Highland Around Town — July 20 edition

Noon Wednesday, July 20, 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, July 21

▪ Highland Thursday Night Live Concert Series: Josh Gilbert Band — 7 p.m. Downtown Square, Highland. Enjoy live entertainment on Thursday evenings. Feel free to bring your own lawn chair(s), blanket, cooler, etc., and enjoy the show. The Lions Club will be selling brats, pork burgers and chicken sandwiches. highlandil.gov

Friday, July 22

▪ 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.

▪ Highland Muny Band — Approximately 8 p.m. Downtown Square, Highland. Listen to the beautiful music of the Muny Band all summer. Free and open to the public. facebook.com/HighlandMunyBand

Saturday, July 23, & Sunday, July 24

▪ St. Francis of Assisi Quilt Show — 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days. St. Francis Parish Center, 2nd and Clinton streets, Aviston. More than 100 quilts on display. Preview the quilts to be awarded at the parish picnic Saturday, Aug. 6. Free refreshments, attendance prizes. Admission $3. 618-228-7219 or stfrancisav.org.

Sunday, July 24

▪ Central Illinois Numismatic Association’s 32nd annual Summer Coin Show — 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Northfield Center I, 3210 Northfield Drive, Springfield. U.S. and foreign coins, ancient and modern coins, gold and silver bullion, state quarters, paper money. Admission: $1. Members and children under 16 enter free. Early bird admission $20, 7-9 a.m. For more info: michael.ripka13@comcast.net.

Monday, July 25

▪ Red Cross Blood Drive — 1-7 p.m. VFW Hall, 1900 VFW Lane, Highland. To make an appointment, call 800-733-2767 or visit redcrossblood.org.

Tuesday, July 26

▪ Parkinson’s Disease Discovery Group — 2-3 p.m. Sullivan Conference Room, HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland, 12866 Troxler Ave., Highland. Meetings will be held on the fourth Tuesday of every month. This group provides the opportunity to learn and share helpful information, support each other in dealing with Parkinson’s disease-related issues, and to connect with others who can relate to your experience. Registration is not necessary to attend. Masking (non-cloth) is still required in health care facilities. For more information or questions, please call 618-651-2720. stjosephshighland.org

▪ 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, July 27

▪ Whitaker Music Festival 2022 Concert Series: The Soulard Blues Band — 7 p.m. Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd., St. Louis. Entry at 5 p.m. The Whitaker Music Festival offers a lineup of free Wednesday evening concerts under the stars. Pack a picnic and enjoy the beauty of the Garden grounds in summertime bloom as you listen to the tunes and rhythms of an eclectic rotation of artists from week to week. Live music will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays through Aug. 3. Free admission entry begins at 5 p.m. Last entry is at 8:15 p.m. Advance reservations required. mobot.org/whitaker

Other area happenings

▪ Heartland Community Chorus Kids Chorus Camp — 9 a.m. to noon Monday, Aug. 1, through Friday, Aug. 5. Highland Elementary Auditorium, 1800 Lindenthal, Highland. Each morning includes singing in a chorus, workshops about various aspects of music, and a break with snacks. The camp is directed by two former music teachers with many years of experience working with young singers. A camp T-shirt will be provided. The week will culminate in a free concert for family and friends, presented at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 5. The camp fee is $45 for the first child in a family, and $30 for each additional child from the same family. Needs-based scholarships are offered, so that everyone can participate. Register by Friday, July 22, at heartlandcommunitychorus.org. 618-219-5768 or 618-791-8408.

▪ Pitch for Cancer Research Cornhole Tournament Fundraiser — 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20. Trenton Community Park, Trenton. Prizes will be awarded to the top four team finishers. Food, beer and drinks will be available for purchase. It is being held in memory of Helen Andersen (Lebanon, IL) and Ashley Furlong, both who died from cancer at such a young age. Cost: $20 per person or $40 per team of two. Proceeds benefit cancer research. To register: https://bit.ly/3chkUtg. For info: Mark Skaer 618-623-2769 or skaer.mark@gmail.com.

▪ HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland Auxiliary Book Donation Drive — Used book donations are currently being accepted. Donations can be delivered to St. Joseph’s Hospital Gift Shop 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday-Friday. Accepting nice, clean books of fiction, nonfiction, children’s and cookbooks, hardbacks and paperbacks, puzzles, CDs, DVDs. The Auxiliary requests no self-care, religious or DIY books, encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc. Masks (non-cloth) must be worn in the hospital at all times.

Poettker Construction achieves Platinum level

Poettker Construction Company of Breese achieved PLATINUM level in Associated Builders and Contractor’s STEP Safety Management System.

Founded more than three decades ago, STEP has evolved into a world-class safety program that dramatically improves safety performance among construction industry participants, with top-performing Diamond members achieving incident rates 645% safer than the industry average.

“What a tremendous honor to be recognized by the Associated Builders and Contractors for the safety initiatives that Poettker is proud to achieve on an ongoing basis,” said Keith Poettker, chairman and CEO of Poettker Construction. “This recognition further sets Poettker apart as a leader in providing unparalleled service, quality of work, and safety for its people and business partners.”

Committed to safety and quality, the Poettker team performed more than 346,000 manhours with zero lost-time or recordable incidents in 2021 and received safety awards from the Central Illinois Builders of AGC. Poettker also achieved a certified contractor status through the Coalition for Construction Safety.

STEP participants measure their safety processes and policies on key components through a detailed questionnaire with the goal of implementing or enhancing safety programs that reduce jobsite incidents.

“Safety is a journey, and that journey is possible because of systems like STEP, which enables ABC member contractors like Poettker Construction to have safer and more productive jobsites,” said Greg Sizemore, ABC vice president of health, safety, environment and workforce development.

“Committing to total human health is essential to ensure the physical and mental health and safety of our workforce, and I commend Poettker for consistently fulfilling those commitments to raise the bar of safety performance.”

This story was originally published July 13, 2022 at 12:00 AM.