Tasty beers and ciders will keep party-goers warm at this year’s Naperville Winter Ale Fest, from 12-4 p.m. Feb. 23 in Frontier Park, 3380 Cedar Glade Drive.

COUNTY

Valentine balloon fundraiser to benefit Care Center residents

The DuPage Care Center is offering the community an opportunity to send Valentine wishes to center residents. For a $3 donation, the public can spread cheer by sending a Valentine balloon to a Care Center resident. Last year, the public sent more than 800 heart-shaped, helium balloons to line the center’s corridors and rooms on Valentine’s Day. Volunteers and staff delivered the balloons to more than 350 residents there.

Balloon donations will be accepted until Feb. 13, and can also be sent by visiting dpccfoundation.org/events-and-fundraisers/valentines-day-balloons/. Balloons will be delivered to residents on Feb. 14.

Money from the sale of balloons benefits the Resident Recreation Fund, which provides programs and activities to improve the quality of life of residents living at the center. For more information, call Linda Gray at 630-784-4303 or send an email to linda.gray@dupageco.org.

DARIEN

Seminar to explore the roles of bees, trees and birds in gardening

The Darien Garden Club is offering a short respite from winter with lectures and discussions about bees, trees and birds at its Spring Gardening Inspiration 2019. The event – a conference about gardening, lunch, exhibits and raffles – will be held 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. March 9 at Chateau Orleans, 8025 Cass Ave., Darien.

Speakers will be Paige Embry, an expert about the place of bees in gardening; Lydia Scott, director of the Chicago Region Trees Initiative founded by The Morton Arboretum; and Pam Karlson, a career artist, gardener/landscape designer and wildlife rehabilitation volunteer who has been rescuing migratory birds for 15 years.

Tickets cost $50, and include a continental breakfast and lunch. For more information, go to

dariengardenclub.com or call 630-253-2125. Proceeds will support gardening education and grow gardens in the Darien area. 

NAPERVILLE

Winter Ale Fest to serve cold beers, hot ciders

Seasonal and rare craft beers and lots of hot hard cider will flow at the annual Naperville Winter Ale Fest, hosted by the city from 12-4 p.m. Feb. 23 in Frontier Park, 3380 Cedar Glade Drive.

The festival also will feature a cask tent and an infusion tent where guests can sample experimental beer recipes. Approximately a dozen food trucks will serve up local eats from Carnivale, Crust Culture, Toasty Taco and other local eateries.

General admission is $49, and includes entrance, beer samplings, a commemorative glass and access to specialty beer tents. Proceeds will benefit the Naperville Parks Foundation.

The lineup of participating local and national breweries will include:

• 3 Floyd’s,
• Anchor Brewing, 
• Cigar City Brewing, 
• Farmhaus Cider Co., 
• Illuminated Brew Works,
• Noon Whistle Brewing,
• North Coast Brewing Company, 
• One Trick Pony, 
• Pipeworks Brewing Company,
• Right Bee Cider, 
• Scorched Earth, 
• Two Brothers Artisan Brewing and
• Virtue Cider. 

BOLINGBROOK

New food pantry opens at Compass Church

The Compass Church Bolingbrook and Loaves & Fishes Community Services have opened the Compass Church Food Pantry, which will serve struggling families residing within Bolingbrook ZIP codes 60440 and 60490 and Romeoville ZIP code 60446.

Grocery offerings include shelf-stable items, fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and milk and eggs, when available.

The pantry, located within The Compass Church Bolingbrook campus, 151 E. Briarcliff Road, will be open from 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Registration will begin at 5:30 p.m. and end at 7 p.m. A photo ID and a current document verifying resident name and address (such as a utility bill, rental agreement, or doctor’s bill) are required. Patrons are asked to bringing grocery bags or boxes to transport their groceries.

Loaves & Fishes Community Services provides healthy food and impactful programs to help clients become more self-sufficient. For information, visit loaves-fishes.org or contact Michelle Iskowitz, director of marketing and communications, at miskowitz@loaves-fishes.org.

GLEN ELLYN

COD is celebrating Black History Month

The College of DuPage is mounting a myriad of programs and activities in February as part of its celebration of Black History Month.

One element of the celebration is a photo exhibit, “The Movement That Influenced American Culture,” that is on display in the Student Resource Center on the Glen Ellyn campus through March 15. The exhibit explores images and captions from past to present-day stories of African Americans during the great migration period and the impact this had on America’s history.

The COD Entrepreneurship Club will host “From Black Migration to Black Businesses and Beyond” from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Feb. 12 and Feb. 26, in the Student Services Center, Room 3245. Associate Professor of Business and Entrepreneurship Club Advisor Peter James will explore aspects of how the black migration inspired businesses in the black communities and utilize that dialogue as inspiration for anyone seeking to start a business. 

Historian, educator and community activist Dr. Frederick Douglas Dixon will add to the current mainstream conversation regarding the dominant narratives surrounding the phenomenon of American and Black migrations when he speaks at 1 p.m. Feb.14, in the Health and Science Center, Room 1234.

View the full schedule of Black History Month events at cod.edu. For questions, contact David Swope, COD manager of Student Diversity and Inclusion, at 630-942-2136 or swoped28@cod.edu.

–DuPage County News Briefs—