The documentary, “Food Evolution,” will be shown free 7 p.m. Nov. 27, at the Egyptian Theatre, 135 N. Second St., DeKalb. Following the film, scientists and local farmers will participate in a panel discussion about GMOs in food.

STATE

It is looking more like Christmas in capital

The state will foot the bill this year to make Springfield look a bit more festive this Christmas season. The state will pay for the lights on the Capitol dome now that the General Assembly did something it did not a year ago at this time: pass a budget.

Last year, Secretary of State Jesse White pulled the plug on the annual tradition to save $7,300 it would cost in electricity bills. However, Springfield was still able to enjoy the lights after the Basic Crafts Council of Mid-Central Illinois, a coalition of labor unions, donated the money.

COUNTY

Rauner guest speaker at business dinner

Gov. Bruce Rauner will be the keynote speaker at the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation’s annual State of the County dinner. This year’s event will be held at 5 p.m. Nov. 30, at Faranda’s Banquet Center, 302 Grove St, DeKalb. Reservations will be accepted through Nov. 22 at member, retired member and non-member rates. Call (815) 895-2711.

Divert old holiday lights from landfill by recycling them

Don’t throw out those annoying tangled stands of old Christmas lights. Recycle them. The DeKalb County Health Department is again partnering with the DeKalb Iron and Metal Co. for a Holiday Lights Recycling Program.

The program, in its seventh year, will run through Feb. 2. All string lights and extension cords are accepted.

Residents can drop off old lights at 10 locations during regular operating hours: DeKalb County Health Department, DeKalb Park District Sports and Rec Center, Sandwich Public Library, Sycamore Center, DeKalb County Legislative Center, DeKalb County Farm Bureau, Village Hall of Waterman, city of Sandwich building, city of DeKalb Municipal Building and the Kishwaukee Family YMCA.

Last year, about 2,000 pounds of holiday lights were collected.

For more information, call Michelle Gibson with the health department at (815) 748-2408 or send an email to recyclemailbox@dekalbcounty.org.

DeKALB

Documentary, experts debate GMOs in food

“Food Evolution,” a new documentary from Academy Award-nominated director Scott Hamilton Kennedy, with narration by science communicator Neil deGrasse Tyson, will be shown free 7 p.m. Nov. 27, at the Egyptian Theatre, 135 N. Second St., DeKalb.

“Food Evolution” explores the controversy surrounding GMOs and food, traveling from Hawaiian papaya groves to banana farms in Uganda to the cornfields of Iowa.

Following the 92-minute film, a panel discussion will be held with scientists and farmers, including Dr. Kevin Folta, professor and chairman of the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida; Dr. Joel Stafstrom, associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Northern Illinois University; Lynn Byington, Leland-area farmer and regional sales manager with Crop Risk Services; and Jamie Walter, DeKalb-area grain farmer and ag entrepreneur. Tim Suter, president and CEO of Suter Company in Sycamore, will moderate the discussion. The event is being sponsored by Northern Illinois University and the DeKalb County Farm Bureau. For more information, visit dekalbfarmbureau.org/.

SYCAMORE

Program to benefit food bank for Thanksgiving

Buy a ham, donate some pork. That is the message Pipestone, a veterinary and pig management company, and Hy-Vee grocery store are sending out before Thanksgiving arrives. For every ham bought at the Sycamore Hy-Vee, 2700 DeKalb Ave., through Nov. 24, Pipestone, another Sycamore business, will donate a pound of pork loin to the Northern Illinois Food Bank.

SANDWICH

Theater troupe presents holiday comedy

’Tis the season to be merry … and annoyed by your family. So is the premise of Indian Valley Theatre’s next production, “Mostly Minnesota Christmas,” which will be presented Dec. 1-Dec. 3 at the Sandwich Opera House, 140 E. Railroad St., Sandwich. The holiday comedy is a story about what happens when Bill and Abby prepare for Christmas in frigid northern Minnesota. Long-estranged relatives start showing up on their doorstep to heal old wounds and reconcile irreconcilable differences. Besides the surprise relatives, Abby is busy producing and directing the Christmas pageant at her church. With a sharp tongue and a soft heart, this comedy is a reminder of how Christmas and family go hand-in-hand, no matter what happens.

Tickets are $12, and show times are 7:30 p.m. Dec. 1 and Dec. 2 and 2 p.m. Dec. 3. Buy tickets online at sandwichoperahouse.org.

–DeKalb County News Briefs–