Highland Around Town — Dec. 1 edition
Noon Wednesday, Dec. 1, 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.
Wednesday, Dec. 1
▪ Jazz Ensemble Concert — 7:30 p.m. Hettenhausen Center for the Arts, 400 N. Alton St., Lebanon. The McKendree University Percussion Ensemble and Jazz Ensemble will perform a joint concert. Admission is free. mckendree.edu
Thursday, Dec. 2
▪ 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, Dec. 3
▪ Book Sale — 9 a.m. to noon. Tri Township Library, 209 S. Main St., Troy. Book donations are accepted during the sale and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library. 618-667-2133.
▪ 2nd Annual Hot Chocolate Walk For Wishes — 4-7 p.m. Highland Square, 914 Main St., Highland. Kick off the holiday season with beautiful holiday lights displays, spend time with Santa, enjoy free hot chocolate, and participate in a scavenger hunt for children 5 and under. Make-A-Wish Illinois invites the community to create hope through wishes for local children by supporting the second Hot Chocolate Walk for Wishes. site.wish.org/HighlandWalk21. For information: 312-602-9425 or sschreiber@illinois.wish.org.
▪ 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.
▪ Exhibition: Towata: A Celebration of Art Opening Reception — 6-8 p.m. Simmons Hanly Conroy Gallery, Jacoby Arts Center, 627 E. Broadway, Alton. Arthur Towata lived and worked in Alton for more than 65 years. He owned the Towata Gallery at 206 W. 3rd St. and Towata Studio on 603 Piasa St., where he continued teaching and showcased other artists and their artwork. Towata loved to create; his early artwork was inspired by local wildlife, the Mississippi River landscape and dragonflies. The exhibit runs through Saturday, March 5. jacobyartscenter.org
▪ A McKendree Christmas! — 7:30 p.m. Hettenhausen Center for the Arts, 400 N. Alton St., Lebanon. This event, presented by McKendree University’s Division of Visual and Performing Arts, features holiday favorites the whole family will enjoy. Admission is free. mckendree.edu
Friday, Dec. 3, through Sunday, Dec. 5
▪ St. Louis Symphony Orchestra: Nic McGegan’s Bach — 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3; 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4; and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5. Powell Hall, 718 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis. Nic McGegan returns to the SLSO for a festive family reunion. The father, J.S. Bach, is dressed in his courtly finest for two Brandenburg Concertos, featuring solo performances from members of the SLSO. His son, C.P.E. Bach, wears bolder colors, bursting at the seams in an energetic sinfonia and a virtuosic cello concerto, featuring the SLSO’s Yin Xiong. For tickets and information, visit slso.org.
Saturday, Dec. 4
▪ Metro East Model Railroad Club Open House — 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Metro East Model Railroad Club, 180 Summit St., Glen Carbon. Visitors are welcome to view the club’s trains running on their 18x27-foot HO scale model railroad. Free admission. Additional date: Saturday, Dec. 18. 618-476-9228, 618-531-1589 or trainweb.org/memrc/openhouse.html.
Tuesday, Dec. 7
▪ 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
▪ 2nd annual All-St. Louis Holiday Reading of ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens — 8 p.m. The Sheldon Concert Hall and Galleries, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis. Enjoy readings from Emmy nominee Ellie Kemper (joining live, virtually); Dr. Joe Davis, superintendent of the Ferguson-Florissant School District; Vanessa Cooksey, CEO of the Regional Arts Commission; director, actor, and Visionary Award-winner Jacqueline Thompson; and actor and animator Michael Tran. The complete list of celebrity live celebrity readers will be announced prior to the event. The live reading is interspersed with live musical performances, including a quartet of Victorian carolers singing holiday favorites. For tickets and information: metroplays.org
Wednesday, Dec. 8
▪ U.S. Air Force Band of Mid-America — 7 p.m. The Hettenhausen Center for the Arts, 400 N. Alton St., Lebanon. The talented musical ambassadors of Headquarters Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base return for three joyful, uplifting performances. The 45 enlisted musicians and vocalists of the Band of Mid-America’s Concert Band represent the professionalism and excellence found throughout the U.S. Air Force. Their diverse repertoire includes symphonic masterworks, traditional marches, modern compositions, and jazz-inspired holiday music. thehett.com
Other area happenings
▪ Due to supply issues the Highland Optimist Club will be suspending the Christmas tree sales for the 2021 Christmas season and will return for the 2022 Christmas season. The Highland Optimist Club thanks all past and future customers for their loyal business and wishes everyone a very Merry Christmas!
