Highland Around Town — Jan. 18 edition

Noon Friday, Jan. 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.

Wednesday, Jan. 18

▪ Christmas Tree Recycling — Through Sunday, Jan. 29. Plant Land, Old Route 50, east of Breese; Allen Branch Boat Ramp, Carlyle; Little Prairie Nature Trail parking lot in the West Spillway at Carlyle Lake. All decorations, including garland and tinsel, must be removed. No artificial trees or wreaths. The trees are used to provide effective and economical fish habitat at Carlyle Lake. 618-594-2484 or carlylelake@usace.army.mil.

Friday, Jan. 20

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

▪ The Sheldon: Virginia Luque with Jubilant Sykes — 7:30 p.m. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis. Virginia Luque plays classical and flamenco music in a Spanish romantic style, combining extraordinary technical virtuosity with beautiful tone and musicianship. American baritone Jubilant Sykes brings a new dimension to the traditional career of the classically trained singer by drawing on gospel and jazz influences to deliver performances in differing musical genres. Presented by St. Louis Classical Guitar. thesheldon.org

Saturday, Jan. 21

▪ Tri Township Library Book Sale — 9 a.m. to noon. Tri Township Library, 209 S. Main St., Troy. Book donations accepted during the book sale and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays. During inclement weather, call the library at 618-667-2133 after 9 a.m. to see if the sale is canceled. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

▪ Madison County Historical Society: History Harvest – Immigration and Migration — 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Collinsville Memorial Library, 408 W. Main St., Collinsville. Current or former residents of Madison County are encouraged to attend this event to collect information for a future exhibit about immigration and migration to Madison County. If area residents know the story of how or why their family moved to Madison County and have documentation, the Society asks that they bring them to this event where items will be scanned to make their family part of the recorded story of Madison County. Participants will be given a USB drive with high-quality digital images of their items. Walk-ins are welcome but reservations are recommended. To make an appointment, go to: https://bit.ly/collinsville-harvest, email margars@siue.edu, or call 618-656-1294.

▪ The Sheldon: Somi — 8 p.m. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis. Fresh off her triumphant performance as Miriam Makeba in the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis’ production of Dreaming Zenzile, vocalist, composer and writer Somi Kakoma, the daughter of Rwandan and Ugandan immigrants, discovered her musical identity traversing the cultural bridge between America and Africa. That sense of discovery continues to guide a career in which she has forged a musical signature, channeling the jazz, soul and the music of her roots. She will pay tribute to Makeba in this special concert performance. thesheldon.org

Saturday, Jan. 21 & Sunday, Jan. 22

▪ St. Louis Symphony Orchestra presents: Grimaud Plays Brahms — 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22. Powell Hall, 718 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis. Stéphane Denève leads a World Premiere and SLSO commission by Pulitzer Prize-winner Kevin Puts, a St. Louis native whose music is “captivating from the start” (The New York Times). Glanert’s “Open Land” begins the program with a sound that’s recognizably “Brahmsian.” Later, Hélène Grimaud, whose “performances attempt, whenever possible, to shake up conventional pianistic wisdom” (The New Yorker), joins for Brahms’ First Piano Concerto. slso.org

Sunday, Jan. 22

▪ Albers Legion Chicken Dinner — 4:30-7 p.m. American Legion Post 1026, 600 N. Bertha St., Albers. Menu: chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, slaw, bread and butter, coffee tea and dessert. Cost: $13 adults, $6 kids ages 5-12, under 5 free.

Tuesday, Jan. 24

▪ 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

Albert honored with DAISY award

Melissa Albert, RN and manager of the wound care center at HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland, was recently recognized with The DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s nationwide program to recognize the superhuman efforts nurses perform every day.

She was recognized by a patient for her compassion and care. The patient shared, “I am convinced she is an angel. Ms. Melissa took her time with me with her calming voice to reassure me that I would get through this. She changed my life, and I can’t thank her enough.”

Nominations for future DAISY and other awards at St. Joseph’s Hospital continue to be accepted. Patients and visitors are encouraged to share and submit their story of witnessing excellent and compassionate care from staff. Award descriptions and an online nomination form can be found at hshs.org/StJosephsHighland/Patients-Guests/Recognize-a-Colleague.

Zeller honored with BEE award

Kelly Zeller, physical therapy assistant at HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital Highland, was recently with the Being Extraordinary Everyday (BEE) Award.

The BEE Award was established to recognize the colleagues outside of nursing who go beyond expectations of their daily work to exemplify the hospital’s Mission and deliver outstanding service to patients.

The patient who nominated Zeller shared, “She gave me faith, compassion and encouragement. If need be, Kelly took the time to stay with me, made me laugh and smile. Totally a gift from heaven.”

Nominations for future BEE and other awards at St. Joseph’s Hospital continue to be accepted. Patients and visitors are encouraged to share and submit their story of witnessing excellent and compassionate care from staff. Award descriptions and an online nomination form can be found at hshs.org/StJosephsHighland/Patients-Guests/Recognize-a-Colleague.