O’Fallon Around Town — March 9 edition & update from O’Fallon PD, Scott Air Force Base

Noon Friday, March 10, 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.

Friday, March 10

▪ O’Fallon Fish Fry — 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4-7 p.m. Knights of Columbus Hall, 402 E. U.S. 50, O’Fallon. Traditional menu of cod and several side dishes. Dine-in and carryout. Credit cards accepted. Orders can be called in at 618-632-6229. facebook.com/KnightsOfColumbus4239

▪ KC Club and Event Center Fish Fry — 3-7 p.m. 5420 Old Collinsville Road, O’Fallon. Catfish plates, cod plates, barbecue chicken, fries, cole slaw, hush puppies, baked beans, potato salad. Dine in or carryout and drink specials. facebook.com/KCClubEastStLouis

▪ 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. facebook.com/shiloheagles545

▪ Tuba Skinny — 7:30 p.m. Hettenhausen Center for the Arts, 400 N. Alton St., Lebanon. Tuba Skinny arrives right off the streets of New Orleans and is dedicated to bringing the best in traditional early jazz swing to audiences around the world. thehett.com

Friday, March 10 & Saturday, March 11

▪ St. Louis Symphony Orchestra: Beethoven and Mendelssohn — 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 10 and 8 p.m. Saturday, March 11. Powell Hall, 718 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis. Nicholas McGegan returns for a dramatic musical pairing of works by Beethoven and Mendelssohn inspired by famed author Goethe. Both feature calls for liberty—heroically in Egmont, playfully in “The First Walpurgis Night.” For tickets: 314-534-1700 or slso.org.

Saturday, March 11

▪ Rummage Sale — 7 a.m. to noon. Township Building, 801 E. State St., O’Fallon. Men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, plus household items will be available.

▪ The Sheldon’s Rhythm & Jazz Series: Emmet Cohen Trio — 8 p.m. The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis. Multi-faceted jazz pianist and composer Emmet Cohen is one of his generation’s pivotal figures. Praised by Downbeat magazine for his “…nimble touch, measured stride and warm harmonic vocabulary,” Emmet Cohen leads his own trio, serves as an international clinician through programs such as Jazz at Lincoln Center’s “Jazz for Young People,” and has performed and recorded with artists such as Ron Carter, Christian McBride, Kurt Elling, Herlin Riley, Lea DeLaria and Bill T. Jones. thesheldon.org

Sunday, March 12

▪ Indigo Girls — 7 p.m. Powell Hall, 718 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis. The Grammy Award-winning Indigo Girls – Amy Ray and Emily Saliers –join the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, performing folk-rock hits from their career spanning the past four decades. For tickets: 314-534-1700 or slso.org.

Wednesday, March 15

▪ O’Fallon Sunrise Rotary Meeting — 6:45 a.m. O’Fallon Township Building, 801 E. State St., O’Fallon. 618-210-8156 or ofallonsunriserotary.org.

Thursday, March 16

▪ O’Fallon Township Senior Dinner & Entertainment — 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 16. O’Fallon Township Building, 801 E. State St., O’Fallon. For O’Fallon Township residents only. Cost: $3. Reservation deadline: Friday, March 10. 618-632-3517.

▪ Candidate Forum — 6:30 p.m. City Council Chambers, 255 S. Lincoln, O’Fallon. Aldermanic candidates for Wards 2, 3, 4 invited. A Forum Moderator will introduce all candidates, ask questions, manage time, and maintain proper decorum. The public is invited to attend the Forum; seating will be limited. O’Fallon Broadcast details coming soon. Please feel free to contact the Chamber of Commerce office at 618-632-3377 with any questions.

Other area happenings

▪ Colorectal Cancer Awareness Drive-thru Event — 8-10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 18. Cancer Care Center of O’Fallon, 321 Regency Park, O’Fallon. Free at-home colon cancer test kits will be given away (while supplies last) to anyone age 45 or older or a person with a first-degree relative who had a colon cancer diagnosis. For more information regarding this event, contact Christy Koenigstein, patient navigator, at 618-607-5545.

O’Fallon Police Department news

The O’Fallon Police Department team had the honor of plunging first during the Special Olympics Polar Plunge on Feb. 25. They raised over $38,000 for the Special Olympics Illinois.

Tony Hill, one of the athletes, took the first dip into the 37-degree water at Carlyle Lake.

Earlier this month, at the Illinois Torch Run Kick Off in Bloomington, the O’Fallon Police Department debuted their new patrol car. Adam Krack and Nick Schmidt, representing the O’Fallon PD, were presented with a Gold level award for fundraising in 2022 and a plaque recognizing more than $71,000 raised last year for the Athletes of Special Olympics Illinois.

They also picked up the 2023 LETR T-shirts and hats, which feature O’Fallon PD in the top-5 in fundraising in the entire state for the first time ever. They will be on sale at their fundraising events.

As a strong supporter of the Special Olympics since 1988, over the past 10 years, the OPD has raised over $340,000 for the organization.

Last year, they were awarded the Governor’s Cup for their work, and have been one of the top fundraising police departments in the state.

