O’Fallon Around Town — May 20 edition

Noon Thursday, May 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: O’Fallon Progress Around Town, Belleville News-Democrat, P.O. Box 427, Belleville, IL 62222-0427. Questions, call Jennifer Green at 618-239-2643.

Thursday, May 20

▪ Center for Racial Harmony Virtual Forum Series: Reparations: Pros & Cons - Part II — 6 p.m. Online via Facebook Live. Series topics include: Reconstruction Era, Political & Economic Impact, family Dynamics. For information, visit centerforracialharmony.org or call 618-234-0508.

▪ Gateway Greening Free Online Class: Backyard Chicken Keeping — 6-7 p.m. Online via Zoom. Interested in getting backyard chickens? Or just want to learn more? This class will cover practical tips for starting out and keeping happy productive chickens at home or in the garden. facebook.com/events/447029173040655

▪ National Alliance on Mental Illness Southwestern Illinois (NAMI SWI) — 7-8:30 p.m. Online via Zoom. Virtual support meetings for family members and other caregivers of individuals with mental illness. Meetings are peer-led and rely on the knowledge and experiences of the group to help one another. Registration is required in order to receive the link to these meetings. For more information or to register, contact Pat Rudloff at silverlining6@charter.net.

Friday, May 21

▪ O’Fallon Fish Fry — 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4-7 p.m. Fridays. Knights of Columbus Hall, 402 E. U.S. 50, O’Fallon. Traditional menu of cod available along with hamburgers, hot dogs, pork steaks and additional side dishes. Dine-in and carryout. Credit cards accepted. Orders can be called in at 618-632-6229.

▪ Red Cross Blood Drive — 1-5 p.m. O’Fallon Fire Department HQ, 1215 Taylor St., O’Fallon. Appointments recommended but not required. To make an appointment visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-733-2767.

▪ Shiloh Eagles Fish Fry — 5-7 p.m. Shiloh Eagles 545, 100 Eagle Drive, Shiloh. Cod, walleye, catfish, shrimp and sides. Full menu. Dine-in or carryout available. For carryout, call 618-624-5412.

Saturday, May 22

▪ Vine Street Market — 8 a.m. to noon. O’Fallon Station, 212 E. First St., O’Fallon. Locally grown vegetables, flowers, fruits, eggs, cheese and meats. A selection of bakers and sweet treats along with coffee, craft brew beverages and artisans. Live music, patio seating, food truck on site. Bicycle and pet friendly. 618-307-6045, facebook.com/events/2248932071904817 or ofallonstation.com/vine-street-market.

▪ O’Fallon Kiwanis Scrap Metal & Electronics Recycle Drive — 9 a.m. to noon. Horseshoe Restaurant parking lot, 950 Talon Drive, O’Fallon. For details: facebook.com/events/2079275422214522

▪ Sheldon Art Galleries Family Day — 10 a.m. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis. Bring the whole family to enjoy a morning of crafts, snacks and performance on the Steward Family Plaza on the west side of The Sheldon. Kids can rock-out with family-friendly singer-songwriter Celia at 10:15 a.m. and Nationally-recognized storyteller Bobby Norfolk will perform at 11 a.m. This event is free, but registration is required. Capacity is limited and masks are required. Social-distancing measures will also be in place. To register: thesheldon.org.

Tuesday, May 25

▪ Electronics Recycling Drive — 1-4 p.m. McKendree University, parking lot C near Hettenhausen Center for the Arts, Lebanon. Items accepted: desktop and laptop computers, phones, TVs and monitors (no CRTs), keyboards, computer mice, printers, speakers, hard drives and other computer parts, power cords and cables, servers and networking equipment. Hosted by McKendree University and PCs for People.

Wednesday, May 26

▪ O’Fallon Sunrise Rotary Meeting — 6:45 a.m. Wednesdays. O’Fallon Station, 212 E. First St., O’Fallon or online via Zoom. See weekly email for link or email ofallonsunriserotary@gmail.com. 618-210-8156 or ofallonsunriserotary.org

▪ Badges & Bagels — 10-11 a.m. Klucker Hall, 14 Park Drive, Shiloh. Where friends meet and enjoy a morning with our police officers and Illinois Attorney General Representative. This is a chance to connect with each other, ask questions and share in fellowship. There will be a short presentation on the consumer fraud and scams targeting seniors. All are welcome. 618-632-1022, ext. 119.

▪ Music in the Park: George Portz & His Bluegrass Friends — 7 p.m. Park Pavilion, 14 Park Drive, Shiloh. Live music. Refreshments available. Masks and social distancing recommended. Free parking. Sponsored by Village of Shiloh. 618-632-1022, ext. 119.

Other area happenings

▪ Rotary Van Services Resume — The Rotary van is running again. All passengers must wear a mask. Only two riders at a time for now. This is subject to change in the future. Call 618-632-3517 for information or reservations.

▪ Help Create a National Park Poster Contest — Deadline is Tuesday, June 1. As part of the Madison County Regional Office of Education’s campaign to help pass HR 2642, students are asked to design a standard size poster depicting Cahokia Mounds with the placement of the title “Make Cahokia Mounds a National Park” included on the poster. Poster entry can be created digitally or with markers and crayons. Contest is limited to one entry per student. Entries due at the Madison County Office of Regional Education #41, 157 N. Main St., Edwardsville, by June 1. For more information: roe41.org or kahale@co.madison.il.us.

