Shiloh Picnic set at Shiloh Community Park

THURSDAY, SEPT. 7

▪ St. Clair County Genealogical Society meeting: The St. Clair County Genealogical Society will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7 at St. Luke’s Parish Center, 226 N. Church St. in Belleville. Erin Lasley, Scott Air Force Base historian, will present the “History of Scott Air Force Base” for the base’s centennial year. The program is free and open to the public. For more information on this and other programs, see the society’s website at www.stclair-ilgs.org or find them on Facebook.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 8

▪ Metro East Pachyderm Club meeting: O’Fallon Mayor Herb Roach will be the featured speaker at the Metro East Pachyderm Club meeting, which will be held at noon on Friday, Sept. 8 at The Hop House, 1214 Central Park Drive in O’Fallon. You do not need to be a Pachyderm Club member to attend the meeting.

SEPT. 8-9

▪ Shiloh Picnic: The 65th annual Shiloh Picnic will be Sept. 8 and 9 at Shiloh Community Park. The picnic, which is sponsored by the village of Shiloh, will run from 5 to 11:30 p.m. Friday and from 4 to 11:30 p.m. Saturday. The event will include food and drinks, rides, bands, fireworks and a Civil War display. Admission and parking are free. Rides tickets are one for $3 or 10 for $20. Ride armbands can also be purchased for $18 and are good from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and 4 to 11 p.m. Saturday. Entertainment on Friday includes George Portz and “The Friends of Bluegrass” from 6 to 8 p.m. and “The Next Best Thing” from 7 to 11:30 p.m. The fireworks display will be at 9 p.m. Friday (rain date, same time on Saturday). Featured entertainment on Saturday will be the Cadence Cloggers from 5 to 6 p.m., “Vince K” from 6 to 8 p.m., and the band “Boderline” will take the stage from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 9

▪ O’Fallon concert to benefit Hurricane Harvey victims: The O’Fallon Knights of Columbus Hall, 402 E. Highway 50, will have a benefit concert on Saturday, Sept. 9 with 100 percent of all ticket sales going to Texas flood relief. The band is “7 Bridges Road - The ultimate Eagles Experience,” a Nashville, Tenn.-based “Eagles” tribute band. Tickets are $25 per person. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the show starts at 7 p.m. Call 618-632-6229 for more information.

▪ O’Fallon Township rummage sale: O’Fallon Township will hold its monthly rummage sale at the Township Building, 801 E. State St. in O’Fallon on Saturday, Sept. 9 from 7 a.m.. until noon. Men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing, plus household items, will be available at the rummage sale.

MONDAY, SEPT. 11

▪ RSVP deadline for POW/MIA Recognition Ceremony: Scott POW/MIA Council will have its 26th annual POW/MIA Recognition Ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 16 at the Sgt. Charles A. Fricke VFW Post 805, 223 W. 1st St. in O’Fallon. Each year, The Scott POW/MIA Council invites former prisoners of war (POWs) and those previously held as missing in action (MIA), along with their family members from the local area, in order to honor their sacrifices. The ceremony begins at 10 a.m. and lasts approximately one hour. A complimentary barbeque for all guests begins at 11 a.m. RSVP by Monday, Sept. 11. Contact Terry Jenkins at 618-772-9345 or JenkinsT4K@yahoo.com or Fred Schmitt at 618-698-7285 or Fschmitt071@yahoo.com. Sponsorships are also available. They are due by Sept. 14 in order to have your name listed in the program.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 13

▪ Red Cross blood drive: The Red Cross will hold a blood drive from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13 at Culvers, 1702 W. U.S. 50 in O’Fallon. Donors are urged to make an appointment to donate using the free Blood Donor App, online at redcrossblood.org or by calling 1-800-733-2767. The Red Cross and Sport Clips encourage donors to use the hashtag #SavingLivesLooksGood to share their new looks and invite others to give.

▪ NARFE meeting: The next meeting of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Chapter 1019 is Wednesday, Sept. 13 in the meeting room at the Golden Corral, 3360 Green Mount Crossing Road in Shiloh. The buffet opens at 11 a.m., and the meeting begins at noon. Guests are always welcome. Cathy Murphy, a club members, will instruct the group on how to smartly take legislative action when necessary. Series H tickets will be available at this meeting, too. If you are planning to retire from your civil service job in the next six to 12 months, many very important decisions await you. The answers to all of your questions can be obtained by becoming a member of NARFE. The monthly magazine is filled with information and all of the archived webinars regarding retirement are available online. You will also have the privilege of contacting the experts at the NARFE headquarters. Becoming a member is easy. Go to narfe.org or call 1-800-627-3394. You are invited to call Chapter 1019 president Deane Richter at 618-526-7932 or visit the chapter website narfe.org/chapter1019 for more information.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 14

▪ Habitat for Humanity family orientation session: The O’Fallon Area Habitat for Humanity is seeking an O’Fallon area family that wants to turn the dream of home ownership into a reality. Family selection for the O’Fallon home will take place soon. Building begins spring 2018. Public information sessions for prospective applicants will be held in September. During the orientation, you will learn more about Habitat for Humanity, the homes we build, how to qualify, and the application process. To obtain an application, you must attend a one-hour orientation session on one of the following dates: Thursday, Sept. 14; Wednesday, Sept. 20; or Wednesday, Sept. 27. All the sessions start at 7 p.m. and will be held at the O’Fallon Public Safety Building, 285 N. Seven Hills Road. he O’Fallon Area Lewis and Clark Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit organization that works with low-income families to build houses. Families are selected according to the following criteria: need, ability to pay, and willingness to partner. For additional information or questions: Call Karen at 618-670-6632 or email kshees@aol.com.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 15

