Elmhurst College recently moved 40,000 honeybees into two hives on the roof of the Arthur J. Schaible Science Center, where they will play an important role in campus research and sustainability efforts.

COUNTY

Camp to teach kids to be good pet owners

Friends Furever, a day camp offered by DuPage County, focuses on responsible pet care and the lifelong commitment of owning a pet. Children, ages 9-12, will learn topics such as animal communications, pet safety, wild vs. domestic and more through engaging activities, crafts, story time and games. Daily animal interaction will allow campers to practice their new animal skills.

Three sessions of Friends Furever will run over the summer. Each session is five days long and camp will run from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Registration fee is $150 per camper. Session dates are June 26-30, July 10-14 and July 17-21.

Registration must be completed at least two weeks prior to the start of the program. A registration form and waiver can be downloaded from dupageco.org, and returned in person or mailed to 120 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton, 60187. Attn: Education Department.

ELMHURST

Doc Severinsen headlines June Jazz

Legendary trumpet player and former Tonight Show bandleader Doc Severinsen, with guest vocalist Vanessa Thomas, drummer Stockton Helbing and the Elmhurst College Jazz Band, will headline June Jazz June 17.

The public is invited to bring lawn chairs and picnic baskets to this free outdoor concert, which begins at 6:30 p.m. on the Mall of Elmhurst College, 190 Prospect Ave., Elmhurst. For a map, go to elmhurst.edu/campusmap. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. For more information, call (630) 617-6186.

College is home to 40,000 honeybees

After more than a year of preparation and planning, Elmhurst College recently moved 40,000 honeybees into two hives on the roof of the Arthur J. Schaible Science Center, where they will play an important role in campus research and sustainability efforts. Beginning this fall, students will learn firsthand about bees, beehives, biological processes, pollination and the impact of bees on the environment.

Much of the preparation for the bees involved working with the city of Elmhurst to change an ordinance so that beehives could be allowed inside city limits for educational purposes. The college then won a grant from the Honeybee Conservancy to pay for the bees’ housing and supplies; beekeeping suits, hats and gloves; and training for the facilities and grounds staff members who will care for the hives. The grant also provided the honeybees, which arrived in April and May.

Honey will be harvested each fall except for the first year, when the bees will need all the honey they produce to get through their first winter. In subsequent years, the college might use the honey in the cafeteria, donate it to food banks or sell it.

NAPERVILLE

Police have stuff; could be yours

Are you missing a drone? Coin-counting machine? Some kitchen knives?

The Naperville Police Department has these and other unclaimed items. The list includes two drones, five sets of keys, kitchen knives, an iPad, a TV and plenty of bicycles, with 18 unclaimed bikes.

The Naperville found property website lists the items and gives information about where and when they were found. Unclaimed items are eventually auctioned off.

To claim an item, contact the police department’s Evidence and Property Section at (630) 305-5298 and provide additional information to prove ownership. Office hours are 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday to Friday.

Fire chief wins 2017 honor

Naperville Fire Chief Mark Puknaitis has been named the 2017 Illinois Fire Chief of the Year by the Illinois State Crime Commission and Police Athletic League of Illinois.

The Illinois State Crime Commission and the Police Athletic League of Illinois presents the award to the state’s “best individual leaders and champions from government and industry” who have distinguished themselves in contributing to their communities.

Chief Puknaitis is being honored for “his impressive innovations in the fire service, dedication to public safety, training, pro-active firefighting methods and for exemplary service to Naperville’s citizens.”

The award will be presented at the June 21 Salute to Those Who Make a Difference awards dinner at Oak Brook Terrace.

WHEATON

8th-grade musicians perform with municipal band

The Wheaton Municipal Band will present a Circus Days concert June 22, designed for children. The concert will feature eighth-graders from Wheaton middle schools, along with an instrument petting zoo, jugglers and cotton candy. All the music will be circus related.

The free concert will be performed at 7:30 p.m. in Memorial Park, 208 W. Union Ave., in downtown Wheaton.

Bistro makes national al fresco dining list

A Wheaton restaurant is the only Illinois eatery named to OpenTable’s list of the best al fresco restaurants in America.

Adelle’s Fine American Fare, 535 West Liberty Drive, Wheaton, is a fine dining restaurant. Its outdoor setting got it named to OpenTable’s list. The restaurant added a roof over its pergola-topped patio to shield customers from inclement weather. It’s ringed with iron fencing and has a small flower garden, which includes fresh and glass flowers.

OpenTable, a provider of online restaurant reservations, selected the awards based on combined opinions of more than 10 million restaurant reviews submitted by verified OpenTable diners for more than 25,000 restaurants in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The reviews were collected between May 1, 2016, and April 30, 2017.

All restaurants with a minimum “overall” score and number of qualifying reviews were included for consideration. Qualifying restaurants were then scored and sorted according to the percentage of reviews for which “great for outdoor dining” was selected as a special feature.

–DuPage County News Briefs–