Highland Around Town — Feb. 16 edition

By Jennifer Green

Updated February 14, 2022 4:01 PM

Noon Wednesday, Feb. 16, 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, Feb. 16

▪ McKendree University annual Career Fair — 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Hettenhausen Center for the Arts, 400 N. Alton St., Lebanon. The Career Fair is free to everyone, and job seekers are not required to register before the event but are encouraged to do so through Handshake. Attendees may also get their photo taken if they wish to update their LinkedIn profile with a professional photo. Photos are taken by the University and will be provided to attendees free of charge. mckendree.edu/careerfair

Cedarhurst of Highland residents Norma Holtz and Joan Sacket take pictures of the finish board with Cedarhurst of Highland’s Director of Sales Mae McNamee during a virtual charcuterie event hosted by Candi Graves of Grazeful Gatherings in Columbia. Provided

Thursday, Feb. 17

▪ Seed St. Louis: Dormant Fruit Tree Pruning — 6-7 p.m. Virtual class. Come and learn the basics of how to prune them properly so you can keep your orchard growing strong. Free and open to the public. Registration is required. facebook.com/events/1767272520128624

▪ Mad River Theater Works: ‘Freedom Riders’ — 7 p.m. Hettenhausen Center for the Arts, 400 N. Alton St., Lebanon. This new play, with original songs and music, explores the valiant and courageous personalities behind one of the most critical chapters in the history of the Civil Rights movement. For tickets and information: thehett.com.

▪ 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, Feb. 18

▪ 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

▪ 2022 Illinois Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge — 6 p.m. Collinsville Veterans of Foreign Wars, 1234 Vandalia, Collinsville. This winter, the metro-east community is invited to be bold and get cold by taking the Polar Plunge in Collinsville to support Special Olympics Illinois athletes. To register: bit.ly/CollinsvillePlunge. For information: Justin Dunning, at jdunning@soill.org or call 618-248-8558. More information is available at plungeillinois.com.

Cedarhurst of Highland residents participated in a virtual charcuterie event hosted by Candi Graves of Grazeful Gatherings in Columbia. Pictured is Cedarhurst of Highland Director of Sales Mae McNamee with a finish board.. Provided

Saturday, Feb. 19

▪ Book Sale — 9 a.m. to noon. Tri Township Library, 209 S. Main St., Troy. Book donations are accepted during the book sale and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library. 618-667-2133.

Sunday, Feb. 20

▪ St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Family Concert: Peter and the Wolf — 3 p.m. Powell Hall, 718 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis. Join Peter and his animal friends on a symphonic adventure in Sergei Prokofiev’s beloved work, “Peter and the Wolf.” A lively introduction to the orchestra, each character in this musical fairy tale is represented by a different instrument. Together we experience the full spectrum of beautiful orchestral colors. slso.org

Tuesday, Feb. 22

▪ Seed St. Louis: Gardening 101 — 7-8 p.m. Virtual class. Discover what crops work for different seasons, how to read seed packs, basic pest management, what crops do best in our region, and some specific tips on finicky crops such as tomatoes and squash. Adults. Registration required. Participants will receive Zoom information via email immediately after registering. Free and open to the public. Registration is required. facebook.com/events/307704277968060

▪ 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. Free and open to all. For info or to join the Zoom meeting, contact Craig at 618-567-6095. palgroup.org

Wednesday, Feb. 23

▪ Film Arts Series: Judas & the Black Messiah (2021) — 6 p.m. Hettenhausen Center for the Arts, 400 N. Alton St., Lebanon. Featuring ScreenTalk host Dr. Lauren Thompson, associate professor of history. Tickets are free. For tickets and information: thehett.com.

