Around Town: Chef to talk to Garden Club about best use of vegetables

THURSDAY, JULY 5

Genealogical Society meeting: The St. Clair County Genealogical Society will meet at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 5 at St. Luke's Parish Hall, 225 N. Church St. in Belleville. Bob Goode will present, “Genealogy 101: FamilySearch.org.” The meeting is free and open to the public.

TUESDAY, JULY 10

O’Fallon Garden Club meeting:The next monthly meeting of the O’Fallon Garden Club will be held on Tuesday, July 10 at Rock Springs Rotary Park, 1428 E. 3rd St. in O'Fallon. Social time starts at 6 p.m., and the meeting starts at 6:30. The program will be by Josh Charles, a chef in St. Louis. After culinary school, he worked in the some of top kitchens in St. Louis. His first job was as sous chef at Prime 1000 Steakhouse before moving to Elaia+Olio and quickly becoming chef de cuisine. After Elaia+Olio, he became executive chef at Element restaurant, where his small plate menu showcased the best ingredients from the Midwest. He is currently forging his own path in the culinary industry, working as a private chef, restaurant consultant, food blogger as well as doing pop-ups, boutique catering and menu development. He will show the club how to cook vegetable from the own backyard garden. This event is free and is open to the public. All ages are welcome. You can dig deeper at ofallongardenclub.com or O'Fallon Garden Club on Facebook.

Quilting meeting: The next Hearts 'n' Hands Quilt Guild meeting will be Tuesday, July 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 504 U.S. 50 in O’Fallon. Barbara Olsen will lecture on “Quilting A Life.”

WEDNESDAY, JULY 11

Gateway East Artist Guild meeting: The Gateway East Artist Guild will meet July, 11 instead of July 4, due to the Independence Day Observance. The art focus in July will be trading card-sized. Members and guests are encouraged to bring 30 to 40 pieces of artwork produced in trading card size. Then everyone will trade cards during the meeting. All art cards must be dry to participate.

GEAG typically meets the first Wednesday of every month at 6 p.m. at the PSOP/SWIC building in Belleville. Meetings are open to the public.

GEAG is an organization for art enthusiasts with all levels of skill, from nationally recognized artists to those who are just beginning. GEAG is a non-profit group that promotes the visual arts in the Metro-East community. For more information, go online at GEAG.net.

Shiloh Music in the Park: “Music in the Park,” free concerts held under the pavilion by the water tower in Shiloh Community Park are from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The next show will be on July 11, Alley Kats (big band); July 25, George Portz (bluegrass); Aug. 8, Vince K (variety); and Aug. 22, Mister T & “The Houseshakers” (1950s rock ‘n’ roll). The Shiloh PTO will be selling snacks during the shows.

Big Brothers Big Sisters House Raffle early bird drawing: Enter the 2018 Big Brothers Big Sisters House Raffle by July 11 for a chance to win the Early Bird prize of $1,000. A winner will be drawn form certificates sold by 5 p.m. on July 11. Win a $205,000 Fulford Home or $125,000 in cash in the drawing to be held on Aug. 29. To purchase a raffle certificate, call Big Brothers Big Sisters at 618 398-3162 or visit the web site at bbbsil.org. All proceeds will benefit children of promise in Madison, Clinton, Monroe and St. Clair counties by providing them with mentors.

FRIDAY, JULY 13

RSVP deadline for Senior Committee dinner: The O'Fallon Township Senior Committee will meet for dinner and entertainment on July 19 at the O'Fallon Township Building, 801 E. State St. in O'Fallon. The event is for O'Fallon Township residents only. Tickets are $3 and are available at the township office. The last day to purchase tickets is July 13.

MONDAY, JULY 16

Ticket deadline for PSOP “Battle of the Bands” fundraiser: The Retired Senior Volunteer Program at Programs and Services for Older Persons will host a special “Battle of the Bands” fundraiser titled “Keep the Music Playing,” featuring live music, 50/50 raffles, and a silent auction. The event will be held Wednesday, July 18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at PSOP, 201 N. Church St. in Belleville. Lunch will be offered for $10 per person. Both the RSVP Orchestra and the Country Western Band of Belleville will perform. Proceeds from the event will go toward funding band performances and dances at PSOP throughout the year. Reserve your spot for this event before Monday, July 16 at noon by calling PSOP 618-234-4410, ext. 7015, then press 5.

Learn sign language at library: The O’Fallon Public Library will have an introduction to sign language course on Monday, July 16 at 6 p.m. Teacher Natasia Tucker will cover the alphabet and the numbers 1-10 in American Sign Language. The event is friendly and open to all ages. There will be a game at the end of the class.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 18

Rules of the Road Review Course: O'Fallon Township is having a Rules of the Road review course on Wednesday, July 18 at 1:30 p.m. The course is designed to give drivers, especially senior citizens and persons with disabilities, the knowledge and confidence needed to renew and obtain a driver's license. The course combines an explanation of the driving exam with a practice written exam. The course is free. Call the township office at 618-632-3517 for more information.

Blood drive at St. Clare: St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church and School will host community blood drive from 3 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 18 at the church's Fellowship Hall, 1411 Cross St. in O'Fallon. To schedule an appointment call 618-632-3562 or visit bloodcenterimpact.org and use code 10841 to locate the drive. Potential donors must be at least 17 years of age (16 with parental permission form available through bloodcenter.org) and weigh more than 110 pounds. A photo I.D. is required to donate. For questions about eligibility, call the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center at (800)747-5401. Donors who last gave blood on or before May 23 are eligible to give at this drive.

THURSDAY, JULY 26

Seniors lunch and dance: O'Fallon Township is hosting a lunch and dance for senior citizens from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, July 26. The event will include a pot-luck luncheon and performance by a country Western band. For more information, call the O'Fallon Township office at 618-632-3517.

Lunch to benefit Special Olympics: Local law enforcement officers will be your servers during a special lunch at Texas Roadhouse in Shiloh. The free lunch will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and includes a pulled pork sandwich, corn, fresh-baked bread and honey cinnamon butter and a non-alcoholic beverage. Simply leave a donation on your table and 100 percent of the donation will go to Special Olympics Illinois. The event is part of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics Illinois.

MONDAY, JULY 30

Women Empowering Women meeting: The next monthly meeting for O'Fallon Women Empowering Women will be held, Monday, July 30 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Bela Milano in O’Fallon. Find updated information on the club’s website wewillinois.com or Facebook page.

This story was originally published July 2, 2018 at 4:03 PM.