Irish dancers entertain at last year’s Barrington Celtic Fest. This year’s fest will have five Irish dance troupe performances.

COUNTY

Area teachers are Golden Apple finalists

Four teachers at various Lake County schools have been named finalists for the 2017 Golden Apple Awards for Excellence in Teaching. They are among the 33 finalists named for their teaching expertise by Golden Apple, a leading nonprofit committed to celebrating and developing great teachers who make life-changing differences in the lives of students.

The awards recognize and honor outstanding teachers for their role in building a stronger, better-educated society. This year’s finalists were selected from a pool of more than 600 nominations, and represent 4th-8th grade teachers throughout Chicago and suburbs.

The finalists include:

• Scott Baeseman, Lake Forest Country Day School, Lake Forest;
• Ann Cvitkovic, Lake Bluff Middle School, Lake Bluff;
• Brigette Hurst, Grove Avenue School, Barrington and
• Tyra Stall, Prince of Peace Catholic School, Lake Villa.

These finalists will experience a final round of review and classroom observations prior to the selection and announcement this spring of the 10 teacher award recipients. Golden Apple’s selection committee is comprised of college and university professors, educational consultants, administrators and former Golden Apple Award recipients. Committee members utilize industry and research-based professional standards to identify teachers who exemplify the best of the teaching profession.

BARRINGTON

Celtic Fest will be three days of fun, food, drink

All things Irish will be celebrated at the 7th annual Barrington Celtic Fest, March 16 through March 18.

The party will be held in two locations. The large heated party tent will return to the 200 block of Park Avenue, just east of Cook Street, for an outdoor celebration. Hours are 5 p.m.-12 a.m. March 16, 11 a.m.-12 a.m. March 17 and March 18. An indoor celebration will be held at McGonigal’s Pub & The Loft (second level), 105 S. Cook St. Hours are 11 a.m.-1 a.m. March 16, 10 a.m.-2 a.m. March 17 and 11 a.m.-2 a.m. March 18.

The three-day festival will feature a variety of food vendors, bands and entertainment. The entertainment will feature live Irish and rock music, five Irish dance troupe performances and bagpipers. Schedules and band lineups can be found at barringtonpub.com. Admission to Celtic Fest is free. For more information,
call (847) 277-7400.

WAUCONDA

Library wants to help girls say ‘Yes’ to the prom dress

The Wauconda Area Library stocks copies of “Cinderella,” and staffers are taking the fairy tale to heart by turning the library into Fairy Godmother Shoppe for a day. They will give away prom dresses to teenage girls who can’t afford all the expenses that come with the memorable high school ritual.

They hope to give girls a chance to look like princesses. The giveaway will be held from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. April 8. Any female high schooler may come in for one free dress as well as shoes and accessories. Participants don’t need to attend Wauconda High School or live within the library district’s boundaries.

To stock the shop, the library is collecting gently worn dresses and other fashion items through April 7. People can make donations at the library, 801 N. Main St., Wauconda, during business hours. Donors will receive proof of their donations for future income tax deductions.

Girls who come to the library April 8 in search of a dress are asked to donate one nonperishable food item when they choose a garment, in a pay-it-forward effort.

For more information, go to wauclib.org or call (847) 526-6225.

LIBERTYVILLE

Classical Celtic guitar concert to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

A classical guitar concert featuring Celtic music will be given at 7 p.m. Marcy 18, at the David Adler Music & Arts Center, 1700 N. Milwaukee Avenue, Libertyville. Ron Eshoo, a member of the Adler Center’s guitar faculty, will perform powerful Celtic arrangements for the guitar. He also will perform music by Isaac Albéniz, Dionisio Aguado and Scarlatti, composers who cover three time periods.

Eshoo studied classical guitar performance at William Rainey Harper and Northeastern Illinois University.

Tickets are $20. Adler Center members and all students receive a discount. Purchase tickets at adlercenter.org.

STATE

Survey shows abundance of good credit scores on North Shore

Credit scores tell a lot about you and dictates many of the future decisions you make. A good score is a must if you are trying to take out a loan or qualify for an apartment. Potential employers, business partners, corporations and the government use the scores, to make decisions and draw conclusions about you. Now, by lumping together populations of entire towns and cities, anyone can make broad judgments about the financial habits of strangers.

A new analysis by WalletHub, the first website to offer free credit scores and full credit reports updated on a daily basis, compares the average credit scores of residents in more than 2,000 U.S. cities, telling the public which city has residents with the best financial habits. Wallethub used October 2016 data from TransUnion, a credit reporting agency, to make the comparisons. Several communities on Chicago’s North Shore made it into the top 100 across the country, including other Chicago area communities.

According to Wallethub, the highest credit scores in Illinois are as follows:

1. Wilmette, average credit score: 744.93, 99th percentile, 14th in nation
2. Lake Forest, average credit score: 738.91, 99th percentile, 30th in nation
3. Northbrook, average credit score: 739.38, 99th percentile, 34th in nation
4. Deerfield, average credit score: 736.15, 98th percentile, 55th in nation
5. Huntley, average credit score: 735.32, 98th percentile, 58th in nation
6. Libertyville, average credit score 734.89, 98th percentile, 61st in nation
7. Glenview, average credit score: 733.74, 97th percentile, 71st in nation
8. Highland Park, average credit score 731.84, 96th percentile, 93rd in nation
9. Park Ridge, average credit score 729.37, 96th percentile, 108th in nation
10. Buffalo Grove, average credit score 727.89, 95th percentile, 125th in nation