Highland Around Town — Sept. 7 edition
Noon Friday, Sept. 9, 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, Sept. 8
▪ Brave Like Ben Fundraiser — 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Bennie’s Pizza Pub, 113 E. Main St., Belleville. Ten percent of all dine-in and carryout sales will go to the Hay family as their infant son, Ben, waits for a heart transplant. T-shirts will be available for purchase. Follow Ben’s story at facebook.com/BraveLikeBen.
▪ Highland Thursday Night Live Concert Series: Benders & Backroads — 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
Thursday, Sept. 8, through Sunday, Sept. 11
▪ Ascension Charity Classic — Gates open 7:30 a.m. all four days. Norwood Hills Country Club, 1 Norwood Hills Country Club Drive, St. Louis. An official PGA TOUR Champions event owned and operated by Tournaments for Charity, a St. Louis non-profit corporation. This 54-hole stroke play golf tournament features 81 PGA TOUR Champions professionals competing for a $2 million purse. For tickets and info: ascensioncharityclassic.com.
Friday, Sept. 9
▪ The Troy/Maryville/St. Jacob/Marine Chamber of Commerce 2022 Women’s Conference: Be the Change — 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Gateway Convention Center, 1 Gateway Drive, Collinsville. Develop leadership skills, build your business’ bottom line, educate your team on culture and take away some personal development ideas. Attendees can select the breakout sessions and “Ask The Expert” tables that best fit their needs. Some speaker topics include team culture development, social media tips, developing confidence, hiring/maintaining good staff, personal safety, streamlining workflow and much more. Tickets and information: 618-667-8769 or facebook.com/events/538776481050519.
▪ 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, Sept. 9, & Saturday, Sept. 10
▪ Important Prehistoric and Historic Estates Indian Relics Auction — 3-6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9 (preview) and 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 10. Sangamon County Fairgrounds Building, 318 W. Birch St., New Berlin (12 miles west of Springfield). rainbowtradersauction.com
Friday, Sept. 9, through Sunday, Sept. 11
▪ 34th annual Homestead Harvest Days — 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9; and 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10, and Sunday, Sept. 11. Louis Latzer Homestead, south of Highland. https://www.facebook.com/events/389272139858234
Saturday, Sept. 10
▪ Damiansville & Albers Village-Wide Garage Sales — 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Damiansville & Albers, exit 34 off I-64. Some sales will be open Thursday, Sept. 8, and Friday, Sept. 9. Something for everyone! facebook.com/villageofalbers
▪ Fourth annual Gateway Paralyzed Veterans of America 5K/1 Mile Run - Walk - Roll — 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 10. Tower Grove Park, Sons of Rest Shelter, St. Louis. Check in at 7:30 a.m. This event is a fun way to help provide support for paralyzed veterans in the Gateway area. Register online at: runsignup.com/Race/Events/MO/StLouis/GatewayPVA5k1mileRunWalkandRoll
Sunday, Sept. 11
▪ Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum Day of Appreciation — 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, 212 N. 6th St. Springfield. First responders will receive free admission with presentation of employer ID at the ticket counter. All responders are welcome: police, fire, medical, military, etc. Advance registration is not required. presidentlincoln.illinois.gov
Monday, Sept. 12
▪ Marine Historical Society — 7 p.m. Marine Citizens Center, 101 W. Silver St., Marine. The meeting and the membership are both open to the public.
Monday, Sept. 12 thru Friday, Sept. 16
HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland Auxiliary Gift Shop End of Summer Sale — 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday-Friday with special evening hours 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 14. HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland, 12866 Troxler Ave., Highland. The St. Joseph’s Gift Shop sale will run Sept. 12-16, offering 25% off storewide (some exceptions may apply). The Gift Shop offers a variety of jewelry, gift items, handbags and home décor for purchase. Masks are required per CDC guidelines for hospitals.
Tuesday, Sept. 13
▪ 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, Sept. 14
▪ National Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) Alvin G. Bohley Chapter 1019 — 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Golden Corral, 3360 Green Mount Crossing Drive, Shiloh. Can purchase buffet of soda/coffee only. Subject is recent FEDCON22 held in Arizona, followed by meeting. All active and retired federal employees are welcome to speakers/meetings held the second Wednesday of each month except for May and December socials. NARFE remains the go-to resource for the federal community. For information, contact James at jbflat2021@gmail.com or call 618-795-5174.
Other area happenings
▪ HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital - Highland Drive-Thru Health Fair — By appointment 6-11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 5. Highland-Pierron Fire Department, 12611 Iberg Road, Highland. Includes comprehensive blood screenings, prostatic-specific antigen screenings, hemoglobin A1C and vitamin D screening. Please wear short-sleeved shirts and coats that are easily removed to make the process easier. Those wanting to attend must register for an appointment online at stjosephshighland.org/healthfair before Sunday, Sept. 25. There are limited spots available and on-site registration will not be accepted. If unable to register online, call 618-651-2739 for assistance.
▪ Southern Illinois Builders Association Scholarship Application — Deadline: Friday, Nov. 4. The Southern Illinois Builders Association is accepting applications for scholarships with the following requirements:
Candidates must be pursuing a degree in the field of construction management/construction related engineering/architecture;
Have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0/4.0;
Submit a personal recommendation from person unrelated to the applicant;
Planning to enroll as a full-time student and maintain full-time student status (12 hours minimum) — part-time students working full-time in the construction industry will be awarded partial awards (written verification from full-time employer required);
Show evidence applicant is related to an individual employed full-time by an SIBA member firm for at least four years (written evidence required);
A typewritten report of at least 500 words on career goals and events experienced that made them decide to pursue a career in the construction industry. Essay quality will be judged.
To obtain a complete list of requirements for the SIBA scholarships, please contact Donna at the SIBA office 618-624-9055 or by email to ceo@siba-agc.org.
RCCU1 Holds Groundbreaking for New Early Learning Pre-K Center
Richland County Community Unit #1 held a groundbreaking ceremony Tuesday, Aug. 30, for the new construction of its Early Learning Pre-K Center. Construction manager Poettker Construction and designer BLDD Architects will build a new 16,400 square feet early learning facility to create more space for the district’s pre-kindergarteners and consolidate the elementary school and the Early Learning Center into one campus.
Richland County Elementary School opened in January of 2000 with the merger of three elementary schools in the district. Since then, multiple elementary school reorganization efforts have taken place, from closing an aging elementary school to adding one through the annexation of the West Richland School District into the county-wide district. Additionally, Richland County has seen growth in its pre-K programs over the past few years.
“The result of all of these factors is a very crowded elementary school. Through the construction of an early learning center, we solve the problem of a very cramped school and provide a dedicated facility to our preschool and birth to three programs,” said Chris Simpson, Superintendent of RCCU1. “We are confident in Poettker Construction and BLDD Architects’ ability to provide us with a modern early learning center that will meet the needs of our youngest learners and their families.”
The new pre-K facility will include seven preschool classrooms, play areas, and an indoor multi-purpose area.
“Recently, Poettker Construction successfully completed a high school renovation and addition for Richland County Community Unit #1,” said Jon Carroll, executive vice president and chief operations officer at Poettker Construction Company. “We are excited to continue our partnership and deliver a greatly enhanced Early Learning Center to the community.”
Richland County Community Unit #1 hosted a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the new Early Learning Center located at 1001 N Holly Road, Olney. The new build is expected to be completed for the 2023-24 school year.
This story was originally published August 29, 2022 at 12:00 AM.