Community Calendar

October 27th marks the opening date for two new solo exhibitions under the umbrella of the Freeport Art Museum's Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Initiative. The overriding goals are to create an environment where the BIPOC community participates in programs and activities and broadens the art exhibited in ways that establish social and racial equity and share our diverse community's knowledge and contributions. Through 2025 (five years) artists of color will be selected by artists of color.
Opening reception is hosted by the NAACP Freeport Branch. October 27th 5 pm to 7 pm.

2023, the third year of the BIPOC Initiative, features Nicole Davis, and Stephen Signa - Aviles.

Nicole Davis is a visual artist and educator based in Illinois. She works primarily in textile, photography, and painting. Nicole served as a Special Education teacher in public school systems for twenty-one years before pivoting to an art career. She received an MFA degree from the University of Iowa in 2020. Her artwork has been shown throughout the Midwest including at the Soo Visual Arts Center, Minneapolis, MN, the Koehnline Museum in Skokie, IL, and the South Bend Museum of Art in South Bend, IN.

Stephen Signa-Aviles is a Mexican-American artist living in Urbana, Illinois. His works are sculptural manifestations that embody themes of memory, national identity, assimilation, and cultural hybridity. Stephen earned an MFA in 2021 from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he currently is Assistant Professor of Art in the School of Art & Design.

On Tuesday, December 5th at 6:00 p.m. central, the LaSalle Public Library will virtually host Claire Evans and Debra Dudek for “Steeped in Secrecy: The Boston Tea Party, 250 Years Later.”

The story of tea has always been infused with intrigue, particularly when it became a flash point for tensions between England and Colonial America. In this program, learn about the brewing political problems tea presented in its history, examine the history of the Boston Tea Party’s most famous partiers (and phonies), and trace bona fide participants through lineage societies and historical groups.

Claire Evans is an author, former journalist, attorney, and college lecturer who started her love of most things British as she and her mother watched countless Britcoms on PBS. She studied abroad in London and, against the odds, married a Brit she met in Peoria, Illinois. They lived in England for some years. Her business, Tea with Claire, grew from friends asking for travel advice. Her memoir, High Tea and the Low Down is the true story of what it's like to marry a witty Englishman and move to Britain.

Debra M. Dudek is Head of Adult and Teen Services at the Fountaindale Public Library District in Bolingbrook, Illinois. She holds a postgraduate certificate in Genealogical, Paleographic & Heraldic Studies from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland.

This program is free and open to the public. It will be presented virtually via Zoom. For more information, please call the Library at 815-223-2341. Registration information will be available through the Program Portal (link below).

https://sites.google.com/lasalle.lib.il.us/programportal/upcoming-adult-programs/steeped-in-secrecy

St. Paul's Episcopal Church in DeKalb invites you to a Blue Christmas service, Moving from Darkness to Light, on Tuesday, December 5th at 7 p.m. Pastor Bob Hansen will preside at the service that will offer scripture, prayer, music, and an opportunity to light candles to acknowledge that this time of year is difficult for many who have lost loved ones or are facing challenges in their daily life. Following the service, a time of gentle fellowship will be offered. St. Paul's Episcopal Church is located at 900 Normal Rd. in DeKalb. For additional information, contact the church office at 815-756-4888. Our website is stpaulsdekalb.org.

The Spartan Food Pantry is open every other Wednesday from 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM at the school district warehouse located at 520 N. Maple Street, Sycamore, IL. The food pantry is open to families of Sycamore School District students only and Photo ID is required. We are a choice pantry, meaning families can choose what they would like, how much they would like, and can omit certain items.

October 27th marks the opening date for two new solo exhibitions under the umbrella of the Freeport Art Museum's Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Initiative. The overriding goals are to create an environment where the BIPOC community participates in programs and activities and broadens the art exhibited in ways that establish social and racial equity and share our diverse community's knowledge and contributions. Through 2025 (five years) artists of color will be selected by artists of color.
Opening reception is hosted by the NAACP Freeport Branch. October 27th 5 pm to 7 pm.

