The Sycamore Fire Preservation Company is proud of its 1923 Stutz fire engine, but the engine still needs a permanent home. Funds for a future home will be raised by a pancake breakfast and open house 8 to 11 a.m. Nov. 10, at Sycamore Fire Station No. 1, 535 DeKalb Ave.

DeKALB

PRIDE awards nominations deadline is Nov. 9

The DeKalb Citizens’ Environment Commission wants to honor residents, organizations and businesses that are making DeKalb a better place. The commission is accepting nominations for the 26th annual People Responsible for Improving DeKalb’s Environment (PRIDE) awards. The PRIDE awards will honor those responsible for improving life in DeKalb through projects, activities, and programs emphasizing resource conservation, energy efficiency, beautification, waste reduction or similar environmental improvements.

Awards to individuals are the Jim Grosklags PRIDE Awards, in honor of the local environmentalist for his unwavering commitment to improving the environmental quality of DeKalb.

Nomination forms can be found at cityofdekalb.com and the Municipal Building, 200 S. Fourth St., and must be submitted by 4 p.m. Nov. 9. They can be sent to Public Works Director Tim Holdeman at the Municipal Building, or emailed to tim.holdeman@cityofdekalb.com. For information, call 815-748-2332.

City wants feedback about its website before revamp

Residents can tell DeKalb officials what they think about potential changes to the city’s website at two upcoming community forums.

The forums are designed to get user feedback before the website undergoes a scheduled update in 2019, as part of the city’s existing contract with Civic Plus, the site host. Forums will begin with a five- to 10-minute briefing about the project and then remain open to encourage conversation and suggestions.

The meetings will be held:

• 6:30 p.m. Nov. 8 at Hopkins Park, 1403 Sycamore Road

• 6:30 p.m. Nov. 14 at the DeKalb Public Library, 309 Oak St.

Two other meetings were held earlier in October.

In addition to the public forums, the city is launching a survey on its website, cityofdekalb.com, asking about overall functionality of the website and accessibility of information.

Help needed Nov. 10 for Prairie Park work

The DeKalb Park District could use some muscle for a couple of hours Nov. 10, Community Day at Prairie Park. The public is invited to meet at Disc Golf Course (corner of Glidden and Clifford) and tackle the removal of invasive woody plants from 9-11 a.m. The work will be done along the section of new trail between the bridge and the railroad bridge. Participants are encouraged to wear boots, gloves, and weather appropriate clothes.

SYCAMORE

Pancake breakfast to raise funds for 1923 Stutz engine project

Buy a pancake, help find a home for an antique fire truck.

The Sycamore Fire Preservation Company will host a pancake breakfast and open house 8 to 11 a.m. Nov. 10 at Sycamore Fire Station No. 1, 535 DeKalb Ave., as it continues its efforts to find a permanent location to display the group’s 1923 Stutz fire engine.

Tickets are $4 for children ages 4 to 10 and $5 for adults. Children younger than 4 eat free. Proceeds from the event will go toward its mission.

The 1923 Stutz fire engine was the first engine that could actually hook to a hydrant and pump water. It was in operation until 1957, and was sold in 1966 at public auction because there was no room to store it. The engine was owned by three or four collectors until 2000, when group raised money and bought the truck in August 2001. A larger fundraising effort resumed three years ago.

Signs off DeKalb Avenue will provide information for additional parking for the breakfast. For more information, call retired Fire Chief Gene Ege at 815-761-8844.

Residents set up new fund to pay it forward

Luan Olson and Greg Olson received scholarships when they were college students, and now want to “pay forward” the generosity they experienced. They have established a fund that will give a scholarship to a future Sycamore High School graduate. Their new fund will be part of the DeKalb County Community Foundation.

There are more than 70 scholarship funds to date at the community foundation. Donations to any fund at the foundation, including the Luan and Greg Olson Scholarship Fund, can be made online atdekalbccf.org/donate or by mail to the DeKalb County Community Foundation, 475 DeKalb Ave., Sycamore 60178.

For information about the funds, call Executive Director Dan Templin at 815-748-5383 or email him at dan@dekalbccf.org.

GENOA

Supporters will shave their heads to help G-K student

The Genoa-Kingston Impact Club and Genoa-Kingston United Way youth group will raise money to benefit a Genoa-Kingston High School student diagnosed with leukemia. A St. Baldrick’s head-shaving fundraising event to help Rosalia Najera is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 8 at the Genoa-Kingston High School Library, 980 Park Ave., Genoa.

Interested persons who are willing to get pledges and shave their heads are encouraged to sign up to through the St. Baldrick’s foundation. For information, visit stbaldricks.org/events/mypage/13529/2018. Others who want to help but do not want to shave their heads can still collect money for children’s cancer research.

–DeKalb County News Briefs–