Christmas tree sales suspended
Due to supply issues the Highland Optimist Club will suspend the Christmas tree sales for the 2021 Christmas season. They will return for the 2022 Christmas season. They want to thank all past and future customers for their loyal business and they wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.
Twilight Holiday Homes Tour set for Dec. 4 in Highland
The Highland Federation of Business Women’s Clubs will host its annual Twilight Holiday Homes Tour on Saturday, Dec. 4, to help put everyone in a festive mood for the upcoming Christmas holidays.
Four Highland homes, the library and one local business will be on the tour, and all will be uniquely decorated for the holiday season. Those on the tour who have agreed to share their decorated homes/business with others are Maura & Bob Donnelly, 4153 Illinois 160; Diane & Mark Vollmer, 13332 Fawn Creek; Erin & Ty Barr, 245 Banberry; Janey & Greg Brummett, 145 Sunray Drive; Louis Latzer Memorial Public Library, 1001 Ninth St.; and the Highland Music School, 180 Woodcrest Drive. All are in Highland.
Hours of the tour will be from 4-8 p.m. People may start the tour at any time after 4 p.m. at any home and take your their time time enjoying the decorations. Light refreshments will be served at the Highland Music School where students will perform musical selections.
Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. People can purchase tickets in advance at The Chocolate Affair, 1011 Broadway, or from any Highland IFBW member.
Proceeds of the homes tour will help fund the organization’s scholarship programs, Santa’s House, and other club community projects.
Leefers HSHS Colleague of the Month
HSHS Medical Group awarded Dana Leefers with the November Colleague of the Month award. She is an Ambulatory Care Clinical Pharmacist for HSHS St. Joseph’s in Highland.
The Colleague of the Month is chosen from nominations submitted by fellow HSHS Medical Group team members.
“Dana goes above and beyond for her patients,” her nominator said. “She is very passionate about what she does and has helped so many patients take control of their diabetes. She also has helped countless patients save thousands of dollars by helping them apply for patient assistance programs for their diabetic medications. Her patients have nothing but great things to say about her, and she builds a great relationship with them.”
“My favorite part of my job is interacting directly with patients and being able to work as a team with all of my wonderful colleagues,” Leefers said.
When away from work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter.
Poettker Construction Breaks Ground on Riverport Trade Center
Poettker Construction, a family-owned construction company out of Breese, recently broke ground on Riverport Trade Center in Maryland Heights, Missouri.
NorthPoint Development contracted Poettker Construction for the project, which includes three distribution warehouse buildings totaling over 725,000 square-feet.
The Class A warehouse complex will consist of three rear-loaded buildings that are 249,500 square-feet, 160,000 square-feet and 312,000 square-feet. All three facilities will feature 40-foot-tall concrete tilt-up walls with a capacity of nearly 100 loading docks and will be tailored to fit the needs of today’s industrial users.
“Our distribution warehouse team is thrilled to collaborate with NorthPoint Development to deliver this new campus to the city of Maryland Heights,” said Ryan Poettker, president of Poettker Construction Company. “The partnerships we have with local trade contractors will ensure the project is built with the highest quality industrial standards.”
Preparation of the nearly 50-acre development will entail demolition, site clearing, stabilization and drying of existing soil, construction of special foundations on aggregate piers, sanitary lift stations and bio-retention systems.
Tilt-up concrete and steel will make up the frame for all three warehouses. The complex will consist of over 300 tilt-up panels.
Harris Cemetery in Alhambra
The Harris Cemetery of Alhambra has burial sites for sale. The price is $100 per burial site during the 2021 calendar year. The board of directors voted to increase the price to $200 per burial site effective Jan. 1, 2022, in order to help assure on-going cemetery maintenance. Anyone interested in purchasing sites at the $100 rate should contact Dennis Brueggemann at 618-488-2629 before Monday, Dec. 20.
Harris Cemetery of Alhambra is located in a quiet, shaded area southwest of Alhambra. The entrance to the cemetery is along Alhambra Road, approximately 1/2 mile south of Illinois 140. The Harris Cemetery Association operates the cemetery, which is not affiliated with a church.
The board of directors encourages the purchase of burial sites during December, especially for those considering such a purchase but have not yet acted.