2023, the third year of the BIPOC Initiative, features Nicole Davis, and Stephen Signa - Aviles.

Nicole Davis is a visual artist and educator based in Illinois. She works primarily in textile, photography, and painting. Nicole served as a Special Education teacher in public school systems for twenty-one years before pivoting to an art career. She received an MFA degree from the University of Iowa in 2020. Her artwork has been shown throughout the Midwest including at the Soo Visual Arts Center, Minneapolis, MN, the Koehnline Museum in Skokie, IL, and the South Bend Museum of Art in South Bend, IN.

Stephen Signa-Aviles is a Mexican-American artist living in Urbana, Illinois. His works are sculptural manifestations that embody themes of memory, national identity, assimilation, and cultural hybridity. Stephen earned an MFA in 2021 from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he currently is Assistant Professor of Art in the School of Art & Design.

FM 101 ProFM™ Credential Program
The FM profession is evolving as it adapts to new technologies, globalization, and significant retirement gaps. ProFM is the global standard for today’s facility professionals.
$1,800.00

Date: 9/27 – 12/6 (Every Wednesday except there is no class on 11/22)
Time: 6 – 8:30 p.m. (CT)
Instructors: James Myers & Alana Dunoff
Location: Online via Zoom

Visit our facility management webpage for more information: https://cpelearn.niu.edu/facility-management/

Beth Bradley’s church’s Christmas pageant is predictable every year — the angel choir sings off key, the shepherds are all in their father’s bathrobes, the minister’s son is permanently cast in the role of Joseph. It is hardly “four-star entertainment.” But when seasoned and authoritative pageant director Mrs. Armstrong breaks her leg, it is up to Beth’s inexperienced mother Grace to step in. The timing couldn’t be worse, as the rambunctious Herdman children, a rough and tough group of siblings from the wrong side of the tracks, descend upon the pageant, lured by the promise of free dessert at Sunday school, and determined to win all the lead roles for themselves.

The Ladies’ Aid Society members are beside themselves with disapproval, all the shepherds quit because Gladys Herdman “hits too hard”, the show is briefly re-titled “Revenge at Bethlehem,” and the church catches on fire. But Beth and her community watch in surprise as the same old Christmas story is rejuvenated by the creativity, energy, and unexpected sincerity of a misunderstood young family.

Are you looking for a relaxing way to practice speaking English? Come to English Conversation Club! Sip hot chocolate and have fun using English in a low-pressure environment.

This group is open to speakers of all languages, and at all levels of English proficiency. It is intended for teens and adults, though children are welcome to attend with a parent or guardian.

For more information, please contact Chelsea at chelsear@dkpl.org or call (815)-756-9568 ext. 1700.

Find UNIQUE, HANDCRAFTED items created by local artists. Jewelry, woodcraft, pottery, fiber, fine art, coffee and so much more!

October 27th marks the opening date for two new solo exhibitions under the umbrella of the Freeport Art Museum's Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) Initiative. The overriding goals are to create an environment where the BIPOC community participates in programs and activities and broadens the art exhibited in ways that establish social and racial equity and share our diverse community's knowledge and contributions. Through 2025 (five years) artists of color will be selected by artists of color.
Opening reception is hosted by the NAACP Freeport Branch. October 27th 5 pm to 7 pm.

2023, the third year of the BIPOC Initiative, features Nicole Davis, and Stephen Signa - Aviles.

Nicole Davis is a visual artist and educator based in Illinois. She works primarily in textile, photography, and painting. Nicole served as a Special Education teacher in public school systems for twenty-one years before pivoting to an art career. She received an MFA degree from the University of Iowa in 2020. Her artwork has been shown throughout the Midwest including at the Soo Visual Arts Center, Minneapolis, MN, the Koehnline Museum in Skokie, IL, and the South Bend Museum of Art in South Bend, IN.

Stephen Signa-Aviles is a Mexican-American artist living in Urbana, Illinois. His works are sculptural manifestations that embody themes of memory, national identity, assimilation, and cultural hybridity. Stephen earned an MFA in 2021 from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he currently is Assistant Professor of Art in the School of Art & Design.