▪ Fall 2021 Jay Jolliff Memorial Foundation Scholarships — Deadline is Tuesday, June 1. Applications are now available for students to apply for the Jay Jolliff Memorial Foundation Scholarship. The scholarship will be awarded through funds raised by the Jay Jolliff Memorial Golf Tournament and scholarships will be awarded in the amount of $500 each. Scholarships will be given to students within the Kaskaskia College District who will be attending a college or university in the Fall 2021 Semester. Criteria for the scholarship: Applicant must have a high school diploma or GED; applicant must have participated in a sport while in high school or college; applicant must be a male or female enrolled in a college or university and must maintain a grade point average of 2.5 or above. For more information or to receive an application, contact Cathy Karrick by email at ckarrick@kaskaskia.edu.

▪ O’Fallon Volunteer Fire Company 22nd annual Spring Golf Classic — 11 a.m. Friday, June 4. Tamarack Country Club, 800 Tamarack Lane, Shiloh. Shotgun start for the 18-hole, four-person scramble. Cost: $80 per person/$320 per team. For information: 618-624-4515 or jvalentine@ofallon.org.

▪ Community Feed My Lambs 2021 — For the past 10 years, a group of local churches have partnered together to provide lunches for local O’Fallon and Shiloh families. This free service will be offered again this year from June 7 to Aug. 13. Volunteers prepare sack lunches and deliver them to specific stops which have been coordinated with the local school administrators. These meals will be funded through donations from the participating church congregations. Donations can be sent to St. Michael’s Episcopol Church, 111 O’Fallon-Troy Road, O’Fallon, IL 62269, with Community Feed My Lambs in the memo line. All donations will go directly to Community Feed My Lambs and all donors will receive a tax donation receipt. Contact Linda Kahley at lkahley@gmail.com for more information.

HSHS Drive-Thru Care Now Open in O’Fallon

HSHS Drive-Thru Care, powered by HSHS Medical Group, is now open in O’Fallon. Located at 406 Hartman Lane, HSHS Drive-Thru Care offers quick and convenient lab services for patients ages 3 and older from the comfort of your car. The team performs routine lab services, blood pressure checks, testing services and vaccinations.

“HSHS Medical Group is excited to bring drive-thru lab services to the O’Fallon community,” said James Bock, MD, HSHS Medical Group chief physician executive. “We want to provide health care in a convenient, yet safe, way to better meet our patients’ needs.”

How does HSHS Drive-Thru Care work? Simply drive to the O’Fallon location and follow the directional signs. We have three bays that protect you and our team from the elements while you receive care. When you’re done with your labs or test, you can simply drive away. And you never have to get out of your car.

Patients do not need to make an appointment for lab services at HSHS Drive-Thru Care, but a doctor’s order from an HSHS Medical Group provider is required. COVID-19 tests must be scheduled through MyChart. Vaccine appointments are also required; call 618-825-7770 or schedule through MyChart. HSHS Drive-Thru Care is open for walk-ins (drive-ins) 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday.

O’Fallon man Unger named VP of Alliance Technologies

Alliance Technologies LLC. announces a merger with Coyote Consulting, a Shiloh-based firm specializing in data warehousing and management, business process automation, and Information Technology strategies, and announces the naming of John Unger, founder and president of Coyote, as vice-president of data services within Alliance’s Advisors Division.

“We are highly excited to add the assets of Coyote Consulting and John Unger to the Alliance family,” said James Canada, CEO. “John has some 35 years of experience as an entrepreneur, IT architect and software developer. He will play a large role helping our clients with in-demand services such as business process automation, business intelligence, and data science solutions.”

“Alliance has put together a great group of highly skilled professionals and consultants in all facets of the technology process from strategy, to design, to optimizing business systems. They have an outstanding reputation and a strong record of success. I look forward to joining their team and expanding our services with corporations on a regional basis,” Unger said.

Unger, who resides with his family in O’Fallon, has designed and delivered projects for clients in a variety of industries including financial planning, healthcare, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications and waste management. His talent lies in leveraging the data generated by packaged software, combined with data extracted from supporting apps, to help businesses create customized synergistic platforms for sustained results.

In addition to his work with Coyote Consulting, Unger serves as an Eagle Scout, troop leader and consultant with many organizations. Always willing to give back, he has participated as a judge in numerous business competitions with the St. Louis County Economic Council’s Business Plan Competition, Olin School of Business at Washington University, Webster University and UMSL. Unger is a graduate of the Executive MBA Program at Washington University.

O’Fallon student taking part in young leaders conference

This summer, Quincy Robinson from O’Fallon will join outstanding middle school students from across the nation to take part in the Junior National Young Leaders Conference in Washington, DC.

Junior National Young Leaders Conference is one of the Envision by WorldStrides family of programs (www.envisionexperience.com) that enable students to explore their interests and experience learning beyond the classroom.

Robinson was nominated to attend the forum by his eighth grade teacher at Edward Fulton Junior High School. Prior to COVID-19, he was an active participating member of the school’s band (percussion), student council, yearbook, robotics, science Olympiad, scholar bowl, and comic book clubs.

He also takes honors courses and remains on honor roll. With dreams of being a software engineer, Robinson is looking forward to gaining the hands-on leadership and engineering experience the forum provides.

“As an alumna of Envision myself, I am excited for Quincy to meet, work, and collaborate with other high-aspiring students from across the country,” said Amanda Freitag Thomas, SVP for Envision.

This story was originally published May 13, 2021 at 5:35 PM.