▪ Ticket deadline for O’Fallon Township Senior Committee: The O’Fallon Township Senior Committee will meet at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21 at the O’Fallon Township Building, 801 E. State St., for dinner and entertainment. The event is for O’Fallon Township residents only. Tickets are $3. Deadline to purchase tickets is Sept. 15. Tickets are available at the township office.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 16

▪ Shiloh schools 5k: Shiloh School District 85 is hosting its 3rd annual Shiloh Schools 5K run/walk fundraiser at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 16 at Shiloh Middle School, 1 Wildcat Crossing. The Kids fun run will start at 9:30 a.m. for 10-year-olds and younger for a  1/2 mile race. From 4-6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15 is the register packet pickup period. All proceeds go to funding Shiloh schools’ after school running program. Cost on race day to participate is $25 and checks can be made out to Shiloh School District 85. Award medals will be given to top three overall male and female finishers in the 5K, and all child participants will receive a medal. For more information contact Jami Richter at 618-632-7434, ext. 10 or jrichter@shi85.org.

▪ St. Clare Church Youth Group FUNDrive: Community members are invited to donate gently used clothing and household items at the St. Clare Church Youth Group’s FUNDrive, to be held Saturday, Sept. 16 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at St. Clare Church’s parking lot, 1411 Cross St. in O’Fallon. No advance drop offs will be accepted. The drive’s goal is to raise $2,000 in funds to support the Youth Group’s attendance at the National Catholic Youth Conference this fall. Acceptable donations include clothing, shoes, accessories, linens, books, and small household items (no furniture). All goods collected through the FUNDrive are sold to Savers, the parent company to great thrift stores like Value Village, Unique and Savers. They pay the group by the pound for every qualifying donation received. In turn, these items help keep their floors freshly stocked.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 19

▪ O’Fallon Illinois Historical Society meeting: Col. John B. “Jack” Moelmann, USAF retired, agreed will host the O’Fallon Illinois Historical Society meeting at his home at 1015 Matthew Drive in O’Fallon at 7 p.m. on Sept. 19. OHS members will watch a silent movie comedy and hear Moelmann’s fantastic theater organ. His organ has 132 Speakers, 8 sets of Pipes, 18.5 Miles of Wiring, etc. and can produce many unique sounds. In 2008, Moelmann was inducted into the American Theatre Organ Society Hall of Fame and into the Theatre Organ Society International Hall of Fame. In 2009 he was officially appointed staff organist at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis, and is also a staff organist at the Lincoln Theatre in Belleville, in addition to being organist at St Michael’s Episcopal Church in O’Fallon. A quick business meeting will start the meeting off. It’s also election night.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 22

▪ Saint Louis Cathedral Concerts to have event in O’Fallon: Saint Louis Cathedral Concerts, a nonprofit that brings world-class musical artists from around the world to St. Louis, has announced a concert date in O’Fallon as part of its fifth series of free chamber music concerts. St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church, 1411 Cross St. in O’Fallon, at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 22. Performing will be Kristin Ahlstrom, violin; Bjorn Ranheim, cello; Tzuying Huang, clarinet; and Matthew Mazzoni, piano. Ahlstrom is the associate principal second violin in the Saint Louis Symphony. Ranheim is a cellist in the Saint Louis Symphony, a member of the Chamber Music Society of St. Louis, as well as The 442s. Huang is a bass clarinet for Saint Louis Symphony, a member of the Banff Music Centre Orchestra, Young Artist Program of the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Tanglewood Music Center, and the Aspen Music Festival and School. Mazzoni, director of Cathedral Concerts’ Chamber Music Series, is a solo and collaborative performing artist, recording artist, teacher and music director at Central Presbyterian Church in Clayton. Sponsored by Fontbonne University, the concert provides listeners around the St. Louis area with great musical works by Beethoven, Khatchaturian, and Mendelssohn. To view the full schedule of performers and dates for Cathedral Concerts’ 25th Anniversary season, visit CathedralConcerts.org or call 314-533-7662.

▪ Run/walk to benefit Bereda family: A candlelight 5K run/walk to celebrate the lives of Brennen and Finley Bereda will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 22 at Rock Springs Park in O’Fallon, 1428 E. 3rd St. Registration is not required, as the 5K is free. The 5K will be followed by: Lighting of luminaries, prayer led by St. Clare Church Deacon, local country pop star Coy Taylor singing “God, Your Mama, & Me,” food and fellowship. Parking is available at the park, on the street, and at the First Baptist Church of O’Fallon. Please contact Heather Braundmeier at heather.braundmeier.1@us.af.mil or 618-660-5382 with questions or volunteer opportunities.

To have your event listed, email ofprogress@bnd.com by 5 p.m. Monday prior to the Thursday publication date.

This story was originally published September 7, 2017 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Shiloh Picnic set at Shiloh Community Park."