The patrol car will be out on patrol in the neighborhoods and be on display at Special Olympics events.

Lynn Venhaus

O’Fallon students competing in teen talent competition

On Feb. 26, 49 metro area high school acts competed in the semifinal round of the 13th Annual St. Louis Teen Talent Competition.

The acts were divided into four categories (vocal, instrumental, dance and specialty) and adjudicated by nine St. Louis performing arts professionals, each representing the respective categories. The judges narrowed the field to 14 acts (22 students) who will move on to the finals at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 8, at the Fabulous Fox Theatre.

Two of the finalists are O’Fallon Township High School students Cortland English and Ava Hettenhausen, who are both juniors and also playing Maurice and Belle in the OTHS spring musical “Beauty and the Beast.”

Brothers for life: 2 Airmen grew up in same orphanage

By Staff Sgt. Dalton Williams

375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs Office

“I stuck my hand out to shake his hand and he threw his walker out of the way and gave me a huge hug.

”You’ve probably heard the saying “It’s a small world” when meeting a stranger with something in common. In the Air Force, we say “it’s a small Air Force,” and for good reason. Senior Airman Sharrdan Long, 375th Medical Support Squadron MRI technologist would have never imagined finding one of his “brothers” during a typical day in the office.

Little did he know that a routine medical appointment was just about to blossom into a lifelong friendship with Fernando Calvarese, a retired Chief Master Sergeant.“I met him when I was taking an X-ray of his wife,” said Long. “I never take X-rays anymore, but I wanted to help out the X-ray team because they were busy that day.”

When she noticed a Hershey candy bar on his medical badge she mentioned that her husband went to an orphanage for underprivileged youth in Hershey, Pennsylvania. He couldn’t believe it.“I freaked out. After finding out that we went to the exact same orphanage, I was blabbing about how crazy it is that I met her. I told her that she had to bring in her husband next time.

The orphanage is intertwined through the best moments of Long’s life. The orphanage took him in when he needed it the most and is where he met his wife of 13 years.

“I immediately called my wife to tell her that I met a Milton Hershey School alumni and to immediately find my class ring,” said Long. “The next day, the phone rang and someone told me, ‘there’s an older man here who’s saying he’s your brother, I think he might be out of it.’

“I walked down and untucked my necklace with my class ring on it so that he could see it. As I walked up, I heard him yell ‘get over here you little rascal!’ I stuck my hand out to shake his hand and he threw his walker out of the way and gave me a huge hug. From then on, we talked about our stories and how we ended up there.”

No matter the different paths each other has taken through life, brothers are reunited once again.

“When you leave Milton Hersey you think you’ll never find that camaraderie again,” said Long. “I’m so thankful that I found one of my brothers here at Scott.”

Black History Month panel shares leadership insights on Scott Air Force Base

By Staff Sgt. Dalton Williams

375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs Office

Five leaders from across Team Scott shared their experiences and insights during a presentation Feb. 24 in support of Black History Month.

Each of the panelists briefly shared their life experiences as well as advice for how best to incorporate diversity and inclusion in the military. Those on the panel were:

• Lt. Gen. Randall Reed, Air Mobility Command deputy commander
• Brig. Gen. Terrence Adams, Director of Cyberspace Operations and Warfighter Communications
• Navy Fleet Master Chief Donald Myrick, U.S. Transportation Command senior enlisted advisor
• Army Maj. Alexis Jackson, USTRANSCOM J3 executive officer.
• Darren Johnson, 618th Air Operations Center chief of staff

One of the cornerstones of discussion for panelists was military diversity and inclusion, and how it continues to strengthen readiness and resolve. Reed spoke on how this impacts warfighters and its importance.

“From a warfighter perspective, when I think about diversity and inclusion, I think about an all-volunteer force of people who love and embrace freedom, and who are ready and willing to extend that freedom to others,” Reed said. “Everybody in this room fits that [description]. I see our diverse and inclusive view of the world, and the fact that we are willing to be the inspiration for all as our asymmetric advantage.”

Adams called on leaders to prioritize compassion, love and listening to Airmen during periods of social change, which he said will result in a stronger force.

“We should be concerned about the people in our formation. We should understand what they may be thinking and what they may be going through. How do we listen to understand? Not listen to refuse? Many of us have never been taught to listen,” Adams shared.

“As leaders, we have an opportunity to do things differently. I would say that we’re sitting in a library here today. You have a book to your left and your right, all you have to do is open it up,”

Myrick explained how diversity and inclusion programs have “only become better at bolstering our bonds with each other,” and the value they bring to Airmen. He spoke on the importance of senior leaders being vulnerable and reiterated “accountability is self-accountability to others.” During the presentation, Myrick also explained why inclusion and diversity is a crucial part of the nation’s success.

“To embrace inclusion and diversity is to me, value added to our nation. More importantly, it’s our ability to sustain ourselves as the greatest nation on earth.”

Jackson explained the importance of connecting with people and being present with them. She also spoke to recruitment efforts and how that should reflect today’s volunteer force.

This story was originally published March 3, 2023 at 10:20 AM.