Visit Downers Grove April 27 for Girls Day Out Downtown from 10 a.m. through the evening,
Downtown Downers Grove, Main Street and Burlington Avenue. Nearly 30 unique boutiques and restaurants will host sales, demonstrations, tastings and other events throughout the day.

April 27

Girls Day Out Downtown

10 a.m. through the evening

Downtown Downers Grove, Main Street and Burlington Avenue, Downers Grove

Free

Nearly 30 unique boutiques and restaurants will host sales, demonstrations, tastings and other events throughout the day. This year, participating merchants are bringing back the popular, Shop Small-Win Big, a drawing of 26 prizes, 14 of which are grand prizes worth at least $100. For details, go to downtowndg.org.

April 27

Fundamentals of Drawing for Adults and Teens

4:30 p.m.

Park Art Center, 9 East Park Blvd., Villa Park

$80

Learn the basics of drawing using graphite, charcoal and conte pencil. Instruction will focus on breaking down objects into simple shapes, shading techniques, proportion and perspective. There will be demonstrations and simple exercises and projects that get progressively more complex. Students will work from life and photo references. Supplies are included in the fee.

April 28

Arbor Day Tree Planting

11 a.m.

The Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle

$14 for adults ages 18–64; $12 for senior citizens ages 65 and older; $9 for youth ages 2–17; free for children 1 and younger

Celebrate Arbor Day with a visit from Curious George and The Man in the Yellow Hat. Enjoy a group reading of “Curious George Plants a Tree,” and join in a tree planting in the Children’s Garden. The event will also feature a live musical performance by Wendy & DB with the Funn Band.

April 29

Native Plant Sale

8:30 a.m.-noon

Wheaton Public Works Building, 821 W. Liberty Drive, Wheaton

Various prices

Find native Illinois trees, shrubs, grasses and flowers for sale or buy a rain barrel. Gardeners are encouraged to plant native plants, which are adapted to the soils and climate of the local area and will not harm or degrade native ecosystems. A list of plants is available on the Wheaton Park District’s website, wheatonparkdistrict.com.

April 29

9 a.m.-noon

Earth Day Cleanup

Meet at Villa Park Historical Museum, 220 S. Villa Ave., Villa Park

Free

The Villa Park Community Pride Commission will sponsor the Earth Day Cleanup on the Great Western Trail and the Prairie Path. All organizations, clubs, churches, schools, scouts, residents and others are invited to pick up litter along the trails from Addison Avenue to Villa Av/Route 83. Water, snacks, garbage bags, rubber gloves and a backpack will be given to each volunteer. Work will be done regardless of the weather. Volunteers should dress accordingly.

April 29

14th annual Cuisine for a Cause

6:30 p.m.

Navistar Corporate Headquarters, 2701 Navistar Drive, Lisle

$150

Cuisine for a Cause is a lively event at which 300 guests gather with their friends to enjoy one of Naperville’s largest cocktail parties to benefit Loaves & Fishes Community Services, including CARES programs. Cuisine for a Cause features samples of signature dishes from more than 20 popular Naperville restaurants along with beverage tastings from local merchants. Guests also enjoy live and silent auctions for items donated by local businesses.

April 30

How Elmhurst Developed Over Time

2-4 p.m.

Elmhurst History Museum, 120 E. Park Ave., Elmhurst

$20 for museum members; $25 for non-members

Explore the history of various Elmhurst neighborhoods during this bus tour, beginning with the 1870s when people built homes to escape post-fire Chicago. Learn how different developers invested in the city as reflected by the diverse eras of 20th century development. The tour will be led by Elmhurst History Museum’s curator of collections, Nancy Wilson. For more information, call (630) 833-1457.

April 30

Naperville Municipal Band Spring Concert

3 p.m.

Wentz Concert Hall, North Central College, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville

Free

Vocalist Cindy Halgrimson will be the guest performer with the band. For more information, call (630) 778-9994 or go to napervilleband.org