Highland Around Town — Oct. 13 edition

Noon Wednesday, Oct. 13, is the deadline to appear in next week’s “Around Town” listing. We must receive your event in writing with a contact phone number for questions. Due to the number of submissions, events may run only one time in print, will be edited and appear in the week before the event date.

Email: lifestyle@bnd.com. Mail to: Highland News Leader Around Town, Belleville News-Democrat, P.O. Box 427, Belleville, IL 62222-0427. Questions, call Jennifer Green at 618-239-2643.

Thursday, Oct. 14

▪ ImpactLife Blood Drive — 3-7 p.m. Wood River Police Department, 550 E. Madison Ave., Wood River. Masks and appointments required. Sponsored by State Sen. Rachelle Crowe. To make an appointment, call 800-747-5401 or visit bloodcenter.org/group with code 11193.

▪ National Alliance on Mental Illness Southwestern Illinois (NAMI SWI) — 7-8:30 p.m. Online via Zoom. Virtual support meetings for family members and other caregivers of individuals with mental illness. Meetings are peer-led and rely on the knowledge and experiences of the group to help one another. Registration is required in order to receive the link to these meetings. For more information or to register, contact Pat Rudloff at silverlining6@charter.net.

Friday, Oct. 15

▪ Highland Fish Fry — 4-7 p.m. VFW Post 5694, 1900 VFW Road, Highland. Fish, chicken, shrimp, sides. Carryout and limited indoor dining. Masks required for customers going through the serving line. No call-in orders. facebook.com/vfwpost5694

▪ Aviston Legion Fish Fry — 4:30-7 p.m. American Legion Post 1239, 601 S. Clinton, Aviston. Cod (baked or fried), catfish, shrimp, chicken strips, fries, baked potato, slaw, applesauce. Dine-in and carryout. 618-228-7311 or avistonlegion.com.

Friday, Oct. 15, through Saturday, Oct. 16

▪ St. Louis Symphony Orchestra: Changing Times — 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 15, and 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16. Powell Hall, 718 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis. Music expresses the human spirit. Carl Nielsen’s Fourth Symphony surges with elemental force, while guest conductor John Storgårds and soloist Kirill Gerstein thrill us with Thomas Adès’ Piano Concerto. Outi Tarkiainen’s “Midnight Sun Variations” draws ethereal beauty from cycles of nature, and Joseph Haydn’s subtitle for his Symphony No. 64 rings clear: “Time changes us.” For tickets and information, visit slso.org.

▪ Fall Activities at Carlyle Lake — 6:30-10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 15, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16. Carlyle Lake, Carlyle. Friday night there is a haunted trail at the Tractor Supply parking lot with hayride to the Little Prairie Nature Trail where ghosts and goblins await. Admission to the trail is $9 per person. Saturday includes a “Pick of the Patch” fall festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Dam West Day Use Area, where there will be craft and food vendors and children’s activities. A second evening of the haunted trail takes place from 6:30-10 p.m. 618-594-2484.

Saturday, Oct. 16

▪ Camp Ondessonk 26th annual Golf Benefit — 8 a.m. Roland Barkau Memorial Golf Course, 1501 N. Waterworks Road, Okawville. All money raised will benefit Camp and be used for things such as helping to sustain and enhance the programs, helping to fund scholarships allowing children of all income levels to experience Camp, and helping to fund new initiatives to fulfill our mission to provide exceptional outdoor and spiritual adventures empowering kids of all ages. Cost: $110 per golfer or $440 per team of four, includes golf and cart, snacks and refreshments on the course, lunch, skins and mulligans. ondessonk.com

▪ Land of Goshen Community Market — 8 a.m. to noon. 100 St. Louis St., Edwardsville. Open rain or shine. Fresh, locally grown produce, live music and so much more. goshenmarket.org or facebook.com/goshenmarket

▪ Flugel Fest — 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. City Square, Highland. Join in on the fun at this family friendly all-day event with a Best Wings Contest, a Wing Eating Contest, bags tournament, live entertainment, Kids Korner, food & drink vendors, 50/50 raffle, and silent auction. All proceeds will support the preservation of the Highland Plaza Square. facebook.com/events/535982054220107

Sunday, Oct. 17

▪ 29th annual Leclaire Parkfest — Noon to 5 p.m. Leclaire Park, 900 Hale Ave., Edwardsville. Live music, food and drink, arts and crafts, walking tours, exhibits, book sale, pet adoption, children’s activities and more. Free and open to the public. 618-656-1294 or historic-leclaire.org.

Tuesday, Oct. 19

▪ Parents of Addicted Loved Ones — 7-8:30 p.m. Online via Zoom. The PAL group provides education, support and hope to family members and loved ones of someone who has an addiction of substance use disorder. If you would like to join the teleconference, please call/text 618-567-6095 or email craigloddeke@yahoo.com. palgroup.org

Other area happenings

▪ Madison County Probation Diaper Drive — 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday through Friday, Oct. 21. Probation Office, Madison County Administration Building, 157 N. Main St., Suite 312, Edwardsville. Collecting diapers and wipes. Probation will deliver the donated items to the offices at Emmanuel Free Methodist Church in Fosterburg.

▪ Halloweekends — 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through Sunday, Oct. 31. St. Louis Zoo, 1 Government Drive, St. Louis. Free, daytime family fun that includes Pumpkin Stomp ‘n’ Chomp enrichment for the animals throughout the day, non-scary Halloween decorations, fall-themed food available for purchase, and more. Timed-ticket reservations are required and must be purchased in advance online at stlzoo.org/zooreservations.

▪ City of the Sun 5K Trail Run — 9 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 7. Cahokia Mounds, 30 Ramey St., Collinsville. Join this rain-or-shine event to help raise funds to preserve Cahokia Mounds. Please be aware that this is a trail run and that the ground may be wet and uneven. Entry fee: $30. For more information: cahokiamounds.org.

▪ Polar Express Train Ride — Wednesday, Nov. 17, through Thursday, Dec. 30. St. Louis Union Station, 201 S. 18th St., St. Louis. Tickets are now on sale for the Polar Express Train Ride holiday attraction at St. Louis’ Union Station. Tickets start at $35. Prices will vary by day and time. stlthepolarexpressride.com

Poettker Construction Hosts Boy Scouts Safety Center

Poettker Construction, a second-generation family-owned construction company, hosted a safety merit badge center at its headquarters campus in Breese. for the Boy Scouts of America Greater St. Louis Area Council on Saturday, Sept. 25.

Twenty-two Scouts from troops across the St. Louis region participated in the clinic to learn how to apply safety techniques used on construction sites to home, community, and recreational settings. Poettker’s Corporate Safety Manager and Eagle Scout Charles Wilson led the clinic.

“Safety is Poettker’s No. 1 priority, and we are proud to teach Scouts how to incorporate safety techniques and best practices into their everyday life,” said Wilson. “We want to thank all of the Scouts and the families who participated in this new tradition.”

The clinic, which counts toward merit badge credit, featured an interactive discussion on utilizing personal protective equipment (PPE) in everyday activities such as mowing and weed eating the lawn; establishing proper planning techniques and making informed choices to help prevent accidents; sketching individual home egress plans to inform their families of emergency exit strategies; and discussing safety careers and training opportunities.

“We are thrilled to partner with Poettker Construction again this year for the Safety Merit Badge Center,” said Jim Nolan, CFO of the Greater St. Louis Area Council. “The training center is an outstanding opportunity for Scouts to learn safety skills that will benefit them in all aspects of their daily lives.”

This story was originally published October 8, 2021 at 6:36 PM.