in the United States last January at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art titled "Four Stories, Four Strads."
 

The ensemble’s instruments were hand crafted nearly three centuries ago by Antonio Stradivari in Italy. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Learn to cook like a professional with a free cooking class/demonstration with Chef Ben Ornelas from Morton's The Steakhouse in Naperville.

Guests will learn the secrets of preparing Morton's most popular side dish, macaroni and cheese. The class begins at 4 p.m. Saturday at Naperville's Whole Foods, 2607 W. 75th St. From the ingredients to the secrets to preparing it perfectly, by the end of this class you will be a master of the kitchen. 

One of Morton's The Steahouse in Naperville's more popular side dishes, macaroni and cheese. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Giggles greet your ears when you enter the DuPage Children’s Museum, a discovery playground designed to engage adults and kids as young as 6 months in a shared partnership of learning.

Founded in Hinsdale two decades ago, its permanent home opened in 2001 in Naperville, a three-story structure full of interactive exhibits that teach young minds math, science and the arts under the guise of pure fun. Some let them float balls in midair atop pressurized tubes, tackle real carpentry, make music, bounce light, splash into water games or encase themselves in a giant bubble. Helping families maximize the experience is a pool of 500 volunteers devoted to the museum’s mission, says Alison Segebarth, marketing director.

A visitor tries out the wind tunnel at the DuPage Children’s Museum. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Sweetest Day is officially this weekend, and many area restaurants are acknowledging the day with dinner and dessert specials and musical entertainment. So don't just celebrate the day with your sweetie, save money too.