This photo of a young chalk artist at work captured first place in the Glen Ellyn Park District’s Summer Photo Contest. The photographer is 15-year-old Grace Kando.

YORK TOWNSHIP

Store employees donate school supplies

Children of York Township Food Pantry families are starting school with much-needed supplies because of the generosity of some department store employees. On Aug. 22, employees of JC Penney, 175 York-town Center, Lombard, delivered a truckload of school supplies to York Township Hall for distribution for the new school year. The school supplies were collected as a result of a storewide contest in which em-ployees of each department vied to see who could collect the most.

GLEN ELLYN

Winning summer photos selected

A photo of a young chalk artist at work captured first place out of almost 50 entries in the Glen Ellyn Park District’s Summer Photo Contest. The shot, taken by 15-year-old Grace Kando at the Main Street Recreation Center and titled “Fun at the Park!”, shows a youngster working on a colorful sidewalk draw-ing.

Taking second place is a close-up of a young fisherman, Aidan, and his catch at Lake Ellyn Park. A proud parent moment, this shot was photographed by his mother Elizabeth Wright, 48, who named her image “Catch of the Day.”

Brittany Larson, 34, also found an inspiring subject at Lake Ellyn Park, where she created an image of a smiling trio enjoying the new Boating in the Park events. She titled her photo “Paddle Boating Dream Come True.”

The winning photos will be featured in the park district’s 2018 Summer Activity Guide, and each winner will receive a prize from PJ’s Camera & Photo Supply of Glen Ellyn. Passes to Holes & Knolls Mini Golf will be awarded to the contest’s 4th-7th place picks.

With the summer contest over, the Fall Photo Contest is underway. New this season, the contest has separate divisions for youth and adult photogs. It’s free to enter and open to all ability levels. The most important rule? Entries must be taken at Glen Ellyn Park District parks, facilities, programs or events. For details, visit www.gepark.org/photocontest.

NAPERVILLE

Jaycees’ Last Fling features Disney star

The Naperville Jaycees will bid farewell to another summer with its Last Fling during Labor Day weekend in and around downtown Naperville.

The Last Fling, Sept. 1-Sept. 4, will offer attractions for all ages including two music stages, Family Fun Land, a carnival, a business expo and special events. Miranda May, star of the Disney Channel television comedy “Bunk’d,” will do a public meet-and-greet at Family Fun Land at Naper Settlement from 3 to 5 p.m. Sept. 3. May plays Lou, a counselor for the Woodchuck cabin at Camp Kikiwaka. There is no charge to meet her, but attendees must obtain a wristband, which will be distributed starting at 10 a.m. Sept. 3 at the Settlement, 523 S. Webster St.

The fest itself will open at 5 p.m. Sept. 1, and continue from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sept. 2-3 and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 4. A complete schedule of all events and activities can be found at lastfling.org.

Beginning Aug. 30, the city will close parking lots and streets at and near the Alfred Rubin Riverwalk Community Center, 305 W. Jackson Ave., and Park District Administration Building, 320 W. Jackson Ave., to set up stages and booths for the event. The lots will remain closed through Sept. 4. Details about street closures can be found at naperville.il.us/lastfling.aspx.

DARIEN

Painted chairs to be auctioned off

The Battle of the Adirondack Chair – featuring the work of art teachers and students from 10 local schools – will be held at the 30th annual DarienFest. The chairs are on display through Sept. 7 at Darien City Hall, and will then move to the Adirondack Chair Tent at DarienFest, Sept. 8-Sept. 10, where they will be auctioned off.

The auction is being sponsored by the Darien Woman in Business and Rotary Club of Darien. Students and art teachers from the following schools painted a chair: Concord, Elizabeth Ide, Prairieview, Mark Delay, Lace, Cass Junior High, Lakeview Junior High, Eisenhower Junior High and Hinsdale South and Downers Grove South high schools.

Bidding for the chairs will close at 4 p.m. Sept. 10. Proceeds from the chair with the highest bid will be donated to that school’s art department. The Peoples Choice Award will also award $100 to the school art department for the chair that receives the most votes at DarienFest.

All other proceeds will benefit Paint the Town Pink and provide meals to residents undergoing cancer treatment in the Darien area. To place a bid, go to charityauctionstoday.com/auctions/paint-the-town-pink-battle-of-the-adirondack-chairs-2627.

GLEN ELLYN

COD hosts ‘Sage Lectures’ this fall

Continuing Education at College of DuPage will host “Sage Series” lectures this fall on the College’s Glen Ellyn campus, 425 Fawell Blvd.

Part of Continuing Education’s Lifelong Learning program, the “Sage Series” features local experts pre-senting information on a variety of topics, including Chinese quinine, NASA’s Dawn mission and tips for traveling in Spain.

These lectures are offered free of charge for community members age 50 and older.

Intergenerational Learning and the Value of Grand Friendships, Friday, Sept. 15, 1 to 2:30 p.m.

A Bite of China: Learn about the history and use of select staple foods in various regions of China, Fri-day, Sept. 22, 10 a.m. to noon.

Behind the Scenes at the MAC, Friday, Oct. 6, 10 a.m. to noon. Optional lunch at Waterleaf for $25.

NASA’s Dawn Spacecraft, Saturday, Oct. 14, 7:30 to 9 p.m.

Behind the Scenes at the COD Greenhouse, Friday, Nov. 17, 10 to 11:30 a.m. •

Travel to Andalusia, Spain, Friday, Dec. 1, 10 to 11;30 a.m.

Registration for these classes is required. Call (630) 942-2208 for more information and to register.

The Lifelong Learning Institute offers a mix of courses, workshops, seminars and lectures in a wide range of topic areas, such as art and hobby, health and wellness, history, the humanities and more.

AURORA

Bernie Sanders to appear at Paramount Theater

Sen. Bernie Sanders, the 2016 Democratic presidential candidate, will appear at Aurora’s Paramount Theater on Wednesday, Aug. 30.

The event, sponsored by Naperville’s Anderson Bookstore, will feature a presentation but no photos or book signings.

Ticket holders will receive a copy of Sanders’ book: “Bernie Sanders Guide to Political Revolution” upon entry to the theater.

The book is guide to understanding and navigating the current system of policy and government,

work to change the system to reflect values and to protect society’s most vulnerable, organize for the causes and offers resources for further reading and organizations to get involved.

The event begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $24 per person and include a copy of the book and $34 for admis-sion, a book plus and extra copy donated to a underserved student. Tickers are on sale through Anderson’s Bookshop at BernieAndersons.brownpapertickets.com.

STATE

Aid for winter heating bills to be available

Senior citizens and people with disabilities can apply for help to pay their winter heating bills beginning Oct 1. The money is being made available by the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, a state and federally funded energy assistance program for low-income families. When applying for assistance, customers must bring required documentation including proof of income and any aid, current heat and electric bills, rental agreement and Social Security numbers.

A single-person household can qualify with a monthly income of up to $1,508; a two-person household, up to $2,030; a family of three can earn up to $2,553; and a family of four can earn up to $3,075.

Disconnected households and families with children ages 5 or under can begin applying for assistance beginning Nov. 1. Individuals not eligible for priority enrollment can apply beginning Dec. 1.

The Percentage of Income Payment Plan program is a similar bill-payment assistance program and appli-cations will be accepted starting Oct.1, for eligible households who are customers of one of the follow-ing utilities: Ameren Illinois, ComEd, Nicor Gas, and Peoples Gas/North Shore Gas utilities.

For a listing of agencies administering the funds and additional information, go to liheapIllinois.com.

–DuPage County News Briefs–