Elgin’s Amazin’ Race

So I’m on a team for Elgin’s Amazin’ Race, but we have two open spots! Any readers out there want to join us? I’d need to know your name, age, and t-shirt size by tomorrow. Also, you need to sign a waiver and pay about $13. E-mail me at jessica.elgin@mac.com if you’re interested. It’s going to be a blast and all proceeds go to the Elgin Youth Scholarship Fund.

Here is the Amazin’ Race information from today’s Courier:

Elgin will host its own “Amazin’ Race” on Saturday complete with clues, roadblocks and detours set up around the downtown. Teams will meet at noon at Elgin Public House, 219 E. Chicago St., to find clues leading to the next location. The race wraps up at 4 p.m., when the winning team crosses the finish line. Some stops will feature challenges like those on the reality TV show. Fourteen teams are registered, and space still is available. Registration ends Friday. First prize is a basket full of prizes. Proceeds will benefit the Elgin Youth Scholarship Fund. For more information, contact Greg Bruggeman at (847) 531-7007 or at Bruggeman_g@cityofelgin.org.

Tags: Amazin' Race, clues, Elgin, Elgin Public House, Elgin Youth Scholarship Fund, fun, fundraiser, IL, Illinois, scavenger hunt
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Benefit Renz Addiction Center while you shop!

The Renz Addiction Center is a non-profit in Elgin that helps people suffering from addiction.

If you’re anything like me, you probably agree with the spirit of Renz, but can’t really afford to contribute anything. Have no fear! You can buy stuff you were going to buy anyway, at the normal price with a gift card, and a portion of the money goes to Renz! Click here for a list of stores and restaurants.

How does it work? Click here for the order form (document). Fill out which gift cards you want to order, then save and send the document as an e-mail attachment to lpullman@renzcenter.com.

Tags: charity, donation, drug addiction, Elgin, fundraiser, gambling, gift cards, Great Lakes Scrip Center, Illinois, outpatient, Renz Addiction Center, Shopping
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Abe Lincoln Mania!

*Meet Abe Lincoln & his wife at Gail Borden Library! No seriously, for $50 you can hobnob with some people dressed up in costume tomorrow (4/18) night at 7 pm. Champagne will be provided. Proceeds benefit the library.

Though this is one of the craziest and most unique things I’ve ever heard of, I think it could be insanely fun. Seriously, how often can you drink alcohol in the library without getting in trouble?

*Guess the idea isn’t completely unique after all! Wheaton’s Center for History has “An Evening with the Lincolns” tonight (4/17) at 7 pm. I’m pretty sure they aren’t serving alcohol though.

*Gail Borden has a ton of Lincoln-themed events coming up:
****4/22 @ 3 PM. Tea with Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd. Sounds similar to the $50 fundraiser, except it’s free and instead of champagne they’re serving lemonade. Count me in!
****4/28 @ 4 PM. Lincoln Studies and Stuff. Have a chat with the curator of Springfield’s Lincoln Presidential Library.
****4/28 @ 7 PM. Images of “Honest Abe.” Watch a slide show of how Lincoln’s image changed over the years.
****4/30 @ 7 PM. Lincoln’s Table. Learn about recipes that Lincoln’s family used. Now this one sounds interesting!

*If you love riding bikes and want to learn more about Lincoln, there is the Tour de Lincoln this August. It starts in Kentucky and ends in Illinois, stopping at Lincoln’s birth place, historic boyhood cabin, burial place, museum, and more.

*If you don’t love riding bikes but still want to learn more about Lincoln, there is a Legendary Lincoln Smithsonian Journey in May. It starts in Kentucky and ends in Illinois, similar to the bike ride mentioned above, but you travel by motorcoach and sleep in hotels.

Tags: Abe Lincoln, cooking, fundraiser, history, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Land of Lincoln, Legendary Lincoln Smithsonian Journey, Lincoln Presidential Library, recipes, Springfield, Tour de Lincoln, Wheaton Center for History
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Greater Elgin Area tid bits.

-Did you know OakBrook residents don’t pay property taxes? Seriously, it says so right on the front page of their website.

-A Bartlett teen invited a girl to prom via graffiti, got caught by the cops via myspace. Wow!

-Hundreds of people waited around in Aurora yesterday hoping to get a glimpse of Johnny Depp, but he isn’t supposed to be there until today.

-Did you know there are places that, for a fee, provide ingredients and instruction so you can make two weeks worth of entrees on a Saturday? Then you freeze the meals and take them home so you don’t have to worry about cooking during the week! Check out Come & Dish in Algonquin and Dinner by Design in Algonquin, Crystal Lake, South Elgin, St. Charles, and all sorts of places nearby. (Hint: Radio Shopping Show has discounts on both of these places.)

-District 300 Foundation for Educational Excellence is auctioning off desks that were turned into works of art by students or staff. I like this one!

-The DuPage County Historical Museum is in danger of closing. Time to finally visit there!

-This isn’t in the Greater Elgin Area, but it is funny. Someone broke into a freight car in Galesburg, and must’ve been sorely disappointed to find it filled with ketchup. Nothing was stolen, but police found the ketchup squirted everywhere.

Tags: art, Bartlett, Come & Dish, cooking, Dinner by Design, District 300, DuPage County Historical Museum, education, food, fundraiser, graffiti, Illinois, OakBrook, prom, property tax, Radio Shoping Show, taxes, WRMN
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Walk & Roll!

Click here to support me in Elgin’s Walk & Roll on Saturday May 10th. Any money you donate will go to cancer research. Participants will either walk 5 miles, rollerblade 10 miles, or bike 15 miles. The goal is to raise $55,000 for cancer research. I have signed up to bicycle with the Kickstands, an Elgin bike gang.

Photo by Thomas Hawk.

Click here to view the Kickstands’ Walk & Roll page, and here to visit their myspace page. If you live in the Elgin area and enjoy doing fun bike-related events like this (and also bike bar crawls!), consider joining the Kickstands. One of my friends started this awesome group and I expect us to do a lot of cool stuff this year!

Tags: bicycling, bikes, cancer, charity, cycling, Elgin, fun, fundraiser, Illinois, research, rollerblading, Walk & Roll, walking
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