▪ An Evening with Drew + Ellie Holcomb — 8 p.m. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis. Drew and Ellie Holcomb are a husband and wife Americana duo from Nashville, Tennessee. Shortly after their marriage in 2006, the couple began touring together with Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors. Ellie is no longer a touring member of “The Neighbors,” and has found solo success as a Christian singer/songwriter. An Evening with Drew and Ellie Holcomb is a special engagement event, allowing the Holcombs to collaborate once again. thesheldon.org

Cedarhurst Senior Living Sales Specialist John Michael Tabakian and owner of Grazeful Gatherings, Candi Graves, join together and host the second Charcuterie for Two event in Highland. This event allows the residents in the Cedarhurst communities to virtually gather and learn how to create their very own charcuterie board. Provided

Thursday, Feb. 24, through Saturday, Feb. 26

▪ Aviston American Legion Auxiliary annual Rummage Sale — 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 24, and Friday, Feb. 25; and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 26. Aviston American Legion, 601 S. Clinton St., Aviston. Annual rummage sale with bake sale Thursday and Friday, brown bag sale on Saturday. Quilt raffle winner drawn at noon Saturday. Register for attendance prizes. Great selection; something for everyone.

Saturday, Feb. 26

▪ 2022 Illinois Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge — Noon. Carlyle Lake Main Beach, 801 Lake Road, Carlyle. This winter, the metro-east community is invited to be bold and get cold by taking the Polar Plunge in Carlyle to support Special Olympics Illinois athletes. To register: bit.ly/CarlylePlunge. For information: Justin Dunning, at jdunning@soill.org or call 618-248-8558. More information is available at plungeillinois.com.

Saturday, March 5

▪ Heartland Community Chorus presents ‘Shamrocks and Shenanigans’ — 5:30 p.m. Lindendale Park Ballroom, 2005 Parkhill Drive, Highland. A rollicking evening of food, fun and music featuring the Irish Aires. A “Fund the Need” appeal will go to funding the orchestra for the 2022 Christmas concert. Tickets are $30 and available from any chorus member or online at heartlandcommunitychorus.org. 618-409-0374.

Farm Credit Illinois Agriculture Scholarship

High school seniors pursuing a career in agriculture are invited to apply for a $2,000 Farm Credit Illinois Agriculture Scholarship. Thirty scholarships will be given in 2022 with two recipients designated as Diversity in Agriculture Scholars.

Recipients are selected based on a combination of academic achievement, participation and leadership in school and community organizations, and the applicant’s commitment to an agricultural career. Applicants must be high school seniors enrolling in a college or university during the 2022 fall semester to pursue an agriculture-related academic major and career. Applicants must reside in – or immediate family must farm in – one of 60 central and southern counties in Illinois served by FCI. Recipients will receive $1,000 for the fall 2022 semester and $1,000 for fall 2024 semester.

Farm Credit Illinois also invites 4-H clubs and FFA chapters organizing projects to apply for a $500 Community Improvement Grant.

Fifty $500 grants will be awarded to assist youth members in bringing positive change to their local community. Clubs should choose a project that delivers tangible value where the outcome is visible. Farm Credit encourages collaboration with other local organizations to develop and complete the improvement project.

Online applications for the scholarship and grant programs are available at www.farmcreditIL.com and must be submitted by February 28. Questions or requests for additional information may be sent to ask@farmcreditIL.com.

Illinois Sheriffs’ Association Scholarship

The Illinois Sheriffs’ Association announces that it will be awarding over $58,000.00 in college scholarships throughout the State of Illinois to students wishing to pursue higher education during the 2022-23 academic year. The scholarships are to be applied to tuition, books, and fees only. The student must be enrolled full-time at a certified institution of higher learning within the State of Illinois.

Sheriff John D. Lakin, Madison County, will be awarding two scholarships in the amount of $500.

There will be no restriction on any applicant by reason of race, age, creed, color, sex or national origin. The only limitations are as follows:

Applicants must be a permanent Illinois resident
Scholarships must be utilized at institutions of higher learning within the State of Illinois
Students must be enrolled as a full-time student during the 2022-23 year (excluding summer session).

Applications are now available at the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, 405 Randle St., Edwardsville, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday or online at ilsheriff.org. Students must complete the application, answer the essay question, and return all documentation to the sheriff’s office in their permanent county of residence by Tuesday, March 15, 2022 (must be postmarked by this date). A directory of sheriffs offices is available on the Illinois Sheriffs Association website.

This story was originally published February 11, 2022 at 2:20 PM.